"Human Conversation"

'Thoughts'

"Demons Conversing"

'Demon's Thoughts'

[Spells]

9th of August 2014

Japan

Minato Ward, Tokyo

Itsukishima Residence

9:00 A.M

Minato is known as one of Tokyo's largest business areas, due to that, it is home to many corporations, both domestic and international. With wealthy businesses comes wealthy families and Minato is also known as having one of the most affluent residential areas in the whole of Japan.

In one of those neighborhoods is the Itsukishima estate. A semi-traditional house that is replete with modern amenities and traditional beauty. Inside of this beautiful home are two children who are in deep thought, both of them lying down on the wooden floor near the koi pond.

"Sahori." Jasper looked at his friend, her long red hair sprawled across the wooden floor.

"Hmm?" Sahori turned her head towards him.

"Remember what happened at the ice cream parlor?" A cold shiver ran down his spine, a sharp contrast to the summer heat that he can feel on his skin.

"How could I forget?" A grimace formed on her face, not really fond of the memory.

The sound of the koi fish swimming are the only things heard as they quietly relive their encounter with that strange, frightening man.

Both of them remember vividly how his human features slowly melted away the longer they looked athim. It reminded them of the stories of ghosts and demons that they've heard from television and their classmates.

"Do you think he was human?" Sahori looked at him pensively as she waited for his answer.

"Honestly? I don't think he's human. No human could ever look, or feel, like that." His hands curled into fists in anger at the thought of that thing.

Sahori quietly looked at him for a while, then she nodded to herself.

"I believe you."

"Really, just like that?" Jasper looked at her in surprise, not really believing that someone would wholeheartedly believe him.

"Of course, you're my friend. You don't have any reason to lie to me, right?" Sahori's reply and her bright smile was her answer to him. He was taken aback by her complete faith in him.

"Besides," Sahori continued, her smile faltering. "I've felt that way ever since I saw him talking to Nozomi-san. And… well ..." She trailed off, getting a faraway look as she sat up and stared at the koi pond.

"Well, what?" Jasper sat down next to her, looking at her with concern in his eyes. He placed his hand on her shoulder and he could feel her slightly trembling.

"I could see horns on his head." A soft whisper was her response, her answer stunned him so much that she might as well have shouted it to him.

Horns, that answer rang aloud in his head as he remembered the theological readings that he did. Many scholars believe that the origin of having horns being associated with demons is because of the Book of Revelations. Due to that, ancient horned pagan gods such as Moloch or Baal were demonized.

"What are you saying?" Sahori looked at him like was speaking in an alien language.

Realizing he thought aloud, he clarified to Sahori what he meant. Fortunately, Sahori is always quick on understanding things, even things that are new to her.

"So you think what we saw was a demon?" She scrunched up her face in thought.

"Yes." He couldn't think of another possibility of what it might be. All evidence points to it being one. There's just one question on his mind.

"Why didn't I see any horns on his head when I looked at him?" His friend looked at him in surprise at his sudden question.

"You didn't?" He nodded to her "What did you see, then?"

"I just saw his head becoming pure black. Like there's nothing there. Just a big blob of darkness instead of a head!" He laughed. It wasn't a good kind of laugh, Sahori thought. "Saying it out loud like that, it really makes me sound crazy."

"You're not crazy!" She shakes her head as she disagrees, her long tresses of red hair following her motion. "We know what we saw and what we felt! That thing was not human!" Sahori suddenly stood up and shouted at him, her voice wavering and reverberating throughout the garden.

Minutes ticked by and Jasper just looked at Sahori who was trembling, in anger or fear he didn't know, but he did know what he should do. He stood up and gently hugged her. She froze, but slowly she put her arms around him hugging him as well.

Jasper held Sahori until her trembling had subsided. "Better?"

"Yeah." She broke off the hug and quickly wiped away the few tears that escaped her, quickly composing herself. He wisely did not point out her crying, knowing full well she would pinch him hard for that.

Her face morphed into one of conviction and she pumped her fists to psych herself up. "What should we do?" Sahori's looked at him expectantly, with eyes full of hope, like he has all the right answers in the world, but this question is one he has no definitive answer for.

