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"Vox." The voice demon looked at who dared call him with no honorifics and saw one annoying demon who acts as if he owns the underworld.
"You dare call me with no respect, boy?"
"Who are you to receive respect? For all, I know your clan was wiped out by a mere human."
But of course, Vox wouldn't stand by when he's being ridiculed like this by a demon who was irrelevant in the first place.
In seconds, the demon was sliced into pieces with Vox just staying in his spot.
He was doing everyone a favour by finally putting an end to the embarrassment that it is the demon who he couldn't even remember the name of.
Vox Akuma was ruthless like that. He wouldn't let you get even the tiniest bit close to ruining his day, you would be facing death once again with his blade.
He was always ruthless, earning him a name to be feared for in the underworld but he was lenient with his former clan that once existed.
Even going as far as building relationships with the humans who were always belittled by other demons.
They were not close to achieving the competence that demons have but they were still useful. And it was fun for Vox to keep them close.
Vox wanted to be feared but not worshipped.
He was still a demon after all. Demons aren't supposed to be worshipped but to be feared.
Though the former Akuma clan gave neither of those. They didn't fear nor worshipped their 'lord'. They were full of gratitude for him which they expressed through serving him with smiles on their faces.
That when a certain human lord slaughtered his people, he was filled with rage that his form became too much for the human dimension, Vox was immediately pulled down to the underworld.
He was furious, wanting to claim revenge over the man who deprived him of his beloved clan.
Vox was filled with regret. He shouldn't have reverted to being presentable to his clan, maybe he could've kept them if he had acted as he had always done.
Though he also realized that either way, his clan wouldn't be able to survive.
They were humans. Humans were bound to die early and defenceless unlike demons like him who could only die in the hands of other demons.
Or so he thought.
"Akuma, you need to move."
"We don't need to kill him." Vox glared at the other demon who was trying to convince him to kill a certain demon slayer.
"Don't need to kill him?!" The demon scoffed. "He killed us! He killed our kin, are you fucking stupid!"
One death glare from Vox and the demon who exclaimed a rebuttal immediately shut up. "Watch your mouth when you're addressing me."
"If you want to kill him then so be it. Do it yourselves." Vox raised his arms and folded them in front of his chest. "Or are you all hiding because this human you are talking of is unexpectedly stronger than most of you?"
"That—we—" It was Vox's turn to scoff, his eyes closing into a squint as he raised his hand.
The other demons instinctively moved away from him, afraid that they'll be turned into dust without a second thought, though the voice demon just smirked.
"Cowards."
———
"He's indeed talented." Vox leaned at a tree as he watched the slayer train his knife skills he used to kill his kin with ease.
But somehow he didn't feel repulsed by him. If he was that certain human lord, he would've felt like killing him.
For who knows how long, Vox continued to follow and watch the slayer, seeing how he fights his own kind with such a determined expression on his face. He doesn't know if the slayer was aware of his presence or he's just ignoring him.
Honestly, the slayer would be too brave to do the latter but frankly, Vox doesn't care.
The slayer has the competence demons from the underworld couldn't give him. He's experienced in killing, great in movement and skills, he's also kinda...
Cute.
Months passed, countless bodies pile up, and the slayer's knife dripped more blood than the entirety of the Akuma clan.
Though Vox kept watching from afar, almost using the slayer as entertainment to watch. It was definitely interesting watching him, he fueled Vox's ruthless tendencies without the voice demon needing to kill countless like the slayer did.
Until one fateful day.
"How many months have you been following me and yet you didn't once try to tackle me and kill me. What are you."
The slayer's voice didn't sound like what he was expecting. Though it was a good change from all the gruff voices demons have. Besides Vox since he is the voice demon for a reason.
"I am simply not interested in killing such an impressive and competent being as you are," Vox answered with his normal talking voice which, unlike him when he heard the slayer's voice, definitely shocked the presumably younger.
"Your voice..."
"Gratifying, isn't it?"
The slayer seemed to have lowered his guard a bit as he wiped his blade with a cloth he found before he slipped it on its scabbard on the back of his thigh.
"Why have you been following me."
"Hmm, I cannot give you a believable reason as to why I did but all I can say is that you are quite interesting for your kind."
