Welcome to the world of Avaxis.
One not too dissimilar to our own, but populated by "Avaxians-" people, in all other meanings of the word, only with the aesthetic traits of animals apparent in their form. Each Avaxian is unique- and within them, a special power is held, even at birth. Some harness the elements, while others are more complicated- abstract and arcane.
The city of Talokov is like most places in Avaxis- the traditional architecture seems to stand strong even in our modern time, the pagodas faintly illuminated by the cosmic reflections of a night sky littered with stars, the moon smiling upon even this violent place.
Patrol vehicles frantically speed down the roads of the city, the cloaked figure managing to evade them even with his large scythe cutting through the night. Turning the corner, he rushes into a nearby alley, nowhere else left to run. Taking advantage of his entrapment, the lawmen step out of their cars, service weapons in hand, and venture into the alley where the cloaked Avaxian has presumably hid. Using flashlights, they scope out the area, finding the figure standing at the end of the alley. Their sights are already trained on his torso.
"Put your hands in the air! Put your hands in the-" Much to their surprise, the figure obliges, showing his arms to the sky. It takes for them to begin approaching the suspect before one of them has the fatal revelation.
"Where's his weapon?"
"Behind you."
A deep, unenthusiastic voice bellows from under the cloak's hood. A second's cry of splintering air is all the warning the officers get before it spins in from behind them, the unluckiest of the brutes falling to the ground as he feels its normally impractical blade cleave through the side of his stomach with ease before it returns to the tired grasp of its master. When the chaos recedes, the men look back to find their culprit to be nowhere in sight.
Talking over the other's squealing as he gets patched up, one of the servicemen lets out a sigh. Annoyed, but relieved in a way. "And just like that, we still have no idea who our killer is."
"We'll get him one day. I'm sure of it." His co-worker maintains his determination, however, holding pressure on the fallen officer's gushing would.
The suspect's cloak billows as he deftly leaps from building to building, putting as much distance between him and the law as possible. Once he knows the coast is clear, he slouches onto the rim of a roof, face falling into his hands before he shoves one into his covering veil. From it, he pulls a core. Teal, wispy, yet somehow physical. Removing his hood, he gulps, swallowing any fear he has, and inhales it into his guilty mouth. He coughs, mostly only from the disgust brewing with himself at this vile process.
The wolf forces himself to keep the soul within the confines of his lungs. He holds his breath until the soul has fully absorbed into him. Next to him, he hears the sound of someone clapping. He scowls to the right of him, seeing the long-fingered, disembodied hands of someone he knows all too well. The literal demon that haunts his very life.
"Well done, Nehken! Another twenty-four hours of your wonderful life!" Knifelike teeth circle around his jaw, spikes lining down his back, and his eyes, those unnerving, pulsating eyes. Such a horrid creature, yet the wolf looks at him like he's a mere annoying child.
"That's still only a month in total."
"I mean, if you had just killed all of those cops, you'd probably be up an extra two weeks!" There is no meaning to the target of his craving. One could tell with how he speaks with such glee about carnage and murder. The wolf knows too well that this being is nothing but pure evil, indulging without remorse. He has decades of evidence to confirm it.
"I don't just kill anyone I see, Davanak. I've made that clear every second you've known me." He protests, brushing off the evil spirit's assumption as utter lunacy.
"And it doesn't get any less stupid to me. You have immortality at your fingertips yet you want to risk your own life over your own half-baked morality. I mean, they were cops! What did the guy you just killed have that they didn't, huh? Facial hair?"
"I killed a lying abuser who would've kept his girlfriend in an endless loop of pain if I didn't do anything. He didn't want to change. I know he didn't. He just wanted to keep the cycle going. I killed that man because he had a REASON to die." He stands, tapping his finger into Davanak's chest, it merely phasing through the spectre as usual.
"You killed that guy because it was easier than taking a real stance. Anybody could've dropped him and still been able to live with themselves! Y'know… come to think of it, a guy like that probably would've been better at this than you."
"Yeah… probably." He lets the rain start to fall on the streets below, watching as the puddles fill.
The front of the local TV store shows the local news broadcast. An anchor sits behind her desk reading off from a sheet of paper. "Local Talokov killer still at large, authorities have dubbed this threat 'The Reaper' due to them being spotted most frequently wearing a draping cloak and carrying a large scythe, most likely the murder weapon. A motive has been difficult to establish, says Talokov City Police, though it seems likely they are targeting those they deem as immoral or cruel. They recommend citizens in the area stay alert, as a number of these murders have shown that not all "innocent" people may be safe. It is largely advised to stay inside during the night until further notice, but authorities ensure this threat will be handled with swift and thorough retaliation."
A young woman walking by ignores this broadcast, having already heard the stories all week. Striding along in her oversized sweater and athletic shorts, she holds a bag of groceries along with an umbrella, propping her phone between one of her floppy orange ears and her shoulder.
"I know it's late, but we need snacks! I'm getting sick of having nothing to munch on at night! Yes- yeah! What do you think I'm doing? I'm not too far, just- give me a few minutes." She hangs up, sighing to herself as she continues to walk back to her house. A car passes by, splashing water at her. By instinct, she freezes the water with a large burst of blue flames before it can hit her.
"…Whoops."
