A pale green skinned demon with multiple eyes riddled on his body wanders and turns down many alleyways, hidden from view. He passes by a few sleeping, grotesquely formed demons sleeping.
He paid them no mind as he continued his trek forward. It was an unconcerning sight for him. Another weak demon, waiting to get put out of their misery.
After journeying through the alleys, he finally arrived at his destination. Before his was a shabby, makeshift shack that didn't look too noteworthy.
He approached the door and brought out his one clawed finger. And as if giving a code, he scratched the surface of the door, rhythmically.
The door clicked, slowly opening for the demon. However, he didn't wait, pushing the door open more forcefully. he erupted inside the hideout, quickly setting himself on a couch by the door.
"Got the haul you wanted." The multi-eyed demon threw a decent sized sack on the ground. "Now we have all three hundred like you wanted."
A fat gnome sized demon glanced from behind the forcefully opened door. He closed it and rushed to the sack. And despite it having no eyes on its face, the uncontained excitement was clearly visible with its smile.
It opened the sack, marveling at the new haul of white and gray spheres within it. All of them, cores, from other people.
A much taller demon with no nose approached the sack, with a much more serious demeanor. He then glanced at the multi-eyed demon, who flashed a smile and chuckled.
"With this many, It could last us a year," The short demon exclaimed. He looked into the sack, practically drooling.
"Don't go eating our bargaining chip, just because you want more power, Weasel." The tall demon calmly stated.
"I-I wouldn't dare!" The multi-eyed demon spoke up once more. "I think that concludes my end of the deal. Don't you think?"
The tall demon proceeded to shift through the sack until he found what looked to be a pulsing black core. An anger flared.
Suddenly the tall demon smashed his leg down upon the Multi-eyed demon, destroying the couch he sat on. The tall demon then grabbed him by the neck, pulling him up.
"What's the meaning of this Devon!!?"
"C-calm down Farn" Devon choked.
The tall demon, Farn, presents the black core to Devon. "What is the meaning of this demon's core??"
"Nngghhh…. I just…. Snatched it from some women!"
Farn slammed Devon into wall. "This is unacceptable! If we gave this to the Sin of Rage itself, we would all perish!
Weasel, the short demon freak out as Farn slammed Devon back into the destroyed couch. "Go back out there and get an actual human soul!!"
Farn let Devon go, leaving him to gasp for air.
"F-f-f-farn!" Weasel pointed to the black core in his hands, finding it pulsing much more rapidly. "W-what do we do with that!?"
"We get rid of it.," he said plainly.
Farn quickly posed himself, ready to throw the core into the sky. The only problem being that they were inside of a shabby home.
"W-wait. You're not going to…"
With all his strength, Farn hurdled the core through the ceiling and far into the sky!
The black core hurled on like a rocket in the sky and slowly began to descend. As it did, the pulsing ceased and the black core glowed brightly.
From outside the core, a boy began to materialize from a mist being brought together by some mysterious force. His yellow shirt and blue jeans became noticeable. and a familiar face and hair also formed back in.
Finally, Cider has revived. Albeit in the sky over Gondola while sleeping soundly.
Upon feeling the rush of air on his face, Cider finally woke up, yawning. And looking down.
"Huh…. WHHAAAAAAATTT!?????"
Cider freaked out falling from high up in the air. Unknown to him, two hooded figures are watching from a far distance as he flails his body around.
Cider looked around for a way out of his predicament. Seeing that he was getting much closer to the ground, he made a gamble. He outstretched his arms, grabbing the top of a building. And in one move, he launched himself back into the air and crashed through another taller building!
Cider burst through the walls of small apartments for several people landing in a bathroom, where an old man sat, doing his business and reading the newspaper
Cider shook the rubble off himself and took a good look of his surroundings until he realized the old man was just staring at him.
Cider waved. "Hi…"
The old man seeing this started gasping like a goldfish, not long after, he turned to ash, leaving cider by himself again.
"Oh..."
Uninterested in the man, he left the bathroom looking around the apartment. "Whoa. This is like a house. But smaller."
Cider immediately began jumping on the bed, rummaging through belongings and playing dangerously on the window.
He stopped, finally realizing something. "Huh. Wait a minute. Where am I?"
He peeked out the window again, finding an assortment of rustic buildings and one very tall building that erupted into the sky like a needle. "Whoa~!"
"DEMON!!" a woman screamed.
"Huh?" Cider glanced back, seeing a elderly woman falling on her butt. A lot of different people rushed over to her aid from the hall.
"Get that demon!" one of the residents creamed.
Cider could only cock his head in confusion.
"Ooohhh." Cider smiled. "This is another game! Is this a tag?"
A man rushed in conjuring a cleaver into his hands and attacking with it! Cider dodged.
"Oh. Are you 'it'?" He laughed.
The frustration on the man became more evident.
Cider stretched his hand past the old woman to the hallway door.
"Catch me if you can!"
Cider slung himself out the room into the hall.
"Harold! W-where's Harold!?"
The man with the cleaver glances back finding a pile of ash on the bathroom toilet.
"That kid took his core!! After him!!!"
Many of the resident's that witnessed the event began pursuit. They ripped through the hall following Cider close behind as he ran. Reaching the end of the hall for the stairs, a knife was thrown, missing Cider by a hair.
He glanced back a little surprised. "Hey everyone can't be 'it'."
