Chapter Text
Naked and filthy, the Blood Fiend rushed along the asphalted road, gasping. Her feet bled, her lungs ached, and her brain anguished from many unfamiliar feelings, among which loneliness and desperation reigned. They fueled her exhausted body, taking it towards a small town situated just up ahead.
She tripped. She fell. She got up. Again and again, until the stone maze finally welcomed her inside. She sneaked in and creeped through empty streets and rank alleyways, searching for the biggest, meatiest human around. But what caught her attention was the complete opposite: a short, skinny girl with a knife in hand, wearing a black suit.
Faced against the Rat Devil, she stood alone, trembling and waiting. She did not move when the giant creature charged at her. She remained still even when it leaped in the air. She took a step back only before its powerful jaws were about to swallow her whole.
The Devil hit the ground teeth-first, squeaking in pain and anger. When it opened its tiny black eyes, the girl was standing on its long nose, her knife at the ready. Then—in what felt like a second—she stabbed both of its eyeballs a dozen of times, blinding it.
The Devil got up on its hind feet, shrieking, so the Devil Hunter jumped off with a somersault and landed in a roll. She dashed to her left and scaled a three-story building in three jumps, climbing on a balcony with the knife in her teeth. She gripped the handle and lunged, flying across the street in an instant blur.
The deep horizontal wound on the Devil's throat opened and gushed out an ocean of blood, after which the creature dropped on the ground and choked to death, convulsing violently.
Relieved and breathless, the girl jumped down from the balcony she had landed on and took a deep breath. She exhaled, wiped away the sweat on her forehead with a handkerchief, and hurried away.
The Fiend, who had been watching her from the shadows the whole time, followed. She tailed the Devil Hunter for a while, then stopped abruptly in the middle of a soulless street.
"...May I help you?" the girl asked with her back turned. "I have no money, sorry..."
The Fiend walked up closer cautiously. "I need help."
The Devil Hunter turned around, her eyes widening at the naked sight in front. "Are you"—she looked away—"a Devil...?"
"No."
She stole a glance at her red horns. "No...?"
"I'm Power."
"Is that your name? I'm Kobeni."
"I need help."
"Are you in trouble...?"
"A Devil took my cat."
"Your cat...?"
"Yeah. Can you save her?"
Kobeni looked up at the setting sun, contemplating a decision, then returned Power's injured feet. "...Alright. Where is she?"
"Follow me."
She complied, sprinting behind, tired and hungry. Her sleepy eyes darted around in search of any signs of a trap, avoiding only the bare butt ahead. She remained cautious even when they arrived at their destination – a dilapidated hut, surrounded by vast fields. By that time, the sunset had painted the whole countryside warm orange.
"She's in there, guarded by the Bat Devil. Go, human, save her."
Kobeni nodded and walked up to the door. She gulped and opened it slightly, peeking inside. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she identified the Devil, injured and sleeping right under the ceiling. She noticed a caged cat, too. It stared at her, then meowed, awakening the Bat.
But before it could move a finger, the old planks under Kobeni's well-worn shoes snapped. She whistled across the room, landed atop the creature's head and buried the blade inside its brain, twisting it. An ear-piercing roar rang out, but did not last long, replaced first by silence, then by a thud. The creature lay sprawled on the floor, dead.
"Meowy!"
Power rushed inside and grabbed the birdcage, freeing Meowy. She hugged her and purred in a duet, ignoring the bloodied knife pointed at her.
"You're a Devil, right...?" asked the girl meekly.
"So?"
"I, I have to kill you..."
The Fiend stared at her for a while, thinking. "Don't?" she suggested.
"But..." Kobeni reciprocated her awfully human gaze, then lowered the weapon. "Can you promise me you won't hurt anyone...?"
"I would never."
"Thank you..."
She sighed and trudged past her, leaving outside. The cold evening wind blew in her face as she made her way back to town, dishevelled and drenched in sweat and blood. A long ride back home and cheap noodles for dinner awaited her...
...A phone call early in the morning served as her alarm clock. It was someone from the Public Safety, stating they had sighted the Blood Fiend and were actively searching for it. Kobeni lied, denying ever seeing it, afraid of losing her job due to letting it go. She hung up, left the bed, and began preparing breakfast, when banging on the door resounded around her tiny apartment. She—still dressed in her blue pajamas—hastily opened it.
"Hey," greeted her the naked Fiend from yesterday, with Meowy sitting on her shoulder. "I need help." She barged inside.