(Special thanks to Strat for the making of this chapter)
Chapter ten: The Promise
~Demon Hunters' Training Room. Lucifel's pov~
I breathe in as the simulated soldiers surround me. Closing my eyes, I hear the clock, which signals when the soldiers will move, ticking. The buzzard goes off but I keep my eyes closed. I sense the first strike coming from the right. Opening my eyes, I quickly parry the attack and counter by knocking the soldier down with the hilt of my sword. The next one comes from behind. I dodge the attack which results in the soldier in front getting hit. I dash past three soldiers, cutting them without them even noticing as they fall. "Unidad Giga" I say as I slightly jump into the air and stab the ground. I then swing my sword up and a shockwave of explosions take down the majority of soldiers. Only a four remain now. The three come at me while the fourth stands back at a distance, way too easy. I dash toward them, but jump one I get close. All of them miss and I stab the one in the middle, taking him down.
Once I land, they face me again. With my left hand, I throw dark fire in front of the soldier to my left. Next, I dodge the right's attack and cut off his leg. "Colmillo de Lobo." I jump into the air and grab the soldier's head. I then quickly aim and throw him at the other, who attempts to catch but fails as they both fall. I flash step into the air and crash down onto them with a vertical slash, ripping them both into two. Last, but not least, I turn my attention to the last one. I calm myself then ready my blade. "Hypersonic Puñalada." Quicker than he can keep up, I dash past them which makes him freeze in place. With a pose of swinging my sword then sheathing it, I breathe out as the last one falls from the multiple stabs. I hear clapping and look over to Ele who was sitting down, watching my training. I wipe the sweat off me and smile. "Didn't see you there Ele."
"I didn't want to intrude seeing as though you just started your training. Lowe would like to see us both" she says.
"Alright, just let me change." She nods as I go into the locker room.
~Cafeteria. Reiku's pov~
"And then what happened?" Nova asks. I pick up my spoon and get a spoonful of the Red-Bean sherbet sitting at my table. She waits there patiently, but on the edge of her seat. Once I swallow, I begin talking again.
"We got back here. Aisha's doing things with Lowe, Lucifel's probably off with Elesis somewhere, Lyon's probably with Eve or fixing his gauntlets and Shoto's out and about" I reply, getting another spoonful.
"Wait, but what about Crygin?" I pause, now thinking about it. What did happen to that guy? He was with us the whole time until we got split up by those giant drills. However, he didn't meet up with us at Shoto and Lucifel or teleport with us. Probably got lost or something then. He's a captain, I'm sure he'll be fine.
I shrug. "I think he got lost. That place was huge for no reason." I lean back in my chair and look at the time. 2:15 PM. Wow, time's moving slower than I thought. Might as well go train to kill some time.
"Who's she?" Nova, now getting some sherbet, points to someone behind me. I tilt my head to see the purple-haired Aisha in different clothing. Wait, huh? I stand up and look at her normally. Instead of her two pigtails poking out, they're now resting among her shoulders with a bang covering her right eye. Instead of that revealing purple... whatever, it's now a pink, white and black jacket with a ribbon in the middle as well as a purple and pink skirt. She also has on leggings with crosses near her kneecaps. I blush a bit looking at her... Argh, not again! Disgusting thoughts once more.
"Don't stare, it's still embarrassing" she says as she looks away, a sight blush on her face. I shrug.
"I see you've been accepted by Lowe" I say. She responds by nodding her head. "So, why the sudden need to come find me?" I slip back into my chair and get some more sherbet.
"Lowe wanted to see us for something." Just as I put the spoon in my mouth, she grabs my arm and nearly pulls me out of my seat. "This doesn't mean keep eating your sherbet." I almost drop my spoon as I catch myself from falling. Nova follows with the sherbet and her spoon.
~Lowe's office. Elesis' pov~
"So that's your request? You want to free Amethyst from the Underground Chapel?" Lowe asks Luci.
"Yes, I think it's about time we had a reunion" he replies with a nod.
