Wow, you're hot news, Shu!
A brush danced across the canvas, its bristles unleashing a vibrant bloom of colors.
The scene materialized in the sun-soaked room as the artist's hand deftly conjured an elaborate library, mimicking one belonging to a certain colleague and boyfriend. But instead of the dark, shadowy webbed theme, this one had a fairy-tale-like quality - sunshine and bright sparks whirling around the grand staircase. As mountains of books and cushions manifested around him, the artist's boundary shifted and changed with every stroke of his brush.
Yet the artist himself paid no heed to his surroundings. For he could not cease drawing, lest he be banished from this realm.
Suddenly, the vision vanished. All that remained was a hodgepodge tower, a haphazard stack of mismatched stories. The pale artist scowled, perched atop the dangerously leaning structure. He glared at his sketchbook, now stained with a blood-red ink that had ruined his picture. His hypnotic black eyes narrowed as he read the ominous words the ink had written.
"A Mystery...in a contract with a normie?"
In another boundary, the ice crackled and split. A blue shark's tail, lined with crimson stripes, broke the surface with one powerful splash, sending icicles flying. The merman swam at full speed, ready to capture his prey for the day when-
Bonk! A book boomeranged onto his head, striking him where it hurt most. The merman, his face twisted in a pissed-off scowl, burst from the water and swatted the perp with his powerful tail. An epic wave surfed out and caught him right in the face.
But the unflappable criminal merely caught the book, unfazed by the splash, and began reading it on the spot, pointedly ignoring his aquatic companion. Nearby, the merman's servants exchanged bewildered glances, sweatdropping at the absurd scene unfolding before them.
The merman hissed, venom dripping from his voice, "What. The fuck do you think you're doing?"
His companion replied apathetically, the splash sizzling off his body. In moments, he was dry once again. "Getting your attention. There's some news. Thought you might want to see it."
"You could've just called me," the merman pointed out, his tail separating into two pale human legs, which allowed him to walk over to his companion and attempt to smack him in the face with a towel. "You know I can hear you, dumbass. Didn't have to do that."
"You would never have listened," his companion retorted.
"Yes I would, you piece of shit!" the merman snapped.
"No, you would not. Because you're too busy chasing a Megalodon.” the other replied sarcastically.
“Jesus, can't I have dinner?" the merman said, exasperated.
"It's 5 in the afternoon," his companion noted dryly.
"So?! I'm hungry!" the merman exclaimed.
"You ate 3 times in the past hour already. I know because I brought you food," his companion revealed.
"Says the person who drinks 7 cups of coffee a day!" the merman accused.
"Because I have to deal with high school," his companion explained, his eyes staying on his book.
The merman let out a guttural growl, his expression twisted with rage. In one swift motion, he launched himself at his companion, tackling the other to the ground. They proceeded to brawl with a violent intensity, trading furious blows as they grappled for dominance, neither willing to concede an inch. The scuffle would have been an oddly funny sight, if not for the palpable aura of murderous intent emanating from both sides.
The poor servants stood in the background, unsure whether they should intervene. Normally, something like that was a guaranteed way to become food for the leviathans, but since the other one was present, maybe their boss would be a little more lenient.
"Hey, uh, boss?" a scruffy-looking guy with a wild mop of brown hair and a tacky red wristband interrupted, trying to sound casual. "You might wanna check the news instead of, y'know, trying to rearrange this guy's face. Looks pretty serious."
The two combatants paused mid-grapple, both glaring daggers at the interloper. The visitor's piercing yellow eyes narrowed to slits, while the merman's violet gaze could have melted titanium. The poor schmuck gulped audibly, trying not to soil himself under the weight of their murderous stares.
"Eep!"
A soft, high-pitched squeak suddenly sounded from beside the unsuspecting visitor. To their surprise, a tiny hedgehog had emerged, clutching a book in its paws. Intrigued, the visitor gently scooped up the little creature, cradling it against their coat as they carefully leafed through the pages, mindful not to accidentally ignite the delicate volume. The merman, sensing the visitor's curiosity, sidled up and peered over their shoulder, eager to see what the news was. Even the servants couldn't resist sneaking a furtive peek at the scene.
The merman's voice was terse and impatient as he snapped, "So? What's the news?" The visitor sighed, his magenta and pink-tipped tail flicking irritably. Without hesitation, he shoved the page right into the merman's face.
