Chapter One
Bara = Rose
Two Years Later
The skies are filled with clouds and heavy chills. The air was cold and silent. The village before Razel seemed lifeless, without light… full of despair and tasteful darkness.
Razel inhaled the depressing air around her, taking in the desperate shade that energized her. It had been a couple of days of walking for her and she was desperate for some bloodshed. Where could you find volunteers for that? Well, a village of course. She paced her way on the pathway, looking for whatever life was left of it.
All she could find were a couple of helpless whelps that were on their last string of life. A small lonely girl stared into Razel’s eyes with sadness. Razel knelt down to the girls’ eyelevel staring back with blank expression. “Are you looking for sympathy?” The little girl was frightened of the demon. Razel frowned. “You don’t even know what I’m talking about, do you?” The little girl gulped.
Razel gripped the girls’ shadow pulling it off the ground. It came off in almost a smoke, looking and feeling like silk, yet still tied together to hold. Putting it to her nose and mouth, Razel breathed in the shadow holding in her breath waiting for it settle in her body. Finally letting her breath out, she apologized to the lifeless little girl.
Razel loved to kill, but when it came to little children who were innocent and had no idea what the world was like, she felt like it may be a little more than needed. But they are still human.
The demon dug her hand into the dead little girls’ chest, taking her heart out which had stopped beating. Razel put the dead heart on the ground, which became enveloped in her shadow. The heart was quickly devoured by her alter egos’ appetite.
“These humans are pathetic… and that little girl was horrid! Leave them here to rot! They are not even worth your presence.” Shouted Razel’s shadow.
“Shut up, Kage! All you do is complain! The world is killing itself in it’s own way. I’ll be lucky to find a healthy baby, for God’s sake!” Razel snapped at her shadow, Kage. She sighed, and continued walking ignoring the dying peoples.
Razel paced her way to the closest village after this one.
She could see an incoming village. It looked full of life that is almost gleamed. Although, she took only one step before village assassins attacked her. She tumbled to ground surprised for a moment. The moment passed and she stood, focusing on the three assassins, watching their movements carefully. One in a black cloak lunged at the girl, swinging a small dagger towards her neck. She cocked her wrist slightly blacking the attack making the assassin gasp. Then she spun around and elbowed him in the stomach. With as hard as she hit it him, it was possible that a couple of his organs might be jumbled into a mess. He tumbled to the ground, groaning.
The others looked in slight awe, and her glare only made things worse. She charged towards the one in a white cloak, making him bring his arms forward to guard himself, but when there was no attack, he brought them down only to see no one in front of him. From behind, Razel used both fists and launched the man forward, landing him to his face. She walked to him without an expression and flipped him over so she could see his face. With her heel high, she stomped down on his collarbone, shattering it. He choked once, before taking his last breath.
The last one, in a red cloak, showed such fear, he flinched at her look. She had no trouble attacking him and fisting him weak, however se wouldn’t stay down. She got herself close enough to him that Kage was able swarm herself around the man. He froze in terror as he was being devoured by the shadow. Within another second his heart was ripped violently from his chest and he fell to the ground.
Razel, unfazed by the bloodshed, goes to each of the assassins and takes their shadows for herself and gives their heart to Kage who quickly takes them.
“Humans are such a waste.” Razel fiercely kicked the assassin in the white blood coated cloak. She was slightly annoyed that she had no competition when it came to fighting humans. She kicked the assassin again for her own enjoyment as the body flopped.
She slowly began making her way to the village stepping over the motionless bodies.
When she entered the village, everything was lit up with candlelights, and there were trees anf lowers everywhere, though there was no one around. ‘I wonder if they knew I was coming.’ She thought.
Walking forward, she heard footsteps, and then a thin wisp of hair hide behind a house. Razel didn’t feel like running after the person though.
Kage’s eyes opened with an illuminating blood red color from the shadow. “Something smells delicious. Like…” She sniffed the air. “A demon.” Razel looked down to Kage. “I’m hungry for demon.”
