Underworld - Bloody Palace entrance
FLASH!
"Guuuuh!"
A bright flash erupted from within the Bloody Palace's entrance, and from it a familiar man with blonde hair and wearing a classy black attire got spat out like excess saliva. The male slammed into the ground after a flight shaped like an arc, various smoke trails flowing begins his form whilst he rolled along the ground due to the left over motions. By the time that he rolled to a stop, the male's body resembled a star as if he were making an angel on the ground with countless steam trails rising up to the skies above from seemingly countless third degree burns littered over his form. Burns which were rapidly starting to fade away as the male, Theseus, lay there unmoving.
TSSSSSSSSHHHHHH!
Though as the smoke trails faded away, it revealed some severely scarring sights. When his attire had been classified as 'classy' earlier, that wasn't the only thing about it for the majority of his clothes looked to have been viciously torn apart. His coat had tatters for it's tips and portions of the arms were mission, these portions resemblng the maws of beasts. His legs could be seen up to the knee and his feet had been completely laid bare to the world, while his shirt looked to have been shredded up to the upper torso, exposing his six pack abdomen. Numerous scratches and bruises adorned his body both long and short, big and small whilst countless splotches of light pink dotted around his exposed areas, their iron-like scent indicating their identities as splotches of dried blood. Though they weren't alone due to his entire body being drenched with blood… that of his enemies by the way, not just his own, whilst the mask's left and right cheek portions had circular jagged holes in them, exposing the charred flesh beneath.
BAM!
A loud bang erupted beside him, the source being his faithful trident which got launched out of the Bloody Palace Entrance after a smaller flash. The weapon had spun several times during it's flight, before it finally stabbed it's tip into the unforgiving ground near him. While the male wasn't worried about this, Theseus nonetheless grunted in frustration that he could not move a single inch of his body due to the immense pain, tolerance and fatigue coursing through his body like a flowing river.
Eventually he gave up trying to move and just simply lay there on his front, panting heavily for a while as he adjusted himself to the heavy layer of exhaustion dominating his body, though that didn't diminish the irritated glare he aimed towards the massive tower he'd just been ejected out from. "(PANT)(PANT)(PANT) DAMN…. Fuck, I should've expected…" He mumbled beneath his breath before pausing to break into a coughing fit. During which, splatters of blood left his mouth and applied themselves onto the ground in front of him, to which by the end of the fit trails of the life liquid flowed down his chin which didn't fill him with much positivity about how much damage his body had been dealt during this run. . "…..that the bloody palace…..from what Maria has said…it does deserve its title…(COUGH)!" Once more he erupted into a coughing fit, splattering more blood on the ground as a result. Part of him worried he'd die from blood loss at this rate as foolish as it might have sounded.
"Haah…haahhh.." As his breathing started to finally get itself back under control once enough time had passed, Theseus felt enough strength existed within him to shift onto his back, hence the blonde did just that. After flopping onto his back with his arms now resting on his stomach, Theseus glanced over to the entrance and slightly narrowed his eyes at it, images of his companions surfacing within his mind's eye. "Wonder how long until the rest arrive..." he mumbled.
FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!
"Ah fuck!"
"Oof!"
"Jesus Christ!
"My ribs!"
"Gaaahh!"
He didn't need to wait for long though, for soon enough multiple flashes blinked into existence as the rest of the gang got tossed out from the bloody palace entrance like yesterday's garbage, slamming at the ground before rolling to a stop and ending up just like crumple heaps. He stared at the entrance for a while before limbing his head to the ground before announcing. "Hey… u lot still kicking? If anyone's not got a one way ticket to god, a sign would be helpful. Only one more bodybag for me to bury."
He heard a couple of grunts and pained moans from the rest of the Hellsing group, confirming that they were at least waiting for their chance to go to the afterlife where the sleep was permanent.
"I can't….feel my body. Ow my ribs." Mio moaned painfully. "Why do I feel like those things were helping me extract the blood from my body?"
"Tch, what a disgraceful situation I'm in." Meredith scowled before wincing when pain overloaded her brain as she tried to get up. A loud gasp soon left her lips when a sharp spike of pain shot through her back, forcing her back down. "Argh, my back! Now I know how peter parker felt!"
"Oohhhhh… geez. Now I know why mother always told me to never run recklessly into the battlefield…..I can feel my hands screaming right now." Maria whined, whimpering at the feeling of her everything screaming in agony.
"Grandpa? Is that you?" Issei being delusional after experiencing an intense battle for 2 weeks, blabbered like a deluded heroin addict. He began to feel like he's closer to heaven. "I can see your face grandpa. Don't worry, I'm coming."
"Way to make a mood there Theseus." Vali simply said as he laid down on the ground while deadpanning as he can't move his head. Even as battered as he looked, Vali glanced over to the equally battered samurai and weakly lifted an index finger towards him. "You wanna bury someone, bury Kuroh first."
"I'm not dead you idiot!" Kuroh yelled at Vali, though it sounded weak and raspy due to his fatigue. "I'm still alive!"
"...dammit. Should've went for the kill there."
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Even as thrashed as she looked and felt inside, Meredith had enough energy to speak. "Now that we managed to survive that horrifying experience(Ow my legs) who here votes for a week rest to heal our wounds?"
"I do."
"Give us a rest will ya."
"Grandpa, you won't believe what I just went through!"
"I need a long shower."
"I got flesh and skulls in my hair!"
"..."
Yeah, no. None of them were in any shape to try again Meredith concluded after seeing the myriad of responses she got from the rest of the group who remained sprawled out helplessly across the ground. Not even the more hot-headed members like Theseus and Vali seemed like they would continue. Closing her eyes again, she shifted so she lay on her back and tried to calm her breathing. "Then its settled. We'll spend a week to heal our wounds before the rating game." Meredith winced when she felt great pain coursing through her body. Looked like she would have to be counted among them."Right after we heal most of our wounds here."
Sometime later
After resting for a while on the ground to let their bodies heal after the abuse that they had suffered, though not all of their injuries went away this way, as Meredith speculate it would take weeks for them to heal their injuries, things had improved for the group in that they were no longer like a bunch of panting dogs. As such, they settled to take a break and recuperate with the majority reflecting on the last few battles they had before their ejection from the Bloody Palace.
