A few hours after eating breakfast, Tavor found himself sitting in the backseat of a large jeep and heading into the city.
Seated in the backseat beside Illyana, he observed her engaging with her stuffed bear, conversing with it as if it were her only genuine companion in the world, a confidant to whom she entrusted her thoughts and affections without reservation.
"I wonder just how long she has had that thing?" Tavor pondered as he observed the stitchwork holding the old bear together.
Piotr pulled into a fast-food restaurant and ordered himself and Illyana a medium-sized meal while ordering Tavor a family-sized meal as a snack, which caused Piotr, a man from the bear country, to momentarily reminisce about his days as a boy, the hungry days and bone chilling nights.
HONK!!!
HONK!!!
The honk of a horn pulled Piotr out of his reverie.
Piotr pulled out of the drive-through and stopped in a designated parking spot before handing out the food.
Tavor munched contentedly in the backseat, his family meal vanishing quickly into the black hole of his mouth, while beside him Illyana took small, careful bites, her large blue eyes wide with amazement at how fast he ate.
"I don't understand... Why does he need to eat so much?" She stared until Tavor noticed, his face turning a faint pink.
"Geez, Illyana, you're embarrassing me!" Tavor scratched his head and put on a smile that was a little too large.
It did not take long before they arrived at a parking lot outside of what appeared to be a market spanning entire blocks.
"I can't read any of this?" Tavor said, squinting as he tried to make out something legible. Sadly, he hadn't yet learned many languages beyond English, and even that was shaky.
Piotr grasped both Tavor's and Illyana's hands, guiding them into the bustling crowd. The area teemed with men, women, children, and the elderly, each engaged in their own activities, some assisting at family stalls laden with goods, others engaged in lively conversations with neighbors.
As they navigated through an exceptionally dense crowd, a figure concealed in the shadows observed from afar, the faint glimmer of a burning light flickering within his eyes as he tracked his target's every movement through the designated location.
He fixed his intense gaze upon a vacant-eyed vagrant lingering at the edge of the market, who, upon sensing his master's scrutiny, suddenly sprang to his feet with sharp, erratic movements. In one hand, he grasped an empty bottle that had once contained alcohol within its glassy confines, while the other clutched at an amulet that seemed to hum with demonic energies, and he began to advance toward Piotr and the children.
The vagrant moved with a frantic yet deliberate pace, deftly evading the notice of those nearby; it was as though he had been enchanted with a spell rendering him invisible to all but the most vigilant or magically attuned. In this manner, he navigated through the throng with the fluidity of water circumventing a stone, or the gentle caress of a breeze gliding over a bird's feathers.
Before anyone could sense even the faintest whisper of his presence, the disheveled, hobo-like man deftly slipped the glowing red amulet into Illyana's pocket, vanishing into the dense throng with such swiftness that not a single soul managed to glimpse more than the fleeting ghost of his passage.
Upon completing his task, the concealed figure at the stall vanished from both view and memory; none among the numerous patrons exhibited the slightest awareness or reaction to his sudden absence.
Illyana suddenly tightened her grip around Tavor's hand.
"Tavor!"
Before he could answer, she gave his arm an enthusiastic tug.
"C'mon! I want to show you my favorite places!"
"H-Hey!"
The little Saiyan barely managed to keep his footing before Illyana dragged him into the sea of bustling shoppers.
Piotr reached out a hand.
"Illyana, wait—"
Too late.
The blonde girl was already weaving effortlessly between merchants and pedestrians, her stuffed bear tucked securely beneath one arm while she pulled Tavor along behind her.
"This way!"
Tavor laughed despite himself.
"You're really strong for someone so little!"
Illyana puffed out her cheeks proudly.
"Brother says I'm getting bigger every day."
Behind them, Piotr sighed.
A warm, amused smile crossed his face before he started after the pair.
Unfortunately...
Being nearly eight feet tall came with certain disadvantages.
"Excuse me."
A vendor stepped directly into his path.
"Oh! Sorry!"
Piotr politely sidestepped around an elderly woman carrying baskets of vegetables; a second later, two children sprinted across his path chasing one another.
"Careful."
He halted once more to avoid stepping on them, but by the time he looked back up...
"...Ah."
The tops of Tavor's wild black hair and Illyana's blonde ponytail had already disappeared into the crowd.
Piotr rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"They certainly are fast."
Meanwhile, Illyana expertly navigated the maze of colorful market stalls.
"This one!"
She pointed excitedly toward a small wooden stand overflowing with handmade dolls and stuffed animals.
