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Alyx's story spoiler



Leo’s jaw dropped.
His friends’ eyes went wide in shock. They stared at him, expecting some kind of explanation.
— You're a demon! — Alyx bared her teeth in a feline snarl.
— Such remarkable insight, — he smirked arrogantly.
— What do you want?!
— Oh, relax, — he lazily pushed a chair away from the table with his foot and sank into it. — I’m not planning to attack your good little boy, — he added sarcastically.
— I just wanted to introduce myself. It gets so boring being the only demon in this place. Not long ago, I had someone to talk to… — He nodded toward Leo, clearly referring to the demon that had lived inside him for years. — But it was only a matter of time before he couldn’t hold on anymore.
— And then, such a wonderful gift — a spirit! And not just any spirit… — He whistled, his gaze lingering on Alyx’s chest. — You won’t find ones like you in Hell, that’s for sure.
Alyx let out a low growl, making Leo turn to look at her.
He had always thought of her as more human than anything else, but right now… Now, her bestial features stood out sharply, blending seamlessly with her humanoid form.
— Come on, have a seat, — the demon nudged a chair with his foot, making it slide toward Alyx.
Leo wasn’t sure if she even needed it, considering her limited ability to interact with the physical world.
But she sat down.
Or at least, she made it look like she did.
Either way, her aggression didn’t seem to impress their uninvited guest in the slightest.
Then, he shifted slightly so that, from an outsider’s perspective, it looked like he was talking to Leo rather than to an empty space somewhere to his right.
— We got off on the wrong foot. You misunderstood me.
— You see, I’ve been to this world many times before—first as an executioner demon. I took over humans and devoured their energy. I believe that’s something you’re both familiar with.
Leo’s friends, who couldn't see nor hear Alyx, but could do so with the arrogant visitor, stared at him in shock, their gazes flicking to Leo, silently asking if that had happened to him too.
— But then… it started to bore me. And one day, I became interested in humans themselves. I was restless, so I started observing them. I began to delay my executions. I stayed hidden inside my hosts, just to watch human life unfold. To see Earth. How their world works. Different eras, different centuries, different lives.
He shot Alyx a narrowed glance.
— I think you know what I mean.
— You know their existence is nothing like ours. More variety, more freedom, more pleasures, more entertainment.
— And so, I started staying longer and longer. But that began raising questions down below. Why was I spending two, three times longer here? Sometimes even ten times longer? And yet, in the end, the result was always the same—just one soul.
— That’s when I made my choice. I decided to stay.
— I’ll admit, it was a risk. I could have been punished, just like you were. But in my case, there would be no reincarnation, no suffering for others. I don’t care about that. I simply want to enjoy being here.

Not all hosts could withstand my prolonged presence. After all, demonic influence isn’t something that can simply be ignored—it drives a person insane, pushes them into depression.
Some, like your little friend here,—he shot Leo a look filled with disdain—managed to endure for decades. But in the end, it always ended tragically. And then, I had to find a new host.
Until I figured out how to solve this problem—I needed a host without a soul.
At first, I tried destroying their souls entirely, but that only accelerated their decline. Some went mad within days, even hours.
Then, I began seeking out those who had very little humanity left in them, those with almost no soul. But for the most part, those were maniacs and murderers. They lived in hiding or were being hunted. Watching them kill here held no pleasure for me. I wanted simple, accessible human entertainments.
And then, one day, I found the body of this teenager,—he nodded, gesturing toward his own chest.
He drowned, and his brain completely shut down from lack of oxygen. But his body was in perfect condition, preserved by the freezing waters of winter. And without a brain, there’s no soul,—he smiled.
Everything that once made him human had already moved on. And while his relatives were deciding what to do with his organs, I caught wind of the case. I often lurked around their hospitals. And so, I took up all the space his body had to offer.

The doctors called it a miracle. No one had ever come back after total brain death. But they didn’t need to know the truth—after all, their patient has been dead for years, yet he still walks around, enjoying life,—he smiled slyly.
I made quite a fortune back then with all the interviews and talk shows. Even wrote a book. All of it played perfectly into what I wanted from this world. I ended up with plenty of money and fame—all for my entertainment.
And I am the absolute master of this body, because I am the only one in it.
"What do you want?"—Emily asked hesitantly, a hint of fear in her voice.
"Stay out of it when the adults are talking,"—he spat out dismissively, not even sparing her a glance.
Then, turning back to Alyx, he smirked.
