Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The origin of demons was a tricky, complicated subject, one that humanity could not completely grasp despite decades of intense study. There was an entire library stocked with books solely on the subjects of demonology, magic, and other forbidden subjects inaccessible to the general public. Yet in spite of these stacks of information lining gorgeous cedarwood shelves that wrapped around their circular libraries in rings, so much remained unknown. 

So much was still, and perhaps forevermore, a mystery. 

Centuries ago, a select few gifted individuals unlocked some of the world’s most hidden secrets. They gathered together once they discovered one another and eventually joined forces with a mutual agreement to defend humanity. In order to keep the world a better and safer place, the topics of demons, of magic, of Heaven and Hell—all of it would be dismissed as myths and legends, ancient stories of religion and folklore. The wider world was not allowed access to the truth; they could believe in it if they pleased, but they would live their lives mostly in ignorant bliss.

Except it was not always so simple. Demons were not subservient creatures and they did not bow their heads to the whims of a few talented magic-users in the mortal realm. It was in a demon’s nature to create chaos, to release every turbulent emotion they felt rather than suppress those emotions into something more acceptable. If a demon felt joyous, they would greedily take whatever pleasured them most. If a demon felt melancholic, their depression would seep out into their surroundings. If a demon raged, they would destroy, burning the world down with blood and fire.

Such wild outbursts could not be completely hidden from sight in dark alleys and faraway corners of the deepest woods. They exploded wherever they wanted, whenever they wanted. In spite of the best efforts of those who had the forbidden knowledge of the truth, demons were sometimes experienced by ordinary people. When this happened, people were frightened. They didn’t know anything besides stories they were told are not real. At first, they didn’t know who to turn to and they sure didn’t know the first thing about magic to handle the problems themselves.

That was where the Institutions came in. Illustrious users of magic formed a council, the Order of Demon Hunters, in which they created universal structure, rules and laws to abide by. They formed into private groups based on regional location, with at least one Institution in every major city across the globe. As they expanded to ensure all of humanity was safe, more magic-users were trained and granted access into the Order, in which they became demon hunters themselves.

Centuries have passed, but little has changed. As more Demon Hunters than the Order knew what to do with showed up, new Institutions were built in plain sight to keep an eye on more remote towns. They were always grandiose buildings, with ascending pillars of brilliant stone supported by flying buttresses that reminded one of a Gothic cathedral. A glass dome was often instilled at the top of each Institution—the more light there was, the less likely a demon would want to stick around. The Institutions functioned as elite universities on the surface that never seemed to be accepting new students, when in reality they were organizations strictly for the study and exorcism of demons.

It wasn’t a total lie to refer to the Institutions as universities, after all. There were classes held inside, places like a grand library to conduct research, and rooms for hunters to live in if they chose. 

The truth behind these grandiose structures still could not be completely hidden. It slowly became underground knowledge amongst ordinary mortals that the unusual “scholars” of these universities were to be approached about any supernatural oddities plaguing their homes and villages. It often took the villagers decades to figure out which organization was the home of their local Institution however; it usually sounded preposterous to assume that an esteemed university was the place to look for a Demon Hunter. As such, most clients had to snoop around dark alleys and shadowy pubs to find a Hunter out and about. 

At the very least, those who searched for a Hunter to take care of their haunting knew that Hunters could be recognized by a combination of distinctive traits: a gold sword pin attached to the lapel of their jacket, and an engraved signet ring on the hand they used to wield their weapon.

Those same golden emblems gleamed on the finger and jacket of one of the most renowned Demon Hunters in Seidou: Miyuki Kazuya. He kept his eyes narrowed as he walked carefully down a dark street in the middle of the night, heels of his boots clicking on the cobblestone road. He would prefer to work more during the day, but demons were the most active at night—the glasses perched on the bridge of his nose were enhanced with a spell to allow him to see through the dark much like a predatory wild animal. His irises glowed a subtle amber, indicating the activation of his magic.

As a senior Hunter of Seidou, Kazuya was responsible for some of the most dangerous cases in their region. He was successful 90% of the time. No sweat off his back, after all; no one was perfect and he had his own flukes now and then. His mistakes were due to his cocky attitude and how he liked to taunt his victims before exorcizing them—if he wasn’t paying attention, they might strike back at him faster than he anticipated. 

… still, his skills were hard to match and he was a force to be reckoned with overall. There was a reason Kazuya was constantly assigned huge, exciting missions, which were commonly called Hunts. The Hunts Kazuya received were usually life-threatening if he wasn’t careful enough. Luckily for Kazuya, he lived for the thrill of the fight. Nothing got him riled up like a good Hunt.

Kazuya paused in the middle of the road and scanned his surroundings when the air felt thick with malice. The assignment was given to Kazuya by one lucky client who managed to find him. The client was a desperate shop owner who was suffering from a demon’s depression. According to them, multiple people, both locals and tourists, felt a horribly foreboding feeling when walking down the particular street where the client’s business was located. Now their finances were suffering greatly due to the way everyone felt repelled by the disturbing energy in the area.

Melancholy. Kazuya was silently relieved that it was perhaps one of the easiest forms a demon could take before it was exorcized. Each type of exorcism required specific skills—different runes, arrays and spells all combined for the most effective exorcism was something that could only be learned through experience. Kazuya’s exorcism style varied depending on the type of demon he was dealing with. When it came to those demons moaning and groaning with despair, he tried to put them out of their misery swiftly.

It wasn’t due to him actually feeling sorry for the wretched creatures. He just took advantage of their depleted strength, speed and cunning to take them out before they got angry enough to fight back fiercely. With the proper spells on the tip of his tongue, Kazuya followed the path laid out before him by his own instincts. The demon was not far now.

Though melancholic demons were stereotyped as the easiest to kill, they were still assigned to senior Hunters like Kazuya because they were difficult to spot. All demons had a human form and a beast form; obviously demons rampaging in their beast forms were the easiest to find, but human forms could be more elusive depending on the complexity of their disguise. 

For Kazuya, finding the demon was simple. He was attuned to their energy and could locate them in a busy crowd thanks to their auras, scents, and appearances. Even miserable demons were somehow appealing—they were purposefully better-looking than humans, shifting into attractive forms to trick others into suspecting them less. The demon was likely right under the noses of his clients, disguised as the friendly new guy in town.

Kazuya spotted a figure leaning against the wall, hunched over and trembling, making the most wretched sobs that echoed down the alley. A faint white glow seemed to outline his silhouette, and the position that his body was crunched up in was too dramatic, too bent and angular to be human. There was no doubt that it was the demon Kazuya was searching for. He was hanging outside of a closed bar, but that didn’t stop the demon from breaking in to grab whatever booze he could to try and drink his sorrows away.

Sliding one hand into the pocket of his dressy trousers, Kazuya advanced towards his target with a leisurely pace. When the demon sensed his approach, he snapped his head to the side, locking owlish, eerily glowing eyes onto Kazuya. The Hunter paused and the corner of his lips quirked up into a smirk at the sight of the demon’s empty bottle of rum. 

