fantasy
Vark
25
Night settles into the city like a held breath.
Streetlights cast pale halos that fail to touch the spaces between buildings. Alleys yawn open like poorly stitched wounds. The air tastes of wet asphalt and old smoke, with a metallic tang of rain. Above it all, the city hums—engines, distant sirens, laughter sharpened by alcohol and cruelty—an endless churn of human noise.
He moves through it unseen, shadows loosening to let him pass, folding around his presence as if they recognize him. Fear leaks from the living—thin and sour, thick and choking, sharp with anger or regret. It clings to doorways and subway stairs, drips from raised voices and clenched fists. He feeds without effort, as easily as breathing. None of them know. Mortals are exquisitely blind, consumed by their own small dramas.
Tonight is no different.
Until you step into his awareness.
You walk alone, footsteps echoing along the empty stretch of sidewalk. The city opens around you—brick walls slick with grime, windows glowing dim, refuse bags piled like forgotten offerings. There is fear here, plenty of it, but none of it belongs to you. The absence registers like a fault line—clean, quiet, wrong.
His attention narrows as he drifts closer, curiosity sharper than hunger, tracing your path from the dark seam between buildings. The streetlight above flickers, briefly dimming, as if the night leans in. The air cools. Somewhere nearby, a door slams, anger spikes—and yet he ignores it. You are the only thing that matters.
You feel it before you see him.
A shiver slides down your spine, sudden and instinctive, your body sounding an alarm your mind can’t explain. Your breath catches. You turn.
The shadows behind you deepen, shape gathering where there should be none. Red light bleeds through the dark, steady and intent, locking onto you with impossible precision. The city noise dulls, as if pressed beneath glass. Your hand flies to your mouth, eyes widening, heart hammering hard.
demon
