After saying goodbye to Marie, he walked down the street, still bathed in soft light and filled with the sweet scent of grapes. The night air was soft, almost comforting as he walked toward the center of the village.
"Well, well… look who showed up. Living people always show their faces, huh?" said a sudden voice, full of sarcasm. "Don't tell me you really fell for that grape story, Mavet…"
Kant turned slowly, showing no surprise.
Beside him, a living skeleton moved with disconcerting ease, its bones creaking with each step. Its skull was partially covered by a white hood that was almost falling off, it was so worn. The lack of skin left its eye sockets empty and its jaw hanging like a cynical smile.
Even without flesh, there was something unsettling about the naturalness with which she spoke.
"I know a lot of grape growers in the region" he replied, without slowing down, with a subtle laugh. "But with so little clothing? That one over there wasn't one of them."
"And I already told you not to call me Mavet!"
The skull laughed, giving him a friendly slap on the back, as if the years hadn't passed.
"Okay, okay... it's good to see you too, old friend."
The boy glanced sideways, his expression a little calmer.
"Good to see you, Ducare." he continued. "So... what are you doing here? You know it's not a good idea to be seen with me, right?"
"Oh, come on!" he replied, nudging his shoulder, as if trying to break the ice. "Look at you... you look great. You've been killing a lot, huh?"
Which made him smile almost imperceptibly.
"Yeah... You look like just a bone."
"Oho! Skeleton joke. I like that." laughed the skull while shaking his head.
They walked side by side for a few meters, until they reached narrower streets, where the houses began to pile up.
"So... how are things on the surface?" Ducare asked, trying to sound casual.
"Getting by. Hunting bounties, sleeping wherever I can... living as best I can."
"Oh, sure. Exciting life" he answered, not really knowing what to say.
"And in the void?" he replied, giving her a sideways glance.
"Wonderful. A paradise, as always" he said, opening his arms as if presenting an empty stage. "Reapers everywhere, echoes that make sanity drain away in the corners... nothingness whispering in the corridors of nothingness itself. You know how it is."
Kant let out a low sound in his throat — something between a muffled laugh and a dry sigh — and just nodded. The silence between them remained for a few more steps, calm, almost comfortable.
The rhythmic sound of boots echoed across the uneven pavement of the narrow street, lined with old houses made of wood and stone. Vines covered fences and walls, swaying gently in the cold night breeze.
The dim light of a lamp enveloped them for a moment as they passed under its arch. Shadows danced briefly over their faces before returning to the darkness.
"You didn't come just to talk… or just for the jokes, right?" asked the boy.
Ducare just nodded. He remained silent for a while, following him through the shadows of the street.
"It had been a while since you had stepped foot in the Umbral…" he said, finally, in a lower voice. "And the second you returned, the Void felt your presence. I have no idea what you and that girl were doing there, but you should have been more careful."
As he spoke, he pulled a silver coin with a corroded skull relief from his pocket, making it dance between his bony fingers, absentmindedly.
"Since you abandoned your duty, those who followed you have come to hate you… and those who already hated you now want you dead. I know it wasn't easy what happened to your—"
He was interrupted violently.
Two feminine faces appeared for an instant in Kant's mind. He then grabbed his companion by the exposed neck and threw him against the stone wall. The coin fell to the ground and rolled until it disappeared into the darkness.
"You don't know anything!" he growled, his eyes alight with fury. "You only know what you've heard! If you think you can just show up here and convince me to back down, after all that... you're wasting your time!"
He dropped the bag from his shoulders onto the floor, the fabric raising dust. In a single movement, he pulled his overcoat to the side, revealing one of the scythes attached to his waist.
"But if you want..." his voice now as cold as a blade. "You can tell the others that I'm waiting for anyone who has the courage to come and challenge me."
He took a deep breath before letting go of his friend. In a firm gesture, he picked up the bag from the floor and threw it over his shoulder.
"Damn it, man!" Ducare exploded, straightening up with difficulty. "You know I'm on your side, damn it!"
His jaw was shaking, not from fear, but from frustration.
"By the way... I'm the only one on your side."
"So that's it?" he replied, his tone dry. "Did you come all the way here just to tell me to be careful?"
They kept walking until they approached a bar at the end of the sidewalk, lit by a flickering yellow light.
"Go for it. You're among the most wanted by the demons."
He stopped for a moment and turned his skull slightly toward the boy, the shadows of the hood accentuating the emptiness in his eye sockets even more.
"And I know you... I know you've already noticed that."
"What you might not know yet is..." he continued, "they don't just want to hunt you. They want to replace you."
Kant looked at him seriously.
"I've already left this position." He was silent for a second, as if weighing each word.
"Do you really think that's how it works?" he asked, crossing his arms. "You can't just give up something like that."
He paused briefly, and then continued.
"Telling you to be careful would be warning you about something that could happen... But this? It's going to happen."
He tilted his head slowly, and the bones in his neck cracked like old wood breaking.
"Sooner or later... they're going to come at you with everything, partner."
"And do they already have a successor in mind?" he asked.
Ducare let out a dry laugh.
"What do I know? I'm just a reaper. This is going around all over the place, I'm just telling you what I heard.
Kant just listened attentively.
"Demons..." he repeated in a low voice. "And why didn't you warn me before?"
The skeleton shook his head, as if the answer was obvious.
"Oh, of course... because it's so easy to find you, right? You hide even from yourself..."
"DEMON."
The scream echoed from inside the bar, drowning out even the rustling of the vines in the wind.
Ducare looked up at the night sky, letting out one last hoarse laugh as he took another coin out of his pocket and threw it into the air with a lazy gesture.
