An abyss of darkness accomodates monsters. When those monsters emerge, they shall pull down with them whatever is in their reach. The only thing left for you and me is to fall in despair and die. That doesn't matter – if you already want to die.
Serena's eyelids fluttered, as if she wanted to wake up but couldn't. She was caught in a trance that made it impossible for her to wake up.
Suddenly, there was a flash of crimson that lit up the room for a brief moment. Serena's eyes opened and she sat up slowly. Her hand began to move on its own, going up until it reached her neck. Cold metal touched her skin and she felt a soft pulsing coming from the crimson crystal, which was entangled by a silver dragon.
Wordlessly, she stood up and walked to a broken mirror that stood on a small desk. In the few rays of sunlight that penetrated through heavy curtains, she could see her reflection.
A seventeen year old girl, blind in the right eye, and with exactly one memory of her past; that was who she was looking at.
"Another day, another chance to find myself," she said. Her voice was soft and as gentle as a breeze whereas her features would appear rather sharp but pretty. Her face wore a constant mellow expression.
With graceful movements as if she was a dancer, Serena opened the curtains, fully letting in sunlight.
In the distance, behind endless fields, meadows and countless groups of trees, tall skyscrapers reached into the clouds, modern vehicles zoomed through the air; a modern place indeed. This was the border to the Zhanshi region.
Serena's red eye stared at the same spot for a long time, as though she was trying to figure out something. Every single light that entered her eye seemed to be absorbed by it. There was not a single glimmer and it looked dead but people wouldn't notice when looking at her.
"When the sun is shining, memories will flood your mind like the sunlight floods the room, and yet I have nothing," Serena said to herself.
She walked back to the mirror, and lifted the strands of her black hair that covered her right eye. Leaning forward, she examined the white of it, before tilting her head to the side. Somehow, it was very amusing to look at oneself. The longer her gaze remained on her reflection, the more she saw a certain coldness emanating from the facade she wore every single day. She was nothing but an orphaned peasant that was travelling to find what she had lost, a past, her memories, and something very certain.
Very often she looked at herself in the mirror, not to see if she was pretty, but to ask what she had done in the past to become like this.
There was a sharp knock at the door, and the innkeeper's voice came through the lock.
"Young Misstress [1], you must leave today, remember?" she called.
"Of course," replied Serena softly.
After putting all of her belongings, which weren't much, into a pouch that she put into her sleeve [2], she put on a dark robe, braided her hair, and opened the door.
"My apologies for coming late," she said with a bow [3].
The old woman just waved off with a small smile. Serena was the first young person she had met who was very polite and respectful to the elderly.
"As you are from Chuantong, a small word of advice. Zhanshi includes all the modern cities of the Land of Quanbu," she said.
"I am aware of that," Serena replied with a small nod.
"Thank you for exorcizing the devourer that had been disturbing this small town. I wish you a safe trip, Young Misstress!" the woman called, waving as Serena left from the inn.
Along her way, in a passage with many beautiful trees and a glass ceiling, something red caught Serena's eye. At first, it didn't bother her but when a strong scent of blood hit her noise, she turned to take a closer look.
There was a dead body, leaning against a tree trunk, the wood stained with fresh blood. The victim was killed only a couple of moments ago.
"My" muttered Serena, closing the corpse's eyes. „May you rest in peace." As a gesture of respect, she bowed before the body, before inspecting it.
There was a huge stab wound in the back that went right through the heart. Serena let out a small sigh when she saw crimson veins on the corpse's skin becoming more and more visible.
"And here I thought that katara devourers would not disturb my journey," she said.
A growl came from behind another tree. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees as the wind picked up pace and the trees began to bend to its force. It was as if they were announcing upcoming danger.
"Why don't you come out?" Serena spoke calmly.
A creature of horrific appearance, emerged from behind the tree. Half of its animal face was covered by a skull mask, multiple eyes on its head pointed into a different direction, and it approached Serena with a snarl. It was a katara devourer.
„What a nuisance," hissed Serena, as she raised her hand, moving it to the right. Within a second, the katara devourer was surrounded by a circle of fire, and it let out a loud howl when the fire touched with its paw.
