Sitting in a warm, relaxing bath a lone chronofly angel was looking down at the water with a worried expression. Complica always had a problem with controlling her train of thought; ever since she was born her mind was constantly running at full speed. Her dreams were more surreal and vivid than anyone else's from her home, her attention span for most things was difficult to maintain, and her magic was nearly impossible to control properly. She couldn't help it, nobody could. No healer in her former home was able to help her mind focus; she wasn't suffering from chrono dementia. It was as if her mind was naturally swarming with dozens of thoughts and commands at the same time, yet she never went crazy. If anything she was the most peaceful, although very talkative, chronofly that lived in her former home. It was speculated by their healers that should her mind mature and she managed to gain better control over her magic, she might have grown up to be one of the most gifted chronoflies of all time. That theory was further supported by her most impressive, although fatal, action in her short life. She cast the forbidden spell Chrono Displacement, all on her own. It was proof that she had a very unique potential, to control time to a further degree than the rest of her race. However, as she was now, her ability to control time was far less manageable and her mind was unable to properly focus on anything in one given moment.
Well, almost nothing.
"Alright, let's do what Ceal said, and try to calm down and think clearly," Complica said to herself while shaking her head.
"He does know best, doesn't he?" another Complica said next to her, leaning over the edge of the bath and gazing towards the doorway out of the bathing room with loving eyes.
"Stop thinking about him like that!" the original Complica shouted, shutting her eyes and holding her hands to her head.
"I thought you wanted to calm down? You're not calming down at all," a third Complica said sitting across from her.
"How can I be, did you see that chest of his? And his arms? And his eyes… oh my god, I want to cuddle up with him in bed so badly," Complica 2 purred with a blush.
"Yeah, you're not calming down either," Complica 3 said while shaking her head and looking at the love-struck girl. Complica 1 sighed and looked down with a worried expression.
"I can't fall in love with Ceal, its wrong wrong wrong. He's my sister's boyfriend, not to mention I'm dead!" she cried out.
"Well your sister was mean to you before, maybe it's only fair she gets a little payback. Stealing her hot boyfriend seems fair," Complica 4 said while leaning back against the bath, looking up with a calm expression.
"I can't steal him away from her, that's so mean. Besides, I shouldn't be thinking this way, he's like my brother," Complica 1 said shaking her head again.
"So how do you feel about incest then?" Complica 2 asked glancing to her with a smirk.
"No no no no!" Complica 1 yelled out, holding her hands to her head while shaking her head wildly.
"That's not right at all, how can you think about him like that?" Complica 3 asked with a stunned expression.
"How can you not?" Complica 2 asked annoyed.
"Look what I can do," Complica 5 said, doing a handstand on the edge of the bath.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Complica 3 asked puzzled.
"What doesn't it have to do with anything?" Complica 5 asked curiously.
"Can't argue with that, she has a point," Complica 4 said, getting up on the edge of the bath and doing a handstand too. Complica 1 growled with frustration.
"We're talking about Ceal here!" she yelled out.
"Yeah, but this is kinda fun too," Complica 5 said, now doing a handstand with one hand.
"That seems awfully dangerous, what if you hit your head and fall in?" Complica 3 asked worriedly.
"Who cares, I'm just a figment of her imagination, I can't get hurt," Complica 5 said with a laugh.
"I thought you were a figment of my imagination," Complica 4 said next to her.
"No, we're a figment of hers," Complica 3 said pointing to the girl who was growling loudly with frustration.
"Stop it stop it stop it! Focus on the problem with Ceal here! I need to know what to do!" she cried out with desperation.
"Tell him you've been a bad little sister, thinking about him in such naughty ways, and you need a good spanking," Complica 2 said wiggling her rear while she kept staring at the doorway with longing eyes.
"You're not helping here!" Complica yelled out at her.
"That does sound fun actually," Complica 3 said with a blush.
"Yeah, same here," Complica 4 said looking over to the door.
"Do that, that sounds like the right thing to do," Complica 5 said in agreement.
"We've been so bad!" Complica 3 and 4 called out while shaking their heads with remorse.
"I'm not asking Ceal to spank me, this isn't helping!" Complica 1 cried out. She shut her eyes and whimpered, with all the other girls looking to her curiously. Complica 4 and 5 sat back down on the edge of the bath while 2 looked towards the doorway again with a loving sigh.
"I can't fall in love with Ceal. I can't fall in love with Ceal. I can't fall in love with Ceal," Complica 1 whimpered again and again.
"Why not, what's so bad about falling in love with a handsome dragon slayer?" Complica 2 asked with a shrug. Complica 1 looked at her with desperation.
"I can't… he's not… but… we…" she stammered. Complica 2 smiled coyly then slowly moved towards her.
"He's not what? You do think he's hot, don't you?" she asked slyly. Complica 1 squeaked out something then slowly nodded as all the others watched her curiously.
"And you do feel something for him, don't you?" Complica 2 asked with a curious smile. Complica 1 opened her mouth to protest, and then slowly nodded.
"And don't you feel so safe with him? So secure? So happy?" Complica 2 asked, standing up and putting her hands to her hips.
"I… well, yes…" Complica 1 said, looking down with worried eyes. Complica 2 scoffed at her and shook her head.
"Then who are you to deny what the heart truly wants?" she asked firmly.
Arial looked down at her hand, holding the crystal ring on her palm while she sat on the bed in the infirmary. Nurses were treating her bruised jaw and cheeks while she just stared at the ring with a deep gaze, a tear forming in her eye.
"You can't fight this feeling, nobody can. It's love, real love; it cannot be driven away just because others say it's wrong."
Ahakon stumbled away from Ran inside the ruined bathing room, the mage looking back to the siren as she was on the verge of tears while sitting on the floor. She let her towel drop slightly, revealing her breasts as she reached out for him with pleading eyes. Ahakon showed a pained expression then looked down and away with closed eyes.
