Before they stepped out onto the main road, Yami stopped to bend down and adjust the hat atop Seto's head and also making sure his cloak was clasped on properly.
I'm fine, fuck off, Seto thought irritably as he elbowed Yami's hands aside, but the mage gave him a stern glare and pressed the hat tighter down on his head.
"Ready? Stay close to me and don't let go of my hand," Yami said warningly as his blood curled at the thought of losing Seto somewhere in this large city. Thankfully, the child appeared to have calmed down from his tantrum and gave him a solemn nod.
Good.
Seto gripped Yami's hand tightly as they walked out into the street and joined the immense hustle and bustle. He didn't know where to look first. Bare human feet, hooves, bird taloned feet and thick boots were at chest-height for him, and Seto gaped anytime he saw a half-creature. He had to crane his neck so far up until it hurt to be able to see a face, and usually it was obstructed by a mask, a large beak, or a burly chin.
Mildly frightened, Seto almost wished Yami would carry him on his shoulder, but he reminded himself not to be a fucking baby and just avoid anyone's bag that came swinging too low when they walked past.
Suddenly a hush fell over the crowd, and everyone merged sideways against the nearest buildings, pressing him tighter against Yami's arm, and someone's hooves almost tread on both his feet. Yami swept Seto up onto his shoulder as they were jostled from side-to-side until he managed to squeeze his way through two ogres and duck into a narrow alleyway, leaning against the wall to see what the commotion was about.
I hate this place! Seto thought furiously as he clung to Yami's neck, staring out over the sea of heads, trying to take in the strange sights of the way ram horns and shiny bald heads mingled together as the monsters all stood in a loose line, making way for something coming down the middle of street.
A large carriage with striking matte black spokes carried a normal-looking lady who sat comfortably in the red cushions, waving at people as she passed. Seto had to blink twice to make sure he was seeing elegant horses with black wings pulling her along. The rims of the carriage had been decorated with pearls that shone prettily in the harsh sunlight, and the people were reaching their hands out longingly to touch her beautifully manicured fingertips.
Hey…was this lady a villain? Because only final bosses made appearances like this…
Yami hefted Seto higher up on his shoulder to give the child a better look, making sure to explain, "that's our governor."
Seto nodded to show that he understood, and watched the lady climb out of her carriage to hand someone a piece of spiky yellow fruit from the basket she kept on her lap, and then climb back in like she did this sort of thing every day.
"Aww… Isn't she nice?" Yami gushed, setting Seto back down before Seto could protest. "She's a fairy."
Are all fairies that nice? Seto wondered if his fantasy-speak was truly rusty because he thought fairies were supposed to be evil, or tricksters. And that was only his surface knowledge.
That fairy had looked like a regular human woman with nothing memorable about her features at all.
"We've got a good one," Yami said reassuringly as he noticed Seto's eyes widening with confusion. "Yes, there are good fairies, they exist. It's not a myth. Now let's go. The road has cleared."
Sure enough, the monsters and people alike had gone on their way, the sounds of their chatter mingling pleasantly with the merchants shouting from their marketplace stands.
Seto clung onto Yami's hand as he was led out into the street again, and they passed several food carts and weapon shops before they went up a set of pure white steps, the stone nearly blinding him as he glanced down at his feet. It looked like concrete, but the texture was spongy when he stepped on it. Odd.
The coolness of the building enveloped them as Yami led them inside, and Seto continued to gape at the various monsters idling atop large marble benches, yawning, eating, gossiping, or honing their weapons.
Whoa. This place looked like a…recruitment center? There were many booths covered with satin cloth where other monsters stood behind them, handing out flyers to anyone who passed.
Seto craned his neck to look at them all, noting that visible spheres of light appeared above their heads if he looked long enough—the same way it did for Yami—but these other monsters and people had different numbers than Yami.
They were all…lower.
So that had to be good, right?
Plebeians, Seto thought arrogantly as he gazed up at Yami's spiky hair to read his numbers again.
The monsters staffing the booths didn't solicit them, and also appeared to avoid eye contact with Yami when he walked by, so that gave Seto a chance to stare extra hard at them, noting the way they lowered their heads respectfully, or looked away fearfully to address the next person behind them while waving the flier.
Cool. Everyone was kinda afraid of Yami for some reason.