"Stop making so much noise, will you?" said Serena softly.
With a snap, the the fire circle rapidly shrank until the devourer was entirely engulfed in red flames. Howls of tornment echoed through the passage, gradually fading as Serena continued to walk. She cracked her fingers, looking at one in particular. Her left index finger wore a silver ring that looked like a branch. She had, however, no idea where she had gotten the piece of jewelry from and once again, she found it unfortunate that there was a time where she could remember absolutely nothing. Ironically, Serena had been able to memorize things perfectly from a certain point of age, when she was twelve. That was so absurd just like her entire life has been since then.
Yumao, the capital of the Land of Quanbu, was a very busy metropol. Cars were driving through the roads, trains drove above the city on suspension railroads, people were going shopping; a city bustling with life.
For Serena, it was something completely strange and new because there was no such thing in Xiao Meili, a town where she had lived before she set off to her journey. The entire region Chuantong lived in a very traditional manner, resembling to the ones of their ancestors. There were no cars, no tall scyscrapers, nor did they had any advanced technology.
"Excuse me, young Miss," said a woman who was leaning against a glass door. "I can't help but notice the accessories you are wearing. Do you mind taking a look at the ones inside of my shop?" she asked, eying Serena from head to toe.
The shop she entered differated so much from the shops she had usually been in. It had air conditioners, huge sized TV screens, marble floor, LED lights, and several modern gadgets Serena has never seen before. It was such a weird feeling that the temperature instantly dropped as she entered and how things flickered on a big display while music droned in the background, odd music at that.
"I really like the amulet you're wearing. From which jeweller did you get it?" the female jeweller asked.
Serena's hand wandered to the amulet and to the necklace. She had found it a few weeks before she left Xiao Meili. It had fallen from the sky on a rainy day, and the soft crimson shimmer had caught Serena's attention immediately. Eventually, she kept the amulet and wore it around her neck, and not even once has she taken it off.
"I have found it," she replied truthfully.
The woman gave a strange look, but didn't question any further. She walked behind the counter and motioned for Serena to follow. Several pieces of jewelry shimmered through the glass that separated the customers from the precious goods.
"This hairpin would look really well on you. The one you're wearing right now is a bit rusty, isn't it?" she asked.
Serena observed the silver hairpin with several red stones in it, but she found nothing appealing about it. It was true that those colors suited to her but she felt some sort of affection for the hairpin she was currently wearing. It was a bit old but it wasn't rusty at all, rather, it wasn'' shiny.
"I'm afraid to decline," apologized Serena with a polite bow.
"That's fine, I can see why you don't want it. Many people from Chuantong want to keep their old jewelry," said the woman, putting the hairpin back to its place.
"Yet, thank you very much," said Serena with a soft smile, bowing before she left.
In the meantime, the clouds have cleared and the sun beamed down upon the busy citizens. It made Yumao appear even more hectic than already, and still, there lied some sort of beauty in this city Serena couldn't take her eyes off. It wasn't the scenery that was captivating but something she couldn't explain to herself. It were clearly not the cars or the traffic.
Only rarely people from Chuantong would come to Zhanshi because of the hectic atmosphere. And it was likewisely the other way round because Chuantong had nothing modern at all. There were no big sized TV screens or air conditioners, nor had they any electronic devices or gadgets that counted as modern. However, there was one district in Yumao that imitated the lifestyle of the people in Chuantong and that was the Yule District that people living in Zhanshi would occasionally pay a visit. Serena thought that it would be the best for her to go there. It would take too much effort for her to adapt to a city where she would only be staying temporarily.
Serena wasn't disappointed in the slightest as she walked through high red gates, entangled by golden dragons. At night, lanterns would levitate into the sky, and people would play traditional music. Despite a few parts being modernized, it beared quite a lot resemblance to Chuantong. Just like in Xiao Meili, there were a few market stalls on the streets, selling their goods to pedestrians.
Serena stopped at a market stall that was selling oil-paper parasols with caligraphy. The natural curve of the writing was very beautiful and Serena decided to buy a crimson parasol. It was a token of the Land of Quanbu, because that was what was written in gold on the crimson surface.
