Rade's Demon Elimination Service

Chapter 18: White-haired Kalleid

New York was clutching Kalleid's torn and ripped apart body.

The body was damaged so hard that it barely discernable. New York himself couldn't tell that the piece of flesh he was holding belonged to someone very dear to him. He held the other boy's damaged body still though, trapping every part that was bleeding within boundaries though it didn't really do much.

The presence of the Shadow Fantasm has now faded. Even if Rade injured the Fantasm, it was uncertain whether she actually killed it or not since there was no core lying around the vicinity. At the very least, professional hunters were in pursuit of any of the traces left by the Fantasm when it escaped while Lauri's body was slowly dissolving into dust.

Rade knelt down, trying to touch the dust being blowin by the wind.

"It's not dead," Megumi said while she tended to Kalleid. Her hands was placed firmly on what was once Kalleid's chest. It had been stabbed so many times by the explosion that wqs created by Aíma that New York could see Kalleid's ribcage powdered to dust from all of his injuries.

"What...? It...?" New York asked while looking at Kalleid, but he only misunderstood Megumi's words as she continued to talk.

"The Fantasm's not dead," she added, still wrapped up with mending Kalleid's injuries that were all slowly being healed by themselves. "But it's on its weakest form and it will take a while for it... for him to recover."

New York sniffed any of the snot that was falling from his nose and murmured some gibberish words before he realized he can't even understand himself. "I don't care about that. Will this i***t live?"

Megumi raised her peach blossom eyes from her patient towards to New York and frowned.

Meanwhile, New York's eyes roamed around the area and saw someone particular. Rade was standing beside them. The little girl looked shocked of what she had done and New York really wanted to kill her. He wanted to get angry and do something to avenge Kalleid's current ruined state. But who was it he was supposed to be angry at?

Was it supposed to be Rade? Rade, the little girl, who only followed his order and a girl's body to pieces. Was it supposed to be London? London who was supposed to be Kalleid's best friend.

No, New York thought vehemently. It's your fault, New York told himself, you're supposed to be protecting him!

"Kalleid, can you..." There was a stubborn sob that escaped from his mouth. "Can you hear me?"

It was painful to look at Kalleid's body being torn apart and almost blown to smithereens, but New York was finding it more unpleasant to watch Kalleid's body to mend itself while Megumi cracked at his bent bones to align it better so it wouldn't grow itself awkwardly.

"Shall we take him to the Attic?" Megumi asked New York. "There's still nothing we can do to help him."

New York nodded. Carrying Kalleid's body, he stood up and walked to towards the main road where he was certain that cars were waiting for them. Abruptly though, London ran towards them. He was waving his arms towards them, a horrible look on his expression and there was still the same misty glassy quality on his eyes.

London was looking at something on New York's arms, he was looking at Kalleid.

Behind them, New York slowly turned his head towards Megumi whose eyes widened terribly. She shook her head at New York. On New York's arms, Kalleid was now healed completely, but there was something odd on how he was grown.

"Get away from him!" London screamed at New York.

New York looked down on the boy he was carrying and saw that he was already looking at him, not with Kalleid's warm and usually gentle gaze though but the boy's eyes have turned into only blacks, encompassing both of his eyes's sclera. His hands have also grown larger with fingers bent to claws and sharpened black nails. What used to be the soft brown hair became ash gray that turned Kalleid paler and more frightening.

It was the visage New York was most scared of. Every features that were changed was startling and frightening for New York. At the time, he only thought that this was not the boy he held earlier.

He was changed into a monster.

Kalleid raised his right hand and placed it on New York's slender chest. In an instant, New York flew off to a faraway place and he only vaguely saw how Kalleid was suspending on the air like he was actually floating.

"K-kalleid..." New York muttered before he hit the solid body of a tree. "UGH!" he groaned, clutching at his stomach tightly. "You i***t!" he screamed at Kalleid while waving a wooden stick he just found at the vicinity when he stood up though he knew the other boy couldn't possibly understand him.

