Hunter - Age 17 - Halloween

Halloween, a popular day in the United States and other parts of the world, especially amongst mages. Halloween was the time of year when the veil between Hell and Earth was at its weakest. Making summoning easier and the occasional loose demon. When the veil strengthens again, the demons who found their way on earth would fall back to Hell.

Hunter, with Zekaj in his mind, was hiding from all forms of social interaction in the corner of the living room in his house. His parents were throwing a party for the entire coven. Later in the night, they were doing something as a group, Hunter wasn't sure what.

Hunter hated social gatherings, just another time for people to look down on him. Not like they really could look down on him anymore. He was one of the tallest in the coven now standing at 6'4", right up there with Zekaj. He was even taller than his dad.

"So Hunter How have you been?" A member of the coven asked. Her name was Melissa, and she was still on the soulmate hunt considering she was only around 20.

"I'm Fine, You?" Hunter asked.

"I'm doing great, it's nice to see you." She smiled.

They both sat there in awkward silence for a couple seconds before she spoke again.

"Don't talk much, do you?"

"No." Hunter immediately replied.

"Not to you." Zekaj muttered in his mind.

Melissa laughed at what Hunter said, sly moving her arm up his arm. Hunter shuddered at the touch. Melissa smiled.

Melissa leaned up and whispered into his ear, "Well for what I'd like to do, doesn't require much talking."

Hunter's eyes widened at this statement and he swore he audibly heard Zekaj gasp in his head.

"She's flirting with you!" Zekaj screamed in his head.

"Come on, you live here right? The ritual won't start for a while, we can easily go up to your room for a while." She smirked.

"Hunter. Leave." Zekaj stated.

"Uhh- I've gotta go." Hunter quickly darted out of the area of the party and made his way up to his room.

Zekaj immediately left Hunter and started mumbling. Hunter only picked up some of what he said, that being taking something that was his and a lot of demonic language. Zekaj was fuming.

"Zekaj, it's alright." Hunter whispered, putting a soothing hand on his shoulder.

Immediately his glowing eyes met Hunter's, and he immediately calmed down.

"Sorry I-, I don't know what came over me." His features softened as much as they could in his demon form.

"Let's just chill out in here for a while, ok?" Hunter said.

Zekaj smiled, "I'd like that."

Hunter laid down on his bed, as Zekaj took a seat on a chair. Keeping an eye on his human.

*****

An hour later, Zekaj had returned to Hunter's shadow, and Hunter was making his way downstairs to ritual.

Hunter for the past couple of months was allowed to partake in rituals.

Hunter's robe was hand-me-down from his father. It would yet to match his powers, this would happen when he turned eighteen.

Immediately in the basement, he was met with the smell of smoke, that being from candles, and his sister drawing the ritual on the floor. They were performing the ritual to help banish all demons back to hell, if they weren't currently in contract.

After Hannah finished the ritual circle, they immediately performed the spell.

"We are calling out to you demons, In this community we look over." His mother started. "Leave this plane at once and return to your home."

Members of the coven's eyes glowed. Magic was radiating through the area. Hunter felt weak in the knees, the ritual felt like too much to him this has never happened to him.

"Hunter..." Zekaj barely spoke in his mind. He was feeling it too.

"Leave at once!" His father yelled. Throwing a potion into the middle of the circle, sparks of red shot into the area dissipating into the area all around the community their coven looked over. Humans would not be able to see this magic.

Hunter's knees immediately buckled, and he fell to the floor, catching his fall with his hands. His entire body started vibrating, it felt like he was being ripped in two.

"Hunter!" His father screamed. Leaving the circle to comfort his son.

"What's happening to him?" His mother asked. Many of the coven members had left the room to give them space. Shadow was seeping in and out of his skin.

"I don't know." His father said. The pain in Hunter's body subsided and he could stand up, with the help of his father. The shadow had stopped too.

"Zekaj?" He whispered in his mind. There was no response.

With the pain going through his body, and Zekaj possibly being gone, he began to cry.

