In the dim room...
"Miaow!" (Please tell me, Master!)
"The recipe? No way, that's a family secret!"
After the Dawnbringer girl had left, Damon hadn't lost any time. At the moment, he was hands deep in bloody rat meat, grinding it all to a pulp, and making sausages. There was nothing he preferred more than cooking his enemies. That ought to teach those freaking rats!
"Miaow!" (That's not it, Master! I'm talking about that Heart thingy from before. What is it?!)
"Oh? That? Just a Magical Beast Awakening Catalyst."
"....?!?
A-Awakening... for Beasts?! Even as a cat, it knew how invaluable this was! but instead of losing its mind, it felt a warmth inside its stomach. Its Master had gotten it for its sake, right? Could it ever be grateful enough? The best it could do was act worthy of him, at the very least!
"Miaow!" (Is that so? I see! Anyway, Master, how can I help with the cooking?)
"You take care of the oven, I'll do everything else. Make it tender!"
In the now not-so-dim room, an inferno burned. The two quickly settled into a rhythm that would have put sweatshops to shame. After all, Damon had to hurry up with production. They had to have everything ready before the Amber Academy started recruiting tomorrow.
Then, just like that, the two kept working. They worked as the day went by. They worked as the room temperature reached unbearable heights. They even worked as violent knocking happened on their door.... multiple times!
"Whoever lives there, get out now!"
"Yeah, yeah, are you trying to commit Arson?!"
"Come on out already, or we'll report you to the building manager!"
Damon sighed, finally taking a break for the first time.... not because of the disturbance, but because he had actually run out of materials! Somehow, this was already the last batch of rat meat. Stretching, he lazily made his way toward the front door.
On the other side was a flock of aunties. As soon as he appeared, they glared daggers at him. "Young man, what are you doing in there?! Also, what's with that burnt smell? From now on, we'll oversee this building. No more rats on our watch!"
They even had hand-made knitted banners that read: "Building Committee!" Was this the equivalent of a neighborhood watch? Seeing this, Damon couldn't help but feel it surreal. Not long ago, he was in a world where humanity was mere prey. And now...
"Are you even listening?! You'll have to let us inspect your apartment!"
"Yeah, yeah, and if it's not to our standards, we'll get you kicked out!"
"Yes, yes, don't dismiss us so fast. We actually know a Tamer, see!"
By now, the Karen had taken her cellphone and was proudly displaying... a selfie?! On the screen, Damon could see a certain Sylvia Dawnbringer, her entire face red from embarrassment. She looked kinda cute, and so goddamn naive.
"Hey, are you listening to me, young man?!"
"Not one bit!"
Damon didn't even bother with the drama, closing the door right in their faces. Still, it rendered him pensive. Right now, people felt safe in their "impregnable" cities, but he knew that this wouldn't last long.
He still remembered the day Amber City had fallen in the original timeline.
He remembered vividly; it was the day he had originally Awakened.
Blue Zone? What Blue Zone? It had quickly become unlivable, all civilians dying. He himself had barely ascended to the Green Zone just in time to preserve his life— only to be instantly reduced to a slave by those goddamn lettuce eaters! This sure brought back bad memories...
Glancing at the time, Damon tidied everything up as fast as lightning before crashing down in a corner. As shameful as it was, the current him couldn't handle going more than a few days without sleep. "I'll nap for a bit. Wake me up when dusk descends..."
"M-Miaow?!" (S-Sure, but what about those people outside? They're not leaving?)
"If they cause you any problem, show them this. Just don't lose it."
Damon nonchalantly threw his pet a certain Amber Badge. Grabbing it, the cat couldn't help but feel doubtful. What would such a tiny thing even do against those shrews? But before it could even ask about it, the knocking on the door became crazy!
"Don't you dare ignore us, young man! You don't know who you're messing with!"
"Miaow!" (Fine, fine! I'll show you who's boss! I'll teach you to disturb Master!)
Seeing the fluffy and cute cat appear, the middle-aged women almost forgot their grievances— Only to raise some more!
"Poor cat! Is that dried blood?! What about its paws? They're all burnt up! Oh my god, this youngster's a monster! Don't worry, kitty; we'll rescue you from the bad man." And they kept droning on and on, the cat having long stopped listening.
Rescue. Rescue?! Rescue your ass! With Damon, it would become as strong as a Magical Beast. Why the hell would it want to go with those old ladies instead?! Only now did it realize why its master hadn't even bothered with them! They didn't even deserve their attention.
No, actually, it was even worse than that. How dared they! How dare they come to its Master's doorstep and threaten them! It suddenly felt the fire of anger burning inside it, even stronger than the oven it had burned its paws in!
At this moment, the cat seriously felt like clawing their eyes out. They might as well be blind if they couldn't see its Master's awesomeness! But then, it settled on something else. It carefully aimed and— FIRE!
That's when it rained, except the rain was yellow...
"Miaow!" (Take this! This is for insulting Master!)
Instantly the group was drenched in cat urine, their haughty faces twisting in shock, then rage. What the heck was this cat doing?!
"Y-YOU! As expected of a lowlife's pet! As arrogant as its Master! Let's see how I deal with you. I'll turn you into hotpot and—" She would have continued, but she was suddenly stopped by another middle-aged lady, the latter pointing at the cat's paws.
A golden Badge that shimmered under the light.
"T-This... an Academy Badge?!"
They froze. Only now did they recall Lady Sylvia mentioning that she was working with another Tamer. What if that was that youngster in there?! No, that couldn't be. No Tamer would live in a dump like this one! But... what if?! The world seemingly crumbled before them.
At this moment, being drenched in cat piss was the least of their worries.
