Jesus Christ...
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...Took me long enough, huh? I deeply, DEEPLY apologize for such a long wait! I had the worst writer's block known to man and I was too distracted by school(getting ready for college, taking the SAT, making resumes, getting my Letters of Recommendations done, yadda, yadda, yadda). So yeah, I really hope I didn't lose too many readers because of my super late update. Again, I'm honestly sorry for the wait.
Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or any of its characters.
WARNING: Just like Chapter 28, this chapter is intense as well. If you are a sensitive reader, then I suggest you at least prepare yourself.
Okay then, I hope you enjoy! :)
Chapter 29
TAP…TAP…TAP…
A lethally sharpened nail drummed sluggishly against a worn, stone surface; the repetitive sound echoing throughout the spacious yet hallow vicinity.
TAP…TAP…TAP…
Attached to the beating talon was a lengthy, tan hand with freshly black tribal tattoos embedded in the skin. Starting at the junction between the restless hand and forearm was the gaping maw of a ferocious jaguar's side profile; it's finely detailed whiskers flaring out warningly. Jagged claws were protruding from its fore paws and reached out for whatever doomed soul had been at the mercy of the owner's grasp.
The tapping resounded just a tad louder.
TAP!...TAP!...TAP!
The viscous mammal's ink-print body elongated up the man's right bicep before ensconcing his shoulder with a swirling tail; the jaguar's hind legs completely absent. Embroidered upon his left arm was a hauntingly tattered owl presenting the opposite side profile and, as a result, would have both inkling designs facing each other if the man were to simply extend both arms forward. The owl's upper beak was bent back to a nearly unnatural angle; giving off the idea that it was screeching madly.
His finger jittered even faster as rare agitation began to creep within him.
TAP, TAP, TAP!
Despite his apparently athletic build, the man remained seated; as his actual physical strength had lacked significantly. He leaned further back into the gentle inward arch of his throne and directed a silent sigh to the vast and endless pool of darkness lurking above.
Finally, surrendering to the impatience tugging at his musings, the man's brow ticked ever so subtly as his deep gray irises fluttered closed. A command conjured within his subconscious before it was sent onto a mental wave; it's destination being the mentality of a different persona.
'Aldren, proceed to enter my lair.'
A guard of similar skin complexion, skinny build and reaching at a staggering height of nearly seven feet, was standing astutely next to the gaping entrance of his superior's personal vicinity before he suddenly perked up as the telepathic request rushed into his mind. With the swift rigidness of a veteran servant, the entry guard promptly approached the agitated clan leader and bowed respectfully. Instead of parting his thin lips to speak, the servant chose to remain conversing through thoughts; as it was his master's favored method.
'You have summoned me, Leono-Sama?'
'Goro has yet to return. Do you know if there was an unknown change of destination, Aldren?'
'We share equal wonders, Leono-Sama.'
'I see…' Leono drawled distractedly; his impatience continuing to rise with bland vigor. Aldren's existence seemed to have been ignored for a thoroughly silent few minutes, and yet the vertically gifted demon made no attempt to move. Finally taking note of his reluctance to leave, Leono quipped knowingly.
'There is no need to worry of my condition, Aldren.' Apparently Aldren was accustomed to Leono's accurate assumptions; as he had not flinched in the slightest.
'I see that you have not risen from your thrown Leono-Sama…Would it be wrong to think that your lower body is weak at the moment?' A deep chuckle echoed endlessly through the room and hallways of the massive, underground complex. Leono shifted forward in his royal throne and gazed upon his loyal subject blankly; the expression mixing poorly with his faint chortles.
'I admire your observant nature Aldren. If you were any other servant, they may have never taken notice...' Leono had suddenly drifted off with an usually solemn sigh as wrinkles appeared across his forehead and revealed the truth behind his age. Aldren didn't dare to believe the clan head's depressive emotions however, as the entire demon tribe was aware of Leono's significantly numb and barren sentimentality.
'Has it ever fleeted through your thoughts Aldren…That one day my heart would stop functioning as I sit upon my throne?' There had been no hints of fear or anxiety lacing Leono's tone; it remained chillingly monotonous.
'I am sorry to admit that I have indeed mused about these possibilities, Leono-Sama.' Leono simply waved his hand dismissively.
'Do not waste your breath with unnecessary apologies. It is a common thought for all of my demon subjects.' Taking this chance to stand fully erect, Aldren decided to bravely, yet inwardly, voice a question that had been nagging his mind at that very moment.
'Leono-Sama, forgive my abruptness and irrelevance for asking but…when your time does indeed come, who shall inherit the responsibilities of clan head if your daughters will not?' Aldren was well aware of the danger of asking a question not related to the current situation; as Leono greatly disapproved of illogical conversation. So it was no surprise to the demon servant when he received a warning glare from his superior.
'The matter will be handled on my own accord. Your curiosity is best left unspoken, Aldren…Do I make myself clear?' Once again showing little emotional reaction, Aldren responded curtly.
'Of course, Leono-Sama. My deepest apol-' Aldren's still form suddenly jerked as he sensed a familiar presence appear in another, distant section of the subversive compound. Judging from Leono's similar reaction, he had noticed the recognizable existence as well. As convenient as it was, Leono didn't question the fact that his legs had finally regained some strength within them and slowly stood from his stone throne. Aldren automatically understood his superior's actions and promptly walked to Leono's right side with a wary hand planted firmly onto his shoulder. The clan leader momentarily staggered but remained on balance with the assistance of his loyal subject.
'It seems that I have fretted for nothing. It was simply a tardy arrival.' Aldren nodded in agreement.
'It was…However, Goro has never been this late before. Do you believe something has happened, Leono-Sama?'
'If it is an answer you seek, than I suggest we do not stay idle for long.'
'Of course, Leono-Sama' Stumbling once again on his first step but regaining his bearings afterwards, Leono subtly limped towards the gaping exit; Aldren trailing his leader from a few feet behind.
A towering cave wall, which had seemingly closed off the only route exit from the underground complex, suddenly began to ripple with a pixel-like blue aura. Blunt spikes then sluggishly stretched from the rock surface; as if an unknown, erratic force from the other side was prodding it continuously before they all abruptly collapsed into themselves and created a small pool of energy influx. Amongst the short incursion, a large and pale green monster leapt forth and collapsed miserably onto the cavern ground.
A long yet weak growl resounded from Goro as his wary, beady eyes shifted around in alarm. The ignorant beast didn't have the slightest clue pertaining to his rapidly deteriorating bodily functions, which were undoubtedly increasing in decent due to Goro's frustration. Despite the fact that he could feel and use his legs once again, the mind numbing pain that followed was unbearable. The toxins from Mana's copper-needle bullet was now coursing through his entire system and doing a torturous number on Goro's canine structured body.
Releasing yet another grumbling whimper, Goro initially failed to notice the slow approach of his master and servant.
Aldren cautiously lowered the clan head's form before letting go; allowing Leono to kneel and fully face his suffering pet and absorb his ragged condition.
Goro's breathing was labored and left his heaving chest in short, quick puffs. His skin, which used to be a vibrant green, was significantly paler to the point of near transparency. The veins on the sack of his hunched back pulsed at a worryingly slow rate; a signal that his heart was surely failing right at that moment. Groans of aching pain endlessly poured from the demon's lazily parted maw.
Placing a cold, callous hand upon Goro's quivering shoulder, Leono felt a slick substance meet against the padding of his fingers. The monster's blood, which was unnaturally thick and dark, leaked from a tiny hole in his flesh and cascaded down the simple-minded creature's arm. Staring blankly at the syrupy life essence smeared on his fingers, Leono sighed outwardly before questioning in his thoughts.
'Goro…what has caused this?' Goro's head raised a mere centimeter before shortly falling back down in defeat. His beady orbs slightly softened with vulnerability and stared up pleadingly at his master.
'Master…Me find lost girl. Me find lost heir.' Leono's eyes widened just slightly at the revelation while Aldren remained oblivious, as he respected the privacy of their conversation and didn't intrude with his own thoughts. With Goro's immense pain clouding the little social rationality he had, he simply continued to relay information without pause.
'Me find lost girl with another girl…Other girl turn green, master…Other girl hurt me but me escape. M-me attacked by another girl…banging sound and pain; it was poison, master…i-it hurts master. Make pain go away, master, make pain go away…' An agonized snarl rumbled deep in Goro's chest; proving Leono's suspicion that his pet was indeed a goner. However, he held no guilt as he assured the beast calmly.
'That is enough, Goro. Do not stress yourself…I shall have my medic servants direct you to a separate area. They will rid you of this pain…and make it go away.' Without warning, Leono stood up with ease as he shifted a placid expression in Aldren's direction.
'Call forth two of my most trustworthy subordinates…and have them quickly dispose of Goro.' Aldren finally expressed a flicker of emotion as his eyebrows rose with disbelief.
'Leono-Sam-'
'Goro's chances of survival are non-existent, Aldren…This is for the best.' His tan features reverting back to an expression of passive blandness, Aldren swiftly bowed.
'Of course, Leono-Sama.' Still unaware of his fate, Goro continued to shower Leono with his piteous, begging gaze; his loyalty and faith in the clan head was practically boundless. Leono paid no heed to the stare as he turned his back to the dying creature and slowly sauntered down the narrow halls.
As soon as his form disappeared around a corner, another demon servant a little over two-thirds of Aldren's height arrived from the other end of the hall. His build was more athletic than muscular, but still provoked a dominate appearance with his rough facial features and multiple scars. It wasn't a moment later until a female servant also strutted to her callous partner's side and stood astutely; awaiting Aldren's orders. Unlike his previous trade of thoughts with Leono, Aldren spoke through his voice with the subordinate duo and requested plainly.
"Leono-Sama wishes for you two to take Goro," The monster in question could only communicate with the mentally advanced demons through thoughts since he didn't have the ability to speak or fully understand human language; however, like a simple house dog, he could recognize the sound of his name easily. Goro lulled his head to the side and voiced a guttural whimper in response. There was so much confusion and pain laced in the ignorant creature's tone, but Aldren relented against the hesitation lurking in his subconscious and continued stiffly.