Rows upon rows of bears, rabbits, wolves, and dragons sat neatly arranged on shelves.
An elderly woman behind the counter smiled warmly.
"Back again, little snowflake?"
Illyana nodded enthusiastically.
"I wanted Teddy to visit his friends!"
She proudly held up her well-loved stuffed bear, and the elderly woman's eyes softened.
"He's looking much healthier."
"I fixed his arm!"
Illyana said proudly.
The old woman chuckled.
"I can see that."
Tavor looked over the display.
Every toy had clearly been stitched by hand, some weren't perfect, and a few had uneven ears.
Others leaned slightly to one side.
Yet somehow, that only made them feel more alive.
"They're really nice," Tavor admitted.
"They're the best!"
Illyana declared.
"I come here every time brother brings me."
The elderly woman smiled knowingly.
"Your brother has bought nearly half the bears I've ever made."
Tavor blinked.
"...Seriously?"
Illyana nodded without embarrassment.
"I like bears."
"...I noticed."
She giggled before grabbing his hand once again.
"C'mon!"
Before Tavor could protest, she had already whisked him away toward another section of the market.
"This one has candy!"
"No, wait!"
She changed directions halfway there.
"The bird lady!"
Again she pivoted.
"Ooo! The ribbons!"
Tavor couldn't help laughing.
"You've got a lot of favorite places."
"They're all my favorite."
Far behind them, Piotr finally rounded the corner, and he immediately spotted the elderly toy merchant.
"Good afternoon."
She smiled knowingly.
"They went that way."
She pointed toward a street lined with colorful banners.
Piotr chuckled.
"My thanks."
He continued after the pair, carefully squeezing through the increasingly crowded marketplace.
"I should have expected this..."
His gentle smile never left his face.
"They remind me of two excited puppies."
Ahead of him, completely unaware that a sinister amulet now rested unnoticed in Illyana's pocket, the two children disappeared deeper into the vibrant market, their laughter mingling with the music of street performers and the cheerful calls of merchants.
The warmth of the afternoon enveloped them so fully that, for a brief moment, the encroaching shadow that threatened the day's joy seemed a distant concern.
Yet, as Tavor and Illyana wandered through a narrow alley beside the bustling market, the amulet concealed in Illyana's pocket began to radiate heat, the surrounding air trembling as though reality itself strained under the pressure of an imminent rupture.
FWOOSH!
The air swirled violently around the pair, causing Illyana to press herself into Tavor for a semblance of safety while he looked around with piercing black eyes.
"What is happening? Are we under attack?" Tavor held the trembling Illyana tightly, his grip firm in an effort to steady her as a faint, blue-white luminescence began to shimmer and swirl within the depths of his dark eyes.
The world surrounding them gradually began to fade, its once-vivid spectrum of colors draining away into a muted palette of black and white, as if the very essence of hope was being siphoned off with each vanishing hue.
The next to fade were the sounds; the once loud and boisterous market gradually diminished, its clamor subsiding to a muted whimper, as though several barriers had risen to divert the noise away from Tavor and Illyana, until even those faint murmurs dissolved entirely into silence.
CRACK!
The space surrounding them began to distort and tremble, its very fabric adopting the fragile texture of paper as several elongated, scythe-like talons pierced through, rending a vast gash in the weakened expanse encircling the two children.
A bird-like demon burst through the fabric of reality, its razor-sharp talons slicing effortlessly through the barrier as a hot knife glides through softened butter.
Emerging in its full, awe-inspiring terror, it stood unveiled in all its infernal majesty before the two children. Its talons emitted a chilling metallic scrape as they rasped together, while its yellow eyes, twin abysses of unending flame and torment, bored into Tavor and Illyana with an intensity that seemed to crush the air around them.
The oppressive force it exuded caused Illyana's small legs to tremble uncontrollably.
A second crack split the air, then a third; two smaller sets of talons hooked themselves into the ragged edges of the spatial wound and pulled.
The tear widened with a wet, grinding sound, and from the darkness beyond, two smaller creatures crawled through.
They resembled the towering demon at the center, though their bodies were leaner and more bestial.
Crooked black feathers clung to their hunched frames, and their narrow beaks parted to reveal rows of needle-like teeth.
One dropped to the alley on the larger demon's left, the other landed on its right.
Their hooked claws scraped against the stone as they slowly spread apart, taking both flanks with the practiced precision of trained hunters.
The three demons now formed a wall of black feathers, talons, and burning yellow eyes.
