Disclaimer: Hetalia does not belong to wintercandyapple.
Note: This chapter is noteably longer than the others, so I suggest getting comfortable before starting :)
Lovino leaned back against the poorly cushioned chair with a moody sigh. They really ought to upgrade the furnishing of the benches in this thing, he thought grumpily. Seriously, if hunters were going to ride this on their way to face wrathful monsters, then shouldn't they be entitled to a comfortable ride before freaking battling for their lives? But no, he was sitting on second class cushions that did nothing to soothe the crazed butterflies within him.
He honestly did not know how he really felt right now. Fucking nervous, that's for sure. And not to mention he was still getting over initial shock that Antonio had actually asked him to be his partner on his Class A assignment. Holy shit, he was really going on a Class A assignment right now! Why the hell did Antonio pick him of all hunters?! Lovino was only Class B! And he didn't even have a soul skill for that matter. Of course he always got the short end of the stick, so naturally, he wasn't born with a soul skill. And yet Antonio had still chosen to take him along.
Speaking of the tomato bastard, he was sitting on his left, and was acting perfectly normal for most of the subway ride. That's right, Lovino sighed inwardly, Antonio's been on lots of assignments with major demons before, so this one was probably no different to him. In fact, Antonio had been acting cheery the whole time, maintaining that upbeat disposition every second Lovino was with him. He never ceased to surprise the Italian, who couldn't fathom why or how the Spaniard cared so much to put up with his attitude. Perhaps he would never understand the tomato bastard. But, though he would never admit it, Lovino was grateful for his unbroken friendship despite having the negative parts of a soul.
"So according to Mr. Karpusi, Ater Ignis is just a fire demon?" Lovino asked, just to clarify.
Antonio nodded, but regarded him with a hint of concern in his green eyes, "Are you...going to be okay?"
Lovino didn't have to ask him what he meant by that. The Italian had had a frightening experience with a fire demon once before, the demon that murdered his parents and bit Feliciano's soul all those years ago. It wasn't the same fire demon as the one they were hunting now, but still, the memory was forever ingrained into Lovino's soul. "I'll be just fine," Lovino seethed, his eyes unreadable. "We'll make sure this fire demons never has the chance to burn down another fucking village." He almost added, and fuck up another kid's life, but decided to keep that scorn to himself. But that didn't mean the rage was suppressed, not by any means. Demons of fire held a special hatred in his heart, and that would never change.
"Right!" the Spaniard nodded in agreement. But Lovino noticed something off this time. The optimism was there in his voice, but it seemed too forced, too fake especially for Antonio. But the Italian just waved it off indifferently, assuming that his partner was just getting a bit nervous from their assignment as well.
They rode for a few minutes in silence, but even Lovino could sense the shift in the atmosphere. It made him a little uncomfortable, but he wasn't really one to act all worried for his friend , so he didn't know what to say.
Finally, Antonio piped up, "Hey, Lovi...I want to tell you something, something I've never told anyone before, not the headmaster, not Francis or Gilbert, no one. I know I shouldn't bother you with his, but I just can't keep it to myself anymore."
Lovino blinked, then turned in his seat so that he faced Antonio straight on. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have given two fucks, but this was Antonio. There was a anxious edge to his friend's voice, and that unsettled Lovino, since it was so unlike him. "What's wrong?" Lovino almost said "tomato bastard," but stopped himself when he saw the flash of desperation brief come over Antonio's usually bright green eyes.
"How to say this...well, there's a...a side effect to my soul skill. You see, every time I read someone's soul, my soul absorbs their emotions as well, and holds onto them. All of them." As he explained, he ran his hand through his messy brown hair, as if he couldn't sit still. At first, Lovino didn't understand the problem here, but just by looking at him he could tell that whatever was going on was really unhinging him.
"What the hell do you mean by all of them?" he frowned, "Your soul holds onto other people's emotions?"
Antonio nodded, "It's hard to explain...Ever since I read your soul, I can still vividly remember the horror you felt when...you know, and the pain you felt when your soul was split. But it's not just your feelings. Ever since I discovered my skill, I've read the souls of twenty people, including yours, Francis's, Kim's, and Arthur's. My soul harbors most precious joys, as well as their most intense anger and grief, almost like water behind a dam. Most of the time, I can keep it locked away deep inside...but sometimes, it feels like it's going to pour out all at once. And if it does, I-I don't know what's going to happen. I...I'm scared that I'll lose who I am, that my emotions will be drowned out by everyone else's."
"You'll...lose yourself?"
He bit his lip uneasily, "If all those emotions surface at the same time, I don't think my mind could handle it. Once it a while, I can feel it about to happen. My hands start shaking like crazy and my vision blurs. But the best way to fight it is to stay positive and think about what makes me who I am." Antonio smiled a little then, but his smile quickly faded when he saw Lovino's glare.
"Tomato bastard! Why the fuck haven't you told anyone about this?!" he exclaimed angrily.
"Because if I did, then it would be harder to resist going insane, Lovi," Antonio sighed, "I am who I am because of my friends. Because they treat me as me and they help me make my own memories. But if they found out, they would worry about me. It would be harder for me to stay positive if everyone else was worried, and it would only make me think about it more."
"So why are you telling me?" Lovino tilted his head questioningly.
"Because I trust you and I know you won't make a fuss about it or feel sorry for me in the way the others would," Antonio said with an earnest smile. "And because I wanted to prove to you that there's no such thing as a perfectly happy person. Everybody has to find their own reason to be happy despite all the reasons to be sad."
"Wha...what the hell just happened?" Lovino muttered groggily as he came to. He had just been dreaming about the conversation he had with Antonio just before they faced Ater Ignis, but why had he thought about that? What was he doing again? His thoughts were cloudy and scrambled, and his vision wasn't quite clear yet. He coughed, and tried to rub his eyes-
-And found that he couldn't. His arms were restrained above his head. Shock jolted him out of his drowsy state, and his senses returned to him with a pang of panic.