"Sheesh…" Mio whispered under her breath, laying down next to Theseus with her head leaning agains his shoulder. The redhead girl kept her brows furrowed as the memories of her recent experiences flashed through her mind. "Those things were no joke…"
"Tell me about it." Vali said while leaning on a big rock behind him, his leg was raised as he leaned on it with his arm, hiding the bottom of his face while blood still trailed from his figure. "Those things were as hard as they could be, each different floor the difficulty becomes harder and harder." He sighs before enjoying this moment like it was the last day on Earth."Not to mention for the past two weeks with no sleep, no food and no breaks."
"It really does deserve its title bloody palace." Kuroh looked at the bloody palace far ahead of them. "Only a fool with either a death wish or nothing to lose would ever reach to the top 100th floor."
At this a mirthful mocking chuckle escaped Vali's lips, a similar expression in his eyes as he made the following jab at Kuroh's pride. "Heh, you can say that if you cleared beyond the 10th floor, butler boy."
"Hah!" Kuroh scoffed in ridicule towards the silver haired hybrid whilst aiming a similar expression back at him. "Speak for yourself princess, bet you didn't make it past the 5th." he jabbed back, much to Vali's fury.
"What you say, punk?!"
"Oh, i'm sorry. Didn't know that your ears were busted too." Kuroh insulted Vali. "Tell me dear Vali, how many floors did you managed to get through? Care to enlighten us? Was it the first floor or the second floor you managed to get through like a beginner in Elden Ring?" he sneered teasingly, knowing just how much Vali valued his strength. It was his pride and joy, so pushing those buttons would evaluate an amusing response.
Kuroh's thoughts proved to be right on the money evident by the murderous glare Vali gave off. "Shut it you asshole! I'll have you know that I managed to get through at least 25 floors!" He gave his answer to the butler boy. "What about you dipshit, how many floors did you go through?"
"...the 25th floor." Kuroh gave his answer after a moment of silence.
"Haw Haw!" Vali laughed at him, a shit-eatng grin on his lips. "You were talking so much shit about completing more floors, but your count is the same as mine! Haw Haw!" Vali mocked him before wincing, putting a hand on his stomach. "Agh! My ribs!"
Kuroh had a counter though, even as his face turned pink from the humiliation. "I could say the same thing about you, fuckface!" he bellowed before a dark grin formed on his lips. "Guess that means your devil heritage isn't all that either, then. Cause you couldn't even get past MY score, a human. You're just as vulnerable as the rest of us."
Several tick marks formed on Vali's brow at the insults. "Fuck you motherfucker." Vali snorted, raising a hand before he flipped Kuroh off. Shifting his attention from Kuroh (he so wasn't willing to deal with their usal song and dance at the moment) to Issei who had recovered from his delusional state, but to be honest even after a week of resting the dude looked like the same sorry state he'd been in at the beginning. Guess that went to show just how beaten he'd been in there. "What about you Hyouduo? How many floors did you complete?"
"About…19 or 20. I don't know I was too exhausted and tired from going through that nightmare." Issei replied, before shook his head with a palm on his cheek. A phantom sensation placed itself on there, a phantom feeling of pain from the blow that had knocked them out. He didn't want to think of what had done it, but the images of horrific bug-like monstrosities sent numerous chils down his spine
"Hm, not bad." Vali complemented, much to the brunette's evidence surprise. it was lower than his, but Vali could at least acknowledge him for going through the nightmare instead of wussing out like a little bitch. He probably was motivated by trying to get with that Asia girl though, Dragons were beings who were influenced heavily by their emotions after all. "How close are you in obtaining Balance breaker?" Nevertheless Vali once more asked him a question that had come up a few times whenever the two managed to talk outside training, which hadn't happened often given how many times the brunette's head got smashed in. He may not be too curious about Issei's situation, but that was because he needs him to be on the same level as him.
Issei closed his eyes for a moment, having a discussion with Ddraig about some kind of topic before he opened them and faced Vali. "Ddraig said that I'm actually close in in getting the scale mail, but there's something holding it back. He said there are two options, one is for me to give up my arm to get an incomplete balance breaker, the second…..I need some kind of strong emotions, a burst of energy from my soul to unlock scale mail."
Kuroh also shifted his attention to Issei as well, stabbing his Aurum blade to the ground, supporting his sitting position. "Those are completely your options to pick Issei but let me give you some insight. If you pick the first option that is fine, but all you would have is an incomplete balance breaker, also that sacrifice thing will be a one-off, meaning you would have to keep sacrificing for an incomplete power. Not exactly ideal for wooing any maidens." He explained, prompting the brunette to pale at the thought of being seen as a monster by pretty girls. That'd ruin his dream of being a harem king forever! "Moreover, it would take longer than usual for you to completely unlock the forbidden move if you went down that road."
Issei hung his head while listening to Kuroh's lecture. "I see."
Nodding his head in acknowledgement, Kuroh turned his gaze towards the Bloody Palace, memories of his last battle flowing through his mind as his mouth opened like it had a will of it's own. "The second option might be beneficial for you as like you said you need a push, some kind of way for you to experience some strong emotion that might be able to help you. That's also a double-edged sword." Kuroh darkened his expression at that one. "Powerful emotions on a positive side can be a great source of strength. However extreme NEGATIVE emotion can lead to extreme trauma. Human emotions are the main part of their society because its part of their nature but its also a fragile and fickle thing to mess with. You've already experienced it haven't you?"
Issei manifested his boosted gear and looked at his armored gauntlets, remembering the incident with…the night lords, the screaming gallery and…..vehemently shaking his head, the brunette stopped that train of thought. It was already starting to mess with him due to how much he'd been unconsciously gripping his armored hands tightly. He may not have said anything, but those actions spoke much louder than what any words could convey.
Silently gauging the boy's reaction, a wave of coldness washed over the samurai male's eyes. "Head my warning, Issei. The price of power always collects its' due. Power can be obtained by any means necessary, earned, achieved or taken, but there is always something taken in return. Never go for 'absolute power' because absolute power corrupts absolutely… a lesson many in history learned the hard way." While saying that last part Kuroh glanced down at the jewels within the dual gauntlets, his reflection within them being clearly visible to him.
"..." Issei remained rendered silent, seeing no reason to argue back at him. Not only because of the seniority between the two but, he'd seen such a case happen with his own eyes, his mind flashing with images of Raynare's crazed expression before he beat the crap out of her alongside Asia. "I understand Kuroh." he eventually stated, beneath a whisper.
