Demon Soul (1)

XXIII

It was well past midnight and the breeze brought with it promises of warmer weather in the future. The Aurora shone above my head as I walked through town, weeks having passed since I really left the house. I'd been scared to go and face the day for fear of being captured again, or worse, discovering yet another death. Tonight though, I knew I had to leave the house. An explosion in the sky confirmed my thoughts, and against the shimmering ribbons of light were sparkling shadows of fireworks. My heart seemed to throb in time with the explosions.

I made my way to the epicenter of the launches, finding half the town crowded around the police station. My heart fluttered when I saw Ryker on the roof, lighting off the fireworks with glee. Asteri was there as well, looking like she was halfway to hammered and laughing up a storm. I stayed in the shadows, pulling my hood over my head and witnessing my hair color shift. Something always seemed to settle into my bones every time I saw him now, like a resonating sadness. I just moved back further into the darkness, it's where I belonged.

More fireworks shot into the sky, one after the next, the beauty rivaling even that of the Aurora Borealis. Still, the snaking colors in the background provided ample wonder themselves. After a few minutes of sitting there and feeling the ground rumble and shake beneath me, I felt a presence beside me. My lighthearted mood was gone instantly.

"For one night, can't I just have peace?" I whispered.

"I think for tonight, I'll leave you alone." Ronin shoved his hands in his pockets as he stood there, chuckling darkly. "I can see you're already going through enough internal turmoil."

"I just don't see why it always has to be me..." I choked on a breath.

"What do you mean?"

"First, I get out into a foster home that did nothing but belittle me, then my foster brother hits on my and makes me feel unsafe in my own home. And to make matters worse, his body gets taken over by a demon, who kills not only my boyfriend, but one of my closest friends." I looked up at him with tears streaming down my cheeks, and he seemed taken aback. "What's next? What could you possibly do next?"

"I...I'm sorry."

"Sure." I snorted doubtfully, shaking my head and looking back at Ryker.

"I misjudged your brothers will to live, by the way." Ronin said after a moment of silence. "I wasn't the one that killed your friend, or your boyfriend. He's been fighting for control."

"So you're not the Shadow then."

"No...I'm an Incubus." He sighed. "Nyx, your brother is a monster, even compared to me. Ronin is...ruthless. He's angry, and I don't know if I can keep him under for much longer."

"Weren't you resurrected from the dead or something?" I asked. "Gabriel talked about it...we didn't quite come to this conclusion though."

"I was." He sighed. "I was killed because I loved a human. And I can see...you're in the same place."

"He's a Hunter." My lip quivered as I watched him. He was getting just as drunk as Asteri, and I could tell he wasn't having fun with it. This was self destructive. "I fucked up big time."

"I...I'm not proud to say I witnessed that." He laughed, almost awkwardly. "He followed you to that party. Not me."

"What's your name?" I whispered. "If you aren't him, then you are you're own person. Right?"

"For now, you can just call me Mazel." He sighed. "I'm sure my real name will come to light sooner or later, but Mazel is good for now."

"Well Mazel, what's my brother trying to do?"