16.
Separated at Dawn
The moon had dissolved into the brightening morning sky, and the dimness in Reyna’s room lifted. Darkened corners were slightly illuminated and the gloss of the furniture's varnished wood was set softly aglow. Most of the sun’s reaching rays were snuffed out by the window’s closed blinds and extended curtains, but a sense of daylight still penetrated through. The obscure, rectangular light that fazed through the window slowly crept across the carpeted floor. Mundus had been observing it since the daybreak with great curiosity. As the shafts of lights shifted, so did his curiosity evolve into apprehension. It was almost noon and he and Reyna were still separated.
Her body was sprawled over his lap bridal style, arms dangling in heavy sleep, drooping head resting on his chest. Mundus arms that framed her back and waist were what secured her sleeping stature to his. He should have woken her since the morning’s arrival, but her small frame appeared so delicate, it seemed she would break with the slightest shake. Thus he simply sat, waiting for her to awake on her own accord. When she finally did, she looked at him, sleepy blue eyes blinking. The shifty eyebrow he lifted at her was accompanied by a sly grin. The blue eyes widened with understanding.
Furiously blushing, Reyna jumped off of Mundus, almost stumbling upon the blanket that had latched around her ankles. Her stiff body popped with the sudden action.
“At last you wake,” Mundus said as he stood up and stretched, “You salivated upon me.”
She glared at him. “I don’t drool in my sleep!”
“The scent of your saliva is quite strongly present on my chest.”
Reyna opened her mouth to protest but something stopped her. She gaped at her sunlight bearing window and then back at the moon demon that physically stood in front of her.
“Mundus,” she said slowly. “Why are you still here?”
He looked at her, arms crossed. “At last such comes to your attention.”
“You knew already? Why didn’t you–” She cut herself off and sighed.
Reyna was still in her torn clothes from last night, encrusted blood and all. Rusty flakes of blood powdered her arms, face, and legs. If she had to tackle this, it had to be with a fresh mind after a warm shower that hoped to wash last night’s events away. She scuttled over to her closet. Her shuffling was erratic and overly thought out as she scavenged out fresh clothes. They were the movements of a frightened individual, and Mundus noticed it all.
“I don’t know what going on, but I’m going to shower,” Reyna said, clean clothes in her hands. Their connecting stares read each other. Mundus could see her anxiety and she knew it.
“Don’t touch anything and don’t go out anywhere!” she quickly said, feigning cheer and jest into her voice. Cumbersomely passing by Mundus, she stepped out of the room. As soon as the door closed, it reopened and Reyna momentarily popped back in. “And don’t try to sneak up on me to get a peek!” This time her words rang true.
Mundus chuckled. She is unaware such a ‘peek’ has already been acquired.
He walked over to the window and moved the curtain aside. A bright day greeted him. He roughly drew the curtain back and walked back to the bed. His nostrils flared as he caught another whiff of Reyna’s blood. The scent was radiating from the bed, but mostly from him. Some of Reyna’s blood had caked on his clothes as well. Perhaps a shower would suit him too. He grinned at the reaction Reyna would undertake if he jumped in with her.
His smile abruptly fell when he saw his sword. In her haste she had not seen it propped up against the wall. The blade was stained with blood. A tinge of rage that was quickly smothered by satisfaction wavered through him. It had been a pleasant kill. The kill of a human. He picked up the rubicund sword.
“You savor the blood excessively,” he spoke to the blade. Hearing its master’s words, the sword vibrated and devoured the blood that cradled it. Soon, it was as if new.
“You strengthened. However, as long as I remain in my current form, you shall certainly not achieve complete power.” Mundus placed the sword back in the closet. He sighed, finally tackling the problem at hand. How was it possible he was still in his own body, temporary as it was?
There was obviously Magika at work, however not one he could recognize. An impossible accomplishment for he knew all the types of Magika in existence. He also understood the workings of Amon’s as well. This certainly was not his doing. It had to be the other one. The individual that had been sensed during Reyna’s party a few months ago. Mundus ginned maliciously at the thought of fighting that individual. Unfortunately, he was masking himself and doing it quite well.
