Vizisco knelt, feeling for the fresh blood on the bushes in front of them. Nrome had said there were three, but they had only been able to find two of the beasts. That didn’t sit right with them, yet the forest was still, save the crackle of a distant fire. 

The angel had warned them that there was a human living in the woods, but Vizisco had dismissed it as they did most things. What human would risk isolation when a monster could roam anywhere, and yet, the distant crackle had proven Nrome’s statement true. The man, the human Vizisco had walked past, truly did live out in the trees, and the knowledge frustrated them even more. If the man lived here and there really were three beasts, then Vizisco could not risk missing the final creature.

They sheathed their blade, carefully undoing the lacing on the front of their shirt. It was annoying to do things this way, but the demon had little choice ever since losing their main eyes. As soon as the fabric was opened, Vizisco opened the eyes on their chest, turning to see the forest for the first time since arriving. As expected it was dark, but Vizisco could see the trail now. The blood glistened faintly in the sparse moonlight, warm against the bark, smeared across a low-hanging branch. Whatever this last creature was, it was clever, doubling back to confuse them and that, more than the angel’s warning, tightened something in Vizisco’s jaw.

They closed their shirt again, fingers deft from long repetition, lacing it shut with practiced ease. They would have to be more careful, especially if this monster was still intelligent. It also meant these three likely recently maxed out their Corruption, still able to retain some higher thinking and those, Vizisco knew from experience, were more dangerous than ones that had killed.

Vizisco began to move quietly, keeping their hand on the wet trail of blood as they walked. The third beast was bleeding heavily, but it was careful to mask its movements, doing just enough to make sure Vizisco couldn’t easily distinguish it from another animal in the forest. Likely had a high Ability as a human, and was struggling to maintain their mind against the transformation. 

“Why do I do this to myself?” 

Vizisco glanced up, and realized they had gotten close to the source of the fire, to the human who lived in the woods. The numbers appeared in Vizisco’s vision and they frowned with what they saw.

{Ability: 24

Loveliness: 3

Corruption: 0}

Vizisco shook their head, trying to ignore the numbers. They didn’t truly understand what they meant, other than angels like Nrome often spoke about them and humans seemed to put immense weight and meaning on them. The numbers weren’t important. 

Stopping the monster was. 

Vizisco turned away, focusing on the feel of blood as they walked around the human’s home. A low growl escaped them as they reached a large puddle, pausing again to listen. The monster had stopped here for a long time, watching the human with whatever they were doing. The monster was interested and that was what Vizisco hoped to prevent. Protecting a human was worse than simply killing a beast.

“The black glass will be worth it, Kou,” the human’s voice reached Vizisco again and the demon stood, trying to ignore the sound of the human. They frowned, confused by what could be so important that the human was talking to themselves about it in the middle of a dark forest. Nrome had promised to warn them, to explain why a demon was there, and yet this strange being was outside, making noise, practically begging for the beast to descend upon them.

They stepped forward, hand sliding down to their blade again, but they didn’t draw it. Instead, Vizisco crouched low, letting the sound of the human’s voice guide them; the way the trail curved, the way the blood stopped and picked up again in broken spots… it had circled this area. More than once. The human’s noise and movements were attracting the monster, and Vizisco knew they were running out of time.

Vizisco paused, their fingers lingering on the edge of their shirt. They were certain the beast was close, all the blood was simply a circle around the human and even if they had managed to hold on to their intelligence, the monster’s fate was inevitable. It would lose its mind completely and it would attack the human, But the only way to confirm with all the noise would be to look, but Vizisco hesitated to risk their eyes. 

“Oh, I hate making glass!” The human continued to complain in a sing-song voice and Vizisco carefully unsheathed their blade. It was then they finally heard it; the sound of leathery wings opening, the creak of branches not from the wind, but from the weight of something heavy shifting. 

It was in the trees. 

Vizisco leapt toward the sound as soon as the branch broke, colliding with the beast mid-air. It shrieked, finally making a noise as they grabbed its wings, revealing their own as they flipped mid air, slamming the beast into the nearby tree trunk. The human’s words stopped but to Vizisco’s surprise, there was no screaming, no frantic cries. Just silence, and the demon’s attention was drawn back to the shuddering beast now trying to pull free from their grasp. It raked long claws at Vizisco’s arms, but they shifted their grip smoothly, pinning one wing beneath their knee as they drove the hilt of their blade hard into the base of its skull.