"To the…disposal room and please…make it as quick and painless as possible for him. He has suffered enough." Aldren was pleased to receive silent agreements from the clan members, as he genuinely wished for the bitter altercation to be dealt with as quickly as possible. The two servants wordlessly approached Goro's slightly anxious form and, with surprising strength, carried him on either sides of his humongous body. Their bare feet tapped almost silently against the cavern ground as Goro was unknowingly transported to what would be his rapid death.
Leono's sharpened nails once again drummed on the armrest of his thrown; his other hand gently placed over his mouth in a contemplating manner.
'…My daughter is alive. This is quite the interesting turn of events.' His light coal irises once again latched onto the endlessly high ceiling. Leono was well aware that Goro had traveled to a peculiar country to perform his regular scouting for food; it was what the creature actually does during that period of time that eluded Leono. It didn't matter now; not when Leono finally learned the locality of his second offspring.
'So…she's in Japan…Zazie, your disgraceful days of hiding ends now.' A smirk disturbingly hollow of any feeling skidded across his tan face…
Kendra's frantic breathing burned her lungs with each inhale as she urgently sprinted down the hall of Anima's sizeable home. The soul manipulator had heard a muffled bang from the second floor, more specifically from his and Stella's room, and had wasted little time in hurrying to learn the source of noise.
The transfer student was initially baffled at Anima's seemingly meaningless anxiety, but it was quelled when his thoughts indirectly informed her of his worries. It seems that Anima's granted power and title of master mage had heralded several enemies for him and test his newfound abilities. A nerve wracking consequence of this development: Anima's foes would go as far as targeting his own family if it meant attacking the forest haired man's only weakness.
The magic sensor's palm stung as her hand slammed against the door surface and swung it open.
"Stella! What's-" As if his words were crushed into a ball and mercilessly shoved back down his throat, Anima abruptly halted in mid-sentence with his mouth agape. Kendra felt as if every joint, every tendon, every vein, every neuron in her shared body had frozen and converted to stone.
"N-no…"
Fists pinned helplessly against the wall and eyes wide, Stella's visage was flushed as waves of uncertainty emanated from her trapped form. A grown man's face was buried in the crook of the blonde beauty's neck as his lips grazed softly across her skin before kissing her collar bone persistently. The mysterious man's dirty blonde bangs hid his lifeless azure eyes as he roughly grated his hips against Stella's. This action had undoubtedly earned a reaction out of the wife as she flinched with, both Anima and Kendra prayed, resistance.
The millisecond moment of silence was all that Anima needed in order to comprehend what was unfolding before him; a man was sexually assaulting his wife.
Kendra's emerald vision suddenly blurred as a rapid onslaught of winds whipped across her pale face. Sickening cracks rung in her ears as Anima's right hand clenched fatally around the assaulter's neck; his other hand reared back in preparation to deliver a crushing blow. Amidst it all, Stella had been pushed aside and, as she scrambled to distance herself from the two men, gaped fearfully while adjusting her clothes.
Anima glared ferociously at the man's suffocated visage and felt the rage within him burn to significant degrees when his expression remained placid. Baring his teeth with a dangerous growl, Anima threatened sternly.
"By the time I'm finished with thy, the buzzards will be feeding off thy's remains!" Not a single drop of mercy was left in Anima's emotional repertoire as his hand tightened even further around the man's throat. And yet, much to the green haired immortal's fury, the assaulter's face still refrained from presenting any form of struggle or discomfort. His lifeless ocean eyes held a disturbing emptiness to them that persistently nagged at the back of Anima's skull; causing a silver of uncertainty to infect his actions.
The moment of hesitance was all that the stranger needed.
Crimson suddenly pulsed within the rims of his pupils before swiftly jabbing the inside of Anima's elbow with two fingers, causing the grip to slacken and free the assaulter. The expressionless blonde scurried a few steps back with his hard gaze never leaving Anima.
Anima scowled as a stinging sensation radiated from his arm and punched with his other fist; determined to deal this man a proper hit. However, as the soul robber was mere inches away from making impact, a seemingly invisible force blocked his attack. A small flurry of flames erupted from the collision before dissipating into thin air.
The soul manipulator faltered after the unexpected interaction as he traded a baffled stare between his scalding knuckles and the unharmed blonde. The skin over his fist began to blister from the sudden torrid of intense heat and sent small waves of agony to pulse up his arm. Clenching his wrist tightly with his other hand, Anima scowled at the pain before glaring viciously at his motionless opponent.
"What sort of mockery is this?!" Anima hissed lowly as he grated his teeth. Kendra growled as well from the pain; her burning anger mimicking the past immortal's own flawlessly. The magic sensor may have only interacted with Stella a few times through multiple memories, but even she felt a smoldering hatred burn in her from the sight of another man forcing himself upon her. And also, Kendra agreed fully with Anima's reaction since she could imagine herself doing the same if a stranger sexually harassed Zazie.
"You're so dead!"
"Thy shall die for this!" Anima bellowed as he once again dashed after the expressionless attacker and sent a wild flurry of punches. Each swing failed to land on the man and only clashed uselessly against the invisible shield. With every impact, arising flames continued to both repel and scorch Anima's flesh. Kendra and Anima could literally smell their skin roasting and judging from the exponential increase of pain in their knuckles, could guess that bone was becoming exposed.
Anima could faintly hear Stella frantically opening the room door and urgently murmuring to someone. A terrified, young voice stuttered in response as the mother practically pushed her towards the stairs; Stella was intent on getting Gemma as far away as possible.
Grateful for his wife's wise decision, Anima smirked at the fact that he no longer needed to hold back. He abruptly halted his strikes and quickly skidded backwards to gain some distance; a confident smirk gracing his handsome visage. Kendra felt a familiar power compatible to the sheer destruction of a bomb build within her arms. Extending one arm towards the stone-like figure of the blonde, Anima's smile widened subtly before he shouted exultantly.
"Thy's time ends here!" A wide emerald beam rocketed at the past immortal's opponent and engulfed his entire form. An ear-piercing ring echoed through the atmosphere and steadily increased in volume as Anima's ray of magical energy radiated continuously. Once a few seconds passed, his attacked finally began waning until it was the width of a thread before disappearing completely.
Left in the beam's wake were papers, bed sheets, and small accessories to furniture scattered across the floor along with a large hole gaping in the wall. A thin mixture of collateral debris and steam fogged Anima's vision; forcing him to squint as his forest green sight detected a blurry shape that was suspiciously glowing red. As the smoke began to clear, Anima's face gradually contorted with staggering displeasure.
Staring indifferently at Anima was the mysterious blonde. Not a scratch, bruise nor burn was found on his relaxed body. Stiffly clenching his extended hand into a fist, Anima's visible frustration launched to unimaginable heights. However, amongst his outrage, his jade irises were finally able to deduct the source of the red glow. The miniscule flames from before had morphed into an active shield and enshrouded the man's entire front protectively; sparks and flickers of fire jumping from it wildly in all directions.
Succumbing to his growing bafflement, Anima lowered his arm and gazed questioningly at his furtive adversary. Kendra also stared deeply at the flaming blonde; studying his unusually neon red pupils all the while. There was something familiar about those intense eyes, as if Kendra could recall seeing them somewhere else. She automatically ruled out Igneus' blood hued eyes from the other memory since there was yet another persona the magic sensor vaguely recollected sharing similar vision.
"Where have I…seen dat eye color before?"
Realization struck Kendra instantly.
"…D…Deveron…" Kendra thought back to Anima's first appearance in her life; when the haughty immortal showed her the painful, bitter memories. Even now the transfer student could imagine her best friend's distraught expression as his almond orbs anonymously illuminated burgundy.
"…N-no…No, i-it just gotta be a coincidence! Dat ain't right! I-I'm just readin' too far into it!" Kendra knew that her spiritual mind was functioning against her own will as a million unsettling assumptions were made; most of them terrifying her since the magic sensor couldn't believe them to ever be true. Deveron was her only friend in middle school. His patience and genuine attention had saved her from descending into a whirlpool of suffocating hopelessness. Deveron wouldn't and couldn't be involved with an enemy like Igneus; never.
"What does it take for thy to die? Must I cut off thy's head instead?" Anima taunted with half of his mind while the other thought fervently of a way to quickly defeat the blazing flaxen. Shortly giving in to the temptation to blast the maddening blankness off of his enemy's face, Anima momentarily abandoned any tactical approach and shot a disordered array of generally small beams from the center of his palms. The immortal was faced with the same results as his previous attacks.
Like a curious owl, the blonde sluggishly tilted his head to the right in a nearly impossible angle; almost taunting Anima's inability to harm him. Abruptly, his gore-red gaze turned upwards as if he heard a voice or command before looking back at Anima.
"Master awaits me…" Before the past immortal could utter a word of protest or interrogation, a colossal sphere of inferno enshrouded the mysterious assaulter's form; the entire entity dancing in a storm of swirling flames before rapidly decreasing in size. When the globe of searing heat was nothing more than a miniscule jumble of sparks, they fizzled out of existence.
Silent fury wracked Anima's body as his fists clenched tightly; effortlessly ignoring the agony pulsing through his burned knuckles. His outrage dwindled however when he remembered his wife; hoping that the event hadn't traumatized her too much. Ignoring the massive disarray that the master bedroom had suffered, Anima dashed down the flight of stairs and literally jumped over the last two. As the armored immortal turned to face his family, his heart tore painfully at the sight.
Stella, whose hunched form was leaning pitifully against a wall, whimpered softly as heavy tears rolled down her cheeks. Gemma's little arms were wrapped around her mother as comfortingly as possible with Stella's face buried in her tiny shoulder; shedding tears of her own at the troubled woman's expense. Kendra could faintly hear the blonde child whispering supportive words that were years beyond what her young wisdom should withhold. It was almost surreal how the two females had suddenly switched roles.
Anima cautiously approached his shaken family with slightly buckling legs; the strength in his lower body evaporating almost instantly at the solemn sight. As he kneeled on one knee in front of the embracing females, his forest green orbs began to glisten with a thin sheet of frustrated tears before gradually leaning forward. The soul manipulator's sturdy, injured arms engulfed Stella and Gemma's forms tightly as he whispered with remorse.
