Chapter 30: White

Hello everyone, I'm back!

It is with pain in my heart that I must tell you this will be the final arc. But do not worry, I still have some very interesting events planned for this arc.

Plus, you can say hello to a 'younger' Alfred on his first day to school in this chapter. :)

And for some questions regarding our beloved demon to finally be answered.

xoxox

Beginning of Arc 4.

xoxox

Ah, the first day of school! Alfred never would have thought he'd be this excited over it, and yet here they were.

"Al, stop jumping," Matthew giggled, holding his pet polar bear close to his chest.

"Can't! I'm too excited!" the other laughed, looking up at the gigantic school building of Monster High. "Come on, let's go already!"

Without waiting for his twin Alfred raced inside, his backpack swinging dangerously behind him. Running through the hallways, exploring as much of the school as he could before it was time for his very first class. And inevitably getting lost, of course.

"Okay… I just have to go left here to go back the way I came. Or was it right? No- no, it was left." … "Shit."

He sprinted around another corridor, almost knocking a child over in the process.

"Oi, Birdie!"

Alfred whipped around so fast he lost balance. He searched for the source of that shout, and discovered it came from a fourteenish-year-old werewolf with almost pure white hair and flaming ruby-reds. The wolf was grinning at him until their eyes locked, then he frowned.

"Wait a minute, you're not Birdie… Oh, you must be his twin then!"

Alfred squinted his eyes in confusion, then gasped. "You're Gilbert!" he yelled, dramatically pointing a finger at the albino.

Gilbert nodded and posed, fletching his muscles. "The one and only!"

Alfred knew his brother had been texting with a werewolf he met on the internet who called him Birdie. This specimen seemed to fit the description quite nicely, even though Gilbert and Matthew were nothing alike from what he gained. But Alfred took an instant liking to him.

"Dude, your eyes are cool!"

"You mean awesome!" the wolf laughed, sounding like a mixture between a dog and a dying snake.

"Yeah, sure! Oh, and the name's Alfred by the way. Alfred F. Jones."

They shook hands, officially starting a friendship that would grow unbreakable over the years.

"So Gilbert, you know the way around school here? I kinda lost my brother somewhere, and we were supposed to meet up with my friend Arthur here in the cafeteria…"

Gilbert grinned, pointing a thumb at his own chest.

"Of course I do! I'm already in my second year, after all. Follow me, I'll bring you right to them!"

And with that he sped off, barely manoeuvring himself between two duelling witches (who got detention on their first day of school, way to start the new semester). Alfred skidded after him, thanking the gods his whitish hair was so easy to spot. That is until he didn't pay attention for a second, one single measly little second, and bumped into someone. Or more like crashed, as the impact had him falling to the ground.

The first thing he noticed was that the other was cold as hell. The tiny touch had him shivering like someone swimming in a tub of ice water, which was very strange considering he hadn't felt any temperatures in all the years he had been alive (or, well, unalive).

"C-cold!" he whined, slapping his arms around his chest.

The second thing he noticed was how everything had gone silent. While the students were chattering and laughing before, no one was speaking now. That was what made Alfred look up at the person he'd just run into.

Staring down at him was the tallest creature he had ever seen, ever. He had to keep looking up and up and up, following a large oversized grey trench coat, the silky lines of a scarf, a broad chest, and then finally he reached the other's face. The moment he saw this creature's eyes, he had to resist the almost irresistible urge to start hissing.

The being was staring down at him with dark, glowing, cold violet eyes. They were wide and fluorescent, pupils huge and cat-like. His expression was unreadable, mouth hidden by a scarf and hard lines forming around his particularly large nose. Eyebrows scrunched together in something that could only be anger, or at least from Alfred's point of view.

But he didn't back away. He didn't hiss, he didn't growl, he didn't scramble up and run. Instead, he pasted on his biggest toothpaste commercial smile and spoke.

"Sorry for that big guy, didn't see ya there! I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?"

