A/N: As promised, I've reuploaded this chapter. Those who've already gone through the chapter and don't want to read it all over again can scroll down halfway through the chapter before finding where I'd cut off before, and the rest of you can just...enjoy the whole chapter. Yay!
I'll be uploading the next chapter by Sunday - one last part left, and I'll be taking out my sexual frustrations in that, so all of you can have your inner perverts appeased. So, please be patient until then.
I didn't expect it, but thank you so much, pinkdoughnuts and TheEnglishMuffin for reviewing! I thought you guys would review after the whole thing came out, so your reviews totally caught me by surprise!
Pinkdoughnuts, I know, right? Plus, any BelRus fans can be happy to see a bit of that kind of action in an AmeBel fic. So glad you liked it.
TheEnglishMuffin - Darling, I love your reviews! Thank you so much - I live on sexual tension (ehehehehe). Ivan is a crazy bastard, but you'll come to realise why he's as crazy a bastard as he is later. And go ahead - RoJD is somewhat a nickname for the fanfic - I've always believed that as you write a story, it gets a life of its own, and you just write it as it comes to you after a point. And at the end of it, it becomes its own person, and you realise you haven't just created a story, you've created something that has brought lives together. (the rest of what I want to say is at the end of the chapter, so that I don't keep you from finishing the chapter.)
Enjoy, all of y'all, and keep leaving reviews!
Dorogoy - Rus - My dear
Spasibo - Rus - Sorry
Bessobaka - Partly Russian, partly created - demon dog
Ledi - Rus - Lady
Zadnista - Rus - Ass
Chapter 18
"What I really want to know is why you are protecting that demon."
Natalya stared down at Ivan, the barrels of their guns pointed at each other. "Because he's with us."
"I thought you gave up on running around with demons."
"Who the hell is this guy?" Alfred roared, and it was a sound enough to drop everyone's blood pressure for a few seconds. "Natalya, move."
"Why?"
"If it's me he's after, then I'm not going to disappoint him."
"Alfred, this is much more dangerous than you - Alfred!" Nat yelled out as she saw the flash of yellow charging at Ivan.
But where the rest of them couldn't see Alfred, Ivan's experience told him exactly where he was. Ivan grabbed hold of Alfred's flying fist, then the other, and the sheer physical power in restraining Alfred sent the dust around them flying in waves. To Alfred's shock, Ivan wasn't burnt at all by his body heat, but Tony seemed to know what was going on.
This man...Alfred, he is not normal.
I know, bro, I know. He's not like those other demons, or even like any of the priests I've seen.
I shall lend you some more power. Control it.
Alfred felt a sudden surge of energy, and he pushed against Ivan's vice-like grip. With a growl, he jumped up and twisted, throwing Ivan off balance. As he fell, he spun, his legs turning into deadly weapons cutting through the air.
Ivan dodged, knowing that if that kick connected with his neck, his spine would break instantly. Alfred didn't waste any time - as soon as he landed, he sprung upon Ivan, kicking and punching, or at least trying to leave a hit. He didn't know how, but Ivan was able to keep track of his movements. His limbs were strong enough to black his blows, and fast enough to have Alfred dodge his attacks.
For all his bulky clothes, Ivan was surprisingly agile, and no matter from where Alfred attacked - midair, from the front or from the back, Ivan responded every time.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Alfred jumped back a couple of feet and watched Ivan dodge the bullets. Alfred turned to see Nat's car speeding towards them, with someone on the roof.
"M-Matt?" Alfred squeaked, an odd sound because of the merging and overlapping voices that squeaked along with him.
"Ivan, stop!" Shree yelled out, but Ivan's blood had started to boil, and he wanted the fight that was coming to him.
"Eliza, grab this," Matt said, shoving his rifle into her hand. Ignoring her general surprise, he ran off the roof of the car and jumped right at the edge, flying through the air.
Ivan watched the man land nimbly and run towards him, and he felt like he was being charged at by a bull elephant. Dimly, the memory of Mathias Køhler's letter came to mind. Matthew Willams Fitzgerald and Alfred Jones Fitzgerald. Sons of Alfred Fitzgerald Jones Sr; built like warriors. And he was anticipating their fight since he had gone through Køhler's letter.