“You ran out?” Kazuya asked, coming to a stop far enough away from the demon to jump back and dodge in the event of a sudden attack. He tilted his head to the side, a condescending pout on his lips. “Poor soul. Something must really be bothering you if you feel the need to drink that much.”

“Who are you?” The demon growled, brows threading together as he staggered away from the wall. Kazuya briefly wondered if demons could get intoxicated or if he was just unstable in general from his emotional state. The demon’s scarlet gaze narrowed as he sized Kazuya up. “You don’t seem like an ordinary human.”

“Why thank you,” Kazuya said, lips curling from a smirk into a sneer. The muscles in his forearm flexed underneath the layers of formal clothing he wore as he shifted to grab something deeper in his pocket. “Neither do you.”

Kazuya was prepared for the demon’s reaction and retaliation. When he lunged forward, Kazuya yanked a paper slip containing a rune from his pocket while his other hand reached for the hilt of his sword. Demons moved at a speed faster than humans could achieve, but he was a practiced Hunter. He was used to the frightening speed of a demon, used to reacting as quickly as his human body would allow to win a fight. By the time the demon was in front of him, arms morphed into gangly limbs with clawed tips, Kazuya was able to throw his sword out and hold the demon off while the other hand slammed the rune onto the demon’s forehead.

With a snarl, the demon recoiled, his hooked claws snagging along the edge of Kazuya’s blade. He scoffed and yanked his sword back, scratching along the demon’s inner fingers and leaving behind wounds that stung like paper cuts. While the demon struggled to remove the first rune, Kazuya took advantage of his confusion to pull out a second and tap it onto the demon’s back, right between his shoulder blades.

The demon released an angered roar, spinning around while a barbed, lizard-like tail lashed angrily in the space Kazuya had been standing seconds before. Kazuya watched as the ink-drawn runes on the slips began to glow at the edges. He still had to hold off the demon while the runes activated, and the first one might be ripped off by the demon by the time he added the final rune he needed.

Kazuya dodged the demon’s next attempt to attack Kazuya—the misery was starting to get swallowed up by rage. He would have to act fast unless he wanted this exorcism to get harder. Kazuya ducked low, swiftly pulling out the final rune he needed as a surge of emotion swelled in his heart. Even though he wasn't composing the runes at that moment, he felt the emotion the rune was created with when interacting with the slip. This one was the cool, soothing sensation of relief. 

In order to send off a melancholic demon, Kazuya combined the feelings of a sharp pain, the sensation of an embrace so tight it hurts, and lastly, the relief that Kazuya felt now. The emotions combined essentially snapped the demon out of his gloom, gave him some semblance of comfort, and finally allowed him to release the sadness just before going back to Hell.

Unless the demon became too violent, then Kazuya had no choice but to end the demon’s life. This demon wasn’t destructive in the sense that he was damaging property or going on a murderous spree, so Kazuya went with sending him back to Hell. The final rune was attached to the demon’s leg, just in time for the demon to try and kick Kazuya to the ground. Kazuya jumped out of the way and poised his sword, using the blade in a purely defensive fashion while the runes activated. He knew they were working due to the way the demon raised his arm high, ready to bring the glinting sharp claws down upon Kazuya, then suddenly came to a halt right in that position.

A flash of emotion rushed through the demon’s eyes. It must have been the effects of the comforting rune. Kazuya took advantage of the demon’s hesitant pause, gazed into his wicked eyes, and spoke the words needed to send the demon off to where he belonged.

“This magic casts you out of this place—return!”

White flames erupted and engulfed the demon from head to toe. They turned a bright purple color, reflecting the tint of Kazuya’s magic, before all that was left was the ash from the burned rune slips drifting away in the nighttime breeze.

Kazuya released a sigh when he felt the relief in his chest, stirring at the same time as the demon’s own relief at being sent to a place where maybe he’d at least be in the company of others like himself. 

Kazuya didn’t exactly understand why anyone would want to be in Hell, even demons, but facts were facts. His job was exterminating the demons and not worrying about what happened to them once they disappeared before his eyes. Though he did his fair share of necessary studying, he was no expert in Hell—then again, not many people were, not even the Hunters. Few had gone to Hell and returned in order to share their findings, for if anyone returned it was usually for the purpose of revenge or hatred spurred on by having their minds poisoned by the toxicity of Hell.

Hopefully this demon wouldn’t come wandering back to the mortal realm anytime soon. Now, his client’s business could improve again and the surrounding streets would be lively during the day as they should have been. Feeling satisfied, Kazuya reached up to wipe some of the sweat from his temple before it trickled much farther down his jaw. It wasn’t a very intense fight, but he had to move fast in order to achieve his goal and avoid getting injured in the process.

Hm? Kazuya looked down at his hand, noticing that his ring had sent a pulse of magic along his hand. At the sight of the subtle flashing gold, Kazuya released a sigh and cracked his neck to the side briefly, knowing he was in for a long night. Chris must be calling him for a difficult task, one not given to him by a client but instead, the boss himself. That meant it wasn’t going to be an easy fight for Kazuya.

After adjusting his suit jacket, Kazuya headed back to headquarters to submit his report, earn his pay, and apparently go on another Hunt that was likely going to rough Kazuya up pretty damn good. He smiled to himself and headed back, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword out of habit.

“Seems there’s no rest for the wicked.”

***

The massive wooden doors of the Seidou Institute closed with a boom behind Kazuya, alerting some of the Hunters that were preparing for their own Hunts of the night. He waved a casual hand at the sight of his comrades, Kuramochi Youichi and Kominato Ryousuke. Youichi flashed a toothy grin at Kazuya.

“Back from kickin’ some demon ass, Miyuki?” Youichi greeted as Kazuya closed the distance between them. He took advantage of this and threw an arm over Kazuya’s shoulders, playfully jostling him close as he shook with laughter. “You never have a hair out of place! Do you bring a mirror in your pocket when you go on Hunts to keep yourself preened? Kyahaha!”

“It’s called ‘natural beauty,’” Kazuya informed with a mildly arrogant grin, only because he knew it would irritate Youichi, “something you might not know much about.”

“Oi, shut up, asshole!” Youichi said with no real malice before shoving Kazuya away with a roll of his eyes. “You rely on runes too much. You’re insane with that sword of yours, but I never see the thing in action, not unless you’re polishing or sharpening it at the smithy. What’s the point of keeping it sharp when you never get it dirty, huh?”

“Some of us aren’t vicious brutes when it comes to exorcism, Youichi,” Ryousuke smoothly interrupted after observing the two. He tilted his head to the side coyly and regarded Kazuya with a growing smile. “I rather like Kazuya’s humane approach, but I also think he could afford getting some blood on his hands now and then.”

“There’s less creepy ways to give advice about my hunting style,” Kazuya said with a nervous laugh. Ryousuke had always been someone Kazuya wouldn’t dare mess around with—he might be the shortest Hunter that Kazuya had ever seen, but that didn’t mean anything when it came to Ryousuke’s breathtaking aura. If he was angry enough, he could bring a whole room down to their knees from the sheer pressure of his presence. 

“Apologies,” Ryousuke chuckled, “though I must ask, is there a gentle way to give tips about battle and the killing of the world’s most sinister beings?”

