...NO ONE KNOWS HIS NAME...
~ CAIN ~
Enveloped by trees draped in red, orange, and yellow leafage, stood a peculiar structure. I marvelled at the sight, taking in every pitiful detail. The outer walls were built out of rotting pine logs, a tree not native to this region, and the roof was made from rusted corrugated iron sheets slapped together in a hurry.
It was neither a castle nor a manor, by no means special, just a temporary holding thrown together in a short amount of time. But this insignificant box of wood was guarded more closely than the average royal affair.
Kade had spent every meticulous second protecting his cabin from the outside world, having built it by hand, no doubt, in the middle of fucking nowhere.
'Considering the strength of the surrounding barrier, this must be where Kade's been keeping my familiar… but there is no trace of him. Not even a spec of his mana nor a whiff of his scent. Is he elsewhere? No, this must be the place...'
I glanced at the shrubbery surrounding the cabin. Fear. I could taste it. A smirk tugged at the corners of my lips and the Fyre standing beside me released a guttural growl of satisfaction. I clicked my tongue. Fetch – that's what one click meant – commanding the Fyre to retrieve the Daemun hiding nearby.
My six-legged wolf snatched the little thing out of a bush and crushed its small body between razor-sharp teeth. Returning to my side, he tossed a Katyr down at my feet. The black cat was frozen stiff, terrified of my mere presence.
I extended my hand and the Fyre complied with my wordless request. He crushed the Katyr's skull, dug out its shard, and dropped the fragment into the palm of my hand. Red – because of course it was. Demicaux had spies everywhere. It didn't surprise me to find one lurking around inside Kade's domain.
I tossed the crystal into my mouth and glanced at the cabin's lopsided porch. I crushed the Daemun between my teeth, severing its connection to its core, and clicked my tongue twice in quick succession, producing a more rounded sound. Lead. The masked wolf stepped out in front of me, and we approached Kade's cabin together.
'So, then, no welcome party? Surely, they're aware of my arrival – given the hundreds of Fyres I had sent to die at their hands.'
My gaze gravitated upwards, glimpsing a silver ball of light behind thick clouds blowing in from the west. It would rain soon. The forest knew it too, whispering amongst the sound of rustling dried leaves.
I carried myself up creaky steps and through a door hanging on its last hinge. My hand slipped into my back pocket and retrieved my favourite weapon. It was a useless trinket, a kunai, which I raised in front of me. I tilted the blade and toyed with its weight in my hands, enjoying its insignificance.
I could take people out with a simple glare if I wanted to. But that was too easy. Too boring. I lived to exert myself. The struggle was what made every fight fun. Wining too fast was like busting a nut but having my climax ruined.
I inhaled deeply – taking in the smell of rotting wood, mountains of dust, and, of course, Mold covering the walls like a layer of old paint.
'My unwashed ass smells better than this dogshit excuse of a house...' I thought, smirking. Truth be told, I found the horrid structure quite suitable.
The Fyre walked down the small corridor, making no sound as he glided over the floorboards. I could sense Aria nearby. She was alone. It was a gift, really, and from the amount of ash inside the house – she had been alone for a while.
I followed the wolf down the hall and placed myself at his side. There she was, hovering near the back door, so focused on breaking the Daemun's mask that she didn't notice me staring at her.
I folded my arms across my chest and leaned against the arch, wondering how long it would take her to notice me.
The Daemun swiped at her belly, ready to slice her in half, which she hurriedly blocked with a broomstick she had grabbed out from behind the door. As one would expect, it snapped in half and was abandoned on the floorboards.
She backed away from the Fyre, clutching her knife firmly. The Daemun lunged for her. She ducked out of his way, causing him to collide with the cupboards behind her. Then she kicked him off his feet, jabbing the knife she was holding into his mask. A crack appeared between his three eyes, and the mask slipped from his face. Turning to ash, he joined his brothers in the underworld.
My gaze swept across Aria. Her long dark ponytail reached her ass, and it was one hell of an ass. She wore sleek black clothes. It was Runetag, the day of the moon, and it was expected to wear black. She took a step back, lowering herself into a defensive stance, and I watched as her ass jiggled.
As though sensing the other Daemun's arrival before she could even see it, her gaze was fixed on the back door. With a soft click, its head protruded and moved slowly into the kitchen. The Daemun in question was female. She had a slinkier build and was slenderer than her male counterparts.
'Good. I wanted Aria exhausted. Not dead. Which is why I told the Fyres not to come all at once.'
