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Sin.
It was a country located far east of Fiore on the Ishgar Continent and could be described as being the "slums" of Ishgar as the country itself had a reputation of being a corrupted gathering of crooks and criminals. Those wishing to make a good and honest source of living avoided coming anywhere near a desolate place like this and only those who truly understood how things worked in the underground circuit could survive here.
Despite all of that however, a certain young guild master found the new change in scenery quite refreshing as he stood on top of an abandoned building and cast his gaze down at the city filled with lifeless and unmotivated people loitering the streets. The air reeked of the stench of blood and depression but that didn't seem to bother Tetsuya as his acute senses looked around the city, eyeing each and every corner like a hawk stalking its prey.s
"Cursan better be right about this. He said he tracked her scent to this city but I haven't been able to spot anyone matching her description yet..."
The source of Tetsuya's frustration was the mysterious assassin who he had heard of from one of his contacts in Sin who had informed him of the terrifying shadow like woman who was becoming something akin to a boogie man to even the most brutal of mercenaries that lived in this country. Tales of her expertise had reached the curious dragon slayer's ears and it took little convincing for him to head out and search for her whereabouts.
The only issue was that this woman was a damn headache to track down. Having spent close to a full week going on nothing but rumors and untrustworthy leads and having produced no results, Tetsuya had almost given up his search, that is until the timely assistance from Cursan, the eccentric demon partnered with his good friend Sa'luk al-Tair, who had offered his help in exchange for some of Tetsuya's more "exotic" cuisines he saved for only special occasions. It was a tough decision but Tetsuya relented and accepted the deal, culminating in Cursan finding a faint but noticeable trail that led to this city being her current location, at least for the time being. As for how long she would be in the city, no one could tell but Tetsuya wasn't willing to give up as he continued to survey his surroundings.
Having grown up in this kind of environment as well, Tetsuya felt a bit nostalgic as he watched some kids steal food from an enraged vendor or watching a group of thugs mugging a defenseless young man that would inevitably lead to his own demise. Tetsuya was no martyr, he did not save or involve himself in the problems of others just out of the goodness of his own heart. He only chased individuals who caught his eye and the only person in this country that he knew of that he felt would leave a strong impression on him was this mysterious assassin.
Having waited for nearly three hours, Tetsuya yawned and planned to head back to an inn to try again tomorrow before something caught his eye. It was a figure moving in the stillness of the night, her black attire standing out as the moon shined above in the sky. Her movements were both graceful and masterful as she maneuvered through the crowd of people silently and without alerting any attention to herself.
"Hoh..." Tetsuya whistled as his eyes grew with interest. "Now there's something you don't see every day. Let's check it out"
Swiftly jumping from the building he was standing on, Tetsuya tailed the robbed figure as he jumped from building to building, unaware that his target had long since already discovered his presence.
Frustrations shared. She had come here with the intention of finding her worthless, deadbeat, slut of a mother and offing her finally, which would have meant one big check box on her two item list. Instinctively, she forced down the swelling fury, abhorrence, and terror any thought of that malicious tramp incited.
At least she had caught some of her former partners. Murdered one by one without a sound, disposed of in a place no one could find them. After all, you can't see what isn't there.
She ignored that crowd as she cut through its mass like a shark through water. Mercenaries weren't sure of what she looked like; only knowing that someone was massacring one of the criminal underbelly's strongest organizations like a cow at wholesale. Rene couldn't help but derive a sick sense of satisfaction from their angst. The hunters becoming the hunted.
The assassin was snapped from her thoughts however by a sound nay a presence. It was easily the largest here and reeked of thunder and storm. More importantly, it continued following her. Why she didn't know, only that it was foreign to this place. Nor did she care; Rene lacked time for distractions.
With a silent and serene heart masking her deepest turmoil, Renesmee disappeared into the night, the moving throng of people appearing to swallow her whole.
"Hm?" Tetsuya immediately noticed a rather odd occurrence transpire right before his very eyes as his target vanished completely from his senses. This was beyond puzzling to the sensitive dragon slayer who sniffed a few times and frowned when even his target's scent had dissipated. It was vastly different from any simple illusion or stealth magic; it was if his target had erased their entire existence all together.
That said however, this set back didn't derail Tetsuya but instead confirmed one thing for him as a vicious grin formed on his face.
"This confirms it. Looks like I've found them" Tetsuya was just chasing a rather interesting person due to the possibility of them being connected to his target but with that vanishing act they just pulled and with the information Tetsuya had on the characteristics of the assassin, there was little room to doubt this was the person he was looking for.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Tetsuya realized that he could potentially let his prey escape if he dawdled too long as he stretched his arm out whilst in mid air. Moments later, a rather grotesque eyeball appeared in the center of Tetsuya's palm followed by a wide and creepy smile that began laughing and was very reminiscent of a certain sealed demon that was known throughout Dawn Horizon as Cursan. It was no secret that among all of Tetsuya's subordinates, Cursan's ability to track down an individual was second to none as the demon, while being eccentric and downright maddening, was unquestionably a fearsome tracker.
"It's about time you summoned me, boss" The mouth spoke as its eyeball moved its sight from side to side.
"I didn't really plan on it but she's proving to be rather elusive. Still, is this really the only way you can assist me without actually being here?" Tetsuya asked as he was a bit repulsed by what his hand had become.
"Hehehe" The mini Cursan jeered "Bingo. Since I can't leave my dear boy's side, this was the only option. Not to worry though, you can dismiss me whenever you please. Now then, about those delicacies you promised..."
"Later, now find her" Tetsuya stated with no room for an argument.
"Fine" The mini Cursan grumbled as the eyeball began to radiate a faint purple glow that covered the entirety of Tetsuya's hand. The pupil moved from side to side, analyzing its entire surroundings before it stopped a few meters to the left and laughed.
"I'm impressed, the level of magic she's using to conceal herself is incredible. There's no way you would have been able to find her without me" The demon bragged "Of course, for a being such as myself, this brat would need a few hundred years before she could avoid me"
Moments later, a shining purple trail exploded out from Cursan's mouth as it zig zagged through the city and attached itself to thin air as it continued forward, surprising Tetsuya who whistled in admiration.
"So she's over there huh" He wasted no time as he changed his body structure from physical to electric by activating his Lightning Body and moved like a lightning bolt through the city, hot on the assassin's trail.
She slowed down a bit, noting the foreign presence had faded. Good. Taking stock of her surroundings, Rene noticed she was on the outskirts of the city, the desolate, broken buildings littered with debris and inhabited by squatters marking this change. Even more rundown, only a few were capable of serving as permanent shelters; others threatened to collapse at any moment. As if listening, one abandoned factory groaned and creaked.
Her thoughts were disrupted once more by something pricking at her margins....she couldn't tell what it was, but it felt..malevolent. Renesmee had little time to ponder this, however, before she heard a distinctive crackle of rapidly approaching energy. Lightning magic; mixed with the foreigner's magic signature.
Her mood soured slightly before righting, blinking out of existence once more as she poured more focus into her veil, layering it deliberately while vaguely pondering how he managed to tail her given the nature of her abilities. A small part of her mind drifted back to the first, insidious element she sensed. Malicious intent that was all too familiar yet clearly different at the same time; older to be precise. It did not sit well with her as she moved beyond the city limits into the decaying reaches of suburbia, lines of rotting homes marking a once thriving community.
Not that it matter though; only two types of maniac were her priorities. Once finished with that well.....finished she'd be.
"Such is life."
The trail conjured by the demon led to outskirts of the desolate city, miles away from where Tetsuya had been before as the lightning charged guild master had managed to cover a significant distance in a short period of time. Momentarily, the trail had stopped for a brief moment as Tetsuya believed he'd catch up to her in no time but that fantasy quickly faded as the trail continued onward, leading outside the limits of the city into an even more desolate location as Tetsuya frowned.
"Did she notice us?" Tetsuya asked the resting demon who seemed more interested in this fleeing entity by the minute.
"Probably. Her presence has gotten even weaker than before. How annoying..." Cursan complained but it still wasn't at a level that he couldn't handle as the purple trail became even larger as Tetsuya could follow the trail much easier than before. However, it was very apparent that whoever this assassin was, she didn't want to be followed and that made him question his approach as he believed she'd flee from him even if he were to catch up to her. That was no good. In truth, there was some information he recieved from his source that he believed would be instrumental in convincing this assassin that he was worth her time but he first needed to corner her.
"I usually don't like engaging first but it seems she's not leaving me a choice" Tetsuya slowly lifted his free hand into the air, channeling his magic through the center of his palm. The electricity gathered in his hand then took the form of a long electric javelin that floated above his hand as Tetsuya focused his attention solely on the end of the trail.
"Odin's Spear"
He threw his hand forward, launching the electric spear at the invisible target that he intended for her to either dodge or block that would potentially reveal her figure as he believed her cloaking magic would be dispelled if she were to engage in physical combat. Little did Tetsuya know however that the true nature of her opponent's magic was more difficult to deal with than he originally thought.
She heard the crackle sing in her ears as the chase increased in tempo. So he the foreigner continued his pursuance; how irritating. She had neither the time or the patience for this continued distraction and nuisance it created. As well as that malicious aura attached to it; she would turn, bemused as the electric spear sailed through her and into the extremely dry, brittle bark of a nearby tree. Snap and pop told all she needed to know about the result of this collision.
"Fool."
Rene turned back the way she came, flying past the pursuing Tetsuya.
Though not before speaking as she passed, her tone deadpan. "Go home foreigner; I have no interest in your shallow whims. Tell your demon friend to do the same."
With that, she raced into the emptiness, sinking ever deeper into the embrace of her magic, drying up the doggedly persistent trail attached to her.
Tetsuya's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw his lightning spear phase through nothingness and collide with an old brittle tree. That was an unexpected outcome. He believed her magic would come undone by either her dodging or countering the technique but from what he just witnessed, the attack just went right through her, as if her body didn't exist in physical space. Just what kind hax ability was that?
His bewilderment didn't last long however as Tetsuya felt a cold presence whisk past him, her voice alarming him for a moment due to the sheer coldness of it. He whirled around, trying to find sight of her but came up short as the trail that had once been stuck onto her had dried up like an old well.
"Tsk" Tetsuya clicked his tongue before his eyes befell the demon stuck to his hand "Cursan, where is she?"