"You’ve existed just as long as I have. Surely, we’d have plenty to talk about... and ways to have fun. I have my own estate where you could take your true form in this world. We could have quite the time together."
"Thanks, but I can entertain myself just fine,"—Alyx replied coldly. "Besides, I prefer not to deal with demons."
He leaned back in his chair, wrapping his arms around one knee.
"Look at this little prude. You know, I could expose your little secret to the entire school. All it would take is ripping off your boy’s shirt, and everyone would see his truth."—his voice dripped with arrogance.
"You wouldn’t dare!"—Leo exclaimed. His friends tensed up.
"Oh? You really think so?"—Edward sneered.
"Can we discuss this somewhere else, another time?"—Alyx said irritably.
Edward leaned back, considering it for a few moments. Then, he suddenly leaned in close to Leo’s face and whispered threateningly, "Fine."
He stood up abruptly, pushing his chair back with a sharp scrape against the floor.
"Have a nice day,"—he said mockingly, sweeping his gaze over the group before turning on his heel and walking away.
Leo turned to Alyx, positioning himself so it seemed like he was just looking at his friends.
"Can you communicate with him remotely? Telepathically?"
"No, but I memorized the aura of his power. I’ll sense his presence from far away,"—she said, her voice tinged with irritation. The unexpected encounter had clearly put her in a foul mood. She didn’t see anything good coming from this. That demon knew too much about her—or others like her.
"D-does this change our plans for today?"—Steve finally spoke up.
"I don’t know… I don’t think so,"—Leo said uncertainly, glancing at Alyx.
But she just waved her hand dismissively. "Screw that idiot. I want to see you at work."
The rest of the school day passed without incident. Leo hid in the back rows, keeping his hands under the desk or stuffed in his pockets whenever someone passed by. He knew that eventually, people would notice—if they hadn’t already and were just avoiding him.
But now, without his friends, he felt incredibly insecure. Sarcastic Alyx wasn’t much help either. She didn’t seem to care about what happened to him in the institute. Her concern, it seemed, ended with his immediate friends.
Finally, the day ended. After meeting up with his friends in the hallway and agreeing on a time and place to meet, he dragged himself back home.
Exhausted, he collapsed onto his mattress and instantly fell asleep. The day had been too nerve-wracking for his tired mind.
Alyx wandered around his room for a bit before settling down in front of him, studying his dreams. This could help her understand what kind of person he was.
But nothing out of the ordinary appeared—just scenes from his past or his murder.
She didn’t care much about Leo’s fate or his mental state. He was just another human passing through her path. But she didn’t know how long they would have to stay together.
Gently, she reached out and ran her fingers along his wrist before taking his hand into hers.
The sensation was strange. Not physical—but psychological.
For the first time, she was holding, in a way, her own hand. She had never partially merged any of her hosts with herself before. Not that she had ever needed to.
And suddenly, for a brief moment, she felt overwhelming loneliness.
Alyx realized that even though she was a part of Leo now, and he was a part of her, she was only in his thoughts and soul.
Physically, they would never truly be together.
And no matter what—she would never be able to truly embrace him.
A physical body could only touch another physical body.
As Leo slept peacefully, he suddenly opened his eyes and saw the tired, sorrowful expression on Alyx's face.
He never thought she was capable of feeling such emotions.
She slowly pulled away and, still looking somber, said, "Get up. You have a meeting with your friends in an hour."
As he got ready, stuffing a half-dried bun into his mouth, Alyx was lost in thought about the events of the day.
She wasn’t sure if what the demon had said was truly possible.
And why had he so easily shared his secret with her?
Maybe if he hadn’t shown that he wasn’t a direct threat, she would have tried to banish him immediately.
But was it possible for her to find a host and remain in a body forever?
She was so deep in thought that she barely noticed when Leo, now fully dressed, grabbed the doorknob, ready to leave.
“Wait!” she called out.
He flinched, stopping abruptly, his heart skipping a beat. He turned to her, half-expecting to hear bad news—or another sarcastic remark.
But instead, she smirked and said, "Your pants."
"What?"
"The clothes we bought. Remember? Put them on."
"Why?"
"Who knows what might happen…" she answered cryptically.
Leo rolled his eyes but turned back to his room, pulling out the clothes they had bought that morning and trying them on.
Once he was done, he gave Alyx a skeptical look. "Well? How do I look?" he asked doubtfully.
"You finally look like a respectable person."
