A shuffle of footsteps could be heard, and a sinister laugh was heard through a grimy brick wall, as a dark shadow emerged from the ground and surrounded the witch. Electric currents helped swallow the witch in a shield of black, as the raven-haired man hurled all the black energy towards the two hunters. Shots were aimed, but it all fell useless as soon as it made contact with the shield.
"Robin, you have to take cover." Amon mumbled to a blonde-haired girl with stunning azure eyes. She knew she wanted to flee, but couldn't leave Amon. Her dark heavy trench coat ruffled from the wind speed of energy given off by the witch. They both shielded their eyes from the storm of dust hurling towards them. Robin coughed, finding pockets of air to breathe through.
"No Amon. You forget, this is my hunt too."
He nodded to his partner. He fumbled the orbo, which hung, off his neck, feeling the cold, pulsing liquid sloshing against the glass case, chilling his fingers. He aimed his gun.
"All right then Robin. I'll cover you." He watched the darkly-dressed woman go in front of him, the familiar sparks in her eyes which he'd so many times before.
Back at the STN-J, Michael sat at his usual place on the computer. His fingers tapped furiously on the keyboard, looking up their index for the witches in existence at the moment. Loud rock music blasted into his ears, and he crunched on a bag of chips. Dojima accompanied him in this otherwise dark abandoned room, and on the reflection of the computer screen, he could see her applying make-up: eyeliner, he guessed, since she'd brought up earlier that she'd finally found a shade that complemented her complexion.
His eyes scanned the many things popping up on his screen. Through his tinted glasses, he clicked on a blue link. "Hey, this is the witch Amon and Robin are hunting right now isn't it?"
"Hmm?" Dojima snapped her pocket-mirror closed and crossed the room and looked over Michael's shoulder. He pulled the earbuds out of his ears and pointed to the screen.
"I think that would be it. Gasurachi Konto, one of the witches we know of that posses an unknown craft."
"Yeah, look, he's been classified as extremely dangerous. Why did we send Robin and Amon there?" Michael slammed the desk.
"Calm down Michael." Dojima said consolingly. "They probably just labeled him just now when they found out which one escaped. Call Amon. If you're lucky, they might not have even arrived at the site."
It was one of the ones that had escaped from the STN-J's holding centre. They were able to put on a tracker, but nothing else. They didn't get to write down any details of his craft, or anything else besides his name. There wasn't even a photo. Michael remembered when they received an urgent call for them to hunt the witch. Their machinery was destroyed by the witch's powerful aura. They probably just examined the damage, which gave them enough information to classify this witch as such.
Michael grabbed the phone and hit the speed-dial. No luck. "Amon… come on! What's wrong with you?" His eyes scanned the profile frantically. He read all the information which wasn't left blank. "Gasurachi Konto" "Element classified as Dark" "Possesses strong telekinetic powers." "Instant translocation" The words seemed to jam into his head as he kept hitting redial.
"Pick up… pick up…"
A spark of embers held the exploding witch off temporarily as Robin held Amon's hand in her lap. He was fighting the pain, yes that was quite clear. But though he was in excruciating torture, he still gripped the gun- his faithful gun which tried to defend him, but failed.
The ringing tones of Michael's pathetic attempts to save them fell upon deaf ears with all the ruckus going on. Robin adjusted her glasses, and felt the wound upon Amon's chest pumping a glove of crimson onto her hand, which lay on top.
The witch was going out to control. It was madness, and she had no strength to stop it. Very faintly, she heard a tone coming from Amon's trench coat pocket. Uncertainly, she fished it out of his pocket and flipped it open. Twelve missed calls, she read quickly.
"Hello." Her soft voice reached the receiver and drifted to Michael's ear.
"Robin? What's going on! That witch is classified as extremely dangerous! You have to get out now!" His voice seemed panicky.