Razel sighed. “Fine.” She began running.
There were footprints of bare feet tailing into a little house. She followed them. Inside was a girl about Razel’s age hiding in the corner. “Is this her, Kage?”
“Let me closer.” Razel did as ordered. Kage touched the girl’s shadow and knew instantly. “Yes.” Kage began taking the girls leg, swarming darkness around it.
Razel stopped Kage. Her shadow wasn’t happy about it, but stopped anyway. She kneeled down the brown-haired girls’ level. The girl was crying. Razel attempted to touch the girl, but she slapped her away. “Get away from me you murderer!” Razel didn’t care for being called a murderer. She was after all. Razel also notice a rose. The stem was wrapped around the girls’ neck, yet the thorns didn’t touch her skin. “You killed my brother! How could you do such a thing?!” The girl screamed.
“He must’ve been one of the assassins, right?”
“…”
“How was I supposed to know one of them was your brother?” Razel rolled her eyes.
“…”
“Well, it seems that your fate is calling.” The girl was shocked at this. As Razel swung her fist around, the girl flung her arms out to protect herself, then the rose around her neck grew into vines with thorns on them and took Razel’s hand, forcing it behind her back, and other vines wrapped around her neck and stabbed into her shadow. After that, one vine touched the girls’ face.
“Kage! What is going on?!” Razel shouted through gritted teeth.
“It is the demon. It noticed this girl trying to protect herself and came in to take over the job.” Kage explained, frozen to the ground. Razel tried to struggle out of the vines only to get cut. “Stop moving you imbecile! The demon can inject poison into your veins at anytime! I, myself, am cannot move either. I am stunned.” Kage’s eyes shifted to the girl, who turned to look at both Kage and Razel.
“Dear Kage, why, is that you?” Mouthed the girl.
“Bara!” Growled the shadow.
“Aw. It seems I am quite right. What is your business here? This is my human.” Razel glanced to both the girl, who seemed to be possessed by the rose, and Kage, not sure what was going on.
“I sensed a demon. I was only hungry, and your heart smelled tasteful. How long have you been with this human?” Kage sounded anxious.
“Six years. And by how easily I stunned you, it seems you have been with this human only… maybe, two years. So there is no point in even keeping you tied up like this. You have no chance. Unless your human has more expertise and experience, you would loose to me any day.” The vines shrank back down to its original rose size around the girls’ neck. “You should leave before you get hurt, Kage.” The girl came back to her original self.
“Razel, we should leave.” Kage nearly panicked. As she started walking away, the girl gripped Razel’s wrist.
She flinched and tried to get her off. “Look! I’m sorry about your brother! I didn’t know.”
“I’m Kanah!” The girl, Kanah gulped. “Please… stay here. Though there are a lot of people here in this village, but none of them like to keep me company because I’m a basically a demon.” Kanah whined.
“What?! I just killed your brother and now you want me to stay with you? Are starving for your death bed?” Razel cringed. Kanah started crying again, still hanging onto her arm. “Stop crying… stop it… stop it!” She shouted, but she didn’t stop. “Okay, fine! Only for a small bit, though…” A grin formed on the brown-haired girls’ lips.
“What are you doing?” Kage asked only to be shushed.
Kanah asked for Razel’s age and name. “Razel. I’m 14.” Her voice was very monotonous. “How old are you?” She asked back not caring so much.
“Well… 14 and 20.” Kanah put her finger on her chin, thinking about it.
“What do you mean by that? How can you be both?” Razel’s confused eyes examined the girl.
“When making a pact with a demon you have to lose something in return, right? I lost my time. In reality, I am 20 years of age, but I made the pact when I was 14, making my appearance look 14.” Kanah explained, while sliding her kimono down her shoulders. She spun around showing Razel the scar on her spine. The symbol had a cross, but only half a circle. The symbol stands for the element Earth. Kanah fixed her kimono and turned to Razel again. “Bara and I have been together for six years.”