She then realizes that she had just dropped the bag of groceries into a puddle. She's glad all of the stuff she bought was bagged. She struggles to try and hold everything in her arms, opting to put it all in the umbrella, carrying it upside down. She puts her hood up, still only just starting to stand, when she hears footsteps just over the dull roar of the rain.
Fear is a drug. The needle he holds is likely about as potent. The more you indulge in fear, the more it can consume you. The less you become able to do. But to put that fear away comes with withdrawals. Risk. There's nothing more humiliating than being punished for giving up on something you know is bad for you. She doesn't even think to use her powers as he approaches her from the alleyway, even as she sees him with her own eyes. To accept the threat would be to embrace fear. To accept that somehow, by the cruel roll of the dice of fate, the forces of paranoia were just and correct.
When the man seizes her arm, she sees through his eyes, watching them like a TV screen. None of this is real- just a show she doesn't understand the plot of. Forgetting her own agency, she accepts that the protagonist dies this time.
Through the attacker's eyes, she suddenly spots a look of agonizing pain.
The toe of a scythe pushes through the man's chest. He is thrown into a garbage bin as Nehken plunges his hand into his chest, ripping out his soul and this time wasting no time in inhaling it, tearing off the bandage as fast as he can.
He coughs again, never able to gain a tolerance for this even after all this time. "Uegh! It tastes like moss! Why does it taste like moss!? The others didn't taste like moss!"
"Oh suck it up, blackberry!"
She is unable to see the akuma, such is his nature. Nehken grabs his scythe, readying himself to climb up the building, before he looks down at the girl, having not thought much about the witness he'd leave behind by acting so abruptly. She freezes, knowing well that this is the very reaper from the news.
"P-please don't hurt me!"
"Please hurt her for me."
The wolf shuffles over to the girl, his scythe scraping against the concrete.
"I-I'll call the police! I swear!" She can barely speak, now fully overcome with fear and dread. Panic fills her lungs. As soon as she wants to defend herself, she still can't do it. It's all just too much. She must be the unluckiest girl alive to have her savior be no more than a crazed killer.
"Please don't."
"Please do!"
"She can't hear you."
"No shit, Sherlock."
"...Are you… not going to kill me?" She eases up, if only slightly. Maybe he has mercy. Maybe she doesn't need to fight at all.
"Not likely." He kneels to meet her gaze, tiredly humoring her. "Are you a bad person?"
"...I don't… think so…?" Her fear dwindles a bit after hearing the question, even though she isn't the best at answering.
"Then no, I don't know why you're asking." He extends a hand to her, removing his hood. The criminal's likeness is fully exposed to her, dark fur with a red streak on his bangs to match his one visible eye.
"OH MY GOD! Don't- what- NO!!! FOR THE LOVE OF- IF I HAD A CORPOREAL FORM I'D BE STANGLING AND THROWING YOU OUT A WINDOW RIGHT NOW! YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING-" Davanak's outburst continues in tongues as the oddly hazy fox stares into Nehken's eyes in a somewhat dissociated fashion.
"Oh my god why are you hot?"
"What?"
"Heh?" This interrupts Davanak's seething ritual. Nehken is a bit uncomfortable, to say the least. Instead of crying, it's like the woman has just moved on entirely, to the point of… whatever she's doing now.
The vulpine blushes, the red even coming through her fur as it tops her ears. Her need to apologise is like a need for water in the desert. "Oh my god I'm so sorry- I didn't mean to say that out loud I- My name is uhm- myyyy name is Famiko! Most people just call me Miko, though." She tries to derail the conversation, grabbing the wolf's frozen hand and pulling herself up on her own.
"…Nehken."
"DON'T TELL HER YOUR NA- AUUUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The demon claws at his face with his unnaturally long fingers, severely agitated by his accomplice not only refusing to kill Famiko, but outright exposing his identity to her. The wolf can't help but notice the umbrella filled with bagged snacks.
"I was on my way home before I got attacked by… him. Can I ask why you… ate his soul?"
"Long story." He tries his damnedest not to explain his predicament right away. He just met this girl, best not to scare her off.
"Could… you maybe walk me home…?"
"Huh? Uh- yeah. O-of course."
This pisses Davanak off even more.
"OH FOR THE LOVE OF- STOP TRYING TO PLAY PRINCE CHARMING- JUST- JUST KILL HER! GRAB THE SCYTHE! PLUNGE IT INTO HER GUT! EASY! DONE! WHY ARE YOU JUST WALKING OFF ACTING LIKE I'M NOT HERE RIGHT NOW!!!!"
For once, Nehken isn't really worried about Davanak. He can't directly hurt him physically after all. He's used to getting yelled at. He can do one nice thing, just this once. The two walk, Famiko holding her umbrella bucket.
"So… you're The Reaper?"
"Huh. So that's what they call me." Nehken hadn't really paid any attention to his public reputation here. That was really the last thing on his mind throughout his stay. He hadn't been caught yet, after all.
"...Why do you..?"
"Once again, long story."
"...Is there a reason you only target bad people?"
"Because killing innocent people is unforgivable."
"Neither is well- killing in general."
"No." He upholds. "It's not. But I don't know if you'd understand if I told you why I do it regardless of that."
"Pfft! Don't hold out on me! My best friend had to get his head turned into an electric candle after a car accident! I've probably seen weirder!"