There were also the demons that hovered about. Lower level, Magika-less devils Mundus could easily dispose of. None have attempted to contact Mundus nor have they shown evidence that they wished to harm Reyna, however. Yet such lack of action deemed more dangerous than a full frontal attack.
The door to Reyna’s room swung open and florescent light flooded through. The fresh scent of shampoo and soap trailed Reyna as she entered, fully dressed. Caught within Mundus’ nostrils, the overpowering smell agitated his nose while at the same time caused his stomach to flutter. He grunted at the queer sensation.
“I was thinking,” Reyna said as she passed by Mundus to brush her wet hair, “Do you think this has anything to do with Amon? I mean, maybe he placed a weird charm on the bracelet he gave me that caused this. That’s the only weird thing that’s happened to me lately.”
Mundus momentarily gazed at her, silent. She attempts to play the strong willed.
“It is not the mortal Sight user,” he answered her.
The closet mirror Reyna was standing in front of held two reflections. The first time a polished glass could present both their features. Despite not facing each other, they were gazing at one another.
“Oh,” Reyna whispered.
Mundus stepped towards her. The time for foolishness was over. “What occurred the night of last?”
She paused brushing her hair. “Lots of things can happen when you’re walking home.”
Mundus identified the obvious deception. “Yet blood encased your–”
“Okay!” Reyna loudly interrupted him, “I’m going downstairs to eat. If you’re hungry I’ll bring you food. You know, come to think of it, I’ve never seen your eat. At least not our food. Do you want food? ‘Cause if you do, I can bring you some. Are you even hungry?”
Her rushed and awkward words were a detour from her tempestuous emotions. She left before Mundus could answer her inelegant ramble.
Downstairs, Mr. and Mrs. Felix were enjoying a nice brunch. He was reading the Sunday newspaper. It was a hastily done edition, the main local story hurriedly inserted earlier that morning. It was too big of scoop to leave for next week’s run, but it did promise more details on the story by then.
“Hey, Hon,” Mrs. Felix greeted as she saw her daughter enter the dining room. She was in the connecting kitchen, over the warm stove that was cooking a modest Panini.
“Afternoon, dear,” her dad added from behind the newspaper.
“How did you date with Dante go last night?” Mrs. Felix asked.
Reyna tensed up. She didn’t answer. Instead Mr. Felix made a scene as he erratically folded his newspaper down at Kathy’s words. “What? You told me she left last night to Julie’s!”
“Oh, relax,” Kathy said, placing a plate of hot food in front of her husband.
“No, that’s it. I want to talk to Dante soon,” he firmly spoke.
“You have.”
“Not as Reyna’s boyfriend. Well, Reyna?”
She flinched at the mention of her name. Her mind was swirling with several thoughts, some confusing and others painful. “Yeah dad,” she managed to speak.
“Well, just make it soon,” Mr. Felix said. He resumed his newspaper reading as he waited for his food to cool.
“Mom, has Uncle Amon come down yet?” Reyna hesitantly asked.
“He left early this morning to church. The catholic one downtown,” she answered. “He hasn’t come back yet.”
Reyna almost laughed. “Church?” She couldn’t believe it.
“Hope he comes back soon. There’s been a lot of violence going on lately. Look at this, honey,” Walter addressed Kathy and pointed at the headline picture that accompanied the article. It was of a car, taken at night, but the camera’s flash illuminated enough to see the devastation it held on one of the passenger side doors. The metal was scraped out as if a tiny explosion had gone off inside it.
“Oh. Why would anyone want to vandalize a car like that?” Kathy expressed, her eyes scanning the article.
The distraction was taken as an opportunity to escape upstairs. Reyna had not truly been hungry to begin with. She had the information she needed.
“We’re going to church,” she said as she entered her room and closed the door. “You’re taking me there.”
Mundus cocked his eyebrow at Reyna’s order. He had been standing in the middle of her room, arms crossed, pensive in unknown thoughts. He now glared at her.
