《Demonization》


 Chapter 1-1

    Chapter 1-1


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    Getting punched in the face really hurts a lot, Kiwi thought as Plunkett rammed a fist for the umpteenth time into his cheek. Kiwi sagged in the arms of the goons holding him up, coughing up the blood that had trickled to the back of his throat.


    ¡°Yer no fun,¡± Plunkett growled, cracking his knuckles. ¡°Don¡¯t fight back no more.¡±


    Kiwi hung his head. Just leave already.


    ¡°Let ¡®im go,¡± said Plunkett. ¡°We¡¯ll give ¡®im another go tomorrow.¡±


    Plunkett¡¯s friends released Kiwi¡¯s arms, letting him crumple to the ground. Each of them dealt Kiwi a swift kick in the midsection as a parting blow. As he heard their footsteps fading into the distance, Kiwi rolled onto his back in the middle of the rice paddy, letting his head sink into the mud.


    A quiet meow interrupted Kiwi¡¯s reprieve. He sighed and struggled into a sitting position, turning to glance down at the glaring gray tabby cat.


    ¡°You hungry again, Saya?¡± Kiwi mumbled, reaching a hand out to pat the cat. As usual, Saya hissed and swiped at Kiwi¡¯s hand, giving him another scratch to add to the grid of scars on the back of his hand. Kiwi chuckled despite the pain it caused his midsection.


    ¡°You never change, do you?¡± Kiwi said with a small smile, failing to notice Saya directing her view at something behind him.


    ¡°This bugger must be the cat ya didn¡¯t kill,¡± Plunkett said from over Kiwi¡¯s shoulder.


    Kiwi froze as Plunkett reached down and snatched Saya up by the scruff of her neck. Saya growledand sunk her teeth into the bully¡¯s wrist, causing Plunkett to yelp and release her. Saya scampered back several feet and arched her back, hissing.


    ¡°Bugger not so friendly, eh?¡± Plunkett said, motioning for his two friends to rise from the place they had been crouching. The three bullies fanned out, surrounding Kiwi and Saya.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Kiwi asked, staggering to his feet.


    ¡°Shut yer trap!¡± Plunkett snapped, shoving Kiwi in the chest. Kiwi stumbled back and tripped over his feet, landing with a squelch in the mud. He tried once again to clamber to his feet, but the pain of the earlier beating halted his movements.


    Helplessly, Kiwi watched the three bullies close in on Saya, extending their arms. Saya backed up, trying to keep an eye on all of her assailants.


    ¡°Now!¡± shouted Plunkett. All three of them lunged out at once. Saya leaped into the air in an attempt to escape, only to be snagged by the back leg by Plunkett. Immediately, Plunkett twisted his wrist, snapping Saya''s back leg. Saya yowled and twisted with pain, desperately trying to escape.


    Plunkett laughed maniacally and threw Saya to the ground with all his might, smashing herinto the mud with an audible crack. Before Kiwi could lift a finger, one of Plunkett¡¯s friends booted Saya, sending the cat flying in Kiwi¡¯s direction.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Kiwi frantically lunged to catch Saya, but could only watch as she sailed beyond his fingertips, tumbling to a stop several feet away. Trembling, Kiwi crawled over to where Saya lay. He took one look at her mangled form and cupped his mouth with a hand, stomach lurching with shock.


    ¡°Woulda been so much easier if you did it yerself,¡± Plunkett said from behind Kiwi.


    Kiwi¡¯s breathing slowed and his hands tightened into fists. Try as he might, he could not suppress the flood of memories flowing into his mind. He remembered the stray tabby cat, stomach flat and mewling for food. He remembered placing the stray cat on the table lit by a single candle. He remembered taking the knife ¨C


    A guttural roar erupted from Kiwi¡¯s mouth and he found himself lumbering through the rice paddy, dragging his feet through the mud. He caught the first of Plunkett¡¯s goons by surprise. Kiwi drove his shoulder into the lackey¡¯s side, sending the man crashing to the ground. The bully¡¯s head hit a large stone with a sharp crack and his body fell limp.


    The other one of Plunkett¡¯s goons shouted with rage and smashed his fist into Kiwi¡¯s check, sending Kiwi stumbling backwards. Before Kiwi could recover, Plunkett grabbed him by the back of his tunic and hurled him to the ground.


    Kiwi gasped as all air was expelled from his lungs, vision flashing red. Giving Kiwi no chance to retaliate, Plunkett grabbed Kiwi by the hair and dragged him back to his feet. Right as Kiwi finally drew in a breath, Plunkett delivered a heavy blow to Kiwi¡¯s already damaged abdomen. Kiwi staggered forward and dropped to his knees.


    ¡°Why was it you?¡± Plunkett roared, glaring down at Kiwi. ¡°Why was it you instead of me?¡±


    Plunkett smashed Kiwi across the face with a first, knocking him off his knees and onto the ground.


    ¡°I hate people like you,¡± Plunkett said, ¡°Getting everything handed to you because of yer family.¡±


    After aiming a few more choice words at Kiwi, Plunkett motioned to his remaining friend. The pair grabbed their unconscious partner and lifted him away, storming out of the rice field and leaving Kiwi to drown his pain in the mud. Kiwi lay there for a moment, trying to get ahold of his broken and jumbled thoughts.


    Saya!Gritting his teeth and clutching his bruised stomach, Kiwi dragged himself over to Saya''s limp form. She lay there, body unnaturally contorted and still.


    Taking a deep breath, Kiwi reached his hand out towards Saya, wishing with all his heart that she would turn and swipe his hand away. Nothing. For just the second time since they had met, Kiwi placed his hand on Saya''s body.


    Kiwi opened his mouth to speak, but there was something in his throat. He wiped furiously at his eyes to clear his vision. In the end, only two words came out.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    A moment later, the faint rise and fall of Saya''s body ceased.Suddenly Kiwi felt cold, as if his blood had turned to ice.Shivering, he drew the mangled body of Saya to his chest, clutching her close as the warmth left her body. As helay there, the blows to his battered body finally took their toll, and Kiwi felt his vision darken. Kiwi blinked several times, but he couldn¡¯t seem to clear the blackness that was clouding his vision. In the midst of the darkness, he thought he could make out something within. ...A girl?


    ¡°I¡­am going to die?¡± a voice asked, nothing more than a murmur in the faint breeze.


    ¡°Raona?¡± Kiwi asked, heart thudding against his chest.


    ¡°I am going to die?¡± the voice said again, this time much fainter.


    ¡°No,¡± Kiwi whispered, willing his arm to reach towards the girl in the blackness. But no matter how far he moved, she did not get any closer. ¡°You¡¯re not going to die again!¡±


    ¡°This body is not going to last,¡± the voice said, almost nothing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you mine!¡± Kiwi roared, exploding forward, reaching for the girl with all his might. As he lunged forth, the blackness in his vision dissipated, as did the girl. Kiwi staggered forward, chest heaving and heart empty, grasping for the sight which did not exist.


    With a strangled sob, Kiwi collapsed to the ground, no longer carrying the will to live. Right before he closed his eyes, he became aware of Saya, clutched in his arms, looking as peaceful as a newborn kitten. Kiwi raised a trembling hand and placed it on the cat¡¯s head. A memory came to mind and his lips curled up in a faint smile.


    Then there was just darkness.

 Chapter 1-2

    Chapter 1-2


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    Kiwi shuffled to the front door of the teahouse and eased the door open, peering into the crack. As expected, it was completely empty save for a single table, where a figure lay slumped among several sheets of paper. In the dim light of the evening, Kiwi could make out the black ponytail and blue apron of his mother.


    Holding his aching midsection, Kiwi shuffled into the teahouse, trying his best not to make any noise. Right as he stepped into the room, he stubbed his toe on the leg of a chair, causing him to stumble and collide with one of the few tables in the room. Kiwi and the table crashed to the wooden floor, knocking down two chairs in the process.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± shouted Kiwi¡¯s mother, shooting to her feet. Immediately, she grabbed her head and winced, gingerly setting the bottle of wine she held onto the table.


    ¡°I¡¯m back, Mother,¡± Kiwi said, turning away from his mother and placing the furniture back on their legs.


    ¡°You¡¯re covered in mud,¡± said Kiwi¡¯s mother, taking a few steps forward.


    Kiwi quickly finished with the last chair and hurried towards the stairs behind the counter. Before he could escape, his mother grabbed onto his tunic and stopped him.


    ¡°Your face too¡­¡± said his mother. ¡°Did you get in another fight?¡±


    Kiwi simply stood there, head hanging.


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you not to do anything crazy?¡± Kiwi¡¯s mother said, voice rising in pitch and intensity. ¡°You should know how hard it is for us after your antics at the Island! I still can¡¯t believe you would give up a chance at being one of the Possessed!¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Kiwi mumbled.


    ¡°You know they only select candidates every four years right? And only one per village at that! Who in the right mind would give that up?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve told me before,¡± said Kiwi.


    ¡°And where in the world is that pesky cat of yours? Usually it would be howling and screeching for food at this hour.¡±


    Kiwi tightened his jaw and tried to calm his breathing.


    ¡°You took it with you to work today, right? Good riddance if it finally ran away!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡¯ Kiwi roared, lashing out with a fist and knocking over the chair he had just placed. ¡°You know what? She¡¯s dead! Just like you always wanted!¡±


    Without giving his mother a chance to respond, Kiwi turned and glared down at her. ¡°Everyone always asks me the same question: ¡®Why couldn¡¯t you just kill the cat? It¡¯s so easy, right?¡¯ Well let me tell you what. When you¡¯re the one who takes that knife in your hand and looks down on something so helpless¡­no person in the right mind could do that! Only a demon!¡±


    Having said his words, Kiwi turned to go, wiping furiously at his eyes. This time, his mother didn¡¯t stop him. Kiwi stormed up the stairs to the room he shared with his little sister. When he reached the door, he paused and sighed, letting his head fall against the door. I shouldn¡¯t have said those things to Mother, he thought. After all, I really am the cause of all of our troubles. Body and heart aching, Kiwi pushed the door open.


    The room was completely empty save for several blankets spread out over the floor. His little sister Rin was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°Mother, what happened to the beds?¡± Kiwi asked, hurrying down the stairs.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± his mother asked, amid taking a swig from her bottle of wine. ¡°Heh, we don¡¯t have any more money to pay for the teahouse. Gave the beds away to get us an extra week.¡±


    ¡°Why sell the beds now?¡± Kiwi asked. ¡°We need them to help pay for where we¡¯re living next!¡±


    Kiwi¡¯s mother slammed her wine bottle onto the tabletop. ¡°I will never give up this teahouse willingly. You should know better than that, Kiwikata!¡±


    Kiwi winced. I¡¯m sorry, Father.


