Chapter 10: deals in the dark.
"Never look to the future, for it will only blind you and make you lose your way. Never cling to the past, for it will cloud your judgement of today. And never look sideways, for worrying over what could have happened, what could happen, will only bring that grim fate upon you."
First off, I want to hear from everyone. Please, and thank you. I only have two people that reviewed so far. One has only posted one while the other makes up all the rest. Is it that hard to post a simple review? That's not rhetorical. I'm actually asking. Type something. About the OCs or the plot or what happened so far. Just a few sentences. That's all. I'm probably having too much fun with this but, with the realms, Immortal mortal realms, there are dimensions (story categories) and within those are different universes (individual stories). Just wanted to make that clear. Most likely making this more confusing than it needs to be.
That is all.
4 years before the Separation.
Erwin.
No one would leave this battle with a clear conscience. The humans were routed and it seems their end is near. The Mundai wouldn't stand for such an assault, but what were they to do? They couldn't deny the Lords, especially after being drove close to extinction by only two Lords. Erwin didn't want to fight the Immortals or humanity. So he was trying to keep himself out of it. But what was hiding like a scared, powerless little child going to achieve? So far, nothing. Orion's gone crazy, ordering the Blackbloods and their Half-bloods to kill humans even children. They also killed a Mundai. They just kill and kill. They didn't seem to care anymore.
Erwin shifted uncomfortably in his hiding spot. Just behind a shed, between two wood crates. Judging from the writing on the crates and the smell, it was probably some dry foods that went bad out in the heat. He hated himself for hiding, but he knew that if he fought he wouldn't last, and even if he did he would be hated by either the Immortals or the humans. He loses no matter what side he chooses. And if Orion's stories were true, then staying out of the war, letting them kill each other for no good reason, would incur the hatred from both sides. He looked down at the dirt. A bug was crawling over his boot. He didn't bother to flick it away.
A distant roar drew the Mundai Half-blood's attention. He didn't want to look out of fear of being spotted. Another roar, even closer. He forced himself from his spot and moved towards the side of the shed. When he peered around the corner, his eyes went wide. A large serpent was flying in circles, raining fire down on its enemies. A dragon. A real dragon, with talons, teeth, scales, a short temper, and fire. Erwin felt a bit of empathy for those that stood in its way. As he strained his eyes to look he noticed that its wings had feathers instead of the usual leathery kind. Its golden scales, feathery wings. Erwin knew of this type of dragon. Immortal, lived for more than several millions years. It was a Dragon Queen. But which one was it? The older sister or the younger sister?
Erwin watched as it shot fire down on some men. So its on the Immortals side then. His thoughts made him look down. How can humanity survive against Pure-bloods and dragons? They can't. It's a that they kill a Keeper, let alone a dragon. Half-bloods try to stay out of it, but as soon as their makers say "fight", they fight.
The dragon turned its attention from the burning men below towards a seemingly abandoned shed when its rider pointed. The dragon sniffed the air and could faintly smell something. It wasn't human, but it wasn't an Immortal. It hissed and with a mighty flap of its wings it was making its way towards the shed.
Erwin heard the sound of its wings and peered around the corner. He instantly regretted it. The dragon was flying right for him. He got up and started to run. But the dragon was flying. Unless he could find dense foliage there was no way he could escape. The dragon eyed its prey from the sky while the rider remained silent. His black armor made him an unnatural, intimidating sight. His body was completely covered in armor plating; his hands were covered in metal; his fingers covered ending with pointed tips. In the middle of his chest plate their was a golden plate with a black design in it.
Erwin heard the dragon getting closer and closer. He almost stopped. He almost let it take him, where he would surly be crushed in its jaws. But the dragon wouldn't let him do anything. It snatched him up with its talons, surprisingly enough the sharp talons didn't hurt him. The dragon carried him as it flew higher and higher. To the point that they were about to hit clouds. Just as they did the dragon dropped him. Well over a few thousand feet, Erwin was dropped. Nothing to keep him from falling to his death. Nothing to cushion his landing; no water or snow. No one to help him. He was going to die. He didn't try to keep in the scream that came from his throat. He just let it out as he fell.