“Wait. Can you even go in a church? I mean, you are a demon, but it’s not like you’re a vampire, right?”
Mundus’ features wrinkled into puzzlement. “Of what do you speak?”
“Never mind. Just take me to the church.”
“Enslaved to you I am not.”
“Oh come on,” Reyna sighed. She went to her closet and tousled her clothes around until she found the ones she was looking for. She threw them at Mundus who easily caught them. “Put those on. They’re the jeans and shirt you stole the other time from the guest closet.”
Mundus was about to protest her orders when an opportunity to tease her arose. He figured she needed a distraction and delivering it in the form of an argument was too sweet to pass. “Shall I strip down at once?”
Reyna bit the bait. “What?” she shrieked and blushed. “No! Go to the bathroom or something!”
“Such would cut into the haste you attempt to instill upon me.”
“You talking back to me isn’t making things go any faster.”
“So indeed I shall strip at once?” He removed his open coat to totally bare his chest.
Reyna’s pink face now blazed with rushing blood. “No! Just go in the closet and change in there!”
She shoved him into it, enjoying the warmth of his skin a bit too much. From her position, though, she could not see his amused grin.
~*~*~
The church had quickly emptied after the morning mass. A few people lingered to talk to the clergy. Eventually the pews and candle adorned entrance completely vacated and the nuns took refuge in the neighboring bingo building for coffee. Amon had been invited, but he politely declined. Still seated the isle end of the front row pew, he was waiting until the time would come when he’d be completely alone. He had to wait longer when a nun, one that did not have a taste for coffee, walked up to him. She was wrinkling into her late fifties as many of them were. Her pleasant honey eyes smiled at him.
“Dear, do not distress yourself too much,” she had told Amon in the voice of a grandmother. Her hand rested on his shoulder.
Despite himself, Amon smiled. His stretched, scarred face did not disturb her. She gave him a gentle pat before departing, and Amon sat silently in the now completely bare church. His eye focused on the brilliant, golden altar in front of him. The generic, agonized Lord Jesus Christ gaped up towards the heavens with pleading eyes. Eyes that would not meet Amon’s.
A piece of Reyna’s power had been unleash last night. It was unfocused and rash. Amon had tried to See where she was and what had triggered it, but all he had seen was Reyna running home. Something had blocked his vision. Mundus had arrived shortly after her. Despite his desire to See their talk and perhaps learn what had occurred, Amon chose not to. Granting Reyna her privacy was something he would not give up.
Amon sighed. How had he ever thought of killing such an energetic and loving individual? He had never truly wished to dispose of Reyna, but the fact that he had plotted such an atrocity shamed him. The only reason Amon decided to murder her was because of that demon inside of her. Mundus. The one who had havocked so much destruction onto his ancestors. However, he also turned out to be…different.
Reyna has started to believe and accept, he thought, another smile appearing on his lips. That’s what matters right now.
Suddenly, he sensed Reyna and Mundus moving towards him. Incredibly fast. It was odd. He always felt their essences together as one, and although he felt them, it was strange. Echoing footsteps filled then filled the empty church and they were from more than one person. They were the only sounds in the building. Stepping onto the church’s carpeted isle, they muffled and soon silenced once Reyna and Mundus stood next to him.
“Um, Uncle Amon?” Reyna shaky voice spoke. When he turned towards them, his eye widened.
“Why are you two separate?” he asked, standing. He stared oddly at the demon’s modern clothing. Mundus’ low snarl ordered him to withhold his comments.
“You don’t know either?” Reyna sadly spoke, oblivious to Mundus’ silent threats.
“The disappointment does not astonish me,” Mundus said, his sights falling on the church’s altar. His eyes slightly narrowed at what he saw only to turn back to the two mortals in front of him.
“Then…” Reyna slumped on the seat Amon had previously occupied. “How are we going to reverse this? I mean, is it really that bad? You have your own body, Mundus. Isn’t that what you want?”
“This is not my true physique. Such a body is temporary and shall quickly expire,” the demon snapped.
“If he does not return to your body soon, Reyna,” Amon spoke, “Mundus will die.”
