Henceforth

Owen sat down on the hard dirty sideways of the busy road. Cafes and stores spread through the block. Cars navigating to their priorities, and a stoplight which happened to attend Owen.

Although, not precisely needed.

He continued to gaze at a puddle between his legs confused and alone.

"Honestly, my life just feels so stressful—like everyone expects extraordinary things from me.

"Like I need to be the perfect kid. I try to help someone, and I end up ruining their life."

"I don't know what to do anymore!"

After a moment, he continued to stare at the puddle for a long time.

Outside the Kingdom OF HEMOR

*Click Clack*

Guards that stood around the kingdom looked upon a man with a white jacket that had a white and black hood and the jacket reached the ground.

He had a turtleneck black shirt with a belt and X-crossed bumpy garment.

He also had baggy pants which were closed in by boots with an eye sign.

And which the hood covered his eyes—made him and his name known and feared.

"May I talk to the general?" he asked as he came upon one guard by the side of the castle.

"But were you scheduled?"

The man's mouth began to frown much more than his regular frown.

"May I talk to the general."

"But, the king said—"

He vastly grabbed his neck and slowly was crushing his neck.

"Listen here you peasant, when I say can I come in, I come in whenever I want. Got it?" he asked.

"But, you can't enter the kingdom without—ah!" the guard cried as the man continued to crush it.

"Okay, I don't think you heard me, my friend."

The guard whimpered as his neck was slowly dissolving.

"Okay, come in, just please get..off!"

The man let go and removed the pain by stretching his hand.

"What was that again?"

"You can come in."

The man walked in with a persistent amount of respect.

He entered a small room, with the color of red—with shelves that almost blended with the room. In the midst was a woman with gray folded hair and gray sleeves and an armored plate—sitting behind the desk.

She was mostly called General.

"Hello, General," the man said.

"What do you want?" she said with a cross tone.

She opened a drawer from her desk and got out a sheet of yellow paper. Then, she spread her fingers and manifested a pen.

"You know, you're a hard working person, you need rest."

"Don't consider me flattered."

The man chuckled deeply.

"Well, I just need some stuff, that's it, it's not much," he said as he thumped his fingers on her desk.

"What stuff do you need?"

"Well it's nothing ordinary, I could say it as."

General began to look at him much more concerned as she raised an eyebrow.

The man went closer to her. "I'm gonna give you this, and read what it says."

વેરોનિકા

The general carefully examined the whole sentence that was written on the little strip of yellow paper.

"Why so?"

"Well—let me say I've been investigating and I've really gained some things that are disturbing," the man said as his voice deepened as if it was a horror story.

"We've been seeing some disappearance between some people in this city—especially by the markets. For example, this little creep."

He got out a picture from his pocket slowly—showing a small teen—clothed in almost rags.

"Your forces say that they saw him stealing bread from a certain market. But some person in white raiments forced them to let the thief go. The voice sounded like a man, but we found some cases."

"What were the cases?" General asked as she laid back and stared.

"Shoes."

She scoffed.

The man chuckled with her and sighed. "The black sandals were about size thirteen, as we tried it for the men, they were as tight as sticking your foot into a mouse.

"But several women fit it and they questioned them. But they were nowhere near the market which they were right.

We found a letter from the prince's drawer which was this."

"Hemuen enu?" General asked—which meant who is he— as she seemed to lean towards the situation.

"We can't interpret the language."

General looked at the letter and mouthed words that seemed to be incomplete. "It says Veronica."

The man smiled.

"Veronica, hebwen."

He walked away from the office, shutting the door very hefty.

"Back to my paperwork," the General sighed.

Owen sat onto the bench as he got out his phone to play some random games.

But, he was still fighting over himself from that certain event, but it wasn't effective—well as effective.

It's probably time for me to go home, he thought to himself. He immediately got up from his seat, dusted his pockets, and went on his silent way.

Several minutes later, he was sitting on a bench, waiting for the bus to arrive.

It was stated there were some problems with which revolved in sometimes—late arrivals. Owen stared at the city of Las Vegas—the buildings that soared through the skies.