The new arrival approached cautiously. Aria darted back and grabbed a pot. Her sudden movement prompted the Fyre to lunge at her. However, she threw the pot in its face and charged straight for it. She smacked its mask, but it did not crack, which disappointed her. The Daemun snarled, annoyed by Aria's attempt to return her to her brethren, but Aria refused to give up so easily. She swung again, still within range. Just as she was about to jab her knife into Daemun's mask, it smacked the blade out of her grasp and pushed her to the ground. Her weapon fell a few inches from my feet.
Aria kicked the Fyre back, rolled onto her stomach, and grabbed the knife as it pounced. Then she saw my boots and froze, as though she were solidifying into a block of ice. The Daemun, which had just attempted to murder her, took a seat and blocked her escape from the kitchen.
Aria shifted. She grabbed her knife, swung it in front of her, clambered back up, and pushed back against the sink. She glanced between me and my hounds, looking desperate. It was amusing.
I flicked my wrist and watched the kunai cut into her shoulder, causing her to drop her regained weapon. She tried not to make too much noise. Perhaps she was worried I would be satisfied. Of course, I was. Almost enough to get turned on.
"I was... beginning to think that you'd never show up..." Her tone was caustic and nasty. She was out of breath. Exhausted from fighting so many Daemun. I had asked them not to murder the Whites, but keep them busy until I arrived. If they had battled seriously, Aria would have died long ago, but instead, they indulged her. After all, there were hundreds of them eager to play with her. And it was finally my turn.
She removed my kunai from her shoulder, tossed it aside, and stood up straight. Her deep brown eyes met the Fyre next to me, and most likely the others lurking behind him in the darkness. He disliked being gazed at, growling slightly and pulling his ears back.
I looked at her carefully. The blood in her veins appeared to struggle through her arteries. Her heart was becoming weaker by the second, beating slower than it should and in an uneven pattern. Her lungs did not take in as much air as before. Her respiration was laboured and brief. Anyone else would have assumed it was a sign of aging, becoming weaker as the years passed, but I knew otherwise.
Layer 365 lacked mana and could not replenish what she had wasted. Maji needed mana to survive, but there wasn't any left in her crystals. So, much to my dismay, she was already dying.
A smirk formed in the right corner of my mouth. Whatever. Tormenting her was going to be enjoyable. She was at their dilapidated home, unprotected, and I thought she would have gone with her husband and child.
I clicked my tongue. Two in quick succession, but high-pitched and delivered with the tip of my tongue at the front of my palate, right behind my teeth. Attack. The Fyre beside me started to circle her, but the one she had previously battled was still at the door, obstructing her escape. Every two seconds, both clicked simultaneously.
Each click chipped away at Aria's confidence. She glanced at the knife again. Even from this distance, I could tell that it had been dulled from the number of masks she'd broken with it. She couldn't kill me with such a feeble blade even if she tried.
"Go on then. Take it," I finally spoke and pushed off the arch. "Just so you know, it took me forever to get here. The least you could do is offer me a drink."
I walked to her fridge. The Fyre followed me. She grabbed the pathetic blade off the floor and held it out in front of her again. She was shaking so much that I was impressed she managed to keep her hands steady.
'Stars. I need to calm down. The taste of her fear is too exciting, and I hate that I am feeling so exhilarated by such a repulsive wench. It's making me feel sick.'
"What do you want, Cain?"
"You know exactly what I want."
I opened the fridge. Glancing over its contents, I smiled when I saw a box of tropical juice. It was partly hidden behind a milk carton.
Aria moved, encouraging the Fyre to snarl and snap his jaw shut in warning. I took the juice out of the refrigerator. It's been decades since my last glass of juice. The boys at home weren't avid drinkers. They favoured water and an early-morning coffee. And, frankly, so did I.
I found a wine glass in one of the top cabinets and filled it to the brim. Raising it to my lips, I savoured every drop. Mango, pineapple, and passionfruit filled my mouth and sweetened my palate.
"Why are you here? Why are you stalling?" Aria asked and moved a step back.
Her feet dragged lines into the ash covering the floor. She was walking over them like they were nothing. I spent a lot of time and energy summoning them to this layer. And that wasn't even mentioning the ridiculous amount of mana I spent clawing my way inside Kade's isolation bubble.
I lowered the glass, raising an eyebrow. The Daemun lunged at Aria. He moved too quickly for her to react, biting and crushing her forearm with his jaw. She shrieked, dropped her knife, and used her free hand to pound at the bone mask that appeared to be affixed to the wolf's face.
"When an opportunity presents itself, it is quite difficult for me to pass it up. I assumed you knew that. I am having fun, Babe. I haven't seen you for a while. It's been ages. Why don't we walk outside for some fresh air and have a quick chat?"
