Luc had become fully human. Or at least, he thought so.
His life was routine now. Wake up. Work. Eat. Joke with Takeshi. Sleep. Repeat.
Nothing strange ever happened.
But today… today was different.
The Tired Girl and the Hidden Creature
It was an ordinary shift. Luc was at the counter, taking orders, when a girl walked in.
She looked exhausted—dark circles under her eyes, shoulders slumped, like she hadn't slept in days.
Luc barely glanced at her at first. Just another tired customer.
But then… he saw it.
A blur. Something faint, something wrong.
At first, it was just a flicker in the corner of his eye. But when he focused, it became clear.
A creature clung to her shoulder.
Its body was thin and translucent, almost like a floating insect, with long, needle-like legs digging into her skin.
Luc's breath hitched.
A Flyer.
A Monster From His Past
His heart pounded. How was this thing here?
Flyers were common pests in the Demon Realm—insignificant little creatures that fed on weak energy. To demons, they were nothing more than annoying bugs.
But to humans?
To normal, weak humans?
It was deadly.
This thing had been slowly draining her energy, feeding off her life force. If left alone, it would eventually kill her.
Luc frowned. How did it even get here?
Flyers had no place in the human world. They had their own habitats in the Demon Realm. Something must have brought it here.
That's when he saw it.
A bracelet on the girl's wrist.
It pulsed with demonic aura.
The Source of the Problem
Luc leaned forward. "Where did you get that bracelet?"
The girl blinked at him, confused. "Huh? Oh, this? I bought it at a shrine."
A shrine?
Luc's stomach twisted. A human shrine is selling cursed objects?
"Can I see it for a second?" he asked, keeping his voice calm.
The girl hesitated, then slid the bracelet off and handed it to him.
The moment it touched his palm, Luc felt it.
A surge of demonic energy. It was weak—nothing dangerous to him—but it was definitely not human.
This was what had summoned the Flyer.
Luc sighed. Humans were so careless.
Without hesitation, he absorbed the energy into himself.
As a demon, consuming demonic energy was second nature—like drinking water. He let the power flow through him, burning away any trace of its connection to the Flyer.
The girl shuddered.
"…I feel lighter." She looked at him, surprised. "Weird… I was feeling so tired all week, but now…"
Before Luc could respond, she suddenly squinted at the air.
"Wait… I think I see something."
Luc's eyes widened.
Shit.
The bracelet had been acting as a veil—hiding the monster from human sight. Now that it was gone, the Flyer was fully visible.
The girl's face paled.
"What the hell is—"
Luc moved instantly.
Before she could process what she was seeing, Luc channeled the energy he had taken from the bracelet and crushed the Flyer in an instant.
A flash of dark mist. A faint, shrill screech.
And then… nothing.
The girl blinked. She looked around, confused.
"…I swear I just saw something." She shook her head. "Must be my imagination."
Luc forced a casual smile. "Yeah, maybe you just need more sleep."
She laughed awkwardly. "Probably. Anyway, I'll have a coffee."
Luc nodded and took her order, acting normal.
But inside?
Inside, he was not calm.
After the girl sat at a table, Luc leaned on the counter, deep in thought.
That shrine.
A human shrine was selling demonic artifacts. That meant someone was either unknowingly distributing cursed items… or doing it on purpose.
Either way, he needed to find out.
Because if one Flyer had made it through…
How many other creatures had crossed over?