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Skill: Soothsayer ; blood moon halloween event

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The darkness felt sentient, as conscious and aware as the shadows that often rippled past his peripherals, flickering in the disembodied haze that haunted his every step. Since the world had fallen prey to the dark whims of this monstrous plague, Amaris’ demons had seemingly disappeared from his company. Ironically, he found himself missing their uneasy presence in the shadows of his heels.

As the world had shifted and the light of day had begun to dim, held captive beneath a glowing, red moon, a different sort of chill had started to send shivers down his spine.

He knew nothing good would come from whatever hell was blanketing the world. But as his paw steps trudged forward through the growing darkness, he could not help but stare skeptically at the red sphere that hung above.

This was not his moon, he had thought.

This was not a moon beneath whose glowing aura he felt safe and protected.

This moon was different—cold and discomforting.

He knew he and Aelia had to return home, and while he searched for the mysterious tunnel that had brought them both to the south, Amaris was beginning to face a newfound difficulty as the darkness crept up behind him.

He was turning around. Disoriented among this new type of crimson darkness. And while his disembodied demons, he had come to know so well, did not accompany him, he could have sworn there was something else within the black.

Amaris pushed forward, quietly, as his eyes strained against the midnight black—ears trained forward as he let out an uncertain call to the beyond. If you are out there, demons, he started, hoping that his own words would somehow scare them off, Be gone and let me find my way.

I saw the opportunity and had to take it Amaris

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Something out there was doing its best to spite her. It only made sense, when she had ducked into a tunnel during a storm and found herself who-knows-where. And to make matters worse, the moon had turned red- bad enough on its own, but even worse when it took all the light with it.

Especially when the lack of light meant that Hikari was covered in mud, she just knew it, and she wasn’t even able to see well enough to figure out just how bad off she was.

Still, she pushed onward, ears perked for the sound of running water. If she could find that, things would be a little easier. If she could, at the very least, she wouldn't feel as gross. But the thing that finally breaks that unsettling silence isn’t anything of nature, but a voice, not far off. A voice that-

A demon?

An offended scoff, loud and high in pitch, escaped Hikari before she could even think about it, all of her other worries pushed aside in the face of this insult.

Excuse you? I’m no demon, thank you very much.

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Skill: Expert soothsayer

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He is nothing but an extension of the darkness around him. His body—limbs, toes, and all—is consumed by the shadows that shift around him. It is all-consuming, suffocating, as he wanders blindly throughout the darkness. The crimson glow of the moon—though bold against the darkened sky—does little to illuminate his way. In fact, the most it appeared to do was make the shifting blades of grass and the faraway trees nothing more than a terrifying silhouette in a sea of black.

Amaris shivered past the chill that raced down his spine, and when his voice called out—a feeble attempt to cure his own gripping anxiety—it was the scoff that resounded back to him that gave him pause.

Enough to make his paws halt against the unfamiliar ground and his guard hairs to rise as he stared, rather sightlessly, into the dark.

The Thing responded.

And Amaris shuddered.

Rarely had his demons ever responded to him before—and the last time they had, he was forced to conduct a hasty exorcism. At least then, he had the moon’s glow to guide his way; here, he was blindsided and at a loss.

His body shifted as his paws twisted himself into a tighter circle, a head swinging from either side in an attempt to locate the position of the voice—the not-demon, as it had called itself.

With a swallow to hide the quiver in his voice, the Moonchild spoke out as sunlit gaze descended into narrow slits against the darkness, If you are not a demon, then what are you?

Amaris

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This land was nothing but cruel to them. It comes as a realization during the silence that follows, and a part of Hikari has to bat away frustrated tears. First it had been their rude awakening, and now this? They hate it here. They hate whatever had thought it was a good idea to bring them here.

There’s nothing to give away the appearance of the mannerless thing that had called them a demon, and it only serves to fuel their irritation. If only Hikari could see, then they’d prove the stranger wrong. And it wouldn’t be hard, either, they're sure! They look nothing like a demon.

…Or they wouldn’t if they weren’t so sure of their filthy fur.

As the voice called out again, Hikari found searching for it easier said than done. The light offered practically nothing, and they huffed, just once, pausing, unwilling to make any movements and literally stumble across the stranger.

The same as you, I’m sure. Or they assume. Without their vision to help, they have no real way of knowing. Unless you’re the demon, trying to trick me.

Did they actually believe that idea? No, but they certainly liked the idea of reusing it.

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Skill: expert soothsayer

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The perpetual blindness of the evening was only made worse by the cunning and clearly manipulative words of the demon before him. Or circling him, for Amaris still could not be sure where its voice came from. The darkness was a good labyrinth, and though his eyes narrowed in the feeble attempt to see better, it clearly did him little good.

I doubt you are the same as me, he all but scoffed into the shadows, twisting into a tighter circle once more as he searched. Me?! This time, his surprise and repulsion of the thought came out in a heightened yelp—how dare they?

I wouldn’t be trying to trick you, Demon, but a demon would try to trick me. His argument was far from sound, but still, he tried—a clearly poor attempt to outwit the demon around him.

But speaking to this thing would get him nowhere. And if it truly did linger out in those shadows around him, there was going to be only one way for Amaris to escape— through it.

The last demon he could recall lived within the physical body of someone it had entrapped. Was it the same for this one as well? If it was… then perhaps Amaris could take it down. Physically. Or so he hoped.

If you are not who I think you are, then tell me something only a non-demon would know? He asked as his paws began to press forward quietly. He would amble straight ahead and see where the voice came from; then, if all things went according to his plan, he would take the demon down with the element of surprise.

It was a foolproof plan, or so he thought.