"..." Cursan's response was silent, something that Tetsuya was not accustom too as Tetsuya frowned.
"...You didn't lose her by any chance did you?"
"Well..." Cursan's response was a bit hesitant as a heavy sigh escaped Tetsuya's mouth, one that reeked of both frustration and disappointment. Cursan was quick to defend himself however.
"Hey, don't pin this on me! She obviously upped her game thanks to that little stunt you pulled earlier!"
"If I didn't take a chance on that, this game of cat and mouse would never end"
"Maybe, but it seems your plan didn't work out the way you thought it w- owow! ow! ow! Alright I'm sorry please stop!" Cursan pleaded as he fell victim to Tetsuya's torture as the guild master began stretching the mouth attached to his palm with a look of clear agitation.
"It's not my fault okay, whatever kind of magic she's using it's complex enough that she can even evade my senses, though in my current state I'm quite limited in my searching capabilities. If I was here with Sal, I could probably still find her even now but in this state? Forget it"
Tetsuya grumbled as he crossed his arms and scanned the empty and silent rummage before him. "So what's the plan now?"
"Hmm..." Cursan contemplated, before a potentially genius idea popped into his head and he manually moved Tetsuya's arm to his ear to whisper it. Tetsuya listened in for a bit and looked a bit stunned by Cursan's suggestion but given the situation, didn't really have any better options as he shrugged.
"Guess it's worth a try. Truth be told, I was planning on doing something similar but I thought attacking her would be more effective"
"Trust me boss, it'll work. This might be the only way to get her out in the open"
With all that said, Tetsuya sucked in a large breath, as if he was mimicking the act of a dragon breathing fire, before he opened his mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"HEY ASSASSIN GIRL! I KNOW YOUR LOOKING FOR A CERTAIN GUILD AND A CERTAIN SOMEONE TO TRACK DOWN! I HAD SOME INFORMATION REGARDING THOSE TWO TO SHARE WITH YOU BUT SINCE YOUR CLEARLY NOT INTERESTED, I"LL JUST TAKE MY LEAVE THEN!" Due to possessing lungs comparable to that of a dragon, Tetsuya's message couldn't have been any louder even if he wanted as Cursan, despite not having any ears, felt his head go numb from the sheer magnitude. He could only feel pity for the assassin girl if she was anywhere nearby at the moment. In any case, Tetsuya had laid his trap as he turned around and began walking away from his location, hopeful that Cursan's tactic would come to fruition.
Unfortunately, she was rather close, having slowed down as she felt the intruder's presence fade. No pursuit meant it was time to find a place to crash for the night before moving on.
But then she heard the bellowing roar; or maybe it was a scream. She placed her hands on her ears, wincing before covering them with earplugs. The shockwaves produced by his carrying voice proved enough to shake the putrid, rotten foundations of the nearest buildings, causing them to tumble down one by one, responding to his projecting voice with crashes of their own.
Nevertheless, she heard enough of what the uncouth, arrogant twat had to say. It was as thinly veiled a sentence as one could make. Renesmee paused, beginning to war with herself; information would be useful, especially about her mother's whereabouts. However, it could be a bluff; or the information itself unreliable. Besides, she had dealt with his "kind" before. Charming persistent blokes who tried plying her with words, false promises and information. False companionship that earned them a one way ticket to the next world.
Once again, she pushed down a maddening nausea incited by the direction her thoughts went, familiar faces haunting her mind's eye. Should she go? It was most undoubtably a trap, and his reckless temperament showed he was absolutely willing to do everything it took to get what he wanted. Unfortunately, she was not an object, but a person. She pulled out one of her blades, tapping it experimentally.
Deciding, she tapped the blade once more, this time with magic coating her fingertips. Placing it on the ground, the blade would shudder, growing, widening, and reshaping itself until Rene was face to face with an identical Rene.
"Find out what they have to say."
Renesmee Jr. nodded, before running off in the direction of Tetsuya's location. She removed her veil function as she did so, making herself visible once more to warn the foreigner of her arrival and willingness to talk. Or at least listen.
Tetsuya stopped his retreat the moment he felt a presence reveal itself behind him and turned around accordingly, ignoring the "Told you so" coming from his demon possessed hand as he narrowed his eyes at the assassin finally showing herself. A beauty no doubt; she was a rather attractive dark haired woman whose appearance matched the description of what Tetsuya had heard from his scarce sources. Having already seen a plethora of beauties over his years, it would be impossible to enamor the guild master anymore with just looks alone but dead look in her eyes is what captivated Tetsuya the most. He had seen many individuals with eyes like those before in his guild, such as Junko Jimahakai and Sa'luk al-Tair but even compared to them, the coldness in her eyes made Tetsuya deathly curious as the mental state of this clearly broken girl and what kind of life had she lived.
In any case, he wasn't going to get any answers staring at her as he smiled and raised his hand.
"It's about time you came out of hiding. Why would you want to avoid people when you have such a pretty face?" He tried flattery, his go to ice breaker but it had no effect as the woman looked about as disinterested as one could be. Coughing to clear away the awkward silence, Tetsuya proceeded on.
"Not one for flattery eh, well no matter. I've traveled quite a long time to meet you, my dear assassin. I go by the name of Ludius Grande Di Tetsuya, you may or may not have heard of me. Tell me, what do they call you as, you know besides the Shadow Stalker?"
Her deadpan expression didn't deviate, her crimson gaze heartlessly cold as she gave the slightly shake of her head. "Unimportant. I didn't come here to share pleasantries; you claim to have information on the whereabouts of two....entities," she responded, her tone vacant.
A look of pure, all-consuming acrimony flashed across her expression, too quick to be seen by most. Yet it was felt; animals scattered from the underbrush and nearby vegetation in terror, the night sitting in stone-still silence as trees appeared to lean away from her.
They all seemed to signal the same warning to the plucky guildmaster: danger.
"Well?"
"...This girl..." Tetsuya did not fail to notice the shift in the assassin's mood when the topic of both the organization and individual she was looking for was brought forth. To get such a reaction out of her at the mere mention of such things, there was no doubt in Tetsuya's mind that this woman was on a mission and would stop at nothing to achieve it. If that was the case, bluffing about the information in his disposal could potentially lead to
"Hey, boss..." Cursan suddenly spoke as Tetsuya kept eye contact with the nameless assassin but drew his attention to his palm.
"What?"
"...There's something off about her. The vibe I'm getting from her is different from what I got before when I first tracked her"
"Hm?" Tetsuya raised his eyebrows as he scanned the growlingly impatient assassin with piercing eyes and noted that while there was nothing off about her appearance or her magic. If there was something wrong with her, he couldn't tell.
"Are you sure?"
Cursan scoffed "Show a little respect would you. Seeing through different kinds of magic isn't exactly your forte but for a superior demon like me? It's a piece of cake. Most likely, what you're seeing is either an illusion or perhaps a body double. Which shouldn't be a surprise given her cautiousness"
"...I see" Tetsuya nodded, still not completely sure if the demon was right but accepted his words nonetheless before he adopted a pleasant smile to the neutral assassin who was still waiting on answers.
"Hey, this information I have wasn't easy to get and it isn't free. You think I'd just hand it over to you without at least some form of compensation? Hm? This is a give and take on both parts" He taunted as he crossed his arms and smirked even wider. He needed to play up his bluff as much as he could and try to push some buttons in order to draw out the real one, if Cursan's assumption was correct.
"As I thought."
With one graceful turn, her back faced him. "You have nothing to offer don't you....false bravado, squared shoulders, and smirk that's as wide as it is fake. I can't say I'm surprised; just another foreigner out of their depth," Rene started, her tone flatly dismissive.
The woman began walking away, before pausing.
"Also, tell that eyeball demon stuck in your palm to stop talking so loud; unless he wants the world to know his business."
With that final remark, she strolled through the night air, long strides carrying her further and further away.
"...This isn't going how I planned it at all" Tetsuya watched her retreating figure with a few sweat drops dripping down his face as he didn't actually believe his taunt would go unanswered. This woman was vastly different from alot of the people Tetsuya had dealt with over the years; she was a true business like woman with no patience for anything other than what her objective was. Flattery and coyness were useless against her, she was not going to pay him any mind unless her entire attention was devoted to solely him.
And since that was the case, Tetsuya needed to up the stakes, no matter the consequence.
"Cursan, thanks for the help but I'll take it from here" Tetsuya stated, surprising the startled Cursan.
"What? Just what are you planning?"
"Let's just say that I'm planning to play a little dirty to get what I want" That was all Tetsuya had left to say to his demon companion before he clenched his hand and dispelled the magic that was connecting Cursan to him, regaining complete control over his left arm as he took a deep breath and adopted a more sinister expression as he prepared to play the role necessary to incite her wrath.
"That's a shame. For someone whose spent all this time looking for Esme, I would have thought you'd be more inclined to listen to what I have to say" Tetsuya made sure to word that name with as much emphasis as possible as he raised his voice so that she could intentionally hear him. He did not know who Esme was or what that name meant to the nameless assassin but from what he had gathered from his contacts, anyone who dared to say that name within her vicinity was not seen or heard from again.
It was a gamble; one that could prove fruitful or lethal.
A mistake. The world stilled, a collective breath held as the taboo word was spoken. She didn't turn, didn't move. Only seeing red.
Then she shifted. A mix of her ancestry and latent rage, meant distance covered in an instant. Face to face with the transgressor, her hand reached out, grabbing for his hand before driving it into the ground.
Tetsuya's eyes flickered with surprise when he saw the visible changes occurring before him as the figure of the woman standing in front of him darkened and in brief moment, he felt his hand pinned to the ground as she had closed off the distance between them in mere seconds. Due to dropping his guard, Tetsuya was unprepared to counter her display of both speed and terror as he witnessed a sight most would beg not to witness.
It cratered once, twice, thrice. An unholy essence obscured her figure, black as pitch and writhing. Acrimony given life, its wings spread to encompass the land. Soon, the place was saturated, the creeping mass firmly entrenched in every nook and cranny of the earth.
Palpable, the monstrosity became a bowel-breaking, mind-numbing tape recorder, playing and replaying the imagination of Rene's mind. Esme; a word that haunted her dreams and filled her nightmares. Chopped in many pieces? Drowned in acid? Maybe burned at the stake; it would be a fitting end for what she was. Or maybe pulled apart, bit by bit, starved of everything and placed in the sun. No; she'd be the type to enjoy something like that. A quick and simple death; eviscerated or decapitated. Burn the remains.