"If you're in love with somebody then you can't just let them go, you can't just stop loving them."
Yukari shakily got dressed, crying as she looked down with closed eyes. Her hands trembled as she tried to fasten her skirt, her body shaking before she dropped to her knees inside the girls changing room. She dropped down onto her side and cried, shaking her head as her voice echoed out inside the empty room.
"If anything gets in your way then you need to fight for that love, you can't just let it be taken from you by anything."
Sun glanced over to Gin, the group standing around outside in a small courtyard next to the main building. Gin was looking down at a small stream that was flowing by with Kokoa holding onto his arm, the vampire looking back and then glaring at Sun. The siren narrowed her eyes at the vampire, crossing her arms in discontent while leaning back against a tree.
"That's what real love is; true dedication and desire for someone that means the world to you, the will to do whatever it takes so you can be together forever!" Complica 2 declared while holding her arms out at her side. Complica 3, 4, and 5 started clapping with admiration while Complica 1 watched with worried eyes.
"Bravo! Bravo!" Complica 3 cheered out.
"You're an inspiration to lovers everywhere!" Complica 4 said with a jump.
"I hope I'm a figment of her imagination," Complica 5 said while glancing to the others. Complica 2 bowed gracefully and waved her hand around selflessly.
"Thank you, thank you everyone, you're too kind," she said proudly. Complica 1 looked at them with disbelief and frustration then down with a whimper.
"Why can't I ever focus?" she said softly while closing her eyes. She grabbed her hair and shook her head wildly as the others looked to her curiously.
"I can't love Ceal, I can't I can't I can't! It's not right, it's so not right! I can't do this, I can't feel this way, I can't… I can't…" she said, slowly stopping herself and looking down with watery eyes.
"I can't stop thinking about him," she said quietly.
"It's not so bad," Complica 2 purred while moving over and sitting next to her.
"It's so wrong," Complica 1 whimpered.
"Maybe he likes younger girls," Complica 3 said with a hopeful smile.
"He loves my sister Falla, he even said so," Complica 1 whined.
"She was so mean to you before, taking Ceal away from her makes you even," Complica 4 said with a shrug.
"I don't want to be mean to her; she's learning to be good now. She's sorry for how she was in the past, Gabriel and Luna even said so," Complica 1 reasoned.
"But you want him don't you? You want to be his little butterfly, don't you?" Complica 5 asked with a smile.
"I do, but… no, I don't… arg, I do I do! No, I don't, I can't!" Complica 1 said erratically, shaking her head with closed eyes.
"There's nothing wrong with following your heart," Complica 2 giggled.
"I don't know what my heart wants anymore, I thought I wanted Lloyd but now I have no idea!" Complica 1 cried out.
"Lloyd?" Complica 2 asked puzzled.
"Who's that?" Complica 5 asked curiously.
"He was our boyfriend! …wasn't he?" Complica 3 said before looking around puzzled.
"Oh yeah, I think I remember him. Um, what color were his wings again, I forgot," Complica 4 said looking up thoughtfully. Complica 1 looked around with surprise and disbelief at the girls.
"Who cares, Ceal's way hotter," Complica 2 said, once again leaning over the edge of the bath and gazing at the door with loving eyes.
"No, how can you say such things about him, Lloyd's the one I love, I gave my life to be with him again!" Complica 1 cried out. Complica 2 looked over to her with a glare.
"You made a mistake, you gave away your life all because you weren't ready to let go of having a boyfriend," she scoffed.
"No, I… but… he…" Complica 1 stuttered.
"What color were his wings?" Complica 2 demanded. After she got nothing but stunned silence for a reply she continued.
"What about his eyes, what color were those?" she asked expectedly. Complica 1 looked down as she held back her tears.
"No… they were… um…" she said softly.
"Ceal was right, Ceal is always right after all. You were just in love with the idea of having a boyfriend then, he wasn't your destiny. And you admitted it yourself, how you only felt this strong of a feeling with Ceal; can't you see that he's the one for you?" Complica 2 asked accusingly. Complica 1 shook her head while looking down at the water, the other girls all watching her carefully.
"No, that… but… I love him like he's my brother, not… because…" she said unsurely. Shakily she held her hands over her heart.
"Your heart beats for him, you can feel it," Complica 3 said in wonder.
"You want him all for yourself, you want to be his butterfly, it's so obvious," Complica 4 said with a nod.
"How… how is that the obvious answer?" Complica 1 asked.
"Because we're all thinking of him, all wanting him, all in love with him," Complica 5 said softly. Complica 1 looked around to seeing all the girls looking at her with hopeful eyes.
"You are focused," Complica 5 said before she vanished.
"You are thinking clearly," Complica 4 said before vanishing as well.
"You've known all along, whether you want it to be true or not," Complica 3 said before fading away. Complica 2 walked up to the original girl and shook her head with remorse.
"You're in love with him; he's everything you've ever wanted and more. You can't fight it, you can't run from it, you can only accept it," she said softly.
"No, I can't. I know it's not right, I know it won't happen. I won't deceive myself like Arial did!" Complica 1 cried out with desperation. She whimpered and looked down with closed eyes.
"I can't love him. I can't love him. I can't love him. I can't love him," she said repeatedly. After a moment of silence she opened her eyes, seeing that she was alone in the bathing room again. She looked around then slumped back against the edge with a sigh.
"The one time my mind is focused on something… and it's not helping me at all," she said quietly to herself. The gentle lapping of the water from the fountains were all that was heard for a while as the girl sat there in silence. After a while she breathed out and looked up with worried eyes.
"Luna… I wish you were here. You would know what I should do, you always know what to do," she said quietly with a tear forming in her eye. She shut her eyes out of frustration and splashed the water away from her, then again and again, crying out with each strike.