It had been a long time since he'd had to face a challenge like this.
Ivan deflected Matt's kick - there was no way he could stop so much force unless it was with his full body weight. His senses flashed and picked up Alfred, who was charging from behind him. He sidestepped, grabbed Alfred by the face and threw him at his brother.
Alfred caught his balance and caught his breath as he stood next to Matt. "What...the...hell?" he gasped. "This guy isn't normal. Even Tony's freaking out."
I am not freaking out.
Oh, shut up.
"This guy is extremely strong, but he's not putting his entire strength into it," Matt said.
"You got that...from just one kick?"
"Pretty much."
"I've been feeling the same way," Alfred said, and felt some more of Tony's energy seeping in. "Let's draw it out, make him swe" -
"Enough!"
All three of their focusses snapped at the sound of Shree and Nat's combined yell, and fear took over their hearts as the two priestesses stormed over.
"Uh oh," the two brothers heard Ivan say, and they readily seconded him there.
"What do you all think of yourselves!" Shree yelled at the three of them. "Ivan, come here!"
"Shree, dorogoy" -
"Don't you dare 'dorogoy' me, Ivan Braginsky! Having fun is one thing, going all out is another!" Shree yelled at him. "And you two!"
Alfred and Matt gulped audibly.
"Alfred, did the amount of Tony's energy you are carrying fry your brains? Or your common sense? Taking in so much energy is fatal! Fa-tal! It means you could die!"
Alfred knew what fatal meant, but he didn't think Shree needed to know that.
"And you!" she spun on Matt. "What was that all about? You're supposed to be the sane one! Instead, you jump right in" -
"If someone goes at my brother, I will not stand and wait for them to land the first punch."
That stopped Shree right in her tracks.
"Well said, comrade, well said," Ivan said. "I have never seen dorogoy stop in the middle of her...talk like" -
"You stay out of this," was all Matt said, and effectively shut Ivan up as well. "And who the hell are you, anyways? You just barge in here, start shooting at my brother" -
"Mattie. Calm down."
He felt his brother's hand on his shoulder, back to its normal temperature. He turned to see Alfred turned back to normal, and gritted his teeth. "He tried to kill you! Don't tell me you're okay with this!" Matt yelled at Alfred.
"Chill, broski. He couldn't kill me even if he wanted to."
"I beg to differ," Ivan said coldly.
"Enough," Nat said quietly, but it was enough to stop both Alfred and Ivan from having another go at killing each other.
"That was a very mean thing to do, Ivan," Nat said, turning to Ivan. "They are my comrades, and I will not have you threaten them in any way." Am I clear?
The last part was loud and clear to everyone present in that field. Ivan reached forward and clasped Nat's hand. "Spasibo, dorogoy. I was just trying to have a little fun."
"It is not...please apologise to my companions," Nat said, switching to her Native tongue, one which she shared with Ivan. "I would have agreed to it before, but this is not acceptable."
"I agree," Ivan said in his native tongue, and turned to them. "I sincerely apologise to all of you. My curiosity was ignited by my comrade Køhler's praise of you all, and I wished to see your strengths for myself," he said. "I am Ivan Braginsky, Head Priest of the House of Flame. And while I cannot entertain you at my home in Rusya, I invite you to a temple of our order, to allow me to extend my hospitality and my services" -
"Does that include killing the guests?" Alfred quipped, and Nat glared at him.
"If he is besobaka and might kill my comrades, then yes," Ivan said, his smile as cold as his eyes.
"I understood that, buddy," Alfred said, his eyes hardening with an emotion Nat had seen on the first day she had met him, "And I'm willing to take you up on that. Thing is, you'll be the only one dying" -
"Okay, okay," Shree said, making the time-out sign. "Ivan took it too far, and he's sorry. Now, can we put it behind us?" She turned to Ivan. "Honestly. Don't do that again."
"I promise, I promise," he said. "Now, I shall guess. You are Matthew, and you are Alfred," Ivan said, and turned to Eliza and Gilbert, who were standing by Shree. "You are Eliza and Gilbert. And might I say, Ledi Eliza, you are much more beautiful than Køhler could describe you."
