Well hello my lovelies! I'm so glad you all liked the last chapter! Since it received positive feedback, I felt inspired. And so, here I am with another chapter!
Also, the amount of reviews offering support against that mean guest reviewer kind of knocked me speechless. So thank you. I love you guys so much, you have no idea how much your support means to me. I LOVE YOU MY LOVELIES!
Disclaimer: Do I look like Hiro Mashima to you? (the correct answer is no)
Enjoy!~
A.~
Previously on Warm My Heart
He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her over to him and in no time she was curled up, resting against his chest as her legs tangled with his. His fingers trailed a line up and down her spine lightly and he felt her fingers drawing random patterns on his chest as her warm breath spread over his collar.
They slowly drifted off to sleep like that, wrapped around each other with the light of the fire still dancing over their skin, keeping them warm.
Now…
Warmth. That was the first thing the dark haired ice mage was aware of the next morning. It was the familiar living warmth that he'd grown used to while living with Sera. Sure enough, when he opened his eyes his field of vision was filled with pink hair, pale skin, and blanket—
Wait what? He realized he was staring at her bare back, with nothing but a blanket thrown across her waist.
Now Gray was used to waking up naked, or nearly naked. And since he woke up before Sera did, generally this wasn't a problem because he could hurriedly throw some clothes on before she woke up. But waking up when he wasn't the only one naked was quite different.
All the events of the previous night flooded through his mind, completely crystal clear despite consuming three bottles of wine. He paled in horror as the realization of what he'd done crashed over him like the weight of the world.
"Mmm…. Gray…." Sera sighed, and he just barely managed to scramble away before she could turn over and cling to him. He looked back and sure enough she was curled up where he'd been, her hand outstretched as if to reach for him. He cursed quietly and gently pulled the blankets further up to cover her to her chin. He'd spotted the couple marks bruising the skin of her neck, and he was disgusted with himself for taking advantage of her. Quickly he found his pants and boxers and put them on before the sounds of her nightmare reached him.
Sera whimpered in her sleep and shifted under the blankets. He abandoned the search for his shirt and went over to sit down beside her. Her face was slightly obscured by her hair but the frown was obvious. Quickly he brushed the tangled tresses back behind her and then chilled his finger to poke her cheek lightly. He found that this was easiest way to wake her from a nightmare that didn't involve either of them getting hurt. Instantly Sera cringed away from the cold with a disgruntled growl and her eyes squinted open. She blinked at the harsh light coming in through the newly exposed windows and after a moment she was able to focus on Gray's face. Her cheeks instantly heated and she hid further in the blankets.
"Morning." Gray said after a moment.
"G-good morning." She squeaked out. The ice mage suppressed a sigh. He was sure she was acting this way because she was upset and ashamed of what happened. That is, if she remembered.
"What do you remember from last night?" He asked. Sera frowned, her blush vanishing as confused eclipsed embarrassment. Making sure she held the blankets to cover herself she sat up.
"What do you mean?"
"I meant what I asked. What do you remember?" He wondered.
"I…. I remember everything, why?" She asked, frowning as she watched him look away.
"I want to apologize."
"For?"
"What happened of course. We shouldn't have done what we did." She sucked in a breath and gripped the blankets tightly. Was he thinking about the same thing she was? "We were drinking a lot, and we weren't thinking straight…. And we made a mistake—I made a mistake. It shouldn't have happened and I'm so sorry, Sera." He mumbled. She gulped and, if possible, gripped the blankets tighter. "We were drunk, and I was stupid, and I'm sorry. I really don't want this to affect our friendship, and I really hope we can just put this behind us and remain friends. I really can't express how sorry I am." He said, looking up to meet her gaze, which was completely blank. She must hate him, he thought.
"I—I'm sorry too." She mumbled, looking away. Gray watched as she bit her lip for a moment and then squeezed her eyes shut before putting her face in her hand.
"I don't want this to come between us, please. I'm really sorry, and—"
"Stop it."