Makes sense. He outranks them by at least ten thousand points in all regards, Seto smirked as they stopped to stand in a short line leading up to a stained-glass window. Yami's hand tightened further over his and began to sweat, so Seto stood up straighter, wondering what it was.
He could feel waves of distress emanating from Yami beside him, so when they approached the counter, Seto kept his ears peeled to the conversation happening above his head.
Yami materialized a glass vial containing black liquid into his hand and set it on the counter as discreetly as possible, but Seto could see right through the counter when he looked up. A clear outline of the glass was visibly being passed across the way. The lady set the vial on a scale, where it vanished quickly.
Seto wrinkled his nose when he realized it was probably a vial of demon blood Yami had to produce to prove that he'd 'cleaned up' the village. How despicable. But knowing Yami, that blood was probably drawn up from the ground or the neighboring trees….
"Thank you," the woman said robotically as the other side of the scale was weighed down with a sack of gold and a scroll that was handed across the counter.
Seto's eyes widened at the sack of money and watched Yami tuck it away shamefully with the tips of his ears tinted pink.
I get it. You're poor so you do dirty jobs. We know, Seto thought irritably as Yami's hand clamped down over his and they went to stand in another line, one where everyone was holding a scroll.
Seto pointed at it and widened his eyes questioningly, hoping Yami would understand without him speaking. What's that for?
"This…is a 'record of completion'," Yami whispered quietly, hating how several people's heads turned the second he started speaking. "Since the village…incident…was a district-ordered event, this shows that I complied with another governor's orders successfully and it raises my status as someone who follows through."
Cool, so its just paperwork. Seto rolled his eyes and clung onto Yami's hand when the burly man in front of them turned around to give him a toothy smile. His heart skipped a terrified beat when he thought he saw fangs before the man gave Yami a tight-lipped smile that hid them, his dark blue eyes gleaming as he gave Yami an appraising up and down look.
"Hello. You're that mage from District 5," the man said coolly as the line inched forward two steps, and a lump began to form in Seto's throat the more the man continued to leer at Yami who was more preoccupied with what was happening at the front of the line to make it go so slowly.
"I have a name, please use it," Yami replied quietly, instinctively pulling Seto behind him to protect him.
"Very well. How have you been, Yami?" The man asked genuinely as he held out his thick hand for handshake, and Seto stared at the man's sausage-like fingers.
Was this guy half-ogre because it sure looked like it.
"I don't remember you," Yami said tensely, giving the blond man with heavy facial hair a half-smile that looked more like a grimace. "Who might you be?"
"I'm Raphael! We worked together for District 1, transporting materials." The man said stiffly, puffing out his chest and tapping the metal emblem he wore on his belt strap that was connected to a huge bow and arrow set attached to his broad back.
"Ah, yes," Yami said flatly, completely not remembering. Too many names, too many faces, too many damn jobs in corrupt districts.
The line inched forward two steps and Seto could feel Yami's hand tightening around his hand painfully, so he stepped out from behind Yami's back to give the man a glare.
"Your boy?" Raphael asked curiously as he gave the child another grin, and he received a cold, dark stare in return that sent a cold chill down his spine.
"Yes, my ward," Yami said impatiently, fed up with the blond man's nosiness. "He's still learning Elvish, so please excuse him."
"I can speak lots of languages," the man boasted, bending down to give Seto another beaming grin and trying several at once. "Nice to meet you, kid. What's your specialty? You having fun learning lots of magic with your master?"
Seto blinked slowly as he listened to the foreign sounds dropping from the man's mouth and felt a rush of contempt. He'd heard the man's leery thoughts about how Yami was 'slender and handsome', and it made his blood boil with disgust, so he picked the last few syllables to mimic and replied, "yes, now go away."
Yami stiffened and broke out into a nervous sweat, smiling as he watched the man back away in shock. Well…crap. He couldn't understand what Seto had said, but clearly Seto was using his demon powers to mimic the man's language. This was exactly why he'd asked the child not to speak. It was terrifying and invited unwelcome questions.
"What's this, you got a little half-ogre in you?" The man asked gruffly as he stood up to give Yami a tense nod. "Cute kid. What colony is he from? I might know his Chief."
Hmm…doubt it! Yami thought frantically as he scrambled for a believable lie, but before he could say anything, Seto gave his hand a furious shake while hissing at the man in his language.