Kuroh nodded his head, seeing that his words were having an impact. However, he had one more piece of advice for the budding Red Dragon Emperor. "Remember this Issei, good and bad, light and darkness, good and evil, all those are meaningless here. On this side of the world, power is what matters. If people are surrounded by the darkness you look into the light but if your blinded by the light, sometimes you have to look into the dark. Both are the same, both have consequences and both have their own flaws." after saying his peace to the red dragon emperor, Kuroh shifted his attention to the prone blonde figure who had his eyes closed.
Meanwhile, said figure ignored his surroundings expect for the fact that both Maria and Mio heads are on his shoulder or chest. "How many floors did you girls get through?" the Samurai asked the girls.
Mio pushed her lips together while lifting her head up as she tries to think. "Hmmmmmm, maybe like 25 floors I guess? I couldn't really much count while dealing with those demons."
"Same with me." Maria spoke, nodding in agreement with the man, though part of her still felt pride in the fact that she had completed the same floors as Mio did, and this considered the fact that a lot of their combat ability in the past relied on their teamwork, which had been honed to a sharpened blade. They HAD to so when they were cornered by their pursuers, which sometimes happened despite their efforts, they could rely on one another to cover their bases till they made their escape. One could say that they were all each oher had for the longest time and they wouldn't be wrong.
The thing about the Bloody Palace however, was that it forced people to clear floors on their own like running down a 100 meter track. This practically undid the MAJORITY of their battle strength since a lot of their tactics revolved around working together, the one way to deal with a tightly knit group would be to force them down separate paths to then take them on separately. It was a signature move of France's Napoleon if Mio remembered her history correctly. So, the amount of floors they WERE able to clear spoke volumes about their current levels.
Shaking her head to push those thoughts aside, the Succubus glanced towards her makeshift snuggle partner for a moment before a devious idea popped into her mind. As her inner diva started kicking in, she tried to snuggle further into Theseus' chest. "Theseus, I'm sore everywhere! Can you comfort me?"
"No."
"Ahhh so mea-Ack!" Theseus knew what Maria was going to do and say so he commanded the Earth to knock the succubus out, doing so by conjuring a hand from earth from beside her and morphing it into a sledgehammer, before promptly smacking the succubus upside the head. Now knocked out, Maria fell limp on his chest with stars circling around her head, her eyes now anime spirals.
Watching this and having an idea as to what the succubus had been intending, Mio simply sighed in exasperation. "There she goes again…" she muttered beneath her breath whilst giving the unconscious girl a dead-like gaze. 'Sometimes I wonder if Maria has an off switch… no, what am I thinking, if she had I'd have found it before now.' she mused internally, making sure not to do do anything that would make Theseus do the same to her. She knew that he had his boundaries and unlike Maria, she didn't want to push her luck, she'd learned that lesson after his reaction to her confession. 'There's just so much I don't know about him…' she couldn't help but think, all kinds of thoughts swirling around her head.
Unaware of the things going through Mio's brain, Kuroh remained unfazed by the scarred boy's actions and instead turned his attention to Theseus. "How many floors did you get through Theseus?"
Theseus didn't hesitate to answer, his manner cold and gruff. It was obvious he didn't feel too pleased with his attempt. "30."
Kuroh eyes widen in surprise to hear the number 30 which surprise and shocks him. "Shut the fuck up, 30 floors….you say?" he whispered in shocked disbelief, linking several times while wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him.
"You heard me, fucker. 30 floors." Theseus repeated his answer while still laying on the floor, enjoying one of his moment of relaxation. He remained as cold as he had been previously, but a faint twitching of his lips betrayed the amusement he felt beneath the surface. "I made sure I didn't miss the number of floors I completed, trust me I know how to fucking count."
"I…see." Kuroh slowly replied, hanging his head whilst the disbelief still remained plastered over his paling features. He knew fine well that Theseus rarely ever lied, it simply wasn't part of his creed, in his own words if he were to lie then he would be betraying his 'pride' because it'd mean the situation was bad enough to force him to do so. Instead, he'd simply say what needed to be said and then leave it at that, he'd seen numerous cases of this happening throughout their time together.
Still didn't makehearing the number of floors he'd cleared harder to bear.
Meanwhile, Vali himself just grunted in annoyance as he sat up from his prone position to a lotus one. "Fuck, you're kidding me… how the fuck did you get so far ahead, bastard?" he questioned hotly, his draconian and Devil pride having been stung by this revelation. "You got some kind of aim bot or some other hax?"
Several twitches of the brow quickly alerted Mio to the rising danger, causing her to eep whilst shifting away from him as Theseus himself sat upright. His eyes narrowed against the white dragon emperor, not getting angry since he was still recovering from their recent beatdown in the Bloody Palace. If he was at full strength his bloodlust would be up through the roof right now. "Do I need to remind you about my powers, including my BOE form?" he questioned slowly, trying to keep his breathing level.
"...Ok, this is gonna sound filthy rich coming from me, but your powers are bullshit." Vali eventually admitted with a huff, having turned away from the potential clash since he too was tired, exhausted and wounded to argue with Theseus. Also he just wanted to lay back down for a while longer since his body still ached from the ass whooping he had gotten handed to him by the monsters within that damn Bloody Palace.
Huh… sounds kinds british if he were to think about it, bloody hell.
Now that he had been victorious in their verbal spar, the only kind of spar he could do with his currently battered body, Theseus retuned to laying down on the floor once more. He could feel the pain coming back to him which caused him to grimace in discomfort. Even so however, he still managed to glance towards the rest of the group while feeling Mio snuggle back up next to him, of which he didn't deny her. "So, everyone here has only reached the 25th floor then?" he asked the gang. It made Theseus feel a little pride of himself that he managed to reach at least more floors than anyone in Hellsing.
"Not everyone per say." Meredith's voice spoke out, making most of the group shift their heads towards the queen's granddaughter who was sitting sideways leaning on one of her elbows. Even as weakened as she looked, the woman still maintained that composed air about her as she delivered some more shocking news. "For me, you can say I managed to at least rise through all the way to the 29th floor." she admitted.
"?!" hearing THAT made Vali jump in surprise, almost standing up from his prone position. "29-Argh!" until a shot of pain flashed through his system once more, forcing him to fall backwards.
Theseus widened his eyes, almost making a move but unfortunately he just can't because like Vali, pain coiled around him like a serpent. He gnashed his teeth together in a pained hiss.