The creature remained silent, not even blinking as he kept staring at the fallen vampire. Alfred felt his smile straining, their eyes locked in some sort of staring match. He had no idea who this new person was, but he felt as if he had seen those purple jewels somewhere before. Which couldn't be possible, since he'd never met anyone with that unordinary eye colour, but still…

"Alfred."

The teen looking over his shoulder, finding Gilbert staring at him with a horrified expression. He quickly got up, sending one last glance at the tall creature.

"Well… Bye, I guess."

And with that he spun on his heels and ran off, following Gilbert around a corner.

…

No, it couldn't be… It couldn't possibly be him… Could it?

But how? How was this possible? Ivan was sure that he…

This, this had to be a trick, or a… a…

"Alfred?" he whispered, not even attempting to keep quiet, as no one paid attention to him while they raced past his broad figure, careful to avoid touching him or coming too close.

He needed to investigate this right now.

…

"Dude, are you insane?" Gilbert hissed.

"What? Why?"

The two teens were sprinting down another hallway, and Gilbert was absolutely pissed for some reason or other.

"Don't you know who that is?!"

"No, how could I? This is my first day, remember?"

The werewolf glanced around, making sure no one saw them, and then suddenly pulled Alfred into a broom closet.

"Hey!" the blond yelped, but Gilbert slapped a hand (or paw, as he called them) over his mouth.

"Listen, and listen closely. What I am about to tell you is very important if you want to survive Crack High, understand little vamp?"

'Little vamp?! I'm like almost five years older than you biologically!'

Alfred nodded before pulling himself free, not liking it when he was restrained.

"That demon you just bumped into? He goes by the name Ivan Bragisnky. And believe me Alfred, if there is one creature you absolutely do not want to mess with, it has to be Ivan motherfucking Braginsky." (He had a very bad case of potty mouth for someone his age.)

"Why?" Alfred asked, curiosity peaking.

"There are rumours about that guy. From day one he's acted like a total creep, avoiding others and giving them a dead-stare if they dared talk to him. And he always has this creepy smile, as if he just murdered someone and only he knows. They say he hunts on children, killed his own family, and that even the teachers are scared of him!"

A ripple tore through Alfred's body, and he frowned.

"So he's like a bully then? Okay, I'll remember not to be nice to him again then. Still… You sure he did everything they said?"

"Without question," Gilbert declared solemnly.

…

It WAS him. Alfred… The human teenager who had made him see the light, who had thought him about friendship and the human way of living, who had shown compassion to a stranger, the single reason he didn't succumb to his inner demon(s) that day.

The one he thought had died. But now he was alive again.

Ivan hid in the shadows when the two teens passed by him, amethysts nearly bulging out of their sockets in his effort to keep track of them.

Alfred. Alfred.

'It is so good to see you again, sunflower.'

(But it would take him years to warm up to this new Alfred, to let down his guard and show his true self, tell his secrets, befriend his previous friend and show him how much he needed that little ray of sun.)

xoxox

Ivan Braginsky was a troubled creature, much more troubled than Alfred could ever have imagined. He and his two sisters had come here from Russia as fugitives of sorts. And they were running for two reasons.

One: the iron rule of their so-called 'grandfather', a demon who called himself General Winter. He was a powerful being of ice and snow, roaming the lands of Siberia and loathing the very existence of humans. He had subdued Katyusha's powers of spring and fertility, tried to take away Natalia's fighting spirit. After all, the weaker they were, the more power he had (or so they reasoned). No one had ever taught him about equality or living in peace with others, he only knew destruction, and how to take take take.

The general found Ivan when he was just a newborn, raw and fresh, unknowing of the dangers that lay beyond the frozen tundra. Winter saw the potential this young demon had and took him in, tried to train him, make him the ultimate weapon. Not a weapon used for war, but something like his own personal guard dog. Unable to feel pain, unable to pity the weak, a shield of flesh and bone.

The general also tried to protect Ivan from himself by making him stronger. For he knew the darkness lying in Ivan's heart.

