Turns out—this monster is not the only one.
Outside were countless others. Some were walking alongside humans, some were wandering alone—as if they were searching for something; as if they were searching for a human to partner with.
What if they're trying to partner with us—to form a bond of some kind? That could explain why I'm able to sense what this creature is telling me. Also, the people down there don't look frightened at all. It makes no sense.
For now, I can only make assumptions, but I need to uncover what's happening as soon as possible.
It confused me how calm the people below were. Some were even being friendly with these monsters, treating them as pets.
Another thing I noticed was that each monster was unique—you couldn't find two that looked similar to each other. However, that was just an observation and unimportant for now.
How do I find out what's happening?
I decided to call Marcus—a man of science and a colleague.
The phone rang. I patiently waited for him to answer, unbothered by the green creature staring at me from across the room.
"Hey, Ed! Never expected you to call on a Saturday morning. What's up, man? How's Heng?"
He answered cheerfully.
Marcus Ong Ming Wei was a great researcher and my colleague at the National University of Singapore. He was probably the best scientist I'd ever worked with, although his overly enthusiastic energy could be draining at times. Nevertheless, I knew I could count on him in a moment like this.
But how he answered shocked me—absolutely no mention of the monsters at all.
Does he not know yet? That seems unlikely, and yet, it also seems like the only plausible option. Have I actually gone mad? No—the people outside are clearly interacting with them. But what could it be? Perhaps… no… Could this be normal to him? There's no way. And who is Heng? I don't know anyone named Heng. Could it be the monster? No way—but that's the only possibility I can think of. I need to be careful—something seems off.
I thought carefully before answering.
"Hey, Marcus, how are you? I wanted to ask you something about our ongoing project."
I'll avoid saying anything about this 'Heng' for now—I don't want to sound weird.
"You know me, I'm always in a great mood. What about you and Heng?"
He kept pressing about Heng.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking."
"You're trying to avoid mentioning Heng, aren't you? Is everything fine? Did something happen to him?"
He saw right through me. I need to think of something quickly.
"Heng…"
Just as I said the name out loud, the monster excitedly rushed across the room and stood beside me, wiggling its tail. My plan had worked.
"Heng is great, he's right here."
"Oh, great! You got me worried there for a second. Definitely bring him over sometime so he and Zi can play together. Zi would love that."
I managed to get myself out of that uncomfortable situation. It seemed that the existence of these creatures was nothing unnatural to him. He even had one too—and called it Zi.
This was confusing, but I had to play along.
"Actually, about the thing I wanted to ask you—forget it. I just found the answer myself. Sorry for bothering you. See you on Monday."
"Yeah, don't worry. You didn't bother me at all. See you on Monday!"
I hung up.
It had been an uncomfortable conversation that left me more confused than before.
How can this be normal to him? How can this be normal to the people down on the street? What is going on?
I needed to go outside if I wanted to learn anything.
I changed my clothes and left my apartment. The creature followed me. We walked down the stairs together when we ran into my elderly neighbor. She had always seemed like a nice lady—though I didn't know much about her. She wasn't surprised to see Heng; she even petted him as if he were a puppy. In fact, Heng behaved very much like one during the entire trip to the library—which was where we were headed.
I would've gone to the library even if nothing extraordinary had happened, but now visiting it was imperative. I needed to speak with the librarian and look into some old mythology books. I had to research thoroughly.
The humidity in the air and the cold mist gave the streets a haunting atmosphere. Creatures could be seen wandering everywhere—most of them alone, except for two.
The first one accompanied a tall, slender man in an expensive suit. He looked like a businessman. The second followed a blonde woman in a red dress. She looked familiar, as if I had seen her on television before.
But something else caught my attention more than the creatures, which were slowly becoming a normal sight. It was something utterly disgusting—a giant blob of flesh covering the side of an entire building. It looked like a mix between a human and a monster, and it reeked of rot. A horrible abomination indeed.
