Chapter 2: Verse III

VERSE III

(Theme song: I like the way you kiss me slowed - Artemas)

For a moment, he sunk in her embrace.

Never wanting, never leaving.

Seemingly everything became clear , his mind free and his body rejuvenated.

A warm feeling, that raced his bones with an exasperating sensation.

For that moment, he didn't want to do anything.

He felt useless , calm and purposeful at the same time.

Like the feeling of a mother.

Hot tears rolled down his cheeks, tears of what..

Sadness? Joy? No!..

More like acceptance, something had been accepted by him and his sibling.

But he can't decipher— not because he can't, but he chose not.

He noticed flickers of light, bright enough to make him worry.

Slowly opening his eyes, he glanced upon faint images and distortions of his sister's wounded back.

His sight?— did the divinity in her leave?

The gods must have done what they need to do, and gone back to their matters.

Yes, that was his conclusion. The information about him had been revealed by them.

Still in her embrace, he could round off his thoughts — seems the possession on Yuki is completed and her self restored.

He glanced upon her back, as she had only a strap of her polo left upon her chest.

Filth in her hair, with a pungent smell of blood and flesh.

Her black knickers were not saved either, ragged by rocks and marks across her body that seemed like fingernails and bites.

Its true, what even happened to the devils?. Why is there sudden silence? Only the rain and it's cool wind did give compassion.

He left her embrace and gazed at her face.

"What?. You can see me?" Her expression marked consideration and care.

Mother huh?.... Yeah, his elder sis is his mother figure.

" Tell me you can see me?," she asked with a croaked tone.

He nodded, slowly gazing upon her body.

Still on her knees, she was bleeding from different cuts atop her skin.

Her white vibrant warm skin, now buried in filth ; turned dark by the dried blood.

Skin turned cold by fear and disastrous terror.

" How long was it? " . Kato's throat ached him no longer.

He couldn't bring himself to meet his sister's eyes.

Was it shame? Guilt? That she had seen him?.

The type of person he had become?.

He hoped for an answer but she didn't give any.

He had to look at her in the eyes, she needs to answer him.

But he was utterly baffled, as she didn't even let her eyes meet his.

He knows that charisma, guilt!. She had it too, and her body involuntarily expressed that.

What was she hiding now?. She never had anything to hide.

He looked towards the direction of his sibling's gaze, at the entrance of the cave.

A hulking man stood menacingly, the rain dripping from his heavy wool clothes and bear fur cloak.

The cave had grown dark for the coming of the moon.

His heavy breath, scattering the silence past their ears.

Kato stood up, his hair falling upon his body.

Examining the figure, the man was a redhead .

Just standing by the entrance, like he needed an order to come in— of which he would.

But he has to be careful, he needs to make sure Yuki is sa..

Fear gripped him instantly as he shook to his bones.

Yuki was there no longer.

He turned towards the man, whilst keeping his sights , utilizing it's full range and taking observations.

How? Who? How was she taken? It's too fast.

Lightspeed? If someone like that is around here, he can't be over zealous.

He didn't even feel wind or hush of wind, how is that possible?

" It's not safe around here, boy." The incredible bass tone startled Kato.

If these guys were supernaturals, he would literally bruise himself here.

Yes, this man is not the only invader here. Yuki is missing too,... Shitt!!.

Right in his presence, in a split second!.

Now was not the time for thoughts, but for the manifestation of tactics.

" And yet here I am, very much safe and alive." Kato took brazen steps towards the man as he finished his repulsive statement, observing the grasses ripped in a zig zag line.

His super speed opponent seems to not fully utilize concepts of timeliness and speed, though seemingly very skilled.

His face squeezed in anger. After series of torture only just today, this appeared.

The man stepped in, as water was beaded upon his skin and hair.

" Cocky!" He stated.

Kato walked towards him, his feet and hands ready to manifest his emotion.

"—is the person whom addresses not his name." Kato stated. He needed to rely on his full field of view.

He had already deemed his opponent a life threat.

The man looked at him, Kato could see his breath.. breath outlined by the cold wind which accompanied the rain.

And the night fell upon the skies, the waters of the heavens ever dropping heavily.

A wheeze before his face, and Kato caught the man's fists.

" Name's Caid, employed to carry you to an unknown destination."

Kato stated at him plainly..

No time for jokes or hanging around then, that statement outlines every conclusion perfectly.

Wafting the hands of the man through the air, he went for an abdominal strike.

Something more obvious to become a faint.

Caid caught that, following up with an immediate slap.

Utilizing the Pak Chau technique, Kato parried the slap.

The knees to take down a hulk like this, but—

..

Kato went for a smash to the knee as Caid went for a full death smash, a lot of openings were deemed fake.

The piercing groan of the bulking man echoed into the cave.

As Caid's head drew nigh, Kato walloped onto it, placing Caid's head in a knee lock,poking his eyes out.

Blood splattered upon him, but he remained unflinched.

The sudden grab at Kato's bare back instantly caused him to groan.