It was late afternoon by now, and Serena stopped near a small fountain in a garden. It was actually a garden for lovers that wanted to spend their time in a harmonious place. That was why it was a bit awkward for the young couples to see a girl sitting on a bench, alone, and looking at flowers. Serena never had a love interest nor was she interested in any romantic relationships. To be honest, she could not remember whether she had a firm bond with anyone. It felt as if she has been alone since forever. Despite that, she has never mind being alone nor in company of other, as she was a very adaptable person. As long as she didn't have to care for them.
All of a sudden,the sound of loud explosion in the distance rang through the air, and many couples jumped up, startled by the loud noise.
"An explosion! We're so dead," whispered one of them.
"Not katara devourers again!" called another.
"But there aren't any exorcists amongst us,' cried a girl, clinging to her boyfriend.
A few gazes wandered to Serena, who was still sitting on the bench, unbothered by the action happening.
"I heard that people from Chuantong are most likely to be exorcists," said a guy.
"How do you know that she is from Chuantong? She could have just bought a new robe and went here. We are in the Yule District after all," another couple reminded them.
Serena had been listening in on their conversation while turning a rose in her hand. The explosion wasn't close enough to this garden and katara devourers would most likely be exorcized already.
However, suddenly, something chilling ran down Serena's spine and her head shot up. Between the branches of a tree, she saw a pair of eyes flashing before they vanished behind leaves. Katara devourers always tend to show up in the most inconvenient situations, at least for her. And very often so.
Sighing, Serena stood up and approached the tree. The couples were watching her in anticipation and nervousness as she put her hand on the cold wood. Thereupon she heard a loud snarl above her head, and with a loud thud, the devourer landed on the ground, creating a small crater.
A few girls let out a cry as they saw that abominatial creation of horror. With half of its deformed face covered by a skull mask and its yellow eyes glowing in hunger, the katara devourer charged foward at a random couple.
Panicking, a boy pulled out a gun out blindly fired his bullets at the growling devourer. Bullets did absolutely nothing, and every wound the monster received, healed within a heartbeat. However, that meant that it was a low ranked devourer, and Serena knew that. Even children that would train to become an exorcist would be able to eliminate it.
"Excuse me," said Serena, stepping foward.
With a swift and graceful movement of her right hand, a silver sword appeared in her hand. At first glance already, one could see that the sword was no ordinary forged one; darkness and bloodlust emitted from the sword, threatening to cut through anything that stood in its way.
The blade soared down and Serena cut the devourer in half before it could attack. A few seconds passed by and the devourer was no longer to be seen; it had been reduced to dust and ashes.
The couples that had watched, were stunned by Serena's performance. She was definetly an exorcist, or how else would she be able to wield a sword that skilled, or have any good knowledge on devourers. Unfortunately, the couples weren't as polite and grateful as those in Chuantong. Even though their lives had just been saved, Serena only received scowlings and taunting looks when the couples left one by one.
"How rude...," muttered Serena.
The sword in her hand disappeared, and on the back of her right hand, appeared a black symbol. Someone who only spared a quick glance, would assume it was a drawing, but it was in fact a formation [4].
How Serena had gotten her hands on that sword was an enigma to herself, but up till now, it had guided her to exorcizing numerous devourers.
Slowly, the garden began to fill with new couples, and Serena decided it was her time to leave. After she had picked up the parasol and had put it abover her head to be shielded from the sun, she began to walk farther into the Yule District. The center was clearly the most traditional place, even the houses weren't as modern as before. However, the district center was more crowded than Serena expected, but she quickly figured out that there was a certain reason for that.
The crowd of onlookers had gathered around a destroyed shrine, and a few black cars were parking around it as well. Men, dressed in black uniforms, tried to hold back curious people, while others cordoned off the area around the shrine.
When Serena finally arrived, she spotted the devastation of the construct. The piles of the roofs were spreaded all over a dirtied ground, the pillars have mostly collapsed as well as the roof, and the ornaments were all shattered. Something fierce must have gone rampage here.
"NO! How could you! Aren't you suppose to be an exorcist?!" she heard a female voice cry out.
