Chapter 23
Yui would have risked dying because of Ayato's firm grip rather than the two hunters who were chasing them; the vampire was holding her in his arms, growling, while Reiji and Kanato were wielding two swords they had brought with them in case of emergency.
The opponents, who were certainly twins judging by their clear resemblance, were watching them cautiously, one holding a sort of luminous hammer with a long steel handle and the other with hands wrapped in fluorescent green threads; they heard them mumble among themselves:
- Damn it... Karlheinz's sons...
- Two against three, eh...
Hearing them, Reiji bent his lips in a smug smile, deducing that the hunters were afraid of facing them; yet his mouth returned to a thin line when he saw them show off some not very promising smirks: he was underestimating them.
- Kanato, be on guard - he murmured, resting a hand on his pocket, ready to extract one of the bottles or little bags containing experiments that would have help him casting small but useful spells, if necessary.
- No need to tell me - the little brother said sharply, deeply annoyed at being treated like a brat (UHM); behind them, holding back from snickering at the twin, Ayato reassured Yui that he would have protected her and that no one would have even been able to scratch them.
The armed hunter lunged at him, aiming with the hammer for his skull; Kanato quickly dodged the attack and with a blow he cut the enemy's arm off, grinning satisfied, as his easy victory confused Reiji: at first it looked like the opponents were hesitant to face them, then gave the impression of being able to defeat them and, at last, Kanato had seemed to have succeeded.
At the moment.
The limbless hunter had suddenly turned to the purple-eyed young man and had slammed him to the ground, clutching his thin neck with his healthy hand, with such superhuman strength that it surprised him horribly.
Reiji didn't have time to pronounce the first syllable of his little brother's name that the other hunter had stretched his arms as if they had been made of elastic material, wrapping them around his throat and intensifying more and more the fatal grip; the young man, grinding his teeth and enduring the pain sharpened by the microscopic spikes covering the enemy's skin, skilfully swept the sword in his hand, cutting off those limbs wanting to behead him. His eyes widened at them as they stick back to the hunter's body after collapsing on the ground.
Yui and Ayato were motionless, unsettled and incredulous: those were no longer human beings, but real monsters created by hatred...
Kanato had tried to set the fierce hunter on fire, but it seemed to have only tickled him.
Reiji's mind became completely blank, devoid of thoughts: he hadn't underestimated them, but he hadn't even expected the situation to turn so bad...
Suddenly, everyone realized they couldn't hear anything, except for the enemies, distracted by their effort to kill the two vampires; Yui was puzzled: it was as if she had suddenly lost her hearing and Ayato kept on opening his mouth but couldn't hear his own voice.
Then, among them, Mark appeared, actually just moving at the speed of sound; the hunters, who finally noticed the anomaly thanks to his presence, turned to look at the him at first confused, then repulsed, deducing his hybrid nature from his silver eyes.
They didn't have time to jump on him with hatred and ferocity that they were thrown against the walls because of the sound waves' impact, directed by the half-demon, taking care not to involve the others in the beam; the stunned enemies' bodies collapsed on the ground and blood came out of their ears.
Finally, sounds were back and the true silence was replaced by the masked silence.
Kanato rubbed his neck and without thinking twice he got up and proceeded to setthe two hunters on fire, angry; Reiji cleared his throat, staring at his little brother and shaking his head, then turning to Mark who in the meantime had been joined by Yui, full of gratitude and relief, and Ayato, excited for having seen him in action.
- THAT WAS DAMN EPIC! - he exclaimed, shaking the poor boy by the shoulders; before he could add anything else, his older brother had preceded him, pushing him aside.
- Yes, yes, no more chit-chat; I guess you're here thanks to your sister, right? Good; thanks for your help.
He cracked a polite smile (we'll never know if it was a spontaneous or forced one) that changed into a questioning look as soon as Mark revealed that he hadn't come alone.
- Who else came, then? And where are they, more importantly?
- SON A BIT-...
- Yuuma!