Kuroh not being most emotional, widened his eyes before forcing himself to calm down. "29 floors Meredith? May I ask how is that possible?" he queried. It wasn't like Kuroh believed their leader to be a liar, but even he found it difficult to believe a simple pencil pusher like Meredith would have cleared more floors than the majority of them, battle hardened warriors who shed blood on the daily.
"Aside from how you lot seem to casually disregard me…" Apparently their thoughts were written all over their faces, because Meredith aimed an annoyed glare while looking affronted as if she were a noblewoman having heard something scandalous. "Do not forget that before I joined Hellsing I was a magician waging a one woman war against the royals for what they did to me. Joining Hellsing wasn't an excuse to slack off, you all just never saw me keeping up my training. Even sir Integra practices more often than you would think, you believe that Alucard would just follow anyone?" she retorted, shifting into a sitting position before crossing her arms beneath her chest and giving them a judgemental stare.
A stare which they felt they deserved for thinking that of her.
Even so, Vali still refused to admit that he was wrong in thinking of Meredith in that way, evidence by the rebuttal that he gave. "Bullshit, there's no way a pencil pusher like you would train, even if it was the case you'd probably half ass it-!"
GOOOONG!
Before he could finish, a burst of Magic erupted from Meredith with enough force to shut him up, Vali tensing as his instincts suddenly screamed that he slam his gob shut. "Young man, with all do respect, I would appreciate it if you would keep such uncouth manners to yourself or your hooligan friends." she stated, ignoring the affronted looks the trio of boys gave her. Shifting her position so it resembled more of a lady-like pose, Meredith addressed the rest of them. "I assure you my words are not false. If you still cannot believe them however, I am sure Maria over here can confirm for me."
Apparently having regained consciousness so soon after the knockout Theseus had delivered, Maria nodded her head with a happy chirp. "Yup! Look over at the bloody palace entrance everybody!" she cheered merrily, inside she relished in the show of 'girl power' that Meredith was oozing right now. It'd teach them a thing or two about underestimating how far women could go on the battlefield!
Each of them did so, focusing their attention on the entrance itself… which now had something embedded right next to it:
THESEUS - 30/100
MEREDITH - 29/100
VALI - 25/100
KUROH - 25/100
MIO - 25/100
MARIA - 25/100
ISSEI - 20/100
… What appeared to be some kind of notice board now placed itself beside the entrance with the writing being written in bold bloody lettering, though it remained decipherable for the group. However, the contents within those words took a little longer for them to comprehend even as Maria addressed the elephant in the room. "The Bloody Palace records our runs, and updates them if you push past it. Kind of like breaking a high score in a videogame." The cheerful succubus explained, almost smugly so, as the rest of the group gave Meredith flabbergasted expressions at the confirmation that she had indeed been the one who got the closest to Theseus' score.
"Well what do ya know…" Vali muttered beneath a whisper while looking at the chart, now feeling like an idiot which, alongside the weakness he had… wasn't a good combination.
Kuroh shifted his attention from the chart to Theseus. "Theseus look. I know it shouldn't be possible for you to reach at least 30 floors, but hear me out! Before you say I would call you a liar, just listen to me. As far as I know you haven't completely mastered all of your abilities, it's not been that long since you acquired your BOE form and those psyker abilities from the Catachan Forest. When Maria said that the bloody palace brings out your worst nightmare…what did it do that made you wanna extract the blood from your body?"
"?!"
Theseus stiffened, eyes bulging to the size of saucers. In a rare display of hesitation, the male didn't answer his companion and even when Kuroh tried to get a answer out of him, Theseus refused to respond. In fact, to the blonde male his companion's voice turned into an ineligible slur of sound and motion whilst his mind sunk back into a recent memory… one he wished he never had to visit ever again.
Flashback
In a bright flash, Theseus found himself descending in a free fall style towards some rapidly approaching ground. His instincts quickly convinced his body to act and thus, with only a brief sharpening of his gaze the blonde flipped forwards and planted himself onto the ground with a loud THUD racing through his ears, his coat fluttering about in wake of his motions before falling back to his sides. Only when it had fully fallen did the male slowly stand from his kneeling position, doing so all dramatic and edgy like a classic edgelord who'd wanted to make a cool imposing entrance.
The first order of business that he did following this was to check his surroundings for any kind of enemy ambushes set or or other presences that belonged to his comrades. This quickly led to him noticing that his groupmates weren't with him, causing his eyes to glimmer in recognition when he recalled what their resident Succubus had said about this place. 'It seems Maria was right, the Bloody Palace really DOES separate us.' he mentally noted to himself, clencing and unclenching his fists. 'She also mentioned that it puts us on a long path of battles like a dungeon run in videogames, meaning that i'll likely not be getting much of a break during this run, so perhaps conserving stamina should be my priority… at least till I get a grasp of the enemies in here.'
Preparations were already completed for the male while he pondered his upcoming strategy. His muscles hardened under his psyker abilities' influence alongside his chaotic divinity, which also felt ready to be used for the incoming waves of demons. Maria may not have mentioned what kind of enemies he'd be facing, but Theseus felt confident in his chances, he HAD experienced countless battles against a variety of supernatural beasts after all. Let's see what this place had in store for-
"?!"
By the time that he surveyed his surroundings with a bit more attention to detail however, various things about them caused him to freeze in place both in mind and in body. Everything down to his very SOUL turned colder than the antarctic ocean, his features becoming paler than a corpse. His breathing gradually turned heavier and labored, eyes shaking with increasingly visible violence as sheer TERROR gripped his being. Even with this state he could still feel his heart thumping wildly in his chest in some desperate attempt to pump blood through him to return his complexion back to normal, but he only just BARELY felt it. Noise similar to static played right next to his ears, filling his head with an aching sensation that refused to go away no matter how hard he tried to shake it off, all the while his vision gained tints of red as if his inner beast was starting to awaken… he wouldn't be able to tell if that was the truth with all the static hovering around him.
Which only served to scare him even more. "This… this is…!"
All around him, he could see some scenery that rung some bells in his mind… some very disturbing bells that sent thousands of tiny voices screaming in terror within Theseus' mind, the blonde male starting to violently tremble and sweat uncontrollably. His palms felt wetter than a puddle with the amount of sweat rolling down them with the same beng said for his forehead to the point where his bangs clung to his scalp. Even as he tried wetting his mouth, Theseus felt no saliva being produced leaving his mouth feeling almost unbearably dry.
What scenery could drive Theseus to such a state?