"What do I do, I can't do this by myself!" she cried out.
"You don't know how to take a bath by yourself?" Ceal asked from nearby. The girl jumped with a yelp and looked back to seeing Ceal by the doorway. The girl quickly dropped down and held her arms around her chest, her wings blocking most of the view of her.
"C-C-Ceal, w-what are you d-doing here?" she stuttered out.
"I came by with some new clothes for you. I heard you screaming from outside in the hall, are you alright?" he asked with a calm expression as he held a new clean pair of clothing for the girl; white jeans, a blue shirt like she had worn before, a white headband, and also her shoes and socks. He set the clothing down next to one of the fountains while Complica tried to steady her breathing, the girl then slowly peeking back at him.
"I… um…" she said quietly. She didn't know whether to feel embarrassed that he was in the bathing room with her or if she should be happy that he was nearby. After a pause she looked back at him with timid eyes.
"Can… I ask you something?" she asked softly. Ceal was now looking up slightly, keeping his eyes away from the view of the naked chronofly, and nodded once. Complica looked at him with wonder, seeing how he was standing there casually with his hands at his pockets.
"What do you do… if… you're in love with somebody, but know you shouldn't be?" she asked. Ceal glanced to her briefly then back up again.
"You mean like with your snow angel friend and her obsession with the shadow demon?" he asked carelessly. Complica hesitated for a moment then nodded.
"Yeah, sure, I mean her, Arial. What can somebody like her do if they're in love… but needed to stop being in love with that certain somebody?" she asked nervously. Ceal just stood there in silence while Complica looked down worriedly.
"What can she do if… her heart just won't let go of him?" she asked softly. Ceal paused for a moment then shrugged.
"If memory serves the girl in question would be beaten down and taken to the emergency room for not thinking properly," he said casually. Complica blinked, and then envisioned a very upset Falla glaring at her with rage.
"You… made out… with MY BOYFRIEND?" Falla roared, gearing back with a chopping hand while Complica waved her hands frantically in front of her out of fright.
"It was only for 20 minutes!" Complica pleaded before Falla struck down at her, the wave of torn space annihilating the younger chronofly in a flash.
Complica trembled and shook her head shakily.
"Um… is there any way of avoiding something like that? You know, helping let go of this feeling I'm hav-… I mean, that she's having, before anyone gets hurt again?" she asked worriedly. Ceal glanced to her as the chronofly was fidgeting, her hands trembling together as she shook her head slowly.
"I don't know, I've never had that sort of problem to deal with," he said with a raised eyebrow. Complica nodded worriedly then looked down and away. She started crying softly, wiping her eyes with her hands while she lowered her head.
"Why are you crying?" Ceal asked.
"Because… I don't know what to do," Complica sobbed. Ceal looked at her carefully then up.
"We're not talking about your snow angel friend, are we?" he asked. Complica whimpered then looked over to him with pleading eyes. He paused for a moment then glanced to her.
"Ceal…" she said softly.
'I can't look away from him, can't stop looking into his eyes. Oh god, I can't fall in love with him, this is a disaster. I'm just as bad as Arial!'
Ceal glanced to his reptilian hand then sighed quietly.
"How about I tell you a secret Complica, something just between the two of us," he said calmly. Complica tilted her head slightly while her eyes remained locked onto him, unable to look away. He walked towards her, looking around the room casually.
"However, if I tell you this, then I want your word you will not tell another soul," he said glancing back to her.
"A secret?" she asked softly. He nodded as he knelt down near the bath's edge, gently holding a hand to her cheek.
"Yes, something I haven't told anybody else, not even Falla. However, I'll trust you with it, as if you were my own sister," he said calmly.
"Sister," she breathed out. He nodded and looked at her carefully, a slight smile forming.
"Can I count on you, to act like a faithful sister, and keep my secret?" he asked carefully. Slowly she rose up her hand to his and held it gently, nodding with a small smile.
"Yes, I… I can be a little sister for you," she said softly. He nodded then glanced to the water, the chronofly watching him with wonder.
"I can't swim Complica," he said, looking back to her with a blank expression. She looked at him curiously as he shook his head.
"You can't… swim?" she asked softly.
"No, I never learned how to. Killing dragons was all I ever focused on, and very few if any of those we were hired to kill dwelled within the water. I may have trained to fight dragons Complica, and learned a great deal about magic and the world, but I never successfully learned how to swim," he said before closing his eyes. Complica stared at him with wonder, surprised to hear that the dragon slayer that helped her stay alive and who helped their friends survive yesterday couldn't swim.
"But everybody can swim, even I know how to," Complica said curiously. Ceal opened his eyes and gave her a knowing smirk.
"Perhaps, but not everybody learns how to Complica. Maybe someday I'll learn how, but until then, it's one of the very few things I cannot do in this life," he said calmly.
"Ceal," Complica said softly, holding securely onto his hand. He nodded then looked at her with a careful eye.
"So now you know my secret, something I've never told anybody. I want you to guard that secret, understand? Don't tell a single soul about it, ever. And in exchange for your trust, you can come to me with any problem you have, or if you're scared about something. You can think of me as your big brother, one who will always be there to help you when you seem lost," he said calmly. Complica looked at him with wonder as her wings fluttered slowly behind her. She then smiled softly and nodded.
"Thank you… big brother," she said, gently nuzzling against his hand. She felt her heart beating faster, but in a different way. She felt happy with Ceal, that was clear as day to her. She felt safe with him, knowing he would protect her always. And she felt her love for him grow, but not in a romantic way.
She moved forward and hugged him, nuzzling her head against his chest. He paused for a moment then gently held her with one hand around her back, staring ahead with a blank expression.
"Thank you," Complica said softly. She knew how she felt now, touched by his trust in her as well as his unspoken wish for their relationship to remain like this. She loved Ceal Erres, like her new big brother. After a moment she looked up at him with a gentle smile and giggled softly.