Another man that caught up threw a punch. Cider dodged, latching himself on the ceiling. "Alright. If that's who you all wanna play the game with, I'm fine with it."
"You bastard! Give the old man back!"
Cider stuck his tongue. "What are you talking about? Dummy!"
Cider dodged another sudden attack from a strange energy blast. And push past the last man into the staircase.
He jumped over the railing plummeting towards the ground floor.
"He's trying to escape! " The residents followed suit jumping down the rails too.
"Haha. Dummies. I'm not going down!" Cider smiled more widely as they realized he was holding onto another railing. Not long after he launched himself up past a few reluctant residents.
Those residents followed up the stairs as Cider landed on the top floor. He turned, peeking down the stairs. A small group of them continued to rush up. Seeing her blew a raspberry, taunting them.
"That little-!"
Cider scooted off, giggling to himself as he opened the door to the roof. Walking outside he got a better look of his surroundings, seeing that he was no longer in the town he was in before. He observed the needled tower, curiosity lighting up in her eyes.
"Hmmm….. I feel like I'm forgetting something…"
Cider's thoughts were interrupted as the resident finally caught up, now running at him, he wasted little time fleeing and sticking his tongue at them. Inching closer to the edge of the building, he jumped.
The resident watched in horror. "That demon's crazy! What's he thinking!?"
********
Back with the elderly woman, she's bawling her eyes out. Her worry for her husband, clearly visible. Suddenly, within the old man's ashes, his core pulse violently unit it shined. He was revived within his bathrooms.
His hands gripped the door, three times bigger than what it was before. Veins pulse in his arms and neck as he clenches his now squared jaw.
The elderly woman saw him, now becoming relieved and ecstatic. "Harold, you're still okay!! You had me so worried! Huh? You look upset." The woman cocked her head, pondering a thought.
"Where's that boy!"
"That demon you mean?" she asked.
Suddenly, Cider came into the view of the old man, just outside their window. His eyes widened. He pushed past his wife, crashing through the walls and window, leaping at Cider.
His body was three times its original size with muscle on top of muscles, tearing through the fabric of his clothes. And the once frail looking man was now the peak of human evolution with his short brown hair and goatee.
Despite this change of appearance Cider could still recognize him as the old man he met a moment ago with just a glance.
"Old man?"
The old Man, Harold Punched Cider hard in the chest, sending them both hurtling into the next building, cratering into the floorboard.
The man backed away glaring at Cider with indignation. "Lil bastard. What kinda prank are you trying to pull here?"
Cider got back up from the crater, smiling widely. "Looks like you caught me."
An eerie aura started to surround Cider. It even started to unnerve the man. He posed himself to be ready for anything.
"I guess that makes me 'It', doesn't it?" Cider rubbed the back of his head, chuckling, as if he'd lost some bet.
"Damn brat are you trying to give me another heart attack!?"
Now pissed, Harold threw another punch. To his shock,the punch was stopped, sending a shock wave that destroyed the wall behind Cider..
Cider peeked his head out with a sly smile. "Heh. You're 'it'."
Harold's Vein pulsed from anger. He followed with another punch that was dodged by Cider.
He threw another and another and another punch all directed and missing Cider. Each punch made, leaving a devastating hole through the building, crushing and busting everything around him. All the while cider laughed from the excitement of not being caught.
Now in the air Harold found his opening, he wasted little time hurling his fist Cider. Unexpectedly Cider once again caught it, mid air. He ended up hanging on the man's fist, cruising his own instinct.
Harold threw another punch that Cider dodged.
Cider then outstretched his hands to the man, finding him blocking his attack.
"Hah! Now you're 'It' again!"
To Cider's surprise, Harold grabbed his arm, pulling Cider straight at him. "This isn't some game!!"
Harold punched Cider hard in the stomach sending him flying out the building into several more smaller buildings.
Harold looked, still angry. "Damn Kids."
A second later, the buff man instantly turned back to his frail looking body. He gave a sigh as he looked around for an exit.
********
As Cider continued to hurtle down wards in the air, he crashed through another building and even whizzed past Megumi and the Reaper who were looking around the market.
"Huh?" Megumi glanced up and looked around in the sky. "Did you hear something just now?" she asked.
"No. Don't worry about it. Let's just keep going." he said.
"Okay…"
Megumi glanced back briefly at a random dress a vendor was pawning off. With a sigh she followed back with the Reaper.
********
Finally after while, Cider crashed into another building. He now found himself hanging upside down, absolutely stupefied by the sudden trip.
"That old man is strong…" Cider glanced at his stomach, finding the wound left behind, healing up fast. He relaxed himself, allowing himself to sway in the broken building.
"I still feel like I'm forgetting something important… But what is it…"
Cider closed his eyes and rubbed his chin, lost in thought. "Hmmmm…. I think it had something to do with a… girl?"
Opening his eyes he found a hooded figure posed and ready with his fist.
"Huh?"
Cider was struck in the face and into the destroyed building. Luckily for him, he was able to land on his feet.
"Welcome to Gondola… Under the authority of the Reaper Corp, You can consider your life, forfeit."
Cider smiles widely, amused.
Standing behind him now were two people wearing a hooded uniform. A man with tan skin, black hair and green eyes. And a woman with fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes, who wore a strange mask just over her nose.
He continues. "You must have some balls for breaking into this city."
Cider turned around, revealing a more toothy smile and blacker eyes. He chuckled to himself happily. "Would you like to play tag too?"