The remains of hundreds began popping up around her, some skeletal wrecks, others mangled, decomposing husks. All broken, all empty, crushed beyond recognition as the world burned around them.
Her hand tightened instinctively, the much abused earth cracking once more. She leaned downward to Tetsuya's ear.
"Keep that filthy name off your tongue, ok?" she murmured, voice soft as velvet and still as death. She jumped back, the murderous, diabolical, dark mass condensing into her person. Stripped away from the landscape, the smallest of exhales could be heard, even as the killing intent's retreat revealed decaying masses. The unlucky beings who hadn't escaped before she exploded.
She tapped her blade, two slashes burying themselves in the environment. One landing a millimeter from Tetsuya's neck, the other right in open space right next to his heart.
"Don't follow me this time."
"...."
Tetsuya remained silent, still contemplating the whirlwind of emotion he had just witnessed as while he expected a reaction from uttering the taboo word, he didn't expect that kind of reaction. His eyes trailed down to the slashes buried dangerously close to his body and noticed his hand shaking as he raised it with an unreadable expression. Was it fear that made his hand shake? No, of course not. This was a man that had stared death in the face more times than he could count and had squared off against creatures that made that earlier display of killing intent produced by the assassin look like a child throwing a tantrum. If it wasn't fear that was causing his hand to shake, what was it?
The answer was excitement. Tetsuya's blood was beginning to boil as he sucked in a cold breath, trying to contain his demonic instincts that urged him to fight this woman here and now. There would be plenty of time for that, what was more important was capitalizing on the two mistakes the assassin had made that he was going to exploit in the upcoming brawl.
"That was quite a display you showed me" Tetsuya began as he shook the hand she had grabbed not too long ago a few times. "So the rumors were true, you completely lose yourself whenever you hear that name. That's quite the discovery I've made and I plan to exploit it to the fullest"
When she had declared for him to cease her following him, Tetsuya couldn't help but snort in amusement.
"Don't follow you? My dear, I don't think you understand how I operate. And besides..." Tetsuya worded as he smiled when he saw a sparks of lightning emitting from the assassin's hand; more specifically the same hand that had come into contact with his own body.
"Here some advice kid, don't carelessly touch something unless you know it's not dangerous" Tetsuya slowly unsheathed the shimmering silver blade across his waist and just as he did, the assassin's body began to slowly gravitate towards himself, something that no doubt stunned the black haired woman.
"Surprised? I'm sure you've heard of magnets before. Well you've just become a living one after you touched me and are now being pulled towards the metal that's in my hands" He stated as he slowly walked towards the gravitating assassin with a predatory grin on his face, holding the blade below his waist just itching to slice something up. By the unreadable look on her face, the assassin must have realized she made a grave error in believing that her attempts at intimidating him would make him wary of her. In fact, just the opposite had happened as she had stirred Tetsuya's demonic blood into finding out everything he wanted to know about the prey in front of him, even if it meant he was going to have to beat it out of her.
Her expression did remain unreadable; but for a different reason. "Noted." Yes, he was dangerous. A charmer who reacted violently when he didn't get what he wanted. Though she supposed a magnetic blade had its uses; maybe she would make one of those someday.
"Kid? You're only a couple years old than I."
Her eyes shined slightly, catching the upturn in Tetsuya's excitement even as she was pulled forward incessantly. "Answer me this; what are you hoping to accomplish? Take someone who doesn't want to be taken? Add to your pet project?" She paused.
"Sooner or later you'll learn you can't always have what you want."
Her clear dislike of being referred to as kid made Tetsuya chuckle as he continued forward.
"Your a kid to me because it's quite apparent you've still got alot of growing to do, at least from a mental perspective. I don't know what that word means to you but by reacting the way you did, you've given your opponent an advantage that they can exploit and that's a mistake only a "kid" would make" He scolded before he addressed the next section of her statement with a hearty laugh.
"Your not the first person to tell me that and I'm certain you won't be the last. I see myself as a pretty simple man, if I find someone or something interesting, I can't help but want them or it around me. I'm aware my methods are quite... extreme to say the least but I believe its the truly the only way to connect with someone. To make a genuine bond with them" With the distance between them closing by the second, Tetsuya found it appropriate to ask some questions of his own while he was at it.
"Tell me nameless girl, what is it about that taboo word drives you to exhibit such a demonizing amount of killing intent? What is your connection with Esme?" He uttered the word again, caring not for the woman's earlier threat.
She stopped, eye closed as she reached for her magic once more. She felt the tether between his blade and her pull taunt. "Seems I'm not the only kid in this equation then." She pushed her veil outward, waiting and hearing the *snap* she was looking for.
"Does it ever occur to you that whatever caught your interest may not care to be around you?"
"Perhaps" Tetsuya shrugged, acknowledging both her point about him having his own immaturity and also her point regarding the unwanted attention "That doesn't mean I'll give up just because of that though. I mean, I wouldn't have a fraction of the friends I have now if I decided to give up on them just because they claimed they didn't need or want my company"
Rene pushed her blade out of its sheath slightly, a brilliant, vindictive red peeking out, her voice empty.
"She birthed me."
"...Is that right? So you have a grudge against your mother" This was definitely a story Tetsuya had heard before but still played the part of acting surprised as he tilted his head "And what exactly did your mom do to make you hate her so much?"
"Claimed you say...you sound as if you know quite a bit."
His acting skills needed work; though she couldn't help but wonder, however superficially, what served as the reason for his need to feign his surprise.
"Wrong question."
"Aw come on, don't be like that. Tell me about this woman" Tetsuya said as the distance between the two had closed enough that the two were facing one another and Tetsuya momentarily deactivated the magnetic pull from her body and reached out to grab her chin, lifting it up slightly as he stared deeply into her crimson cold eyes.
"Is she the reason why your eyes have become so cold? I can tell that the only thing that's keeping you going is is your thirst to find both this woman and that guild that you have a history with. Why is that?"
She swatted his hand away. "Because the night is dark and full of terrors. Finish what I started then join the silence."
Rene looked at her wrist as if staring down at a watch.
"It seems my time is up. To never seeing each other again," Rene said, making a false toast. Then she fell apart, fading into nothingness.
A small, cheaply made blade then clattered to the ground before disintegrating. Against a quiet backdrop, the sound proved deafening; yet it too faded, leaving a haunting serenity in its wake.
"...Huh?" Tetsuya blinked, utterly confused as to what had just happened as he stared blankly at the ground where the assassin had just stood. He believed she was using her magic once again to conceal herself as he smiled "That won't work, I know your weakness" He inhaled deeply before he roared "ESME! ESME! ESME! ESME!"
"....."
Instead of being on the end of another wave of killing intent, all Tetsuya heard was the silent stillness of the night as he stared dumbly across the rummaged ruins, confused as to what had just happened.
"What the hell... that should have worked..." His brain went into overdrive trying to explain the situation and as he thought about it over and over, one comment made by Cursan resurfacing in his mind.
"Most likely, what you're seeing is either an illusion or perhaps a body double. Which shouldn't be a surprise given her cautiousness"
An illusion or a body clone. He didn't pay it much mind back then due to how she had reacted when he had mentioned her mother's name but after reanalyzing the situation and piecing together her strange behavior at times and his inability to catch a whiff of her at this moment, a dark realization occurred to Tetsuya.
"Now wait just a damn minute..." His anger began to boil as the ground around Tetsuya began to shake, sparks of lightning erupting from the clouds above him. Any animals in the vicinity began to flee immediately as the sheer gravity of Tetsuya's anger was enough to cause them immense fear.
"She played me real good..." He laughed; not that he thought the situation was funny but out of amusement that someone could make him feel this angry in such a long time. He was trying to learn more about this assassin with genuine concern and she had the nerve to try and trick him with a clone and then just leave as if that was the end?
She had balls, serious balls.
Taking a deep breath, Tetsuya began to calm down and refocused his mind on the matter at hand. Since she had clearly used the time wisely and escaped, he simply needed to track her down again. However, this time was going to be different. Before, he needed Cursan's assistance as while he may have known the general location in where she'd be, he had no idea what she looked like and required the demon to create a trail for him. Now that he had seen what her face looks like, what she smelled like, what she sounded like, and what her body felt like, she had no chance in hell of escaping from him.
"I tried to play nice and look where that got me. The hell with being diplomatic, that brat needs to be taught a lesson" He declared as magic circle opened up beneath his feet, connecting him to the Sinful Spirit World as the necklace around his neck began to twinkle with a dark glimmer. Placing his hand on the floor, Tetsuya began the chant.
"Oh Spirit that dwells within the world not seen. Spread our greed among our enemies! I summon you now, Mammon!"
As Tetsuya's chant finished, the magic circle beneath him grew even wider as a dark figure emerged from the ground and spread it's jet black wings while floating in the air above him. A sinister laugh was heard from the demon's mouth as it looked down and smiled accordingly at its owner calling for him.
"It's been a long time since you've called me, Master" Mammon worded the last bit with a hint of resentment as he did not enjoy being unable to come to Earthland frequently, especially when he compared it to the dull scenery of the Spirit World. "How's your day been?" As if he didn't already know as he saw the sour expression on Tetsuya's face.
"Read through my memories and find that woman, you may use my body to do so until you locate her" Tetsuya did not indulge in his spirit's rather poor attempt to troll and ordered him.
"...For what reason?" Mammon questioned, though that was a bit of a mistake as even the greedy demon felt a tinge of fear when he saw the blood lust in Tetsuya's eyes and relented before accepting his master's orders. "...Very well. Just know you'll have to wait awhile before you can gain control aga-"
"I don't care, just find her" Tetsuya cut him off, indicating to the demon that whoever it was that he was looking for had pissed him enough that he was willing to let Mammon have his fun in his body, even if it was for a short while.
"Hmph, don't regret this"
The process was simple enough as Mammon's body evaporated into a thin black smoke and hovered over Tetsuya's own body, with Tetsuya himself closing his eyes as his consciousness faded into darkness. Not even a minute later, the black smoke completely disappeared and Mammon opened his eyes as he found himself excited as he finally got to control his master's supreme body again.