Lovino was dangling a few feet above the forest ground, hanging from the bindings that tied his wrists together over his head, and more bindings tied his ankles together. With another horrible wave of alarm, Lovino realized that it wasn't pieces of rope that held his arms and legs together, but two large, muscular tongues, each pulling on his bound limbs in opposite directions, stretching him upright as much as they could without hurting him. What the hell?!
It was then that he remembered what happened. He had been fighting demons beside Antonio before the major demon captured him in an instant. Damnit! How could he have let himself get caught so fucking easily?! In his frustration he struggled against the tongues, doing everything he could to pull his arms and legs free, but it was no use; the hold was too strong.
Angrily, Lovino turned his head around as much as he could to see where the tongues were coming from. And he almost wished he hadn't.
The demon stared back at him, this time fully visible, with large, round eyes that protruded out of his reptilian head, eyes that moved completely independent of the other. It was a giant chameleon, as big as a school bus, with its mouth wide open and two fifteen feet long tongues sticking out as they held Lovino captive.
A motherfucking chameleon? No wonder he couldn't see it before... Chameleons normally only had one ballistic tongue, but evidently this was no ordinary lizard. Lovino was doing his best trying not to let fear overwhelm him, but it was hard not to. He could hear the sounds of battle nearby, so he must have been close to the Academy, but away from the invasion front. Thinking quickly, he had just begun to consider calling for help when his thoughts were interrupted.
"Awake already?" a demonic voice purred sinisterly. Lovino turned his head forward again in the direction of the voice, seeing nothing at first, until a figure stepped out from behind a tree. The demon took the form of a young man, with spiky, dark hair and black irises. His pale skin reflected the moonlight in an eerie manner, and he wore a thin beater tank top that exposed a lean and muscular body build. When he smacked his lips, Lovino saw jagged teeth that could easily puncture skin.
"Let me go, you son of a bitch!" Lovino demanded furiously, thrashing about to no avail.
"Sorry, no can do," the demon laughed, "Illedris would kill me if I did that! Nah, I got to use you in order to kill the Purifying Light hunter. Once he's out of the way, the Academy's ours."
"Well if you think you can use me to force him to surrender, then you've got another thing coming!" he yelled back in outrage. "He's smarter than that!"
"We'll see about that," the demon chuckled, "In fact, he's already on his way here!"
Of all the skirmishes taking place on the invasion front, none was going better for the Academy than Arthur and Alfred's on the east side. The two of them made a powerful team, virtually unstoppable now that Alfred was able to control his reaper side and summon a scythe. While about fifteen hunters protected the west side and another twenty held the line at the front of the Academy, only these two guarded the east side, and they did it efficiently and swiftly, cleaning out demons one after another.
Admittedly, Alfred was having way too much fun in such a dire situation. It was the first time he was able to use his new scythe against demons, and he felt utterly and completely electrified. He had laughed when the demons first attacked him, assuming he was just another hunter, just another delicious soul to be eaten. That is, until he formed the scythe's shaft in his grasp followed by the curved blade at one end. This sent confusion and shock among the deepest of demon ranks, striking panic among them. His scythe cut right through their essences just as easily as a hand would brush through smoke, the monsters degenerating upon impact.
"A reaper with a soul?! That's impossible," one demon shrieked, fear in its beady eyes, "The mandate forbids reapers from interfering!"
"That mandate doesn't apply to the hero!" Alfred laughed loudly, his glasses glinting with delight as he turned the demon to dust with a single wave of his weapon.
Meanwhile, Arthur put his soul skill on full throttle, blasting demons as soon as he caught sight of them. Creating so many energy balls in a single battle required an extensive amount of soul energy, but luckily Arthur's soul regeneration was able to keep up for the most part, more so with Alfred covering him.
"Ha! We're so badass, aren't we, Artie?" Alfred smirked as another creature of the night deteriorated before him.
"Well, we aren't Class A status for nothing," Arthur gave a slight, knowing grin, pleased that the fight was going well for them. "Just imagine how much easier this would have been for us if we had all the Class A students here defending the school. Victory would have been more likely."
"Are you saying it's not likely?" Alfred frowned slightly.
"I'm just saying that not everyone here is as good as we are," Arthur scoffed forebodingly, discharging another blast that exploded on two monsters at once, reducing them to faint embers on the forest floor.
"Yeah..." Alfred lunged forward, assailing five demons simultaneously, and with one fell swoop, he swung his scythe laterally, ripping through all five and dispersing their essences like smoke.
Alfred looked around for more opponents, as did Arthur, but the attacks had ceased. "I don't sense any more demons," Alfred speculated, scratching his head, "Not on the east side any way. I think we beat them all."
"You can sense them now? Since when, you wanker?!" Arthur huffed.
"Since this morning," Alfred chuckled to himself, grinning broadly, "I think the seal on my soul's still getting a lot weaker, and as more power leaks out, the more enhanced my abilities become!"
"That is immensely unfair," the Brit sighed.
"It's great to be me!" he simpered haughtily, before taking a deep breath and scanning the area around them one more time just to be sure they were all done here. "So should we head to the front again? They probably need our help, like you said, dude."
Arthur nodded, "We should hurry. But you are really going to confuse our teachers and our peers with your new weapon."
"I can't wait to see the looks on their faces," Alfred winked, before turning on his heels and darting toward the front of the school, Arthur only a few paces behind him.
Laura was breathing heavily, the physical fatigue beginning to take its toll on her body, but she refused to let any weakness show, and she clutched her personal leaf-shaped sword by its silver hilt. Ignoring any notion of exhaustion, she continued to slash and block as agilely as possible, but her moves were slowing down noticeably. She hated how obvious it was that she had never fought such a multitude of opponents before, never taken on demons on such a scale. Still, to give up now would be to forfeit her life, and she would never let that happen.
