Chereads / insouciant / Chapter 21 - |021|

Chapter 21 - |021|

[Kana]

"Hey, Alex ! Look !" I heard Phyu exclaiming.

I need food.

"Hey !!!!" Phyu waved at me. "Kana ! Come here ! I missed you !"

"Ugh. I don't miss you." I trudged over to her table and sat down.

"Why do you call her Kana ?" Alex asked in confusion.

"Uh..."

"You can call me Kana, too." I smiled slightly at Alex.

"Hey, Phyu…?" Alex grinned.

"Hm ?"

"Have I told you how beautiful you look today ?" Alex leaned in and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Gross.

Lovebirds.

Mmmmm, the cupcake looks tasty.

"O-oh…" Phyu blushed. "Th-thanks…? A-are you feeling okay ? You're acting different."

"Hm ?" Alex tilted his head, his hand reaching over to the cupcake.

Sneaky little bitch, aren't you ?

"Oh, yeah. Uh-huh… Different… That's what I'm going for-"

"Hey !" Phyu snatched the cupcake away from Alex. "You lied to me so you can steal my cupcake, huh ?"

"Who said I was lying ?" Alex smirked.

Phyu blushed and buried her head in Alex's shoulders.

"Thanks." I smirked and took the cupcake out of Phyu's hand.

"Mmm ! This is really good !" I beamed. "Thanks, Four-Eyes !"

"She-"

"Took-"

"My-"

"CUPCAKE !" They screamed in unison.

"Excuse me, we were having a moment." Alex glared at me.

"Well, I'm havin' a cupcake."

Munch

"That was good."

"Kana makes me laugh." Phyu giggled.

"She scares me." Alex frowned.

"Wanna sit here, Kana ?" Phyu patted the empty space beside her.

"Oh ! Um. Sure." I answered, surprised.

"What are you readin' ?" I peered at her book.

"I always wonder why she reads." Alex muttered.

"What's so bad about reading, Alex ?" Phyu hummed.

"I don't understand the enjoyment in that !" Alex exclaimed.

"Same here, Fire Boy." I nodded.

"Watching dog videos are more fun."

"Sometimes the information you need isn't in dog videos, Alex. Especially supernatural information."

"You're… doing research ?" Alex asked.

"Mmhmm."

"That's even worse."

"Earlier, you said you were havin' a moment… Are Four-Eyes and Fire boy datin' ?" I asked, a wicked smile dancing on my lips.

"Ah, to be young and in love !"

"Aren't you younger than me ?" Alex frowned.

"I'm 48." I snickered.

"For real ?"

"You're dumber than I thought. Of course not. I'm 19."

"Meanie." Alex pouted.

"Come on, Alex. I agree with Kana. That was obviously a lie. You're so naive." Phyu uttered, not looking up from her book.

"And no, Kana. We are not dating."

"Hm. That so ?" I arched my brow. "What a shame."

Poor Fire Boy looks like his face is overheating.

Pretty soon there's gonna be smoke whistling out of his ears.

"Hey, that reminds me…" Phyu closed her book and faced me.

"Have you ever been in love before ? Just curious."

"Oh. Mm. Well." I stammered. "In love ? That. Uh."

"I think you broke her." Alex whispered.

"N-no…? I haven't."

"Okay." Phyu nodded.

"Wait, wait, wait. Hey, Kana… You just stuttered now, didn't you ? Isn't that a sign of lying-"

"Hey, Fire Boy…." I narrowed my eyes.

"You better drop it. Or I won't hesitate to gouge your eyeballs out and force them down your throat."

"Wow, the weather sure is great today, huh ?" Alex quickly changed the subject. "And look at the sky- I- I mean ceiling- Look how beautiful and ravishing it is. Wowzas."

"I'm sure she didn't mean it-" Phyu started.

"No. I meant it."

"Well, don't scare people like that." Phyu scolded.

"As long as he doesn't get on my nerves. Why did you ask, anyway ?"

"Well, it says here…" Phyu pointed to a page of her book.

"What's it about ?" Alex asked.

"It's a book on chaos spirits."

"Demons are a race of monstrous and malevolent beings. Most were once human souls that were converted into these grotesque creatures by the demon king. They gradually lose their memories from their human life and their ability to love. Most possess an irresistible urge to kill, devour, or mess with human beings…" Phyu read.

"You're only a half demon. But I was wondering if you were an exception to not being able to love."

