A thick fog surrounded us the deeper we walked into the ghost town Korku was rumored have taken residence in. They said that Korku killed anyone who was foolish enough to venture into his domain. The bodies and bodies that littered the ground was a testament to that.
It was impossible to see more than a few feet in front of you. This fog seemed to wrap around us. It clung to our clothes and hung low around our heads. I wanted to clear it away, but I didn't want to alert Korku to our presence. There was a good chance that he already knew we were here. There was nothing natural about this fog.
Hearing steps, I whipped around hissing at the tricks the fog was playing on us. There were giggles that sounded like children. My eyes scanned the area for them, but I could see nothing. If there were children out there, they were probably demons as well.
"This place is so creepy." Rai grabbed my hand as she spoke. I could her tremble slightly. She was never good with this kind of stuff. Rai was the girl that watched horror movies from behind her fingers. I wish she were home watching from behind her fingers safe and sound.
"This fog is unnatural," Emiko spoke and I rolled my eyes. She was the only one here without a mage gift. Everyone already knew what she just stated. She probably thought she was smart and clever to be the first to speak it. There was no need to speak what was already understood.
This fog was of Korku making. With each step, we went deeper into his territory. If we weren't careful, we would be joining the bodies of those that was under our feet. The scent of death was masked by the fog. It made me wonder if Korku was actually a B-Class demon. This seemed more like A-Class magic.
"Soji, purify this place. At least then we will be able to see." I growled at Emiko just for suggesting that Soji purify anything why I was still in the area. Of course, she probably wanted him to get rid of me. It's been two weeks since I fell to the hungry. Two weeks of walking just to make it to this town. Someone was still bitter about her arm.
"Zero will hurt if I cleanse this place." He didn't mention the effect it would have on him. Could his body even handle cleansing a whole town? Did Emiko even care? She only saw Soji as a tool for their church to use, for his father to use. She didn't give a shit about Soji the boy.
I could feel Emiko rolling her eyes even though I couldn't see her. She didn't care if I lived or died either. She probably would prefer the latter. I wouldn't care if she died either. Or maybe I would; I knew how much her death would hurt Soji. I didn't want him to know the pain of lost.
"I'll do it," I told them. They were only going to bitch about it so might as well give them what they wanted. Closing my eyes, I could feel my powers flowing through me. When I open my eyes again, they were the red eyes of my demon form.
Chanting in the ancient demonic tongue I started to cast a high-level spell. I wasn't sure where I learned spells like these. They were just something I picked up as I wandered the world for the last two hundred years. Maybe Ban taught it to me, I couldn't remember.
Most of my spells didn't need a chant. Then there was spells so powerful you had to say the words to give them power. A frown pulled at my brows when my powers met resistance. This wasn't Korku, a B-Class demon couldn't resist a spell this power. In fact, I wasn't even sure that this fog was of the fear demon making.
Ban's ring started to heat. Reaching up I touched the ring. I knew that it held power inside of it. Maybe it was Ban's own power. I sucked in a breath when my spell and the fog started to twist together. It was if they became one. Did that mean . . . I didn't even want to think it.
The fog started to recoil and I could tell if it was my doing or not. I watched as the white smoke pulled back showing the bodies that littered the ground. Rai covered her mouth stepping closer to my side. I let my eyes wander over the bodies before looking up towards the sky. I could see a black sky with a red moon.
There should have been stairs this far away from the cities. It shouldn't have been a full moon today either. A blood moon at that. It made my stomach twist. Something was very wrong here. I felt as if we had walked into a trap. As if it was going to be the slaughter from the club again. I squeezed my eyes shut against that thought. There was no way I would allow that to happen.
My eyes opened again looking at the redness the moon held. It rippled like a drop of water falling into a pond. This pond was made of blood. The drips were the tears of the damned. There was something rare and beautifully haunting about the sight. It threatened to move my soul. I turned away from the moon. It was unnatural just like the fog.
The others had been looking up at the moon as well. Rai stepped away from me as she stared. I frowned glancing at the moon again. What was it about this place? What was it about the moon. I felt so heavy. My mind felt fuzzy. Everything was done in soft shadows. There was no sharp edgy around.
"Why are you here?" Emiko asked and I frowned at her. She was looking at me as she spoke. Why the fuck did she think, I was here? Telling her to shut up or go choke on a prick was probably rude. "I didn't mean for it to happen. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." What was she talking about? She finally lost her mind.
Soji held up his hand taking a step towards her. He paused for a moment before stepping away. He took another step back shaking his head at Emiko. My frown deepen. What were they doing? Soji was still backing away from Emiko. I wouldn't want to be near her either, but he never had that problem before.
