"Yaaawwnnn."
I wake up with a yan, and scoot closer to my wife in bed. But upon feeling my touch, Ella begins to stir as well, and wakes up.
"Luis…we need to get up now…" Ella groggily says with a yawn.
"But I'm so cozy!" I groan.
"Not today," Ella answers.
"Oh…that's today?" I ask.
"Oh, please!" Ella replies as she sits up in bed and smiles at me. "You know and I both know that you've been waiting for this day since last year!"
I sit up in bed and smile as well. "Alright, you got me!" I reply.
"What day is it today, you may ask?
Well…let me tell you!"
"On this day, twenty years ago today, is when humanity achieved total victory over the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and their demon army, defeating them in an event which came to be known as the Second Human-Demon World World, and sealing them away in Hell for good, all thanks to your truly!
Ever since that day, every year, the remnants of the Slayer Hachi Squad as well as our friends have had a party to celebrate our victory, as well as to celebrate the lives and accomplishments of our fallen comrades, Nick, my dad, Daniel, Ivy, and many, many others.
After getting dressed and heading down stairs, I see a boy in a blue hoodie, laying with his back against the couch and playing on some sort of new-fangled handheld game console.
"Are you ready to go?" I ask my son, Daniel.
"Yeah…just let me save…" Daniel mutters to himself, not looking up from his game. Since I speak "dad" now, I know that this translates to: "No, I'm not ready!"
"You remind me too much of me when I was your age…" I sigh.
"What's that mean?" Daniel asks, still not looking up from his game.
"Oh…nothing…" I sigh as I wander into the kitchen, where I see my daughter hunched over the garbage can, violently puking. Ella stands behind her, patting her back.
"Holy shi-crap, are you okay?!" I cry as I rush over to my daughter, Nickola.
Daniel and Nickola…yeah, not the most creative names. Ella and I just liked "Daniel and Nickola" better than "Daniella and Nicholas."
"Yeah, it's just that time of her month," Ella explains as she turns around to face me with a sad smile.
"OH!" I awkwardly reply as I take a step backwards.
And thus, after getting ready, the entire Tramontana family (Nickola including) pile into our car, and head off!
***
"Hey, Fūjin, so you've made it!" A voice booms the second that I step through the door with my family.
"Hey, Jay, how are you?" I laugh as I hustle over to the man, who's already sitting at the bar surrounded by a couple of empty mugs. A passed out Slayer Renzu lies face-down at the bar counter beside him. "Already started drinking, eh?" I ask. "You're the same, every year!"
"Only a few!" Jay laughs.
"I thought I recognized those voices!" Austin exclaims as he and Jamie waltz over to my family and I, with their kids in tow.
"Holy sh-crap, Jamie, another one?!" I cry as I stare at Jamie's stomach.
"Shut up, I like kids!" Jamie snaps.
"You're a busy guy, Austin, Mr. Head of the Slayer Organization Technology department!" Ella giggles, causing Austin to blush.
"You're one to talk Mrs. Head of the Slayer Organization Medical branch," Austin replies with a smirk.
"UGHHHH!!!!" A voice groans as I hear the doors to the restaurant open, and I turn around to see Grover slink into a restaurant and take a seat at the bar. "I'll have… whatever…" Grove mutters as he flops face-down onto the countertop besides Jay, who looks awkward between Grover and Renzu.
"I take it Grover's been busy lately, eh?" I ask I turn to face Ralph, who follows Grover into the restaurant.
"Yeah…" Ralph awkwardly laughs as he rubs the back of his neck. "Almost makes me glad I'm the Vice Chairman…"
"Hey, you guys!" A voice awkwardly calls from outside of the restaurant, and I peer out of the doors to see a sheepish Lycan waving to us.
"Hey, Lycan!" I wave back. "Why don't you come in?!"
"Can't!" Lycan answers as he struggles with the leashes of like…a dozen feral mutts. "I can't leave my dogs alone!"
"So Lycan's kennel is still packed, eh?" I ask as I raise an eyebrow at Ralph.
"Yeah…" Ralph awkwardly laughs as he rubs the back of his neck again. "But it's what Ivy would have wanted, Lycan helping nature!"
"Mh-hmm!" I nod.
As you see, everyone has all sorts of different jobs nowadays, Pro Slayer or not. Everyone sort of went their own path after the war. Mikey and Winter left town to begin exterminating whatever remaining demons they found, Grover began a special training program to become Chairman, Austin went out of town for school in order to continue work on his inventions, Jamie continued her work as a Field Patrol Slayer, and finally, Ella and I moved in together as she continued her medical school training. She was always waaaay too busy for us to see each other, even while living together. I still occasionally worked as a Field Patrol Slayer -using my demon strength and sword skills in place of my Cursed Ability- alongside helping rebuild New York City from the mass demon outbreak, in between attending classes. But unlike Ella and Austin, who went to a university for Pro Slayers, I, of course, just went to my local community college. I'm majoring in business. I don't think it'll ever help me, but whatever. I've made enough money during my time as a Pro Slayer to go to an actually good college, but of course, I don't really go to class, I can't find the motivation to. And as I said to Mikey, my demon body is strong enough to slay these small price demons still lingering around the city anyway.
And you may be wondering what I'm up to these days. Well as for me, after the war, I became depressed. I had finally achieved the "perfect life" that I looked forward to when I was a kid: well paying job, nice apartment, hot girlfriend, good friends. I spent my days lounging around; playing video games, chilling, and working as a Field Patrol Slayer. But none of that interested me. My life felt like I was still lacking one final piece.
But I didn't feel happy…only content.
I was at my happiest when I was fighting for my life, getting stronger, protecting my friends and family, and defeating my foes. I missed the action, I missed the fight. I missed…being a Pro Slayer in combat. I needed someone to protect, and a reason to keep fighting and growing stronger. And so, as the new Nick Boras, and the new "Strongest Pro Slayer," I decided to take up Nick's will as well.
I became the Squad Captain of the previous Slayer Hachi's Squad, now known as the Slayer Fūjin Squad!
My squad resides in the dormhouse that I grew up in alongside the rest of the Slayer Hachi Squad, and we protect and go on missions in the same area that I once roamed! Though of course, these days, there's arne't as many kids trying to become Pro Slayers, after the war, With the Portal to Hell closed, Cursed Power is slowly leaving our world, and the rest of the remaining demons are slowly dying off. In a couple hundred years…Cursed Power will be gone entirely.
And once the Portal to Hell re-opens…it'll be up to our predecessors to close it.
And it's up to us to make sure that we don't repeat the same mistakes our ancestors once made.
"So Mikey and Winter aren't coming this year?" Austin asks.
"Nah," I answer. "Not that he's texted me…"
"You know…if he can't show for our yearly get togethers, then the least Mikey could do is text!" Jamie snaps as she crosses her arms.
"Mikey's a bachelor, it's not like he can be too busy," Austin adds.
"I don't know…" I reply with a smirk. "Winter's pretty cute!" I say, causing Jamie and Austin to laugh.
But our laughter is interrupted when Ella rushes over to us. "LUIS!" Ella frantically cries.
"What, what's the matter?!" I cry as I turn back to face Ella. "Where's Nickola, I thought you went to the bathroom with her?!"
"It's Nickola, she's-" Ella begins to frantically answer, but she's cut off when we hear a groan.
"Dad…" a voice groans, and I peer over to where I hear the voice, seeing Nickola limping over to me, clutching her stomach in agony. And when I do…my eyes widen.
For the veins on the right half of Nickola's body…are glowing a bright blue.
"What's happening to me…?"
My eyes widen.
"Oh, shit…"