Act I: Enter The Dawn, Chapter VIII: Demon Hunter

January 16th, 2030

The female stranger came into the old, rundown asylum once known as the Dark Bay Asylum, around a small South Carolina town. The place was as she expected it to be; a littered mess, with blood smears on both the walls and floor, along with dirt, dust and some degree of moss that came from the shattered, flirty windows. If that weren't all, there were also vermin crawling about, in the form of rats, cockroaches, and even spiders. It was a beautiful safe haven for a foul creature not set in a normal human's lifestyle. A perfect place for a Tiramakkuri monster. Maybe a perfect place where Mister Madness was hiding in.

The female stranger had come here for a fight; packed with an utility belt that held a wooden stake, a silver fork, and some other defensive material, the demon hunter expected a demon of some sort. She used to have bangs before, but she grew out of them, keeping her hair short at the front, but long enough for it to be called attractive. Her current style of clothes hadn't really changed, but rather than the common black, she had come with a dark blue sweater, and dark blue jeans, which had proved to help her stand out in the darkness when other demons were nearby, lurking about. They could tell black from shadow, but not this blue tone. Not yet at least, and hopefully never.

Apart from that, Lucy had given in to boots, and holsters for both a handgun and a survival knife. For that, she had two of each, knives placed right above her boots, and guns set on her curvy hips. She was more than qualified for the job.

Lucy Loud was a demon hunter, but not like Ed and Lorraine Warren- No, she was more like the fictional Winchester type of hunter, chasing monsters left and right and killing them, nothing less than that. Killing them through the bizarre and sometimes ridiculous means, and through it all, through all the scars she received, all the infections, and the blood shed in the aftermath of her fights, Lucy would never be one such girl to give up...

She had never anything to lose, therefore nothing slowed her down.

It started for her long ago, when she wandered through the streets of Royal Woods, scared and alone. Up until a man had shown up and took her under his wing, promising her a role of great importance thereafter. This man had come to be known as Ray Robertson, a young man not even in his early thirties, smooth-skinned and suave. So much better than that one British tutor Lincoln had. But it was weird for her to address it to herself.

Ray was the one person who brought her into the supernatural world, teaching her about such entities that roamed when the sun came down, and such entities that crawled out of the closet and under the beds. Shadow Demons, the Tiramakkuri, Hellves, witches, and other odd creatures that preyed on people, either influencing or killing them, for the endless spread of evil. Ray himself was some sort of wizard in her eyes, one such person who had taken to this battlefield, fighting and defeating the wretches of the supernatural world.

But the thing with that was, he was just one person who kept at it for an unknown number of years. Lucy had been informed by him that he was an immortal being, living in an undying loop to see tomorrow. The real reason why Ray was bothering with this crusade was because he went chasing after the one person he had to thank for the change in his life and the apparent death of the girl of his dreams. His search for clues and leads had not taken him anywhere yet, but Lucy had agreed to help him when the time came that they should meet again.

It turned out that this person was Ray's older brother, Ryan Robertson, a mastermind of dark magic, who had taken the moniker of Mister Madness, making it a personal affair for him, more than she had initially thought. Having no clues at all, Ray had suggested they split up to cover more track, hence her being in the asylum on her own tonight, the sixteenth week or so pursuing demons on her own.

A lifetime ago, little Lucy Loud would think of this deadly journey as wickedly cool, approved by her gothic nature. That girl she had been, gone, destroyed completely and replaced with this darker version of the gloomy goth. If not for that... If not for the fire, where would she be? What would have been her destiny if it all went well for her?

Lucy woke up into a harsher reality where her sense of safety and comfort was compromised, stripped away from those she loved as well. Why, it made her feel naked, but with that, she had been truly alone with her thoughts, coming to terms that her goth persona was not her true self. And this... This demon hunter she was now... Was that the real Lucy?