In front of him, he could see a house. But not just any house… a house which he found al too familiar, INTIMATELY so. He could see the door hanging from one of it's hinges, he could see the devastation inside the corridor, he could see the countless signs that someone had broken inside… or more accurately someTHING. This house… it was HIS home, his family's home back before…
"?!"
Almost like a jittery animal aware of a possible predator, Theseus stepped back while frantically glancing around, hoping beyond all hope this place wasn't what he thought it more he saw however, such as the ravaged streets, toppled vehicles that looked like they had taken a pounding like nerds in american schools, and most of all the remnants of carcasses splattered all over, the more Theseus got shoved towards a conclusion which shattered any remaining doubts that he had… as much as he wished for that to not happen.
This place…
He knew it. This was his home island, the place he'd grown up in.
But why? Why was he-?
Theseus couldn't continue that mental questioning, not when a sudden surge of revulsion swelled inside his gut without warning. It caused him to beltch as he slumped over, a hand covering his mouth to stop whatever it was that was trying to leave his maw from doing sweat poured down his brow at this point as his breathing lost any remnants of control that remained. A clear liquid began building within his eye sockets as he stared hard at the ground he stood on… which just so happened to have a carcas right there in front of him… the carcass of his principle.
The same one whom he'd mercy killed with his own hands.
"No…" Eyes now smaller than dots, Theseus lost all feeling in his legs causing him to crumble to the ground like a puppet disconnected from it's strings. Now in a sitting position, he raised his tembling hands to plant them over his face, one being able to gaze at his eyes between his outstretched fingers. "No… no-no-no! No! No! Noooooooo!" He screamed out in fear and revelation of this place.
"No! Please god no! Anything but this place!" Theseus cried, spreading out his arms as he reared his head towards the reddened sky. No longer did he feel like the badass shark king who installed fear and terror into his enemies, replacing him was the shy, meek and weak little shit who had just experienced the worst event that has happened to his life. Everything he did all he could to bury, the scars, the memories and EVERYTHING concerning this island… it all came rushing back to him all at once, unleashed in all it's fury like a damn exploding from the amassed pressure.
"Why, why, why. WHY?! WHY!? WHHHHYYYYY!?" He protested himself to the ground, looking at the dirt. Becoming broken the day he was Christianized becoming the monster he liked to proclaim himself as.
WHOOSH!
RRRRRRRHHHHH!
HISSSSSS!
Soon enough, the sounds of portals starting to manifest across the ground alerted the male, causing him to glance around to see them manifesting all around him. From those portals, an assortment of ant-like Demons promptly strode out, clicking their mandables while flexing their claws as they encircled around him. Each one had the height of an average human, massive bulbous crimson sacks protruding from their rears which turned out to be their biggest defining trait. They all hissed, growled and screeched at him, swiping at the air with their pincers.
By the time that this happened however, Theseus had slumped forth once more, his arms hanging beside his waist as he hunched himself, shoulders trembling as his hair fell over his eyes. The presence of Demons caused something within his depths to finally snap like a rubber band finally giving way to the pressure exerted upon it.
Slowly, he raised his right arm and held it in an outstretched manner to the side…
BAM!
In a swirling vortex of water that formed from seemingly the air itself, Theseus' Trident manifested itself into existence for Theseus' hand to grasp onto it's shaft tightly… tighter than he had ever grabbed it before. The weapon had embedded itself into the ground beside him before he'd grabbed it, so Theseus silently yet abruptly and violently yanked it free, a small cloud of dust trailing from it's tip.
"You…."
Theseus muttered something ineligible in a deep, dark voice. Around his body a greenish aura started to surge, covering him completely like a cloak whilst a faint whistling sound could be heard throughout the atmosphere. Since they were just constructs from the Bloody Palace, the various ant-like Demons didn't notice the impending danger and instead just started closing in on their prey, intending on ripping him to pieces just like many who had came before him.
"I'll never forgive you….I'll never forgive any of you…..for ruining my life."
The more he spoke the greater the intensity his aura started to exude, eventually no longer being fit to be described as such. Instead, it became more like a green vortex that started spiralling around him, his blonde bangs starting to shift despite the limited mobility caused by his hat.
"I'll kill all you demons… every last one of you….. I will not stop…until ALL OF YOU ARE TORN TO SHREDS!"
Finally, the now furious male lifted his head which wound up showing his downright MURDEROUS expression. His eyes now had their green glow completely taking over hiding away the iris and pupil as if to represent the monster inside finally breaking free from it's weak shackles.
BAM!
Raising his Trident to the air, Theseus conjured storm clouds in the skies above that constantly crackled with thunder. Seconds later, lightning struck the trident from each cloud, adding in some lightning effects to his weapon which gleamed like it were just as angry as it's master.
"RIP AND TEAR UNTIL ITS DONE!"
He declared before jumping into the swarms of demons.
"RRRRAAAAAHHHHHH!"
SCCCCCRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEE!
Flashback end
Returning to the present wasn't a pleasant experience for Theseus, in fact it felt downright nauseating. The male barely kept his legs from giving out despite the sudden loss of energy his lack of composure led to, his efforts only being pulled off by the skin of his teeth. As someone who usually kept his composure even during the stress of battle, it took all of that willpower just to keep his face neutral when he gave the following answer to Kuroh's question. "Just some weird stuff that I'd forgotten about, nothing special." Theseus casually remarked, shrugging his shoulders dismissively.
Kuroh narrowed his eyes at this behavior, running his gaze up and down his companion's person. "I see…" he slowly stated, pulling out from the argument. He was under no illusions telling him Theseus was being truthful, frankly he seemed rather suspicious in the samurai's mind. He had enough experience with liars to tell when someone wanted to pull a fast one on him, and currently Theseus exhibited those traits to a T. Then again, Kuroh couldn't say he wasn't surprised by this, the blonde had always been rather secretive when it came to certain aspects of their lives. They all were, especially concerning personal matters, it had been an unspoken rule of theirs to not delve into such issues with one another lest it harm the group dynamic they had going on.
However, that all meant that Kuroh could tell when Theseus was lying to him and why. As for the why, Kuroh had a GOOD idea as to what he might have seen back in the Bloody Palace, likely it was something related to the past he strove to keep buried beneath the annuls of history. Whatever it had been, it had to have been something pretty dramatic for someone as proud as that asshole to be so tight-lipped about it.