As Kanah finished with her story Razel explained her own, showing Kanah the scar over her heart standing for Darkness. She seemed to be intrigued and sympathetic by Razel’s depressing story.
Thirty minutes seemed to have passed and Razel was ready to leave. “I’d better be going.” She left the little house, and Kanah followed her out, but she was gone.
Razel paced through the village. Most of the candles were out for night had came to tell of sleep. The moon came to greet Razel as well. A man in another cloak appeared ready with a sword at hand. He came at her, slicing her left sleeve of her kimono. She just ripped it off, and spent no time brutally killing the assassin. She only gripped his cloak and cut his face with her sharp nails. Then she forced her palm on his nose, not only breaking it, but also causing the cartilage to gouge into his brain killing him instantly.
There was sudden pounding on her leg, when noticed and little girl. She picked up the little girl and threw her to the ground. The little girl got back up and started pounding her leg more. With one stroke, Razel slammed the girls’ temples, making her black out and fall to the ground. Razel stabbed two of her fingers on the girls’ throat, putting a deep hole in it. “She won’t be waking up again… She was probably a loved one.” She said in disgust. “I love no one. All humans must die!” She hated the word “love” every since her past.
On her way out of the village, Razel decided she wanted to kill someone else out of boredom, and headed towards what looked like a small shop. A man was rearranging things to close the little shop for the night. She jumped past the counter and jumped on the man, who gasped. Before she could swing her hand at the man, a familiar voice spoke from behind her. Kanah had grabbed Razel’s wrist, telling her, “Though no on here likes me, this is still my village.” Her bangs covered her eyes, hiding her disappointment.
“Not you again…” Razel groaned. Kanah took her back to her little house.
She looked down at the bandages on Razel’s arms. She was curious, but didn’t ask. Razel crossed her arms a little upset, and Kanah asked, “Why do you hate humans so much?” The white-haired pale girl didn’t answer. “Is it because of what happened to your family?” She still didn’t say anything. Kanah blurted out again, “Why do you hide your face?” She was referring to Razel’s hair, which was parted over her right eye and the other side hidden behind dirty white hair.
“You ask a lot of questions…” Razel started to walk out again, only to have Kanah stop her.
“Please don’t go…” Razel could see her eyes fill up with tears.
“Don’t cry.” She groaned again. Kanah shied a smile.
“Are you my friend?”
“I’m not suitable to be to be a friend, nor to have one.”
“You don’t consider your demon a friend?” Razel looked almost as if she didn’t have a clue about what Kanah just said.
“A friend? Hardly. She eats away at me. She will continuously do this until my body is hers… and it seems there is no way of breaking the pact. I have no choice. So, a friend… not my a long mile.” Kage had fallen asleep and didn’t hear any of what was going on around her.
“Then let me be your friend.”
“Maybe.”
“Fine. While you think about it, please make yourself at home. Get some sleep.” Kanah started rustling around fabric and blanket for Razel to sleep on, but Razel only stared at them.
“I don’t sleep… at night anyway.”
“Oh, okay. Well, goodnight.” Kanah slept on the floor without a pillow or a blanket. She shivered a couple of times in her sleep. Razel would notice this, but only ignore it. She was waiting for a good time to make her move.
When Razel was ready to leave, she put a blanket on Kanah, and then left silently.
In the morning, Kanah noticed Razel was not around. She also noted that outside was quieter than normal. Usually in the mornings the place was buzzing with business. But there wasn’t a single sound.
When she stepped outside, everything was demolished. There was an ocean of bodies in puddles of blood. She knew the only possible person who could’ve done this… Razel. Kanah shouted her name her name with pure hatred.