He withheld a sigh. "Sahori, we're just kids, we can't do anything against a demon."

"There must be something we can do. We can't just leave things as they are."

"The only people I know that can expel demons are exorcists, maybe we can ask them." He shook his head, "Unfortunately, I doubt they would believe two kids raving about a demon."

Jasper patiently explained to her all the dangers that will occur if they even attempt to do something so half witted as to confront a demon. As he continued reasoning with her he thought he was getting through to her.

He was not. Instead she went on a passionate speech urging him to join her in defeating that heinous demon, if he was any other kid he would have joined her side then and there. Unfortunately for her, she was talking to him.

Realizing that she wouldn't see reason, he asked her why she was so insistent on confronting that demon and her answer surprised him.

"Something inside my head is demanding that I should eradicate that thing." Sahori whispered so softly that she might as well not have spoken at all, but I did hear it and it made me afraid.

What's compelling Sahori to confront that monster? Can he stop what's compelling her? Does she even want to face that thing or is she just being forced to because of the voice pressuring her?

'Damn it! Why did this even happen to us?! Our lives are upended because of that single encounter!' Jasper thought as he balled his fists, the feeling of being powerless to just snap away Sahori's problem just makes his blood boil!

He stood there in silence for several minutes, with Sahori looking at him with worry clear in her eyes. Then, he nodded to himself as he made up his mind. Jasper looked at Sahori with conviction in his eyes and uttered the words that would change their lives forever.

"Then maybe we should." Sahori blinked in surprise. She didn't think he would ever agree to her, admittedly, idiotic idea.

"Why?" Sahori let out that single question, but it was loaded with a lot of unspoken questions.

Jasper looked at her like the answer should be so obvious. "Why? Because you're my friend. If you need my help, then I will help to the best of my abilities."

Sahori closed her eyes, willing her tears to go away as they threatened to leave her, and smiled radiantly at him. "Thank you." For Sahori, those two simple words weren't enough to convey the feelings of happiness that she feels, but she will repay this feeling of gratitude, someday.

"So, let us kill our first demon, shall we?" A hand was offered to the girl and she grabbed it eagerly.

9th of August 2014

Japan

Minato Ward, Tokyo

8:00 P.M

Sahori looked around the city with wonder, having never been outside during evenings, and seeing the nighttime sights for the first time has brought joy to her. But, somewhere in the back of her head, a voice whispered that these joyous sights are nothing but a facade for the horrors that hide in a dangerous alley or a less trodden road. Horrors that she will be encountering tonight.

She hurried her steps, not letting that frightening thought dampen her spirit. As she neared the street where Nozomi-san's shop is located she could see a familiar figure waiting at the entrance of the street.

Jasper raised his hand in greeting, though Sahori knows him well enough that she can see his nervousness, carefully hidden it may be. "Did you get everything you needed, Sahori?"

"I've got some talismans that might help." Sahori held up the talismans so he could see it. She bought these talismans from the nearby shrines. They told her that it helps in driving demons away. She just hopes that it does work.

Jasper looked uncertain, but he just shrugged and picked up his bag. "Well, I've got some holy water from the church." He holds up a glass bottle and looks at it, unsure about their effectiveness. "I suppose I'll just throw this at the demon if we ever see it."

"I guess that means you're ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." A flash of doubt creeps into his features, but he smooths it over with a small smile.

Sahori senses his hesitation and gently touches his shoulder. "You can just leave, you know. Just leave and never look back." She means it and wouldn't hold it against him, he obviously doesn't have the compulsion that makes her have a raging headache when she even slightly thinks of not doing this whole 'kill the demon' thing.

Jasper looked stunned at what she said, but his surprise quickly morphed into anger "Abandoning you when you need me the most, I will never do that! I will see this through to the end." He held her hand tightly to solidify his argument.

"Let's go, then." Sahori felt warmth in her heart and smiled. She needed no more convincing.

With that, they stepped onto the street. Immediately, they could sense that something was not right in the air.

