A deafening scream in the dead of night. The cut off cry of terror, the bestial noises, and the sound of rending flesh was all that sounded off in the eerie silence.
Not a soul walked the dirt paths, yet they all knew. They knew what had transpired just beyond the bare minimal safety of their homes.
They held their breath, not daring to step beyond those boundaries, waiting for the momentary danger to vanish back into the black night...It was only then, that they began to gather among themselves, speaking in urgent, anxiety filled whispers.
“Another dead…” One began, barely hidden hysteria laced within his voice.
“How long will this go on?” Another questioned, the anxious murmuring peaking all the more with each passing moment.
“I don’t want to die!!” A shrill voice joined the chorus of terror.
“Everyone calm down! Cool your heads!!” A more level headed voice bellowed over the rest, worn with age. “Do you intend to draw it’s attention back to us?!” He urged, pressing his wrinkled hands together in an almost silent prayer.
Yet...Despite his words, he felt the same fear and hysteria as his fellow villagers...What was he to do? Day by day, the endless slaughter continued.
Who would be next? When would the creature strike again? Tonight?? Tomorrow??? Neither he, nor any of the others could possibly know if and when their lives would be cut unexpectedly short.
The only thing he could do was pray.
Pray that they would survive yet another darkened night.
………….
Morning.
Bright light filtered in through a partly opened window, hitting the face of an individual who had been sleeping soundly.
Eventually, his eyes would open, one a deep, blood red, and the other a dazzling, icy silver. His vibrant, violet hair falling down just past his chin as he sat up and glanced out the window absently.
“…” A small sigh escaped his lips before he pulled himself out of the comfort of his bed, not even bothering to remake it.
His home was small, minimalistic at best. He only kept what was absolutely necessary within his living space. Aside from those basic furnishings, there was nothing. The home lacked anything that gave a sense of a person living within it, but that was fine. He just didn’t need anything more than that.
He wasted no more time than what it took to get ready for the day, slipping a single pistol into a holster at his waist, and heading out the door.
Outside was surprisingly quiet, despite being the city, but that was only short lived as he would eventually turn off onto the main streets.
Life there was the complete opposite of the quieter residential district. No matter where you looked, people cluttered the cobblestone walkways, large buildings towering over everything.
...But the moment they would lay their eyes on him, he was given a wide berth.
As though parting the sea of people merely by walking the path ahead of him, he was actively avoided, a clear look of distrust shot his way by any who passed by.
Whispers, murmurs, and those looks of disgust practically fired his way...What with his strangely colored hair and eyes, he might have looked anything but Human...And that was because he simply wasn’t.
The thick and smooth, dark colored tail that swayed behind him only further attested to that fact.
Given such bizarre looks, it was no wonder they gave him such looks, even if he hadn’t done a single thing to any one of them...But that’s just the way things were. The way Humans were.
Judging one based on appearances alone, their differences, and their strangeness...That’s what Humans based their impressions off of, but he paid it no mind. He simply disregarded them all, and continued onward towards his destination.
A massive building towered over all in the center most part of the city, away from the noisy hustle and bustle.
Given it’s grandeur and size, it almost resembled a more modernized castle of sorts, as one might say. Maybe even a mansion, a very, very large one. With it’s large, ascending staircase, one might even think they were walking up to the gateway of another world entirely. Perhaps even be overwhelmed.
A giant set of doors sat atop the stairs, a large banner with a peculiar symbol boasting a spiral in the center displayed proudly above.
Once inside, a large foyer like area spread out as the entry point. Smooth, marbled floors glistened brightly against the sunlight that filtered in from the dome like windows just above.
Rather, the inside really was impressive, even by his own standards, and it would seemed his arrival was within good timing.
“Eon.” A voice called out from the bottom of one of the two, large staircases that led to the second floor.
The voice belonged to a young man with slightly darkened, blackish hair. Perhaps closer to a dark gray. His brown eyes locked onto him with an all too familiar animosity that was almost disappointingly predictable.
“...What?” Eon finally responded after a drawn out silence, expressing his disinterest without restraint.
His complacent response in turn, only further fueled that aggravated expression painted across the other man’s face. Of course, this was by some part intentional on Eon’s part.
“The Chief’s calling for you.” He replied tartly, withholding his urge to spit at him. “You best hurry on off to him like the lapdog you are.” He added in mockingly.
In response, Eon’s brow gave the slightest twitch, but he refused to give the man any sense of satisfaction from his crude remarks.
“Jealous?” Eon smoothly shot back in retort before taking off towards the second floor with a flick of his tail.
He felt as though he heard the man mutter something else in return, but Eon didn’t bother with trying to make any sense of it. He felt satisfied with getting the last word in anyhow.
The second floor was a series of hallways beyond one point, lined with doors on one side that were mostly living spaces for those who worked here. However, these were not the destination that Eon was heading for, going in the opposite direction until he reached a particular door, pausing for only a moment before he gave the wood a small knock.
“Enter.” A voice called out softly from beyond the door, and Eon didn’t waste a beat in entering the room upon being given permission.
The room inside was filled to the brim with a disarray of paperwork and books. Obviously, this gave it an extremely unkempt feel, and yet, somehow, there was an inexplicable sense of tidiness as well.
At the center of the room was a large desk, and sitting at it, a man with ashen colored hair, and hazel eyes bore down at Eon.
However, unlike the man before, while this man’s gaze held a keen glint, there was no sense of hostility. There was only that sharp look. As though he were able to see right through Eon entirely, like he were as transparent as glass.
“You needed to see me?” Eon spoke up, holding the man’s gaze in an almost stubborn manner.
“Indeed. There was something I had in mind for you to tend to.” He spoke up on the dime, roaming his mess of a desk with his eyes until he plucked up a single stack of papers. He flipped through them quietly for a moment as though ascertaining something before speaking up again. “We’ve just gotten a plea from the farming village to the East.” He explained, the dry sound of him flipping through another page echoing in the quiet room. “It would appear they’re suffering from more frequent attacks than mentioned before.”
“I thought the Society initially turned down their request.” Eon interrupted him.
“Ah yes, I suppose their concern had risen upon the fact that this one might be a Glutton.”
This alone, piqued Eon’s interest, the tip of his tail giving a slight flick.
“A Glutton?” He echoed, turning his gaze off to the side a bit before a dry laugh escaped his lips. “...And let me guess, that’s why they’re having you send me.” He added in, his gaze locking back onto his superiors. “...Am I wrong?”
After all, what better way to deal with a monster than with another monster, as some would say? They wouldn’t waste their precious ‘Human’ resources on something so dangerous, after all.
“Precisely.” The response was without delay. “Of course, it may simply just be your average kind, but either way, be careful.” The man continued, beckoning Eon over so he could give him the paperwork containing the details.
Eon skimmed those papers over without missing a beat.
“I trust you’ll be able to handle it?’ The question reached his ears, in which Eon gave the man a slight grin in response.
“Of course. What do you take me for? I’ll have it taken care of.” He answered before taking his leave after being briefed on the details.
The particular village he was meant to head to was quite far away. Close to the forest that separated the more central part of the country from the shorelines….But this honestly didn’t bother Eon. Rather, he’d be more than happy to get away from the city for a little while, even if it was only until he would inevitably arrive at the village in question.
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