Starseeds: The Broken-Winged

| 4 | Demons

Aqua Lordaire

I ran downstairs, attempted to fight along with Kiyo and my father. But when my feet touched the flat floor, when the blonde-haired-guy who took his mask off revolved to me, I hesitated.

His skin was paper-white, so pale it looked like as if he's rotting. His veins were engorging, so visible it was revolting enough to make me nauseous. His lips were frayed with blotches of dehydrated blood. His nose was crooked, and his eyes . . . God, his eyes . . . They were black. Pure black. Like he was possessed.

"What do we have here?" His voice was guttural. His portentous eyes ambled up and down my body, registering my existence. A frown settled on his shabby lips as he glanced to my father, and then back at me. "His daughter, eh?"

Unmoving, I did not respond. There were only four of these intruders. The rest of them are dead. Killed. By Kiyo and my father.

The others inhaled incredulous breaths, gobsmacked by the black-eyed guy's proclamation. Before any of them could do anything else, Dad and Kiyo suddenly appeared in front of me in a flash. I blinked, taken aback by the unexpected action. I looked at the far back of the room where Dad and Kiyo used to be, and then stared at their backs in front of me. How did they get there?

Dad stretched his fingers, pointing them to the ground. In that moment, I realised something I've never noticed before. There, dancing around on my father's skin, are images . . . letters . . . numbers . . . incandescent like an aura, levitating away from him. Dad murmured something below his breath. When he opened his eyes, the irises weren't gunmetal-blue, they were gold.

The intruders took three steps back, proving to me that they're petrified of my father. Except for the blonde-haired-man. He lingered in his spot, his tattered lips inclining up into a smirk.

"You've been keeping a secret from us, Thaumaturge," he said. "Does your daughter know you're a criminal?"

A criminal? I looked at Dad, reading his face. His face exposed no emotions. It was unyielding and cold. His glowing eyes glared at the blonde-haired-man and the other intruders. He raised his hands. The nerves in his skin were radiating, as if his blood was iridescent.

"Rey-stu-do," Dad growled. Destroy.

Flames ignited, inciting and taunting the invaders as they sprinted around them. Entrapping them and slaughtering the darkness. The three, black-clothed, masked people yelped as the flames grew and grew, arresting their skins and burning their materials. They screamed hideously, as if they were scorching in Hell. The flames engulfed them, muffling they're screams progressively. The man, however, did not baulk. Did not holler. Nor did he put on an alarmed expression. His conceited smirk still lingered on his raggedy mouth as the flames consumed him, creeping up his clothes, roasting them as they do so, and reaching his repulsive face.

In the next minute, they were gone. Completely destroyed. The leftovers were only their seared clothes resting on heaps of dust.

I didn't realise that I was panting. Catching my breath. What the hell is going on? How . . . How did Dad do that? His arms dangled back to their accustomed places. A hand – Kiyo's hand – touched my back. I flinch, withdrawing away from him. He seemed surprised, and then sorrowful. So does Dad. They both look distressed. As if they're the monsters.

"Y-you killed them," I whispered. "You killed them . . . You killed them all."

"No," Dad corrected. "I didn't. I sent them back."

"To where?"

"Hell."

"Hell?" I don't have a full, strong belief in Heaven or Hell. Or God. Or Jesus. I don't understand the relation between Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit – people say that they're all one, all the same, but with dissimilar roles and positions. I don't understand the reason why God created an Earth and humans when all we ever do is kill, lie, r**e and raze. It just doesn't make sense.

In other words, I'm an agnostic. My faith is unhinged. Sometimes I believe there is a God. Other times I don't.

Dad knows about my gravel faith. That's why he doesn't pressurise me with religious things, or with religious talks. He lets me to be at peace, and to find the answers by myself. On Sundays, He leaves Kiyo behind with me, and goes to church. When he comes back, he takes care of me in the evenings while Kiyo goes to church around seven pm. I admire how he keeps his faith despite all the bewilderments.

"I will explain everything to you. For now, follow me. We must leave and get you somewhere safe." Dad led us back to the small dining room. He raised his hand to a wall and whispered, "Hidati." I immediately knew what it meant: open.

The wall suddenly jerked backwards, sliding sideways. I gasped when I saw the narrowed lane behind the surreptitious door. How comes I did not know about this?