“Touché,” Kazuya conceded. He patted Youichi on the shoulder, giving him a look from the corner of his eye as if to ask about Youichi’s mental state. After all, Youichi must be a little nuts to be mooning over a terrifying person like Ryousuke. Youichi only met Kazuya’s concerned gaze with a blank stare, causing Kazuya to shake his head dismissively. Love really dulled the senses. “Anyway, the Boss is calling my name. Looks like I might get my hands and my sword dirty for once, after all.”

“Ugh, it’s not fair that you get the badass Hunt of the week again,” Youichi complained, though he couldn’t resist elbowing Kazuya’s side as he leaned in and spoke lowly into Kazuya’s ear. “But hey, if you need any backup…”

“I’ll handle it alone,” Kazuya insisted with a fond smile towards his friend. He walked past them, waving over his shoulder as they finished preparing for their joint-Hunt. Briefly, Kazuya wondered when he would be assigned to a Hunt with Youichi again. He liked working with the other Hunter, who was one of the few people Kazuya could consider a friend. They made a pretty deadly duo when they teamed up together.

Putting thoughts of Youichi aside for a while, Kazuya began to wonder what his next Hunt would be like. If Chris was summoning him specifically, it must have been one hell of a creature. He went through his mental stock of pre-written runes and arrays, magic-infused paint to write the runes with, and things like drinkable potions in case of emergencies. 

As he advanced towards Chris’s office, Kazuya’s form was illuminated by the moonlight shining through the long hallway of floor-to-ceiling windows. Due to the magic infused in the glass, as Kazuya advanced down the corridor, the cool blue moonlight was transformed into golden sunlight. Perhaps it was a bit of a glamorous spell, but Kazuya was grateful for whoever thought to enhance the windows in certain parts of the Institution. Since they worked mostly at night, the Institution would be extremely gloomy all the time without some sun, no matter how “fake” that sunlight may be.

Kazuya was surprised to find Chris waiting for him near the end of the hall. He wasn’t inside his office like usual, but he stood gazing out of the sun-tinted windows with his fingers tapping on a single sheet of parchment—Kazuya’s assignment. He put on a smirk as he approached Chris, radiating confidence and power with each step he took.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been called to do chores for you,” Kazuya called out once Chris was aware of his approach. One eyebrow raised curiously as Kazuya glanced down at the parchment and back up at Chris’s stern profile. “It’s usually an apprentice’s duty to pick up the trash, so I assume whatever you have in store for me is some baaaad news.” He came to a pause once he was close enough and fixed Chris with a determined grin. “No need to hesitate. Lay it on me.”

“To be honest, it’s quite the opposite,” Chris answered, at last turning his eyes away from the windows in order to face Kazuya more fully. He extended the parchment to Kazuya with an encouraging nod. Kazuya’s brows tensed while he scanned the list of seemingly low-danger missions and Chris explained himself further. “You’re expecting a vicious fight, but I hope you won’t actually need to deal with that tonight. This list may look like an apprentice's errands to you. However, there’s a reason I’ve chosen you to investigate this area and not an inexperienced Hunter in training.”

Kazuya held back his initial insulted reaction at the sight of the things described on the parchment. It looked like a practice exam for a first-year student at the Academy; that’s how low-stakes it was. The demonic activity in the circled area on the map was intense at first glance, but when he read the fine print, he saw only evidence of what were essentially newborn demons infesting the entire area. Demons like that were weak and as easy to crush as cockroaches. He figured Chris had a good excuse to summon Kazuya to do something as tedious as squash a bunch of newborn demons, so he stayed quiet as he finished reading and let Chris elaborate.

“Thinking back to your years of experience, how long do you think those demons have been lurking around that part of town?” Chris asked. His arms were folded behind his back casually and his expression remained unreadable; Kazuya didn’t know where he was going with this, but he went along with the conversation anyway. Chris was a retired Hunter due to the permanent injury he gained during a vicious battle, but that didn’t mean he stopped studying demons and forgot all he’d been through. Kazuya would be foolish to underestimate Chris’s wisdom.

“A month,” Kazuya ballparked cautiously. Considering how long the list was, it seemed reasonable that these types of young, smaller, and weaker demons were sprouting up every few days or so. 

He wondered why—was there an abandoned orphanage or something, causing a bunch of malnourished children to die frequently? A depressing situation like that would easily create tons of little demons scampering about. From what Kazuya knew about the origins of demons, he recalled that demons were often born from souls which refused to leave the mortal realm. Dead children seemed to be prime candidates for demon-turning; it was too soon for them to die, so of course they would be reluctant to leave, which resulted in their souls twisting and turning until they formed into demons themselves. 

At the sound of his answer, Chris took in a slow breath and nodded down at the parchment. “They’ve all appeared from the center of that circled area within the last two hours.”

Kazuya paled. “What?”

“I’ve only seen something like this a few times before,” Chris warned him, expression grave now that Kazuya understood the gravity of what seemed like some meaningless chores. “It’s almost always a result of excessive portals opening up, letting demons flood in from Hell. The presence of those demons expedites the process of turning wandering spirits on Earth into newborn demons.”

Portals—they were an odd phenomenon, something that demons seemed to be able to open on their own. However, Kazuya knew that not all demons had that capability, otherwise they would just open a portal and dip as soon as they got into a losing fight with Kazuya. Portals could accidentally be opened for a multitude of reasons as well, most commonly due to a novice attempting a spell far too complex. It baffled everyone at the Academy since every spellcaster had yet to master the art of opening a portal, but those novices who accidentally opened portals had been found dead every time so far. It was assumed that the spell, whatever it may be, consumed too much magic for a singular human body to handle. 

“I want you to try and discover the cause of this,” Chris said as Kazuya processed the true purpose of the mission. “It seems that the portals are opening to some sort of lesser corner of Hell, where weaker demons are trailing in, but that’s just an educated guess on my part. It could be anything. Regardless, exterminating those little demons should be no sweat off your back. Finding the source of these open portals is what really matters tonight so that we can stop anything stronger from coming through.” Chris placed a heavy, supportive hand onto Kazuya’s shoulder as their eyes met. “I’m counting on you, Miyuki.”

Kazuya nodded firmly, eyes gleaming gold around the edges as adrenaline pumped through his veins.

“I won’t let you down.”

***

“Get back here, you scoundrel!! Hey!!”

An evil cackle was the only answer that Eijun received in response to his demand. Fury boiled in his blood as he picked up his pace, legs burning beneath him from the strain of sprinting. He was this close to transforming into his beastly form already if it would help convince the pesky demon currently fleeing to listen to him.

“Did you hear me!?” Eijun shouted, golden eyes shining like beacons amongst a sea of black. His fangs glistened as he snarled, “I demand you to stop!!”

It was no use. The demon wasn’t going to give up the chase, but neither was Eijun. He was told by other guardian demons like Koushuu that he was ‘remarkably stubborn’ and it was true, dammit! He wasn’t going to let these punks keep trampling all over their territory without paying any consequences! Most of all, Eijun was pissed off that he had no clue where all these annoying little demons were coming from. They weren’t very strong but they were clearly young, formed within the last 100 years or so, and so they wanted to do nothing but cause trouble constantly.

