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The clouds had obscured the moonlight, leaving the city beneath shrouded in inky darkness. The buildings formed a jungle that reached high up towards the skyline, an amalgam of concrete and metal. It was already late into the night; the streets were devoid of people with the occasional piercing yowl of a cat being the only sign of life. Lights curved above the deserted sidewalk, casting pale yellow circles through the enveloping blackness.
A faint shuffling marked the presence of a lonely couple, their faces weary as they trudged steadily down the sidewalk and towards the flickering lights of a gas station up ahead. He was supporting her with one arm, their breaths coming raggedly from their chests, sending plumes of mist spiraling in the air. His car had ran out of gas a few miles back, and the mere sight of the dingy gasoline pumps was enough to make them start walking more briskly over the gravel-covered dirt road.
But the time spent walking had taken its toll: she nearly fell, her ankle giving way as she tripped over an empty soda can. He reached out to support her, catching her loosely in his arms with a smooth motion.
“We’re almost there,” he said reassuringly. “Hang on.”
But she wasn’t looking at him. Instead, her gaze was shifting to focus over his shoulder. The man blinked in mild confusion before turning around to see what she was pointing at―and as he did the shadow of something very large and fast swooped just out of his peripheral vision. A sudden wind whistled by from its passing, raising goose bumps on his neck. It was cold… very cold… and as he scrambled back to his feet, he could feel that it was right behind him.
He turned around and came face-to-face with a lumbering shape that seemed made of the night itself, its form blurred and indistinct. Deep, piercing pupiless eyes shone a malevolent red that looked directly into his soul… and in that moment, he realized that he was too frightened to move.
It wasn’t until he heard the screams of his girlfriend that he felt himself moving, struggling to tackle her out of the way as the thing raised a dark paw. The sidewalk all but exploded as the beast slammed its limb downwards, the concrete flying apart in a cloud of dust and debris. He scrambled desperately off to the side away from the monster, reaching for his pocket―only to be lifted bodily off the ground as the creature lumbered forward with incongruous speed, burying its fist into his stomach.
He barely had time to gasp in shock before pain exploded through his body, his mind blacking out quickly after. With a triumphant roar, the monster wheeled about, raising its arm high up above the woman. By now, she was too terrified to scream, and she silently raised her arms futilely to ward off the impending blow…
… a blow that never came.
A strange, sharp sound resounded through the air behind her, followed by the dulled impact of the monster’s limb hitting the dusty pavement. Another roar split the night air as ichor spurted from the stump, the demon’s life pooling darkly on the concrete.
The thing barely had time to turn around as a silver burst of light shone through the darkness, slashing its other arm cleanly off. It screamed in maddened pain before deciding on simply charging forward, lashing out blindly at its attacker. The woman shrieked as the creature rapidly closed the distance between them. She scrambled backwards in a desperate attempt at escape… just as a third blinding flash of light tore downwards through the demon’s body.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence and the light, shining bright enough to obscure everything. When it finally faded, the woman saw someone standing in front of her: a girl, calmly holding a sword glowing with faint blue light in her hands. She paused briefly before taking a step forward, pushing the monster’s body gently with one hand. The creature staggered back and toppled over onto the sidewalk in two pieces, quickly dissolving into the air in sparkles of emerald light until there was nothing left.
The woman tried to form words, to articulate her utter disbelief. That was when the girl turned around. She was young, her features delicate but sharp, dressed in a blue long-sleeved jacket and a neat black skirt. Every detail of her appearance burned itself into the woman’s mind as she took in the sight. White socks, plain black sneakers that matched her long, flowing hair. A silver bracelet around her right wrist, with an arrowhead charm dangling loosely from it. The sword in her hand was still shimmering, its surface humming with life.
She smiled and reached out with her free hand, offering to help the woman up. “Are you all right?” she said, her expression calm. “Your friend took a bad hit earlier, but he’ll be fine.”
“I…” the woman stuttered, eyeing the sword nervously and wondering exactly what was going on here. No answers came immediately to mind. “Um…”
“Hm?” the girl said, her hand still stretched outwards expectantly.
The woman tried to articulate the rush of thoughts in her head and managed to come up with only one question. “Who… who are you?”
“Ah,” the girl said, smiling once more. “That’s not important… but if you must know, my name is Reiya.”