The defeated monster lay flat on the ground, its massive body sinking heavily into the earth. Dark blood still seeped from deep wounds, staining the forest floor. The air was thick with the scent of magic and wild beast. Three mages, breathing heavily but feeling accomplished, looked at their prey; for them, this was a rank-B mission to capture this creature.
"Well, that's it. Mission complete, we can head back," Finn muttered, yawning and stretching as if the battle had been just a light warm-up. He didn't even glance at the fallen beast, already lost in thoughts of a cozy bed.
"Wait," Kyron said, stepping decisively toward the small figure still standing motionless in the clearing, clutching her bloodied shoulder. His gaze was fixed on her. "Here, take this," his voice was gentle but firm. He handed her a small glowing vial containing a clear, slightly greenish liquid. "This potion will help heal the wound—not completely, but it will ease the pain."
"Pain..." she whispered, as if grasping the concept for the first time. Her eyes held no fear or gratitude—only cold analysis—as they flicked over the vial. Still, compelled by the logic of necessity, she took the potion from his hand. She uncorked it, and the bitter, herbal scent struck her nostrils. Without hesitation, she brought the vial to her lips and swallowed in one gulp. Almost immediately, the sharp sensation in her shoulder was replaced by a cool numbness, and the edges of the wound began to close, as if invisible threads were stitching her flesh back together.
"How did you end up here?" Lyra approached, studying the unusual girl closely.
"I ended up here by accident... A rhinoceros suddenly chased me, and now I'm here..." The young demon answered dryly, her voice still broken and unfamiliar—proof that this was her first real contact with living beings outside the laboratory.
"Where are your parents?" Lyra's voice held worry as she sought to learn more about the girl.
"They... threw me away. I'm just trash..." The demoness's words were stated matter-of-factly, devoid of self-pity.
"Do you remember where you live?"
But the girl simply lowered her head, her blue ears twitching slightly. She wasn't avoiding their gaze out of embarrassment or shame, but because she didn't know how to answer such questions or meet the expectations of these strange beings.
"Then come with us," Kyron, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, decided to intervene. He was honorable and could not leave a wounded child alone in a forest full of dangers. The speed with which the wound on her shoulder healed was astonishing, far beyond the effect of an ordinary healing potion. To an outsider unfamiliar with demon regeneration, this should have raised suspicion, but the tired trio likely attributed it to the strength of an elite potion or simply didn't pay attention, focusing on more pressing matters.
After removing the necessary parts from the rhinoceros—a massive horn and several pieces of tough hide, serving as proof of the mission's completion—the trio, now accompanied by the silent girl, headed toward a nearby village on the forest's edge. An old man with a kind smile greeted them and invited them inside.
Soon, a dilapidated cottage nestled on the forest's edge came into view. Its wooden walls exuded the scent of aged timber and hearth smoke, promising peace and warmth after the battle. The three adventurers, releasing the tension of the past hours, spoke kindly with the old man, who bowed low to them. Kyron handed him the massive rhinoceros horn and pieces of its sturdy hide—undeniable proof of the task accomplished. But the old man's gaze, lingering on the spoils, quickly shifted to the silent, motionless figure watching intently from behind the mages' backs.
"This little one we found in the forest, Elder," Kyron began, his usually firm voice softening as he indicated the girl. "She's probably lost. She answers all our questions plainly, as if she doesn't understand simple things. I think she has partial amnesia; she remembers almost nothing—not even her own name. Our guild is currently on high alert, and we cannot properly care for her. Leaving her alone in the forest... you understand."
The elder, a man with kind, wrinkle-lined eyes, studied the girl for a long moment. In response, she slowly lowered her eyes. She understood her desperate situation logically: she had nowhere to go and was waiting for her fate to be decided.
"Little one, do you really not remember your name?" The elder's voice was surprisingly gentle, filled with sincere compassion.
"No," she replied, her voice void of any emotion, a simple statement of fact.
The elder smiled warmly, unfazed by her detachment. "Maybe you can name yourself? If you want, describe the feeling your name should evoke, and I'll try to help."
A deep silence followed, lasting about a minute. The young demon, trying for the first time in her life to put her inner, pure feelings into words, searched for them. There was no fear or embarrassment in her eyes, only the intense work of a mind sorting through concepts.
"I..." she finally said, her voice unusually quiet, almost a whisper, but absolutely firm and unwavering, "want to live... Not for someone else, not for phantom ideals, not for others' goals. I want to live for myself, and maybe for the few who might take an interest in me. Simply to exist and learn. A name..."
The elder's eyes widened in surprise, and a shadow of hidden sorrow flickered across his face. "My child, what must you have gone through to say this at such a young age..." He shook his head and then looked to the mages. "You three, what do you think? What name should we give the little one?"
Lyra, who had been watching anxiously, immediately spoke up, her face lighting with excitement: "Maybe Eva? Like life! She said herself she wants to live!"
"Not bad, Lyra," the elder said thoughtfully, staring at the little one again. His gaze grew sharp, as if he saw something beyond an ordinary child. "Eva... The girl isn't just a symbol of life..." He paused, narrowing his eyes. "You may not have noticed yet, but her mana manipulation is top-notch. She senses and directs energy flows with intuitive precision, as if born for it. She's already considered a sorceress, though she looks no older than nine, and her power grows not by days, but by hours. She has a great future ahead, and her name will be Eviris."
Eviris... she murmured thoughtfully, slowly tasting the name. Having a name not given by her creator but by these four people was something new. The instinctive reverence for her master—like a demon's instinct—was slowly fading, replaced by something new, still not fully understood. "Thank you... for your help and the name."
"Well, you can stay in our village as long as you want," the elder said warmly, his wrinkled face glowing with kindness.
The trio of mages, having received payment for the mission, also stayed for the night in the cozy cottage.