NOTE- Hey for that black mist thing, imagine venom but with a lot of volume and if it touches a normal person they'll kinda disintegrate. Also anything in this story is not real, neither is related to a real person. And I've updated the third chapter, so check it out cause something's had been changed.

Unknown time period :

Amaya Kurahashi had a dream, to unfold all the secrets of nature and unravel the vast knowledge hidden to the human world. She fulfilled the dream but in doing so she broke the laws made by creator and discovered the path that connected the planes of existence, by entering the akashic plane. The place where time did not exist, the place made to observe, which held the future beyond infinity, a past before zenith and recordings of universe's all distilled knowledge. These records generated of everything that happens in the universe as it occurs, a sort of built-in digital recording device, storing its entire history in a photographic code.

But everything has a price so did the knowledge she acquired. The perversion of the planes cracked the reality, causing the abstract energies of the planes to interlope with each other.

The creator unhappy with the event, announce a punishment, to erase her from the history, so that no-one else would ever do it again.

Before she could be erased, she stored all her knowledge into a book that only the approved one can read. And gave it to her friend, a beast she met across the veil.

The beast refused to obey the fate and did not left her side. The creator banished the beast and it's kind to the physical plane. In her dieing breadth, she asked the beast to preserve the symbolism of her passion.

The beast was.

Present day :

Taro had been sitting in Dickinson's office for more than two hours, which was enough for him to regret his life-long wrong decisions, that he could do nothing to change.

Finally he heard shuffling of feet and hushed whispers, the door of the office was opened and the man finally decided to grace him with his presence, he looked more ancient than the last time they'd met.

"Apologies Tate, hope that wasn't too long," Dickinson said as he took his seat.

"Director, my son had not returned from the school. I'm aware, there are other priorities that needed your concern. But I am being told-"

"Yes the news is true, I'm afraid."

"Was it the pendant?"

"No, that's probably the thing that kept him alive that long. The being is a high level Decomposer, no information if it is summoned or manifested on its own. Amaya's getting older, it's a surprise she is still lived this long but no demon has been able to hold this long against her. This one's different. But, I promise we'll get him out alive."

"I know, I want go in with your team."

Dickinson grimaced, he knew this was coming.

"That's not possible. Not only is that dangerous, our teams still didn't even manage to dent the outer shell."

"Atleast let me try. I have something you can use to enter, but it'll only be for a short time." Taro had came prepared, he was not going down without achieving his goal, especially if it means life or death for his son.

"And what might that be?"

"I've been tinkering."

"I hope you will enlighten us after this is over."

"I might"

Present time:

The night was approaching with a steady pace and the temperature had lowered, chilly breeze flits over the vicinage unwaveringly, making the occupants shiver.

Julia had managed to get herself and Raul out of the death trap, as soon as possible. But some of her classmates were not that lucky, her brows creased as sweat dropped down from her forehead, she rubbed the irritating thing aggressively with her sleeve.

'This one is going to be really messy, just when they thought they'd outrun the problem it keeps coming back with a sonic boom. How many places will it be, will they ever be safe? One day it'll catch up to them.'

"What happen to them?" Raul asked.

The black dome that used to be there school was surrounded with Paranormal Exorcism teams.

"Don't know."

Some of the survivors and relatives were crying, people were moving away as fast as they can.

Julia noticed a familiar pink blur in between the crowd, she was moving on the opposite direction, not that it mattered maybe her home is that way. But Julia had the vision.

"They looked like, they were being eaten alive"

"Dammit Raul! Why are you asking me if you already know."

'Where did she went? Did I lost her,' Julia looked around frantically, Raul was too shell-shocked to snap at her.

"I was wondering out aloud."

She ignored him, and started running towards the direction she saw Mathilda last, it happened to her on a whim like she know something's up.

Raul snapped out of his daze, " Hey, where are you going?"

There were a lot of things, Max could use to describe this place. But after feeling like his body was on fire, this place felt cool, almost tranquil, despite a constant noise, that sounds like thousands of televisions had been active together.

He had been laying on his back for too long the place he's in looks like a beach, there's sun, waves and a shadowy tree on cool summer sand. What more do you need in life?

