Chapter Two: The Priest Zead and the Witch Julia and memories of a shadow.
Kuroko cursed. She had lost track of Hector within the castle and it was all thanks to the distraction brought on by Saint Germain. She was looking around, and fought off monsters that came near her, transforming her arms into a whip and a blade. This continued for about an hour, when she heard footsteps behind her. Turning she saw a bald, pale skinned monk, he seemed to smile at her, which made her very uncomfortable.
"Well well, you seem to be quite an odd creature." He said, holding out a hand in greeting. Kuroko turned her whip arm back to something more human and shook it cautiously.
"Who are you?" she asked, keeping her blade arm out just in case this man meant her harm.
"Just a priest trying to purify the land M'lady. Though I have never seen anything like you."
"Well Priest, I must be off, I'm on a journey of my own, and I must keep moving." She then melded with the shadows and vanished, the priest walking ahead.
Later on, Kuroko finally caught up to Hector as he was about to enter a room, she fused herself into his shadow again, causing him to stop again.
"Why do I feel as though I'm being followed?" He said, and looked around, seeing nothing, he entered the room to see an altar with a tombstone on it.
"This unearthly power, is it coming from that Tombstone?" he ventured closer, and chuckled. "Heh, how conscientious of him. He carved the instructions into the stone, along with the most difficult visualization. So, that's how badly he wants me to regain my powers? Very well."
Kuroko's thought to herself as he took a deep breath. Weren't you reluctant to do this earlier? Or is the nostalgia of summoning getting to you? She watched as he spread his arms, his hands glowing as he made the incantation.
"Heed my words, O great powers of darkness! Release to me one of the tortured souls! Let me infuse him with my life force and awaken him to the world of the living! Immaculate being, appear before me now!"
A light shot from his hands into the tombstone, the being trapped within revealed to be a fairy as she stretched herself and flew around Hector. He heard clapping coming from behind him and turned to see the priest the being who secretly followed him had met earlier. Oh no, not him again.
"Well, well, devil forging isn't it? Never seen that before. Quite impressive. It's enough to make your blood run cold."
It's just magic. Nothing special to those who cast it, unless you're the target.
"Who are you?"
"Oh my apologies, m'lord. I should of offered an introduction. I go by Zead. I'm here for one purpose only: to purify this land of the pestilent curse which infects it."
"I see."
Oh that figures, no wonder everyone has acted the way they did the last time I was in this country, crazy and thirsty for the blood they deem as monsters.
"You on the other hand, are pursuing the other Devil Forgemaster, are you not? The one you seek fled toward the chapel on the other side of the mountain. He made his escape through the back of the castle."
How could you possibly know that? I met you near the front of the castle I believe.
"What concern is this to you?"
"He is the one protecting the curse. Ergo, he is an impediment to me, and to all those who abide in this land."
"I see. Very well. I, Hector, thank you for your help. Now, if you'll forgive me, I must be on my way."
With that, Hector, and unkown to him, Kuroko left the room, but not before Zead made one final warning.
"You best be careful then, you never know who or what can be lurking in the shadows." Hector stopped for a moment and thanked Zead, and went on his way.
After a long walk from the castle, Hector had made it to the Baljhet Mountains. The being following him still hiding in his shadow. When he stopped, Kuroko warped to a shadow in a nearby cave, noticing a blond woman in a pink dress kneeling.
"It can't be, that's impossible, she can't be alive." Hector said to himself. Did this woman remind him of someone? The woman looked up at the man and spoke.
"Oh. May I be of service?"
"Uh, no, forgive me. My name is Hector. What are you doing in a place like this?"
This seems vaguely familiar to me.
"I could ask you the same question sir."
"I am searching for someone. A man bearing the same crest as I'm wearing."
Kuroko took note of his back, and nodded. Muttering to herself, "If she has, then it's by pure coincidence."
"And this man is he your enemy? Or your friend?"
"You sound as if you know him."
"Yes, quite so. Now answer me, Be he your friend or foe?"
"He is my most bitter enemy."
"I see." The woman said, "In that case, I shall help you."
This shocked Hector as the being watching them stifled a laugh.
"Pardon me m'lady, but by what reason would you offer me this Boon? Indeed, by what reason should I even trust it?"
"Your enemy is my enemy, that is reason enough. If you are a devil forgemaster, you shall need a place to keep your 'little friends' safe. Rest assured, you have no reason to refuse my help."
"You seem quite knowledgeable. Who are you exactly?"
"A witch. I escaped from the western lands, where we are hunted like vermin. I have the power to envision the future."
