Chapter Text
"Iruma, do you think you can clean the bathroom darling?" "Sure, mom!" The dust and stray hairs resting on the floor were cleaned up in no time. "Good job, Iruma! You're such a nice, obedient son." The faceless woman started patting my hair, and I couldn't help but feel a pleasant warmth from the touch. Another voice sounded throughout the home, this one more masculine in nature.
"Iruma, can you come here and fix the pipes under the sink? It's a bit too cramped for me to reach down there." "Sure thing, dad!" Like the bathroom, the kitchen sink was fixed in due time. "That's my boy! You did a wonderful job. " More and more requests started coming in, each one slightly more dangerous and tedious than the last. By the time I had finished moping the kitchen, I was sweating profusely.
"Just one more thing, Iruma." "Yeah, kiddo, we have one last think we need to ask you." I looked up to my parents' blank faces, the details lost to time. "What is it mom and dad?" Suddenly, the air turned cold, and the walls of the house faded into blackness as both my parents started talking simultaneously. "You wouldn't mind if we sold you off now, would you?"
The front door was busted down in an instant, and several men in black suits were storming the house. Soon enough, I was completely surrounded, guns and tasers trained on my trembling form. I could see a government investigator handing my parents a large sum of money, the smiles on their faces growing comically large.
And then pain. God the pain was unbearable. My head felt as if two spikes were piercing my skull, my back rippled and burned in agony, my teeth and fingers broke and reformed all at once. And then fire surrounded me, the men in suits fading into ash. The smoke was so thick, I couldn't breathe. My face felt like it was melting, and my world went dark, but the pain and screams were still all around me. A guttural howl erupted behind me, and I felt sharp fangs sink into my right arm as a beast of some kind dragged me away. "Stop! Please, stop hurting me! Mommy! Daddy! HELP!!!"
I awoke gasping for breath, my heart hammering in my chest as I struggled to control my breathing. Focus, control your emotions. The mantra slowly began to work its magic as my breathing steadied into something more manageable. I felt around my shoddy tent, taking stock of the little personal items I had: a metal water bottle, a moldy backpack, two other sets of clothes from the thrift store, a beanie to cover my horns, and some snacks from a convenience store.
As I thankfully felt everything was where I'd left it in the night, a growl and some pawing made itself known outside of my tent. I sighed as I fumbled for the zipper, struggling to open it for a moment. Stepping into the biting cold of winter, my face was immediately assaulted by a long tongue as my personal guardian wolf greeted me into the land of the living.
"Easy, Ryko! I'm awake, boy, I'm awake." The massive wolf thankfully relented after a good while, sitting patiently in front of me as it waited for my command. The dream from six years ago when Ryko had first appeared still sat heavy in my mind. He had nearly torn my arm off trying to pull me out of the flames, and I probably wouldn't have made it without him. Still, it hurt like being stung by a dozen hornets at once. That was quite possibly the worst day of my life, but it also marked the beginning of a new chapter for me.
I felt my head being nuzzled by my spiritual friend, a gesture of comfort to alleviate my sour thoughts. "I know, I know, no use staying down in the dumps. Come on, we've gotta hunt for some more food today, and I'll need your help buddy." Ryko obliged, walking beside me as we made our way through the forest, careful to steer me away from any trees and carry me over and dips in the ground. I lamented no longer being able to see with my eyes, but at least Ryko would always be there to guide me now. Besides, I'd take being blind and having friendly company over having sight and loneliness any day.
The next five hours were spent roaming the forest for anything that might serve to keep me decently fed for the next few days. Ryko was an apex predator in these woods, almost like an invasive species. Unfortunately, his great power and need to be at my side meant I had to sacrifice the element of surprise. Hard to be stealthy when you're next to a giant magical wolf spouting electricity as it walks. Still, the hunt wasn't completely fruitless. A couple of rabbits had made their way into my makeshift sack, and Ryko even manage to catch an elk.
Dragging our spoils back to camp was a bit tedious, but worth it in the end. As night fell and I enjoyed a nice rabbit stew by the low fire next to my tent, I felt Ryko prod my shoulder with his snout, whimpering as he did so. "Right, thanks for the reminder pal." Putting down my bowl, I braced myself for the cold as I removed my hoodie and shirt. I shivered as my entire upper body was exposed to the elements, phantom burns and scars across my chest and back itching and burning uncomfortably.
