"Eichi-sama!"
Tori continued to scream as Eichi met his partner in an unwell condition. They are very worried that the condition of their leader will get worse.
Quickly, Yuzuru brought Eichi to sit on a nearby sofa and let the man rest for a while.
Yuzuru knew that in the end Eichi would be weak after confronting Rei head-on. Because for Eichi, Rei has its own pressure compared to the vampires he has ever met.
Maybe, it's a curse from Rei's father. Or it could be, Eichi was afraid of Rei's power.
"Eichi-sama, are you okay?" asked Tori with a sad look.
"Young master, Kaichou-sama needs some time to rest for a while. So, it would be nice if Young master kept the question for a while," explained Yuzuru.
Tori puffed out her cheeks. He didn't accept Yuzuru's words and wanted to talk to Eichi.
"It's okay. I'm just tired because I have a lot of tasks to complete in a short time," Eichi evaded.
"Liar, Eichi-sama must be dealing with that damn Sakuma right!" replied Tori.
"Young master, please know your limits," Yuzuru scolded which made Tori not understand who the Butler was on whose side.
"No, it's not about Sakuma. By the way, where is Wataru?" asked Eichi who seemed to be recovering.
"He ... he went out for a while. He said he wanted to play with his favorite pigeon," Tori replied.
"I see," said Eichi.
After that, not a word came out between them. There was only the clinking of some glassware produced by Yuzuru.
Preparing tea, taking some pastries, even Yuzuru served dessert. Of course the goal was for Tori to be quiet for a while so Eichi would open up again with them.
Brack!
The door opened roughly and was accompanied by dozens of white doves entering this room.
"Isn't this beautiful?" asked a man who was really looking for by Eichi.
"Wataru-kun," called Eichi, ignoring the dove.
"Oh, Eichi. Why do you look so weak? Are you sick?" he asked in a relaxed tone.
Eichi smirked. "You said that you were once the teacher of the successor of the Sakasaki family, right?"
"Yes, of course. I told him to be more free in expressing magic. Magic for life, magic for protection, and magic for kindness," explained Wataru proudly.
Tori and Yuzuru could only be silent. They didn't know where Eichi was talking.
But, doesn't it sound strange if Tori is silent? Yes, of course there is a mastermind behind Tori's silence. Several times Tori wanted to try to talk, Yuzuru immediately fed a spoonful of bread or dessert, so Tori didn't have time to speak.
"Can you schedule my meeting with him?" asked Eichi with a serious look.
Wataru smiled widely. He didn't think that Eichi wanted to meet Natsume so quickly.
"Are you sure? Natsume isn't the only powerful magician you can meet," said Wataru.
"Did I choose the wrong person?...."
"Fear is your terror, Eichi. You make your mind controlled by fear. And that fear will spread to the terror that makes you unable to move freely and decide who should be your opponent."
"Hey, Eichi-sama isn't afraid of anyone, you know!" snarled Tori.
"Oh yeah? Do you believe that the real Eichi is really weak?" replied Wataru.
"You ...."
"Tori, please be quiet," said Eichi and Tori could only look down. "So, what is my true terror, Hibiki Wataru?"
*****
The forest looks sad. The trees sing nature's songs to cheer up the surrounding environment. The birds also choose to go to a proper place.
The temperature began to drop and darkness arrived. Only the moon is the only light.
"Lucerna," Natsume said and then he was surrounded by balls of light that spread out every time he walked.
Along the way, all he encountered were corpses. Some of them were no longer able to recognize Natsume.
"Natsume? Is that you?"
Neko's voice guided Natsume to him. And how surprised he was when he saw the condition of the girl he loved.
"Natsume, why didn't you come?" Neko said in between moans. Her beautiful body had now been damaged by a stab of a dagger from nowhere.
The vampires and werewolves have died. Leaving wizards and humans in the grip of demons after they've managed to hunt down all the vampire and werewolf bloodlines.
"Natsume, do you hate me?" asked Neko with a pale face.
Natsume didn't know what to say. Neko was really hurt but she didn't know what to do.
"Natsume, I beg you... help me."
beep! beep! beep! beep! beep! beep!
Natsume woke up from his sleep with ragged breaths. His hand reached out to turn off the alarm that managed to save him from the nightmare.
"Neko..." Natsume muttered.
After breathing steady, Natsume looked for his cell phone and found nearly a hundred missed calls from his teacher, Hibiki Wataru.
Until finally, a message arrived before he hung up the phone.
'Natsume, you have been hunted.'
Natsume frowned. He didn't understand why he was being hunted but, he knew that this was Rei's plan.
It's possible that Rei wants Eichi to hunt him down so that the vampire's internal affairs return to normal before the demons notice the unrest between them.
But, why should Natsume?
Natsume tried to contact Rei, but there was no answer. Contacting Wataru is useless, because the teacher is working under the auspices of a demon.
Yes, in the end, it was just Natsume's fleeting assumption. Because both demons and vampires were two troublesome creatures for him.
Like it or not, Natsume had to immediately make a move. He must be able to learn everything in the book quickly and quickly.
Natsume got up from his bed and went to his ritual room. He straightened his pajamas before entering the circle and after that, he stretched out his hand.
Natsume closed his eyes and his mind concentrated on what he wanted.
"Custos tenebrarum. Da mihi potestatem ad decipiendos daemones, qui post me sunt (O guardians of darkness. Lend me your power to trick the demons that stalk me)," muttered Natsume.
Instantly, the circle where Natsume was standing emitted a red glow. And a mysterious man appeared in front of him.
"A daemonio insectatus ice, ut videtur (You're being chased by a demon, apparently)," said the man with a sharp look.
"Plus quam tu putas. Post eius quoque vitam videbatur (More than you think. They are after his life too)," replied Natsume.
"Quod puella? Priusquam sera dixi tibi eum interficere. Nunc, cum tibi videris, bellum necesse est (That girl? I told you to kill her before it's too late. Now you see for yourself, war is inevitable)," said the man. with a tone that is very scary for humans.
Natsume sighed. It wasn't his intention to call the man here to argue.
"Modo praebe mihi vires lever. Ne sciat diabolus yam sit verus locus. Etiam, ne laedant homines (Just lend me your power. Don't let the demons know where the real location is. Also, don't let them hurt humans)," said Natsume.
"Sicut per tuam petitionem, Magister Natsume (according to your request, Master Natsume)," said the man who then disappeared along with the clouds that suddenly enveloped this area.
Even so, Natsume was still worried about (Name)'s condition. He was wondering, is he all right? Did the Sakuma brothers treat (Name) well? Will they be able to protect Neko all day?
That question kept spinning in Natsume's mind. However, the most important thing right now was not Neko. But his safety.
After that brief summons, Natsume started to have a boring day. Work, cook, take care of the house he did alone.
Sometimes, he remembers the time when Neko lived under the same roof as him. The days are beautiful until Ritsu asks him to return to Japan.