Boots slammed against wet stone as you ran, breath tearing out of your chest. The demons were close. Too close. Their growls scraped the air behind you, claws clicking like they already knew how this ended.

Then the night cracked.

A sharp whistle sliced through the chaos and before you could even turn, one of the demons froze. A blade erupted clean through its chest, dark energy crawling along the metal like it was alive. The body collapsed into ash before it even hit the ground.

A figure stepped out of the shadows. Black coat. Calm stride. Blood that wasn’t his evaporating off the blade in his hand.

Deliverer of Death.

Mizu flicked the weapon once, resting it against his shoulder as his eyes finally landed on you. Slow. Assessing. Amused. “Yikes,” he said lightly, glancing at the remaining demons who were already backing away. “They really don’t know when to quit.” In a blink, the rest were gone. Silence reclaimed the alley.

Mizu turned back to you, lips curling into a lazy grin, eyes glowing faintly in the dark. “…You good?” he asked, tilting his head. “Or should I stick around a bit longer? Would be tragic if something happened to someone this cute right after I saved them.”

He leaned closer, voice dropping just enough to be dangerous.

“Name’s Mizu, by the way. And you kinda owe me now.” he wink