Shine's eyes focused on the worn down home.
All memories of her life flashed through her thoughts. Her birthdays and parties, study sessions with her mom and later Frannie, the nights she would be afraid of thunder and would cuddle between her dad and Orion.
Just thinking of his name makes me sick, Shine thought, clutching her arms tight enough that her nails dug into her triceps.
Frannie placed her hands on Shine's shoulders, glancing back at her parents in the large moving truck. Taking his words with a grain of salt, Frannie found it difficult to believe that even though the house itself was really broken down all this time, that Shine's room would be the only one untouched.
Then again, nothing he said and showed seemed too unrealistic, at least not now. Neither girl would've given Takabi the time of day if he hadn't proven himself with his magic capabilities. He's dangerous, and neither knew too much about him, but were they glad he was checking out the house for them.
When he came out, he stepped down the worn down steps and pointed behind him. "All clear. Avoid the basement and kitchen though."
"Why," Shine croaked up. She felt something heavy in her chest. "What's in there?"
"It's…" He trailed off, trying to put together his thoughts. "They just left a lot of old garbage in there. It smells rancid, and you may not be able to keep your breakfast down."
She didn't believe him, but saw no reason to really argue with him. Regardless, she was going to check before she left, just to see what else she may have missed. With a deep breath, the girls stepped into the house, Takabi following behind them closely.
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Kairas threw his fist forward, breathing heavy. Lowering his knuckles, he grabbed a towel he tossed on the bench press and sat down. Sweat dripped from his neck, trailing each muscle he had developed. The gravity was set to fifty times normal. Heavy on his bones, but due to his healing factor he allowed it to strain him, even while resting. The more he and Takabi grew and improved in this training room, the more they would be ready for what comes next.
His father's face appeared in his thoughts. With him, the boy Carlos, Takabi's ex-best friend and part of the reason WaterSlum was eradicated. His brother lost his whole life, in one fell swoop because they simply weren't powerful enough. That would change soon.
Next time, they would be ready.
The weight of his bones lifted. Kairas looked up at the training door, Jewel standing in the doorway with one hand on the dial. She was holding a grey tray in the other. On the tray was a freshly made italian combo grinder, with a banana and a cup of milk. She walked over and placed it on the table next to him, wrinkling her nose when she looked at him and said, "You reek."
"Thanks," He said sarcastically. "I'll shower when I'm done."
"You've been here since midnight. It's eight in the morning. Give yourself some rest." She placed her hands on her hips. He didn't respond to her. His fingers reached for the sandwich, but she swiped it from his tray and spoke more sternly, "I'm serious, Kairas."
Sighing, he stood and stretched. "Why do you care so much?"
"I just don't want you overworking yourself."
He scoffed, swiping the sandwich from her grip and biting into it. As he chewed, he eyed Jewel down and noted something different about her.
She looked better developed physically. Like a track runner. He didn't sense any mana emitting from her, but the look in her eyes was different from when he first met her. There no was no fear, no confusion.
Just confidence.
Her dark hair was dyed a faint emerald green. Tied in a thick ponytail that hung on her shoulder. She was wearing a sports bra and tank top, with dark pink shorts that hugged her tightly. The freckles on her face cleared up faintly, or began to blend more into her skin shade.
"You look… Different." He commented when he swallowed.
"Yeah," She said simply, closing her eyes. "I've been doing some basic exercises. Did you notice I was kinda pudgy before?"
"Yeah, I figured that was genetics until I saw Rose."
Jewel's fist connected with his cheek hard. He fell to the floor, but raised his palm and caught his sandwich. Jewel turned and stormed out in a huff, the automatic training door closing softly behind her. He blinked and sat up, rubbing the stinging sensation in his cheek. "What did I even say?"
Kairas exited the room after he ate. He placed the tray on the conveyor belt and watched it slide down slowly into the kitchen downstairs. His steps carried him towards his room in the back of the compound by the elevator to the Canyon, and he stepped inside, throwing in the towel and dropping his shorts.
Quickly, he entered the bathroom and started the shower, letting the cool water hit his skin. A breath of relief escaped him, the tenseness of his muscles fading away as the water rushed down the drain.
