DISCLAIMER: I do not own -Man nor Ao no Exorcist. They are owned by Katsura Hoshino and Kazue Kato respectively.
This chapter was beta-read by Fulminata so half the credits go to him~ :D
"My son, walk not thou in the way with them, refrain thy foot from their path. For their feet run to evil and make haste to shed blood. Surely, in vain, the net is spread in sight of any bird." -Proverbs 1:15-17
Chapter 4: Spinning the Wheel of Fate
'W-What did he just say...?'
Rin couldn't believe this. No, he refused to believe this!
'No! I'm not a demon! I can't be!'
After so many years of adults accusing him to be a demon child, he tried so SO hard to prove them wrong. To prove them all wrong!
But no matter how much he tried, no matter how many times he tried helping those that needed it, adults still despised him. Even kids stayed away from him! He had always been lonely in his childhood, but he never told his father about it.
'Rin is the son of Satan? Does that mean that he and Yukio are the sons of that woman from fifteen years ago? The ones that I delivered myself? I can't believe this.' Allen reflected with a flabbergasted expression before shaking his head. 'I can't think about that now. That demon wants something with Rin and whatever it is, it's not good. I need to stop him.'
Allen had to buy enough time for Rin to escape. In one swift movement, he sprinted towards Astaroth and slammed him into the ground by his neck.
"Now, Rin! Run!" Allen yelled over his shoulder to Rin.
"Huh?" Rin was shocked out of his stupor. "W-What about you, Allen?!"
"I'll be fine! Just go!"
Rin hesitated, not wanting to leave Allen alone with the crazed Demon King.
Astaroth, seeing his captor's moment of vulnerability, took the chance to grab both sides of Allen's shirt and then flung him to the side with an enraged cry. Allen crashed into a wall, feeling the air knocked from his lungs. He slid down to the floor and tried to regain his bearings.
"Allen!" Rin yelled worriedly as he stared at Allen's slumped form.
Shiratori cackled. "Hey, hey. Do you really think that you have the time to worry about someone other than you?!"
Rin gasped and immediately turned to where he last saw Shiratori.
But he wasn't there.
Before Rin could even think about where he could have gone or what to do, he yelped when he was suddenly kicked down to the ground from behind.
Shiratori stomped his foot on Rin's back a couple of times before finally settling to painfully digging his foot in, causing Rin to gasp in pain after each blow as he started to lose his breath.
Shiratori bent his leg that was still on top of Rin's back and rested his elbow on his knee as he looked down at the back of Rin's head in sadistic pleasure. "I really didn't wish to resort to rough-housing my brother. Or...half-brother at least. But you have left me no choice. I'm bringing you back to Gehenna no matter what!"
"I hope you haven't counted me out yet!" A familiar voice shouted.
Allen jumped and then grabbed both sides of Astaroth's collar and flipped his body so that he was now upside down on Astaroth's shoulders. With a yell, he then went down and landed behind Astaroth, bringing Astaroth with him and throwing him down on the ground hard with a loud crash.
"Urk...!"
Without a second thought, Allen took Rin's wrist and pulled, urging him to stand.
"Come on, Rin! Can you stand?!"
Rin didn't answer- or rather, he couldn't answer- as he was wheezing in pain and gulping in as much air as he could into his lungs.
Seeing this, Allen took Rin's arm and slung it over his shoulder and placed his other arm around Rin's waist for support. He was still quite shaken up after Astaroth's throw, but Rin wasn't exactly being cooperative right now.
Allen moved his head to the side to prevent Rin from seeing his still activated eye, grimacing in pain.
So with Rin in tow, Allen hastily stumbled to leave before Astaroth could recover from his blow. He was finally nearing the alley's exit when he heard a shuffle of movement behind him. He didn't have to look behind him to know what it was. Allen let his instincts and reflexes dictate the way he moved next.
Without thinking, Allen pushed Rin to the side and then crouched down just in time for a fist to meet the air where his head had been just seconds before. He swept his feet under Astaroth's, sending him down on his butt.
