"Hey.... isn't that guy going a bit too far?"
"Dude, LOOK! He's nearing the void!"
As Bando neared the crash site, he noticed the lack of people nearby. He asked himself if he really went too far out, but that thought was overshadowed when he arrived.
The vivid colours of life surrounding him had left, and he was back to his "Blindsight", but even he was able to tell that the border to the void was an inch in front of him. He'd usually be able to perceive shapes and other things through his echolocation, but the void nullified all of that. In front of him was a crater, surrounded by complete malevolent darkness.
"It's empty?" he said, confused.
An artificial feminine voice was mumbling something in the far distance of the city behind him. Then, with a loud GONG followed by a shockwave that spun around the entire city, all the light went out and no sound heard again.
It was exactly 12am.
He thought about Michael's kind words, Kazan mentioning their relationship, and the family.
Words, that carried hope, warmth and a picture filled with love.
And he then stepped forward.
"...You really thought about all of that lovely stuff, and STILL decided to go for something that will kill you?!"
A feminine voice screamed from behind.
Bando jumped in shock. One leg hovering above the border.
"Trying to throw your life away for nothing...MEN will be MEN, I guess..."
She said in a disgusted tone.
"Why did you use "men" as a slur..."
Bando was shook to the core.
As he turned around, a girl who seemed to look his age, with ash-white skin, white hair and a burgundy torn dress was standing ten feet away from him. She was barefoot, which visibly annoyed Bando.
"What are you looking at?!"
She screamed
"You're in an underground city, packed with all kinds of people who live weird lives, and you decided to let your BARE-feet share the same ground as PISS, GLASS AND SHIT?!"
"Oh COME ON... you were about to enter the void for some weird crater and kill yourself... changing the topic as always, this is why I can't with you MEN!"
"STOP SAYING IT LIKE THAT"
Like some old couple, the two immediately got into a fight.
"Anyways... did you see anybody pass by?" he said in exhaustion.
"You mean her?"
She pointed to Bando's left. He immediately turned around but didn't see anybody, until he felt someone pulling on his jacket from the bottom.
As he turned down, he saw a little girl standing right next to him. White skin covered her body, with ash-grey hair, long enough to span all the way to the ground and topaz, masking as her adorable eyes.
"Woah, she made it all the way from the void to us by herself." The barefoot girl said, now Standing right next to Bando. He screeched in a feminine tone as he jumped back.
Bando then squatted down to level his gaze with that of the girl.
"Crap, I forgot my blindfold..."
He said, scrambling in search for them, until he used his hands to cover his eyes.
"What's your name?"
...nothing
"Where are your mom and dad?"
...again.
The little girl said nothing. Her eyes stayed fixed on Bando, watching him hide his face with his hands.
"Crap... did I scare her?" he muttered, panic flickering.
"Let me help."
The barefoot girl placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Take them off," she pressed.
Reluctantly, he lowered his hands — but the child immediately caught them, holding them in place. Confused, Bando stilled.
The girl locked eyes with the one in burgundy. She gently lifted the barefoot girl's hand from him and guided his own to her head.
His fingers brushed something hard, curved.
"...Are these your... horns?" he asked softly, eyes still shut.
She nodded.
Silence stretched as Bando turned toward the crater in the abyss, questions colliding in his mind. Why had he been able to see for the moment the star was falling? Who were these girls? It couldn't have been the child — he couldn't see her at all. Michael had been fully visible... Was it some kind of spell?
He replayed the day's events in his head, then slowly pulled his hands back. This time, he opened his eyes — voids of darkness — and let her see.
"...It was never about my eyes, was it?"
Again, she nodded.
He smiled, warmth breaking through. "So you're just like me, then." A small laugh. "My family calls me 'Bando,' but... I don't have a real name either."
Her eyes widened, mouth parting in wonder. Light seemed to spark within them as tears welled. She glanced at his bracelet, then back at him.
"You... don't have a name either, do you?"
Her lips trembled as she whispered, "Yes."
This time, her tears weren't fear, but relief.
He knew what she must've felt like, having someone who shared her experiences.
The weight of a mountain, finally being lifted from your back.
"You two sure seem to be getting along quite we-"
"-Let's go with "Horny"!"
"Sounds good! :D "
"...Orrrrr, what about "Rapunzel"?"
"mhm!"
The two giggled together, lost in the joy of naming, while the barefoot girl scowled in the background.
"...I'm being overshadowed by innocence," she groaned under her breath.
After a few names were proposed, a man in a lab coat passed by the girl in red.
"O'Seven!" He shouted.
The little girl froze in place, her face carrying the very essence of fear.
"What are you doing in the middle of the night, outside out of all places?!"
The girl sprinted toward him, ignoring Bando and the other girl, but as she did, Bando noticed something strange about her leg. Again.
"Are you her parent?" He asked innocently, with his head tilted to the side.
"W-Why of course!" the man replied, clearly avoiding Bando's eyes. "You two shouldn't even be out at this time."
"Unless you're demons, who want to harm her, that is."
The man calmly raised his glasses, and walked away while pulling the little girl with him.
"And how do we know that you're not a demon either?" Bando followed, standing directly behind the strange man.
He froze, with his finger still tilting his glasses, before slowly turning around.
"Y-You were just back there..." he whispered, his eyes now locked with Bando's.
Slowly, Bando approached him. And slowly, the strange man walked backwards. He knew that under his seemingly calm and innocent expression, rage was about to reach its limit.
"This'll be it for us, old man." The girl in burgundy said with a sigh, as she placed her hand on Bando.
"Oh, sorry... I almost lost myself there..." he chuckled. "My bad for putting you on the spotlight, sir."
The man's face, drained of all colour. "R-Right..."
He hurried off, pulling the girl with him. But she glanced back once, her eyes catching on the bracelet at Bando's wrist. For a heartbeat, sorrow clouded her expression — then a fragile smile broke through, before she vanished into the night.
***
"Ouch!"
Bando screamed. The girl in red used her fingernails to pinch and twist his skin on his shoulder.
"Why would you ever think of confronting someone like that?" She screamed.
Bando pushed her off and fell on his bum.
"Her bruises," he sighed. "She was wearing a chain on her leg."
Her eyes widened.
"A girl I met at my place earlier had those exact same bruises on her leg as well." He added.
...The silence that followed was suffocating. Everyone in the underground knew of such things.
"This realm... no wonder incidents and evil are surging right now." He sighed. "These people want change. Something that can make life worth living. Even if it came at the sacrifice of the innocent."
He turned skyward, one hand clutching his chest, the other clenched in a fist.
The girl's tone softened. "You're a good boy."
A faint, genuine smile touched her lips.
Bando chuckled, rubbing his neck.
"But it's lucky you didn't push further with that man," she continued.
Bando's face hardened. "And why's that?"
The girl tilted her head, finger at her lips. "Because... he saw me."
Bando frowned. "And why would that matter?"
Her answer came slowly — a smile blooming too wide, long canines glinting. Her brown eyes bled into crimson.
With a voice sweet as honey, she said,
"Well... because I'm a demon."