Reyna’s eyes traveled to the ground only to look back up at Amon. They were glazed and tired. “Uh. There was something else that I wanted to ask you.”
“Of your powers? I sense they have started to awaken,” Amon said.
“You neglected to comment of such an occurrence,” Mundus told Reyna. He too had sensed her awakening, yet he wished to use this as an opportunity to persuade her to open up of last night’s events.
Reyna bowed her head again. “I don’t understand why they awakened now. I mean, if I had them all along, wouldn’t I have had early indications of them during my youth or something?”
Amon shook his head. “They have started to awaken now because it was recently that you became aware of them.”
“What?”
“Why do you think other descendants of the Watanabe clan or any other clan have not been heard of? Magika only responds if the individual is aware of them. If the person has no idea that such power exists within them, then that power is useless. Your powers have awakened now because you know of them. In fact, you understand them to a certain level. That’s what reading Sakuya’s Collection helped you accomplish. That was also why I didn’t want it to be published. It would be too chaotic if multiple people were to wake up their Magika. Do you understand what I’ve told you?”
Reyna took awhile to absorb Amon’s words before quietly nodding. Mundus stood, listening to Amon’s words with interest. He too learned something new that day.
“Come on, Reyna,” Amon beckoned her. “Let us just go home.”
She stood. As she did, the necklace that Dante gave her twinkled with the lights from the brightly lit altar. The blue pebble shone with radiance, then fell, for a split second, into complete darkness only to emerge to its original blue color.
“Reyna,” Amon halted his niece, having caught her necklace’s strange gleam, “Where did you get that necklace?”
She stopped walking, her eyes giving Mundus a nervous sweep. “My boyfriend, Dante, gave it to me as a birthday gift.”
“Dante.” Amon’s eyes narrowed at his name, contemplating something. Mundus took note of his action.
“What?” Reyna questioned their odd behaviors. She reached for her necklace, only her fingers never did get to touch the stone. A black yet transparent orb appeared, encasing the pebble. She gasped, confused.
Amon nodded, as if expecting such a thing to happen. Approaching Reyna, he beckoned her with his gaze if he could test out the necklace. She nodded. As he reach for it, it retaliated in the same manner as it had to Reyna.
“Who else has come in contact with the necklace?” Amon asked.
“I…I don’t know. A lot of people I guess. My friends. I know Julie has and also K–Kris,” she forced herself to choke out his name. She cleared her throat before continuing. “Some teachers have seen it too and mom. Dante has also touched it and this new guy that came to school named Ram—”
“Ram?” Amon immediately interrupted.
“Yeah,” she said smiling as she remembered his warm and friendly nature.
Amon looked up at Mundus and their gazes met. Silent words communicated between their stares. This was the individual that had been slinking beneath their radars.
“We should discuss this at home. Come,” Amon spoke and took off walking towards the church’s exit. Confused, Reyna immediately followed. Mundus gave the suffering Jesus another glance before taking off behind her.
Amon was the first to exit the church. He waited for the demon and his niece to emerge. Reyna immediately walked to the only parked car, a silver Honda –her mother’s car Amon had borrowed– and opened the unlocked front passenger door. She sat, put on her seatbelt, and bowed her head in wait.
Mundus kept his dark eyes on the slumped Reyna. “I shall not participate in your…ride,” he said.
“Mundus, there’s something I want to tell you.” Amon’s voice sounded tired.
Annoyed, Mundus looked at the aging man. “What?” he growled.
Amon held his enraged gaze before he continued. “Be careful of what you are doing. Don’t hurt the girl.”
“Your words do not adhere to sense.”
“You know what I mean, Mundus.”
And he did. He had ended the life of someone he cared about before. Mundus felt it was quite possible that such an atrocious incident could be repeated.
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Author's Note: Hello once again! ^.^
So...the chapters are getting a bit lengthy. Or at least longer than the earlier ones. Are they too long? Would you prefer I cut them in half?
Well, this chapter was a bit fluffy, but like I said...the good stuff is coming up soon. Yay!
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. :D