"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Allen spat as he stood, looming over Astaroth's form.
"You took the words right out of my mouth, you fucker! But no, I will go back to Gehenna with the Prince! And I won't let anything, especially a petty Exorcist, stop me from getting what I want!" Astaroth thundered. He pounced on Allen and then wrapped his hand around his neck as they both fell to the ground. Allen could feel his long claw-like fingernails painfully digging in into his neck, drawing out the smallest beads of blood.
"Allen!"
"I can just fucking snap your neck right now and get it all over with! Then no one can stop me from taking the Prince! NO ONE!" Astaroth exclaimed in complete hysteria.
'This guy..! Why can't he just stay down?! Maybe if I activate my Innocence, I'll have a better chance against him but...Rin will see!'
"Well, Exorcist? Got anything left to say?" Astaroth sneered with contempt.
'Tch, I see no other way out of this. I have no choice!'
Allen pretended to look defeated as he choked out his words, "Ye—es, in fact, I do—"
"No! Allen! What are you doing?! Fight back!" Rin said pleadingly, his eyes wild.
Astaroth grinned at the supposed effect he had on the Exorcist. His grin fell, however, when a smug and confident smile took over Allen's quivering lips.
"I-INNO...CENCE! AC-ACTIV-!"
But before he could finish the words of invocation, a new voice echoed throughout the alley.
"Mischief is in their hearts."
Everyone in the alley, except Allen who from his pinned position settled for listening, turned to the intruder. Rin watched with wide eyes.
"Give them according to their deeds and according to the wickedness of their endeavors." Shiro continued his chant with an air of solemnity as he slowly walked towards Astaroth. "Give them after the work of their hands, render them to their desert. Smite them down and let them not rise again."
Astaroth finally caught on to what the old man was saying and knew its purpose. "Don't tell me...you're another exorcist?!" he snarled lividly and then relinquished his hold on Allen's neck. Allen sat up from his position and then hunched over on the ground taking large gulps of air as his hand massaged his bruising neck.
Allen's eyes widened once more at what he heard. 'He's an exorcist?!'
'Most likely an exorcist of the so-called "True Cross Order". Do we count that?'
Shiro now sported a smug smirk on his face. "Blessed be the Lord."
"Dad..." Rin muttered in amazement as he stared at the person in question.
"Hmph! I shall seal that mouth of yours so that you cannot spout your wretched words!" Astaroth sneered and then charged.
Shiro however remained calm and continued chanting. "You have heard my curse."
Astaroth lashed out at Shiro, intending to put his hand around Shiro's neck and snap it. But Shiro stoically dodged to the side and grabbed Astaroth's outstretched arm.
"The Lord is my strength," Shiro threw him down on the ground with strength that was quite surprising for a man of his age.
"And my shield." He put the index and middle finger of his right hand out and the others down. He brought the two connecting fingers down towards Astaroth and then yelled with finality in his voice:
"Thou shall perish!"
After those words were recited, a thick black mist erupted from Astaroth's mouth as he screamed. The demonic features were now gone and Shiratori was now slumped down on the ground unconscious.
Shiro walked towards Allen who was still hunched over, breathing slightly heavily.
"Are you okay, Allen?" Shiro asked him with a concerned look on his face and then offered him a hand. Allen took it with a second thought.
"Yes...I'm fine, thank you. Not to complain about your impeccable timing but how'd you know that we were in trouble?"
Shiro smirked and then pulled Allen up. "Come on Allen, give me some damn credit. Do you even know how suspicious you seemed earlier with how skittish you were behaving? I only decided to look for you just recently and it looks like I arrived just at the nick of time."
Allen nodded in response.
"D-Dad, you..." Rin spoke, his voice still slightly trembling.
Shiro turned to meet Rin who was still on the ground where Allen had left him.
"Are you hurt somewhere?"
"No, not really. Um...is Shiratori okay...?"
"Him? Oh, he's alright now that the demon has left. He'll be waking up soon."
"D-Demon?" Rin repeated with wide eyes.