Off to the side, Meredith kept a calm emotion on her expression but on the inside she was thinking. From the way she'd seen the blonde react she began to query inside her mind as memories of their engagements with the egyptian god Set flowed through her mind, more specifically ones relating to words he had said specifically about their resident shark king. 'Could it be something what the egyptian god said about him before, about his past that involved with an island?' she wondered, cupping her chin like a detective.
The woman could never forget about the past incident with the egpytian god of chaos Set, a deity willing to cause a crisis that would have affected the whole supernatural and human worlds should it have been allowed to take place. It had various consequences and impacts on the scene, not all bad but not all good either. Not only did it mark the return of a previously forgotten/widely considered deceased faction, but it also secured gains for the Hellsing organization in the form of connections with two promising individuals. Individuals whom last she had heard were working to rebuild the egyptian faction and were sticking to their own borders for the time being. Meredith hadn't really been thinking of them for a while since she'd been preoccupied with other matters, something which could be said for the rest of the group too making her wonder just how well those two were faring. Maybe she could ask Sir Integra when she got the chance.
But the most important part, at least to Meredith personally, had to have been when the god spoke of a specific name that rang through her mind like a church bell. As for WHY that was the case, it had to do with a specific someone's VERY visible and audible reaction to the name. 'Kaito…Sullivan.' Those two words rung throughout her mind like they were an incantation from a forbidden tome, like they could lead to a catastrophe which if conducted would lead to cataclysmic destruction. She looked at the laying down figure of the masked boy in question, her brows quirked in a mixture of confusion and concern… with a side of curiosity mixed in. 'If thats his real name, then what did you go through to make yourself the person you are?' It would be incorrect to say that Meredith wasn't curious about Theseus' past, especially considering how he pulled her out of her funk back when she'd been conspiring to have her revenge on the british royalty.
Nevertheless, she didn't wish to lose her limbs so she had to disperse such desires.
Unbeknownst to her, howeer, Meredith wasn't the only one who had such thoughts about the blonde. Next to him Mio looked up to the male (both literally and figuratively) with thoughts swimming throughout her mind's sea. She could tell that the blonde had been lying about what he had seen, as well as concluded that it had to have been something to do with his past. She knew him long enough to know that Theseus was sensitive about such matters, but unlike the boss of this little clique it roused her own curiosity to the max, leaving her unable to hold it back.
Theseus past was a complete mystery to her, but from what little she did know it only made her want to know more. One of his more curiosity-arousing traits was the ferocity that he had inherited from his learning under Alucard, it was practically something that defined him as a person: be respectful to one's allies but beutterly ruthless to ones' enemies. Well, ruthless may be a bit of an understatement to describe what Theseus did to his enemies (she did NOT want to think about what Theseus did to the Hero Clan just for mentioning the word 'hero' in his presence), but it still counted. Nevertheless, Mio hadn't really heard much about his mentor aside from that he was scary enough to warrant fear from the top brass in every part of the supernatural world just from hearing his name. She didn't find that enough to define Alucard as just that though, he had to have multiple sides to him just like how Theseus did.
To that end, began to ask Theseus about a certain topic which plagued her mind for sometime. "Hey Theseus?"
"Hm?" Theseus hummed out while having his eyes closed and his hands behind his head.
"Is it okay for me to ask you about….." she stopped for a moment, trying to remember the name before it finally came to her. "About your mentor….Alucard?"
This has made Theseus opened his eyes, not in shock but in slight surprise at the unexpected question. Usually knowing the name Alucard would be enough to scare one into silence and prevent them from talking about him ever again, but perhaps Theseus had just gotten used to everyone knowing who Alucard was. Then again, Mio hadn't been inducted into this world for very long compared to the rest of them, so it made sense for her to be curious, though one part of him almost expected this question to come from Issei's mouth first, the dude was just that much of a greenhorn. He soon rose to a sitting position, making Mio lay on her side instead of his chest which resulted in Theseus shifting his head to look down at the redhead girl. "You want to know about the person who trained me? The king of vampires?" he questioned, tilting his head and wondering about Mio's survival instincts.
"Eek!" His ears twitched when he heard a familiar shriek when he mentioned his mentor, one which came from Maria who had dashed to a nearby rock and hid behind it.
Mio did not show any scared expression on her face and rather had a determined expression on her face. "Yes I do Theseus. I want to know the person who trained you."
"..." the blond hair boy did not speak for sometime before his mouth turned to smirk, then a fanged smile. "Heh, you got guts, diamond hard guts, for asking me about that manifestation of cataclysmic genocide. Wouldn't you agree guys?" he questioned, shifting his gaze towards his bros.
The half Devil nodded his head with a look of approval in his eyes. "You said it man. Almost no one ever wants to know or talk about him, always cosplay as cheetahs when even mentioning his name." Vali remarked, chuckling in amusement at the memories.
"Personally I find this to be a good thing, learning about subjects instead of taking things at face value. Rarely anyone wants to talk about him, its good to see some people that has some common sense." Kuroh also complemented while nodding his head.
Theseus turned his attention from his companions to Mio, giving a small smirk on his face, not the scary one but a little genuine smirk. "Alright, I'll you about him. Get ready because by the end of it, you'll probably be traumatized."
Mio gulped at those words, not really liking the dark look in his eyes nor the matching smirk he had on. Nevertheless she kept herself from showing how nervous she felt inside, her desire to know about someone so connected to Theseus winning the war inside.
After thinking for a while on how to start this conversation which despite his prior proclamations Theseus never anticipated someone would ask for, the male finally went with the following. "Well, at face value he seems largely like what his reputation proclaims him to be: ruthless, crazy and always down to cause a massacre. Just being in his presence is like having a blade to your neck, or in his case either a fang to the throat or a gun to the forehead. He's got this imposing domineering aura that can only be emitted by true examples of leaders willing to get the job done. Examples being Sir Integra, the current British Queen to name a few."
"But that's not all there is, is there…?" Mio muttered. "I mean, nobody is that simple, even the most simple-minded people have different aspects to them."
Theseus nodded. "You're not wrong. Despite his extreme arrogance and beng a sadistic asshole when training me, Alucard does respect a certain type of person: a person able to take pride in themselves. Sir Integra gained his acknowledgement, the queen did the same when she did her bit repairing vehicles during the second world war. Once I heard how he admired the King of Belgium Albert 1st, for willingly taking to the front lines to lead his troops into battle. Honestly, thats something I too can get behind. People like that are what 'makes humans interesting' if I were to use some of his language, it really inspires him seeing such individuals no matter the era, for to him just as there are scum who deserve to die, there are also great figures who can carve themselves into history's annuls." he explained.