    ¡°You do know why we¡¯re in this situation, right?¡± his mother asked, swaying unsteadily to her feet. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re the first one to ever fail the test to become one of the Possessed. Oh I bet the people in the village were so happy to hear that. You shamed the village, you shamed your family, and you shamed yourself. Now no one comes to the teahouse anymore, leaving us completely broke. You and your sister both get bullied daily. If only you died along with that cat!¡±


    This time, Kiwi felt no anger, only sadness mixed with regret. Maybe it would¡¯ve been better if I had.


    ¡°Mother, where¡¯s Rin?¡± Kiwi asked, trying to change the subject.


    ¡°Rin?¡± his mother asked, surprised. She blinked several times. ¡°Rin¡­she was supposed to be back ages ago! What is that girl up to at this hour?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go look for her,¡± said Kiwi, knowing exactly where his little sister was.


    Kiwi¡¯s mother scowled. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t come back with her.¡±


    Kiwi nodded and left the teahouse without a word.


    -


    Kiwi limped to the edge of Turtle Pond, a giant pond whose name had been earned through an infestation of its namesake. He could make out the shells of several turtles relaxing in the pond as the sun set in the distance. On the island in middle of the pond, huddled within a grove of small bushes, sat his little sister Rin.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go home, Rin,¡± Kiwi called.


    Silence.


    ¡°What are you doing here at this hour?¡± Kiwi asked. ¡°It¡¯s late even for you.¡±


    Still nothing.


    Grumbling, Kiwi pulled off his sandals and lifted his tunic above his knees. He reached out with a foot and felt underneath the surface of the water. Once he felt the first stone under his foot, Kiwi remembered the first time Raona had showed him the secret path to the island. With a small smile, Kiwi sprang off the edge of the pond and into the water, where he used a chain of raised stones to skip to the island in the middle of the pond. To his surprise, even after all the years, he didn¡¯t miss a step.


    ¡°Rin, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Kiwi asked, pushing the bushes to the side.


    Rin, arms wrapped around her knees, turned her face away from him, but not before Kiwi made out a line of red across her left cheek. Kiwi set his mouth and reached down, trying to hold his little sister still as she struggled. Finally, he managed to grab hold of her wrists and held her still. In the fading sunlight, Kiwi made out the thin gash running from the corner of her eye to the bottom of her nose.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± Rin shouted, tears streaming down her face. ¡°I¡¯m never going back home!¡±


    ¡°Who did this to you?¡± Kiwi asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault!¡¯ Rin screamed, words mixing with her sobs. ¡°All my friends left me! They don¡¯t want to be friends with a sister of a failure!¡±


    Rin lashed out with a leg, booting Kiwi in the bruised abdomen. He recoiled with pain and released her. Wiping at her eyes, Rin leapt across the pond using the secret path. But when she reached the middle of the pond, her foot slipped off the slippery rock and she went tumbling into the water.


    She can¡¯t swim! Kiwi leaped into the water and paddled frantically towards Rin, who was flailing and gasping for air. After getting battered in the face multiple times by her wild limbs, Kiwi managed to wrap an arm around her waist and haul her towards the shallows. When they finally reached shore, Kiwi set Rin on the grass and collapsed next to her, wheezing with exhaustion.


    With no signs of fear whatsoever, Rin sprang to her feet and kicked him in the leg. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you come sooner? I nearly died!¡±


    Kiwi chuckled despite the pain and pulled himself to his feet. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty late for swimming, Kiwikata the Failure!¡±


    Kiwi froze. Slowly he turned, pulling Rin behind him. Standing at the top of the grassy hill was Plunkett and his two goons. Together, the three strolled down towards Kiwi and Rin.


    ¡°Oh yer here too, Little Sister!¡± said Plunkett, clapping his hands with glee. ¡°Do ya feel prettier now?¡±


    Rin whimpered and pressed her face against Kiwi¡¯s back.


    ¡°You did that to her?¡± Kiwi asked. For some reason, he didn¡¯t feel afraid. All he felt was a strange coldness inside of the pit of his stomach.


    Plunkett pulled out a knife and spun it in his hand. ¡°I wanted to carve a nice word onto her face. Pity she don¡¯t keep still.¡±


    The coldness in Kiwi¡¯s stomach spread to his chest. ¡°What do you want, Plunkett?¡±


    Plunkett continued his approach. ¡°I just want the world to know what a poor choice it made, choosin¡¯ you over me as the candidate to go to the Island. If it was me instead of you, things woulda turned out different for the village. They woulda turned out different for my family!¡±


    Plunkett lunged forward, slicing his knife at Kiwi. Kiwi shoved Rin to the side, barely dodging the blow in the process. Plunkett immediately whipped the knife in the opposite direction, gashing Kiwi across the shoulder.


    ¡°Help me get him!¡± Plunkett roared at his goons. The two of them glanced at each other but did not move. Plunkett spat. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll get him myself!¡±


    Plunkett launched himself at Kiwi, stabbing and slicing with his knife. Any other time Kiwi would¡¯ve fled, but in his current injured state and with Rin in danger, he had no choice but to engage Plunkett. Kiwi managed to throw himself out of the way of a stab, sending Plunkett stumbling forward with momentum. Reaching down, Kiwi¡¯s hand curled around a rock. As Plunkett turned to face him once more, Kiwi hurled the rock, nailing Plunkett in the torso.


    ¡°You little bugger!¡± Plunkett roared, stumbling towards Kiwi.


    For some reason, Kiwi felt calm. Normally, when Plunkett was attacking him with both of his goons, there wasn¡¯t anything Kiwi could do. But seeing Plunkett by himself, Kiwi finally noticed how wild and uncontrolled his opponent seemed to be.


    I can take advantage of that. Kiwi snatched another rock off the ground as Plunkett neared. When Plunkett drew his knife back, Kiwi feinted a throw with the rock. Plunkett flinched and raised his arms to protect his face. With Plunkett¡¯s lower body exposed, Kiwi pelted the bully in the groin.


    Plunkett screamed and dropped his knife, collapsing to the ground and clutching at his privates. Kiwi felt the coldness flood his body once more. He charged forward and kicked Plunkett in the face, crushing his nose and spraying blood everywhere.


    ¡°That¡¯s for Saya!" Kiwi screamed, kicking again and again at Plunkett¡¯s body. ¡°That¡¯s for my sister!¡±


    Two pairs of arms grabbed Kiwi from behind and hauled him off of Plunkett before too much damage was done. Kiwi struggled against Plunkett¡¯s two goons but could not break free.


    ¡°Boss!¡± one of the goons called. ¡°You okay?¡±


    Plunkett coughed and hacked, spitting out a loose tooth along with a glob of blood. Trembling, the bully clambered to his feet, fingers curling around the knife at his feet.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done it now,¡± whispered Plunkett, limping towards Kiwi. ¡°Imma carve you up real good.¡±


    ¡°Boss,¡± said one of the goons. ¡°This ain¡¯t a good idea¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut it!¡± shouted Plunkett. ¡°This bugger has crossed the line! After I¡¯m done with ¡®im he won¡¯t be able to see no more!¡±


    Kiwi tried to pull away, but Plunkett reached out and grabbed him by the chin. Slowly, Plunkett leaned down, bringing the tip of his knife closer and closer to Kiwi¡¯s eye¡­


    ¡°Stop!¡± A rock bounced off the back of Plunkett¡¯s head.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Plunkett growled, turning around to meet the eyes of Rin.


    ¡°What are you still doing here, Rin?¡± Kiwi shouted. ¡°You have to leave!¡±


    Plunkett began to chuckle. Before anyone could move, Plunkett charged towards Rin. Her eyes widened and she turned to run, but her ten-year-old legs could not outpace those of a teenager¡¯s. Plunkett snatched her by the neck and hauled her, kicking and screaming, in front of Kiwi.


    ¡°You wanna know what I¡¯m about to do?¡± Plunkett asked Kiwi. ¡°The last thing yer gonna see before I take your eyes out is your pretty little sister losing her fingers.¡±


    ¡°Stop it, Plunkett,¡± Kiwi said. ¡°I¡¯m begging you. I¡¯ll do whatever you want me to. Just leave Rin out of this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to stop until you lose everything you ever loved,¡± whispered Plunkett, licking the blade of his knife. ¡°Just like you did to me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this!¡± Kiwi begged. He struggled with all his might against the grip of the two goons, but he couldn¡¯t do a thing. Tears sprang to his eyes as he screamed for Plunkett to stop. Why am I so useless? Why does my family have to suffer when they¡¯ve done nothing wrong?


    Plunkett grabbed Rin¡¯s hand and brought the knife towards it. Rin wailed and tried to pull away but to no avail. As the blade of the knife touched the base of her index finger, Rin looked Kiwi in the eyes.


    ¡°Help me.¡±


    The coldness in Kiwi¡¯s body finally spread to his head. His vision blurred for a moment and he heard a single word.


    Kill.


    Kiwi saw his mother slumped over a table with a bottle of wine, giving away parts of their home to save what was left of their father. He saw Rin, sobbing in the middle of Turtle Pond, wishing she could live life like a normal ten-year-old. He saw the twisted body of Saya as he buried her in the middle of the rice paddy. He remembered the tears that had soaked his cheeks and the pain that still plagued his heart.


    I don¡¯t want to feel that pain anymore.


    ¡°Kill,¡± Kiwi whispered.


    The coldness exploded in Kiwi¡¯s head and his vision sharpened. The knife was still pressed against Rin¡¯s finger ¨C yet to make its first cut.


    Kill, said the voice in Kiwi¡¯s head, lustful and vicious.


    The coldness in Kiwi¡¯s head shot into his right arm. For some reason, the goon holding his right arm yelped and released it.


    Kill.


    Kiwi kept his eyes locked on Plunkett, allowing the hatred he held inside his heart to consume his body.


    ¡°KILL!¡± Kiwi roared, exploding forth and ramming his fist into Plunkett¡¯s midsection.


    Kiwi felt his hand sink into Plunkett¡¯s soft flesh, pushing until his knuckles hit bone. Right as Kiwi felt he could not push any further, the coldness in his right arm detonated out of his fist in a conflagration of blue flames. The flames blasted through Plunkett, allowing Kiwi to propel forth with all his might, launching Plunkett at least twenty feet into the air. Plunkett hung in the air for a moment before he splashed into Turtle Pond.