I arched forward as I felt my guardian lap his tongue soothingly across the charred wound stretching up my spine, the sharp pain from the scar slowly fading away into more of a dull ache. I would be the first to admit that this was a strange ritual of sorts, but it was pleasant, nonetheless. I remember the first time Ryko had done this, he'd had to throttle me around just to get my clothes off. We didn't really understand one another that well in the early days, but now we were like a well-oiled machine.
I didn't understand why Ryko had always been so fixated on my back of all places, I had several injuries after all. My back, my chest, and my eyes were the most prominent ones, yes, but my body was littered with several cut and burn scars. I'd had six years to check, I knew the location of them all by heart. I didn't let them get me down though, I took them in stride. Every scar I felt reminded me that I had survived, that I wasn't with those vile people anymore, even if they still showed up in my dreams.
As Ryko finished his medical attention to my back burns, I put my clothes back on and doused the fire with nearby snow. "Time to get some shuteye." Using my fangs, I pricked the skin of my arm and allowed my friend some blood for his troubles before settling in for another sleepless night.
The next morning was quite eventful to say the least. "Target spotted, up there!" Bullets rang around me as I ran through the forest, stumbling and nearly tripping over roots as I went. As one bullet grazed my neck and exploded bark in front of me, I felt myself being picked up by the back of my hoodie in a large set of jaws. Without a moment's hesitation, Ryko began to sprint away from our pursuers, leaving behind a trail of kicked up dirt and giant paw prints. Slowly, the voices began to grow dimmer and dimmer, yet Ryko did not slow down until nearly ten minutes after they had long since faded.
I felt myself being lowered into the dirt, my guardian panting with exhaustion. I took a moment to regain my bearings, feeling the ground beneath my hands and carefully getting up. The blood seeping down my neck was hot, and it no doubt stained my already ruined clothes. Ryko's tongue was quick to lap it up, both as a short snack to regain some of his energy, and to close the bullet wound in my skin.
"Thanks, buddy. We should probably get moving soon, whoever was chasing us is likely still in pursuit." I'm not sure how much time passed after that. It must have been hours, but it felt like days. Every noise was suspicious, and I would often stop for minutes at a time to make sure no one was tracking us. Eventually, Ryko led us to an open clearing of sorts, and I felt myself deposited at the edge of a frozen lake.
"I don't think we can drink from this, pal." Despite my protests, Ryko was whining and pawing at the ice furiously, occasionally nudging me forward with his snout as if urging me to do the same. I was confused beyond belief, but then again, when was time with my spirit guardian ever not confusing. Deciding to trust my wolf's instincts, I placed my left palm to the ice and closed my broken eyes in concentration. Instantly I pulled my hand away in shock.
"What was that?!" I had felt something . . . powerful. Ancient, a familiar resonance. It reminded me of Ryko in a sense, a pulse of energy I had yet to find anywhere else. Ryko had grabbed me by the arm once again, albeit this time a lot less forcefully as he knew I would follow him. As we reached what must have been the center of the lake, I felt vibrations beneath the ice, like the steady beating of a heart. Ryko picked me up one more and placed me on his back, growling out a warning that I had better hold on tight. "I hope you know what you're doing." As my wolf pounded through the ice below us, the sound of a swirling vortex consumed my remaining senses, and I blacked out.
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"Over and over, I keep going over the world we knew, once when you, walked beside me." I sang the strange but endearing tune I'd practiced many times now. It was an old human song supposedly, which meant as a researcher obsessed with mythology, I had instantly latched onto it. I only had a scrap of the sheet music and some poorly translated lyrics, but after years of working to restore the piece, I felt mostly confident in my ability to sing it correctly. Part of me yearned for Kalego to sing it with me, or for him to play the piano beside me as I sang to the moons and back.
"That inconceivable, that unbelievable world we knew, when we two, were in love." But as much as I desired for that dream to come true, it was always soured by the fear of rejection. Kalego was one of my only allies in the Netherworld, and one of the few demons I'd let see my horrible scar. I wanted what we had to become more, for us to be more. But my dreams would descend into nightmarish visions of a future where everything we had was lost because of my impatience. The other demon was stoic and nearly emotionless by nature, while I was, as Kalego put it, 'a bundle of sunshine hiding behind a mask and rippling muscles.' I had debated confiding in Opera about my feelings, but I got the impression that my senpai would only make things worse, given Kalego's particular disposition for them.