She smiles at him like the complete inverse image of his exhausted expression. Like she's completely open to whatever he'd tell her, even if it sounded like a lie.
He sighs.
"...I was born into a cult. They performed a ritual on me when I was five. That's when I first saw… him."
"Who's… him?"
"The akuma that follows my every move every day I live, Davanak. In return for my body being his only way of escaping hell, he decided to give me the deal of giving me immortality… technically." He felt the demon's eyes on him, just like always. He was used to it.
"...What's the catch?" Just like that, she bought it. It wasn't gullibility or innocence, just… kindness. Willingness to hear him out.
"My lifespan depends on how many souls I consume. Each soul means I get to live for an extra day."
"That's… horrible…"
"Yeah and grass is green."
"You shouldn't have to go through this!"
"The sky is blue."
"I mean- who does this "Davanak" think he is?!"
"Someone who's standing right next to you." He presses his face right up against Famiko, in a failed attempt to scare someone who can't see or hear him.
"He's standing right next to you. I hope you know that."
"H-he is? I don't… see."
"Only I can actually see and hear him. Which I'm thankful for, since he's so ugly that looking at him should be the eighth deadly sin."
"I'M RIGHT HERE YOU KNOW!"
"Thats the point."
Famiko watches the puddles.
"I… can't imagine persisting through all of that. It's terrible."
"I have to."
"Who do you do it for?"
"The innocent people of the world."
Nehken trudges through the water, not bothering to avoid it.
"I don't have connections to live for. But if I die… he gets control. Full. Unfiltered. Control. And I refuse to let that happen."
The fox watches as the reaper's tired face contorts into a desperate determination.
"He won't stop. He won't think. Davanak will kill everything in sight and feast on their souls. Even if tens of thousands have to have their lives cut short by my hands… it's better than that future."
She gazes at his scythe with a mix of pity and fear. Rust clings to it like wrinkles in aging skin.
Momentarily, they make it to Famiko's apartment complex. The place is rather shoddy, but rent seems cheap enough. The girl smiles at Nehken, him not returning it as he makes a 180 and starts to leave her to her own devices.
"Where are you going?" She asks, tilting her head in confusion. Nehken looks at her over his shoulder.
"You're back to a safe place, I have no reason to be here."
"You don't wanna at least come dry off?"
"I can't waste more time. I thought there would've been more where the guy who attacked you came from… one soul won't last me long."
"...You didn't escort me home to keep me safe?" her ears drop.
"What's the point in that? If someone dies outside of my control I'm not going to grieve. I have more pressing matters to worry about." He shrugs. "I have enough guilt already."
"...Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"...No."
The lupine turns away, pulling his hood over his head. Seems this would be the end of their interaction, if not for Davanak's displeasure.
"I'm getting bored of your ignorance." He's never been so angry before. All this time, all these years, he thought he could get the wolf to crack. That he could win, if only he sat and waited patiently.
Not so, it seems.
He cracks the multiple joints within each of his fingers, before turning into a red mist and forcing himself into his accomplice's chest. "Never leave it to a mortal to do a demon's job."
Nehken claws at himself, he feels as if multiple tiny spikes are flowing through his veins. His body jolts pulsating as he starts to feel nauseous.
"N-NEHKEN!? W-WHATS HAPPENING?"
"HE'S–" he coughs, having to force the words out in an outburst of fear and panic "--HE'S INSIDE!" if he had known Davanak could do this, he would've left the fox alone. Famiko rushes inside, Nehken's fur starts to turn red, spikes jolting out of his back, horns sprouting from his head, and his eyes darkening. He lets out a cackle, Davanak fully in control of his body. He wastes no time, breaking down the door, scythe in hand.
He chases after the fox up the stairs of the complex, swinging the tool from left to right, sloppier than if Nehkan had control of the body. She makes it to the second floor, bolting into one of the elevators. Davanak shoves his hands into the closing doorway, prying it open. The lights flicker, his sadistic grin being the only thing that Famiko sees. He licks his chops with an abnormally long tongue, only for a blast of frostfire.
"OW! WHAT THE HELL!? HOW DO FEEL BURNT AND COLD AT THE SAME TIME!?" He claws at his face, the doors to the elevator finally shutting as Famiko sits there, hoping the elevator gets to her floor soon. She hears the loud scraping of the scythe up the stairs, and frantic, unnaturally fast footsteps moving, barely keeping pace with the elevator. As soon as the elevator doors open wide enough to squeeze through, she rushes to her apartment.
She swings the door open, slamming it shut, locking it as quickly as she can. The hellish abomination pounds on the door, screaming in tongues to voice his anger. The fox looks to see her roommate passed out on the couch, the usual for him. She shakes the cybernetically enhanced chameleon, trying to quickly explain her predicament, only for the words to come out as unintelligible nonsense. The chameleon's eyes flutter open, his calm yawning contrasting with Famiko's hyperventilating.
Eventually, the door is cut open with a scythe. Davanak quickly pinpoints Famiko's location, smelling the air with a long, drawn out breath.
"Ahhh… the sweet smell of fear." He turns the corner to see her and the chameleon, who is still waking up. The possessed wolf starts to make his way towards the fox, monologuing to the girl.