"I apologize deeply, Gemma…St-Stella. Thy should not have been burdened with such a traumatizing event…" Anima only received further whimpers and silence from his family as Stella shifted in the embrace; trading Gemma's shoulder for Anima's own. The soul manipulator in turn rested his cheek against the troubled blonde's head while whispering repeatedly.
"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"
Unbeknownst to both the husband and child, Stella's tears did not flow from frustration, fear, or the mortifying aftershocks of being sexually assaulted; only immense guilt and regret racked her mind, heart, and soul.
Kendra blacked out.
A speck of white light…
Zazie unconsciously clenched her fists as she observed Negi kneel next to Kendra; gazing determinedly at the magic sensor's comatose form. It had seemed that with every inch of distance that Negi decreased between him and the transfer student, the further the tattooed demon felt her agreement to the pactio slip. She swallowed back a possessive growl as she momentarily closed her eyes and recollected her logical, human bearings. 'This is to save Kendra, nothing else…I have to stay calm…'
Opening her auburn pupils once more, they were automatically burdened with the sight of Negi firmly resting a hand on the couch cushion pillowing Kendra's head.
"Okay! Pactio time!" Chamo squeaked loudly as he drew in the last of the incantation circle surrounding the couch.
A large ring of lavender energy projected from the hardwood floor; bathing Negi and Kendra in its enchanting light. Negi inhaled deeply in preparation as he slowly lowered his face towards the magic sensor's own.
Contrary to what Zazie had believed earlier, her faith in her ability to watch waned instantly and had to divert her gaze. She attempted to take calming breaths and relinquish multiple, pleasant memories of her and Kendra.
The transfer student's rare, sincere smile loomed in her subconscious; momentarily cherishing the fact that the endearing sight was only meant for her eyes. She then recalled the soul searing moment of their first kiss; which had undoubtedly thrown the Hanyou's mind into emotional overdrive and sent the waves of her pulse crashing against her senses. It was as if the very sensation of Kendra's lips had catapulted her nerve ends into a pool of hypersensitive ecstasy.
She had never wanted that precious period of her life to end and, above all, it was something that Zazie would never forget-
A small, startled gasp escaped Negi as a hand tightly clenched his arm; this hand in particular being dark in complexion. Despite the crippling amount of force used in her grasp, Kendra still appeared to be unconscious and completely frozen. The only source of motion that she presented was her hazel pupils moving about frantically beneath her closed eyelids.
"K-Kendra-San!" Negi yelped out as his arm throbbed in pain under the heavy constriction. Zazie, Evangeline, and the rest of the child teacher's students scrambled to the couch in a concerned stampede; only for their eclectic bodies to halt just centimeters away as Kendra's eyes snapped open.
Replacing the dark skin girl's hazel irises were the neon emerald ones belonging to Anima; illuminating menacingly in Negi's direction. However, her expression appeared to be riddled with betrayal and hurt as well; which had spiked the young wizard's curiosity for a split second before yet another round of agony racked his arm. Using his free hand to grab the magic sensor's own and attempt to wrench it off; Negi pleaded in a panicked tone.
"K-Kendra-San! You're h-hurting my arm, wake up! Please!" At the sound of their beloved instructor's strained voice, the girls of 3-A finally began approaching again with Evangeline being the exception. She scoffed as the students obliviously tried to enter into the pactio circle but were then abruptly blocked out by an invisible shield. Upon receiving impact, a ripple of lime green pulsed around Kendra and Negi; the hue mingling with the pactio spell's magenta power.
'I knew I sensed that bastard's energy leaking through.' Evangeline reasoned with an annoyed sneer; as she was painfully aware that the shield was practically indestructible.
Recovering instantly from the shock of being propelled backwards, Zazie desperately slapped her hands against the pulsing green and purple dome.
"Kendra!" She shrieked in distress as the sinister glow in her dark skin lover's eyes continued burrowing into Negi's frightened visage. Gritting her teeth in frustration, the tattooed acrobat fueled her shoulders and biceps with as much demonic animosity as she could and ruthlessly slammed her fist against the shield. A string of soul racking booms echoed from each hit as Zazie blindly assaulted the bi-colored magical sphere; her frazzled classmates treading backwards from the viciousness of her actions.
A pair of feet hurriedly descended the cabin steps; revealing the owner of them to be a perplexed Asuna as she quickly rounded the corner. However, her form momentarily ceased at the sight of her young teacher and magic sensor encased in a raging, multi-chromatic sphere of enchanting energy. It was her second observation of Zazie pounding restlessly onto the dome that snapped the twin-tailed red head out of her stupor. Quickly jogging over to her fellow Ala Alba members, Asuna yelled over the high-pitched, rumbling noise inundating the atmosphere.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"Something's wrong with Kendra-San!" Setsuna replied loudly with her Yuunagi drawn; fully prepared for if Anima manages to gain control of Kendra's mind and attack again.
Unlike what the crow Hanyou predicted though, no further violent gestures emitted from Kendra. In fact, her form didn't do anything else; the transfer student remained disturbingly frozen with her hand maintaining its grip on Negi's arm and eyes still blazing jade green. The child professor was rock still as well; thoroughly afraid that if he moved a single muscle it would provoke some unwanted reaction out of the semi-conscious transfer student.
Strangely enough, the currently active spell's shrill buzzing had melded out into an ignored background noise as every single occupant of the cabin drew silent.
Zazie had her mouth pressed into a thin line as irritated tears fell from her eyes one-by-one. Even while using her supernatural strength, the tan girl's efforts to reach her beloved magic sensor were useless. It was like she was surely about to go insane as her protective demon instincts screeched for Zazie to wrap her arms around Kendra and guard the dark skin girl from all harm.
The silence didn't last long though as Kendra's grip suddenly doubled and sent a strong jolt of pain coursing up Negi's arm. A yelp followed by a strangled plea escaped him…
"I am not finished talking with thy!"
"Release me, Anima!"
"Not until thy answers my question, Stella!" Stella struggled against Anima's grip in retaliation as anger and frustration infected her feminine features. Kendra could feel her lips peel back to reveal a dangerous snarl as her deep voice demanded furiously.
"Cease thy's foolish resistances and answer me!" In one swift movement, Anima pulled Stella's body flush against his and possessively, yet roughly, dug his fingers into the flesh of her shoulders.
The blonde beauty visibly winced at the sensation; a fleeting trace of disbelieving betrayal appearing in her cerulean orbs before instantly vanishing. Her voice literally trembling with restrained rage, Stella shoved the soul robber's chest and hissed warningly.
"I will not tell thy again! Unhand me, Anima!"
"My hold shall remain!" The jade-haired immortal's voice boomed as the strength in his grip skyrocketed; forcing a pained screech to rip from Stella's throat. A combination of unpredictable adrenaline and seething wrath pulsed within Kendra's foreign veins and, judging by the sheer intensity of it, Kendra was petrified. She could sense a dull wave of erratic power morphing in the core of Anima's heart, the frustrated throbbing of the soul manipulator's temples, the overwhelming urge to wildly inflict pain on anything and anyone; Kendra detected all of it. And lastly, she couldn't help but mirror the barbaric feelings that Anima withheld; it was a temporary curse that the recollections bestowed upon her.
Sickened with the realization, the transfer student felt the emotional nausea triple at the sight of an agonized tear streaking down Stella's pale cheek. There was no sympathy lurking in Anima's conscious however; only the need to preserve his sense of dominance and acquire the answers he desperately longed for was his top priority.
Kendra felt the muscles in Stella's arms slacken as she whimpered in defeated plea.
"A-Anima, please...thy is hurting me…"
"Has thy not heard a single word I have uttered?!" Kendra's pale neck convulsed with her bellowing as Anima viscously pinned his wife's fragile form against a wall. A strangled choke fleeted from Stella's gaping mouth at the moment of impact; her azure irises expanding with shock.
And yet again, much to Kendra's horror, neither a flicker nor a speck of concern ran through the emerald eyed immortal's mind. Her soul wavering with apprehension, Kendra attempted to call out frantically.
"Stop Anima! Ya losin' ya damn mind!"
"Is thy cheating on me again?!" His slender, sturdy fingers inched ever so slightly towards the base of Stella's neck; his hands twitching with the carnal desire to strangle her right at that moment. Frighteningly deducting the meaning behind her husband's subtle motion, the fair-haired woman's body shuddered in fear as more tears cascaded down her flustered countenance.
"I-I'm not!" She retorted with a meek stutter. Harmlessly snaking his fingers around her throat, Anima growled threateningly as his emerald irises practically kindled with searing admonition.
"Lies-"
"I'm not lying, Anima!"
"Then provide me with clarification…" Anima promptly decreased the distance between him and Stella until his finely pointed nose grazed her own. A ferocious snarl poorly disguised as a simple exhale rumbled in his chest as the rims of his eyes momentarily illuminated neon green.
"Why is it that I saw thy with another man yesterday? Identify this man! What are his relations with thy?!" Confusion fleeted across Stella's features before they immediately became riddled with suspicion. Narrowing her eyes with renewed stubbornness, she bravely inched her face closer to her infuriated husband and seethed.
"Was thy spying on me?" Pressure formed around Stella's throat; instantly forcing a startled cough out of her before the soul manipulator replied in a disturbingly even tone.
"I was and shall continue to do so when I see fit..."
"There should never be a reason to do so, Anima!" Stella wheezed out as the constriction upon her trachea grew erratically. Her cerulean pupils widened with agonized panic as she feebly encased Anima's offending hand in both of her own; weakly attempting to pry them off.
Something wasn't right; Kendra could tell. Something sinister flowed in their bones, their arteries, their mind, their souls…and it was rising fast.
Her heart leapt into her airway as the magic sensor and immortal's ears detected multiple, indiscernible whispers lapsing over each other in a mess of white noise. The wispy murmuring grew in volume, but had also strangely remained soft and distracting; resulting in a slew of frustration to overcome Anima.
