It chuckled; a low, jagged sound that slithered beneath my skin like a blade of cold steel.
"Are you tired of living as a human?" he asked, his tone dripping with mockery, each word edged in frost. His hands remained buried in his pockets, as though the weight of his presence alone was enough to strike me down.
I swallowed, the motion rough, horror burning in my eyes. His presence wasn't just close, it was pressed against me, crushing and suffocating, as though invisible chains had wrapped around my lungs.
What is he? A demon!
I had never seen or felt a demon with such a presence. It didn't simply linger; it devoured. If he wasn't a '1st grade demon' then he was probably a 'special grade demon.' My chest heaved, shallow and desperate, each breath scraping like glass. I couldn't breathe.
"Why not cross over… and become a demon?" His words slipped out in a near-whisper, soft but honed like a blade. "At least I won't do to you what your kind has done to you." His gaze dropped to my body, blood-soaked and trembling, his eyes gleaming with something unreadable.
"Come live with me," he coaxed, almost tender, though the edge in his tone betrayed him. "You won't have to suffer anymore."
But could such a thing even be real? Could a human truly live beside a demon, walk in his shadow and call it home? Was this an offer of mercy, or a trap dressed as kindness?
He tilted his head then, the gesture eerily casual, lips curling into a smile that chilled me deeper than his words. His voice sharpened, playful yet cruel.
"Has anyone ever told you… your blood smells delicious? If I tasted it once, I may never want another's. It's too tempting."
The hunger in his tone dripped like venom, every syllable gnawing at the edges of my fear.
His tongue swept lazily across his fangs, brushing his lips with a glint of hunger.
"Keep your words to yourse—" I began, snatching a stone from the ground, ready to hurl it at him.
But I never got the chance.
In the blink of an eye, he was already there, closer than breath. His left hand slammed flat against my chest, cold and unyielding, pinning me with strength that felt anything but human. My body jolted back against the invisible weight, frozen in place as though the air itself had betrayed me.
His face hovered beside mine, so near I could feel the faint heat of his breath. It wasn't an attack. It was a secret, a violation of space as if he meant to whisper something meant only for me.
My body stiffened, every muscle screaming in protest, yet unable to move. My heart thundered so violently I could hear it in my ears, a drumbeat of panic that drowned everything else.
This wasn't fear as I'd ever known it. It was deeper, raw and suffocating. A fear that stripped me of thought itself, leaving only the knowledge of his speed, his power… and my helplessness.
He's so fast. My thoughts stumbled over themselves, crashing into a wall of panic. I can't seem to think of anything but fear; raw, choking fear that gnaws at the edges of my mind.
Damn you, Vanik'shur. This is the part where you're supposed to tear free, where your destruction devours everything in sight. But instead… you're silent, silent, and watching. Probably savoring the view.
"So," he whispered, his words curling into my ear like smoke seeping through cracks, "what is your answer? Your choice will decide whether I drink your blood and make you a demon… or simply kill you." His smile deepened, playful and wicked. "After drinking it, of course."
The smile never wavered. His voice carried a teasing lilt, almost flirtatious, as though he were confessing love rather than promising death. But beneath it, beneath the calm cadence I felt the truth vibrating in my bones. There was no bluff. Every word was edged in certainty.
For years, I had forgotten what true fear felt like. I had buried it, outgrown it and starved it. But here it was again alive and merciless, reborn in the shadow of this demon's grin.
One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven… Eight… Nine…
I counted each number quicker than the last, racing against the panic clawing through my chest. Calm down. I have to calm down. If I lose myself here… if I let the fear swallow me whole… I might trigger Vanik'shur again in ways I can't control. And I may not like his response.
My right hand shot up, clamping over my mouth and nose. I tried to steady myself with deep, deliberate breaths, dragging air into my lungs, forcing the tremors down. But it wasn't working. My breaths came ragged, shaky, slipping out faster than I could reel them in.
"One… two… three… four—"
His voice sliced through my counting like a blade, silencing the fragile rhythm I clung to.
"Well," he murmured, each word laced with a cruel finality, "since you can't decide… maybe I'll decide for you."
And without another word, his fangs pierced my neck.
A sharp shock exploded through me; white-hot pain like a needle that blinded my vision. The world went white, searing at the edges, my heart slamming so violently it skipped and thundered in my ears like a war drum.
I wanted to move, to fight, to shove him away, my hands even twitched with the urge, but my body betrayed me; frozen in fear as though I had never known it, rooting me deeper than stone. I was nothing more than prey, caught in the jaws of something far beyond human. But it wasn't just fear, this was the first time I faced something like this demon. Everything about him was wrong and unnatural.
His mouth clamped harder, and as he drank, warmth drained from me in steady pulls. My vision swam. The world bent and blurred at the edges, colors bleeding into one another, until the weight of my body no longer felt my own. Something in his bite felt poisonous; not just the pain, but a venom that spread beneath my skin, crawling through my veins like fire and ice. And in that moment, I realized he wasn't just a demon. If he was one, then everything about him had already been twisted, altered into something far more dangerous.
In an instant, I wasn't inside myself anymore. Flashes of his past life flickered in my mind like a recording pressed to play.
-
He was once human. A man with a gentle smile, the kind that carried warmth into every room he stepped into. He had a family of four; twin children, a boy and a girl, and a wife whose laughter seemed to glow brighter with the life growing inside her.
They lived simply, peacefully, wrapped in the fragile joy of ordinary days. But peace is a delicate thing, too easily broken. One night, while trying to protect his father from a group of thugs, he crossed paths with a demon.
That night was the last time he ever lived as a man.
-
But through all of it, through the memories and the fear, this demon never once stopped. His fangs remained buried in my neck, drinking, draining my veins as they burned, twisting like they were being turned inside out.
"H-hey…" I whispered, my voice trembling, broken against the weight of him. "Shouldn't you… stop?"
The words fell uselessly, as though I'd spoken to a stone. His hand only pressed harder against my chest, pinning me like prey. Each pull of my blood was hunger, obsession, and with every sip came a low, guttural groan of satisfaction. My body grew colder and weaker, each breath shallower than the last. Desperation clawed at me as I forced my left arm upward, trembling, and gripped his right arm with what little strength remained; a silent plea, the last I had to give.