The crack echoed through the clearing like a tree snapping in a storm. The beast twitched once, twice—then stilled.

Vizisco waited another moment before loosening their grip, ensuring the beast was dead before releasing it. They quickly resheathed their blade, touching the scratches on their arms. Only a few were deep enough to draw blood and Vizisco frowned as they felt the warm liquid. They would have to return to Nrome before they–

“Hey! Hey, wait!” the human’s voice made Vizisco turn, and the demon stepped back, startled by how much closer the numbers were. When had the human gotten so close? Why was the human so close? “You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine.”

“Well, I can patch that up and let you rest here. No need to go back to the angel,” Vizisco noted a hint of new sound in the human’s voice and they straightened, looking down at the numbers. Even if they couldn’t see the human, certainly the human could see what they were? What they just did? Most humans were content to offer thanks and move on, while some threatened them in order to make the demon leave. They were not used to this response, but, as usual, Vizisco simply had to do what the human wanted.

“That is fine.” Vizisco agreed, watching the numbers as they began to move away. Vizisco followed, listening to the sound of the human’s footsteps to understand what was in front of them. Grass worn down from constant walking, stones used to being kicked and shoved out of the way, compacted dirt. This human had lived here for a long time, and Vizisco almost missed the sound of a door opening.

“You’re taller than my doorway so unless you want to hit your head,” the human’s voice was light and Vizisco froze as they felt a hand on theirs, gently pulling them down. They allowed themselves to be lowered, only stepping forward as they felt the human pull them. “Figured that was easier than you guessing since your eyes are…”

“Gone. Yes.” Vizisco confirmed, watching the numbers as they moved around, hearing the sound of boots on a worn wooden floor. Alone; this human lived alone. “Why are you here?”

“Huh?”

“It is dangerous to live alone so far from the town.” Vizisco repeated, watching and listening as the human continued to move around, gathering various things before once again grabbing the demon’s hand. Vizisco allowed themselves to be guided, eventually bumping into what they could only guess was a bed. They sat, listening to the material creak under their weight. “It is not safe.”

“I don’t like the town. I mean the people are okay, but I don’t care about Stats the way they do,” the human seemed dismissive, but Vizisco could hear there was another emotion underneath. Regret? Fear? Worry? “Besides, I like the quiet, and I don’t have to follow the Rules out here.”

“Rules?”

“Yeah, the Rules of a Human Life. Supposed to keep people from maxing out their Corruption, didn’t help those poor idiots,” the human scoffed and Vizisco remained silent as they felt the wet cloth touch the scratches on their arm. “I’d rather be alone than feel suffocated.”

Vizisco stayed quiet, staring at the numbers as the human moved and tended to their wound. Were these numbers they could see… the Stats the human mentioned? Only Angels were supposed to see them, so what did it mean if Vizisco, as a demon, could see them as well? 

“Well, they aren’t deep so that should be enough. My bed is kinda small for you, so I can–”

“I cannot take your place of rest, I–”

“No, I’m not sleeping, I don’t need it!” The human seemed slightly panicked and Vizisco frowned. Was there something they could not see? The human seemed to be fidgeting, and Vizisco considered opening their secondary eyes. If there was danger, they needed to– “I need to get back to my glass. It’s gonna take all night to make, so you can stay in here.” 

“You should rest.”

“No, the ashes work best if they are used right after being mixed. I gotta get back to it,” the human insisted, and Vizisco stared at the numbers. Why was the human so insistent? “I can just make you a bed on the floor, unless you think you can fit on the bed.”

“You do not need to do extra for me.” Vizisco finally relented, removing their sword from their waist. They didn’t have a reason to refuse, and it was clear that this human wanted them to stay. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure!” Vizisco listened as the human started to walk away, glancing back as the numbers paused near what they assumed was the doorway. “My name’s Kou.”

“Vizisco.”

“Viz… Vizis…” Vizisco’s lips twitched as the human, this Kou struggled to pronounce their name. “How about I just call you Vi for now?”

For now? 

“Vi is fine,” Vizisco agreed, watching as the numbers disappeared and the door closed behind them. The demon released a breath, listening to the sound of the strange human outside. They didn’t need to sleep, so sitting up like this would do.