Modern Disguise
Eva led Eran into the bustling, brightly-lit shopping mall. The sheer volume of people, the blinding commercial lights, and the cacophony of music and noise was a dizzying experience for the King of the Abyss. He walked with a stiff, observant posture, his purple eyes cataloging the strange, frenetic behavior of mortals. The crowd offered a temporary, chaotic shield of anonymity.
"First stop, clothes," Eva announced, pulling him toward a large, trendy men's fashion store. "We need something normal. Something that doesn't scream 'mysterious stranger who fell out of the sky.'"
Eran watched in confusion as she flipped through racks of shirts, the fabrics feeling strange and thin compared to the dense, enchanted armor he was accustomed to.
When Eva handed him a pair of dark, modern jeans and a simple black hoodie, he frowned. "These... garments lack the proper layering of defensive enchantments."
"They're comfortable," Eva countered, giving him a gentle push toward the changing room. "Just try them on."
The Shadow Hounds
While Eran was inside, silently struggling with the complex mechanics of a zipper, Eva quickly paid for the clothes and bought him a pair of sunglasses—a desperate attempt to hide his giveaway purple eyes.
Just as Eran emerged, looking surprisingly striking and effortlessly cool in the casual clothes, a notification popped up on Eva's phone. It was a local news alert with a hastily written headline: 'MYSTERIOUS SHADOW CREATURE SIGHTED NEAR CITY HOSPITAL. POLICE CAUTION PUBLIC AGAINST ENTERING DARK ALLEYS.' The article included a grainy, terrifying photo of the deep, solid shadow that had almost reached them at the hospital.
Eran, who had recovered a fraction more of his power in the changing room's enclosed space, saw the headline over her shoulder. His face hardened instantly.
"They are hunting with Shadow Hounds," he growled, using the ancient term for the creatures. "They are attracted by the break in the seal and my presence.
He reached for her hand, intending to pull her to a safer location. "Do you have any place that is dark, and difficult to access?"
Eva, distracted by her assessment of his appearance, wasn't listening.
"What are you saying?" she said, oblivious to the gravity of his words. "First, look at yourself! Wow, you look handsome! Not bad at all." She noticed a nearby shop assistant staring at Eran with an openly fabulous admiration. "Uuummhh. Let me pay. Don't move from here."
Eva turned her back to finalize the payment, a simple task that took less than a minute. When she turned back and started to say, "Let's go, Era..." Eran was nowhere there.
Eva panicked, frantically searching the immediate vicinity. She turned to the shop lady, who shook her head.
"Eva, where could he go?" Eran, where are you?"
Eliminating the Threat
Meanwhile, Eran had already acted. He had sensed the Shadow Hounds—minor demons used for tracking—had entered the mall structure, drawn by the lingering scent of his own Abyssal energy. He knew they preferred darkness.
He slipped away and moved directly toward the mall's lowest, most ignored level: the underground parking garage.
In the cavernous, dimly lit basement, a trio of shadow creatures—pitch-black, canine shapes—were growling, sniffing the air. When they saw Eran, they immediately recognized their King's scent and, confused by the lack of a command, attempted to attack him.
Eran's purple eyes glowed with cold, terrifying light. He didn't move, he didn't raise a hand. The pure, unadulterated essence of his being was enough. The Shadow Hounds shrieked once, and in a silent instant, they simply collapsed, dissolving into harmless black dust.
"You little shitty things trying to follow me," Eran said, his voice quiet with supreme contempt. "You are not worthy to be my guard dog."
Having eliminated the trackers, he turned and effortlessly phased back toward the upper levels.
Eva was still frantically searching the clothing racks when, suddenly, he appeared from behind her, his presence silent and sudden.
The Interruption of Calm
Eran reappeared as if from nowhere, stepping silently from the deep shadow of a clothing rack just as Eva finished paying for his new hoodie and jeans at the register. His movement was fluid and instantaneous, a perfect expression of control over darkness.
Eva spun around, her face a confused mask of intense relief quickly overtaken by irritation. She immediately smacked his chest—now covered by the soft, new black hoodie—with a soft, frustrated thump.
"Eran! Where did you go?" she whispered fiercely, keeping her voice low in the bustling mall store. "I was panicking! I thought they had you!"
Eran, his face utterly impassive, offered a quick, practiced lie, prioritizing the immediate secrecy of his actions. "I was in the washroom."
Eva stared at him, entirely unconvinced but too drained and weary to argue with the impossible man. "Yeah, whatever," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Just next time don't vanish like this." Her frustration dissolved into a mixture of silly annoyance and relief. "I was panicking!"
Are we done?" Eran asked, his purple eyes scanning the exit, anxious to leave the exposed, brightly lit area and the remaining traces of mortal scent on the air.
Eva sighed, gathering the shopping bags. "Yeah. Let's go home." She rubbed her temples. "I still need to find your address and identity, but I'm tired now." The thought of dealing with bureaucratic nonsense or more strange, dark occurrences was simply too much for the moment. All she truly wanted was the safety of her apartment.