Chapter Text
Rox stretched as they got out of bed, groaning as they checked their phone.
10:25AM
They sighed and went to their wardrobe, shoving themselves into whatever t-shirt fit. Clipping their signature belt straps onto their shorts as they went downstairs to the kitchen, running a few fingers through their braid to undo it.
Rox looked at the note stuck to the fridge, it was from their parents. Glancing it over before tossing it into the bin, it said they’ll be out for a week on a family emergency.
“Welp, more food for me!” They were alone before, what’s the difference now? They’re 17 and totally responsible- I mean they definitely didn’t burn toast last time they were home alone! It was summer break so it didn’t matter too much. Rox grabbed some leftovers from the fridge and went back up to their room, starting up their pc and getting ready to play Roblox. That, or some other game they can mindlessly play for hours… Damn they need to expand their tastes…
They clicked through a few games, occasionally checking their text messages as they heard little scratches at their window. “Hmm?” Rox moved their curtain out of the way to reveal a black and orange tortoiseshell cat, they relaxed as they opened the window to let it in. “How are you, Nutmeg? Hope you weren’t out too long,” Rox picked up and plopped the cat onto their bed before going back to their pc.
An hour passed of them playing Phighting, the map pool was mid today. Voting for a map while they were checking a text from their cousin before the phight as they heard glass shatter. “What the-,” Rox lowered their voice, “Nutmeg pspsps, come here.” They opened the window to let the cat out, her paws quickly climbing down the rain gutter as she meowed.
They felt a chill up their spine. Footsteps stomped up the stairs checking rooms from the creaking of the doors. Rox quickly locked their bedroom door, their breathing starting to pick up as they hid under their desk with their trashcan as a shield.
Rox could hear their own heartbeat in their ears, their breath hyperventilating as they tugged out their headphones, loosening them from the computer. They tried to text their parents quietly but they didn’t respond so they waited in silence…
and waited…
Click!
…and waited…
Thump!
…and waited…
Scratch!
…and waited-
Did they forget to mute their pc?
BANG!
They could only hear ringing in their ears from their lock being blown off wood chips falling on the carpet - before being met with the end of a sawed off shotgun. Rox couldn’t even react in time as the intruder pulled the trigger. Their body wouldn’t be found for a while…
—
Rox opened their eyes and saw pitch black. Was this the void? It was empty, well… empty with the exception of something holding a teacup with a milky substance in it.
“W- where-…. Where the fuck am I?!” They looked around frantically for something else. Something living than this.
Don’t fret… You died of course. The… thing? The voice? The… entity sipped their drink. I know you have questions, quite many… But not a lot of time here to waste. Don’t worry, R O X. It will all be answered in due time.
“Can you explain where this is? And- and who you are?” Rox did their best not to stutter from the curveball they’ve been thrown. How- what were they facing?! Why were they here?!
Well, we are in the void! And no I will not explain how it works, just imagine a baseplate from that game you like, or the death place of that Sky- light game or whatever… Any who- I am basically the sentient version of this void, the creator of things, the reaper of the in-between! Not to mention my various collection of stories I hold.
Rox could only see the teacup move, but they could tell this thing had a little bit of an ego. They tried to make out the rest of its body but gave up quickly.
“Okay… is there any sort of death process I need to go through…? Like checking my sins or something?”
Oh no, not at all! Well… I suppose I do need some information to reincarnate you somewhere… and Earth seems a bit boring this time around…
“Hmm, well at-least no burning inferno sounds good.” Rox thought about it until they heard the entity laugh.
You got good ideas kid! Inpherno it is! I’ll cover the rest.
“Wait, what-?”
—
Rox woke up in a messy bed, the sheets kicked onto the floor, take-out boxes left out, and magazines strewn about. Their head felt heavy like branches were glued to it. Slowly, they got out of the bed and shuffled over to the bathroom, avoiding the mess on the floor. They turned on the lights after some struggle and looked into the mirror.
“WHAT THE PHU-?!”
They looked like a phighter with white-ish skin, a set of brown to orange gradient horns, and a bald (so-bald-the-sun-reflects) head with the exception of a white tuff in the front.
On the sides of their head was light gray marks, pretty much the same color as their skin. Their horns, which curved back, had a spike at the front of each and a dark scar-like mark on the middle of their face where they were… they didn’t want to think about it.
They looked a little abnormal but not entirely unusual for a demon- (or inphernal as mirahaze said? They’ll just go by demon…) they supposed. They had cheek markings and a drip one around their throat. Rox also noticed they were also wearing a green leather, spike-studded jacket. It looked quite flashy, like 7MK0’s minus the yellow for silver.
“Oh, what the phuck did I get myself into…?” They looked at the rest of the apartment, picking up the trash and dunking it into cans or boxes. It took a while but eventually they cleaned up. “Looks better, hopefully this isn’t someone else’s apartment…”
Rox decided to get some fresh air, it might help clear their mind. They needed to be rational about what to do next they couldn’t be distracted by things like-
“I GET A PHUCKING BIKE!?”
They were taken aback, was this… theirs? It had a coin pouch on the seat that Rox gladly snatched up. Then they stepped to look at the entire gear, hesitating before grasping the handles of the motorcycle, feeling a natural power course through them. They shook off their hands as they eyed the bike.
“Guess I found my gear… Well, shit- Never used one of these.” Rox grabbed the handles again, the charge flowing through their body before settling. They took a deep breath in as they decided to take a seat on the cycle, feeling a giddiness rise in their chest as they revved the engine.
“Oh ho ho ho, this is gonna be fun!” Forgetting their worries for a moment, they looked down at the stairs up to their apartment with an idea forming in their head. “Time to gamble my skills!”
Before they knew it, they felt their body jolt back as their motorcycle shot down the stairs. They were grinning like a maniac as the bumpy steps felt like butter beneath the wheels before turning onto a main street. Their tires screeching on the pavement as they sharply turned the bike around. “WOO!”
Weaving through crowded roads and traffic was thrilling, it felt like a natural rush. Wind blowing past their face as they revved their engine. They looked at the various shops, some more familiar than others and the surrounding buildings around the main Crossroads tower. It felt like their home city, bustling with various activities all at the same time, but with a bit more thrill. A bit more excitement!…
—
“Wow, that felt good.” They stepped off their cycle, it desummoning itself as Rox headed into the Pink Parlour. It was identical to its game counterpart, minus the Biograft skin looking at the display case and demons ordering food. It felt alive.
There were many options to pick from, not to mention flavors. From cupcakes to coffee it felt like home. Rox, however, only ordered a drink - a familiar one to themselves - paying with a good amount of bux.
“…and can I get a name for the order?” The barista asked, their four horns a vibrant sweet red. This made Rox pause, if they were going to live here, then they’d need to forget about their old name for their new one.
“It- Its-,” they felt their throat close up before forcing themself to relax. They couldn’t be doing this in public. Their thrill was gone, realization settled in as they bit their tongue. Regretting the words as it left their mouth.
“Motorcycle. It’s Motorcycle”
They didn’t know why it felt wrong to say when it’s true. They aren’t Rox anymore.