Kazumi felt his foot hit something in the hallway. He looked down to see his father's arm lying out from the Livingroom doorway. He didn't even want to look around the corner, as he watched the pool of blood slowly seeping from the rug. His heart grew louder in his ears. He couldn't think straight long enough to try to fathom who could have done this.
*Drip...drip...drip*
He looked forward to see a small puddle of blood at his feet. He looked up slowly. He felt adrenaline surge through his body. He recognized the jagged teeth that now stared back at him. He threw himself backward as the creature lunged down from the ceiling, slamming into the floor.
The creature had a large, long, head that seemed to emanate with smoke. Bones were embedded into its jaw and scalp. Its face was split down the center of its jaw with small jagged tusks protruding from each side of its jaw. It had a bulky chest with muscular long arms, tipped with fingers bearing razor-like claws. Its torso became quickly narrow, outlining what seemed to be a ribcage, leading down to long boney legs.
It turned slowly to face Kazumi, it didn't have eyes but he knew it could see him. He could feel its gaze shredding him. It let out a chilling growl, which sounded like a combination of scratched glass and dragging rock. It began to slowly approach him as Kazumi slid ever so slightly back. He glanced around for something to defend himself with but he found nothing within arms reach. He looked up and saw a knife lying on the counter just slightly above him. He looked back at the creature which now began to sink in its posture, seemingly preparing to strike. Kazumi dove for the knife just as the creature lunged at him. The creature's claws cut into the floor like it was made of paper. Kazumi turned and swung the knife down onto the creature's head. The blade chipped and deflected off of its skull. Kazumi stared in horror for a moment, before the creature reared up on its legs; and with its massive claws, grabbed Kazumi with one hand and lifted him off of his feet. Kazumi kicked and flailed but the creature's grip was mercilessly strong.
It opened its massive jaws once more. Kazumi's heart raced as it moved its teeth closer to his head. Almost unconsciously he swung the remainder of the knife across the inside of its mouth, then plunged it deep into the back of its palette.
The creature released him and recoiled backward. Kazumi dropped to the floor and slid to the side out of its path. The creature shut its mouth and shook for a moment, twitching its head in different directions. Then it stopped, paused for a moment, then whipped its head to face Kazumi. Kazumi tried to scramble to his feet but the creature lunged at him once again, bearing its claws into his shoulders.
Kazumi let out a cry of pain as he was flung up and into the ceiling. His ears rang as his vision faded and blurred. It slammed him into the ceiling again and again until breaking through, and throwing Kazumi up and onto the roof. Kazumi stared up at the now dark orange sky, the color was all he could make out. The world was silent around him but was slowly coming back into focus. The pain that was once numbed from shock began to ring in every inch of his body.
The creature leapt onto the roof and towered over him, seething with hunger and smoke. It leaned over Kazumi, pinning him with one of his massive hands. Kazumi began to close his eyes, at the very least he might see his parents again soon if there was anything to come after.
A bright orange flash glowed from beyond the darkness of his eyelids. He opened his eyes to see the creature rearing up, howling in pain. A dark figure darted into view, slamming into the creature, sending it barreling backward across the roof.
Kazumi sat up slowly, his vision was much clearer now, and he could see the man standing before him. He was a tall gruff looking man, with a sharply trimmed beard. The man stood with a strong posture, his presence was powerful, more so than anyone he had ever seen. He wore a black cloak with orange markings; it was contoured to his arms and torso and tapered out over his legs. He wielded a large, bronze sword, the blade traveled down beyond the guard over his hand; at the end of the blade it tapered off at an angle to a bright shining tip.
The man looked back at Kazumi, his eyes were powerful yet kind. "Try to stand, you have to get yourself out of here, run for the peer and find somewhere to hide." He said sternly.
Kazumi did his best to force out what words he could muster. "I can't stand, who are you? How did you find me?" He asked weakly.
"No time for that," The man replied, "Just get yourself out of harm's way the best you can."
Kazumi slid himself closer to the hole in the roof, he figured once he had the strength he could drop down into his kitchen and make a run for the back door.
The man turned back to face the creature. It had sprouted a new arm from where it had been severed by the man's first strike; it turned to face the man, growling the same demonic tune it had before. The man moved into a fighting stance, the sword held firmly above his shoulder. He dashed at the creature faster than Kazumi could see, swinging at it within a fraction of a second. The creature raised its hand in just as quickly a motion, blocking the strike. It seemed to have adapted to the same kind of strike that once could have crippled it.
The man grimaced at the notion and quickly leapt back as it swung down on where he once stood, blasting a hole in the roof. The man turned and shifted his grip on the sword, the edge began to glow a magnificent orange. He unleashed a volley of swings on the creature, each blow unleashing a gust of air that stifled Kazumi's breath. The creature blocked most and clashed with retaliating blows of its own. The arms of the creature were riddled with deep burning gashes that did not seem to be healing, not immediately anyway.
In one motion, faster than the eye could see, the man stepped back, planting his foot, and unleashed a swing that exploded in a blinding orange-yellow light. The creature flew backwards but caught itself, retching in pain at the large gash that went from its hip up to its chest. It unleashed a bloodcurdling cry as its arm seemed to boil and smoke as it molded itself into a large crescent blade. It swung down on the man, who blocked it best he could. He dashed backward out from under the creature and steadied himself, but the creature was faster now, too fast. It brought the blade down on the man who narrowly blocked it as the weight of the strike buckled his knees. The creature hammered down on him with swing after swing, until finally breaking his guard; pinning him with its massive claws.
