Possessed By The Alphas

Apparent Realm "Why are you crying?" Relina abruptly stopped crying after hearing the voice. She slowly raised her face from being buried between her knees but only a dark room greeted her. "Who are you? How did you know my name? What do you want from me?" Relina posed successive questions. After some time, blue flames began to appear one by one, floating in the air and appearing to form a path in her direction. At first, the flames were small, but as they grew larger over a few seconds, the entire room began to glow. Relina then felt slow footsteps, and when they were close to the first blue flame, all she could see was the hue of his eyes, which were the color of those flames. He had long, white hair that reaches the hips and was as white as snow, including his kimono. Only then did she recall the creatures that her Grandfather Hiroshi had frequently warned her about. "If you're hungry, go ahead. You can eat me; after all, my existence is pointless. I want to die." Even more tightly, Relina hugged her knees. "Don't talk like that. A lot of people will be sad when you're gone, especially me." Sadness filled the eyes of the creature. Relina began to cry profusely as soon as she heard the creature in front of her make that comment. She believed that no one cared about her, but she was mistaken. She brushed her tears away before getting up from her seat. She then walked towards him and as soon as she got close to him, she hugged him without even saying a word. "What will happen to me if I happen to see those creatures you frequently tell me about, grandpa?" Relina asked her Grandfather Hiroshi. Relina just got home from class. She truly meant to go see her grandfather and asked about the creature she recently saw. Even at school, she occasionally runs into him and waited for her to get home. Hiroshi laid the old jar slowly on the table. "Why did you ask about that thing?" Despite spending more than thirty minutes cleaning it, Hiroshi was still not finished. "Because I happened to encounter one of them," Relina replied, making Hiroshi pause and start to perspire heavily. "He had long, white hair that was like snow, and he was dressed in a white kimono, but unfortunately I haven't got a chance to see his face since he was wearing a mask". Relina made an effort to capture everything she noticed. "If he is one of the creatures I'm telling you about, it would be better if you stop talking to him since he will only put your life at risk." Hiroshi walked towards Relina. He then pulled an antique necklace from his kimono and placed it in her palm. "Always wear it wherever you go. It will give you protection," Hiroshi said. Relina was in awe when she saw the necklace her grandfather had given her. She cautiously brought it up to her face and gave it a thorough inspection—a large red-colored stone that glistened like diamonds. "I'll take good care of this, I promise," Relina answered, as she wore the necklace. She was unsure of the power this necklace possesses, but if it does, she hopes it may safeguard her as her grandfather had claimed. "Are we still far? Where do you intend to take me? Dad must be looking for me," Relina asked as she looked at Akio. Her entire body was drenched in sweat, and her legs were trembling from the exertion of walking for nearly an hour. It's been more than five months since Relina first met Akio, but up until that point, she had never even had the chance to look into his face. Though she was still perplexed as to what he was concealing under the mask he was wearing, she was certain that his face resembled an angel based on how he spoke and behaved. Despite the kindness Akio displayed to Relina, Hiroshi was unable to be persuaded that Akio was a good yokai; instead, he became stricter with her but she decided to be friends with Akio instead of following her grandfather since she saw nothing but goodness from him. It was very challenging for Relina to just avoid Akio because he had saved her life numerous times. "We're almost there," Akio said. His grip on Relina's hand became even tighter. Relina looked at Akio with a worried expression. "We're here," Akio said. Amid the woods, they came to a stop in front of an ancient shrine. The only light that lit the entire area was that of the round moon. Relina looked around, her eyes in terror. "What are we doing here? This place is so scary. Please, Akio, let's head home." Even though the moon was bright, Relina felt extremely afraid of everything around her. She sensed the presence of creatures that had been observing them for some time, aside from the soaring trees. "No matter what happens, promise me you won't leave this place until I get back," Akio said as he knelt in front of Relina. He then slowly released her hand and caressed her face. Relina was perplexed and asked, "Where are you going? I don't understand." "I have to do something; I swear I'll be back," Akio said before turning his back. Although it pained him to leave Relina by herself, there was nothing else he could do to save her from certain danger. "D-Dad—" Relina turned to gaze at the creature whose claws were still spitting forth a lot of poison. Her knees started to tremble as her fear spread throughout her body. "Get out of here, Relina! Run as fast as you could!" Leonard yelled when he saw Relina at the door. The creature's other corner of his mouth lifted and hurled him with all of his force, causing his back to stroke the wall. "Looks like it's my lucky day. I don't have to waste time hunting for you since you came to me on your own." The creature moved slowly in Relina's direction. Leonard yelled again, struggling to rise to his feet, "Run, Relina! Don't worry about me, I'll be alright!" The impact of the blow caused his bones to crack. Relina was visibly terrified. She wanted to yell for help, but she was unable to do so. She attempted to run but was unable to move her legs. She had the impression that the concrete she was standing on had buried her feet. "No matter what happens, you'll always remember how much I love you and your mom." Leonard turned his head to gaze at Relina. He then quickly switched his attention back to the creature before his tears could fall. "How I wonder humans like you are viewed as weak beings. Why do you always choose your heart to rule over everything else in this world and desire so much pain and suffering?" "Why don't you ask it for yourself? Haven't you been in love once?" When Leonard's final words were heard, the creature's rage and loathing got more intense. His hands and claws move voluntarily to the feelings that surround his heart. Leonard immediately dropped from his upright position a split second later. "Dad—" Relina's eyes widened when she witnessed what had happened to her father. She took a step back and then sped off. "Take that body somewhere no one else can see, and make sure no trace is left behind; I don't want any problems," the creature said. From behind him, a dark shadow loomed. The shadow approached Leonard's body and vanished in an instant. Relina was panting from exhaustion. She had been running for more than two hours, which pained her feet. Although her entire body was still trembling from extreme terror, she persevered. She wanted to cry earlier, but her great terror kept her from crying. They had earlier been enjoying breakfast together with his father. His lips were firmly pursed in a smile, but he was now a cold corpse. "You indeed look exactly like your mother; your hair and the color of your eyes are no different. I'm sure the blood that runs through your veins smells just like hers." Relina's entire body came to a complete halt when she heard a recognizable voice a few steps away. The trembling that she had been feeling got significantly worse. She grasped her lips with a shaking hand and covered them. She was unable to control her tears at that point. The creature that killed her father appeared in front of Relina. His white kimono was stained with blood. "Don't even try to escape because no matter where you hide, I will find you. So the best thing you should do is come with me. I promise that I will never hurt you," the creature spoke in a low, husky voice as he moved slowly in Relina's direction but before he could get close to her, she sprinted to the middle of the road. Relina didn't notice the accelerating car that was whirling and pointing in her direction since she was so focused on getting away from the creature. She opened her eyes when she felt the odd warmth enveloping her entire body. She found herself in the arms of the creature that had killed her father. He sustained a head injury as a result of taking the brunt of the hit. "W-why? I thought you wanted to kill me?" Relina asked, stuttering. The creature reached for Relina's face and smiled bitterly. "As I promised, I will never hurt you. You and I will be together, not now, but when the right time comes," the creature said then he abruptly vanished into thin air.