"You can see them now, can't you?" Shiro asked grimly, though it sounded more like a statement rather than a question. Shiro brought his hand up and gestured at one of those black creatures whizzing past his face.
"What are these things anyway? They're all over the place!" Rin exclaimed.
"They're called Coal Tars. They're harmless most of the time since they just gather around dark places and evil humans." Shiro answered the number one quetion that has been plaguing Allen and Rin's minds all day—or in Allen's case, years.
"This world consists of two dimensions facing each other like mirrors. One is our material world called Assiah. The other is the nothingness of demons called Gehenna. These two worlds are separate and aren't meant to interact with each other at all. However, this doesn't stop demons from possessing material objects here in Assiah to interact with our world, to carry out their evil plans for humankind." Shiro explained as both Rin and Allen listened intently with fascination.
"Stand up, Rin! The demons have found out the truth about you! And they will hunt you down! You need to hide and evade them in the meantime!"
"Stop feeding me your bullshit old man!" Rin abruptly screamed, his fists clenching and unclenching beside him.
"Why would demons come after me?! I don't even have anything to do with all this freaky nonsense! I...I can't be, right?" Rin choked with denial. "I can't be a demon's spawn, right? I'm a human child, you said so yourself when I was a kid!" Rin's eyes shone with desperate hope. But it was so fragile- so delicate, and Shiro didn't want to take it away from the boy.
Shiro hesitated, sorrow and remorse flashing in his conflicted eyes.
"...I'm sorry."
And just like that, the hope in Rin's eyes shattered like the thinnest glass.
Those two words...those two words were enough to tell Rin that Shiro had lied to him, solidifying his childhood fears. And it scared him. No, this wasn't real. All of this can't be real!
"Rin...you are the child of a demon born of a human."
Allen quietly watched and listened from the sidelines. He didn't dare make a sound, didn't dare interfere with this. Unfortunately, his eye did it for him as it activated, signifying that the demons were coming. Allen quickly put his hand over his eye.
"Father Fujimoto, we need to go. Now."
Shiro turned to Allen. "What's wrong, Allen?"
Allen didn't have to answer as the air suddenly became thick and dark with the presence of numerous demons.
They could vaguely hear the demons squealing, "Young Prince! It's the young Prince!"
"Your demon parent isn't just a run-of-the-mill old demon, Rin."
Shiro grabbed Rin's arm. "You're the child of the Lord of all demons..."
'No...please! Don't say it! DON'T SAY IT!'
"...Satan."
It was getting darker and darker as they leapt from roof to roof, hastily making their way back home. Shiro ran in front of Rin while Allen was behind to make sure that no demon snuck up from behind.
"The path of the righteous shall not be revealed to the unfaithful! I lower the Ladder of Jacob with the aid of the Lord's hand!" Shiro chanted with the index and middle fingers of his right hand up and the others down.
After he finished his chant, he made a slicing motion with his two connecting fingers and the demons which were coming at them vaporized into thin air with angered roars. Shiro had been exorcising demons that came their way ever since they left the alley.
Allen was surprised that Shiro was still capable of all this. They've been running and leaping over rooftops nonstop while he had the task of exorcising the demons thrown into the mix.
Neah chuckled, 'You gotta admit, the old fart's pretty amazing!'
Allen rolled his eyes but couldn't help but agree himself.
'Oh, don't look away now, Allen. That's gonna be quite a jump.'
Allen nodded to himself and then quickened his pace a bit to increase his momentum. Allen realized with a start that he'd gone ahead Rin. When he and Shiro landed, Allen noticed that the gap would be too wide for someone inexperienced to properly and successfully jump over.
Rin clumsily landed on the ledge of the roof, losing his footing and balance. In the nick of time, Allen turned around and grabbed Rin's wrist with his free hand, his other hand still on his eye.
"Thanks." Rin mumbled as he was pulled back on the roof. Allen turned to see Shiro bent over panting.
He wheezed. "Geez, I'm way too old for this..."