"Okay Michael, We'll…"
The line went dead. Robin's hand was singed as a black shadow shot the cell-phone out of her hand and smashed into little pieces on the floor just as Robin's barrier gave out. She gently laid Amon back onto the ground and stood up. Her lenses on her glasses flashed, reflecting her stunning azure eyes, which showed no fear.
"Stop this." The witch of few words hurled shots of flames towards the gray-skinned teen. He smirked wickedly. Robin saw his lips move under his breath. All seemed silent as his chants got louder and louder. Terror seemed to grow out of Robin's eyes as she recognized the words.
"Azuke Matrice Struluve Hazuqve…"
Her blood has run cold and stopped, and her whole being became faint. She turned to Amon instinctively and saw his limbs disappearing. No. They were being eaten. By shadows. "Shadow magic." He recognized the words. Her own blood-bathed hands, once pale and prim, were now becoming faded.
She couldn't feel the ground under her. She felt like her circulation had been cut off, and a wispy, airy feeling ran through her. She looked down at Amon. Now, only his torso remained, and she noticed she also was almost gone. He was still chanting, and she felt the words come to her lips.
"Sunolch Pauvrice Kushavst…"
But she too was gone into the abyss, along with Amon. Only the sound of the chant still rung in her ears.
An MP3 player shattered a nearby mirror just as Sakaki and Karasuama entered the bleak room. Dojima was on the couch, her legs tucked underneath her, twirling a blonde strand of hair around a fair-skinned finger. Michael sat in his usual spot in front of his computer, his head held in his hands.
"Miho…" Karasuma was startled to hear Dojima's trembling voice. "Michael thinks Amon and Robin are in trouble. We need to check out the site of the hunt." She nodded, as well as Sakaki. They pulled back on their coats and headed for the door.
"We'll find them Michael. We won't let this go to waste."
The pools of azure opened, allowing Robin to look around the realm she was in. It was a black abyss, and only she and Amon were here. "Amon." That's right, she thought as she rushed to his side. It appeared he'd lost so much blood that he was beginning to look paler than usual. Only the orbo had kept him safe from the wild witch's powers, but it hadn't been witch powers that had injured him so.
The powerful wind. So strong, it could send a speeding bullet right back at you. Robin could still hear the cackling.
"Konto!" she cried. "Release us!"
"Sena, there shall be nothing to help you escape this place. Not even your words can save you now!"
Shadows made clawed forms and scratched at them. It seemed to take a physical shape- not just a faint two-dimensional form of someone. They lived. The Abyss of the Shadows. Robin knew. She knew this place so well.
Amon. He wouldn't be able to survive this place for long in this condition. The shadows could kill him any moment, and he'd be joining them. Alone in this grave of darkness. His breathing was raspy, and she watched him open his eyes.
"You should've taken cover." were his few exhausting words.
He made to stand up. A true man doesn't lie on a woman's lap in times of need. But she pulled him back once he felt the incredible pain.
"Amon. You're bleeding. Lie still or else they might get you." His blood ran cold. He was immobile. Or it would seem so. He didn't want to leave her.
Robin rose her head. "Masaze omenos." She spoke calmly in her strange language. Amon was confused, how Robin knew the strange language. He'd heard the strange echoing words, though his eyes were shut tight. He felt guilty, that he was supposed to be protecting Robin. But now, it wasn't to be. If they wanted to get out of here alive, he'd have to trust her.
Automatically, the distinguished figure of Gasurachi Konto appeared, with his chestnut-brown hair and denim jeans and jacket. The air pulsed but Robin didn't budge. "You summoned me Robin." He spoke in the same ancient language. "You know this place was forbidden. Why did you open it? Not even Methuzela dared to open it." Robin breathed.
"You speak such nonsense. I didn't open it. I merely swung it wider. You know it was you who opened it. Your mind is out of control… and you know this place. And you'll end up here anyways." She seemed to hang her head. She knew he was right.
"You're right. But why did you wish to open the gateway. You know how dangerous it is for humans."