Out of the corner of his vision, something move, or rather the big stones that was beside him moved, he was too shocked but when the rock decided to get two heads he yelped and maintained as much distance as he can from the rock, and ended up knee-deep in water, which for some reason didn't feel intelligent.

The rock then turned out to be a turtle with a snake wrapped around it's torso, it's purple in color.

"Oh good you're up." The rocc- purple turtle snake said.

"It talks?!"

Max dip his head in water and then looked again. This time it has expressions too.

"I wouldn't have done that if I were you, the awful thing infected the sea which is a shame, I do enjoy surfing once in a while."

It was true, the blue water was turning black slowly and he found the visible offender. There was a black tree trunk it did not had leaves only branches that looked alive, it was slowly sucking the life out of the place.

"Why don't you stop it?" Max asked, cleary stopping an evil tree fungus is a snake turtle's job.

"Oh no that's something for you to do. I maybe here but this," it gestured all around, "is yours."

"Then why are you talking to me?"

"That's because it's been a while since, someone did astral projection this well, this soon, which do make sense in the given situation. But I get bored easily."

"What situation?"

"Anyway I'll make this quick. I am Draciel, an astral beast who is favoured by water and the one who'll answers the conductor you possess. Remember water doesn't obey me, nor it would obey you. But it can be persuaded, pleased, prayed in order to gain it's assistance. But that's not important aspect to victory, keep that in mind when you fight for this moment."

"Fight?"

If you do not act quickly, your soul will be eaten alive.

Suddenly the beautiful beach turned into nothingness, as his body burned like someone pouring acid on him. He fell again. Draciel started to fade too, but held Max's gaze.

I'll be on your side.

'Is that comforting?'

A tremor went through the ground, making everyone on the vicinity lose their balance for the umpteenth time.

Another one failed.

Taro carefully examined the constituents of the last 'dark magic' repellent he used. All of them had failed this was the last one, and he's determined to make it work.

"If it's not working Taro, we'll find something else. Dickinson called the PPB HQ. They'll be sending Intel, soon."

"Max probably won't last that long," after the meeting with Dickinson. They sent Ichiro being old colleague and friend, they thought he'll keep him cool.

'Oh how wrong they were?'

He chuckled darkly, still eyeing the little bronze pieces intently. He knew Ichiro was disappointed on him right now, since his only motivation was his son, when a lot of other people who probably don't even have the means were waiting helpless, in wane.

'Maybe if I had not been like that, I'd still had- Oh no, bad thoughts'

He shook his head.

"You're getting worked up."

"You think?"

"Quit snapping."

"Get ready"

Ichiro was exasperated, and from the look of the rest of team so are they, but they still took position to get inside from the door that'll only be open for twenty seconds. He picked up his trusted bronze are six of them all with different conductors, there are three with crossbows without arrows, one with a huge japanese fan.

Taro put together the device one more time tracing the runes engraved around it and muttering the chant that he'd remember by heart.

I pray

He threw it at the barrier, where it got stuck for a few seconds and after that in a two meter radius the mist starts to move away in ripples, without wasting a moment, they rushed in and from the corner of his eye he saw two figures that shouldn't be coming with them entering before the device stopped working, it short-circuited and the dome closed itself.

After a lot of arguments, petty insults and reminder that it is actually not the good time to be immature. It was decided the Tyson and Kai will go inside the dome and the other two will create distraction for, well as distracted as one could get in the given circumstances.

The only thing that Tyson had a hard time understanding was Kai's immediate motivation to join him, originally they'd decided that Tyson would go, having an ability to be persistently stubborn.

"Tyson! What the hell are you two doing here?" Taro glared at the two boys.

Tyson winced this part wasn't well planned, he had initially thought he would get scolded but since he couldn't exactly went back, they would just took him with them, that doesn't automatically make it easy. And obviously 'Mr.I'msomuchbetterthanyou' hadn't exactly been talkative.

"Well you see-"

With a swoosh, a bronze rod stabbed the air right beside his head, followed by a screech. He slowly moved and turned to find the black mist trying to reach them haphazardly, and Kai keeping it at bay with his flames, after a while it retreated.

"..."

Ichiro retrieved his weapon, and furrowed his brows.

"That's unnatural, it shouldn't get exhausted this quick, especially after possessing the whole building."

"It could be eating," another exorcist said.

