𝕯𝖎𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖑𝖎𝖐 𝕷𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘: 𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝕱𝖆𝖙𝖊

Chapter 34

"Only if you want to, Reiji," Laito chuckled. "I've never been closer to anyone other than Ayato. He may be a hothead, but he has proved time and again to be sensible enough to leave you in peace. The last time we did the session with Little Bitch, he shut himself inside his iron maiden."

Reiji made a sound of approval, yet held his suspicions. "He's proven to be an ally of her numerous times."

"You better not expect him to be any more humane than us," Laito said, winking at him. Reiji cringed inside.

A blast resounded in the distance, dividing their attention. From the window, they could see the opposite side of the mansion billowing with smoke. They could see fire from the windows of the first floor. It was slow, gradual, and raw. Reiji looked at Laito as another boom echoed, and now they could see the ground shaking. The gas line must have been lit up.

Reiji put the sleeping human back into the bed, ordering Laito, "Hurry, we need to make sure the roof doesn't burn up. The sigil is going to be activated within seconds."

Laito nodded, disappearing into the mist behind him. Reiji took one final look at the girl, smiled in satisfaction, and followed suit, shutting the doors behind him.

Sweat rolled down Yui's forehead, as the flimsy strap holding her dress became blood red, ruby drops leaking from two precisely placed fang marks over her heart.

***

Azuza lifted himself from the grass, limping forward yet again. He had been staked, but in the opposite side of his heart. A stabbing pain in his chest, he dragged on, failing to understand why the priest had left him alive when Azuza could kill him in the snap of a finger. The best thing to do in that situation would have to be killing Azuza at that very moment. And, judging by his reputation, the priest wasn't exactly a novice to begin with.

A car whizzed past him, ignoring the trail of blood he had been leaving behind him. His body craved blood already, his bandages unravelling, his best friends tattooed on his arm. He wanted Eve. He wanted to see his brothers. He wanted to look at Kanato's stupid face. He couldn't just sit back and see Eve being sacrificed, and now that her father had escaped his watchful gaze, he had to get him back to their manor.

Azuza stepped on glass, wincing in pain. Some damn drunk must have thrown their late night booze out of the car. He stepped off from the glass pieces, even though the pain enthralled him, he did not want this feeling at this moment. Nevertheless, he sat down on the road, folding his injured leg towards himself, carefully picking the shards of broken beer bottle from his foot. Great, this was the level he was supposed to be on.

He heard the distinct honk of a car, lights blinding his vision. He hated sudden bright lights especially, but he didn't have enough energy to yell at the driver. As his night vision adjusted, he saw a vintage Ambassador halt in front of him, the driver honking at him a few times. When was the Japanese army when you really needed them?

He heard the door of the car open, and footsteps approaching him. The light mostly shadowed the driver, but judging by his silhouette, it seemed like a boy, about his age. He was built slender, and when the boy reached down towards him to offer him help, Azuza noticed he had very slender, spider-like fingers.

"Hey, are you lost? Your mother threw you out?" the boy asked, as Azuza accepted his hand, being pulled up on his feet. Azuza didn't like the carefree tone of the driver's voice.

"I was walking and a bottle jabbed my foot," Azuza said curtly. In the incandescent glow of the car headlights, he saw the boy in a bit more detail. His eyes must have been a light colour, because they seemed to glow in the dark. He had a strange formal coat with golden shoulder pads with golden accessories to match. In some fashion, the boy reminded him a lot of the hothead of the Sakamaki family.