"Then why the sudden want to bring Elesis, Reiku and Aisha?" Lowe scratches his head.
"There's something I want to let Ele know. Reiku and Aisha are just bait for the demons." I look at Luci, who smiles. I give him 'that' look.
"The real reason Luci" I ask. He now turns his attention to me.
"I'll let you know when we get there." I puff my checks out at the response. I hear some talking coming this way. I look at the door to see Aisha then Reiku and Nova walk in.
"I'm just telling you; when a man and his roommate are enjoying sherbet together, you do not interrupt them by dragging the man by his arm" Reiku barks as he puts sherbet into his mouth.
"You should learn how to eat sherbet on the go" Aisha replies as she snatches the spoon from Reiku's mouth.
"And then you take my spoon like a child. What next, my sherbet?" Are these two really arguing over something irrelevant?
"Reiku, we can share this spoon if you'd like" Nova says as she gets a spoonful of sherbet and directs it toward Reiku's mouth.
"W-wait!" Aisha begins panicking now. "That's nasty, don't share the same spoon." She gives Reiku his back and Nova pulls the spoon away and eats the sherbet. Aisha lets out a sigh of relief as all three now look at Lowe who is trying to figure out the situation at hand.
"Anyways, before the sherbet came in, you four are to go to the Underground Chapel. Deep within it, you will find Amethyst. From there, leave it to Lucifel" he says. We nod and walk out of the room. "Oh, and Nova?" Nova turns around, sherbet still in her mouth. "Stay here for a sec. I got some things I need to ask you." She nods and goes back in.
~Deep inside the Chapel. Lucifel's pov~
With the help of teleportation, we all make it to the door which keeps Amethyst inside. Any demons in here are long gone seeing as though we've already made it to the necessary place. I stop walking and turn around to Reiku and Aisha. "Sorry guys, but Amethyst doesn't like talking to a big crowd. Can you two please guard the door while me and Ele go talk to him?" They both nod so me and Ele push open the door and close it.
I walk forward to the center of the room. "Amethyst, it is time to fulfill our promise. Please come out" I say. A magic circle with symbols in and around it appears before me. It glows and Amethyst, the purple spirit with a giant chain around it, appears coming out of it.
"It has been awhile Lucifel. Last time I saw you, you were about to become a corpse."
"Well it's nice to see you too, Amethyst." I smile, now being reunited with him. "Now, let's get down to business. The demons are getting more powerful, and so is my childhood friend Elsword. I'll be needing your power if I want to have a chance against Edan, the leader of the demons." Amethyst doesn't speak for a few, but then finally replies.
"Very well, I have been meaning to teach that tyrant a lesson. It is good to see you, old friend." A magic circle appears below me. I remove the eye patch that was covering my right eye.
Extending my arms out, I yell, "Come Amethyst, I accept you!" As Amethyst enters my empty eye socket, I feel the pain of surging power flowing throughout my body. I cuddle my right eye with my right hand from the pain and fall to my knees. I howl from all the pain, from Amethyst entering me. I can sense Ele trying to move closer to me, but I stop her before she takes another step. I let out one last howl, probably the loudest I've screamed in my life. "Now we are one, my dear friend."
~Reiku's pov~
I sit down with my back against the wall, my head pointing toward the ceiling but my eyes closed. I hear Aisha humming something to the left of me. I let out a sigh. What are those two doing in there exactly? I heard some type of noise, though that didn't indicate what was happening. "Well well well, look what the demons have dragged in" I hear a voice say. Why now when I just got comfortable? I open my eyes to see it's the spikey haired demon, Elsword. "Looks as though you two are guarding something important. Don't mind me, but I'm just gonna walk in." He begins moving with a smirk on his face, just like at the alter. I make ice spikes fall in front of him as I stand.
"Sorry, though I don't feel like getting that glare again. Looks like you'll have to get through by force" I reply, summoning my sword. "Aisha, if you can't put up somewhat of a decent fight, I advise you to move someplace else."
"S-shut up, I can fight too!" She shouts as her wand appears.