"Thanks, I'll take real good care of it. Now then, let's see what the situation is"
Mammon searched through Tetsuya's mind, recalling all of the events that had transpired over the past few hours, learning of the assassin, what the name Esme meant to her, and what had enraged Tetsuya so much that he'd be willing to resort to this.
"Now I see. That assassin, she's quite the brave young lady. Angering this human is a decision even I dare not make" Mammon commented. As for the matter of finding her, it was pitifully easy as a large red eye appeared on Tetsuya's forehead. It was known as the Eye of Truth, an ability unique to Mammon among the Sinful Spirits that allowed the demon to locate anyone or anything no matter where they were or what magic they had covering them, as long as he possessed at least three of the five senses of that person. Taste, Touch, Smell, Sight, and Sound; Tetsuya had gathered four of her five senses as he had touched her, smelled her, seen her appearance, and heard her voice. It was an ability that Mammon could only use and since it required such precise information regarding its target, the most effective usage of it was to allow Mammon to take over the host and do the hunting manually.
Activating the eye of truth, an image appeared in his mind that displayed the assassin riding on a flying creature of some sort travelling over a vast sea at an incredible speed. Mammon shifted his body to the left at the direction in which she was moving too, estimating that the distance she had made was quite significant.
"She's moving fast, guess I can't dally around here" He knew his time was limited and wanted to have some fun with that assassin as a pair of black wings emerged from his back and he lifted himself into the air. He was confident in his speed but with such a distance between them, he feared he might lose her if he didn't speed things up a bit.
"I'll be borrowing your powers, master"
Since he was now in Tetsuya's body, he had access to all of his master's spells and skills and as such, he converted himself into lightning thanks to Lightning Body and in one swift motion, exploded forward with astronomical speed that was boosted by his aerodynamic wings. He moved like a lightning bolt across the sky as the ground beneath crumbled from the overwhelming speed, an unfitting maniacal laugh erupting from Tetsuya's handsome face as Mammon screamed in pleasure.
"Hahaha, this is awesome! Wait for me, my dear Esme! I'm coming to play!"
With how insanely fast he was travelling, he'd catch up to the fleeing assassin in no longer than a couple of minutes and only god could tell what fate awaited her once she was caught by the demon that had full control over a living weapon like Tetsuya's body.
She was gone from her hell-hole of a birthplace: Sin. Truth be told, she had planned on spending even less time there than she did after not finding what she sought; while the now dead assassins were a good consolation prize, they weren't the target she sought.
A click at the back of her mind told her the clone she made was no more; if her read on the young man was any indication, he would definitely be in pursuit of her. Apparently people hadn't said no to him enough; no they didn't want to be a part of his project, no they want to tell their life story. Yes, they wanted to be left alone.
The dupe was nothing personal; Rene simply didn't have time to waste. Esme wasn't the type to sit still, nor stick around after all; making every second precious. However, she did leave the occasional pattern; which meant Pergrande was next on her list.
"You're next mo-" she stopped, sensing a rapidly approaching figure in the distance. The assassin didn't give herself time to be surprised; he was far from weak and a lightning user. How he managed to transport himself from the previous point to her location didn't matter; what she sensed about his person did.
For it was truly foul; anyone with a whiff of magical skill could sense something off. It wasn't angry or fury necessarily (though she had no doubt that was among the dark sentiment), but something evil. Or maniacal; the nomenclature mattered not.
Renesmee placed her hands on the hilt of her blades: Darkheart and Oathkeeper. Listening to their reassuring hum allowed her to center herself as she and her bird cut through the night sky.
"The night obscures: Erebus Nyx." She and her bird disappeared into the night environment, fading at first like her typical Veil activation, but instead of erasing herself entirely, her scent and aura filled the sky like paint on canvas. It was here, there, everywhere. All headed in the same general direction.
Then, as if a flare, they all went out at once. Nothing left in their wake but vast sky above and crashing seas below. Watching and waiting.
"Hm?" Mammon, who was soaring through the air, picked up on the odd phenomenon occurring several miles ahead of him as he tilted his head. "That's odd, her presence feels disjointed somehow. Is she trying to throw me off?" He laughed at the notion, raising his arm into the air with an even more sinister smirk than from before.
"Okay little girl, let's see how you run from this"
Lightning erupted from his hands as his dark magic surged further, the thunder clouds above him cackling in response to the lightning coming from Mammon's hand. Swiping his hand to the side, a countless amount of lightning bolts rained down for miles in every direction, seemingly aiming for nothing but to Mammon, who knew of the assassin's general location thanks to his Eye of Truth, the bolts of lightning were more like a cage. He was going to cut off every corner of escape for this lovely young lady as a group of lightning bolts converged together and made a b-line for the spot where Mammon could see the assassin was moving too.
Mammon could only snicker as he watched from a far distance. "Entertain me, will you?"
Her expression didn't deviate; even as the light show began, the sky and sea a chorus of bolts. Building into a crescendo that made a bee-line for her; never did had she met an individual so petty.
Nevertheless, the continuous flare of lightning bolts did aid her in directions, revealing a land peaking over the horizon with their temporary luminescence. She continued on her straight shot, lightning passing through her and the bird repeatedly as her shifting veil did its work. It was more than just a game of hide and seek.
Despite this, the dark energy she sensed within the lightning and from her pursuer continued to bother her. It was unearthly, nor had she picked up on it earlier...so why the sudden appearance? She pulled out her blade before suddenly being blinded as the lightning blast struck home.
Yet she remained intact. Her blade crackled from the concentrated onslaught from above as her veil returned in force.
"Thanks Darkheart."
Renesmee refocused on the target land ahead, ignoring the informal lightning cage as she burst through row after row. If he thought this was enough, he had no idea what he was getting into.
"Not bad, not bad at all" Mammon complimented genuinely as he witnessed the assassin curve his lightning bolts with both finesse and grace. She couldn't dodge the one he had sent after her but managed to block it with her blade, a testament to the blade's durability. However, the smile on Mammon's face widened the moment she had deflected his lightning bolt with her metal blade but that was something he planned to use for later as he noticed the upcoming land ahead.
"You won't have anywhere to run once you touch the ground"
Mammon continued his chase of the fleeing assassin, both their bodies having now left the ocean sea below them and hovered over the vast greenery as Mammon grew closer and closer by the second. If he was in his own body, he was have leisurely gave chase while enjoying the scenery but unfortunately, he was on borrowed time and had to speed the process up a bit.
"I have nothing against animals but your pet is a nuisance" Mammon declared, aiming to deprive the assassin of her method of transportation by utilizing his master's lightning magic and aimed a single finger at the bird flying several meters ahead of him while closing one of his eyes.
"Ciao"
A simple command but an effective one as a very thin but dangerously sharp black lightning bolt shot out of Mammon's finger at a speed that very few could even process, let alone dodge as it was aimed at the creature carrying the assassin, who could do very little to prevent the bolt from striking her familiar.
She would give him points for persistence, noting they'd left the relative safety of the sea behind. Too late to dodge or block, she sensed the black bolt honing on her means of travel. Bracing for impact, she placed her free hand on the bird, pouring a sizable chunk of her own magic to render it intangible.
Yes, it was her creation and she could have made another one, but she couldn't help but have grown fond of it as her means of travel and one of two consistencies in her life. What mattered was the bolt sailing through the beast harmlessly.
"Tsk" Mammon clicked his tongue at seeing his attack narrowly evaded as he had to give the young woman credit for being able to react the way she did in less time than it took to blink. Clearly, he had underestimated just how much experience this assassin possessed and only took her for a pretty face. Even so, he was still fully in control of the flow of the battle as he watched her next move.
Renesmee then made a hard bank turn, flying parallel to the coastline before once more turning to face the pursuer. While not a fan of charges, she could feel her magic beginning to dwindle. It was why she didn't enjoy using her secondary magic; not that she had a choice given the dogged nature of the devilman in front of her. Keeping the sea to her left Rene focused, beginning to shape her magic once more on the invisible plane. Her red gaze became frosty.
She saw why the Tetsuya guy felt off. There was almost a sense of something....inhabiting him. Malicious, insatiable, and simply mean.
"Kill the spirit, save the man they say."
Then she launched them. Hundreds of invisible blades, all marked to kill, coming in hot from all directions. Honing in on the one who just couldn't mind his own business. She waited patiently for the result.
"...Is she stupid?"
Mammon could not comprehend why the assassin had made a U-Turn and was heading straight for the same person that had been chasing her down but discarded that thought when he sensed a rise in her magic power. With his Eye of Truth, Mammon could ascertain that she had launched an invisible attack at him and could vaguely see the outlines of blades being directed at him from every direction. It was a brilliant attack that left very little options to dodge and forced him to block the attack so as to reduce the damage to himself....
Well, that would have been the case had Mammon not been in someone else's body as he merely continued forward with even more speed than before as the blades all scratched and sliced through different parts of Tetsuya's body, a decision that the assassin couldn't have even possibly predicted. He made sure to avoid any fatal spots but everything else was fair game as Mammon coated his body in lightning, making the blades that were intended to kill more like severe paper cuts instead.
"Dumbass, you really thought this attack would deter me? Try again in a hundred years!" He screamed as he began spinning in mid air, charging his legs up with lightning en route to the still stunned assassin and once the distance had been closed, threw his lighting charged leg out as he aimed a devastating kick to her abdomen that she simply couldn't dodge or block in time as the force behind the momentum of Mammon's kick was far too great. She was catapulted right off of the bird that she had just been standing on as she flew through the air.
It was a tactic that the demon shared with his owner; take an attack to give an attack.
Regaining his balance, Mammon followed up his attack by spreading his black wings and then launching an endless barrage of lightning infused feathers towards the still air born assassin.
The wind taken out of her. Not a good feeling as she fell downwards. It was a shock to the system as she coughed up blood. Her blades still in her hand, she prepared to block whatever amount of the barrage she could.
Then her back hit something solid and warm. Soon she was soaring again, awake from the barrage of lightning-infused feathers and into the skies.
"Thanks Aethon." The bird cawed proudly in response.
Her eyes changed; losing their crimson hue. Replacing them were angry, blood-red irises and slitted pupils. The quality of her magic altered as well, growing more potent with each passing second.
"Not deter you...distract you." The blades roared to life once more behind him, solidifying into one entity before being dropped like an anvil from the heavens onto his vulnerable back.
