----
CLANG
The metal clink as the metal shard flies all over the place with the hardened blood hit Zahiro's Sword.
The battle has just started, Howl's laughter echoes through the silence as his sword made from his very own blood danced with him, whirling through the air as Zahiro was overwhelmed from the pressure.
WOOSH
As Zahiro swing his sword upright, he found Howl's body flickering with a smirk growing on his face. Howl hand is pulled down before he arced up his fist onto Zahiro's body, pushing him back afar, with guard loosen, just as he focuses, he saw Howl just stands there with a strange poise.
"You may wanted to see some of my technique, or... Aimatos."
He cackled as a bead of his own blood flow out from his claws, as it merge and form an enormous amount of blood, he swing his hand to launch the blood down before just then-BOOM.
The blood burst out into Zahiro's direction, Zahiro gasped before his body burned down from the dark blood.
Zahiro kept his stance on as his body trembles from the overwhelming pain, Howl drop down and just as he land he unwrap his hand.
Feeling the strange feeling behind him, Zahiro flickers onto Howl. Howl eyes widened in shock as he felt the wind dancing around him.
"Amazing!"
He bawled out from excitement before his blood emerges out from the ground as it flies at Howl at thunderous speed.
Howl's furs dances all around him with thee wind around him hustling at inhuman speed followed by his own blood finally stop as it floats at the palm of his hand.
Howl lips widen into a smirk as he whirls his blood and-BOOM-Zahiro flies out of his orbit, He land perfectly as a shallow breath escape his mouth.
"Exhausted already?"
Howl chuckles as the remaining blood whirls back to floats at the tip of his finger, Zahiro now understand that he cannot underestimate nor overestimate anything in this fight.
"You can manipulate those dark blood of Yours like some magic spell... My sword's broken too..."
Zahiro mutters as he stare at his sword, clenching it harder, his sword arced up before something unexpected happen.
WOOSH-His feet pulled back in an instant before he launched out toward Howl, Howl got a shocked face as he stare onto the bloody surface of Zahiro's sword flashing before his eyes.
Zahiro grit his teeth before pushing his sword and arcing it down into Howl's eyes and-SPLAT-Howl stare at him in disbelief as the blood on his finger tip splattered onto the ground with his attention scrambling around.
"IM NOT DONE YET!"
Zahiro pull out his sword from Howl's eyes and throw it out of the way as his hand clenched down into a fist, Howl flinched from the sound before he put up a guard by crossing his hand but-THWACK-Zahiro's fist slammed down into Howl's side, his guard was down from the pain with his crossed guard become loose, Zahiro swiftly lift his hand before his elbow slammed down Howl's temples causing him to roar out.
Zahiro flinched down from the pressure before he spun again with his fist swinging back as it then-THUD-his fist arced down into Howl's head.
Zahiro's hand grip Howl's shoulder as he start to fell, Howl stare at him with irritation but all that came to an end as-THUMP-Zahiro's legs swayed forward as Howl flies back to the wall.
Zahiro breathes out all the air left on his lung as he stare into Howl's dark void eyes right before his animalistic eyes brighten up with a smile appearing on his face.
"Amazing..."
Howl clapped out an applause through the silence as he laugh out from satisfaction, Zahiro's eye blink out a confusion as he realize those smile appearing from a thin air on Howl's face.
"What? Think I will blast out my blood at You? Nah... You win against me."
He laughed once again with his eyes closed, Zahiro lips flatten as he stare at the creepy sight of a person laughing while having his head bleeding out from a huge cut even slicing down his left eyes.
"Now Im satisfied, At least for once... Meet up with him, Im going to sleep..."
Howl mutters as his shiny eyes fade into the dark void as an orbit of white iris shined down from his dark sclera.
Zahiro gasped from shock as he realize those was the color of Howl other eyes at the slit below his natural eyes.
They were inverted as the shiny white eyes lying on the slit below the natural eyes burned down into darkish red.
Howl eyes widen back as it fully turn all white, he look confused as he swing his eyes to the right and left before his face turned into one of what a horrified person would have.
"What... Happen?"
He mutters as a bead of crimson and shiny tear fall down from his eyes, Zahiro mouth dropped from shock before he dashes toward him.
"You're... Okay? You're trying to kill me before!"
"Kill You? Im not! I just wake up! or maybe my consciousness was taken by him."
"Who was this 'Him'..."
-------
Rouna Waving Castle
-------
KNOCK-KNOCK
The door rhymed down a knocking tone as Jacque and Gerald eyes quickly swinged onto the door.
"Come in."
Jacque answer the knocking and in an instant the door creaks open with the tomboyish girl, Akari, stepping into the room with a cigar stuck between her lips. Seeing this, Gerald stand as he slam the table from frustration.
"Cut it out... Old man... Jacque, I guess I should tell You now... Edgard Von Delvia, have failed his mission with the status being..."
Akari eyes glances toward Jacque as she speaks, she seems to be feared by those two... Jacque small smile faded as he heard Edgard failing his mission.
"... With the status being deceased."
Akari sighed, Gerald growled out as he approach Akari with his hand clenched, veins showing out of his skin but then he heard Jacque clearing his throats.
He quickly turn his attention onto Jacque as he sees him shaking his head with concerned or rather... scared face? Gerald scoffed before turning his back knowing what Jacque meant...
"How's Dr. Beaufort doing?"
Jacque asked as a smile popped out of his rough face, Akari sighed before she turn her gaze toward the hustle city behind those window.
"You mean the one working on the 'Project'? She's doing good... Though Im afraid she might quit due to what we use for testing..."