Sure, it was in a demon’s nature to express their emotions, including the most extreme ones—and that usually had the side-effect of destruction and chaos. Such was the way of life in Hell, but there were other more sophisticated demons like Eijun who had been here for thousands of years. Demons like Eijun were over that rebellious phase in life, and most of the citizens simply wanted to exist in their own way in the strange, unique space made especially for them: Hell.

Some chaos was allowed in Hell, of course, but these young demons didn’t understand that there was a limit to that chaos. They weren’t born into Demonhood like Eijun and the others who were part of elite families of Hell, families that stretched over generations to form dynasties of Demonhood that reigned over the territories of Hell together. Unlike Eijun, these demons had been turned into demons, having been spirits beforehand—spirits from humans who had died too soon, or with unresolved troubles that haunted them into the afterlife. As ghosts, they no longer knew where to go. They eventually figured out that they had nowhere else to go but Hell.

Still, they were seen as a huge pain in the ass by the demons who had been born in Hell. After all, they refused to pay attention to the hierarchy of demons and they didn’t know the rules set in place by the families who had been here since ancient times. 

It drove Eijun crazy! They acted like they could do whatever they wanted and tear up the place in ways that weren’t allowed!

Worst of all, Eijun and similarly-ranked demons were convinced that it was the humans sending these messy young demons directly to them. Rather than letting these turned demons find their own way down to Hell on their own terms, a journey which usually humbled the demons and tamed their wild side at least a little bit, those pesky Hunters dumped problematic demons into Hell as if Hell was just a junkyard for their unwanted trash. It was so disrespectful! Eijun’s job was to wrangle these demons and assimilate them into demon culture, but right now he had his hands more than full. He couldn’t handle hundreds of them at once, for Satan’s sake! Couldn’t the humans slow down for a few decades to give Eijun some time to do his job right?

Now, Eijun was charging after some idiot young demon who broke free from the living units Eijun had specifically built for them and was frolicking about, trespassing into other demon’s territories and trampling all over their gardens. This wasn’t going to end well for the little guy and Eijun only wanted the best for him, even if he was infuriated and tempted to rip the stupid creature’s head right off for misbehaving this way.

Of course he wouldn’t take such drastic measures unless it was absolutely necessary, but Eijun was at the end of the line when it came to his patience. He was going to go insane if he had one more unruly demon to train and take care of!

Just when Eijun thought he might have cornered the little demon, ready to catch him and teach him a firm lesson, a goddamn portal of all things opened right in front of them both. Eijun froze, hoping with flexing claws that the demon wouldn’t take the bait and go for it—but that wish was in vain. The demon’s lips curled with a gleeful smirk just before he turned and sprinted through the portal, dashing right onto what looked like the cobblestone streets of a quiet city at nighttime on Earth.

Dammit…! 

“Alright, that does it!” Eijun shouted, finally fed up with this silly game of cat and mouse. Gritting his teeth, he felt his power swell up inside of him, causing the tendons and muscles of his body to shift and stretch beyond their current size. In a rush of magic and the physical push-and-pull that Eijun had experienced thousands of times before, he went from his natural state to his other, more vicious form—a beast fit enough to protect Hell from unwanted intruders.

Eijun bellowed out a snarl, his massive golden claws scraping the ground threateningly. His fangs glistened, ears flattening against his head as he charged ahead, his bat-like wings flapping to accelerate his speed. He rushed through the portal seconds before it closed behind him, a fact that Eijun wasn’t worried about (yet) as he chased after the pesky demon somewhere distantly ahead of him.

The scents and sounds of Earth were unusual for Eijun—he’d only been there a few times before, but there was no real reason for him to go when his whole job was defending and protecting Hell. Leaving his post was the exact opposite of his purpose, so he rarely got to experience the other realms, with places like Heaven obviously being completely off-limits. 

It had been at least a century or two since Eijun was on Earth, but things were still changing so fast there all the time. He was wholly unprepared for the construction that had been done, how narrow alleyways had become and how the buildings seemed more fragile than before. As a result, Eijun clumsily slammed into the sides of a few buildings, causing debris to fall and crumble around his wildly flapping wings. Luckily no huge structures fully toppled over, but he cursed under his breath from how inconveniently large his beast form was when he was on Earth.

Worst of all, the demon he pursued was much smaller and was able to escape into places Eijun struggled to reach. He tried to keep track of the demon but it was difficult with such a large, bulky body—maybe Eijun should have stayed in his bi-pedal form a bit longer. Changing back too quickly would take a toll on his body and leave him vulnerable in an unfamiliar place, which wasn’t the wisest choice. Eijun would have to stay like this as he pursued the smaller demon.

His eyes gleamed in the darkness as he prowled along, keeping his body close to the ground. Running into things wasn’t exactly helping his stealth, and now that he entered a zone that was somehow completely black, Eijun decided that sneaking around was the wiser method of pursuit. Didn’t the humans like to keep their streets lit up at night? Why were the lamps here abandoned?

Concentrate. Eijun closed his eyes and inhaled, trying to pick up on the demon’s scent. The brat was in for one hell of a punishment, but at the very least, Eijun wanted to rescue him and give him another chance. 

When Eijun finally did locate the runaway demon, he wasn’t expecting to see that someone else had gotten to him first. He heard a defensive snarl from the demon he was chasing, causing his ears to prick up in response. Alarm pulsed through his chest—the demon sounded scared.

Something else was attacking him.

Eijun looked around wildly until his nocturnal vision settled on the source of the sound, but once he found the demon, it was too late. A gleam of gold reflected from a ring on the man’s finger as he gripped the handle of his sword, keeping it rooted in the ground beside them while pressing a slip of paper to the demon’s chest. A small, golden sword was pinned onto the lapel of his jacket.

It was a Hunter.

Eijun only heard the end of what he was saying, but it was unmistakable—the Hunter had cried out, “Return!” 

Rage prickled across Eijun’s skin, causing his fur to stand on end and a growl to seep from his throat. So the Hunters really were the ones sending these spirits-turned-demons to Hell, making Eijun’s life a living nightmare every day! All of his problems were the fault of guys like this!  

Eijun wanted to teach the humans a lesson. Maybe if Eijun beat this guy, he could threaten him enough and scare him into stopping this atrocious behavior. Or Eijun could kill him to make an example out of him for the rest of the humans; either was an appealing outcome.

Besides, it wasn’t a human’s responsibility to get involved with the messy world of the supernatural. He was already unhappy that humans were learning about magic to this extent—at least the humans constrained that knowledge to a select group, but that exact group was making things so much worse for demons like Eijun. He wished humans would all collectively stop getting involved and let those demons born into Demonhood take care of it themselves.

After setting his sights on his irritating Hunter target, Eijun crouched and bunched his muscles up, preparing to jump.

He’d show this little Hunter who was really on the top of the universal food-chain.

***

Kazuya straightened up, releasing a heavy sigh as sweat trickled down his temple. Just when he thought he might have been finished with the night’s work, another little demon showed up right under his feet and practically tripped Kazuya. It wasn’t as newborn as the others he encountered, but exorcizing it was not too difficult. Still, since Kazuya had just exorcized a bunch of demons in a row with very little buffering time in between each one, his magic was almost depleted.