"How come you're so nice?" she asked. He chuckled and shook his head while glancing down to her, gently wiping away a tear from her cheek with his reptilian finger.
"I'm not nice. I'm a mean, scary monster," he said softly. She smiled happily and hugged him again, burying her face into his shirt as he looked ahead again. After a moment he leaned back from the hug and looked down to her.
"Finish getting cleaned up, then we'll go meet up with the others," he said standing back up. Complica smiled and nodded then looked down as she turned around again.
"Ok," she said softly. Ceal turned to walk away, with Complica glancing back to him as she smiled softly.
"You're not a mean monster at all big brother. Thank you for helping me think clearly, I don't know what I'd do without you," she said gently. Ceal paused then glanced back to her, the girl smiling gently at him as her wings fluttered a bit. After a moment he smiled slightly then walked out of the room. Complica giggled softly to herself and looked down at the water.
'Your secret is safe with me Ceal, I promise. I'll always be a faithful little sister to you.'
Outside the bathing room Ceal was leaning against a wall while casually looking around the hallway with a blank expression, his arms crossed before him while he waited for the chronofly to finish with her bath.
'I used to be a mean, scary monster Complica, until a stubborn butterfly followed me home.'
Walking out through a pair of elegant double doors Moka and Render had uneasy expressions, closing the doors behind them then glancing to each other as they stood out in the hallway. They had offered to inform Fang Fang about the snow girls' fight within his home, and to alert him that there might be some minor damage to the building from the little scuffle.
"Well… he took that pretty well, don't you think?" Render asked with a weak smile.
"He was crying when we left," Moka said shaking her head.
"True, but at least he wasn't screaming," Render said with a shrug.
From behind them a high pitched wail was heard from a yasha as he was hunched over at his desk in sorrow. Render and Moka glanced to each other then sighed.
"Well, I did offer to have my family pay for the repairs once we get home again, I think the word of a dark lord's daughter helped ease his troubles… slightly," Moka said before they started walking down the hall.
"Yeah, that reminds me, you're the daughter of a great dark lord?" Render asked looking at the vampire curiously. She nodded with a small smile.
"Yes, my father is Issa Shuzen, the dark lord and ruler over the vampire realm," she said calmly. Looking over to the side she saw Render staring at her with wonder.
"What?" she asked. Render jumped slightly then looked ahead with a weak smile.
"Sorry, it's just… I kinda pictured the daughter of a vampire lord to be… I don't know, more… intimidating," he said with a chuckle. Moka giggled and gave him a playful glance.
"Intimidating?" she asked curiously. Render nodded with a small laugh.
"Yeah, I mean you're the daughter of a great dark lord, but still you look like a normal, innocent girl. I don't know, I just kinda expected something more… powerful looking," he said with a shrug. Moka smiled slyly then grabbed him by the shoulder, turning him to face her as she pushed him back against a wall. Render watched her with surprise as she leaned in closer to him, holding him against the wall as her rosary started to glow.
"I'm not a helpless kitten you know, looks can be deceiving. You of all people should know about that," she said with a twitch of her eyebrow. Render looked at her with wonder as she chuckled.
"Let's just say, you have your fighting form, and I have mine," she said before slowly backing up and letting him go.
"Really?" he asked. She nodded and winked at him.
"Maybe I'll show you someday," she said calmly. Render smiled and tilted his head curiously.
"How about right now?" he asked. Moka giggled and started walking away again.
"Sorry, but you'll have to wait for that show," she said with a shrug. Render quickly followed after, eyeing the girl from head to toe curiously. She was certainly one of the more beautiful girls that he had seen in his life; long finely combed hair, a lovely physique with her hips swaying gently with each step, a gentle and enchanting face, and a bosom that bounced just enough to let you know that she was certainly a woman. Moka smirked and glanced to him, sensing she was being viewed.
"Watch your wandering eye Render, my mate is very possessive of me," she said with a slight tone of pride. Render jumped a bit then looked ahead with a nervous laugh.
"Sorry, just… curious about your fighting form," he reasoned quickly. She nodded and looked back ahead.
"Like I said Render, someday. For now I'd rather not cause any more damage to Fang Fang's home, he seemed pretty broken up about what's already happened this morning," she mused. Render chuckled and nodded, looking around the hall casually.
"That's true I guess, I hate seeing a grown man cry like a little girl," he laughed.
From further ahead of them they saw Yukari walking into the hallway, rubbing her eyes as she trotted away while crying.
"Yep, just like that actually. Sad really," Render said pointing ahead at the young girl.
"Yukari? Yukari, what's wrong?" Moka called out as she and Render ran toward the witch. Yukari sobbed and looked back to them with watery eyes.
"What's wrong Yukari, why are you crying?" Moka asked worriedly.
"Yeah, you look more upset than Fang Fang was after we told him about the redecorating those snow girls did to his place," Render said as he watched the witch lunging into a teary-eyed hug with Moka.
"Aha… Ahakon… he… he..." Yukari stammered between sobs.
"Ahakon? What about him? What happened?" Moka asked with concern. Yukari trembled then buried her face into Moka's chest, shaking her head with a loud cry.
"He kissed Ran!" she wailed before she broke down sobbing. Moka and Render looked at her with surprise then to each other as Moka held the heartbroken witch.
"He did what?" Moka asked.
"Wait, I thought those two were a couple," Render said looking at Yukari curiously.
"They are, Ahakon loves Yukari. Why would he do something like that?" Moka asked worriedly. Yukari cried some more then looked down and away with watery eyes.
"I overheard them talking, Ahakon was in her room last night… he held her down and kissed her, and she loved it," she whimpered. Moka showed a sympathetic expression and held her friend close.