"Fuck off. He doesn't want to sleep with you, so you can stop trying," Seto growled, willing his voice to remain steady. It seemed the demonic rasp from the back of his throat disappeared anytime he spoke another language. Well, perfect. He'd start speaking whatever language Yami was speaking now to avoid hearing his own voice buzz like that.
The burly man's eyes narrowed challengingly as he shot back, "how old are you? Who taught you how to speak like that?"
"Your mom," Seto sneered as he took a threatening step towards the man feeling himself burning with rage, and he willed himself to stay calm lest the rage show in his eyes.
The man looked confused by that insult and wrinkled his nose, "What? You know my mother?"
No, you idiot, Seto rolled his eyes and felt Yami give his hand a tight squeeze.
"Seto. That's enough… Stop it," Yami said firmly, wondering if he needed to cast forgetfulness spell on the ogre before a fight broke out between them. "He's a little prankster… And you're next up."
Yami nodded at the counter where a giant space had opened up because the man had neglected to step forward. Seto kept his gaze fixed on the man, holding a brief staring contest with him before the half-ogre got up to turn around to approach the counter. Yami let out a tense sigh and gave Seto a stern look.
"I asked you to please stay quiet," Yami reprimanded hollowly as the half-ogre stomped past them so hard, the ground shook, and Seto stuck out his pointed tongue at the man's back, receiving another hiss from Yami.
"Stop it! Seto…!" Yami pleaded, and Seto turned to give him an arrogant smirk that made his soul ache. The woman at the counter beckoned for him to step up, so Yami hurried forward and placed the scroll on the surface, barely reacting when another pouch of gold was offered to him and the woman dipped her head down in thanks.
"Is the appraisal mirror available?" Yami asked as innocently as he could manage, keeping an iron grip on Seto when he felt the child circling his leg, clearly bored.
"Do you have an appointment?" the woman asked lazily, pulling up a pad and tapping on it. "Name?"
"Atem. I have a standing reservation with it…" Yami replied stiffly, feeling Seto walking around his legs again, trying to stray from him, so he gave the child's hand a demanding squeeze. Stay. Still.
Seto wasn't interested in the conversation above his head anymore because he was too busy tracking the ogre's heat signature through the crowd of people. He could see that every time the man moved, he'd leave a wisp of red mist behind him, and Seto wondered if the color meant anything.
"Mmm. I see it. Go on up. It's available now," the woman drawled as she tucked the pad away and looked past his elbow to gesture at the next person in line. "Next!"
Seto felt Yami's grip tighten around his wrist and he was led away from the counter towards a set of towering pillars where a bunch of monsters were loitering, smoking and eating noisily. They marched right up the steps beyond the pillars without so much as attracting a stare and headed down an empty hallway with several towering doors.
Yami paused at one, pressing his ear against it to listen briefly before shouldering it open and locking them inside.
Quite fed up with being tugged around, Seto yanked his hand out of Yami's grasp and rubbed at his wrist where it burned with warmth. How annoying. He could feel how much Yami cared just from a mere touch.
"Go on. There's the mirror," Yami said gently, aware of how Seto's mood was tanking the longer they stayed. "You may use it to see your 'stats' now, I hope?"
Seto glanced around the office excitedly, taking in the sparse furniture, the singular desk, and the lone bookshelf before his eyes landed on the plain sheet of glass mounted on the wall by the floor-to-ceiling windows. Oh was that it? Perfect!
He raced over to it, wondering what he looked like because he'd never seen a full-length reflection of himself before. A nicely dressed little boy with light brown hair, pale skin, and bright blue eyes stared back at him.
Oh.
This was what he looked like as a child in his past life.
Nothing new, nothing different, other than the nubby demon horns and pointed ears maybe?
Yami sat down delicately on the couch and tapped his foot on the ground in anticipation, secretly itching to know as well, but he'd hold out and give Seto his space for now. He snuck a glance at the child to see him pulling at the corners of his mouth to inspect his fangs, and he bit back a smile. C-Cute…
So, where are my stats?! Seto wondered furiously as he crossed his tiny arms and glared at his own reflection.
A tiny crack was forming from the side, and he frowned at it.
Had that been there before? And to his rising horror, the crack grew larger and began creeping across the surface of the mirror until it reached the other side. W-Whoa.
Hold on! Wait just a fucking minute— Seto raged, and just as that thought left him, the mirror exploded into pieces, blowing out the windows beside him too and sending shards flying everywhere.
