The convenience store buzzed with a nervous energy unlike anything before. Vario had been there one moment—leaning against the counter, teasing Bella, showing off his telekinesis tricks—and then, just like that, he was gone.
No warning. No sound. No trace.
Nyx froze mid-step, her eyes scanning the aisles as if expecting him to reappear with a smirk. "Vario?" she called, her voice echoing off the shelves. "Where… where did you go?"
Bella, still jittery from the ghost prank earlier, clutched a stack of cans and nearly dropped them. "He… he just disappeared! I—I didn't even see him leave!"
Garruk, the gym-loving hero who had recently started working part-time at the store, stomped through the aisles, arms crossed and frowning. "This isn't funny. He could be anywhere. Anywhere!"
Even Feria, now managing the stock, set down her clipboard, her usual composure slipping. "If he disappeared this suddenly… this is more than a prank. Something's wrong."
Trojan Horse paced, kicking empty boxes, her eyes scanning every corner. "Maybe it's a new enemy? Or a trap? Vario's not the type to vanish without reason."
Nyx ran her hands through her hair, panic rising. "He… he's the demon king. He can handle himself. But what if… what if he's trapped? Or hurt?"
Bella's hands shook. "He… he was just messing around, right? It has to be a joke!"
Equinox, leaning lazily against the counter with a smug grin, frowned. "If this is a prank, it's a bad one. Even I'm a little worried. And I don't worry about much."
Mia Rika, normally quiet and reserved, spoke softly, almost to herself. "Vario… you'd better be okay…" Her fox ears twitched nervously.
Minutes stretched like hours. Every sound—the hum of the freezer, the flicker of the lights, even the soft clatter of a soda bottle—made everyone jump, thinking it was him returning. But the aisles remained empty.
Nyx clenched her fists. "We can't just wait here. We need to find him. Now."
Garruk nodded sharply. "Agreed. Split up. Check every corner, every backroom. Something's off."
Bella hesitated, fear mingling with frustration. "I—I don't even want to think about what could've happened to him…"
Trojan Horse's voice cut through the tension, sharp and determined. "Enough talk. Let's move. He's not gone forever. Someone like Vario? He doesn't just disappear without a reason."
And with that, the heroes moved through the store, searching every aisle, every storage room, every shadowed corner. Their hearts pounded—not just for the demon king, but for the friend, the prankster, the enigmatic figure who had brought chaos, laughter, and warmth into their strange, twisted world.
Somewhere out there, Vario was waiting. But no one knew where—or for how long.
And that uncertainty gnawed at them all.