Chapter Eight: Flickering Hope
[Species: Demon
Rank: Awakened
Level: 3]
Surprise radiated from Dusken's face when he read the information of the white smoke.
There were seven ranks to power in this world: the Awakened rank, Preeminent rank, Reverend rank, Supreme rank, Mythical rank, Ultimate rank and finally, the Celestial rank.
Level one to nine are within awakened rank; the preeminent rank begins at level 10 and ends at level 99; the Reverend rank, though, starts at level 100 till level 299.
Each of these ranks is stronger than the last by a large margin, just like the way each of the levels in the awakened rank is significantly stronger than the last.
As for the levels of the Reverend Rank, Dusken wasn't aware, but right now, those had no concern to him, simply because a level one awakened creature was a threat to him, but a level 3 awakened demon was not a threat but an absolute death sentence for him.
Demons were different from creatures, creatures were just animals of the world that had evolved due to the presence of magical energy.
Demons, though were different; they were pure-breed aliens, creatures that were only referred to as aliens because they threatened humanity, not because they were truly one.
Demons had talents and side abilities like humans, unlike creatures who only had attributes; a level five demon would have enough power to kill Dusken in an instant because its talent was already unlocked, and its level was far higher.
He took a slow breath, gathering his thoughts; the situation was not too damaged; it could still be salvaged.
The soul-devouring poison must have harmed the demon's soul in some way, but all Dusken saw was a white smoke that had formed the ethereal body of someone, and there was no way for him to confirm his suspicion.
"Shocked right? This is true strength, Dusk, and you don't have it. I can kill you with a flick of my hand and you know it," words accompanied by a dark chuckle flew out from the mouth of the white smoke - or at least where he thought was the mouth - reaching Dusken's ears.
"Don't you see now that with power, anything is possible?" the dark chuckle of the demon stopped, as the atmosphere became anxious.
Dusken's eyes blazed with a sharp light; his soul script hadn't been able to tell that Kyle was possessed by a demon until it revealed itself.
'Too weak,' Dusken cursed internally.
A scroll script grew alongside their owners; maybe if he was level one, he would have been able to tell that there was a demon inside Kyle.
"You can't scare me, your laughter, your strength, your powers, they can't faze me. My heart is as immovable as a mountain and my gaze is as cold as an iceberg. I had faced death once, and it wasn't too scary, what makes you think that you can scare me with such ambiguous words? You are pitiful, a failure; you behave like a second-rate loser," Dusken shook his head with a slight smile; his gaze held a deep profundity to them that wasn't supposed to be found in children of his age.
He had spoken to the demon like that, not because he wasn't entirely afraid, but because he was someone who took critical risks when his life was involved.
He decided to bet everything on the fact that the demon had been severely wounded to his soul by the soul-devouring poison.
The demon's crazed laughter came to an abrupt pause when he heard Dusken's words, immediately, the cold night air of the desert became colder as the smoke began to expand.
"Ha! You're right; I might have lost to you on the aspect of scheming and had been weakened by the soul-devouring poison, but do not forget that the poison's source is demon snakes from the demon race. I have some countermeasures to it; that is why I am still alive and not dead. Bad news to you, though, is that I have the strength to attack one more time, run away, Dusk, run away and never look back!" the demon voiced out with a low growl as if to intimidate Dusken.
Dusken smiled instead, but despite his smile, he was grim on the inside.
His guess had indeed been right and the demon was injured, but it could still let out one single attack.
A blow from a level three awakened demon wasn't just dangerous, but deadly to him.
In such a situation, escaping was imperative, but that would be foolish of him, he would never turn his back to his enemy, never, unless it was part of a strategy or scheme.
All these thoughts ran through Dusken's mind, making him feel troubled, but none of it reflected on his face. Instead, his smile only widened.
The demon let out a disappointed sigh.
"You know, Dusk, I might have let you go with some light wounds if only you had run away," the demon lingered for a moment.