Serve me
Blood, spill blood
Slaughter her, take her lif-
Give me her sou-
I must have her life-
Give it to me, give it, kill-
Kill
Blood
The jade-eyed soul thief briefly shook his head to free himself of the anonymous voices, but they only grew louder as if they were mocking him. More and more random words that were impossible to understand swelled his brain to painful limits and, due to his disorientated state of mind, furiously strengthened his grip on Stella.
Kendra would've given anything, would've used all of her power, would've done the impossible to cease the insistent whispers that were driving her sanity up the wall.
"Shut up! Shut da fuck up!"
End her-
Bring her soul to hel-
Pay your debt-
Satisfy our hung-
Feed us-
"A-Ani…ma…" Stella choked out painfully as her facial complexion began to turn blue and heavy tears leaked from her bloodshot irises. Not responding to her silent beg, Anima fervently rubbed the back of his free hand against his vision and blinked rapidly; not at all acknowledging the fact that his eyes were beginning to glow brightly. His teeth gritted audibly; only parting occasionally to release an agitated grunt.
Another shake of his head.
Kill-
Blood-
More bloo-
Kill, kill, kil-
KILL!
"Anima!" Stella called out desperately with her last, saved breath of precious air. Just as her azure orbs began to roll in the back of her head and pass out from lack of oxygen, her form was brutally shoved to the floor. The blonde yelped when her elbow roughly grazed the wooden floor, but wasted little time scurrying to her feet; panting and gagging with erratic fervor as she did so. Not even bothering to steal a glance at her dazed and struggling husband, Stella clumsily ran past him and towards the stairs with shaky legs.
Her timing couldn't have been more precise because as soon as her foot planted onto the first step, Anima slammed both of his green, blazing fists into the wall and screamed wildly; just barely missing the woman. A frightened shriek escaped her at the thunderous thud, but she was too determined to reach her daughter to halt her advancements. Her bare feet madly dashed up the steps and sprinted into Gemma's bedroom.
Get her, don't let her esca-
Follow my orders!
Blood, blood, blood!
You serve m-
Kill
TEAR HER APART!
"Silence!" Anima yelled desperately with his hands tightly clenched over his ears. A thin stream of blood trickled down the side of his snarling mouth from over-grinding his teeth, but he still continued to do so with growing force. The soul robber's glowing, quaking pupils abruptly snapped open as the diameter of his retinas bizarrely decreased in width. Kendra was unable to utter a single word as she gaped at the unstable image overwhelming her illuminated vision.
The sight was hauntingly familiar.
The face of a male stared back at her; his skin pasty and pale. An extremely lengthy and thick porcelain beard enshrouded his chin and the skin above his upper lip. The hue of his eyes were undetectable due to them being cloaked by his closed eye lids; which seemed to be conveying that he was in a state of blissful peace. However, once the magic sensor began to wordlessly examine further of his visage, she mimicked Anima's shudder of horrified recognition.
I command-
Kill!
A grotesque line of unnaturally melded skin ran down the middle of the face; separating it from the demonic half of its countenance. Anima and Kendra recognized this bi-featured sight with terrified gusto and could do nothing to repress their growing panic; thoroughly wary at the possibility of the heaven and hell phenomenon cramming down their throats again.
Her sou-
Soul, I need-
I want her heart-
Bloo-
Kill, her soul, give it-
Blood, blood, spill her b-
However, instead of diving down their trachea like Kendra and Anima had feared, the scornful, sinister half began to slowly dominate the heavenly side of its face. Doing so with the same motion of a windshield wiper, the scar dragged across the powerful countenance until less than a third of the porcelain bearded man's features were left. Another shudder rattled every single vertebrate of the immortal's spine.
Obey m-
blood, I need it!
Vessel!
Kill!
The maddening whispers continued to barrage Anima's sanity and, accusingly narrowing his emerald orbs as the observation dawned on him, he realized that the sinister face's mouth was motioning correspondently with each word. The action was just barely noticeable, but the soul robber had a mysterious intuition that it was indeed the split countenance infecting his brain with these hostile messages.
Blood continued to build within his mouth and the strong taste of copper became overwhelming to the point that Kendra felt the dire need to void the contents of her foreign stomach. She sensed an agonizing pressure on her ears; shortly coming to the conclusion that Anima was hopelessly attempting to block out the infuriating whispers.
However, the hovering visage seemed to have acknowledged its host's disobedience and called out to the struggling man in a booming voice riddled with ancient authority.
Anima!
He snapped to attention.
Kendra's soul felt cold. So cold that her very essence literally burned as the frighteningly hallow emotion slithered into her.
"No…n-no this isn't an emotion or a feeling…w-what…what da hell is dis…"
Kendra choked out as her ability to breath suddenly became harder and harder to perform; the anonymous sensation coursing through her increasing by multitudes. Her vision began to fuzz and waver around the edges but, nonetheless, it was capable enough to faintly discern a wicked and satisfied leer stretching across the demonic persona's features. Before Kendra and Anima could understand the source behind the frigid force encasing their heart, a flash of putrid, neon green blinded them; instantly freeing them of the mental trance and collapsing to their knees.
A gargling cough erupted in Anima's throat as a thick flurry of crimson fluid dribbled down his chin; his feral orbs roaming the familiar sight of his home wildly in search of a particular individual. Initially, Kendra had assumed that her spiritual connection with the immortal's physical senses had been cut off somehow; as her supposedly shared nerve endings felt nearly non-existent. Her theory was then cast aside once a prickly sensation similar to frostbite began to throb on every inch of her pale, sturdy skin.
The magic sensor's neck stiffly turned to peek a single, wide emerald eye over her broad shoulder. Her abnormally keen hearing, which wasn't a naturally active ability until now, picked up the sound of panicked whispers and shuffling feet from upstairs.
Something just…clicked in Anima's mind. It all made perfect, clear sense now.
The hovering visage wasn't evil at all. It was his source of wise judgment, his guiding light in this moment of hysteria.
Stella was stealing away Anima's last symbol of peace and emotional sanity right before his glowing eyes.
She was going to take Gemma away; leaving him alone to rot and writhe in his own sea of mental torture.
Kendra wailed out in horror.
"No! No, no, no, Anima! Pull ya'self together! No! Ya thinkin' crazy things! None of dat is true!"
Predictably, Kendra's words went unheard as Anima shakily rose to his feet and unconsciously swiped his tongue over the warm rivulets of crimson streaking his lips. The taste was pungent and sickening, and it frustrated the magic sensor to no end at her incapability to gag in disgust.
The immortal's feet were heavy and sluggish; as if his muscles were naturally conflicting with his warped mind. Anima pressed on with his newly acquired madness however and, just as his illuminating hand rested upon the staircase's railing, a chilling grimace slithered across his blemished countenance. A thin sheen of sweat cloaked his temples and palms as a twisted determination rose within him.
Stella, with a bundle of clothes and other necessities in her arms, halted her fervent dashing at the top of the steps to fearfully gape at her possessed husband. The terrified blonde's lips twitched fruitlessly to speak a coherent plea, but her efforts were cut short at the sound of small, pattering feet.
Both frightened cerulean and shining emerald pupils locked onto Gemma's form as she strode up to her mother's side; a pile of personal belongings tucked into her tiny arms as well. The innocent child directed a look of perplexity up at Stella as she muttered.
"M-mommy? Where are we going-"
"Thy are going nowhere, Gemma…" Anima interjected icily while planting a single foot on the first step; the clunking of his boots echoing dully through the home. His neon irises peeked out from beneath his shaggy, jade bangs and sent jagged daggers into Stella's frozen form. Without tearing away his deathly gaze, the soul robber ordered monotonously.
"Go back into thy's room, Gemma…and leave me and thy's mother alone to…talk…" The last of his sentence rung with a motive much more sinister then what he verbally conveyed, and Stella had undoubtedly detected this with a violent shudder. Gemma appeared to be oblivious to this as she only traded baffled stares between her tense parents before reluctantly beginning to return to her room.
"N-no, Gemma!" Stella cried out feebly as she firmly gripped her daughter's shoulder and pulled her back. Ignoring Gemma's baffled expression, the fair-haired mother gathered as much fury as she could and aimed it at Anima in the form of a harsh glare.
"Move aside, Anima! My daughter and I shall no longer live here!" Instead of bellowing in anger like Stella had fearfully expected, Anima slowly leveled his chilling gaze with hers and muttered gravely.
"No…thy will not…take my daughter from me…and if thy shall not listen, then I'll have no choice…" Stella's heart skipped a beat as her mind raced to decipher the assumption behind this threat.
She gulped as soon as she conjured up a horrid conclusion.
Hand encasing Gemma's in a flash, Stella trotted down the steps with her posture erect and portraying a substantial amount of gall; although all of it was forced. The mother was fully aware that she had to appear fearless and confident in her actions; not only to stand up to Anima, but to also reassure Gemma in this crucial predicament. Her bravado wavered at the lack of reaction from her untamed husband though, and had to discretely grit her teeth to prevent the doubt from showing on her face.
Gemma's legs stumbled clumsily behind her mother as she just barely avoided tripping over each step; uttering unintelligent enquiries all the while. A silent sigh of relief escaped the child once her mother ceased tugging her along and remained standing a single step in distance away from Anima; both parents ogling each other with sporadically varying emotions radiating from their stiff physiques. Even with the advantage of having her feet resting upon a higher level, Stella was still burdened with the necessity of angling her vision upwards to fully take in the soul robber's pale visage.
"Move aside, Anima…" She commanded with a growl lacing her tone. The notion had failed to intimidate Anima in the slightest degree, and the realization chilled Stella to the bone.
The frigid sensation coursing through her increased by multitudes as the jade soul robber allowed a tiny, emotionless smirk to play across his lips.
His emerald orbs flickered anonymously.
"Thy shall not…"
A crushing force compressed into Stella's throat as her feet rose an entire foot off the hardwood surface. Her quivering hand, which was previously wrapped around Gemma's own, slackened it's grip and dangled limply at her side; a fresh round of salty tears cascading down her reddening cheeks.