The boy, as to what Vox sees him as, looked at the voice demon. He looked as if he was weighing his options. Vox didn't seem like a threat but the slayer wouldn't be too sure of that. After all, he was still obviously a demon.
He looked stronger than the rest. Stronger than all of the demons he had killed so it definitely wouldn't be a wise choice to engage in a fight with him.
"Do what you want. But just so you know, I won't stop killing demons who come in my way." The slayer draped his garment's purple hood over his head as he looked at the demon in the eyes. "That's how I've been living and I wouldn't stop."
Vox only smirked before he raised his arms to his chest to fold them. "Go on, boy. Continue being my entertainment."
———
That has been their routine for who knows how long.
Shoto, as Vox soon had a name to give the boy who killed most of the troublesome demons who gave him a headache, continued his venture to kill more demons who tried to do the same to him.
It was technically just self-defence if you looked at it but of course, demons are dramatic beings being fueled by rage and agony that they can't stop being little shits.
Even Vox was tired of it already.
But soon, they both learned the true extent of the demons' hatred towards Shoto.
"Your voice is kinda nice, I guess," Shoto muttered as he bites the cream bun a nice villager gave him. He stopped by a village a few hours ago and took some supplies to get by.
Vox learned that the slayer has been going place to place to try and find the demon who killed his dear friend. Of course, the voice demon knew where the retarded bitch was but he didn't want this escapade to end so soon.
"Do you lure humans with that voice and eat them?"
"That would be indecent. I have never done that." Shoto shot him a look before he shrugged.
"I guess you're one of those demons who tried to act as if they have morals." Vox only chuckled at his words, finding it quite funny that Shoto has always been comfortable letting something that could get him killed out of his mouth.
"Humans aren't the only ones who can have morals." The voice demon looked up at the night sky, remembering the days when his clan was bustling even in the darkness of the night.
"I was a lord of a clan once."
"A clan of demons?"
"A clan of humans."
Shoto's eyes widened as he looked at Vox. "Don't tell me you were using them to carry out your vile practices!"
"I was not. I truly appreciated them. I never once tried to hurt my people." Vox said bitterly, his hand turning into a fist as he tasted the bitterness of it once again. "Though they were snatched away from me."
"The clan that I worked hard to build and help flourish was killed by their same being."
"A human killed your clan."
"Precisely. A human lord wiped my clan."
Black shadows started appearing from Vox, feeling the anger bubbling in his gut before Shoto spoke, his voice surprisingly effective at calming Vox down.
"Well, I guess we both have hatred for each other's kinds." Shoto smiled slightly as he also looked at the night sky. "Though that was nice to know. That a demon could cherish hum—ACK!"
Vox turned to look at Shoto after the boy released a pained sound and there he saw him, with a familiar knife penetrating his chest. It was shot from the back.
"I heard you were looking for me~! Guess you would like to die like your useless friend, now would you~?"
Vox saw vulnerability and fear appear in Shoto's eyes for the first time as he coughed blood.
"I... I don't want to die..." Shoto managed to whisper and something snapped inside Vox once again. It was the Akuma clan massacre once again.
"You." Vox unravelled the mana coat he put on himself that doesn't let anyone see him beside Shoto, letting the useless demon see him. "How dare you touch my play toy."
"L-Lord Vox, what are y-err, what is your highness doing here..." The demon fumbled on her words but Vox paid him no mind as he brought his hand up to try and heal Shoto.
It didn't work, Shoto's magical gift seems to be rejecting the demon's mana from entering its host. It frustrated Vox, reminding him of how he tried to save his clan.
It was the reason why he went berserk because he couldn't save his clan no matter how hard he tried and it might happen once again.
"YOU!" The voice demon's voice boomed even in the open area, black shadows starting to appear around him again. "YOU FILTHY WASTREL!"
In a split second, the demon was turned to dust by Vox's sword. It wasn't because of the demon's body disappearing, it was because Vox sliced him into tiny pieces that he turned into a fine dust by the time he was done with him. And it all took just a minute.
Now he needs to save this boy or else he doesn't know what he'll do to his own kin.
———
Shoto woke up in an unfamiliar place. It was a grand one at that, it felt like he was inside a lord's bedroom with how soft the silks are in the bed. It didn't feel like the floor or the ground he usually sleeps in.
