Unchained Bonds: Old Flames

Unchained Bonds Arc

Old Flames

"UGH! You're really starting to piss me off!" Regana roared in annoyance, causing Abraham to smirk and shrug. "You're like a freakin' cockroach! You never go away!"

"Personally I would consider myself a rat, but I'll accept roach." Abraham mocked. He then began firing more beams of magic at Regana, causing him to scatter backwards. "Then again, don't roaches scatter like how you're doing?"

"You dare to mock me?!" Regana seethed. He grabbed his guitar from off his back and spun it once in the air. "Let's see if this rat can swim!"

Taking a deep breath, he strummed the strings of his guitar and hummed to get on the rhythm. As soon as he did, he began to sing:

"The creatures of the sea, better start running from me~

'Cause once I touch down, these humans will sink and drown!

Beyond the sun is a darkness indeed,

O monster within me, I plea!

Damn these humans to the bottom of the sea~!"

Suddenly, the city became engulfed in violent currents as if a dam had burst. Abraham found himself struggling to stand and eventually fell back into the waves. Looking around, he tried to see if Blanco had once again been swept away by the currents but he mentally cursed when he saw he had gone too far from where he had originally been freed. Abraham's thoughts were pulled to an abrupt pause when he was sucked into a large skinny whirlpool.

"''Accent!" ''Regana commanded after strumming his guitar strings. His eyes glowed red like before and Abraham had the wind knocked out of him by the forceful streams underneath him. He concluded that Regana had truly lost his temper and was slipping into the "inner monster" power he referred to. Added with the advantage of the high water level, Abraham knew his time would be limited if he didn't do something.

''"Dulcet Chord!" ''Regana shouted, watching Abraham get tossed into the air. Regana leaped into the air with the help of his supernatural strength and began a violent barrage of physical attacks onto the red-haired wizard. When he finally stopped soaring upward, Regana slammed him back to the roof a building that had been untouched by the water with his guitar.

"I warned you...I warned you, did I not?" Regana threatened, stalking toward his opponent. His black coat was ripped and filthy from the battle, two of his most hated things. "It's too bad I have to end your life now, you didn't even get to meet the boss."

Abraham unleashed a punch to Regana's head, but to his surprise his body turned to liquid and phased through him. "Did I mislead you earlier?" Regana chuckled. "This is my favorite spell, it helps me trick people like you. Allow me to introduce you two, Water Body meet Rat."

Abraham began to prepare another attack, but began choking when his head was encased with water. "Ah ah ah! No more tricks now." Regana tsk'ed, wagging his finger. "I say, it's been a pleasure battling you. Oh who am I kidding? No it wasn't."

"You've really blown a gasket, haven't you Regana?" said a voice from above. Alarmed, Regana looked left and right to see who the voice belonged to. Finally looking up, he sighed a breath of relief when he saw who it was.

"Hades below, you nearly scared the soul out of me!" he sighed. "What are you doing here, Alejandro?"

Alejandro began slowly decelerating onto the roof. "Your battle with this man caught my attention." he explained, a stern look appearing on his face. "I just want to know where the hell you got this idea of killing him."

"I-uh-well-! You said to kill anyone who interfered with your plans!" Regana stuttered, letting Abraham lose from the bubble immediately. "I apologize, please don't tell the boss!"

"Relax you blonde baboon," Alejandro sneered, turning his attention to Abraham gasping for air and walking toward him. "You report back to me, understand? My brother doesn't give second chances like I do."

He ignored Regana's babbling and kneeled in front of Abraham. Looking up with a scowl, Abraham continued to gasp and sputter for air. "Ah, Mr. Froth. I've been expecting you." Alejandro said slyly. His gaze filled with malice as he scanned over his current injuries. Quickly, he kicked Abraham in the ribs and watched with sick satisfaction as he groaned in pain.

"Now that I have your attention," Alejandro murmured darkly. "Let's talk about your wonderful daughter..."

"Abraham!" Blanco shouted. Whistling, Maka instantly appeared at his side and transformed. "Let's go girl!" he commanded as he hopped on the kitsune's back. Approaching the roof, he snapped his fingers and set Regana's body aflame.

Alejandro immediately whipped his head around and watched as Regana screamed in agony. Looking around, he immediately located Blanco's spot in the sky. However, he didn't move. "You and your cat should've stayed back and drowned." Alejandro warned.

Instantly, they were struck out of the sky by a blur and knocked onto a roof. Blanco groaned in pain as he crashed into crates. "Maka! Are you okay?" Blanco called for the borrowed Kitsune. When the feline yelped in pain, he knew what he had to do. Using the little blood from a cut on his forehead, he drew a circle he remembered from the books Haru and Gia were currently in.

