Chapter Text
Run. Run.
The word thudded through their mind, reminding them countlessly. Their body drifted to the order, accelerating with adrenaline. No matter how their muscles squinted with soreness. No matter how much their lungs ached with desperation, out of air. Their steps echoed against the concrete, in rhythm with the ones beside them. They sent a wary gaze to their right. The boy managed to match their pace. Yet, the human noticed the redness that swelled his face and the sweat that accumulated down his forehead. He tripped over himself. He braced himself, arms guarded. Yet, he was caught smoothly by the human, their bandaged hand maintaining him steadily up. They kept their hands wrapped lightly around his elbow, pushing him silently to keep moving.
“We’ll stop soon,” (Y/N) promised between heavy breaths. Their head faced in the direction they were headed in. They knew how weak Yuu was at the moment. The lack of food and energy was affecting him drastically. How long had he slept in that coffin? It was a wonder they’d never get an answer to. It was quite impossible for one to remain asleep for a long duration of time, without any recollection of how they got there. “We need to just lose it.”
Yuu could only nod. His expression numbed to blankness. The look made the human only clutch him tighter. They continued to run down the street, avoiding the cracks that tainted the concrete. Bungalows sat idly by their left and right, but they were not as homely as they had been. Some had lost their front doors or lost a whole portion of their infrastructure. Its front yards and backyards remained decently green, yet were infected by dark ink, or allowed rest for the pieces the house had lost. Their cars were not exempted either, upright or laying on their backs. Some were crushed as if stepped on by a giant. Some lost their windows. Or some vehicles were simply covered in the dense black liquid. Nothing was untouched by the substance. Even with the rare few things that were decent, there was always at least a spec of black. And red.
(Y/N) searched quickly, eyes strained towards all the damaged buildings until they found one that was recognizable. The human led Yuu quickly to run upon the sidewalk, ushering them through the front yard towards a backyard gate, or what remained of it. It slept on dirt, bent unnaturally by an unimaginable strength. They traversed through the backyard, then nervously pushed Yuu to walk upon the steps of a patio. The backyard had survived much of this… event . The patio had been well maintained, painted to an old brown, its wood sturdy and alive. It allowed space for tables and white chairs. Although, one of the chairs was brown, made of leather, and legs up in the air. Their surroundings were just splotched with black, black. There was a pool too, drenched with green-brownish water, decorated with dark leaves.
Yuu was leaning against them now, head limp as heavy breaths left his lips. (Y/N) pulled his arm over their shoulder. “C’mon, Yuu.” They ushered in as best a whisper. “We’re almost there.” They walked quickly onto the patio, which led to an entry to the house. Half of it–the sliding door–was shattered, its glass surface in pieces on the wood floor of the patio. (Y/N) ignored the dry, dark puddle that had been splashed upon the other, still door.
Yuu was becoming heavier. (Y/N) pressed on, allowing him to rest against them. They could bring them inside. They needed to do so quickly.
A loud, static hum tensed in the air. It’s close. It shrieked, monotone and wordless, yet aggravating to their ears. (Y/N) winced, heart thudding in their chest.
Faster. Faster.
If the monster caught them going in here, they would be sure to be cornered.
(Y/N) approached them as quickly as they could to the open entrance.
This was a house they ran into for protection a while ago before they met Yuu. They had barricaded the front entrance in a panic, rushing to the first things that could keep the door shut. One of the things had been a bookshelf, to which they pressed themselves against to keep in position. There were hard, heavy pounds against the door, its booming alarm like a ticking clock in their mind. They remembered the sweat and tears that fell down their face, pleading to survive. Then, they gazed over their shoulder–for anything as a means of escape–and caught sight of the glass doors. (Y/N) remembered their quick thought, grabbing the first thing in their hands–which was the diner chair–and throwing it against the fragile surface. It was shattered in an instant.
At that moment, they remembered how relieved they felt, as they walked through their exit. Those things would not be able to think that they had escaped.