"I wonder what I'll start with. The arms? The legs? Maybe I'll make it quick and painless and rip your spine out from the tail! Oh, but where's the fun in a quick death…? I should start by breaking every joint in each of your fingers, twisting your wrist, ripping your arm off. The THOUGHT of how YOU'LL SCREAM IS SETTING ME ON FIRE!" He cackles as the chameleon casually walks up to him. Famiko sits in the corner of the room, horrified as the possessed wolf raises both of his claws, intent on cleaving them into her.
Before he can, the chameleon grabs him, effortlessly pinning him to the wall, his arms restrained. He slams the hellspawn's head into the wall until the body falls unconscious, Davanak being forced out of Nehken. The body returns to its original state, Nehken now lying unconscious on the ground.
"...Well shit." He crosses his nonexistent arms, being reduced to spirit form once again. The chameleon stares at the unconscious body in his living room before his tired eyes slowly drift over to Famiko. He smirks, chuckling to himself.
"Heh. Told ya it was dangerous outside." He throws his hands behind his head, seeming not to take the situation seriously.
"I-I'm so sorry, I- got attacked by a guy with a needle, then- um- Nehken, that's the guy you just knocked out technically, wel— not really because t-that was actually the demon that follows him possessing his body but-"
"Okay okay calm down, chatterbox. Just give me the basics. You okay?"
Famiko tries to explain the situation the best she can as she helps her roommate lift Nehken's unconscious body onto the couch. Shrai was always a laid back fellow to put it lightly, so Miko isn't as phased as someone might ought to be. The chameleon focuses on fixing the door, or more accurately what's left of it, for the night.
Davanak can only gaze upon Nehken's unconscious body with malice. He can't just possess him all the time, even if they hadn't knocked him out, he can only spend so much time within his body before it tears itself apart. The fiend can't even take over the fox, nor the chameleon, due to him being tied to Nehken, and only nehken. He despises that fox for being so nice to his puppet.
Famiko grabs an icepack from the freezer, placing it on Nehken's head. She grabs a blanket from under the couch, draping it over him. She smiles at him once again. Warm, innocent even. The demon gags in response.
On the other side of the apartment after replacing the hinges, and using more duct tape than was probably needed, Shrai had fixed the door up. He grabs a bag of KashiKrisps from the umbrella bucket Famiko had brought in. He's honestly surprised she brought it this far, judging by the fact she was being pursued by a devil. He leans on the wall, looking at the fox as she takes care of the unconscious wolf.
"So, we have a demon issue? That's gonna be tricky to handle. Exorcists aren't exactly common around here." He tries to make conversation, taking a bite of the salty, bitter tasting chips.
"If we tell anybody about this, they'll just have him arrested. He'll be isolated from the rest of the world. I don't want that to happen to him. He doesn't deserve any of this."
"How would you know that? You only just met him."
"He saved my life."
"Probably because he needed that junky's soul to give himself an extra day to live." He says this so nonchalantly, as if this were something completely normal.
"Still… he did something for me. I want to do something for him in return."
The chameleon chuckles. "You always were a nice girl, Miko. Fine, I'll see what I can find. Pretty sure I'm gonna get a lotta weird looks for lookin up demonic stuff. Just make sure tall, dark and broody doesn't run off."
"Will do!" She grins ear to ear, her freckled face having an expression that Shrai doesn't get to see all too often. Not genuinely, at least. He thinks it's nice to see her like this.
Nehken's eyes slowly open, the sun blaring in his face. He sits up, noticing he's on a couch, covered by a surprisingly heavy blanket. A melted icepack sits next to where his head was. He holds onto said head, it pulsates, and a bruise marks the temple. Last thing he remembers, Davanak took control of his own body of all things. Could he always have done that? It was scary to think what else he might be capable of that Nehken still had no idea about.
Of course, it was of no use complaining. He gets up, climbing out of the makeshift bed. What did he do? He must've killed Famiko, right? That's all he can assume as he looks around for his scythe. He finds it neatly propped up, leaning on the wall. It was… clean? Davanak couldn't have done this. He would've seen the bloody rust as a reminder of his hard work. Nonetheless, he gets ready to make his escape, opening the nearest window, before a voice stops him.
"Oh thank Izanagi you're finally awake!" The wolf turns to see Famiko, very much not dead.
"...you're alive?"
"Hahehe! Yeah, my roommate had to knock ya over the head a few times."
"I guess that explains the hole in the wall." His attention turns to what she has in her hands. A tray of food? A couple slices of toast, a fried egg, and a pile of potato chips.
"Its not much, but I wanted to get you something to eat."
"I-... thank you?" He sits down, and starts to eat it carefully.
"Shrai sanded down your scythe… it was so bloody and corroded." A shiver shoots down her spine just by the thought of it.
"Shrai?" The so-called reaper raises an eyebrow, a piece of toast hanging out of his mouth. He hasn't eaten a proper meal for a long time.
"Oh! He's the roommate that bashed your head against the wall." She says as nonchalantly as Shrai would himself.
"...I see." He narrows his gaze, not sure if he should thank the guy or avoid him.
"He's at the library right now. Just gonna research how to remove your curse."
Hearing this information, Nehken nearly chokes on his food. "He's WHAT?"
