"FALL ALREADY" I shouted at the beast, yet it didn't spare me any attention as it kept clashing against my blade.
I reach for my satchel pulling out a flask before emptying it on the ground.
"Holy water?" it retched.
"You think holy water can KILL ME??"
"No… not at all"
I flicked a match causing a slight spark to sound off.
"But this might help"
I threw the match upon the ground causing a huge flame just in front of the creature and it started shrieking violently. A slight smoke fume began to pour out covering the creature, but it didn't take a genius to see the damage fire had done to a creature ironically from hell.
"This is just gasoline but…I think holy gasolines a better name fo-"
A gigantic tentacle like limb suddenly emerged from the smoke, it came for me before I could even react and sent me wildly flying in the air, I tried to break my fall with my back and that went as well as what could be expected.
I got up waiting for the creature's true form to finally show itself and it did, it was akin to a monster one might see in a kids drawings, multiple heads four limbs and tons of goo falling from its skin.
I take one look And I realize this is going to be an incredibly long day. I landed on the ground the wind being completely knocked out of me. I heard the shrieks of what seemed to be the creature burning before I slowly picked myself back up my nose had taken some bad damage blood was spilling all over.
It hurts!
It hurts so much!
God I want to go home, What the hell am I even doing here? This is Xing's job, hell maybe even Kana's. This threat far exceeded that of my own capabilities the moment it became whatever the hell it is now.
I couldn't breathe. My chest heaved as the beast's grotesque limbs lashed out again, each strike sending shivers through my bones. Blood ran from my nose, and I was pretty sure one of my ribs had cracked. The motel around us was falling apart, debris scattered everywhere, and smoke curled up from the gasoline fire I'd set moments ago. Yet, the creature kept coming.
It stood in the middle of the wreckage, goo dripping from its elongated limbs, its many eyes glaring at me with sickening hunger. I knew I was outmatched. My body screamed for rest, but the beast, now fully revealed in its horrific form, surged forward, each movement like the roll of a thunderstorm.
I wasn't fast enough this time.
One of its tentacle-like arms wrapped around my waist, lifting me effortlessly off the ground. I clawed at it, trying to break free, but my strength was gone. Its grip tightened. The pressure around my chest increased, and I felt the air being forced out of my lungs. Panic clawed at me as I struggled to breathe.
It brought me closer to its twisted face, its many eyes darting wildly, all fixated on mine. The stench of rot filled the air as it spoke, voice dripping with malice.
"Your eyes... Give them to me..."
I couldn't break free. My vision blurred as its fingers neared my face, pressing against my eyelids, the suction pulling them from their sockets. I screamed, the pain blinding.
Then, just as I felt I was about to lose everything—
A sharp, slicing wind cut through the air, followed by a blinding flash of white.
The tentacle holding me snapped clean off, and I dropped to the ground with a painful thud. I gasped for breath, vision swimming as I blinked against the sudden change.
"Looks like I got here just in time."
That voice. Calm, yet commanding. Playful, yet filled with authority. I lifted my head, blinking through the pain, to see Xing standing in the doorway, her silhouette framed by the moonlight filtering through the wrecked motel.
Her expression was unreadable, but there was an ease in her stance. She stood, her blade gleaming in the dim light, casually resting against her shoulder. Her katana, long and slender, dripped with the black ichor of the creature she'd just sliced through.
"You really can't handle anything on your own, can you?" she teased, her voice lilting with a hint of mockery.
The beast roared in pain, recoiling from her attack, its severed limb twitching on the ground beside me. I forced myself to stand, wobbling slightly as the weight of the fight settled on my body.
"I had it," I muttered through gritted teeth, wiping the blood from my face.
Xing raised an eyebrow, her lips quirking into a slight smile. "Oh, clearly. You looked like you were just about to win."
Before I could reply, the beast screeched again, its body twisting as it regenerated the limb Xing had severed. The ichor bubbling from its wounds began to reform, and it lunged forward, faster this time, clearly enraged.
But Xing didn't even flinch.
With a flick of her wrist, she raised her katana, its edge gleaming white with a powerful burst she shouted, "purifying flame!" and the fire ripped through the air like a crack of thunder. The beast halted in its tracks, sensing the imminent danger, but it was too late.
In one fluid motion, Xing moved faster than I could track. Her blade arced through the air with deadly precision, slicing through the creature's massive body as if it were made of paper. The beast let out a final, gurgling scream before collapsing into a pool of black, bubbling goo.