However, when he was only a few hundred feet above the ground, his plummet down stopped. A armored hand caught him by the ankle. The armored dragon rider held the Half-blood firmly while the dragon was trying to figure out why its rider wanted to save him. The man looked down. The golden plate on his chest glistened in the sun light. The symbol of Balance standing out more than before. He was a Nightwalker. A being that wasn't Man or Immortal. They were something more holy than God and more deadly than a Devil. They were mysterious beings that came from the Darkness, bathed in Light, punished those that disrupt the Balance, and were creatures that transcend death. Yet, those were mere rumors. No Man, Beast, or Immortal knew where they came from. They were Nightwalkers. They were the guardians of balance. They were not of this existence.
The Nightwalker looked down at the boy and sighed heavily. "Tis be a bitter-sweet meeting. Master commands that we leave and I finally come to see you, and this is what we see." Erwin peered up weakly. The dragon was eyeing him wearily, still unsure of the Half-blood. "Pathetic!" The Nightwalker spat. Then he sighed and seemed to relax some.
Erwin's eyes met the dragon's. "The Dragon Queen Mali..." He breathed and the dragon looked at him fully, and nodded in confirmation. Which means... Erwin carefully looked up and started to fidget. "It's... um, been a while." His voice was small and their was fear in his eyes.
The Nightwalker chuckled. "This be the most auspicious of greetings, no?" His pale eyes glowed lightly from within his helmet as the boy was beginning to have apprehensive thoughts. "You sought to hide when your master fights? You seek shelter from a storm that consumes all. You seek highland when the flood comes. Hmm." He seemed to ponder his own words for a moment.
Then a evil aura started to come from his body, making the boy tremble. "You walk the cowards path... you must be punished."
Villanueva.
Warm rays of light shined through the trees, shining on the grass, warming them. Animals called to each other. The sun was just rising. It was early morning and the Half-blood Villanueva couldn't sleep. He tried and tried, but even after both Kurapika and Sangue fell asleep, he couldn't sleep either. What happened the night before haunted him. Even though he did fall asleep for an hour or so, his dreams were haunted by the mistakes of the past. And now it was morning. There is no sleep to be had right now.
The dreams stopped a few months ago. But now they were coming back. He didn't know who those people were or what was happening. The dream was clear as day, but it just didn't seem real. It always gives him a headache if he thinks about it too long. He had hoped that when they stopped that they wouldn't start up again, but he was wrong. Now he won't be getting a full night of sleep for a while. Not until he finishes what he came he to do. Not until his task is done.
Villanueva had sat up and watched over the two sleeping forms next to him. When he sat up Sangue had rolled over and curled up to Kurapika. It made Villanueva smile to see Sangue curl up to the teen, and the smile grew when Kurapika wrapped his arms around Sangue and pulled him close. Villanueva felt that he didn't need to worry for the time being.
He looked around and saw Vanessa sleeping in a tree and when he looked over across from where he was at, he was treated to a amusing sight. He got up and walked over to the sleeping forms of Gon and Killua. Killua's hand was pressed up against Gon's face, while one of Gon's arms were outstretched and was resting on Killua's stomach. It looked like Gon had tried to hug Killua and the boy put his hand in Gon's face to push him back. Villanueva wanted to take a picture, but his phone was in his bag, and for all he knew was ruined by the rain.
Deciding to retrieve his bag, Villanueva moved from their little sleeping area to the clearing. He sighed. "What a week."
Immortal realm.
Orion.
"Is everyone here?" Orion asked. When he didn't hear anything about any missing people he nodded and motioned for them to sit. "Let's begin the discussion."
No one said anything. They only looked around, waiting for someone to start them off. Orion shook his head. The Keepers, Shearbians, Mundai, were all looking at each other. There was a fair number of Immortals that joined the Lords, but the Half-bloods were all on Orion's side. They still have some humanity. And for the ones that lived long enough, the Half-bloods that survived, they didn't want human blood on their hands ever again.