    ¡°Boss!¡± shouted the two goons, leaping into the pond to save their leader.


    Kill.


    Kiwi turned to Rin, whose bright smile slowly slid off of her face.


    Kill.


    ¡°Brother?¡± Rin asked, backing up.


    Kiwi felt his right arm reaching towards Rin on its own free will. Quickly, Kiwi snatched his right arm with his left, pulling it back as it strained to grab Rin.


    Kill.


    ¡°No kill!¡± Kiwi gasped, pulling his right hand to his chest and holding it there. ¡°No kill!¡±


    Kill? Said the voice, a little hesitant now.


    ¡°No kill!¡± Kiwi growled, feeling his right hand relax a bit.


    No kill, said the voice, disappointment evident in its tone.


    Chest heaving, Kiwi slowly opened and closed his right hand, making sure he was in control once again. When he had confirmed that his hand would no longer misbehave, he looked up to see Rin watching him with concern.


    ¡°What was that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± said Kiwi, still panting. He glanced down at his right hand. It looked completely normal.


    The two watched as Plunkett¡¯s goons finally fished Plunkett out of the pond. Making sure to keep a safe distance from Kiwi, the bullies fled. As they left, Kiwi sighed and relaxed, allowing his body to slump to the ground.


    ¡°Bravo! Bravo!¡± called a muffled voice from behind.


    Kiwi shot to his feet, only to waver and collapse again due to exhaustion.


    ¡°What a show!¡± said the newcomer, a tall man wearing a long black robe tied at the waist with a white sash. A white scarf was wrapped around the man¡¯s lower face, covering his nose and his mouth. A rice hat sat on top of his head and he wore a black patch over one eye.


    The stranger walked over, shuffling a deck of cards he held in his hands. He came to a stop right before Kiwi, meeting Kiwi¡¯s brown eyes with a single piercing green eye.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for someone like you.¡±

 Chapter 1-3

    Chapter 0-3


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    ¡°No,¡± said Kiwi¡¯s mother, shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s not happening.¡±


    ¡°Quite the worrywart your mother is, eh?¡± said the stranger, taking a sip of tea.


    Kiwi glanced up and shrugged before going back to cleaning the gash on Rin¡¯s cheek. He wasn¡¯t really sure how this stranger had ended up in the teahouse and why in the world someone would want him for some kind of job. Any kind of job, for that matter.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, miss, it¡¯s an opportunity not worth missing,¡± said the man, whose voice reminded Kiwi of a dog¡¯s growl ¨C guttural and forced to a tone deeper than normal.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know who you are,¡± said Kiwi¡¯s mother, who had sobered up a little in the time that Kiwi was gone. ¡°First of all, a stranger shows up at my home in the middle of the night with my kids. Second, both of my kids have some kind of injury! All of this makes me more than a little suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Alas,¡± said the stranger. ¡°Forgive me for not introducing myself. You may call me Sune, the wandering bard.¡±


    ¡°A bard?¡± Kiwi¡¯s mother asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Where¡¯s your lute?¡±


    Sune the bard sighed and put his face in his hands. ¡°I find myself in the unfortunate situation where I am without a lute. But I care not for the lute and the beauty of its music¡­for I have finally discovered the definition of true beauty.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    Sune leaned in and lowered his voice. ¡°It is you, my lady.¡±


    Kiwi¡¯s mother put her hands on her hips. ¡°Flattery isn¡¯t going to do you any good.¡±


    ¡°A hard one to crack you are,¡± said Sune, rummaging in his pockets. A moment later, his hand came out with a die. ¡°How about we leave this decision to fate?¡±


    ¡°How about no,¡± said Kiwi¡¯s mother, ignoring the die and pouring another cup of tea for Sune. ¡°Please finish your tea and go.¡±


    Sune turned to Kiwi. ¡°What say you, my boy? Want to join the old dog on an adventure?¡±


    Kiwi looked up and immediately jabbed the cut on Rin¡¯s cheek, earning him a kick in the shin. ¡°I¡¯d go if you could pay me,¡± he mumbled, massaging his leg.


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± said Kiwi¡¯s mother, slamming her hand on the countertop. ¡°I will not have -¡±


    She trailed off as Sune tossed a large purse onto the table. He undid the string sealing the cloth and let the purse hang open, revealing the tantalizing glimmer of gold coins.


    ¡°If you wanted money you should¡¯ve asked in the first place,¡± said Sune, smirking and leaning back in his chair.


    Kiwi watched as his mother reached down and touched the bag of gold coins with a trembling hand. He remembered the argument he had had with his mother before going to look for Rin. If they wanted to keep the teahouse Kiwi¡¯s father had built, they needed money. And if his mother was given the chance to choose between Kiwi¡¯s father or Kiwi, it was not even a question of what her decision would be.


    Kiwi turned to Sune, who continued to grin ear to ear. ¡°So when do we -¡±


    ¡°No,¡± interrupted Kiwi¡¯s mother, hands no longer trembling. She took the string and resealed the purse, handing it back to Sune. ¡°I thank you again for bringing my children home tonight. Now please, take your money and go.¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡± said Kiwi, standing.


    ¡°You are not going anywhere,¡± said his mother, glaring him in the eye. Kiwi couldn¡¯t help but notice the single tear leaking down her cheek. ¡°I already lost a daughter. I am not about to lose my son.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°But the teahouse¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a bunch of wood,¡± said Kiwi¡¯s mother with a small smile. ¡°Now take your sister and go to bed. It¡¯s late.¡±


    Heaving a great sigh, Sune stood and tugged at his bun of black hair for a moment before placing his rice hat back on top of his head. ¡°At last I see where your heart lies. I will admit my defeat. As thanks for your hospitality, I will promptly take my leave. Good night to you miss, and good night to your children.¡±


    Kiwi watched as Sune sauntered towards the door of the teahouse. He turned his gaze to his mother, who was staring at the wooden countertop blankly, running her fingers back and forth over the glazed wood. Kiwi swallowed and set his jaw, knowing in his heart what he had to do.


    Kiwi jogged over to the door and opened it for Sune. As Sune passed, he cast Kiwi a sideways glance with his single green eye, almost as if he were asking a question.


    Kiwi gave the briefest of nods in response.


    Sune dipped his head briefly before appearing to trip over his feet and stumble into Kiwi. When Sune righted himself, Kiwi felt something heavy in the left pocket of his tunic. With a final quick apology, Sune exited the teahouse. As Kiwi watched the door fall shut, he reached his hand into his pocket, feeling the satisfying smoothness of the gold coins.


    ¡°Well that was something,¡± said Kiwi¡¯s mother, giving Kiwi and Rin a forced smile. ¡°Who in the right mind would pay so much money for you, Kiwi? That¡¯s more than what Rao was usually paid!¡±


    It was then that Kiwi realized that this might be the very last time he saw his family. Before he could stop himself, he walked over to his mother and wrapped his arms around her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being a failure, Mother,¡± Kiwi said, squeezing his eyes shut to keep in the tears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for everything.¡±


    Kiwi felt his mother¡¯s shoulders tremble. ¡°I¡¯ve said some bad things to you, Kiwikata,¡± his mother replied, voice muffled by Kiwi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But you will always be my son, no matter what you do. And I am proud of that.¡±


    Kiwi¡¯s mother released him and took a step back, wiping her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the teahouse, Kiwi. Someday we will get it back.¡±


    Kiwi nodded wordlessly and walked over to Rin, opening his arms to wrap her in a hug.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Rin snapped, stepping back and eyeing him with disgust. ¡°Are you some kind of a creep?¡±


    ¡°Get to bed, kids,¡± said Kiwi¡¯s mother. ¡°We¡¯ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow.¡±


    -


    When he heard the quiet snores of Rin, Kiwi rolled out of his blankets and clambered to his feet. He pulled the purse of gold coins from his pocket and held it for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he set the purse next to Rin¡¯s blankets and tiptoed to the window. Grasping the bottom of the glass, he opened the window, letting the cold night¡¯s breeze flow into the room.


    ¡°Kiwi?¡± Rin¡¯s voice whispered.


    Kiwi grimaced and turned to meet Rin¡¯s questioning eyes. ¡°You know I have to do this,¡± he replied.


    Rin glanced at the purse of coins next to her blankets. Abruptly she burst into tears. Kiwi cursed under his breath and hurried to his little sister¡¯s side, hugging her to muffle her tears.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go,¡± Rin sobbed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be alone.¡±


    Kiwigave her a reassuring pat on thehead. ¡°After I leave, you won¡¯t be alone anymore.¡±


    Before his resolve broke, Kiwi released Rin and hurried to the window. He stuck his legs through the frame of the window and slid his body out of the house. Gripping the windowsill, he turned to glance one last time at Rin, who looked up to meet his eyes through her tears.


    ¡°Please come back,¡± Rin said in a very small voice.


    Kiwi grinned and gave her a thumbs up, promptly losing his grip on the windowsill. He dropped from the second-story window and dropped onto several large sacks of trash, crushing rotten vegetables and probably something in his back.


    With a groan, Kiwi hauled himself out of the trash and limped to the front of the teahouse. Sune was lying on the front porch, rice hat sitting on top of his face and snoring loudly. Scowling, Kiwi hobbled over and nudged the bard with his foot.


    ¡°You smell like trash,¡± said Sune without removing the hat from his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re just smelling things,¡± said Kiwi.


    ¡°That I am,¡± said Sune, raising his hat to glance at Kiwi with his one eye. ¡°Nothing to bring, my boy? We¡¯ve got a long journey ahead of us.¡±


    Kiwi shook his head, staring down at his tattered and muddied tunic.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad,¡± said Sune. ¡°If you really want, you can carry what I have instead.¡±


    Before Kiwi could protest, Sune lifted a lute case and tossed it into Kiwi¡¯s arms. Kiwi nearly buckled with the weight of the wooden case.


    ¡°You really are a bard?¡± Kiwi asked, trying his best to keep the lute from crashing to the ground.


    ¡°I am a lot of things, but a liar is not one of them,¡± said Sune, tightening his scarf around his mouth. ¡°And I beg of you, please don¡¯t drop my lute. Things don¡¯t turn out well for people who do.¡±


    ¡°I could¡¯ve sworn a lute weighed less than this,¡± Kiwi groaned, sliding his arms through the straps on the lute case so that he wore it like a backpack.


    ¡°I could¡¯ve sworn I didn¡¯t pay you to hear you complain,¡± said Sune, setting off at a brisk pace.