"Right... sure," he muttered, unconvinced. "Alright, we need to hurry. We don’t have much time."
He stepped aside, letting Alyx go ahead of him—though he wasn’t entirely sure if walls even mattered to her.
The graffiti job was on the other side of the city, meaning they had to take the subway.
It felt strange riding the subway with Alyx. Her tall, unusual figure didn’t fit into the setting of the worn-out, grimy train car at all.
At transfer stations, they waited in silence for the next train. Talking wasn’t convenient—Leo didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention. Alyx simply looked around, taking everything in. She had never been here before.
Suddenly, Leo realized that he liked having her around.
He was grateful for her.
After so many years of complete solitude, he had often wished for an imaginary friend—someone who would always be there.
And now, years later, he had gotten exactly that… and even more.
Her sarcastic remarks never offended him. Either he secretly agreed with them, or he just let them slide past him.
He shot her a thankful glance. She subtly glanced back at him and twitched one of her ears.
She always preferred to walk a little ahead unless she needed to observe her surroundings.
Leo wasn’t sure how well she could read his thoughts or if she knew what he was thinking at that moment. But he hoped she didn’t.
He didn’t want to give her any more material for her teasing.
They reached the right station, where their friends were already waiting.
They waved at him and started walking toward them.
Leo found it strange how they always arrived together, but there was probably a logical explanation for that.
After all, Leo had always been a loner.
His friends, on the other hand, had known each other before he ever met them. They also lived in a completely different part of the city—a wealthy district.
For some reason, that thought reassured him.
As they got closer, Leo raised an eyebrow questioningly.
Steven caught the hint and tapped the backpack slung over his shoulder.
"Everything’s in here. Let’s go. Would be nice to get this done before midnight."
That job wasn’t exactly legal.
Someone had paid them to paint over a section of a fence along the railway tracks near their windows.
They had been provided with a sample image, which they had to replicate exactly.
Jobs like this paid well, but the guys found them boring.
There was no risk of rejection—they were confident in their skills.
But there was also no creative freedom.
They looked around to make sure no one was there. The sun was already beginning to set, and their section was in the shadows. So they hoped they wouldn't attract much attention.
The image was divided into squares, which they quickly marked on the wall to make it easier and more accurate to transfer the design.
Emily was the best at this, so the boys simply handed her the necessary tools and waited on the side.
— Aren't you embarrassed by her? — Stephen asked.
— By who? — Leo replied, puzzled.
— Well, Alyx, — he hesitated a little, looking around, since she could be right next to him and he wouldn't even know. — She's always with you, in your head. What about when you shower, go to the bathroom, or just sleep?
Leo suddenly remembered how she had slipped her tail to him to stop his nightmares, and he blushed, tucking his head into his shoulders.
— Damn it! Now I'm going to think about this! Thanks!
— I don’t think so, — he finally said, stretching out his words. — I don’t know how to explain it—we're sort of one whole, one organism. You don't get embarrassed by your left eye, do you?
— Though, of course, there are awkward moments... But I’m not going to tell you about them!
When the layout of the image was ready, Emily called them over, pointing at the backpack full of paint, telling them to talk less and work more.
They quickly started filling in the marked areas.
They were using spray paint. Alyx had never seen anything like it before, and it intrigued her. She stuck her nose almost right into the stream of paint as Leo was making another stroke.
Startled, he jerked his hand away.
— Are you crazy?!
— She just stuck her nose right into the spray! — he pointed at the empty space where no one else could see her.
— Dude, this is seriously weird, — Steve said. Emily just giggled.
— Relax, — Alyx said casually. — The physical world doesn’t affect me, remember?
— I’ve never seen these things before, — she tapped a claw on the spray can. — This could be really useful for us.
— For what?
— To banish a demon, you need to trap it. The trap is made up of ancient runic symbols. And since you never know where the next battle will be—and demons aren’t stupid—you usually have to apply them during the fight, when the enemy is knocked out or distracted. Sometimes another demon or spirit can do it.
— Let me test something.
She brought her hand to his, and Leo suddenly felt that he no longer controlled his arm—yet he could still feel everything.
They stepped back from the wall to a small strip of asphalt.
Their friends stared at Leo, watching him do something strange.
— It’s her, — was all he could say.
His hand, clutching the spray can, began drawing something strange.
— "Steven stinks"?! - read Emily. —Are you sure it was Alyx?
—"It wasn't me!" - Leo was outraged.
Alyx smirked and silently continued drawing strange, unfamiliar symbols.