"Why are you reading demons, anyway ?" I yawned.

"Well, earlier you told me about 'Voice'. I'm pretty sure it is an extremely rare disorder that's caused by trauma. So far, from what I know, it's incurable. What's interesting is the fact that only halves or multis have suffered from this."

"What's a 'multi' ?"

"A full supernatural with multiple supernatural races other than human. Like Jackson. He's half fox, but I don't know his other half. All I know is that he isn't part human. Anyway, I thought that I could help you by doing some research on demons… But so far, I have nothing."

"Huh. I didn't know there were different types of demons." Alex shrugged. "So, Kana. What kind of demon are you ?"

"I just found out I'm a demon." I snorted. "How am I supposed to know ?"

"You might be part chaos demon." Phyu said.

"How do you know ?"

"You seem to adore chaos."

"Adore chaos, you say ?" I smiled. "That's pretty true. Maybe you're right."

"You were trying to leave the haven earlier, right ?" Phyu asked.

"Mmhmm. But then I got a stupid fever and fainted."

"Oh yeah !" Alex grinned. "And then I dragged you to Phyu's room and-"

"***YOU FUCKIN' DRAGGED ME ?***" I shouted, throwing Phyu's book towards him.

"***OHMYGOD, I'M SO SORRY DON'T KILL ME !***"

"Don't kill Alex." Phyu uttered. "Anyway, that was because of a fairy named Evelyn. I get that you want to leave… But with her guarding the border, it's going to be nearly impossible."

"Nearly impossible ?" I smirked. "Don't worry. I'll make it possible. Mark my words."

Meanwhile in Hell…

"So, is trudging around in circles something demons do on a regular basis ?" Acheron snickered.

"And fashion shows." Abbadon uttered.

"Wait, really ?"

"No." Abbadon rolled his eyes.

"I didn't know that someone named the Destroyer could make jokes."

"And for someone who's named after a damn river, you talk too much !" Abbadon shouted. "I've been waiting for your followers a week. I'm growing impatient !"

"It hasn't even been a day." Acheron cringed.

"Felt longer."

"Greetings, my beautiful friends !" A green haired demon called Aclahayr appeared. "I look fantastic, do I not ?"

"No." Abbadon uttered.

"You see, I was just taking a little break in the mortal realm… Ah, I hate the sunlight ! It was disgustingly beautiful ! Anyways, I saw a mortal old geezer wearing this, and I just had to have it ! Look at it ! This jacket is amazingly atrocious, isn't it ? As for the old man…Hah, hah, hah…"

"Hello, my friend." Acheron grimaced. "How is your father doing ?"

"Oh, you know…" Aclahyr teleported himself behind Acheron, grabbing his shoulders. "Spending his time with the other damned souls down here, being tortured."

"So, the same old, same old, then."

"Pretty much !"

"Good."

"ENOUGH FOOLING AROUND !" Abbadon shouted. "Acheron. When are your followers coming ? Give me a straight answer, now !"

"Soon." Acheron smirked.

"Abbadon, you old man. Calm down. It hasn't even been a day." Aclahyr snorted.

"***I AM CALM.***"

Acheron and Aclahry chortled in laughter.

"General. I have completed our task. Take me back." A voice boomed.

Abbadon snapped his fingers and a dark portal appeared, revealing a bloodsucker.

"Inform me on what happened in your little mission. I would like to make sure there aren't any slip-ups."

"Huh ? Oh, um… Right. Yes. We killed the Prophet, and the nature spirit. I was the one who drained the Prophet's blood and obtained her prophetic powers. Was killing the nature spirit really necessary ? I thought they were harmless." The bloodsucker stuttered.

"You dare have the audacity to question me ?" Abbadon seethed.

"Wha-?! N-never, General ! I was just confused, that's all."

"The nature spirit killed Naamah. Naaman was not a part of Twenty Chaos. She was no more than a pawn for the army."

"So if she was not that important… why order us to assassinate the nature spirit who executed her ?"

"Because the nature spirit still killed one of our kind. And for that, she needed to be punished. Where are the others ?"

"They… They were all killed. I am the only one who survived."

"By who ? BY WHO ?"

"Three were killed by a fire spirit, one was killed by a half demon, sir !"

"Alright. You're free to go. I need to talk to Acheron."

"Thank you…General."

The bloodsucker bowed and disappeared.