"How interesting," Hector said, the being in the shadows noticing a faint shade of pink on his face, "and your name?"
"Julia. My house is further on. I shall prepare an elixir that may be of use to you. Farewell, for now." She then entered a building, leaving Hector alone for a moment.
"Julia, she is the very image of Rosaly." He said, and entered as well. Kuroko emerged from where she was hidden and gathered her thoughts. She went into a memory of when she met Sosuke…
It was at the turn of the twelth century, she was running away. A group of humans were chasing her, calling her a monster and servant of a man named Mathias. Who was Mathias? she did not know. She had saved a child from drowning, but the child's family came and mistook her as taking it away. She needed to escape, but how? She then felt herself sink into the ground, and she was surrounded by complete darkness. After an unknown amount of time, she felt her body hit air, and she opened her eyes.
She was surrounded by strange staff like plants, and it was night, a full moon shining over her in a clear sky. She realized she was not where she was before, as when she was running, the moon was obscured completely by clouds and those that chased her were forced to use torches to find her. Right now though, she seemed to be alone. She decided to explore her new surroundings, hoping to find anyone who could help her and tell her where she was. As she walked, she heard footsteps and saw a flame. Fearing that her pursuers had come with her, she hid in a nearby bush, looking out at the figure who was holding it. It was a thin man with shoulder length black hair, wearing a strange coat with odd designs on it. As well as shoes that showed his feet. He spoke in a language she couldn't understand.
"Gashi? Daremo soko?"
"Hello? Who are you?" She said from her hiding spot, causing the man to turn and look toward the bush she was behind.
"Dare?" he said, coming closer. She cringed in fear, afraid that he might hurt her, like the humans she escaped from. "Wakarimasen."
"I don't understand." she said, holding her arms up defensively, of course, he must have mistook her gesture for one of needing help as he grabbed her wrist, speaking once more in the strange language, when his skin made contact with her body as he spoke, her markings and eyes glowed brightly as a searing pain filled her head with knowledge of the language he spoke, as she soon realized that what he was saying was slowly being translated for her. The glow dimmed and the pain subsided as she heard him.
"Are you okay miss?" he asked. "I don't know what that was about, but I didn't mean to hurt you."
"I don't either, and I'm fine, just frightened that's all. Do you know where I am?"
"You don't know? You are in the bamboo grove on Kijuuki Mountain."
"Kijuuki? Where in Wallachia is that?"
"Wallachia? I've never heard of that place. You must be from very far away Shadow Lady. Do you have a name?"
"No. I… lost my memory, so if I do have one, I do not remember it."
"Oh. I see. Listen, it can be very dangerous this time of night, why don't we head over to my home? We can talk more there."
"Aren't you afraid of me?"
"Why would I be?"
"Well, I'm not like you obviously."
"So? I don't judge people on how they look."
"But, I'm not people, I was called a monster, just because I saved a child from drowning, they mistook me for a monster, and chased me till I ended up here."
"Relax, we can talk in the morning. Right now we need to get out of here before any yokai show up."
He then picked her up and carried her to his home near the foot of a mountain. She was put down once they arrived she then spoke to him.
"I…never heard your name."
"Oh? Forgive me. I'm Sosuke. You can live with me until you remember your name if you want."
"What are you thinking about?" Saint Germain said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Jerking the being out of her memory.
"Just how I met my first friend. That is all." She said, and then cursed in Sosuke's language.
"Any idea on who Hector reminds you of yet?"
"No. A priest I ran into distracted me."
"A priest?" Germain asked, shocked, his tone then switched to something more serious. "You be wary of Zead. He is not as he truly appears. This is not good." He then vanished. Kuroko turned and saw that the door to Julia's home was opening, and in a panic, hid in the shadowed wall once more, unfortunately, she was in such a haste that one of her hair ornaments fell to the ground, just as Hector exited the house and looked around.
"Odd. I could have sworn I heard something out here." His eye then saw the ornament on the ground, he went over to it and picked up, examining it. It was long and Black, the material he could not identify, it was also cylindrical in shape, and pointed at both ends. The carvings on the stone looked like flowers, but none he'd ever seen before he also noticed it was big enough for his lower arm to fit through. He then placed the object on his arm.
"Whatever this is, it is of a very fine make. Though who could have left it? Am I really being followed?"
He then continued through the mountains, occasionally looking over his shoulder as the being followed in secret, melding with his shadow as he journeyed forward.
Well crap, how will Kuroko get her hair ornament back without Hector knowing? Wait and see!