Anger. It was all he felt nowadays. It had been so long since that day when he felt anything else.
That day…
It made the anger inside boil even further. Made his vision go red. Sometimes made him so blind with rage that whatever he unleashed his fury upon was given no mercy. He spotted his target. A man foolish enough to walk the streets at night. Has he not heard of the loose killer? They were starting to call him a kishin even though he's only recently returned to Death City for a couple days. Jason wondered to himself what exactly he was. He definitely wasn't a miester anymore. He had grown frustrated by the DWMA and all their rules. All they did was just hold him back. Being a freelance weapon miester was much more rewarding.
Since there was always one person that wanted another dead, Jason always had work. Even when he didn't look for work, it came to him. People wanted to hire the best, and who better than a weapon miester? Besides, it meant he got to travel a lot more.
Whether it was because of dependency or pity, his weapon, Maurice, had gone with him. Together, they became corrupted. Feeding on the souls of whomever they were hired to kill. Eventually, the taste of a human soul was too tempting to stave off, and Jason would go out and kill to quell the urge. He knew it was wrong, but he didn't care. The power human souls gave him was incredible. He never wanted to feel weak again; not after his defeat at the hands of that guy. His pride wouldn't allow it.
Varro Marek…
As he leapt upon his prey and ended his life with a swing of his axe. He could only think of one thing as he gorged on the soul of his latest victim.
…Your soul is mine
John Forza and company had been walking for a few hours already through the night. The trail J.B. had found the night before had actually split and led into several directions. Each of them leading to a either a dead end or just stopping short in the middle of nowhere.
This kishin hid his tracks well.
John didn't like this. They were searching for an abnormal kishin they had no Intel about with only a four man team. Although everyone within the group had three star statuses and included him, a Death scythe, it didn't stop him from questioning the mission he was given. If this thing was capable of killing for so long without getting caught, it had to be quite the predator. Their patrol continued uninhibited until a shrill cry broke the silence of night.
"Looks like we have a bite tonight gentlemen. Let's move!" John ordered and the four rushed toward the source of the voice.
Jason swallowed the soul of the man and savored the feeling. His latest victim was quite the screamer, giving off a death shriek that would've thought confused him for a woman.
"When are you going to share dammit?" Maurice, his axe, complained, "Find someone knew to kill already!"
"Shut up, don't rush me" Jason said as he got up from his crouched position over the body. He wiped some blood of his face; "Great, I'm a fuckin' mess now" He started to complain loudly but stopped short when the staccato of footsteps could be heard from around the corner. "Yes! It's gonna be a slaughter tonight!" Maurice yelled excitedly. Jason smirked and stood patiently for his prey to reveal themselves. Instead of hapless civilians, he got more than he bargained for.
John and company raced toward the source of the sound. Sprinting hard, they turned the corner and stopped abruptly at the scene before them. Blood coated a portion of the sidewalk; a man lay at the center of the red puddle. A younger man stood over the body, a giant axe in hand. John recognized immediately who it was.
"Jason? Is that you?"
Jason's skin had gone a little pale since the last time he'd seen him. He had left a few months back and in such a short time, he already he looked different. His eyes had a look of madness of them, like a wild beast. He had shaved his head, and his attire consisted of just an undershirt with black jeans. Seeing his clothes and axe covered in blood, it was obvious who had killed the man.
"So you're the one that's been behind the attacks!" Spirit claimed.
"Well…ain't this a great little reunion. My fellow classmates and teacher have come to visit me" Jason said sarcastically.
John's expression hardened, "Why'd you do it Jason? We could've helped you"
Jason snorted, "Don't give me that, I've had enough of the DWMA. I've cut loose remember?"
"It's not too late, you can still come back" John tried to resolve the situation without any conflict.
Jason stayed quiet, "Yes…it is", and slammed his axe down into the pavement, sending earthen pikes hurtling toward them. While they tried to get out of the way of the debris, Jason closed the distance. He spotted Stien out of his peripheral and charged. By the time he was in range, Stien was already waiting with scythe at the ready. They clashed steel grinded on steel as each of the fighters held their own.