A few yards to her left, Lars seemed to have more endurance and stamina that she did, thankfully, as he dueled demons with a steely, unwavering composure about him, the same look of indifference on his face as always. Laura had to admit that he was a much better fighter than she was, and in terms of combat proficiency he could easily outrank her, but Class B already had a male representative, and she didn't think Lars was fit to carry out the familial duties of a rep anyway.
Matthew fought on her right, and he appeared to be holding out on his own, but Laura could tell that fatigue was creeping into him as well. "At times like these, sometimes I wish I had a better soul skill," Matthew griped as he deflected the claws of a raptor-like demon with his blade, until he was able to finally land a blow in its throat.
"I'll say," Laura replied through gritted teeth. While she really did appreciate her knowledge-based soul skill in the Academy, it couldn't heighten her physical ability during battle, not like Alfred's or Arthur's or Gilbert's.
After driving her blade through the heart of her opponent's essence, she quickly surveyed her surroundings, checking on her fellow hunters. That's when she saw the girl fall to her knees. She was a hunter, of course, but Laura didn't immediately recognize her name, so she assumed she must have been in Class C. The hunter fell to her knees, her body trembling uncontrollably, as the hellhound before her snarled and opened its massive jaws.
"No!" Laura cried as she dashed as fast as her own body would let her, and just before the demonic canine could sink its teeth into the girl's flesh, Laura plunged her blade deep into the side of the monster's neck. The hellhound let out something in between a whimper and a howl of pain before vanishing away.
Laura wiped the sweat from her forehead and then knelt down before the girl. "Are you injured?" she asked urgently.
But the girl did not respond for a moment, still quaking violently with fear and hysteria. "W-we can't win! This i-is the end. I-I'm going to die here..." she muttered as she choked back a sob.
"You're wrong," Laura insisted ardently, "We can win this! We can save our school!"
The girl just shook her head, then pointed past Laura a few yards away. Laura glanced over her shoulder to see what she was pointing at, only to feel a wave of nausea run through her. It was the dead body of another hunter, another one Laura couldn't name from Class C, lying in a pool of his own blood, his face still holding an expression of terror. His soul was long gone. Devoured.
"Don't look at that," Laura ordered, turning back to the girl, "If you give up now, you'll certainly die. You have no choice but to keep fighting! So get a hold of yourself and stand! You're a hunter of the Venator Academy, one of us, and we will win this, because we possess what the demons will never know or understand, and that's what makes us stronger!" Without waiting for the girl to answer, Laura got to her feet and grabbed the girl's wrist, pulling her up. Laura's words had been so full of determination and confidence that the girl was undeniably shocked, and soon her expression hardened.
"You-you're right," she nodded slowly. "I have to keep a cool head and fight!" After a nod of approval from the Class B rep, the girl took up her weapon and joined the other hunters in the brawl.
Laura watched her go, completely unaware of the demon stalking towards her while her back was turned.
The black lion pounced, roaring as it did so, and Laura whirled around too late, unable to react in time.
But before the lion could reach her, someone else tackled Laura out of the way. They hit the ground hard, but at least they avoided the demon's attack. Catching her breath, Laura sat up in surprise, to find her brother swiftly picking himself off the forest floor and raising his blade as the lion circled them.
"Francis?!" she exclaimed, her mouth falling open. "You-you shouldn't be here! You're injured!"
"Well, it's a good thing I was here to save you, right, mon cher?" Francis smirked, winking at her before giving his full attention to the demon. "Look here, demon, no one lays a finger on my little sister's soul while I live, got it?" Enraged, the lion leapt at him with a snarl, but Francis wasn't the least bit worried. He was Class A, after all, and the only demons worth his true effort were major ones. He ducked under the lion's claws, and while the demon was passing over him, its momentum unable to change in midair, Francis drove his sword upward into the lion's underbelly, and the feline melted before it hit the ground again.
"You can't be here, idiot!" Laura yelled at him angrily, "Not with your arm all busted up! You'll get killed!"
"Stop worrying," Francis grinned at her self-assuredly, "I took enough medicine to last me the night, and I can just hold my sword with my other hand. Your big brother can handle himself. I didn't get into Class A with luck, you know."
"Are...are you sure you're going to be all right?" she asked, genuine concern for her brother present in her eyes as she adjusted her glasses.
"Of course," Francis reassured with a knowing smile. "I heard what you said to that girl. And you are completely right."
Laura laughed softly at this as she gathered her wits about her before going to battle once more. "I know. I'm usually right, after all. We will win this!"
Francis smirked, taking up his sword in his good hand, "Damn straight, little sister."
Mr. Adnan was right; this area of the village was much, much worse. Yong Soo could feel it in his bones as soon as he step foot on the ruined street, littered with debris of toppled buildings and the slaughtered. Even the air was significantly different here, rotten and filthy, polluted with the stench of death and bloodshed. Fires raged all around him, and smoke billowed in dark columns rising to the ashen sky. Screams of fear and agony were so encompassing that he couldn't distinguish where they were coming from. It was so overwhelming, Yong Soo and Kim didn't know where to start, almost unable to take it all in at once.
Ivan and Natalya were somewhere nearby, in the midst of the bloodbath, but Yong Soo knew that everyone who had come on this mission could take care of themselves, so he decided to go off on his own, and he, Kim, and Adnan split up as well. Yong Soo swallowed his qualms and took a deep breath to clear his mind, concentrating his soul energy to give him strength. He picked the nearest block, deciding to rid this one of demons first, then move onto the next block systematically. With unfaltering conviction, he checked every single building on the street, albeit hurriedly, destroying any demons he found inside in a hastened manner while still retaining accuracy and fighting form, before moving onto the next. Most of the edifices he entered were empty. Empty of demons anyway. Yong Soo hated how he had to force himself not to let his gaze linger on the maimed corpses lying the floors, just as much as he hated suppressing his increasing rage and keeping steely composure. Unleashing his temper didn't solve anything, as Kiku and Yao once taught him, and in fact only made him all the more reckless and brash. On more than one occasion, his unrestrained anger had nearly gotten him killed.
