I Will Not Level

"So let me get this straight," Ren stood with widened eyes. His chest rose and fell fast, fueled by what little adrenaline he had left.

Aira hovered quietly beside him; a smile cracked her face like a mother witnessing their child walk for the first time.

The late afternoon sun beamed on the empty spot in front of them which, just moments ago, had a carcass. He glanced at the vending machine, upright, in perfect condition.

"So I really was in some kind of zone?"

"Spatial Zone," Aira corrected. "An isolated space between worlds." 

Ren took a deep breath, before reaching for his phone tucked away in his pants.

It read 3:19pm.

 About an hour passed since he left home.  He thought, as his footsteps started in its direction.

Aira floated beside him. Calm and ready for any questions.

The area was quiet around him. Not in the noise sense, but the traffic sense. He was at least used to the sound of walkers with their dogs, however even their barks were muffled behind closed doors.

"Why couldn't I see you in there?" He finally spoke. His footsteps echoing against the pavement.

Her expression softened slightly. “Spatial zones distort divine presence. I could sense you, but I couldn’t manifest inside it.”

His feet stopped.

A deep breath, and then...

"What was that thing I killed?"

He stared directly into Aira's eyes. It glittered a vast blue. Strands of red fell over them. A white single braid hung at the side.

“A lesser demon,” she answered without hesitation. “A creature from the underworld. I believe humans call it hell." Her eyes softened and for the first time she looked away. 

"Humans."

"Humans?" Ren tilted his head.

"All demons were once humans. They lived in hell, burning, warping." Her eyes focused on his once more. "They housed regret, they begged forgiveness. However, none's cries were heard."

"That doesn't explain how I just came in contact with one of them." Ren said sternly.

"They were given a chance. But not by heaven." She stepped past him, an arm stretched out.

"They could escape their suffering by becoming tangible again. But the only way to do that… was to feast." 

She continued, "look around, there has never been as many humans at once alive." her hands fell back at her side. "It's a buffet."

Ren clenched his hand. "Are you saying they found away to surface because they're hungry?"

Aira turned to him. "No, not because they're hungry, but because they were suffering."

He exhaled, half a laugh, half disbelief. “Great. Just great.”

The walk home felt longer than usual.
He passed the small shrine near the corner, the faint glow of lanterns flickering against the dusk. Everything felt too normal as if the world was pretending nothing had changed.

When he reached home, the scent of curry still filled the air.

“Welcome back,” his mother called from the kitchen.

“Yeah,” he said automatically, slipping off his shoes.

“I was trying to tell you I made curry,” she added with a smile, "but you dipped out pretty quickly."

“I’ll eat later,” he said.

He went upstairs, closing his door behind him.
Aira followed, silent for a while, before finally asking, “I’m surprised you didn’t tell her.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “And say what? ‘Hey Mom, I killed a demon and met an angel’? She’d call the hospital.”

He sat down at his desk, spinning a pen between his fingers before pulling out a notebook.
The paper was still blank.

“Just trying to make sense of this,” he muttered.

He began jotting down what he's learned so far: Spatial zones, and the history of demons.

His handwriting was rough but concise.

"What about the notification after I killed the demon?" He didn't look her way, his pen hovered over the paper, waiting.

"It was letting you know you successfully received a fragment of divinity. Every Seraph that slays a demon receives one. You can use it to strengthen your vessel, mind, spirit, or control. You may allocate your Faith Point freely.”

He stared down at the sheet. “So, if I don’t...?”

“It will remain until used,” she said.

When he finished writing, he leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Alright. Thanks for the info dump.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Info dump?”

“All I need to do now is avoid those places,” he said, snapping the notebook shut.

That caught her off guard. “Avoid them?”

“Yeah. I just won’t go near any weird, quiet areas again. Simple.”

Her wings shifted, faint light scattering through the room. “Do you not understand what it means to be Seraph? You could grow beyond mortal reach. Powers even angels fear.”

He met her eyes without hesitation. “Exactly why I won’t.”

The words hung there.
Aira said nothing for a long time. When she finally turned away, her expression was unreadable.

The world didn’t stop for anyone.

His phone buzzed with updates every few minutes...new reports, new theories, new panic.

"Demon appearances confirmed nationwide."
"Chosen individuals granted power."
"Experts warn of spatial zones forming near cities."

He scrolled past video clips of other Seraphs becoming heroes. However each demon that was reported slain, faded into nothingness, as if they never existed to begin with. 

Some showcased their growing powers in interviews. Others, began to count the amount of demons they slayed, addicted to leveling up.

Even through the noise, one thing was clear: the world was adapting frighteningly fast.

He tossed his phone onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Aira had been quiet since that first conversation. She mostly lingered by the window or vanished altogether. When she did speak, it was short, like she didn’t want to break whatever stubborn peace he’d built.

“Still ignoring the world,” she said finally.

“Still invading my room,” he muttered.

“You could at least test your strength,” she pressed. “You have one Faith Point waiting. If you just used it...”

“I said I’m not doing that.”

Silence again.
Only the soft flutter of wings before she disappeared.

He woke up late. Again.
The sunlight was already sharp through the curtains when he finally sat up.

His mother’s voice carried faintly through the door. “You’re sleeping through the whole day again! You okay in there?”

“Yeah,” he called back. “Just tired.”

He went through his daily rituals. He washed up, grabbed something quick to eat, and went back to his room. The world could spin itself apart out there; he wasn’t going to play along.

By noon, he’d dozed off again.

When he stirred awake, the house was quiet. He contemplated if he should browse the web, or grab a snack. 

The roar of his stomach answered his question.

He stretched, then reached for the door...

Crunch.

He froze.
The doorknob had bent slightly under his grip.

“What the…?”

A soft laugh came from behind him. “Be careful.”

He turned. Aira stood there, faint amusement in her eyes.

“What did you do?”

“Nothing,” she said, brushing a finger through her hair. “You did. Or I guess in this case, didn't.”

He glared. “Don’t mess with me.”

She tilted her head. “If you don’t allocate your Faith Point within three days, it allocates itself.”

His heart sank. “What?”

She waved a hand, and the faintly glowing interface appeared before him.

Faith Points: 0
Strength: 2

He stared, jaw tight.
“I didn’t even...”

“You waited too long,” she said gently. “The system interpreted it as acceptance.”

His hands curled into fists. “So even doing nothing changes me.”

She nodded once. “Divinity doesn’t wait for permission.”

He looked down at the warped metal of the doorknob, then at his reflection in the faint screen light.

“Fine,” he muttered. “Then I’ll make sure I don’t earn any more.”

Aira’s expression dimmed. “You can’t live a mortal life forever, Ren.”

He turned away, opening the door carefully this time. “Watch me.”

He stepped into the hallway, light spilling over him.
Behind him, Aira’s voice followed like a whisper of wind.

“You can try. But even stillness grows wings, one day.”

He ignored it.

He carefully closed the door with a soft click. The unnatural sensation of power could be felt in his finger tips.

And this was with one point allocated. He thought.

He had to be more careful.