A/N: Chapter 2 of Fallen Angel. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Shakugan no Shana belongs to the rightful owner.
Words in bold = Crimson Lord(s) speaking.
Chapter 2: A World full of Torches
Even in the mist of danger, I couldn't resist those eyes. They were mesmerizing and I felt myself captivated with her charm. That's so weird, I haven't seen this girl before in my life and I'm crushing already, not the appropriate time and place at the moment. I kicked myself mentally before looking at the enemy. The baby was still wailing at the lost appendage .
"So, what do you think, Alastor." The girl finally spoke, turning her back to me.
Hmmm...they're not allies. A deep voice replied and I turned my head, trying to pinpoint the exact location where it was coming from but it seemed like there wasn't anyone else around. They are only Rinnes.
"You cut my arm off! I'll crush you!" The baby lunged forward, attempting to grab the girl with its remaining arm, only to have it chopped off in mere seconds. Screaming, it squirmed on the ground as the girl approached from behind, her sword drawn. The other creäture, the giant mass of faces tried to use a sneak attack but was blocked with a strong round-house kick to the side, flying straight into a restaurant window. Ignoring the interruption, the girl calmly proceeds to the baby and with one slash, decapitating it. With its' head no longer attached, the rest of the body exploded into blue flames before extinguishing to nothing. I only watched with amazement, the notion of fear was swept away by this strange phenomenon that I couldn't explain.
"All I did was destroy its shell." The girl growled angrily before turning to me.
Its real body escaped at the last-minute.
"It could still be close by...Is this a Mystes?" That question wasn't really directed at me.
Hmm...A somewhat unusual thing I see... Carefully the girl raised her sword high above her head. Afraid that she was gonna cut me, I crouched down and shielded my head but the blow didn't hit me. Instead I saw an arm drop in front of me before it burst into flames. Looking behind, I saw the enemy as she screamed at her lost. The girl confronted her enemy calmly, pointing with her blade.
"So, there is something inside that Mystes that you really want."
"Flaming hair blazing eyes...You're Alastor's flame haze.." The woman shook with fury. "He who is 'the Flame of the Heavens' that is just a tool of destruction..."
"That's right. So what?" The girl spoke nonchalantly.
"My master will not be pleased when he hears about this."
"Too bad. He'll be screaming in his last moments before that happens."
"Damn you!" The woman roared and attacked blindly.
"But this is now. You can do the screaming instead." The girl responded, slicing downwards at her approaching enemy. Sensing the blade's path, the Rinne avoided the blow and rushed at me, her killing intent was through the roof.
"Boy! Get out of the way!" The girl yelled as I saw the approaching figure.
What the–?! I raised both arms in defense and then something flashed between me and the Rinne as we made contact. It was the faces of my parents and they were...smiling at me.
"AAAAHHHHH WHAT THE HELL!?" Unknowingly, I punched the woman with my right fist on pure instinct. A spark ignited between us, forcing us to separate.
"Urrrghh my face!" The Rinne reeled backwards, clutching its face with pain while I just stare at my hand in complete shock.
"Little Boy..." The Rinne hissed. "What DID you DO to me?!" Giving it a good look, part of its' face was burned away, the wound was still sizzling with the burning skin. Taking the opportunity, the flaming hair girl slashed the Rinne, cutting it in half. Peeking out, a small doll quickly abandoned its larger shell and floated in air. It looked like any kind of rag doll, with its' pretty yarn hair and smiling face but she was the enemy.
"So that's the real body!"
Behind you! The girl turned just in time to see the many faces Rinne rolling towards her. Thinking swiftly, a slash of the sword was suffice enough to beat it. It's screams were like millions of kids experiencing the thrill of a roller coaster before exploding. Having witnessed enough fighting, the small doll shimmered and disappeared from the area.
Sensing the fight over, the girl sheathed her sword back within her black trench cloak; the said object's handle vanished into thin air.
"It's escaped for now, but...From what it said, there seems to be a powerful entity somewhere in the shadows."
We may be able to seal the king of the Crimson World again. Alastor's voice spoke calmly.
"In any case." She walked over to me and I barely noticed her presence until she lightly kicked me with her shoe. "Hey...you still with us Boy?"
"H–huh?" I gave her a glazed look.
"Don't you 'huh' me!" She glared, "How in the world did you manage to burn a Rinne?"
"I don't really know..." I mumbled.
"Well whatever..." Shrugging it off, the girl lifted her finger into the air. "I have to repair this area...what a pain." A sort-of golden light erupted and the damaged areas began to fix themselves. The people nearby were brought back and time started to flow naturally.
"Everyone's still walking around like nothing happened...Hirai! Yuji!" I shouted quickly to my two friends but when I inched closure, I notice that they were just walking aimlessly. The lights in their eyes were gone, they were like zombies.
I don't understand...why are they– no not just them...As I looked around, I noticed that everyone had this flame bobbing within them. I need to find that girl...Aha! I spotted her walking away from me, her black hair flowed out behind her. Wait black hair? I thought it was fire colored...well whatever. "Umm excuse me! Wait up!" I called after her. At first I thought she ignored me but she stopped, waiting for me to catch up.
"Could you...could you explain to me what's going on? Why everyone in this area have that flame inside them?" A few minutes pasted before she answered my question.
"How do I say this without having you freak out...You aren't human." Somehow that rendered me speechless but I waited for her to continue. "It's not only you...Everyone walking around with the flame in their body is considered a thing. They are replacements of people who had their existence consumed..by Denizens of the Crimson World. They are Torches."
"They are replacements?" I repeated her words carefully, allowing it to sink into my head.
"This world's balance would be disrupted if the people who's existence was eaten disappeared too suddenly. Therefore replacements for those eaten were provided to soften the impact. They're temporary."
"So you're saying that I... I'm..." I swallowed hard. "not alive?"
"No, the real you has had his existence consumed and is no longer living. Right now, you're nothing but residue, remnants of your real self."
"But I...I don't exist anymore." I tried to wrap the info around my brain but it didn't help. The whole concept of being alive one moment and dead the next, is still shocking and what this girl is telling me seems outlandish.
Elsewhere in the city...
"I'm very sorry, master Friagne. I lost one of your precious Rinne." The rag doll apologized as she cuddled up to her master. Friagne was an elegant man, a powerful Tomogara arrayed in white robes . He just lightly combed his hand through the doll's brown locks as he soothed her.
"You've nothing to be sorry for Marianne." Cooing softly, he gave the doll a kiss on the forehead. "Being attacked by a Flame Haze can be like encountering a natural disaster."
"Please give me another chance."
"I shall but, there's no need to hurry. You must be tired. Get some rest first. Good night, my also adorable Marianne." He held the doll close. "You have nothing to worry about. Hair of flame eyes of blaze..."