Until a low hum resonated beside them, burning their ears. A reminder that they had been so so wrong.
Shaking the thought off, (Y/N) brought them within the interior, their teeth clenching as they forced themselves to use the rest of their strength. Another roar of buzzing sounded. It’s in the backyard. The human pulled Yuu into the kitchen area, releasing him gently to rest against his back. The human sat beside him, watching his chest rise up and down at an unsteady pace. Their breaths whispered underneath the melodies of the monster. This one is exceptionally loud. In a deep realization, they slipped off the straps of their bag, placing it delicately beside them, then tugged carefully on the zipper, unfastening it. Bright blue eyes shifted up to them within the small darkness of their backpack. The human saw the worry and fear that flickered upon his face. All (Y/N) could do was raise a finger over their lips, wishing for his silence. The blue eyes tilted up and then down. He had understood, yet pushed its head out to glimpse the outside world. The blue eyes winced, blinking to adjust to the remaining light of the day. His head twisted towards the other human, as he stilled with greater worry. Its grey fur shivered, like goosebumps, as they heard the sound emanate through the air behind their walls.
The sound was close. It buzzed in the air, like a radio that had lost signal. It was electrifying to the core, muscles and bones trembling no matter the volume of it. It is closer than I want it to be. Instinctively, they brushed a hand over Yuu’s lips and another over their own. They made sure not to press too hard to allow the boy to at least manage his breathing. Their eyes locked with the cat’s, and the animal immediately retreated back into the comfort of the bag, whimpering in a slight whisper.
Then, silence befell them.
It happened at once, as though they and the creature had been stuck in time in that instant. Did it leave? It had been so noisy until now. Did it leave without their notice? Or had it finally learnt to be quiet? The human wanted to take a peek. To crawl silently towards the shattered doors, then crane their head a little towards the opening. But the human had already learnt this lesson. No matter how curious they were, no matter how terrifying this all was, they were to remain hidden and still. Not until there was any sort of literal hint or indication that that thing was gone.
It was still. Just quiet. Nothing was heard. Not a creak. Not a chirp.
A sudden warmth pressed against their hip brought them out of their reverie. It was a familiar heat, yet full of warning.
(Y/N) blinked, then swore under their breath.
They gazed slowly towards their entrance, sweat gliding down coldly against their skin. They kept their silence and was grateful that neither Yuu nor the cat had caught sight of what they witnessed.
A large head–made out of nothing but glass, yet drenched and poured with black –slithered its way through the entrance. It was just the size to slither right through. The rest of its body did not step in, for it was too big. Its neck stretched, leaking with the same black liquid they had seen repeatedly. It left a little spill, as its faceless head spun around. It headed first towards the living room, which was just in front of the entrance, it peered its head in, did not move, then retreated to twist into the front entrance. It did not utter a hum. It stared idly at the furniture that blocked the front door, then retreated silently back.
It’s finally leaving.
Suddenly, rapidly and in an instant, its head ducked into the kitchen. The glass surface of the head is so close to touching the human’s own face. They swallowed their gasp, their hand hard over their mouth. They apologized in their mind as they did the same to Yuu. (Y/N)’s eyes faltered over the creature. They watched as it stilled, staring at the cupboards right beside them. Their muscles clenched.
Not. A. Sound.
Black goo slipped through the cracks of its glass head, landing beside the thigh of the human. They held in their grimace, as more flowed out to the floor. It created a dark, horrible puddle like a gathering of ink.
The human glanced at the puddle, watching the thick liquid yearn to touch their clothing.
Not. A. Sound.
Then, it retracted away from the group of survivors, head slipping out of the house. There was a small hum and it slowly grew into a loud, deafening static sound. It slowly dimmed, leaving slowly, distancing away from the two humans and the cat.
