Young Writers Society

Peter was asking all of the philosophical questions that she had never expected to hear from someone, but she couldn't really argue with any of the questions asked. She was walking proof of some of their answers.

...Not that she could admit that.

"They were people, once," Haru admitted. She didn't mean to change her tone, but she couldn't help the shift to something a little more subdued. "I don't know exactly how the change happens. It just does. They start craving human blood. They can't go out in the sunlight, and they can't age. And the more humans they kill and devour, the stronger they become."

She let out a quiet sigh.

"Theoretically, you could reason with them," she admitted. "But in most situations, the best you can do is kill them before they kill you."

Harper listened intently. She'd never heard demons described like that. Usually their descriptions made them out to be more...ancient. Godlike, even. For all but Annie, anyway, but she was unique. Harper hadn't, exactly, met any other demons.

Still, she felt the urge to correct the masked person.

She oped her mouth to do so when she hesitated.

....Masked?

She looked the person over, their appearance clicking together with their words. Harper's signature grin spread across her face. "How did you learn all of this?" she asked innocently.

James glanced back, noting Harper's grin at the masked person. He hummed very quietly to himself.

Theoretically, huh. Well, whether or not the truth became clear, it didn't matter. They would deal with it when it came.

"Experience," Haru said, without missing a beat. She rubbed the back of her neck with a hand. "It's hard not to encounter demons when traveling, and some came to my village a few years ago."

A second later, she realized the real reason for the question. She wasn't usually that good at reading people, but something about the smile and the timing made it clear that they were starting to catch onto her secret.

Luckily, she had an advantage they didn't know about.

Now at the base of the mountain, they were cloaked in the shadows the trees cast. There were a few breaks of sunlight, but they would be in the shadows just long enough for her to take her mask off.

She tapped into her blood art.

The demonic slits in her eyes faded. Her fangs shrunk and looked like regular teeth. And, for the final touch, she made the cool green highlights in her hair disappear - after all, those had come from becoming a demon.

They stepped into the shadows.

Haru removed her mask and pushed back her hood.

"Oh!" she said, as if she had forgotten something very important. "I almost forgot, but demons look like humans. Some do get major changes when they get turned into demons, but for most it's some demonic slits in their eyes, fangs and some weird colors in their hair."

So demons were just people, then. People who had vampiric qualities, cat eyes, and dyed hair. He knew that Haru knew more about people in this world than he did, but it definitely sounded like the demons here were not beyond reasoning with.

He looked back to see Haru remove their mask and reveal their face in the shade of the trees.

"With those odds, then anyone among us could be a demon," he commented quietly, looking up at the slowly darkening sky. The sun was setting. "Or at the very least, we'll probably run into one soon with the night. In any case, we'll take things as they come." He was just hoping the way back home was at the top of the mountain.

Harper frowned, raised an eyebrow, then rolled her eyes and let her face return to her usual nonchalant smile. This girl hangs around completely different kinds of demons, then, she thought, twirling her parasol.

"Not always," she said absently, twirling around to scan the scenery, "About the demons, I mean." This place was beautiful, if not a little creepy, but that could just be all the talk of demons. It wasn't typically like her to get unnerved by demons - she knew all about them, after all - but the unfamiliarness of what the girl with the mask was saying was a little unnerving. She might have to summon Annie after all.

Haru stared at Harper. They were still walking in the shadows, and the sun had almost finished setting - she could survive without her mask. "Demons are always like that," she said. "What are you talking about?"

Harper's grin grew, and she fiddled with her pendant. She was still in on a secret then. Not only that, she was the secret's favorite, and she could summon it whenever she wanted. The surprised on the other's faces when she got the chance to do so would be incredible.

"Oh, nothing," she said cheerily, "I'm sure whatever demons are like where you're from is how they are here."

She blinked.

"I'm from here?" she hesitantly said, confusion still lacing her voice. "Why wouldn't the demons be like they normally are? Where...Where are you even from?"

"Certainly not from this world," James muttered. "Not that I'm from here either."

Harper twirled her parasol again, making the pentagon atop it spin and the beading hanging off the edges sway hypnotically.

"I'm from a little midwestern town. You know the type, you've seen one you've seen 'em all." She grinned, "The most interesting thing there is my family. My real family, I mean. They're the reason I know about demons. There are a few different kinds. The ones I deal with have to be summoned. Symbols and chants, ya know?"

James hummed. "I'm mildly familiar with the concept."

"I'm not," Haru abruptly said. She glanced between the two. "What are you talking about? Demons like that don't exist-"

There was a creak in the forest.

Haru froze.

There was another creak.

Now Haru had the smart idea to check to see if the sun was still up. A glance up towards the horizon, and she could only see darkness - just like the darkness that filled every inch of the mountainside now.

Normally, Haru wouldn't have been worried.

But these two didn't seem to know a thing about demons besides what she had told them, and Harper seemed convinced that demons were different than they were. She did have her sword, but she wasn't exactly good at using it in a battle.

There was a glimpse of reptilian eyes in the darkness ahead, and a gentle hiss.

...And weirdly the sound of someone or something walking, despite the distinctly snake-like vibe that Haru was getting from the mountain's demon.

James’s feet spread out to steady his stance and he looked out into the darkness towards the source of the sound. It seemed a demon had found them already. One that sounded a little like... Apophis, in the snake-like manner it hissed.

“Now that you’ve made your presence known, I want to make it known we don’t want any trouble,” he announced into the darkness. “But if you do attack, we will not hesitate to defend ourself and do the same. But I, at least, would prefer talking to you. And seeing you. Instead of talking into the dark.”

Harper's gloved fingers wrapped tightly around the pendant around her neck. She wasn't really scared of demons, but that didn't mean she shouldn't be ready for the worst. Annie could help if the worst happened, so why shouldn't she be prepared to summon her?

She found herself inching toward the shadows curiously, attempting to get a glimpse of the demon within.