Dad stepped inside. I followed after him. Kiyo was behind me, his stiff grip on his gun loosening as his shoulders hunched with relief. Something tells me that this passageway reprieves tranquillity during suspenseful situations.

The floor was sand. The walls and the ceilings were only jeopardizing, whopping rocks prickling out. After what seemed like ten minutes, we descended a small set of stairs guiding to a large, circular room. Inside that circular room, was a spectacular, remarkable, fluorescent Bugatti Chiron. 

Kiyo whistled. "Sexy ride, damn."

Dad chuckled in agreement. We crawled inside, buckling ourselves for safety. The engine bellowed to life, and the suddenly, the wall in front of us heaved up, revealing a road. Dad pressed on the gas pedal. The wheels screeched with exhilaration as we thrust forward.

The sky was dark with rancorous clouds. There isn't a single sign of heavenly light chafing through. The shadowy trees passed by in a haze, and there was no sound except for the resonance of crickets and the song broadcasting on the radio: River by Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran. I glanced behind me to see that our house was already out of sight, and the Bugatti Chiron was enhancing its' alacrity second by second.

"Okay, can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" I looked at Dad. "Who were they? And how the hell did you kill them with your hands? Are you a magician or something?"

"I didn't kill them. I sent them back to Hell."

"Yeah. And I saw Lucifer tongue-thrusting a stranger," I muttered acerbically. They need to stop saying these ludicrous things. I'm here, furtively tensing up, worried and mystified, while they're there talking crap about irrelevant stuff. What, do they think this is a joke?

Dad sighed, detecting my nuisance. "What I'm about to say is the truth. They aren't jokes, lies or stories. They're the truth. I don't care if you don't believe me, just know that I did everything and sacrificed everything to protect you and your brother."

He exchanged a look with Kiyoshi through the rear-view mirror. He seemed to be contemplating about his decision. "Aqua . . ." he begun, "you . . . Erm . . . You are not human." He paused, permitting the answer to generate apprehension and disorientation inside the car. "Never was . . . Never will be. Your DNA isn't human. It's the same with Kiyoshi, Ryker, Davis and me. We're not humans. We're Starseeds."

"Starseeds?" I echoed. I've heard of that word before. I'm pretty sure Mom used to tell me stories about them.

"Yes. Mom told you stories about them, right?"

Yes. I was right. Mom did tell me stories about them. "Yeah."

"And what did she tell you?"

I deliberated for a moment. "That . . . they're from other dimensions and are here, on Earth, to protect it . . ."

"From?"

"Evil." Dad nodded. "Ryker's a Starseed? Mom, too?" I asked.

Dad nodded again. "Everyone you know are Starseeds, Aqua. We're not humans. We're part of a different species . . . A species that the humans don't recognize. We are angels, but we don't have wings.

"Has Mom told you about the Nine Choirs?"

"Of the Angels?" I say. "Yeah. There are nine, different types of angelic groups in Heaven."

"Can you remember any of the names?"

"Uh . . . Seraphim and Cherubim . . . Thrones . . . Powers and Virtues . . . Dominations . . . Prinipalities . . . and Angels and Archangels."

"Correct. We, Starseeds, are the Tenth Choir."

"Wait, there is another one? How comes I never knew?"

"No one knows about us except for us. The world only acknowledges Nine Choirs, not Ten Choirs."

"But . . . how comes?"

"Big Guy and His mates created us from the stars," Kiyo blurted, joining in the conversation."And He claimed us as His children – so we have a stronger connection to Him than humans. Our cousins are also the other Choirs and the other Holy People. So, that means Michael's our cousin, Moses is our cousin, Elijah, too.

"He gave us identical abilities: Elemental Manipulation – which is to control one of the elements: water, fire, earth or air –, Telepathy – the ability to read thoughts –, Telekinesis – the ability to move objects with our minds –, and Teleportation – which is to teleport to other places."

I registered everything they said. I wanted to believe that it's all made-up, that it's a uncanny joke, but my mind, body, heart and soul insisted me to believe that it's the truth. Even Weird Guy silently whispered in the back of my mind, Everything Christian and Kiyoshi said is true. You are a Starseed. You are not a human. And you have a strong connection with Him.