You see, there was a second reason the siblings fled to America. Not only did they want to run from Winter's claws, from his more than strict regimes and violent outbursts.

That reason was Ivan. They fled with him, for him, from him. Or not him, exactly.

They fled from the demon possessing him.

You see, there is a certain hierarchy in demon species. Elemental demons, mythological demons, demons of emotions and religion. Above that, there were what could be called their leaders, Demon Kings, creatures so powerful they were called Gods and Angels of destruction. So well-known they reached human books; Loki, Lucifer, Legion.

Ivan would know all about these demons. For one had decided to make its home inside his body.

The reason for this act was very simple. The day Ivan was born, he died. A child of light and sun cannot survive in the cold depths of Siberia, without clothes, without any developed powers, without someone to protect them. Before little Ivan could even open his eyes to see the wonders of Mother Earth, he passed away.

Whether it was luck or a curse that made his current host visit, that he'll never know. But right after he died, before his spirit could fully leave his body, this Demon King took notice of the boy. A creature of light, a being with strength, the perfect opportunity. This demon decided to give little Ivan a bit of his own blood, reviving him and giving him new powers. When young Ivan took in his first breath of air, he was no longer solely a Sunflower Demon. He still had the light of his ancestor, still had his true powers stored away, but he was more now. A being of ice and shadow, overtaken by his new host. And what a host it was.

Ivan's life hadn't been easy up until that day, the day he and his sisters decided to run to America. Having a demon possessing you both has its pros and cons, some major advantages and peculiar disadvantages.

The good thing about having his new host around was that he was a lot stronger now. Not only could he take more pain before reaching his limit, he could heal faster, had more diverse powers, and most importantly, he became even more indestructible. All demons have a weakness, but through his host a lot of those were eliminated.

Then there were the cons. Having a demon host means they want something in return for the powers they give you. True, Ivan was stronger, Ivan could live, Ivan could protect his sisters. But now, he needed to protect his sisters. From himself. Because his host wanted sacrifices. Needed sacrifices in order to survive inside Ivan's body. Blood and flesh was all that could appease the demon within him. It also tried to control Ivan at times. Trick him into doing what it wanted, hurt those he loved, repress his emotions and make him more vulnerable to insanity.

The black blood could not survive without a host, but Ivan would not have survived without it, nor could he get rid of it. Not without help at least, as every time he tried the demon made him stop.

This is why they ultimately fled to the shores of the US. To get away from the cold and the darkness, from the white snow that had been stained red one too many times. To find sunflowers, the gift of Ivan's quote-unquote mother, in hope that the light would be able to diminish Ivan's powers and bring peace to his soul. If he could surround himself with the one thing the black blood within him despised, maybe he could keep it from brainwashing him.

Many years they lived there, helped by the only three 'friends' they made, kind enough to teach them the language and some basic human skills they still lacked. Ivan mourned the loss of everyone he had killed, for every single sacrifice he had to make to his host. He saw no silver lining, saw no reason to keep existing. Here, his sisters were safe from General Winter, so he wouldn't need to protect them from him (not that this made Ivan any less overprotective). Here, he finally realized how purposeless his life had been. Killing and training, either working for the general or trying and failing to defy his will. That is what he had been doing for almost a century.

What use was living when all you knew was how to survive?

And then he met Alfred.

And then he met Alfred…

Alfred, a simple human being. Alfred, a young man, not even out of his teens, with sparkling eyes and a smile full of energy and life. Alfred, who thought him about humans and excitement and friendship and how to give yourself a purpose. Alfred, who called him handsome and said he had pretty eyes.

Alfred, who disappeared from his life just as sudden as he came.

And now, here he was once more.

And this time, Ivan would make sure he didn't leave again.

xoxox

Tip of the day
Song: Sail - Awolnation
Story: American Bulldog - SomeNavyRecruit (America likes to see others fights. More than likes it. Russia finds out, and is more than happy to put that new info to good use. Really yummy smut ensues.)