"I want her dead." Davanak's sudden appearance causes him to jump.
"The hell were you?"
"More importantly- I- WHY???" He gazes at Famiko intently, dumbfounded by even the thought of it.
"You saved my life, it's the least I can do."
"Stopping a creepy guy from stabbing a needle into you, and removing a demonic curse are two entirely different types of issues."
"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! " Davanak circles around the fox, none the wiser that he's trying to strangle her to no avail. You'd think he'd know better.
"I… don't know what to say… there probably isn't any way to reverse it."
"Nonesense! There has to be some way!"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive!" She beams at him just as the sun had at his awakening.
Nehken can only finish eating his food. He has nothing else to say on the matter, left merely confused by it all. Impressed at her dedication, to be sure, but still just as confused. Part of him would rather have been turned into the police after all. These people were nonsensical.
"So… we have a bit before Shrai gets back. Wanna… sit back and watch a movie or something? I have a bunch of snacks that I just recently bought last night!"
"STOP TRYING TO FLIRT WITH MY MURDER TOY!!!!" The hellspawn would've tore its own horns out by this point. Seeing Davanak this angry, it makes the wolf smirk.
"Sure. Why not."
"Cool! You can choose the movie while I grab the soda and popcorn!" The sudden self-appointed best friend of Nehken squeals in glee, rushing to the kitchen to grab said things. The haunt glares at him, hating everything that has happened since he was knocked out of control.
"I hate you."
"Likewise." He rolls his eyes, grabbing the remote and scouring through a streaming service to find a movie, a rare smirk on his face.
Within the local library, a mere couple blocks away from their apartment complex, Shrai sits in a chair. Demonology books litter the space around him. As he's learned, no evil spirit is the same, so pinpointing what Davanak is has shown to be tricky. Throughout his research, he finds one piece of literature that shows promise. An old book, pages yellow and frail. The title of this old book is "The Boy and The Devil."
The tale reads of an oni tempting a young boy with the promise of getting to live to see the far future. The devil then reveals the rules of the boy's immortality- One soul consumed constitutes one more day of the boy's life.
It's a solid hit. A near perfect match for what Miko told him. One detail doesn't line up, however. The boy is stated to regress to an animal the more souls they consume, losing all morality.
At first the chameleon thinks this is a reinterpretation- the way the demon could possess Nehken is similar, but it's far too vague of a connection. As he does best, Shrai digs deeper for answers. Within the story itself, he finds nothing, yet through subtext, a trail slowly begins to form towards the truth. Throughout the narrative, the imagery of shooting stars is presented a multitude of times, once when the boy is first approached by the devil, multiple times as the boy mourns his victims, and even once at the end of the tale when the boy can't even notice its meaning. Something clicks in Shrai's head. While it's not foolproof, it's better than nothing. He stands up, bringing one of the books with him out of the library.
Empty soda cans and popcorn bowls lay strewn across the coffee table, Famiko engrossed in the film as she shovels popcorn into her mouth. Nehken sits there, his eyes analysing the minute details of the animation and choreography. The chance to relax is a welcome experience, something he'd almost forgotten. His taste is colorful, but not without meaning. The sort of film he picked out thankfully seemed to be a hit with the fox as well- something fun on the surface with a lot of depth. At some point, he finds himself smiling again. How or why these people had managed to do so much for him in such a short time, he almost doesn't want to consider.
The doorknob turns, the cybernetic chameleon walking in, pushing the garbage off the coffee table, and plopping a large book in front of the two.
"Okay, so I have an idea on how we can fix wolf boy's demon problem." Davanak stares at him, a stare so violent you'd think he's trying to stab him with his eyes. He peers over to Nehken, his eyes seeming to light up. Such a hopeful expression. It utterly repulses him, how he could have that hope even after the tragedy that was his life up until now.
"I had found a story seemingly paralleling Nehken's predicament. While it wasn't one to one, there was a lot of… symbolism throughout. Shooting stars, over and over again. I took them to represent aspiration. Forward momentum and content in the future to come. Things like… wishes, hope." He details diligently. "So, that got me thinking to a few months back. Miko. Remember when I was looking into the Catalyst Isles? That old dynasty."
"Dynasty? I thought everything about those isles was a myth, wasn't that the thing?"
"Myths don't show up on a world map. Sure, I can't confirm it without going there, but those isles are the ones said to be home to the six blades of desire, one residing on each landmass. And as is it's said- if one were to gather all six blades into one area, the user can wish for anything they desire, whether its riches, to bring someone back from the dead, or, historically… removing a curse."
"...I know where I'm headed." The wolf wastes no time getting up, putting his cloak around himself, Davanak entering panic mode. It doesn't matter if it's a stretch. It's a chance. It's hope.
"NEHKEN!!! BUDDY!!! YOU CANT DO THIS TO ME! WE'RE FRIENDS RIGHT?! YOU DON'T NEED ANY MAGIC WISH GRANTING WEAPONRY! I'M SURE THOSE HOLY HUNKS OF JUNK DON'T EVEN WORK ON DEMONIC SPELLS AS TIGHT-KNIT AS THIS! HEY! HEY! LOOK AT ME, NEHK!" He's losing him, he's actually losing him. He grasps at straws, trying to put any seed of doubt in Nehken's mind, but that light in his eyes doesn't dwindle. Could it really be so foolish? If the akuma itself panicked at the very idea… maybe there was some truth to the legends. Davamak rages. His puppet has been given hope, all of his work being undone in a matter of minutes.
