The second female lead Dual Cultivates

Their shelter turned out to be a small cot with blocked windows with two bedrooms lined opposite each other right on the ground floor. The first floor was locked so the trio decided not to open it for now.

They had just barged into someone's house uninvited, they did not need to barge in on their privacy as well. The best they could do was to make themselves comfortable while still being on the outlook for the real house owners.

"Here. This is for you" Maria passed a container of fresh food toward the kid who looked back at her in confusion. He looked like he had never seen a good container before and Maria nudged the kid to take the container and eat.

He hesitantly took it but did not look happy to have this opportunity. He also had his guard up and did his best to deter any attempts Maria made to start a conversation with him.

"It's not poisoned so you don't need to worry about dying" Maria teased as she watched the kid take a hesitant bite. She had noticed the hungry, yet cautious approach the kid took toward food and felt her heart hurt for him.

The kid was going through a lot and the trio was just adding to his misery. There was no need for them to keep the kid hostage other than to talk with his brother. Thankfully, the kid did decide to eat the food and not starve himself.

"J-just because I'm eating this doesn't mean I've forgiven you. M-My brother will come for me and then y-you will regret taking me" the kid replied as he gulped the food down. The kid had been really hungry and starved which made Maria kind of sad. No kid deserved to starve like this.

But Maria did not know this kid's condition either. Maybe there was a reason he was like this and Maria should not get attached to him.

"Maria, someone is here. Nao had gone out to check" Suna entered the room and her eyes shifted around in vigilant checking. She had noticed the change in their surroundings and posed ready to attack. Nao was a good choice for scouting the enemies and just sensitive enough not to become a hindrance to the group.

"See, I told you my brother would come. Your friend is history now" the kid boasted as he looked toward Maria. He had so much hope in his eyes and Maria felt bad for him. His hope was about to be crushed by Nao in a few seconds.

While the human that had entered seemed powerful by human standards, he was nowhere near Nao's level. His magic was also weak when compared to Nao and so would be his body strength.

Poor guy had no idea he was in for a rough time already. All Maria could do was feel sorry for him. Nao was not one to show mercy and recently, her list of not showing mercy even included kids.

The door creaked open just a bit and Maria tried her best to stifle her laughter. Nao was deploying an amusing means to entertain them and Maria knew that the next part would provide her with a worthy reaction.

"See, I told you my brother is strong. Brother, help me out?" The unfamiliar guy that had opened the door was shoved inside and Nao emerged from behind. One of her hands held onto the teen's arm to hold him hostage while the other shoved him inside.

Even a blind person could see who was really in charge here. The kid looked ahead with an open mouth as his brother was hurried inside the room and held in a threatening position. The poor kid looked like he would cry.

"Now then, we have the person we wanted. What should we do now? Start heading down the actual canyon cliffs?" Nao asked once she secured the teen's hand. He was not going to get an opportunity to attack Nao.

The teen struggled under Nao's weight but it was meaningless. No matter how much he tried, a demon was superior in power to an average human. There would be no winning for the human here and it was better for him to accept that.

"What are you, people? Are you humans? Demons? Are you a friend of the devil down the canyon? What do you want with my brother?" The guy yelled as he finally gave up getting free. A wise choice seeing as how Nao was getting irritated with him.

"Devil? What are you even talking about? I did not sense any devil aura here when I scouted this place and we also just arrived here this morning" Suna asked gently. She was the good cop to Nao's bad one and it somehow suited her character.

Not that the elder brother seemed to think the same. He looked angrier at the words. The younger brother looked scared but it had more to do with Nao's angry expression.

"Don't play dumb. You're too strong to be a normal human. Besides, your magic is not normal as well, and did I mention that you are just freaky strong?" The man asked in an irritated tone.

He still looked scared but seemed to have gained some confidence since he had not been harmed yet. Maria signaled for Nao to let the elder man go. Meeting his younger brother would prove to be a good chance for the elder man's confidence in them.

And the elder did not hesitate to run toward his younger brother and act as a shield between him and the trio. There was weariness in the elder brother's eyes but confusion as well now. After all, he had been let go without a fight and did change one's perspective toward a potential threat.

"What do you want with us?" The elder guy asked as he clutched his younger brother closer to himself. He had a mad-dog look in his eyes which did not bode well for Maria. She felt like the man would snap and bite them if they gave him the chance to.

So they needed to keep him in control before he hurt them or himself.

Maria got ready to try and calm the man down but the shaking of the ground stopped her short. She felt her balance being shot down and she fell toward Suna.

The shaking did not look natural and made Maria flinch with the high frequency she could feel all around him. The pair of brothers in front of her looked green in the face and they looked scared as well. Something was wrong with the scenario and it bugged Maria.