Held back by a group of men in black, an elderly woman, dressed in expensive clothes, screamed at a slender youth who must be close to Serena's age.
His hair was white and combed to the right side, his face was unhealthy pale and therefore, his scarlet eyes stung out even more. He was dressed in a dark blue coat, and had his hand tucked in his pockets, while glaring at the screaming woman with a hint of annoyance.
"Even exorcists can't save all lives," he responded monotonely.
"You brat! My son has died because you couldn't exorcize that devourer fast enough! You are a good-for-nothing, a cocky brat! Absolutely useless and irresponsible!" the woman continued her ranting as tears spilt from her eyes.
The white-haired boy sighed without covering up his annoyance anymore, and turned away from the woman. Dealing with people's whinings was the last thing he wanted to do.
He went to the spot where pillar and roof were lying on top of each other, broken but fixable. Yet his intention wasn't to rebuild the shrine at all but rather to search for something. Matter of black and red, which looked like angel wings, grew out from his back, and shredded the remains of the shrine. One big block of concrete after another became nothing more than harmless stones that fell to the ground.
Once again, the woman let out a cry as she saw a body appearing between the dust and stones.
"My beloved son! He is dead! Look what you have done!" she cried.
"She is so rude to him. Doesn't she know that Archad Nile is a disciple [5] working right under Caishen-daren [6]?
He is working for an executive of Diabolus after all, and that oblivious woman doesn't realize it," said an elderly man, shaking his head.
Serena listened up. A person that was still a disciple, working under someone as important as the head of the Xuan Clan [7]? The boy must be very talented then.
Nile wasn't bothered by the woman's cries, in fact, he was very indifferent. He bowed his head in direction of the corpse, showing his respect, before his wings out of black and red matter impaled the body.
The woman let out another fierce yell, struggling against the iron grips of the two men that were holding her back. She screamed and cursed at Nile, telling him that he would regret his deed. The men started to look annoyed by the woman's behavior, and Nile ordered another man in black to remove the body.
"Your son's corpse will be brought to a funeral parlor," he said, as he carried the corpse into an aircraft that took of a few moments after.
"Curse you, lad! I hope that you will meet a more gruesome death than my son!" hissed the woman when Nile wordlessly passed her.
He stopped in his tracks and turned around to look her right into her eyes. His gaze was chilly and sent shivers down the onlookers' spine. Only Serena didn't feel intimidated and watched the scene from a tree trunk.
"I don't care what you have to say. I have been cursed very often already," whispered Nile.
With those words, he turned around and walked away, and the men in black took the crying woman into another car.
The crowd cleared as there was nothing to look at anymore, but Serena stayed and walked into the remains of the shrine. It must have been a powerful devourer and the man that was killed has probably been there the wrong time.
The ruins were surrounded by dark energy, desire for vengeance, and hatred – an atmosphere that shouldn't fit a shrine. There was something powerful lingering between destroyed pillars and crushed stone, waiting to attack.
It is good that the corpse was destroyed so that it wouldn't be turned into a katara devourer too. If those red veins reach the brain, it's over, thought Serena.
The surroundings of the destroyed shrine were as cold as the atmosphere in the passageway earlier today. The scent of murder, however, wavered until Serena couldn't smell it anymore. Despite knowing that nothing would attack here just yet, she decided to leave and get a room at an inn.
The inn near the center of the Yule District gave a nice view on a small river, and her room was more confortable than the one in the previous inn.
It was evening by now, and Serena decided to go outside instead of resting her exhausted legs. She has wandered very often and for two years already. A bit of walking wouldn't kill her.
She stepped out of the door and inhaled the scent of the trees that surrounded the inn. Everytime she was outside, her head felt at ease and her body relaxed.
The natural peace didn't last long, though. A scream of bloody scream rang out in Serena's ears, and she spun around. She stood up and quickly opened the doors that would led back into the interior of the inn. A heavy scent of blood filled Serena's nose as she walked past the reception and took the stairs to the upper floors. The workers of the inn were running around in panic, yelling that someone should call for an exorcist. One after another, they were taken down by a fast creature which had half of its face covered by a skull mask. The more workers collapsed, dead, the faster the katara devourer became.
