Act 4

Misshappenings

Kogetsu sat on the edge of the cramped bunker in his quarters staring into the empty space in front of him, the smoke from his cigarette that he held slowly rose in the air in a continuous ribbon of transparent white. The sunlight that was coming in through the small round portal window that was situated high on the left side of the wall, lit up his small confined bunker. The only other furniture apart from a single bed is a metal desk with many odd compartments and drawers, that was directly across from bed. It was where he kept his cartons of cigarettes, his gun, bullets and magazine cartridges and spare clothing and odd bits of things that he has collected over the years, and in front of that is metal steel foldable chair. You'd think that being the head general of the military army would've benefited him in at least a decent sized room, he thought musingly. He reached out his left arm to grab the open can of beer that was sitting almost too close to the edge of the table across from him.

A sudden sharp pain made him lose grip of the can before he could even begin to bring it back.

"Fuuuck!" he growled and punched the mattress beneath him as he watched the beer pour out from can on the floor. " Damnit!"

He sat back breathing out a heavy sigh and ran both his hands into his lose hair, gripping the the top of his head as he rested the back of it against the wall. He breathed in deeply and almost laughed. He reached in his pocket and tapped another cigarette out on his knees before inserting it into his mouth. He lit it and inhaled on the sweet release of nicotine.

It's been almost two months since his arm was injured by that infernal human girl. The image of her that night still bothered him in his waking moments. He remembered it clearly. There was something different about her that night. Something else that isn't supposed to be there. The glint in her eyes that night before she attacked him was downright... deadly. She took his bullets as if they were nothing... as if she felt no pain and had broken his arm as if it was made of mere twigs. And had slaughtered dozens of his men, demon men, might he add. The ones that was lucky enough to get away with their lives, had reported that she had singlehanded-ly took out armed men as if it were child's play. On one account claimed that they took out one man without even touching him.

He's never seen such a feat, even from a demon. And it looked as if she was enjoying it too. Yes, she had escaped before and eventually captured again but he had never before witnessed anything like that.

He counts himself as a courageous man, one that isn't too easily moved or swayed and could easily take down an army of demons without breaking a sweat but...if he were to ever know fear, that night would've been it. He knew fear that night when he stood facing her.

Whatever it was he saw down there in those tunnels, was not natural, there was power there that even he had never seen or felt. The energy that came from her was ridiculous. The malice in her eyes made it shine almost white in the dark as if they were on fire. It shone with a murderous intent that can only be defaulted to as sheer utter madness. But what's more chilling is that somehow, as he watched her be taken away... he felt that it was only the beginning of something far more sinister.

It took him everything he had to not have rammed that blade through her. Something in him told him to rid of this.. this... thing before him. Before it could manifest itself. But for some reason that still bothered him, he just could not bring himself to do it...

He brought the cigarette back to his mouth, for now... he need not to worry bout her anymore. Since that incident. He had heard rumors of her being transferred to another part of the fort that even he wasn't allowed access to. Apparently it was impossible to escape. So with that knowledge, it gave him a bit of peace.

He gazed at the ray of sun that was coming from the window above. And he thought back to almost seven years ago. Back then he was only a Lieutenant at the age of only 21, and he was assigned a mission to go to town east and or objective was to seek and destroy a small band of humans that have been fighting against the demons there and has since gathered a formidable amount of weaponry. We were supposed to have torched the place down and ordered to eliminate every human sighted. And we did. Despite what they said about how demons and humans living peacefully before this minus wave started almost a year ago, there were already skirmishes even then.

What they claimed to be peaceful was in fact a prejudiced farce. They had always been against us demons from the very beginning. In these parts anyway the war between man and demon had started years before the minus wave hit.

The wave that is said to be the cause of what is making demons everywhere to become hostile and aggressive. Causing them to lose control and go berserk.

Somehow, most he and his men seemed to be unaffected by this phenomenon. In some ways... he was relieved. He had witnessed it with his own eyes, his comrades absolutely losing all meaning of self and is reduced to a foaming, hungry bloodthirsty machine. Some have raveled in this calamity, calling it their true awakening. But some would rather face death then lose control like that. And secretly Kogetsu was the latter.