"And every bright neon sign, turned into stars. And the Sun and the Moon, seemed to be ours. Each road that we took, turned into gold. But the dream was too much, for you to hold." The song was a stark parallel of my situation with my friend, although I felt the words I sang spoke more of myself than my partner. At least no one would hear me singing as I flew high above the forest, far away from civilization at the moment. I was busy researching more flora and fauna, collecting more information for the upcoming term. It was on these flights that I allowed myself to feel the things I always bottled up. If only I could talk about them freely with the one demon who might actually listen.
"Now over and over I keep going over the world we knew! Days when you, used to love me!" The beauty of the Netherworld was stunning as always, something I felt many demons missed out on while flying. Most just viewed flight as a tool, an ability demons gained via evolution to help them survive. And while that was certainly true, it didn't mean that one couldn't enjoy the finer aspects of life it provided. The Sun was beginning to set across the horizon, painting the sky with clashing oranges and purples, like the warmth of a low fire. It reminded me of Kalego's eyes, the wisps of purple clouds bending and swaying like his silky hair.
"And every bright neon sign, turned into stars. And the Sun and the Moon, seemed to be ours. Each road that we took it turned into gold. But the dream was too much, for you to hold." I imagined running my claws gently through those purple locks, caressing the horns atop my partner's head as he buried it into my chest and cascading white hair. I felt my heart skip a beat, and I had to fight to control my breathing again.
"Now over and over I keep going over the world we knew! Days when you, used to love me! Over and over I keep going over the world, we, knew!" As I finished up my song, my gaze lowered to the forest below me, seeing various critters rushing around; hunting prey, escaping into burrows, or just observing nature around them as I was. A tear escaped my eye as I felt envious for how simple these creatures' lives were. They were extremely dangerous, yes, but simple.
I wish my feelings for Kalego weren't so complicated. But how do I tell him what I feel? I was ripped out of my thoughts as a huge boom reverberated throughout the woods, and a flash of lightning illuminated the sky for a moment. The animals below me all scattered away from the origin of the blast, and I could just barely make out droplets of water falling from the sky. After a few seconds, however, the water ceased. Not rain then. It's probably lake water, meaning that whatever just struck the lake won't have gotten too far.
Deciding that I needed a clear view of the creature or magical phenomenon without being noticed in turn, I perched in some nearby trees and shrouded myself in a cloud of mana. Being a biologist certainly has its perks in the wild, as I was able to perfectly match my mana signature to that of the forest, but just in case I hid myself in the branches of my hideout for extra measure. As I focused my gaze on the lake and the rippling waves, I gasped as a head popped up from beneath the water.
The mop of dark blue hair atop a boy with pale skin gasping for air set off alarm bells in my mind. A demon going for a swim wasn't unheard of, but no one was presumed foolish enough to try their luck out here, especially alone. That led me to believe that this was either an escaped criminal fleeing with desperation in their heart, or a demon who had suffered some sort of mana surge that disrupted their concentration and taken them out of the sky. The fact that this was a fledgling did not escape my notice, but I didn't want to even entertain the notion that a child had been abandoned.
At least the boy seemed to be alive and decently okay as he swam to the shore and got to his feet, albeit very slowly and shakily. I debated approaching the child, after all children in the Netherworld were seen as prized treasures that had to be protected at all costs. But I wasn't sure if this boy's family was around or not, and I was known to scare other demons with my appearance and skin-ship tendencies.
For the moment, I resolved to simply observe the boy as I would another animal, keeping a watchful eye on him in the event he came into contact with some of the more harmful wildlife around here. And of course, I was already taking a mental note of his physical characteristics in the event I needed to file a report later.
The boy began hugging himself as he shivered from the air around him, his clothes completely drenched, though they didn't look all too good to begin with. The child yelled something I couldn't quite hear as he looked around him, before a slightly annoyed expression adorned his face and he began to slowly limp his way into the forest.
That scowl reminds me of Kalego, especially when we were students. The fond memory turned bittersweet as I remembered my song midflight. Luckily the snapping of branches caught my attention to the fact that the child was slowly disappearing, and I carefully pursued him from the tops of nearby trees, keeping him in my sight as I went.