"Huh?"
"Stop saying 'I'm sorry'. I get it, you feel bad about what happened, you regret it." She said bitterly. Things were quiet for a moment, and Gray hoped that she didn't hate him so much that she'd leave his sorry ass. Call him a hardcore masochist but he wanted to stay friends with her at least, even though he knew he couldn't have her the way he wanted. If only she'd been a couple years older—hell, a couple months older would have been acceptable too. Why did she have to be seventeen? Why did she have to be so young?
"Is there any possibility that we can put this behind us? Any way that was can stay friends?" He asked. For a horrible moment she was quiet, and he thought she was going to tell him no. But she dropped her hand from her face and looked up at him with a soft, strained smile as her hand covered his.
"Of course we're still friends." She agreed. He sighed in relief and flipped his hand over in her grasp, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Good. Thank you." He smiled. She nodded and pulled her hand back slowly. "Okay… Well, I'm gonna go grab a quick shower, and then we can head back to the village, see how that tribe held out through the avalanche and maybe get some answers about what they think is going on. And then I can form an attack plan." He said, eager to change the subject and ignore the awkward tension between them.
"Sounds good." Sera agreed. He nodded and then swiped up his shirt from the floor across the room before heading into the bathroom.
While Gray was in the bathroom showering, Sera let herself have a moment to throw a small pity party. And once she was done crying, like a lovesick idiot in her opinion, she got up and got dressed.
And when she needed something to do after that was done she went to pick up the things from the night before, thinking that maybe Gray didn't want to see the evidence of his "mistake". She shook her head at herself, because really, what had she expected? She wasn't living in a romance novel. Just because they had sex didn't mean they would immediately get together and live happily ever after. That hardly ever happened in real life. Barely anyone gets a romantic ending, and she unfortunately wasn't one of the lucky few. Instead, she got smacked with reality. A reality where sex was sex, it wasn't followed by a confession of love, no. It was followed by sleep and in the morning when their heads were clearer it was considered a "mistake" although it had been the best night of her young life.
Sighing she went back to the mess of blankets and picked those up after throwing on her half burnt pants and the shirt she'd had on the night before. An empty bottle rolled from the blankets and she stopped it quickly with her foot to prevent it from rolling further. She put the blankets back on the bed and went back to pick up the bottle. Boredly, she decided to read the label. And she found something interesting.
"Vin du desir vrai..." She frowned. Underneath there was a translation. "Wine of truest desires?" She read aloud. Turning the bottle over there were more words on the back of the label, inside the bottle. "If drank beneath the full moon's light, your conscience will be cleared that night. Truest desires shall be fulfilled, with every drop of wine you've spilled." Her eyes widened. She knew what her truest desires were. She'd wanted to be with Gray in whatever way he'd allow her, and she wanted him without fear of hurting him.
"Hey Sera, your turn for the-"
"Was last night a full moon?" She asked suddenly.
"What?"
"Was last night a full moon?" She stressed.
"Yeah I think it was, why?" The bottle slipped from her fingers and shattered on the ground as she stumbled back. "Sera! Are you okay? What happened?" He asked, rushing over to her. She stared at him without really seeing him. Her mind was going over what he'd said to her when she'd woken up. " We were drinking a lot, and we weren't thinking straight…. And we made a mistake—I made a mistake. It shouldn't have happened and I'm so sorry, Sera." A mistake. He'd said it was a mistake, and that his judgment had been clouded. When in reality his head had probably never been clearer. Somehow that made the rejection hurt worse than when he'd claimed drunken stupidity. If he hadn't wanted it he wouldn't have allowed it to happen, right? He was the one that pretty much started the whole thing, so the theory about him conceding so her truest desires only could be fulfilled was out. Which meant he had wanted her the way she wanted him. So what? Did he change his mind? Did she do or say something that made him not want her anymore? God, what had she done to deserve this kind of torment?
"Sera!" Gray shouted, snapping her back to the present moment. He was shaking her shoulders harshly as he repeatedly called her name. She broke his hold and turned away from him quickly.