Eliza blushed, and Gilbert found himself liking the man before him lesser and lesser.
"But, for the sake of my men, dorogoy, I must ask again" -
"What are you getting at, Braginsky?" Alfred growled.
"Dy - what are you implying?" Nat said, looking at Ivan strangely.
"I'm just looking out for my people" -
"No, you're being obtuse, Ivan," Shree retorted. "Why would Alfred" -
"Like I said, the only one I would readily hurt is you, Braginsky," Alfred said coldly. "If that's what you want."
"I'm sure, comrade, I'm sure," Ivan replied knowingly. "But as much as I would enjoy a good fight, the others around us wouldn't enjoy it as much. So, some other time, then, when no one's looking."
Alfred smiled, but his rage was set in his stone-like expression. "I'll hold you to that."
"Can we go now?" Eliza asked Shree quietly.
"I don't think I want to," Gilbert whispered, overhearing Eliza.
"Natalya, do you know the way to the temple?" Ivan asked in his native tongue.
Nat replied, and the rest of them watched as they talked to each other. And when Ivan cupped her face and kissed her forehead, Alfred felt the bullet that Ivan had meant for him earlier go through his chest.
He charged forward, but Shree's grip at him arm stopped him. "Shree" -
"Alfred, not now," Shree whispered softly. "If you go at him now, Tony won't be able to help you."
"What?" Alfred gasped, shocked. "Of course Tony will" -
"If his power is transferred to you now, your body will start to burn," Shree said. "It's difficult for me to touch you - your skin is burning like you have high fever."
Her words snapped him out of it, and he felt Shree's fingers cold on his skin, as if she was holding ice cubes at the tips of her fingers.
"I'll explain it to you, I promise," Shree said. "Right now, get in the car before you faint."
Alfred understood what she was talking about as she walked him to the car - he felt severely dehydrated, and he wasn't able to concentrate. And Tony...he couldn't feel Tony's presence in his head.
"Shree...I can't feel Tony..."
"Relax. He's exhausted. He's probably gone to sleep. He's usually awake in your head, but times like this demand rest. You, too. You need to rest."
Shree got him into the backseat of the car, and followed him in. She pulled out a water bottle from the carrier, and poured the contents over his face and arms.
Alfred felt fatigue creeping in, growing by the minute. He faintly felt the water sizzling off his skin...It felt so good...She emptied other water bottle, and his skin was cool enough to let the water slide over his skin in liquid form. He felt her fingers over his lips and chin, and complied to their prying by opening his mouth.
As soon as the water hit his tongue, he began swallowing greedily. His throat was parched, his lungs and stomach were burning. The flow of water trickled to a stop, and resumed after a few minutes. He drank, and water trickled down the side of his chin and mouth. Feeling his insides cool down, he clutched her hand, and drew it down. Slowly, he opened his eyes, waiting for the water to cool him down completely.
Honestly, Shree was gorgeous. Her irises were brown, and were encircled by a ring of black. Her nose was slightly crooked, like it was broken, her eyes were beautifully formed, and her lips were full and rogue, even though she didn't paint them. The left part of her head had cropped hair, as if it had been shaved some time back, but the hair on the top of her head, the back and the right side of her head was thick and black, flowing over her shoulder and twisting into a braid. And her skin...it was dark, but, somehow, it made her more beautiful than she already was.
"Alfred...what is it?"
"Did...did Mattie get around to telling you how gorgeous you are?" Alfred whispered, and smiled at Shree's furious blush. She was so cute when she blushed. When she said nothing, he grinned tiredly. "I'm...sure he'll get...around to it. But...I'm glad I'm the first."
Shree hit him on his arm, and sat down next to hit, her face turned away. Alfred chuckled slowly, and looked out the window.
A few minutes later, Matt opened the back door, and sat down next to Shree. Gilbert and Eliza went to the front, and sat at the capacious shotgun seat, which could accommodate two people comfortably. Nat slipped into the driver's seat a few minutes after them.