Illyana's fingers tightened around the back of Tavor's shirt, and he could feel her trembling.
Tavor stepped forward and gently guided her behind him, placing his small body between her and the creatures.
His tail stiffened, and his shoulders lowered.
Every trace of embarrassment and childish excitement vanished from his face.
"What, and who are you?"
The largest demon tilted its head.
Its neck bent farther than it should have, producing several dry pops that echoed through the silent alley.
The two lesser demons mirrored the movement a heartbeat later, yet none of them answered.
Tavor narrowed his eyes.
"Didn't you hear me?"
A low clicking sound emerged from the larger creature's throat, then the demon opened its beak.
When it spoke, its voice came from everywhere at once.
From the walls.
From the ground.
From the trembling air itself.
"THE DARKCHYLD OF THE THRESHOLD HAS BEEN MARKED."
Illyana whimpered.
Tavor's gaze sharpened.
"What child?"
All three demons looked past him, their eyes settling onto Illyana.
The larger demon's beak stretched into something that should not have been capable of becoming a smile.
"HER."
Tavor's blue-white pupils flared.
The stone beneath his feet cracked.
A faint pressure rolled outward from his body, causing loose pebbles to rise and tremble in the air.
"You're not touching her."
The two smaller demons lowered themselves onto all fours.
Their claws dug into the alley floor.
The large demon lifted one taloned hand and pointed directly at Illyana.
"THE DEMONIC HOST HAS CHOSEN."
Tavor glanced over his shoulder.
Illyana stared back at him with wide, frightened eyes, her stuffed bear crushed tightly against her chest.
"Tavor…"
He forced a confident smile.
"It's okay."
His voice was softer now.
"I won't let them get past me."
The nearest lesser demon shrieked.
It launched from the left wall with explosive speed, its claws carving deep grooves through the bricks as it sprang toward Tavor's blind side.
Tavor spun.
His fist slammed into the creature's face.
BOOM!
The demon shot backward like a cannonball and smashed through the opposite wall, vanishing beneath a storm of shattered brick and dust.
The remaining lesser demon froze.
For the first time, uncertainty flickered within its fiery eyes.
Tavor slowly lowered his smoking fist.
"That was your warning."
The rubble shifted.
The demon he had struck dragged itself from the wreckage.
Its beak hung crooked.
Half its face had collapsed inward.
Yet black smoke poured from the injury, twisting around broken bone and torn feathers, and with several sickening cracks, its skull forced itself back into place.
Tavor's expression tightened.
"It healed?"
The creature released a sharp, laughing chirp.
The larger demon remained motionless.
"THE FLESH OF LIMBO DOES NOT OBEY YOUR MORTAL LAWS."
Tavor looked from one demon to the next, the smaller creatures began circling him.
One moved left.
The other crept right.
They were no longer underestimating him.
Behind Tavor, Illyana suddenly gasped, the amulet inside her pocket burning uncomfortably brighter.
Red light bled through the fabric of her coat.
The giant demon's eyes flared in response.
"THE KEY AWAKENS."
Illyana reached toward her pocket.
"It hurts…"
"Don't touch it!"
Tavor turned toward her, and that single moment was all the demons needed.
Both lesser creatures attacked at once.
One lunged high, while the other swept low.
Tavor twisted between them, catching the first by its throat while driving his heel into the second demon's chest.
CRACK!
The lower creature folded around his kick and tore through the ground, gouging a trench through the alley stones.
The demon in his grip clawed wildly at his arm, its talons scraped across his skin, drawing several thin lines of blood.
Tavor's eyes widened.
Not from pain.
From anger.
His fingers tightened around its throat.
"You scratched me."
The demon hissed.
Tavor swung it overhead and smashed it into the ground.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Each impact sent cracks racing farther across the alley.
On the fourth strike, the creature went limp.
Tavor hurled it aside and immediately turned back toward Illyana; the amulet was now glowing through her clothing like a coal pressed against paper.
Red veins of light crawled outward from her pocket and spread across the alley walls.
The black-and-white world around them began to fracture.
Behind the three demons, the rift widened.
Something enormous moved within the darkness beyond.
Something far larger than any of the creatures already standing before them.
The great demon spread its wings.
Black feathers filled the alley from wall to wall.
"THE DOOR WILL OPEN."
Tavor placed himself in front of Illyana once more.
His fists clenched.
Blue-white light burned brighter within his eyes as a faint aura began to ripple around his body.
"No."
He bared his teeth.
"I won't let it!"