Neo walked down the night streets, high head hung low as he clenched his teeth. His scarlet gaze was bright and alert, focused as he trekked through the streets in the eerie silence. He held no words, to himself or otherwise, and his thoughts were everywhere. On if Christopher would follow, if Quilliene was alright, if the shapechanger knew he was coming for blood.
The more he walked, though, the more the air felt stale and frozen. As if not even the call of a cricket could be heard within the deadly silence. Something was watching him, and he was aware of it. Something big and deadly. A fog was seen gathering along the barren streets and the feeling of a stale breeze passed through him.
"The sooner you turn back, the quicker I will end your miserable existence."
The voice was malicious, but that wasn't what caused Neo to freeze. It was the excitement of a new fight. He glanced through the darkness, silent in his search for the source of the tone, trying to find who had spoken. The hair on the back of his neck sticking up, he turned in a circle, watching for any movement carefully.
"The sooner you show yourself," He said thinly. "The sooner you'll regret your decision to try this tactic."
"I can see you," The voice echoed throughout the street, any chance of pinpointing its direction lost in the wind. "I know why you are here, and your time draws nearer every step you take." It hummed. "Your queen has kept secrets from you. I wonder if you will live to learn them?"
"Stop talking nonsense and show yourself," Neo demanded, pulling off his gloves and dropping them. "You're from that shapeshifting twat, aren't you? Did he send you to stop me?"
"You will not interrupt the process of my master," The tone grew harsh before calming. "You must heed my warnings, little human. The royal family… is not all that they seem."
"I know you're trying to distract me from killing you," He hissed. "It's not working."
"Your queen is more than you believed her to be, but you won't live to know the answers you seek." The voice had direction that time, and he spun around.
A form seemed to solidify within the fog, long limbs lanky and hanging close to the body, reminding him of a scarecrow. The silhouette was of something much larger than him, but he didn't hesitate to figure out what was taking form. He threw out his palm as an invisible wave took shape, visible only through the ripples in the air, like heat waves. It sped straight towards the figure, growing bigger the farther it travelled.
However, the figure disappeared, Neo's force-driven wave impacting against the fog. The form reappeared behind Neo, and he whirled around, seemingly tilting its large head as tentacles of black wrapped around it and started to melt into what looked a bit like a werewolf.
"Interesting," It mused. "That power of yours smells delicious, but it isn't very useful to use like… that."
"Still practising," Neo shrugged.
He shot another hand out as a new gust formed and rattled the fog, only for the being to vanish once again. Closer to Neo, it reappeared, and he could see it much clearer. A winding tail and claws, long sharp fangs glinting in the moonlight. The creature gave off a bright, bluish hue, black fur coating across its body.
"I reckon you should stop," The creature hissed. "Before you kill yourself without me having to do much. After all, don't you want to know what your queen's parents did with the survivors of war?"
Neo didn't answer, a shock wave erupting from all around him and circling in an orbit surrounding him. The spherical burst turned the ground black and cracked it, the voice growling with disdain from the impact. The fog dissipated quickly to reveal the creature's true form, making Neo take a breath.
It looked animalistic, lines of blue and red curving its wolfish face down to its large fangs. Its fur seemed to change shades from a dark black to a deep blue, as if the wolf itself was a facade. Boil after boil appeared on the beast's legs, but they soon melted away after a couple of seconds. It loomed over Neo at least a foot higher than him, making him step back.
"I gave you a fair warning, Nathan," The voice overlapped with a sinister harmony. "When a human gazes upon my form, it is decided that they must perish. Are you prepared to die for your queen?"
"It's more a question of if I'm going to die by your hands," Neo retorted, holding his head high to hide the shock of the demon. "And the answer is, you can certainly try."
The demon inhaled deeply before exhaling heavily through its snout, more fog coming through the nostrils. Then, the demon rushed forward with its claws extended, dripping a neon red. Neo tensed, ducking down between the legs of the huge monster and slapping a hand against his calf. He rose up behind him, twirling to face his back, another invisible force rippling from his hand before shooting out.
The beast snarled after a short stumble, whipping around with inhuman speed and slashing out. Neo realised he should have taken a couple farther steps back, to give space, but his regrets were met with claw marks across his stomach. Not deep enough to count, but deep enough to hurt. He cursed, hopping back a couple paces.
"You are a smart and resourceful human," The demon hissed. "A survivor, if you will - but humans are not born that way. Tell me, how was it like growing up for you, Nathan?"
"It was perfect," He responded casually, giving in to the temptation. "Five star meals every night, comfortable king sized bed to sleep on, fully furnished flat. You know, luxurious, or whatever."
"Do not lie, Nathan," It seethed. "I can see it - the broken pieces of your scattered heart. Are you hoping the queen will put them back together?" It slowly stalked towards him. "Or is it more appropriate to say your queen?"
Neo stepped back with each advance. "You're speaking nonsense now. What is with demons and doing that?" He glanced around.
"You're avoiding the question, Nathan," The demon growled. "You're thinking of ways to get past me and escape, but I've ensured that you won't be able to. The queen will be gone by the time you-"
Neo's eyes locked onto him, and he grit his teeth. None of the other words mattered as he ran forward, surprising the creature mid-sentence. He tackled it, arms wrapped around its thick neck and swinging around. Latching onto the monster's back, he placed a hand on its temple.
"My queen is more appropriate," He said with a snarl.
A torrent of the strange invisible energy was let loose, the demon letting out a shrill wail, shaking violently. A giant hole remained where its head was, covering Neo in the neon blue substance. The body went limp, falling forward and making Neo roll off. What soon sounded like air hissed out of a balloon could be heard as the form evaporated into a tiny storm of fiery red mist. The fog cleared, giving way to the empty street once more.
Neo stumbled to his feet, only to gasp and fall to one knee as he grasped his stomach. Grinding his teeth, he looked at the blood on his hand, only to shake off the concern and stand. Walking over to his gloves, he picked them up, wiping off the substance on his sleeves and pants before pulling on the coverings. He was close - he could see the abandoned warehouse in the distance. So, ignoring the pain, he started forward once more.