Maintaining a fairly swift pace, Yong Soo continued searching the blocks for demons, keeping his eye out for survivors as well. However, it seemed that with each new block, the scenes grew more and more horrific and brutal. At one time, he was darting across a street before accidentally tripping over some sort of heap, only to find when he got up that it was the mutilated body of a young man, grotesque wounds horribly disfiguring his bloody face. Initially frightened by the gruesome sight, Yong Soo had recoiled impulsively, almost falling to the ground again. But he caught himself, shook his head, and proceeded with his mission.
Clenching his jaw and clutching his dagger tightly, the Korean hunter dashed up the front steps of what used to be someone's home, when a distinct, shrill scream, a woman's scream, resounded from a couple of houses down the street. Immediately Yong Soo sprinted in that direction, a dreadful sense of apprehension coming over him as the screams continued, desperate and terrified. This made him run even faster, until he was at the door of the house where the shrieks emanated from, and without waiting another second, he yanked the door open.
Just in time to see the incubus rip out the woman's heart with its pointed fingers. The woman's body fell to the floor with a thud, right next to her dead husband.
But they weren't the only ones in the room. There was a child, a boy no older than the age of twelve, cowering with his back against the wall, his wide eyes alight with horror, tears streaming down his face as he watch his mother die before him.
And suddenly, Yong Soo wasn't looking at the boy, but at himself, the same age, watching in absolute terror with the same, petrified expression as the demon tortured and killed his mother, father, and sister in that cave all those years ago. He vividly remembered his family's broken forms, the demon who had consumed their souls cackling in sadistic delight.
A blinding rage took over as Yong Soo lunged forward, and the next thing he knew, he was sinking his dagger into the incubus's chest, his soul energy flooding his arms and legs with renewed power. The incubus screeched as it dispersed into fragments of darkness, before fading away altogether. For a moment, Yong Soo just stood there with heavy breaths, his shoulders shaking as he tried to calm himself down, his anger subsiding. Finally, he was able to think clearly again, and he glanced over at the boy in the corner, who was staring at him in utter shock. After a few seconds, the boy snapped out of his incredulous trance, and stammered, "T-t-that thing...k-killed Mum and Dad..." Tears kept streaking down his cheeks, and he hiccupped softly, unable to tear his gaze away from his parents.
Gingerly, Yong Soo knelt by him, understanding and commiseration filling his soul, and said softly, "L-look, kid, I'm going to get you out of here, but I'm going to need you to stand. Can you do that for me?" He wasn't experienced at being gentle and sympathetic, but the kid stopped hiccupping, though he was still sniffling, and looked up at him.
"Y-yeah," he nodded through his tears, pushing himself off the ground, "B-but my Mum and Dad..."
"There's nothing you can do for them now," Yong Soo shook his head, trying his hardest to keep his voice from cracking. He had been in this very situation before, and it was all he could do to keep the terrible memories from flooding back. "They'd want you to get out of here alive. I need you to follow me. More monsters are going to be out there, but if you stick with me, you'll be safe."
"Safe?" the boy repeated, trepidation plain in his eyes. "Are you sure?"
"I promise," Yong Soo nodded, masking his own emotions with a positive attitude in order to convince him. "You have a name, right kid?"
The boy nodded, wiping the tears from his cheeks. As he did so, Yong Soo couldn't help but notice how familiar his lineaments were. Blonde hair, light blue eyes, and fair complexion. In fact, he resembled someone he knew very closely, but right now, Yong Soo didn't have time to think about that. First he had to focus on making it out alive along with his new companion. "My name's Peter," he said finally.
"I'm Yong Soo," he answered as he led Peter away from the bodies, "It's time we got out of here. Stay close to me, and I promise I'll protect you."
"Romulus Vargas..." A menacing voice called. The headmaster paused from the melee, glancing around, searching for the source before realizing it was coming from inside his head. At first he assumed it had something to do with Roderich's soul harmony link, but the voice was so demonic and sinister, he quickly dismissed that notion and figured it had to be one of the demons that could access mortal minds. If that was the case, then that was bad news indeed. Demons that can infiltrate the mind had to be major, and usually were on a higher level than most of the demons even Class A hunters fought.
"Come to me, Romulus Vargas..." it called again, a ominous and amused tone, "Come to me, and face your death..."
"Alright demon, if you want to play, tell me where to go," Romulus muttered to himself. Although he did not want to leave the front gate and the invasion front, a demon as dangerous as this could not be left alone. It was best that he kill it as soon as possible then return to the front. An entertained laugh echoed through his head, and suddenly, Romulus knew exactly where to go and how to get there. It wasn't far from where he stood, in fact.
His suspicions confirmed, Romulus gritted his teeth. The demon was more powerful than he thought if it could implant information into his own mind just like that. It might even be able to manipulate his thoughts if it could do that. Even still, the headmaster followed the newly acquired directions to the place the demon wanted him to go to, heightening his own soul defenses as he did so, readying his energy and his Purifying Light.
Since the darkness impeded his vision and put him at a serious disadvantage, Romulus held out one hand and let a little of the Purifying Light flow out from his fingertips, illuminating the space around him as he made his way through the forest, until in a matter of moments, he had reached his destination.
And a new kind of fear seized his heart.
There was Lovino, splayed out in the air helplessly by a giant chameleon with two tongues, one wrapped around his wrists and the other around his ankles. "Nonno!" Lovino inhaled sharply when he saw his grandfather.
There was another figure standing just in front of Lovino, a wicked grin spreading from ear to ear. "There you are, Purifying Light hunter. We were waiting for you."
Vehement anger boiled within him, and his palms grew all the more luminescent. "You've made a grave mistake, messing with my family, you bastard!" Romulus thundered, brandishing his sword, "If you've hurt him..."
"Oh, he hasn't been hurt just yet," the demon chortled, "But the severity of his pain depends on your level of cooperation."