"Why now?" I asked after a moment of silence. "Why am I hearing this now? Why haven't you told me this before?"

Dad once again substituted glances with Kiyoshi through the mirror. "To protect you from the people who hate us . . . From the people who took your mother." Melancholy flooded Dad's gunmetal-blue eyes at the mention of Mom's name.

"People who took Mom? Wait . . . Mom's stabbing and disappearance is linked with this Starseed thing?"

Dad nodded silently. "Many people hate us, Aqua. They hated us even before our race was created."

"Who?"

"Demons . . . Lucifer . . . the Fallen Angels . . . Sometimes the humans," her father answered. "They hate us. They want to destroy our race."

"I thought the humans don't know about us."

"They don't," Kiyo responded. "They have heard of us, but we're just folklore to them. We're stories that they've heard ever since from the medieval times. They believed it, but eventually, they've forgotten about us. Only a few knows that we exist. Some have respect for us, whilst the rest wants to kill us."

"Why?"

"Because the humans think that we're minions of Satan," Dad said. "They find it hard to believe that we're created from above."

"But . . . Mom said that we're here to protect them. Why would they think that we belong to Sa –" I paused. Notwithstanding the fact that I have a deranged certainty in God and all that religious stuff, I never liked that name. I never liked the name people identify as malevolence. It just makes me shiver.

"That's what Satan is doing. He's making people to believe that we're bad – he's been giving people nightmares about false theories of what we do: that we kill, destroy, lie and r**e . . . But we don't. And since we're a part of God, since we have God's blood, Satan's trying to make people believe that God is bad."

"But He ain't," Kiyo said with pride in the back. "I mean, Big Guy is scary. He won't leave you but He can step away from you when you sin – which is even scarier because that means Satan can destroy you – but God is good." I smiled. I get happy whenever Kiyo preaches with satisfaction about his faith.

"So," I say, "it sounds to me that we've been fighting the bad guys for years?"

"Not years," said Dad. "We've been fighting the Demons for centuries."

"How many centuries?"

"More than seven centuries."

My eyes widened. "More than seven-hundred years? Damn, that's a lot. You guys must be exhausted. Are we losing?"

"No, we're not losing. I think."

"In Hell, there is this door. A gate, basically. It was opened by someone who has been our enemy for more than about five-hundred years . . ." His voice trailed off. He turned around suddenly, inspecting the rear. "Shit."

"What?" I turned to see another set of six black-clothed, masked people riding on bikes, attempting to catch us. "They're Demons, right?" I asked Kiyo, only to make sure. He nodded. "Why are they following us? To kill us?"

Kiyo shook his head. "They want something from your father. A book. It's full of incantations. The Demons want it to rescue their leader who's trapped in Hell."

"Lucifer?" I guessed.

"No. Lucifer was thrown out of Heaven and fell on Earth. He's on Earth, not in Hell."

"I thought he's in Hell. Doesn't he manipulate Hell?"

"No. God created Hell to punish sinners – people who had s*x before marriage or cheat in marriage, people who lied, people who killed, people who r***d – momentarily or permanently. God controls Hell. I think that's what people misunderstands – God controls Hell to show that He is powerful than any other being in the universe."

"So, who is the person trapped in Hell?"

"The one who created this havoc in the first place. The Malefic."

I've heard of that name. I've heard it somewhere before. I think it was earlier today . . . Wait, the nightmare! Yes, I've heard that name in the nightmare! The shadows . . . the shadows that threatened to kill that old lady . . . they whispered something linked to the Malefic, described it as a she.

Dad told us to brace ourselves. We did. I grasped the sides of my seat as Dad pummelled the gas pedal, speeding through the road to get away from the Demons behind us. When we reached the high roads, Dad battered the horn like mad, honking to get through and shouting at others to move. He never stopped. Even at a red light, he never stopped. He never stopped until he knew we're safe.

I glanced behind. They're catching up to us, yet still far. Dad told Kiyoshi to shoot. Kiyo did but the chamber was empty. "Under the seat!" Dad shouted.

Kiyo immediately understood. He grabbed the edges of the back seat and wrenched it up. I gasped as cool, thin spirals of smoke promenaded into the air, exposing a set of weapons – different styles and types of guns. Kiyo took the heftiest one, opened the roof, aimed and fired.