"Go get Gia," he whispered with urgency. The feline showed reluctant to leave him, but he adamantly shook his head and ushered her into the circle. "Quickly, we don't have much time left!"

Immediately after she disappeared, he burned the circle with his Fire Magic. "Come on Gia...hurry back!"

"Again!" Blakeley commanded as she watched Gia make an aura of darkness appear around her. Still not satisfied with the amount of power with in it, she ordered her to do it once more. "Again! When an opponent like Alejandro can sense the amount of energy within it, the size alone won't intimidate him!"

Gia groaned in frustration as she tried to master the spell. She was able to master the other spells Blakeley said she would need with a bit of difficulty, but after she repeated the actions multiple times it was simple. "Ugh! This is impossible!" she complained.

"I know you don't like it, but you need to master this part so I can show you how the spell is properly done." Blakeley lectured. Hearing the door open, she watched Haru exit the cottage. She allowed herself to admit that she had grown fond of the man during their stay. He had consoled her when she cried, something that nobody has ever done for her before. He had even offered to do some of the tasks she couldn't do, such as cut down the large tree next to her house. Blakeley found herself swooning when she remembered how he had to remove his jacket and shirt due to the heat while he chopped the thick tree. With those muscles she couldn't complain!

"How's she doing?" Haru asked. Gia had long removed her blazer and ascot due to the heat. She had been training for a very long time. "She's getting there," Blakeley said and sighed. "I've never been a Master before, so I hope I'm being fair."

"You're doing just fine." Haru reassured her. "By the looks of it she could use something to drink."

Blakeley clapped her hands together, signaling for a break. "I'll get you a drink Gia, take five!" she called out.

As soon as she went inside, Haru walked to Gia's spot. She laid on her back, heavily panting from the intense training. Suddenly, she sat up with a scowl. "I don't like the way you're talking to her." she said flatly.

Haru sputtered and choked on air. "W-what?! I haven't done anything wrong!" he defended.

"Liar." Gia accused, standing up and pointing at him. "You have the audacity to flirt with my teacher like you don't have a girlfriend back home! Cara doesn't deserve this type of treatment!"

"Listen I-wait did you just say Cara was my girlfriend?" Haru said, dumbfounded. Suddenly, his shoulders began to shake with laugher. "That's rich! Oh man!"

"Don't deny it! I was there for your little moment back in front of the guild hall!" Gia continued her tirade. Ceasing his laughter, Haru decided to clear things up to the dark-haired mage.

"Cara is not my girlfriend, Gia." he explained slowly. "Hell, she doesn't even like me that way. It's more of a brother-sister type of thing between us. She likes someone else in the guild."

"What?! Who?!" Gia demanded an answer. Haru stared at her as if she grew a second head. "What?"

"You kids are so dense," Haru groaned, smacking his hand on his forehead. "It's Reed, dumbass."

"Reed?!" Gia gasped. She had always assumed they just had a special bond of friendship between each other. She never once guessed there would be more between them.

"Yup, and he likes her back." Haru nodded. "Don't talk about other women here unless their name is Blakeley."

"What about me?" Blakeley said, appearing behind him causing him to jump nearly ten feet in the air.

"I-oh-uh-you see-that is-uhm!" he stuttered, a blush coating his cheeks. "I was telling her you were bringing drinks! Ha-ha!"

"Thank you Blakeley!" Gia said gratefully as she drank from the water bottle that was ice cold. When the bottle was empty, she tossed it aside and began training again.

"Wait a minute Gia don't-" Haru warned.

"Hey I got it!" she cheered. Blakeley smiled with pride. The aura of darkness wasn't visible and she could sense the unbelievable power within her. "Alright, now that you've got that down it's time for step two."

"Meow!" called a creature.

"I think that came from the garden." Blakeley said, startled. Gia reached down to put her jacket back on in case she had to do some battling and Haru put his scarf back around his neck.

The three of them quietly trailed out to the garden only to find an injured Maka lying atop of a bush. A concern gasp reached the ears of Haru and Blakeley as Gia rushed forward to embrace her injured comrade.

"Maka! Hey girl can you hear me?!" she cried. "How did she even get here? She's all beat up!"

"Someone must've sent her here to warn us about something happening in our world." Haru realized. "Alejandro must've attacked early, we've got to get back now!"

"We can't leave now! I haven't finished learning the spell yet!" Gia alerted.

"You're right," Blakeley agreed, taking the injured feline into her arms. Her heart broke in two when the small cat whined in pain even louder than before. "I'll get her injuries tended to, Gia go back to the yard."

"But-!"

"You have no choice." Blakeley refuted. She lifted up her arms to show the animal's condition. "You see your cat? That's only a sliver of Alejandro's power. If you don't perfect this spell, you'll be found in a body bag."