The more she heard of him, the more Mio began to paint a picture of Alucard in her mind, which helped her not notice how even Maria was now paying more attention despire the quivering her body kept doing, her own intrigue roused by the blonde's words. From the looks of it, Alucard sounded like a mean person who she didn't want to meet, but also someone who had a sense of reason to him, which sometimes could be even more terrifying than a classic 2D villain. "Then… what does he dislike then?"
"Cowards." Theseus answered instantly, his eyes hardening to that of the earth his sacred gear let him command. "Alucard DESPISES those who have weak wills, who take the easy path instead of earning things themselves which is essentially most politicians these days. He also LOATHES the kind of Vampires that he has hunted for Hellsing, seeing them as crappy offshoots and stains on what a TRUE Vampire should be. You must understand Mio, that Alucard's version of a Vampire is one who is strong, proud and follows an honor code. When they kill, it isn't just some mindless killing so to an extent he'd even tolerate killing for survival since that's what any animal would do." Theseus paused for a moment, closing his eyes and thinking of the parents of that vampiric child who he'd killed. He stopped soon after though and directed his gaze back to her. "Part of me suspects that is why he would turn someone into a vampire if they showed a level of bravery and courage in front of him."
Mio sweat dropped at this. "He sounds like someone with high standards…" she remarked, trailing off instead of finishing her sentence.
Her words elected a chortle out of the shark king, an amused one. "Oh you fucking know it woman." he stated between chuckles, continuing once they had ceased. "Though regarding high standards do NOT mention anything about god in front of him." he stated, his features twisting into a serious stone mask devoid of any kind of mirth or warmth. It made Mio tense up alongside Maria, and for good reason too. "He DESPISES the lord almighty, though I never asked why cause he'd probably gut me alive if I did. Man hates anything to do with him, its probably only Sir Integra and his respect for Hellsing that stays his hand whenever we deal with other church factions."
"Factions?"
"Yeah, like one in Italy called the Iscariot organization, the catholic church etc." Theseus explained, scowling at the mention of the Iscariots to a degree where even though she wanted to know, Mio figured it best not to ask. Theseus looked up at the red sky before he voiced out his opinion.
"Why did you mention that rarely anyone wants to talk about your mentor, he seems to be a great guy." Mio asked Theseus since from what she heard about what his mentor was like, she just wonders why Alucard is feared among the world of supernatural.
This time however Meredith interject into the conversation. "Its because of the brutality he left in his wake. Countless beings, from the weakest devils to some of the strongest gods all fell beneath the hands of the No-Life king." Mio and Maria shift their attention to the Queen's granddaughter. "Before Alucard was defeated by Sir Integra's ancestor Abraham van Helsing he committed MANY genocides, draining people of their blood and leaving them hollow husks, though there's more to it than that. Instead not only does he drink the blood of the person, but he also takes their soul as well."
Mio widened her eyes in shock, she was slowly confused before she understands most of it, Alucard can also absorb other people soul as well? "He can take other people's souls?"
"Yes." she instantly and grimly answered. It honestly still unnerved her to think about it even now. "Which is also part of the reason why he was feared as well. When you die, you don't go to heaven or hell. Instead you are stuck inside of the No-Life king…..for all of eternity." Meredith harden her expression. "This is a saying we Hellsing remember like it's a mantra: For blood is the currency of the soul, the vehicle of life. Blood is the median in which life can be transferred. That is why everyone fears the living darkness. He is the Unholy king, the Ultimate vampire, the monster, the demon, the devil. But most of all, he is Hellsings trump card against the enemies of our organization." Meredith shook her head. "Now you know who Alucard is, why his very name invokes terror colder than the tundra."
"Oh my…..god." Mio whispered in a stunned state, covering her mouth with her hands as her eyes violently trembled, it being all she could do to hold back her urge to scream. Yeah one could understand why she regretted asking about him now, after learning what she had about the Vampire King Mio couldn't call him anything else but a monster.
But there was something which made it even WORSE for the young girl, and it had been something she'd quickly comprehended shortly after the explanation had ended. The way that Meredith had explained things…it made Alucard sound almost like an exact copy of her father, Satan. Both were bloodthirsty monsters, both being incarnations of destruction… though one had been simply born into that position whereas the other seemed to have come into that positon later on in life, making her shiver at the thought of what Alucard must have done to reach that point.
Nevertheless, both caused countless sins in their life resulting in their fearful reputations.
Now she could understand why the supernatural feared Alucard as much as they did. When one died, they don't go to heaven or hell, their soul was absorbed by Alucard to be rendered completely under his control, no death, no escape only eternal purgatory. The worst kind of punishment anyone could ever experienced. She couldn't help but wonder just HOW many Theseus mentor has killed in the past, 10, 100, 1,000, or…..millions of people? God just ever thinking about it also gives her the shivers, giving her an intimate level of understanding on why people did so when talking about him.
Maria's intense fear of the no-life king… now, Mio could understand it VERY well.
Ignoring the looks on the satanic daughter and Succubis' faces, Theseus slid his leg up with a sharp grin on his face, his gaze pointing ahead towards the vast distance. "And that is what makes me admire him."
"?!"
In an instant Mio practically blanched when she heard those words leave the blonde's mouth. She was pretty sure that her head hadn't been bashed THAT many times, so she really couldn't believe what she had just heard from him. "Admire?" She questioned slowly, confusion ripe within her at the word that Theseus said before. "But why would you admire someone like him? He sounds like the kind of person you DON'T admire, but fear."
"Exactly." he instantly responded, cutting her protests short. "I admire him for making the whole world fear him, and by extension Hellsing. Thus he wound up achieving something even greater, something countless in the supernatural world WISH they could have."
"What's that?"
"Freedom."
"Freedom?" Mio questioned again, now literally confused about what Theseus kept saying. "What do you mean by…freedom Theseus?" Mio once more asked for some clarifications.
This time, Theseus lifted his head while looking at the red sky like it was nighttime back in the human world. "I normally wouldn't say or give a lecture since its not my thing but…..this will be the only expectation. You already know that the supernatural is a dog eat dog world, one moment you enter it and the next second your already dead like entering a boss room in a Dark Souls game." Theseus internally winced, anyone who played games with a Dark Souls-esque feel to their gameplay could relate to that statement. He himself liked those games due to their challenge, but sometimes they could be downright nasty. 'I am Malenia, Blade of Miquella' kept playing in his head like he were being punched multiple times. "Countless beings after you because either you contain a powerful sacred gear, a rare magic affinity, or the blood of an ancient hero like mine for example." He puts up his fist while gripping it. "I'm practically the descendant of an ancient greek hero called Theseus, the founder king of Athens, slayer of the minotaur, the hero of labyrinth and the son of Poseidon."