"Awake already?"
That voice. It was familiar that it brought back a rush of memories. Shoto winced quietly as he remembered what happened though he couldn't remember what happened after he got hurt.
"Am I in the underworld?"
"So you remember." Vox walked to where Shoto was, giving him a faint smile. The slayer immediately took note of how different the demon looked.
"You look like them."
"Because I am like them, Shoto." The demon reminded the slayer. "I am a demon, I am like the beings who killed your clan."
"Then why don't I hate you."
"Only you can provide an answer to that."
The silence sounded loud in Shoto's ears. But he didn't know how to answer nor begin to think of an answer to that. Vox was simply not like the others, that's for sure.
"I don't know. Maybe it's because you never once tried to kill me." Shoto looked up to the ceiling of the room with a faint smile on his pale lips.
"I killed her for you."
"It doesn't matter. I died and I wasn't the one to avenge Ether."
Pain laced Shoto's voice as Vox continued moving around the place, making some sort of herbal stuff. He listened, continuing to converse with the boy without looking at him.
"You tried. He appreciates that." Vox muttered, his voice quiet as if he was being considerate to the human.
"You know, they tried to convince me to put an end to your killings."
"Then why didn't you?"
"Hmm. It didn't strike me as an interesting thing to do. Perhaps that's why I started watching you and following you instead."
With a cup of herbal drink in his hand, Vox walked to his bed which is where Shoto was occupying.
"You're bound to disappear from here and receive your punishment to become a demon in a few hours." Shoto's eyes widened as he tried to sit up but his body was too weak to do so.
"I don't want to be a demon!"
"Well, the judging system is fair. Ironic. But as you've killed thousands of our kind, you are to become one of us."
"That—I..."
Vox expected this reaction. No one would want to become the thing they hate. And for Shoto to become like him, he's going to be the target of all kinds of demons after they find out what he did.
"If you truly don't want to become like us, I have a proposition for you." Vox's idea was no better. If anything, it was the same thing but Shoto would be able to keep his human appearance.
"What is it."
"Swore loyalty to me. Become one of my souls."
Shoto's face morphed into shock and then disgust and then hesitation as Vox explained. He realized that he doesn't have any choice and if the year they've spent together proves any help, Vox wasn't the same as the demons he fought over the years.
"What do I have to do in return? Surely me swearing loyalty to you is not enough if you're giving me this much freedom."
The human was quick to realize things and for that, Vox was surely not surprised. It's one of the reasons why he took a fancy over the boy.
"Be my lover."
———
"You know, our first meeting is very scuffed." Shoto started as the story of the game continued playing on the screen.
It was one of their It Takes Two streams and he was sure that they can finish it today if no technical difficulties occurred. Though he didn't want to stop playing with Vox. As much as he denies it, he was great company.
"Yeah. Definitely scuffed." Vox laughed as he looked at his chat. "Where did we first meet? Well, that question can have two answers."
"Though both of them are because Vox liked me too much. He was so whipped, right, honey?"
"You rat bastard! Are you finished? Are you quite finished?"
They continued playing, laughing and teasing each other as they go. For once, their current predicament now has been the most peaceful over the decades.
Shoto smiled widely as he helped Vox pass an obstacle in the game, remembering when Vox helped him pass an obstacle in his identity.
He remained human.
The two decided to take a break for a bit, both putting on their waiting screens and by the second he did, he already expected Vox to come into his room which he definitely did.
"Darling, you've been very charming," Vox whispered as he picked Shoto up, kissing him with the same love over the decades. Vox never changes and so does his appreciation for the other.
"You too, baby," Shoto whispered in between their passionate kisses. "After the game, I might give you something as a reward for being so good to me~!"
After another heavy make-out session, they went back to playing the game like Vox didn't just devour Shoto as per usual.
"For how much longer do you want to go, Vox?"
"Uh—for an hour, I guess? I have a prior engagement to get to."
"Huh, what—do you have a meeting?"
"Yup. So I'm good to go for another hour."
Shoto stifled back a laugh as he smiled. Of course, Vox has a meeting. He thought as he rubbed Vox's mark on his left chest where his beating heart is.
A meeting with Shoto to strengthen their bond.