Two glowing red eyes burned into Riarshi's mind. The anger and hate behind them scorched with a deep, long lit flame.
He instantly recognized the sinister eyes of this man and what they symbolized.
Demons, known for their love of creating chaos and despair throughout the human population, feasted on the misfortunes of others, devouring negative emotion like a hungry, wild beast.
The demon smirked as Riarshi nearly tripped on his own feet backing away.
"You thinking of running yet, kid?"
Riarshi, taking a deep breath to collect himself, set his feet in a wide stance. His eyes returned the burning fire, unaffected by the demon's menacing smile.
"Not even close."
If he was going to do this, he couldn't feed the demon with his own rising fears. He had to stand strong and fight.
"I'm not leaving without that girl!" Riarshi shouted, gripping his fists tight, digging his nails into his sweaty palms.
The demon cackled. "That's amusing, kid, but you know it's a lost battle... just look at the girl."
Riarshi's eyes darted over to the girl, who had pushed herself flat against the alley wall. He could see it - her emotions, fear, anxiety, regret - all spilling out of her in the form of a dark-purple wave, swirling their way over to the demon.
"I can already feel her despair flowing into me, it's like a never ending wave!" the demon shouted.
Despite similarities in base magical strength, demons possessed a trait that humans did not. As a human's mind filled with negative thoughts or their body flooded with fear, their very soul would emit an ominous aura.
Demons absorbed this negative energy and could use it to enhance their own magical powers. This rare power was the sole reason a demon's life, and naturally their existence, centered on causing mayhem and panic. It was their true and most powerful source of magical strength.
The demon tensed his body. His veins popped from his forehead. He then released a pleasurable sigh into the air. The purple waves soaked into his back.
"Ahh, yes," he moaned. "My magic's growing like crazy... this is amazing! This girl is a delicious gold mine right now!" His eyes flashed an even brighter red, shading the length of the alleyway in a deep, red hue. He licked his thinned lips with a skinny and pointed tongue.
"I want more," the demon growled hungrily.
Suddenly, and without warning, he leapt with his fist coiled tightly behind him.
"Mister, look out!" the orange-haired girl screamed.
Riarshi sucked in a sharp breath at the demon's blistering, cat-like speed. Blue, shining sparks flew out from around Riarshi's feet. He swung his arm across his face, just in time to block a punch.
It was a simple blow, but insanely powerful. A sharp sting radiated from the point of impact on Riarshi's forearm and traveled to his hand and shoulder, sending a wave of weakness to his knees.
He jumped back to avoid a sweeping kick from below his feet, but the demon didn't back down. The man remained in quick pursuit.
Shit, I can't tell what this guy's magic power is.
The demon swung another massive punch, but again, Riarshi raised his forearm to accept it.
Crushing power.
With an audible crack, Riarshi's forearm broke. Burning, sharp pain exploded throughout his arm.
Riarshi maintained his stance. He pushed his screaming arm strongly against the man's fist, trying to shake away the stars floating in his vision.
The demon elongated one of his legs like it was made of rubber. The expanded leg swept underneath the teen, taking both of his feet out from under him and leaving him airborne.
Riarshi tried to cover any exposed areas, but both of his arms flung backward on instinct to brace his fall. With no means of defense, the demon landed a crushing blow into the side of Riarshi's jaw.
The force of this punch sent Riarshi straight into the pavement, cracking the ground beneath him and sending fragments of concrete high into the air.
"That's all you got, Mister Hero? That's pathetic," the demon howled, standing over Riarshi's beaten body. "I thought you said you were gonna save her. Looks to me like you're just getting your ass handed to you!"
He inched his face closer to Riarshi's. A disgusting combination of smoke and booze from the man's breath breezed past his nose. He gagged, spitting up a combination of saliva and blood.
"You might as well just let me do what I want with her," the demon whispered in a low tone, the corners of his mouth curling into an evil, twisted smirk.
