EPD 5 : CHP 9 : HALLUCINATION

"Marie... Zohn. I hope they are fine." James mumbled as he sprinted forward . He tightened his grip on the stealth of his sword. Tears hung in his eyes as he ran.

He knew his friends are experiencing the worst, sacrificing for his sake . Despite the fact that he was skillful and strong, he always found himself being a sort of liability to friends.

He hated the thought of it. He hated his emotions. He knew he had to defeat the

boss . He knew that his emotions might cause him to break apart. He ran on,

he compelled his emotions to reduce its tension. Then he stopped suddenly.

Before him was the red portal glowing in its glinting brightness. James stood static,

he couldn't move. The brightness was powerful. It blinded vision. Something was

off. A portal usually shone it's glinting aura before the boss showed up but once the boss emerged out of the portal, the portal dims or at least crumbles. This very portal was beginning to break apart.

James stood on to stare in awe. It wasn't crumbling as for the fact that the boss had emerged . There was something off about this.James stood there trying to comprehend what was before him. Maybe perhaps the boss had emerged and the portal was indeed crumbling but deep within , James's instincts disagreed strongly with that.

"If the portal is indeed crumbling, why are the lights still ever bright. Damn!

Something is wrong. Like everything was just a bunch of hologram or something.

This portal seem to be just too mysterious. First a fore runner who was basically

stronger than most bosses I have seen and now a crumbling portal that still had no sign of its existence. Damn!! Come on! Stop toying with my head. This is just a dream. Uh."

James mumbled as he felt his head go blank.

"What the fuck is happening to me? Am I just a piece of garbage or what? Why

is this one battle seeming so dreadful? I have faced severe cases and pulled through.We have always fought for each other side by side. What is this day? The day when Tokyo city would result to nothing but ruins? What..." James stammered as blood

dropped on the spot below him. He stared at the blood in shock.

Red, fresh and oozing, blood dripped continuously to the ground. James stared at it in horror. Was he actually bleeding? But how? He hadn't faced a damn thing . All he did was think or had he engaged in so much thinking that his nerve cells bursted? Nothing made sense, nothing at all.

James touched his nose and felt his cold blood running out of his nostrils. He suddenly shook in fear. He was bleeding from his nose and with the amount of blood he was losing he could pass out anytime .He turned around slowly .

. Something made the timeline around stretchy. It was as though a glimpse of something and it evaded it away.

James tilted his sword and cursed at an unaware demon with long silk hair.

His eyes caught a glimpse again .Its body looked grey but the aura he possessed was too high to be mistaken. Just then James's thought came to place again.

"You friend, I would not spare your life!!!" Jamo cried and sped with extreme

speed towards the demon. With a single strike, he cleaved the head of the demon.

It divided into two. James stopped for a moment– The boss of this raid.

"You thing I wouldn't spare your life!!" Jamo said as he sped towards the demon with extreme speed . With a single strike , he cleaved the body of the demon. It divided into. James stopped for a moment.

"That was...that was too easy. Dud it just die like that? " James mumbled. He then walked backwards and looked down to stare at the demon's body.

Slowly and almost not noticeable, the halves of the woman lay on both sides by

the road. James' eyes widened in shock.

"What the... This can't be truly happening." James murmured. He stared at the

corpse of the woman. His hands trembled slightly and for words left loose and fell to

clatter on the ground. Tears hung in James' eyes.

"I thought... I thought I sliced the demon." James muttered, in pain. He looked

to see if he could find the demon but the road was all quiet. He looked at the

portal and noticed that the red aura had dimmed.

"Was I hallucinating or something? I know what I saw. I know what I killed."

"I..." James mumbled.

Just then he began to weep, ripping laughter echo in his mind. His brain decreased with an utter most absence of relief. He stood in agony and pain.

"What a weak mind you have? So easy to get into? Ha ha ha ha. Poor boy! I

just caused you to commit a murder . All thanks to me, you are a cold murderer "

the demon's voice echoed in James' mind.

James twitched in pain, his body convulsed and he collapsed on the ground. Blood spurted from his ears, nose and mouth. The memories of Maczed hit him hard. His friends faith in him all made a fire ignite in him. Slowly he stood up and clenched one of the swords of Zohn. He gritted his teeth in anger and pure hatred.

"Oh yeah. I killed her and so what ?What do you think you are?" James

in his thoughts drifted in.

"If I kill myself, I could as well kill him. Since he's possessive demon, he could die with the host. This is the only way I'm going to slay this demon forever. I deserve death not after causing the death of others. If this is my price to them, I'm willing to."

James waved his sword to strike his stomach but his sword fell off his hands

unconsciously. He stared in shock and turned around to notice two men before him.

"Snap out of it you murderer! Tsk! I can't believe a Hunter Leader like you

could be this cruel! I still do not know why you were invited into the Guild despite your relentless history." a man with long yellow hair said. His stance was levelled and

his average in height. He was one of the ten Central Hunters his name was

Tashida.

James stared at them in shock. What the fuck did they mean? Where they here when this all happened? What the fuck just did they do to save her while I was hallucinating under the influence of the demon?

"What do you mean sir?" James asked. The first Central Hunter pounced

in anger and unbolted tendrils to James. His bright yellow hair and sad eyes stretched

in all anguish and he said, "I'm Tashida, a technical and I hate criminals like you!!" Tashida then slammed his head against James's head. James was knocked down instantly.

"What did you do to him?" Ash Gold asked. His white short hair represented his wisdom .Tashida smiled widely, "Nothing...

just a little pass out and he'll recover. Now let's take him to the Central Guild."

Tashida said and carried James on his shoulder. Ash Gold stared at him.

"They disobeyed my orders, but at the same time saved Talisgold. They are worth

praises." Ash Gold mumbled. Tashida grinned.

"Praises? They should be dead by now. By the way, where is boss . If the

portal closed up on its own, the boss is out ." Tashida said. Ash Gold thought

for a while.

"Then I think the Tokyo Hunters are keeping him company." Ash Gold said and

a dark glint appeared in his eyes.