It was night when Ray finished cleaning his whole house. He returned the last air conditioner filter to its place and went to the kitchen to wash his face on the sink. The water cool and clean, he felt an extreme urge to have a bath, but he needed to turn the water heater on.

He looked at the power switch on the kitchen wall, and it was glowing red. Thankgod he had forgotten it on yesterday.

He took his usual pajamas along with a towel and went to take the long-awaited bath. Ray's bath didn't take long but it was thorough to his whole body, as he wore the pajama pants he stared at the mirror.

"They are to protect you and the people around you in general," He remembered what the woman who drew these tattoos on him had said.

Ray was still a child, and his whole body was filled with tattoos, from his toes to his fingers.

He extended his tongue, the tattoo was there as well.

Good thing normal people weren't able to see those lines or those figures because if they were capable of that, he would have been discarded as soon as they were drawn on his body.

Out of bathroom Ray went to his room, plugged the air dryer on and dried his silky hair, some hairs pinched his eyes, it was getting long. He should ask the old man to bring him to his barber soon. He should try a new haircut as well, recently he was thinking of cutting down his long hair after all.

As he finished all of his preparations Ray got down to the kitchen hunger piling up his body as he hadn't put a thing inside his mouth since the crepe he had eaten with Miso. However, he recalled something as he opened the fridge… he had nothing to eat.

Yea, he hadn't shopped for two weeks as the fridge was being filled with three nurturing meals everyday… 

He flexed his eyes on the empty fridge, feeling stupid because he asked Miso to stop doing her weird habit.

He looked at the wall clock, it was still nine… the city's market was still open and he should reach them in less than half an hour. It wasn't raining outside so he should enjoy a short walk as well.

He changed his clothes to a grey tracksuit and got out.

 

The first demon Ray could remember was a black paper man. His body was paper-thin and his eyes were white and scribbled as if a little child had drawn them. The paper man when noticed Ray's attention began to tail him, Ray was five at the time and on a shopping trip with a brown-haired priestess and a few more orphans. He kept hugging the priestess vestment…

"What's the wrong ray?"

"A paper wants to take me..."

The Priestess smiled and covered him under her touching-the-ground sleeves.

"I shall hide and protect you then."

………….

Liers, Ray thought in the middle of the city, as the paper man waved at him from afar. After six years of seeing them and communicating with them, Demons became normal existence to him and normal people like humans. He even discovered his ambition and goal to create a place where both of them would be equal and no one would harm the other.

"How have you been?" A voice came from his side.

He looked at the semi built building and spotted a semi-transparent human figure on the construction ground fence.

"Cool, what's about you?"

The figure had gray hair and eyes, his eyelashes were long and beautiful and his body was well-built and healthy, this person who insisted that he wasn't a demon was really the most similar demon to humans Ray had ever seen.

"I guess the same as usual," he sighed "Just talking with whoever passes by here."

Ray looked at him, pausing for a moment, and flew a question, "what type of demon are you?"

The semi-transparent figure flexed his eyelids angrily and spat: "How much do I need to say that I'm not a demon."

"Then what are you?"

"I don't know, I don't remember anything, I'm just locked inside this building," sighed the figure as he pointed at the building.

"Then why are you locked here?"

As Ray asked this a vein popped on the figure's forehead and said: "You're kidding right?"

Ray giggled, "Yes, then mister figure, I need to call you by something, it's awkward to not know your name after talking for many times."

"I don't remember it as well."

"Then just make one, is it hard?"

"I feel like I was never good at making decisions,"

unable to give himself a name, unable to know or remember who he was, and being the type who got angry over small jokes. Ray rubbed his head trying to figure out how this figure would react if he chose a name for him.

"How about we decide a name together?" Ray asked and the figure flexed his eyes for a second as if he was struck by Ray's solution. 

He hammered one hand over the other and said: "That's a good idea, so what do you think would suit me, Ray?"

"I don't know what will suit you, but how about we have similar names, you know as a symbol of friendship."

"Friendship?"

"What? aren't we friends yet?"

Being pushed to the term of friendship by this child the figure looked around, rubbed his chin and closed his eyes in deep thought, "hmmmm, hmmmmmm"

He hmmed in thought and then asked Ray: "What does it mean to be friends?"

Ray smiled, "I'm not quite sure what it means as well, but for me right now a friend is a person you trust and tell things you are afraid of telling people about," Just like Emily who told him that she believed in what he had believed, "And a person you don't get tired of walking and talking with," just like when he walked with Emily every morning to school, "And a person who you want to help and protect even if you aren't capable of that," Just like when Emily told him that she would protect him.

Along with his explanation, Ray smiled as his memories with Emily kept repeating in his head.

Ray looked at the figure's eyes to see him a bit frozen.

"What's up?"

"No, nothing… but just a little question."

"Yeah sure."

The figure moved his lips but then stopped, a bit of confusion showing up his face. But not long after he sighed and moved his lips, "So you want to help me when I'm in trouble and want to talk with me, and above all of that want to protect me?"

"And if possible I want to get you out of this building."

These words struck deep inside the figure and he paused for a moment before smiling with both eyes gently curling down.

"I see, it looks beautiful, the friendship," said the figure "then what name is in your head my friend Ray?"

"My name is Ray, so I feel like Rayan is pretty good too. It's longer because you're older, a weird logic but I guess it's a beautiful name."

"hmm, Rayan," the figure moved his tongue, "Rayan, Ray-an, Ra-ya-n" and started tasting every letter of his name…

"Wow it's really good," the figure laughed, and then remembered something, his face changed to be less energetic and he said: "Then as a friend, I shall give you friendly advice."

"Yeah, sure I love advices."

The figure pointed at the rest of the pavement, "Don't enter any of these alleys, just finish what you came to do and return back to your home dear Ray."

Ray looked at the pavement way, the market was ahead so he had to take this way…

"Why?"

"I don't think what you will see is a good thing?"

"But if there are bad demons there I need to talk with them."

"Don't worry, they aren't bad demons."

"Then what are they?"

"Let's see,  I don't really know how to explain it to you, just don't go there."

Ray looked at the way. If they weren't bad demons he shouldn't think much of it. After all his friend gave him his first advice so he shouldn't be rude and reject it.

"Okay, I guess it's easy to follow."

Rayan smiled and waved him goodbye.

The market Ray usually attended wasn't the first one, it was the third, it was the cheapest and had a kind attendant and he loved her sweet voice.

In less than fifteen minutes Ray passed the second supermarket. And after a few minutes, just two minutes away from his desired supermarket, Ray passed by an alley, and his heart burnt like hell…

Ray stared at the Dark alley, something was telling him that inside that alley resided the things he feared the most, things that he didn't know what but also didn't desire…

Something not good was happening there.

I'm sorry Rayan.

Ray stepped in and walked for a minute to find a branching point. He took the left alley and then found another turning point. After four consequent turning points, Ray saw the thing he wished not to see.

A little child was leaning on the wall, her head no longer attached to her body, her head was being fiercely eaten by a demon he knew well. A demon that was supposed to keep the balance between the two races, just like him.

"C-C- Crake?"

Hi!

hope you're good.

I wish to hear your thoughts about the story so far. What's your opinion about the events? the story will keep growin as it has yet to reach its potential and will steadily reach it. 

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