"Whatever, we don't have time. You two stay close to us." Ichiro nodded to Kai who was now showing an E. I. P. Card to him, "and be on your guard." He said the last part pointedly to Tyson, who was eyeing the card suspiciously.

"Where'd you got that?"

With that they all moved to the center of the building, which was estimated to be the position of the being, they'd classified as an decomposing demon. It was like walking through a swamp.

The center comprises of two great halls, the school auditorium and gymnasium, which are divided by a corridor that led to the principal's and other major staff's office.

The moment they got closer to the auditorium the mist got hyperactive, buzzing like a cluster of bees ready to sting. The exorcists with crossbows fired three different set of projectiles, a green vine, a fine steel thread and a condensed energy shot, that passed through it like it was air.

"It's a distraction!"

The mist whirled in itself forming a tornado that grew in size, collecting each of it's particle in itself making the furniture and ground properly visible.

Before Tyson could choose a course of action, Taro dragged him by his arm crossing the hall. They narrowly dodge the mist as it block thier way with a sloch and a hiss.

"Yuk" Tyson brandished his katana.

But he did not got the chance, there was a tap on the floor, and a warm breeze that started to flow on the opposite direction of the mist dispersing it completely. Tyson followed the source with his eyes, it was coming from Ichiro's staff.

For the moment there was silence, then a clamour of dense liquid slapping against each other resounded, soon the mist was entering through every possible orifice of the room. The only thing keeping it away from them was the breeze coming from Ichiro's staff that formed a protective shield. Taro did a head count, " Where's Kai?"

He took the chance to cross the hall when everyone was distracted and left, Kai was examining everything thoroughly, his senses are open to any kind of energy. Yet it's the same everywhere. Hunger. Insatiable.

A loud noise, like rubble slapping against concrete reached his ears. It's coming from the auditorium.

'They should be able to defend themselves and if not retire'

The goal of this squad was to neutralize the demon, whose center is supposed to be in the gymnasium. But he highly doubt that the exorcists could take it out on thier own. They need reinforcement.

'And I need answers before the old lady decided to leave for good.'

The door to the office was grand, Mahogany in color and intricately designed just like the inside. Earlier, he'd passed it off as distinct fashion choice, but now he can notice the five elements that are engraved in the wood: air, water, fire, thunder, and earth.

He touched a symbol, it lighten up.

Kai touched the earth symbol and moved it to the bottom, air to the top, fire to right, water to left and thunder on the centre.

'the five elements of life,' somebody had said once. Who? He did not know the memory is blank, foresaken, for a favour.

The lock clicked. Doors swinged open.

In the exact opposite direction, on the main desk, sitting with the regal stature was a statue of kitsune, between her perked up ears was a ball of light floating in the air.

But a figure stands between them, Max with blank look, black eyes and the mist hovering around him, like bees around a hive.

His head turned toward him.

Kai braced himself raising his hand, his ring glowed hot red, flames wrapped themselves around his arm erupting like a cobra spreading his hood.

Nothing happened.

But he couldn't stand here forever.

While Max didn't exactly moved, he was keeping the statue out of his view.

There was something restless about the statue, like something waiting to burst out.

'There you are'

Once Julia spotted Mathilda, she tried to get a hold on her, but the other girl had noticed her and picked up her pace.

They had come far away from the school, the large trees that bordered the road cast dark shadows, that moved eerily with the wind.

The moment she got close to her, series of projectiles rained at her, conceivably out of limbo, not giving her the time to dodge properly, two of them lodged into her arm. An electric bolt shot from her gauntlet instinctively, setting a nearby tree's branch on fire, bathing the night in the orange glow. She pulled the projectiles out of her shoulder, they looked like white feathers with pointed stem.

Mathilda turned around, only half of her face visible, her expression blank, "What's your problem?"

Julia's eyebrow twitched, "you know the old fox went down pretty quickly."

Julia could sense another presence, among the shadow.

"As you said she was old. It's sad, actually."

"was?"

".."

"You were downstairs. How'd you get out so quickly?"

"I run fast."

"How'd you release the demon?"

"I don- How do you know that?!"

"So you did."

"No, I didn't. It's weird.. to.. hear that."

"I know that. I saw."