- RUKI, THIS IS NO TIME TO COMPLAIN ABOUT MY LANGUAGE!
The Mukami brothers, Shuu and Subaru were running: they hadn't been any luckier than the other group, since they had crossed paths with two hunters who were chasing them inside... a kind of huge ball of sharp and incandescent rock?
Obviously, Yuuma had had to take Azusa on his shoulders, who was fascinated by that lethal weapon; and, of course, Shuu was left behind, too tired to run.
- OI, SHUU! – Subaru cried out, looking over his shoulder with wide and terrified eyes – Hurry the fuck up!
- Seriously, NEET! SPEED UP! – Yuuma shouted, irritated by the blond's nonchalance, as Kou commented on how absurd it was that he didn't seems even a little worried about the situation (and that he hadn't been reached and crushed yet).
Ruki was mentally formulating logical links between causes, facts and consequences.
That deadbeat is slow; let's hypnotise he will be killed because of it; if he dies, Kachiku will be alone... and sad?!, thinking this and considering the selfish thought that he would have had her all for himself (sigh), he yelled at the Sakamaki eldest brother:
- HEY, USELESS AND GOOD-FOR-NOTHING FIRSTBORN! IF YOU DIE, I'LL TAKE THE GIRL!
Before pronouncing the last three words, Shuu had already reached him, at the same time starting a challenge to whom would have glared the most between them, consequently drawing sighs from the others.
Yuuma and Subaru exchanged a knowing glance and, slowing their pace until they were behind everyone else, suddenly braked, turning around, and simultaneously threw a fist at the incoming boulder: the burn they got on their knuckles and some of their right hand's fingers was pretty agonizing but was worth it, because the rock ball had been thrown back, rolling a few metres away, and then stopped.
The tall vampire waved his hand, blowing on it and cursing with all the foulest words he knew, while the albino examined his own hand, irritated, clicking his tongue; Shuu, since the two had stopped bravely, had stayed still, staring at them in shock at the risk they had run, focusing in particular on the burnt skin of the taller one's knuckles, who glanced at him, confused.
Ruki, followed by the others, had approached the two and before he could ask Yuuma if the damage to the hand was particularly serious, they had all turned to the hunters who had reached them; one of them was emanating more and more flames from his body.
- They're gonna set us on fire - Kou murmured, breaking in a cold sweat, as Shuu tried in every way to avoid being overwhelmed by an imminent panic crisis.
Azusa thought he wouldn't have liked to see his brothers get charred and, coming down from Yuuma's shoulder, stood in front of them, making their eyes widen in surprise and horror; the giant immediately pulled him back, shouting.
Subaru narrowed his eyes and bit his lips, feeling completely useless; a monster like him who could destroy anything, but who couldn't save them at that moment: why was he feeling so helpless?
Suddenly they heard faint sounds, like tense and vibrating threads, very familiar sounds to Shuu's ears; the two hunters stopped, sensing the danger, and they suddenly found themselves face down and were dragged by something behind them, trying to cling to the ground by sticking their nails and looking confused at the transparent wires that had painfully tightened around their ankles.
One of them swore and tossed a flame at the wires which melted and, in the distance, they heard a person click his tongue, irritated, and move towards them, coming out into the open: a boy with short blond hair and determined brown eyes threw a strange sphere on the hunter who manipulated the fire; he began to jolt violently, electrocuted by the electric discharge from the object, and collapsed, dead.
The other opponent gritted his teeth and hurled himself at the young man who, by moving his arms rapidly, brought out from the inside of his black leather jacket's sleeves several wires that wrapped around the enemy, who managed to free his hands, grabbing the wires, and with a huge effort he turned to pull and throw him against the walls.
- AGH! – he moaned in pain and cut the threads as fast as possible, thus avoiding being thrown around again; he glanced at the vampires and shouted to them - Go, now!
The six hesitated a moment before retracing their steps, starting along the path that led to the meeting point; in the distance they heard shots and screams, including Theo's voice joking and laughing.
- Am I wrong, or the blond was very short? - Yuuma commented, teasingly smirking.