She pushed past a few stretchers and tables, leaping over fallen chairs while being illuminated by the ruby amulet she kept active as a light source. The specialty that came with the amulet was the ability to halt certain demons dead in their tracks, and in some degree, were able to be controlled by the holder of the amulet. This applied to the Shadow Demons alike, beings of a dark essence formed of the sin of man, with their atrocious nature varying on how inhumane the source was.

Her footsteps were soft to the core, a stealth operation until she made contact, and if she was lucky, she'd not have any to deal with. If she were really lucky, she'd find a bunch of demons, but in the weaker range, and if she was kissed upon by Lady Luck, there could be a definite clue that led to Mister Madness so that she could report back to Ray.

She moved through the second floor, gracefully and cautiously advancing to the next floor. Nothing was spotted on the main floor, and she hadn't encountered anything yet, and she was more than halfway through. Ahead of her was a large hole that connected to the third floor above, halting her dead in her tracks. She held the amulet high, shining the red glowing light above her face.

Being a black-haired woman of 5'5, she wished she was taller, and maybe she'd grow taller in the future, but until then, she'd remain at this height for now. She went on her tiptoes to get the light as high as she can, trying to look past the hole. Her ears picked up a faint rustling above, directing her to place one of her hands on the gun on her left hip.

For a brief moment, silence came into play, strong enough to make the earth freeze from rotating. She inhaled through her nose calmly, still drawn in a readied pose, expecting a ghoul to appear.

And one such creature had; a furry head poked out and screeched with hostility, showing off sharp teeth, pointy ears, and reflective, tiny white eyes. At most, the creature didn't look all too far from a bat, only overgrown, and fiercely deadly, but not enough to intimidate Lucy right off the bat. Heh.

"Tiramakkuri!" Lucy pulled out both guns as the bat creature entered the lower floor, revealing itself as a monster of six feet, lean mass, and a body of pure horror. It opened and flapped its wings at her, trying to cut her down to size. The firing had begun, and Lucy went aiming for the head to slow the creature down.

From the verbal lessons, and two past experiences, the best way to kill Tiramakkuri demons was to strike the vital parts like their living animal descendants were structured with vulnerability. Head, heart, and any vital organs. The only challenge was, these types had thick skin, nearly impossible for her to penetrate through, but not out of her hands.

The demon blocked the last of her bullets, but Lucy had gotten three or four headshots in, damaging it already. She jumped back when the huge bat-thing swung again, but lower to sweep her off her feet, missing entirely. Too bad the amulet was useless tonight.

"Damn!" Lucy pulled two backup mags from behind, tucked in her custom utility belt.

"TERRETHIAAAAAAN!"

She barely had a window to reload before shooting again, firing a burst of three shots before moving backwards at the hallway. It kept blocking away her shots, leaving her to strategize rather than run out of ammo. Then, she found a way through its feet, composed of talons, firing at each leg to hurt it. They had to be unprotected- and she guessed right when her foe slumped over, screeching maniacally. Lucy immobilized the creature, but was left with one fourth of the ammo she had brought to the party.

"NOOOO, NO! TERRETHIAN SCUM!" The bat Tiramakkuri desperately clawed its hands away on the dirty floor, hissing with warranted hatred and ravenous desire to kill the demon hunter. "TERRETHIAN LUCILLE!"

Lucy moved forward again, only with no disregard nor with the assumption that it wasn't alone. Guns totes at the ready, Lucy centered the sights at the open head and let her lead fly away at the target, managing to vanquish the beast. It was only after it had died when Lucy was reminded of Fangs, an actual pet bat she owned back in her goth days. Fangs, the pet she lost to...

And then it all came rushing back all at once, distracting her from the present. The fire, the black smoke, and then her younger self having enough bad luck to be knocked out by the falling debris as she ran out the back. That, all of that was over a decade ago, and her family had been dead since then. Her, the sole survivor, as told by Ray Robertson, but was told a lie.