"M-mom…my…" Gamma gaped in speechless horror and collapsed onto her bottom; her ability to stand presumptuously vanishing at the frightening sight. Anima made no heed to note his daughter's expression however. Doing so with deliberately sluggish motion, the mentally disorientated man brought Stella's flushed countenance within centimeters reach of his pale one and bellowed furiously.
"…Take my daughter away from me!" Treating her body with as much care as a ferocious barbarian, Anima effortlessly tossed Stella aside; her fragile form crashing into the nearest wall with heart wrenching impact. The wife's already throbbing shoulder erupted into an agonized frenzy as it took the full blow while simultaneously emitting a sickening pop.
Her cerulean vision blurred from the pain and only became foggier as she feebly fell to the floor in a trembling heap. A chain of retched coughs and gagging fleeted from her panting lips as Stella held her dislocated shoulder with one hand and slowly raised the other to her throat; timidly running her fingers over the undoubtedly scathing marks left behind by Anima's blazing emerald grip.
Showing little interest in his wife's condition, Anima locked his illuminated gaze onto Gemma's small, shivering form; her childish jade orbs wide with disbelief and insurmountable fear. Opening his arms in a welcoming fashion, the manipulated man approached his child at a snail's pace and cracked a psychotic, yet strangely infatuated, smile.
"Come, my child. Come to thy's father."
Gemma gawked in horror as the insane immortal beckoned for her, but, even as her body naturally jerked forward to eagerly comply at the sound of his voice, the young girl refused to move a muscle.
This was not her father.
Her father was kind, loving, and would never lay a single, violent hand upon her mother. Her father always had a warm and understanding smile upon his handsome face, and his jade locks would accent his features with a sense of serenity.
Instead, what Gemma's quaking irises observed was a lunatic whose form was almost entirely engulfed in the shadows. His sinister hands were reaching out to her; not to scoop her up into an endearing embrace, but to ruthlessly kill her in cold blood. Green flames kindled and flurried from his deadly fingers and casted an evil, eerie glow upon his maniacal smile. Lastly, strands of the soul manipulator's jade locks flared out in wild, random directions. In all truth, Gemma's frazzled imagination presented Anima to be the actual embodiment of death himself.
An ear-piercing shriek escaped Anima's daughter; resulting in the crazed man's grin to falter and became infected with hurt. However, the expression scarcely lasted before it was swiftly supplanted by artificial reassurance.
"Hush Gemma…all is well now. Daddy is here, and no one shall ever try to separate us ever again…" As the psychotic words oozed from his disturbingly sweet smile, Anima's glowing hands continued to inch closer to Gemma; only to halt just as there was a foot in distance between them. An emotion that the green-haired man had never presented until now ebbed into features as he kneeled on the bottom step and looked up at his panicking child: Desperation.
Kendra's nonexistent heart throbbed with pity.
"O-oh god, Anima…you're so confused…"
"…We'll be together forever, Gemma…Just you and me!" He attempted to alter his tone to one of cheeriness in hopes of swaying her daughter, but the action only proved to intensify her terror. Rapidly shaking her head in frightened defiance and on the verge of bellowing yet another fearful screech, Gemma weakly tried to scramble up a step away from her father.
Anima's desperation tripled.
Jumping to his feet and sharply turning to his left, the soul manipulator rushed out of Gemma's sight and into the kitchen; returning moments later with something in his hands.
Gemma's lime green orbs widened in an instant before she unintentionally gasped out in a strained voice.
"Th-that's mine, daddy-"
"Does thy remember?" Anima interrupted with a crazy slur to his voice as a lop-sided smile slithered across his face; pale skin glistening with a thin layer of sweat. He delicately held the pot containing the Sacred Green Thorn Apple within his hands and slowly raised it for Gemma to fully take in.
"Does thy remember, Gemma? Does thy remember that day? I bought this for thy but then…th-then I almost lost thy to the hands of that accursed horsemen!" Perhaps Gemma's own desperation to shatter this warped nightmare was the source of her momentary observation, but she could've sworn that she caught a glimpse of the real Anima lurking behind those shining irises. The glimmer faded as fast as it came though, and Anima never ceased his insane rambling.
"I cherish thy, Gemma! So much so that I knew I'd surely kill myself if that sword had impaled thy!" A strange mixture of a whimper and cackle emanated from him.
"I-I love thy, Gemma! I love thy so much…Please, come to thy's father-"
An enraged cry was followed by a weight colliding into Anima's back; sending both personas tumbling over and sprawled across the floor. Amidst the tackle, the Sacred Green Thorn Apple had flown from the twisted father's hands and met the ground with a loud clang; the porcelain flower coincidentally, and neatly, resting atop the pile of soil and clay pot shards.
Stella groaned as she cautiously rolled onto her uninjured shoulder and delivered a heated glare at Anima.
"Thy stay away from Gemma!" Anima returned a ferocious glare of his own as he propped himself up with his right hand.
"Commanding me to stay away from my daughter…"
Kill, kill, kill, kill!
End her-
Kil-
Blood!
I need her sou-
Blood!
Spill it, bring her soul-
Anima's hand slowly raised, a sphere of sickly green energy enshrouding it and gradually growing in size.
"Anima, stop!" The transfer student snapped fervently.
Violent strings of the emerald aura whipped and crackled about the destructive orb; forcing a fearful flinch out of the wife with each vicious snap.
The noise of electric sizzling overwhelmed the injured blonde's ears as she observed the fatal attack leisurely aim at her helpless form.
Stella's twin cerulean orbs expanded in horror.
Gemma, who still hadn't moved from her location on the stair case, felt her body twitch ever so slightly as Anima's emergent spell casted a wicked jade glow across her mother's frozen frame. Her small lips quivered numbly.
"M-m-mommy…d-daddy…no…"
Kill, kill!
Kill her-
End it!
I command th-
Now!
Kill her An-
Blood!
Kill her!
Anima!
"Gemma belongs to me!" The twisted immortal shrieked madly as his fingers flexed out to almost unnatural angles and surged a final wave of power to the globe of mawkish green aura.
Stella frantically forced herself onto her hands and knees, ignoring the abysmal agony in her shoulder. With a deeply pained grunt, the mother struggled to get on her feet. However, just as she attempted to stand fully straight, the energy in her legs gave out and collapsed to the hardwood floor in devastated defeat.
An intense, whirling buzz filled the atmosphere as the green-haired soul robber's elliptical ray fired from his arm like a powerful canon. Whether or not she currently possessed one, Kendra's heart dropped into the pit of her shared stomach and shrieked desperately.
"No!"
The ball of sinister energy sailed towards Stella at deafening speed.
"Mommy!"
The sound of feet racing.
In a flash, Stella's daughter appeared in front of her; the child's tiny hands reaching for the shell shocked blonde and tears brimming in her terrified eyes.
The thunderous, emerald explosion made impact with something solid; the faintest trace of a wet, fleshy bash mingling within it.
A soul shredding scream ripped from Gemma's throat.
The Sacred Green Thorn Apple was a beacon, a symbol amongst the family of three. It stood as their only evidence and liable proof that there was once a period in their lives that peace was attainable; that everything was in balance. The flower's untainted, beautiful porcelain petals were the utter essence of purity and hope; signifying the nature of love that bonded them as one, loving unity.
It was fact that the tubular flower would close during the day and only open once the sun fell.
And yet…as the blood of a member of that shattered family splattered across the defiled foliage, it has not spread its frosty wings. It had disobeyed the clock of nature, and for that there may be consequences. Sacred Green Thorn Apples were rarely defiant of such a necessary, habitual routine; however, there is always the possibility. The chance to crumble and become lost on the path that nature had destined it for. Such a thing could happen if the flowers are barbarically blemished by another's life essence.
The plant refused to open. It refused to reveal its fuzzy center to the man that had ruined the stability of both his and the majestic floret's life.
Thick, oozing streams of crimson languidly slid down its partially scorched stem; the pile of soil and pot shards utterly destroyed from the moment of detonation.
Stella laid on her side, her mangled back facing the immortal mage and protectively withholding Gemma in her limp, quivering arms. A large hole burned through the cloth on the mother's spinal region; which proved as a pathetic shield for her skin.
The pale complexion of her back was completely nonexistent and replaced with a gut churning burgundy. Riddled with gaping cracks and chipped in numerous places, her vertebral column was visible in all its gruesome grandeur; syrupy rivulets of blood spurting from the tattered flesh and cascading over it in heavy streams. Her entire backside quickly became soaked with the putrid, warm substance; bathing the small fragments of exposed nerves within her spine.
Mouth gaping beyond measure and gagging from the pungent stench dominating her nostrils, Gemma feebly raised a hand; her entire arm shaking violently as the reality of the sight before her slowly sunk in. Her advancements became hindered though as a painful sting radiated from her upper arm. The agony accompanying that sensation was so deep that Gemma was more than reluctant to analyze the damage with her own jade eyes, but had anxiously examined it either way.
Her injury was minor in comparison to her mother's. A small patch of the young girl's shirt was obliterated from making millisecond contact with the optical beam and, because of Stella's swift judgment, had avoided receiving the full blow of it. Her exposed skin arbitrarily alternated between frigid numbness and irritated sweltering as a cluster of blisters swelled upon it.
Gemma winced at the unpleasant burn, gritting her teeth as tears of agony rapidly streamed down her cheeks. She pushed aside her pain however; transfixed on the sensation of tenderly cupping her mother's bloodied and paler than usual cheek.
It felt cold upon contact.
Little heart pounding away at her ribcage, the child's pants grew harsh and sporadic. Her jade irises quaked as they stared helplessly into her mother's navy blue ones; the azure couplets baring resemblance to dead, frozen oceans.
She was encased in the arms of a corpse.
Her mother's corpse.
It had to be a lie.
Her insides clenched painfully as if an entire black hole was holding refuge within it, her eyes burned hotter than an erupting tropical volcano, and yet through it all; a single, coherent thought managed to worm its way into her chaotic mind.
The house was eerily quiet.
How come her father hasn't spoken a single word of remorse? Why hadn't he begged for an apology or at least crumbled into a sobbing heap?