"You couldn't. No one could. I made sure of th-," her eyes widened.

Julia smiled.

The feathers came again but this time she was ready, she dodged them carefully, and shot an electric bolt in return. The hidden attacker could somehow fly, and avoided injury but the winged contraption on their back was smoking. With face hidden by a mask and arms forming the spine of the wings, they looked like a comic book character. The scene repeated itself, but this time along with feathered darts, followed spikes one of wich stabbed her left ankle, making her fall.

She glanced up noticing that Mathilda had rolled up her sleeves to reveal metal bracelets that have three floating circles around it, and more spikes came out of the circles.

Julia gritted her teeth, as pain spread through her legs.

'They're fucking fast, I should've thought before charging like mad bull'

Putting both of her hand on the ground, she concentrated all her energy on them and chanted the phrase they were taught when their training had only begun.

'I pray,'

The ground trembled as the electricity bombarded into it, the other two were quick to increase their distance but get caught by the shockwave created by the blast and rubble, injuring them in the process.

Julia tried to stand only for her leg to lurch, she bit her tongue and pulled out the spike from her leg.

The world turned upside-down for a second, she shook her head, she was feeling dizzy.

By then, Mathilda had already taken aim, the spikes were shot, and met with an unexpected burst of fire which didn't have any affect on them. She closed her eyes in preparation for the impact, that never came.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that Raul was on the ground facing her, twitching, Mathilda and her ally escaped, green vines and the smell of rose. Before giving into syncope.

He did not know how long he was here, but there was no trace of humanity. He was in a forest, it was familiar, but he couldn't pin point it. He could here distant sound of water flowing, and tried to follow it. But he was walking on a trade-mill never moving forward, in a never ending path.

He briefly wondered if he was the only one alive, how could you fight such a thing?

Then what, it left him alive. Why?

'Not that I wanted to'

Max looked around frantically, the forest all of a sudden felt like it's looming over, waiting to swallow him. All it outneeds was an opportunity.

"Who's there?"

His head popped out of nowhere, a dark shape barely forming a face with red lines that pulsed like vein, one such line split it's head in half.

Max jumped picking up a branch nearby and pointing it at the face.

'You're last one remaining.'

"What the hell are you on about?"

'You are resisting'

"Resisting, what?"

'Stop resisting, Max. No one is here. It's so lonely. This existence is pointless, torture. I could end it for you. I can stop it.'

"Stay away." He took a step back.

'You're just a burden.' It was inching forward. 'Everyone would've moved on started anew, if wasn't for you. Do you think your parent enjoyed being tied up because of you?'

"Shut up!" He stabbed the face with the branch.

The head cackled, it's voice plunged into otherwise serene atmosphere like a dagger, jagged and blunt. The branch melted into nothing.

But the sound of river is closer then ever, it's coming nearer. Max ran toward it, leaving the baffled head behind, he risked a glance behind him. The forest was warping into the previous nothingness, ahead of him is the river. Without thinking he jumped in it.

This time his body was responsive as he swam, when he broke through the water surface and he was back at the beach, Draciel looked mildly interested. His stomach sunk as he realised he was still being followed, he sped toward Daraciel, who stood up the moment he reached him. He could feel the acrid heat reaching him, a cool shockwave travelled throughout the beach reaching the sea effortlessly pushing away the inky monster.

But that was all it did, push it away, not stop.

Draciel looked at Max, " That wasn't all, was it."

"What?"

"Tell me Max, do you think if you weren't born. Your parents would be happier?"

Max pursed his lips, eyes wavering between oncoming danger and possible rescue, he looked down, "sometimes. I think of... it weren't for me they would've found another families for themselves. But they can't. Cause, well, they .. love me. I think." He glared at the ground. "But that doesn't mean I shouldn't be alive! It's not my fault. OK. I didn't asked to be here. But that don't mean I don't want to live. I.. want to and... the fullest."

Max glanced up at Draciel, who looked amused, "not the best conclusion, but it'll do. For now."

The dark tree that had been leeching the life out of the place slowly turned into dust, giving way to clear blue sky, and the inky monster blended into nothingness.

This time when he breathed, it was like he hadn't done the action in ages.

Kai had made up his mind. He charged forth closing the distance between them, before he could get close enough to hit. The mist come alive pouncing at him like a python.

