Chapter Text
Something feels… off. It's something Iruma has noticed since he’d woken up that morning, alone in the mansion due to Grandpa and Opera leaving for early tasks at school. Iruma ate the food Opera left for him, thanked them even though they weren't there, and proceeded to leave. But even as he’d stepped outside, he didn't feel right. It wasn't like he was sick or tired. No, he felt fine physically and mentally. There was just something… nagging, at the back of his mind.
This feeling did not ease when he found himself walking to school alone; both Azz and Clara must have not been able to pick him up today. Which was odd- they stopped by everyday to pick him up in the mornings and to drop him off in the evenings. He wasn't too worried, though. They both have lives of their own, and he shouldn't expect them every morning.
He reaches school just as the final demons land, turning right at the entrance to head to the Royal One. He's excited to see everyone in class, just like every other morning. Everyday with them is always fun, even during study times. Kalego actually lets them study in their loud and untraditional ways, since that is clearly the best way that helps them to remember things. He wonders what kind of hijinks they'll get into today.
His thoughts are cut off when he hears the lowest of growls behind him. His entire body stiffens, and he halts in his tracks instinctively. Sometimes the best thing to do when a predator has its eyes on you is to remain absolutely still. Iruma learned that the hard way in some cases.
He slowly peers over his shoulder, and finds a small group of tall and large demons behind him. He doesn't recognize them, but the way they're staring at him with dark eyes is enough for his throat to dry.
“H-hello,” he says with a light stutter. He catches himself, clears his throat and turns to face him, turning his fear into excitement. He can't show any weakness to these unknown demons, especially if they have malintent in their eyes. “Do you need something?”
None of them answer him, and he watches as one of their noses flares, drawing in large breaths of their breeze. Iruma swallows, and the nagging in the back of his mind worsens. What is off…?
The tallest demon with the appearance of a wolf cracked with magma, looks down his nose at Iruma, continuing to smell the air. He takes a step closer, and Iruma takes a step backwards. His large ears flatten, and saliva wets the sides of his muzzle. Iruma’s eyes widen at the sight; he's never seen a demon drooling so much before, aside from Clara.
The other demons behind him continue to sniff at the air as well, their eyes darting around almost desperately, until they land on Iruma’s face. The wolffish demon tilts his head to the side, his top lip pulling back into a snarl.
“The delicious scent…” the wolf mutters, eyes locked with Iruma’s. The human feels his shoulders hunch upwards, nails digging into the palms of his hands. “It’s coming… from you…”
A humanoid demon from behind the wolf leans forward, dragging her tongue along her lips. She has a slight blush beneath her squinted eyes, and she too has started to drool. She raises a hand to her chin, fingers curling inwards. “He- he must be a human!” she exclaims, and the other two demons stiffen, their eyes widening. Iruma stops breathing, his heart skipping a beat. Oh, god, they know. How do they know? His scent? But Grandpa dosed him in scent covering perfume. He shouldn’t smell like a human.
Iruma scratches at the back of his head, stepping backwards as they walk towards him, pure hunger in their eyes. He holds a hand up in front of himself placatingly, but they don't stop moving, so neither does he. He can feel himself starting to panic, which is not good.
Iruma chuckles nervously, eyes darting around for the best escape route as he says, “Now now, everyone knows humans aren’t real.”
“I'm going to taste human flesh, the thing with the most amazing taste,” a humanoid demon covered in scales squeals happily, and a lump forms in Iruma's throat.
But the other demons look back at him like he'd grown a second head. The wolf snarls, the sound so terrifying Iruma couldn't explain it. They've stopped moving now, but Iruma doesn’t. Are they distracted?
“You?” the wolf snaps, his fur raising. “I'm the one who found it!”
“I'm the one who first smelt it first,” the humanoid demon all but moans, even as she bares her teeth and her nails grow into talons. “It belongs to me!”
“That’s ridiculous!” the scaly demon shouts, his spiked tail lashing through the air. “I claimed it first!”