"Oh Yukari. That can't be true, you must have misheard them. Ahakon loves you, he wouldn't-"
"He admitted it! I heard him clear as day that he kissed her, he said he liked it!" Yukari cried out while shaking her head. Moka and Render watched her cry then looked to each other with concern.
"This is going to be another one of those days, isn't it?" Render asked. Moka looked at him with worry then down to Yukari, the young witch crying into her chest out of sorrow.
Felucia stepped into her car, closing the door and breathing out softly. Glancing to her side she saw Luna sitting next to her, the chronofly buckled in while still looking down with an unfocused gaze. She was clad once again in a blanket, her wings remaining limp behind her on the seat while her bracelet was still void of any light or magic.
"Luna… please say something," Felucia said softly. She remembered back to the last time she saw the chronofly, before being hexed by the dark witch sisters. How Luna had walked back with her and Jovian towards the girls dorm building at the academy, and how she was heard one last time from the other side of the door to Hokuto's room as she was asking for directions to the chronofly statue out in the monster world.
'If I had known… that would be the last time I saw you alive and well… or heard your voice…'
"Please Luna, come back to us," Felucia said softly before she started up the car. She shifted the car into drive, looking over again at her catatonic friend with worried eyes.
Before she could speak a large figure dropped down from the sky in front of them, slamming onto the road with a furious impact. The concrete cracked apart and shattered as the car jumped a bit from the force, with Felucia looking back ahead with surprise. Slowly standing up was a very large dark haired demon, the monster's four muscular horse legs standing upright as the creature towered over the vehicle. Its large leathery wings spread out behind it as it stretched out its four arms, the monster's head being an enlarged ogre's with three red eyes that were glaring at the car. A dark scaled tail swayed behind the monster as it growled loudly, drool coming from its mouth which had two large tusks protruding upwards from the lower jaw. Felucia stared at the demon with wide eyes as it roared at them, its voice echoing out causing dozens of birds to vacate from their trees.
"That's… a big one," Felucia said weakly. She glanced to Luna then back to the demon with a glare.
"Oh hell no, over my dead soul you're getting her back!" she yelled before switching the car into reverse. She floored the gas, speeding the car backwards as the demon ran after her with another roar. Felucia spun the wheel and turned the car around with a sharp spin, quickly switching it into drive then racing off down the road with the demon chasing quickly after.
"There is no fucking way in hell you are taking Luna back to that world!" Felucia shouted as she made a sharp turn, the car skidding across the road out of the wooded area and onto a street with other cars driving through it. The large demon trampled out of the wooded area, knocking trees aside wildly as it scrambled after the elusive car. Humans driving nearby watched with shock as the monster barreled through the street, knocking cars and motorists aside with its many arms while roaring loudly. Vehicles rolled and tumbled aside, some knocking into other passing cars while others crashed into the sides of the street. The monster's four legs trampled over a car as the large demon kept pace with the fast moving prey ahead of it. Felucia glanced back to the demon in her rearview mirror then looked ahead as she stomped down on the gas, speeding down the street while veering left and right to avoid other passing vehicles.
"What part about fuck off don't you understand?" she yelled out before veering around a large bus. People inside the vehicle watched with terror as the large demon behind the car raced after it, crushing in the bus from the rear with its mighty legs while it smashed down the front with one of its fists. Felucia glanced back to see the monster continuing its pursuit while the mangled bus burst into flames behind it.
"Why is it every time I step behind the wheel of a car something has to try to kill me?" she muttered before looking ahead with a focused expression. People were screeching to a halt and veering away from the rampaging monster as it ran along the street, its powerful legs cracking the pavement underneath while its arms kept scrambling to reach out for the escaping car. Felucia growled with frustration as she kept speeding down the street, hearing the sounds of the roaring demon along with cars and vans being destroyed right behind her. She glanced to the side and shook her head with frustration.
"Only one way to reach help…" she said with desperation, seeing a human city in the distance. She glanced to Luna then back to the road with a shrug.
"Well… if the humans didn't hate monsters before, they're sure about to now," she said before racing onto an onramp for an elevated highway, the car speeding up onto the multilane road which led towards the city in the distance. She looked behind in the rearview mirror and saw the demon trying to follow, the monster's large legs destroying and falling down through the concrete onramp as it failed to support the demon's weight. Felucia chuckled before she saw the monster take off into the air, its wings flapping as it roared out again.
"This is going to get ugly," she said before looking ahead again. Her car raced down the highway, with dozens of other cars honking and swerving as a large winged demon swooped down low to the road in pursuit of the speeding motorist. The monster touched down briefly, crushing in a truck which burst into flames, then lunged towards Felucia's car. She swerved quickly and avoided the swipe, banging into another car next to her before speeding ahead. Felucia held an arm over to help steady Luna, the chronofly shaking around in her seat while she was still out of her senses. The winged demon swooped up into the air then dove down towards the car again, with Felucia swerving off to the side just in time to miss another strike. The demon's hand crashed through the concrete highway before the monster dropped down through the road in its dive, annihilating a few other vehicles as the road behind them started to break apart.
"Hang on Luna!" Felucia shouted as she tried to steady the car, the highway rumbling violently before the winged demon lunged up through the concrete behind them. It roared as it tore through the pavement, flying up and swinging its hand at the car once again. It missed by a hair and struck another car off the side of the highway into a fiery wreck. The demon took off into the air just above the highway as it continued to follow its prey, the speeding car swerving around other motorists as they were starting to run into each other and bounce around. A truck clipped a car and swerved off-balance, tumbling into a roll in front of Felucia's car. She swerved quickly to the side, avoiding the truck by a few inches, and then floored it around another car that flipped over a crevice that carved through the street below them.