"I should have roasted that thing when I had the chance" Mammon growled as the pesky avion had aided its precious owner in the nick of time. An eyebrow was raised due to the assassin's words but he soon discovered why as he swiftly felt the overwhelming weight of something on his back that he had been unable to notice, in part thanks to his arrogance and also due to the assassin's troublesome ability to coat her attacks through some sort of illusion.
"Fuck!" Mammon roared as he was carried down by the large obstruction and landed on the ground, the ground beneath him being destroyed by the impact as a large amount of dust and debris exploded outward in the vicinity, showcasing the power behind that fearsome attack. Moments passed as the debris began to fade and it seemed that the demon had been put down before a large explosion of dark energy erupted from the ground, followed by a piercing scream that came from the dragon lungs of Tetsuya's body.
"GOD DAMN IT! YOU BITCH, I"LL SKEWER YOU!" Mammon was no longer able to control his rage as he stood in the center of the crater he had just created, bringing his hand to his face. A black and red horned mask soon took form on his face and Tetsuya's previously amber eyes had changed into a deep crimson, one that conveyed the wrath of the Sinful Spirit that inhabited his body. Dark energy poured out from his body as everything nearby began to tremble and wither away due to the sheer toxicity of it. Even the courageous bird that had assisted it's master in this fight felt intimidated by the enraged mask wearing demon, indicated by all of the hair's on its body standing up and as for the assassin, she surely understood from a glance that she was no longer going up against an enemy with any attention of playing nice.
"Yes, this is it. The power of darkness master possesses... it's just invigorating...!" Mammon praised as he felt much more comfortable in his hosts's body after he utilized the demonic powers bestowed within him. Play time was over, it was time for the big gun's.
Before that however, he was curious on one thing as his body vanished in the blink of an eye and appeared floating right above the bird and assassin duo, his crimson eyes looking down on them.
"There are very few humans that I acknowledge. You have joined their ranks, consider it an honor. What is your name, assassin? Unless you want me to keep referring to you as Esme or whatever it was called" Mammon spoke with two voices, both his and Tetsuya's mixed in but with a deeper tone.
"Seems you're the kid now."
No more hiding it seems. She watched the dark energy surge out of control before settling and the demonic essence she sensed solidify. More importantly, a monstrous mask obscured the male's face. Her eyes glowed with the faintest traces of amusement; the first emotion she displayed beyond a cold, calculating exterior.
While not fearful as her companion was, the assassin was no doubt impressed with the amount of power being released. It was clear the reservoirs of him and whatever diabolic was inhabiting him ran deep.
And his speed went up exponentially as well.
"Assassin is fine; no need to exchange names..seeing as yours remains veiled demon," she replied. She winced ever so slightly as her mother's name was stated. Not for the first time did Renesmee wish her name was something else, having thought about changing it repeatedly.
"Shall we? I'm sure your time is at an end."
"I am known as the Sinful Spirit of Greed, Mammon. It's a shame though, I would have liked to at least know your name before you perished" Mammon shrugged but got over it pretty quickly. It was no loss on his part, he found this woman intriguing but nowhere to the same extent as his obsessed master and would apologize to him as he had full intentions of ending her life.
"Don't we all." Silence followed.
With no more words needed to be said, Mammon threw both his arms to the side, a tunnel of dark energy conversing into both of them as he aimed them forward and fired the spell towards the assassin. The two pairs of energies took the forms of two dark twin dragons as they separated and came at the young woman from both sides.
She sheathed her blades, closing her eyes as Rene let her senses range out. Then she flicked her blades upward and downward. With it came two chilling slashes, each ripping through the atmosphere with the intention of eviscerating each dragon.
The twin dragons collided with the counter slashes as the clash created a fierce gust around the battle field. In the after math of the attacks that had neutralized one another, Mammon's figure had already made its move during the distraction as he came swooping down from the sky as he threw his arm forward and created an enormous claw made of shadow that covered a great portion of the sky. The hand swiftly descended downwards onto the airborne assassin, aiming to crush her in its entirety like how she had done to him previously.
Sensing its creator's occupied state, the bird pointed its beak upwards, firing a wide beam of ethernano at the descending shadow hand in an effort to neutralize it. Meanwhile, Rene drew her blades properly, their brilliant, blood-red hue illuminating the night. Ready and hungry for the next offensive as she switched up her style, ready for his upcoming onslaught.
It was cute that the avion like creature believed it could match up with Mammon's enhanced attack but alas, the beam conjured by the beast did little more than slow down the descending shadow hand. As Mammon watched the assassin prepare both her blades in an attempt to counter, he merely shook his head and gave her a pitied gaze.
"Naive"
He raised his hand, activating his magnetic magic once more as the blade that the assassin had used to block his lightning bolts before they had even arrived on land began to spark, a fact that the assassin must have either missed or did not care to remember as her blade was drawn towards Mammon, who was heading towards her with the giant shadow claw in front of him. She hadn't let go of it yet but she had to make a decision quick as her body was resisting with all of its might to be pulled towards the approaching demon.
This again. She shook her head, pointing the wiggling blade at the giant shadow claw. "Darkheart, moveset; expulsion."
The point of the blood-red blade glowed for a second with a familiar light; for Mammon anyway. Then it exploded, discharging the concentrated lightning blast it had blocked and absorbed earlier, while expelling the magic associated with it. More importantly, she sent the salvo directly at the shadow claw and its holder; a classic battle of light and dark if you will.
A clever move on her part, one that Mammon inwardly praised but did not believe would change the outcome of the fight as his shadow hand clashed directly with her out charged blast of light, one that illuminated the battlefield they were on as the two attacks sent shock waves through the night sky. Neither side would budge an inch but Mammon didn't give the assassin any breathing room as he kept up the pressure by using his free hand and concentrated his magic in his index and middle finger.
"Dark Thorns"
He lifted both his fingers up and in response, several large dark thorns erupted from the ground several feet below the assassin and moved with ferocious speed as they aimed to pierce through both the assassin and her familiar.
He wasn't going to give her the opportunity to split her attention anywhere else as he applied more magic to his shadow hand, allowing it to slowly begin to push back the attack she used earlier. He was fighting at a completely different pace than before as he didn't give her a more than a few seconds to catch her breath with his never ending onslaught of attacks.
Caught behind between a rock and a hard place it seemed. She felt something flicker in magic sensing periphery. Attacks from below; she was reminded of his earlier comment regarding the ground.
"The floor is lava."
She lost a few inches in that timespan though; the shadow hand pressing onward as the lightning attack was pushed back and the thorns roared upwards. This wasn't the time for back and forth pushes.
"Aethon! Now!"
The bird, still hovering banked hard to the right. Taking her attack with it as they flew for the rapidly shrinking opening, the lightning shot functioning as no more than a temporary wedge. No longer pressed, the shadow hand rushed downward as the thorns charged upward. Shooting the gap, she'd feel the breeze as the two collided.
Taking advantage of his focus on crushing her between the two forces, Rene rallied her veil magic once more, throwing it in a projectile arc towards Mammon/Tetsuya. Unlike her earlier attack though, this one had a different aim; to rob. She began weaving it around his form, tightly cocooning the substance not to obscure his presence, but sever his connection to the world. Peeling away all senses at his disposal, one by one until he had nothing left; existing in emptiness isolated from everyone and everything.
"You damn cockroach, just sit still an die already!" Mammon seethed as he witnessed the brilliant maneuver of both the assassin and the bird avoiding the conjoined attack. The force of the two attacks clashing distracted Mammon as he covered his hands but that proved to be a fatal mistake as he immediately felt his sense of reality distort and could feel his connection to this world slipping.
"D-Damn it...!" He gnawed as he attempted to resist the pain of having his senses removed as best he could, directing a fierce glare of hatred towards the assassin who had evaded his attacks once again.
"Veil Art: The Hanged Man." She clapped her hands together, completing the maneuver as blood spattered her lips. Rene poured as much of her magic as she could into the technique, knowing it would take nearly all she could muster to keep this beast of burden down.
He absolutely refused to suffer this humiliation without inflicting his own deal of damage as his eyes traveled downward, having left one dark thorn stationary and focused a great deal of his magic power to imbue it with lightning and in one swift motion, sent the thorn upward with tremendous velocity as it pierced right through the unaware bird and also through the left thigh of the already weakened assassin who had been unable to concentrate on anything else but subduing him with her veil magic. With the added properties of lightning and darkness imbued into those thorns, a truly hellish experience awaited the assassin and her little pet.
"That's my present to you" Mammon laughed for a short while before he felt his existence beginning to fade, his body going limb as he hung in the air as if he was a puppet with its strings cut; his arms dropping down and his previously crimson eyes becoming blank, seemingly defeated as he didn't move an inch.
It worked. It actually worked. A spell she had cooked up for when she faced her mother again did its job. With that, Rene knew the time wa-blood spattered her back before she felt the bird convulse underneath.
"Aeth-?!!" she started before the spire ripped through her thigh and into her frame. She bit back a scream, her now visible fangs slicing into her tongue. Between the kick from earlier and the force of her sucked in scream, the assassin could tell the scarring on her stomach had reopened.
At least that's what she noted before the lightning kicked in. She had been shocked before, but nothing like this. More bleeding occurred as more battle scars from years past reopened, her clothes quickly soaked through as she shook violently. Her eyes turned redder and redder, pupils shrinking until they were mere slits down her irises.
Vaguely she heard Aethon's whimpering grow weaker and weaker, the birds convulsions slowing down. She started to see black, slipping under as darkness overtook her system, feeling as if her insides were being shredded, rebuilt, drenched in acid, crushed, and submerged all over again. Then she saw red, something raw, burning and angry burst from within.
She plunged her other blade into the towering construct as it continued rising, darkness and lightning flowing through the mass.
"O-Oathkeeper...Break." The sword glowed a fervent, blinding red before the dark thorns construct shattered like glass down to its roots. With that, everything went black again, her body seizing as bird and creator went into free fall, hitting the ground with a sickening crunch; cratering it. The haunting darkness, meanwhile, continued to seep into her conscience, manufacturing every nightmare she had ever suffered, every scene that haunted her psyche. Outwardly, however, two pools of blood spread, mingling together as time passed; and The veil spell, while successful in severing the space-time connection, began unraveling in other ways.
The silence was deafening.