"S-sorry. I'll clean this up." She muttered, moving to go get supplies.
"Wait, Sera." He said quickly. She paused on her way to the kitchen.
"What?"
"Are you okay? I was calling you for five minutes straight."
"I'm fine. Sorry, I just... I don't know what happened."
"Did something set you off, did you have a flashback?" He asked. Sometimes she would get flashbacks to when she fought a demon when she was younger. It would happen at random around the apartment and she would space out for a while. Gray always looked concerned but she assured him they were nothing to be scared of as long as she didn't start anything on fire.
"Um... Y-yeah. I saw the brand on the label and I guess I'd seen it before. It's-... It's not a big deal, I'm fine now. Sorry for freaking out like that." She muttered. And then she went to the kitchen to collect a broom, dust rag, and dustpan before he could say anything else.
O~O~O~O
Sera refused to speak about what happened with the bottle, giving Gray the silent treatment whenever he tried to bring it up as they headed back towards the village, Sera scenting the way. Eventually he dropped the subject. They ended up walking in tense silence the rest of the way.
Half way back, Gray noticed that Sera kept rubbing along her arm and it stuck close to her side. The ice mage wondered if she felt uncomfortable or exposed since they weren't bandaged up. Wordlessly he took off his jacket and offered it to her. She looked at him.
"I'm not cold." She muttered.
"I was offering it to help cover your arm and side." He said. Her expression contorted for a moment.
"Why? Are they that ugly, that you want me to make sure they stay covered?" She asked bitterly. Gray frowned. What the hell was wrong with her, this couldn't be about the flashback right?
"No, they don't bother me at all. I said that last—… Last night." He faltered and looked away.
"But we were drunk remember?" She huffed.
"That doesn't mean I didn't mean what I said." He snapped. She looked away with a glared and grumbled something under her breath. Gray thought he heard something like "what the hell am I supposed to believe with you?" but he couldn't be sure. "What was that?" He asked.
"I don't want nor need the coat, I'm fine." She snapped as she smacked his hand away and marched onward. He sighed and watched her walk further away. He gave her space and followed behind her.
A while later, they reached the village and both of them were relieved when the chief told them that they had stayed protected thanks to the igloo Gray had made before the avalanche hit. Once they made sure everyone was safe, they grabbed up their packs and changed into fresh clothes. After that they decided to start questioning people about why they might think the avalanches were happening but the second Sera approached one of the villagers and the elderly woman caught sight her, she dropped down and kowtowed.
"U-uh…." Sera skittered to a stop and looked around in confusion. "Do they just randomly drop down to pray all day or is this a special time?" She asked Gray quietly. He shrugged.
"You'd know more about southern costumes than I would. I'm from the north." He muttered.
"Selina saw you transform into the Great Beast three days ago. The entire village saw. We have waited a long time for you to come to us, my lady." The chief said, bowing lowly to Sera and she frowned.
"Wait, what?" Sera rose an eyebrow, looking confused.
"Great Beast?" Gray asked.
"Yes. We are diligent worshippers of Goddess Feira." The chief told him. Sera winced and looked around. More people were coming and bowing around them.
"Oh…." She mumbled.
"She foretold years ago that one day another Kitsune would take her place. She did not tell us you would be disguised as a human." He said reverently. Sera shook her head quickly.
"No, no, no. No you don't. I'm not some Deity, I swear. Feira was not a goddess, she was a demon. She taught me Demon Slayer magic and that's why I can take on the form of a Kitsune. I'm human." She put so much stress on the word that Gray was confused for a second because it sounded like she was trying to convince herself of it instead.
"You needn't be so humble. We have waited a long time for you. Feira reborn!" The chief called.
"Feira reborn!" The ever growing crowd echoed.