"Where is Ivan?"
"He's gone back to the temple, probably the same way he came," Nat answered Shree. "We're going there now."
And as the car started, the last thing Alfred felt was Shree's shoulder under his head before he fell into a deep sleep.
"How many idols have you installed till now?" Ivan asked in the language they had learnt and spoken at the Academy. Opposite him sat Nat and Shree - the rest of them were in their room, fast asleep.
"Three, till now," Nat said. "And we need to hurry, before the number and capability of the demons increase."
"Six more left," Ivan mused. "You don't have much more time left. But if Om has personally scribed the nanogram for you, then there's no need for me to look into that. But then there's that demon" -
"Ivan," Shree warned.
"Friend of yours, the demon?" Ivan asked. "I am not talking about your comrade Alfred. I'm talking about the demon in him. Does he or she have a name?"
"Alfred named him Tony, and he responds to it" -
"So his name is similar to Tony," Ivan said. "But there's something wrong here."
"Like what?" Nat asked.
"How his demon friend is expressing himself," Ivan said. "Shree, you have been helping in building Alfred's spiritual energy, haven't you?"
"Yes...but what" -
"His spiritual energy is tainted with a strange hue. It is of neither this Realm or of the demon friend's Realm. It is a mixture of both. And all three of us know that is dangerous."
Nat and Shree knew exactly how dangerous, and all they could do in response was look at him with their jaws dropped for a long time. Ivan sighed. "The reason you didn't pick it up is because you are familiarised to his energy, so much so that it seems normal to you." Ivan remained silent for a while, and both the priestesses recognized that silence.
"Alfred Jones Sr. Where did you find him?" Ivan asked.
"Fitzgerald. Why?" Nat asked, frowning.
"Do you now know why the priests at your sister temple did not recognise the warning signs of his association with the demon?"
Nat's frown deepened. "But...that's not possible..."
"She's right, Ivan," Shree said. "He doesn't know the rituals involved in making a demon contract."
Ivan frowned, and looked at the two of them. "Maybe he doesn't have to. But..."
"But?" Nat asked, not liking that tone a little bit.
"There's only one way to find out."
"Seriously? Are you a sucker for punishment?"
"Ivan! I thought we were clear on this!" Shree confronted Ivan.
Ivan dismissed her words. "You can say that, comrade Alfred. Now, fight me."
"Ivan, don't do this" -
"Natalya" -
"I'm not going to fight you," Alfred said.
"What if I hurt your brother?"
"You can't lay a finger on my brother without breaking five of your own."
Ivan frowned, then nodded. "Fair enough. But I need you to fight me."
"Since you're being so nice and all...I have to say no."
"What if I attack Shree? You are close to her," Ivan asked.
Alfred just grinned. "I might call her Doll, but she'd chop your balls off before you got to attacking her."
Shree, who'd been yelling at Ivan, turned to Alfred and smiled. "Thank you, Alfred."
"Hmm," was all Ivan said. "So you won't fight me."
"No. Now can I go back to sleep? I'm tired," Alfred said, and turned around to leave.
"Comrade Alfred, wait."
"What is" - and Alfred's jaw dropped.
Ivan's mouth was over Natalya's, her body pressed close and hard against his. His eyes were closed; her eyes were opened wide with shock. Her hands were flailing; his palms cupped her face, turning it to deepen the kiss. And when he opened his eyes slightly and looked at Alfred, that was the last straw.
A suffocating rage engulfed Alfred, and he felt himself shaking. And then...
It all went black.
Ivan pushed Nat away and dropped to the ground - he heard Alfred swish above him. He pivoted, got up and jumped back just in time to escape Alfred clawing his face out. Ivan moved back, but not fast enough - Alfred's deadly grip ripped the scarf right off his neck, tore gashes into his overcoat. His razor like fingers passed centimeters off his face, and Ivan could feel the air before his nose being ripped into two.
Ivan bent low, and drove his head into Alfred's stomach, pushing him backwards. With his superhuman strength, he picked up Alfred and threw him to the other end of the dojo. He straightened, watched as Alfred crashed into the wall, and ran a hand over the scars on his neck, scars that hid his true nature to the world. Determining that Alfred was going to catch his breath, he looked at the rest of them.