Moments passed before the life in Tetsuya's eyes began to shine again and the mask covering his face evaporated in a black smoke. The jet black wings that hung from his back also disappeared, erasing every trace of the demon and showcasing that the original owner of the body was in control once again. With no wings to propel him, Tetsuya fell through the air but used his wind magic to smoothly accelerate and land on the ground with finesse as he checked his body over, frowning when he saw the numerous cuts and bruises all over.
"...That punk, I thought I warned him about engaging in a fight with my body" Tetsuya complained, noting to himself that he'd have to deliver a suitable punishment to his disobedient servant later. Ignoring that for now, he scanned the surrounding area, eyes widening at the level of damage that was caused as a fierce battle had clearly taken place. Traces of both lightning and darkness were seen across the landscape as Tetsuya knew immediately that Mammon had used his powers extensively. As for the victim, there was only one person who came to mind as Tetsuya paled when he couldn't see her nearby.
"...She's not dead is she?" He closed his eyes, aiming to sense her presence and sighed in relief when he felt a weak but familiar presence not that far away. Taking off, he whisked across the battle field with incredible speed, stopping short when he came across a terrible sight; the nameless assassin and what seemed to be a bird were both laying inside a crater, blood splattered all over the place.
"...."
Tetsuya was silent outwardly but inwardly, an uncontrollable sense of rage and regret was bubbling inside of him. He did not want this outcome; he wanted to fight the assassin himself and test her skills himself but instead, he had allowed his frustration and pride to cloud his senses and resorted to using that troublesome fellow. Slowly, he walked inside of the crater and with each step he took, he analyzed the state the assassin was in, especially the gruesome thigh injury that looked as if it had been pierced by giant needle.
With each step, he would see more wounds across the still woman's frame. Some were small, others large. Still others egregious in size and scope. Scars of various shapes and sizes existed alongside these wounds, with more than a few reopening in the process, their jagged, disjointed welling with angry-red blood. It was a tapestry of everything she had endured up till that point.
Crouching down, Tetsuya aimed to reach out and touch the unconscious assassin, his intentions unclear as his hand slowly inched close to her body.
A bristling wall of water would put an abrupt end to that, the construct supercharged with magic energy as it encircled the two fallen figures, forming a cocoon.
"...!" Tetsuya immediately retreated back as he skid across the ground, having noticed the unexpected rise in magic power that had been formed in between himself and the assassin as he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
The clucking of a tongue could be heard. "Outfoxed once and you have a complete meltdown...seems someone hasn't grown up yet," a voice teasingly chided from nearby.
The cocoon, with contents securely wrapped, began to float upwards.
Meanwhile, a piece of paper floated downwards. "Word to the wise; pray this bird of hers doesn't die. She has a memory like an elephant. Knows exactly who did what to her, when they did it, and how long it lasted; and how to respond in kind of course."
A figure then peered over the crater, long ivory hair framing their expression with two bright, cheery red irises staring down at Tetsuya. The water cocoon moved to their location, levitating next to them. Immediately noticeable was their absurd amount of magic power, covering the landscape like a blanket.
"Be a shame if something happened to that guild of yours," they added, their grin like a Cheshire cat, "and they say women are sensitive. HA."
"...And just who or what the hell are you supposed to be?" Tetsuya asked with a raised eyebrow as the overwhelming magic power coming from the entity was not lost on him, not even mentioning the change in landscape. He already had an idea in the back of his mind but wanted to hear the words from the person staring him right in the face with the haughty nature of a higher being. The comment regarding the safety of his guild peaked his interest but he cast that aside for now, there was no need to assume she meant any harm right away. He'd know whether she was an enemy or not shortly, though it seemed she was more concerned in protecting the assassin than inflicting punishment on him.
"You haven't heard of me? The travesty!" she responded, pretending to faint from shame before turning smirking, "My name is Ataecina, I'm what your kind call a 'God'. More importantly, the demon you released with your hare-brained stupidity nearly killed my great-grandchild. So give me a reason why I shouldn't smite you where you stand."
"Come on, I know you're a clever and charming young man, surely you can come up with a good excuse."
Tetsuya's interest in her plummeted the moment she mentioned "God" as an exasperated sigh emerged from his mouth, an act that no doubt rendered the divine being confused as to the lack luster reaction towards meeting such an entity face to face. Most people would tremble or prostrate in the face of such divinity but Tetsuya? Tetsuya of all people? He found dealing with beings such as this more of a headache than anything as his previous dealing with a certain god had greatly lowered his opinion of them.
The moment Ataecina had mentioned his stupidity for releasing Mammon and then not so subtlety threatening him due to hurting the assassin, an angry vein popped at the corner of his forehead at the sheer audacity she had as he began slowly walking towards her, ready to give her a piece of his mind.
"Listen here you jackass of a god, you've got some damn nerve to show up here talking like that after the battle is over. The only reason I had to resort to using that demon was because that idiot over there ran away from me In the first place" Tetsuya began as he pointed to where the assassin was laid out before placing one of his hands on his hips "All I wanted was a fair match to test her skill, it was never my intention to kill her. And in the first place, where the hell have you been all of her life if your supposed to be watching over her? The look in her eyes, her skill level despite her young age; there's no way she could have obtained all that without enduring training that must have been like a living hell" Tetsuya was unloading on the utterly bewildered god who couldn't have expected in her centuries of existence that a human would speak to her as if he were lecturing a child.
"You gods are nothing more than glorified deadbeat parents. If your going to proclaim to be her guardian, then damn it you have to do it all the way! Don't half ass it by only showing up when she's in danger of dying!" Tetsuya finished his rant with a pout as he crossed his arms and frowned at the still flustered god.
"Now, I'm willing to admit I was in the wrong for using that demon and I'll make amends for that soon but before that, you have to explain to me what's the deal with this girl and her mom since she seems unwilling to tell me herself" He changed the subject a bit as he calmed down and was curious to the events that had transpired to lead the assassin down the path she was on.
The flow of the entire conversation had changed as Tetsuya had now taken the initiative to call out the god and had turned what should have been a dangerous situation for himself into a comedic inquiry on his behalf. It was truly a sight to behold.
She laughed. After his angry tirade, the goddess chortled, tears of merriment running down her face. "Oh my goodness, someone has their panties in a bunch. You need someone to unknot them for you?" Atae asked, still giggling.
"You must have met Pele haven't you? Only one god has that level of skill when it comes to pissing people off; besides myself of course," she commented before flicking Tetsuya in the forehead, "Now listen up, and listen well little dragon."
"Hmph" Tetsuya growled, the act of her flicking his forehead slightly bothering him as he didn't like being treated like a kid but he supposed to a deity such as herself, she definitely had the experience to treat him as such and continued to listen to her story.
Her expression turned serious. "Truth be told, I didn't know she existed until two or three years ago. And how I found her was in a manner similar to this; lying on an abandoned road, bleeding out, close to death's door but still hanging on somehow. At first I simply planned on patching her up and heading on, but then I caught a whiff of that troublesome granddaughter of mine...Esme. I'm sure you've heard her name before; she's nothing but bad news. Catching her magic signature near this young woman only piqued my curiosity; and then I found it mixed with the girl's signature in a way that can only signify one thing: family. It didn't surprise me that Esme had done this to her own child; what angered me is that I didn't discover the girl's existence sooner."
She paused. "So I patched her up as best as I could, gave her food and water, and put her in the care of those I trusted so she could regain her strength. You accuse me of negligence and only showing up when she's near death, but the truth is I trust her to take care of her business. My descendant has demons she needs to exorcise before she can move on. Nothing else matters until they're taken care of; that includes your need for a little bout which is why she got the drop on you. For her, eradicating her sorry excuse of a mother, who nearly murdered her, is paramount. Ending the cycle of abuse from a guild who left her for dead when she needed them most, imperative. You should know a thing or two about what's it like to have a one-track mind; it's why you two clashed here. Your pride as a warrior was wounded because she wouldn't give you the time of day, but your refusal to simply let her go, to let her be so she could do what she needed to do, led to this."
"At some point you must learn to take a hint Ludius Grande Di Tetsuya. As much as you believe it otherwise, the world does not revolve around you and your battlelust/bloodlust. People aren't just going to drop everything so you can have a good fight, nor does it behoove someone to answer your questions simply because it was you who asked them."
"Oh and one more thing regarding the assassin and her mother; after doing some digging into the past, it turns out this wasn't the first time the vampire hag tried killing my great-grandchild. Apparently Esme abandoned her for death as an infant. You...have no idea how much it took for me to not find that pathetic bitch and destroy her down to the last molecule, to eliminate her mind, body, and soul."
Her eyes glowed as waves thundered across the coastline, buffeting the forest. "But this is my descendant's fight; she has the strength to end Esme, the skill and will to complete the task. And when it's done, rest assured that I'll be there."
"...I see, so that's what happened" Tetsuya nodded after hearing it all from the words of the goddess herself. It was alot to take in and a tale that Tetsuya was not foreign too as he had already met tons of individuals who bared similar burdens, himself included. Her criticism of his one track mind and selfishness was fair and he did not deny the accusations, instead only shrugging as if to concede that point to her.
"You may be right but if I wasn't that selfish, I wouldn't have been able to meet all the wonderful people in my life right now. I know not everyone will find my approach welcoming, hell I'm sure most of them want to kick my ass for it hehe, but you know..." He smiled fondly as he thought of the guild mates he had come to cherish "I'm sure deep down, they all appreciate that I reached out to them, even when they ignored or hated me" He said with a laugh before he looked Ataceina dead in her eyes with a newfound respect as he definitely believed this god standing in front of him was a deity worthy of looking after someone.
"You're definitely alot less annoying than my mother in law. Though, you're way too old to be pulling the cutesy act. Do all you god's have such quirky personalities?" He teased with a grin, having gotten comfortable now that he understood the situation alot better than before.
"Maybe, but that's for them to decide, not you. There's a time and place for everything."
Tetsuya stung his tongue out at the lecturing god in response to that "You should already know I'm not going to change, but thanks for the advice"
She felt a shift from within the cocoon; turning, she saw the bird and assassin move slightly as their breathing steadied. The goddess sighed in relief, the tension in the nearby sea lessening a hair. "They're stable. Today's your lucky day; no one way ticket to the sunken place for you."
Tetsuya was relieved as well but knew they'd be fine as he rolled his eyes at the god when she proclaimed his lucky break "Whatever you say old lady" He knew of her power and her almighty stature but the word caution or fear was just not in Tetsuya's inner being.