A flame ignited in Serena's hand and she shot it at the katara devourer that was hanging from the ceiling. However, that wasn't enough to get rid of it; the devourer recovered quite quickly and was about to attack Serena when something impaled its body. That something was a wing made of black and red matter.
"You should go" said Nile as the devourer dropped from the ceiling.
"And why is that?" retorted Serena softly.
"You almost died," replied Nile.
"I honestly care very less about my life," said Serena.
Nile faltered for a moment, his red eyes never leaving Serena's and she thought she saw faint shock in them.
"Don't you value your life?" he managed to bring out properly.
"If I didn't, I would have killed myself a long time ago," replied Serena, stepping away.
Nile followed her downstairs, deep in thoughts and at the same time agigated. His first priority was to exocize all devourers before he could question anyone, but there was no devourer in sight and he didn't sense any either. Thus he settled down on a sofa on the opposite of Serena.
"You surely ask yourself what I meant by that," began Serena smoothly. "The truth is that I don't value about my life. However, because of – personal reasons, I am willing to give it one last chance to prove to me that it is worth it to not die. And I will give myself one last chance as well."
To her surprise, Nile looked quite unfazed as she finished telling him. His red eyes weren't widened in shock nor were they showing any sympathy; he looked at her in indifference.
"I understand," he simply said.
Serena bowed her head slightly; he was the first person she had told about her actual goal. She believed that searching for her lost memories would bring her a purpose in life.
There was a loud bang above their heads and the ceiling broke down, threatening to bury anything beneath it. Serena and Nile both leaped to the side to avoid the falling parts of the upper floor. From the hole it made, the devourer stuck its head through, baring several rows of teeth.
Nile let out a hiss of annoyance, and whistled. With a loud snarl, a black-furred animal out of a purple portal at the devourer that was still clinging to the hole. The attacker was a hellhound, its red eyes were glowing in rage as its teeth sank into the devourer's flesh. The latter let out a howl of pain and its claws let go the edges of the hole. Both, hellhound and devourer fell to the ground, fighting in mid-air and not stopping as they reached the ground.
"An interesting pet you have there," commented Serena.
There were more than just one devourer in the building, the amount was countable on her hands. She raised her head and looked through the hole to the upper floor. There was no scent of blood coming from there, but the inn had three floors. The workers had probably fled to the highest floor and from there took the emergency staircase to leave into the forest.
"I sense dark energy coming from the highest floor," said Nile suddenly. "Cadejo!" he called his hellhound.
His pet let go of the defeated devourer immediately and went back to its master, expecting a pat on its head.
Nile let out a sigh as he knelt down, driving his hand through the soft black fur.
"Good job, you came just in time. Now exorcize the rest" he ordered, and looked back at the devourer, which body started to dissolve into ashes and dust. Then he looked at Serena with a frown. "You are an exorcist too, aren't you?" he asked. "Which master trained you, or in which academy did you train at?"
Serena tilted her head to the side when she heard the question. In all honesty, she didn't want to answer his question. Not only did her master told her to not answer that kind of question, but she couldn't remember him at all. Although he left her about two or three years ago, he had put a spell on her. Serena would only recognize him if he was standing right in front of her.
"I would rather not answer," she replied in a neutral tone.
"What a pity...," muttered Nile.
They continued to wait in silence for Cadejo to exorcize the remaining devourers. It was uncomfortably quiet and neither of the two attempted to start a conversation. After a while, the hellhound finally returned to his master, growling in satisfaction.
"Well, as exorcists we might meet again. But let me ask you, do you work under someone?" said Nile.
"I have been wandering for two years already. I have never seeked for any employment," answered Serena. She was too young to actually work.
"Where do you have the money from?" asked Nile.
Serena hestitated with her answer. Back then in Xiao Meili, she was often paid if she exorcized a devourer, but it hadn't been much to keep her above water. Her master, however, had left her quite a big sum with which she could live very well for a few years. Since then, she had wisely spent her money. Not too much, but enough to keep her satisfied.
"I had been left a big sum of money," she said.
