Chapter Text
The crisp Autumn air is a welcome sensation across your heated skin as you step out of the club. You've had a long, difficult night bartending and you honestly just want to hibernate for the next month and a half. It’s not easy telling drunk, horny customers to “fuck off” politely, and you have even resorted to calling security a few times.
You mumble to yourself, “I really ought to find a new part-time job…” You allow your mind to wander as you walk through the still bustling streets of Itaewon. Despite it being 3am, people are still flooding in and out of clubs and restaurants. You wonder how many will be going to work or school later - hungover - and you muse over the fact that you don’t have classes until Monday. You really do love having free Fridays.
As you reach a deserted section of your walk to your apartment, you see a bright flash from one of the alleys to your left. You figure it's a streetlight bulb popping, which seems to happen a lot around you, so you are about to ignore it. But then it happens again. Only this time there's a grunt and the sound of shuffling feet. As much as you really want to go home and sleep, your curiosity gets the better of you.
Cautiously stepping closer, you can hear a struggle and aggressive, hushed whispers. More flashes threaten to blind you, but you keep going. Pressing your back against the wall, a sudden cry- a noise best described as being somewhere between someone being strangled and a large animal being tortured - erupts from the alley. It pierces your ears and strikes fear into your soul. But you want to know what’s happening. Sucking in a breath, the phrase “curiosity killed the cat” crosses your mind, but you think smugly about the second part of the saying, whispering it as you finally peek around the corner.
“But satisfaction brought it back.”
The scent hits you first- foul, like death. But the sight you’re met with is not at all what you are expecting. It's pure nightmare material.
Before you stand two men and a beast unlike anything that should exist.
The beast rises above the men, a demonic centaur-like creature. A man’s torso is attached to the "horse," fangs glinting dangerously in the low light. He has no legs, but his arms are so long that his fingers scrape the ground. The body of the horse he's attached to has fins protruding from its legs, a bone-like tail swishing irritably behind it, and a gaping mouth exuding clouds of toxic gas. Neither have skin. Instead, decaying, red muscle with black blood coursing through its veins are visible in the lamp light. Two sets of haunting, lifeless eyes complete the nightmarish appearance.
You’re frozen in place, breath falling short as you continue to watch the scene unfold. The taller of the two men holds a worn-out book open in one had as he whisper-yells at the shorter black-haired male who’s hands are thrown out in front of him.
“Hold it in place! I can’t cast if it’s trying to kill me!”
“I’m trying! It’s significantly harder with you distracting me.”
“I’m distracting you??? Contain it already!”
With that, a glowing rune circle appears below the monster. The light rises up to encompass it and the man with the book begin chanting in a language you think might be Latin. His free hand reaches to the sky and his head falls back. As soon as he finishes, the heavens open up and the city is drenched in rain. You watch in awe and horror as the rain makes contact with the skinless demon. It shrieks in pain as its muscles steam and melt away until finally nothing of the nightmare creature is left. The shorter male releases his invisible hold on the circle, and the light dissipates. The tall one drops his hand and together they stand there panting.
With a renewing sense of courage, you step out from behind the wall.
“What the hell was that?”
The two of them turn to you, shock clearly written on their faces. They look surprisingly young to be battling monsters, in your opinion. The tall one has soft features. Big brown eyes - puppy-like almost - and soft blond hair. The other, shorter one, has sharper, more angular features. His nose is what you might describe as fairy-like. The black hair atop his head is messy and threatens to get in his eyes.
There’s something almost familiar about the two young men. Just as you’re about to put your finger on it, you’re snapped out of your thoughts as the black-haired one curses. His fast approach has you stepping back, but you’re too slow. He reaches out and grabs your face.
“Sleep and forget.”
His stern voice is the last thing in your memory as you lose consciousness.