"So where are we going, exactly?" Finch yawned. It seemed that despite all odds, he had managed to take a nap.

"I know a few experts in the science field," Stolas replied simply. He then paused before adding, "Did you rest well?"

"Yeah. It's weird. I haven't felt hungry, just... tired. And then I slept and now I feel like I have energy again."

Stolas took a mental note of this. "...fascinating."

"What?" Finch asked.

"That you haven't had any thirst for blood, and it seems that you regain strength by sleeping instead."

"So this really isn't normal for demons then?"

Stolas shook his head, though it wasn't like Finch could see him do so from inside the box. "Not at all. In my eleven years of being a demon slayer, I've never encountered a demon that didn't attack and eat humans."

Finch was quiet for a moment. "So am I the only one, then?"

"...it is most likely so."

Stolas then stopped dead in his tracks as a thought crossed his mind. "Do you remember how you were turned, Finch? Now that you've had some time to process?"

He waited patiently as Finch thought it over, and was surprised when Finch said, "There was someone there."

"Elaborate, if you can."

"Well..." Finch trailed off, seemingly collecting his thoughts. "This figure showed up at Rori's. I couldn't see their face because they were wearing a hat, but Rori immediately went to see who it was. The next thing I knew, there was blood everywhere. And then the figure... they came over to me and I knew I was going to die. But instead, I just remember... there was so much pain, and I felt wrong. Then you found me and... and that's all I remember."

"A figure with a hat," Stolas muttered, mostly to himself. "With the ability to turn you into a demon... was it immediate, Finch?"

"I... I think so. They might've said something, but it happened so fast..."

Stolas's words caught in his throat for a second. "Finch..."

"What? What's wrong?" The young demon's voice trembled with worry.

"...That was the Demon King."

"What?"

Stolas took a long inhale in, then said, "The first demon. The king of demons. He's the only one with the power to immediately turn a human into a demon."

"Oh," Finch gasped.

They continued on in silence for a while. Stolas shifted his focus to navigating the mountainous terrain, careful of his foot placement as he continued upwards.

"So where are we going? You said you know some people who know science, but how is that going to help?" Finch finally inquired.

"I'm hoping that there's some bridge between science and demonic transformation," Stolas answered evenly. "Or at least a way for us to figure out how to provide you with consistent energy. While you not being hungry certainly helps, you can't survive like that forever, even if you are a demon."

He let his gaze wander upwards as a beautiful observatory came into view, surrounded by towering wisteria trees whose lavender flowers seemed to glow in the light of the setting sun.

As he approached the front doors, he muttered, "I'm about to talk to some people, Finch. In case things go wrong, stay silent until I tell you you're safe to speak."

Finch's silence confirmed he understood the request. Stolas turned his attention back to the doors, and he reached out and gently knocked thrice. He could hear the sound of footsteps draw nearer, and soon enough the doors opened. Standing there was a petite young woman in a vibrant emerald green kimono embroidered with leafy vines. She wore a simple gray apron above it, and her brown hair was tied back with a light green ribbon. Her green eyes lit up as soon as she recognized the newcomer.

"Stolas!" she exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Evangeline," Stolas greeted politely. "I actually came to talk to your wife. Is she home?"

"She should be back in a few minutes from the market," Evangeline responded, pushing the door open further. "But don't just stand there, come in! I'll prep some tea."

Stolas offered her a small, rare smile as he stepped inside. It had been a while since he'd been in the observatory, but it certainly hadn't gotten any less beautiful. The last rays of sunlight peeked in through the glass dome in the center of the building, and all sorts of plants decorated the walls, corners, and even ceilings. Stolas followed Evangeline into the kitchen. He carefully set down Finch's box and sat down on one of the tatami mats, watching Evangeline as she prepared the tea over the fire.

"So, what exactly does bring you here?" The herbologist asked as she fished through jars of dried herbs and flowers.

"As I said, I need to talk to your wife," Stolas repeated.

Evangeline faked a pout. "So you aren't here to see me after all?"

"Well, we're seeing each other now, aren't we?" Stolas shot back teasingly.

Evangeline giggled and turned to search for teacups. A flicker of movement from the other entrance caught Stolas's eye, and he turned to see a very tall young man- taller than even Stolas himself- duck through the doorway. He paused when he saw the visitor.