Akari spoke as she crossed her hand, she knew that those smile weren't real, those smile on that poor leader face was faked, of course he was good at faking everything... He's the one working with the community.
"You know we need to find him quickly right?"
Akari asked calmly as she stare deep into Jacque's shining emerald eyes, Jacque face finally loosen up the smile as his eyes really said that he's fucked up, Jacque chuckles before answering.
"Well... Of course we need him... He's an important assets, Im sure if we find him the subject won't be pained anymore from the test."
"Then why won't You send me before him?"
An unexpected question came out of Akari's mouth as her stern gaze stunned both Gerald and Jacque to freeze as they tried to think of the answer.
"Well maybe, but... We couldn't just do tha-"
"Don't underestimate me... Your precious sir the second."
Akari mock Jacque with a smirk appearing on her face, Jacque was out of excuses... He looks into Gerald eyes before then he saw the nod from Gerald.
"In that case... Yes... We will be sending You into the mission... We would inform the Headquarter about it..."
----
The Badland
----
The sun is finally falling down into the west as the group of Mark and Satria lay on the sand, circling the fire as they wait for moon to rose as that time... The edible food will come.
Mark suddenly rises from the sand as he start to walk toward the direction of the tree that border the Badlands with it giant branches and root.
Satria notice this as he quickly whistle out for attention, it shook down Mark a bit as he turn his gaze toward Satria.
"Where You going?"
"Checking the area, just like the usual."
Mark scoffed, Satria eyes widen as he quickly rise and dashes toward Mark to hold him from going.
"What?"
"Its dangerous out there! You cannot go alone!"
Satria yell at him as Mark's eyes rolled before he shove Satria from him. Satria wasn't that surprised that this things will happen as they always have a different perspective and also different 'mindset'
"Then what?! You want to follow me there?! Then who's gonna get a leader for them?! Leukos should be sleeping by now!"
Mark refute as he continue to walk down just to find Satria's legs slipping down onto his as he fell down onto the ground, Satria quickly put his hand holding Mark on choke.
"I KNOW HOW IT FELT TO LOST A WHOLE TEAM! YOU DON'T KNOW ANY!"
"YOU THINK YOUR THE ONLY ONE?! I LOST MY CAPTAIN WHO'S ALSO MY ONLY FUCKING TRUSTED ONE! WHY DO YOU THINK IM HERE?!"
Mark fist swayed down onto Satria's face as he push him from his body, Satria growled from annoyance as he find Mark running away from him.
"FINE GO WHEREVER THE FUCK YOU WANT!"
Satria roared down the last sentence as Mark slide through the tree roots, entering the fertile earth of asia before his eyes goes wide from the shock to find all the tree's behind that huge leaves which was covering all this beauty.
"Holy..."
Mark mutters as he goes deeper, his hand crawl to his back picking up the assault rifle he bring out just in case something happens.
Mark lips widen into a huge smile as his eyes shine while looking at all those trees and the best thing that this is natural and not man-made or artificial.
Everything was normal as a laughter flies out of his throat happily while his foot stepped deeper into the woods. EVERYTHING was actually really normal... until-THUMP.
"AAAHHH!"
Mark screamed out the fear living on his throat as he fell into what he haven't seen before, a cave, it was a real cave this time and not just some recreation of it, he knew it as soon as he was welcomed by the terrifying scars and the luminous crystal.
"Cavern Crystal... Shit I don't bring any shotgun..."
Mark mutters with the palm of his hand covering his eyes before he quickly jumped up from the screeching sound.
He quickly realize the cavern crystal beast or maybe cavern crystal bear lying beside him with a dim light shining out of it crystal, signing it was on critical condition.
"Ooh!! A newcomer!"
A voice echoes as a bright blue orbiter eyes glows out deep inside the darkness, the eyes squint out as a cackle echoes through the darkness. The eyes suddenly moved out at an incredible speed and just a second...
"Surprise!"
A black tiger shows out just to get Mark's heart skipped a beat or second as he jump. Mark's eyes meet with the tiger's luminous and conspicuous eyes, he know what that is as he sees it.
Orbiter Eyes, the eyes where it considered unique as it was a condition where inside the iris instead of laying down a normal pupil, the pupil would be shining as bright as the star on the night sky with another pair of very tiny bits of dots scattering around the iris to revolve around the pupil.
Due to those tiny bits of dots are revolving the shiny pupil as if it was the sun and the dots was the planet, because of this, it was called the orbiter eyes, the eyes that can observe everything in the dark because of the stars becoming it very own pupil.
On this case... This tiger beast supposed to have those orbiter eyes as his pupil even glows in the dark, and just there on the bright crystal eyes, the dots spinning around his pupil.
"Human? Not fun... Not even a tasty desert."
The tiger pouts before Mark jaws drop from shock, he quickly shoot his hand forward as then-THWACK-The palm of his hand lands a slap on that tiger's face.
"Ouchie Douchie! You humans really like playing around huh?"
The tiger chuckles as he rub his furry face with his eyes shining even more brighter with his face masked up with a grin, Mark just watch his orbiter eyes spun even faster as the tiger laughed at him.
"What are You? a cat?"
"Tiger, You can see those white stripes right?"
"Right, How couuullldd I not see them."
"Now You're being sarcastic."
As the question suddenly break down into a small talk the tiger brighten up the situation with his stripes glowing out in the cave.
Mark finally see his whole appearance, the tiger was considered... Small, for a tiger, he got a charcoal black fur coating down his body with those white stripes stretching out on every spot on his body.
"So... You need a hand or rather... a paw! right?"
--To Be Continued--