Directing one last, longing stare at her mother's stained visage, Gemma slowly stood on her buckling legs; hissing as the action required brief movement of her burned arm.
Nothing made sense anymore. At one point in her short life, Gemma knew who to trust from the bottom of her heart; her parents and, despite Stella's vehement warnings, her dead grandpa Abeo Tractatori. But now, her world had been turned upside down before being thrown into a twister of cruel fate.
Her blonde bangs cloaked her narrowed pupils; disturbingly mirroring her father's previous glares to a nearly perfect degree. Languidly stepping over Stella's lifeless body, Gemma raised her vision to be met with the sight of her father.
It was at that moment that the child had finally felt seething disgust.
Anima's cheeks were stretched to a painful width as a relieved smile overwhelmed his features. Every pore upon the hide of his tall, lean body oozed suffocating waves of tangible, emerald energy; the influxes waving about erratically in representation of the immortal mage's triumph.
Initially, the child had retracted from the jade aura as it neared her before bravely straightening her posture; Gemma's figure unwillingly flinched every now and then as a flagellated arm of the power wafted against her though. Heat brewed in the pit of her fragile soul until the young girl feared that her heart would literally erupt into a ball of blazing fury.
These emotions felt so wrong to her, and yet, right at that moment, it seemed unfortunately fitting. Fingers curling into her palms to form tiny, trembling fists; Gemma carelessly tossed aside her rare childish wisdom and whispered the only three coherent words she could muster.
"I-I…I…hate…thy…" Anima's smile dropped as his aura drastically receded; leaving just the thinnest layer of it to surround his startled entity.
Gemma's clenching fists tightened as she bellowed in emotional abandonment.
"I-I hate thy…I hate thy, I hate thy, I hate thy, I hate thy! I hate thy!" Retched coughs escaped the broken little girl as she gasped several inhales; allowing her under-developed lungs time to recuperate from such violent and vigorous usage.
Amongst the silence, which was only filled with Gemma's soft ragged pants, the subtle noise of ruffling cloth was heard. Slowly separating her eye lids, not even remembering when they were shut, Gemma cautiously studied her father's movements.
The pale man, who of which had a majority of his figure obscured by the shadows, rested his hands against his cotton clad abdomen before ever so slowly sliding them up to his broad chest. A chain of hollow and fragmented cackles slipped from between his pale red teeth; inhaling a shiver inducing hiss immediately after the unsettling chuckles had faded. Tilting back his angular chin to reveal twin shimmering pools of swirling lime until they locked with Gemma's vision, the jade illumination serving as the only source of light in the deathly silent house pulsed sinisterly.
Kill…
"…Is this true…Gemma…D-does thy…loathe thy's father…" The question had fleeted from his bloody, chapped lips in the form of statement, as the warped parent was fully aware of the bitter truth now.
Take her life-
Kill!
Blood, blood, I need-
Take her sou-
Feed me more-
Blood!
Spill it!
A single tear slid down Anima's left cheek; the salty wetness mingling with the encrusted sheet of crimson plastered across his jaw and neck. He had thought the whispers were gone. He had thought that there'd be no more sacrifices. But now…they craved for yet another soul. It was like their hunger was bottomless.
Feed m-
Kill! Kill, kill-
I need her innocenc-
Soul! Bring it to m-
Blood!
It was unfair…so terribly unfair.
Kill her!
Anima!
Unable to face her father, although Gemma couldn't possibly envision him with the undeserved title, the soul robber's daughter lowered her head and meekly nodded.
"Th-thy is a monster, d…da…" She couldn't do it; it was an impossible feat. Gemma just couldn't call this man her daddy anymore. Releasing a breath of tired defeat, the last of the green haired immortal's family muttered despondently.
"Th-thy is…not my daddy a-anymore…Anima…"
A loud catastrophe of frantic buzzes sharply pierced her small ears. Swiftly looking up to discern the source of resonance, her innocent, jade irises widened as a blinding light overcame her vision-
SHWICK!
Unimaginable and mind numbing pain exploded in little Gemma's torso.
It was as if endless buckets of molten hot lava was being steadily poured into her right lung and rendered her oxygen consumption abilities void. Strangled gasps and gurgling chokes flowed from the panicking child's mouth faster than her actual blood was able to do so. The taste of her fluid gore was excruciatingly revolting, and the urge to exult her bile spiked once the faint distinction of saltiness began to fuse with it due to her rolling tears. With her entire being shuddering as if she was experiencing a fatal seizure, Gemma carefully clasped her hands over the small, gaping hole in her chest; the physical remnant of Anima's finger-width beam.
Using the last of her rapidly depleting strength, Gemma directed Anima an expression of deep betrayal; only for the emotion to become supplant by perplexity at the grown man's countenance.
He looked utterly horrified.
His single, raised finger quivered with sluggishly bubbling emotions; although Gemma couldn't quite tell for sure if they were positive or negative. Finally, a sense of rational sanity began to ebb into his expanded emerald pupils before they shifted around in his head wildly; fruitlessly trying to comprehend the situation he was in as if he had just awoken from a coma.
When his frazzled vision locked with Gemma's dulling one, the child had come to a stunning conclusion.
Unbelievable, she thought.
It was unbelievable that Anima's stability of mind had returned now instead of earlier and sparing the lives of his loved ones.
Unbelievable, she thought once more.
It was unbelievable that, even after all that happened, even after she had witnessed the death of her mother at the hands of the master mage, she was willing to forgive.
She could still call him daddy.
Because Gemma would always love her daddy no matter what circumstance befalls them. A significant, loving glimmer fleeted through the young girl's eyes.
Her lips weakly parted to whisper raspingly.
"Da…ddy…"
Her small body tilted backwards.
Anima was freed of his frozen spell at the heart-shredding sight, and jerked before bursting into a sprint; sliding on his knees and catching Gemma in his sturdy arms. As much as he currently wished to persistently apologize to his wife's dead form after he unintentionally nudged it, the grown man's focus was solely meant for his perishing baby girl.
Long, rough fingers frantically yet gently shook his child's still form as Anima's bottom lip trembled; a tsunami of sentimental frailness crashing into him as the light in Gemma's eyes vanished. The natural arches of her physique slackened and lay unmoving below the soul manipulator.
God…what had he done?
A monstrous claw of misery crept into his chest and engulfed both his and Kendra's heart. Hot tears cascaded down his bloody face; the moist trails on his cheeks seeming to burn the man's skin ruthlessly. Every joint and bone in his shivering body ached beyond measure, as if they had just been on the receiving end of a brutal assault. The soul manipulator's trachea tightly convulsed into itself and was drained of every ounce of fluid; the uncomfortable sensation soon reaching his gaping orifice.
And yet, as these painful things racked his insides, Anima's will power hailed mightier than the devastated emotions trying to consume him. However, he did not long to escape these despondent sentiments. He craved and begged to any deity looking down on him to grant him just one, crucial wish.
Take his powers away. Take it all away and turn back time, to a time when life was simpler. When he was just a man of average mage skill, back to when he could love his family as easily as it is to breathe air, and back to when he was too foolish to realize that his life was perfect.
Kendra had to get out.
Now
She had to get away from all of this or else she'll surely die from the insurmountable despair. She felt helpless as she uselessly existed within the immortal's wrecked subconscious and watched the tragedy unfold. She wanted to do something meaningful, anything at all.
Above all, she wished she could comfort the troubled, immortal soul.
But this time of mourning wouldn't allow her to. Such a meager desire as hers was pathetically insignificant in the face of Anima's raw sorrow.
"...My b-beautiful…little girl…" Curling into the cold, lifeless body of his only daughter, Anima nestled his head into her shoulder; the small region slick with liquescent scarlet. The soul robber's form gently rocked back and forth as he whispered in a breathless mantra.
"Gemma…Gemma…my dear…sweet child…Gem-…" Suddenly breaking from his depressed trance and remembering that his wife's motionless form was only inches away, an audible gasp emitted from him. A moment of reluctance reigned over him, as the man was clearly disinclined to move from his current position, but eventually spared a feeble glance from the confines of Gemma's bloody shirt.
A gag worked its way out of Anima's throat at the grotesque sight of his wife's mauled, burgundy spine. Greatly against his will, the soul manipulator's mind ran rampant with possible scenarios leading up to Stella's ungodly demise; yet he couldn't accurately remember how this catastrophe unfolded. His mouth gaped and trembled as an overwhelming sea of nausea flooded his system; the powerful sensation threatening to force out the acidic contents of his stomach at any moment.
The threat swiftly transformed into a fact as he felt the bile rising on the back of his tongue.
Laying down his deceased daughter's body as tenderly as possible, Anima pivoted away from the two females just as spurts of vomit seeped between his tightly clamped lips; hopelessly trying to hold it in. However, as his cheeks bulged from the build-up of putrid fluid, the master mage could no longer restrain it and released a gurgling choke as it spewed from his mouth. A small puddle of puke grew in front of the green haired immortal; filling his nose with the hot, terrible stench.
The broken man paid no heed to the smell though as he feebly crawled over the mess and approached the kitchen; his sanity darkening with a fleeting, desperate thought.
He must end this pain.
It was just too much to take, and there would never be enough time in the world to heal; even if his time was indeed endless. His glossy, emerald orbs settled on a wooden drawer; gritting his teeth as flashbacks of his wife rummaging through that very compartment when she cooked succulent meals bombarded him.
Pushing off his hands and rising to his knees, he shakily pulled open the drawer and wildly ogled the kitchen utensils.
Spoons
Forks
Ladles
…Knives
Kendra's foreign heart skipped a beat.
A disarrayed noise of metal clashing with each other echoed through the woeful air as Anima's hands frantically fumbled through the utensils until the paddings of his fingers were nicked by something sharp. The lost man ignored the dull sting from his unintentionally contracted scratch as he anxiously extracted a large knife; the blade long and stainless with just the faintest trace of ridges along the edge. Without the wooden handle, the sheer length of it was equivalent to Anima's head.
Resting his back against a row of cabinets, the soul robber slowly angled the kitchen tool over his pounding heart; struggling with all his might to cease his violent trembling.