He used his flames to deflect it. Apparently the mist didn't like fire. The only problem is his flame throwing range is five ft diameter and he could not keep this up for long period of time, unless he uses his special move which will drain him.

His hand got cramped stopping the flames abruptly, he barely dodges the mist before falling on the floor.

The mist is behaving strangely, he watched curiously as it stopped inches from his face.

There was a screech, followed by a raspy voice.

"Ge...t ...off..me...geet...o."

The mist moved in a frenzy getting thinner and thinner as the voice started to sound familiar.

"G...t awq.."

Max was scratching the mist off of himself wildly, as it screeches and stuck to him like a second skin, he was gasping for breath and one of his eyes had retained it's blue colour.

Kai didn't wasted a moment, he discretely reached for the statue and started examining it.

He could sense the restlessness clearly, it increased his heart beats a little. There was magic binding something in it, he had no doubt in who that someone is. There was no time to think, it had to be broken.

But how?

There was another loud screech but this time more separated and real.

"I said gett off!"

Kai used his last resort.

Flame enveloped the statue, phoenix feather embedded itself into it like pincers, creating a tiny crack.

But all of a sudden the office was filled by water, it's pressure breaking the wall, flooding the rest.

"We can't stand here forever?" The exorcist with fan said.

"If you have an idea, Kurt. Care to elaborate." Ichiro said.

"It's simple, let me and the boy take care of it, he had the Dragoon's blade."

"Fine just make sure, we're alive by the time you're done."

"But you didn't agree when I asked?" Tyson asked indignantly.

"I'm letting up the shield in three,"

Tyson clutched the sword and focused on the core.

"two,''

'O dragon of the wood, the one who championed the wind. I summon you.'

"one."

The shield was gone in a wink.

"Release the hurricane!"

He slice the air with the katana, a forceful hurricane released from it, sucking the mist out of the air, the other exorcist moved his fan, each wave reducing the smog into nothing.

As soon as they are done they step into the corridor, they are swept away by the flood that threw them out of the school building breaking everything in the process.

Max lifted up himself shaking with exhaustion, there was this weird feeling of vertigo in his gut. His stomach lurched and he threw up.

He moved away from the mess he made coughing, he looked around. Everything was wet, gloomy and dark. But he knew this was school and he knew exit, be ran toward it.

The fine hairs on his neck stand and he reflexively dodge an oncoming swipe. The mist is now in the shape of a man, and he didn't looked happy.

A an orange blur collided with it. Max jumped behind a bush. It was a huge fox with nine-tails of white, orange and black colours glowing in the dark, with an ethereal majesty.

They attacked each other with an inhumane speed and strength.

"Your time is up, foxy. Stop wasting your last moments in mindless struggle."

"My time will be up, when I'm done destroying you."

The fox spoke in a woman's voice and Max had a foreboding feeling hat he knew whom it belonged to.

The mist-man used the mist as whip catching the fox neck cutting the flesh. The fox hissed backing up, hiding her face front the view.

The man advanced with intent to finish the job lashing out his tentacles catching one of the fox's tail with the whip.

"NO."

The fox turned to see the man shrivelling, he started to look more human, he shrieked and hurled at the fox who chomped one his leg and tore it off.

The man let a weird noise.

It took Max a second too late to realise, what he did.

A few unrecognisable shapes lunged out of forest, one of them picked up the man and flew off. They attacked the fox. Max looked for an opening to escape, before a hand grabbed him from behind. He jumped, turned around to saw his father, who motioned him to keep quite.

His body relaxed and felt limp, all the exhaustion caught upto him.

Soon, the commotion was drowning and he sagged on his father's arm with an eerie feeling that despite the bush. She saw him very clearly, and she had something to say. But he was too tired for that.

The fox was on the ground as some people who look familiar defended her.

A/N: Conductor is basically Beyblade but in weapon form, because it makes them sound edgy. And as for the Decomposer, it's type of demon. I'll elaborate it on next chapters. Same with he E.I.P. thing. If you have any questions, or something's are confusing feel free to tell me. They kinda give me imaginative boost.

And guys thanks for reading it. And to my few ffn friends who had managed to push me out from under the rock to stop being lazy. You rock guys!