Shiro took out his phone from his pocket and then punched in a series of numbers. When he was done, he put it against his ear.
"Pick up, pick up, pick up, come on." Allen heard Shiro mutter to himself. After a few rings, the person that Shiro was trying to reach seemed to have finally answered the call.
"...?"
"Nagatomo? Thank goodness! Listen to me. Put up the defenses in the monastery. Right now. It's urgent."
"...?"
"Something came up and the demons found Rin. I'm with him and Allen right now. We're making our way home. We'll probably back in approximately...thirty minutes. I want all the defenses ready by the time we return. Understood?"
"...!"
"Alright, Nagatomo, don't worry. I'm hanging up now."
Shiro hung up and put it back in his pocket. "Come on, we need to hurry. There's not much time 'til dark. We need to get home before then."
"Is something going to happen at night?" Allen asked curiously.
"Demons become the most active and powerful at night. They'll be more relentless in trying to get to you, Rin. We need to be extra careful."
"Wait, you mean this isn't over yet?" Rin groused.
"Hardly. The demons won't stop until they get what they want. We must make haste, the sun's setting."
So they continued their journey home. Just as Shiro feared, night had fallen and the task of exorcising the demons alone became harder as the demons increased in number. But Shiro pulled through.
Several minutes later, they finally arrived at the monastery safely. They could see Kyodo and Nagatomo standing by the front gates. They looked relieved when they saw the three approaching them.
"Nagatomo, Kyodo!"
"Welcome back!" The two greeted them in unison.
"Did you get everything done?" Shiro asked them as they hurried into the monastery.
"We've already drawn threefold barriers around the monastery." Nagatomo reported to Shiro.
As they entered the chancel, Allen could see that everyone was hustling around.
"Double it. We're being chased by Astaroth's minions; we won't be able to hold out until morning like this. Pour triple-C concentration Holy Water into the sewers! We won't let them take us by surprise!" Shiro ordered them as Maruta and Izumi walked out the monastery carrying large containers presumably containing the Holy Water.
"Yes, sir!"
Allen suddenly felt tingling sensations in his left eye. Quickly, Allen tipped his head to the side and covered his eye seconds before it activated. Shiro, however, took notice of this.
"Allen, what's up with your eye? You've been covering it ever since we left the alley."
"Nothing, Father Fujimoto. It's just that, my eye's been getting this itch all day." Allen tittered.
Everyone suddenly felt the ground quake accompanied by a loud thundering sound outside. There was another. And another. And another.
"W-What's that?" Rin whispered to Allen, his whole form trembling with fear and anxiety.
"The demons who're after you, no doubt. I suppose they're being repelled by the defenses around the monastery." Allen replied soberly. Hearing Allen speak made Rin shuffle his feet. He has never seen or heard Allen so serious like this. Allen was usually cheerful with a bit of a carefree side to him, but now Allen seemed like a completely different person.
"Rin! Allen! Come here, both of you!" Shiro's loud and commanding voice called to them. The two approached him who was moving away the altar, revealing a stairway which led to a hidden room that neither Allen nor Rin knew about.
"Follow me."
Both boys complied and went down the secret stairs behind Shiro who had a candlestick in hand. In the center of the small hidden room was a big red cabinet. Shiro walked towards it and then inserted the key he was holding into the keyhole.
Shiro opened the cabinet and both Allen and Rin were surprised to see a sheathed katana whose scabbard and hilt was blue. There seemed to be a piece of paper that had something written on it stuck on the scabbard.
"This is Kurikara, a Demon-slaying blade," Shiro explained, "It's a legendary sword passed down since ancient times." he continued and then took the katana with delicate care.
"Rin, your demonic powers are sealed within this sword by the scabbard and this sealing charm right here." Shiro pointed to the piece of paper.
"My...demonic powers?"
Shiro nodded solemnly. "This sword is more important than your own life." he said as he handed the katana to Rin. "Never hand it to someone else, not even Yukio. Never let go of it even as you sleep, you are to protect this sword with your life. And most importantly, never under any circumstance are you to draw this sword. If you do, your demonic powers will awaken and you will never be human again."