A cold mist filled the bathroom. Kairas stared at the ceiling, clenching and unclenching his fists. A voice spoke to him faintly in the back of his mind. A voice he often tried to ignore. Lately, it had been becoming harder to resist and keep locked away, and he wasn't sure why.
Eating. Training. Bathing. It constantly echoed with a simple phrase. A simple desire that he has yet to accept.
Let it all go.
Those four words repeat, over and over. He knew not to trust it, as the darkness often takes different methods to allow itself to roam free. Takabi managed to overcome his own weakness with it, and yet Kairas couldn't.
His anger towards his father was too great.
He couldn't let go of the past, but he wanted to use a different method to settle it. Rely on the light instead of the dark. Like his little brother. He didn't want to lose himself again.
The seven years before reuniting with Takabi, Kairas allowed the darkness and anger to cloud his thoughts and judgement. He had no control over his own will, and due to such, he stained his hands with the blood of many people. Some deserved it, others didn't. As long as he got closer to his goal, he didn't care who he hurt.
Is this right, He thought. Revenge. Living solely for revenge. Is that my only purpose?
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Takabi placed the bedframe in the back of the truck, quickly tossing the mattress inside soon after. Shutting the shutter door, he tapped on the side of the truck and gave a thumbs up. He looked back at Shine and smiled, "All set."
"Thanks," She said, looking up at him and crossing her arms under her bust. "This went by a lot faster with you here. I appreciate it."
He waved away her compliment. "Anything for my Little Sis. I'll be by later to help move things in. Don't start until I get there."
Nodding at his words, she moved towards the passenger side and climbed in next Frannie. It was a tight fit, but the door shut tight and the truck pulled off down the road.
Takabi looked from the truck to the house and quickly moved back inside. He swiped the newly formed cobwebs from his face and moved into the kitchen. Once he did, he sighed and peered down at the dried pile of blood and rotting corpse. While it was fairly fresh, rigor mortis had set in the night before, and the scent left a foul air.
A woman. Dark hair. The eyes were shut so he couldn't tell the color. She looked frail, throat open in a slit and spurts of blood on the white nightgown. It had to have been the woman Shine called her mother.
The only reason he had any doubt was from what he found in the basement. He opened the door from the kitchen and descended down the stairs. Dark as it was, his eyes illuminated it as if there were lights on the ceiling. A pile of human meat stacked in the center of the basement floor. Blood coated the walls and concrete floor, bits and pieces of bodiless limbs laying in the corner.
Bodies were strapped up on the wall. All women of some kind of beauty. Each one skinny, barely any meat on their bones. No signs of life, legs open and eyes blocked by a blindfold. Their mouth was stuffed with a ballgag, and faint traces of semen on their inner thighs.
"These guys are sick. The fuck did they need to kidnap women for?" A glow illuminated Takabi, and he began to float. He moved further into the basement, slowly turning his head back and forth. "I'd love to bring the bodies back to the families, but nobody would want to see their daughter or mother like this. No signs of I.D either. Damn." Flames bellowed around his right arm.
His gaze locked on a wooden support beam in the top right corner of the room. Full of spiders, and dust. During his presearch, he considered the idea of Kult information being left behind by the Father.
He found nothing, and now that Shine's stuff is gone, there was no need to leave it standing.
Shooting his palm forward, white flames quickly engulfed the beam. The white turned to orange quickly, spreading along the wood and lighting up the darkness. Smoke rose, wood creaked and quickly fell. He closed his eyes, placing his palms together and lowering his head faintly, offering a silent prayer to the souls of the people that died in the house, then shot through the ceiling, outside and watched as the flames erupted from inside out.
The house collapsed completely, igniting in a ball of intense fire. The neighbors rushed from their homes, many on their phones dialing for the emergency. The light faded, replaced by his wings, and Takabi quickly took off from the scene.
The Father, and this other demon, Orion. Their target is Shine, but nothing says they won't attack while they're waiting.
Denver was in trouble, if Takabi couldn't track the two down soon.