Tightening his knee grip, he is aware this man would attempt to kill him with a back landing.

But this guy, seems to be more reliant on his supernatural abilities than physical prowess itself.

With an absurd strength, he groped Caid's eye sockets, pulverizing his nerves and the remains of his eyes.

With a loud groan, Caid smashed Kato repeatedly on the jagged cave wall.

The wails of a man and a child resounding into the cave and ascending to the night sky.

A repulsive, gut- wrenching scene as the soil as bathed in blood.

The rain giving them a cleanse simultaneously.

He held on, he has to , till this man reveals his supernatural abilities.

An attempt to throw Kato off with his hands tightly sunk into Kato's skin.

A grotesque sight of mushed flesh, and Kato kept his instincts and gaze clear.

In a single swing, Kato utilized Caid's desperation— forcefully attaching his fingers to his sockets, he turned the tide .

A lift into the air with swift divergence, Kato succeeded in making Caid land back first with his fingers still in his eye sockets.

" You leech!. " A vagabond roar pierced Kato's ears.

He chuckled softly, his tactic worked. As crazy as it was though, but it worked.

As the rain and it's storm harbingers raged on, so did their fight.

A sudden transition from a mild bloody fight, to a brutal one-sided battle.

Despite the release of his supernatural powers, Caid was being swallowed by imminent defeat.

A battle that had successfully blown the cave to smithereens.

Despite the unfavorable weather, the land had been enveloped in a massive crater.

" It's not safe around here—" Kato gave Caid a menacing stare. Caid had exhausted himself, he possessed the supernatural ability to amplify physical attacks and elemental ability to control earth.

What a waste of talent, this guy clearly just got his power yesterday.

Elementals are one of the strongest abilities in existence.

Kato had to kill him anyway, no witnesses but he needs information.

" I see, your employer must have really tolled to get you." Kato smirked.

The rain adding a bit of scenery and cold hug to his body. He loved it, every movement felt like freedom.

His face dampened in blood and water, his facial and abdominal scar ever visible tonight with the glow of the purple runes.

" What do you think I should do?. Should I meet him?"

The once vibrant hulk has lost his pride— a pride birthed from arrogance.

His eye sockets surprisingly weren't broken, but his two arms, ripped from his body.

" Kill me!" He spat.

..

Kato clucked his tongue whilst he shook his head.

" Everyone says that, but no one wants to die." Kato's tone was dampened and dark.

A blinding flash of lightning streaked across the sky followed by a rumbling crack of thunder, as if affirming to his statement.

Kato's feet felt the sticky soil, water racing across his toes.

He pushed his hair to his back, squatting before the fallen hulk, Caid whom lay on the ground, the waters and the mud slowly covering him.

" My old friend Leonard would love to meet you, what do you think?". Kato saw no reaction from Caid. He might have guessed that he is trying to pry information from him.

Yes, there are ways to pry it easily but all those ways would end up in this hulk's head exploding.

The moon weirdly glowing bright not being gobbled up by rain clouds made Kato feel more uncomfortable.

" So, it's the Plavas huh?. " And Caid's eyes turned towards him.

He got it, he got it good. Never expected him to know by sudden guesses, that's how to catch 'em.

Now Caid won't give a reaction anymore, no time plus he had gotten what he wanted.

" Boy!". And Kato slew him, driving his fists into skull.

Fresh blood , brain and flesh bits stuck upon his face and body.

With one last look at the dead hulk, Kato turned towards the moon.

Letting rain wash away the fresh filth.

A rumbling, spine chilling crackle with shockwaves sent beneath the earth with brilliant flash of white appeared a few meter away deep in the valley before him and he smiled.

The land was trembling beneath his feet.

The reason why he stopped worrying about his sister, he had it.

A sound message sent to him through telepathy.

Extremely crazy how she had mastered telepathy in just a day, wait!.... Is it even a day?.

He ran towards the light and sudden sound.

A chilling feeling, one he couldn't explain. Malignant , seeming to devour him yet it was soothing and smooth.

But he was met with horror, something he never thought to see.

A simple glance and he was "dead", a death he knew that he can never survive.

What was that?.

The waters of heaven pouring upon the soil, could not quench this flame. A white roaring flame, with black outlines and flickers of grey.

In it, he could see the figure of his sister.

Holding the charred body of what seemed to a woman and around her, the bodies of a squad.

Surrounding her in various halves and massacre along with their various supernatural weapons and staffs.

She was deep into a massive crater, literally leveling the valley.

How?. How did she level a full valley?

With a ferocious demeanor, the waters quenched not the flames.

Clothed in the fire, long hands held the head of the body of the woman in an ominous expression.

This sudden atmosphere, Grim!.

Standing in the rain, holding the body, clothed and covered in flames, with only her silhouette visible, Kato was tense and in fear.

He could not move a muscle. His worst nightmare had come true.

And the appearance of an extra pair of arms in her silhouette,

Bile rose to his throat,

He didn't want to admit it but he knew it...

Yuki has fallen,

Fallen from humanity.