The blood that leaked from the bat Tiramakkuri was blue, but the glow of the amulet made it appear red. The blood formed a small lake of blood, mixing with the mess of the ground. Lucy checked her ammo, counting the remainder of her rounds. There was so much to consider with her weapons, and at half of the time during missions, she'd never have the exact kill device for the proper hostile. Thank God she had chosen the guns, thinking she'd come across a werewolf again, which had happened last week. Better to be safe than sorry, right?

She had been fixated on killing it that she forgot about the torture sequence she had to play out. Silly her! Needless to say, Lucy was in a sulky mood, berating herself for failing her mystical master. She had to report back to him every seven days, and tomorrow was that seventh day since they split up. What joy to inform him she had killed the Bat Tiramakkuri, which did nothing for them really. "Aw, fuck."

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Ray had dropped by unannounced, a bit too early than she expected. "Oh, is this-?"

"Animal demon, yeah," Lucy informed. "I got nothing out of him, I'm sorry."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Ray was in his familiar tuxedo suit, looking rather spiffy, due for a party of some sort. "I would safely say that there was no chance it would talk. But remember, Tiramakkuri are truly the worst of the worst, but avoid what they call us as... What was it, Terrethians? We're like aliens to them."

Lucy opened her mouth briefly and nodded slowly, trying to juggle all the facts. There was almost too much to remember from all of this. Too much... And yet there was so little in between the fighting, and nothing but breaks in between, carrying a near empty life lacking the essentials. At this point in her life, the young woman in her twenties needed to get out more, maybe meet a nice man, date the man and have some great first-time sex. Yes, Lucy was a pure virgin, and one who would not be easy to force down. That was one such beauty of knowing how to fight, akin to a warrior, or close.

Not that she gave it enough thought, but maybe once she'd get back into civilization and try out living. Hmmm... Funny. To think that would admit to knowing that she was dead the whole time. Dead in the sense of being trapped in some endless cycle of supernatural violence and death, and on the surface, it was to help both the mortal world and Ray's own crusade. But why? Why was it that Lucy accepted a role in it, rather than run from it? Why didn't she walk away before? Why... Why was now the time that told her she was being worn out?

"Ray..." Lucy had been at it for years, and not once had she the notion to drop her weapons and leave. No... But maybe something inside of her was telling her what for, building up ever so slowly that it might have taken this long to finally make her understand that she was a mortal not impervious to death. Ray himself knew that Lucy was one such sidekick who could die at any moment while fighting demons, and the fact that she still breathed to this day proved them both to be equally fortunate. But down the line, just one day of the future, one fatal mistake could change all that for her. One thing.

Her grip on reality had clenched even more tighter, and the twenty-two-year-old expanded her mind past the usual agenda.

Only, there was no need to say anything; Ray came with the mind-reading ability, already scanning her head for the next few words. He would never invade her privacy at any given time, but sensed that something troubled her, hence the exception. "Ah, is that how you feel?"

"What- Oh, right... That again." Lucy rubbed the back of her neck. "Forgot you could do that."

"Not to be forgettable, really... So, you wish to settle down long enough to get feels of a normal life, right?"

Lucy held a thumbs up and smiled, but not an authentic one. She didn't know exactly what to feel or say, considering that it dropped out of nowhere for her. The inner conflict was rather strange, but not an irrational one for her. It confused her, petrified her, slipping her into the deep sea of thought to bring her into question what she was doing, and what she should have been doing.

"I mean, I don't know. I could use a break, but... There's also the matter of this secret war. Like, how long will I be at it? Will it take for me to die so the journey ends for me? What happens when you find Mister Madness? Its all you've been doing this for, and when it comes to an end..."

"Lucy, we'll cross that bridge when it gets there. And additionally, I believe you know that you have a purpose-"

"Which you haven't explained to me as of yet, magic man!" Lucy reminded. "It's all cryptic crap with you, man! Couldn't you tell me what this so-called purpose is?"

"I simply cannot, Lucy. That is something you must figure out for yourself, and you will come to realize it not long ahead, I guarantee-"

"Hmph..." The babble aggravated Lucy greatly. She crossed her arms, and then yelped in dire pain. "What the-?"

