The Venomania trio crossed the official border of the Thunder Nation like ghosts, avoiding checkpoints via a detour through an eroded canyon. The sight of vast plains gave way to kilometers of industrial suburbs, and finally to the dystopian skyscrapers of Daten City.
Devyus and his sisters hid in a cave near the city's outskirts.
"Before we reach our destination, I think it's time we appear more 'normal,'" said the incubus.
His tail began to retract, disappearing completely; his horns hid on his head, and his skin started taking a Caucasian tone. The glow of his eyes and their color shifted to black, and his hair abandoned its beautiful purple hue for brown.
"But Onii-sama," protested Catherine.
The glance from her twin, followed by her compliance with their brother's command, made Catherine suppress her protest and do the same as her siblings. Both sisters adopted black hair.
"Very well, let's proceed," said the eldest brother.
Concrete and steel towers rose against a sky perpetually stained orange by smog and neon light, while the constant hum of machinery and aerial traffic created an aggressive urban symphony.
The mundane firearms of their previous attackers would suffice for defense without revealing their nation of origin or demonic nature. They walked down a main avenue, absorbing the atmosphere of their new home.
The environment was drastically different from the village they once called home: many people begging on every corner, streets crowded with cars.
The smell of rust, gasoline, and decay was evident even without their heightened senses. Neon lights from virtually every building reflected in oil-slicked puddles on the streets and sidewalks, along with other mysterious liquids the trio preferred not to identify.
The city was a boiling pot of activity, yet a latent energy of mistrust and danger pulsed beneath the surface. Giant advertising screens displayed news of riots and corporations promising security—for a price—while shady deals took place in alleys in broad daylight.
It was then that Catherine tugged her brother's coat into one of the thousands of alleys and stopped in front of him, frowning.
"Onii-sama, this disguise… is unbearable. The mediocrity of this skin and hair color offends me." Her hair, previously dyed a discreet black, began reverting to her vibrant emerald green. Her yellow, feline-pupiled eyes glowed intensely.
"Onee-san is right," added Katherine, whose hair returned to its characteristic cobalt blue, her glasses reflecting the neon light. "Maintaining this fully human façade is an unnecessary restriction. Our hair and eye colors, at least, must remain true to our nature." Her own yellow feline eyes fixed silently on Devyus, silently pleading.
Devyus looked at them with a slight smile. He understood their discomfort; it was like asking a tiger to hide its black stripes.
"Very well," he conceded. "The eyes and hair can return. It's a calculated risk, but in a city this chaotic, unusual features will pass as eccentric fashion."
Instantly, their hair and eyes regained their natural colors—a small relief to their demonic essence.
They continued onward, delving into the lower levels of the city. Architecture became denser and neglected, and the air grew thick with the smell of garbage, oil, and despair. It was in one of these side alleys that a figure approached hesitantly.
She was a woman with somewhat greasy, unkempt orange hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a worn white hoodie, her eyes having seen too much.
"Sir," she said, her voice trembling. "Could… you help me? My family and I need assistance… please, this way." She pointed to an even darker, narrower alley.
Both sisters exchanged a glance of immediate distrust, but Devyus subtly raised a hand.
"Of course, miss," he said, his calmness contrasting with the surroundings. "Show me the way."
The girl led the trio into the alley. Several trash bins, possibly weeks old, graffiti from gangs on the walls, and rats searching for food marked this place, abandoned by any god of light.
As soon as they were out of the main street's sight, the girl's fearful expression transformed into a cruel smile. A cheap knife appeared in her hand.
"Well, idiot. Wallets and everything valuable, quickly. I don't want to dirty myself." Her voice carried a mix of desperation and fear rather than the false confidence she tried to project.
Devyus yawned at the girl's weak threat; his sisters could not suppress laughter at the pathetic robbery attempt.
"I'm not joking," the girl threatened, her voice even deeper and louder. "You're not the first I've done this with, so hand over all your valuables or see—"
Devyus didn't even blink. His hand moved in an instant, too fast for the human eye to follow. He grasped the girl's wrist with a steel-like grip, causing a cry of pain and surprise. With his other hand, he held her chin firmly yet gently, forcing her gaze to meet his.
"A poor life choice," murmured Devyus, his amethyst eyes locking onto hers. Allure.
A subtle purple glow, almost imperceptible, passed through his pupils. The girl struggled to free herself, but gradually her strength faded, her rage and defiance replaced by instant, unnatural fascination.
Finally, a huge purple heart symbol completely replaced her pupil, emitting a macabre glow that alternated between pink and purple. The incubus smiled, knowing his aggressor was fully enchanted.
"Now," continued Devyus, his voice soft but relentless. "Tell me, little mouse, why is this city like this? So corrupt… so… lawless?"
Under the spell, the girl spoke dreamily.
"It has… always been like this. The police… only protect the rich in the upper districts. Down here… survival of the fittest. Corporations rule. Law is money. No one cares for us."
"And the rumors? Heroes? Vigilantes?" pressed Devyus.
"Rumors… just rumors," she murmured. "Heroes disappeared years ago, and vigilantes are just tales. They talk about a guy who slips… a guy called Slider. And a noisy girl… Diamond Diva. But no one really sees them. They're… stories to give hope to idiots." A solitary tear rolled down her cheek, a mix of the spell's effect and a real flash of sadness.
"There is no hope here."
Devyus nodded slowly, absorbing the information. It was even better than he expected—a perfect power vacuum.
"Thank you," he said. "That is all I needed." The incubus finished, turning around.
But he had barely taken three steps when he felt a hand grab his leather coat, stopping him completely.
The effect of his Allure, however, had a side effect. The vulnerability and admiration it induced transformed into a distorted attraction, a macabre mix of obsession and lust disguised as false love.
The girl approached closer, sliding a hand along the incubus's arm, as if she had known him her whole life.
"I could… show you more if you let me," she whispered, coquettishly suggestive. "We could… have fun; there's a place nearby."
That was the last straw. A deadly cold descended over the alley.
"Insect!" Catherine hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "How dare you lay your filthy hands on our Onii-sama?"
"Your insolence requires a terminal lesson," added her younger sister, and one of her scythes began to materialize in her hand, the air around her distorting from the contained demonic power.
The girl, still under the spell, barely registered the threat, too focused on the incubus.
Devyus sighed. The situation had shifted from informative to tedious.
"Enough," he said with authority. "It is not her fault. It is the effect of Allure." He looked at the girl with something akin to pity.
"Sleep."
With a rapid, precise movement, he struck a pressure point in her neck. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed unconscious onto the filthy alley floor, the spell broken by her unconsciousness.
"Onii-sama, we should eliminate this vermin—" Catherine began, pointing.
"No," Devyus interrupted firmly. "She is no threat. Only a product of her environment. Letting her live is a reminder of the misery this city represents… and the opportunity it presents."
He looked at his sisters.
"Chaos is not a disaster, little sisters. It is fertile ground. And we… are the new gardeners."
With a gesture, the three continued on, leaving the unconscious woman in the alley. Emerging back onto the main avenue, their few demonic features now partially visible, their eyes fixed on the corrupt heart of Daten City. Hero rumors were faint, nearly nonexistent. But the new lords of shadows had arrived, ready to write their own rules. The real game was about to begin.
Meanwhile, the girl's unconscious body began convulsing violently; her eyes turned completely white, and her fingernails mutated into metallic claws.
From the front pocket of her hoodie came a metal container with glass reliefs, small purple droplets still adorning it.
Little did the siblings know, they had stepped into a conflict far larger than the problems they had tried to escape… and what they awakened in the shadows of Daten City would change everything they thought they knew.
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