New York coughed, and wasn't suprised to see that there was blood surging on the roof of his mouth, making taste the oddly sweet metallic fluid rust. He felt like it was his head that got hit instead of his back because of the pain he was feeling, New York felt dizzy and staggered to one knee like how he did just a few months ago. At the distance, he could see Rade running towards him in top speed.

"New York!" Rade called out, she held out her hand to help him up which New York didn't wave away or ignore.

Heck, he even wanted for someone to carry him all the way to his bed, but, alas, that was not meant to be.

"What..." Rade huffed a big gulp of air through her nose, she pointed at Kalleid who was still floating just a few inches on the air, and at London and Megumi who have started to build boundaries around Kalleid all over again. "What... what is happening now?"

"It's Kalleid's demonic form," New York answered with a grim expression. He spat on the side though it did not rid his mouth the taste of his own blood and started walking ahead of the girl.

"Your back..." Rade commented while looking at New York's ravaged and horrendous scarred back. The impact earlier to the tree shred New York's shirt and his back was now bare and naked for everyone to see. "Did Kalleid... was he the one who actually...?"

"You think you're the only monster around here?" New York said softly, looking at Kalleid who hasn't done anything just yet. "This isn't the first time."

"It's all my fault, I didn't know," Rade told New York. "I just..." She gulped down a sob that almost escape her. "I just bring bad luck to people—"

"If you're still thinking that way," New York interrupted her. There was a slight glow on his hand as he called forth his holy weapon that he didn't took out earlier, the necklace on his neck untangled itself from him and went directly to his waiting hand. Not a second later, New York was holding an elegant and beautiful scythe, its blade was gleaming black and wickedly sharp. "Then maybe I am wrong to tell him to save you after all."

Rade looked at New York's back. Day by day, her eyesight was becoming blurrier. Rade knew that one day she would open her eyes and there would only be darkness.

There were a lot of things that were holding Rade back. Her past memories, her mistakes, and even the sentiments that she has grown to have. There was one thing she did not want though— attachments.

"So you're the one who told him?" she whispered, but the boy in front of her whose back was turned in front of her heard her. "I thought you hate me."

"You have to save him now," New York only told her and ran towards Kalleid who has started to attack.

"He's destroying the power of the boundaries!" London delivered to them anxiously. Aside from the boundaries she was creating, his arms and neck were all bare which signified the release of his holy weapon. "Where the hell is Felif when you need him?"

Latka was a rather formidable holy weapon and it circled around Kalleid dangerously, but with only just a swoop of his hands, Kalleid has already gotten hold of Latka and tried to ripped the thin strand of white cloth. Kalleid's claw tore it, but the strip of cloth was extremely sturdy and could not be turned into shreds.

"Latka!" London screamed, and the cloth wrapped around Kalleid again and again until no one could see the boy any longer and there was only a mummy standing at the middle of the field. "Good job!"

The words have only barely left London's lips when Kalleid physically ripped through Latka and the latter have burned and all, but its pristine condition remained intact. As if nothing happen, Latka wrapped around Kalleid all over again. Seemingly infuriated, Kalleid wrapped Latka himself on his arms and started using it like how he might have used a whip.

"Bastard!" London hurled the curse at Kalleid. "That's playing dirty, you ass! Giving Latka back! Latka!" he called forth, but the cloth remained firmly wrapped around Kalleid's wrist; struggling to break free frim the latter's grip.

Tapping his foot on the ground, Kalleid caused the ground to rise up and used the boulders to hurl at the four of them. Without even finishing the attack, there was the onslaught of raining fire like earlier but it was only a distraction when Kalleid broke free from the boundaries of Megumi and London.

Needing no encouragement, New York and Rade speed through the boy, attacking him at will. They weren't even a few paces from their original spot when the air tightened and there were all sliced by it only being deflected by their respective weapons, Kalleid sharpening the very atmosphere. With speed Rade have never seen, Kalleid was alredy in front of her.

She didn't have time to react when Kalleid kicked her down the earth, almost burying her. Rade heard a cracked on her ankles and let out a sharp cry of pain before she swung Emma on Kalleid who hold the oncoming blade with his bare hand. The cursed blood sizzle and burn Kalleid, but he didn't seem to have minded.

