The Brightest Part of The Night

Demon Limbs

A man, tall, clean shaven with blue eyes like their own stared at them. "When will they be ready to leave the lab?" He asks, reaching his hand out for them.

The elf backs up, fear in their eyes, small elf ears flattening themselves down. "When we get all of the injections that will require them to be at least 12 winters."

How elves kept track of years. They were all born in winter, or fall, at least the ones in this lab. Elliot was the oddball. Born in the middle of spring, it was a little odd to keep track of how old they were.

"They're six. They'll have to be here until they're around twelve?" The man meets scientist's eyes. "I don't want them here that long."

"Why?"

"I'm afraid of what might happen if we expose them to magic at that age with what we'll do. Past times the other's have lost their minds, or died.

"I know, Doctor," The scientist looked back to Elliot, how they were curled in a ball in the corner, little stubs of horns barely could be seen through the hair on their head. The look up for a second, ears flattened down, without marks, without much of anything that made them what they were in the present.

The only thing that stayed the same was the stupid hippo plushie on the bed. Blue, it was kinda small, but, by how it looked, Elliot loved it.

"Get injections into them as soon as you can."

"Nickolor, that won't be possible until-"

"I don't care. Work as fast as you can. I want them safe and out with a family as soon they can be."

"Even without assigning them a gender?"

"Yes." He turns around to look the other scientist in the face. "If they're going through this, who knows what else will happen to their body than just magic. I'm not assigning them a gender."

The other scientist breathes heavily and looks into Elliot's room through the one way glass.

"I'm sorry." She opens the door and walks to Elliot, picking them up with ease. Lays them on a bed and brings them to a room. Their eyes scan the room, meeting the lab tech's, as she injects something into the elf's body.

Elliot wakes up, in a rush forgetting about their right arm and tries using it to sit up. When they don't they try the oposite arm and make sense of their surroundings.

Tala asleep in the bed next to them, who had been a jet pack before they sat up. They stared around, listening to the music that Tala had picked to listen to. Breathing heavily, they focus on the marks on their middle finger of their left hand, watching them light up after a minute of staring.

The line on their middle finger went all the way into their fingernail, the blue just underneath it, and could barely be seen. They let out a sigh of relief when it didn't wake Tala, and stares to the wall.

Demon Limbs, something whispered. Close to Elliot, as if it was right next to them looking over their shoulder. Their shoulders locked unable to move them, and they attempted to look around.

You've got demon limbs, the thing whispered again, seeming closer this time than last if possible.

"What the fuck are you?" Elliot mumbled looking around for it. Only darkness surrounded them, only the dull light from Tala's own marks making some kind of light.

The presence makes itself known, sitting cross legged on the bed in front of them. It had glowing red eyes, all that Elliot could see. It was covered in black, only their eyes visible. "What the fuck are you?" Elliot repeated, staring into its eyes.