Orion suppressed a sigh of annoyance. "Let's just start from the top."
There were nods of agreement. The leaders of all the races were present and they were supposed to bring any information on the Lords. They didn't have anything but their names and that Lord Ova was killed. This wasn't getting to a good start. They were all nevous. They thought they would be crushed by the Lords if they stood against them openly.
How did any of them survive this long? Orion asked himself.
Villanueva.
The bag was in the exact spot he left it. He checked it and his tag and phone and other stuff was there, too. His shirt was there too. And it was dryer than he thought it would be. There was sunlight, and putting things under direct sunlight for a period of time heats things up and dry wet things. Villanueva picked up his shirt and left the vest and tie. He picked up his bag and walked away and set out to find a stream to wash up.
On the way Villanueva decided to expand his aura around himself. As he did it wavered slightly. He can expand his aura much more than he was at the moment, but with his current condition and the inexperience with using it to detect living things he couldn't do much. His efforts rewarded him with a presence. He couldn't quite tell who it was.
Am I supposed to? He wondered as he heard the sound of water. Villanueva smiled to himself when it came into sight.
He knelt down and splashed water on his face. Villanueva stood up and slipped on the shirt and started to button it up. When he was done he looked around and opened his phone. Still good. He was going to check if he got a message when he felt a sharp, sting in his arm. He dropped the phone and whirled around and saw Hisoka, smirking.
Villanueva looked at his arm and saw a playing card sticking out. But it wasn't too deep. He pulled it out, showing Hisoka that it didn't go as deep as he would want. "You have tough skin."
Villanueva rolled his eye. "I just have a good shield. So, you want your tag back?" Villanueva eyed him down.
Hisoka smirked. "You can keep the tag if you can answer some questions."
"Fine." Villanueva wiped some of the blood away. It wasn't deep, but he didn't want to waste any more energy to heal it.
"What did you mean by 'shield'?"
"Enhancers can make a shield that can block physical attacks as well as the usual Emitter attacks." Villanueva picked his phone back up. "I use a shield, but I put it under my skin so it looks like I don't know anything other than how to use guns." He explained.
"The weather changed rather quickly yesterday. Did you do that?" Villanueva nodded. "How?"
"I heated up the surrounding water so it would evaporate and form clouds, so it wouldn't seem to odd when it started to rain." He told him.
Hisoka was staring at Villanueva with a very strange look. "You shot fire at me before. How did you do that?"
Villanueva shrugged. "I merely vibrated molecules to the point that once they were added to a solid surface of any kind, they would ignite. Then I send out a bit of my aura to carry the fire away, usually at a high speeds."
"You made them vibrate? So your a Manipulator?" Villanueva shook his head. "Then a Specialist?"
Villanueva tilted his head. "So I've been told."
"Last night there was signs of killer intent so strong it affected the animals. Was that you?" Villanueva's eye narrowed.
"Could have been." Villanueva glanced at him from the corner of his eye. I may be vague, but I'm still answering the question. He thoughts were interrupted by another question from Hisoka.
"What were you doing? Fighting your target? Who was it?" Hisoka pressed.
Villanueva didn't want to answer, but he didn't want to fight either. "A woman by the name of McFeely. She's the reason I'm here."
Hisoka pondered for a bit. "After a bit I felt an immense amount of bloodlust and another presence, but it had no killer intent. What was that?"
"It was someone that wasn't supposed to be here. I snapped and got angry." Villanueva didn't like this.
Hisoka watched Villanueva for any sign of fleeing or attacking. "What did this woman do to make you want to hunt her?"
"I can not say." Villanueva noticed the frown on Hisoka's face. This is a big risk. If he tries to fight me, I'm not sure if I'll be able to beat him.
Hisoka turned and started walking away. "Say hello to Gon for me." He said as he disappeared from sight.
Villanueva glared at his back until he disappeared from sight. "You'll never lay a single finger on him, Hisoka. I'll kill you before you can taint one so pure." It took a minuet for Villanueva to register what he just said. 'Taint'? 'Pure'? Why do I care about such a thing?
