DEMONS AND HUNTERS

Ethan's eyes fluttered open, and he was met with the sight of the old man's shotgun still pointed at his face. The old man's eyes narrowed, his finger tightening on the trigger.

"Explain how the dead still walks, kid," the old man repeated, his voice firm but laced with a hint of curiosity.

Ethan's mind reeled as he tried to process what was happening. He had no memory of how he got there or what had happened to him. The last thing he remembered was...was...

Kira.

A pang of grief shot through his chest, and Ethan's eyes dropped to the ground. The old man's expression softened slightly, but he didn't lower the shotgun.

"Look, kid, I don't know what kind of trick you're trying to pull, but I'm not buying it. You're dead. I saw your corpse laying lifeless. And yet, here you are, standing in front of me, breathing and talking like you're still alive."

Ethan's eyes snapped back up to the old man's face. "What do you mean I'm dead?" he asked, his voice shaking.

The old man's expression turned grim. "You don't remember, do you? You don't remember how you died."

Ethan's eyes widened as memories began to flood back. The rooftop, Kira's transformation, the fall...it all came rushing back, and Ethan's knees buckled.

The old man caught him by the arm, holding him upright. "Steady, kid. You're not going to pass out on me again, are you?"

Ethan shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs. "What...what happened to me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The old man's expression turned somber. "You died, kid. But somehow, you're back. And I'm not sure what that means."

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the forest, followed by the sound of snarling and growling. The old man's head snapped up, his eyes scanning the surrounding area.

"What the...?" he muttered, before turning back to Ethan. "Kid, we need to get out of here. Now."

The old man could feel the change in the wind, the darkness, the caustic feel... That..that ominous aura it's demonic.

Ethan's eyes widened as he saw a group of twisted, humanoid creatures emerging from the trees. They had long arms, razor-sharp claws, and eyes that glowed like embers, their lips dripping purplish liquid making their appearance repulsive even to the most ignorant of beauty.

The creatures, Demon like figures, charged towards them. The old man raised his shotgun, firing at the direction he felt the aura from although he couldn't see them. Ethan stumbled backward, his eyes fixed on the creatures, his mind spinning fast he could see the creatures but somehow he could feel the old man couldn't see them but felt their presence [what in the world is going on, am i still on earth?].

One of the demonic figures lunged at the old man, its claws swiping wildly. The old man tried to defend himself, but the demonic figure took advantage of the old man's inability to see them and struck.

*Swish

In a swift and deadly motion, the Creature's claws sliced through the old man's neck, decapitating him. Ethan's eyes widened in horror as the old man's head fell to the ground.

The creature turned to Ethan, its eyes blazing with fury. Ethan stumbled backward, his eyes fixed on the creature.

In a desperate bid to defend himself, Ethan swung his fist at the creature. By sheer luck, his fist (coated by a mysterious thin layer of blue energy) connected with the Creature's jaw, sending it stumbling backward.

The creature let out a deafening screech, its eyes blazing with fury. Ethan took advantage of the distraction to turn and run.

But the demonic figures were relentless. Another one caught up to Ethan, its claws swiping wildly. Ethan tried to defend himself, but the Creature was too strong.

It punched its fist through Ethan's stomach, and Ethan felt a wave of agony wash over him. But to his shock, his flesh began to heal at an incredible rate.

The creature's eyes widened in surprise as it stumbled backward, its arm still lodged in Ethan's stomach. Ethan took advantage of the distraction to pull the Oni's arm out of his stomach.

The Beast let out a deafening roar, its eyes blazing with fury. It lunged at Ethan, its claws swiping wildly. Ethan kept trying to defend himself, but the Creature was too strong.

Just as the beast was about to claw Ethan's heart out, it suddenly felt its shoulder lighten. Unbeknownst to the creature, its arm had been severed at the shoulder by a swift strike from an elusive shadow

•ROAR•

"A mere spirit waste, daring to waltz into human territory..."

The shadow revealed itself to be a young woman with flowing purple hair and piercing green eyes, emerged from the trees, her scythe at the ready. She was dressed in specially crafted leather battle armor, adorned with intricate symbols that seemed to shimmer with a soft, ethereal light - Sydney Jean 'The Demon Hunter'.

The demonic figure let out a deafening roar, its eyes blazing with fury. It lunged at Sydney Jean, its remaining arm swiping wildly. Sydney Jean dodged to the side, avoiding the attack by mere inches. "DIE!"

With a swift and deadly strike, Sydney Jean decapitated the beast, its head flying off from its neck.

•THUD•

With bulging eyes and a sharp breath drawn through his mouth, Ethan was stunned beyond levels. His gaze moving between the decapitated creature and the young saviour from the dark, his mind wandering far from the fear of being hunted that had gripped him previously..."Who am I?, where am I?, is this still earth?, what's... what's going on!"

"Are you okay?"

A soft voice laced with a British accent swerved him out of his stray thoughts. With a blank and confused mind, Ethan looked up to catch a glimpse of his saviour's face... But upon seeing her face, it was like a detonator triggered in the depth of his brain. •Boom• ... His mind began to whirl as a large influx of his temporarily forgotten memories surged into his brain like a raging tide causing Ethan to cry out in pain, the excruciating feeling lasted for what seemed like eternity before slowly darkness took over his sight and he passed out.

°Tick Tock... Tick Tock°

The old table clock gave off a rhythmic sound as it worked away.

"W-where....where am I?

His mind spunned before coming to terms with the low shining light in the room. The room with its walls being metallic looking more like a bunker, having sparse but simple furniture within it looked nice although not well arranged.

"You're awake"

The familiar accent plucked his attention back from his little train of thoughts.

"How do you feel?...any pains?"

Ethan shook his head slightly signifying he's okay, his mind whirling round with questions he still didn't know the answers to

"Let's get to know each other..." Sydney's voice came again "My name is Sydney Jean, Pseudo Rank 2 Demon Hunter of the Exorcist Association"

[Huh?] Ethan's mind that moment went blank..... Why do I feel like I've heard this before?

// Oi Ethan...Punk you're an anime fan👀 \\