He was slumped against a wall, his eyes closed as his fingers twitched. He felt nothing—he only felt numbness. His ears ever so slightly perked as a voice called out to him. The voice was distant, and most certainly persistent.

"…He…y!"

Moving his muscles slowly, his eyelids flickered ever so slightly, and his vision blurred. Something was in front of him, shaking him by his very shoulders.

"…Are… y… okay…?!"

He stared blankly at the person in front of him. As the blur faded, he saw hints of messy brown, green, and pale orange. A thin structure. Beaten skin… full of scratches. Torn jeans, old shirt...

"…Mister? Are… awake…?"

His hearing missed out several words. Everything was sore, even his hearing ability. It would soon pass, however…

Green eyes opened fully, and he stared vacantly at a human girl. Who was she…? And what was she doing?

"Oh, thank God!" she exclaimed, smiling in relief. "Geez, you scared me there for a second!"

"…Who…?" he spoke his first word, but could not finish it. He sounded confused and disorientated.

"I'm Sienna, but that isn't really important. You've been out for a while, now. Out in the rain, too!"

Looking down, he noticed his dark grey fur was rough, scruffy, and a tiny bit damp.

"I got real worried, so I dragged you in here, so you didn't get pneumonia or anything. It really sucks."

"Here…?"

He glanced around meekly, then noticed it was an old, rusty roof, surrounded by crates with a few bed sheets.

"Yuh-huh! It's where I live!" she smiled chipperly. "Might be a leak over there, but I get by."

Now that his senses focused a little more, he could hear a constant dripping sound.

"What were you doing out there? Do you remember?" she asked, frowning. "You were out cold and just lying there…"

He paused, then frowned slightly. "I… don't…"

"…?" Blinking in confusion, she stared at him. "Whoa…"

"…What?"

"You don't have a mouth! That's… cool!" She chuckled.

"'Cool'…?" he repeated, then sighed quietly. "That isn't… unnerving?"

"Hey, you're speaking a bit now! Must not be so bad, huh?" she asked, smiling. "And no! I've seen scarier, trust me! My nightmares just consist of violence…"

"Violence?" he asked, tilting his head. He recalled most humans were scared of the unknown, but this…

"Yeah. Way back, I lived with my family and stuff. We… didn't really get on. And after a day, it got so bad, and I had to leave…"

She looked down sadly.

"Sucks, really, but it's better than suffering your whole life, right?"

"…" He said nothing in response to that. He seemed to be focusing on something else entirely now.

"Been out here for, what, two years?" She shrugged. "I don't have a calendar… most I do is scavenging. Almost got caught a couple of times, and I've moved a lot… What about you?"

Ears pricking, he looked at her again.

"…?"

"Do you have a home?"

"…I don't…" he muttered, then stopped there. "…Sceptre…?"

"A sceptre?" she asked in confusion, then giggled. "Geez, you'd have to be so small for that! At least it's better than a crummy old shelter…"

"No. It's worse…"

"…Huh?"

He ignored her.

She frowned slightly, then twiddled her thumbs, sitting down in front of him. Now that he noticed, she was sat on the mud, and he was sat on a mat… Such a tiny detail, but was she really so selfless…? Humans were stupid, selfish, and weak…

"Y'know, it's nice to have company that isn't the law," she replied, grinning a bit. "It's kinda like a sleepover, huh? I remember those…"

"…"

"…You… don't talk much, do you?" she questioned, then bit her lip. "I'm sorry. I just don't get to talk to people… I'll shut up if you want."

"It's not that," he answered, staring down at the dirt.

"Oh?"

"You say I was out cold. Weak. That would imply something happened to me. I know something did, but… I can't remember the details…" he muttered.

"Amnesia?" She rubbed the back of her neck. "What do you remember?"

"I'd rather not say," he grumbled.

Especially not to someone like you.

"Okay then. Just trying to help."

"I don't require assistance," he muttered.

She nodded awkwardly, then hugged her legs. To him, this was a very strange position. What was she doing…?

Upon noticing a shiver, it hit him, and he rolled his eyes at something so simple escaping him. But lots of things were escaping him at this moment.

"You're cold?"

"Y-yeah. I don't have sweaters or blankets or anything, and it's worse in the winter, honestly. I'm used to it."

