Dust blew across the grayish ground. The wind switched between howling and whispering constantly. The dark sky and the seemingly darker sun did little to cheer up the dismal scene. The only thing that didn’t make the occasional onlooker shiver in hopelessness was the pair that was crossing the plains.

The world of Mikai was something new for both Donovan and Anita. Neither of them had been there before, and neither knew what to expect. They constantly stayed close to one another. Donovan warily kept an eye on his companion as well as the dark terrain before him.

Though they hadn’t run into anything troublesome since their arrival, Donovan would not put his guard down. He carried Dhylec in his hand and refused to put it away. Anita held his free hand tightly and the hunter also held her close. Her doll, Amanda, stayed close to her in her other arm. He would let nothing make him drop his weapon or release the little girl at his side.

Anita could not understand why Donovan was holding her hand so hard. She glanced up at him, but his grave statement told her to keep her eyes to the front. She tried to see what he was thinking about so hard. He was so tense that it was obvious that he was upset. She could see nothing in his mind, however. It was so hard to concentrate that she could barely tell what was going through her own mind let alone Donovan’s.

The child couldn’t explain what she felt now. Looking around, everything looked terribly depressing, but she didn’t feel that at all. She had a strange feeling of wanting to see more. It really didn’t seem as lonely as it did exciting. Why did her grandmother want her to come here in the first place?

Mikai seemed kind of... empty.

Suddenly, Donovan’s grip tightened. He stopped walking and brought Dhylec up a bit from its position in his hand. His eyes darted back and forth quickly. Anita could feel the tension in his hands get stronger. She listened for a moment. She could make out a faint buzzing sound.

The small sound was ringing loud and clear in Donovan’s mind. It could very well be just a common insect, but the hunter wasn’t going to take any chances.

After all, nothing’s safe in the world of the Demons.

In the distance, three large, bumble bee-like creatures where flying together in the air. They all seemed to look similar, but anyone that knew them also knew that they were vastly different.

“I’m so hungry, Kobold!” The bee on the right, Kazai, pleaded with the one in the center.

“Shut it, Kazai.” The left bee, Kanji, responded before the center one. “You know just as well as us that the hive comes first.”

“He’s right.” Kobold kept facing forward. “The Queen would have your head if you took a soul before showing it to her.”

“Nobody would notice if we killed someone out here. We’d get a meal and get away scot-free!” Kazai licked his lips dreamily.

Kanji’s stomach rumbled slightly. He was hungry too. “We... we can’t.”

“The Queen would find out sooner or later anyways.” Kobold glanced at the pleading insect next to him. “The Queen knows all.”

“Well, she wouldn’t care if it were something small, right?”

“Souls are difficult to gauge. Sometimes, the smallest thing has the best tasting soul, while the largest creature could have the worst.” Kanji’s stomach still growled at him.

Kobold was slightly ahead of the two bees. “Keep up the pace, you two! The Queen will be waiting for a result from us!”

“Wait a sec, can you feel something?” Kazai flew in front of Kobold, blocking him.

Kanji narrowed his eyes in to the distance. “Something’s out there. I can’t see it very well, but it looks like two humans. A big one and a small one.”

“Two humans?” Kazai was buzzing excitedly. “Come on! We can take them right now. One can have the little one and two can share the big one!”

“No!” Kobold held on to Kazai’s arm. “We have to report this to the Queen!”

Kazai broke free from his grasp. “I can’t do that anymore. I’m tired of taking the scraps the Queen throws us! I want to have one full meal, not something somebody couldn’t finish! The Queen doesn’t have the power to control my life anymore! Don’t you two want to be your own masters?”

Kobold and Kanji only hovered in silence. They couldn’t find the words to respond.

“It doesn’t matter anyways. I can get my own dinner!” With that, Kazai flew off towards his quarry.

The two remaining Soul Bees waited a moment before they both followed him.

“That noise is getting louder...” Donovan whispered to himself.

Anita could hear the buzzing too. It sounded like a bee buzzing, but had a heavier air than a normal buzz. She couldn’t see it, but she knew that it wasn’t far off.

Kazai could see the pair of humans perfectly well now. One was a little girl, and the other was some sort of sword wielding man. He remembered the term “knight” used by humans he’d seen before, but it didn’t matter what the man was. To Kazai, he was lunch, nothing more.

Kazai slowed down his flight, as another thought crept into his head. Kanji had said that the littlest things could hold the best souls. The little girl’s soul might be the greatest delight ever. He was so hungry too.

With his mind made up, Kazai dove down towards Anita. Their backs were to him, so they had no idea that he was coming. This was going to be great! He was so close now.

The sound was getting so loud now that the duo could hear nothing else. Anita tried to listen for where it was coming from. It wasn’t in front of her. Maybe it was to the side. She turned to look.

Donovan whirled around just as Anita was turning her head. The large bee was coming in at Anita at an incredible speed. Only a few feet of dirt separated the two. That was far too close for Donovan.