Villanueva walked back to the others and pondered his words all the while.
Kurapika.
Kurapika felt something poke his cheek and a voice calling him. He slowly stirred and opened his eyes only to close them again from the light. When he opened his eyes and they got adjusted, he was met with the sight of a smiling Villanueva. Kurapika smiled. "Good morning."
Villanueva leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, but in his sleepy sate Kurapika kissed back. Villanueva sat up and smiled wider. Then a new face popped into his view. "Good morning!" Sangue chirped happily.
Kurapika shot up and looked at the two of them quickly. "Don't worry. He saw us kiss before." Villanueva said before Kurapika could say anything. "Vanessa, are you even trying?"
They all looked over at the woman who was trying to wake up the two boys. The two had since switched positions and were now holding each other, courtesy of Villanueva; he just thought that it would be uncomfortable the way they were, what with Killua's hand in Gon's face and all. So he moved them a bit then they started cuddling as soon as his back was turned. Gon lay his head on Killua's chest, with a nice stream of drool coming from his open mouth.
Villanueva walked over and chuckled softly. "Hold on. Let me get a picture." He took out his phone and took a picture. He nodded at Vanessa and she started to shake them awake.
Killua was the first one to get up and his reaction was priceless. He jumped up, knocking Gon over, successfully waking him up, and turned red. Gon looked around in confusion. The sight made Villanueva laugh loudly, followed by Sangue. Vanessa made no sound, but was greatly amused. Then Killua noticed the damp spot on his shirt.
"Gon! You drooled on me!" He exclaimed loudly. Villanueva was sure he was only trying to be mad to cover up the embarrassment. Not that it mattered, he was so getting this on camera. He went ahead and took out his phone.
"Huh? I did?" Gon asked. The two (mainly Killua) started arguing while Villanueva started rooting for them to fight.
Kurapika smiled as Sangue sat down next to him. Villanueva was taking Gon's side and standing behind him while Vanessa was doing the same for Killua. It was all fun and games. Sangue leaned on Kurapika and sighed happily. Kurapika looked down at him inquisitively.
Sangue smiled at him. "You all make him smile." He stated simply.
"What do you mean?" Kurapika asked.
Sangue looked at Villanueva who was saying something silly in a overly dramatic voice. "You make feel at ease. I know this because... before I stopped living with him, he was always on guard. Like he was waiting for something to go wrong." Sangue closed his eyes sadly. "But here, he's happy. With you all, he's happy. Not with us back home."
"Sangue..."
Villanueva's voice drew their attention. He was currently holding Gon out to Killua like how a child might hold out a puppy. "Just look at his face. Don't you see you're hurting his feelings?" Gon was beyond confused so he just smiled widely and blushed a bit.
Villanueva didn't get an answer from Killua so he huffed and turned Gon around and looked at him. "He's mean. But never fear! We shall find new companions that understand what it means to be... uh, companions." Villanueva just shrugged as Gon chuckled, amused by what was being said.
Villanueva stopped moving and stared at Gon, making the boy grow worried. He tried calling his name but didn't get a response. Then Villanueva raised Gon in the air and smiled. Gaining a soft look in his eye, he lowered Gon down a bit and hugged him. Due to the height difference Gon's feet didn't touch the ground, so the only thing holding him up was the hug Villanueva enveloped him in. Gon didn't know why he would suddenly do this, and neither did the others, but he did what he thought was right: He hugged back. Gon wrapped his arms around Villanueva's neck and felt him tense up. He felt that Villanueva was doing this for a reason, but what one he didn't know. He assumed there was something wrong.
Then it hit him. The woman, McFeely. Something must have happened, he was even injured when he returned and seemed frightened, at least that's what Gon felt when he looked at Villanueva. He looked anxious. "It's okay." Gon said softly.
Villanueva let out a breath then he blinked. And he almost dropped Gon. His eye was wide as he set Gon down. He held his head as a excruciating headache hit him. He didn't know why he did that, nor did he know why Gon seemed familiar now. To hopefully get rid of these thoughts, he reached into his pocket and pulled out Hisoka's tag.