Stien knew he was outmatched when it came to brute strength against an opponent such as Jason. He cut off the struggle with a quick flourish and spun his scythe around, creating some distance between him and the brute before him. Jason took a couple steps back but regained the offensive as he brought his axe down again. Stien leapt out of the way and continued to dodge. Jason was definitely strong but lacked speed, even with his newfound power from eating souls. As long as he could out maneuver his attacks, he was sure he could win. As soon as an opportunity presented itself, Stien pounced on Jason, bringing the scythe in for a horizontal slash. Jason spotted the attack close in countered by slamming the end of his axe into the ground, distorting the street they fought on.
Stien mentally scolded himself, he had forgotten about Maurice's ability to morph earth. The battlefield had been raised to form a group of pillars, each differing in size. Stien struggled to keep his balance as the pillars rose a few meters off the ground. Before he could recover in time. Jason was upon him. The pillar platforms were big, but when occupied by a second person as big as Jason, mobility was limited. Stien adapted as he fought, bounding from pillar to pillar in order to keep his advantage of speed. Growing frustrated, Jason launched earth spears at him from the surrounding pillars.
"Soul Resonance", Stien held off all the projectiles with multiple flourishes while using Witch Hunter. Once the flurry had ended, Jason was nowhere in sight. Stien backed up against a pillar, looking in all directions for the crazed miester. His search was cut short when a meaty hand appeared through the pillar he had backed up on and wrapped its forearm around Stien's neck, choking him. Jason stood behind the pillar, his arm inside the pillar choking Stien on the other side. Stien could see his vision start to get blurry, he was already blacking out from the pressure.
"Look out Stien!"
Stein focused hard as he could and spotted a glaive hurtling toward him. Jason saw it too and removed his grip from Stien's grip to dodge the spinning projectile. The glaive cut through the massive pillar like butter and spun on out of harm's way, only to arc backwards and cut into the back of Jason's knee, severing the nerve connections. Jason let out a cry of pain and fell on his bad knee. The glaive returned to the hand who had thrown it.
"How are you doing JB? My wavelength isn't overpowering you is it?" the glaive spoke.
"Not at all , I've had some training in the use of Death Scythes" JB responded.
Jason clutched his leg; blood trickled down from the open wound. He grit his teeth in pain. He looked up; Stien already had his scythe raised for the killing blow. Jason shut his eyes as the scythe came down, put felt no cutting pain. Instead, there was just a loud ringing inside his head. It quickly became unbearable, as he clutched his head in pain. He opened his eyes and saw that not only he was suffering, but the others as well. Not long after, he slipped into unconsciousness and collapsed with a thud.
Jason didn't sleep long, for the buzzing noise came back, this time stronger. However, there was one voice he could make out amongst the shrill sound.
"Awaken, beast"
Jason's eyes shot open. The street where he lay was quiet. He pushed himself up cautiously; he was still in the same area where he fought before. He looked around, and spotted the Mr. Forza and the others all laying about still unconscious. He looked to his side, Maurice was still unconscious. Maurice was considerably smaller than his miester but it didn't make him any less threatening. He sported a fauxhawk with a black leather jacket and pants.
Jason shook him, "Get up". No response.
Jason shook harder, "Wake up you lazy bastard!"
No matter how hard he shook him, Maurice wouldn't get up. Jason felt the anxiety build up inside at the thought of his weapon partner being dead. A presence came to his attention, one he had not felt during his fight. He craned his head up to see a huge figure in a long black cloak stand before him.
"You!" Jason accused. "Did you do this?"
The figure remained speechless.
"ANSWER ME! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Jason yelled, attempting to stand with his wounded leg.
"I have saved your life beast that makes it mine" the figure said, it's voice deep and gruff.
"What the hell are you-"
"Kneel" the figure commanded.
Jason felt a massive pressure bear down upon his back and gave in to the weight, kneeling.
What is this I'm feeling?
Jason looked up from the strain and was frozen with fear. This man's soul was bigger than any he had ever seen. Then the shrill scream from before filled his head. It was like his head was being punctured by a thousand little needles. He closed his eyes tightly and re-opened them.