"Wait wait, if I'm a demon...what about Yukio? Is he...?"
Shiro shook his head. "His body was weak when both of you were still in your mother's womb. Satan's power rejected his weakness and only accepted you."
The trio stood in silence for a while.
"Hey Dad...all this time everyone knew that I was the son of a demon? Why did you guys hide it from me?!" Rin's voice was rising.
Shiro just looked down morosely. "I'm sorry, Rin. I had to raise you as a human child. You were only allowed to live on that condition. That's why we had to lie to you. And..."
Shiro looked up at Rin, his sad eyes piercing into his son, blood or no.
"I wanted you to have nothing to do with demons. But...I suppose it's impossible to keep the son of Satan away from his own kind. The future ahead of you is dark. I'm glad that I was able to give you a semblance of a normal and happy life before your time was up."
Suddenly, the ground shook and a loud crash echoed from upstairs. Shiratori, presumably being possessed by Astaroth once again, had forcefully rammed a truck into the monastery, creating a massive gaping hole on where the entrance should have been. Ghouls were flooding inside.
"I have come for you, young Prince~! Let's head back to Gehenna, shall we?!" Astaroth yelled with a frenzied grin. He extended his arm to impossible lengths and grabbed Rin's leg and wrenched. Before he was able to pull Rin towards him, Nagatomo splashed holy water on Astaroth, forcing him to release his hold on Rin's leg and recoil in pain.
Rin fell to the ground on his butt with a thud. Shiro called Rin's name but he sat there unresponsive and staring at Shiratori in shock. Seeing this, Shiro pulled him up by his arm and dragged him back to the secret stairway with Allen following close behind.
"The demons will weaken at dawn. When that time comes, get the hell out of here and hide where they can't find you! Take my phone with you. There's only one contact saved in there. He's my best friend. Call him as soon as you leave the monastery, he'll protect you!"
"Wait a min-!"
But Shiro wasn't going to have any of it. He carelessly shoved Rin down the stairs and then approached Allen.
He leaned towards Allen and then whispered, "Allen, listen to me...I know who and what you are."
Allen felt his breath get taken away and his blood freeze when he heard that.
As a last ditch effort, he stuttered, "Um...I-I don't know what you're talking about, Father Fujimoto."
"I don't have time for this! I know that you're Allen Walker, an Exorcist of the Black Order. I know about your arm. I know that you're a Noah. I know. Just please, listen to what I'm going to say next." Shiro pleaded.
'Give it up, Allen. He knows. There's no point in hiding it any further. Just listen to what he's going to say.'
Allen bit his lip. The secret he so heavily guarded and secured was unearthed by a mere priest. This was absurd.
"...Fine..." The circumstances hadn't given him much choice.
Shiro sighed in relief. "Thank you, Allen."
"Just get on with it, please."
"Right. I have a favor to ask of you. Once you leave the monastery, please look after Rin. I know that you're capable. Go to the alley I found you in earlier. We'll rendezvous there and we'll talk about our next course of action."
Allen nodded. "Alright. I understand, Father Fujimoto. I promise I'll take care of Rin. But we're not yet done. Once all of this is over, we're going to have a talk."
Shiro nodded. "Of course. Thank you, Allen. Now, stay down here with Rin. Let me and the others handle Astaroth and his demons." Shiro said as he pushed Allen towards the stairway.
"Wait! I can help, Father Fujimoto!" Allen protested.
"No. As much as I want to say that we need all the help that we can get, someone needs to look after Rin. As I have said earlier, the demons weaken at dawn. Run away with him and go with the plan, understand? In the meantime, do not let Rin out of there."
Allen pursed his lips and nodded, seeing the logic in Shiro's argument. He went down the stairs and allowed Shiro to move the altar once again to close the passageway.
It was only then that Rin recovered from his fall and then hastily climbed the stairs, sidestepping out of Allen's reach and pounding on the bottom of the altar sealing the passageway.