"He was you target, right?"
Gon's eyes went wide. "How did you get that?" He grabbed it and looked it over. Then he looked at Villanueva in concern. "Did you fight him? Did he try to get it back?"
Villanueva tried not to look into those big eyes. He just couldn't. "No. I swiped it off him when he was detracted."
Gon looked at his arm. "You're bleeding. He attacked you." Gon was spot on, in a sense.
"He wanted to ask some questions, that's all." He looked away.
Gon didn't want to, but he dropped it and smiled. "Thank you. How can I make it up to you?"
Villanueva looked at him then held up a hand. With a flick of his wrist a coin appeared from nowhere. "If you can take this coin from me, we'll be even." Gon actually tried to get the coin, but when he opened his hand ha held a picture of the coin. Villanueva held up his other hand, showing him the coin.
Killua was suddenly reminded of Netero and the ball game they had on the airship. "Oh, I was told by Netero that you played with him on the airship. Unlike him, I'll fight back, so come prepared." Villanueva smiled at him.
Gon nodded, a determined smile spread on his face. "Yeah! Just you wait. I'll get that coin!"
Villanueva smiled at Gon's enthusiasm. "I look forward to it."
The rest of the day was pretty simple. Killua went his own way to deal with his pursuer while Vanessa and Sangue, who already got their tags the first day, went off to find Leorio and help him get his target. Leaving Kurapika and Villanueva to find Tonpa, Kurapika's target. Villanueva was more than happy to help. Tonpa didn't get a chance to talk since Villanueva punched him as soon as he saw him. Killua dealt with the brothers his own way, and Leorio had a little trouble with his, but since Vanessa knew a few tricks she was able to fry most of the snakes. Of course, she knocked out the girl before she shot lighting at a bunch of snakes.
They had their tags. Now the rest of the days was just them talking. Leorio apologized to Villanueva, but Villanueva countered by saying it was his fault, that he was frustrated the past few days and took it out on others. Leorio seemed to like Villanueva a little bit better now that he seemed more relaxed, but he was still edgy.
Villanueva.
It was the last night on the island and Villanueva was on the coast, glaring at his soldiers. "I told you all to wait for my signal."
"But, sir. She was trying to escape. She even turned someone into one of those things." A commander said.
Villanueva frowned. "Tracking the Keeper that got away takes priority. Ignore McFeely for now."
"Yes, sir!" They all said and rushed off to their boat.
Villanueva felt a familiar presence behind him and when he turned he spotted another face he didn't expect to see. Enocente, a fairly large man, with a bit of a gut, but a ton of muscle. Despite coming off as some sort of brute, he was actually pretty soft. He even keeps a pet mouse.
"Many greetings, old friend."
Enocente nodded. "Yes, it has been long over due, has it not? For us to meet again, I mean."
Villanueva nodded. "So how are things back home?"
Enocente sighed. "It's bad. Lord Golad wants us, Immortals and Half-bloods to kill the human race, permanently."
The Half-blood frowned. "Tell me more."
Enocente did so. Told him everything from the meeting, Golad wanting Villanueva dead, and that since the Lord knew about the Gateway breaking, he wanted them all to prepare to go to war with Man. But there was some good news; most of the Immortals sided with Orion and they had few Lords on their side, too. But with three Lords against two and the most powerful one, it didn't make Villanueva feel relived in the slightest.
"What do we do?" Enocente asked.
Villanueva rubbed his scars a bit. "We need to tell the remaining Nightwalker scattered across the realms to gather."
"But-"
"I know they aren't the most reliable, but they might be out best bet."
Enocente nodded. Villanueva was a master in offensive style fighting. He was able to use a variety of weapons and his powers were unnatural. Then there was his hand-to-hand combat. He was a mixed martial artist. He was a deadly person to have as an enemy, no matter who you were. "We're so screwed."
Villanueva laughed. "That was fast."
When Villanueva got back, Killua was the only one awake. "So, did you see anything?"
Villanueva shook his head. "Some applicants, but they seem content on hiding. Most likely found their targets and got their tags." He sat down next to Killua and they both looked up at the moon. "Nice night."