"Cooperation?" Romulus growled, "You have the gall to threaten my family and demand my cooperation? You don't know who you're talking to." With that, Romulus rocketed from where to stood, an incredible amount of soul energy focused in his legs to ensure his speed. As he launched himself at the demon, sword ready to slash, the demon simpered with a twisted smirk. Before Romulus could touch him, the demon ducked under his swing. However, Romulus followed with an uppercut punch, the angels' light flowing through his fist. And yet his blow never struck, as the demon sidestepped just in time to avoid being hit, before grabbing Romulus's outstretched arm and flinging him back with tremendous force. Romulus tumbled back before using that momentum to roll onto his feet, but this time hesitated to attack.
"You've figured it out, haven't you?" the demon sneered, "You can't touch me. I know your attack at the very moment you think it. Your thoughts are no longer yours alone."
"A mind reading demon," Romulus seethed, gritting his teeth. This was bad. Very bad. He had never fought a demon with such power before, and he wasn't even sure it was possible to beat an opponent like him. And certainly it was impossible to do alone.
"How rude of me to forget to introduce myself," the demon snickered, "I am the demon Mentis, and tonight, I am among Illedris's highest ranks. And my task tonight is to rid this world of the Purifying Light hunter Romulus Vargas forever!"
Alone, Romulus chances were rigorously stacked against him. Perhaps he could use the harmony link to get help-
"Don't even think about it," Mentis ordered arrogantly, "If you even try to use that link I'll know. And poor Lovino here will have to pay the price."
"Nonno, don't worry about me!" Lovino shouted. "Just do what you have to do to defeat this bastard!"
"Ah, but your grandfather can't help but worry about you," Mentis laughed, his voice growing darker by the second, a cruel delight dancing in his black eyes. "Because Romulus has already lost his son, can he stand losing...ah, what's this? Can he stand losing not just one, but both his grandsons?"
Romulus's eyes widened, and he cursed himself for not controlling his thoughts. Now the demon knew...
Mentis laughed even harder. "That's how it is, isn't it? Your twin grandsons' souls are connected! How interesting! If one dies, so does the other. What's the other's name...Feliciano? Jeez, for a top-notch hunter, your mind is like an open book!"
"Shut up!" he roared back, feeling another great surge of fury. "You have no right to speak his name. I swear I'll kill you!"
"Now, is that any way to talk to the one who's in control of your grandsons' fate?" Mentis said mockingly. "So, headmaster, are you going to surrender quietly or am I going to have to...persuade you?" For a tense moment, Romulus didn't answer, his expression unreadable. "So that's how it's going to be, huh? Well, all the more fun for me," Mentis chuckled, raising one arm, which suddenly morphed into a jagged barb, glistening wickedly in the moonlight. Without another word, Mentis whirled around to face his captive, and before Romulus could say anything, the demon thrust his barb into Lovino's midsection mercilessly, immediately drawing blood which flowed out from the wound hot and sticky as Mentis withdrew, grinning.
"Lovino!" Romulus shouted in horror.
A muffled cry had escaped Lovino, who did everything he could to ignore the immense pain for his grandfather's sake. Tears of absolute agony welled in his eyes, but he held them back, although the deep wound was excruciating, so much so that his thoughts became fragmented.
Mentis gave another sardonic laugh. "Just imagine that the other twin is experiencing the same pain! It excites me! Now, Romulus, are you going to bow before me, or shall I have some more fun?" he asked, licking the blood off of his barb maliciously.
"Don't do it!" Lovino said ardently, his voice was coarse and wrought with pain, yet demanding, "You can beat him!"
But his grandfather didn't respond to him, but just locked eyes with the demon, and Lovino, to his dismay, could already see his decision.
Ludwig and Feliciano were running through the campus along the cobblestone paths, heading for Alice's cafe in order to obtain one of her potions that could increase the strength of a mundane mortal. No doubt Ludwig would need that concoction, if he was to stand even a sliver of a chance against a real demon. The campus was large, however, and getting from the main office to the cafe took time.
They were almost there, when out of nowhere, Feliciano let out a blood-curling scream, a sudden stab of pain piercing his stomach, and he fell to his knees, hugging his midsection, eyes tearing up. Alarmed, Ludwig skidded to a halt, then rushed over to kneel by his friend. "Feliciano! What happened?"
That's when he saw the blood from the wound beginning to cover Feliciano's hand, and his expression full of agony. Without another moment's hesitation, Ludwig quickly shed his jacket and used it to put pressure on his friend's bloody wound.
"Lovino...he's in trouble," Feliciano croaked through a clenched jaw, a tear escaping his eye. "If he dies...so do I."
"He won't die," Ludwig shook his head, still pressing with the jacket, which was soaking in the crimson fluid. "Your brother's stronger than that. And our friends are out there! They'll protect him." Outwardly, he insisted this positively for Feliciano's sake, but inside, terrible helplessness was enveloping him. He couldn't let Feliciano die, but there was no way he could save him like this! There was no one else on campus he could turn to for emergency help. But he had to do something! "You can't stay like this," Ludwig murmured, "You need to lie down before you pass out." Then he realized that with an abrasion like that, Feliciano wasn't capable of moving very far, and he bit his lip. "L-let's at least move you next to a wall so you can lean against it."
Feliciano nodded, and slung his arm over the German, and very carefully the two headed for the nearest building, until finally Ludwig was able to gingerly set his friend down, his back against the wall so he could rest. Ludwig continued attempting to stop the bleeding with his jacket, but he knew that it would be no use if Lovino was slain in battle. Please, he pleaded inside his head, someone save him!
With a calm disposition befitting a warrior who held no shame, Romulus drove his blade into the ground, and stepped forward. "Damnit, Nonno!" Lovino protested, "Why?!"
"I didn't get the chance to save my son. The least I can do is save my grandsons," Romulus said softly.