"Where are we going?" I asked Dad.

"Eskor. It's the land the Starseeds landed on. We claimed it as our capital, as our country. The country moves every five years – from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, from the Pacific Ocean to the Mediterranean Ocean, and so on. We just need to find a portal."

Oh, so there are portals now? I definitely feel as if I'm in Harry Potter. Literally – monsters, portals, magic books, enemies, threats . . . everything that makes a perfect book series. If the country is Hogwarts, I hope I will be in Gryffindor – that's the top house, isn't it?

"When you get to Eskor, search for a man called Thaddeus Lytle, and tell him that you're my daughter."

Thaddeus Lytle? I've heard of that name before. "Is he your dad?"

Dad smiled. "He is like one. But no. Just a good lad."

Dad pulled the wheel hard to the right. The car swayed into another lane. This time, I caught a smudgy glimpse of the Demons that were riding on their bikes.

"They're catching up on us! Dad, drive faster!"

"I am bloody driving faster! It's just this bloody car is slow!"

"This is a Bugatti Chiron – one of the fastest cars in the world, and you're calling it slow?"

"These humans make crap, alright?" Dad grumbled. "They don't know a single thing about engineering and electricity. They rush inventions too quickly to earn money. As if money is everything."

I snapped my attention back to the front. As my father pressed on the gas pedal, as Kiyo shot at the Demons, as the car increased its haste, I could see a vehicle driving unswervingly towards us in the distance. At first, I thought the van would stop, but as the van got closer, it kept on going. Did the driver lose control?

That's when I realised that the driver was a wearing a mask. Demon.

My eyes widened. "Dad, watch out!"

It was too late.

The vehicle clobbered into us.

The Bugatti Chiron went spiralling over the vehicle and through the air. I screeched and heard the sound of metal bending and snapping. The car went tumbling down the road, glass rupturing into a thousand shards, until the Bugatti Chiron came into an absolute stop.

Silence cramped the atmosphere, and it broke when I groaned in pain. My bones and muscles were numb and felt as if they've been smashed. Blood oozed down the side of my face, my nose and my bruised lips.

Dad yelled next to me in panic, "Aqua! Kiyo!"

"Fine," Kiyo responded as I groaned, "Ugh, ow."

I peeled my head off the seat, wincing as more pain surged inside me. I unbuckled the seatbelt, and my hand found the door handle. Pushing it open, I fell out of the car, still groaning as my bones ached and begged me to stop moving.

My eyesight was nebulous for a moment, but it cleared instantly when I blinked. Smoke assaulted my nostrils, smoke that skulked to me from the engine. The tiny flames wavered as they escalated, hollering. Then, I saw them. The Demons were walking up to us, knives, daggers, swords and guns in their hands. They appeared like regular, ordinary humans. However, they all have burn marks on their faces.

Dad and Kiyo somehow materialised beside me in a flash. Clutched in Dad's hand was a long, sharp medieval-like sword with a leather, jet-black hilt. The pommel and the cross-guard were pure gold. The silver blade had many different, artistic designs which made me wish I could draw them. The blade sparkled as the sun's shafts touched it. I don't know how he got that, or where he got that, but I decided not to ask. In his other hand, was the dagger I found. Phanumdi.

"Aqua, listen to me," he says hastily, "you and Kiyo must go to Eskor. Kiyo has been there before. He can help you during your time."

I stared at him, incredulous. Is he implying to me that he won't make it? "What? No! I am not leaving you!"

"Aqua, please," he pleaded. "For your sake, go. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I've defeated many Demons before. I can kill these ones."

"What if you didn't?" I asked. I already lost Mom and Ryker left me without saying a goodbye. I don't want to lose my father as well. "Please, Dad. I don't want to lose you, too."

"You won't lose me. We'll always find each other. No matter what happens." Dad gave me the dagger, Phanumdi and a loving kiss on my forehead. "Take this to defend yourself. Now – go!"

I didn't want to. I wanted to stay with him and fight together. My loved ones left me like how my brother did. But this time, I feel as if I'm the one leaving someone I love. I don't want to be a coward. My eyes moistened a little when I thought about my unconscious mother. What if Dad ends up like her, too? What if he dies –?

I gashed out of my thoughts. I don't want to think pessimistically.