"I have to do something," Kazumi thought to himself in a panic, "This man, who I have never known went out of his way to protect me from that *thing*, I can't just let him die in front of me. If I do, I'm done for anyways."
His strength had slowly begun to return to him but he couldn't bring himself to move.
"Move dammit!" He thought to himself, "Move, MOVE, you have to do SOMETHING, what would mom and dad think of you!"
And in that moment, he realized it wasn't that he couldn't move, he was too afraid to. He balled up his fist and jerked himself forward, it wasn't that he wanted to move,
He had to.
The creature reared its sickle-like arm back behind it's head and opened its grotesque jaws.
Kazumi gritted his teeth and stood, he was still soar but no worse than after a heavy workout. He planted himself, one foot behind him, as he closed his fist. He knew if his parents would have wished for him to do anything in this moment, it would be to not let such a selfless man die in front of him, with Kazumi helpless to act.
Kazumi bolted off, that swiftness from before returning to him, greater than ever. His fist glowed a brilliant light but Kazumi paid it no mind; he had one goal in mind, save that man.
Kazumi swung his fist with every ounce of strength he could right into the mouth of the creature.
*THUBOOM*
The blast shook every bone in Kazumi's body. As the light from the blast cleared he saw the creatures head, now a blackened ravine, smoking from the impact. Kazumi stumbled backwards as his body was still shocked by reverberations from the punch.
The man stared at him in awe, then rose to his feet. He walked past Kazumi and looked around off the edge of the roof. Kazumi stayed focused on the now motionless creature.
"Move." He heard the man say sternly from behind him.
Kazumi turned and saw the man with the sword raised above his head; it was burning a brilliant orange engulfed in flames of sunlight. Kazumi crawled frantically out of the way as the man brought the sword swiftly downwards.
*WHOOSH*
The creature, along with the better part of Kazumi's house, was engulfed in bright orange-yellow flames; as a wall of fire erupted from the mans sword, incinerating everything in its path.
Kazumi stared at what remained of his house. "What the hell did you do that for!" He asked confused.
"They're called The Scorned." The man replied, at first ignoring the question. "You did a shockingly significant amount of damage to it, however it wasn't dead. You have to fully destroy its torso and head to kill them; or else they will regenerate and will be virtually immune to the yield of attack that they were hit with." The man finished.
"So that's why it wasn't phased by your hit before?" Kazumi replied.
"Precisely, it was my mistake for allowing it as much time to heal as I did." The man responded.
"Why did it attack me," Kazumi asked, "no...why did it kill my family?"
"That I do not know," The man replied, "But what I do know is they don't attack at random. It has been years since I've encountered one, and the speed at which it recovered, it was of a high caliber. I believe that whatever prompted it's attack has something to do with that extraordinary power you presented."
"They're gone because of me..." Kazumi mourned.
"No," the man replied quickly, "their attack on your parents was deliberate. Had they been after you, they would have attacked you at the first chance they had, your parents were of no consequence to them. I believe there is more to this incident, but before we can look into that we must get you somewhere safe; please come with me." The man's voice was of great concern now.
Kazumi hesitated, "What's your name?" He asked.
"My name is Aland Soleil." The man responded.
Kazumi outstretched his hand, "Kazumi Ehrling." He responded.
"Let's get you out of harms way now shall we?" Aland said lightly.
Aland dropped down into the now half incinerated kitchen. Kazumi followed close behind and the two walked out what was left of the back door. Aland lead them to a pickup truck that was parked a few yards down the road. They could hear sirens now so they quickly got into the truck. Aland threw his sword into the bed of the truck and started it. They drove slowly down the road, rounding the corner just as the police lights came into view. They continued down the road as the sun fell behind the horizon line. Kazumi heard Aland mutter something to himself but he couldn't make out what he had said. The hum of the engine and the gentle bumping in the road was putting Kazumi to sleep, the exhaustion from the fight probably wasn't helping either. Kazumi shut his eyes slowly and let himself drift off to sleep.
The feint gleam of sun hit Kazumi's eyes from the car mirror. His eyes fluttered open, he looked over at Aland, who was focused on the road. Kazumi had thought briefly that the events of the previous day had been a dream, but maybe it was just denial talking for a moment. Kazumi looked out the window to the sight of vast forests and hills. He looked down at his phone to see if he could figure out where he was but it was dead.
"Where are we?" He asked.
"Ah look who's awake." Aland replied cheerfully. "Did you sleep well?"
"Best I've had in a while, but that doesn't answer my question." Kazumi chuckled.
"Well we're in the hills of New York so just about home." Aland replied.
Kazumi stared for a moment, "Come again?"
"It's the safest place for you right now," Aland said calmly, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but we didn't have much time."
Kazumi looked away he was still in shock from the events of the previous night that he simply felt indifferent. They slowed as they neared a bend in the road and Aland took the car off on a narrow dirt path, so thickly coated in brush and leaves you would never have noticed it. It was full of tight turns but after about a quarter mile it began to open up.
The path lead them to a large courtyard with a stone rotary leading off to large, old buildings that seemed to draw design from ancient architecture from across the world. The courtyard was beautiful, with luscious green grass and bright shrines on three sides of it. Each one seemed to be dedicated to the sun, moon, and stars, respectively.
"What is this place?" Kazumi turned and asked Aland.
Aland replied, "Home."