"Wait hold on a minute." Maria suddenly interjected while getting close to the scarred boys expression. "You mean to tell me YOUR a decendent of a great hero? And you never bothered to tell us that?!"
Theseus shrugged his shoulder. "Well you never asked and couldn't you find any similarities when my name IS Theseus?"
"Yeah I actually figured that out a week into our time together after we first met as kids." Vali interjected his opinion, having started tending to his wounds.
"For me, I simply asked about his lineage when I did a little research for a history lesson." Kuroh also added his opinion as well.
Maria opened her mouth, tried to say something but closed it and turned her attention away from Theseus, slumping down to the ground in defeat. Now she kinda, no, she felt VERY stupid for not seeing the writing on the wall. "Fair enough, you got me there."
Mentally rolling his eyes at the not so bright girl, Theseus shook his head. "Anyway as I was saying, very few have managed to completely free themselves from this death world, the people who managed to escape from it are count as blessed victims…though I doubt that would hardly last. Thats the curse of it, no longer being free from the clutches of the other side of the world…..however that isn't the case for Alucard." Upon mentioning his mentor's name, a grin showing off Theseus' fangs spread across his face resembling the creature he had been named after. "HE managed to break the clutches, the chains that bound him to this world's unjust system, his reputation has reached the level where it can make even the Gods fear the mere mention of his name. With only his power, he made the supernatural bend to his will."
Glancing down at the sight of his Trident laying sprawled on the ground beside him, Theseus' eyes darkened slightly as they lost some of their focus. From his perspective, he saw a reflection of his younger self with his hands clutching to his face within the weapon's metal, like he were looking into a mirror. The blade gleamed for a moment before the reflection vanished, replaced by his usual stoic demeanor. "As much as people would want to think otherwise, sadly its a reality that Fear's what makes people bend their knees. They're afraid for what might befall them should they commit any wrongdoings. Hellsing uses that fear to make the supernatural think twice when acting up within their territory, aided by the blood trails that we leave behind. its to set an example essentially. My master Alucard uses that fear to dominate his opponents, to make them think they have a fighting chance before breaking their delusions and laughing when their at the brink of despair, at which he finally ends them. He has nothing to worry about in his life, because despite being immortal….he's truly free, like a shark in a ocean."
The lecture, combined with the far off look in his eyes, drove Mio into a bout of stunned silence and awe. The lecture may have been long, but it also achieved it's main aim: to give her a better understanding as to why Theseus admired Alucard so much. It was not only his might and power, but it's also because he enjoyed the one thing that everyone in the supernatural dreamt of: being free from the many dangers lurking around every corner, to not have to keep glancing behind oneself to stay ahead of the hounds.
In a way, she was no exception to this desire either.
Something she can relate for when before she was recruited to Hellsing, when Zolgear killed her adoptive parents. When she was with Maria, she lived through the months of constant fear of the devils and demons going after her when her powers first surfaced. For months the both of them couldn't get any proper sleep, proper food and proper clothing for the both of them because of the fear that the beings might suddenly attack them, hiding places somewhere, or expecting the two of them to head into a trap or ambush. Fear is what drove her to be in Hellsing the first place. She never had any freedom when she first stepped into the supernatural world.
'I wonder… if that's really what one calls freedom…'
Off to the side, Maria had a different thought process to the two of them, a small unoticeable frown marring her lips as she watched her charge and potential lover engage in this conversation. The succubus had significantly recovered from her injuries by this point through some limited healig magic she knew, but none of that magic dealt with the unease she felt upon hearing Theseus' words.
To her, what Theseus described as 'Freedom' she would rather say was 'solitude'. To her it sounded like the apex of freedom could also be declared as loneliness, because while fear could cause others to submit out of a sense of self preservation, it would also impact their daily life. Nobody would be able to speak with them without fearing for their lives, for when either someone or something might come after them should they make even the slightest mistakes. To stand at the very top of the world, where nothing could harm you nor threaten you… that sounded to her like a hellish existence. A cold, dark and lonely lifestyle of which it sent numerous chills down her spine.
Maria did NOT admire anyone for reaching that apex, not one bit.
Succubi were, for all intents and purposes, a social species and there was no getting around that fact. Sexual activity was a social thing to them, just like how humans liked to hang out in groups because of their desire for the stabillity/order a 'society' provided them. For them, being powerful enough to warrant such fear to the point where a social life would be nigh-impossible due to everyone fearing you? One could practically go insane from loneliness, and she knew of many in history who let such power go to their heads which would then twist them into completely alien versions of themselves.
'Nonetheless, that deep stuff isn't my thing so I'll stop thinking about it for now…' deciding that this problem was just too big for just Maria alone to handle, the succubus decided to switch to a more manageable one whilst looking back towards the Bloody Palace of which she could see Kuroh trying to restrain Vali from taking another crack at it, much to said white dragon emperor's frustration. Even Meredith was getting on board with this while Issei just kept staring longingly at it, Maria noticed.
The sights caused Maria to smile in a gentle, content manner much unlike what she would usually employ as a Succubus. It looked like things were progressing quite well, and in spite of everything that had happened within the Bloody Palace Maria had to admit that they had gone further than she'd anticipated. At most she had feared they'd only clear about 10 thoughts according to some late night calculations, but she found herself pleasantly surprised to be mistaken on that front there. By the time that te rating game against Riser arrived, Maria believed that each of them will have achieved something that'd change themselves forever…
She certainly believed that would apply to herself at least.
Glancing down at her lap, Maria narrowed her eyes somewhat as a slightly unsettled look crossed oer her face, memories of her last few battles playing through her mind. The more that they did so, the more certain… aspects of them started outing themselves as odd before her minds' eye. 'Its strange… the more I think on it, the more I'm realizing that there were times when the enemy Demons seemed kinda sluggish for no reason, some of their attacks missing the mark by inches were among some of the behavioral errors I noticed…' she thought with a pensive frown on her lips, cupping her chin with her right hand.
The girl didn't even consider the brief moments when her shadow seemed to stir, rippling like the ocean surface…
Like it were ALIVE.