Having led Meril to the attic, I silently looked at him, feeling uneasy for some reason.
Meril is a Pure White Angel. Him being here should mean that he probably wanted to talk about the result of his investigation on the Devil case. At least, that's what I had guessed.
But somehow, looking at him, I couldn't help this unease I feel in my heart. It's like there's something wrong here.
Meril had been looking around in the attic at some items that was kept there. He was moving around the room, gently touching some old furniture and wares that was no longer used.
"You know, sometimes, people can get rather careless," he said suddenly. He had his back at me, holding onto an old radio in his hand. It was a really old radio that also came with a cassette player.
"Eh? What do you mean by that?" I asked uneasily, beginning to feel some ominous aura coming from him. I slowly backed away from him, raising my guard by instinct.
He didn't give me a reply as he silently placed in a cassette tape inside the player. He turned around and faced me, with a gentle smile, he said, "I meant to say you're quite careless, missy."
As he spoke, his voice gradually started becoming distorted, giving off the overlapping voices of countless people. His eye, which was golden in colour, slowly changed into various different colours before settling with a fiery red.
'He's not Meril!!' I thought in horror as my instinct flared up, immediately casting a barrier around me using my left hand.
"Time to wake up, missy!" He gave me a distorted look as he pressed down on the play button of the radio.
I could see the tape inside turning and yet, I couldn't hear any sound playing through. Just when I was thinking that it was broken, I felt a sudden intense headache coming to my brain.
The pain I was feeling was so agonizing that before I knew it, I had already let go of the barrier, lying down on the floor as I squirmed in pain.
"Ehehehehe~ Are you hurt? Are you in pain? Well well well well... What can I say~? Serve you right! It's only natural that you feel this way!" I heard a distorted voice from above me, mocking me with hatred.
"Who... the hell... are you...?" I asked as I endured the pain, staring straight at the other party.
He- No, 'It' laughed maniacally at my question, It's face distorting into different people's as It did. "Why does it matter who I am? Today, you're gonna die. Because I! Said! So! And you can't do anything about it!"
I gritted my teeth as I beared the pain, reaching my hand into my coat's pocket, I pulled out a brownish yellow withered old paper. 'Need... to burn it...'
Unfortunately, before I could do so, I was suddenly struck in my abdomen, sending me flying to the wall. It flew after me, sending me a kick once again that I almost threw up.
Grinding It's shoe on my hand, It bent down to take the paper from my grip. With a crazed expression, It said, "What were you trying to do with this Charm? Call for help? Missy, you're so vulnerable like this. I didn't think you would fall so low."
Out of options, I tried getting away from It, especially from whatever noise that radio is making that's causing my headache. Attempting to sink my body through the floor, passing through it, I sadly discovered that it was impossible. My body felt heavy and became harder to control.
"You can't get away, missy. I made sure to put a barrier around the room. Nobody can break in and no one can get out. Just you and me, missy~" It said as It watched me struggle in pain with an excited face.
"Is it so fun to watch a person in pain?! Watching and blabbering non-stop like this will make you regret it one day, you damn bastard!!" I snapped at him, glaring.
With my words, as if I struck a nerve, the expression on It's face fell. He walked to me grimly, a fiercely hated expression on as he struck me again, wildly kicking me, "Who the hell do you think you are, you maniacal witch?! You're just a weakling angel who couldn't even do her job properly!"
Receiving the consecutive strikes from It, I gritted my teeth as I tried hard to bear it. 'I need to think of a way to get away... That radio... need to destroy it..."
Placing my gaze at the radio that It has been holding this whole time, I tried my best to block It's kick, shoving my right palm at It.
It easily caught my hand, staring at the faint light emitting from the mark as It smirked, "Whatcha trying to do? Burn me with 'Purify'? Heh. With your measly ability, you couldn't hope to even scratch me."
When It was preoccupied with catching my right hand, I grabbed onto the radio with my other, fiercely yanking it away from It. Having successfully taken it, I smashed it into the floor as hard as I could, breaking it.
However, contrary to my expectations, the 'noise' hadn't stopped, my headache getting even worse that I almost lose my consciousness a few times.
"Hah. Amusing that you'd think breaking it will stop the effects." It mocked my actions, laughing in contempt.
[[Ahahahahahah!!]]
Suddenly I heard a shrill voice of a woman laughing maniacally. The voice sending shivers down my spine as I froze up, unable to move.
"Should be long enough, now." It said, staring at me. Just after It did so, I felt a shockwave shaking the room.
"Tsk, he's here now? And it seems like he even brought company. Dealing with him now puts too much at risk. Can't have that... Can't have that..." It said in irritation as It looked upwards. Turning his gaze at me, It said, "I was hoping to deal with both you and Kael at the same time. Too bad... Guess I have to do it later."
Having said that, It raised It's hand, summoning a black mist as it swirled in a vortex, forming a portal leading somewhere. I could vaguely sense that the place it's headed to isn't anywhere one could call 'safe'.
"I did say you're gonna die today. Just not right now. We still needs you, missy," It said with a horrifying smile as It pushed me into the ominous vortex, swallowing me whole.
As I watched It look at me fall with a maniacal look, my vision was replaced with darkness as I passed out.
...
A few moments later,
The barrier stones placed in various locations in the attic shook, vibrating rapidly until it eventually broke into pieces. The invisible barrier integrate promptly as a few shadows flew into the room in haste.
However, all that they could find inside was a broken radio and a few traces of struggle left behind.
One of the people that flew in, a man dressed in all black with horrible complexion, fell to the floor as he pounded it fiercely in agitation, "We're too late! Damnit!"
A one eyed blond man, who was standing next to him, has the same calm expression. However, he too was feeling distraught. "She must have been taken there already. They need her alive to complete their objective. But we need to hurry and get there before they can achieve it."
Kael flinched at his words, "By there, you mean... 'that place'? She won't be able to withstand it's atmosphere! She will 'die' if she stayed for a long period of time!"
Meril nodded at his words, agreeing, "That's why if push comes to shove, we will leave her." He said without much change to his expression, staring straight at Kael in the eyes.
"But that's too..." Kael opened his mouth, wanting to object, but knowing full well the conditions of that place, he knew that what Meril had said is only reasonable. Thus, he fell silent.
Meril gazed at Kael silently, his golden eye showed sadness for a split second before returning to normal. He turned to the other figures in the room, instructing, "Search the room. Determine the coordinate where she was sent to. We will depart immediately after."