"Yeah. It's peaceful." Killua agreed. They both sat in silence, watching the moon and star-filled sky.
"So," Villanueva started, "you seem to like cuddling with Gon."
Killua turned red. "No, I don't."
"Funny how you didn't deny that you were cuddling." Killua turned a deeper shad of red. "But on a more serious note, you do care for him, right?"
Killua gave him a funny look. "Of course. We're friends."
"Really?" He asked.
"Really." Killua replied with a smile.
"Good, good. It's nice to have friends. So, you were an assassin?"
Killua nodded. "Yeah, but I left that life behind. I'm not letting anyone tell me how to live my life."
Villanueva stared at him before he smiled. "Good. Killua knows what's best for Killua. You have my respect." Killua was a bit startled. "We both may have killed for the sake of money, but the difference is that I chose this life, you were forced into it. I think you deserve to chose your life. I think you deserve to live happily after being forced to live through such horrible things."
Killua looked at him in shock. "I killed people and ruined families. I don't deserve that."
"Don't ever say that." Villanueva grabbed Killua by the shoulder, shocking the boy further. "You may have been molded by evil; may have been marked by evil, but you are not evil. You may have the skills and ability to kill a man, but you are just a child. A child that wants to be free. Almost like a bird in a cage that was set near an open window."
Villanueva shook his head. "And now that you are free from that life, free from the cage, you don't know what to do; don't remember how to fly." Villanueva kept his grip firm yet gentle. "You will learn how to fly again. And you'll find the happiness you deserve."
Killua's eyes were wide. The words about a bird, although a bit odd, were a pretty good way to sum up his life. Killua remembered how many times he saw children playing when he just finished a job. And how many times he wanted to cry and yell at his parents for forcing him to kill. When he saw kids playing with friends, he was reminded that he wasn't allowed to have those. When he saw the kids call for their siblings, he could only think of his brother as a trainer, nothing more. And when he saw a parent's worried expression when their child hurt themselves playing, he remembered that the only time he ever had his mother fuse over him was when he was very little, when he was first learning how to kill. The only time she would praise him, it was after finishing a job. When she got angry and lectured him, it was because he was 'acting out', which was when he wanted to go outside and play. And there was the time he made a friend once. He played at the same park and many times Killua found ways to keep going to that park on his way home. They grew to like each other.
They played whenever Killua finished a job and returned home, but made sure not to take too long and to make sure his brother wasn't around. He had to reject the offers to come over for dinner at his friend's house. It was after one job to kill some mafia big-shot that he made a big mistake. He was told that he would be a tough kill and that it would be a good test for Killua. That being said, Killua's older brother watched from a distance to ensure the job was done correctly and that he didn't get too hurt. It was when he stopped to play with his friend after the job, having been all too easy, that he relaxed. Too much, he quickly learned. His brother had seen them. His brother said that he didn't need friends. His brother, Illumi, thought it would be best to teach little Killua a lesson.
Illumi forced Killua to kill his friend.
Killua looked down. "Do you... really believe that?"
"Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let you anywhere near Sangue." Villanueva smiled.
That means he trusts me to be around someone so important to him? Killua asked inwardly. "Do they trust me?" He failed to stop himself.
Villanueva patted him on the back. "I'm one-hundred percent certain. Gon especially."
Killua wasn't too sure. He was a killer, he didn't deserve any kindness, but if that was true, then why did he feel so happy when Gon wasn't bothered by the fact he was an assassin? Killua smiled. "Yeah. I guess you're right."
"I'm always right, young grasshopper." Villanueva smirked.
"You're stretching it." They both laughed and nearly woke up the others.
The rest of the night went by peacefully. All that was left was the final Phase. Villanueva was dreading this for days. Will they trust me after I tell them the truth? He asked himself.
Yay! Nearly done with the Exam. Kurapika learns more about Villanueva and Villanueva is starting to act oddly. His dreams haunted by ancient battles past. All is well within their group, but with the last Phase, no one will be ready for what's to come.
Come back soon. And please, review.