Its ashes slowly withered out into the air.
"Done and done," she said confidently, flicking her blade clean with a sharp, practiced motion. She sheathed it in one smooth movement, turning to face me.
And as she did the stray gathered its final breathe for what seemed to be its final assault.
'D-don't underestimate… meee' said the dying stray.
Xing turned back around to face it once more
'That's seriously disgusting, isn't it?'
I stood there, still catching my breath, staring at the remains of the creature. My legs felt like they could give out any second.
"Why didn't you just let me handle it?" I muttered, glaring at her as she approached.
She turned and gave me that infuriating smile, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Oh, come on. I wanted to see if you could handle it yourself. Consider it a test."
"A test?" I nearly spat. "I was about to get my eyes ripped out, Xing."
She shrugged, utterly unfazed. "And yet here you are, eyes intact. You're welcome."
I wanted to punch her. Or at least say something snappy in return, but I didn't have the energy. My body screamed for rest, my head pounded from the fight, and I could still feel the lingering presence of the beast, like a shadow creeping at the edge of my senses.
"Besides," Xing added, her tone softening just a little, "you're getting stronger. You held your own for quite a while. You're not the same weakling you were when you started."
I looked at her, surprised by the rare compliment, but she waved it off with a flick of her hand, already walking toward the exit. "Come on, Pretender. Let's get out of here before the police show up and start asking questions."
She didn't wait for me to follow, and after a few moments, I forced myself to walk after her, my body aching with every step. As we left the wrecked motel behind, I couldn't help but feel a strange mix of frustration and relief.
Frustrated that I still needed her help. Relieved that, despite everything, she had shown up when I needed her most.
Xing glanced over her shoulder as we walked. "Oh, and Kozo?"
I looked up, meeting her gaze.
"Don't die too soon, okay? I'd hate to have to break in another student. Besides you're my niece ya'know."
I sighed. Xing was a 'belov' before she became a 'Zahran', she married my dad's brother but he was a nobody I hadn't even met him.
"Kozo… one last thing' Xing playfully turned to face me.
'Just tell me already' I said demandingly annoyed at her continuous speaking.
She turned once more her back facing to me.
'Your father passed away, it happened about 3 hours ago'
Suddenly; Everything around me slowed, the world muffling into silence.
"he's… dead?" I said timidly.
'Yep' She examined her Watch casually.
'And in about two' or so hours we're meeting with the doctors to confirm the body'
'He's… gone?'
'Didn't I just say that?'
'N-No I mean-' I began to nervously speak
'Xing if that's true… then-'
'The Enfanzes already made their first move, just thirty minutes ago four of your fathers five captains accepted new offers working for them' she said without a single hint of surprise or worry upon her face.
"Don Zahran" she said with a bit of an upbeat tone as she smiled carefully.
She took Kozo's hand carefully examining it, Kozo didn't move an inch she couldn't at all, her anxiety became her.
Xing kissed Kozo's hand as she carefully bowed to her mimicking an acceptance of a new leader.
An action her father and his father and likely even his father had bestowed upon them for years and years only this being the newest of this century lasting dance.
The words echoed in my mind, but they felt distant, muffled like a radio tuned to the wrong frequency. My breath caught in my throat, and suddenly the world around me spun. I grasped the edge of the desk to steady myself, but it felt as if the floor was shifting beneath my feet.
I blinked hard, trying to clear the fog that settled over my mind, but it only thickened. My heart raced, pounding against my chest like a war drum, each beat resonating louder than the last. I could feel my legs trembling beneath me, threatening to give way.
"Xing," I stammered, desperation creeping into my voice.
But she was already moving, her eyes darting to the door, assessing the situation with calm precision. "We prepare for the worst. We can't let them take what your father built."
Her words fell on deaf ears. I felt lightheaded, the room closing in around me. The memories of my father, of the warmth of his presence, washed over me like a tidal wave, pulling me under.
"Kozo?" Xing's voice tinged curiously.
But it was too late. The darkness crept in at the edges of my vision, my heart seemed as though it would beat out of my chest a swirling abyss threatening to consume my erratic vision. My knees buckled, and I stumbled forward, desperately reaching out for something to hold onto.
"Xing… I can't…"
And then for the first of many of times the Saint's daughter would be met with and suddenly entombed by black as her consciousness faded.