He instinctively threw his arms across his face to shield his eyes but thankfully, Yami was quicker and dove in front of him, using the sleeve of his cloak to cover them both from the blast.
Furious, Seto watched as the glass began healing itself, the shards returning to their rightful place as Yami hastily mended the mirror and scooped him up in his arms, whispering, "people are coming!" And Seto nodded fearfully, hugging Yami's leg and listening to him chant the re-location spell and the blinding light engulfed them in a flash, teleporting them to the tiny alleyway directly below the office.
Yami grabbed Seto's hand and dragged him out onto the street and looked up along with everyone else, and Seto lifted his head tentatively to see a row of guards peeking out from the shattered windows into the small crowd forming on the street below.
"Who dares attack our recruitment building?!" One of the men called down into the crowd, and people began walking away with their heads down, not wanting to be implicated.
"Your glass lifespan is weak!" Yami called back with a friendly wave, and he grabbed Seto to quickly walk away, his hand clammy with cold sweat.
Seto was in too much of a personal turmoil to react to anything. He was numb. The appraisal mirror fucking broke! He broke it just by standing in front of it for two seconds.
Is there anything I can touch without breaking it? Seto reeled furiously as he recalled stomping his foot and creating a mini earthquake. He needed to move with more precision than ever in this life, and this tiny body was more of a curse than a gift.
"Don't worry. We'll make you a mirror," Yami said anxiously as he pulled Seto into the shade of a tailor's awning. "Rule one of object creation is to match the elements with the user," Yami continued patiently while his heart thundered in his ears, but he calmed himself down by picking shards of glass out from the folds of Seto's hat and absently brushed his shoulders off too.
"We can use your horn shavings, and I'll use that to make some glass for you, alright?" Yami asked kindly, giving Seto a quick hug and staring into the child's face which had gone eerily blank. "Seto? Are you okay?"
Seto blinked slowly and nodded, pulling himself out of his thoughts to give Yami a shaky smile. Got it. He was too powerful to use the mirror in the building, so they'd figure something out.
"Don't be sad," Yami said instantly when he saw Seto's frown deepening, and he hastened to suggest a happy activity. "How about we go shopping? For new clothes…for you! Yeah? With the money we earned from the cave. Let's get you something new to wear!"
I'm happy with this, Seto thought glumly as he held up his long-sleeve covered arms, thinking he felt quite comfortable in the clothes Yami had made for him in the forest.
Yami shifted awkwardly and gave Seto another pat on his head, adding, "the clothes I made for you will fade because they're synthetic, with only magic and dirt as a base. Let's buy you something you can pick out yourself, okay? Come with me. We're near a children's clothing store that I think you'll like."
Ugh. Whatever, Seto replied, grabbing onto Yami's hand and following him out into the street again, the crowds still tight as ever, and the noise of the vendors shouting, the footsteps, the chattering, the screeching, the grunting… It made him shove his hand in his pocket to grab the stone Yami had made for him and turn it over in his palm until a blissful silence blanketed him.
Oh…thank god. The heightened hearing was a curse too.
Finally there was refuge from the crowded street in the form of a small door, the handle perfect for his height. Confused, Seto reached out to push it open and saw another larger door right beside it appear for Yami to step through, and his heart skipped a beat when Yami gave him a pretty smile and nudged him inside.
"Exciting, right?" Yami smiled brightly and walked inside to grab Seto's hand again on the other side and was pleased to see the child's face light up at the racks of clothes organized by species preference before them.
Seto's mouth dropped open in shock as he stared at the revolving pillars of clothes that went from floor-to-ceiling, complete with flying pixies at each rack to help out.
What the fuccccccck.
This place was insane!
The cute, colorful décor on the walls was making him go cross-eyed too. It was a strange, pop-out mural where the painted animals would roar occasionally and run from wall to wall, changing the scenery when they moved.
Awestruck, Seto understood that if he was actually 8, he would love this store. But since he was a grown-ass man… Who was he kidding?! The store was still cool. There were real trees and a real waterfall dripping down from the upper floors where several changing booths were available, along with a set of floating benches, cushions, and a small table for arts and crafts.
It was a clothing store playground heaven.
"Pick whatever you want—" Yami began, and Seto was gone in a flash.
The child pattered away so fast, his cloak went flying behind him, and Yami smiled to himself again. Aww….