They were shocked, to say the least. Matt was on his knees, watching his brother transformed with his jaw dropped. Gilbert and Eliza were looking on with a horrified expression, huddled next to each other, and Shree stood next to Nat, trying to draw her back, the effort halfhearted as she expended her energy trying to realise what was going on.
And Nat...One look at her face helped him realise she knew exactly what was going on, but she didn't want to believe it.
"Natalya!"
She snapped out of her shock, and looked at Ivan.
"Was Johnny Doe's energy like this?"
She didn't have to nod - he could see it in her eyes.
Ivan looked back to Alfred. The aura that had been surrounding him when he'd seen him for the first time had been a blue-orange. Now, it was a miasmic red. His fingers was marked with stripes and smudges of red, brown and black; they did not have the clean, distinguishable look that the markings he had seen before on the same man had had. His hair had grown longer, and was no longer sunshine golden - it was black. And when Ivan's gaze met his, he found himself looking into complete, pitch black orbits, abysses of the dead on the face of the living.
"He is no longer controlling the demon's energy," Ivan said out loud, for the benefit of those afraid. "He is no longer in control of his actions. The demon's energy has consumed him. He will not recognise any of you now. Do not get in his way." Ivan removed his overcoat, and felt the fear emanating from Shree and Nat.
"Ivan, don't" -
"It is the only way to stop him, my dear," Ivan said in their common tongue, handing over his overcoat to Shree. "Besides, if things get out of hand, both you and Natalya are here to take care of it." He looked at Nat, who now stared at Ivan as if he was a monster.
The thought made him chuckle. Once his scarf and overcoat had been removed...he was a monster.
But, unlike other monsters, he could control his powers.
What...the...hell?
Nat couldn't believe herself. She couldn't believe her senses. But all the evidence, all the events pointed to what she was seeing in front of her.
She had assumed that Johnny Doe was the reason for the disturbance in the cosmic balance, for the spiritual fluctuations. And she had been right, back then. But now, as she watched...
Alfred, too, was the reason for the spiritual imbalance of the Universe.
He threw back his head and roared, the voices of Heaven and Hell emerging from his throat in one heartstopping cry of rage. His aura was red, tinted with black, and Nat could see the telltale signs.
If he didn't stop and get out of his current form, he would not only burn his physical body, but he would lose the identity of his mind to the demon.
Nat's senses turned to Ivan. Tattoos encircled his neck, but they didn't hide the gashes in his skin - gashes that, people whispered, had been formed from the jaws of the Devil. He never removed his overcoat or his scarf, but without his overcoat, there was a black vest which left his arms bare, and grey pants which were held up by specially crafted energy sensing linen bandages.
His arms were bare, but there was no skin to be seen - his arms were heavily tattooed, continuing from his neck over his shoulders right down to his wrists. A stead lilac glow thrummed over Ivan's body, the tips of his hair floating in the air in beat to the thrum;. And the look on his face told Nat exactly what he was about to do.
"W-What is that? On his arms?" Matt asked, coming and standing next to Nat.
Shree had enough of her wits about her to answer his question. "Those are inscriptions in pictorial form. Where we have to chant mantras to pull out our spiritual energy, he had to channel his spiritual energy through a particular part of his arm to achieve the same effect as out mantras."
"Isn't that...difficult? Channelling your energy like that?"
Shree chuckled mirthlessly. "It's nearly impossible. The only humans alive to be able to do that are Ivan's predecessor, Ivan's Deputy and Ivan. The three of them are the only ones to be able to practice this technique without killing themselves."
"Is he going to be able to stop Alfred?" Matt whispered, afraid of either answer.
"Yes. But...we don't know whether we can stop Ivan after he stops Alfred," Shree said.
Matt paled. "Why?"
Nat whispered out her worst fears. "Because he's going to summon the Devil."