He knew this action was useless since an immortal could never die.
…But that didn't mean he couldn't experience the pain.
He wanted to undergo the agony that he had wrongfully bestowed upon his family; even his father Abeo. The bipolar mage scientist had been mercilessly blown away by the accursed incantation and crushed under a mountain of splinters because of Anima's naïve desire to become stronger; a knife to the heart was nowhere near as crippling of a death that his wife, father, and daughter had endured, but Anima had another sickening method lurking in his distorted brain.
Focusing back on the glimmering tool of death hovering over his left chest, Anima simultaneously exhaled a sobbing gasp and drove the blade into his ribcage.
SCHLICK…
Numbness drenched each and every nerve end.
A dull ache began to emit from the sight of impalement.
Smoldering agony erupted from his heart.
Kendra screamed as she suffered the same reciprocal pain as Anima's; her voice gaining a scratchy resonance from the enormous and raw volume of it. The soul thief's reaction was far different from the transfer student's however. Crushed, forlorn blends of cackling sobs poured from his slack jaw and racked his hunched body.
So, this is what the deadly combination of emotional and physical pain felt like; this is what Stella and Gemma had gone through. A sudden huff of self-disgust interrupted the man's string of demented chuckling as he slowly released the handle protruding from him.
Out of the corner of his bloodshot eyes, he detected a momentary flash of emerald light emitting from the book shelf; which was strange since he was not the source of it. It did not matter though; nothing else beyond this current predicament would ever matter.
How maddening, Anima had thought, as the overwhelming pain was already beginning to recede as the magic flowing through his veins began to heal him. He could literally detect the uncomfortable sensation of his flesh trying, yet initially failing, to reseal itself around the knife's blade. The success rate of his restoration quickened though as the emerald Casanova yanked it out with another snarl before angrily tossing it aside.
No matter, there was still his second resort of fraught escape, and unfortunately for Kendra, her omniscient abilities made her well aware of what it was.
Sluggishly rising to his feet, Anima approached Stella and Gemma's carcasses. Too dull inside to momentarily care, Anima drearily hauled the females' bodies over an individual shoulder and treaded up the steps. Once he reached the door leading to the master bedroom, he carelessly kicked it open with brute force. His body was running completely on auto pilot now.
The room looked as tidy as ever, and any remnant of the enormous laser that Anima produced a few weeks ago during his battle with the blond that sexually assaulted Stella was promptly removed; all thanks to a crew of experienced construction laborers that were more than happy to assist the famous immortal mage. Anima's glazed jade irises lifelessly roamed his surroundings until they landed on the king sized bed and, just as the man had assumed, it was more than large enough to fit all three of them.
This time, instead of treating their lifeless bodies with nonchalance, Anima carefully placed the girls' under the sheets; Stella's still form on the right of the mattress while Gemma was on the left.
He stood over his murdered loved ones, gazing deeply into their peaceful expressions; which had surely baffled Anima. He could've sworn that the only emotions racing through their minds before death were either pure horror or primal hatred; yet their feminine countenances spoke differently.
They were the strongest pair of girls that he's ever seen.
The feat was almost painful, but Anima managed to rip his eyes from the sight and trudged back downstairs and waltzed into the basement; green orbs lazily searching for a specific canister. Suddenly, his boot just barely grazed against an object and sent a sloshing sound to vibrate through the atmosphere.
Anima found the kerosene.
Wasting little time in tucking the tin under his arm, the master mage strode back up to the first floor and stood in the center of the din; sparing final, nostalgic stares at his surroundings.
He unscrewed the container top and doused the floors in kerosene.
Nothing was left untouched; the furniture, the books, the shelves, Gemma's toys, the kitchen, family photos and anything else that was visible to the eye. However, Anima stopped just as he began to drench the Sacred Green Thorn Apple. Slowly tilting his head, an impulse to preserve the tainted flower overcame him and gently scooped it up into his rough hand.
Kill…
Mana, casually crouching on a high tree branch, observed the seemingly normal cabin; the gunslinger could sense the chaos unfolding inside though. Her sharp eyes narrowed as a familiar, yet chillingly sinister and powerful magic energy seeped from the wooden vicinity.
There was only one person she knew that had that sort of aura.
"…Shit, Kendra-San." With the grace and ease of a veteran warrior, Mana leapt from her position and landed on the forest floor with a solid thud; extracting a simply designed yet supremely powerful handgun in preparation. If it's anything that the shrine maiden had recently learned, it's that whenever a situation involving Kendra's unusual abilities arises, you could never be too safe…
Kill, kill!
More!
I need mo-
Souls!
Those damned whispers were back.
A deep scowl slowly twisted Anima's pale, blood-blotched visage as righteous fury bubbled within him. It took all of his will power not to accidently crush the delicate flower in his hand as the urge to clench them into fists nagged at his reflexes. Releasing a quaking exhale, the soul manipulator's countenance hardened into a mask of bland anger and ventured up the staircase; kerosene can safely tucked under his arm.
Listen to me-
Kill, blood, kill!
I command thy-
The whispers grew in volume after each step Anima took.
More, mor-
More!
Anima!
His form ceased just as it reached half way to the second floor; confliction momentarily lurking within the hind corners of the immortal mage's mind. However, he ignored the devilish temptations and marched forward; a slew of furious declarations posing as his sole source of motivation to keep moving.
"Thy had taken away my father!" His teeth, which were still unbearably sore from earlier, were once again grinding in outrage; and it was one of those peculiar moments in which both Kendra's actions and feelings mirrored Anima's perfectly.
She hissed venomously.
"Ya killed da old man…"
Obey me-
Kill, blood, bloo-
Kill!
"Thy had taken away my wife!"
Anima
I need mo…
Fee…
Kill, ki…
"Ya killed Stella!"
Must ki…
O…bey…
His fist slammed into the wall; sending a thunderous bang to tremor through the house. No more; no longer would he succumb to that split entity's manipulative words. They were nothing more than the animalistic chants of a bloodthirsty demon, the embodiment of all ideals sinister, the taunts of the unholy Satan himself. Anima was left a broken man without a family to lean on because of his idiotic desperation to be freed of these evil whispers; if there was any way he could repent then he'd use all that was in his immortal power to do so. Ridding his psyche of the maniacal murmurs would be his first step.
Kendra, no matter how deeply she contemplated, couldn't recall ever feeling a degree of rage this scathing and colossal. It truly was a moment of emotional unity for the magic sensor and soul manipulator; the hatred, the despair and the remorse, her soul wavered with all of them.
Maybe it was the fact that the transfer student had spent several times conversing with the jade-haired soul robber, or perhaps it was because she was technically melded into Anima's conscious, but her next words matched his flawlessly.
K…ill…
A…ni…
"Thy had taken away my daughter!"
Thin strings of spittle fleeted from the wailing man's mouth; his voice cracking with empowered hysteria. Suddenly, an onslaught of light-headedness rattled Anima's psyche and brought him to his knees; sustaining a weak grip on the wooden rail as the world spun around him. His vision doubled, his stomach suffered another bout of powerful nausea, and his very bones quivered with unforeseen fragility.
Then, it was over.
The symptoms back peddled, receding in intensity until they completely vanished. Anima choked out a sigh of relief as a strangely soothing clarity swept through his entire form. He couldn't quite fathom what had happened to him, but the soul manipulator almost felt like a poison in his system had been erased from existence and the damage to his psyche was being slowly restored.
…
No more whispers; Anima heard none of them. Sweetly missed peace rocketed through the shoots of his immortal veins as he ran a shaky hand through his tangled, emerald tresses. Freedom had never been so blissful in his eyes than at that very moment. From here on out, Anima would see to it to never lack appreciation for the proper control of his subconscious ever again. However, the strong stench of kerosene filled his nostrils and disrupted his train of thought.
The light in his jade eyes dulled with remembrance; the short period of euphoria crashing to rock bottom as images of his family's death bombarded him. Now was not the time to rejoice, and there never would be; only remorse and repenting could be allowed to lurk within his mentality.
Nothing else
Standing once more, Anima ventured up the staircase and approached the master bedroom; a weak sway hidden behind his ridged steps as he also drizzled a trail of the kerosene behind him. Rapidly realizing that his motivation was too low to even sustain balance, the soul robber placed his pale hand upon the edge of the mattress just as he began to fall forward. He could not lose strength now, not yet; there was still work for him to do.
Reestablishing his grip on the kerosene after gently laying the Sacred Green Thorn Apple on the foot of the bed, Anima doused the bedroom floor and furniture with the flammable fuel. The edges of the sheets and comforter soon followed.
Anima surveyed his surroundings in case he had missed something, but then immediately nodded in confirmation that he hadn't. Carelessly tossing aside the canister, and not even flinching as a stream of the substance escaped from the opening and splashed across the side of his face, the jade immortal crawled onto the bed and rested between Gemma and Stella; his bland countenance facing the dark ceiling. He gently grasped the tainted Sacred Green Thorn Apple in his long, sturdy fingers and positioned it over his heart. His form closely resembled that of a corpse prepared for its ceremonial burying.
A deafening period of silence overcame Anima's senses, as if his universe had frozen in this deciding moment.
Anima raised his right hand and blasted a small, frenetic sphere and collided with a nearby dresser; alighting it into a growing family of flames. His emerald eyes warily followed the trail of the inferno as it engulfed the entire row of drawers and then proceeded to greedily spread across the floorboards before creeping through the door.
Soon it would reach the stairs.
Then the din
And then the kitchen
And then the entire house
The fire was traveling fast and, as Anima took faint notice of this, a ruby glow began to obscure the darkness of the house. The soul manipulator slowly reassumed his previous position of clasping the porcelain flower over his heart and calmly fluttered his watery eyes closed; his emerald orbs already stinging from the smoke billowing in the atmosphere.
He knew he wouldn't die. He's an immortal; but what other form of punishment could he possible conjure? Burning to death was a terrible and agonizing death, and Anima was well aware of the fact that he'd feel every second of it until the flames would die out. In a twisted, yet somewhat true way, he could almost pretend as if this scenario was actually his soul suffering in the abyss of hell; just like he deserved.