    ¡°What did you pay me for?¡± Kiwi asked, trying to keep up as best as he could. ¡°You haven¡¯t told me anything about what you need me for.¡±


    Sune said something that was lost as a sudden breeze whipped through the air. Kiwi nearly toppled but managed to right himself as the wind subsided.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Kiwi asked.


    ¡°Nothing of importance,¡± said Sune. ¡°Come, my boy. We have much distance to cover tonight. Unless you don¡¯t care about sleep, I suggest you cut the chatter and pick up the pace.¡±


    Kiwi closed his mouth and followed Sune into the night. There had been one word Kiwi could¡¯ve sworn he had heard before Sune had been silenced by the wind.


    That word was ¡®kill¡¯.

 Chapter 2-1

    Chapter 2-1


    --------------------------------------------------------


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    Kiwi woke with a start as he was dumped on the ground. He rubbed his eyes and blinked several times, trying to get his bearings. The first thing he noticed was the roar of water. The second thing he noticed was the foul stench coating the air.


    ¡°I¡¯m already missing those coins,¡± said Sune, glaring down at Kiwi. ¡°Infinitely less of a burden.¡±


    All Kiwi could remember from the previous night was an endless trek with the lute case strapped on his back. I must¡¯ve fallen asleep at some point, he thought. Kiwi¡¯s eyes widened. That means he carried me and that lute case all this way?


    ¡°You have my gratitude for the ride,¡± said Sune to an old man sitting on a wagon filled with fruits.


    ¡°Not a problem,¡± said the old man. ¡°But I dunno why y¡¯all comin¡¯ to Mora. You ain¡¯t heard of the water sickness?¡±


    ¡°Everyone and their mother has heard of the water sickness,¡± said Sune. ¡°But regardless, thank you for the warning, kind sir.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the water sickness?¡± Kiwi asked, watching the wagon roll off into the mist.


    Sune glanced at Kiwi for a moment. When he realized that Kiwi wasn¡¯t joking, he put his face in his hands. ¡°What I would give to get my money back¡­¡±


    Kiwi scowled, beginning to regret coming with this loon. ¡°It¡¯s your own fault for paying me to work for you. If you even paid attention a little you would¡¯ve realized I¡¯ve got no talents besides failing at everything I try to do.¡±


    Sune jabbed a finger in Kiwi¡¯s chest. ¡°Listen here, boy. The least you can do is -¡±


    ¡°Sir, might you be Mr. Sune?¡± a voice interrupted from behind them.


    A bald man wearing spectacles and a plain brown tunic stood several paces away, hands tucked into his sleeves.


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± said Sune, turning away from Kiwi and extending a gloved hand. ¡°I suppose you are the messenger of Lady Autumn?¡±


    The bald man shook Sune¡¯s hand and bowed before turning to face Kiwi, eyes gleaming. ¡°Then you must be -¡±


    ¡°He is my servant,¡± interjected Sune.


    ¡°Servant? ¡­Ah,¡± said the man. ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintance.¡±


    Kiwi gave a brief node of greeting, still seething at Sune¡¯s sour attitude.


    The messenger turned back to Sune. ¡°If it is not too much trouble, Lady Autumn wishes to speak with you right away.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Sune. ¡°Please take us to her.¡±


    Lady Autumn¡¯s messenger turned and headed toward the mist. Sune turned around and motioned towards the lute case sitting by Kiwi. Muttering choice words under his breath, Kiwi hauled the lute case over his shoulders and followed Sune into the watery foam.


    ¡°Stay close,¡± called the messenger. ¡°The mist has growth thicker ever since the water has been infected with Ghouls.¡±


    ¡°Ghouls?¡± Kiwi asked.


    ¡°Creatures which demons have completely taken over,¡± said the messenger. ¡°Unlike the Possessed who are trained to control the demons in their bodies, Ghouls have lost control over the demons. Their minds become overwhelmed with hatred and violence.¡±


    ¡°You should know that,¡± Sune muttered.


    Kiwi shot him a dirty look. ¡°Where is this mist coming from?¡± he asked the messenger.


    ¡°First time in Mora?¡± the messenger asked. ¡°Look up.¡±


    Kiwi glanced up and for the first time noticed the giant mountain rising towards the sky in the distance. On the mountainside was the largest waterfall Kiwi had seen in his life, explaining the roar of water he had first heard upon arriving at Mora. The waterfall stretched across the entirety of the city from what Kiwi could see, depositing millions of gallons of water in what Kiwi supposed was a lake at its base. The wind combined with the sheer power of the water crashing downwards created a thick mist that coated the city.


    Kiwi¡¯s thoughts were interrupted as he narrowly dodged vomit splattering to the ground from a second story window. Kiwi opened his mouth to retaliate but was stopped by a hand on the arm from Sune.


    ¡°That¡¯s the water sickness everyone is talking about,¡± said Sune.


    It was then that Kiwi noticed that the horrible stench wafting through the air smelled like a mix of vomit and human excrement. The mist seemed to keep the stench from blowing away, instead intensifying the foul smell tenfold. Kiwi pinched his nose shut to avoid vomiting himself.


    ¡°The water sickness started when people started noticing the Ghouls,¡± said Lady Autumn¡¯s messenger. ¡°Mora used to be one of the largest sources of clean water in this part of the land. People were used to drinking directly from Lake Masu. Now after you drink the water, you vomit and diarrhea until the infected water is flushed out of your body.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awful,¡± said Kiwi, grimacing. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you done anything about the water?¡±


    The messenger glanced at Sune.


    ¡°My boy,¡± said Sune. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here.¡±


    A large pair of wooden doors lit by two small lamps, one on each side of the door, rose up through the mist. Lady Autumn¡¯s messenger walked up to the front door and rapped a sequence of knocks. A panel slid to the side and a pair of eyes peered out, surveying the group. A moment later, one of the large doors slid open just wide enough for a single person to slide in. The messenger motioned at Sune and Kiwi.


    Sune entered first, removing his rice hat to slip through the crack. Kiwi entered afterwards, doing his best to force the lute case through without causing too much damage.


    ¡°Got quite the security around here, eh?¡± said Sune, glancing at the group of five men standing behind the door. Every single one of them held a spear and had a sword strapped to his side.


    ¡°The people of Mora are not happy these days,¡± said the messenger. ¡°Come. Lady Autumn has been waiting.¡±


    As the messenger led them through the halls of Lady Autumn¡¯s home, Kiwi realized that the home was more of a palace than a house. The palace was shaped as a square with a central courtyard and several floors. The hallways were floored with polished wood, as were the intricately designed sliding doors.


    ¡°When we meet Lady Autumn, let me do the talking,¡± Sune whispered.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to tell me that,¡± Kiwi shot back.


    The messenger raised a hand to halt them as the group came to a stop in front of a pair of sliding doors painted a deep blue. Two more armed guards stood at each side of the doors.


    ¡°Before you enter, we must search you,¡± said one of the guards. ¡°And leave that wooden box.¡±


    Kiwi glanced at Sune, who gave him a brief nod. With a sigh of relief, Kiwi slide his arms out of the straps and allowed the lute box to crash to the ground. Wincing at the sound, Kiwi avoided Sune¡¯s glare and gingerly handed the box to the guards. After a quick search, both Kiwi and Sune were deemed to be unarmed. Only then did the two guards grab the doors and slide them apart, allowing Kiwi and Sune to enter.


    The room was dimly lit by lamps hanging along the walls of the room. In the middle of the room hung a translucent curtain; Kiwi could make out the outline of a person sitting on the opposite end of the curtain, but the curtain was too thick to make out any specific characteristics of that person.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Lady Autumn, I introduce Sune the Exorcist and his¡­servant,¡± announced the bald messenger.


    Kiwi¡¯s eyes widened and he shot Sune a glance. Sune ignored him, instead lowering his head towards the curtain, removing his rice hat with a gloved hand. ¡°My Lady, it is a pleasure to be able to serve you,¡± Sune said.


    After a sideways glare from Sune, Kiwi lowered his head too, thoughts racing all the while. An Exorcist and not a bard? What have I gotten myself into?


    ¡°Thank you so much for coming to the city¡¯s aid,¡± said Lady Autumn from behind the curtain, voice soft and surprisingly high pitched. ¡°You¡¯re the first Exorcist to respond to the help request I¡¯ve had my messenger Baru send out.¡±


    Kiwi resisted the urge to blurt out his questions on the spot.


    ¡°We will do whatever it takes to solve the problem of the water sickness, my Lady,¡± said Sune. ¡°If you may, please provide us with an overview of the issue that plagues your city.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Lady Autumn. ¡°As you may already have heard, the water of Lake Masu has recently become undrinkable. Our entire economy revolves around exporting clean water to nearby towns, so upon the infestation of our waters, the city¡¯s financial resources have been crippled. On top of that, the only sources of clean water nearby are not enough to sate the city¡¯s thirst. If the water sickness continues, I am afraid we will soon be experiencing much worse than vomit or diarrhea.¡±


    ¡°I presume our ultimate objective would be to cleanse your water?¡± Sune asked, pulling out a deck of cards and riffling it in his hands.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± replied Lady Autumn. ¡°I apologize if my request is broad, but I suspect the task will be of no large matter to an Exorcist.¡±


    Sune peeled the top card off the deck of cards. After inspecting it for a moment, he looked up and smiled. ¡°Your water will be clean in one week, my Lady.¡±


    -


    ¡°You¡¯re an Exorcist?¡± Kiwi hissed as they trekked through the mist. ¡°I thought you said you were a bard!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about the twentieth time you¡¯ve said that,¡± said Sune. ¡°Bottom line is I paid for your services, my boy, and provide your services you will.¡±


    ¡°Stop calling me your boy,¡± Kiwi grumbled. ¡°You can¡¯t be more than a few years older than I am.¡±


    Sune grabbed Kiwi by the back of the tunic and pulled him back right before his foot dipped into the waters of Lake Maru.


    ¡°We¡¯re already at the lake?¡± Kiwi asked, squinting through the heavy mist. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything.¡±


    ¡°Pay attention to the sound instead,¡± said Sune.


    For the first time, Kiwi noticed that the roaring of the waterfall was overwhelmingly close, drowning out any other sounds in the vicinity. Sune kneeled and dipped both of his gloved hands into the water, cupping them and bringing a sample of water to his face.


    ¡°Are you going to drink that?¡± Kiwi asked, face twisted with disgust.


    Sune ignored him. ¡°What do you believe is the cause of the water sickness?¡±


    Kiwi scratched his head. ¡°That bald guy with glasses was talking about the Ghouls in the lake. I don¡¯t see any Ghouls around here, though.¡±


    ¡°I suspect he was talking about the fishes getting possessed by demons,¡± said Sune. ¡°But as you and I both know, demon possession under no circumstances causes any type of toxin to be excreted by the host.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­right,¡± said Kiwi, not having known.