"Make it entertaining at least" Elsword replies as she dashes at us.
~Lucifel's pov~
Ele approaches me slowly. "Are you ok Luci?" she asks. I look up to her and smile.
"Yeah, I'm just fine Ele. Don't worry" I reply as she helps me up. She looks me in the eyes.
"So, is this what you wanted to tell me?"
"Yes. After Elsword severely injured me, I was on the verge of death. Amethyst bumped into me." As I go more into explaining it, the flashback of that day appears in my head.
~Flashback~
As I lay here, covered in my own blood, Elsword walked away while laughing menacingly. "If you somehow survive, tell sis I'll be after her next!" He disappears into the shadows with Edan, his blood red suit staining my eyes. My vision began getting blurry. I'm not gonna make it...
"Do you want to live?" The words rang in my head as I tried to see who it was that said it. A floating spirit in purple was staring at me.
"Yes..." I reply in a low tone. It moves slightly closer to me.
"Are you sure? Your second life does come with a price."
"What is the price?" My voice cracks due to either my nervousness or me bleeding out. Either one, the pain still raged on.
"You will have to relinquish part of your humanity." Once again, his words rang in my head. Relinquish part of my humanity? It would seem I have no choice if I want to protect those I love.
"I accept. It's not like I'll lose my humanity completely." I reach my hand out to the spirit. He laughs at this.
"You are an interesting human. Very well, I shall give you your second life."
~End of flashback~
"So your second life is the promise?" Ele asks.
"That's half of the promise. The other half is what you just saw." She nods, now understanding it. I tighten my grip around her hand and pull her closer. I see her cheeks begin blushing "Ele, there's something I want to tell you. I need to tell you this in case something happens to me. Ele... I love you." Her blush increases. "I've loved you since we were younger."
"Luci... I-I..." she's at a loss for words. I gently grab her face and kiss her. Her sweet, soft lips press against mine as we kiss passionately. I run my hand down her back, feeling her tremble a bit.
~Elesis' pov~
It feels like magic, the way his lips connect with mine. It feels right and, somehow, among all of the dizziness and the clinging to him like a life line, something inside me felt like it changed. This new feeling could be thought upon later though since, for now, I'm content to feel his breath come and go with mine.
As we pull away, the want to be close like that again tries to overcome. I hold myself back as I look deeply into his eyes. "I... I love you too Luci." He opens his arms, his soft and warming arms, for me to come. We embrace, letting time pass by us until...
The ground begins rocking as though an earthquake just set off. I hold onto to Luci as tight as can in order to keep my balance. He keeps hold of me as the shaking begins to die down. Once it does, we go to the door.
~Reiku's pov~
"Can't believe you actually survived that. Guess that's one thing some hunters have; they never cease to amaze you" I hear from the figure in the dust cloud, Elsword. Using my sword and the wall for support, I manage to bring myself back up.
"If I went down that easy, I'd have to admit you were strong. Why exactly would I do that though when proving you're weak is the better option?" I say as I flash step at him, He counters with his sword and summons his second sword, Conwell. I quickly create a regular ice sword in my left hand, countering the hit from the Conwell.
"Now you're copying my moves? Only a true weakling would do something as stupid as this." He swipes both his swords in an X-shaped motion, causing me to be sent back. "Just try and keep up, hunter." I land as I block his barrage of swings, parrying each one. After one of his strikes, I see an opening. Almost instantly after parrying, I flash step behind him and use the hilt of my sword to knock him off balance. I then go to stab him in the chest. He manages to parry and tries to get me, but I jump back and avoid it. "So you do have more fight in you. Gotta say, I'm slightly impressed."
"Same to you, though don't talk we're finished yet." My sword begins glowing as I rush toward him. He smirks and does the same, resulting in us being in a deadlock, all four swords pressed against each other. Something cuts my leg and I feel my balance losing. The sword in my left and falls as well as my right which means me shift right and avoid both of Elsword's swords crushing my face. He then goes to stab me with both swords. I counter the Conwell by covering my right arm in ice, blocking the attack and sending the Conwell elsewhere. With the sword in his right hand, my left and directs his sword into the air which barely misses my face. I then hit his arm with my right hand, causing him to drop the sword.