Both of the children began looking around and they could see a green tinge in the environment and the air around them was becoming heavier. Though the situation has turned quite chilling, they continue on undeterred towards their destination, and with every step that they take the air becomes even heavier.

When they reached the glass doors to the ice cream shop they immediately took hold of the handles and simultaneously flung both doors open.

As they opened the doors the pressure in the air stopped so suddenly that they both fell to the ground with a groan of pain.

"Sahori, are you okay?" Jasper asked as he rose from his fall, noting that he had scraped his elbow.

Sahori gave him a nod as she steadied herself using the door. She looked inside the shop and was surprised that the interior had changed into a spacious cave.

"What is this?" Sahori thought she said those words, but it was Jasper who uttered them.

He looked around the cave as he entered it and walked to a huge hole at the far end.

"Sahori, look at this." He waved his hand to beckon her.

Sahori slowly walked towards him as she looked around inside of the cave they found themselves in. She peered at how high its rocky ceiling was and she noted that it really made her feel so small as a person.

The absurd situation she's in is really driving home the idea that this is not normal and she's afraid. Afraid that she's not feeling fear in this situation, instead she's feeling that her body is itching to let loose. Itching to let loose of what is the question and she feels that she will get the answer tonight.

As she reached Jasper's location, she could see that there was a stone path in the large hole. The stone path continues downward and at the end of it is another hole, presumably another large room like the one they're in..

"We need to get down there." Sahori pointed at the end of the path, her body screaming at her that the demon is there waiting for them.

"Agreed, thankfully the cave is lit up by torches so we don't need to worry about a light source. Just let me make sure that the path is safe." Jasper stepped forward and tested the integrity of the pathway. Seeing as he wasn't falling down the chasm, Sahori stepped on the path, grabbed his hand, and walked towards their destination.

Their footsteps echoed loudly with every step they took. The silence was oppressive and it only made them more uneasy and paranoid.

As they reached their destination, both of them stopped and looked at each other.

"This is it. I can feel the demon in here." Sahori tightened her grip on Jasper's hand as she saw a determined look on him.

He nodded and both of them entered. The cavern was huge and, like the pathways, it was brightly lit by torches. The ceiling was littered with long stalactites which, interestingly enough, look like diamonds. In contrast, the stalagmites growing on the ground are colored blue like aquamarines.

The beauty around the cavern did not distract them from the menacing figure on the far end of it. The menacing figure is incredibly tall, likely seven or eight feet tall, its head and body resembles that of a goat or a bull, it also has large horns that are curling inwards. The sight of it being upright leaves both of them feeling perturbed and alarmed.

Both of them continued staring at the anomalous being, then the demon's yellow baleful gaze slowly moved to them.

"Humans, why have you come to my domain?" A deep booming voice spoke, the demon's snout somehow curled into an expression of disgust as it gazed upon them.

"What did you do to Nozomi-san?" The question was met with a vicious grin.

"The woman who occupied this building? That woman was a feast and it seems I'll have another tonight." The children looked at the demon in horror, then in rage.

"I'll kill you." Sahori's answer was met with a derisive snort.

"A human child hoping to kill me? Laughable." The creature slowly stepped towards the two children, its heavy gait shaking the ground beneath them.

It stopped just a few meters away from them and spread its arms mockingly. "Go on then, kill me. I'd like to see you try, child."

The demon's words and actions enraged Sahori, she took out the bottle of holy water from Jasper's bag, opened it and threw its contents towards the demon. The holy water splattered the demon's torso and the three of them stared at each other. Seconds ticked by and both children felt mounting dread as nothing happened.

A malevolent grin spread across the demon's warning the creature charged forward, its speed belies its massive body.

Sahori's instincts roared at her to dodge, thankfully, her nimble body allowed her to gracefully evade the monster's attack. Her friend fortunately managed to dodge too.

She looked back, seeing the demon ram into the walls of the cave. The force of which shook the ceiling of the cavern.

"Sahori, are you alright?" Jasper, looking none the worse, ran to her and quickly looked her over.

"I'm fine." Sahori waved him off. "How are we going to kill that thing?" Said thing has already recovered and is looking right at them, tensing its body for another attack.