The human let out a relieved huff, releasing their hand from Yuu. They wiped the sweat on their forehead with their sleeve. What if…. that monster had heard them? Goosebumps travelled up their arms, a cold breath of fear flowing through their skin, stinging what was underneath their bandages. They winced lightly at the familiar, small pain, a reminder of just how alive they were. They remained seated, unable to move, too exhausted to even scooch away from the puddle of black by their knee. Their body pleaded for a break. Their mind whined for a break.
The human could only stifle out a small, raw chuckle.
How much more would they have to go through?
“We’re okay now, Grim,” they croaked, throat dry from their race and will to live, “The creature’s gone.”
That was the fourth one today.
The cat popped its head out hesitantly, its blue-famed ears exposed. His blue eyes scanned their surroundings before slowly raising himself up, sending a long look toward the human. “Are you sure?”
The human raised a weak hand to their surroundings. “You can see for yourself.” Their voice died out, “If you would like to.”
The cat shook its head immediately. “No,” half of his head retreated into the bag, blue eyes shined with peak uneasiness, “No, I think I’m good.” He answered with a squeaky tone. His attention drew to Yuu. He lay calmly on the floor, eyes shut, arms resting by his side, breath even. Unaware of what had happened. He was looking a bit too peaceful in his rest in the animal’s eyes. “And Henchman #1?”
“He’ll be fine.” Their chin cocked towards the bag Grim resided in. “He’ll need some food and water when he wakes up. Make sure to give him some when he does.” The cat was ready to protest. Perhaps wanting to go on about how ‘he would not take orders, for he was the Great Grim’ of some sort. But the human quickly beat him to it. “I’m drained. I don’t think I’ll make it far if I don’t take a break. At least.” The face of the small beast shifted, then he made a nod, leaping out of his little home. “You didn’t eat everything again, right?”
“Nope!” He said proudly, managing a grin. “Just like the Great Grim promised!” His eyes sharpened on them. “I’d never lose a challenge to you , Henchman #2!”
“Of course,” they smiled weakly, “but you never know…” Their eyes pleaded, shutting down in slow blinks. Their mind gave in to the signal, their breath dying down to a whisper. “I’ll be…sleeping…now. Watch over us, Grim.”
They did not hear the returned response as they allowed themselves to enter the wishful darkness. The human relaxed, the weight on their shoulders lifting. In that moment, as they relished their will to finally rest, they were grateful. So deeply thankful for their luck or for the chance the Great Seven had given them.
The monster’s hearing was sharp, yet it had lost one of its senses in return.
It was blind.
====0====
He huffed, deep breaths escaping his lungs. With a hand steady against a trunk, he bent down, hidden behind a tree. Don’t come here. He pleaded, focusing on the crunching, sluggish sounds of dirt and wooden sticks. The boy didn’t dare peek, deciding it was better to keep himself hidden than discovered. After all, he wasn’t much of a runner, not as much as that idiot that had left him in a panic.
The mission was simple. Grab a magestone, then leave. Something so simple to newcomers like him and the idiot.
Why’d there have to be a monster in the way?
When he found himself ready to run again, he realized that it was oddly quiet. Did it leave? That couldn’t be, he had heard it just a moment ago. It wasn’t quick, or else it would’ve caught up to him and the idiot at the beginning. Perhaps he should look, and get an idea of where that creature is. But what if it was right there ? He would have no way out. Well, not entirely. He still had his trusty little pen, but the spells he knew barely had an effect on that thing. Wind wasn’t very efficient on heavy, disgusting creatures like this one.
“ Give…back… ” Its voice heaved, static and too slimy for his liking. However, he noted how far it was. Probably far enough for me to escape. Then, in a horrid, ear-breaking yell, the monster shrieked. “ STOONNE!!! ”
Ugh, could it be any louder? The ginger rushed his hands up to his ear, cocking his head away from the tree to assess the location of the creature. It was way ahead of him, too large to get through a set of tall trees in front of it. So it was stuck? Maybe he underestimated this monster. He thought that since it could talk and comprehend their moves quicker, it would’ve been smart enough to be their doom. After all, the boy himself had never heard of a dark, slimy creature that had comprehensible features. These creatures were known to hum , not to whine about missing a goddamn stone. Like a little kid losing his favourite toy. Was it worth that much to the monster?
