On the other side of Nixara, in the human realm, Draco burst through one of the streets, a spear sailing past him as he cut a sharp turn and continued running.
After his battle with his old cohort, Draco staggered out of the portal to the human world and slumped against one of the nearest buildings. He was exhausted from his battle against his former teamates, and questions flooded his mind like an endless tide.
Was he really dead? And if not, what had he become? Had he really died and been turned into... this? And if he really had become a demon, what was his next move?
Before Draco could answer any of these questions for himself, instinct pushed Draco out of the way, and a spear struck through the wall, piercing through where his head had been. Demon hunters.
Nixara was made up of two realms; the monster realm, the home where Draco grew up in, and the human realm, the home of those hunting him down. Nixara seemed to be the perfect, unified nation, but its people were anything but. Their alliance isone out of necessity, and even among hunters, monsters and humans still struggle to prove which side is superior. But with both sides hunting him down as a demon, Draco could only only focus on surviving.
With the advent of magic, the gap of natural power monsters had over humans and the mastery over the arcane arts humans prided over monsters had reduced significantly. Therefore, they were officially equal in potential, and all hunters served as equal threats to demons, whether monster or human.
Draco could tell from the power behind the spear that there was at least one Master, and with the backlash of his battle against his former cohort, Draco wasn't willing to fight a lost battle.
He crouched silently in a dark alley, his claws sliding out as long shadows loomed overhead.
" Two of you, search that alley to the North. Hey you, you're with me. Attack and report on sight. No negotiations; that's one's too dangerous." " Yes sir!" they chorused in unison, and the shadows split into two, with one edging torwards him; he needed to act fast. Draco growled as he clenched his fist. His biggest problem right now... was the dangerous truth he had discovered while fighting against his old cohort: he could no longer control magic. He didn't know why, but he guessed it had to do with becoming a demon. And with the battle against several hunters with no affinities, how was he to survive?
On the other hand, his physical prowess had improved significantly, and for some reason, their demon detector hadn't pinponted his exact location, otherwise they wouldn't have split up in the first place. It didn't matter if it was because their device was primitive or he had acquired a new skill as a demon, as long as he escaped alive.
A rat scurried passed the hunters, and their heads jerked torward the sound; this was his chance!
Draco ran in a blur, and busted through one of the alleys, ramming straight through a shop window as the hunters slowly gained on him. So much for a stealthy escape. He couldn't keep this up for long. He needed and plan, and soon enough one began to form. It was crazy, but crazy had become the standard.
Draco slashed acrosshis palm with a claw, blood flowing on the ground as he turned a sharp corner. The hunters followed his trail, and Draco sighed in relief as he watched his aggressors fade into the night. By sprinkling his blood forward and sealing the wound with a strap of his tattered uniform, Draco was able to lead them away.
Draco slowly left his hiding spot, then headed for the nearest neighbourhood. If he was going to survive, he would need a home, and a way to deal with its owner. Draco placed an ear to each of the doors and listened, avoiding overlapping voices and crowded apartments as he continued his search. Finally he found it: a secluded house with a single, muffled voice; a sign that this house owner was alone... and his newest target.
The door was locked from the inside, but the flimsy lock crumpled in front of Draco's monstrous strength. Draco crept inside, his senses sharp as he stuck close to the shadows. A pale beam of light pierced through one of the rooms, and Draco prudently opened the door and walked in, when something slammed into his head, and he staggered back. His assailant aimed another strike, but Draco grabbed the weapon out of their grip, Before slamming them into the wall and pining them down. " Let me go," they growled, but their voice revealed their fear.
Draco opened his eyes with a wince, and was left completely stunned. His assailant was a girl, a pretty one, with caramel skin, long brown hair, and amber eyes trembling with fear. And her weapon which he had been attacked with was a... frying pan.
'A demon invades your house, is at your door, and the first thing you do is attack him with a frying pan?'
This one was crazy, even for him.
But her action made sense: she had attacked first, leaving the demon stunned, and giving her enough time to run for help, maybe even kill the demon if she was strong enough. If the demon had been on a lower level, or even slightly overconfident, her plan would have worked flawlessly. So, crazy with a good sense of battle; he could work with that.
" Whatever you want to do, do it now," she whispered, her eyes closed and trembling as she spoke. There was a rumour that some demons enjoyed torturing their victims before killing them, the more sadistic ones going as far as raping them; just to steal one last thing before their meal could die. Draco lowered his head right next to her ear.
" I'm not going to hurt you. And I'm not going to let you die. Because I need your help." Draco released his grip on her and moved back, giving them distance. " Hunters are after me, and I need somewhere to hide. You don't have any reason to trust me, and I don't need it. I only need a chance, please."
Draco lowered his head, and after a long silence, she scoffed in annoyance. " I can't believe I'm doing this. Second bathroom to the left. Turn on the shower and have a bath. You could use one."
Draco found the bathroom and turned on the shower, waiting. Sure enough, a hunter arrived at the front door, claiming that a demon had entered one fo these houses, and he was ordered to check it out her house. Draco knew, because it was what he would have done as a hunter. When he was a hunter. " As you can see, it's just me. Well, me and my boyfriend. But he's in the bathroom," the girl sighed, looking visibly irritated. In the shower, Draco listened, his body ready to move in a heartbeat. She was a good liar, but Draco doubted the hunter would be led away so easily. If anything, it only made him more suspicious. " May I come in?" " No. Sorry, but that's where I draw the line. We just had a fight, the house is a mess, and I can't deal with this right now. Besides, who in their right mind would hide a demon in their own house?"
The hunter paused for a moment, before finally giving up. " Sorry for toubling you, miss. Hope you guys can sort yourselves out," he waved as he turned to leave. " Yeah. Hope you find that demon."
Draco sighed in relief, and Felicia closed the door as she headed torwards the shower with a set of clothes. Draco met her in her room, his eyes never leaving hers. " What do you want?" " Boyfriend, really?" " It was the only thing I could think of." " So I'll call you sugar bun." " The name's Felicia." " Draco." " Nice name. Now get out."
By midnight, Felicia came down to stare at her new visitor. It was strange, really. A few months ago, she lived a happy life, as an only girl to two wonderful parents. They were comfortable as a family, and her father had enough influence to scare thugs and petty criminals off. But misfotune sent everything crahing down. Her parents had lost complete conciousness in a car accident to demons, and had been in a coma ever since. Felicia had used up the last of all their savings in a bid to treat them, but she could only afford to keep them in a cryostasis with the hope that they would one day recover. Soon, she found herself facing debt, hiding from thugs, and slowly crumbling from the pressure. Today was the day everything was supposed to end. She was figuring out the fastest way to kill herself when someone invaded her home. Normally, she would hide and pray, trying to find a bright side as thugs robbed her of what little she had left. But she decided she had nothing left to lose. And if she died while trying, that would kill two birds with one stone. Her included, none the less.
So she grabbed the frying pan she had finished eating with, and struck the intruder with all she had. Draco... that was his name. The demon who had dented her frying pan and somehow given her a reason to live. His words resounded in her head.
" I'm not going to let you die."
If a demon could fight its fate and live with a human just to stay alive, then maybe life wasn't so hopeless after all. He was a wolf- she could tell that much- and his claws remained active even while he slept, but his eyes had depth, and she could feel his humanity struggling in those depths, fighting against a world that seemed to drag him under.
He had her eyes... the kind held by those who had fought with everything and lost, but would still keep fighting anyway. Maybe that was why she was so free with him. Because that was who they were. People struggling to find the sun in the storm
Draco was the first person to give her hope in a long time, and now she was going to fight for that hope with all she had.