Riarshi pushed himself off the ground, got to his feet, and wiped the sticky mess leaking from the corner of his mouth. A large purple aura of despair still oozed from the girl's trembling body, floating into the demon.
He knew the demon's strength and speed would increase as time went on. His chances of winning were lessening by the second.
Riarshi grunted and bared down. Built up rage helped his power rise. Magic tingled throughout his legs. His sparks danced around his feet again.
He couldn't give up. He had to ignore the pain and swallow the bile that threatened to climb up his throat.
The demon erupted into a fit of screeching laughter. "Come on, kid, how the hell does someone as weak as you think they can beat a demon? I bet you wanna be a Hero like every other kid, 'wanting to save people, do the right thing.'" He spat on the ground. "Don't give me that cliche shit."
Riarshi didn't answer. His piercing stare was more than enough of a reply.
"Come on, kid, get angrier for me. Lemme eat up all of your despair," the demon begged, his eyes wide. "I can sense that you have a ton in stock behind those fiery eyes of yours."
The demon wasn't wrong. His own anger was building. If he couldn't get a hold of this situation, his own emotions would soon empower the demon even more.
Or worse.
Before Riarshi could plan a counter strategy, the demon bounced, his rubber-like legs springing him forward like a released coil. His body whistled in the air as he closed in.
Riarshi tried to lift his healthy arm to block, but he was too slow. The demon's punch morphed around his raised forearm like a rubber noodle and caught him in the stomach, toppling him over.
A loud heave exploded from Riarshi's mouth and he fell to his knees. The bile won its battle and splattered on the concrete.
A rapid elbow dropped onto the back of his skull. Riarshi's body went limp and he slumped to the ground. The blinding impact almost knocked his wavering consciousness into a sea of black.
"No!" the girl cried.
The demon hopped back to admire his work. A loud and evil chuckle erupted from his lungs.
It was over. The demon had won.
Riarshi lay bleeding on the cold concrete in a puddle of his own sick. Dirt and sweat caked his face. Pain riddled his body, and despair stabbed his heart.
He hated demons - he hated everything. They took everything from him. Because of these creatures, he was alone in this cruel, unfair world. His dream to become a Hero like his parents was dead. It was impossible.
He only wanted to be normal. He hated it... he hated the darkness that haunted his dreams - the feeling of an icy bath twisting in his stomach.
Rage was forming and a sickening cold rose from his stomach to his chest, casting a layer of frost over his racing heart. His heart beat slowed drastically.
The corpse-like hands were grabbing him. The darkness was building.
He couldn't even help a small girl, crying and helpless, just like he was that day thirteen years ago.
He was no Hero. He tried to deny it for the longest time, but he was exactly what he hated the most...
The demon's laughter slowed as he randomly pondered an idea. Another sinister smile formed on his face, but wider and sicker than ever before. "Hmm, maybe if you don't get up, I'll go have my way with the girl." The demon was playing with his food, wanting to snack on Riarshi's darkening emotions for as long as he could.
But the demon didn't account for something...
The negative energy that once wildly flowed to the demon suddenly vanished into the frigid alleyway air.
"What the hell?" the demon whispered. The strength he felt surging through his body was now fading by the second. But why? He looked over to the girl, who was shivering and sobbing along the wall as she tearfully spectated the battle.
Something was different.
Enormous waves of the dark, purple negative energy still seeped from the girl. They were no longer flowing into the demon. Instead, they swirled to the opposite side of the dark alleyway and into a young man, whose blazing eyes exploded with a roaring rage.
Riarshi slowly rose to his feet, his eyes burning like an amber wildfire. But there was one difference... A vertical slit down the center cut evenly through his iris.
The demon's red eyes fixated on Riarshi as he stood straight. Blue steam hissed from the teen's mouth.
"Oh? Now this just got interesting.
"I guess it seems that...You're a demon too, aren't you, kid?"