"What the fuck?!" the merman exclaimed, his interest suddenly piqued by the book. Seconds later, he smacked the book back into the visitor's face, unleashing a torrent of unintelligible swearing. The hedgehog hissed, its quills raised in a menacing display that mirrored the visitor's aggression and strange hairdo. Meanwhile, the servants watched the scene unfold, their expressions a collective facepalm.
The visitor let out an exasperated sigh. "The hell?! It wasn't me, you dolt. I simply delivered the news!" he swore, his temper finally reaching its limit. "How the fuck am I supposed to be responsible for something some other jackass did?"
The merman screeched, "Do I look like I give a damn?! They broke the rules, and now we're all being summoned for it!" He let out a frustrated groan. "Dammit! Whoever's responsible for this is going to pay for disrupting my goddamn peace. It's bad enough I have to fend off those stupid corpses every day as it is!"
One of the servants spoke up hesitantly, "Uh...what exactly happened here?"
The pair glared at him with such murderous intent that the poor guy instantly soiled himself. The visitor then turned back to the book, his face set in a deep scowl. The merman mirrored his expression.
The merman spoke first, his voice laced with irritation, "Looks like we're going on a hunt." He cracked his knuckles menacingly. "I'm gonna castrate those idiots when I find them."
"Cool your jets," the leopard visitor ordered, his ears perking up as he searched for the culprits. "Either way, we're both overdue for a Night Hunt. Let's get going."
"Bastard," the merman muttered under his breath.
"Says the one who jumped into my bed first," the leopard-man retorted.
"Shut the fuck up," the merman snapped.
"Anyway, let's move out. Harry, you got a lead?" The leopard visitor turned to his hedgehog companion, who was intently sniffing the air. The hedgehog perked up and pointed west.
"West, you say?" The merman huffed, brow furrowed. "Whose boundary might that be?"
The leopard-man grimaced. "Beats me. Seventh or tenth, maybe?" He mused, his gaze fixed on the distance. "Those two do seem the type to get themselves tangled up in this sort of nonsense. At least they're not territorial, so we won't have to worry about that."
The merman arched an eyebrow. "Any idea which one's more likely?"
"Not a clue." The leopard-man shrugged. "Probably the tenth. He's your disciple, but the guy's weaker than a newborn kitten. Still, they're not idiots - they won't make a contract like this without good reason, if only to avoid old Mirrorshit's lectures." He chuckled, his hedgehog companion sniffing the air.
The merman nodded. "Good point. You think it could be someone else?"
"Who knows?" The leopard-man sighed. "We're all up to our eyeballs in our own business. No one wants to deal with a normie right now. Unless they've got nothing but free time, which is about as likely as a snowball in hell, none of us would touch this with a ten-foot pole."
"Hmm, fair enough." The merman cracked his knuckles menacingly. "Whoever it is, I'm going to beat the ever-loving crap out of them. They should've cut off all contact with normies ages ago. Dealing with those exorcists is a pain in the ass as it is."
The leopard-man huffed. "Whatever." Their eyes glowed ominously.
"Shall we?" the merman suggested, a predatory grin spreading across his face.
"Let's," the leopard-man replied, matching his companion's expression.
“Let’s go hunting.”
Perched atop the old bell tower of the school, a boy sat and waited.
His delicate features - swirly white hair, fuchsia eyes, and a soft, youthful face - gave him an almost feminine appearance. Yet, the deep lines around his eyes betrayed a maturity beyond his years, a result of endless contemplation.
With a chalkboard full of complex equations in his hands, the boy hummed softly as he observed the comings and goings at the school gates below. Suddenly, a stray piece of paper floated into his field of vision, capturing his attention.
The boy plucked the paper from the air, his bored expression quickly morphing into one of curious intrigue as he scanned the text. "A Mystery... bound to a human?" he murmured, the scratching of the ink on paper the only sound accompanying his musings. "A contract? No idea who it is?"
“Oh well. That’s just how it is, I suppose. Now then…” the boy whispered.
“What can I get out of all this?”
“What?!”
The girl's shrill voice pierced the courtyard as she screeched at her brother, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere but there - this wasn't his first rodeo, and he had zero desire to go through it again. But his little sister was already yelling once more.
"What the actual fuck is that idiot thinking?!" she fumed. "We're up to our necks in this whole equinox mess, and now that jackass has to go and get BOUND to some normie? When I find out who it is, I'm gonna string them up for the crows!"
