The inside looked close to crumbling down altogether.

"How has life been treating you, young man?"

There was something weirdly sweet about her calling a gritty, roughed-up, and bearded guy young. Malik couldn't help but smile. The feeling of merely curving up the corners of his lips was so foreign to him.

"Well, I'm sure you can imagine."

Next to her stood a man with a bandana wrapped around his eyes like a blindfold. He could only imagine why that needed to be covered up. It didn't seem like he was about to say anything any time soon, so Malik decided not to inquire about him.

"Have you lost your home? I wouldn't be opposed to letting you stay here for a while. Our daughter hasn't come back yet, so... there's space." She averted her gaze, attempting to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"I'm... Sorry."

"It's okay. She was fearless. Her plan was to figure out how to rid this town of the fog. I'm sure she learned something useful. And hopefully... someone heard."

She held her closed, shaky hands out, and Malik gently grasped them, offering his warmth. She was holding something. A thin chain draped over her fingers.

"Yeah…"

It made him think of his friend Ali. They got separated shortly after the same happened to his grandparents, so he doesn't know whether he's still alive or not.

He could never forget the moment they first started talking to each other properly. It happened after they realized how coincidental it was that his entire name was in Malik's. One of the few fun memories he had. They were convinced it was destiny for them to become friends and had been loyally committed to one another ever since.

A loud siren blared out, stopping his thoughts abruptly in their tracks. The sound was powerful enough to make the ground rumble with the strength of a minor earthquake.

He had heard it before. It always came from the drake, right before flames gushed out of it and a nearby section of his city was burned down.

"If they're targeting anywhere near here, then..." The old lady retracted her arms slightly. Her hands opened, revealing a necklace. A dove pendant hung on the end of it.

"Wait—"

"What was your name?"

"Uh, Malik."

"Please... keep the memory of my daughter alive." She held the necklace out before gently placing it around his neck.

"You're not... leaving?"

"This was hers."

"H-Hold on—"

Malik pulled at both her and the man's arms, but both were quick to withdraw, slipping out of his grip. They were of the same mind. Despite his efforts, it seemed there was only one way they wanted to go.

"Good luck."

A burst of flames erupted just outside the window, melting it down in a matter of seconds. Malik gave them a long look, which elicited a bittersweet smile. And as the fire blasted through what was now just a gaping hole in the living room, he stormed out, narrowly escaping the eruption.

Out on the streets again, Malik's heart felt heavier than ever. It was almost surreal to be walking away from yet another scorched part of the place he grew up. And chilling, that this was similar to scenarios he had already witnessed. Becoming desensitized to a life like this was something he wouldn't wish on anyone.

He looked down, fidgeting with the little dove he was cradling in his hands.

When his gaze returned to the road again, a distinct shadow was trotting toward him. How long had it been since he saw one of these?

An elegant, though highly alert, Canaan dog. The animal's ears perked up as their eyes met, and it immediately came to a stop.

"Good... boy? Girl?" Malik approached it carefully. He could really use some companionship after all this.

The dog didn't move. But as he got closer, it started backing away.

Crouching down, he took the backpack off and rummaged through it. That made the canine stop and even inch a little in his direction, curious.

It probably wouldn't be a good idea to feed it too many of these, but one should be okay. Beef jerky. Putting the backpack back over his shoulders, he tore up the packaging and held it out. Now it was more than just curiosity. Its nose was officially active, as it came close enough for Malik to determine that it was in fact a good boy. He also had some curious black spots on his otherwise blonde fur.

As he hesitantly sniffed the snack and bit at it with precision, Malik took a moment to observe the large black spot on its head and smaller spots clustered together in two areas down either side of its body.

He occasionally peeked up at Malik as the strip of meat swiftly disappeared.

Malik, sensing it had been sufficiently calmed down, reached his other hand out. But before his fingers could as much as graze its fur, footsteps echoed behind him.

The dog's eyes fixed on something past his head as it backed up.

A sharp, piercing screech made it leap back, and within seconds, his potential new friend was out of sight.

Malik wasn't too keen on facing whatever it was, and judging by the scream, he might not even get to do so in time.

But of course, he conceded, turning his head slowly.

Two familiar scythes and six eyes somehow all directed at him. Oh dear.

Saliva dribbled out of its mouth, and Malik swore he saw blood mingled with it.

Setting off into a sprint, Malik was out of there. The creature reacted instantly to that, sending its sharp tongue right for his head.

He just barely dodged it like before, but this time the demon wasn't done with him. It slinked after Malik, lunging hastily toward him, which caused portions of the wall beside him to collapse. Its scythes clinked against the stone, a breath away from his neck.

It needed some time to recover after that, giving Malik a moment to search the alleys for help.

He peered down the opening to another street. It barely had any working lights left, making it difficult to see where it ended in all its oppressive darkness.

Under one of its many flickering lampposts stood a tall humanoid figure. It held a sagging body in its firm grip, digging into it like a barbaric imp with sharp teeth and a bite strong enough to fracture bone. Malik had never seen any of those supposedly controlled demons give in to instinct like that.

The fact that both hands were on the human meant one thing. As he glanced at the ground, he could only praise the world for favoring him this one time.

Its sword lay there.

They made eye contact. He sped past it, hoping to swipe the metal off the ground. The demon's claws were stuck in all kinds of flesh and meat, sunken in too deep to get disentangled in time. That gave Malik just enough of a headstart to grasp the weapon’s handle and flee down the road.