"I wonder what it says about who I am that as this as a normal fucking drive for me," Felucia said while shaking her head. The winged demon behind swooped down and struck into the road again, the force knocking Felucia's car forwards and up onto its two front wheels as the vehicle skidded forward while its rear wheels revved loudly. Felucia screamed out in frustration before the car landed back down on its rear wheels, skidding wildly before taking off again just as the monster swooped up into the air again. Felucia glanced into her rearview mirror, seeing flaming wreckages and a collapsing highway behind her along with the winged demon that was still giving chase.
"Ok… well, so far… so good, I guess," she said unsurely before looking back ahead, watching as the approaching city grew closer. She gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands as she showed a focused expression.
"Yep, just like the good ol' days in Fairy Tale," she muttered.
Within the human city sirens were blaring as police cars and fire trucks were speeding through the streets while people on the sidewalks were looking over into the distance where explosions and smoke was seen rising from a nearby highway.
"What the heck is going on over there?" a man asked curiously.
"Must have been one hell of a car accident," another man said with a shrug.
Racing down the street a police car was leading the pack of rescue workers as they were responding to a crisis forming near their city. More explosions rang out, this time closer to them as clouds of black smoke were seen rising up from the highway.
"What the hell is going on over there?" the policeman said shaking his head.
From the highway dozens of cars were speeding away from the chaos, swerving and weaving around the rescue forces as they raced past. Suddenly the street blasted up behind the horde of fleeing humans as a winged demon shot through the concrete into the air, chunks of debris flying off as the monster roared viciously. Policemen and rescue workers stared with shock before the winged demon flew through a billboard over the highway and dove down towards them. Cars and trucks swerved before the monster trampled down on them as it swung its arms towards a single car. Police cars and motorists were crushed under the legs as the monster galloped along before taking flight briefly, touching down again as the ground cracked and shattered under its weight. The monster swung its arms around, knocking fire trucks and vans off to the side wildly while Felucia floored the gas to try to escape.
"Well, being quiet was always Dark's thing, not mine," she said with a shrug. Luna rocked around in her seat as she was still in a catatonic state, unaware of the chaos that was erupting around her.
Felucia raced into the city as people started screaming and running around in a panic. Cars crashed into each other and swerved around as the streets filled with vehicles all scrambling to get away from the monster. The winged demon took off into the air again before diving down towards Felucia, the girl swerving to the side and taking a side road before the monster landed down and trampled over an ambulance right behind her. It roared and scrambled after her, its tail whipping behind and knocking more cars around wildly while people were running about in a panic. Felucia raced down the side road before making a hard turn, the car screeching as it turned onto another street that had people looking around franticly from the sounds of nearby chaos. The winged demon crashed through the corner building as it chased after its prey, roaring loudly as its legs trampled people and cars that got in its way. It swung its hand and knocked a truck into a spiral towards Felucia, the vehicle slamming down and clipping her rear bumper. She skidded around as she struggled to maintain control before another car flipped over nearby and crashed against her hood, with her car then sliding around and smashing into a bus sideways. Felucia smacked her head against the window, cracking it as she jerked about. Everything cut to muffled sounds for her as the world was spinning, her eyes struggling to focus as she felt the ground trembling. Slowly she looked over to Luna in a daze, the chronofly's head hung low next to her window that was cracked and had some blood on it.
"Lu… na…" Felucia said weakly, trying to move her body. She saw the hazy image of the winged demon rushing up to them through Luna's cracked window, the monster knocking aside other cars as it grew closer. Felucia strained her body to move, hitting the gas pedal as she tried to turn the wheel. Her car skidded in place, a broken steel beam lodged next to her rear wheels while the front of the vehicle was crushed in by another car.
"No… c'mon… c'mon," she grunted as she shook her head. Suddenly the passenger side door was ripped off and thrown away. Felucia looked over to see the winged demon reaching in and grabbing Luna, yanking her out of the seat and up into the air.
"Luna!" Felucia screamed as she tried to grab her, missing the girl's leg as the chronofly was lifted up into the air next to the demon.
"No! No!" Felucia yelled as she ripped off her seatbelt, scrambling out of the car just before it was smashed in by one of the demon's giant fists. Felucia rolled to the side as the monster tried to stomp on her, the force of the strike shattering the concrete and knocking her back into a tumble. She rolled back onto her feet as she glared at the monster with fury.
"Give her back!" she roared before rushing towards the monster. The winged demon roared before its wings spread out, with Felucia watching with surprise.
"No! No, Luna!" she cried out before the monster flapped its wings, launching off the ground as Felucia ran over to it. She jumped up and grabbed hold of the monster's leg, trying to climb up before its tail swung around and whacked her off. She flew down and slammed into the roof of the bus, crushing it in slightly as she let out a strained gasp. Slowly she reached out for Luna as the winged demon hovered above in the air, holding the chronofly in its grip.
"No… don't take her back there!" Felucia cried out. She envisioned what would happen to Luna, the screams of agony from her friend as she was raped again and again in the darkness. A horrible image of a vile demon being born from the mortified chronofly caused her to scream while shaking her head.
"NO!"
SLASH!
The winged demon spiraled down towards the ground with a roar, with one of its wings dropping down and collapsing onto the road as it had been severed from the beast. Felucia watched with surprise while her spine and broken bones slowly shifted back into place, her glowing bracelet giving off a faint light briefly as her body healed again. The winged demon crashed down onto a truck as it howled, stumbling back to its feet before the arm holding Luna was hacked off by a swipe of bright light. The chronofly and severed limb dropped down onto the ground as the demon stumbled back, roaring in pain as Felucia slowly sat up.
"What… the…" she breathed out as she saw a figure standing next to Luna. Felucia blinked then shook her head with surprise.
"Moka?" she asked.