I kissed Dad's cheek. Kiyo grabbed my hand, his other clinging onto his large gun. Together, we scurried away as fast as we possibly could. The Demons behind us saw, and they were about to follow, though Dad trapped them with his fantastic techniques, murmuring his magic and attacking them.

I don't care how drained I'm already feeling. I forced myself to continue. My hand fell from Kiyo's grip, and I endeavoured to ignore the sour ache in my throat I always get whenever I run. The sour ache felt as if a knife was plunged into my throat.

"How are we going to get to Eskor?" I asked Kiyo, panting.

"The beach. Since you're a Water Elemental, the sea can take you to Eskor."

We crossed the streets while vehicles were still moving. "Wait, what? I'm a Water Elemental?"

The drivers honked and stopped abruptly when they noticed us, shouting a thousand different profanities. "Haven't you noticed?" said Kiyo. "You can breathe underwater, and you're always attracted to anything related to water or the sea – like beaches, pools."

Is that why I can breathe underwater? Because I'm a Water Elemental? I thought it was a gift. A talent. Maybe it still is.

"It is a gift," Kiyo said. "You should be proud of it. Not everyone can breathe underwater."

I blinked. Did he just read my mind?

"Yes. I did." Kiyo smirked. "Telepathy, remember?"

"Can I read your mind?"

"You haven't mastered your abilities yet. You can try, but it will hurt. When you get to Eskor, the teachers over there will help you with your powers."

I remembered that one of a Starseeds' abilities is Teleportation. "Can we just teleport all the way to Eskor?"

"No. If we Teleport at such a big distance, it can kill us."

"How?"

"Something happened in the past that weakened us. We're not stronger than we used to be."

I looked behind me, checking if anyone is following us. It was dark, too dark, yet I can still see the outlines of people. The people encircling us looked ordinary with no masks concealing their faces, or burn marks blotching their skins. Good. The humans stared at us as we bypassed, contemplating what a girl and a young-adult man is doing out of this time of the day.

My heart palpitated in my chest, like a drum desperate to be heard. I kept glancing behind to check if anyone is following us. The obscurity above us still didn't permit stars or the moon to shine away the darkness. The clouds, which were too dark and heavy, peed a thunderous amount of hefty droplets of rain. It splattered onto me, saturating my coiling dark hair.

Soon, the scent of the sea filled my nostrils pleasurably. I could hear the gentle crashes. Kiyo and I followed the scent and the noise, knowing that we were remarkably close to wellbeing.

Since I am a Water Elemental, I wonder what Mom, Dad, Ryker and Kiyoshi are. Perhaps Dad is a Fire Elemental since he killed – sorry, sent – those Demons to Hell with flames.

Bang! Kiyo and I whipped our heads around at the impulsive sound, a sound that reverberated. A bin was rolling along the concrete floor and pigeons rested on the roofs of the buildings beside us. I inspected the shadows, considering that the Demons are hiding inside the darkness. A minute passed, Kiyo and I decided it was nothing.

I turned to face the front and yelped when I saw a man, gazing down at his knife in his hands, touching it as if it was something extraordinary.

"Where is it?" he demanded.

We turned around, attempting to sprint, but another man was already in front of us, obscuring our path. Two other men appeared to our right and our left. Four in total.

We're ambushed.

Kiyo reacted instantaneously. He c****d the gun and fired at one of them. The Demon ducked as the bullet flew an inch above his head. Kiyoshi muttered foul language, yet his grip on the gun compacted.

"Where is the Book?" the one to our right required, taking a step forward. His petrifying eyes focused not at Kiyo, but me. Only me.

"Look, guys," I said, "I have no idea where this damn book is. How about we just call it a day and get some KFC? Wait, no, KFC is getting low. How about McDonalds – McDonalds are nice, especially the McFlappe. Damn, so sweet and –"

"Shut up," one of the hissed. "You talk too much." There were burn marks on the sides of their faces, disappearing underneath the collar of their black leather jackets. "You are the Thaumaturge's daughter. You know where the book is – he must've told you."

"She doesn't know where it is, asshats," Kiyo said.

They all looked frustrated. "Just tell us where it is! Or we'll kill you!"

Kiyo smirked. "Heard that phrase too many times, yet none of you ever killed us. And never will." 