Perhaps I should tell the dorm head when I get back. No matter how irritating he was. With that decision, the boy set on with his escape, heading towards the left of the trunk. As he sent one last look towards the creature, he delicately headed towards the closest tree in front of him, hiding behind it from the monster. His heart thundered in his chest, all possible things could go wrong here. Injury. Death. But he decided not to think of any of it. How do you even die from one of these things?
A sharp snap echoed. With a glance, he watched as a tree crashed to the ground, green, fresh leaves kissing the dirt. The creature swung at another tree with its rusty pickaxe. The weapon was practically half his size, and no matter how old it was, the boy knew it would be sharp enough to snap him in half next. Shit . The second tree the monster hit was heading down in his direction. But I’m protected. He ducked behind the trunk he used as coverage, hearing leaves and branches shudder against one another. He sucked in a breath, hoping he hadn’t revealed himself. When it fell quiet, he listened carefully, hearing it mumble to itself in insanity. It paused for a moment, humming, then moved forward, in the opposite direction of where the ginger stood. “ No give… ” It took a deep breath like it ran out of oxygen. “ Stone… ” It repeated the phrase again and again, driving itself to find Ace and the idiot. The ginger decided that it wouldn’t any time soon.
The ginger moved to gather more ground. At first, he took a few careful steps, pausing behind every tree. The trunks were thick enough to cover most of his shoulders, along with a couple of bushes here and there, he found himself quite lucky to blend in an area like this. I guess wearing this outfit really does matter. His boots tiptoed against the dirt, avoiding all sticks he noticed. The clothes he was forced to wear were dark clothing, a sharp contrast to their opposing school. Now, he was sure he was clear, walking leisurely towards their location, aware of his surroundings. He shoved his hands into his pant pockets, the clothing loose over his limbs, yet quite comfortable. This was not what they usually wore, he’s heard, a deep red and black band wrapped around his upper arm. Apparently, there were uniforms, unique to each dorm. The school–if you could even call it that nowadays–decided to quit wearing such outfits, creating better, safer ones for all times.
He sighed, catching a dark grey color blending with the trees, out in a small opening. Night Raven College was a prestigious school, known for its best mages, but for its losses against its competition. Regardless, it was a place Ace was quite looking forward to attending, from the anecdotes of his older brother. His older brother. He sighed, despising the memory that came along with it, another breath leaving his lips. Perhaps he should pay another visit. His heart lifted, hardened at the recall of his purpose.
The dark grey color approached, distinguishing itself as a large machine. He gazed at its steel exterior, the dark wheels, and the seats within. Nothing seemed to be damaged, nor was there any of that disgusting substance anywhere. So it seemed that idiot was smart enough to not hide out here or to not leave without him.
Now, the question was, would Ace leave without him ?
He thought for a second, then shook his head. He couldn’t really do that. He’d never hear the end of it from his dorm leader. With a last sigh, he reached into the belt wrapped around his hips, grabbing a rectangular piece with his gloved hand. Pressing a button on its side, he brought the machine close to his lips. Upon hearing a beep, he spoke out, carefully, hoping that the idiot was wearing his earpiece. “Oi, Juice, you still alive?” When you were–let’s say…- ‘hired’, you were given two communication devices, an earpiece and a walkie-talkie, dark as night but branded with some light blue. Since it was his first mission, he didn’t care much about which one to take. But after that encounter , he probably should’ve worn the earpiece. This machine kept hitting him against the hip when he was running, but if Juice was calling him? His voice would’ve echoed through the air, and that monster would’ve found Ace in a heartbeat. However, no answer was coming from the thing, so he called out again, pressing the button. “Hey, Jui-!”
“My name’s not Juice!” A static yell screeched, huffing out of breath. The voice was on edge, in a panic. The sound paused, then reappeared, after a few breaths. “It’s Deuce! Get it right at least!”