"Not swords, huh? Like that's going to save you." We now begin fighting, letting our fists do our talking. I manage to dodge a punch and land a hit directly at his stomach, making him back off a bit. He flash steps and manages to kick me in the side, causing me to flinch. His next punch, I catch and go to punch him with my free hand. This however, gets caught by his hand. A battle for power as they say. Just as I thought it was fair, something cuts my legs again. I flinch and loosen my grip as he punches me in the face then the gut. I look up and see him about to punch me again. This is gonna end me...
"Chain Burst!" Aisha shouts as fireballs are shot at Elsword. He notices too late and ends up taking all the hits, the last fireball knocking him away. For once, I'm actually glad to see her. "Are you alright Reiku?" She comes over to me with a concerned look on her face as she helps me stand. Guess I was losing more than I thought.
"Yeah, thanks for the help" I say, smiling at her. I see that blush again and she looks away. I chuckle.
"So, the traitor decides to fight back even though she knows the effort is futile" Elsword says as he stands back up. Both swords return to him. Great, he wants more. He goes to talk again, but stops once the door behind me and Aisha opens. "Just as it was getting good, it just got even better. Now sis and Luci have come to pl-" he stops talking for some reason. I look back at Lucifel who seems... different somehow. Elsword growls. "So you did do it." He sighs. "I see. This trip was pointless after all." A portal appears and he goes into it, disappearing once he's fully inside.
"Looks like you scared him off Luci. We should leave and tell Lowe that the mission was a success" Elesis says. Lucifel nods and creates a portal and they both walk in. Not even one word to us? Talk about harsh. Me and Aisha make our way to the portal and go through.
~Lowe's office. Lowe's pov~
I yawn as I go over a few reports on the demons. Lately, there's been nothing going on with them. Just... silence. Even Nova knew nothing of what was going on. My door opens and I look up to see Lucifel walk in. "Back so soon? It's as though you and the others didn't leave at all" I say as I sit the papers down on my desk. "So, how'd it go?"
"Me and Amethyst have accepted each other. We are now one" he replies. I nod. It would seem it actually worked. "Elsword also showed up after the ritual was over, however Reiku and Aisha handled him. This brings me to another question. Seeing as Reiku has proved himself to be more than he appears, why not let him become the new Special Executioner?" Reiku huh? Well he has been doing more and seems to be getting stronger.
"You do have a point there. He has grown stronger. There's only one way to find out if he's truly ready to become a Special Executioner." A pause to let that sink in. "He's all yours. Whenever you're ready and think he's ready, take him to the trials and test him." Lucifel nods and walks out. I wonder...
~Nova and Reiku's room. Reiku's pov~
I yawn as I open the door. "I beat your high score" Nova announces as I walk by. "You won't ever beat it no matter how hard you try!" I smile at her as I collapse onto my bed and close my eyes. Ah, feels so nice to be on it again. "Oh, hey there Aisha." Oh please don't tell me... I turn my head and see the white jacket she was wearing. Why now of all times? I sit up on the bed and look at her with her doing the same to me. Silence overcomes us, not saying anything to one another. I'm the first to break that silence.
"Out" I say, no hesitation either.
"What?" she replies confused.
"Get out."
"Why?"
"Because you don't belong in here. Both beds have already been taken and you probably got the wrong room."
"But Lowe told me it was this room with you and Nova. This does look like the room too." I sigh. Why Lowe?
"Fine, just try not to bother me." I lie back down and turn the other way. Maybe if I just get some sleep, I won't mind this as much. I feel someone poke my back and turn back to see Aisha. "Got more to say?"
"Uh... Can I have the bed?" And now I'm losing my bed. I sigh once more as I get up, taking a pillow with me. I toss it onto the couch that was in the center of the room and slump down onto it, quickly falling asleep.
End of Chapter 10
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