NTR: Choice Based System

Hell wasn't affected by the death of the demon, nor by its fading threat, but by the crushing failure to extract the answers he sought.

Frustration, cold and sharp, surged through him. Without a word, he turned from the scattered remains and punched the mountain face beside him.

"BOOOOOM!"

A massive crater blossomed instantly in the solid rock, stone fragments raining down like shrapnel.

The tremor that followed was far more violent than the demon's earlier fall, rattling the bones of the already terrified escort guards and sending panicked roars echoing from the hidden lairs of startled beasts.

Hell didn't linger at the same place, moving with incredible speed, and he was suddenly back before Ye Yang.

The guards, still reeling from the mountain-shaking blow, saw him approach with a primal terror. Their legs trembled, and several instinctively raised their weapons or their arms, preparing to shield themselves from the incoming attack.

Hell stopped directly in front of Ye Yang, his gaze sweeping over the guards whose fear was palpable, their limbs visibly shaking. Seeing their abject terror, Hell cleared his throat, a low, gravelly sound.

"Young man," he said, his voice devoid of the earlier frustration, "the threat is over. This is my time to leave this place."

With that simple declaration, he launched himself into the air, flying directly over the heads of the cowering guards.

They flinched violently as his shadow passed over them, a collective gasp escaping their lips.

Ye Yang, who had been about to speak, halted his words, his gaze fixed on the state of the guards around him. Their faces were pale, their eyes wide with lingering horror.

"Relax," Ye Yang said, his voice weary but firm. "That man was here to help. Now that the demon is dead, it's time for us to return."

"Return!" The guards were instantly confused, their fear momentarily replaced by bewildered questions. They began to bombard him, their voices overlapping in their haste.

"Where is Madam Ya?" "Was that thing a demon... the actual demon?" "Why was Training Head's voice coming from the demon? Where is he?"

Ye Yang sat onto a small boulder, the guards crowding around him, their faces a mixture of confusion, grief, and residual fear.

He needed to address their immediate concerns, to impose some order on the chaos. "Aunt Ya is safe," he stated, looking out at the ruined battlefield. "She will return, but until then, you guys prepare to leave this place."

He paused, his gaze drifting towards the scattered gore that was all that remained of the demon. "As for the Training Head... well, he was eaten by the demon. That's why you heard his voice."

He offered no further explanation, no softening of the grim reality. He felt no inclination to elaborate, nor was he in the mood for lengthy discussions.

Without another word, Ye Yang rose and turned his back on the bewildered guards. He began walking away from the scene, following the direction Hell had taken.

He needed answers from Hell. Luckily, none of the escort guards attempted to follow him, too preoccupied with the immediate aftermath and their own survival.

He reached a secluded, slightly elevated spot, undisturbed by the recent battle, where Hell was waiting beside the unconscious Dan Ya.

As Ye Yang approached, Hell's imposing human figure shimmered and shrank, collapsing in on itself until it reformed into the small, black, wolf-like creature Ye Yang was familiar with.

The creature regarded him with bright, intelligent eyes. "If you were a little late," Hell spoke, his voice still resonating with an unnatural depth despite his small size, "I would have tasted her." He chuckled, a dry, unsettling sound, and gestured with his snout towards Dan Ya's still body.

Ye Yang felt a cold knot tighten in his stomach, a mix of revulsion and unease. "Shut up," he said, his voice tight.

He knelt beside Dan Ya for a moment, checking her condition – still unconscious, but breathing steadily. Then he turned his attention back to the Hell. "Tell me what that thing was, and how you know about it. No... the real question is, are you even from this world?"

Hell's bright eyes seemed to gleam in the pale light. He tilted his head slightly. "I think you already know the answer," he said simply.

"Why didn't you tell me about this... why?" Ye Yang demanded, the questions tumbling out, fuelled by the shock of the last hour.

Hell scoffed, a surprisingly low sound. "Even if I were to tell you this," he said, his tone dismissive, "would you have believed it? No, right."

He flicked an ear. "And it's not like I don't feel like sharing things with you, or don't want to share my sad, shitty story... but I just don't feel like doing it now."

With that, the small creature turned and began to walk away, melting silently into the surrounding shadows.

Ye Yang watched him go, left alone with the unconscious Dan Ya and the heavy weight of his thoughts. The demon's dying whisper, the chilling implication of a 'lord,' and Hell's cryptic admission of not being from this world... it was all too much to process at once.

He was left with more questions than answers, standing in the quiet aftermath of a battle that had revealed just how little he truly knew.

Ye Yang remained beside the unconscious Dan Ya, the weight of the revelations about demons and Hell's origins pressing down on him.

Just then, he felt movement from his side. Dan Ya was stirring, her eyes fluttering open. The trauma of the past events was clearly still tangled in her mind, and she suddenly cried out, a sharp, panicked sound.

"NOOOOOO!"

"Aunt Ya..." Ye Yang quickly moved, supporting her head and pulling her into a comforting hug. "Everything is alright, Aunt Ya... you're safe now."

Dan Ya felt Ye Yang's familiar embrace and the tension in her body began to release. Tears welled up, and she started to cry, the terror and humiliation washing over her.

After a moment, she pulled back slightly, looking at the chaos around them. "What happened, Yang'er? Where are we?"

She wanted to ask about the training head, about the horrifying things he did, but the memory clamped down on her throat, making the words impossible to speak. The thought of the humiliation was too fresh, too painful.

Ye Yang understood instantly, seeing the look in her eyes, the way she flinched internally.

He knew he had to lie, to shield her from the worst of what had happened and the identity of her attacker. He couldn't tell her the truth.

"Aunt Ya," he began, choosing his words carefully. "When we were getting ready for training, something went terribly wrong with the Training Head. He suddenly started acting very strange, like he wasn't himself at all. And then... then he transformed into a demon."

Ye Yang made his voice sound grave and slightly scared. "You were the closest to him when it happened, and the shock was too much. You fainted right there."

He continued his fabricated story, weaving in the details of the destruction. "Then, suddenly, an unknown man appeared. He was incredibly strong, and he fought the demon. He saved us, Aunt Ya. But... but all the soldiers who were with the Training Head, they didn't make it. They were... sacrificed in the fight."

To make his story more convincing, Ye Yang subtly displayed the cuts and bruises he had sustained from the demon's initial attack, showing her the visible evidence of a struggle. "See? I got hurt trying to stay safe too, before that man arrived."

Dan Ya looked at his injuries, her eyes wide with shock and grief. His explanation, while terrifying, made a kind of sense in the face of the destruction she was beginning to perceive.

The idea of the Training Head turning into a demon was horrifying, but it explained his actions. Believing Ye Yang's words, she shuddered. "I... I want to see it, Yang'er. I need to see what happened with my own eyes."

Supporting her, Ye Yang helped her stand and led her slowly back towards where the training ground had been.