Yes, this punishment would be horrible.
Coughs rattled Anima's chest as the oxygen in the air rapidly depleted.
But would it be horrible enough? Would Anima finally experience some foreclosure? No, now that Anima pondered more deeply about it, it wouldn't.
Smock filled every room of the house as sweat beaded down his face.
If even this wasn't enough, then Anima would find a way-he will find a way. If punishing himself for his vile, heartless actions is not the way, then perhaps punishing other rotten souls is his only solution. Yes, it all made clear sense now.
The putrid stench of burning flesh flooded his nose, and Anima didn't have to crack open his eyes to know that Gemma and Stella's motionless bodies were finally being roasted in the fire. Soon, the immortal would be cooked alive.
Kendra understood now.
She knew what Anima really is now. He is not an ignorant being. He is not a monster.
But he also isn't just a loving father or a man cursed with the cruelest of fates. No, he is much more than that; and now it is greatly evident to the magic sensor.
Flames began to tauntingly lick at Anima's sides. The house's support beams groaned and creaked as the fire ate away at them.
Kendra knows what Anima is.
And she has discovered what she is as well.
"Anima…"
Searing heat crawled over the skin of his cheeks.
Kendra's eyes scrunched together tightly as the blitzkrieg of pain began.
She blacked out.
There was no speck of light…
"Dammit boyo, are you just gonna sit there?!" Evangeline screeched angrily as the intermingling dome of energy became enveloped in a dance of crackling electricity. The chibi vampire snarled as she witnessed the strings of circuitry lash out at its surroundings and leave smoking craters in multiple spots of her precious cabin. She swore to any deity that existed that she'd kill Negi herself if he didn't bring an end to this chaos soon; even if Kendra was literally on the brink of snapping the child wizard's arm in two.
Zazie had already distanced herself away from the circle as soon as the voltage had twined around Kendra and Negi. Her tan hands were buried in her cotton hair as frustration and overwhelming worry flooded her system; she couldn't protect her lover no matter how hard she tried. It was failure after failure, and continuing to witness the expressions of pain ebbing into Kendra's dark visage was driving her demonic instincts up the wall.
Turning sharply at her panicking classmates, Zazie pleaded shakily.
"W-we have to do something, please! We have to help Kendra!" It took all of Zazie's control not to snarl in fury as no one immediately stepped forward to even attempt something, but then allowed a slightly startled look to appear on her face as a peculiar student slowly pulled out her pactio card.
"It's a stretch but hell, let's give it a shot! Adeat!" Yuna declared heatedly as both her form and card momentarily became illuminated in a blinding light. Once the light died, the dark haired athlete adorned her long trench coat, knee high boots, and shorts strapped to a snug corset. Twirling in each hand were her magic guns, Iris Tormentum.
Leveling her advanced aim with the unstable sphere, Yuna narrowed an eye and applied pressure on the trigger.
Evangeline's eyes widened as they landed on the basketball player's activated artifact. Her mouth gaped as she hastily called out.
"Wait! Stop you idi-"
Shots were fired.
"Fuck!" Evangeline cursed loudly as the magic bullets simply became absorbed by the bi-colored dome and sent erratic ripples through it. Not a moment later, an electric green blob began to swell on the surface before rocketing straight for Yuna.
Yuna watched as the attack sailed straight for her; eyes wide in stunning disbelief. Just as the giant jade globe was inches from her abdomen, she murmured lowly.
"Oh sh-"
FWOOOM!
"Auuuuuugh!"
"Yuna!" Makie screamed in horror as her friend's body was sent flying back and crashed into the nearest wall; her injured physique limp and unconscious on the hardwood floor. Hazy, transparent traces of steam rose from Yuna's severely burned stomach.
Gnashing her teeth in irritation, Evangeline sharply turned to Konoka and commanded loudly.
"Oi, princess! Go heal her!" Initially wincing from the harshness of her voice, Konoka firmly nodded before quickly jogging to Yuna's side; an intensely worried Makie kneeling over the unconscious basketball player all the while. If the red head gymnastics girl wasn't panicking earlier, then she was now at the sight of her friend's charred wound.
"Don't attack the shield! It'll only make things worse!" Evangeline commanded over the shrill buzzing running through the atmosphere.
"So…I guess my magic cancelling bullets are out the question then?" Without even glancing behind her to discern the source of the new voice, the blonde blood sucker grumbled bitterly.
"Unfortunately so. That immortal bastard's power can't be matched." Mana narrowed her eyes in annoyance; as she was not amused with the thought that her beloved weapons were actually useless for once. She then rolled her eyes in exasperation as the girls next to her jumped in surprise from the gunslinger's sudden appearance, 'I walked through the door for Kami's sake…' She drawled inwardly.
Negi felt like a full grown elephant was sitting on his arm and slowly crushing it into oblivion. To the stunned and helpless onlookers, it was obvious that the child wizard should at least attempt to pry off Kendra's insanely powerful grip. Negi initially had the same thought as well, but not even seconds after the magic sensor's dark tone hand wrapped around his appendage did the blinding pain effortlessly destroy his last shred of wisdom. He was literally reduced to the mindset of a harmless, suffering ten year old boy staring into the horrifying eyes of some supernatural monster. Streams of sweat cascaded down his temples as the heat within the bi-chromatic dome steadily increased.
The fear and pain was crippling.
Just as Negi was about to bellow another yelp of agony; his astonishment promptly shoved it back down his throat. The pressure upon his arm disappeared as Kendra's hand fell slack at her side; exposing the young boy's appalling, swollen bruise. A twinge of trepidation leaked into the pit of Negi's stomach as a significant silence rung in his ears; which was quite condescending since the buzzing was still raging on strong. Negi's brown eyes nervously shifted to glance at the expressions adorning the Ala Alba members' eclectic faces.
Each and every one of them was overcome with varying degrees of speechless horror and anxiety.
Zazie's own border-lined soul shattering.
With the knot in his abdomen now growing even larger, Negi looked down at Kendra and had instantly choked out a gasp of worry.
The magic sensor's body lay limp and unsettlingly motionless on the couch. The light in her now hazel eyes had considerably dulled to the point that her visage almost resembled that of a corpse. At first glance, the transfer student's chest didn't seem to rise and fall; as if she wasn't even breathing.
Zazie's knees buckled.
"…Ken…dra…"
She knew she was jumping to conclusions, but the Hanyou just couldn't battle the wave of despair crashing into her. There was no doubt that the sight before her would haunt her in the near future; for never in the tan demon's life would she want to witness her lover in such a grave condition.
The sinister green hue was still swimming about the pactio circle though, thus providing small, yet much needed, comfort to Zazie's frazzled mind. She was aware of one thing however; that this had to end.
Now
"Negi-San" Her low voice sharply pierced the chaotic hum pounding against everyone's ears. Feebly responding to the call of his name, Negi locked his shaky, apologetic gaze with Zazie's; he just couldn't help but feel that he was to blame for Kendra's lifeless apparel.
Maybe it would've been right to at least utter a few words of reassurance first, but Zazie could care less about that right now. Her tan countenance hardened into an indomitable frown as she voiced the dreaded command.
"You have to kiss her, Negi-San…"
"But-"
"Do it!" Squeaking in surprise from the coldness of Zazie's tone, Negi fearfully nodded and then faced Kendra once more. A millisecond moment of hesitance held captive of his body before he gulped, scrunched his eyes closed, and lowered his head.
His lips pressed onto Kendra's.
A full ten seconds passed, and yet nothing had happened. The magic sensor's lips felt cold against Negi's, but he relented against the awkward sensation and held contact. He couldn't lose his new student, he couldn't fail her-
The dome wavered erratically, cords of electricity whipped and lashed out wildly, just barely grazing a few of the students, and the buzzing grew to maddening volumes until the sphere suddenly dispersed with an earth-shattering boom. A ring of melded jade and lavender rippled through the cabin and threw everyone off their feet; extending out farther into the forest and fading once it expanded to nearly a mile in perimeter.
Amazingly, the wooden vicinity had remained intact and appeared unscathed from the detonation.
"Gah…fuck me…" Evangeline, who was sprawled out on her back, hissed under her breath as she propped herself up on her elbows. Her eyes squinted in an attempt to adjust and allow her vision to recuperate; that blast had jarred her senses ruthlessly.
However, once her eyes began to discern what was in front of her, an astonished smirk graced her pale features.
"Well I'll be damned, boyo…"
"I know," Negi started as he slumped to the floor in relief and leaned back against couch; a tiny smile also plastered across his cheeks as he held up two cards in his hand.
"…I think this is the first time I've ever seen someone get two cards."
"Ugh…" Zazie, along with the rest of Ala Alba for that matter, groaned before sitting up and massaging her eyes. Once she was sure that her irises were fine, the tattooed Hanyou cautiously cracked them open and immediately latched them onto Kendra's form.
A tear slid down her cheek.
The magic sensor was no longer staring inertly at the ceiling, but instead appeared to be sleeping. It was evident that her breathing pattern was normal as well, and a neutral look had made home upon her face. It had seemed that all forms of her previous pain had finally vanished.
As the stress of the day all came rushing back to Zazie in one foul swoop, she caved in to the pressure and unceremoniously flopped onto her back.
"Thank you, Kami"…
BOO-YAH! Yes! I finally got Kendra a pactio card! And hah, bet you guys didn't think I'd give her TWO did ya? Lol, I'm so hype right now! XDDD
Anyways, this is most definitely the longest chapter of my story SO FAR...that's right, I said so far. You never know with these chapters...Oh! Here are some translation thingies!
Leono is derived from the Latin name Leon, which means Lion. And the general idea of a Lion is that it's the King of the Jungle.
King of the Jungle=Leader=Clan Head=Leono.
Aldren is derived from the name Alden, in which its Anglo-Saxon meaning is Defender.
Finally, Goro has a Japanese origin and can mean either Fifth Son or Enlightened Son. Depending on this story, I was leaning more towards Enlightened Son because of Goro's job to gather information for his master Leono.
Now then, if you would please...
CLICK THE REVIEW BUTTON -_-
