4 Home Visit
[Word Count: 1245]
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Currently, it was 1981, giving Leo sixteen years before the main cannon started. This also meant Denji would be born soon if he hadn't been already.
"What to do, what to do," Leo mumbled.
'I'll tell you what you can do, Leo-' the ⬜⬜⬜ devil spoke before promptly being ignored.
It had been a few days since Leo made a contract with the Fire Devil, and since then, he had more or less settled down in the house where he found it. After exploring the place, Leo stumbled upon a portrait of three people whom he assumed to be the previous occupants of the house. There were three ash piles, with the largest belonging to a grown man who was the last to be burned.
The smallest pile likely belonged to the son, approximately Leo's age. Using the portrait as a reference, he realized he could find some suitable clothes without venturing outside.
Leo also took it upon himself to give the ash piles a proper burial, acting as a good Samaritan. Using the family's vacuum cleaner, he carefully gathered the ashes, one by one, and scattered them in the backyard. After the first scattering, Leo fought through his growing hatred for the smell of ash. Despite the discomfort, he persisted, allowing the family to rest peacefully in the garden.
With the family laid to rest and the lingering smell of ash dissipating, Leo had the house to himself, unless someone came snooping around. This gave him ample time to recover his strength and tend to his wounds.
At the moment, Leo sat at the family table, having prepared himself a quick breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast.
'...' The ⬜⬜⬜ devil remained silent, observing through Leo's eyes as he ate.
For the past few days, the devil had incessantly pestered Leo to move along and find a way back to hell to fulfill the Fire Devil's contract.
While Leo was aware of a method to reach hell from his knowledge of the manga, his main hurdle was his physical age. Being a ten-year-old, he wouldn't last long in hell, even with two contracts with primal devils. Additionally, if completing the Fire Devil meant inhaling more smoke and ash, he considered it a low-priority task. For now, his safest option would be to form contracts with other devils, or as the ⬜⬜⬜ devil referred to them, lesser devils.
Though making contracts without caution could be problematic, as most required a sacrifice of some kind, Leo had the advantage of already having two contracts with primal devils, even if one had been forgotten. While he couldn't use the ⬜⬜⬜ devil's name, he could still invoke the Fire Devil's name to reduce or eliminate the required sacrifice.
'DAMMIT LEO, STOP LAZING AROUND AND GET MOVING!' the ⬜⬜⬜ devil growled.
'YOU'VE DONE NOTHING BUT SIT AROUND. AT LEAST COME UP WITH A PLAN TO FULFILL YOUR END OF OUR DEAL!'
"I will. If I don't, I'll die after all."
'GRRR!'
"Fine, fine, but first, I need to understand the abilities I gained from the Fire Devil. Plus, I haven't been able to utilize the ones you provided. I must know what I'm working with before taking any action," Leo said, getting up and placing his dishes in the sink.
The devil remained silent, its growling continuing.
"Impatient parasite."
'PARASITE?!?!?! I'M NO PARASITE, TAKE IT BACK!!!'
"In any case, I know just
where I can test out the Fire Devil's powers."
'DON'T IGNORE ME!! TAKE. IT. BACK.'
Gathering a backpack filled with supplies, Leo prepared himself.
Ignoring the devil's growing cackling, Leo headed back to the street to explore his newfound abilities.
Drawing upon the memories he inherited, Leo retraced his steps and found himself standing in front of his childhood home, now rundown and abandoned. The previous family's residence had seen better days.
'Hoh, so you want revenge then, huh? Hehehe, you might just fit in with us evil devils after all, Leo, hahahaHAHA-'
Disregarding the devil's maniacal laughter, Leo knocked on the door and waited.
It felt like an eternity before shuffling sounds emanated from inside, approaching the front entrance.
As the door unlocked, Leo swallowed a knot in his throat he hadn't noticed before.
Finally...
CLICK
The door opened, revealing the silhouette of a scruffy, middle-aged man with a downcast expression. Receding hairline left him with only a small amount of blond hair, and he had a slight beard stubble. He wore a faded green open-collared shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and heavily worn light brown pants that barely reached below his ankles.
"Huh..." Peering outside, the man initially didn't notice anyone. "Damn pests."
Only when he went to close the door did he spot Leo standing there.
"Oh, it's just you," his father said, opening the door again. "Done with your tantrum already?"
Getting a better look at the boy, he noticed Leo was now wearing different clothes from when he had left. A blank black hoodie with matching pants adorned him, along with bandages loosely wrapped around his hands and a dark school bag on his back.
Impressed, Leo's father whistled, leaning against the door frame.
"Where'd you snag the new get-up?" he scoffed.
Without saying a word, Leo took a step back and mimicked what he had witnessed the Fire Devil do before incinerating the previous family.
Raising his hand, Leo pointed at his father, connecting his middle and index finger.
"What's all this about?" his father asked. "The hell are you pointing at me f-"
SNAP!
Before he could finish his sentence, his chest suddenly felt heavier, causing him to stumble backward and fall flat on his back. He struggled to breathe, his gasps becoming heavier, and when he tried to speak, no words came out. Instead, smoke escaped his mouth, replacing his words.
Panic set in.
'What the hell is happening to me?' he asked internally, unable to voice his thoughts any longer.
Soon, another sensation took hold—pain.
A constant stinging coursed through his body, making it impossible for him to move. Every inch of his being throbbed with pain, from his skin down to his bones.
He lay there, forced to gaze at the ceiling as his body began to produce steam in an attempt to cool down the growing heat within his chest. His breath hitched as he grew hotter and hotter, with more smoke billowing from his mouth. Convulsions and spasms overtook his body as the pain intensified.
Barely able to let out a scream, his voice was quickly drowned out by the rising heat. His body succumbed to the blaze, flames consuming him entirely. He lay motionless as the fire spread to his surroundings.
Meanwhile, Leo stood there, a sense of catharsis washing over him as involuntary tears streamed down his face. He used his sleeve to wipe away one of the streaks, staring at it with a perplexed expression.
"I see," he
muttered before wiping away the remaining tears.
It had been a while since the ⬜⬜⬜ Devil stopped laughing after the snap, settling on observing Leo's reaction to incinerating his father. Disappointed, it found no satisfaction in Leo's lack of response. Hoping to discover sad thoughts in his mind, the devil rummaged through Leo's head, only to find emptiness. His mind was blank, offering no explanation for his tears.
Seeing no reason to linger, the ⬜⬜⬜ Devil persistently urged Leo to leave.
'Alright, you got what you wanted. So let's get going already,' it demanded, somewhat angry.
"Sure."