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I coughed up mouthfuls of water as I did my best to clear my lungs. My mind was still in shock from falling into a vortex of unknown power, but as I instinctively swam in the direction I thought I heard animals moving about, I noticed that the temperature was vastly different than it was a few moments ago. It was still cold, but that was mostly because I had just been submerged in freezing water. This water wasn't as cold, but the wind made it feel just as bad, especially against my head since I had lost my beanie. Still, the biting chill of winter seemed to be absent around me, and when I felt the ground against my hands, it was coarse like sand. Moving further away from the water, I found my hands brushing against soft blades of grass instead of frozen dirt.
"Where am I? Ryko? Ryko?! Come on out boy! RYKO!!!" Despite calling out my companion's name and pushing with every bit of that strange energy I had, my guardian did not make a single sound or give any other indication that he had responded to my summoning. "Damnit. Asks me to trust him, and then he breaks the ice beneath my feet, sending me to some other place I've probably never been to, and leaves me for the wolves!"
I did chuckle slightly at my unintended pun, but the moment was short lived. I had no idea where I was, and I suspected that even if I could see that fact wouldn't change. All I knew was that the area I was in seemed quiet, unnaturally so. Any animals I could hear were already fading away, running deeper into what sounded like a forest. The fact that it was so quiet meant that there was probably a predator around, which scared me a fair bit, making Ryko's disappearance even more worrisome and aggravating. Huffing to myself, I resolved to making my way throughout this new environment on my own, having had some practice with navigating by myself before.
Roughly an hour had passed by the time I had felt my internal energy return and Ryko's presence comforted me in my head. I didn't have the desire to summon him at the moment, but he would be there if there really was a predator lurking around. For now, though, I was fine. Never play and ace when a two will do, and all that.
Occasionally I'd feel a sort of itching at the back of my skull, and Ryko would start growling in my head, but whenever I tried focusing on the sounds and smells around me, nothing stood out from the rest of the forest. By the time I could no longer feel any warmth from the Sun, I found a nice spot to set up camp for the night. It wasn't much, especially since I no longer had any food or camp equipment, but I'd survived like this before.
A brief flash of heat and the sound of lightning next to me was followed by a gentle nuzzle from Ryko, the colossal wolf offering me whatever warmth it could provide. As I settled into his electric fur and my eyes began to grow heavy, the slow breeze picked up into a harsh gust of cold wind, and I felt my body go rigid as I sat bolt upright, my back suddenly on fire. Ryko whimpered next to me as he began to gently take my shirt in his jaws and slip it off of my body. Soon enough I felt the familiar tongue of my companion licking the charred wound marring my back, and the phantom pain of the fire began to bleed away into that familiar dullness.
"Some things never change, I guess. At least I've always got you by my side for this." I rubbed my hand across my guardian's tail which he had set across my lap like a blanket. The strange magic energy he exuded helped calm me down, but just as sleep was about to claim me, that soothing energy shifted into a violent maelstrom. Ryko had shifted to where his body was atop mine, covering me from something I had yet to notice. Quickly I got to my feet, though I had to crouch slightly to remain underneath my protector. I trusted his judgement in this, if he thought I was in danger, I would stay where I was. The source of my guardian's displeasure then made itself known.
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I could hardly believe what I was seeing! As the child laid himself on his side against a log, a surge of blue lightning emitted next to him, the very same that had struck the lake hours ago. But that alone wasn't what surprised me; What took my breath away was the fact that the lightning had coalesced into the form of a dog belonging to the Naberius Clan. It was massive compared to the boy, though it wasn't quite as big as Kalego's Cerberion, and unlike my allies' hound, this beast had only one head instead of three. Regardless, I could feel the waves of mana coming off of the wolf, and they were far too similar to those of my ally.
Kalego never mentioned he had a kid! Maybe this is a distant relative. Could he have dishonored the Naberius Clan name in some way? That would explain why no one had been accompanying the boy, but still! A child is a child! Speaking of the boy, he had suddenly jerked up as the wind grew in strength, arching his back and letting off a silent scream of anguish. The hound seemed greatly distressed by this development, quickly removing the boy's shirt in what looked like a practiced maneuver. That's when I felt my soul break even further.
The child's back and presumably his chest too was covered in various cuts, bruises and burns. But the most glaring of these injuries was right along the spine, more specifically the demon's wing roots. His wings were nowhere to be seen, a charred line of burned and bruised skin being all that remained. I had to fight to keep myself together, nearly vomiting into my mask.