    ¡°That leads me to believe that there is an external force acting on this lake,¡± said Sune, dumping the handful of water back into the lake.


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Kiwi asked. ¡°Of course there is.¡±


    ¡°It means that someone is poisoning this lake,¡± Sune said, walking along the perimeter of the lake. ¡°And not from down here. From up there.¡±


    Kiwi followed Sune¡¯s finger up to the top of the towering waterfall. Up close, the waterfall was even taller than Kiwi expected, rising until it almost seemed to touch the clouds.


    ¡°You¡¯re mad!¡± said Kiwi. ¡°No one in the right mind would climb up there to poison a city of people!¡±


    ¡°My boy, we are not dealing with people in the right mind,¡± said Sune, beckoning Kiwi to follow. ¡°It is the only reasonable conclusion.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Kiwi asked. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how you came up with the idea that the water is poisoned!¡±


    ¡°I already suspected it long before coming here,¡± said Sune. ¡°But coming to the lake cemented my belief. Take a look at the water near the shore.¡±


    Kiwi knelt and glanced down at the water. At first he didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary, but upon closer inspection, he noticed a mass of tiny green particles swirling in the middle of the clear water.


    ¡°Yao Grass,¡± said Sune. ¡°Usually ground up and consumed as a powder through inhalation. However, when ingested, it is known to cause severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhea. Furthermore, all of the powder seems to be conglomerated near shore. Because of the waterfall, water usually flows outwards, passing down the river that cuts through town. Any stray powder that doesn¡¯t make it down the river is caught on the shores of the lake.¡±


    ¡°But how do we know that someone isn¡¯t just coming to the lake and pouring some of that powder in?¡± Kiwi asked. ¡°Why do they have to be at the top of the waterfall?¡±


    ¡°The people have said the water has constantly been fouled. That would mean someone has to be poisoning the water on a daily basis,¡± said Sune. ¡°When the water was still clean, Lake Maru was a popular place for people to bathe or drink. Considering that there has been no evidence of a culprit being seen around the lake in the past and the present, there is only one logical location where they could be.¡±


    ¡°Hm,¡± said Kiwi, scratching his head. ¡°You¡¯ve lost me.¡±


    Sune sighed and beckoned Kiwi to follow. ¡°Come. Lady Autumn informed me of a secret passage up the waterfall.¡±


    After spending the better part of the next hour feeling their way around the side of the steep rocky shelf which housed the gigantic waterfall, Sune discovered what seemed to be a set of steps carved into the side of the mountain. The steps appeared to head deeper into the mountainside before curving back out towards the waterfall, providing a steep but manageable incline. Without stopping for a reprieve, Sune began marching up the stairs. Kiwi sighed and pulled the lute case higher on his shoulders before following Sune up.


    By the time they reached the top, Kiwi¡¯s arms and legs were screaming with pain, not to mention his bruised and battered body still burned as well, courtesy of Plunkett. Panting heavily, Kiwi moved to haul himself up onto the top of the cliff but was stopped by Sune, who turned and put his finger to his lips.


    ¡°Give it ten more minutes,¡± said a nearby voice.


    ¡°C¡¯mon man,¡± said another. ¡°We been up here all day. It don¡¯t matter if it¡¯s now or ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me bust you,¡± warned the first voice.


    Kiwi snuck up beside Sune and peeked over the edge of the top step. Now that he was given a breather, Kiwi noticed that the roaring of the water was now off in the distance and the mist was nowhere to be seen. The cliff itself was rocky and bare, with a wide river slashing through its midst and exploding off the edge as the waterfall. Beyond the cliff was a forest of evergreen trees, thick and masking all beyond the first row of trees.


    There was a group of five raggedy men sitting around a fire, smoking pipes and eating fish. Kiwi¡¯s stomach growled at the sight of food, reminding him he hadn¡¯t eaten for about a day.


    ¡°Do ya ever feel bad about doin¡¯ this?¡± one of the men asked, crunching away at his fish. He had a patchy beard that looked like his chin had been stuck in a fire.


    ¡°My wife has been sick for a while,¡± said another of the men, this one as round as a boulder. ¡°As long as I make enough money to afford her medicine, I¡¯m okay no matter what.¡±


    Kiwi turned his attention to the large barrels sitting behind the men. If Sune was correct, those barrels would have the poison.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Kiwi whispered, turning to Sune.


    Sune was gone.


    A moment later, there was a shout from the fire as a large rock crashed into one of the men¡¯s heads, sending him crumpling to the ground. Sune sauntered towards the remaining four men, shuffling the deck of cards in his hands incessantly.


    ¡°W-who the heck are you?¡± the round man asked, rising to his feet.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard you boys have been doing some interesting things up here,¡± said Sune. He gave his cards a final shuffle and held the deck out to one of the seated men. ¡°Take a card. Any card.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it, man!¡± another man shouted as the first one reached out to do as Sune said. The first man sheepishly pulled his hand back.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to play the game?¡± Sune asked with a heavy sigh. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll take one for you.¡±


    Sune pulled a card from his deck and glanced at it before showing the men. On it was a large black ¡®X¡¯.


    ¡°What that mean, bro?¡± one of the men growled. ¡°We don¡¯t care ¡®bout no card game!¡±


    Sune¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°I''m afraid you¡¯re out of luck today.¡±


    Sune hurled the deck of cards at the round man¡¯s face. As the man was temporarily blinded, Sune dashed forward and used his open hand to smash the man under the chin. The man¡¯s head snapped back and he staggered backwards several feet before collapsing onto his back.


    The other three men whipped out knives from their belts and charged at Sune. As they approached, Sune reached up to his back and grabbed. His fingers grasped nothing but air. One of the men slashed Sune across the forearm, tearing his sleeve and gashing his skin. Sune managed to dodge the rest of the blows, leaping backwards to safety.


    ¡°Where are you, boy?¡± Sune roared.


    ¡°Right here!¡± Kiwi shouted from where he was still huddling at the top of the steps.


    ¡°Get your useless butt over here!¡± Sune shouted, trying to fend off the attacking men.


    Kiwi gulped. He knew that there would be a point in his life where he would have to make a decision. That decision would define whether or not he was ready to become a man. He knew that he was ready to make that leap. He knew that it was about time that he took on more responsibility and became a man who his mother could be proud to say was her son.


    Just not today.


    ¡°I¡¯m not feeling too well!¡± Kiwi shouted. ¡°I think I have water sickness!¡±


    ¡°You¡­you oaf!¡± Sune roared, turning on his heels and sprinting towards Kiwi. The men shouted and chased after him.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kiwi screamed, tearing at his hair. ¡°Don¡¯t bring them with you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Sune skidded to a stop and grabbed Kiwi by the collar. Before Kiwi could protest, Sune hauled him up over the edge of the cliff and hurled him towards the approaching men.


    Kiwi hung in the air for a moment, wondering for the millionth time why he had agreed to join this crazy man on his quest for who knows what. The next moment Kiwi crashed back first into the three approaching men, lute case battering all of them to the ground. Kiwi landed facedown several feet away, lute case still strapped to his back.


    ¡°You useless dog!¡± Sune growled, grabbing Kiwi by the hair and lifting his head off the ground. ¡°Nearly got us both -¡±


    Sune trailed off, single eye narrowing and focusing on something in the distance. After struggling out of the straps of the lute case, Kiwi clambered onto his feet and followed Sune¡¯s gaze.


    Standing at the edge of the evergreen forest stood two figures. One of them was dressed entirely in black while the other one was dressed in white. From this distance, Kiwi could only make out two things about them. The first thing he noticed was that they both wore brightly colored festival masks covering their faces. Secondly, they each had a tail.


    A tail?


    ¡°Ghouls,¡± whispered Sune.

 Chapter 2-2

    Chapter 2-2


    -----------------------------------------------


    ¡°What do we do what do we do what do we do?¡± Kiwi stammered, twisting his hair in his hands.


    ¡°Shut it and give me my lute case,¡± Sune growled, stepping over Kiwi and picking up his lute case. ¡°I¡¯ll take the one in black. You take the one in white.¡±


    Kiwi jaw dropped. ¡°I have to f-f-f-f-f-f-f-fight?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I paid you?¡± Sune said, tapping his lute case in several places. ¡°Remember, Ghouls have access to 80%, but they have the minds of wild animals. Use that to your advantage.¡±


    ¡°80%?¡± Kiwi asked, frantically racking his brain for what that could mean.


    ¡°I saw you hit 60% in the fight you had against that bully,¡± said Sune. ¡°If you have any sort of wits about you, that¡¯ll be enough to take a Ghoul down.¡±


    Kiwi had no idea what Sune was talking about. Even worse, the two Ghouls continued to approach, fanning out to surround Kiwi and Sune. At a closer distance, Kiwi noticed that they were not armed with weapons. All they had were their masks, which seemed to be animal masks from a town festival. The Ghoul in black had a thin scaly tail of a reptile, extending at least five feet behind its rear end. The Ghoul in white¡¯s tail was wide and puffy, covered in long gray fur. That Ghoul also had what looked to be two fuzzy ears sticking out the top of its head.


    Before Kiwi could gather his thoughts, the Ghoul in black bounded towards him, arms and legs exploding into red flames. Immediately, Sune tapped a spot on his lute case. A panel on the side of the lute case popped open, depositing what looked to be two large metal spheres attached by a chain into Sune¡¯s hand. Sune grabbed one of the metal spheres and used it to spin the other sphere like a lasso. Right before the Ghoul in black reached a frozen Kiwi, Sune hurled the contraption. The chain, weighted by the metal spheres, caught onto the Ghoul in black¡¯s legs and wrapped around them, sending the Ghoul skidding to the ground.


    ¡°Duck!¡± Sune shouted at Kiwi.


    As Kiwi tried his best to do as ordered, Sune tapped another spot on his lute case, opening another panel. This time, several black pellets feel into his hand. Right before the Ghoul in white reached Kiwi, Sune hurled the pellets. Upon hitting the Ghoul, the pellets burst into a thick smoky powder, clogging noses and blinding eyes.


    ¡°Move, boy!¡± Sune roared as Kiwi wallowed on the floor, haven fallen victim to Sune¡¯s last attack.


    Kiwi managed to scramble in a random direction, still rubbing at his eyes. Sune pressed the bottom of his lute case with both hands, opening a compartment filled with spikes. As the Ghoul in white stumbled after Kiwi, Sune threw the spikes in its path, right as the Ghoul in black smashed into his side.