"Miaow!" (Get out of here already. Stop disturbing my master!)
"YES, Sorry about that. We're leaving, we're leaving!"
They instantly got the fuck out. To them, it mattered little if the Badge was real or fake; they still had to show deference! In this world, strength was everything, and they'd be damned if they ever went against an actual Tamer.
The cat sighed to itself. So, this was what it felt like to have power? It could get used to it, for sure! Turning tail, it returned to the apartment, its master in a deep slumber, no pillow and on the cold, hard floor. How could someone that powerful be so humble?
"Miaow." (Rest well, Master. I'll watch over you...)
In its paws, it played with the Badge, the treasure its master had given it without hesitation. It could sense the weight of that trust. Yet, seconds later, it chuckled. Treasure? This little thing? No, the real treasure was its chance encounter with its master!
It found himself observing him, trying to guess his secrets. Where had he come from? What had this portal been? Even now, it had goosebumps just remembering how it felt. But just as it was wondering, a murmur echoed in the room:
"ZZzzzz. ZZzzzz.~ You're here…"
The cat raised its head warily, only to freeze. Its master was mumbling in his sleep. But what dumbfounded it was his face. It appeared so… so… gentle?! Blood-soaked devil? Scheming mastermind? There was none of that, only gentleness.
What could he be seeing in his dreams to show such a face?!
It would have given everything to know...
.
.
.
"You're here…"
Damon sensed her before she appeared, and as he did, all the pain went away.
The Miasma Eroding his soul? The soul-crushing suffering? The knowledge that it would never end. The darkness, the depression, the loneliness— it all melted away as he greeted her.
"You're finally back. Ah, let me do this properly: Hey there, gorgeous; fancy meeting you here. Wanna grab a bite? Just look at the weather- perfect for a date!"
Damon could feel her soul happily tremble from his playful proposition. This was their usual routine, so he kept going.
"Where should we go today? How about a fancy café? Then we could swing by the park and catch some pigeons. We could even camp there, cuddling and stargazing until the world ends or the day comes, whichever happens first. What do you say, are you in?"
She would love it. Love it so much, in fact, but that wasn't too practical.
For now, just being together was more than enough.
She wanted to hear his voice more...
"Shall I tell you a story then? How about one about the mighty and powerful Roman Empire?"
He could instantly sense her piqued interest as she listened attentively. She always loved it when he told her about stories of the past, a past so long gone that he wouldn't have known it existed had he not actively studied the "Archives of the old Internet".
"Once upon a time, in a far, far away land..."
He felt warm as he started narrating. In fact, he would have been satisfied spending eternity like this, the actual stories mattering little. Every topic was good as long as it made them escape their reality of being devoured endlessly. Yes, devoured.
This place was the ABYSS.
An endless void filled to the brim with Miasma and Demons.
Finally back? —> Time didn't exist here.
Fancy Meeting? —> Everyone else had perished.
Gorgeous? —> Demons had long devoured her actual body.
They'd mention none of it, which made his usual greeting that much better. He'd tell her stories just like this one, about a boy named "Gaius Octavius, " the OG protagonist destined for infinite greatness. But he had barely started when they were rudely interrupted.
— CRACKLE! CRACKLE! —
A crackling portal of darkness spawned. It was always a portal in this god-forsaken place...
As it opened, corrupted Mana poured out like crazy. It was so vile that it would make one's very being churn with disgust and despair. Yet, the two lovebirds didn't even flinch, basking in it like the coolest breeze. It was vile, but not as much as their current surroundings!
"See? What did I tell you? Perfect weather for a date!" Damon grinned.
That's when a man was thrown out of the portal, or what little remained of him. The smell of blood, the stench of fear, and the anxiousness of a soul about to disappear. "Mhhhhh!" A wordless scream escaped it. That scream was a mistake.
— SHRIEK! SHRIEK! SHRIEK! —
That's when they came, beaconed by the suffering. Formless Demons, the Devourers.
They swarmed like locusts, thousands of them, their darkness somehow casting a shadow on this world, even if it was already devoid of light. As far as Damon was concerned, this was a small pack, but it was enough to devour the universe! — MUNCH! MUNCH! MUNCH! —
Then happened a nightmarish devouring scene. Anyone else would have been too petrified to talk, but Damon instead sighed as he flipped his middle finger to the creatures.
"Goddamn eldritch space bugs! Can't you see you're ruining the moment?"
That’s when they turned their hunger toward him…
They teleported straight to their favorite snack, him, plunging their hooks, fangs, and tentacles into his body. They who had evolved from the Nightmare were truly revolting. It was like being pricked by millions of acid-filled syringes…
But Damon didn’t even have time to flinch. They were done with the first guy and had also turned their gaze her way. That wouldn’t do. She wasn’t like him. She wasn’t Immortal. She was also the only reason he hadn’t given up.
“You want to eat? Come, you bastards! Dinner’s fucking served!” He taunted them his way, as the power he had cursed countless times before activated.
[Curse of Damnation Triggered! YOU CANNOT DIE!]
His soul and body began recovering faster than a Deadpoolish-Wolverine juiced with a Legend-Grade Blessing— only to be instantly gobbled up like sushi at an all-you-can-eat. After all, those things were nothing like mere Specters. They were—
Specters. Right, Specters. Specters on a train. Specters in another world, and a cat. Damon sighed as he surveyed the Demonic Realm, seemingly forgetting about being eaten alive, his eyes lovingly lingering on her. He would definitely save her this time!
“I’m dreaming, aren’t I.” He already knew the answer.
With a wave, he shattered the Dream.
Just in time, Dusk had come...