Razel was wandering out of the dead village, shouting angrily at Kage, until there was a sharp pain in her calf. Blood dripped in small drops. She looked up to be cut by a star shaped blade. Her cheek bled heavily. Another blade flew, cutting the air. That one missed her, however she didn’t dodge the next one. It stabbed almost directly into her scar. Her eyes were wide in disbelief and pain. Instead of blood dripping from her chest, there was a dark smoke. It all streamed from her wound and she was confused. She shouted Kage’s name in panic before passing out.
Razel awoke, coughing up blood. Her chest and cheek and calf were all bandaged up yet she had her hands and legs tied together.
Kanah stood above her, slapping her face. “Why?! You killed all that I had left! What is wrong with you?!”
“I didn’t do it Kanah!”
“Who else could’ve done it?! I don’t know anyone in this village or even outside this village who could’ve caused so much damage in a couple of hours!!” Her voiced cracked as tears flooded.
Kage broke the rope binding Razel’s hands and feet shouting at her to run. She did so, hearing Kanah scream and slam her fist on the wall of her little home.
Kanah ran after Razel and tripped her in her tracks. She jump kicked herself back up, starting to run again. Razel got a hard kick in the stomach, and she was in the air, and then with one punch to the back, Razel was slammed against the ground making a crater. It was surprising that Razel survived such an attack.
Razel returned the attack on Kanah crating another crater in the ground. She lies in the crater breathing heavily. Panting deeply, Razel kicked her into the ground again, only not at hard with her weakened strength.
Blood rolled down her chin, and cuts and bruises covered her body. Her long brown hair was tangled and bloody and her eyes had rolled to the back of her head. Razel considered that she was probably dead.
Kanah awoke in her bed. Her leg and wrist were both broken. She lay there crying, but pain overwhelmed her. “Why?” She asked Razel who was standing against the wall with her arms crossed. She tried to avoid looking at her.
“Why what?” Razel glared over to Kanah.
“You killed my village, and you know that it was the only thing I had left… Your urge to kill besieged you! You have no sympathy! Women and children are dead because of you!” Kanah turned to head clenching her teeth, trying to ignore the searing pain in her neck.
“That wasn’t my fault, Kanah!” A kunai knife flew passed Razel’s face and into the wall. An assassin walked in, equipped with other weapons ready to kill both girls. Razel threw herself at him, and twisted his neck, breaking it. A loud disturbing crack filled the air. She let go and the body fell backward, head facing forward. Kanah watched in ultimate disgust. She took another kunai knife from the assassins pack and threw it out the door stabbing another assassin outside. He was stabbed in between his eyes and blood dripped down. He fell to the ground.
Knowing that those weren’t the only assassins outside, she left Kanah to rest in bed.
Almost an hour later, Razel walked back into the little house, sliding down the wall. “You’re no freaking help, you are?!” Razel scolded her shadow disturbing Kanah’s silence. “There were a lot of freaking assassins out there and you just watched!”
“Razel…” Kanah’s voice was scratchy.
“It wasn’t me! For God’s sake! Kage may not answer to it, but it was her who killed everyone in the village! She still has power over my body. She can take over my thoughts, my limbs, anything! I can’t always keep her under my control. It’s hard to keep myself together.”
“I believe you. It’s okay. Plus, Bara told me. He knows. I’m sorry for blaming everything on you before. I was just upset. I’m sure you know how that feels…” Razel was silent. “If I come with you on your journeys, I might be able to help you control Kage. I have six years experience.”
“Silence human!” Kage hollered.
Razel, again, was silent, but replied to it. “Fine. But in your condition right now, you can’t do a thing. We’ll wait for you to heal before setting out again.” Razel closed her eyes in exhaustion.
“Thank you…”
The room was silent and then Kanah spoke up again. “Hey Razel…”
“Yes Kanah?” Razel waiting patiently for a reply, but she didn’t get one. “Kanah?” She painfully stood up and leaned over Kanah to see what had happened. Razel’s eyes widened at the sight of Kanah. “Kanah?” Her lungs weren’t expanding. ‘She’s dead…’ Razel thought sadly to herself.
xXxAbsinthexShroomsxXx Community Member 
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