Trepidation packed my organs. Does Kiyo have a death wish? He obviously implied that these Demons can kick our butts. Is this why Dad trained me and taught me different martial arts? To be prepared for an eventual conflict with Demons?

My grapple around my dagger compressed. My heart pulsated hastily. I forcefully obliterated the apprehension.

Show them who is boss, the velvety voice of Weird Guy whispered in the back of my mind. Show them how it is done.

I closed my eyes. I never had any other encounters with daggers. I don't necessarily know how to use them. I've seen it in movies and read it in books – the characters just stabs the villains with the blade . . .

I opened my eyes, inhaled a profound breath and mentally prayed to whatever deity exists above that this will work. I fling the dagger to the Demon at my left. The sharp edge plunged unfathomably and rigorously into his skull. He wheezed croakily. The dagger illuminated jubilantly, as if it was satisfied to slaughter a Demon after millennia, and leisurely roasted the head of the Demon. He screamed so loudly that North America could hear. I think.

His knees buckled and he collapsed, plummeting to the floor. Blood, black as the sky, black like their hearts, leached from the corners of his lips, and then he exploded into ashes.

That's when the chaos begun.

Kiyo shot at one of the Demons, and successfully sent it back to Hell. I picked up the dagger. The cutting edge was stained with black, slime-like blood. Queasiness overwhelmed me as I tightened my grip around the hilt and charged to the one with only one eye.

The man grabbed both of my hands, the point of my dagger only a few inches away from his nose. He pushed me hard, and I staggered backwards, falling. I didn't stop, though. I charged again and, somehow, I teleported behind the Demon in a flash, stabbing his leg. Black blood trickled down his leg. The man hissed in pain. He glared at me, and then, something even weirder happened.

His appearance revolutionized from a human to an actual Demon.

Its' skin was craggy and splintered with burn marks. The bridge of the nose was small, with large nostrils that exposed too much repellent mucus. Its' eyes were immense with diminutive black pupils. The ears were stretched, pointy and tattered. A snake-like tongue flickered in between his sharp teeth. Its' head was bald with thin strands of hair escalating. 

I screamed just as the Demon lunged at me. My back hit the floor and the dagger fell out of my hand, too far for me to reach now. Deep, husky growls rumbled from the Demon's skinny neck, and the mouth opened, releasing an egg-like odour. I gagged, coughing, and struggling to get free.

The Demon flared it's razor-sharp, spiky fangs. I raised my knee, attempted to kick its' jewels, but when I did, the Demon just grunted. I looked to see that the Demon doesn't have a ding-dong. I blinked. How is that possible?

  My fingers stretched to feel the dagger, my body worming closer to it. When my fingertips caressed the hilt, the Demon sunk its' teeth into my neck.

I screamed.

The pain was savage. Choking the breath out of my lungs and making my whole body feel lifeless. Tears of horrifying pain watered my eyes as my heart constricted, as if not sure to continue beating.

"Aqua!" I caught a glimpse of Kiyo scampering to me. He tried to shoot, but the chamber was empty once again. He cursed, hurled the gun to a side, and balled his hands into fists. He thrust his fists, hastily unfolding his fingers, and suddenly, wisps of air propelled from his palms.

The spirals of wind hit the Demon, and the Demon flew backwards, hitting the wall.

Kiyo hastily squatted next to me, heaving me up into a sitting position. "Are you OK?" My vision fuzzed. My head felt light. Kiyo held up his hand. "How many fingers am I holding?"

"Uh . . ." I blinked to clear the haziness. "T-Ten?" The bite must've done something to me because I'm shaking, and my blood felt as if its' bubbling.

Kiyo sighed. "Come on, let's – s**t!"

The Demon recovered from the impact and latched onto Kiyo. Kiyo endeavoured to assault the monster with his powers when it buried its' teeth into Kiyo's shoulder. He hollered as the fangs dug deeper into his baby-like skin.

"Kiyo!" I screamed. My perception cleared momentarily. The monster was sucking the life out of him. "Kiyo!" I captured the dagger in my hand as tears of pain dribbled down my cheeks. I scurried over to the monster, discharging a cringe-worthy bellow, and stabbed the Demon, straight through its' chest. 

