Hunting Darkness

Chapter 15

I have their blood on my hands, my face, everywhere. I don't know what happened. I don't care either. I look around, but I don't find their bodies anywhere. I didn't kill them. Oh, well. At least I'm not going back. That's a relief.

I grin and lick the blood off my hand. I wonder how much damage I did. I wonder how and when it happened. I don't care. Not one bit. They'll just have to try harder, now won't they?

"96," I whisper.

My beast appears in a cloud of black smoke. He gives a low growl.

"Yes, master?"

"Take me inside the Key. I want to see how the Agents are doing." I touch one of his claws, and we both get transported into the Key.

Once inside, my beast and I look for them. We wander around the gears until we find their resting place, which is the space just beside the wall of Numbers. There, they tend to each other's wounds. Wow. Those are some deep stabs. I grin. I move closer while staying in the shadows so I can hear their conversation.

"96, amplify the sound," I command my beast.

He does just that. Now I can hear everything clearly.

"You should not have said that, 23," Astral scolds. "I told you specifically to remain silent. I told everyone that if Black Mist feels threatened in any way, he can and will escape. That is why I told 20 to calm his mind."

Leviathan, the dragon-like Number, flicks his tail. "He probably would have anyways. Number Spirits are different from normal ones. We feel danger everywhere. He probably won't feel threatened once you're dead, 12."

"Thank you for pointing out what I suspected, 17," Astral says sarcastically, planting one hand on his hip and the other resting on his forehead. "I needed that."

A female Spirit, most likely in her Early Years, with green eyes and a white robe covering her entire body sighs. "We almost had him!"

Another one, her sister I think, pats the girl on her shoulder. "Don't worry, 5. We'll get him next time."

"20, can you see if you can detect a dark presence? I have a feeling that we have a guest." Astral closes his eyes pensively.

"Of course." 20 reaches her senses all around, and I, having the practice of erasing my presence, erase my presence. "None," she reports.

"Well then, he is definitely good at hiding his presence." Astral sighs, and I can tell he knows I'm here.

I reveal myself. "My, my, you're all pretty careless if you let me escape like that," I tease with a playful smirk. "We should play again some time."

23 raises his sword. "You! This time, we'll get you!" He charges, but Astral stops him.

"No, 23. It is not time yet. Later. Now, we are wounded and unprepared." He glares at me. "What do you want?"

"What, I can't drop by to say hi?" I ask innocently.

"Since when have you 'dropped by to say hi'?" Astral asks with scorn in his voice.

I sneer. "Almost every time I stop by. You just don't know how to read my words."

"Yes," Astral mutters, "greetings for you are bloodsheds and insults."

"Exactly!" I agree. "So glad you noticed!"

Leviathan growls at me. "Stop playing innocent, Number 96. You know you're not."

"I know." I smile. "I have a little secret for you, though. Such a sweet secret! Astral's not so pure anymore, aren't you, Brother?" I grin at him.

Astral bares his teeth and growls. I notice his canines are slowly sharpening to fangs, a sign his evil side is dominating.

I laugh. "I told you that you look like a cold-blooded killer when you're mad!" My laugh softens to a chuckle.

Suddenly, Astral lashes out with his bare hand, and I block quickly. The seven stumble back in surprise. I grin.

"That's it!" I urge. "Let your dark emotions free! I promise you'll feel great afterwards!" I whip out a tentacle and hurl it toward Astral. "Just trust me! I know how it feels!"

Astral dodges with feline grace, and his eyes begin to change. He starts to look like how he did when Yuma died. His right hand stabs my left upper arm, and I feel blood oozing out. I hiss in pain, yet the pain feels great!

"Let it all out! Abandon all control and let your darkness run free!" I keep shouting, becoming giddy from all the evil radiating off him. "Let it run free!"

Astral responds by hissing and recoiling. He falls to his knees and clutches his head.

I smirk as I feel his evil dominating all the light in his mind, body, and soul.

The young spirit, Agent 5, darts to Astral and places a hand on his shoulder. Astral screams in pain as her still-pure light slices through his darkness. She doesn't let go even when he falls to the ground, curled up, shaking, and gasping. She lets go only when all the darkness is drained and tears run from Astral's shut eyes at the realization that he can no longer control his darkness. His inheritance.

"Good," I hiss. I swiftly escape as the others crowd around them.

My beast growls questioningly. His thoughts resonate in my mind, "What happened, master?"

"Astral's evil can no longer be detained, 96. He's realized the inevitable has happened." I laugh joyously as we exit the Key.