"I'm pretty sure you terrifies her with that face of yours, Destroyer." Aclahayr joked. "You gotta smile with that handsome face of yours ! Like-"

He reached out and pulled the side of Abbadon's cheeks.

"You see ? Now you look like an adorable, friendly demon. Would you like me to be your smiling tutor ?"

"No." Abbadon swatted his hands. "Don't need it. Get out."

"Ay, ay, General." He disappeared.

"Awe. How dare you." Acheron pouted. "You didn't let me say goodbye to him. How cruel can you be ?" He laughed.

"It's unbelievable how you can tolerate that infuriating spiky haired broccoli." Abbadon gagged.

"Are you kidding ? He's the only demo here who doesn't act like he has a cactus up his ass. He's fun to have around. And ? What is it you wanted to talk about ?"

"***YOU BELIEVED I WILL BE SATISFIED ABOUT THIS ?***" Abbadon screamed, grabbing Acheron by the collar of his suit.

"What is it now ?" Acheron sighed.

"***FOUR OF YOUR FOLLOWERS WERE SLAIN BY PATHETIC HALVES, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT ?***"

"Well, I have countless other followers… losing some isn't-"

"***NOT THAT, YOU SHIT BRAINED DOLT ! ARE YOU EVEN NOT ASHAMED ABOUT THE FACT THAT PUNY HALVES DEFEATED YOUR MINIONS ? IT MAKES US CHAOS SPIRITS LOOK WEAK AND IDIOTIC !***"

"Listen, Destroyer." Acheron uttered, his tone seething with anger. "I don't care if you feel ridiculous. As long as the goal or mission is complete is complete, your poor self-esteem is not important."

"***YOU DARE-***"

"And I'm sure you've forgotten, Abbadon… But I dislike it when demons like you touch me. Have you heard from the last one who laid a finger on me ? Oh… That's right… You couldn't have heard from him… HE CRUMBLED INTO DUST ! Unless you want to have your first encounter with death, I suggest you let go of me."

"Tch." Abbadon loosed his grip.

"Take this as a warning, Abbadon. Although I do not find or hate or find your kind disgusting, I do not enjoy physical contact with chaos spirits. Well, except for my dear friend Aclahayr." Acheron laughed.

"I hope you keep part of our promise; to capture my son when he gets out of the wretched haven. My followes and I will be looking for that half demon when she is out of haven as well. By the way, I heard that Wolf was coming to see you as well. Very soon, in fact. Goodbye, Abbadon. We will meet again." He disappeared in a flash of violet.

"Well… That was very dramatic." A voice chuckled behind Abbadon.

"How long have you been standing there ?" Abbadon snarled.

"Mmm… Like a minute ago ? When Acheron kicked your ass. I guess… It hurts like hell, huh ? Ha ha ! See what I did there ? See ?"

"I don't get that."

"Oh right. I keep forgetting you don't understand jokes. You are in your thousand's even though you look like in your twenties."

"Enough talking about me. Why and how did you get here ?"

"Well, first, I have one of the Keys to teleport to other realms. Second, just because I am half blind, doesn't mean I can't make my way down here. As for why… Since I am a chaos spirit, I think I can inform you about something."

"What is it, Wolf ?"

"Oh, Abbadon. How many times have I told you dislike being called 'Wolf' ? I told you… You are free to call me Bryson. That half you were talking about ? She's not cooperative. the only person she's ever admired and worked for was a mortal named Ethan Takahashi. So it'll be hard to convince her to work for you. Her name is Kana Koroshi Kurokage. Though she prefers to be called 'Koroshi.' She dislikes people calling her first name unless she's comfortable with it. I saw her in prison about a week ago, before she escaped. She and I go way back."

[Kana]

"Mark my words."

"Why do I have a feeling that you're going to kill the fairy guarding the borders ?" Phyu asked.

"Wha- Why would you think that ?" I defended myself.

"Is that a trick question ?" Alex questioned.

"I am not goin' to- Never mind." I sighed.

"Why do you want to leave ?" Phyu asked.

"I… need to see my…"

I took a deep breath forcefully.

"…Some people."

"Maybe you should stay here for a while." Phyu looked at me with an unreadable expression. "That way, I can learn more about 'Voice', and you can train here. Besides, the police are still looking for you. Won't it be troublesome if they interrupted a moment between you and… those people ?"

"M- maybe."