Jasper frantically looked around the cavern and his face lit up. He quickly explained his plan to her and she nodded in acceptance. "Follow my lead, Sahori!" He dashed away from Sahori and started throwing rocks towards the demon. Sahori quickly went the opposite direction.

The demon, enraged at being pelted by stones, ferociously charged towards Jasper. Fortunately, he proved himself fleet-footed when he dodged the demon's attacks.

Although his constant running around has evaded all the demon's attack he is starting to tire out, in contrast the demon is still running at full tilt and shows no signs of stopping. Being tired means making mistakes and he has made a fatal one.

Jasper breathed heavily as he looked around him, seeing there was no room to maneuver around his face curled into a grimace.

The demon took notice of his predicament. "You made a good showing, boy. But it all ends here." It stomped its bizarrely human feet into the ground. A burst of speed left a deep imprint on the ground when he charged towards the boy.

Three things happened at that time. One, the boy quickly ran towards the demon and slid under it as it bore down on him. Two, the demon tripped because there was a sharp incline that it did not notice as he approached. Three, the demon was impaled on the sharply angled rocks that jutted out on the walls of that part of the cavern.

A guttural bellow emitted from the demon as it was impaled on the wall. The two children watched as blood flowed copiously from its many wounds, the ground below it becoming slick with blood. Eventually its wails became silent and its body became still.

"I-Is it dead?" Sahori asked, dumbfounded that a demon got killed by something as mundane as a rock.

"Seems like it. It's a good thing that the plan worked." Jasper sighed in relief as he fell on the ground, exhausted by the whole ordeal.

Sahori instantly doted on him as she checked for any signs of injuries on his body, but he waved her off saying that he's alright for the most part.

Seeing as he was mostly uninjured she sat down beside him, both of them staring at the unmoving body of the demon.

As they rested, Sahori remembered the talisman that she bought. Walking over to the corpse of the demon she stuck the talisman on its back and went back to her friend. He stared at her in amusement, she cheekily smiled at him.

Amusement turned into horror as he looked at something behind her. He swiftly ran and pulled her back.

It saved her life, but not his. In a second, Jasper rocketed towards the center of the cavern floor, blood following his trail. Sahori looked on in shocked horror as her friend crashed on the hard ground.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Sahori ran over to her fallen friend. He was barely conscious when she reached him.

"Run… Sahori….." Jasper whispered as his eyes struggled to open,

"No, no, no! You're my only true friend. I will never leave you, just like you won't leave me! Right!?" Sahori desperately clung to his bleeding body as if it was a lifeline.

He smiled, his pearly white teeth covered in blood, and held her hand as he closed his eyes.

The sounds of screaming and sorrowful weeping echoed around the cavern, as if the place itself grieved with her. Her face burrowed on his chest as her tears continuously fell.

But it was not to be, massive footsteps slowly closed in on her. The demon, heavily wounded, stared at her with indifference "Although the boy has saved you from that fate, you have not taken heed of his dying wish. Fear not, I will treat this boy, this warrior, with due respect."

Its sickly yellow eyes looked at the boy's body. "Men older than him would have been shattered by my fists, but it seems this lad is firmer than most humans." The demon shook its head, something akin to regret flashed in its features. "It's a pity that he has died prematurely."

Sahori's grief slowly turned into anger as the demon casually said its piece. She curled her fists until it bled, her anger reaching a boiling point as the voice in her head roared at her to avenge her friend.

'How can I kill a demon? I'm nothing compared to it, Jasper was right. This is all my fault, if I didn't insist on doing this then, he would still be….' Tears surfaced yet again at the thought of him.

'You have the power, o daughter of mine.' A firm and powerful voice reverberated in her mind

'Who's there!' Sahori held her head in pain, the voice causing a massive headache as it spoke to her.

'I will give you the knowledge needed to fight back against the demons. Fight and be triumphant.'

Sahori held in her screams as mystical knowledge poured into her mind. Her body thrashed as the pain spread throughout her body.