"Old lady? You mean 'ancient, most benevolent progenitor, thank you for sparing me'," she retorted, her expression cheeky.
"Most people are less annoying than Pele; be patient with her though. Mizuki's her first child EVERRR. How a god has gone that along without adopting anything, not even having a pet, I don't know. Me, I have experience; my kids are all over the cosmos, and their kids too. And their kids' kids. You get the point though."
"You try remaining not quirky after millennia upon millennia upon millennia of existence. I lost track of old I actually am...maybe 150,000? 200,000? Or was it something in the millions? Anyway, I can pull whatever act I want; besides, this is my favorite form. It makes me relatable and means I can stay close to my people without someone pissing themselves."
Tetsuya nodded as he acknowledged her statement "Fair point"
She placed a hand on the cocoon, sending a thrill of magic through it to aid in the healing process. Ataecina sighs. "Truth be told, I don't know what she'll do after she's achieved her aims. She's been set on them for so long, I'm not sure if she could function without them. While I'd like for her to have enjoyed some semblance of a normal life to this point, I know she won't indulge such fantasies now. My great-grandchild is too hard on herself sometimes..though I understand why it's so urgent for her."
Tetsuya listened to the sighing god as he threw both his arms behind his back and smirked "Let me help her then. I wasn't just interested in her because I wanted to fight her, I really do want to help her. Nobody should have eyes like that, they'd be much prettier with some life in them, don't you think? Your not the only one who wants to kick Esme's ass" Tetsuya proclaimed with a resolute face and determined eyes. He wasn't joking nor being flimsy; he genuinely wanted to assist the assassin who had he grown to respect as she was capable of subduing his demon that was inhabiting his body.
"At least give me a chance to try and convince her. Like you said, I can't force my opinion's on others but if she's willing to listen of her own accord, then that's acceptable right?"
Her expression remained cheeky. "And here we are; the pitch. You should be a salesman or something; could make yourself a fair bit of coin. Yes, they would much nicer with some light in them, maybe she could even find herself a good life partner after all this is over."
It then changed to something thunderous. "Kick Esme's ass? No, I want to sentence her to a fate worse than death; she's been this way for centuries and her grace period has long since passed. But she's too good at evading my detection. Which makes her daughter's skill all the more important; the assassin's magic is likely the only thing that can find Esme."
"Yes, but that's dependent on her. Last I checked, you made an exceptionally poor first impression. Where's that demon of yours anyway? I'd like to talk to him."
Tetsuya laughed awkwardly as he scratched his cheek "I won't deny that, I'm sure I'm the last person she wants to see when she wakes up but I've still got to try. She has so much potential, it'd be an utter waste to see her only focus on revenge when there's so much more to life that she could enjoy" Tetsuya said with a regretful face. He couldn't live with himself to see such a promising young woman dedicate her whole life to revenge and then fade into nothingness when she achieved it.
On the topic of Mammon, a hardy laugh escaped Tetsuya's mouth as he knew what she had in store for the pitiful demon.
"As deserving of a punishment as that baffon is, neither you or I can get to him at the moment as the gate to the world he comes from is closed after he was subdued by your grand daughter. I can't summon him again for awhile, though I'd be glad to take a message you have for him" Tetsuya explained with no deceit in his words. He wasn't trying to protect the spirit, he'd gladly summon that troublesome fellow right now if he could, just to see his reaction towards the god.
"That's something you and I can agree on," Ataecina noted, remembering the dark thoughts she found haunting the crevices of Rene's mind. In the short time she had been watching over her descendant, she had come to know well the assassin's potent self-hatred. The stealing of Rene's self-worth was what made the goddess angriest about the two thorns in the girl's side.
Atae returned to the conversation. "Hmm..she cut off the connection did she? Oh well....I have a long memory and plenty of patience. Tell him this; 'the assassin has friends in high places, and the moment he emerges from whatever dunghole he calls home, there will be hell to pay'. You know, the usual promises," she commented, before winking.
"...I'll make sure he gets it" Tetsuya responded with an awkward smile, hiding his inner thoughts from the goddess before him "Yeah, I don't think I'll be summoning him for a long time..." He didn't deny the spirit did deserve a solid beating for his transgressions, he couldn't help but send his prayers to his demonic companion.
"So....how do you plan on trying to convince her that she should join up? Or at least consider you lot of overgrown, power hungry, chaotic misfits."
"Now where would be the fun of telling you that?" Tetsuya chimed with a mischievous expression, one very reminiscent of the goddess herself as Tetsuya cheekily smiled "I'm sure you're already well aware of how persuasive I am. Though, I am curious on something..." Tetsuya's smile faded, replaced with an expression of curiosity as he looked over at the cocoon that contained his object of interest. "Since she's your grand daughter, what exactly does that make her? A half god?" It was different from his wife who learned god slaying.
Her smirk widened, his thoughts like the inside of a book to the goddess, who chose not to comment on his trepidation and sympathy for the demon. "Great-granddaughter actually; her bitch of a mother is my granddaughter. Not quite. If we're proceeding chronologically, she'd be a quarter god...well, should be a quarter god. Since her mother was turned into a vampire, that changed the potential bloodline; with human and god blood wiped out. The proper categorization for my great-grandchild now...is dhampir." Her expression darkened upon saying this, recalling the young woman's deceased father, and the assassin's refusal to feed until she could resist no longer.
“A dhampire huh...” Tetsuya’s eyes shined when he heard the goddess speak on her great granddaughters origin. "That means she needs blood to survive right? She's not going around sucking the blood out of random people is she? I've got a vampire in my own guild so I know a thing or two about the habits of vampires" He left out the fact that the vampire in his guild wasn't just some run of the mill blood sucker but was a vampire of royal blood that other vampires either dreaded or worshiped.
"In the long run yes; but remember that's only a portion. As a half-blood, she can also subsist on food for long stretches of time, which helps alleviate some of the stress accumulated from not feeding...a vampire in your guild? Name's Evangeline right? Pompous little whippersnapper if I ever saw one," she grinned cheekily, "though that's royalty for you."
"...Right, you're a god. Of course you'd know that" Tetsuya said dryly as he sighed. He should have known that a goddess such as herself would be aware of Evangeline's status a few hundred years ago when the goddess had lived over a hundred times that.
"Nevertheless, that's probably a deal breaker for her. You could say that Esme has left a bad taste in my descendant's mouth when it comes to their kind; and as much as I love equivocating, leaving that tidbit out will only make things worse. If there's one thing she excels at besides murder, it's holding a grudge."
"You don't know that for sure" Tetsuya tried to argue with a passionate expression "I know it won't be easy but I know I can make it work for her, especially now that I've gotten an idea as to how I can make her listen to me" He said brimming with confidence as he continued "Nobody thought peanut butter and jelly would mix but strangely enough, they do!" He used a rather strange and comedic example with a straight face as he argued his point and then looked the goddess deep in her eyes, an anxious expression that showed his sincerity.
"All I'm asking for is a chance to make things right"
"The grudge part I know for certain; seen that played out like a broken record," Atae retorted before rare sadness creeped into her expression. "I do know that for sure, because if there's one thing she hates more than her mother...it's herself. My great-grandchild would rather starve herself to death than feed. Hiding her fangs at every opportunity, reviling her crimson and pantone gaze; little things that jump out and say 'hey, you're a vamp, and related to the hellish presence in your life'. She hates that part of her because it reminds the assassin of the one who abandoned her, who nearly murdered her twice over."
She sighed. "But you're still convinced you can. You have a powerful arrogance boy....a way to make her listen to you? This I'd like to see; a one-track mind vs. another."
"I am who I am. I've gotten this far being stubborn so why stop now?" He countered before he noticed the cocoon behind the goddess flinch for a moment. Others might have missed it but Tetsuya's eyes were too sharp to miss such a thing "Looks like you might get your chance to see what I was talking about sooner than later" He then realized something in the back of his mind when he put together a few things the goddess had told him as well as the fact that she had never mentioned speaking with the assassin once.
"Wait a minute, does she even know you exist? You don't plan on staying hidden from her forever right?"
Atae shrugs. "I suppose you have," she responded before noticing the same flinch. "Looks like someone's about to wake up soon. Nope, but the same goes for most gods; Sin is a pretty lawless land in most parts, with the gods they worship being money, power, and influence. You'll be fortunate to find a shrine in the countryside maybe. Of course I'm not staying hidden forever; just until she's taken those people to task. Till then, I'll be watching over her from above."
"...So you're content with just watching over her until she finally overcomes the thorn in her side huh?" Tetsuya couldn't completely agree with that since he believed that the assassin would have benefited more from the goddess showing herself to her sooner but said nothing more. He had his own idea on parenting and so did she, which he had to respect even if he didn't agree with it.
The cocoon flinched again, moving a bit as one figure shifted. "Well, as much as I enjoyed talking with you, it seems my time is coming to an end. None of this conversation is told to her, alright? She'll find out soon enough from the source."
"My lips are sealed" Tetsuya acknowledged the goddess' request, though command sounded more appropriate, as he stepped back and jumped onto a nearby rock, taking a seat as he sent a wave at the goddess who was about to leave "Have a nice trip back, Ata" Tetsuya's habit of referring to others by a nickname showcased again as he sent the goddess off with a smile but not before adding in one last comment "And as for your great granddaughter, just leave her to me. I'll take good care of her" He finished with a bright smile, one that truly showed both his youthfulness and greedy personality as he had no doubt left a notable impression on the goddess.
"Pretty much. If you stop thinking of her like an object and more like a person maybe I will," Ataecina responded before winking, "Adios boya." She then disappeared, the moon shining a bit brighter as the cocoon cracked. The structure would subsequently implode, absorbed into the two entities it was sheltering.
With nothing left to suspend them, the two landed on the ground with a gentle oof. While both looked worse for the wear, their wounds were generally healed, the two removed from death's door.
The gentle, yet still disruptive, impact proved enough to rouse Rene from her unconscious state. She rolled into a crouched position taking in her surroundings as the memories of what transpired crashed against her mind. The assassin thought she had heard a female voice at some point...familiar and playful, yet warm....why couldn't she place it? Turning, she would find a still unconscious Aethon recovering; at least he was in better shape than before.
Her sluggish thoughts would then be interrupted by a familiar figure, posted up on a rock. His presence was like a cold bath, clearing away Rene's unfocused state.