- Who cares, why are focusing on something so ridiculous?! - Subaru snapped.
- HUH?! What did you say, you fucking albino?! - the giant growled, taking him by the collar of his jacket as they were running.
- Don't call me albino, you bastard! – he aggressively retorted back, a nerve throbbing on his forehead.
- Stop it you two, come on~ - Kou tried to calm them down, resting a hand on the shoulder of each, the two turning and giving him a cold and disturbing look, making him shiver and get away.
Then, turning at a crossroad, they stopped to stare at the stairs leading to the external environment; Kou and Yuuma breathed a sigh of relief and Azusa asked if they'd better wait for the two who were fighting the hunter at the moment.
- We can't know if they managed to success... - Ruki reflected, while Subaru added that they had probably defeated him, judging by the silence that had followed after a few minutes since they had left them - Yes, but it may have been him eliminating them...?
- Nonsense, I won't get killed by such a low hunter!
The vampires turned their gazes and saw the young stranger approaching them with Theo, who waved his hand to greet them; Yuuma, observing the difference in stature between the two, confirmed his impression: that blond was surely only a little taller than Yui, but certainly didn't reach the hysterical brother of the Sakamaki triplets.
- Hi~ You didn't get seriously injured, did you? - Theo asked carefully, analysing them while putting a gun in its case attached to the belt - Those burns don't look good to me... - he muttered worriedly, looking at Subaru and Yuuma's hands, while keeping on his usual smile.
- Don't worry, it's nothing for us vampires... pure-blood ones, that is - the albino said, underlining the last words and shooting a mocking look at the other who glared at him.
- It's not a serious wound even for me - he hissed through clenched teeth.
Theo laughed.
- Hahaha, such good friends!
The two looked at him, raising an eyebrow.
- Baka-Ouji, they are good friends like me and Anna - the friend commented sourly, slapping him on the head, and then turned back to the vampires, serious - Anyway, I'm Morten, nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you, Morten-kun~ - Kou exclaimed, holding out his hand for a friendly grasp - You were incredible with those wires!
- Nah, I didn't do much, he looked like playing hammer throw - the wizard grumbled, scratching his head in a gesture of annoyance, trembling as soon as Theo commented that it was his small build's fault.
- Don't you dare talk about it, Theo! And don't call me "Mo-senpai"! - he growled, deeply irritated.
Yuuma was snickering.
- Good evening, everyone~ - Theo hummed, greeting the rest of the Sakamaki brothers and Yui, and then turning to Mark who had been approached by Morten for the report.
- Markucchi, how is Cho-hime? - he asked, leaning his elbow on the shoulder of his shorter friend, who shuddered with rage and stepped back abruptly, snorting angrily and moving away to introduce himself to the rest of the vampires.
- She should arrive in a few minutes... - was Mark's feeble and inexpressive response, focused on perceiving any dangers in the surroundings.
Which didn't take long to come, as Morten informed they were going to Mr Ari.
Theo took out his gun quickly and fired a shot into the air, barely missing the misshapen figure fluttering above them; Mark had disappeared and their senpai had manipulated other wires to try and grab that creature.
- Damn, it's a nightmare's draught! - he exclaimed nervously.
- "Nightmare's draught"? - Reiji repeated – Aren't they those creatures wandering at night to look and devour sleepwalkers?
Morten nodded and added with cold irony.
- Exactly; we could compare them to fierce and wild "animals"... but it appears they started to "tame them" to devour even smart people, especially witches, vampires and demons.
- And hybrids! - Theo shouted, keeping on shooting.
- Make sure not to waste your ammo, Baka-Ouji! - the blond admonished him, thinking quickly about a solution and went on with his speech, heard by Ruki and the others too (a bit confused if they understood little, like Yuuma) – It's usually difficult to deal with them, especially vampires and wizards can't destroy them without using more complex methods. We can only hope for Mark to do something... or Cho-hime, if she arrives...
A bright peach-coloured butterfly fluttered before his eyes, making him smile.
