Marked by Daemons

the start of something sinister

1:04 pm September 22nd 2019
Veneco City

Sai stumbles, her feet scraping along the path. She can't hold her body up anymore, and she droops, the floor growing closer and closer with every passing second.

There's destruction wherever she turns, the pastel-coloured buildings now grey and crumbling. The light blue sky is filled with smoke from several buildings burned to ruin. People flee, calling out to their loved ones, clutching each other in support to walk. They're injured, she notices, their ripped clothes imperceptible and covered in blood.

Amidst all this chaos, lies a child. He holds his knees tightly, head bowed as if he's praying all this is a dream.

"Stop," Sai pleads, clutching her head.

The child looks up calmly, black hair slicked back- almost as if he's blind to the demolition. His eyes lock onto hers and she stumbles back. His eyes are like endless voids, like the infinite black of space.

It's his eyes. The Daemon who killed her parents.

"Stop!" She's sobbing now, doubled over on the pavement, hands holding her up. Tears fill her eyes and she can barely make out the grey stone. Her braid has come off, her face curtained by blue locks. She hears footsteps and birdsong.

Birdsong.

She looks up slowly, meeting Kim's concerned eyes. "Sai, are you alright?" She asks, helping the girl up. It's not real. It's not real.

It could be. That voice again. Oh, you naive little child. I can bring that to possibility.

"I'm alright," she says, quickly wiping her tears. It's NOT real.

"Oh," Kim bends down. "You've scraped your knees. It's not serious don't worry, let's get you cleaned up."

Ashe hugs Sai. "Does it really hurt that much?"

Sai looks at them confused. Oh! They think she was crying because she fell. Embarrassing. "I think it was the shock of falling," she lies. "I'm fine, really."

Kim doesn't look convinced. "We're almost there."

Sai zones out during the walk, barely noticing the beautiful buildings or the spots Ashe points out. Oda's parting words ring in her head, but she's itching to tell someone. She feels like a pot, filled with boiling stew threatening to spill over the brim.

"If something happens," Oda says sternly, recalling what she told him about the dream she had. "Anything to do with the mark on your wrist, dreams, or that Daemon you saw at your house, do not tell Kanyone alright? Keep it a secret. Don't tell Kim or Ashe either."

"What about Akane?" She asks meekly, afraid of what the answer would be. Akane already knows...

Oda sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Fine, Akane. And no one else alright?"

Sai keeps walking. One foot in front of the other. Great, now repeat. Ashe notices her glum mood and stops talking, linking her hand through Sai's. She doesn't notice.

That boy with the Daemon's eyes, who is he? Could it be a new victim? Or the Daemon's past self?

"We're here!" Kim announces, finally snapping Sai back to the present. The Institute is at the edge of the city, a wide three-storey building made of white stone. It isn't as big as the sprawling grey walls of the Association, but Sai supposed that since there were fewer students at the Institute, it made sense that it was smaller. "The locals know the Institute as a top medical university," she continues. "It is sort of true because one of the main techniques Hunters first learn is healing, but not many can heal serious wounds. The Hunters' second technique is usually passed down through families, or in some cases, they develop according to the person's personality."