A low growl turned their attention to Ivan. Parts of the tattoos on his arms began to glow, and his eyes took on a strange yellow luminescence. Flashes of black and lilac began streaking through his silver-white hair, and his purple irises turned gold. His skin turned a ghostly white, and the skin and flesh began falling off the right side of his face. But instead of showing blood or bone, an abyss opened up in the right side of his face - an abyss that seemed to lead right to the centre of the Universe. And when Ivan showed his teeth in a grin, his sharp canines seemed to glint evilly.
Ivan opened his mouth, and the constant low growl emanating from him increased in decibel. With that greeting, he charged at Alfred.
Nat, Shree and Matt's eyes were not fast enough to keep up with the two demons - all they could see were flashes of lilac and red across the room, and when the two demons crashed, they felt the force as if they were the ones being hit. Every blow caused the mirror lined walls to shake, and stopped the heart of all those watching.
Ivan grabbed Alfred's fist in his mouth, and yanked him closer. Alfred's other hand clutched at Ivan's face, and pumped energy in one burst, frying Ivan's face. Ivan let go on Alfred's fist and fell back. Alfred took the chance, and charged at Ivan.
'Enough.'
Ivan opened his eyes, grabbed on of Alfred's arms and spun him around. Ignoring Alfred's cry of surprise, he grabbed the other arm, and drove his knee into the base of Alfred's spine.
Alfred roared out in pain; Ivan thrust Alfred into the ground face-first from midair.
Regretting the short time he had in his demonic form, Ivan sighed as his held Alfred pinned to the ground. But...that was one of the best fights he'd had in a very, very long time.
He directed his spiritual energy through his arms, and felt the inscriptions pick up on the energy. The inscriptions performed their action - the demonic energy within both Ivan and Alfred dissipated bit by bit. Ivan looked around, one part of his mind on Alfred's reduced struggling, the other part of his mind observing the damage made by their demonic energy.
He congratulated himself for having the fight in the Dojo - any other part of the temple, and the place would have been reduced to a rubble. Below him, Alfred was coming two. Ivan grabbed the neck of Alfred's vest, and took a moment to catch his breath. He was tired - it was a long time since he'd expended so much energy in such a short while. It was exhausting, honestly. Absently, he wondered if he was truly growing old.
"Get off me, asshole!"
His musings were cut short by Alfred snapping at him, and he remembered as to why he was straddling Alfred's back.
In a minute, comrade," Ivan said, tightening his grip.
Alfred began to buck under him, and Ivan had to appreciate his sheer physical strength. In one swipe, he tore his vest right off his back.
"I'm not interested in your asshole, bastard," Alfred rasped.
Ivan just raised an eyebrow. "Even though I'm the one on top?"
"Not for long." And Alfred bucked violently, throwing Ivan right off him. And along with Ivan, his ripped vest fell off him as well.
Ivan leaped to his feet, and looked at Alfred with an almost cruel smile. "But I would be interested in your zadnista, comrade - if I ever swung that way."
Alfred couldn't suppress a shudder, but his eye caught the look of total shock in the faces of his four companions. "What?" he asked them.
"Do you...remember anything?" Matt asked.
"No. I must've fainted, and when I came to, that pervert was sitting on my back, ripping my clothes off." And Alfred's face fell at the thought of what might have happened before he came to. "Did I...did I hurt someone?"
None of them answered, but their eyes said that he hadn't hurt anyone...except that perverted priest. Which was good.
"Alfred..." Eliza stammered. "Your...back..."
Alfred frowned, and tired to feel his back with his fingers. His fingertips passed over bumps and ridges, after which the skin felt unnatural.
"Hey, pervert," Alfred snapped. "What did you do to my back?"
"Nothing, comrade," Ivan said easily. "But if you look through this mirror, you'll see your back in the opposite one," he said, pointing the mirrored wall opposite Alfred.
Alfred frowned and looked in the direction Ivan was pointing in. And what he saw... "What the hell is that?" he whispered, staggering to the wall before him. He turned his back to the mirror and looked over his shoulder to see the reflection of his back.
There was an outline made of red, ridged skin, and within the outline were patches of purple at places, and patches of green at others. Within the outline where he could see his natural skin, there were markings in black. Alfred recognised the markings to be the alphabet of the language that marked the holy weapons or books that the priestesses carried. He'd seen the same letters all over the other temples he'd been to as well - on the walls, on the metal, in the wood. It was from the same language.