It let go of Kiyo's skin and wheezed. I kicked it to the side and stared at it, waiting for it to die, but nothing happened. Stabbing someone will definitely kill you – especially straight through the chest.

Then, slowly, the Demon's skin started to crack and its' body juddered. The Demon stared at Aqua with its' immense eyes. "She will come. She will rise. And she will end –"

"Oh, shut up," I grumbled. "The only thing this Malefic woman will do is piss herself in Hell."

The monster froze like a statue, his skin cracking even more, and then crumbled into dust, torpedoing into flames.

I exhaled sharply, buckling my unsteady knees to the floor. Wincing, my fingertips stroked the area where the monster bit me. My fingers were tarnished with my blood. 

The resonance of a pain rasp captivated my attention. I looked at where Kiyoshi is. "Kiyo!" He's convulsing on the floor, blood leaching from his mouth. My arms were wobbly, either from the chilliness, or from the bite. I crawled over to him, my teeth chattering, my chin wobbling.

Tiny, hurried puffs fled his mouth, each jam-packed with pain and sorrow. And fear. Fear from death. Kiyo mentioned once that he's afraid of death because he doesn't know whether he will be safe in Heaven with Him, or will suffer the unbearable torment in Hell.

"K-Kiyo," I stuttered, hovering over him. His body proceeded vibrating. The bite mark on his shoulder started swelling. They were like tiny puncture holes, with bright, burgundy blood oozing down his shoulder. The veins in his neck and face are bulging, desperate for attention, and turned into a menacing, dark shade of blue. My fingers reached out to touch them, to caress his face, when he grabbed my wrist, stopping me.

"No...Don't... touch me," he spluttered.

"Why –?"

"Go."

"Ki –"

"Go! To the beach! Go to the beach!"

"But –"

"Please, Aqua." His eyelids are heavy, precariously dropping. My heart constricted with despondency, and then it throbbed with trepidation. No, no, no. Not Kiyo. God, Allah, Buddha, Zeus, Poseidon – whatever deity exists above – please . . . no. I don't want to lose Kiyo. No, no, no. "Save yourself."

A tear slid down my cheek, not from the physical pain but from the sentimental ache. "I don't want to leave you. I can get you to the hospital –"

"No, no, no. They can't mend an injury like this - it's beyond their knowing." His skin was getting paler and paler. "You need to go."

"I don't want to be alone."

"You...won't," he panted. "Trust me, you're anything but alone. When you get to Eskor, there will be people – true people. You need to go. You're life is more important than mine."

"That's not –"

Leave him, the masculine voice interjected with a desolate whisper. Something hit my face. I looked up to see it's raining again. I promise he will be safe.

I wanted to stay here. Heck, I wanted to die with Kiyo. Tears moistened my eyes as I reflected about how messed up my life is. First, my mother's disappearance. Second, Ryker left me. Third, I started getting weird dreams about blood, monsters and death. And fourth, I found out that Dad has been lying to me for more than five years – he lied about what I am, about where I belong . . . He lied. I don't know if I can trust him anymore.

My eyes returned to Kiyo's face, and were amazed at the sight I witnessed. His body dissipated into mist, gradually escalating into the air like beautiful bright smoke. His body is gone. His presence is gone. Completely gone. The vestiges of his existence was his blood.

"Kiyo?" I whispered, watching how the mist vanished into the clouds. The amazement turned into agony. He's gone. 

I took him with me, Weird Guy assured. Do not worry. He is safe with us. Go home, Aqua. Eskor is waiting for you.

Home. Something I've been dreading to have for more than five years.

The droplets cleansed my puffy eyes and washed away the salty tears. The nasty bite on my neck smarted as water pitter-pattered on my skin. I forced myself not to pay attention to the pain and walk, because if I do, then it will hurt more.

The rain increased its' intensity. A thunderous bawl sounded from the dim clouds above me. The clouds illumined a white light, indicating lightning.

Before, when I was little, I hated thunder storms. I hated the way the sky brightened warningly above me. I hated how the sky rumbled with resentment. I always get frightened when there's a blackout. I always called out for Mom, Dad and Ryker, and finding them cuddled together in the parlour with a candle placed in front of them.

I remembered myself asking Mom, Is there thunder because God is angry?