"Look how beautiful... just in time to go."
But before it could start falling, Kant reached out and caught it in the air, without taking his focus off his friend.
"You know why I can't go back, don't you?"
Ducare nodded, his gaze becoming more serious as the joking tone dissolved.
"I always thought this was too much of a burden for a human... I don't blame you for letting go."
For a moment, the young man's eyes met the emptiness in the skull's face, which tilted its head toward the bar — the white hood followed the gesture.
"Go there and sort it out..." he said, in a lighter, almost playful tone. "And, if you can, try not to get stuck in the void again... at least for now."
He paused briefly and slowly turned his face, looking at him once more.
"Oh... and Mavet" he added, his voice now lower "I didn't have the chance to tell you before, but... I'm sorry for what happened. Take care, partner."
Then he took a step back. A black portal opened beneath his feet, like a living shadow that spread silently, swallowing the ground.
Kant remained there for a few moments, quiet, digesting those words. His gaze still fixed on the spot where Ducare had disappeared.
Little by little, his attention shifted to the coin in his hand. He turned it between his fingers, absorbed, as if that small object carried a weight that went beyond the metal. His thoughts seemed distant, trapped in a past he did not want to name.
With a slow gesture, he put it in one of the pockets of his coat. Then he raised his face to the night sky and took a deep breath.
The sound of screams brought him back.
"Demon! Someone call the paladins!"
Kant slowly turned toward the bar, where the confusion was growing. A flash of fatigue crossed his face.
"Yeah... I think my only peace will be after I hang up my boots." he muttered, with a crooked smile. "I hope..."
He straightened his body, adjusted the bag on his shoulder and headed toward the door, as if he already knew he had no choice.
As he entered, he came across a peculiar scene.
The customers, armed with knives, forks and broken bottles, kept the woman surrounded near the counter. Her curved horns and long thin tail, ending in a sharp point like an arrow, betrayed her nature.
Behind the counter, the bartender was trembling. With sweaty hands, he pulled out a crucifix hidden under the top, his face filled with terror.
"Demon!" some growled, spitting the word as if it burned in their mouths.
Kant raised an eyebrow, but didn't stop. He walked to the bar, pulled up a chair, and sat down next to the supposed threat. With a sharp thud, he threw the bag he was carrying onto the polished wood toward the bartender.
The sound made the bartender shudder. He choked on his own breath.
"Hey, boy! Get out of there!" he shouted, his voice shaking. "That thing... it's a demon!"
The woman, oblivious to the chaos around her, calmly twirled a glass between her fingers, watching the scarlet wine dance in the light of the bar. She raised it to her lips, took a sip, and frowned in mild revulsion.
"Ugh... so bitter. Your drink, humans, has no taste at all."
The bartender hesitated, still fixed on the package. With trembling hands, he set the crucifix aside and untied it.
As soon as the leather was ripped open, the thick, metallic smell of blood filled the air. Inside, monster heads were piled up, some with their eyes still wide, horror frozen on their features.
His face drained of all color. He staggered back a step, his voice catching in his throat.
"H-How...? Did you do this all by yourself!?"
He turned, scanning the wall behind him, where several reward posters were pinned. He stopped in front of one in particular—it showed the grotesque features of three pig-like creatures. The same ones that now lay piled up in the bloody bag.
He let out a sigh of relief, almost collapsing on the bar.
"Thank God… you're a demon hunter. Great. We're safe."
Kant let out a low laugh, not even looking at the bartender.
"Demon hunter?" he repeated with disdain. "I'm just here for the reward."
The man froze, the previous relief fading from his face. His eyes scanned him from top to bottom, as if still searching for some hope.
"So you… you're not a user of sacred magic…?" he asked with a shaky voice, as if begging for another answer.
The boy just shook his head as he stared at the bartender, a slight smile appearing on his lips—calm, almost provocative.
The bartender slowly backed away, his trembling hand pointing toward the young man.
"Demon…" he stammered. "He's also a… there are two demons!"
The bar plunged into chaos. Chairs were scraped, glasses fell to the floor, and customers tripped over each other trying to reach the exit.
Kant sighed, as if the commotion around him was nothing more than a slight annoyance. Unhurriedly, he poured his own drink, the liquid clinking softly in the glass.
"So you were the one following me?" he said, his gaze fixed on the glass. "If you had intended to attack me, you would have done so while I was facing those monsters."
He raised his face, finally turning to the woman sitting next to him.
"But since that's not the case… what do you want?"
She smiled slightly, resting her chin on her hand, still fixed on him.
Her skin was a grayish red, contrasting with the long, voluminous hair that flowed through her fingers—silver at the tips, like smoke under the moon. Small claws, delicate but sharp, rested on the counter. His eyes, a vivid orange, burned like live coals in the dim light of the bar.
"I was observing... evaluating. I wanted to know if you were really who I was looking for."
Kant didn't answer right away. He just raised the glass to his lips, drinking slowly.
"So?" he murmured, placing the glass back on the wood. "Have you reached any conclusions?"
The woman leaned forward subtly, the movement making her pointy ears, adorned with small metal piercings, swing slightly.
Her eyes lit up as she noticed the strange markings on his hands, scanning each symbol with an almost intimate interest. A sharp smile formed on her lips.
"Mavet… It's Hebrew, isn't it?"
He immediately withdrew his hand, without saying a word.
Her smile widened.
"Judging by your reaction… now I'm sure."
The bar fell silent. The sound of bottles, glasses, even the heavy breathing of the customers, all seemed to cease.
The air became dense, as if something was about to collapse.
"It's you… isn't it?" she whispered. "Death."