The ginger rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” His red eyes searched the area, suddenly aware of his surroundings once again. He never knew, perhaps that creature had beautiful, perfect, sensitive hearing and was running towards him and their only transport out of here. “You’re running breathless, and the only thing you care about is me calling your name properly.”
After a few silent beats…. “Yes! Obviously!” Wind wisped by the mic. The answer was short and immediate.
“Well,” Ace answered with a low tone, “at least you are alive. Do you know-?”
“The monster’s chasing me!” The voice huffed statically aloud, the breeze continuing to touch the mic. The sound itched his ears, making the ginger cringe. He waited, bringing the walkie-talkie closer to his face. He anticipated more context, just more information. Then, his dumb partner yelled out again, “It’s-”
“ GIVE BACK…. ” There was that all too familiar tone followed by an incredible huff. There was a thud, then a large snap of a branch or a tree. Yeah, a tree . “ STOO- ” The communication abruptly stopped, followed by an air of silence.
Ace stared at the walkie-talkie in his hand, then sighed. He shoved it back into his belt, securing it better.
Perhaps this mission wasn’t meant to be so simple after all.
Karma.
====0====
“Aren’t you being too harsh on those pups?”
The man looked up from the paper in his hand, gold, sharp rings clawing over the poor writing. His yellow eyes glinted upon the teacher in front of him. Well, used-to-be teacher. The man thought for a moment, glancing at all the other papers on his desk. He shook his head. “No, I do not think so.” His reply was calm, yet fabricated with dignity. “Under normal circumstances, I should’ve expelled them. Well, since we aren’t following the school curriculum any longer…I suppose…” He hummed for a second, then muttered under his breath. “Perhaps I should’ve forced them into some chores… no, that is too simple. Ah, maybe getting rid of their magical pens would do the trick. But what if they were to come across… hmm…”
The other let out a sigh. “What if they come across one of the Tainted in that mission you just gave them?”
Now, they shared a look.
The man seated by his desk dropped the paper to rest among the others. A sudden silence fell between them. Then, finally, the man–who used to be the headmaster of a wonderful prestigious school–sighed. “Well, I didn’t think of that.”
“What do you mean you did not-?” The teacher held his tongue, bringing a gloved hand to caress his face. “No matter, you already sent them. We can’t do anything about it now.” The teacher turned away in an attempt to mask his exhaustion. These days had been hard. For students and teachers alike. Even the people that came for refuge. Life had not been as luxurious as it had once been. “I’m sure they will be fine. I have belief in them, as their would-be teacher.”
Without a response from the headmaster, the teacher left silently, his steps echoing against the purple tiles, the tails of his coat swishing with his controlled movements. The door swung and shut with vigour. Dreading what would become of his supposed students.
It was only when he was alone, did Crowley finally say.
“Let’s hope they lead that Tainted out and away from the Dwarf’s cave, at the very least.”
====0====
“Jui-!,” Ace stopped himself, huffing in between harsh breaths. “Deuce! Throw the gem over here!”
The navy-haired boy glanced over his shoulder, sweat dripping down his forehead. Cyan eyes searched through the shadows of trees as he continued to race in the opposite direction of where the voice came from. Something new was chasing after him, causing a small irritation to swallow him. Until he noticed the familiar red hair and annoying visage of his partner. Ace was attempting to catch up to him, practically a mile away from him, and a good distance away from the monster.
The monster groaned behind him, an echo and a rage. Deuce gritted his teeth. His heart pumped with adrenaline, yet squeezed with slow, building annoyance. He sucked in a breath, skipping over a large branch. He clutched the yellow gem tightly in his gloved hand. “I can’t throw that far backwards!” He yelled back. “Catch up!”
“It’s not my fault you are so goddamn fast!”
“I can’t slow down anyway. The monster’s behind me!”
“No, it’s not, you idiot!” The ginger yelled angrily. “Just look behind you!”