"No!" Sera exclaimed quickly, but they didn't seem to hear her. They all started chanting prayers and she facepalmed. "Okay look!" She snapped loudly. People stopped and looked up to her instantly. She winced. "We'll address this issue later, right now though Gray and I need information. Any theories you guys have as to why the avalanches keep happening would be great." She demanded. Everyone looked at each other and murmured passed through the people. The chief stood and approached.
"All we know is that the snow comes down from the top of that mountain every three days, burying us under it's piles of snow." He exclaimed, pointing to the giant mountain. Sera looked up and sighed.
"Excellent." She turned to Gray. "How do you feel about long distance hiking?" She asked.
O~O~O~O
"Man, I wish I had some more water." Gray muttered as they continued hiking up the side of the mountain. Sera dug into the small knapsack the village had supplied her with and pulled out a water bottle. She tossed it back to him.
"Take it, I'm good." She said.
"Really?"
"I don't like water much. Hurts my stomach." She shrugged. "I think it's part of being a fire Demon Slayer."
"Oh….."
"Hot drinks are more bearable. So maybe if it was boiling, but I can't heat it without melting the plastic, so it's yours." She shrugged.
"Thanks." He said gratefully before uncapping the bottle and chugging it. She simply shrugged and continued to climb. The air got chillier and chillier. Gray felt more revitalized the higher up they got, but Sera seemed to grow paler and more fatigued. "You okay?" He asked.
"Fine." She waved off his concern. "I just hope we're near the top." As soon as the words left her mouth, what sounded like music rang around them. Gray frowned in confusion but Sera's spine snapped ramrod straight. "There's no way." She whispered to herself.
"What?" She didn't respond. She simply broke into a full on sprint heading up the mountain. He scrambled to follow after her.
Rushing up the last bit of the mountain to the peak, neither of them was prepared for what they saw. Sera was the first to stop in her tracks, and it made Gray bump into her since he had been rushing to follow after her when she'd taken off. The strange music had stopped as soon as they reached the top.
"Sera what—" She shut him up by grabbing his chin and tilting it up. On top of a snow bank, lying curled into a ball, a black figure made completely of ice sat completely still. It had red eyes that were similar to Sera's when she was in demon form—minus the flames of course. Gray—the ice mage—shivered. Those eyes were staring right at them. Long ears lifted as the creature's head turned to face them. Its mouth opened and bared sharp teeth in warning. Sera sucked in a breath.
"Yukiusagi." She whispered.
"What?"
"Snow bunny." She repeated.
"Yeah, I know what you said, but what the hell?"
"Humans think 'snow bunny' is a cute term of endearment for female ice or snow mages, but they're terrifying demons, Gray. Powerful enough to wipe out entire civilizations with their blizzards just because they're bored." She gulped.
"So….. Basically, we're fucked."
"Basically." She confirmed.
"But you're a Demon Sla—"
"I'm pretty sure he wouldn't like what you're about to say and I don't wanna become snow bunny chow, so if you'd shut up while I try to think that'd be great." She said quickly. "Stay calm, he's gauging us right now, if we try to run he'll kill us in two seconds, and if we try to fight it'll come up with the same result." She muttered.
"But your…. Your title. You can't take him?"
"Not with how out of shape I am. I barely won the first time I battled a demon and—" her voice cracked as her hand came up to grab her arm. "I vowed to myself I'd never kill another demon, ever." She whispered.
"But if he's as dangerous as you say, you can make an exception can't you? I'll be here to back you up and—"
"Gray, I can't!" She stressed, turning slowly to look at him. He jolted when he saw the tears collecting in her eyes. "Please, don't try and make me, I won't do it. I can hear them Gray, I can talk to demons, and you don't understand what it's like! Even if I was physically able to take him on, I still couldn't handle it if I were to kill him, I can't hear another DeathSong, I just can't." He had no clue what a DeathSong was, but the way she spoke, it sounded like she was being tortured and was pleading for her life.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" He snapped out quietly.
"Let me talk to him." Sera mumbled. "Maybe I can reason with him."
"Reason with a demon? Are you insane? Or do you have some stupid death wish?" She shrugged.
