Fear

The pure white space was massive and soundless. Anna stood in the middle of it wearing long, embroidered robes delicately wrapping her body with regal elegance. Her blond hair was unrestrained and still against her back. She closed her eyes then slowly blinked them as she took a long, labored breath to fill her lungs.

"They've captured him." Hao's voice vibrated through the blankness with commanding volume.

Her eyes remained closed. He was standing in front of her wearing similar garb and smiled upon noticing her expression.

"You have the power to stop this, yet you choose to do nothing." She opened her eyes with a glare he could feel through his chest.

"Some lessons must be taught more than once."

"And what is this lesson?"

He stepped forward and paused. She didn't move.

"The weak must be reminded they have no right to exist. It's a simple concept they're too stubborn to grasp."

"No one has to fight, Hao. This is pointless."

"They'll force his hand. You said so yourself, Anna. It has already begun. Should he allow himself to be executed?"

She clutched her hands into tight fists without an answer.

"They won't stop him."

"...They can fight Kiyomi's men off. He doesn't have to do anything."

"They won't."

"Tamao and Ren can take them down by themselves. They don't even need Lyserg's help."

"You're not listening, Anna."

He walked closer. She stepped back.

"Yoh's diseased appendages won't stop this. You know what will happen."

She blinked her eyes as a thin line of tears weakened her stance.

"When this day is over, they will no longer consider him an equal. They will learn that their meager abilities are far too inferior to be considered in comparison. Their courage will be severely shaken. And most importantly, they will fear him."

Anna redirected her eyes to his chest and lightly held her breath.

"As it should be."

He smiled at her as his image faded into the white background. She fell to her knees as the space fell dark, and stone walls surrounded her with coldness.

"Anna!"

She blinked her eyes a few times as she felt her body being lifted into the air. As she stared at the ceiling he placed her delicately onto the small bed and knelt on the floor beside her.

"You were on the floor unconscious when I found you," he said worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Pino," she said wearily.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for leaving you."

"You had no choice," she replied. "Really, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

He ran his fingers through her hair then rested his hand on her forehead. She didn't protest the action but her eyes remained fixed upon the ceiling with a blank stare that frightened him.

"Are you...hungry?"

She didn't answer.

"Stay right here. Don't try moving. I'll bring you breakfast."

Anna clasped her fingers and loosely rested her hands over her stomach as he left the room. The silence that resumed tortured her ears, and her face was quickly saturated with tears she successfully restrained in front of him.


Yoh slumped his shoulders forward and rested his hands limply against the arm rests of the chair. The rope partially dug into his skin, but he didn't react to it. His eyes were calm, which was strange for the situation, and it was clearly noticed.

There was a guard standing in front of him with cold eyes and a heavy stature. He had this staring match with Yoh commence for several minutes, and it made his partner extremely uncomfortable. The second guard was leaning against the wall. He was younger and thinner with much softer features, and the small room was rank with his fear.

"Captain Shumei told us not to come inside," he said. "We should leave."

"Why are we waiting?" the older man asked with disgust. "Dead is dead, isn't it?"

Yoh slowly blinked his eyes but didn't shift in the chair. His silence increased the younger guard's fear; he swallowed hard and clutched the handle of his sword that rested in the sheath.

"Kenta, let's go," he pleaded. "We were told to stay out for a reason. We've been here too long already."

"Stop whining! If you want to leave...leave!"

"The rope is tight, Kenta," Yoh said blankly.

"I wasn't talking to you," he said angrily. "Shut up."

But the younger guard was spooked. He stared at the restrained man with widened eyes as his breathing elevated.

"You know what would happen if we killed him now, Ryota? We'd be honored for the rest of our lives."

"We'd get in trouble for disobeying a direct order," he said sadly. "Let's leave."

"We're not going anywhere," he growled. "Don't show him any fear. He's not worth it."

"You should leave, Ryota," Yoh said plainly. They didn't notice he was now using their names.

"I'll end this right now." Kenta drew his sword and clenched his teeth. "Stay here so you can be a witness."

He took a few towering steps forward and raised his sword high enough to sever Yoh's head. Ryota scrambled back against the corner as his eyes filled with tears. Yoh stared at him with blankness that increased his fury, and he tightened his grip on the handle.

"Die, Asakura," he said menacingly under his breath.

Kenta slashed the blade swiftly through the air but it stopped at the edge of Yoh's neck. He stared at it in confusion and began pushing at the handle with all of his strength. Ryota saw the sword was parallel with the floor and clearly positioned at the base of Yoh's neck, but the blade was stuck in the air like some malfunction.

Yoh's expression didn't change.

"What...happened?" Ryota called softly.

Kenta pushed against the handle repeatedly until sweat beads gathered across his forehead. The blade didn't move an inch, and after several moments he pushed himself to near exhaustion. He pulled back against the handle to return the sword to the sheath, but he found he was unable to move it from the suspended position at Yoh's neck.