Mentis simpered mischievously. "I'm glad you feel that way." With a snap of his fingers, black vines of demonic essence shot out from the ground below Romulus's feel, wrapping around his torso, arms, and legs. And then, with an abrupt jerk, the vines brought the headmaster to the ground so that he lay flat on his chest, but could still look up at the demon. "Isn't this just great?" Mentis clapped animatedly. "The mighty Romulus Vargas lying at my feet. I was so excited when Illedris gave me and chameleon here this mission! Of course, we weren't the only demons with this mission, but I knew we'd be the ones who could get to you first."
"You have me now, so let Lovino go," Romulus demanded fiercely from where he lay.
"Actually," Mentis chuckled menacingly, "I think I won't."
"You bastard!" Romulus shouted, struggling against the vines violently. But the vines were arranged on him in such a way that his palms could not come his contact with the tendrils, thus restraining his angels' light.
"You know, as a Purifying Light hunter," Mentis mused, turning towards Lovino, who scowled at him with loathing and rancor. "You've caused us demons much trouble. It's time for you to learn to fear demons, Romulus, to know the meaning of true desperation." He drew closer to his captive, tracing a finger from his non-deformed hand down Lovino's cheek. Lovino spat at him spitefully, but the demon just waved it off casually. "How shall we begin, my specimen? We could start by cutting your chest open, so that I may show your grandfather how feebly your heart begins to beat. Now that does sound fun!"
"Don't hurt him!" Romulus's voice cracked, the images behind Mentis's words plaguing his mind.
"Or," Mentis went on, "I could severe your legs from your body! I wonder how that would affect the other twin somewhere out there. Would his legs just fall off as well?" Mentis tilted his head at Lovino, reading his mind. "You're not sure, huh? Well, it could be an experiment. Although, I'd rather split your skull open. It's refreshing to see the insides of a mortal's head. It quite reminds me of a watermelon, with all that red on the inside." The demon glanced down to see Romulus blanch, but still fought against the vines. Then he returned his attention to Lovino. "Hmm...You have nice eyes. I think I'll keep one as a trophy. Yes, I think I will."
"No!" Romulus cried, but the vines were constrained him.
"Let's begin, then," the demon smirked. "Why don't we go through all of my ideas then? Starting with taking a look at your heart." Mentis brought his barbed arm to the top of Lovino's chest, but not piercing flesh just yet.
"Don't look," Lovino said, just loud enough for his grandfather to hear. He closed his eyes and braced himself, promising himself he would use all his willpower not to scream. I'm sorry, Feliciano, he thought sadly.
Mentis's arm tensed, ready to plunge into his victim, and-
And a battle axe sailed through the air, spinning end over end until it lodged its blade into the chameleon's right eye. The large demon screech shrilling, and in its pain retracted its two tongues, dropping Lovino to the grassy forest floor. "What?!" Mentis whipped his head around, searching for the source of the weapon, his eyes widening. But he was a second too late. A hunter came barreling out of the forest, unarmed, and tackled Mentis, knocking him off his feet.
With impetuous ferocity, Antonio assailed the demon with his bare hands, landing as much blows as he could before the irked demon threw him off. Antonio skidded back a few feet, but agilely regained steady footing, fiery fortitude plain in his green eyes. "Nobody gets away with hurting my friends!" Antonio seethed.
As soon as he had made contact with the demon, the vines around Romulus's body vanished, and the headmaster stood up and withdrew his sword from the ground, ready to help Antonio.
"Wait," the Spanish student held his hand up, still glaring at Mentis, "He's mine. Lovi's going to need your help." Romulus blinked, surprise by Antonio's unyielding tone, then nodded, before hurrying to his grandson.
"You pissant," Mentis spat, also standing up. "I let my guard down because I was so absorbed by my excitement, but now you've pissed me off! You won't be able to touch me again."
"We'll see about that," Antonio growled, charging the demon with nothing but his fists. Mentis easily ducked under his first swing, but then Antonio drove his knee into his stomach, sending Mentis wobbling back a few steps, shocked. But he didn't stop there. Antonio kept pressing the demon, while Mentis began to fight back, but from the look in the demon's eyes, he could tell he was confused. Their one on one brawl continued, Antonio being extra cautious of Mentis's barbed arm, but the two seemed equal in combat.
"Why? What makes your mind so special?!" Mentis griped, lunging with his barb. "Why is it so hard to read?! Or are you just so dense that you don't even think?"
Antonio dodged, evading the pointed tip of his arm, "My soul skill is a lot like your ability, so I know how to defend against it!"
"Is that so?" Mentis began to smirk again, "Then I'll have to step up my game." Suddenly, the demon surged forward, landing a solid strike with his fist square in Antonio's chest. The hunter stumbled back, and felt a strange influence fall over him, like something heavy was weighing on his shoulders. Except it wasn't just affecting his physical body, but was trying to pry open his soul so to speak. Mentis was trying to force his way into Antonio's mind, coming closer to overcoming Antonio's soul defenses. This preternatural burden began to slow him down, and soon Mentis had the upper hand.
"Filthy, weak human," Mentis said as he slammed the side of his fist into Antonio's cheek bone, "Did you really think you could beat me like that? Not even the most guarded souls can escape my powers." Another fist to the gut made Antonio cough out blood, before taking yet another hit across the jaw. "For your arrogance, I swear I'll uncover the very depth of your mind and soul! I'll dig up every horrid memory and thought you've struggled to hold down, and I'll bring them to the surface, making you relive them over and over again until you're begging me to take your life!"
Antonio didn't respond; he was too busy trying to defend himself, but the demon was moving faster than he was now, breaking through his guard. Meanwhile, the intense burden trying to reach the core of his soul was only getting worse, and Antonio was drawing terribly close to submission with each waking second. Mentis could see victory near, his lips curving into a spine-chilling sneer.