"Maybe, but they say people make deals with the devil, so who's to say that this is any crazier or stupider than that?" She mumbled before turning back around. She took a step forward and the demon tensed as if to pounce. She paused and held her hands up. The Yukiusagi's head lowered and he seemed to focus on her right arm. Slowly she rolled up her sleeve and showed off the wounds to the beast. It sniffed and then its mouth opened. What came out was something Gray never expected. The voice was beautiful, but spoke a language that he didn't know. Well, spoke wasn't the right term really, it sounded more like singing.
Sera prepared herself to be eaten when the black rabbit made of ice opened his mouth, but he spoke instead.
"You smell of demon, human. You possess the marks of a fight with a worthy opponent. Speak, if you can. If you have nothing to say I guarantee that you will make a delicious popsicle." He rumbled out. She swallowed down the feelings bubbling inside of her, ranging from terror to relief at finally hearing the language she'd grown up with.
"Indeed I have much to say, much to ask. But this frigid chill weakens my voice." The snow in the area surrounding her melted instantly, allowing warmth to return to the land and her body, making her stronger. "I am Serafina, daughter of Feira Lee."
"A powerful and ancient Kitsune and she stooped to take on a human child as her own? How the mighty do fall." Sera's hands clenched into fists and she grit her teeth against the insult. "Either that…. Or she saw much potential in you, demon fledgling." She cringed back as if he'd attempted to slice her open with his icy teeth. Pushing passed the sense of dread and disgust she pressed onward.
"Surely you would know whether there was potential or not, for your power—even while dormant—eclipses hers twice over." That was a big fat lie, but demons loved flattery, it was the one thing that could get you anywhere with a demon. Her mother had taught her that. The Yukiusagi straightened up a bit at the praise.
"There is potential in you, my dark child. Your heart harbors great darkness, as well as great light. I see the essence of your life as easily as you see me, and I wonder. How is that neither of these forces have claimed you?"
"I have not decided completely, but you already know that, don't you Great One?"
"You flatter me."
"I only speak the truth."
"Why are you undecided? Don't you want power? Aren't you tired of feeling weak, of fighting your true nature?"
"I am uncertain as to what my true nature is. Unfortunately, this conversation will lead nowhere." She had to tread carefully, trying to think quickly on how to steer the conversation to what she wanted.
"Then what do you wish to speak about, my Dark One?" She resisted the urge to wince at the new nickname.
"I have come to speak about your mighty power. There is a village down the mountain that has hired me and the man behind me to come and help them with their problems of snow."
"They do not like my gift. Predictable humans!" He roared.
"Great one! You must know that this is not your proper thrown! You belong to the north, the land of the cold!"
"You dare tell me where I am allowed to roam!?" She paled as the area around her froze so completely it chilled her to the bones and left her feeling completely weak. She dropped to her knees with a gasp. "I am Sephtis Cai! I go where I please and no one—especially no mere weak child—will tell me where I can and cannot belong!" He snarled, standing up. His head resembled a rabbit but his body reminded Sera of her own demonic form. But he didn't have nine tails, as she did, and he wasn't made of fire.
"Great one, you can't honestly tell me that you like it here? Wasting so much energy to create this frosty wonderland when the humans do not even appreciate this wonderful gift!" She tried to recover from her mistake, but he was far to outraged. That was the thing about demons. You could flatter them all you wanted and it would work, but one wrong comment that might have insulted them, and you're a goner.
He roared wordlessly at her and leapt down from the snowdrift, landing before her.
"Sera!"
"Stay back!" She demanded, glaring up at the demon that towered over her, spreading his black chill across her form.
"Stand, Dark One, and decide your fate now. Light and weakness, or Darkness and power. Either defeat me, or die." He demanded.
"Have I no choice but to fight or die?"
