Chapter-8:Recruitment

"The only thing worse than a single demon, is a demon army.....", the shabbily dressed man was talking to the small kid beside him, "You are too young to understand this right now, but one day you will. This here,"-he motioned with his arm to the a various kids training with adults, some exercising and some running, some throwing knifes at the walls while some learning the basics of operations with a gun," Here, we make the ones that will save the world, my son. One day, you will became one of the greatest we could make. So tell me Arthur, Wouldn't you oblige your father?"

He had a weird smile on his face, as he looked down onto the kid. The kids eyes devoid, hollow.

Like father, like son as they say.

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I fiddled with my bag a little, nervous. My heartbeat, irregular.

My one weakness-social situations.

The green-haired girl was sitting in front of me, looking down-afraid to make eye contact. She might have been cute, but sadness was littered all over her face.

My glasses were on the table next to the balisong.

There was no one in the room except us two, the silence making it unbearable.

I could see, a weird mixture of blue, white, red and black colored viscous liquid/gas emerging, floating around her and then swallowing her whole, drowning her. Various hands emerging from her shadows, desperately trying to hold on to her, trying to grab and drag her down.

I didn't need to be a genius that she was in a far worse place than where they could take her.

She was still looking at the knife, emotionless.

Understanding her is...

"Are you going to kill me?", a strange smile on her face.

Hold your demeanor, ignore the massive wave of red gushing out of her, pushing me a little back. This aura, I jumped out of the chair, instinctively, taking a defense stance before I even realize what I was doing.

She casually stands up, taking the knife, picking it up and running its edge until it cut her hand.

"Sharp! It might be more fun to use than that hammer!", a little giggle as she flicks the knife pointing at me, "But might I ask, before I cut you apart, who are you? I don't even know you neither does Riko. Oh, you know, you look like that kid I killed yesterday!",

Huh?

"I am here with a off-",

"Know what, I don't care!"

She rushed towards me, I got into backfoot- waiting for her to get closer- pivoting on my front foot, launching a high roundhouse. She, at the last moment, ducked under the kick- switching the knife from her front end to off-end- slashing my back foot and spinning around slashing my right shoulder and in with a swift slash at the back of my neck.

She fast, she's way more fast.

IT WAS A SINGLE MOTION.

"I thought, it would be more fun. You had more hands than me, so I thought.....uh I might have been mistaken.", she kicked me in the back and I tumbled forward.

This Bitch. Is she mocking me?

Excuse Me???

I took a deep breath and slowly got up, I turned around to face her, craning my neck towards the right-she mirroring it, slowly, carefully iterating what I was gonna say before.

"As I was saying, I have an offer. I want to train you, help you out of this,"-I waved with my arms to portray the area-" and to see your skills, in the right hands. And before you say no, I am gonna kill you and drag you out of purgatory if you say no, but it is your choice. I don't force choices on people."

A strange smile comes onto her face, and then she starts laughing.

"Re- Really? You, Your gonna send me to where again?", she continued laughing for a couple of second, abruptly stopping, her aura strengthening, a smile creeping on her face as she rushes towards me.

Exhale. I close my eyes, feeling everything slow down, the air, the sounds, the whole worlds, until it becomes dark , cold, desolate.

"Tu autem fili hominis huc venire audere?", a strange chorus of voice, heavy and lights in union say.

"Audes nostra regione initium?"

"Your threats are of no means to me, 12. I am merely here for 17.", I calmly state to the void.

A black dragon comes out, half of its face white, half of it red. It's eyes black, face destorted- continuous changing its shape.

"Non puto nos a jubente Domino: et non omnia", the twin faced dragon says.

I calmly walk toward them, put my right arm up and slapped him hard across their face.

I could hear a gasp from the void, growling, anger. I face towards the source of the sound, "Absolute Loyalty, that's what I demanded of you, of all of you. When I brought you here from Purgatory, I thought you would help your king. Do you really wish to displease your king now?", a smug grin coming on my face.

"Tu rex non est!", a small screech comes from the void.

"Really?", I turn around. Throwing my jacket down. "Come out, 9. I'll show you your king."

A red-wolf, wearing a loin cloth made out of tiger skin, with a kanabo in one of his arms, and a garland of 7 skulls.

Smoke was coming from his mouth, his fur red, the air getting hotter with each of his step.

9 or Fotia- Residential demon of Fire, straight from Purgatory with love.

Slowly walking, he flicks his kanabo, picking up the pace jumping towards me as he raise's his weapon bringing it down at me. I simply stepped aside to the left.

"You need more practice 9.", I says the void forms around me, swirling and dismantling. The floor rising to devour me, until only my eyes remain.

"Quid est hoc?", 9 stumbles back a little, before regaining his composure, and crushing one of the skull on the garland.

A small fire appears in his hands, which he stretches upwards- turning it into a huge fire ball.

"Furor Sol!", he throws the fireball towards the goop of voids, which gets devoured by it.

"I am the king of purgatory, the void itself, 9. ", The void sounds out.

Fotis stops, anger brimming out and then he calms down, a smile on his face. He turns around and starts to walk away.

"XVII fac sicut locutus est"

The Twin-faced dragon nods, as I focus, connecting myself with him, as I open my eyes, a fog coming all around me. I focus to see what my body sees.

Riko, as if slowed down, rushing towards me with the knife. I feel my aura change, dismantling, breaking apart and then reforming together.

Riko stops dead in her tracks, as I raise my hand towards her and an unfamiliar twin-faceted voice, almost like a fake echo, creeps from my mouth,

"Despair!"

I see her fall down, in agony and in fear.

"Child, Do not dare raise a weapon against Our lord. Or nightmares and fear will be least of your worry.", the dominant echo says through my body.

"Brother, this child...such fear, such resilience, such anger, such emotions. Brother, I feel hungry.", the follow echo says.

"No, Do only as the King commands!", the dominant one says.

The quiter echo grumbles as he extends the right hand towards Riko, the left hand grabbing it before it extends.

"Brother, these emotions!", the quiter voice getting louder,

"NO!", the dominat one trying to even louder.

"Enough!", I shout focusing to send them back, and slowly the fog leaves.

"So, still think I am weak?", I chuckle as I take the knife back, putting it on her throat as I grab her head, "So about my offer, do you accept?"

"Ye...Yes."

The tears almost muffle her voice.