The winged demon roared as it glared at the newcomer. She had long pink hair flowing behind her, however as she turned her head to look down at the chronofly with her green eyes Felucia noticed it wasn't Moka, seeing as how the new girl looked to be a bit older than her vampire friend. She wore silver boots and armored plated leggings along with black pants underneath. She had a silver armored chest plate with a crimson rosary insignia over her breasts, the armor having black shoulder guards. In her hand she held a long sword, the handle being silver and gold while the finely polished double-edged blade shimmered slightly in the sunlight.
"What… who are you?" Felucia called out. The woman glanced back to her and smirked then looked ahead as the winged demon rushed towards her. The newcomer gripped her blade tightly with one hand then dashed towards the demon at high speed, lunging up and swiping her blade which cleaved off two of the monster's hands in one swing. As she dropped from her leap she swung down again, hacking through one of the demon's legs and causing it to stumble off-balance. It staggered before the woman raced towards the side and swiped off another leg, then jumped up and avoided the demon's tail as it whipped by under her. As she dropped down she struck her blade into the tail, pinning it to the street as the monster howled while thrashing around.
"Who the hell is this bitch?" Felucia asked with wonder.
The demon roared then swung down with its remaining fist as the woman merely glared at it. In a flash she reached up with her arm and blocked the attack, stopping it instantly as the ground under her shattered from the force. Felucia stared with wide eyes as the woman had blocked the attack with what appeared to be no effort.
"What… the… fuck…" Felucia breathed out. The newcomer grabbed the demon's large arm and yanked it down, bringing the monster down towards her as she gripped her sword in her other hand. The monster roared as it tried to lunge down at her with its teeth, the woman then letting go of its arm and punching it across the jaw. A broken tusk flew off as the monster's head recoiled to the side, while the woman yanked her blade out and swiped around with a powerful crosscut. In a flash the demon's head was cleaved off, dropping down as the body collapsed back onto a car. Felucia stared at the woman with surprise while she dropped down from the bus, seeing the newcomer standing there with her bloodied blade held out to the side still from her strike. Slowly she relaxed her stance, looking over to Felucia with a calm expression.
"Who… who the hell are you?" Felucia asked in wonder. The woman started walking toward Luna, flicking her blade sharply to the side to get the blood off of it. She walked up to the chronofly who was still in the grip of the severed hand, the woman then striking her blade into the street with a powerful thrust before reaching down and prying the fingers apart forcibly. Felucia ran over to them as the woman gently brushed Luna's hair away from her face, showing a remorseful expression.
"Hold it lady," Felucia ordered before quickly rushing down and picking up Luna. The woman merely looked up at her calmly as Felucia stepped back while holding the chronofly in her arms.
"I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, but stay away from her, you hear me?" Felucia barked out. The woman smiled coolly as she stood up, grabbing her blade and yanking it out of the ground. Felucia growled and tensed up.
"Thanks for helping and everything, but nobody's going near this girl except for my friends, got that?" she stated sternly.
"I mean her no harm child, you can relax," the woman said calmly. Felucia looked at her carefully then glanced around, seeing flaming wreckages and debris scattered about while people were still running around in a panic. Some were stopping to stare at the sight with side eyes while others were still fleeing out of fright.
"Who are you anyway? You're not human," Felucia said looking back to the woman. She chuckled and shook her head.
"No, far from it. I'm sorry, but I don't really have time to chat, and I need to be taking her with me now," she said pointing to Luna. Felucia growled and backed up while holding the chronofly close to her.
"Like hell you're taking her, nobody's going to take her from me, you got that bitch?" she yelled out. The woman laughed and brought up her sword, resting it on her shoulder casually as she smirked at the doll demon.
"Really, because that thing almost did until I saved her," she pointed out.
"I wouldn't have let her be taken away! I'm here on behalf of the Lord of Hell lady, this girl's under my protection! Nobody's taking her away from me!" Felucia yelled out. The woman showed a serious face as she lowered her blade to her side.
"And I'm here on behalf of the Almighty," she said firmly. Felucia looked at her with surprise then up, and then back to the woman again.
"What? The Almighty? Just who the hell are you anyway?" she asked carefully. The woman bowed slightly with a cool smile.
"My name is Akasha Bloodriver, and I will be watching over this chronofly now," she said before standing upright again. Felucia looked at her with wonder then jumped with surprise.
"Wait, Akasha? Akasha Bloodriver?" she asked carefully. Akasha nodded as Felucia remembered hearing that name from Hokuto.
"You're… you're Moka's mother?" Felucia asked with disbelief. Akasha showed a curious smile and nodded.
"Yes, are you friends with my daughter?" she asked. Felucia slowly nodded as she saw the near perfect resemblance with the woman and her vampire friend. They could almost be sisters.
"Yeah, I know her, she's one of my friends that I'm trying to take Luna to," Felucia said looking down at the chronofly. She blinked then looked back to Akasha.
"But… I thought… you were dead," she said puzzled. Akasha chuckled and walked up to the girl.
"I still am my dear, but that won't stop me from helping out, just as you are refusing to let death itself stop you from helping your friends," she said calmly. Felucia stared at her with wonder then showed surprise.
"You're… a disembodied soul, just like me," she said softly. Akasha nodded and looked down to Luna.
"I have a contract with the Almighty; save this one from the darkness that is looming overhead and be granted entrance into heaven. I'd say it's a fair trade," she said with a shrug. Felucia looked at the woman with awe then showed puzzlement.
"Wait, you're not already admitted into heaven? But why not, you're the one that sealed away Alucard long ago. How was that not a good enough deed to allow you entrance into heaven?" she asked. Akasha sighed and shook her head, her expression showing signs of remorse.