Doing an elegant somersault, Rade made Emma a leverage just to jump on Kalleid's shoulders where she put her feet on. Her hand have let go of her weapon and started to separate Kalleid's head from its neck. Now holding the Aìma, Kalleid swung it to where he estimated Rade was. The latter jumped away from him, but New York was already attacking from behind with the Aztle.

He impaled Kalleid, but Kalleid only pushed the blade out of his body and reached towards New York. With his hand balled into tight fist, he gave New York a few punches before New York was able to step back. Blood dripped down New York's nose and he wiped it impatiently, unable to breath properly.

"New York!" Rade cautioned, but Kalleid was already coming for her. As he held her wrist, Rade was turned in circles until she collided with New York like she was some kind of a slingshot.

Expert hands caught Rade and they both tumbled together on the ground with New York's body acting as cushion for Rade's.

"He's so fast!" Rade remarked, looking at New York, also wide-eyed.

Instead of further attacking both of them, Kalleid went to combat with London, knocking her out of the way and then turning his attention to Megumi. She took a few steps back, her tails curling and standing behind her. With her stature and gentle eyes, she looked like a goddess that was beholding the world. Lips pursed, the two engaged in a battle.

Both of them were the gentlest people that New York has ever met in this lifetime, but at the rate of how Megumi and Kalleid were going, New York don't know if he could ever stand a chance. Megumi and Kalleid's moves were too fast for their eyes to follow, but chuncks of boulders from how Kalleid was forcing the earth with pressure from his steps were catapulted to the skies, making quite the scenery.

Megumi was gaining the upper hand as she whipped at Kalleid and tore off his arms within a blink of the eye though the other instantly grew them back. Noticing his disadvantage against the more experienced demon, Kalleid went in for Megumi's neck and wrapped Latka around her body. It took him a moment before Latka was secured around Megumi, his claw also wrapped around her neck.

"K-kal..." Megumi managed to say before her foot made a move and kicked Kalleid's head off his neck which only made him turned his head. He didn't let go of Megumi like what she intended to do though, so she just tore the hand that was holding her off his body, quickly backing off.

"What do we need to do to stop him?" Rade asked them, clutching her arm.

"We need to disintegrate his human body!" Megumi instructed them. "He couldn't control himself, most immortals have the same problem as Kalleid. Even I have some struggles controlling my own body as a half demon."

But London wasn't listening to them all, his expression turned ugly while he was looking up at the boulders that exploded mid-air. Not very far from them was the city proper, and all of those fiery chunks of earth were directed to it.

"The city's taking fire!" London announced and ran, but someone has already put up a great boundary.

It was Geneva Aldeia with her Nightmare weapon, executing a graceful leap and blocking off the fiery rain of earth. Her bun wasn't as perfect as it had been earlier, the side of her extremely and surprisingly ordinary face was framed with little strands, and her hunter gear was reeking the scent of blood and death.

It was the head of the Aldeia clan.

Kalleid swung his hands, and, shortly right after, explosions came like missiles directed to everyone present. With every flick of her spear, Geneva Aldeia deflected and veered the explosions off its course. She was brilliant and have the same level of speed as both Megumi and Kalleid despite being only a human. A strong continuous blow of fire was directed at her. Spinning her spear at top speed vertically, Geneva was able to shield herself and advanced towards the figure of Kalleid.

London, who was knocked off by the explosions and was lying on the ground, and New York and him looked at each other. There was a certain gloom on both of their eyes. New York didn't helped his older rother up and went to his other sibling. Even New York could see that on every step Geneva took, her intention of killing Kalleid became more evident.

"Geneva!" New York called and cried. "No! Please, don't... don't do this."

Geneva looked back to her younger brother coldly, there was not a single trace of humanity on her eyes. For her, what was in front of her, attacking the city and fighting her, was only a demon. Geneva Aldeia has a very distinct set of rules of what must be done and what must not be done.