    Meanwhile, Kiwi finally managed to clear his eyes and draw in a breath of fresh air. The Ghoul in white was thrashing on the ground, having fallen on the spikes that Sune had thrown. About a hundred feet away, Sune defended himself with two long knives. The red flames burning along the Ghoul¡¯s arms extended into thinclaws sticking out of the Ghoul¡¯s hands. Each of the flaming claws seemed to be as hard as metal, easily deflecting the razor-sharp blades of Sune¡¯s knives.


    So this is the power of a demon, Kiwi thought, eyes wide. It¡¯s even greater than I imagined.


    Sune hurled one of his knives at the Ghoul in black, who easily dodged. The knife sailed past the Ghoul and stuck into a nearby tree. Leaping back several feet to dodge a swipe from the Ghoul, Sune threw his other knife. Once again, the Ghoul hopped to the side, evading the attack. This knife sunk into another tree, several feet away from the first.


    Seeing that its opponent was unarmed, the Ghoul snarled and lumbered forward, cracking its tail like a whip. In the midst of one of the Ghoul¡¯s forward steps, Sune crossed his arms, also crossing the thin strings that had been attached to the ends of the knives. The Ghoul in black tripped over the cord and stumbled, stepping on a scattering of spikes. Howling in pain, it fell towards the ground.


    As the Ghoul fell, Sune drew his right hand back, revealing the brass knuckles he now wore. Exploding forth, Sune smashed the Ghoul in the face, cracking the festival mask and sending the Ghoul crashing to the ground in a limp heap.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    He¡¯s a genius! Kiwi thought.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Sune roared.


    The Ghoul in white, finally having removed the spikes from the soles of its feet, hurtled towards Kiwi, moving faster than any human Kiwi had ever seen. Breaking out in a cold sweat, Kiwi did the only thing he knew how to do.


    He ran.


    Kiwi only took three steps before the Ghoul caught him, swiping him across the back. There was a burning pain as Kiwi felt the Ghoul¡¯s flaming claws gash through his flesh. A moment later, his back exploded with pain, causing him to lose his step and crash to the ground, tumbling to a stop several feet away from the raging river.


    ¡°My back,¡± Kiwi gasped, feeling the cold wetness of blood seeping into his tunic. ¡°My back!¡±


    Kiwi''s voice caught in his throat as he heard the Ghoul¡¯s quiet breathing, getting closer and closer as it leaned down to finish its deed. Kiwi desperately tried to do something, anything, to help his situation. But his body was frozen, not able to move a muscle.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die,¡± Kiwi whispered, begging his body to move. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    He felt the cold sharpness of the Ghoul¡¯s claws pressing against his neck. Kiwi squeezed his eyes shut, feeling tears leaking down his cheeks. I¡¯m sorry, Mother! I¡¯m sorry, Rin! I don¡¯t want to die! I don¡¯t want to die!


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± Kiwi screamed as Sune slid past him on top of the lute case, having used the decline of the land leading down to the river as a slope to build up momentum. As he passed, Sune snagged Kiwi by the arm, dragging him out from under the Ghoul right before it thrust down with its claws.


    The two of them crashed into the river, which immediately buffeted them towards the waterfall. Kiwi gasped, trying to keep his ahead above the water. However, body and mind still traumatized from the Ghoul attack, Kiwi couldn¡¯t fight against the current as it continuously tossed and turned him before finally submerging him.


    The last thing Kiwi remembered was the sensation of falling.


    -


    Kiwi groaned and opened his eyes, immediately convulsing into a fit of coughs. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head and glanced around. He was sitting on the shore of Lake Maru, completely soaked. Turning his head, Kiwi saw Sune, who was sitting several feet away, wiping at his lute case.


    ¡°H-hey,¡± said Kiwi, sitting up and wincing upon stretching his back. ¡°Thanks for saving me back there.¡±


    Sune didn''t say a word.


    Kiwi swallowed and twiddled his thumbs. The two sat in silence for several moments.


    ¡°We almost had them,¡± said Sune, voice monotone and low.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Kiwi, forcing out a chuckle. ¡°We¡¯ll get them next time, right?¡±


    ¡°Next time?¡± Sune asked, voice deathly quiet.


    Kiwi opened his mouth, but Sune didn¡¯t let him speak.


    ¡°You think we¡¯re going to get an opportunity as good as that?¡± Sune roared, storming over to Kiwi. ¡°This is the only time we had the element of surprise! From now on they¡¯ll be bringing twice as many men! Twice as many Ghouls! Next time? Give me a break.¡±


    Kiwi lowered his head.


    ¡°We had them too!¡± shouted Sune, reaching down and grabbing Kiwi by the collar. His single green eye stared feverishly at Kiwi¡¯s face. ¡°We would¡¯ve had one of them or both! If you weren¡¯t such a goddamn coward!¡±


    Kiwi flinched away as Sune pulled his fist back. But the blow never came. Sighing, Sune released Kiwi¡¯s collar and let him slump to the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m sorry,¡± said Kiwi, not knowing what else he should say.


    ¡°Sorry?¡± said Sune. ¡°I paid one hundred gold coins for you. I paid one hundred gold coins for a Possessed to partner with. I should¡¯ve known better than to hire a useless, unemployed kid who happens to be Possessed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem,¡± Kiwi said meekly. ¡°I¡¯m not Possessed.¡±


    Sune sat there for a moment. Then he began to laugh. Kiwi did not detect an ounce of mirth in his laugh.


    ¡°Are you kidding me right now?¡± Sune roared, suddenly exploding to his feet once again. ¡°What was that punch you hit the bully with? Only a Possessed who can go 60% can release demonic energy like that! Don¡¯t lie just to save face!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that was,¡± mumbled Kiwi. ¡°It¡¯s the first time that¡¯s ever happened to me. But I do know that I¡¯m not Possessed because I¡¯m the first one who¡¯s ever failed the trial.¡±


    Sune just stood there, staring incredulously at Kiwi. Kiwi wilted under his gaze and tried to make himself as small as possible. Finally, Sune muttered something to himself and picked up his lute case, swinging it over his shoulder.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± said Sune. ¡°Tomorrow you¡¯re going home.¡±


    Kiwi nodded, knowing that it was only realistic for him to get fired within two days of getting employed. There isn¡¯t any room in the world for someone so useless.


    The walk back to Lady Autumn¡¯s palace was quiet. Kiwi¡¯s injured back pained him with every step, but he knew better than to bring up the topic. The only thing he could do was set his jaw and keep up with Sune¡¯s brisk pace.


    ¡°Stop,¡± whispered Sune, coming to a halt.


    Kiwi glanced up and saw that Sune had stopped at the edge of a building. Peering around the corner, Kiwi could make out Lady Autumn¡¯s palace. In front of the palace was a squad of fifteen or twenty soldiers, all armed with spears and swords.


    ¡°Watch your back,¡± said Sune. ¡°If things get bad, run.¡±


    Kiwi nodded in response.


    Sune and Kiwi walked around the corner of the building, drawing the attention of the soldiers. One of the soldiers, dressed in red painted armor, approached them.


    ¡°State your names and business, gentlemen,¡± the soldier growled.


    ¡°I am Sune the Exorcist and this is my servant,¡± said Sune. ¡°We arrived earlier today.¡±


    The man in the red armor muttered something to one of the other soldiers, who trotted off. ¡°Only once your identities are verified will you be allowed into the palace.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± said Sune. ¡°If I may inquire, what is the reason for this¡­level of security?¡±


    The man in red armor narrowed his eyes. ¡°While you were gone, there was an assassination attempt on Lady Autumn¡¯s life.¡±

 Chapter 3-1

    Chapter 3-1


    ----------------------------------------------------


    Kiwi groaned and opened his eyes, body aching everywhere. He grimaced as he twisted his back, feeling the scabs of his wounds popping underneath the bandages. After recovering from the brief discomfort, he glanced around the room.


    Sune¡¯s bed was already vacated and the covers lay neatly folded on top. On the table sitting between their beds was a pitcher of water and a small plate of fruit. Mouth watering, Kiwi lumbered over and snatched up the plate in his hands, wolfing down strawberries and apple slices. He washed everything down with a few mouthfuls of water before continuing his feast.


    The door slid open with a slam, making Kiwi jump with a start and hide the plate behind his back. Sune entered the room, still dressed in his black robes, white scarf, eyepatch, and rice hat.


    ¡°Relax, boy. No one¡¯s going to take your food from you,¡± said Sune.


    Kiwi took out the plate and continued ingesting the fruit at an unhealthy rate.


    ¡°We¡¯re having a change of plans,¡± said Sune, sitting on his bed.


    Kiwi responded with a nod and loud chewing.


    ¡°They want one of us to protect Lady Autumn,¡± Sune said. ¡°They want the other one of us to stop the poisoners at the top of the waterfall.¡±


    Kiwi nodded again, gobbling away.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to protect Lady Autumn,¡± said Sune.


    Kiwi stopped mid-chew, eyes wide. ¡°Bugh ahg caugn faught!¡±


    ¡°Stop eating!¡± Sune roared.


    Kiwi swallowed and set the empty plate on the table. ¡°But I can¡¯t fight!¡±


    ¡°I very well know that,¡± said Sune, casting a very dirty look at Kiwi. ¡°But there¡¯s no way around it in this situation. Besides, no assassin in the right mind would attempt twice in two nights. It¡¯s suicide.¡±


    Kiwi tried to calm his breathing, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about his heart, which threatened to bounce out of his chest at any moment.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading out to prepare now,¡± said Sune.  ¡°Red will come get you when he needs you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to the waterfall again?¡± Kiwi asked. ¡°This is just like an assassin trying twice in two nights. It¡¯s suicide!¡±


    Sune snorted. ¡°This time I won¡¯t be burdened by anything, so I¡¯m willing to bet things will go differently.¡±


    Kiwi lowered his head with shame.


    ¡°No matter,¡± said Sune. ¡°After tonight, I¡¯ll take you home.¡±


    ¡°You think the assassin won¡¯t come again after tonight?¡± Kiwi asked.


    ¡°Our job was not to stop an assassin,¡± Sune said, standing and walking to the door. ¡°Our job was to fix the lake.¡±


    Before he left, Sune turned back to look Kiwi in the eye.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let anything happen to Lady Autumn.¡±


    Then he was gone.


    -


    Kiwi sighed and lay down on his bed, wondering what he was going to do to waste the whole day away. Might as well nap, he thought to himself. Right as he closed his eyes, the door slid open once again, causing Kiwi to roll off his bed and crash to the ground.