"I'm not like you Robin." He spoke with a slight lisp, but Robin didn't seem to notice. "I don't fear the Dark abyss like all others. I embrace it. These are my brothers and sisters. And you're going to join us." And a shadowed claw grabbed Robin away, holding her by the limbs, nailed to the cross of her fate as Amon watched in silent horror.
Sakaki, Karasuma, and Dojima arrived in the back alley where they tracked Robin and Amon last. They looked at the scene. Scorch marks covered the walls and floor, and the bullets from Amon's pointless firing fell lifeless on the floor. Still the smell of burning metal filled the air, but the alley was deserted.
"What in the name of hell happened here?" Sakaki said, gasping at the state of the area. Karasuma crouched down to the floor, and drew in a breath.
"Nobody move."
Dojima and Sakaki looked questioningly at her, but stopped anyways. "The ground. See how it has a wave pattern? They also have symbols in the centre of the source.
"Azuke Matrice Struluve Hazuqve"
They were written in scrawny writing, some letters backwards, some upside down. But it was readable. "What's that?" asked Dojima curiously. She whipped out her camera and took a few pictures. "I'm sending these to Michael for scanning." She said as they left the site, their blood run cold, and wonder in their minds.
Where were Amon and Robin?
"Stop." Amon stood before Robin. He faced Gasurachi with burning eyes. "Release her!"
Gasurachi cackled softly. "Oh Amon… I don't think you understand." He drifted towards Amon so that they were almost nose-to-nose. "See, the Abyss of Shadows poses no threat to witches, only humans. The shadows feast upon your flesh. And soon, you'll become one of us. And Amon. I don't think you're full witch."
Amon stopped. He looked up at Robin, who looked at him with sad eyes. "Robin… is this true?" she nodded, as is she'd failed him.
"I'm sorry Amon." She sobbed. He watched the shadows release her, as she fell to the floor. Amon, his time just about run out, fell to his knees.
He wasn't afraid of death. That wasn't it. But he'd lost enough blood to go numb, and his life was almost up. His time was running out. Robin crawled feebly to Amon, tracing the outline of his face with a pale, slender finger.
"Amon… I'm sorry I dragged you into this."
"Who it that?" Amon breathed.
"An ancestor. Reincarnation. Oh Amon, he hates me! He knows he can't destroy me in the Abyss of Shadows, but he thought he could destroy me by destroying the one I love!"
She suddenly put a finger over her lips. She'd said too much. "I'm sorry Amon… I never told you. But what would you think of me? I didn't dare give you a sign." Two solitary tears slid down her cheeks. Amon wiped them away. He drew his face to hers, and they felt a brush of the lips together. There was no time to embrace. No time, for the sands of time for Amon had come to its last grains.
"Don't ever be afraid again."
His breathing was shallow as it faded. Robin could do nothing but throw her weeping body over his and kiss his lips sweetly. "I love you Amon. I truly do love you." His physical being then faded into the shadows, becoming one with Robin's surroundings.
With no reason to dwell there any longer, she brought herself back to reality, leaving Amon behind to watch her in solitude for eternity.
"Robin!" Robin found herself back in the STN-J wrapped in a hug with Dojima. She pushed her away, and Dojima stepped back, confused.
"I'm sorry. Amon's been terminated in the hunt."
She could say no more. The tears slid down her face. She left the building after saying those few words. Letting no one ask questions. She hadn't the courage to face them.
She fumbled with the keys to her restored apartment. And she ran for the comforts of her room and flung herself on the bed. Never before had she felt such pain. Her cursed heritage. Her ancestors. All haters of humans. She hated everything. Even the ancient witch language, which rolled freely off her tongue.
She coaxed herself to drift to sleep.
Her mind wandered free, and unprotected. To where she first opened the Abyss of Shadows. This was her doing, and now Amon was stuck there. For eternity he shall watch her drift in and out, and she would never know he was there. She regretted everything.
"Oh Amon… I'm sorry. But I promise you. I shall have my revenge."
And she drifted off to her dreams to visit her secret love's lonely grave.