The wolf grabs his scythe, getting ready to leave before someone pulls on his sleeve. Shrai looks at him with a smirk. "I never said you could leave, at least not until we're ready."
"...We?" The bridge between his eyes scrunches in confusion to the chameleon's statement.
"We're coming with you!" The aspiring deuteragonist jumps. Nehken purses his lips awkwardly.
"I appreciate the sentiment. Really. But… Why? I already have all I need."
"There's a reason people haven't abused the power of those weapons. It's because people can barely make it to the isles without dying." As much as he doesn't like to admit it, the chameleon has a point. "If you're willing to believe these weapons are really out there, that becomes the only explanation for why they aren't in a museum or a holding facility."
"We have a friend that owns a boat!"
"We have a landlord that owns a boat." Shrai corrects.
"We can ask him to bring us to the isles with it!"
While dumbfounded by the fact they'd even suggest being associated with him, he cracks a smile at them too. "Alright. Just don't take too long."
"Well, I might take a bit. I don't want to brag but I take pride in my scalecare routine."
"What scalecare routine?"
"Precisely Miko."
"What?"
"Precisely."
Before they can get ready to leave, a loud knock comes from the door of their apartment. A voice blares from the other side.
"Police! We've gotten word of property destruction in this area! We'd like to ask to have a word with the residents of this apartment." the knocking gets louder before they have a chance to respond.
"Oooh! The popo's here!" the demon grins sadistically. "What'll ya do, what'll ya do! Scythe's all clean, farmboy!"
"I need to go."
"Oh COME ON! Running AGAIN?!"
"Meet us at the docks at the end of town at midnight?"
"Sure, whatever. Give me your arm for a sec?" Famiko obliges, only for Nehken to cut it with his scythe.
"Ow???" Besides the kneejerk reaction of surprise, the fox just stands there making sure he hadn't hit anything. If she was any more normal or less infatuated with the wanted criminal, she would have been pushing his head into a wall again. Instead she was about as red as the paltry amount of blood. Shrai looked disappointed at her, but not surprised.
"If they ask, tell them I attacked both of you." Nehken asserts matter-of-factly.
"Both of us?"
He pounds a dent into Shrai's vizor.
"…That's gonna cost a lot to repair. You're paying."
"Not my problem right now!" Nehken leaps out of the window, landing his weapon into the nearest police car to get their attention. This works a little too well. He's not entirely used to being chased down in broad daylight like this, and his infamy has only been growing. He sees a helicopter high in the sky. Seems they're not playing around anymore.
"…Good luck, you two."
It takes hours of giving chase before losing them. He finds solace in another alleyway- at this point, these dark gaps in buildings are basically sanctuaries for him. He sits there, catching his breath as Davanak glares at him. The twisted akuma could say something, but he doesn't. He honestly doesn't know what to say at this point. He relished in Nehken's torment, but now that he has hope, he doesn't know what to think anymore. For once, he shuts his barbed-wire mouth.
More hours pass by, and the early morning turns into night. The reaper spends that time gathering extra souls, needing as much time as possible to go on this quest. Talokov makes it easier to find sickening people than most cities. The disgust within himself only grows even more bloated, never seeming to stop, but there is no other choice. He doesn't want to resort to killing anyone on the islands, nor on the way to them. Now more than ever, he must live. Despite everything, he must, even if others have to die. It's a rotten, self-indulgent duty, but he tells himself it's necessary as always. Anything to avoid what Davanak wants. Anything to protect the world from that future.
Famiko and Shrai walk up to a door of a little house near the docks. Shrai knocks on it, and rings the doorbell as well for good measure.
The door creaks open, and they're greeted by an odd… thing. A pink bald head with dotted eyes and an expression that could only be described as true neutral. Its body is pill shaped, with its "shirt" having the symbol of a question mark.
"Wassup MAN. Is Sant home?" Shrai isn't bothered by the indescribable thingamajig's appearance. He, along with the fox, have seen it before. It turns around, then starts yelling throughout the entire cabin. Somebody jolts awake due to this.
"OKAY! MAN I'M UP! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, COULD YOU SHUT IT?!" A short dalmation-esque Avaxian quickly grabs his blue hoodie, putting it on while he walks towards the door. He stares at the two with his tired eyes.
"It's the middle of the night you two. Did you come to tell me you finally paid your rent or something?" He wipes the sleep from his eyes, questioning why they're here so late at night.
"Nah. I'll get to that next week."
"You said that last week, and the week before that, and the week before-" The canine stops himself, pinching the bridge of his nose, sighing. "What do you want then?"
"We were hoping you'd be okay with bringing us for a little… boat trip?"
"This late at night? Where to?"
"The Catalyst Isles."
"Oh. Yeah sorry, that makes sense." Still half asleep, it takes Sant a second to realize what they were asking of him. "Wait- THE CATALYST ISLES?! W- WHY?!"
"Favor for a friend."
"That we met like- not even a day ago."
"A… friend? You guys aren't exactly the social type."
"Oh! He should be here any moment now."