This time, he was not in an empty street in Death City but inside the eye of a massive hurricane. Its red gales swirled around him violently, and inside the harsh gusts, he could see the deaths and destruction of many lives. The unnatural disaster began to swirl faster, decreasing the size of the safe area Jason knelt in.
He was trapped. There was no escape. The hurricane made contact with his bare skin and began to erode it as if it were sand. Jason could only watch in horror as his body disintegrated before his very eyes and let out a scream of pure insanity as he vanished into dust.
Reality returned to Jason; he had been stationary during the entire illusion. His knees hurt from kneeling on the hard concrete but he didn't notice. The shock of the induced nightmare was still affecting him.
"Why-Why are you doing this?" he strained.
"Because I need you to hunt, beast. You have filled your life with such hate that I have never seen before, you are born and bred to it, like no other" Jason lay propped on his hands and knees, panting and sweating as he did.
"There is someone who has troubled you for a time. This one defied your strength and humiliated you. Do you know of whom I speak?" the figure continued.
"Varro Marek" Jason spat.
"Indeed, this person has filled every moment of your life since your meeting with hate. Hunt him, persue him, kill him, and you will be free of your anger"
Jason tried to stand but the wound in his leg flared and he fell to the ground, growling at the pain.
"The pain will pass; your soul wavelength had been disturbed by the Death Scythe's attack. I healed some of the wounds to your damaged wavelength but the rest shall remain. You will need that pain. It will give you strength for the hunt to come.
"Where…can I find him?" Jason implored greedily as he knelt before the hooded figure.
"I will tell you where you must go. If you survive that place, he will come to you. But first" a gauntleted hand appeared from the cloak, "I must prepare you for what is to come." The hand began to glow a bright red as it reached out for Jason.
The humidity was stifling. Of all the missions they could of given him, it had to be in a rainforest.
Varro sighed in frustration as he sliced away and another collection of vines in his path.
There were reports of a witch using her magic to control the minds animals of the surrounding environment, turning them into wild beasts she could control to attack nearby villages. Normally, this would have been handled by the South American division, since the forest is located in their territory. But it seemed this particular witch had made it quite the challenge to reach her. No large teams could be sent out to deal with the issue since all the nearby animals would attack the group in frenzy. It was deemed more efficient if just a weapon miester was sent in.
Varro had been walking for almost 2 hours now and hadn't found anything even slightly suspicious.
".degrading" June complained.
Varro cut clear another path in front of him, "What makes you say that?"
June frowned, "I'm a weapon okay? I slay kishins and witches, NOT vines that happen to be in your way!"
"Hey, don't be like that" Varro sliced at some more vines." If we just went around damn plants" he swung again, "this would've taken longer".
"That's another thing" June said. "I don't think you should be hacking away at the trees like you are".
"You're just saying that because you don't want to cut vines anymore" Varro said skeptically.
"No, really" June insisted, "Don't you feel it? The forest is alive. I sense it through our resonance bond."
"My Soul Perception has really been on the fritz ever since we've entered the forest. The witch's magic is probably distorting whatever you're seeing" Varro said as he cut again. "Besides, even if it was 'alive' what could a bunch of plants do to me?"
A vine from a nearby tree fell and draped itself over Varro. "Agh!" Varro jumped in surprise and threw the vine off himself.
"You sure showed that vine whose boss" June said sarcastically.
Varro scowled, "Shut it, I thought it was a snake or something"
He brushed the remaining flora off himself and turned around to continue but failed to notice the tree root that caught his foot in such a way that it sent him tumbling down the nearby ravine. Varro hit the bottom with a thud; June's weapon form landed next to him, lodged into the ground.
"Nice landing" June commented.
Varro pushed himself up with a groan, "It's official, I hate this rainforest".
A low growl came from behind the trees in front of Varro. Sensing danger, Varro scooped up June immediately and assumed a stance. From behind the green veil, a tiger emerged. Varro kept his stance; even though a normal tiger is no real threat to him, this one was different. It had an air of insanity about it; Varro could sense its overwhelmingly abnormal desire to kill. He heard subsequent growls from behind. Several tigers similar to the one in front of Varro had gathered around him during his tumble down the ravine, they had him effectively cornered.
Varro smirked, "You think you're clever don't you?"