At the same time, Romulus was doing away with the chameleon, which was seriously ticked off after being stabbed in the face with an axe. Lovino wasn't worried about him though; it was Antonio who was in grave danger of losing, and losing quickly. However, he was helpless in his state, blood covering his clothes and the wound still sapping his strength. He couldn't even stand on his own, enervated of his energy. But fear for his friend was growing more profound in his heart, as he watched Antonio suffer Mentis's beatings relentlessly, sweat dripping from his forehead, that strained, fraught expression that precluded defeat.
That's when Lovino realized Mentis had a weakness.
Why the fuck hadn't he seen it sooner? Mentis could only read one mind at a time. He should have known earlier. Mentis had found out about Feliciano's link to Lovino's soul when his grandfather had thought it, but Lovino had thought it so much sooner, yet Mentis was only reading Romulus's mind at the time. That's why he only found out about their soul connection then, not when Lovino had thought it. And right now Mentis was preoccupied attempting to break into Antonio's mind, which meant that this was probably Lovino's only opportunity...
But how could this help him? So what he could only read one person at a time. Then Lovino's gaze fell on the battle axe lying a few feet away from where he lay. With every ounce of his little strength left, he reached out and grasped its shaft, and an idea popped into his head.
"Antonio!" he called loudly, "You have to let go!" This startled his friend, who threw him a confused glance after narrowly dodging another stab by the barbed arm. "If this bastard wants to see what your soul's holding back, then show him everything! And I mean everything!"
Mentis, who was still trying to read Antonio's mind, could not read what Lovino was planning, and the Italian was hoping for the best, though he knew that this could be miraculously successful, or extremely bad. Fortunately, Mentis, in his cocky demeanor, assumed Lovino was caught in a state of hopelessness, and was telling his friend to give up because the fight was futile. But Antonio finally understood what he was getting at. He withdrew a few steps back from the demon, regrouping his concentration, and closed his eyes with a deep breath, letting the defenses around his soul come down.
The demon took this as a sign of surrender, and laughed triumphantly, as the weight that had been trying to crush Antonio's soul poured into him pervasively, eager to read what Antonio had been harboring all his life. That's when Antonio did what Lovino told him to. He let go.
It really was like breaking a dam that held back the pressure of raging water. Once the dam was broken, the water behind it would rush out unchecked, just like with Antonio's soul. But it wasn't just Antonio's own emotions, memories, and thoughts that were released, it was the that of the twenty one souls he had read as well. All those pent up sensations and feelings erupted from within Antonio's soul, seemingly without end. Antonio himself could feel his own spirit being swept up in the torrent of emotions and memories, experiencing so much at once that his mind was beginning to go numb. This is what he had feared would happen if he let go, but this was his only choice. Now he just had to fight against the current of sentiments to keep from completely losing his sanity. As he did, he felt snippets of emotions and fragments of memories that whirled past him; there was Kim's joy when she first made it into Class A, Francis's anger on his first assignment against a demon who had murdered a family, Arthur's panic as a little boy meeting his first demon, Lovino's desperation when he begged the reaper to save his brother, and Gilbert's horror upon seeing the image of his dead brother in Metus's illusion. Even more surged forth, so overwhelmingly that if Antonio had experienced them all by himself he was sure he would have lost the ability to feel emotion altogether.
But Antonio wasn't alone in this. Because Mentis had so fervently divulged into Antonio's soul, he was met with the tempest directly, and the "everything" Lovino had mentioned struck the demon like a tsunami, overloading the demon's capacity to sort out one emotion from the other. The joys, tribulations, dreams, and hardships of twenty two people were flowing from Antonio into his essence, causing Mentis to stumble back in an attempt to get away from the hunter, as if that would stop the gush of sentiment.
It, however, did not, and soon enough, Mentis's fading smirk was replaced with a look so contorted with madness and psychosis, that Lovino winced just from watching him. Shrieking in insanity, the demon put his hands to his ears trying to stop the overflow in his own mind, and while he was utterly distracted, Lovino flung the battle axe with all his might. Antonio was able to focus just enough to catch the shaft with one hand, twirl the weapon above his head once, then drive the blade across Mentis's torso. With another shrill screech, the demon's pupils rolled back into his head, leaving only the whites in his eyes, until another moment later his form shattered into millions of black remnants, which also disintegrated until there was nothing but dirt on the forest floor.
Without wasting time to relish in victory, Antonio immediately knelt by Lovino's side, just as Romulus had finished destroying the chameleon with his Purifying Light. "Lovi! Are you all right?" Antonio asked frenetically.
"I was fucking stabbed in the stomach! Unless that classifies as being all right," Lovino answered snappishly as first, but then his tone softened as his disposition shifted, almost drastically, as he threw his arms around his friend, "But if you hadn't come, I'd have been a lot worse, tomato bastard."
"I made a promise, didn't I? I'm not one to go back on my word so easily," Antonio chuckled, hugging back warmly.
"Thanks, Antonio," Romulus said sincerely as he came over, and patted him on the back, "That was one of the greatest things I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot! I'm indebted to you, for saving my grandsons."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Antonio smiled, being the modest hunter he was.
"No, I mean it," the headmaster insisted, almost to the point of passionately, "I don't give a damn what the Council says, you are moving back up to Class A! I'm not going to be the one holding you back anymore. Anyways, we need to get Lovi to Vash, before he loses too much blood. Don't want him to pass out on us."
"Right," Antonio said, already slinging Lovino's arm over his shoulder and helping him up carefully.
"You two just focus on heading to our medic. I'll clear a path and make sure no demons can touch you," Romulus strategized, wielding his sword with renewed conviction. "And then from there we can save our school."
However, by the front gate, the tide of the battle had taken a turn for the worst. Without the headmaster as their main powerhouse force against demons, there just wasn't enough Class A hunters to make up for his absence while he was with Mentis. Not only that, but the hunters' individual strengths were diminishing steadily as the battle dragged on. In fact, some of the lesser skilled hunters were beginning to fall, unable to withstand the brunt of the demon invasion, but Yao didn't want to dwell on that too much. He, Kiku, and Mei were the closest hunters to the ironwork gate, doing everything they could to keep the monsters at bay, but the army of the wicked proved to be too much.