As if the mention of him summoned the wolf, Nehken ominously walks in from the fog, his one visible eye glowing under his hood, his scythe dragging behind him. Sant's tired expression turns to shock and horror.
"Is that… The Reaper?"
"Okay I can explain-"
"Don't do that again. You explained it horribly last time."
"I'm SORRY??"
"I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU TWO THINK YOU ARE, BUT I AM NOT LETTING A MURDERER ON MY BOAT!!! IN fact, I'M GOING TO CALL THE COPS RIGHT NOW!MAN! WHERE'S MY PHONE?" As he asks, MAN is already moving itself over to where his phone is, and gulps it down like a bird. Somehow after living with this thing for almost his entire life, it doesn't cease to surprise him.
He sighs.
"Alright. You've got five minutes to convince me."
The chameleon decides to take the wheel, explaining Nehken's entire predicament in around three minutes, and using the extra two minutes to explain their solution, sparing no details in the process. It's kind of impressive. Sant listens intently, taking stray glances at the wolf just in case. As much as he doesn't want to go along with this, he does not want to be the first piece of meat on a scythe kabab.
"Fine. But you owe me your rent, and a double patty cheeseburger."
"Thank you so much!"
"Just get on the boat already. I'll be there soon." The three walk off to get on the boat. The dog turns his head to his oddly shaped friend.
"My phone?"
MAN horks it up into his hand. It's covered in MAN-goo, and for some reason, playing a video of a dancing cockroach. After making sure the engine of the ship is good to go and making sure everyone is on the ship, he starts the boat up. Shrai hands him the book that shows the location of the Catalyst Isles. He sits behind the wheel of the ship, propping himself up with several textbooks so he can see where the ship is headed.
The waves are calm, the breeze isn't too strong. It's nice. Although there is a lot of fog out tonight, it nearly made Sant lose track of where he was going. Thankfully, he had that compass recently installed. Out on the deck, Shrai sits checking the internet with his visor. He's glad he invested in a lot of data before going on this trip. Nehken walks over to him, sitting next to the chameleon cyborg, staring ahead of himself.
"Sup."
"Not much."
"Cool."
Silence lingers in the air. Neither of the two are the talkative type. Still, the wolf came here for a reason.
"...Why are you doing this for me?"
"Just helping a friend in need. You helped us, so we'll help you." The sudden ally insists.
"There has to be more to it than that."
"Why?"
"W- what do you mean why?" The reaper is puzzled by the question given to him to say the least. But the chameleon seems more than sincere.
"Why do you think that there's more to this? that how you were raised or something? People giving ya stuff to butter you up? I mean that could line up since you were in a cult."
"It's just- this is such a massive RISK for someone you just met, who also has a bodycount that goes into the triple digits."
"What is your bodycount if I may ask?"
"Nine-hundred seventy four." He cringes, the fact he even made it past a hundred scares him even to this day.
"...Yeesh."
He sighs, slouching in his seat. "Yeah. not particularly proud of it. Heh. Davanak told me once that if I made it to a thousand, he'd consider releasing me from our deal… he said that back when I was nearing five-hundred so I didn't get my hopes up this time around."
"That devil is a freak."
"Tell me about it." Silence befalls the canine and reptile again. Shrai looks over to the wolf, seeing his face, it's almost like his eyebags have eyebags under them.
"Look pal, I wasn't too keen on keeping you around at first. I mean my first impression of ya was you vandalising our home, disturbing my meditation, and passionately making out with the drywall soon after. Yet, this was the most passionate Miko has been in… years. I couldn't tell ya the last time she cared about something THIS much that isn't related to video games or manga. Plus, the two of us have something in common."
"And that is?"
Shrai lifts up his prosthetic arm, staring at it, then points at his visor. "Guess we both were given immortality against our will."
"Hah! At least you don't need to worry about killing people."
"Oh I WISH I could've killed the guy who made the top of my head an eco-friendly blowtorch." The two laugh. Nehken finds himself oddly fascinated by the man. The way he reacts to things, and how he can pick up things so easily is both uncanny, and intriguing. He can tell that Shrai is a special type of weirdo.
"Y'know, you haven't mentioned Davakalka or whatever his name was in a while."
"He hasn't bothered me in a while. He'll probably find a way to annoy me again… but as long as you can handle me being possessed by him, I don't think he'll be able to hurt anyone."
Below the deck, Famiko is using one of the guest bedrooms of the ship, of which there are a few. She lays there sleeping peacefully, before suddenly jolting awake. She can't move, for she can only barely look around the room. She has to deal with her sleep paralysis again. Great. She's had this ever since she was a child, it was never fun for her. She feels as if she's going to hallucinate again, her brain conjuring up another stupid entity to scare her senseless like every other time. That is what she thinks until she hears a familiar voice.
"Ooooh! Looks like someone has sleep paralysis problems! Glad we can finally meet face to face, you little runt." The voice of Davanak rings loud in her ears, his face slowly sinking through the ceiling. His face is even more horrifying when it's not using Nehken's as a basis.
"I have a few things to say to you. First of all, screw you. Who do you think you are trying to mess with my puppet like this? Do you know how hard it is to crush someone's beliefs? It's not easy, I can tell you that." Throughout his monologue, he pokes and pinches Famiko's face. The tapping of his freakishly long fingers makes her feel like a bunch of bugs crawling around her head.