Ray inspected her right arm, seeing a red slash running across her elbow, made by a clawed attack. "It seems you are injured. May I?" He didn't wait for her to give an answer; Ray brought a tissue out of thin air, using it to wipe her wound. Not only did he wipe the leaking blood away, but the wound itself was gone.

"Is that enchanted, too?" Lucy pointed at the tissue, wiggling her finger. "Now why can't I have some of that magic? You can transfer it, can't you?"

Ray shook his head. "That is not how it works, Lucy."

"Oh, but you can apparently take a look into the future and see what mines is? Is that right?"

"Lucy..." He was not about to explain it again. "I do not hold you to this, I never have. Should you choose to leave..."

Lucy squinted.

"You may live out the rest of your life among the populace."

She gasped, letting the news sink in. The choice was there, hers for the taking. A simple yes to say, a yes that would soon place her in-

Her mind backtracked all of a sudden. Where would she be? What was her true future if the fire had not happened? It confused and terrified her, primarily because of the simple fact and reason that, when she got right down to it...

Lucy had no life experience, or anyone to teach her. Ray was only just as good to have trained her to be a demon hunter, merely assistance to him, and nothing more. Also, the man was not one for social outgoings from what Lucy can tell. If not him, then there would be no one else. Nowhere else. Nowhere else to go, and therefore-

"No," she answered with a shaky voice. "No... I can't, n-not just yet..."

"Oh?"

"S-so... Tell me, when will-? When will I figure myself out? I..." Lucy ran her fingers down on her guns, rubbing on the grips mindlessly while her head went elsewhere, into a mental projection of what she assumed her own future was; Lucy, standing over a pile of demon corpses she had collected as trophies, all from her endless blood quest that wasn't even hers to begin with. It was here that, the odd, uncommon life she led, she knew it was more of her second nature... Or maybe even her first st this point. "I don't know... I don't know if I can do this forever."

"And you won't, Lucy. You won't." That was his promise he could keep, but there was nothing more attached to satisfy her curiosity or fill that particular emptiness and strange gut feelings she had. "I know it..."

The amulet had died out on her, leaving them in a state of darkness. "Dang it."

Far From Now

The figure in the black, wavy cloak and the white mask with painted set of red eyes and a red smile, a creepy facial expression at that, kept pursuing the running Lucy, laughing and cackling. This was Mister Madness closing in on her through the sewers right underneath the city of Los Angeles. Lucy could barely contain her nose from the awful odors around her. A grand mistake had been made on her part, and she was caught with her pants down, facing such a resilient, tactical foe unfazed by her party tricks she figured would assist her in this battle.

They found each other, and Ray was not around to jump into this personal affair.

"Running won't do you any good, girlie! I will eviscerate you!"

Only being human, Lucy found that her stamina was running out, slowing her down even before she could manage to escape the dreaded man in black. Where the hell is Ray?!

She tripped on a puddle of some unknown liquid in front of her, falling on her back while sliding forward a few feet, with her black sweater propping up, getting her back scathed heavily. "YEARGH!"

She was quick to step back up, but only on a normal level; the bloodthirsty enemy had gotten his grop on her, leaping at her, covering her like a shadow of endless darkness, laughing his diabolical laugh yet. He had caught her, and now, Lucy was sure to die.

AN: Returning to the angle of supernatural, explored already in the Demon fic with Lupa. All of that supernatural mythology is canon here, with an additional expansion of it in time. places where I've limited before. More of that in a bigger world, too, I might add. Oh, it's gloriously amazing, but a tough thing as well. And just like in 2026, the sci-fi and supernatural realms will not be colliding with each other. Trust me, I've made enough of a design without the corssing of both worlds. Lucy's role won't be set or placed in the main world along with her sisters, but she will be meeting a few again, as well as learn the truth that not all of them have lied... You might just hate me on how she'll figure it out.

Just one more chapter before the big one of this first act. Yeesh. Until next time, peeps.