The Heartslabyul– student –soldier faltered in his speed, spinning to look at what lay behind him the entire time. Trees. Branches. Leaves. The monster, nowhere in sight.
But I heard it…? Was it slow? The boy slowly went to a stop, heavy breaths escaping his lungs. Yet, he wasn’t tired enough to stop. His eyes frantically danced around his surroundings, glancing at Ace’s approaching figure. The monster had managed to keep up with him before, no? It was right at his heels, like…two minutes ago.
Where was it now?
A heavy snap cracked beside him. His head twisted to his right, gazing into the tree’s shadows.
The other Heartslbyul member was suddenly at his side, grabbing Deuce’s left arm and pulling him away from the source of the sound. He startled on his feet, leaning down suddenly in an attempt to regain his balance. He glanced over his shoulder, the monster towering a good distance away from where he once stood, its pickaxe edged deep into the tree that had stood behind him. He was mere seconds away from an inescapable fate. That could’ve…
“You goddamn idiot.” He heard his partner mumble under his breath.
Deuce frowned. “You told me to look behind me!”
“I didn’t tell you to stop, idiot!”
“Oh.” He whispered, dumb-founded. That was true. “Whatever.” Ace was gripping him hard , so he shook off his hand, keeping up with the ginger’s pace. Unlike him, his partner looked exhausted, heaving breaths like the monster that was… He glanced over his shoulder again. “Where did it go now?”
Ace followed his gesture. “It couldn’t have gotten that far.” He thought reasonably, his brows narrowing. They kept up a good running tempo, which the ginger seemed to catch his breath to and for them to not make too much sound. Deuce couldn’t shake off the feeling that it knew where they were. “Its probably hiding in the trees and leaves.”
It was broad daylight. But even then, the forest was thick enough for anyone of any size to hide. Though…the black creature should’ve been well noticeable, even from afar. Yet, you didn’t see it right in front of you. This monster was smart. It wasn’t like any of the creatures that the teachers had explained to them. It hadn’t lost any of its senses. It didn’t hold an abnormal physique–not in the sense that they explained–, nor was humming in a static, radio-like tone. It had a voice. It spoke like a human. And it understood how to apprehend them in a calculative manner. Like a living being.
Deuce thought. He really did think this time.
“It stopped chasing behind me.” He stated, which caught Ace’s attention immediately. “Before, it decided to run beside me to…” his voice trailed, allowing room for breaths, “throw his pickaxe…” His blue eyes glazed around him, using the sunlight as much as possible. Sound. He had to listen.
Sure, perhaps the monster could blend in the forest. It could use its environment as an advantage. But it always made noise. One way, or another.
Deuce heard it.
He quickly grabbed the back of Ace’s jacket. He dragged them down to the dirt, onto their backs. A large, rusty object– so so sharp –whizzed over their heads. The boys watched with incredulous eyes, as the pickaxe–it glowed in a weird green, familiar, color–struck into a tree, cracking its trunk in half. Its leaves crashed down, yet the boys focused on the opponent that stood before them, dark and smokey. A creature known to be dangerous, yet ever so human-like.
The two of them had a lot to tell their dorm leader. Well, after he would behead them for troubling the headmaster.
The monster raised up his hand, the one that held a lantern. Its light was a low, red tone. Yet, the two boys could see it shift into a more vivid color. They felt it and sensed it, unforgettable and easily recognizable. Deuce was quick to reach for his pen attached to his belt.
The lantern shimmered, the monster growling under his breath. The monster heaved in a slimy, horrible breath. It did not even seem exhausted at all, no matter how much it had chased after them. Its jar-head was even more drenched with the black substance, more than before. “ GIVE BACK…. ” It screeched. The lantern was ready to blow, pointed right at them.
Deuce waved up his red jewel. He thought of the first thing that came to mind. Something big. Something that could just hit this creature and knock it out. Something… He felt his pen pulse with energy, ready with unexplainable confidence. He glared at the monster. Just something.
“ STOOOOO- ”
“Cauldron!”