HËŁŁBØRN

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ

ALL SHE WANTED was some instant noodles. Was that really too much to ask for? Apparently, yes. Yes, it was.

With a huff, Bazrodoth closed the cupboards. It was 2:30 in the morning, which means the only place open would be the minimart a few blocks down. A ten-minute walk at most.

Baz grabbed her phone, keys, and wallet. She eyed the battery—28% would be enough to make it to the store and back, right?— and opened her door. She took down the hall and to the stairs, being sure to tiptoe past the old man's apartment next to hers.

She made it out of the rundown apartment complex as her stomach rumbled. Baz pouted and moved a hand to rest on her abdomen. "Don't worry, tummy," She said solemnly. "You'll have some noodles soon."

She looked up at the sky and saw the full moon, smiling slightly. 2:40. She should probably head to the store.

After a short walk, she found herself in front of a 24-hour gas station. The door opened with a small bell chime as Baz yawned. All she needed was to grab some ramen, pay for it, and get out.

After checking the isles, Bazrodoth found the ready meals section and went to the cup-o-noodles. With pursed lips and a focused glare, she came upon a difficult decision.

Beef or Chicken?

After a very long internal debate, she grabbed four of each. On her way to the cashier, she picked up a few chocolate bars and a pack of rainbow nerds. The cashier, a boy no older than 18, scanned the items with a bored expression.

"That'll be 1500 yen," He drawled.

Baz nodded, pulled out her wallet, and handed him 2000. "Keep the change," she muttered and left with her two plastic bags of food. With a nod and a tired "Have a good day, ma'am," she stepped outside into the cold air.

She took a deep breath and released it. It was 3 in the morning already, and she had to get home. Baz started the walk home, but, not even ten steps outside, she felt a harsh tug at her chest. "Fucking damn it," She muttered, trying to pull at the invisible string. "Not again! This is such bull—"

Before she could continue, she got swept away, leaving behind nothing but her bags of noodles and a very confused cashier.

——————

No more than one second later, she found herself in a dark room. The smell of sour apples and general teenage musk was suffocating. She checked left and right, noticing how the candle flames fluctuated between red and purple. Looking forwards, she spotted a boy with... Was that a bird head? The boy, now named Bird Boy, looked up and gasped, trembling slightly. He returned to his crouched bow and held his hands up in a praying gesture. "Oh, dear Lord of Darkness, I thank you for your time and presence."

Before he could continue, Bazrodoth cut him off with a snort. "I'm sorry but, 'Lord of Darkness?'" At Bird Boy's shocked look, she shook her head. "You were lookin for Satan, yeah?" She did a quick scan of the room and nabbed the script he read off of. "See, your mistake was that you didn't specify who you were going to summon."

Bird Boy stared wide-eyed. "W-what?"

Baz rolled her eyes. "Clearly, you didn't bother to learn Latin. What you recited is missing any sort of name. Since there's no name, you just summoned the nearest demon." She gestured to herself with a sharp-toothed grin. "Which, of course, is me! You sure are lucky, aren't you?" She paused and squinted at the piece of paper. "Wait... Is this from Tumblr?" She glanced up with a blank look. "I'm actually disappointed right now. Like, no cap."

Bird Boy stared, mouth agape with shock. "N-No cap? How... How old are you?"

The demoness hummed thoughtfully. "About 100? No, it's been longer than that." She raised her hand and started counting with her fingers. "Yeah, I don't know. It's been a while since I did the math."

The half-bird creature lent back onto his calves. "Well... What now?"

Baz gave a sluggish shrug. "I don't know. You're the one that summoned me." She pointed down at the ground where a deformed pentagram was sketched with salt.  "Can you let me out, though? It's pretty boring being stuck here. Also, salt doesn't work on me. I'm not a ghost."

Bird Boy stood cautiously. It was clear he didn't expect the Tumblr post to actually work. "I don't think I should. I don't know if you're a threat."

Baz rolled her red eyes. "Stranger Danger, I get it." She bowed with mocking respect. "Bazrodoth at your service. Can I get your name now? I've just been calling you 'Bird Boy' in my head this entire time."

His feathers ruffled, and it took everything in her to stop from cracking up. "I'm Tokoyami Fumikage."

"Nice to meet you," Baz shuffled left and right restlessly. "Now, let me out. I have to piss."

Bird Boy—Tokoyami—gave her a warning glance and then kicked part of the salt, ruining the pentagram. The demon disappeared faster than he could blink, leaving him in the pitch-black dorm room. Dark Shadow popped its head out from behind his back. "I like her," It mused. "She's funny." Before Dark Shadow could continue, a loud shriek broke the silence. Tokoyami's head whipped towards the sound, which echoed from the bathrooms. It sounded like one of the girls.

"Fuck."

——————

Baz likes to think that she knows what she's doing. However, in situations like this, she has no clue what to do. She had teleported to the closest bathroom, not realizing it was the men's side. To be fair, they were only a wall apart, and she was in a rush.

But now she was stuck with a blond who was screaming at the top of his lungs. The black lightning bolt stood out from his yellow locks, and she almost commented on it. Almost.

She lunged across the bathroom and held a hand over the boy's mouth. "Scream again, and I swear to fuck, I'll castrate you." It probably wasn't the nice thing she could have said, but her bladder was pleading with her to rush to the toilets. "All I need to do is piss. Give me two minutes. Then I'll be out of here."

He nodded frantically, and Baz released him. "Get out."

Not needing to be told twice, he quickly ran past her and booked it down the hall. Once he was out of sight, she sprinted to an open stall, slammed the door shut, and was finally allowed to empty her bladder in peace.

At least, that's what she thought.

Suddenly the lights started flashing red, followed by an ominous alarm. "There has been a Level Four security breach. All students, please evacuate outdoors or seek shelter with a certified staff member promptly."

Baz didn't know what a Level Four security breach meant, but she was pretty sure she was the reason behind it. "Someone just lost their fucking testicles."