"They were the ones who attacked my parents and killed them as well as the animals, am I right?" I asked.
"Precisely. They drink blood and eat flesh of both humans and animals. It was said that they are afraid of salt and garlic," Cain replied.
"Thanks for telling me their weakness. Now I know how to fight them," I said.
I imagined having a huge quantity of salt and garlic around me. Being able to make things exist just by thinking and creating pictures in the mind is so convenient.
The terrifying creatures got closer and closer. I couldn't describe their looks. Some of them grew wings and turned into flying monsters. Their eyes were red, and their bodies were hairy and gray.
"I hope this will work." I scooped a handful of salt from a sack and threw it at them.
The terrifying creatures shrieked as their bodies got burned. Some of them had stepped back, while others, especially the flying ones, attacked me. I scooped another handful of salt and continued throwing it at them until they all turned into ashes.
There was only one left of them. At first, it was a normal man; then he turned into a huge, flying creature that resembled a black dragon. It must be their leader.
It looked angry, probably because I killed its kin. But how about me? Shouldn't I be angry that it killed my parents and dog? I want revenge. I want to cut it into pieces. I want to make it feel the pain I felt.
I threw salt and garlic toward it, but it was tougher than the others. It wasn't burnt easily. It flew above me. What was more surprising and strange was that it could breathe fire and ice like a mythical dragon.
I dodged its attacks and used a barrier to protect myself. Then, I turned my arms into machine guns and rained it with bullets. "Take these! These are for what you did to my parents and everyone you've ever killed!"
The creature screeched in pain. Black blood leaked all over its body. I ended up with a headshot. I didn't care if it was part of my mission or not. I consider anyone who hurts my parents an enemy.
"That was scary, wasn't it?" Cain asked.
"I think we're done here. Let's just go and forget everything that happened. My parents are already dead. There's no reason for me to stay in this place," I said.
I was about to go when suddenly, I felt dizzy, as if the world around me was spinning at a very high speed. Then, everything turned black as I lost consciousness.
When I opened my eyes, I was in a rice field. There were coconut and banana trees by the brook. A frog jumped into the water. Splash! I could hear the sweet songs of birds and sounds of insects I couldn't locate.
There was a tall mountain in the distance, covered with green grasses and trees. At its foot, the rice terraces and sugarcane fields. I breathed the fresh air. This place makes me sleepy, so I lie down and get some rest.
The toad I saw earlier turned into a giant frog. It was staring at me, curiously, as if I were a stranger or an alien in its point of view. I stood up and ran as fast as I could, but it used its long, wet tongue and swallowed me whole like a fly. It was dark and congested, so I used light magic. There were some bones and a girl inside its stomach.
We had to get out of this muddy hell before the giant frog could digest us. I turned my arms into a chainsaw and cut the internal organs of the frog. Then I made a hole in its stomach, stepped outside, and pulled the girl.
She wasn't dead yet, only unconscious. I used healing magic to heal her bruises. I wondered how long she had been inside that toad. The poison must have affected her, so I used healing magic to cleanse her blood.
"W—where am I?" the girl asked when she finally opened her eyes. "Who are you? What happened?"
"Just calm down, everything's fine now. You can call me Lil. I've saved you from that giant frog. Can you tell me what happened or how you got there?" I asked.
"My sister, did you find her?" A worried expression appeared on her face. She has long, curly blonde hair, brown eyes, fair skin, and a pointed nose. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt and black pants. She looked familiar to me, but I couldn't remember when I last saw her.
"We were going to the mountain when we slipped through a chasm and got separated," she added.
"I'm sorry, but I haven't seen a woman," I said.
"Please, Lil, can you help me find my mother?" she asked, almost begging.
It wasn't really my business if she lost her mother or if they got separated in a forest. I just helped her out from that toad, and helping her find her mother wasn't on my mind. However, because I knew how it felt to lose a parent, I decided to spare some of my time helping her.
"Can you describe what she looked like?" I asked.
"She has curly, blonde hair, bluish eyes, and is about 5 feet tall."
I used my thousand-mile eyes to locate the woman she described. I found her body inside a cave in the forest. I told the girl about it, and I accompanied her there.
"Amara!" she exclaimed, running toward the woman who was lying on the ground inside the cave.
Inside, there was a big snake. It bites her leg. I ran towards her and killed the snake using my sword arms. It must be venomous, so I used healing magic to remove the venom from the girl's blood. The woman seemed to have been bitten too, so I also healed her.
"Is she dead?" The girl asked.
"No, she's not," I replied. "She's just unconscious."
"Thank goodness she's alive. I don't know what I'd do if she died. She's the only family I have left. My parents died about a year and a half ago."
"Mine just died recently," I said.
"Oh, I don't know that. I'm sorry."
"No, it wasn't your fault. They were killed by some terrifying creatures. That's life. We don't really know when someone will be gone. We don't know how much time we have left in this world."
"You're right. That's why let's just do the things we love while we're still alive and be happy. Everyone's going to die anyway. By the way, thank you for helping me and Amara. You're a lifesaver, Lil." She suddenly hugged me.