Pedro

Chapter 4:The Spark

Pedro was in the capital of Korea visiting an old friend. He had learned a lot about exorcism from Maria's point of view, but he had a feeling that he was not given the full truth. It was understandable though. He was not even a member, just a potential candidate. However, that doesn't mean he won't find answers himself.

"Greetings old friend, how have you been?"

An old man greeted Pedro outside a relatively big house.

"Kim Young. It's been a while."

"Come in. I have enough tea if you want some."

"I appreciate it."

Kim Young led Pedro to his room and sat down. "I have heard about your little debacle in the Philippines. Maria Lasan was it? I've heard about her. A young prodigy. A cunning mind and a deadly weapon. She rose to the ranks at an astounding rate. It was also reported that she had never once failed a mission. Dang, and she was assigned to recruit you? Good luck with that one, Pedro," Kim Young hid his grin. "Though, I fail to see why she's not with you right now. Did she give up already? Now that would be quite a shame, isn't it?" Kim Young said.

"Very funny Kim. She's a little occupied. She texted me this morning saying that I had a day all free to myself, whatever that meant, hence I'm right here right now. I can't exactly move around freely with her breathing down my neck every time now. Why that woman can't just accept a simple rejection is a mystery to me."

Kim held his tea and took a sip of it before he put it down. "Seems like one of those who can't handle a loss. I must ask though, why do you still put up with her? I know you're powerful enough to do so, yet you didn't. Why?"

"My reasons are my own, Kim. Anyway, let's get straight to business. You know why I'm here," Pedro stated. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense. "I do. A new group is on the rise, and they are said to be brutal by my sources. They are difficult to track even for me. Though I managed to get a little clue about what they were after."

Pedro's silence encouraged him to continue, and so he did. "They are after the King's resurrection," Kim Young said. Pedro clenched his hand at this. "The King? You mean the Demon King?" Pedro questioned. "Yes, I don't know how they learned about him, but they want him to walk among us again, and it's never good if that ever happens," Kim replied.

"I know. The first calamity, as they call it, was several hundred years ago. The first arrival of the demon kind to our world," Pedro says. "The war that cost both sides tremendous casualties. I was never able to finish them all because of those darn reincarnations. Kill one and another one pops up. It's like their cockroaches or something."

"Probably for the best. You're on a vengeful path. After your last family died, you went crazy. You had traveled the world and taken on a murderous rampage. The first time I saw you, I thought you were death itself, yet..." Kim looked to the side where the city was visible in the morning.

"I still remember till this day."

A young Kim was running in the forest. Behind him were two people with disfigured faces, carrying an ax. The other one throws a rock at Kim and hits his left shoulder, causing him to stumble. Kim got up but was held down by the other one as his companion was raising his ax to deliver the killing blow. Tears were running down his face as he awaited his doom. "Please don't. Somebody!HELP!" Kim cried.

The ax went down.

Blood was sprayed in the air, but Kim didn't feel anything. He looked up and saw the headless form of his would-be executioner.

"What the-"

The sound of the sword and a loud thud was all the forest heard. Kim was shaking as he looked at the man standing before him. The man wore rusted medieval armor with half of his helmet having seemed to be clawed out by a beast. When Kim observed the man before him, he had many scratches on his armor, not to mention the amount of blood he was covered in. However, despite this, his visible eye radiates kindness and hope.

"Are you well?" The man asked him.

"Oh...um. Yes...y-yes I am," Kim stuttered.

"That's great."

Kim shakes his head. "Anyway, my information on them is still limited. I can't tell you more than I already know," Kim said. Pedro only smiled. "It's alright, you've done more than enough."

Pedro stood up and went to the front door. "What will you do then?" Kim questioned. Pedro looked back at him and gave him a blank look. "Wait."

Meanwhile, Maria was dodging and shooting bullets at the enormous caterpillar-like creature. The monster swiped his tail in Maria's direction. Maria rolled to the side but her left arm was grazed a little. She aimed her Uzi Submachine Gun at the enemy and fired a blue light beam. It pierced the enemy's line of sight and the creature knew no more as it disappeared like a mist. Maria was sweating profusely. "That took longer than I expected." She looked at her watch. Noticing it was getting late, she hurriedly went home.

Maria saw Pedro outside his house. Pedro waved at her with a small smile, but it quickly changed when he saw the state she was in. "Maria? What happened to you?" Pedro asked. Maria was a little shocked at his concern for her well-being. "I'm alright, Pedro. I have just finished my mission. No need for your concern," Maria spoke. As she was about to go inside her house, Pedro stopped her. "Wait, let me treat your wounds." "No need to concern yourself for me, Pedro. Like I said, I'm fine. This will disappear by tomorrow, I assure you." However, Pedro is anything but a quitter. "No, Maria. You don't look fine. Come on, let's get inside my house. I'll treat you there." Pedro practically dragged Maria inside his house and made her sit on his couch. "Stay there, I'll go pick up the medical kit."

Maria watched as Pedro went to his cabinet to fetch the medical kit. Maria couldn't help but feel something in her chest at his surprising gesture. Having worked for the Exorcist Organization, every single member must have a sense of independence. Every member is expected to take care of themselves. With this mindset, Maria was accustomed to treating her wounds on her own. There were a few instances where she was treated but only by their medics when her wounds were severe. Having been treated with concern was never present in her line of work. Until now, that is...

Pedro came back with the medical kit. "Come on let me see them," Pedro said. Maria showed her left arm which had a small cut and was swelling a little. "Just stay still, okay? This is going to hurt a little," Pedro warned her. "No worries, I'm accustomed to pain," Maria replied.

"Right. I'll start now."

Maria watched Pedro as he treated her wound. Despite the pain, she was more focused on the feel of his rough hands. She felt his touch, the way he held her arm, and his focus on tending her wound. Their closeness made her notice his face in more detail. His jawline, his blue eyes that held determination. The more she looked at him, she noticed that he was quite handsome. Her face gained a little blush, but she quickly squashed it down.

"It's done."

With that, Pedro let Maria's arm go. She was a little saddened by the loss of contact, but she didn't show it. "Thank you, Pedro." Pedro looked at her and smiled. His smile held her in place for a moment.

"It's nothing."

Maria then got up and went to her house. On her bed, she was staring at her bandaged arm. She keeps on thinking about what happened earlier. She put her other arm on her chest and stared at nothing.

"What is this feeling?"