The more they talk, the more terrified Iruma grows. This is his worst nightmare coming true, the thing he's grown to fear the most since the day he'd been brought to the Netherworld coming to fruition.
Wait, they aren't paying attention to him. His eyes dart to the nearest escape route, and he doesn't hesitate. He dashes away as fast as his legs would take him.
How foolish. He knows better than to run from predators. That always just heightens their hunger.
All three pairs of feral eyes fly to his running form, and each one growls angrily. He hears them chase behind him, and his heart thumps wildly in his chest.
He doesn't even know where to go or what to do. This has never happened before, and he’d been foolishly hoping it never would. But he can’t go to the Royal One- he has no idea how his classmates would react to his scent, and even though he trusts and respects them, he doesn't want to risk it.
He could try to double back and reach Grandpa and Opera and their protection, but he’d have to go through the school, which would only entice all of the other demons inside.
No, the best option he has is to book it for the mansion, but even then he has no idea how well that would work. Would they not enter the grounds since they know it belongs to the Demon King Candidate Sullivan? Or would they abandon all thought and burst inside, continuing to chase after him?
At least his adrenaline is working double time, forcing his body to go faster than it ever could without it.
Oh! Ali-san!
He holds his hand up, and chants the spell to start a flame…! Only for sparks to flicker from the ring and not conjure anything into existence.
Oh, of course Ali-san has to be too depleted now of all times!
He could try the hellphone; he reaches for his pocket, to find it empty. He wants to punch himself in the face, which he would have done if he wasn't currently being chased! He’d left his hellphone at home!
And without Ali-san, he couldn't summon his bow and arrows.
He’s powerless against anything the demons throw his way.
Well, nearly, if he didn't possess his amazing dodging capability. He can't recall the strange name Azz had made up for it at the moment.
Must be because he's running for his life. Maybe.
He gets to the edge of the trees filling the courtyard, and the entrance gates finally appear ahead. He lets out a sigh of relief, even though he’s not even near home yet. He glances over his shoulder, which is a stupid idea, and his heartbeats kicks up into even higher speeds, seeing the demons frothing at their mouths, the wolf chasing him on all fours while the other two seem to have completely lost any thought.
He cannot be caught by them. He knows if he was, he’d be mauled and shredded to pieces, similar to how a bear would devour any other unlucky human.
The adrenaline filling his veins burns, and he can taste copper in the back of his throat due to his fear.
Any other day, he would have fought back to defend himself. But now, powerless against the stronger beings, all he can do is run.
He makes it past the gates, and keeps himself from slowing down even the slightest bit. One of the demons roars behind him, and another howls with anticipation. He sprints down the hill leading to the mansion, feet pounding against the dirt ground and kicking up clouds of dust behind him.
Halfway down the hill, when the trees surrounding the mansion are finally within view, his body is filled with a rush of relief. He's nearly there! Then he could flee inside, grab his phone and call Grandpa. Grandpa would save him from this. He has to!... Even if Grandpa had never said anything about defending Iruma from demons who’d discovered his true nature, he just knew that the demon would come to his defense.
But just as that thought finishes crossing his mind, something slams into his back, causing him to hit the ground face first. The dirt and small bits of stone scrape at his face, and he keeps his mouth shut even as he wants to scream with absolute fear.
Nononononononononono, his brain helpfully screams, offering no assistance in his situation. His mind short circuits, and he reverts to his instincts driven by his terror, clawing and biting at the hand that roughly grabs him by the scruff of his uniform, his mouth flooding with burning ash flavored blood. He doesn't care, however, and he continues to tear at the skin he can reach.
“I caught it!” the wolf howls, lifting Iruma from the ground. Iruma yelps helplessly as he’s held high in the air, dangling in front of the demon’s nose and eyes. Those eyes are filled with a dark red, drool dripping from his jaws heavily. The wolf is panting excitedly, bringing Iruma closer to drag his tongue against the human’s face, lapping up the small rivulets of blood. Iruma stills when a low rumble of satisfaction erupts from the wolf’s chest, teeth gleaming in the light.