"Either way you shall die! But if you fight you can die with dignity, and you won't have to watch when I kill that little mage behind you." She hung her head and her hands clenched into fists. She felt heat spread through her body as rage flooded her. No one, absolutely no one was allowed to threaten Gray and get away with it. She forgot all about her promise to herself as she let the heat and power and anger flow through her veins. Whispering a soft prayer, her body was encased in blue flames. Within seconds, she was in her Kitsune form, and surprisingly she towered over the Yukiusagi. He backed up a step from the heat emanating from her. "How is it possible!? I sensed barely any magic from you!" He snarled. Sera crouched low to the ground and her nine tails whipped back and forth, like they were preparing to whip him.
"My mother protects me and grants me strength, even in death she is far more powerful than any demon I've ever encountered! Die, Sephtis Cai, for I long to hear your DeathSong." She snarled darkly in her enraged state. She blew out a puff of flame from her mouth and dug her claws into the ground.
"It is not mine that shall play today, Dark One. But I'm sure yours will be beautiful and as passionate as your flames." He lunged at her, icy claws bared and they ripped into her side. She snarled and snapped her jaws at him, narrowly missing his neck as he backed off. As soon as he was away from her she took off, feeling a hotspot under the rocks. Standing directly in the middle of the mountain's peak she turned to face Sephtis. She waited for him to get close and narrowed her eyes as he rushed after her. When he got close enough she coaxed the heat out of the mountain and within seconds the ground began to shake. Sephtis paused in confusion and that moment of hesitation cost him. Lava erupted from the ground, tearing it apart and instantly melting the ice, replacing the cold with sweltering heat. The weirdest part about the lava; it was blue. The lava was the color of Sera's flames, and it wasn't acting like lava should. Instead of rolling down the mountain it followed a very specific path and wrapped around Sephtis' feet and legs, making him yowl in immense pain. He struggled but could not escape because where the lava touched him, it hardened into black stone, trapping him as more lava climbed up his body. It got all the way to his neck and he thrashed his head around.
"I do not want to die!" He exclaimed. The lava kept climbing and, realizing his fate, he began to sing. Sera jolted at the pain in her chest and dropped to the ground, covering her ears with her paws and whimpering as Sephtis sang. His heart breaking song tore her from the haze of rage and she came back to herself, remembered her promise, and she couldn't stand to hear it anymore.
"Stop it! Stop!" She wailed suddenly. The lava retreated and Sephtis collapsed to the ground, his song stopped in his shock.
"What are you doing? You have won. You must hear my song and kill me with it."
"No! I do not want to hear another DeathSong as long as I live! I could not bear it! Please! Live, Sephtis." She whimpered.
"You….. Spare me?" He looked shocked.
"Yes! Yes, I spare you! Live Sephtis Cai." With that, Sera transformed back into a girl, and fell to her knees in the snow.
"Sera!" Gray rushed over, having no clue what was going on, but she looked weak and exhausted and sad. He knelt beside her and gave her his coat. She needed it more than him seeing as most of her clothes had burned when she transformed. "Sera, are you alright, what's happening?" He asked, glancing at the black ice demon, and then looking back down at her. She was staring at the demon through heavy lids.
"Live, Sephtis Cai." She repeated before going limp in Gray's arms.
"Sera! Sera!?" He shook her but she wouldn't wake up. He panicked but at least she was breathing, and when he leaned down to listen, he heard her strong heartbeat. A small black rabbit hopped up next to him and then hopped onto Sera's lap. It looked at her and then at Gray.
"She is quite strong." Gray jolted back when it spoke and looked around. He realized that the small innocent looking rabbit was the demon from before.
"What the hell, how are you so tiny?" He exclaimed. He quickly tried to shove it off of Sera but it just jumped over his hand and landed up on Sera's chest.
"I will not harm her. She spared my life when she could have easily ended it. I now belong to her. And I am small because it is easier to travel with her this way." He said sitting on her chest.
"Get away from her, demon! There's no way you're coming with us!" The ice mage snarled. The rabbit opened his mouth and bared sharp teeth.