Even with all three of them pushing their bodies past their physical limits, they could not stop every demon that attacked them at once. As a number of demons engaged them, distracting them from the real threat, a demonic rhinoceros, a large creature with one protruding, enormous horn charged the gate. Yao's way was blocked by another wraith at that moment, and Kiku, too, was hindered from killing the rhino in time. The demon's incredible horn crashed into the center of the gate, forcing it open with one great tackle. As the gate flew open upon impact, a few demons seized their chance and rushed through into the campus. True, there were no mundane mortals waiting to be innocent victims inside, but Yao could not allow such monstrosities to roam his school, his home. It was more than pride, protecting the Academy; it was about preserving the hearth, the one place Yao could ever feel safe and secure alongside friends.
Yao quickly slew the wraith in front of him and dashed inside the campus, Kiku and Mei trailing just behind him with the same resolve. As soon as the three passed the boundary inside, they worked together to shut the gate again from within, bolting it locked once more before more demons could enter. As Yao turned around again, he saw two groups of demons splitting off into different directions to deface the Academy and search for mortal souls to eat. "You two go after the demons that went that way," Kiku told Yao and Mei, pointing, "And I'll handle the others."
Knowing there was no time to argue, Yao nodded, and he and Mei swiftly turned on their heels in pursuit of their group while Kiku darted after his, katana at hand. They needed to handle this quickly, then return to the invasion front. Unfortunately, the Venator Academy campus was wide and expansive, and Yao knew he had to catch up to the demons before they forced him to search all of the grounds. This in mind, Yao ran faster, still gripping his sword tightly, until he could see that he was closing in on the demons ahead, his steps light and nimble on the cobblestone paths. In the back of his mind, he was vaguely aware of the fact he was near the infirmary, knowing he could use his familiarity of the place to his advantage.
Finally, Yao had caught up with them, and with a fatal finesse, began to do away with them one by one, moving with fluid, supple attacks, finding the weak spots in his opponents. Mei reached him a moment later, snapping her fighting fans, two oriental palm fans with small, sharp spikes rising up from each spoke. Though she was only Class B, and her combat skills couldn't compare to Yao's, she was still a competent hunter, swiping, jabbing, and slashing with her fans in graceful movements, almost as if she were engaged in a deadly dance, opening and closing her fans at speeds that would have amazed any other spectator. The demons attempted to fight back, but the two hunters were too lithe, too sprightly, to bite or claw or hit directly. Compared to Mei and Yao, this particular group of demons was too power based, rather than agility based, too slow to keep up. A few minutes later, the demons were nothing but ashes.
His work here finished, Yao straightened up, and was about to head back to the front gate with Mei, when suddenly, movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned toward it immediately, assuming it was a demon he had missed.
His jaw dropped and his heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be...!
Mei saw his expression and followed his line of sight, and she too was overcome with tremendous shock, rendering her utterly speechless and frozen in her spot.
"T-Tao?" Yao stammered in disbelief, his voice coarse, full of jumbled emotions coming over him at once.
There he was, his little brother, standing a few feet a away from him, looking perfectly healthy even though he had been in a coma for about a year. His dark brown, choppy hair, which Yao had cut only a few weeks ago to keep it from getting to long in his sleep, looked revitalized and even glossy, like it used to when Tao still roomed with his older brother. His light brown eyes sparkled with life, with a gaze that Yao thought he would never see again. Color had returned to his cheeks, skin no longer pale and sickly, and his muscles were functioning normally, despite the fact that he hadn't used them in so long, and that they should have been a bit degraded from his time in the coma. Usually, after waking from such extended slumber, patients had to regain muscle strength just to walk and exert themselves, but Tao looked as if the coma had never happened, as if he was just woken up from a short cat nap, as if he had been up and about just yesterday.
But Yao had seen him yesterday. Eyes closed, hooked up to a machine that monitored his heartbeat and an IV that kept him alive. And yet, Yao wasn't concerned with the how at the moment. Overwhelming joy and relief poured into him, causing his eyes to water with tears of pure happiness. He could feel his heart welling inside of him with the jubilation and euphoria that came with finally seeing his little brother standing awake again. In his elation, the older brother rushed to the younger, dropping his jian sword and embracing him tenderly, feeling the warmth that rolled off his body, proving that he was, indeed, truly alive. Yao pulled back, smiling sincerely, "Tao! I-I thought I'd never see you walk again! How are you here?"
Instead of answering, Tao stared back at his brother curiously, without saying a word. Then, without any warning whatsoever, Yao caught of glimpse of something shiny in Tao's hand, which shot out so fast, that Yao barely had time to react. Instinctively, Yao had recoiled, but not quick enough. The knife had left a small gash across Yao's left cheek, blood beginning to trickle down his face.
"Yao!" Mei cried, horrified.
But Yao was staring at Tao in complete shock. The look in the younger's eyes warped into something impish, and an evil grin grew on his lips, distorting his usually handsome features. "So we meet again, hunter," Tao laughed impiously, tasting the blood off the tip of his knife. "How's that Mark coming along? The curse almost finished yet? I'm surprised you're not dead yet."
Yao's eyes widened. "You..."
"That's right," Tao smirked sinisterly, making Yao's heart tighten at the sight of it, "Never thought you'd see the demon Nihilum again, now did you?"
From the Author: How's that for a twist?
Laura is Monaco, Lars is Netherlands, Adnan is Turkey, Kim is Vietnam, Yong Soo is Korea, Romulus is Rome, Mei is Taiwan, Tao is Hong Kong. I'll let you guess who Peter is.
Still remember Nihilum? If not, you can revisit the last part of Chapter 21, but in summary, it is the demon of nothing, who can possess corpses that do not have souls to resist his presence, but during the invasion, there happened to be a body that didn't have a soul...
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'd appreciate any feedback and comments! Thanks again for reading, and until next chapter!