*****

In the middle of the night, Hunter woke up in his bed looking around the room for Zekaj. Immediately he remembered how he was never able to contact him in his head.

His parents believed a demon had attacked him when it was forced to leave. They thought it tried to take over Hunter, or pull his soul into the underworld. Hunter knew better than that.

Hunter became overwhelmed with emotion again and began to cry. He couldn't bear the thought of him being gone. Suddenly he felt the familiar feeling of Zekaj leaving his body. The darkness seeped out of his skin into the form of Zekaj.

Immediately the shadowy form of Zekaj fell into Hunter's arms, his legs had given out as soon as he left Hunter’s body.

"We shouldn't have been so close to the spell." Zekaj laughed. His glowing pale-gold eyes staring back at him. "If we weren't so close we'd been fine."

Hunter immediately pulled him into a hug. Tears continued to fall.

"I- I- I thought you were gone." Hunter whispered. His demon was in his arms again.

"I told you I'm not going anywhere." Zekaj said. "It took all my energy not to get whisked away to hell. It would've given us away. I passed out completely. I-" He paused. "I could feel you. You were upset, I needed to come out."

"But are you ok? I could've handled it-" Hunter was cut off. He was going to say that he could've handled him being gone for as long as he needed.

"And let you be upset for hours thinking I'm gone?" Zekaj said. "I don't like it when you're sad." Zekaj wiped away Hunter's tears with his thumb.

Zekaj's body had went from a figure of shadow back to the demon form Hunter was familiar with.

"My parents think a demon attacked me."

"I would've killed them before they had the chance." Zekaj was back to his cocky attitude, his smile becoming goofy. "They would have seen me, Demon Lord Zekaj, and immediately pissed their pants."

Hunter rolled his eyes.

"Then everyone would've clapped. Right?" Hunter replied sarcastically. "Oh Zekaj, mighty powerful Zekaj!"

"Hopefully! It wouldn't hurt to have some clapping every now and then." Zekaj smiled. Zekaj didn't get the joke, like usual. "I need sleep."

Zekaj immediately fell onto Hunter's bed and sprawled out under the blankets. Hunter laughed as he saw Zekaj, in demon form, immediately fall asleep. He deserved the rest after keeping them together.

Hunter pushed Zekaj over in the bed so he could crawl in.

"I'm sorry for making you worry." He murmured in his sleep.

"It's fine Zekaj," Hunter laughed, "If you got sucked down into Hell, I would've marched my ass down to Hell and gotten you back myself."

"I could've traveled back here, I'm still connected to you." Zekaj mumbled.

"So you can travel back and forth?" Hunter whispered. Travel between the underworld and the upperworld (Earth). The only realm to travel to was the spirit world, but this required magic or the occasional rift in the world, but those were rare. It was surprising to Hunter, since he always learned there was no way to the underworld.

"Only because of this, it keeps me connected to you." he grabbed Hunter's hand and his mark on his hand glowed an eerie gold. "Not that I have any intention on going back there. Like I said, you're stuck with me. Now let me sleep."

"Do you not miss anyone down there?" Hunter asked. He didn't know much about Zekaj's life before they came together.

"A little bit." Zekaj mumbled. "Not enough to go visit them."

"Like who?" Hunter asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"My parents and brother."

"I didn't know you had a brother. I assumed you had parents, but not a brother."

"Yeah, he's kinda like me."

"Cocky?" Hunter laughed.

"I like to say overconfident, but sure." Zekaj laughed.

Their conversation ended there. Hunter wondered if he would ever get to meet Zekaj's parents and brother. Zekaj knew all about him and his family, but Hunter didn't know much about Zekaj’s.

Hunter sat and watched Zekaj sleep, his features becoming soft, but his eyebrows furrowed a bit, like he was in thought. Zekaj was in a deep sleep.

Finally, Hunter went to sleep just like Zekaj. In the night Zekaj had pulled his human into his arms, holding on tight, never letting go.

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