"What was your name? Froenika? Falia? Faye? Doesn't matter to me. I want you to know that I DON'T like you. From the moment I laid eyes on you I KNEW you'd be nothing but a parasite to my operations. The way you started to oogle over my plaything like they aren't OWNED BY ME. The only reason I haven't possessed the guy and OFFED HIM is because if I did that, I'd be back in the underworld." He starts squeezing her head in between his hands. The pressure, while only phantom pain, still heightens her stress levels.
"I am a demon, I am a HAZARD to be around, and by extension, so is HE. so if you know what's good for you, you'll either leave him alone, or you will die by his hand." The fiend starts to laugh to himself, as he stares into Famiko's very soul. It's working. The intimidation tactic has to be working. Just a little longer. He just needs to push her a little more, and her sanity should be long gone.
Before that final push can be achieved, the boat shifts, Famiko falling off the bed, knocking her out of paralysis.
"Shit."
The fox gets up, running to the top of the ship to see what caused the crashing sound. She gets to the deck and sees a massive sea dragon towering over the ship. The dragon is covered in light blue markings, whiskers flowing from its upper lip. Famiko rushes to Sant who's MANing the wheel, which is MAN.
"WHAT IS THAT THING?!"
"GOOD QUESTION! I HAVE ZERO CLUE! I CANT MOVE AROUND IT!"
"WHERE'S SHRAI AND NEHKEN?!"
"I DON'T KNOW WHERE SHRAI IS AND NEHKEN IS ON THE DECK." He speaks at the volume of yelling without acting like it.
Nehken tries to play defensive, the dragon trying to sink the boat with every coming attack. It slams its tail into the boat, like a large, organic whip. It seems to be guarding the isles, probably being the reason many people haven't gotten to the isles. Shrai finally makes it up to the wheel dock, book in hand.
"WHY THE HELL IS IT SO FAR AWAY FROM THE ISLES?! WE SHOULD'VE ENCOUNTERED IT WAY LATER INTO THE TRIP"
"DID IT KNOW WE WERE COMING?"
"HOW WOULD IT?!?!"
"WE'RE GOING TO DIE!!!!!!!" These people are loud.
The waves thrash around the ship violently, water gathering on the vessel as the long, scaled beast refuses to let up on its assault. Nehken pants, losing stamina, as he struggles to keep up. He parries the tail again with his scythe. The dragon hangs its head back, charging mythical energy, before blasting a ball of light at the wolf. Using his impractical weapon, he bats it back at it, only for the dragon to knock it back towards him with its tail. The wretched game of high risk table tennis continues until upon hitting it, it combusts. it blasts Nehken back, nearly knocking him off the vessel.
As if his appearances weren't already inconvenient enough, Davanak shows his face to the wolf yet again. He taunts him, his contorted smile getting bigger and bigger the more the reaper gets thrown around.
"Looks like it's the end of the line for you. A shame really, I would've thought you'd at least make it to the isles first. This is what happens when you defy me, Nehken. That's what happens, to those who have hope." The dragon lifts its head up, its open jaw glowing with energy. It's going to fire a beam that'll eviscerate the entire ship. This is it. All of that hope, all for naught.
No. Not this time. The wolf won't let his hope die now. He turns his bloodied head to the demonic creature, that determined glow that he has grown to despise.
"You're wrong, Davanak. There's one thing you need to learn about people with hope. They always fight until their last breath."
He grabs his scythe, dragging it across the wooden flooring of the deck. He rushes towards it, his proud footsteps ringing loud. He jumps towards the beast as it goes to fire its blast, determined to take it down by any means necessary. For Shrai, for Sant, for Famiko. He screams out to the beast, straining his vocal cords to their max so he knows the dragon hears his cry.
"YOU WILL NOT HARM MY FRIENDS!!!!!!"
He cleaves his scythe into the upper jaw of the dragon, the weapon parting the blast to where it doesn't hit the ship. Nehken uses all of his strength to ensure the blade stays logged into the beast until the blast dissipates. He rushes into the belly of the beast, and with not a second lost, he rips its soul out, leaping back onto the dock. He inhales the beast's soul as its corpse sinks to the depths of the ocean. Another day to his lifespan, though he feels like he should've gotten more for such a titanic adversary.
Davanak sits there, his unhinged jaw wide open. He is dumbfounded by what he just witnessed. Famiko speeds towards the wolf, hugging him, squealing in joy. They had thought they were goners, yet Nehken found a way to pull through.
"THAT WAS AWESOME!!!"
"Am I on something or did he just-"
"No. no he just did that."
"...wow."
Davanak's eye twitches in irritation, culminating in him screaming at the top of his lungs in a fit of hellish rage. The rest of the group celebrates the fact that they aren't dead. Sant holds his hand out to Nehken, smiling. "Y'know… You aren't so bad."
Despite what he has heard, he seems confident that Nehken isn't going to harm him. MAN stands there, if not for his face being perpetually blank in expression, he'd be smiling as well.
The reaper returns the handshake smirking. To think this was only the start of this quest and he's already slain something ten times his size. He looks to see the sunrise, illuminating a far away set of islands. He is filled with an overwhelming sense of hope, knowing there's a chance to finally rewrite his fate.