"I'm afraid I have a sin that hasn't been forgiven just yet, one that overshadows my deed of sealing away the destroyer. However doing this will allow that sin to be wiped from my slate, and I'll be allowed a peaceful afterlife," she explained. Felucia looked at her with wonder then down to Luna. The chronofly had two souls that were sent to help her escape the darkness, one from hell and another from heaven. Akasha nodded then glanced around, the sight of humans screaming and staring at them while sirens rang out nearby. Slowly she looked up as she sensed something, seeing a dark shadow clinging to a tall building. Six red eyes were seen, watching the girls as a pair of large wings spread out. Felucia looked up and gasped as two more shadowy monsters were seen crawling out from behind the tall buildings.
"You've got to be kidding me, he's sending his entire army after just her?" she asked in disbelief.
"No, just a small retrieval party," Akasha said narrowing her eyes as the three extremely large shadowy demons screeched at them from above, the monsters looking like featherless birds with large mandibles next to their beaks. Akasha glanced to the side then looked to Felucia.
"You can drive, can you not?" she asked quickly. Felucia looked at her curiously and nodded. Akasha smiled and gestured over to a few cars that were empty nearby.
"Then perhaps we should take this party of ours out of the city," she reasoned. Felucia looked up as the three winged demons took flight, tearing apart the building next to them as their large talons let go of the walls and windows.
"Yeah, I think you're right," she said before they quickly ran over to a car. Felucia quickly strapped Luna securely in the backseat then hopped into the driver's seat while Akasha got in next to her.
"If it's not too much trouble, could you avoid crashing this time?" Akasha asked playfully. Felucia glanced to her with annoyance as she started the car up.
"Easier said than done," she said before taking off, the car speeding down the street through the city as the three winged demons swooped down and quickly followed after. Humans screamed and watched with shock as the giant monsters flew over the street, their wings scraping against tall buildings and shattering windows while tearing up the walls.
"They're following us," Akasha said casually, glancing to the side mirror.
"No fucking shit!" Felucia yelled out as she swerved around other cars while racing down the street.
"So where were you taking our much-sought-after friend back there anyway?" Akasha asked while looking to Felucia, somehow remaining perfectly calm despite the three giant demons following closely behind.
"I have an old contact outside of the city limits, one who owes me for helping him out in the past. He's an oddball, but he's the only one around here I trust," Felucia said with a nod. Akasha nodded then glanced out her window.
"Is he a strong friend?" she asked as she watched something.
"He's a decent caster, a monster summoner even. But he's got a pretty well defended home and some serious firepower at his disposal, perks of being the son of a mafia boss," Felucia said with a smirk.
"You're taking us to the mafia for help?" Akasha asked while watching something out her window carefully.
"Beggers can't be choosers. We need help, and since we can't get to the monster world he's the closest contact nearby I can turn to. Besides he might be able to help with our friends back there," Felucia said looking to the rearview mirror, watching the three winged demons flying low over the street after them. The nearby buildings were torn apart and clipped by their wings while one of the demons struck through a passing truck with its talons, blasting the vehicle into a fiery wreck. Akasha nodded slowly then glanced to Felucia.
"And those as well?" she asked, motioning with her head to the side. Felucia looked to her then out the window, seeing two more winged demons flying in parallel with them down another street, the two monsters screeching at them as they were seen before a row of buildings blocked their view. Felucia then looked out her window, seeing two more winged demons flying along another street near them, also watching the girls as they tried to escape.
"What the… seven of those things? This is a small retrieval party?" she asked with shock while looking back to Akasha. The woman nodded and leaned back in her seat.
"Here's hoping your yasha friend has a good garrison at his home, otherwise we're in for a very rough time," she said, still having a calm tone while looking ahead. Felucia looked at her with surprise then forward while she drove as fast as she could, the vehicle speeding through the streets and weaving around other cars while seven of the dark demons from another world chased after them.
Ceal was leaning against the wall with a calm expression, looking down at his necro hand while he had his arms crossed before him. After a while he glanced over to see Complica walking out of the bathing room, fully dressed again and smiling softly at him.
"Thank you for bringing me my clothes," she said glancing down timidly.
"Can't have you running around in a towel all day. I assumed those clothes would be acceptable since you were wearing them yesterday," he said with a shrug, looking at his reptilian hand. Complica giggled and nodded, then looked at him with a curious smile.
"Um, can I ask you another question?" she asked softly. He glanced to her and nodded while her hands fidgeted in front of her. After a moment she shook her head and looked down.
"Never mind," she said quietly. He looked at her for a moment then stood upright.
"Let's go pay your snow angel friend a visit, perhaps speed up her recovery," he said casually. Complica looked at him with wonder as he smirked.
"That is what you were going to ask, isn't it?" he asked knowingly. She slowly nodded then smiled a little.
"Yeah, but… I know you're not responsible for her or her injuries, I didn't want to ask for too much," she said softly. He nodded then held down his hand toward her, the girl gently grabbing it with hers.
"I'm actually quite curious to see what condition she's in, I can't imagine the snow maiden took it easy on her after all your friend has put her through," he reasoned. Complica nodded and looked down with worry.
"I know she had it coming she would have killed Mizore yesterday if you weren't there but she's still my friend I just wish she would see reason about this whole thing she's so stubborn and hard to talk to it's like you can't get a single word in with her and she just doesn't listen to anybody while going on and on about Dark and how they're meant to be together it's like she can't stop talking about him if her life depended on it it's so frustrating," she said sadly. Ceal just looked at her for a moment then squeezed her hand gently, the girl looking up to him as he motioned with his head to walk with him down the hall.
"You may not be able to sway her in her crusade for the shadow demon, only he himself may be capable of doing such a feat. You can however stay by her side, as a true friend, and help her when she falls," he said gently. She smiled and nodded before they started walking down the hallway together. As they did Complica glanced to Ceal curiously, the boy looking ahead calmly while the girl held onto his normal looking hand. After a moment Complica smiled softly and looked down, her wings fluttering slightly behind her.
'You're way cooler than Dark is big brother. That much I know without a doubt.'