With a growl of fury, the hunter leapt up at the oncoming Kazai. The bee was quick enough to swerve, but a swipe from Donovan’s sword sliced off a pair of his wings. He flew awkwardly in the air for a second before falling to the ground. Kobold and Kanji landed next him and helped him up.

“That man, he’s a Dark Hunter!” Kanji whispered to Kazai as he lifted him up.

“A Dark Hunter?” Kobold glared at Donovan. “What’s one of those things doing here?”

“It doesn’t matter. Kazai, hurry back to the hive and report this! We‘ll handle him for now.” The bee did as he was bidden and left the two.

“Anita, run!” Donovan pointed away. “I can’t have you in danger!”

Anita looked up at Donovan and paused a moment before she hurried away.

The hunter held his sword before him. “No demon shall attack her. Not as long as I live!”

“Well then, I guess we’ll just have to kill you before we go after her.” Kanji smirked. “I’m sure that her soul will taste delicious.”

At that, Donovan rushed forward and slashed out with Dhylec. Both bees avoided the attack with ease. They hovered in the air mockingly.

“A cowardly demon shall still be a dead demon by my blade!” Donovan threw Dhylec at the pair. It swung around like a boomerang of death.

The bees dodged again and hovered, daring the hunter to attack once more. Kobold was caught completely off guard as Dhylec sliced his side on its way back.

The Soul Bee held his bleeding side as he flew. “Idiotic human! You’ll pay for messing with the Soul Bee tribe!”

Both he and Kanji dive-bombed Donovan. Kanji went right, Kobold went left. Donovan swung out and knocked them off course. They got right back on, however, and rammed the hunter with their spiked elbows. Before Donovan could recover, they did it again.

The hunter fell to his knees. He felt pain on both his chest and his back. Instead of wallowing in the pain, he summoned up his strength and called forth a fire spirit. It swung its blazing blade at the Soul Bees, taking down Kobold in the process.

The bee picked himself up just in time to see the metallic flash of Dhylec. After that, darkness.

Donovan stood over the lifeless form of Kobold as he looked up to the remaining bee. One down, one to go.

“Kobold...” Kanji looked solemnly at his dead friend. His solemnity quickly changed to rage as he eyed the hunter.

With a scream of anger, the bee dived at Donovan. The hunter jumped to the side as he passed him, and barely avoided a stinger jab on Kanji’s recovery. The bee tried again with his stinger, but only succeeded in grazing Donovan’s leg.

As Kanji’s back was to the hunter, Donovan’s slashed with Dhylec once more. Sadly, he missed and suffered when the bee rammed a spiked knee into his face.

Donovan reeled backwards as Dhylec flew from his hand. He held a palm to his face. He could only see his blade sticking in the ground close to him and the Soul Bee hovering over it. The creature was laughing at him!

He was so tired now; pain went through his entire body. He summoned up the last of his energy to call upon the heavenly elements.

Kanji looked over his opponent. The Dark Hunter appeared to be chanting something.

He’s probably praying that I don’t kill him right now. The bee thought to himself. How pitiful.

It was then that he became aware of a faint rumbling above him. Grey clouds were gathering in the sky and thundering terribly. Suddenly, lightning streaked down from the sky. It flew speedily to the earth and struck Dhylec, blasting the Soul Bee at the same time.

Donovan’s vision became blurry as the thunder struck. The last thing he saw before he passed out was the charred form of the bee hitting the ground.

Anita stopped running as soon as Donovan and the bees were out of sight. She’d been walking for some time now.

If he wants me to leave, I’ll leave. Let him find me. She thought to herself.

Actually she kind of wanted someone with her now. She hadn’t been alone since Alex died, and it was a bit of a rush to be thrown into the situation again. She did what she did in all things. She adapted.

There was a slight breeze as she walked up a hill. As she walked on, Anita could hear a soft humming. The tune sounded familiar as well as soothing, but she couldn’t place it. All she knew was that it was fairly close. As she came to the crest of the hill, a small house came into view. Looking closer, she saw an old woman in a rocking chair out front.

The woman turned her head at Anita’s approach. She had slightly blue skin and bluish-gray hair. “Well, a little human child, and you have a pretty doll with you. It’s so rare to see one around here.” She leaned out from here chair. She looked so familiar. “Hmmm... Would your name happen to be Anita?”

Anita nodded. She still had trouble thinking clearly, but this woman seemed to be kind enough.

“I thought so. You look just like an Anita I knew when I was young.”

My, what a lucky guess.

The old woman rose from her chair. “Well, I’m sure that you’re tired from walking. Why don’t you come in for a bit?”

Her mother had always told her to stay away from strangers, but if she did that, she wouldn’t have gotten here. She nodded and followed the woman inside.

The house was dark, almost as dark as it was outside. There was a table in the middle of the home, with a single candle on top of it. It up lit the house very well for its size.