"Dammit, old geezer. I wasn't done talking to you yet!" Rin yelled angrily as if Shiro could hear him.
"Rin," Allen mumbled softly.
Crashes, shouts, and gunshots could be heard and multiple tremors shook the ground.
"I don't like this! They're out there fighting for me and I can't even do a single thing!" Rin looked down and clenched his fists.
Allen sighed. "Even if you were to help them, you'd be more of a hindrance than a help."
Rin stared at Allen, offended. But determination quickly replaced it.
"I could still try!" Rin countered.
'Geez, this kid is as stubborn as a mule. Irrational, too.'
"Just stay here, Rin. Please. Father Fujimoto surely wouldn't want you in harm's way."
Rin bristled. "But Allen-!"
Allen now adopted a stern look on his face, quickly shutting Rin up.
"Are you telling me that you don't trust in their abilities as exorcists?"
That silenced Rin. He gritted his teeth in defeat.
"But I hate being so useless..." Rin admitted with every ounce of frustration leaking through his voice.
Allen's gaze softened at this. He completely understood how Rin felt. They were here safe and sound but only because the others were outside fighting.
'Just like that time when I had to stay in the Asian Branch HQ after what happened in China...' Allen reminisced and shuddered at the memory of his near-death experience.
A crash and a shout later, everything was suddenly completely silent. A few minutes passed until the altar was finally pushed away and light came pouring in the dark room, forcing its two occupants to shield their eyes from the blinding light.
"Come on boys, you can come out now." Shiro said.
Allen nodded in compliance and climbed the stairs with Rin behind him. Both abruptly gasped when they saw the state of the chancel, or what was left of it. There were fungi everywhere for some reason, and the pews were either upturned, broken in half, or thrown to across the room. The monastery itself was a total wreck. In short, the small church had been transformed from a House of God into a warzone.
"Nagatomo, Maruta! Get the car ready."
"Yes, sir." The two grunted. They struggled to stand up with their injuries but they managed nonetheless and went to carry out their orders.
"Izumi, Kyodo! Put the Seal of Tetramorph on the boy. And don't forget to perform the purification ritual."
"Understood." Both men said as they ran to Shiratori who lay beaten and unconscious on the ground.
Shiro then turned to Allen behind him. "Allen there's been a slight change of plans. I'll tell you about it later."
Allen only nodded.
"Hey! Wait a sec! Shouldn't we treat their wounds first?!" Rin protested.
Shiro, stressed from everything that had happened, chose that moment to lash out. "Right now, your safety is prioritized above all else! You are the target of every demon in existence! When are you going to get that through your thick skull?! We need to get you out of here as soon as possible!" Shiro yelled loudly, almost too loudly in fact. Rin misinterpreted his words, a look of hurt crossed his face but it was soon replaced with stoicism.
"...I see. So if I leave, everything will be over?"
Allen shuffled his feet uncomfortably as a sinking feeling settled itself in his stomach. It felt like finality, like endings.
"Fine then! I'll get out of your hair if that's what you want." Rin started walking away.
"Rin!" Shiro ran after him and grabbed his forearm to stop him but Rin swiped his hand away angrily. Rin's pent up stress and frustration since finding out his true identity exploded and without thinking, he blurted out acidic words he knew he would regret.
"Get your hands off me! I should have known that you'd throw me away anyway! Is it because we're not related by blood?! Does that make us strangers?!" Rin yelled angrily, ignoring the hurt look in Shiro's face. Allen decided that he had stop this.
So with heavy footsteps, he stalked towards Rin, put his hand on Rin's shoulder, and shoved him back.
"Rin, stop it!" Allen shouted with barely contained fury. How dare Rin raise his voice against Shiro! He had been nothing but a good father to him! After everything Shiro had clearly given to ensure Rin received the most human childhood possible!
Rin forcefully pushed Allen's hand from his shoulder.
"This has nothing to do with you, Allen! So stay out of this!"
"Nothing to do with me? I don't care! Apologize to your father now, Rin!"