"Stolas," the man said.

"Stratus," Stolas replied evenly.

The dirty-blonde said nothing more, but Stolas caught his storm-blue eyes drifting down to where he realized his sword's hilt could just be seen under his haori. Stratus then turned his attention to Evangeline.

"Making tea?" he asked, moving to help. Stolas caught the faint tremor in the scientist's hands as he reached out to help pour the hot water.

"Indeed," Evangeline said. "Stolas came to talk to your sister."

"...about what?" Stratus's voice was low, lower than usual as he mixed the tea with the herbs Evangeline had dropped in.

"He hasn't said." Evangeline shot Stolas a glance as she spoke.

The sound of the door opening caught Stolas's attention. And in a matter of seconds, there she was, with a dirty-blonde ponytail and storm-blue eyes that matched her brother's. If it weren't for the brown streaks in her hair and the vitiligo decorating her skin, she could've very well thrown on her brothers goggles and passed as him- if he'd shrunk a foot or so.  To make it even worse, both siblings wore gray-blue haoris with a lighter blue-gray cloud pattern.  It was almost like they wanted to get mixed up.

"Stolas!" Her eyes widened in surprise.

She set the paper-wrapped package she'd been holding on the table, gave Evangeline a quick kiss on the cheek, and then sat down on the mat next to Stolas. "So, what brings you here?"

"I'd like to talk to you about something... odd," Stolas began carefully.

Ryn's smile faltered. "...how so?"

"Well, it really depends on how much you know. I was hoping that given your veterinary experience, you could provide some insight into something strange that's happened."

Evangeline came over and handed each of them a tea cup. But Stolas's focus was on Ryn the whole time. He noticed how her smile suddenly seemed... forced.

"Is it an issue with an animal?" she asked slowly.

Stolas shook his head, lowering the cup from his lips. "Not quite. More like... an odd case of rabies, for lack of better words."

Ryn went silent. She glanced over at Evangeline. Stolas frowned.

"Alright, I suppose I'll be more blunt," he sighed, leaning forward slightly and setting his tea cup to the side. "Tell me, Ryn, do you believe in demons?"

Ryn's face paled a shade. "...demons?"

"Yes. Do you believe in them?" Stolas asked again.

The veterinarian paused for a second too long. "...no, I don't."

There it was. Stolas faked disappointment as he reached for the box.

"Oh well," he said. "I was hoping you'd be able to talk to me about this little guy."

He opened the box, and Finch squealed in alarm as soon as he saw a face that wasn't Stolas's.

"It's okay, Finch," Stolas muttered reassuringly. "They know. They thought they could lie to me and get away with it."

Slowly, Finch emerged from the box, brushing his kimono off as he got to his feet. He tilted his head at Ryn as she slowly seemed to understand what she was looking at. Her shoulders slumped ever so slightly.

"Oh," she laughed. "Stolas, you scared us!"

"This is Finch. He is a demon," Stolas said flatly.

Ryn shook her head. "No, no I know that. We were just worried that you'd came to... y'know."

Stolas raised an eyebrow. "Came to what?"

"Came for me," Stratus suddenly intervened, carefully picking up the package Ryn had brought. He looked Stolas in the eyes as he said, "I'm a demon, Stolas."

Stolas looked the very normal-looking man up and down. "...I genuinely cannot tell if you all are making fun of me."

Stratus let out an exasperated sigh as he set the package back down. Before anyone could stop him, he reached for a knife on the table, and in one swift move, severed his hand from his body. Stolas jumped to his feet, alarmed. Finch shrieked.

Ryn placed a hand on Stolas shoulder. "No. Watch."

Stolas shot her a questioning look before watching in surprise as Stratus's hand slowly but surely began to regenerate from the stump where the old one had been. Once the flesh, bone, and skin had been replaced, he rolled his wrist before commenting dryly, "I needed a new one anyways."

"How long?" Stolas asked.

Stratus shrugged. "A couple months. I was out checking on the wisteria trees. You'll never guess who showed up out of nowhere, talked with me, and then got me turned."

"The demon king," Stolas said.

"Yep. And honestly, I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for Ryn. She snapped me out of it, and now I'm here. Can't leave the observatory at all now thanks to those stupid wisteria trees I'd decided to grow," the scientist grunted, staring out the window at the flowery branches swaying softly in the gentle breeze.