    ¡°Blasted peanuts!¡± roared the man in red armor. ¡°Are you still in bed at this time of day?¡±


    Kiwi winced at the magnitude of the man¡¯s voice. ¡°You¡¯re Red?¡±


    ¡°I am not Red!¡± shouted the man. ¡°I am Sir Rowan Forthwind, humble guardian of Lady Autumn, glorious goddess who rules over Mora!¡±


    ¡°Okay, Red,¡± said Kiwi, holding his back and hauling himself back up onto the bed. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°I am not Red!¡± shouted the man, glaring at Kiwi with beady black eyes hidden in the huge gray bushes that were his eyebrows. A similar gray bush covered the man¡¯s entire upper lip.


    ¡°You¡¯re an old man!¡± said Kiwi, eyes bulging. ¡°Why are you dressed in armor?¡±


    ¡°I am not an old man! I am Red!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Red?¡± asked Kiwi.


    ¡°I am not Red!¡± roared the man, slamming his hand against the doorframe.


    Kiwi grimaced and put his hands over his ears.


    ¡°It is night! No sleeping! Time for work!¡± shouted Red, stomping over and grabbing Kiwi by the back of the neck.


    ¡°Wait a second,¡± said Kiwi, arms and legs hanging freely in the air. ¡°It¡¯s morning!¡±


    ¡°It is not morning!¡± Red roared, hauling Kiwi out of the room.


    Kiwi hung limply in Red¡¯s hand as he was dragged throughout the halls of the palace. Through the windows, Kiwi could tell that the sun was indeed in the process of setting. Must¡¯ve slept through the entire day, he thought to himself.


    Upon coming to the blue doors of Lady Autumn¡¯s room, Red ignored the guards and slid the door open. ¡°Bodyguard!¡± Red shouted and deposited Kiwi in a heap at the entrance of the room. Before Kiwi could protest, Red slammed the door shut.


    Kiwi clambered to his feet and scratched his head. Not knowing how a bodyguard was supposed to act, he sat awkwardly against the door, wondering when all of this could be over. Sune was right, he thought. I¡¯m really not cut out for the working life. I just want to go home.


    There was a crash from behind the dividing curtain, making Kiwi jump to his feet. Heart thudding, he slowly approached.


    ¡°Hello?¡± he called. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    No response.


    Kiwi¡¯s eyes widened and he dropped to a crouch, grabbing at his hair. What¡¯s going on? Did the assassin just attack again? Is Lady Autumn dead? Will they blame me for this crime?


    Not able to bear it any longer, Kiwi grabbed the curtain and yanked it aside. Sitting at the center of the room was a little girl who looked to be a couple years younger than Rin. She held a teapot in one hand and was in the process of pouring tea for a large stuffed bear sitting in a small wooden chair. And for some bizarre reason, she was trying to pour the tea blindfolded.


    ¡°What are you doing here, dog?¡± the little girl asked, voice cold as ice. Despite the menace oozing in the tone, her voice sounded vaguely familiar.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re Lady Autumn?¡± Kiwi stammered, glancing at the plain brown dress she wore and her plain brown hair that was longer than she was tall.


    The girl stood there for a moment, frozen. Then she dropped the teapot and began fidgeting back and forth. ¡°Um¡­yes! Yes, that¡¯s me! Lady Autumn!¡±


    Kiwi looked at her flatly. ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± said the girl, gnawing anxiously at the hem of her dress. ¡°I would never take my Lady¡¯s name so casually!¡±


    Kiwi put his face in his hands. ¡°Can you just tell me where the real Lady Autumn is?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the real Lady Autumn!¡± the girl snapped.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am!¡±


    Kiwi had more than enough experience dealing with rebellious little girls. He stormed forward, reaching out to grab her with outstretched arms. Before he touched her, the little girl¡¯s mouth twisted into a snarl and she whipped around, punching Kiwi in the midsection.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Kiwi rolled his eyes at the pitiful impact, right before something exploded out of the girl¡¯s fist and through his body. Body convulsing with pain, Kiwi collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach and whimpering.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch a lady like that,¡± said the girl, giving Kiwi a cold stare. ¡°Creep.¡±


    Kiwi wallowed on the ground for several moments before he was able to form a coherent thought. This little girl isn¡¯t Lady Autumn¡­so what happened to the real one? And who is this little twat?


    ¡°You¡¯re annoying me,¡± said the little girl, jabbing Kiwi with a foot. ¡°Go away before I make Red take you.¡±


    ¡°Go away?¡± Kiwi asked, managing to stand without vomiting. ¡°Red brought me here to protect you!¡±


    ¡°You protect me?¡± the girl asked, giggling. ¡°You couldn¡¯t even protect yourself with that weak demon you have!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that to¡­¡± Kiwi paused and blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    The little girl smirked. ¡°Surprised? Even though I can¡¯t see, I know more about you than you can ever imagine.¡±


    ¡°Of course you can¡¯t see,¡± said Kiwi. ¡°You¡¯re wearing a blindfold.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m blind.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said Kiwi. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± said the little girl. ¡°I¡¯m Possessed with a bat demon. It helps me detect things with echolocation.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± said Kiwi. ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    The two sat in amicable silence for a moment.


    ¡°What a second,¡± said Kiwi. ¡°You said you were Possessed?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°By a bat demon? And you can use echolocation? What the frick is that supposed to mean?¡± Kiwi asked, brain finally processing the words coming out of the little girl¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty slow for a Possessed,¡± said the little girl, retrieving her teapot. She continued pouring tea for her stuffed bear.


    ¡°Possessed?¡± Kiwi said, very confused at this point. ¡°I¡¯m not Possessed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s odd,¡± said the little girl. The tea had long brimmed over the edge of the cup and was now spilling onto the table. ¡°You¡¯ve got some strange demon in your right arm.¡±


    Kiwi¡¯s eyes widened as he remembered the night where he had fought against Plunkett. When his right arm had seemed to have an agenda of its own, trying to grab Rin through his conscious thoughts. Could it be true?


    ¡°Um¡­¡± said the little girl, shy once again. ¡°Is the teacup full? I can only really see solid objects.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Kiwi, immersed in thought. Am I really Possessed? Why haven¡¯t I felt anything besides that night? When did it happen?


    ¡°Is it full now?¡± the little girl asked, shuffling her feet. ¡°My arm is tired.¡±


    ¡°Let me pour,¡± Kiwi said absentmindedly. He took the teapot from her and continued to pour the tea in the already filled cup. If it¡¯s really true, then I might be able to -


    ¡°Where¡¯s Lady Autumn?¡± Kiwi asked, setting the teapot down. ¡°I need to talk to her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lady Autumn!¡± said the little girl, starting to fidget with her hands again.


    ¡°I see what¡¯s going on now,¡± said Kiwi, rubbing his chin. ¡°You¡¯re just the decoy for the assassin. It¡¯s a smart idea, but no offense, you look nothing like a lady.¡±


    The little girl lashed out with a foot, hitting Kiwi in the shin. Kiwi tried his best to keep his composure while hobbling a safe distance away from the girl.


    ¡°So what if I¡¯m a decoy?¡± said the little girl. ¡°As long as -¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m going to go,¡± interrupted Kiwi. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be sitting here all night looking after a little brat.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just leave me!¡± said the little girl, hurling her teacup at him. Kiwi unsuccessfully tried to dodge, instead getting burned by scalding hot tea.


    ¡°What the frick is wrong with you?¡± Kiwi roared, trying to fan himself. ¡°Why are you so violent?¡±


    The little girl ignored him, instead turning around to sulk with her stuffed bear.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Kiwi muttered. He pulled the curtain aside and walked to the blue doors, sliding them open to come face to face with Red.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Red shouted, even though his face was only an inch away from Kiwi¡¯s.


    ¡°Um¡­I must relieve myself,¡± said Kiwi.


    ¡°Ask Lady Autumn for a chamber pot!¡±


    Without giving Kiwi a chance to respond, Red shoved him back into the room and slammed the doors shut.


    Muttering choice words under his breath, Kiwi went to the other side of the curtain and looked around. Besides the small table in the center of the room, there was just a bed on one side of the room and a wardrobe on the other. There were no windows to be seen.


    ¡°Lady Autumn must really not live a very luxurious life,¡± said Kiwi, pulling open the wardrobe. There were only a couple of dresses and what looked to be wigs. A festival mask lay on the floor of the wardrobe.


    ¡°What are you doing in there?¡± the little girl asked sharply.


    Kiwi slowly reached down and picked up the mask. This mask was completely white except for cat¡¯s mouth and three whiskers on each cheek, all drawn in red ink. Looking at the mask, Kiwi could only think of one thing.


    ¡°Do you know anything about the Ghouls on top of the waterfall?¡± Kiwi asked.


    ¡°Ghouls?¡± the little girl asked. ¡°It¡¯s as Baru the messenger said. The only Ghouls are in the lake.¡±


    Kiwi didn¡¯t even have to turn around to know that she was lying. ¡°With your vision you should know better than anyone that there aren¡¯t any Ghouls in the lake.¡±


    The little girl was quiet except for her dress gnawing.


    ¡°You must be in league with the Ghouls,¡± said Kiwi, hands tightening into fists. ¡°First you fabricate the assassination attempt. Split up Sune and me. Then you take each one of us down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± said the girl in a small voice. ¡°Not all of it.¡±


    A cold fire began to burn in Kiwi¡¯s chest as he turned around to glare at the little girl. If they¡¯re working with the Ghouls, they¡¯ll know that Sune is coming. I need to get to the waterfall now!


    Trying to keep his breathing in check, Kiwi began walking to the door. However, he felt slight resistance as the girl grabbed hold of the back of his tunic.


    ¡°Let go,¡± growled Kiwi.


    ¡°W-why did you decide to become a Possessed?¡± the little girl asked hesitantly.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not Possessed,¡± said Kiwi. ¡°I¡¯m the first person to ever fail the trial. You¡¯ve probably heard of me at some point.¡±


    The girl paused, quiet. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Kiwi glanced up at the ceiling and sighed. ¡°I couldn¡¯t kill a cat.¡±


    After a long moment, the girl released his tunic. ¡°You¡¯re going to need a disguise.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Kiwi snapped.


    ¡°Trust me, you don¡¯t want them to know your face,¡± said the little girl. She walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a white dress with pink flowers, a wig of bright red hair, and the white cat mask. ¡°Put these on.¡±


    Kiwi¡¯s upper lip curled up in a sneer. ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡±


    ¡°If they know your face, it¡¯s over for you and anyone you love,¡± said the little girl. There was not a hint of jest in her voice.