Though he was an unquestionable leader and soldier bt he did it because he wanted to do it. Not because he was a slave by force. As seen reflected in his own appearance... he wasn't the one to conform to a rule set by others. He preferred to do things his way with no question asked. And did he do them right. He was promoted to this position at this age not just by mere coincidence. He far surpassed everyone else in his unit.

He thought back to that assigned mission in that village years ago. That was the day he met a little young girl with purple eyes, no more than fifteen of age hiding behind some barrels. She had gripped at the sleeve of his shirt and stared him, it had shocked him, though he was a demon, she had no fear in those eyes. Eyes that were wet with tears against the flicker of flames. Her beauty was so radiant that it was shocking, almost sending chills down his back. There were no one else around except them. His troops were in the distance regrouping. He noticed that she was gravely injured and bleeding. She probably broke one of her legs too, if left here she will perish along with her village.

He was still a young man back then, proned and plagued still by doubts and hopes. He had aimed his rifle at her. He remembered his trigger finger shaking. He remembered, as he stared at this broken beauty, violet doe eyes pleading with him, he remembered not having the strength to do it. Or more clearly, his heart could not bring himself to. He had never yet murdered a woman, demon or human before, not by his hand anyway. She was only a child. Why should she be shown any mercy when he himself had brought her village to flames without a glimmer of regret.

Those eyes pleaded with him, not knowing or understanding friend or foe. There was innocence there... an innocence which he felt wasn't his right to steal. And so...he had lowered his weapon.

Against his will he had managed to bring her back to this fort under the claims that she was to be his slave. Which for a few months worked out well. until a certain scientist was sent here straight from Hatouu castle and the moment that the scientist saw her, he had shown great interest in her. Not long after that he seldom saw the human girl that he had come to care for and it seems his recollection of the memories stops and begins there. Everything else was a blank to him, even though sometimes he knew there was more to it. He just cant seemed to recall them.

Soon after that... everything changed. He was made General and he was immersed fully in his duty. Any trace of that sympathetic young soldier that he once was, was completely eradicated.

Kogetsu ran his fingers over the deep scar that ran straight down on his left eye and let out a little amused scoff. That rabbit was always a feisty one. He smiled at remembering the taste of sharp steel wielded by none other that that pesky human girl. This is the price he has paid for showing mercy and kindness. Yes everything had changed after that. Whatever it was that they sparked up in the past was dead as forgotten memories. Now in hindsight... he should have left her to die.

He took one last drag of the cigarette that he was smoking, dragged it down to the filter and stubbed it out on the lid of an empty beer can on his bed and tapped out another cigarette to his mouth, as he lit the new stick, he found his mind wondering back to the time when he was younger. To the village he grew up in,way up in the mountains a bit far south from this fortress. Their village was ransacked by humans, driving them out, simply because they were different and because truthfully they feared us, they knew that we were capable of so much more and so they oppressed us. Demons slaughtered like animals at the greed and envy of mankind. He managed to survive and decided to join a demon army that was trying to stand up to this rebellion.

At first this fort was mostly built mainly for defense, until the latter years where they too have succumbed to the all too familiar greed and lust for power. Sometimes... he feels an old exhaustion settling deep inside him. He felt like a battered old shield... still defending and fighting... but for what... what was it that he was fighting for...

His attention was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Enter."

A soldier stepped in and gave him a salute. "General."

"At ease, soldier. "

"Yes, sir. Dr Ni Jien has requested your presence down below sir."

ugh, just the mention of that mans' name makes his stomach turn. He never liked the scientist, not then and definitely not now.

"Noted." he replied as he heard the footman disappeared.

He started to get up and gathered his loose hair into a loose low ponytail that he casually adorned and pulled on his insignia coat and let the cigarette that wasn't even half finished drop to the floor before grinding it with the toe of his heavy black boots. With one last glance out the sunny porthole, he walked out the door, glad to be leaving behind ghosts of memories pasts.