"Wisteria?" Finch repeated, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

"Right," Stolas said. He kneeled down and said to the kid, "Wisteria can severely harm you too. The trees can serve as barriers to keep demons out of an area."

"Or keep them in if they're stupid enough," Stratus grimaced.

"At least you're still here," Ryn reminded him.

"So I assume you can help then?" Stolas asked.

Ryn nodded, then paused. "I mean, we've been trying. We're running as many tests as possible. Stratus is just a really tall lab rat to us."

"Do you struggle with hunger?" Stolas questioned the demon scientist.

Stratus shook his head, reaching for the package again. "Not anymore. Ryn's been getting me raw meat and fish from the market as a substitute. It works enough. At first, I couldn't even eat human food. I'd throw it up immediately. We've been slowly integrating it back into my diet, though. You could certainly try it with the kid. Here."

He gently started unwrapping the package and gestured for Finch to come over. Finch looked towards Stolas, who gave him a nod, and the young demon hurried over to where Stratus was slicing a piece of bloody red meat.

Evangeline walked over to Stolas and Ryn with her own tea cup as they watched the scientist give Finch some raw meat.

"You really gave Stratus a scare, you know," Evangeline laughed. "We've all known you carry a sword, but after Stratus was turned, we started wondering why you always carry a sword once we learned about demon slayers. So are you...?"

"Yes," Stolas finished. "I am a demon slayer."

"But," he added as soon as he saw the women's expression becoming worried, "I'm not only on medical leave, but I'm also trying to figure out how to help Finch. And seeing as Stratus isn't exactly... you know... I haven't even considered taking his head."

"A shame, really," Ryn joked, but he could tell she was relieved. "He really does have a nice head."

"So... do you have Blood Demon Art?" Stolas heard Finch asking Stratus.

The scientist's eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know about that?"

"Stolas told me!" the kid said proudly. "So do you have it?"

Stratus chuckled, revealing canines that Stolas realized were slightly sharper than a normal human's. "Yes. Yes I do."

"What is it?"

"I call it 'Storm Bringer'."

"Which is a stupid name, by the way!" Ryn called. Her brother glared at her.

Finch, on the other hand, seemed fascinated. "What does it do?"

"Well, when I use it, I can control lightning," Stratus explained. "Not very useful when you're almost always stuck inside."

"Whoa!" Finch looked over at Stolas. "Do you think I can do something cool like that?"

Stolas shrugged. "We'll have to see, I guess."

"Anyways, we've been running lots of tests. No real results yet as to how to reverse the process, but at least now you know how to feed him," Ryn said.

"If you really wanted to get answers as soon as possible, I'd try..." Evangeline trailed off, her smile fading.

"Isn't he dead?" Stolas reminded her.

Evangeline paused. "I mean, we don't know. Hopefully not. We just stopped seeing and hearing from him, is all. You know how he is. All work and no play with that man."

"And who knows? Maybe he's not in a caffeine-induced coma and he could tell you what you need to know on a biological level," Ryn finished.

Stolas considered their words. "Yes. I suppose we'll have to try."

"And if things don't go well, we're always here if you want to come back," Evangeline offered.

"If you're heading out, this would be the best time for you to go," Stratus advised. "It just turned night. The kid can stretch his legs. But... you need to be careful-"

Stolas cut him off by drawing his sword.

"...point taken," Stratus mumbled, eyeing the blade cautiously.

Stolas turned back to Finch. "I'll need to carry you out in your box because of the wisteria. But after that I'll let you out."

"Okay!" The kid immediately climbed back into the box. Stolas gently closed it and hoisted it up into his back again.

"Take care of him," Ryn said to him as he turned to leave. "But I'm sure you already know that."

"Of course I do," he responded.

"Oh, and next time, actually drink your tea!" Evangeline scolded playfully, raising Stolas's barely-touched cup.

Stolas laughed gently. "I will, Evangeline."

He then made eye contact with Stratus. The scientist's expression was unreadable, as it usually was, before he turned away. Stolas then headed for the front entrance, Ryn walking alongside him.

"Thanks for not killing my brother," she said.

Stolas shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. "Wouldn't even dream of it."

She opened the door for him, and he gave her one last nod before setting out into the night.

***

(2497 words)

I was really excited to write this chapter lmao