Seto's appreciation rose when he noticed each of the racks were organized with tiny drawings of main monster traits. A drawing of elf ears was carved at the base of a towering pillar, and the racks of clothes were all cotton-blend shirts of various designs, leather vests, and boots with padded heels.
Nodding, Seto circled it curiously and approached another pillar. This one had a drawing of horse hooves, so he moved on. The next one he encountered had a simple drawing of a bald head with large ears, and he cringed as he wondered what that creature was. Goblin, maybe?
Drawings of wings intrigued him, so he stood at the base of the pillar staring at the clothes that had holes cut out for wings, and he shook his head. Okay, maybe he was getting too deep into the store.
I'm…a rare monster, he says, so I should shop small, Seto mused as he turned around and headed for the smaller pillars, and sure enough, he found a small rack with a drawing of a human hand.
Humans shop here too, right? Seto wondered as he lifted a pressed blazer from the rack and stared at the neat stitching. This was eerily similar to something he'd wear every day to the office. Except it had been shrunken down to child-size and it was missing the dress shirt along with a tie. After circling the pillar, Seto found them easily, all lined up neatly on hangers, complete with sets of shiny dress shoes and patterned socks.
I could wear this…! Seto thought excitedly as Yami appeared beside him, frowning thoughtfully.
"You like human-styled clothes even though you hate…humans?" Yami raised his eyebrows while his mind raced with frantic thoughts. "You have the whole store to choose from and you want to wear this?"
Seto was a demon, and demon intelligence rivaled human ingenuity, and that intelligence mixed with magic made demons the most dangerous monsters.
They were human-like, but not human at all.
Perhaps it was a strange complex Seto had?
Or was it natural for Seto to want to wear something human because he was wearing the cloaking ring, presenting himself as a human? It was confusing to think about, and Yami hoped he wasn't messing the child up too much.
What? I don't hate humans. I mean I do…here in this world, but I am human at my core, Seto thought irritably as he pointed at the suit set and then at himself. I'm used to wearing this shit, so shut up and buy this for me.
Yami noticed Seto's eyes narrowing so he hastily nodded and waved a pixie down from above.
One came zooming down in a sparkling flash and cupped their hands together before holding it out, asking for payment. Yami opened his hand and coins rained from his palm into the pixie's hands.
The clothes were picked up gently and placed in a thin paper bag, which Yami quickly vanished into his inventory and then he reached down to hold Seto's hand with a beaming smile.
"Okay. Let's go. You promised me nap time," Yami said cheerfully, and Seto rolled his eyes heavily.
Ugh. Goddammit. Fine.
They walked out of the store together but before they could step out onto the street, Yami knelt down beside him and looked him full in the face. Startled by their sudden closeness, Seto leaned away apprehensively and tried to look away, but his eyes kept drifting back to Yami's high cheekbones which were reflecting the sun so prettily, it made his heart race.
Okay. What? Seto thought sourly as he crossed his arms. I already agreed not to fight you on naptime, holy fucking shit—
Yami's eyes softened at the corners, and he held his hand out flat to materialize a stack of silver coins for Seto to see before tipping them into a small pouch he brought out too, handing it to the child and watching the demon accept it with two hands again, looking somber.
"Hey, it's for you to spend. Cheer up," Yami said gently, giving Seto's tiny shoulders a reassuring squeeze. "The pouch is enchanted to replenish 25 silver coins at the end of every month. If you somehow manage to spend more than that, you tell me. But for now, that will be your pocket money, okay? So you can come back here anytime with me and get whatever food, whatever clothes you want to wear. Got it?"
Oh shit, he's giving me an allowance, Seto thought dazedly, weighing the pouch in his hands before tucking it away in one of his many, deep cloak pockets.
Yami nodded approvingly and stood up to hold Seto's hand again, leading him out into the street, feeling lighter than he'd had in decades. His silent communication with this child was mainly through eye contact and one-sided talking, but he felt like they held a deep understanding for each other that he couldn't explain.
I must really be on some kid shit if I have an allowance, Seto thought happily as he grabbed Yami's hand tighter and enjoyed the brief flare of happiness inside him.
Money always made him happy.
That trait about himself hadn't changed.
Good to fucking know.
Author's note:
seto breaks an appraisal mirror cuz he's too powerful & gets some new clothes + allowance maaaaaan he has it so good….can someone give me new clothes and an allowance please ugh