"What sorcery is this?" he demanded bitterly.

He didn't answer.

"Leave it, Kenta!" Ryota shrieked. "Let's get out of here!"

He released his grip, but his fingers remained folded against the handle as if they had been glued there. His eyes widened as he tried shaking them, and fear quickly filtered his voice when he spoke again.

"Ryota...run."

Ryota didn't hesitate to obey the command. He scrambled to the door as fast as he could, but when he opened the large steel door it slammed in his face.

"Kenta?" he whimpered.

Kenta was too busy struggling with the blade to hear him. Ryota tried opening the door again, but it was sealed shut.

"We're...trapped," he said as tears flushed his face. "He trapped us!"

"You have to get it open!" Kenta yelled.

Yoh remained perfectly still in the chair. There was no variation in his expression, but he took a soft breath and exhaled through his nose.

Kenta widened his eyes as the tip of the blade curved back like the outer skin of a fruit.

"I...can't! I can't get it open!"

He heard Ryota's desperate report but was distracted by the movement of the blade. The handle along with his hands remained stationary, but he watched in horror as the blade slithered around his neck like a snake.

"Impossible!" he whispered as a tear escaped his eye.

Yoh glanced at the floor and remained silent.

Kenta repositioned his hands involuntarily. He was holding the handle up in the air like he was trying to cut his own neck. The twisted metal forced drops of blood to trickle down onto his tunic, and he partially opened his mouth as his feet lifted slowly from the floor. Ryota saw the shadow behind him and reluctantly turned around. He fell to his knees as fearful wailing overwhelmed his ability to reason. Kenta's entire body levitated above them; he cleared Yoh's head by a few feet. Gravity forced the sharp blade into his neck, and his face flushed bright red from suffocation and confusion.

"Kenta!" he screamed, but the man was unable to respond.

He was high enough in the air for Ryota to meet Yoh's blank eyes. Yoh wasn't staring at him; he maintained eye contact with the floor. But his calm and ambiguous expression was frightening.

"...Demon," Ryota whispered. It was the only thing he could force out of his mouth.

The young guard flinched as Kenta fell heavily to the floor with a sudden jerk. He was staring at Yoh's stomach, too afraid to check his fellow guard for wounds. The room was silent with exception of a low scratching noise like the unraveling of a large bandage. Ryota's mouth stood agape as he slowly lowered his eyes, and his body trembled when the rolling object stopped moving in front of his knees.

Kenta's head.

There were several guards outside of the hallway who heard Ryota's blood curdling screams. Two guards ran to the holding cell but were unable to get the door open.

"Find Captain Shumei!" one of them called back.

As they leaned against the door in an attempt to pry it open they paused when the sound stopped. A crowd of forty guards gathered at the end of the hallway where the cell was positioned, and one of the men stepped in front.

"What's going on?" he called to the men in front of the door.

"I don't know. I think Ryota—"

The door burst open, interrupting the reply, and the heavy steel crushed the two guards flat against the wall behind them. The guards at the end of the hall stood in shock; all of the chatter fell silent. They waited there without moving. Everyone knew that was the cell where the demon was housed, and they drew their swords in fearful anticipation.

A few, painful moments elapsed where nothing happened. Some of the swords were unsteady; the owners were trembling. The man standing in front of the guards lowered his sword when he finally heard movement within the cell and held his breath.

Yoh stepped casually into the hallway. His wrists were bruised from the thick rope that had been used to restrain him, but he was otherwise uninjured. His shirt was splattered with blood, but his face was hidden beneath the thick strands of his hair.

"Running is useless," he said with disturbing softness. "You won't get far."

He began walking slowly down the hallway. His pace was unhurried and patient, but the men were frantically backing away as he neared the end of it.

"Stand your ground!" the leader yelled at them. "We can't let him escape!"

The sword he was holding flew out of his hand with one swift jerk, and he stared at it with confusion as it floated in front of him.

"Demon!" a few of them screamed in unison. "Run for your lives!"

The group abandoned their leader quickly. Every man in the open area outside of the cell hall fled for the exits, but one by one they were sealed shut. They tried prying the heavy doors open with swords, tools...even their hands, but the large steel slabs didn't budge. The lead guard backed away as Yoh advanced, abandoning his possessed sword, but eventually all of the men were huddled in the open area.

Yoh lifted his head and stared at the group like he was seeing them for the first time. Frightened gasps escaped them as every single weapon in the vicinity, including their swords, levitated away from them and into the air. A few of the men tried reaching for them, but they were far out of reach. Desperation and horrified anticipation overwhelmed them.

"Please..." A member of the group who was not the leader stepped out and knelt down in front of him. He lowered his face as close to the ground as it would go, and his hands trembled as he rested them flat against the floor. "Please spare us. Please."

One of the swords dislodged from the formation above them and pierced his back, impaling his chest against the floor. A short, tense pause fell over them, but it didn't take long for the entire group to begin screaming in terror.