Thousands of butterflies rose in the sky, illuminating the night like many stars and arousing general amazement, except for Subaru and the Mukami who had recognized them; the small creatures were dancing in concentric and colourful circles, outlining various geometric figures, and then hurled towards the extending draught, resembling a vast net of gelatinous material which trapped them.
- Nfu~ Did you miss me? - Laito teleported next to his brothers, winking.
- Laito! Where were you-... -Ayato paused, stunned, aware that something had changed within the twin; or rather, that change he hadn't despised so much had returned.
Yui, who was also aware of the change, smiled joyfully, thinking about how happy Mary must have been; the other Sakamaki brothers were also kind of relieved.
- Cho-hime! - Theo screamed enthusiastically, and at the same moment Mary snapped her fingers, after climbing the underground stairs, her silver eyes lingering on the butterflies that had called her for help.
The noise of the beaten wings became more acute, almost metallic, and the soft and pale colours seemed to darken to a shade of aluminium grey: pieces of the nightmare's draught slowly fell on the ground, with the same movement of a feather, as if they had been crumbled; in fact, the small creatures were cutting that imprisoning web.
Theo ran and threw himself at her friend, hugging her with enthusiasm, and she showed an amused smile, trying to get him off her.
- Theo, let me go, we're not finished yet... Oh. My. God.
Morten's eyes widened after hearing her shocked voice, his eyes returning to the draught's remains which had joined to form a new figure hidden by a long and black torn cloak, disturbing and with a huge scythe...
That wasn't a nightmares' draught; it was a Reaper, able to change its form to mislead its victims and then catch them fatally by surprise.
- MARY! It's all yours! - Morten shouted to the visibly pale girl who promptly protested.
- HUH?! Why me?!
- Because you're more experienced, idiot! - the blonde reasoned, referring to a past episode where her usual curiosity had led her to meet with a Reaper.
Theo patted his friend's shoulder, smiling terrified and running away.
Mary's eye twitched, as her hair was whitening, and she yelled at them to cover her.
- Is a wool blanket okay? - Theo answered, joking, only to get a punch on the head from his blond friend, absolutely not amused by his joke as the vampires who hadn't reacted positively, except for Yui who had cracked a little smile.
Shall I help you?
You don't say!
Mark popped out of nowhere and landed on the Reaper's head, pulling down the hood of his cloak and uncovering the dusty grey skull beneath it.
Theo and Morten covered their eyes, complaining, and the latter, to Reiji's puzzled question, explained that out of all the things not to be touched about a Reaper, those were his skull, above all, and his scythe.
Mary called her brother who avoided just in time a blow of the dark creature's and kept himself at a safe distance; in the meantime, the twin had gathered around her the butterflies, making some disguise and instructing others on the next actions, taking into account that the Reaper could have reached her behind at any moment and...
Aneki at your back!
The girl threw herself to the side, barely avoiding the scythe blade on her own flesh and rolled away a little before getting up again and asking the tiny creatures to bother him in order to distract him.
What if we just escape? It's not going to chase us for ever.
Usually... but it would kill someone else.
... I have no idea how to destroy it...
The other time we had pierced it with so many blades so that we could destroy its crystal heart protected by the rib cage, right?
... Huff, I don't want to use these powers in front of them...
Some butterflies escaped in flight to avoid being mowed and the Reaper, finally free of the annoyance, didn't notice the silver blades coming out of the ground, sticking into his body until breaking its heart; the creature emitted a shrill scream, before bursting into a shower of sparks and splinters of precious stones which dissolved in the air as if they had been coloured vapours.
Mark appeared beside his sister and exchanged a glance with their silver eyes speckled with red, as the clover-shaped three moles they both had on their neck's left side had turned red.
They smiled and approached the others, giving some explanations to the vampires.
Meanwhile, Mr Ari and Elena were waiting impatiently for them, the woman visibly worried... and both of them were rather uneasy, due to the presence of two other people.
Karlheinz and the Glass Lady.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please, review!
