[HIATUS] BLACK CLOVER: The Whisperer - Yuno Grinberryall

INTERLUDE CHAPTER. Hunger and Fury

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I don't want to leave him behind, but I have to.

They're calling for me—they're calling for help.

I have to help them. Or else, I'll be betraying my promise to them—to protect them from harm and to be by their side as long as life wills it.

"I'm sorry. They need me right now."

The disappointed look on his face tells me everything I need to know. Forgive me. But I hope that we'll never cross paths again. Being together would only cause pain and suffering to you. I'm sorry, Lumiere. I truly am.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

The smoke is suffocating me and the flames are burning my skin. But that's fine. It's all right. As long as I can get to them in time, as long as they're alive and well, it doesn't matter what happens to me. As long as they're safe and sound. I don't care if I can no longer breathe and if my flesh and bones shatter into pieces.

As long as they're fine.

Fire is everywhere. Everything is in crumbles.

It's heartbreaking to look at. He would be sad too to see his kingdom in ruin. The least I can do is help put them out. For my sake, his sake, and theirs.

I ready my grimoire, letting it consume the flames all around me and converting them into mana. I pat Kaede, letting her nuzzle into the warmth of my hand. This will probably be the last time we'll ever interact like this.

"Let's go, Kaede."

She cries out in response, rushing forward at high speed.

We pass some citizens, running for their lives. Some are held beneath fallen pillars, others are lessened into broken limbs, leaving only their flesh and bones. Dead bodies are scattered all around, burnt and unmoving.

They don't matter, I convince myself.

Their lives are worth nothing more than to be stepped on, I lie to myself.

They're supposed to die, I lie, lie, and lie to myself.

And as I pull out my blade, the path forward is blocked by the demon that started the whole mess. "Zagred," I call his name, glowering hard.

He looks back at me, turning his head and smiling with an innocent beam that makes my blood boil. Oh, I hate him with all my heart and soul. If I could kill him right now, I would. But the difference in our power is too great to ignore. Lunging forward, my blade clashes with an invisible force as I watch him mouth unheard words. I jump back, readying my stance.

"Back down, Kaede," I order her, not wanting her to get involved in a fight that I may or may not survive. She stops growling, stepping behind me, but doesn't cease her glower at the demon before us.

Demons are just as fickle as fate.

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"What do you want, Demon?"

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He chooses not to answer me. From the provoking smile he wears to the slow sways of his tail, I can tell that he's enjoying all these sufferings and cries of pain from a being he considers lower.

I watch as he mouths something. I narrow my eyes, wondering what it is that he is doing. He wields no grimoire, the mana he bears is nothing but a murky black color, and the magic he has is indiscernible and unknown to us. Just what is it that he's planning? I cannot hear what he's saying either, even though others said that he has been among us this whole time. I don't recall ever hearing his voice.

Then I flinch just as he finishes speaking. I cannot move. My whole body freezes as if I've been chained tightly. What did he do?

I snap my head back, only to see him flying towards me with something in his hands.

Realizing what it is, I shake my head in denial, repeating, "that can't be—!" and look around, only to find nothing behind me. The companion that remained last with me is nowhere to be seen, and when I turn back, Zagred's no longer there.

Instead, what replaced him, is Kaede's stiff body, drowning in her own blood.

To Be Continued...

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

•⠀Interlude chapters are all written from the first-person point of view. It's a "new type" of a chapter, and you can probably guess that I was inspired by Genshin Impact's interlude chapters (credits to HoYoverse). I've been wanting to write first-person POVs without ruining the other main chapters of the story.

•⠀Although interlude chapters are a part of the story, they're optional for you to read and (mostly) won't affect the main story. But I still recommend you to read them to get a better view of the plot.

•⠀Thank you for all the love and support, as usual!