The woman sat down at a table in what appeared to be the kitchen. She beckoned Anita over to another chair across from her. The child walked forward, but not before taking a look at her surroundings. It seemed to be simple set up of a kitchen. There was a large box against the wall that looked something like a refrigerator. Next it was an old wood-burning stove. Anita subconsciously wondered where she got her wood. Other than a few cabinets, there wasn’t much else. Anita took a seat.

“I can tell that you’re not from around here. Where are you from, child?”

Anita stayed silent. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to answer. She actually didn’t know the answer herself. She looked down at the table.

“Oh, you looked so sad. What’s wrong?” The woman leaned over the table and looked into Anita’s empty eyes. “I know, you’re hungry! Every child is. Let me get you something.”

She got up and went to the refrigerator box. She pulled out a plate and set it down with a fork in front of Anita. There was a piece of vanilla cake on it. The woman got a piece of chocolate cake for herself and sat down in her chair.

She’s so... nice. Why does Donovan hate these people so much? She’s even nicer than most human’s I’ve met. She reminds of someone...

Anita took a small bite of cake. It tasted slightly sweet, and it wasn’t too bland. It needed something more though.

“Oh my, you probably wanted chocolate, didn’t you? I completely forgot about a child’s sweet tooth.” The old woman switched Anita’s plate with her untouched one.

The chocolate cake did look very appetizing. Anita took a bite. It was very rich and extremely sweet, almost too sweet.

The woman saw Anita’s statement change with the sweet taste. “Oh, I guess that’s a little strong. I make that cake so sugary!” Her eyes widened. “I have an idea. Why don’t we share our cake with each other? I’ll take a half of chocolate and you have the other half. Then I’ll take a half of vanilla and you take the other half.” She did this as she was speaking. “There we are! Everything’s perfectly equal.” She winked at Anita as she ate some cake. “It’s always a good idea to enjoy both worlds at once.”

Donovan awoke with a groan.

He felt his face. Sure enough, there was a scar from the bee. Other than that, he felt pretty good. The Soul Bees didn’t fair as well. He looked down at the body of Kanji, then at the body of Kobold.

Those Dark Ones were such evil creatures. He thought to himself. They tried to kill me and they tried to kill Anita. At least she’s safe now... It was at that moment that Donovan remembered what had happened. He had sent Anita away! Now she was out in Mikai, all alone.

He was so angry with himself for loosing sight of Anita again. He couldn’t brood on the matter now, though. He had to find her. Thank goodness he remembered which way he’d sent her.

He ran off to the north. It was a good thing that she stayed on mostly the same path when she traveled.

Donovan had been going for almost a half-an-hour. How long had he been unconscious? It didn’t matter either way; he had to find her! He started up a hill in front of him.

As he reached the top, he saw a torn up old shack. Did Anita go in there? He peered in through a window.

Inside was Anita. She was eating food with somebody. It was a Darkstalker! Donovan could tell by the unnatural skin color and a small horn sticking from its back.

He didn’t wait anymore than he had to. He crashed through the window and slashed the demon’s head off with Dhylec. Anita gasped as the rest of the creature fell to the ground. Donovan took her outside of the home and walked away from it silently.

You killed it. Why? It took a lot out of her, but she managed to concentrate her thoughts on him.

“It would have killed you sooner or later. All of these creatures want nothing more than to take your life. That’s why no Darkstalkers should live.”

Anita stopped as he said those words. No Darkstalker should live?

“They should not.”

Then why don’t you kill me?

Donovan was horrified at the idea. Kill her? “Why would I kill you?”

No Darkstalker should live, so why are you letting me?

The hunter looked to the ground as he heard his own words in his mind.

No Darkstalker should live. I’m a Dark One, so why do you let me live?

He stayed silent for a moment.

Suddenly, Donovan grabbed Amanda out of her arms and threw her in the air. With flash of his blade, he severed the doll’s head from its body. It fell to the ground and the head rolled to Anita’s feet.

“AMANDA!” Anita screamed in horror as she looked at the head of her doll on the ground and picked it up. As she held it in her hands, she started sobbing. “Why did you kill her?” Tears streamed from her face as she picked up the rest of her doll’s body.

“Anita...” Donovan knelt down and brushed Anita’s hair away from her eyes. “You loved that doll very much. If there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s this: Compassion is a feeling only felt by those with a possibility for good. I want to rid the world of cruelty, not love. As long as you can love somebody dearly, the darkness will not consume you. Even in a soul tainted with darkness, there can be light. I promise you that I will not kill another unless there is no light. I also promise that I will always protect the light. That standing, I will always protect you.”

Anita looked at Donovan for a moment and closed her eyes. A single tear escaped her lids.

Donovan felt a rush of wind behind him. He turned to see a portal of light. It was like the portal that brought them to Mikai, but he was certain that this one led to a different place.

He stood up, and sheathed Dhylec. “Let’s go home, Anita.” He walked into the portal.

She followed him silently, leaving Amanda’s head on the ground. The doll’s head still had the painted smile. It always looked content, no matter where it was.

Sometimes it’s best to have a taste of both worlds.