"Sis, watch your language," the brother said tiredly, holding out his palm. "You know the swear jar rule."
The sister's eyes went wide with panic as she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh sh-!" Her distinctive turquoise hair, streaked with bright red, bounced wildly as she shook her head. "I swear, you should've been a Mystery instead of me, bro. This job is bad enough without this latest crap. Oh sh-!"
She clamped her hand back over her mouth, grumbling as she handed over her purse, which the brother promptly emptied - leaving nothing but a couple stray flies buzzing out. The dejected girl sank to the ground.
"Now how am I supposed to buy a gift for Hanna-chan?" she moaned, her face a picture of misery. "You know she's my friend, and her birthday's next week! What the hell am I gonna give her?!"
The brother suggested nonchalantly, "A homemade gift? Besides, that Bel guy will be there, and I think having you there will ease Suiro up more than anything. You do have a crush on her, after all."
His sister's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?! I DO NOT have a crush on her, you-" Her words were muffled as the brother clamped a hand over her mouth, smirking.
"Shut the fuck up," she growled, her red bangs swishing as she glared at him. "Dipshit."
"It's a reasonable suggestion," the brother shrugged. "Besides, you know Daizora probably was her first kiss. He did take her on a date for Valentine's Day."
That comment ignited a murderous look in the sister's eyes, her body shaking with barely disguised rage. Undeterred, the brother continued, "So, what are we gonna do about this...situation?"
"You mean that jackass?" she spat.
"Woah, hold up there sis," her brother said, glancing at the wind that had carried the message to them. "I didn't mean Daizora. What are we gonna do about this Mystery, huh? You know Mirrorshit'll have our heads if we don't figure something out."
"Beats me. Isn't that your job?" she quipped.
"No way, that's all on you, Miss Tantrums. I'm just the poor sidekick who has to put up with your drama every day and get zero appreciation," he fired back, flipping open a book.
"WHAT?! I do not throw tantrums, you-" Her sentence was cut off as the wind chittered, grabbing her attention. "Wait, you're telling me no one knows whose normie that is? What the actual fuck?" Her eyes went wide.
"Huh? What do you mean?" her brother questioned.
"That dumbass must've shielded it and brought it to their boundary. No one knows who it belongs to!" She flipped off her visor, revealing her turquoise eyes.
"Well, my guess is it's either the 7th or 11th. They'll get involved as long as it piques their interest," her brother ventured.
"Not 7th. She's too busy fixing her own boundary after that weird hairdo clan incident last month," his sister said, fiddling with her visor.
"The Kiyamas, right?" His brow furrowed. "Okay, so 11th or 2nd then. But 2nd wouldn't get themselves tangled up in this kind of mess - they'd probably just bind the normie to themselves instead."
"Heh, 11th's smarter than that - they'd do the same thing. That genius," the sister muttered to the wind, which chittered back in response.
"Wait, 5th, 8th, and 9th are already on the move? Dang, they work fast," she continued, shaking her head. "That normie's doomed. Those three are the nastiest of us all. They must have some heavy-hitter shielding them to have evaded capture this long."
Her brother considered this. "You know, I hate to say it, but we probably shouldn't interfere directly. Let's just keep an eye out in case the normie wanders onto our turf. That way we can lend a hand without getting caught in the crossfire."
"Wow, look at you being all reasonable for once," the sister teased, a sly grin on her face.
"Why, thank you, Miss 'I'm-too-chicken-to-admit-my-crush'," he fired back. "Though I gotta say, it's mutual. You better confess before Daizora beats you to it."
"WHAT?!" The sister exploded in a flurry of colorful language, which her brother calmly ignored as he surveyed their realm.
"So, what's the situation?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
In another enclosure, a robotic dragon stood frozen.
Its spikes reared menacingly on its back as it creaked and croaked out a series of mechanical beeps and squeaks. The dragon raised its head and glanced steadily at its creator, a peculiar-looking young man.
The robot's creator grinned, exposing his sharp, shark-like teeth. One of his eyes was a startling green, while the other wasn't an eye at all, but a telescope-like contraption that whirred and beeps constantly. His androgynous features were softened by the lines around his eyes and lips, giving him a youthful, boyish appearance.
"So, you're up, huh?" he spoke to his newest creation, a hint of excitement in his voice. "Can you fly?"