"What the fuck do you know?! You've never had a father so shut the hell up!"
Allen shakily took a step back, his eyes dilating with hurt as memories of Mana replayed in his mind. Shiro noticed the sudden change in Allen's demeanor.
"Rin!" Shiro attempted to reprimand him, but Rin wasn't listening and plowed on mercilessly.
"And you're not even my father! You're probably tired of pretending to be mine, aren't you?!" Rin raved on. "Don't screw with me! Don't you ever call yourself my father again!"
A loud smack resounded across the whole chancel.
Everyone else in the chancel had been ignoring them, doing what Shiro had ordered them to do. But after hearing the noise, their curious eyes finally turned to the three.
"It's almost daybreak! Hurry and pack up!" Shiro commanded stonily and with authority. Rin gritted his teeth.
"Fine!" So he angrily stormed out the chancel and left for his room to pack up. When he was finally gone, Shiro stared at his slightly reddened palm.
'Did I really slap him that hard?' Shiro thought with remorse.
Allen saw Shiro's expression and cautiously asked him, "Father Fujimoto...are you alright?"
Shiro looked up to meet Allen's eyes which still seemed to have remnants of hurt in them.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. More importantly, are you...?" Shiro trailed off.
Allen looked away pensively and unconsciously begun rubbing his left arm with a gloved hand. "I'm quite alright, thank you."
Shiro stared at him with sympathy. "I'm sorry about what Rin said."
Allen stared at him in surprise but it quickly mellowed down to a sad smile on his lips.
"You're really amazing." Allen whispered to himself.
"Pardon?"
"It's nothing. I'll go check on the others."
Shiro nodded and then returned his gaze to his hand. He had become so distraught he didn't notice that he had dropped his mental barrier. By the time he realized...
...it was too late.
Shiro felt his heart twinge painfully. Agony brought him down to his knees with a loud grunt, his hands clutching his chest. He tried to fight back the presence that was eating away at his soul but...
Allen turned around and jumped with a start when he saw Shiro hunched over on the ground.
...This was a fight he was going to lose...
"Father Fujimoto! What's wrong?!" Allen cried as he dashed back towards Shiro.
"Finally!"A voice boomed triumphantly inside Shiro's mind.
"No! Don't come any closer!" Shiro yelled and raised his palm, signalling Allen to stay back.
"Reverend Fujimoto, what's-?!" Nagatomo this time tried to ask him but paused as realization and horror crossed his face. "No, don't tell me-?!"
No, I can't let him! I won't let him! I have to...I have to push him back...!
"AT LONG LAST...!"
...I can't. He's way too strong. I'm sorry everyone…
Helpless on the ground, Shiro felt his consciousness slacken away. The lightbulbs in the chancel blew up one by one, plunging the room into darkness.
...Looks like I'm kicking the bucket first.
Shiro's heavy breathing abruptly stopped...and was replaced by cackling, sending chills down everyone's spines.
And then, the night was pierced with the sound of a high-pitched mechanical whine...almost like the scream of a banshee...
'Looks like the Demon Lord...has come to play.'
I wasn't supposed to put this up yet, not until I and Fulminata have finished writing and beta-reading chapter 8 and 7 respectively (both not yet done ;-;), but since it's been two weeks or so, I thought "why not?". Yesh, so here it is. Also, thanks a bunch to the people who reviewed, faved and/or followed this story! It really means a lo to me, especially your words of encouragement~ :)
So how was the first episode of -Man Hallow? Did you cry? God knows I almost did. I need Episode 2 now! ;c
Moving on to another subject xD. It's kinda late and I'm sure most of you guys know by now but whatever. Have you guys heard? Ao no Exorcist is getting a second season next year! I've watched the teaser and wow, the animation is goooood! I'm not exactly hyped for this but I AM looking forward to it. Maybe it's cuz the DGM: H hype hasn't died down for me yet... ~ *rewatches the first episode of Hallow for the fifth time*
Right so tell me what you think about this chapter! Got questions? Feel free to ask and I'll answer them to the best of my ability! XD