The other demons that had chased after him can't even reach him at the height the wolf is hanging him from, but they don't give up, their wings unfurled, their tails lashing as the claw at the air just beneath Iruma’s feet. The wolf releases his shirt scruff to instead tightly grip Iruma at both shoulders, his sharp claws digging into his skin. Iruma yelps with pain, and all three of the demons cackle at the sound hungrily.
“Listen to it!” the humanoid whines, dragging her fingers along the edges of her own face. “It's fear only adds to my hunger! Give it to me! ” Her voice changed to a loud grating tone, the sound pounding against Iruma’s eardrums.
“No!!” the scaly demon snaps, pushing at the humanoid with his shoulder. The humanoid’s skin is ripped open by the razor sharp edges of the demon’s scales, but she doesn't even seem to notice it.
But the wolf snaps at both of the shorter demons, the sound of fangs scraping together causing Iruma to wince with fear. It echoes around them, and finally, the humanoid and scaly demon relent, anger and regret filling their eyes.
All Iruma can do is hang in the demon’s tearing grip on his shoulders. His blood is trailing down the sides of his arms once it’s over the wolf’s furry hands. He’s frozen with fear, and his vocal cords refuse to work aside from whimpering, yelping, and crying out with pain and fear.
“This is why you should have taken your ranks seriously,” the wolf growls with pleasure, opening his mouth in front of Iruma’s face. Hot, humid clouds of his breath burst on his face, making his teeth chatter and his impossibly wide eyes to fill with more tears than they’d already had. He’s sure his expression is one of absolute terror and despair, which he’s sure Kiriro will regret not getting to see.
The large demon laps at the blood on Iruma’s arms, licking them as if they are popsicles. Iruma whimpers with fear, and once more, all three demons cackle with pleasure at his fear. “It’s mine, and mine alone,” the wolf hums with excitement, causing Iruma’s raising fear to explode, making him struggle and thrash in its grip. “Look at it squirming!” the wolf laughs with malice, the other two joining in. Then, he spares a glance at the demons below him, no longer acknowledging Iruma’s struggles. “Perhaps I’ll leave a finger or two for both of you… unless I devour all of it before that!”
Iruma shouts with fear at the demon’s words, and his long claws scratch deeper into his arms, his body shuttering with pure excitement. “Oh, just your fear is delicious,” the wolf mutters, his thick tongue swiping at the edges of his lips, drool spraying around it.
“Now, enough stalling,” the demon declares, once more causing Iruma to completely freeze, his wide eyes fixing on his captor’s face. “I’m eating like the Demon King-!”
The wolf’s maw snaps open, ringlets of his saliva connecting to the upper and lower jaws. Iruma screams as the sharp fangs snap around his lower shoulder, every single nerve in the area overloading with the burning hot pain. He nearly passes out. But, of course, Iruma is as unlucky as ever, because he does not lose consciousness, even as the demon pulls back from his shoulder.
Blood erupts from his lower shoulder- or the place where it used to be- and stains the edges of the demon’s maw. A large chunk of Iruma’s flesh is held in between his fangs, before he throws his head back to chew it. The wolf does it slowly and deliberately, too, before his eyes pop open, and his furry tail waves quickly side to side, his ears lowering as he hums with pure and absolute pleasure.
Iruma can hardly breathe or think, the area around the chunk in his shoulder throbbing and burning in the most excruciating pain he's ever felt. Pain he can't even describe it, pain he's never experienced before. Tears pour from the corners of his eyes, and he chokes on those as well as snot, his breaths getting caught in his throat.
The demon says nothing as he reopens his now empty jaws, approaching the area below the chunk now.
Iruma’s eyes screwed shut with agony and painful anticipation, unable to do anything to stop it.