Chapter Text
Endless silence.
It was the only thing one might have sensed from afar. Not the kind of silence that calms, but the kind that sends a shiver down your spine. The kind that clearly warned something was about to happen. The air was damp with heavy fog that settled over the forest and drifted between the many dense trees.
Cain looked down at the rune on his wrist, which he had drawn before the hunt. It told him that his target, which he had been tracking for quite some time, had to be very close. He moved silently and precisely, just as he had been taught since childhood. But this time, the hunt was different. This wasn't another mission from his hunter organization, where he would eliminate a target and return. This target was one Cain had chosen for himself.
He was searching for a demon.
An incubus, known to be seductive, dangerous, and utterly unpredictable.
Normally, Cain didn't ask questions about his targets. He almost never did. He had learned that his questions were never met with answers among his colleagues. But now, things were different. This creature, which he had researched so devotedly, raised endless questions for him. Questions he wanted answers to. And he would get them.
He was good at tracking prey. Almost too good.
There were many ways to hunt. A slow pursuit over long distances to wear the prey down, or fast and direct to instill fear and bring about a swift end. Cain hadn't yet decided which method to use for this hunt. One was more fun, the other brought answers faster.
He paused for a moment, crouched low to the ground. The tracks he traced with a finger were fresh, a damp imprint in the soft forest floor. He closed his eyes and inhaled the wet air. There was a certain warmth hidden in it, the warmth of a body that had recently moved away from this spot. The energy of his target was clearly present. Foreign. Pulsing. Pleasant.
How irritating.
Slowly, he straightened up, one hand reaching behind his back where his crossbow rested. The bolts were laced with a toxin, not lethal, but strong enough to bring down a large and fast target quickly. And it was time to use it.
Cain sprinted forward, his movements fluid and practiced, continuing the hunt until he could see the back of his target. Tall. Slender. Long, silky black hair illuminated by moonlight. He loaded the first bolt and fired instantly, only to miss entirely.
Shit.
A rough, velvety laugh filled the air, rising from the throat of the lust demon.
"You're serious, but your aim clearly isn't."
Unfortunately, he was right. Cain had always seen the crossbow as more of a device that would gather dust in his assigned room. But being told to his face that he couldn't handle it pissed him off a little.
Well then, he'd have to get closer.
It wasn't hard for the trained hunter to increase his pace and close the distance, a new bolt already loaded. He fired and hit, right in the shoulder.
Cain had expected the incubus to collapse immediately. But he didn't. At least not yet. Instead, he turned directly toward him, a movement Cain hadn't anticipated.
"A perfect shot."
The melodic voice of the admittedly very attractive demon cut through the night. A distinct accent was noticeable, though Cain couldn't place it. The demon's silver eyes met his own, which glowed with a warm whiskey hue. No scream. No rage. Just a gaze that pierced deep into the hunter's mind.
The incubus dropped to one knee, letting out a soft groan of pain.
"And apparently, you were clever enough to use poison."
The demon's eyelids fluttered, weakened by the sudden toxin spreading rapidly through his body.
"You should be glad I'm no master of the crossbow. I aimed for your heart. You should be dead."
The demon looked up at him, exhausted, a strange smile on his lips.
"And yet I'm not. At least not yet. And your eyes, they're not empty."
Cain frowned at the comment, a questioning look forming on his face, immediately picked up by the wounded creature.
"You're a hunter. Forgive me for saying so, but your kind isn't known for showing mercy to mine. And yet your eyes are anything but empty. They're warm. And beautiful."
Cain placed his fingers under the demon's chin and lifted it.
"You'd better think very carefully about what you let slip from your lips."
The demon merely smiled, his gaze calm, meeting Cain's without flinching.
"Why? Because you're afraid I might be right?"
Cain clenched his teeth. He wasn't here to make small talk with the enemy. But he couldn't shoot again. Something held him back.
"What is your name?"
The question came gently from the demon's mouth, carrying a wave of genuine interest.
"Cain."
Cain didn't know why he had given that information so easily, and he nearly bit his lip in regret.
"My name is Dontis. I'm truly glad we've met, Cain, even if I'm not sure I'll survive this encounter. I'm certain we could have a good conversation once I wake again. But now... I suppose I'll..."
Dontis words broke off as he collapsed forward onto the ground.
The poison had taken full effect.
The young hunter stared at the body before him as silence slowly returned to the forest. But this time, it felt different. Heavier. More personal.
There he stood, crossbow still in hand.
Just one more bolt would be enough to end it.
But that wouldn't answer his questions.
The demon was breathing, shallow but steady, just as intended.
Cain reached into his pouch and pulled out a vial containing a liquid that wouldn't heal, but would slow the spread of the toxin in Dontis body. Good enough to move him elsewhere.
An interrogation in the forest wasn't what Cain had planned.
With a heavy sigh, he lifted the unconscious demon from the ground and disappeared with him into the night.