But even those markings were incomplete - Alfred knew, because he'd observed that sentences in this language ended with a straight line, like 'l' or double lines, like 'll' - it was similar to the full stop in his language. The markings on his back ended without the lines, and started at random from elsewhere. And upon observing the outline closely, it was...
"It's a lotus," Alfred said, and turned to the six people standing before him. "It's a lotus...But what does it mean?"
Matt and Gilbert looked confused. Eliza looked thoughtful, like she was trying to place where she'd seen something like that before. Natalya looked horrified, and Shree and Ivan were the only two people whose faces showed understanding; in Shree's eyes, there was an additional emotion - sympathy.
"Shree. What is it?" Alfred asked. Somewhere in his gut he knew he didn't want the answers.
Shree opened her mouth to start speaking, then released her breath in a shuddering sigh. "It's the beginning of a contract seal, Alfred."
"What kind of a contract seal?"
"The one you make with a demon," Ivan said plainly, with none of his previous malice or condensation.
"But I never" -
"Alfred."
He stopped short at Natalya's voice, and looked at her.
"That seal..."
"What about it? Tell me!" Alfred yelled, frustrated, and more than a little scared. He did not like where this was going at all. If Nat was scared...
Nat took a deep breath, and looked at Alfred right in the eye. "Alfred, it is a contract seal between the demon within you and its host."
"That means..."
"The demon is making a contract with you, the same one it had made with your father."
A.T: Well, in my universe, Ivan's tattoos explain why he wears that scarf and overcoat of his all the freaking time. That, and an additional reason you'll get to know in the following chapters.
Like I said, I'll be uploading the next chapter this Sunday, so it comes within the week itself, and you don't have to wait for too long.
We played holi this week, and my roomie's come home with me...we're leaving tomorrow. Also, another crazy thing - I'm sexually attracted to (and active with) my best friend in this dream I had, and when I woke up, I was horrified to find myself not horrified but sexually frustrated. Like I actually want it to happen. But I don't. Because it means complications. And I don't want none of that. If he's reading this (that means he'd gotten over his extremely huge backlog of the previous chapters and has come this far) he's going to know I'm talking about him, but he's going to deny it, and he's going to be like, "Who's she talking about...no, wait, what the fuck!?" Then I'm going to get a call to explain myself, and I only have one explanation - I'm ovulating, and I'm high on hormones. So don't think anything about it.
I don't know why I typed that out, but I'm going to put it out on the internet, and I'm going to hate myself for it later, but I've only got one thing to say to my facepalming future self - I'm horny, and I'm sorry.
You don't have to read this if you don't want to - I get weird most of the times.
Hope you enjoyed it!
Love,
R. K. Iris.
Continuing my conversation with TheEnglishMuffin:
Well, the reason the Fitzgerald brothers can't beat Ivan is because Ivan's been trained in chanelling his energy, whereas Matt and Alfred have just made their entrance into a world Ivan had a very long time to master, and mastered it he has. And Ivan's going to keep throwing googlies (it's a cricket term) like that for a while (ehehehehe).
Well, that's the thing. The reason why I paused it for a really long time until Chapter 11 was because I was dealing with a lot of things that put my writing to a backseat. But writing is my creative outlet - it's like how breathing is a physical outlet. And if I don't exercise my creativity, it comes back to bite me in the form of negative and self-depreciating thoughts (I'm very prone to those). So RoJD, and my writing in general, is a way to keep my mind from entertaining negative thoughts in its free time, and saturating it with thoughts about the story whenever I find myself short of things to think about. And when I know there are people enjoying what I write, it's that much more of a pleasure to write for people. Yeah, self satisfaction is important, but we as a species don't live for ourselves - we live for each other.
*internet high five*!
And you're an amazing person - your reviews make me so bloody happy, I can't even explain it to you. Please keep reviewing - it gives me this amazing feeling in my stomach *insert favourite inconspicuous love song melody here*.
I'll update as soon as I can! Lots of love to you, darling!