Mom laughed. Yes, maybe God could be angry and showed His anger to His creations, she said. 

Now, however, I'm not scared. I grew out of my fear years ago.

Finally, I've reached the beach.

The sand perfectly comforted me with its' smoothness. Underneath the clouded, darkened sky, the sea was rampant, uncontrolled. The waves soared. The remarkable, yet mystifying, thing was that when my I walked on the soggy sand, when my toes touched the salty water, the waves immediately calmed down. They fell on the surface, and in less than second, the surface was flat, calm and benevolent.

"T-take me to...to Eskor," I implored. I was sotired, my words stumbled out incoherent. I want to get out of here. If Eskor a loving country full of loving people – people who understands and won't judge – then I need to be there. I need that place to be my permanent home.

Nothing happened. No portal appeared in front of me.

I whimpered, "Please. Ocean, sea, water, God, Poseidon – whatever – take me to Eskor..."

My skin started to get clammy. Sharp pain trekked my head. Black spots danced across my vision and I crumpled to the floor. The sea instantaneously advanced to me swiftly, as if my collapse worried the waters. It enclosed around me, as if endeavouring to comfort me, to relax me, to aid me. I rolled onto my back. The waters are levitating, creating a barrier around me.

Twilight seeped through the sadistic clouds. The twilight fused with the lightning, illuminating the heavens.

I saw something. Something in the sky. Something like a figure, I think. A figure with something wavering on its' back. Wings. The shape seemed to be gazing down at me as lightning blazed around it.

I'm probably hallucinating. Again. Therefore I let the pain to munch through my organs, my systems, all the way to my heart and my mind.

Soon, just as the sea crashed onto me, I fell into a world of unconsciousness.

My ears ached. There was a sound – a stinging sound – piercing through my drums, molesting my brain. I groaned, my senses waking up sharply. I gradually hauled myself to my knees. My arms juddered with pain. My entire body numb. Blood trickled from my neck. My vision blurred here and then, yet I caught glimpses of my surroundings.

I was lying on the floor of a beach, with sand sticking to my hair, my face, my body. The miniature waves of the calm ocean hastened towards me, soaking me in its' touch. The forming night sky was painted above a beautiful mess of radiant sunset colours: hot-pink, lavender-purple, sunny-yellow and orange. Far in the distance behind me, the sun was sinking into the horizon.

Not a single sign of existence is near me, except for the birds which were hovering above me, sitting on the branches of the trees or resting on the sand nearby. All of them were staring at me with...curiosity? Their heads tilted to the side, as if wondering how on Earth have I washed up on the shore.

Standing up, none of the birds on the sand nearby flinched or ran away as I walked, instead their heads leisurely turned, watching me staggering towards the reverberations of laughter, honking, chattering – of life.

"Help," I croaked moments later once I realised I was surrounded by houses.

My eyes welled up when nobody listened to my cries. My memories attacked me: myself and Kiyo leaving my father, Kiyo and I running away from the Demons and...I swallowed a sob. Kiyo's dead.

He's dead.

A tear leaked down my cheek.

I'm all alone.

I'm alone.

I have no one.

No one is listening to me.

"Help, please!" I blubbered. "I'm..." My hand touched my neck where the Demon bitten me. "I'm hurt...I'm dying...I think."

My vision was fuzzy. I couldn't see anything, but I knew there were houses. Luxurious houses. Most were asleep, most were awake as it is obvious by their lightened windows. There was laughter resonating from each one of them, and my heart burned. Oh, how I would love to experience laughter again. Now I can't. Because I have no one to laugh with.

"Aqua?"

My head whipped to the sound of my name. I could see a person before me. A huge person. With...blond hair...and before I knew it, I was falling. To the ground. And the person caught me, chucking me into his muscled arms.

I should've screamed at this person to let me go, because I don't know him. Yet, I didn't. I couldn't. I was too tired to protest. I was busy trying to deal with the pain from the Demon's bite. 

Suddenly, I was in the air. Great gusts of wind erupted from the man as we went higher, and higher, and higher into the sky. The stars of the heavens twinkled down at me, the lights of civilization below me was getting further, and further, and further away until it was a vivid smudge in the distance.

"Sleep, child," the man's humble voice whispered into my ear.

I've...I've heard his voice before. I know...I know...

And I was gone.