Kaibler’s right eye twitched as the faint tinge of ezextial color wafted through the gray billows of smoke. The color was inhuman; an unholy pigment one could best describe as an awkward mix of orange and pink. Only those blessed with sight could see and smell the odor of decayed flesh that trailed it. Lucky us, the young man thought.

His glowing staff decorated his left hand, and he raised it, prepared to disintegrate the leftover demons from his initial attack when the smoke thickened and solidified around him. He heard the blood-piercing cry of wolves and jumped as two sets of purple eyes pierced the smoke. Bloodhounds. I don’t want to get caught in this. He turned and saw three more sets of eyes behind him. His peripheral caught the ignition of another few groups until they surrounded him. He thrust his right hand into his robe, squeezing the book he taped to his chest.

The hounds stalked him, pacing in a steady clockwise pattern as they moved. The smoke caved in and warped around them until Kaibler’s position resembled the eye of a tornado. He bit his lip so hard he drew blood. Not even he could take on these many bloodhounds, yet he didn’t want to summon his pet this early. He’d done it far too much already. He couldn’t dream of living to reach his goals at this rate. It was as if the world understood his grave sacrifice to summon and forced him to do it as much as possible.

No, I’m the greatest warlock in my generation. I can do this without her. Once the hounds pounced, his body moved without permission. Before he could stop himself, he yanked the book off his chest, elevated his staff, and screamed, “Kitsune!”.

An intense voice laughed for only his ears to hear as a spirit consumed the smoke with no warning. The veins in his right arm pulsed a sickly, luminescent green, and blood escaped from his fingertips. The blood curdled in the wind, and unappealing lumps bubbled until they settled in the shape of a fox.

The fox was beautiful, its color a marvel humans had yet named. Perhaps none other than warlocks could even see it. It’s fur sleek and shiny, yet its eyes were ravenous, and the fox’s actions did not betray that. It bull-rushed the hound, which fled and whimpered at its sight, and mauled them with an unhinged jaw. Shark layers of canine teeth tore through each one, but purple mist rose to the sky instead of blood from their injuries.

The sight made Kaibler sick. It always had. He turned away before correcting himself. No. If I’m to complete my ambitions, such views will be familiar. Plus, though he’d never admit it to Kitsune, it didn’t sit right with him to allow the fox demon to bear this burden alone. The responsibility of damning her kin and herself in the process.

The onslaught continued through whimpers and screams. The hellhounds usually sounded like demons but adopted the whimpers of domesticated dogs when cornered. They were only lower-tier demons, yet they possessed the ability for such manipulation. The thought made Kaibler’s blood curl as he considered what other demons awaited him.

Kitsune finished the job and pranced back to him, and her eyes showed no emotion a human could read. The smoke cleared out, revealing the depressing ruins of a once lively town. Sure, there were a few survivors, but Kaibler knew from experience that no home survived an attack like that. Once demons broke the fallacy of safety, the home was no more. As he pondered this, a deep voice called to him from behind.

“Thank you, man. That was amazing.”

Kaibler didn’t respond.

The voice grew louder, and the hairs on Kaibler’s neck rose, feeling the distance between the man and him close.

“You saved us. I’ve never seen a Warlock in person before. I think you guys get a bad rap, man. Please shake my hand. I owe you so much.”

Without facing the man, he knew the words weren’t sincere. The cadence of his footsteps betrayed him. Slow. Methodical. Measured. Those weren’t the sounds of a man relieved to meet his savior but a hunter sizing up its game. He stood there as the steps came closer and closer, even as he could feel their elongated shadows embrace.

Kitsune’s voice rang in his ears. “To your right. Now.”

He dashed two steps to the right as the flash of Kitsune’s fur blazed by him. For a split second, he heard the pained cries of the man behind him. He didn’t have to endure that human cry of despair for long. He never did. Yet those split seconds added up like the loose change of centuries ago used to. He wasn’t sure what his mind believed he could purchase by collecting them, but he felt the weight all the same.

“Yuck. I hate the taste of bad humans. Your species is full of bad actors. Humanity is a collection of tainted and sinful creatures.” Kitsune shook her mane as she spoke. As always, her fur remained flawless through battle, Kaibler was sure she just enjoyed shaking herself.

“Right back at you, demon. Although at least we have the decency not to eat your kind. We just kill them.”

“You vanish them to the purgatory of my home-world. So they can torment my land with war for all eternity.”

“The same thing happens when you eat creatures.”

“I am allowed to defile my land as I see fit. It is mine to do as I wish. You Warlocks make a mockery of all that is holy. As such, you desecrate my land because your victims Heaven nor Hell will recognize them.”

Kitsune’s voice alternated between growls and speech humans could interpret. Kaibler’d heard this spiel enough times to feel in the blanks. His relationship with his pet—who would bite his head off if she knew he thought of her that way—had long become predictable. As his right arm dangled at his side, he knew it’d be useless to subpoena her for sympathy. She’d say he earned it. Humans who steal the magic of the spirits deserve punishment. He also knew right about now she’d remind him of their deal.

“Also, human, do not forget why I humor your requests. It is not out of companionship; you will fulfill your end of the contract.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

“With no exceptions. When I tell you what I demand, you will fulfill it with no qualms.”

“It’s hard to guarantee I can do something when I don’t know what’s asked of me. I don’t even know if I’ll have the power to do it.”

“You will. You will have the power by then.” Kitsune’s tail perked up as she walked through the ruins beside him. Kaibler thought she’d be a cute fox if she weren’t a literal demon. Hell, he had to admit she still was, even with that factored in. As far as blood-lusted, upper-tier demonic creatures went, she’d surely win best-groomed pet.

He wished there was a way the two of them could be friends, as stupid as that sounds.

For one, he was a human—no a Warlock—and for two, his kind directly contributed to the destruction of her home. Spirits like her lived peacefully until Warlocks came and vanquished the souls of their enemies to the Realm of Spirits. Kitsune became a demon out of necessity, as only demons could be summoned away from the chaos. Only by tainting her soul could she find peace, even if it were temporary. What type of hell would make you consider maiming demons a peaceful option? He wondered.

That’s why he never rushed to dismiss and return her to the realm of spirits when she completed a mission. It was probably the guilt eating away at him. His right arm burned at the thought. He glanced down and saw the veins still pulsing in it. The green color faded but was still etched within like the dying cinders of a fire.

He tried to hide the pain, but his body physiologically twitched against his will on occasion. Kitsune kept watching him from the corner of her eye. She didn’t miss a beat in her stride, but her muscles were the slightest bit more tensed. Kaibler was too preoccupied to notice. He coughed blood but contained it in his mouth, not allowing it to leave his body and enter the external world. As long as the world didn’t see it, he could pretend it didn’t exist.

Kitsune broke her silence and asked, “Whatever you’re chasing, Warlock, it must be more important than your soul for you to go to such lengths.”

Kaibler shifted through his memories. The good ones, the bad, the memories of despair, and his eyes flashed as he remembered the memories of home. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s worth it for sure.”