He hoped that the last demon he encountered was the last of them. Now he could investigate the area to find out why so many demons were showing up. Were they portaling in from Hell somehow? It was odd, since little demons like this were not the type to form in Hell, but rather to form as a result of a lost spirit on Earth. Chris’s theories passed through his mind again, but the whole situation still puzzled Kazuya, which is why he needed to take the time to search the area thoroughly.

Chris must have found a way to section off the area so as to not disrupt Kazuya’s investigation, for no lamp-lighters had arrived to light the lamps along the street. It was pitch black. Thankfully Kazuya’s enhanced glasses allowed him to see some shapes of his surroundings, but they were by no means meant to see through total darkness. He took in a deep breath, set his sights on the direction he wanted to go, and— 

Wham!

“Gnh—!” Kazuya hadn’t been expecting a force to slam into him from behind, something that came from out of absolutely nowhere. He almost crashed to the ground, but thanks to his breathtaking reflexes, he managed to stop himself from a painful impact. 

Kazuya whirled around, sword still in hand, but he might as well have been fighting blindly. It didn’t help that his glasses had flown off his face and landed somewhere on the ground behind him, completely plunging Kazuya in the dark.

Distance. Kazuya needed as much distance as possible from whatever was throwing itself at him. He reached down, finding the shape of his glasses in the dark only by pure luck, and then sprang back as far as he could to try and assess the situation. First thing’s first—he needed a spell to shed some light down onto the area. 

“Vocare lu—!!” Kazuya’s spell was interrupted, and because of that the actual execution of the magic didn’t go as planned. All that ended up happening was that the light shot out and illuminated the fur of the beast as it lunged at him again, making it clear to Kazuya that the thing he was dealing with was not just big—it was huge.

The beast was relentless, snarling and growling as he charged at Kazuya over and over. He kept barely dodging the thing, chest heaving to catch his breath as his shaking hand clutched at the hilt of his sword. His blood ran cold when the magical elements of his botched spell shot along golden markings embellished on the beast’s body, lighting them up for Kazuya to see. The markings were distinctive, wrapping around the beast’s limbs like the stripes of a tiger. They glowed as brightly as the creature’s eyes, which glimmered a ferocious gold in a sea of black.  

Animals of Earth did not glow, not like that. The beast was not a wolf or a bear or anything of the sort.

It was a demon.

Shit— now knowing that this was probably the most dangerous demon Kazuya had encountered in months, if not years, he knew he had to try and escape first. There was no way he could take it on right there and then, engulfed in total darkness, with nothing but his sword to defend him with.

Kazuya turned and made a run for it after quickly extinguishing his failed light-summoning spell. He felt the creature pursue him, for the earth shook beneath his feet at the pure force of its mighty paws slamming the ground as it ran. Was this thing somehow the mother of the little demons Kazuya had been exterminating all night? Was that why it was so pissed off at Kazuya? His thoughts raced as he used all his strength to run, legs propelling him away faster than he knew he could actually go.

Though the beast was undoubtedly a giant, he wasn’t as fast because of his mighty weight and size. Kazuya had a few blessed seconds between them that he used to run into the nearby town square. This was the only place Kazuya could think to properly fight the thing, and at least the square was illuminated enough for Kazuya to see what he was doing thanks to the moon shining down from the open sky. 

He ducked into a narrow alleyway just in time for the beast to lose track of him. As he struggled to catch his breath without making much noise, Kazuya strained his neck to peer cautiously at the demon’s positioning. Kazuya knew this area well—he could sneak around and approach the creature from behind. Using skills he’d learned as an apprentice, Kazuya was able to sneak through the maze of alleys all the way until he made it to an optimal position to view his opponent.

From there, Kazuya crouched low and observed the demon, who was now still in the center of the courtyard, confused and listening closely. He could see its pointed ears swivel from side to side, trying to pick up on any subtle sounds that would give Kazuya’s location away. The demon lifted its nose, sniffing the air—where Kazuya expected a dog-like nose, he was surprised to see that the front of its muzzle was somewhat feline while the rest of its snout was much more canine. Besides being obviously a demon, what the hell was that thing?

It was truly a sight to behold, made up of all weird shapes and parts. One thing was for sure—it was absolutely gigantic, and its huge bat-like wings made it look double, if not triple its size. A pair of sharp horns protruded from the front of its skull, and it sported two muscular front legs with deadly golden claws curving out from its toes. Its shaggy mane covered everything down to its shoulders, where the mane trailed off into shorter fur that bristled angrily along its spine.

The funniest part of the demon was its weird tail. It was curled and fluffy, reminding Kazuya of a friendly puppy. What an odd feature to be seen on such a horrifying beast; even its hind legs reminded Kazuya of a dog.

He wondered if those dog-like parts of its body would be its weakness, but Kazuya quickly ruled out thinking in that direction. Trying to bring down this thing with brute force would very likely kill Kazuya in his current, exhausted state. He was in no shape to take on a demon with strength alone after a whole night of fighting and exorcizing. He would have to use some complicated runes and arrays, perhaps even drink a potion or two to make sure he— 

Kazuya had been patting himself down, but upon finding nothing in his pockets or along his belt, his train of thought came to a stop and he froze at the same time. He’d used all of those materials up on the mission he’d been sent on by Chris and was completely out of pre-written runes. 

To take on a demon of this size and caliber… it was madness when one came as woefully unprepared as Kazuya.

There was no doubting that it was a demon born into Demonhood, an important distinction when it came to exorcizing demons. That meant it was not going to die, no way in hell, not by the hands of a single Hunter even if that Hunter had a 90% success rate. Kazuya’s best bet was to send it back. It had likely been alive for hundreds, if not thousands of years, and Kazuya wasn’t going to take it down single-handedly with depleted resources and hardly any magic left in him.

Unfortunately for Hunters, magic was finite—once he burned it all up for the day, he had no choice but to wait long enough to recharge his energy and capability to perform magic. He also couldn’t afford to wait, not in a situation like this, where such a terrifying beast from the pits of Hell itself was roaming around in plain view. If he ran out of magic and still tried to cast spells, the energy would be taken directly from his own soul instead; it was obvious what would happen to him if he didn’t stop and his soul was sucked out from own magic-enhanced fingertips.

Kazuya wasn’t completely at his limit yet, thankfully, but he couldn’t afford to mess around. One wrong move could make the situation even more dire in seconds.

Probably the most frightening thing about the demon was its eyes—they were so… beautiful, in some sort of eerie way. To have inky black eyes rather than white was alarming enough, but the unnatural golden shine of the irises was a stunning contrast against the darkness. It was like finding a gemstone in the blackness of a cave.

And the only reason Kazuya could be waxing poetry in his mind about the demon’s remarkable eyes was because the demon was looking right at him.  

Shit. Kazuya only had seconds to prepare for the fight to come. He took on a defensive stance and held his sword out in front of him just as the beast was upon him, releasing a sinister snarl in the process of leaping at him. There was not a glimmer of hesitation to be seen in those entrancing golden eyes—there was nothing but pure, vicious hatred for the Hunter standing in its way.