The mutated tigers leapt upon him as Varro engaged Soul Resonance, but before he could react to their attack, they were already upon him. Varro disappeared underneath the crowd of tigers. But as quickly as they had leapt upon him, they were thrown back by an unseen force, each tumbling a few meters back. Varro stood at the epicenter of the 'blast'; the blade of June's weapon form had become slightly larger and wider, glowing a blue-ish hue, marking their resonance. Varro disengaged the resonance and marveled at his new ability.
Heavenly Wave…
A technique he had unknowingly unlocked during his fight with the female ninja, Gray*Star. With June's help, his wavelength could be compressed into an incredibly sharp edge, and released into a massive wave that cut everything in his path. In many cases, the attack was similar to Witch Hunter. However, the massive release of energy affected Varro to the point where he couldn't overuse the technique due to the strain it put on his soul.
The madness-induced tigers that still lived rose and attacked in frenzy, each attack followed up by another's. This time, they did not have the element of surprise on their side. The victor had already been decided the moment that advantage had been taken away. As Varro stood amongst the fallen, he called out, "I know you're there. Why don't you come out?"
"Hee hee, you made that look easy. You're pretty good!" a voice said from beyond the trees. "Not to mention", a rustle came from above and Varro craned his head up to see the cause, "pretty cute too".
Varro cocked an eyebrow. On top of a branch sat the witch he was sent to kill. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, although some locks covered the side of her face a bit. She wore a tank top that exposed mid-riff, a mini-skirt, sandals, and finger-less gloves. Every article of her clothing was green. What stood out the most from her appearance were the animal ears that stuck out on top of her head and her huge squirrel-like tail. If Varro didn't know any better, he'd say she looked his age. She jumped down and landed in front of Varro.
Varro kept his guard up, "A squirrel-like witch in a rainforest? That's weird"
The witch held up a finger, "That's a common mis-conception, squirrels are actually indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa-"
Varro lunged forward and sliced at where the witch stood, but she had disappeared before he landed a hit; leaves fluttered where the witch stood moments ago. He felt pressure on his back and arms wrap around his neck as a hand pinched at one of his cheeks. "Geez, what's your problem? How rude. Interrupting me like that." The witch teased, pressing her bosom up against his back. Varro felt heat rise into his cheeks and he swung about, missing again. This time, she sat on another branch in a different tree.
"Hold still so I can take your soul dammit!" Varro shouted.
The witch pouted "But why? What did I do?"
"Don't play dumb" June spoke. "You're the witch that's been controlling all the animals in this rainforest to attack nearby villages!"
"Me?" the witch pointed to herself, confused. "But I didn't-"
"Lying won't save you" Varro took a step toward her.
The squirrel witch put her hands up in defense, "Wa-Wait, can't we talk-"
She was cut off by a heavy object that crashed violently into the ground between Varro and herself. The ground cracked and jutted out in result to the massive force colliding into it; the trees wobbled and swayed. In the epicenter of the crater stood a large figure. He rested the giant axe in his right hand on his back.
Varro unshielded his eyes from the sudden impact and expression became speechless at what lay at the center of the destruction.
"Hello brother, it's been too long".
Ladies and MENtlemen, BEHOLD! THE NEXT CHAPTER!.
First off, I wanna thank one of my readers, GrossGirl18, for putting word out of my story. The amount of readers I recieved after her little advertisement was...staggering to say the least. Thanks a bunch! :)
On another note, I was so happy when I saw a new chapter of Soul Eater come out this week. Which means OKUBO SURVIVED THE DISASTER AT JAPAN! WOOOOOOOO! Seriously though, I hope everyone over there is alright and they get those reactors under control, or Japan will be filled with radioactive zombies.
Anyways, later guys! R&R plzzzzz
P.S. CAPS LOCK IS FOR COOL PEOPLE!
EDIT: if some of you are wondering, *cough* GrossGirl18 cough*, yes I DID originally have a chapter 11 already but it went away when I merged the first amd second chapters to make this fic more 'inviting' I guess? I felt the little 300 word 1st chapter was a turn off to new readers seeing how there wasn't any real storytelling going on besides the fact the Maka found a book and started to read it (surprising, I know).