Gracefully, the dragon launched off the ground, executing a flawless triple somersault in the air before gliding down to land softly, bowing before its new master. The boy clapped gleefully, spinning around like an excited child.
"Yes, yes, yes! Finally, a winged beast for my collection!" the boy sang in a high, girlish voice. "I've waited so long for this!" He pointed to a pile of stitched, human-sized dolls, neatly packaged and tied with a pink bow. "First, you can help fly some of those to my lab!" The dragon obediently scooped up the package in its massive claws and took flight.
The boy returned to tinkering with his gears, a wide grin plastered across his face. Scattered around him were spools of thread, needles, and various dismembered body parts - still bleeding and very much alive.
One eyeball even seemed to track his movements as he walked back to his workstation, somehow fitting the bizarre fairy-tale atmosphere of the boundary, with its towering trees and eerie, sweet-smelling air, like a twisted scene from Alice in Wonderland.
Humming a lilting tune, he reorganized his messy desk, neatly arranging the gory body parts in jars and wiping away the blood. Gradually, the cutest stuffed animals began to float and settle beside him, their beady eyes glinting with malice. The boy paid them no mind.
Suddenly, the toys opened their stitched mouths, revealing sharp, bloody fangs. They lunged forward, intent on attack. With a casual wave of his hand, three long, bony spines covered in expert stitchwork erupted from the boy's back, striking the toys down and skewering them through the rib cage.
Huge, stitched jaws emerged all along the spines, tearing free of the strings and crunching through the toys with a sickening crunch. The stuffed animals shrieked and squirmed, but couldn't escape the gaping maws as they were devoured. Blood spattered everywhere, but the boy continued humming, unperturbed.
Slowly, the picturesque foliage crept over the gory scene, cleaning it as if the toys had never been there. The eerie tune echoed all around, the only sign that the macabre event had indeed occurred. Yet no one had even witnessed it, let alone made a difference.
Suddenly, a stuffed brown bear with an eyepatch and spiky collar leapt in front of the boy, its teeth clamping down on a white envelope addressed to him.
"Huh?" the boy muttered, idly tossing a cog and cleaning it with his spines. "Whatcha doing, Evel? Ya know I don't take letters."
He ripped open the envelope with a surgeon's knife and scanned the contents, his expression shifting from annoyance to delight in an almost manic display. His mismatched eyes sparkled with amusement as he reread the letter.
"Really? Damn, this is good news!" he cackled, sounding delighted. "Finally, one of those stick-in-the-muds did something entertaining! It's been ages since I've seen something remotely funny! HAHAHA!"
The bear morphed into a white cat, stealing a cookie and nibbling it indifferently, as if the crumbs weren’t speckled with blood. The boy's laughter finally subsided as he issued his orders to the feline.
"Got any idea who it is?" the boy asked, scratching his head.
The cat simply shook its head in response.
"Alright, if you don't know, then I guess no one else does either. Does he know?" The boy leaned in, eyes narrowed.
The cat shook its head again, its tail swishing back and forth.
"Damn! He doesn't know either?! Guess the perp's one tough cookie. Good!" The boy grinned, rubbing his hands together.
The cat let out an annoyed meow, then pointed a paw towards the letter and a nearby mirror, before patting the envelope. The boy stopped fiddling and instead began stitching the mismatched body parts together.
"Eh, not my problem. If it ends up in my turf, I'll stitch it up, but otherwise I'll let them deal with it." He waved a hand dismissively. "Your boss told me not to stick my nose where it don't belong. Take it up with him, not me."
The cat hissed, finally snapping. The boy quickly grabbed a cat toy and tossed it, but the feline just swatted it away.
"What?! Not my fault! Blame that piece of shit, not me! Fine, I'll write back, but tell him he's gotta visit. It's boring without new toys, and those corpses are real repetitive." The boy sighed dramatically, already reaching for a pen.
The cat's meow dripped with sarcasm as it eyed the boy. Undeterred, the boy ignored the feline's judgmental gaze and continued scribbling away on his letter.
"Fine, fine, fine. I'll give this a shot. But if it goes south, I'm out - no questions asked." He finished the letter with the help of his three additional appendages.
The cat, satisfied, gave a slight nod. After mailing the letter, the boy leaned back in his chair and sighed.
"Ah, those poor souls bound to a normie..."
He grinned, excitement glinting in his eyes.
"I can't wait to meet them."