Angel Santiago was born to a family of two, with his father passing before he was born. His mother worked at a call center and his sister - three years younger than him - barely associated with Angel.

Around the age of 15, Angel had started ditching class, hanging around with a bunch of street punks. Even then, he kept away from any real violence. He’d had a strong reaction to blood since he was little. Back then, even a little could make him vomit.  

Still, a year later he found himself in a fight, caught by the police at the scene after it all went down. He was the only other person left besides a bloodied punk from the next town over. 

From how people talk about it, people that knew him were split on Angel’s involvement. Rumors had circulated about Angel’s relation to those punks, and the supposed “real reasons” for his sudden shift in behavior.

However, those were just the murmurs of people that knew him. Angel was charged with assault and battery without any real investigation, landing him two years in juvenile detention and three years in prison. While in court, Angel made no plea, barely saying a word during the entire trial. Thankfully, he was able to get out on parole after a total of three years.

He remembered the day he got out vividly, his mother offering her hand to help him out of the car as he had arrived back home. After all that time, his mother had remained fiercely in favor of his innocence, even after everything that had happened. 

Maria Santiago was the person Angel cared about most, even if his intense shame made it seem otherwise. Her guiding hand was the reason he’d been able to bounce back and start going to college in the first place. She helped him get on his feet, giving him a place to stay while he got readjusted to a normal life and even helped him find his own place a year later.

Two months had passed since his parole had ended, and ever since then, he’d been trying to convince himself to visit his mother again. As he began driving her to that private surgeon of Ren’s, he desperately hoped he hadn’t been too late. 

After everything that had happened in the past hour, Angel finally had the motivation he needed. He would prove himself and he’d protect his mother, no matter what stood in his way.

* * *

The year was now 1987, a year of turmoil within the United States. The popularity of video games and rose and rose, sparking debates on its impact on the youth. Gang violence only continued to become more prevalent, and it didn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Finally, satanic panic was arguably at its peak, with fear of occult activity spreading throughout the country, which was only spurred on by the rebellious youth of the day.

Angel had been staying at the Yoshimaru building where his mother had been staying in order to recover. The bullet had managed to damage both her bone and arteries. She couldn’t remember anything that had happened, believing the bullet to have somehow misfired from her own pistol during the earthquake. 

That made it convenient to meet with Ren the following day, as he had been in his office. According to the doctor overseeing Maria’s treatment, Ren was something of a prodigy. He’d started to attend college when he was 16, and had finished with his master’s degree a year ago while also working at the Yoshimaru company. 

“You can take a seat wherever you’d like.” Ren sat in a chair in front of a large window. The room had matched Ren’s taste about as much as Angel expected, though it didn’t look quite as fancy as he’d expected. The lighting was a dim, calming orange, his desk was an ornate and dark, and there were three red seats available. 

Angel opted for the seat closest to Ren. “First of all, I just want to say thank you for taking care of my mom’s recovery…” 

“Don’t mention it.” Ren opened a drawer and began to put away his paperwork. “So, you wanted to discuss what happened on Wednesday?”

“Yeah… After everything that happened, it’d be nice to get an explanation. You said that that thing was a demon, first of all… Then there was all that magic.”

“Well, then I suppose I can explain that first…” The ring around his chest reappeared as he continued, “While things like my Furnace Fire or your spectral hand may be a form of magic, they’re the only type that I’ve ever seen a human able to use. They’re called Dreams, and the rings - called Halos - are what allow people to control their Dream. Now, while Dreams have existed since the dawn of man, Halos have only appeared since demons arose a couple thousand years ago.”

It sounds like he’s had to explain this a lot… Angel tapped his finger on the table as he gave the words some thought. “And the demons?”

“They’re a blight. Despite hunting them for so long, even the Yoshimaru family knows very little about their history. All we know is that they ascend from strange chasms and use whatever they have at their disposal to hunt, kill, and eat their prey.”

“Sounds more like a monster than a demon…” Angel crossed his arms and held himself in the chair. “How do you do it? If they’re all as strong as the one back there - how are you not dead?”

“I’ve been trained to hunt these things since I was a kid. If you know what to expect, keep a cool head, and know how to use what you have at your disposal, then and only then do you have a chance.” Ren lit up a cigarette, Angel giving him a quick, soft glare as he did. “Going forward, I’ll know what to expect from demons like that. That’s thanks to you.”

“You think…” Angel’s mind found its way to the thought of blood. “You think there might be more like that demon?”

“I can’t say for certain.” Ren took a long, long drag of his cigarette and thought for a moment. “But with the ‘soil’ underneath the city already dug up, it’s not unlikely that another demon like that might spring up eventually.” 

…

More demons? A lump formed in Angel’s throat, though what he said next came naturally in spite of that. “If that’s the case, then...” He repeated himself, though with a demand rather than the question he had originally intended on asking. “If that’s the case, then let me help you. You saw my Dream back at the apartment - I can help.”

Ren sighed as he thought to himself, It ended up like this after all… “You could get yourself killed. Think about your mother - what would she think of this decision?”

“She’d trust me.” Despite his displayed confidence, he did reflect on his mother. She hadn’t been able to remember anything that had happened, and he had decided not to tell her. He knew that wasn’t the best choice, but as he didn’t even understand the situation himself, he opted not to do so anyway. Even now that he did understand - at least enough to fill her in on some things - he had only become more compelled to hide it from her.

That’d piss Father off, but... it’s not as if there’s any going back for Angel. “I’ll give that some thought and contact you once my family and I have made our decision.” He arose from his seat and motioned for me to follow. “It’s been nice talking, Angel. I hope my family agrees to your request.”

He’s a busy guy, huh? “Thank you again. I guess I’ll be seeing you around then.” He slid his hands in his jacket pockets and anxiously began walking away. Looks like I got a bit too carried away… Even someone like him has someone to report to, I guess.