This is one of the instances that she would do what should be done for the greater good despite being hated by both of her dear siblings.

"Stand aside, New York," she said indifferently that pained New York even more.

He didn't move though, planting himself firmly in front of Kalleid who was screaming his throat out. The other boy was kneeling on the earthy ground, the demon and human side of him were in conflict with each other. The sounds of his shrieks and bawls echoed through the night.

An explosion of demonic energy pulsated on their surrounding, throwing everyone off their backs.

But New York was already running towards Kalleid, still kneeling on the ground and in conflict with himself. One sweep and New York was already hugging him, also kneeling.

"C-come back... Kal, please," he whispered to Kalleid softly, but the other boy's answer was punching a hole on New York's stomach. New York spat more blood, his head lolling on the other's shoulder.

Behind the boys were Geneva and London, looking at New York's injury with horrified expressions while Megumi and Rade were numbly watching as the scene unfolds.

"K-kal..." New York called out to him. On his back, Kalleid's razor sharp blackened nails were struggling out of his embrace and scratching New York. He didn't cried out and just clamped his mouth closed. "Kalleid."

A heartbeat.

Then another.

Within Kalleid's mind, he thought that he has never felt so cold.

He kept rubbing his hands together, but not even his finger would listen to him. He was in a very dark space, so dark it was that for no apparent reason, he felt scared and so alone.

Kalleid was floating on that dark space.

And a familiar voice from elsewhere was calling out to him.

"Kalleid!" it said, almost fading at the tide of a nearby sea. He thought it wasn't odd that he could hear the waves of the nerby seashore, not very far from the school and New York's clan manor was the shore after all.

He frowned.

New York?

There was a voice telling him that he has never been on that place, but it was somehow so familiar to him. Like a someone. It was like how he address a person.

What an odd name, Kalleid thought to himself and drifted in and out of consciousness.

"Come back!" The voice said, persistently still calling on to him. "Kalleid!"

He was losing himself so very slowly and the darkness became so profound that Kalleid never thought he would see light again in his life.

"New York," he finally said and opened his eyes which he thought he already did.

He realized his demonic half was hugging him from behind, causing the darkness and coldness to be felt by his entire body.

Kalleid was always cold and he has a weak constitution against it.

And it was all because of his demonic side clinging on his back.

"Why would you go?" it asked to him on his own voice. "Was it not enough that I would always protect you?"

Kalleid smiled at him, turning over and also cling back to him. He felt his glass clanking against his demon form's own glasses, mirroring him. He hugged his other self tightly.

"Thank you," he said gently, his usual gentle and delicte demeanor coming back to him. "But let me go back to them, please."

A sigh came from somewhere and he felt his body being weightless and very light. It was then that Kalleid came back to the reality.

Kalleid gazed at New York, the sclera of his eyes ws brightening. His nails grew back to their normal length and color. It didn't register to him at first what had happened. When it did though, Kalleid's eyes slowly widened and his mouth was opened in a silent scream.

His consciousness coming back to him, he held New York tightly, feeling the wetness and smelling the saltiness of the blood from his fatal wounds.

Meanwhile, at the very far side of the woods, a shadow was watching.

There was a smirk playing on that person's lips. Standing on a thick branch of a tree, the wind rustled the trench robes he was wearing. He kept the hood of his robes on his head and let his face stayed hidden. At the horizon, the shadow could see a consciousness grappled with reality and tainting the atmosphere something similar to what the Shadow Fantasm did with its presence.

The manifestation crawled on the distant sea, mirroring the night sky and the constellations. Its presence was wide and powerful.

"I see that the Shadow Fantasm's reign has ended," the shadow said with a carefree laughter, "and now the Rift Dimension will appear along with the half of the consciousness of the Parallel Balance. What about you?" he turned towards the boy standing behind him, also watching what was happening. "When will you strike?"

"As soon as possible," a young boy said ruthlessly, there was the same glint of determination on his eyes that deeply resembled Rade. "I want to be stronger for her. I want to be stronger so I could kill Elora Isolde Aldam if that action will ever be needed."