The beast swung with its claws first, aiming to knock Kazuya to his feet. Instead, those powerful claws slammed against Kazuya’s blade, the impact so intense that sparks flew in the night. With enormous strength, Kazuya grit his teeth and shoved the mighty paw away, only to duck low when the other arm came swinging down onto him. It looked like the beast’s intentions were to catch Kazuya in its clutches and then use its teeth to crunch his bones to dust, not the other way around.

“Nh— persistent bastard,” Kazuya hissed with a breathless laugh, a little awestruck by the demon’s strength. The beast kept swinging razor-sharp claws at Kazuya, unflinching in its mission, so focused and fervent with hatred that it was almost admirable. Kazuya was purely on the defensive, being left with no other opinions, as he parried the demon’s attacks one after the other.

He was lucky he was so in shape—otherwise, Kazuya’s knees would have buckled beneath him ages ago from the way he had to take all of the demon’s heavy blows. His body moved instinctively, muscles tensing to move his sword fast enough to block the demon’s vicious claws. He dodged as often as he could, eyes searching for a weakness, an escape, an opening of any sort. Kazuya had to bite back his frustration and rising despair upon realizing that there was no other option for him but to use his magic.

Kazuya had to be very careful. If he went too far with his spell-casting, the consequences could be irreversible. With his fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword, Kazuya leveled his gaze with the glittering gold eyes of the beast and tried to steady his breath amidst the chaos.

“You know what? Fine, you leave me no choice.” Kazuya had spoken to no one in particular, unsure if the demon even heard him or not. Demons usually understood the human languages, but when they were in such an animalistic state, he honestly had no idea if they could perceive his words. It didn’t matter—Kazuya wasn’t able to waste his breath any longer. He cast a few spells that shot towards the demon, each spell slamming into its chest and sides like canonfire.

Besides a few grunts, the beast only staggered slightly off-balance before shaking off the stinging pain from its pelt. It took a second for the demon to go right back to its method of relentless attack, a mighty roar ripping from its parted jaws.

A shiver ran down Kazuya’s spine as the tips of the demon’s claws gazed his sides, giving him a minor tear in his jacket and undershirt. He only narrowly managed to dodge the beast’s claws and his chest was heaving as he gulped down air, brain completely in survival mode at this point. If he wanted to live, he couldn’t depend on attack-style magic. He would have to be more creative, and he only had a few seconds to think before the next blow of the demon’s claws would come down upon him. Too slow meant he couldn’t dodge, and being unable to doge might leave Kazuya with a worse injury than what Chris had to endure.

Kazuya turned his head just in time to see the other gigantic paw swinging towards him, claws pointed in a deadly position and aiming right for his head. He was fast enough to lift his arm and avoid death, but not fast enough to evade the hit altogether.

“Gnh— ah—!!” A choked sound of pain broke from Kazuya’s throat as he was thrown down onto his side. He tumbled before crashing against the nearest building with a heavy thud. The breath had been knocked out of him and his ears were ringing as he shakily forced himself to his feet, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He wasn’t as battered as he could have been, but pain seared through his hands, which had suffered a degree of skidding and scratches from the blow. 

The demon was already turning towards him, lips curled back to expose its jagged teeth and fangs, muscles tensing as it prepared to pounce. Kazuya was just about out of options, except one last resort came to mind: he could use an array. Arrays were less magically draining than other types of spells, but the downside was that they couldn’t be done quickly. Arrays usually weren’t to be crafted in the heat of battle, though it was obvious that Kazuya had no other choice now. 

Thinking fast, Kazuya glanced around the perimeter of the town square. If he could move fast enough and avoid another blow by the demon, he had a plan that just might work.

With his rapidly thought-out action plan mapped out in his mind, Kazuya looked down at one of his wounded hands. He felt hot blood slide down his palm and along his fingers, and he focused on the feeling until enough blood collected on the tip of his index finger. Kazuya lifted his blood-soaked hand to the wall behind him. He didn’t have time to pull out a vial of ink or a stick of charcoal, anyhow. This would have to do.

As the demon thundered towards him, Kazuya rapidly drew the first necessary rune on the wall with his blood. He waited until the demon was almost upon him to start sprinting, kiting the demon to another corner of the town square. Each breath was a painful, fiery-hot sear on Kazuya’s insides, but he ignored the strain on his body and kept up the pace. If he wanted to survive this, he would have to put up with the discomforts of his injuries for just a little longer.

Kazuya reached the other wall and didn’t waste a second, writing the second rune on a wooden doorframe with a remarkably steady hand. His wounds throbbed but he swallowed down the ache, turning a wild eye over his shoulder to see the demon’s massive form come rushing after him. The demon’s wings had expanded from their previously folded position, hinting to Kazuya that it was about to become a lot faster if it allowed its wings to speed up its pace.

Yet again, Kazuya ran, allowing the demon to chase right on his heels. He had to keep just enough distance between himself and the demon, giving him only a few seconds to write each rune before taking off again. It was painstaking to have to draw so many and keep up the chase for as long as he did, but somehow by the skin of his teeth, Kazuya managed to write the final rune where it needed to be.

It was a good thing he finished the final rune when he did, too—if Kazuya had taken even a second longer, he could have been a goner. The demon turned on him, skidding to a halt with its claws digging into the ground right where Kazuya had been standing before. The demon turned around, a frustrated growl edging along its jagged teeth, finally at the end of its patience with Kazuya. With its ears flattened back from rage, the demon turned onto Kazuya as its haunches bunched up.

Kazuya summoned the last of his magic, feeling the energy pulse through his bloodstained hand. Purple sparks crackled around his fingers, glistening threateningly just as the mighty demon leapt into the air, wings spreading to assist its liftoff. The wind summoned by the completed spell rushed forward, pushing Kazuya’s coat back and making his hair ruffle around his fiercely focused eyes. The demon had one clawed paw raised, aimed with deadly precision—when it landed, those sharpened talons would be digging into Kazuya’s flesh.

“As if—!” Kazuya grunted in response to that morbid possibility, eyes narrowing challengingly. With massive effort, Kazuya swept his non-sword-wielding arm out in a grand gesture to ignite the invisible web he’d spun. 

The array activated just in time, freezing the demon mid-air in the center of its circular shape. The demon looked as if he were caught in an intricate net—magic tethered the demon in place from the points where the runes had been etched in blood all along the walls. Kazuya wanted to pause and admire his handiwork, but there was no time to fool around, not when the demon was only going to be in this state for a few fleeting seconds.

The first layer of the array had been activated, which was why the demon was frozen mid-air in the first place. The town square crackled with spiritual energy, each intricate line and curve sparking, a show of man-made lightning. Kazuya took in a deep, shaky breath, and recited the words to activate the second layer of the array and banish the spirit from him, the caster.

Though as he started to speak, his eyes locked with the beast’s, and he startled at the emotion within them. Hatred, sure; frustration, understandable; but was that something human inside its eyes? The expression on the beast’s face was so complicated that it threw Kazuya for a loop, but he didn’t have time to ponder the beast’s odd response to its predicament by the time the spell left his lips.