"Only she can order me away now, huma—whu!" He tumbled to the ground when Gray stood up and hoisted Sera into his arms. Her head hung limply over his arm and her right arm hung out to the side. Gray grunted and got her into a better position for carrying and then glared down at the rabbit.
"Stay away from her." He demanded. "It's your stupid fault that she's like this." He growled. He turned away and awkwardly made a snowboard of ice. His feet stuck to the board and he began snowboarding down the mountain, holding Sera securely in his arms. The black rabbit was hopping along next to him, not even seeming bother by the fast pace.
"She is quite strong." Sephtis repeated. "Stronger than you realize." He hopped onto the board and Gray glared down at him.
"What do you mean?" He snapped.
"I mean, not many survive the transformation. Even fewer can transform back into a human." He said.
"What are you talking about, she does it all the time." Gray huffed.
"What? She's transformed more than once!?" The rabbit sat on his hind legs and looked up at him, his red eyes wide.
"Yes. This is fourth time I know about." The raven haired man muttered, maneuvering the board easily to avoid hitting a tree.
"Th-that's impossible! Barely anyone survives one transformation into a demon, let alone multiple!"
"Whatever, demon. I just know that she's done it before." He sighed. "Why are you still here? Go away!" He tried to kick at the thing but he was gone. Gray felt a pressure on his shoulder and found the rabbit there when he looked. "H-hey!" He swerved and the rabbit chuckled.
"You might want to watch where you're going, boy." The rabbit used a paw to turn his head and Gray had to swerve again to avoid going for a nice fly off of a snow bank. "And as I tried to say before, only Serafina can order me away now. I must do as she commands."
"Why?"
"Because my life now belongs to her."
"Just because she didn't kill you?"
"Yes. She heard my DeathSong and could have easily killed me with it. But she refused to sing, and therefore she now controls me. She has my DeathSong and can use it whenever she pleases. I will do as she says until the day she kills me. I will devote my life to her, and protect her now, in gratitude for her sparing me. It is part of the exchange." He explained, hopping down to sit on Sera's stomach. "She is very warm, even for a Hellfire Demon Slayer."
"You know what she is."
"I know that one who possesses demon magic is a Demon Slayer. I am not stupid, boy."
"Don't call me boy. I'm twenty four years old." Gray huffed.
"And that is but one year compared to my life. You should feel lucky that I call you boy and not little babe." Sephtis scoffed.
"Whatever." He grumbled. "Now about Sera being warm. Do you mean it like she's feverish?"
"Yes. But it would be expected, as the transformation is taxing on the mind, body, and spirit. Maybe it is her indecisiveness that saves her from Death's twisted fingers." Sephtis mused.
"What do you mean, 'indecisiveness'?" Gray asked.
"She is not a force for good nor evil. Her spirit hasn't chosen which path to take yet. It is a choice all demon fledglings must make. They must learn demon magic, they must conquer their mentors, kill them with their DeathSong and then choose whether to live is a human without any magic or become a demon. And her spirit has not yet chosen which to be." Gray jolted and almost tumbled off of the snowboard.
"What the hell do you mean!?"
"Which part are you not clear on?" Sephtis asked.
"All of it! Are you saying Sera—the demon she killed—it was—"
"Her 'mother' Feira?" Gray nodded. "Yes. A demon may choose a human with enough potential who is worthy of the power, train them to slay demons and then fight them to the death. If the student wins they must kill the demon with their DeathSong and then decide to either rid themselves of magic, or transform into a demon, more powerful than the last."
"What do you mean, choose one with potential? Potential to do what?"
"Kill." Sephtis said simply. "Potential to harness the deepest darkness that resides within all humans. They must have the potential to act on their desire to kill humans."
Yes…. I am in fact ending it here. I know, I'm evil. But do I care? No. MUAHAHAHAH*chokes in the middle of evil cackling*
Anywhoodle, REVIEW my lovelies, and tell me what you thought!
UNTIL NEXT TIME MY LOVELIES!~
A.~