The hound dragged her outside. I tossed the empty glass of juice over my shoulder. Breaking fragile things felt just as good as taking a few happy pills. If only I could break Aria with my bare hands, but my directives were clear; find Claudiseus and return to the island. There was no room for deviation.
I walked to my kunai on the floor and picked it up. I wiped the ash off my thigh and strolled out of the house. I loved the ominous atmosphere. Everything was black. There was no moon because it decided to hide behind heavy clouds, no stars, and no light – just a comfortable threat of darkness.
Aria's fingers combed the grass, looking for something – anything to crack the beast's mask. She found a sizable rock. She hit him multiple times as she was dragged further into the forest.
There were two ways she could get rid of him. The first was to damage the bone mask and return him to the nether until somebody else summoned him to do their bidding. The second was to rip out his crystal and consume it. That way he couldn't be summoned again. Not for a few hundred years anyway. Daemun could not be killed. They could only be returned to Ataraxia'a.
"That's far enough," I said, sounding bored already.
The hound let go of her. She scurried around on the ground like an injured rat. The Fyre trotted to my side and pressed his head into the palm of my hand. I ran my fingers through the long black fur on top of his head and moved my hand down to his scruff.
Aria got up, but I didn't give her the chance to run. I pinched the kunai's blade between my thumb and four other fingers. I raised my arm, aimed at Aria's leg, and threw the weapon.
With blinding accuracy, it sliced through the veins above her right ankle. She stumbled over her own feet and clutched her leg with both of her hands as blood leaked from her cut.
"Kiera will never love you," she blurted out.
I stared at her for a few seconds. Taken aback by her words. It was the most ridiculous thing she had ever said. Everybody loved me. I was extraordinary!
"I didn't come all this way for a child." I walked closer and lowered myself onto my haunches. She grabbed the kunai. Her hand was trembling.
"Of course you didn't. Why would a monster care–"
"Thanks," I replied, removing it from her fingers. I lowered the blade to her leg and sliced a giant smiley face into her thigh while watching her blood soak into her pants and stain the fabric.
She screamed and grabbed my arm. She tried to push me away, but she had no strength left. I raised the blade to my mouth and licked her blood off its edge.
'It tastes like shit. No, shit would probably taste better than this.'
"So, where is he?"
"Are you going to kill me?"
I scoffed, "Of course not."
She appeared relieved. She's always been a dull blade never worth honing. She was a wanted woman in Raemalia, but I was not a bounty hunter and didn't care for money. I came here for one purpose. And one thing only. My familiar.
I turned the kunai around and licked the other side clean. Her blood tasted like spoiled milk. Thick, sour, and disgusting. I stopped drinking blood in general. Well, everyone's except for Rivian's. I liked drinking his.
"They are," I added, motioning at the Daemun surrounding us.
Their red eyes glowed brightly in the darkness, and their mouths salivated from the mere thought of getting a taste of Aria. They've been waiting for this. I've been waiting for this.
"She's my daughter, Cain. She will never accept you." I smacked her face so hard that she nearly fainted – it was a reflex I swear.
"You don't have to worry about her anymore, Aria. Besides, I can take a lot better care of her than you could without even trying. My house is huge. I'm super rich. I'm hot as hell. I'm hilarious. I'm everything you're not. I mean have you seen these dimples?"
She spat on my face and offered me a nasty glare. We never did get along. We had a history, even before she and her husband ripped my familiar out of my shadow and imprisoned him in an ancient artifact.
"I hate you," she said through her teeth, biting back a nastier comment which she knew would be her last words.
"I'm glad I'm able to reciprocate your feelings."
I wiped my face dry with the sleeve of my jacket. Standing up, I stared down at her, enjoying the crazy look on her face and the taste of her fear getting sweeter as she experienced more of it.
"I hope they kill Claudiseus when they find him."
"It was nice seeing you again, Aria. You did well for yourself these past six years. Though, I suppose it's been much longer for you on this layer." I stepped back, preferring to distance myself from her stench. Gods. Her blood smelled terrible.
"Sine Claudiseus, Aesi re ni'il, Cain. Ni'il!"
"Ni, Aria. Sine Hibi, Aesi re ni'il," I corrected her.
I took a few steps back and clicked my tongue, ordering the Fyres to attack her. They piled on top of her, biting, scratching, and tearing her apart. She screamed until one of them ripped her throat out. They fought over a bite, rolled about in her blood and guts, and played with her dismembered limbs.
The Fyre at my side joined them, not partaking in her filth, but rather retrieving a clump of her crystals. It was her core. He brought it to me, and I gladly bit off a chunk of it, eating it like candy.
I was filled with a powerful sense of joy. I really was, because Aria White was finally dead.