Luckily the wolf seemed to know exactly what it was doing as it dragged its tongue across the boy's scars, the child instantly relaxing once again. My eyes gained a curious glint to them as I picked up small traces of blue colored mana soaking into the wounds, soothing the pain temporarily. "Fascinating."
The moment the word slipped out of my mouth, the hound turned to face me, snarling as it stood over its master in a protective stance. The wolf already knows how best to shield its summoner. Kalego would be proud. Wait what? What am I saying?! Banishing the strange thought from my head for now, I gently descended to the forest floor with my hands in the air, dispelling the concealing aura I had put together hours ago.
The blue-haired demon child suddenly gasped, seeming to take notice of me as well now that I was no longer magically hidden. With no small amount of fear lacing his voice, the boy spoke. "W-who are you?" After a tense moment of silence, the boy spoke again. "I know you're not an animal. You would have made more noise, either with growling or with extra limbs. But you're bipedal like me, so who are you?" I was honestly impressed with the logical deduction this child was showing based purely on sound, given how he was currently hiding his face behind his arms. I decided to go with simply answering the boy's questions for now. Information about how he was related to Kalego and the Naberius Clan could come later when he was calmer.
"My name is Balam Shichiro, I'm a biologist and a teacher at Babyls. What are you doing out by yourself in the wilderness?" The boy seemed to grow confused by that information if his face scrunching up was any indication. "Babyls? I've never heard of any place like that. And I don't know where I am exactly. I was on the run from some bad people when my friend dragged me through some sort of vortex below a frozen lake."
The fledgling before me was describing what sounded an awful lot like a rift between the Netherworld and another realm, and the fact that both sides seemed to lead to and from bodies of water in heavily forested areas was a bit to coincidental for my liking. Taking in the ambient mana surrounding the fledgling, my eyes widened as I smelled the sweetest of aromas, my mind supplying a singular answer.
Human. Already my mind was running on hyperdrive with the possible confirmation that humans weren't just myths and were in fact real. And one could be standing right in front of me! Yet he could obviously not be fully human if he was able to wield magic. The fact that it was Naberius magic specifically also gave worrying implications. Kalego or someone in Kalego's family had either been accidentally sent to the human realm or had illegally crossed the border and produced a child with a human. "You're a human, aren't you." It wasn't really a question, but the boy's answer regardless would confirm his origins for me.
"As far as I know, but I'm pretty sure humans don't grow horns, or claws, and they definitely don't have magic dogs made of lightning that follow them everywhere." At the mention of his hound, the boy started to pat the wolf gently and coax it into relaxing. "Easy Ryko, I think we're okay." Slowly the wolf, Ryko, began to lay down next to his master, still glaring at me somewhat but no longer baring his fangs at least. I gave off a soft laugh at the idea of humans everywhere having obsessive companions like Ryko and Cerberion all the time.
"No, I didn't think humans possess any of those traits. But you do." Buzzer had gone off in my head, signifying that the child was lying, but the buzz was softer than I'd ever felt before. The boy definitely was part human, but it seemed he himself lacked the proper knowledge to understand what he truly was. "What's your name, child?" The boy looked as if he was debating something in his head before he answered me. "Iruma. Just Iruma."
I smiled beneath my mask. "Well, 'Just Iruma', welcome to the Netherworld, home of demons everywhere. And judging by your scent and magic, I'd hazard a guess that you're part demon too." Iruma pouted at my joke a bit, which was adorable, but then his expression turned serious and slightly inquisitive. "So, I'm in Hell? Am I dead?"
"What?! No! No, you aren't dead young man! And I suppose you could call this place Hell, but it's commonly referred to as the Netherworld." I could see the well of battling emotions behind Iruma's mask of indifference, and devi if that didn't remind me of my ally all the more. "I know I must seem scary to you, Iruma, but I promise I would never harm you. Human or otherwise, children are seen as sacred treasures meant to be guarded. Besides, you must be hungry, and cold."
Try as he might, Iruma could not keep the slight shivers running throughout his body hidden from my keen eyes. After a quiet standoff, the boy's hound seemed to get annoyed with his master's silence, nudging him towards me without much care. A startled gasp came from Iruma's mouth as he stumbled forward, nearly falling before I managed to catch him. "Please, I can help you. But you have to let me." We stayed like that for a while until Iruma began to sob slightly, letting some cracks form into the careful walls he had erected around his soul. "Okay."