The demon, who was silently watching the little girl writhe in pain, noticed something 'The magatsuhi in the air is being absorbed by the girl. She couldn't possibly…'

The air around them turned hot and the girl shakily stood up, but something was different. Her red eyes have gained clarity and there is strength in her movements. The most telling difference, and most dangerous, of all is the swirl of fire gathering on her right hand.

Then and there, the demon decided that she must. "Die!"

The goat-headed demon's large fist, with a punch that can shatter boulders, bore down on Sahori within a second, but it was too late.

"[Agi]"

A fireball shot out of Sahori's hand, traveling fast towards its target. It exploded when it reached the demon, covering him in scorching flames and forcing him back. Screams of agony rang out of the demon and it toppled over, its wounds becoming too much to bear.

Sahori watched in delight as the demon was consumed by her flames, its screams died down as the fire finally killed it. All that was left is a charred corpse on the cavern floor.

Now that the demon was well and truly killed, Sahori laid down next to Jasper's body and hugged it, regardless of the blood that coated her as she did so.

"I'm so sorry." She murmured, putting her head on his chest.

She closed her eyes, and let her tears flow unabated. Minutes ticked by and the only sound that can be heard are muffled sobbing.

A hand landed on top of her head and she froze. "You're such a crybaby, Sahori."

Sahori slowly looked at where the voice came from and sure enough it was Jasper who just spoke, his expression a pained smile.

"You're alive!" Sahori's sorrow instantly changed into a joyous expression and glomped him in delight.

"Sahori, you're crushing me! I still have injuries!" Jasper tapped her back and she let go of him.

Sahori smiled, embarrassed. "Right, sorry, I forgot. Are you ok? No, wait, stupid question. Where does it hurt? Can you move? Are you-" She rattled off question after question.

Jasper put up his hand to stop her "My whole body hurts and no, I can't move. But, thankfully, I can still feel my legs."

"There must be something I can do." Sahori cupped her chin in thought. Her face brightened as an idea came to mind.

Sahori stood up and faced her palms towards him. She felt the energy that she used earlier and willed it into becoming a healing force.

"[Dia]"

The energy went towards Jasper and his wounds, quite miraculously, had started to close.

"How about now?" Sahori asked, her face slightly pale.

Jasper tentatively moved his body, he still felt a lot of pain, but at least he can move now. He slowly stood up and took a few steps.

Seeing that he wasn't collapsing, he thanked Sahori for healing him, but became concerned as he saw her body shaking. "Sahori, are you ok?"

"I'm just tired, I guess using magic really tires you out." She massaged her temples to ease the headache that she's feeling.

"Magic, huh? You have got to teach me how to use that." An excited smile bloomed as Jasper thought of ways on how to use magic. Sahori just shook her head in amusement as she saw how happy he was.

"I will, but first-" Sahori cut herself off when she saw the demon's corpse disintegrating into red particles. The red particles disappeared into the air and suddenly the cavern they were on started to disappear.

Both of them stood side by side, their bodies tensing in anticipation of what's about to happen. Suddenly, a blinding light engulfed the both of them.

When they opened their eyes they found themselves on the street where they came from. Frantically, they looked around the street and they couldn't find Nozomi's shop.

"I wonder where it went?" Sahori asked as they were walking back to their homes after it was obvious that they wouldn't find the shop anymore.

"Perhaps it disappeared because of the demon." Jasper said as he adjusted the new clothes that he put on. Thanking the high heavens that he had the foresight to bring a fresh set of clothes.

Sahori hummed in agreement, then stopped as a thought popped up in her head. "You think there are more of them?"

Jasper looked at her questioningly "More of what?"

"Demons." Sahori looked at the sky with her piercing red eyes.

Based on what he has seen and experienced tonight, there can only be one answer.

"Yes."

"Would you still come with me when I would be involving myself with the supernatural." Sahori smiled but there was a hint of fragility in it.

"Of course." Jasper's answer was quick and steadfast. He would never abandon her.

Sahori gazed at him, her mesmerizing red eyes shined in amusement. Already knowing that would be his answer.

"Thank you."

...

..

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AN: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.