That should do it— Kazuya brought his arm forward, hands sturdy despite the urge to tremble, and the demon’s fall continued to happen as if in slow-motion. The demon leaned forward, wings struggling against the neon-purple trappings, like it was trying to break free.

Kazuya’s heart abruptly pounded. Something deep inside of him pulsed—it was like his very essence was throbbing, somehow, and it sent a shockwave throughout his entire body.

His blood ran cold. His magic was draining, far beyond what he’d ever experienced.

Something had gone wrong.

Kazuya barely had time to react to the sinking feeling, the sensation that his soul was being touched, torn, tampered with. He wanted to scream but he couldn’t, not when his jaw clamped and made him tense into stillness with the fear of it all. The demon let out a shriek, sounding equally as horrified, while the entire array activated in the form of a breathtaking explosion.

The force of the spell’s outburst sent Kazuya flying, blowing him away from the center of the square in a rush too fast to respond to. As he was mid-air, another body slammed into his own, and together, Kazuya and the unknown body tumbled down to the ground.

All Kazuya felt was pain and the weight of another before he went out cold, still so unsure of just what had happened to him.

***

Waking up was not a comfortable, gradual process. Demons rarely slept to begin with, but this was not an instance where Eijun took a willing rest after a long day of protecting his home. He was jerked into consciousness, a gasp breaking from his lips, while his back was pinned down by force. The sound of metal crunched right beside his ear, snapping any sleepy haze away in place of fear and alarm.That sound was caused by the tip of a sword digging into the ground right beside his neck. Eijun hissed at the realization and tried to sit up instinctively, but he found himself unable thanks to the weight of something else—or rather, someone else—on top of him.

“You know,” a rough voice spoke with a bit of a wry laugh in his tone, “you’re a lot prettier when you’re down here and beneath me.”

Fury rushed through Eijun’s blood, coloring his face red and making him focus on the asshole who just said something so goddamn condescending to him. Looming above him, with his silhouette outlined by the yellowish shine of the moon, was the same shit-eating Hunter that Eijun had just chased around for what felt like an eternity and a half. Dammit, if Eijun hadn’t gotten trapped in the Hunter’s stupid purple web, that Hunter would be dead meat by now!!

“Asshole! Get off of me!” Eijun spat out, focusing on the Hunter’s face from a much closer perspective than before. He’d looked as small as an insect when Eijun was in his lion-dog form, but now, Eijun was peeved to notice that the Hunter was actually bigger than him in stature and muscle mass. He was holding Eijun down with practically nothing but the weight of his own thigh, which had no right being as thick and heavy as it was. Seriously, how often did this guy run!?

“No can do,” the Hunter responded, eyes narrowing as he scanned Eijun up and down, a suspicious gleam in his eyes. Eijun hissed when the Hunter pushed down onto the ridge of one of his wings, then internally cussed himself out for revealing a bit of a weakness about the sensitivity of his wings. The Hunter was clearly the observant type, for the corner of his lips quirked slightly in response to Eijun’s wince, and he kept his hand right where it was. “Tell me, why is everything in my body, mind and soul preventing me from chopping your head off right here, hm? What sort of spell did you cast on me?”

“W-What!? That’s your issue!” Eijun defended, reaching up to grab onto the blade of the Hunter’s sword and try to shove it away. He felt humiliated that he was so weakened and tired after all that fighting in his lion-dog form, otherwise, he’d just transform to throw him off and eat this guy up like dinner. Eijun was out of energy to shift forms again, so all he could do was growl and try in vain to push his sword away. “Go on, then, you self-righteous jerk!! Cut my head off! What’s stopping you!?”

Their eyes met at that moment and Eijun froze, silenced by the sight of the Hunter’s complicated expression. He stared down at Eijun with gleaming amber eyes, which were not much duller than the color of his own unusually yellow irises. His thick brows were tense, and though he had been smiling, that formerly playful expression was starting to harden into something more stern. He looked incredibly powerful, too—with the strong column of his neck and his sharply-cut jaw, Eijun suddenly didn’t feel so embarrassed for failing to kill this guy. He looked like a formidable opponent, even for a human.

“I’m not sure,” the Hunter finally admitted, eyes narrowed with genuine uncertainty. “Why don’t I ask you what’s stopping you from turning back into a giant beast and biting my head off?”

Eijun hesitated. He didn’t think it would be the wisest idea to reveal that he didn’t have enough energy and magic to do so, not for a while. Being in that much larger form took a toll on Eijun, and after fighting as aggressively as he did, plus whatever that spell was at the end… Eijun was sure he couldn’t change back into a lion-dog anytime soon. 

Meanwhile, the Hunter looked like he wanted to stand upright, but he clearly wasn't sure if he should trust Eijun not to attack him. Well, it was for good reason—Eijun’s throat trembled with endless growls as he glared up at the Hunter indignantly. The Hunter flicked his head to the side to push some of the bangs from his eyes, getting a better look at Eijun with a suspicious frown on his lips.

Finally, Eijun caved in and admitted what he didn’t want to say out loud. “Fine! I don’t know what’s stopping me, either! I thought it was your—your stupid spell that did this to me!!”

The Hunter appeared to believe Eijun. After a moment, he shifted to ease his weight off of Eijun and allowed the demon to scramble into a crouching position. That was when Eijun lunged forward, compelled by rage and an impulsive decision to hurt the Hunter who had humiliated him. 

“Dammit—!” The Hunter hissed as he lifted a defensive arm to block Eijun’s attack. He looked regretful to have trusted Eijun, especially after Eijun raked his claws across the Hunter’s arm, tearing through the layers of his tailcoat and the shirt underneath. The Hunter quickly grabbed the hilt of his sword, but he didn’t end up having to use it—Eijun backed up all on his own, feeling as if he’d been hit and earned his own injury at the same time. 

Shock rushed through Eijun’s blood at the feeling of a sharp, sudden pain on his arm. When he looked down to see what it was, he only saw the shiny reflection of his own gold-plated arm guards, which covered his forearms up to the elbows. His mind was filled with questions by the unexplained pain. He looked wearily at the Hunter, who still remained frozen in place, apparently ignoring the stinging caused by the gash in his arm.

“W-What… how…?” Puzzled, Eijun froze and took a few cautious steps back. He undid the fastenings that kept his arm-guard in place, then peeled it back to reveal a fresh wound right underneath. Blood clung to the inside of his arm guard, though the armor remained perfectly in-tact—earning a wound on a part of his body covered by his armor should have been impossible while he was wearing it. He inspected the wound and lifted his arm up, turning his arm this way and that to make sure he wasn’t imagining things. Blood slipped down his arm and dripped onto the stones below, and the Hunter also paused in his attack, eyes locked onto the matching wound that had appeared out of nowhere on Eijun’s arm.

Well, maybe that was a huge reason for why they were strangely unwilling to kill each other on the spot. No matter how Eijun looked at it, the wounds were identical, and they had been earned at the exact same time. It must mean that whatever injury the Hunter received would show up on Eijun’s own body, so Eijun couldn’t get away with killing him without killing himself at the same time. 

