"Where's Eli?" Oboros asked suddenly, catching Lori and Trish off guard.
Trish's hands were fully occupied with kabobs as she started scanning the nearby crowd.
Lori did the same, looking above most people's heads. "Shit, I don't see him." She cursed. After a moment, she noticed a small circle of people looking down at something on the ground with either curiousity, concern, or disgust.
"Follow me," Lori ordered, quickly moving towards the direction of the parted crowd.
Once there, Lori gasped as she noticed Eli was the one whom the crowd of people had formed around.
Crouched down, Eli was grabbing the right side of his face so hard his knuckles were white. He was grinding his teeth so hard Lori could hear it. His breaths were quick and unsteady as he stared wildly at the ground with his free eye. Sweat drenched his face and through his clothes.
Oboros and Trish quickly arrived to Lori's side. Oboros was glad to see Eli seemed physically unharmed, but it was apparent to him that something had happened.
Trish tried to walk towards Eli, but Lori put a hand on Trish's shoulder, "It's not wise to tou-"
"Let go!" Trish forced Lori's hand from her. "Can't you see that he's in pain? Why are you just standing there? And you too Oboros! Shouldn't you be trying to help too?"
Lori and Oboros gave each other a knowing look. Trish wasn't allowed to step foot inside that place where they found Eli. She was only a few years older than him at the time, so she was told to stay put outside, much to her annoyance. Right now, only Oboros and Lori knew that Eli needed to figure this out himself. It was shitty, but they knew it was what they needed to do.
"I'm going to help him if you guys aren't!" Trish threw her kabobs to the ground as she started speed walking to Eli. "No Trish! Don't!" Oboros tried to grab the girl, but she side stepped his grasp.
Arriving by his side, Trish knelt down and said, "Eli, it's me Trish, what's going on? What happened?" Her voice was soft and gentle, much different than her usual high pitched and ecstatic self.
Trying to put an arm around his shoulder, the second her arm touched his back, she could feel a searing heat make contact with her skin, almost hot enough to burn her. Eli's reaction was instant, shooting his arm and sideways towards Trish's throat at a speed she couldn't see.
In an instant, Lori and Oboros were upon the two, Lori pulling Trish away while Oboros held Eli's arm still, his own arms shaking slightly as he did so.
"Stay....away....." Eli's said, though Trish knew that it wasn't his normal voice. It sounded hoarse, and as if his vocal cords were charred and overlapped dozens of times over.
The crowd around had either taken a few steps back, while the rest were tense, as if waiting for a fight to break out.
Oboros dropped Eli's arm, stepping back as well, but still ready to spring into action if the need came.
"What's happening to him?" Trish's voice cracked as she looked sadly at Eli. What was going on? Why did Lori and Oboros know something would happen? What were they not telling her? Was it related to when they found him? Everyone in the group refused to tell her over the years, only talking amongst each other and with other adults.
"Eli. It's okay, me, Lori, and Trish are here. You're safe," Oboros cautiously said. Eli shook his head, still staring at the ground, "He's here. In... this city."
A look of alarm spread across Oboros face when he heard those words. Without hesitation and still keeping an eye on Eli, Oboros yelled to Lori, "Go to the Master of the city now. Take Trish with you. I'll stay here with Eli. Tell him about the situation. Also tell him that thing is here in the city. Go!"
A similar look of alarm swept across Lori's face, only for it to become serious. "We need to go now." The tall demoness stated. "What about Levi?" Trish cried.
"Oboros will stay here with him. As long as no one touches him, he'll be fine. Oboros will make sure of that. Now come on."
Lori pulled the girl through the crowd of onlookers, then began to sprint towards the center of the city once the roads widened.
***
"Eli, are you absolutely sure it was him?" Oboros asked seriously.
Giving a small nod, Eli replied, "My eye. It's burning. Not like usual. Bad. Eye reacting." The fire beneath his skin was bubbling, and the familiar sounds of the pit were echoes within his ears. The last time it was this bad was back then. Back when he was still trapped.
A mere delusion wouldn't have garnered such a reaction out of him. It was him. He was here. Even one of those lesser beings wouldn't have caused this.
"I trust you Eli, but I still just want to make su-" Oboros started but was cut off.
"I just fucking told you he's HERE!" The stone Eli was gripping cracked as he tried to keep himself together. "Holy fuck Oboros," Eli laughed, "I would have thought by now your dumbass would have realized when I'm telling the truth. Maybe you should slit your own throat with that blade of- NO!"
Eli cut himself off as he shook his head, trying to maintain his own thoughts. The influence was too strong right now, his emotions too negatively heightened. He needed to calm down, but he was finding it hard to.
"It's okay Eli," Oboros said calmly, "I know you didn't mean that. Help should be on the way soon. Just try to stay in control."
"Fuck they need to hurry up," Eli grimaced. This time that was him, but as time went on, it was getting harder and harder for him to remain in control.
After a few more minutes, Eli felt like he couldn't hold back any longer. Just as he was about to give up, a whistle rang throughout the street along with a masculine voice.
"Citizens of Undgarten, please step away. This is official business, directly overseen by the Master of Undgarten. Please exit the area."
Oboros let out a sigh of relief as multiple city troops, along with the cities Master, finally came into view.