    Kiwi stared at her for a moment. Then he stormed over and snatched the disguise from her hands. After struggling for longer than he wanted to admit, Kiwi managed to pull the dress on in a semi-correct manner. Casting angry glances at the little girl, he tied the dress at the waist with a black sash and pulled the wig of long red hair over his head, struggling to push it off of his face. Lastly, he took the white cat mask and tied it behind his head.


    ¡°You happy now?¡± Kiwi growled, wondering how ridiculous he looked.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be enough,¡± said the little girl, heading over to the door of the room. Kiwi tried to follow her but faceplanted as his knees got caught in the dress.


    ¡°Piece of garbage,¡± he muttered, reaching down and tearing the dress so he could move his legs freely.


    As Kiwi was still clambering to his feet, the little girl grabbed one of the doors with both hands and slid it to the side. As expected, Red stood in the doorway, blocking it with his massive body.


    ¡°Where are-¡± Red sputtered to a stop. ¡°Blasted peanuts!¡±


    The little girl gave him a gentle tap with her fist. Black flame exploded from her hand and launched Red backwards, sending him tumbling into the wall on the other side of the hallway. As the two guards turned in surprise, the little girl dashed forward, faster than any human could, and delivered a punch to the midsection of the first guard. The man was blasted backwards, screaming in pain. The second guard grabbed his spear and thrust it at the little girl¡¯s back. The little girl shifted to the side in an instant, snatching the shaft of the spear in her hands. With a quick push, she shoved the spear¡¯s butt straight into guard¡¯s stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The little girl finished it off with a quick punch to the temple.


    ¡°What are you doing standing around for?¡± snapped the little girl. ¡°Go!¡±


    Kiwi gulped and nodded, charging down one of the hallways. Immediately, he ran into a group of three guards on their way towards the screaming. They paused in surprise when they saw Kiwi.


    ¡°Assassin!¡± one of them shouted. ¡°Assassin!¡±


    The three guards charged at Kiwi, lowering their spears. Kiwi¡¯s first instinct was to run, but this time he halted himself. You¡¯ve got some strange demon in your right arm, he remembered the little girl saying. Gritting his teeth, he turned and threw his right fist at one of the guards.


    Before his right fist connected, the little girl flew in over his head, wisps of what looked to be black smoke emanating from her body. With a single swing of her fist, the black fire exploded out of her hand once again, sending all three of the guards crashing to the ground.


    ¡°I had them!¡± said Kiwi.


    ¡°No you didn¡¯t,¡± growled the little girl. ¡°You weren¡¯t even using your demon.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Hate is the trigger for your demon!¡± said the little girl. ¡°If you don¡¯t have hate, your demon will never come out!¡±


    Kiwi didn¡¯t have much time to think about that as he followed the little girl down the hallway. After fighting through several more small clusters of guards, the two of them turned the corner into the foyer of the palace. In front of them stood a force of thirty guards, all armed and ready for combat.


    ¡°Shit!¡± said the little girl. ¡°Roaches everywhere!¡±


    ¡°Watch your language!¡± Kiwi hissed. ¡°Eight year olds aren¡¯t supposed to talk like that!¡±


    ¡°When they charge us, run straight,¡± said the little girl. ¡°Also, I¡¯m twelve.¡±


    ¡°Run straight?¡± Kiwi asked, eyes bulging. ¡°Are you mad?¡±


    The little girl smiled. ¡°Not mad. Just a little sad.¡±


    ¡°Sad?¡±


    ¡°Sad that someone like you had the courage to do something I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    The guards let out their battle cry and charged towards the little girl and Kiwi. Heart thudding in his chest, Kiwi watched the men approach through the slits of his mask. Can I trust her? I don¡¯t know anything about her. I don¡¯t even know her name!


    As the first guard reached them, the little girl let out a bloodcurdling scream and her body exploded into black flames. However, this time the black flames did not disappear. They surrounded her like an aura, coating her entire body. She turned back to Kiwi, teeth gritted in either pain or concentration.


    ¡°Run.¡±


    The little girl erupted forward, swinging an open palm at the first guard. A blast of black energy larger than any that Kiwi had seen detonated from the hand, sending anything in its path flying. Path now cleared, Kiwi squeezed his eyes shut and began sprinting after the little girl.


    Faster than he could¡¯ve imagined, Kiwi reached the entrance of the palace. The door had long been blasted open by the little girl¡¯s power, and the evening breeze welcomed him.


    Loud shouts sounded from behind him as more and more guards poured into the foyer, charging at Kiwi. But Kiwi wasn¡¯t concerned about them. He glanced over his shoulder at the little girl. The black flames no longer emanated from her body and her shoulders heaved with exhaustion.


    ¡°You need¡­to go¡­¡± the little girl gasped, holding her chest. ¡°They¡¯re coming.¡±


    The guards continued to approach. Taking a deep breath, Kiwi made up his mind. He reached down and picked up the little girl, cradling her in his arms. But before he could run, the girl pushed against his chest and forced herself out of his arms, dropping back to the ground.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kiwi asked frantically. ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡±


    ¡°Go,¡± said the little girl. ¡°I can¡­delay them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll die,¡± whispered Kiwi.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather die¡­than live the life I¡¯m living,¡± said the girl, turning away to face the incoming threat.


    Kiwi watched her for a moment. Through their brief time together, he still didn¡¯t know much about her. He didn¡¯t know her name, where she was from, or why she decided to help him. All he knew was one thing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back for you,¡± Kiwi said.


    Then he ran.

 Chapter 3-2

    Chapter 3-2


    -----------------------------------------------


    From what Kiwi could see, the fight was not going well for Sune. His lute case had been strewn to the side and he was attempting to defend himself against three Ghouls with a single long knife held in his left hand. His right arm hung limply by his side, blood dripping from his fingertips onto the ground.


    Both of the Ghouls from the previous night were there, along with a newcomer. The newcomer was dressed in all blue and wore no mask, largely due to the fact that it had a long orange beak where its mouth should¡¯ve been. Dark blue flames fanned out from its arms, taking on the form of wings.


    The reptilian Ghoul, still dressed in all black, leaped towards Sune, swiping its flaming red claws with reckless abandon. Sune deflected its first blow with his knife, only to receive a gash across the torso from the Ghoul¡¯s other arm. Staggering backwards, Sune was immediately assaulted by the Ghoul in white. Striking with a hand covered in white flames, the Ghoul in white hit Sune square in the stomach, launching him backwards. Sune skidded over the ground, tumbling and crashing to a stop at a large rock just a little ways from where Kiwi was hiding.


    Taking deep breaths, Kiwi closed his eyes and tried to ignore everything except for the little girl¡¯s words. If you don¡¯t have hate, your demon will never come out.


    Wasting no time, the three demons approached Sune, who was struggling to even sit up. Hate, hate, hate! Kiwi thought to himself. The first thought that popped up in his head was Plunkett. I hate Plunkett! To test out his newfound power, Kiwi punched a large rock from behind the bush where he was hiding. Trying to keep his cries of pain at a minimum, he curled up in a ball and massaged his bruised fist.


    The Ghoul in black reached down and stomped on Sune¡¯s left arm, eliciting a cry of pain and causing him to drop the knife.


    What do I hate? The second thing that popped into Kiwi¡¯s brain was himself. Frustrated, he shook his head. Stop being an edgy loon!


    The Ghoul standing on top of Sune pulled its arm backwards. The flaming red claws on its hand burned bright red and pulsated, almost as if they were yearning for the blood that was to be spilt.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Think! Kiwi tore at the long red hair on his head. There¡¯s no time!


    With a demonic snarl, the Ghoul thrust down with its claws. As the finishing blow approached, Kiwi could make out a small smile on Sune¡¯s lips as he prepared for death. In that instant, Kiwi saw Sune as a spitting image of Saya, lying in the rice paddy, body broken and ready to die. Why does everyone around me get hurt? Why can I do nothing about it? Trembling, Kiwi¡¯s hands tightened into fists.


    I hate it!


    Kiwi burst out from behind the bush, yelling what he believed was a war cry. Distracted, the Ghoul paused mid-blow to glance at Kiwi, who vaulted over Sune and yanked his fist back. As he descended toward the Ghoul, Kiwi felt a familiar coldness burning through his chest and into his right arm.


    The coldness of hatred.


    Kiwi threw his right arm forward and felt his knuckles smash into the Ghoul in black¡¯s mask. The bright blue flames exploded from his fist, obliterating the Ghoul¡¯s mask and sending it flying.


    Kill!


    Letting the voice in his head consume him, Kiwi felt his right arm move on its own accord, deflecting a kick from the Ghoul in white.


    Kill!


    Kiwi stumbled forward as his right arm lunged, trying to snag at the Ghoul in white. The Ghoul leaped backwards, easily evading his attack. Immediately, the bird Ghoul leaped at Kiwi¡¯s exposed back, only to have its legs tangled by Sune, who still held onto a thread of consciousness.


    Kiwi charged at the Ghoul in white, fears inhibited by the hatred swirling in his mind. As Kiwi approached, the Ghoul dropped to all fours, tail swishing back and forth. When Kiwi got within twenty feet, the Ghoul pounced at him, hands and feet chipping rocks as they left the ground.


    When it reached Kiwi, the Ghoul twisted around in the air, smacking Kiwi in the face with its white tail, temporarily blinding him with fur. While Kiwi was stunned, the Ghoul landed behind him and swiped his back with a paw of burning white fire.


    Kill!


    Unlike the previous night, Kiwi felt no pain in the moment. With no hesitation, he whirled around and hurled his right fist into the Ghoul¡¯s abdomen, letting the coldness detonate into his opponent¡¯s body with a blast of blue flame.


    The Ghoul in white crashed to the ground several feet away, clutching at its injured midsection. Without giving the Ghoul a chance to recover, Kiwi leaped on top of it and pinned its arms to the ground with his legs.


    Kill!


    The voice in his head egged him on, and Kiwi was more than happy to oblige. With a guttural roar, Kiwi smashed his fist down over and over again into the Ghoul¡¯s masked face.


    Die! Die! Die!


    The voice screamed with glee as Kiwi battered the festival mask, eventually shattering the thick wood. With another roar, Kiwi punched at the Ghoul¡¯s exposed face.


    What?


    Kiwi¡¯s fist hit the ground next to the Ghoul¡¯s face, splintering rocks and sinking several inches into the ground. Panting, Kiwi extracted his hand and leaned back slowly to meet the wide yellow eyes of a scared young woman.