The sun shined its bloom around the area—making a glint of beauty and poise.

Just what he needed.

But suddenly, voices began to become sound.

"Hey, leave me alone!"

"Grab them!!"

Screams and punches seemed to echo directly into Owen's ears.

What is going on there, Owen wondered silently as he faced towards the sound.

"Pathetic humans, you meet your end—today."

A demonic looking figure spoke in an alley, as Owen made efforts to stay out of sight, as he watched events unfold.

A red Reaper appeared out of thin air, as the two humans immediately trapped in individual orbs, at the immediate appearance of the Reaper.

"I shall feed off your souls. Mwahahaha.."

Immediately, the orbs started draining the life force of the humans, as their faces turned pale per moment.

Their screams turn to shrill cries, as they begin to lose strength and life.

"Death awaits you!" The Demonic figure said, as the Reaper beheaded the two humans in one swing. White liquid sprayed in place of human blood.

*Slash*

Owen gasped at the unfortunate misfortune that befell the humans.

But then, the demon immediately looked at the direction of Owen.

"Human."

Owen began to breathe hard that he was near faint.

He knew what was coming for him.

Not thinking clearly, he made efforts to run, only for him to discover that the demon already appeared behind him.

Instinctively, he ran forward, opposite the direction of the demon. To his horror, the more he ran, the more he became stagnated.

He jumped over chairs, not where he was going—to prevent from being slashed like turkey.

The reaper swiftly rammed after him.

"You shouldn't have seen that!" the demonic voice boomed out.

"You shouldn't have been here!" the demon began to say, as he hustled towards Owen.

The river began to carry him through the path, as the current pushed him forward.

*Crack*

Owen felt his neck freeze instantly and fell, unmobile. He tried to move but it felt like his own body was moving against him.

"Help!"

The Reaper closely went towards him as Owen's fear began to grow as the chilly air began to smash against his face.

"Well, I think we may have something here."

He released Owen from his stagnancy. At Owen's realisation of this, he made efforts to scamper away onto ground—only for a pressure to be placed upon him to forcefully kneel.

He tried standing, to no avail, as the pressure increased making his nose to bleed, to make the floor have dots of calm blood, as his kneeling position changed to a bowing position. He started crawling with all his strength.

"Pathetic efforts from a human," the demon said, as his eyes glowed red. "I expected better from a strong kid like you."

Immediately the air drastically changed, as Owen started clutching his throat. The air became choking like toxic gas, as the oxygen supply to his brain began to diminish. Owen started to grasp at the air, as if to pluck the oxygen from it.

The demon reached Owen's location, as he squatted over to watch Owen's fruitless efforts.

"Remember this Owen, don't involve yourself in what you can't defeat. Remember that now," the demonic voice stated.

The bloody eyes of the demon and his own grasping hand, was the last thing Owen saw before he blacked out.

In the Dark Hills of Bana

The old sage was eating a soft enjoyable meal of eggs and purple bacon.

"Ahh, Drecosis. You've been holding up haven't you."

"Yes, and I'm most hungry if you don't mind," Drecosis said as he reached his dark hands towards the food.

*Smack*

"Before you have anything, you must swallow the light in you. But to defeat anything, you have to crush it," the sage demanded as he crushed his bacon.

"Henceforth the trouble in this world that is fighting with its inner self. But, you only have two sides. Good and bad, happiness and madness, life and death. Which do you choose?"

Drecosis silently thought of it as he stared towards the sage, His mind began to be troubled and his brain ringed.

The old sage smiled. "I see, you're trying. But it's hard to go to a certain side. For you don't know what you want. If anyone around you will see you better or worse."

Drecosis began to mingle more as he got angrier and angrier until he couldn't hold it.

*Crash*

Pieces of wood flew from the chair he was directly sitting at.

The old sage put down his food on the wooden table.

"You've seem to be independent with yourself. Maybe you could use it to a hard advantage. It's what you choose."

He brought his plate and sent it towards the uncertain creature.

"Here, have something to eat."