"Forgive me, Father," Soji whispered but he was looking out into nothing. The fog cleared and it seemed to have left madness in its wake. I reached for Rai. If everyone was going crazy, she needed to stick close to me. Grabbing her hand, she stared at me with this blank look on her face. I could see her visibility quaking with fear.
Fear, it was coming off of them in waves. Korku was the fear demon. All of their fears were mixing together. This was all about fear. We were here after a fear demon. This wasn't just his powers though. Someone was helping him. There was no way that a B-Class demon could put this many mages under at once.
"What do you see, Rai?" I asked and my nose turned up when I smelt the tang of piss. Looking down I could see her pants darken. She pissed herself. The only thing that has ever made Rai so scared she wet the bed was the Sandman. She watched the movie with me once when she was a girl. It scared her so badly she had nightmares for years afterward.
"Fang," I spoke turning around to see the man. Just like the others he was looking out at the vast emptiness that surrounded us. He started to walk taking a few slow steps towards whatever he was seeing. Then he took off running. This seemed to be the signal for some mass panic between the others. Splitting up they all ran in different directions.
Swearing in my head I wondered if I should go after them or find Korku and end this name. A fear demon power was to make you experience your worse nightmare. To trap you into that nightmare. I faced a fear demon before. I took the orb that held his powers and now that same power rested inside of me.
I heard a scream and I took off down the street towards it. "Rai!" I yelled her name my feet pushing me faster. How was it that she gotten so far so fast. I didn't understand this place. It wasn't anything like the last fear demon I fought. This was so much stronger. Pausing I waited to listen until I heard another scream.
My feet pushed me faster until I rounded a corner seeing Rai. She was backing her as she looked in front of her. Her back pressed against the wall of a building. Her vines were whipping at the empty air. Her fingers were over her ears as tears ran from her eyes.
Rushing over to her I grabbed her shoulders making her look at me. "What is Rai? What do you see?" I asked her shaking her should. The trick to beating a fear demon was no longer letting his illusions hold power over you. You had to face your worst nightmare and survive. It was something very few people could do.
"Kenji," Rai whispered and I squeezed my eyes shift. Kenji had taken so much from her. It made sense that he would be what she feared the most. I pushed my fingers into her hair. My thumb running under her eye to wipe away her tears.
"He's not there, Rai. Kenji isn't real. Even if he were here, I would protect you. I'll give my life to keep you safe." My voice was soothing as I stroked her hair. "I won't ever let him hurt you. I won't ever let Kenji get to you." I promised her.
Rai's eyes settled on me for a moment. Then she looked past me. She let out another scream and I hissed as something cut into my arm. Turning around I could see a shadow behind me. The true form of the nightmare. It took the rough form of what Kenji looked like.
"Demon," its voice was a hiss. It reminded me of a snake. This was Korku speaking through his creation. Holding my hand up I allowed my power to flow through me. Releasing the pure energy, it hit the shadow blowing a hole in its center.
There was this inhuman wail that it made before it twisted in on itself before disintegrating. I looked back to Rai. Her eyes were still wide. She seemed to still be in shock. Fresh tears had slipped from her eyes before her eyes seemed to focus on me. She didn't say anything she just pressed her face into my chest. I stroked her hair again before grabbing her hand. We still had to get to the others.
Rushing off with Rai at first her feet was slow, sluggish but the more we ran looking for the others she was becoming herself again. Pausing I could hear the soft sobs of someone. Coming further down the street I found Soji.
"Soji," I called to him, but he didn't move. He didn't dare turn to look at me. He was sitting on the ground his face was in his hands. Soji's shoulders shook with silent tears. I could see a shadow standing in front of him. Its arms were whips as they lashed out hitting Soji. He sat and cried through the pain of being attacked.
I frowned at the form this shadow took. It was big, clearly some bear of a man. It was taller than me and wide. I could make out a bald head with lots of facial hair. It's eyes were the most noticeable thing on the shadow. It had the same pure blue eyes as Soji. Who does Soji fear?
Sending my energy at it I watched as it faded away the same way the shadow who tried to attack Rai did. I rushed over to Soji pulling him to his feet. My arms wrapped around him as I embraced him in a hug. Just like Rai he seemed to be in shock as well.
"It's okay; it's gone now," I whispered to him kissing the top of his head. I tried to give him all the reassurance that I could. He shook in my arms a moment before he nodded his head.
I kissed the top of his head again before Soji pulled away from me. I wiped his eyes the same way that I had done Rai. Soji took a few deep breaths trying to regain his composure. When he seemed to have control over himself again, he gave me a smile.
"We need to find Emiko and Fang." Looking at Rai, she rushed over to the two of us grabbing my hand again. They both still seem shaken, but Soji was right. We had to push forward. Following behind Soji he seemed to know where he was going. The three of us was running full speed through the town. I wasn't sure how Soji knew, but soon I could see Emiko.