I thought I could hear its wails, but I wasn't sure if I was actually hearing anything. I looked at it in disgust when an elderly man approached me. He was mostly bald except for a few gray strands, his clothes ragged and his back hunched. You could sense an unusual sadness about him, as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
"Horrible, isn't it?" he said.
I nodded.
"That's why I never wanted to bond with one, even when it cost me my job. It wasn't worth the risk. Some end up lucky like you, and others turn into…"
He stopped for a moment, seemingly recalling traumatic events from the past.
"…this."
This conversation was actually getting interesting. Perhaps the old man can help me learn more about this situation.
"They didn't deserve this. I know some people end up lucky, like I did, but nobody deserves this. It makes me depressed just thinking about it, and I wonder how crazy I had to be."
I need to play along and see where this goes.
The man stood there quietly for a moment before finally speaking again.
"You're lying. You can't even remember that. The memory of you bonding with your daemon doesn't exist. You don't even know they're called daemons, do you?"
His words made me shiver.
How does he know? How could he possibly know? Who exactly is this man? I must be careful with what I say next—or this could be the end of me. Is he bluffing? But why would he say that if he were bluffing? He probably doesn't even know what he's saying, but this is creeping me out.
"What do you mean?" I asked carefully. Do not let your guard down. I need to find out what he wants.
"My wife died yesterday."
A tear ran down his face as he said it.
"She was a good woman—the best there is. She always stood by me during the hardest times."
It seemed like he completely ignored my question. He must be devastated by his wife's passing.
"You must've really loved her."
He didn't respond—just looked down and frowned. We stood in silence for a few seconds before he finally spoke again.
"What I'm trying to say is that you must cherish every single moment of happiness in your life—you never know when it will turn for the worse."
I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded.
"You will face many challenges—challenges that would make most people give up. But you must never give up. Always push forward."
He positioned himself so that he was now facing me directly.
"You're a smart and capable young man. I trust that you'll figure it out."
I hate it when strangers talk to me. All I want in life is to be left alone. Is that so much to ask?
"And the first challenge is about to start."
"What?"
This shocked me. What challenge?
"Look to your right."
The abomination I'd been watching had gone mad. It rampaged through the streets, smashing buildings, cars, and innocent civilians. I looked around for the old man, but he had vanished.
Who was he? He looked as if he knew what he was talking about.
The interaction left me unsettled, but I now had bigger problems.
If I didn't act fast, that disgusting creature would destroy the entire city.
That's when Heng looked at me—and somehow, he gave me comfort.
Could Heng do something about this? The other creatures—the daemons, as the old man called them—are running away. Naturally. This thing is much bigger than them.
A strange feeling came over me. I suddenly knew what to do.
"Heng!"
Heng immediately rushed forward at my command. He was fast—really fast. I'd never seen anything move like that. In fact, he was so fast I could barely see him. He ran in circles around the abomination, creating a vortex of air and mist.
It was over before I even realized it. The abomination was shredded—gone, as if it had never existed. I was amazed. Heng had just destroyed a creature fifty times larger than himself.
"Good job!"
Heng stood proudly, tail wagging.
The people on the streets were cheering and thanking me. An elderly woman even approached and hugged me.
"You have a wonderful daemon with you," she said.
I was stunned. Are these things… normal to them?
I needed to collect my thoughts.
My world has changed overnight. Monsters called daemons now roam the streets. This is normal to everyone except me. The old man mentioned some kind of bond between humans and these creatures—could that be why some daemons walk alone? Are they unbound? But why do they bond with humans? It also seems that some bonds fail… and when they do, they turn into abominations like that one. They're also capable of fighting, like Heng just did. This all feels like a fever dream, but I don't think it is. Considering everything—there must be books written about this.
I needed to learn more about these monsters.
Heng and I continued our mission.
Our mission… am I already starting to see Heng as a friend?