Defensive and nervous, Eijun’s wings raised to make him seem bigger than he really was and his tail lashed anxiously behind him. He kept his eyes trained on the Hunter’s face, claws flexing, and tucked his bleeding arm close to his chest. Though his deadly claws weren’t nearly the size they would have been had Eijun been in his lion-dog form, they were still sharp and could wound someone severely if he was angry enough. And trust him, he was more than angry enough at that moment. The stinging gash in his arm was enough to prove that much, shaped as if it were caused by a slash of his own claws despite that still sounding like an impossible explanation.

“That ‘stupid spell’ was meant to send you back to Hell, where you came from,” the Hunter cautiously revealed, looking down at Eijun’s fresh wound with a skeptical gleam in his eyes as he kept a firm, defensive grip on his sword. “Clearly it didn’t do what I expected.”

“This is exactly why you humans shouldn’t be meddling with our magic at all!” Eijun snapped, finally standing upright to point an accusing finger at the Hunter. It bothered him that the Hunter was taller than Eijun when standing, but he tried to ignore that fact as he glared fiercely at the man. “You jerks don’t know what you’re doing!! Now I’m stuck here until I can find a portal or someone to open one for me!”

“I could just try the spell again, too,” the Hunter suggested, but Eijun felt more pissed off by the suggestion.

“Hell no!” Eijun shrieked. “Last time you tried, something obviously went very wrong! How can I trust you not to screw it all up again!? Damn humans…!”

With a huff, Eijun turned his back on the man and tried to think while he tended to his wound and licked at the blood. He felt so stupid and useless; he never went to Earth, for fuck’s sake! He had no reason to go! Why would he know how to open a portal, or know anyone who could? Eijun could count the times he’d ever left Hell on one hand, so he never bothered to learn about the mechanics of portals and how to travel between realms. All he knew was that it was an extremely complicated type of magic, something that should absolutely not be attempted by a novice. Even if he learned the proper spell in the next day or two, trying it would be stupid, even for someone with a thick skull like Eijun.

Eijun truly didn’t know where to start when it came to finding someone to open a portal. He knew next to nothing about humans, especially not with their current societal structure, so it’s not like he could just go ask around for help. The only way to return that he could think of was if a human like the four-eyed Hunter behind him cast a spell to send him back, but he didn’t want to willingly be exorcized by a jerk like him. The mere thought made Eijun frown like he’d tasted something bitter.

“Uh… I’ll admit that my spell might have had some sort of error, but are you sure you didn’t do anything to me? ” With that question, the Hunter broke the silence between them, causing Eijun to turn and look over his shoulder begrudgingly. The Hunter had removed his jacket while Eijun had his back to him, and he had rolled up his sleeve to examine the wound Eijun gave to him. Now, he was looking down at his hands, causing Eijun to follow his line of sight.

His heart practically stopped beating at the sight.

“W-What?” Eijun stammered, dumbfounded as he rushed closer to the Hunter to look down at the markings on the backs of his hands and up along the length of his arms. 

It was unmistakable—the marks on the Hunter’s skin were identical to the distinctive markings on Eijun’s own hands and arms. His pulse raced with confusion as he studied them, ensuring that they really were a perfect match. Not a single line, dot, or corner was out of place—the angular array of golden lines, unique to Eijun and his family, were etched onto the Hunter’s skin as if they had always been there. 

The only difference was that the marks glimmered a strange gradient from gold to purple, causing the markings to turn shades of red and orange as the colors changed. It was beautiful in an odd, unfamiliar way, and as the Hunter moved his arms to one side and back, the marks were easier to see when the light hit them at certain angles. No wonder he didn’t notice them on the Hunter’s hands sooner; the shadows must have kept obscuring their subtle shine. Eijun would have admired their mysterious beauty more were he not panicking at the sight of them on a human’s body. He looked down at his own arms, just to check that his marks were still there, but his heart jumped at the sight of what had always been a normal part of his body… up until now.

“What!?” Eijun shouted, sputtering over his words as the impossible was splayed out before him—his own marks were tinted purple as well, reflecting the exact same gradation that was exhibited on the Hunter’s arms! How could that be!? Eijun shook his head. First their identical wounds, and now this? Eijun didn’t even know where to start. “B-But this isn’t—this can’t be happening! Demon markings don’t ever change! They always look the same! These markings are reserved for specific demon families and are unique to us only!” He suddenly looked up at the Hunter with wild, incredulous eyes. “You’re not secretly a demon, are you!?”

“Of course not,” the Hunter scoffed and shot Eijun an irritated glance, like it was astonishingly stupid to even ask the question. He looked back down at his arms before rolling his sleeves back down, though he skirted around the area of his wound gingerly, wincing at the stinging pain. Eijun tried to ignore the burn coming from his own matching wound, but he felt a phantom touch, as if the Hunter was prodding at his arm as well. The Hunter folded his jacket over one arm, opting to carry it rather than put it back on, and frowned at the ground as he sighed slowly. “I don’t understand. This… this sort of thing has never happened to me, either.”

“Well, you must know something about what it could mean!” Eijun shouted, throwing his arms out in front of him frightfully, as if he could shake off the weird colors that had tainted his own brilliant golden marks. “Don’t you humans spend all day reading about us cause you have nothing better to do!? Hasn’t there been a time before this when demon markings showed up on a human!?”

The Hunter seemed to be thinking deeply about the situation. He held his chin in one hand as he paced back and forth, brows tense, jaw clenched. Eijun watched him nervously, ears lowered in an unconscious expression of fear. He swallowed down the urge to whimper, but when the Hunter abruptly stopped in his path, Eijun held his breath. He looked down at the now-scabbing slash on his forearm, then pointedly moved his focus towards the matching one on Eijun’s arm. Their shared wound still hadn’t been explained, either. Something about that odd experience must have occurred to him.

By the looks of it, whatever the Hunter figured out wasn’t good news, either. He released a heavy sigh and tilted his head back, but like the asshole he so clearly was, he just laughed.

Their lives could be at stake and the jerk was laughing!!

“W-What is this all about!?” Eijun snarled with his outburst, face coloring with embarrassment from the possibility that he was being mocked for his fear. Not knowing what else to do, the fur along Eijun’s wings bristled as he declared, “A-As the Guardian of Hell and sole son of the Sawamura family, this Sawamura Eijun demands you to tell me what’s going on, you—you… Hunter-man…!”

“You’re not gonna like what this ‘Hunter-man’ has to say, Sawamura,” the Hunter said with a sigh as his laughter trailed off. He reached up to run a hand through his messy brown hair, then shook his head with disappointment and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Shit. If this is what I think it is, I fucked up worse than I ever have in my life.”

“Well, spit it out, then! What do you think it is?” Eijun asked frantically, his voice uncharacteristically shaky as he took a step closer. All messing around aside, he was truly scared to hear what the Hunter’s guess was. 

The Hunter turned to face him directly, looking both resolved and guilty for what he had possibly done. He lifted his chin, lips in a tense line, and broke the news to Eijun as bluntly as he could.

“I think I bound our souls together.”

The stunned silence between them didn’t last for long. It all came rushing down upon Eijun like a wave crashing onto the shore. His jaw dropped while his heart plummeted to his feet.

“You did what!?”