Her red eyes cut through the darkness, crimson seeped from her head, forming into a blade. "We are not here to fight, Mr Aros. But if you give us no choice, we won't hold back."
Fire. It burned hotter and brighter than the morning sun. Aiden ducked under a bolt of crimson light, his foot creating distance by shoving them back onto the veranda. Silver sheened in the moonlight. One slash, followed by a quicker second.
"Lyra, " the kimono-clad hunter thrust her hand forward. Two green eyes locked back onto the rampaging dog.
"Sorry pup." Two daggers absorbed all light that dared touch them. Her speed was dizzying.
White sparks flew in the air as the blades clashed. Aiden held on, barely. The Korean hunter was holding back; only one dagger had engaged in the fight. And to make things worse, his energy reserves were just about empty.
The muddy paddy fields allowed him to slide back toward the house. With a strong pull, the floorboards flew off. A long-barreled rifle shone in the light. "Never thought I would have to use a twelve-gauge for humans." The muzzle flashed. Its thunderous noise was bursting his already damaged eardrums.
Empty. The field was empty. Three female hunters disappeared.
"That was dangerous pup. Coulda hurt someone reaaaal~ bad." Her smooth arms wrapped themselves around his shoulders from behind, and two black daggers rode the seams of his fabric. The heavy rifle hit what remained of the wooden flooring. Beads of sweat rolled down his spine. Each breath ripped through flesh as they struggled to pierce his lips.
"A-Alright. I concede. Let's sit inside." His gaze cast down where the knife lay motionless, whispering for blood. But the fight had been finished; any more action and Aiden was sure to die.
The cool air had long since sombered the interior of the house; not a single floorboard dared creak after sensing Aiden's injuries. Lyra plopped him onto the couch, cosying up beside him, sharing body heat as the other two found adjacent seats.
"Wait- I have to put the barrier back up, and the door can't just stay open-"
The beautiful Chinese maiden sat up, her black, streaking hair waved through the wind as she made light work of the barrier. However, the door was an entirely different issue; it would have to be remade completely. And above all else, the overarching problem for Aiden now lay in the fact that three otherworldly strangers made themselves comfortable in his home.
"Relax. Lyra will take care of you~" Two daggers ran along his nape as her hot breath caressed his ear.
Shivers ran down his spine as he struggled to break free from her iron grip.
"Lyra! Can you...keep that stuff for later? We are on a mission." The Chinese enchantress took her seat once more, rustling through her bag for a lukewarm bun that had seen better days. "Eat up, from what it looks like, you've been fighting for a whole day without rest." She flashed a warm smile before shoving the meatbun in Aiden's mouth.
"Now that we have settled down. Introductions are in order! And I will go first. My name is Meilin, a hunter chosen by the Fox Spirit to find the Wandering Rabid Dog." She sat down with a jolly smile on her face before standing back up. "Oh, and I love cooking! It's a fun pastime of mine." Aiden didn't know what to feel. Before he could even say a word, the scary woman clinging to him piped up.
"You'll make an amazing housewife, Meilin. My turn~! As you heard from our dear leader, my name is Lyra. Similarly, I was chosen by our great patron, the Fox Spirit, to find an adorable little pup in a house of wonders." She turned to Meilin and smiled menacingly. "And one thing I love more than anything in the world." Her hands caressed the blade of the daggers, pressing them softly into Aiden's side. "The fresh smell of blood from my beloved."
Aiden hurried to get away from Lyra, but it was of no use. Her strength was far from what any human could achieve in a lifetime. 'Scary!' He shot his arm up into her jaw and leapt toward the corner of the room. His eyes glanced at the final girl, who was content watching everything unfold. Aiden raised his jaw, and she was the third to stand up.
"Very well. My name is Ryn. Like these two, the Fox Spirit sent me to train- to convince you to join our cause in defeating a foe that could threaten the entirety of the mortal realm. One thing I like would have to be Meilin's cooking." The Japanese girl sat down, motioning for the last person to introduce themselves.
Aiden looked around cautiously before returning near the couch, avoiding the devilish Korean girl at all costs. "I'm Aiden." Short, but it got the point across. He wasn't some noble fighter hailing from a particular background like the hunters.
Meilin clapped her hands and excitedly pulled Aiden's hands close to her. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Aiden. Let's get along! Quick question, though, where is the kitchen?" A short tour followed, but it was not like he could focus with the insistent stares from a particular Korean.
╱|, (˚ˎ .7 |,˜〵 じしˍ,)ノ
Meilin began cooking, and Aiden decided to help a little since he didn't trust anyone being near the basement door alone. Ryn and Lyra left to clean their bedrooms and wash the sheets. Metallic rustling shook the door across the room. He had played a few songs he enjoyed to block out the sound. It was too soon for them to know of 'Her' and even then, he wasn't sure if they could be trusted.
But she wasn't blind. Meilin could very well see the fingernails reaching past the threshold of the strong barrier. 'It's fine for the time being...I trust Aiden will tell us in time.'
The night, however, was still young. And once dawn arrived, the rift might split open again. A temporary seal like that wouldn't hold long. It was starved, more so than normal demons. The beast that crossed the Sanzu River would soon feast on the world.