My Secret Demon Boy

Freefall

The demon ran, his feet tearing through the thick dark sludge of sand as it grabbed at his ankles. The soul sand valley, the worst place to be in a chase, and running. He kept running, his lungs and limbs burned, his tail whipped behind him as he grabbed a pillar of basalt and launched himself down and around it, ducking as he crouched over the thin crust of magma stones. His chest heaved as he curled close, his throat and body felt like it was burning hotter than the lava of his home. He kept himself low to the ground, a shriek of a ghast echoed over the red stones, ringing back in his ears, the lava bubbled just beneath his feet and crackled at his dark cloak, somewhere he was almost certain he heard the snorts of the steeds of his pursuers.

All of these sounds, this ambience, it all faded away as a deep rumbling voice tore through the air.

"⎓╎リ↸ ⍑╎ᒲ!!" A voice barked out orders. He wasn't loud, and yet it seemed to be shouted nonetheless.

He tensed as he heard the heavy thumping clopping of hooves approaching him. He held his breath every muscle tensing, as he heard a few more pigs catch up. The same man started commanding orders.

"⍑ᒷ ᓵᔑリ'ℸ ̣ ʖᒷ ⎓ᔑ∷, ∴ᒷ リᒷᒷ↸ ℸ ̣ 𝙹 ᓵ⚍ℸ ̣ ⍑╎ᒲ 𝙹⎓⎓ ʖᒷ⎓𝙹∷ᒷ ⍑ᒷ ∷ᒷᔑᓵ⍑ᒷᓭ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ʖ𝙹⚍リ↸ᔑ∷||." The tyrant's voice was cold and uncaring. So monotone and cool for what he wanted.

"||ᒷᓭᓭ╎∷!" A younger voice came back, and if Bad could see him, he would've seen the young demon salute to his commander.

"ᑑ, ℸᔑꖌᒷ ℸ⍑ᒷ ∴ᒷᓭℸ ̣ ᒷ∷リ ∷𝙹⚍ℸ ̣ ᒷ, ᓵ𝙹ᒲʖ 𝙹⍊ᒷ∷ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ꖎᔑꖌᒷ, ⍑ᒷ ᒲᔑ|| ⍑ᔑ⍊ᒷ ⊣𝙹ℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ ᒷリ ᔑ ᓭℸ ̣ ∷╎↸ᒷ∷. ↸∷ᒷᔑᒲ, ||𝙹⚍ ᔑリ↸ ╎ ᔑ∷ᒷ ⊣𝙹╎リ⊣ ᓭℸ ̣ ∷ᔑ╎⊣⍑ℸ ̣ リ𝙹∷ℸ ̣ ⍑ ⎓𝙹∷ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ʖ𝙹⚍リ↸ᓭ. ꖌリ𝙹∴╎リ⊣ ⍑╎ᒲ ⍑ᒷ'ᓭ ᓭℸ ̣ ╎ꖎꖎ リᒷᔑ∷ʖ||."

A voice came back, Dream, it's voice muffled slightly as if his face was covered, he heard the snort of a pig, as it's hooves slightly sank into the thick soul sand.

"∴ᒷ'ꖎꖎ ⎓╎リ↸ ⍑╎ᒲ. . . ∴ᔑ╎ℸ ̣ - " Bad was crawling, trying to find an opening to keep running, a chase over the basalt would surely hurt, and tear at his hands and knees with every dodge, but it was worth his life. "He's here." Dream rumbled lowly.

The commander was silent, and Bad heard the rustling of fabric, presumably silent orders. In a moment of pure adrenaline and not logic, he took off again. His claws clacked against the heated stone, and burned at the pads of his feet as he ran, his body protested, everything in him wanted to drop.

If he could just make it over the valley, the boundary was on the other side. So close, and yet so impossibly far.

He heard a shout, and a voice barking over the noise of a shrieking hoglin, and the thundering of hooves behind him. He risked a glance back, to see three of his pursuers mere yards away from him, as well as a loaded crossbow aimed straight for him.

He wouldn't make it to the boundary.

He pelted over, skidding down a sharp slope, and his knees were jarred with the rough landing. Halo would have to open his own portal, he couldn't, no, he wouldn't make it to the boundary in time with the two of the strongest guards, and one of the High Council on his heels. Not with his life at least.

"⍑ᒷ ↸∷𝙹!¡!¡ᒷ↸!"

"∴ᒷꖎꖎ ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷリ ᓵ⍑ᔑᓭᒷ ᔑ⎓ℸ ̣ ᒷ∷ ⍑╎ᒲ ↸ᔑᒲᒲ╎ℸ ̣!"

Bad kept running, everything ached, his hands were bloody from the scramble over the basalt stones, and he had torn one claw on his hand doing so. He closed his eyes and summoned every ounce of magic he had in him, and threw it outwards. He heard a crackle, and violet flooded his vision. He didn't open his eyes, he didn't check to see if it even worked. He could hear the hogs coming after him from behind, to his left was more of the valley. Steedless he would be outrun, to his right and directly ahead of him was a churning lava lake. So in a leap of faith he leapt forward.