"Sooner or later your money will run out. I can suggest you to a place but I doubt that you would be qualified," said Nile.
Suddenly, Cadejo's head shot up and he barked a warning. Nile spun around, his eyes fixed at the entrance that was covered in fog.
"What-?"
A devourer emerged from the fog, and Nile went into fighting stance. Cadejo's fur bristled and he shrinked as if he was afraid. Serena eyed the devourer with utter calmness; right now, she was only analyzing the situation they were in. A small smile started to form around her lips as the realization hit her, but Nile only flashed a questioning glare at her.
„What's so funny?" he asked.
"It is nothing," smiled Serena as her hand opened the closure of her amulet. The necklace fell into her hand and she held it out at the devourer.
"Do you want it?" she whispered.
Within the brink of a second, the devourer charged at her, mouth widely open, and Serena dogded by jumping over it.
"Are you a mental case?! What are you doing?!" yelled Nile, whistling for his hellhound that was still shivering.
"Distracting it. You see, since the day I had found this amulet, devourers began appearing way more often than before. There was a literal plague in our town and I had a suspicion what the reason was. And this right here, is my confirmation," said Serena.
Nile was staring at her in confusion. He didn't understand what she was saying, let alone relate to her actions.
"What did it just confirmed to you?" he yelled.
"That the amulet I am holding, is a cursed object with an excessive amount of katara."
Nile let out a snort of irritation – he was still beyond confused but he must stay focused on his job.
Black tentacles approached him in a frightening speed and his wings were barely able to shield him in time. Nile's scarlet eyes edgily darted around, always checking to see if anyone was behind him. A new devourer emerged from the mist, and behind it, a whole pack of them arrived. They seemed to keep coming without any end, but they were all drawn to the crimson light emanating from the crystal of Serena's amulet.
Nile was all about to yell at her again, that she should stop betting her life on everything before he remembered that she actually wanted to die. However, he wasn't certain if she wanted to die by being ripped into shreds.
As he heard a rattle from the side, his eyes widened and he covered his nose with the sleeve of his coat. Cadejo would only rattle if there was something highly venomous nearby, and the only thing that made sense to him right now was the fog.
"Cover your nose, the fog is poisonous!" he shouted at Serena, who had vanished through the hole to the upper floor. She probably didn't hear him.
Serena was quite amused by how many of those devourers were attracted to the amulet. The more katara a person or an object possessed, the more devourers would go after them. They were some special kind of lifesource and without that, they would slowly start to crumble and cannibalize each other.
Currently, she was on the top of the roof, a dead end, and surrounded by numerous devourers. It was a tricky situation, and the extremely dense mist, didn't make things easier for Serena. The effects of the poison were kicking in slowly and she started to cough. That wasn't very good, especially if she was surrounded. In most cases when devourers went after deviens, they would not only lose their katara but die due to numerous reasons For example being ripped into shreds.
Without any ado, Serena dropped the amulet. Immediately, all the devourers attention was drawn away from her and she escaped by making a hole into the roof.
Coughing, she rushed from the top floor to the lowest, blood starting to drip from her mouth.
Just what kind of poison is that? The poison began spreading in her body and she had to stop to catch a breath. It was here again, that feeling of being choked to death but this time by lethal poison and not a necklace.
The world around her started blurrying and he hand slipped down from the wall as he body collapsed to the ground.
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[1] Young Misstress is in this case refers to young people in a polite way
[2] In ancient China, the people wore robes with wide sleeves that are used as pockets. Most of the lower part of the sleeve serves as a pocket while the upper part is where the arm is. They are seperated by a seam
[3] In China and in a few other countries too, a bow is a form of respect to elders, superiors and others, but can also serve as a gesture of graditute or apology
[4] Formations in this book are symbols drawn for spells, talismans, curses or seals. In this case, the formation is a seal.
[5] Disciple is another term for student but refers to all exorcist that are training under a master
[6] Caishen-daren is a title and could roughly be translated as "God of Wealth" whereas the honorific "daren" (in this case) was used to adress government officials in ancient Chinese times.
[7] Clans in this book are related people with a common ancestor & surname