"But your pride is just too vast; I have the strength and power to kill you, but yet you're still too prideful; you can only blame yourself for your stupidity."
In an instant, the white smoke warped as the area began to change; an invisible, almost unfelt wind blew in the area, neither hot nor cold.
All the while, Dusken still maintained his smile as he gently shook his head.
"Why should I run away and give you the satisfaction of seeing fear on my face? Never. See me as whatever you want. Pride, beauty, kind, evil, good or bad, those are just mere opinions of others; they don't define me or who I truly am. Merely words are used to restrain people's actions and to judge those who they like or dislike. All these are meaningless in the vast food chain of nature. What you call pride, I call survival; if I had run away, you would have still attacked me, so staying or running, what's the difference? I'd rather receive your blow head-on with an expressionless face than do that while running; this is my own, my perseverance."
Dusken let out a soft sigh and deeply inhaled the cold air of the night.
"Oh, Dusk, I admire your courage, but still, this your own, your perseverance, maybe. It cannot save you today; I am really curious about how your expression would be when you face my attack!" The demon's loud voice reverberated in the area, as multiple spikes numbering about ten appeared behind the white smoke.
Then flew at Dusken; they were slow at first but then began to accelerate. Dusken moved, using his bone weapon to slash at a spike, only for the spike to fly right through the bone weapon, unimpeded.
Dusken leapt back from a nearby spike, but wherever he went, the spikes followed; he tried all his efforts not to get touched by that spike.
But he made a misstep, and one of them flew right at him, stabbing him in his right arm and causing him intense pain.
He gritted his teeth to endure it, but he noticed that after the spike had pierced through him, it had disappeared, and only nine spikes were left rampaging the area.
"Haha, you are pierced already. Those spikes target the soul, and right now, you are a soul in the Ethereal Land, making them hurt you and pass through other things without a soul. Beg me, and I may set you free. In this place, Dusk, only I can save you, no one else." the dark chuckle of the demon reached Dusken's ear; it seemed to be revelling in his pain.
Dusken paid no heed to the demon; it simply talked too much; he sharply observed his surroundings, his gaze piercing through the veil of darkness in the area.
Multiple spikes all shot at him, at once.
'This situation seems inescapable. The attack of this demon is just too difficult to handle.'
Dusken said to himself internally; a spike pierced through the air, aiming for him; he moved, dodging the spike and narrowly avoiding a fatal injury.
He had to do something, or he may very well die here today. A spike tore the winds apart with a frightening momentum, he immediately twisted his upper body, barely avoiding a fatal strike to his chest.
'Something, something, something,'
Dusken screamed internally, but this distraction cost him; a spike zipped through the air at a terrifying speed, piercing his left lap and sending him reeling back with a stifled groan.
He needed to do something, make a plan, at least, or dying here would be a certainty.
Another spike flew at him this time, and he reacted fast enough, moving from its way on time, but he was beginning to feel it; his wounds were becoming a hindrance.
It was then he realised something, that made his eyes sparkle in inspiration.
'The shadows,'
He could try using the shadows to perceive the movements of the spikes, as they were too fast for his eyes to discern their movements.
A spike suddenly appeared in his vision, wanting to stab his rib, but he reacted immediately and moved away from the direction of the spike for dear life.
The spike still tore part of his robe in the process, and a slight wound was made then the size of the spike reduced but did not disappear.
Dusken tried to feel that faint feeling of something calling to him, albeit a spike came at him once again, making him duck down to avoid its attack, and another one flew from another direction aiming for him.
Then another, and another. Dusken was faltering at this moment, and another spike pierced him on his left lap once again; this pain made his eyes go bloodshot from endurance.
"Dusk, give up. Why are you suffering yourself?"
The demon's words reached Dusken, but he didn't respond, because he had finally sensed it. It was faint and imperceptible, like a silent call even.
Dusken smiled, for he knew that the shadows had finally responded to the call of... their child.