She was running towards him. Behind her was another shadow. This one had a sword in his hand. I saw that sword before. It had belonged to the boy who stood in line with Soji. What an interesting twist of fate. Emiko feared someone who was in their church. Why?
Emiko was sending panic glances back at the shadow as we all pumped our legs faster. I didn't like Emiko, but Soji did. That was the only reason I was willing to save her. Holding my hand out, I couldn't get a good angle to attack the shadow. Emiko kept running in my path. We would have to wait until we were closer.
Emiko was nearly to us. I paused so that I could get a better shot at the shadow. It all almost happened in slow motion. The shadow thrusted his sword forward. Emiko froze mid-step. She looked down at her chest and I could see the blade of darkness between her breast.
Coughing, blood spewed from her lips as the shadow man raised his head yanking his sword back. "What have you done? Niwa, what have you done?" Soji asked the shadow. I didn't know who Niwa was. Maybe that was the person Emiko feared most. The showed smiled before blowing away. "Emiko!" Soji ran the last few steps towards her catching Emiko as she collapsed.
Time seemed to snap back into place as Rai and I rushed towards the two of them. Soji was laying Emiko on the ground gently. His hand was glowing with his powers as he pressed it against Emiko's wound. I could see her blood seeping through Soji's fingers. It smelled bitter and old. Tears poured from Soji eyes. The only reason I couldn't get joy from this death was because it hurt him so deeply.
Reaching up she touched Soji's face. There was this look of admiration and idol worship on her face. It wasn't how she looked at Soji. He reached up with his free hand holding Emiko's hand to his face. There was still tears that leaked from his eyes.
"Niwa . . . revenge . . ." Emiko tried to spoke and Soji shook his head. He hushed her as his hand glowed brighter. Her wound wasn't closing. There were wounds that even a white mage couldn't heal. "Mas . . . Master Rhett."
Who was that? I watched as Soji squeezed his eyes shut shaking his head again. Rhett, the master of the church, Soji's father.
"I . . . love . . . you . . . mas-" Her words were cut off as she took a ragged breath. Exhaling her hand went limp falling away from Soji's face.
She was still in his arm. His hand glowed even brighter as he tried to heal her. It was much too late for any kind of healing. Emiko was gone. Soji eyes leaked tears as he tried harder. He rocked as he cradled her to his chest.
"Soji," I spoke softly as I played my hand on his shoulder. "She's gone." As much as it pained me to say that to him he was only wasting energy. We still had a demon to kill. Korku was still out in this town somewhere. We needed to move before more shadows came. "Soji . . ."
"I can heal her," his voice cracked, "I can heal her." I grabbed the hand that was glowing. Hissing as his white magic burned me. I could see the smoke coming from my palm. I could smell my flesh being barbecued. Still, I moved it away from Emiko. Looking at him more tears leaked from his eyes.
"She can't die. She's my father's servant. He'll . . . She can't die." So this was more about Rhett then it was about Emiko? He didn't want her to die because of his father. I was starting to get a better picture of who the shadow that whipped Soji was. It made me want to take his father's head from its shoulders.
Leaning in I pressed a soft kiss to Soji. Even if he said it, he couldn't do anything for her now. Emiko was already gone. Soji seemed to come to this realization as well.
"I'm going to kill Korku." His whole body started to glow with an intense white light. I backed away from him quickly. Touching his hand was one thing. That light would kill me if I got to close.
"Stop it!" Rai rushed towards Soji and slapped him across the face. The light dimmed as he looked up at her touching his cheek.
"Do you want to kill Zero too?" She lowered him with a glare.Soji looked over at me before shaking his head. He dropped to his knees and he seemed so . . . defeated.
"We have to find Fang and the demon," Rai said and I nodded. I was proud of her. She was taking charge. Shu would be smiling at her right now.
"I have to prepare her soul for its trip." Soji reached into his pocket pulling out the cross he carries. He opened and closed his hand before a ball of white light appeared and floated in front of me. "It'll lead you to the demon. I'm sorry for losing myself, Zero." I shook my head. He lost a friend. We all lose ourselves when faced with death.
"I'll stay with Soji," Rai said and I nodded my head I was going to tell her to stay with him. He had already bowed his head and was praying. His guard would be down while he prepared Emiko's soul. That meant that leaving him alone wasn't a good idea.
"Be careful, both of you," I told Rai and her vines came around the two of them. It formed a protective shell. "Good girl," I whispered before turning to the light that Soji had given me. "Led the way." I told it and the light shot off into the darkness of the town. I ran after it ready to end this fight.