"How old are you?" he asked, almost with a hint of curiousity.

"Fourteen," she replied, smiling meekly. "Fifteen in the next May. Whenever that is…"

Humph. Human spawn hasn't died yet, then… impressive…

"How old are you?"

"…" He was silent for a second. How old was he…? "…Ten…"

He wasn't about to say a thousand years—it could provoke suspicion, even if she was oblivious…

"Wow, so you're a kid? But you look so much older!"

"I receive that reply a lot."

Suddenly, a noise sounded. It was rumbling, and it was coming from her stomach.

"Oh!"

"What?"

"…I was actually going to share some food with you, even if it was a little, but…" she trailed off impishly. "Kinda complicated when you haven't got the hole for it…"

"Even so, I wouldn't need sustenance," he replied, tone monotonous.

"Sustenance…?" she asked in confusion.

He stared at her. "… Nourishment."

"Oh…" she muttered.

"Did you not have education?"

"I missed school a lot… but I really do love it…" she muttered. "I didn't skip school on purpose… I was kept in a lot…"

"Hmm…"

"…Hey, um, mister?"

"Yes?" he sighed.

"What's your name, by the way?"

"…I…" he seemed thoughtful for a moment, then replied, "…Mephiles."

"That name sounds so cool!" she grinned.

Mephiles is short for Mephistopheles… a demon in german folklore… You should have really gone to school…

"I suppose," he replied dismissively.

"Hey, y'know what, Mephiles?" she asked chipperly. "You look like one of those superheroes!"

"'Superheroes'?" he asked, stiffening slightly.

"Yup! They're these animals that run around and save people!" she grinned. "They're really nice, too! One's almost a bit like you, too!"

"Like me…?" he asked in confusion.

"Yep," she replied, merry as usual. "I think you've just got different colours…"

Same form… different colours…

That rang a bell somewhere in Mephiles' head.

The girl stood up, covered in mud. She wiped herself off, then walked towards a small box on top of a crate. She started rooting through it as she continued.

"I can't remember his name… but he's pretty mysterious and closed off. We actually had an alien invasion a while ago, and he saved us all!"

Alien invasion…? …Argh, why can't I remember?!

Mephiles looked annoyed with himself. Maybe she'd remind him somehow…

"I saw a gold light on that day, and I bet it was him! He kicked the evil guy's butt!"

"Did he?" Mephiles asked, sounding a little bored, albeit frustrated.

"Yup. So maybe you're like him? Maybe you're a good guy too!"

Mephiles rolled his eyes.

"Maybe…" he muttered, with a slight tone of sarcasm.

His reptilian eyes watched her cautiously.

"…Hmm… something dark… I remember everyone talking about it the other day…" she muttered, sounding a little annoyed too. "Nghh, geez, my memory is sooo bad, and… wait…"

She paused, then clicked her fingers.

"Shadow! That was it! Shadow!"

?!

Mephiles tensed up visibly at the name, and suddenly, his cranium rattled. He held his head, closing his eyes and groaning quietly.

Shadow. Sonic. Silver. Iblis. Soleanna. Death. Elise. Refusal. Defeat. Escape…

"Ah, there it is!" The girl pulled out a cold hot dog. "I ate the bun yesterday, see, so I could save some and wouldn't go hungr—…Mephiles?"

She turned around, looking concerned. She walked towards him slowly, hand out.

"You okay…—ngh…?!"

She had no time to speak another word. Something pierced her. Something sharp, something cold… Something aimed squarely at her head. Something red dripped down her forehead, and her body lurched involuntarily.

Mephiles had stabbed her.

He was stood up, staring down at her body as she hit the ground. His hand was part crystalline, and almost looked like something out of a nightmare. Then slowly, it all came to be… White-tipped purple crystals, spiking everywhere… red, stitched sclera, and piercing green eyes.

"Wh…y…?" she rasped, though the voice too weak to say anymore. She fell still.

"Consider this 'thanks'. Consider this me putting you out of your misery," Mephiles stated, eyeing her body ominously. "I could have dragged this out. I could have."

He squinted at her.

"You don't have to live your pathetic human life anymore."

With that, he walked towards the exit, staring at the horizon.

"And nor does this world need to live theirs," he snarled maliciously.