But. He didn't get far. Hidden out of view earlier by the fog was... a dead end.

He turned back toward the demon, inching closer to the wall as it stalked up to him. Behind it, the mantis creature had finally entered. There was no way he had the power to fight off both of them.

Was it over?

"Give that back, inferior one."

No.

A chance. The demon was going about it calmly. He might be able to surprise it. And he did have the advantage. At least against this one. Then... he would deal with the consequences later.

Going in sword first, he glimpsed the dog from earlier approaching the sudden commotion.

"H-Help."

That was all he could get out, as the pointed tip plunged deep into the demon's gut, a ringing shriek escaping its throat.

Malik kept desperately slashing at its body as it tumbled back and fell to the ground. He wasn't taking any chances.

But right as he looked up for air, the sharp edge of a scythe gleamed from above.

All he could do was close his eyes.

Nothing happened. Pain didn't follow.

Instead, his senses were overwhelmed by loud barking and growling, as a blur of claws and fur clashed before his freshly opened eyes. The canine was on it in a flash, its teeth digging into the demon's throat.

As energetic as it was, it couldn't possibly be capable of getting a killing blow on that thing. Malik needed to help finish the job. It was the least he could do.

Being careful to avoid the dog, he swung for its competitor, who was currently fighting from below them. It took far too many swings to slice through its thick neck, but once those thin pupils went completely still, its head toppled to the ground.

Once his new sparring partner noticed it going limp, he jumped off.

As a strained quiet spread, all Malik heard was the loud panting of the dog and his own choked loss of breath. He got down on his knee and got the backpack off once again. Pulling out one of his water bottles, he took a large swig of it.

"You, um, want a name? How about... Bari?"

The newly named Bari trotted up to him, sniffing and nudging at the plastic with its nose.

"Alright, you can have some." He held his hand out, pouring water into it. It didn't take long for a large tongue to insert itself in there, lapping up everything as he emptied the bottle.

"Thank you."

On the road again with a four-legged companion by his side and a sword in his hand, Malik snacked on the last of his rations, sharing tiny pieces of it with him. He was being overly cautious though, considering he never had a dog before. And absolutely no opportunities to learn about, well, most things.

The food wasn't offering much nutrition. He had to admit that hunger was starting to settle in. Also, who knew how much food the dog had ever gotten.

Arches and overhanging flowers greeted him. They had rotted from their former pristine condition. No longer decorating the beams and walls with comfort.

As Malik got further into the alley, he gripped the handle of the sword tighter. A group of imps were surrounding a woman, with her back up against the wall.

"Look look. A lone one. Just for us."

If he didn't act now, he'd have them all attacking at once. But if he could surprise them and scare some away in one quick move, maybe he’d be able to make them scatter before anything happened.

If it failed, he would still have Bari and the woman to help fight them off.

Hefting the sword up high, he squinted his eyes, aiming for the demons to avoid accidentally helping his enemy.

He threw the thin metal as fast as he could, hoping it wouldn't lose momentum in the air.

The blade went right through the compact body of one of them, pinning the gasping creature to the ground. The woman's eyes widened as she grasped at the uneven stonewall. Every demon flew back an inch in surprise, but none of them moved back to help. Instead, chuckles came out of their grimy little mouths.

"Do you know how stupid you look right now? We can't be seen with a weak thing like you, sorry."

And off they went, leaving it to whine and shudder in pain, eventually letting out one last whimper.

Malik walked up to the scene, his mouth forming a thin line as he dragged the sword back out.

"No one is safe, huh? Not even them." She sighed.

"Doesn't feel like there's much humanity left. I'll say that."

When Malik's new friend approached them with his tail wagging, her bittersweet smile turned to one of delight.

"Yeah... But hey, at least you can always trust these guys." She gently patted Bari's head.

"I'm lucky I found him."

Pushing open the door of the building she had been standing against, the woman slipped inside.

"Get in. I have some food for you and...?"

"Bari."

"Great."

Following her, he came to a halt in the living room, noting how similar her home looked to the one he had just witnessed burn down.

"Huh..."

Malik had to wait for a while; however, he didn't mind the silence for once.

"Here. It’s nothing too exciting, but there's at least some proper food for Bari. I lost my dog not too long ago."

She placed a plate of salad and various meats on the living room table. Then a bowl of dry dog food on the floor. Bari wasted no time digging his muzzle into it.

"I really appreciate it. And, uh, I hope you're feeling better." Malik sat down on one of her couches, joining his canine friend in the feast.

"It's, well, not exactly unusual to grieve here. I'm alright."

Malik gave her a brisk nod. He knew it all too well.

Outside the woman's boarded-up window, he caught a glimpse of a humanoid demon walking side by side with the mantis-looking one. The creature was following along so diligently. Like a leashed pet.

Further in the back, Malik noticed a person sneaking around, presumably trying to avoid detection. There was something very familiar about him. Something... about his face? Or... body?

"This has been a huge help, but... I kind of have to run off."

"Oh, that was quick. You're welcome. I had to pay you back somehow."

Sharing short glances and the briefest of smiles, they both got up from their respective couches. Malik hurried for the door.

"Stay safe."

She nodded in response as he disappeared out the entrance, an excited Bari in tow.

It had to be him.