"Yo!" Tetsuya greeted with a raised hand and a welcoming smile on his face, completely ignoring the hostile look the assassin was giving him.
"Why are you still here?" her voice was chilling to behold. The young woman's hands remained on her blades, having never let go of them even when unconscious.
"Isn't that obvious?" Tetsuya smirked devilishly as he jumped from the rock, approaching the young assassin with a slow step as one of his hands fell onto his katana and he oozed killing intent.
"I'm here to finish the job" Tetsuya's immense magic power exploded outwards, like a colossal tide as the assassin braced herself for potentially a second round and as Tetsuya saw that, he couldn't help but snicker before his magic power vanished as quick as it came and he pointed at her.
"Hahaha, just kidding. Sorry, I just couldn't help myself" It was a bizarre turn of events for everyone involved, especially for the confused assassin who definitely wanted answers on what had transpired while she was knocked out.
Her expression showed she was completely unamused by his joke; if anything it worsened her already low opinion of the male. That he felt the need to approach only heightened her tension; she recalled how he casually invaded her clone's personal space.
"...Jeez, so much for a joke to ease the mood..." Tetsuya was beginning to see why the goddess was so doubtful that he could convince her as Tetsuya hadn't met a person this straight laced since his first encounter with Violet.
"I'm not here to fight, or rather there's no need too anymore. You were able to fend off my spirit while he was controlling my body, which is already an incredible accomplishment. Though..." His eyes traveled downward towards her thigh along with the scar on the bird's body "...It seems both you and your friend suffered a heavy wound due to that idiot servant of mine. How's your leg? Are you still in any pain?" Tetsuya asked with concern, something the assassin couldn't fathom why he'd care about. Even though Tetsuya had to praise Ata's healing ability as the ravenous wound had all but closed but there was still clearly a scar there that wouldn't just disappear like that.
"I don't see how that's any of your concern," she responded, her tone unchanged. Truth be told, she had suffered worse, but Renesmee had no interest in telling him that. His pushiness and wandering gaze only made her feel colder. The assassin didn't bother to look down at her clothing, already certain that it was a blood spattered, tattered mess.
"End the masquerade; why are you still here?"
"Before I explain why I'm still here, may I ask that you wake your sleeping companion? Since you both were involved in this, it wouldn't feel right for me to continue without it" Tetsuya requested with a light hearted expression, hoping the assassin would at least do that for him. When he saw that she was still hesitant, he lowered his head a bit and asked sincerely, void of any of his usual arrogance or pridefulness.
"Please"
Well, this was new. She noticed the absence of sinful pride and the presence of humility. Or what was humble for him anyway. Keeping him within her periphery, the assassin would turn, lightly tapping the bird.
"Aethon, wake up." The bird cawed groggily, shifting at first before eventually opening a lazy eye. Recognizing who was there, it cawed more energetically, standing up on slightly wobbly legs before hopping over to Rene. It then fixed its gaze on Tetsu, its expression expectant.
"Well?"
"Phew..." Tetsuya let out a sigh of relief that the assassin was at least willing to do that much for him since if she wasn't, he might have started to lose hope. At least she was willing to hear him out. When he saw the bird showcase the same wary expression towards him as its owner, Tetsuya understood that they both had suffered greatly due to his mistake and resolved himself one more time before reaching for the katana by waist. He unsheathed it for the first time since he met the assassin, its radiant silver glow reflecting off the beautiful moon in the sky as he held it up.
Seeing the assassin and bird tense up when he raised it, on guard of what he'd do, Tetsuya merely smiled reassuringly as he turned it downward and moved one of his legs forward.
"Don't worry, it's not for you" Tetsuya said and after taking a deep breath, he plunged the katana right into own thigh, holding back a tearful scream as his flesh was ripped through by the sharp blade of steel. A large fountain of blood dripped out from his injured thigh as Tetsuya fought through the pain and removed the katana embedded in his leg, slamming it into the ground as he crouched down and got on one knee, lowering his head even further than he did before as it touched the floor and he spoke to the no doubt bewildered duo in front of him. If anyone who knew Tetsuya saw what he was doing now, they'd no doubt have a heart attack.
The symbolism was not lost on her as she watched the fountain of blood pour out. Blood....her eyes glowed in hunger, attempting to refocus as she felt those hated things begin sliding from their hiding place. A quick nip from Aethon's beak brought her to the present once more. She lightly butted its head in thanks. Continuing to breathe through her mouth, the assassin waited for his explanation.
"I'm fully aware that this is not enough to atone for the suffering the two of you must have endured due to my negligence but at the very least, I hope that you two can accept this as my way of apologizing for the scars Mammon gave you. I let my pride and arrogance get the better of me and I understand that I have to learn to not fall victim to my own selfish desires. I am sorry" If Tetsuya was injured, he sure didn't show it as he spoke sincerely, as if the gaping wound in his leg wasn't bothering him at all and continued.
"That idiot servant of mine stepped out of line and as his master, I must take responsibility for the actions of those under me. And as for the reason why I'm still here... I want to help you" He raised his head, his eyes showcasing his firm resolve to the assassin and her companion. Tetsuya's honor as a warrior and as a man meant more to him than she could imagine and at the very least, she must have been aware of his sincerity by the serious look in his eye, one that truly befitted the master of a guild instead of the childish arrogant egomaniac he had shown her before.
This change was not lost on her as well, though she couldn't help but remain suspicious. Rene had seen change-ups similar to this before; especially when people were begging for their lives to be spared. Then again, those individuals didn't have a gaping wound in their thigh while doing so. She twirled each katana in thought.
"I don't remember asking for or needing your help. If you think this is some feel good, fixer-upper, dispel those fantasies immediately," she started, focused on avoiding the sight and smell of the still leaking blood.
Rene turned her back to him, facing the direction that she was now certain her mother awaited. "I have someone to meet, and this detour cost me far too much time. As appreciated as the gesture is, the answer is no."
"Let's go Aethon." The bird didn't move, still studying Tetsuya with a beady gaze, as if figuring out a puzzle. "Aethon?"
"...."
Tetsuya did not speak as he continued to trade glances with the bird that had been caught in his serious gaze, one that the bird recognized was honest and lacked any form of deceit or ulterior motive. The gesture Tetsuya had made regarding slicing open his own leg had carried more weight for the bird than its owner and Tetsuya recognized that as a smile crept onto his face.
"Your name is Aethon, right?" Tetsuya began before he stood up, momentarily flinching as his wound reacted to the movement and began bleeding again but Tetsuya ignored that as he slowly walked forward. He had left his katana behind and focused on the bird as he closed the distance, enough so that he was only a few feet away from the still mesmerized bird. Tetsuya was sure that the assassin would not approve of his actions but he figured it'd be the only way to at least get her to listen as he slowly reached his hand out to pet the bird on its head, hoping that it would sense his gentle spirit. Animals were far more honest than humans as they could ascertain humans who wished them harm and those that didn't.
The bird cawed once in response, its gaze unflinching as Tetsuya ambled over slowly. It waited, shifting a bit as Tetsuya's hand reached out to pet its head. The being nipped his wrist lightly, not breaking skin but warning him about what would happen if Tetsuya proved dishonest.
"Thank you" Tetsuya smiled warmly at the bird, sighing in his heart that he had earned even just a slither of its trust as he gently rubbed its head.
Her cold expression deviated little seeing this scene take place. If anything, the assassin's lack of reaction would make clear to Tetsuya just how deep her distrust ran. How often people tried playing her or deceiving the woman, only to suffer painful and final retribution. "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. What awaits you? The afterlife." She already experienced being the fool as a child; hence, there was no margin for error. Did Aethon's reaction surprise her a little? Sure, but it wasn't enough to move her.
Though she did stop. "What is your endgame?"
"End game?" Tetsuya raised his eyebrow as he laughed lightly at the question, still petting the beast on its head as he answered. "If I'm being honest, I've never had an endgame. There are so many things I want to accomplish and so many things that I have yet to do that I can't possibly fill out some list and check mark them the way you do. I like to live in the present, taking life one step at a time and dealing with whatever it throws at me. I'm not saying you can't plan for the future, and I'm sure you have, but you also have to appreciate what you have now." He spoke with a sense of wisdom; gained through his various experiences in life as he let go of the bird's head and stared directly at the assassin.
"If that's the case, why pursue me all this way? You can't expect me to believe you did that simply out of curiosity...." was her tart response before falling into silence once more.
"And right now, what I'm focused on is helping you get stronger so you can take down that bitch of a mother you have. Before that however..." He stopped as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a sandwich that was covered in a plastic wrap as he removed the plastic and split it into two pieces.
"I'm sure the both of you are famished, right? Try this, I made it myself" Tetsuya said as he offered the sandwich to both Aethon and the assassin. It was a meal he had saved for his long journey and had spent countless hours devising, mixing different types of bread, meat, cheese, sauce, and vegetables in order to create a sandwich with astounding taste and nutritional value that also smelled wonderful. He had yet to share this glorious meal with anyone and so he'd be getting his first official review from the pair of rogues in front of him. When he noticed the hesitation coming from the assassin, Tetsuya smiled.
She eyed the sandwich with more than a little unease, tension radiating from her person.
"I don't mind trying it first if you suspect I poisoned it or something" It was expected. Considering what she went through, taste testing for poison must have been second nature to her.
"Normally that would suffice, but how I am to know you simply didn't build a tolerance for whatever substance you placed inside? Perhaps it's slow acting." she retorted, remaining a tough customer, though Aethon napped one of two pieces from Tetsuya's hand.
The bird would gulp it down before cawing in delight, feathers ruffled in pleasure as it turned, waiting for Rene to do the same. It would her with her arms crossed, ignoring the smallest grumble of her stomach.
"It seems your friend is more honest than you" Tetsuya laughed at her stubborn behavior as he offered the sandwich one more time. "You're not going to be beating anyone if you're afraid of eating a simple sandwich, don't you think?" Tetsuya teased, waving the sandwich in front of the assassin as he let its aroma sprinkle around her nose. As a chef, he could immediately tell by the assassin's pale skin that she wasn't eating all that well and despite her great figure, her overall health from a nutritional standpoint needed work, not even mentioning the complete mess of her mental stability.
Rene took it from his hand, ignoring his teasing gestures as she scowled. She then stared at the sandwich, ignoring the mouth-watering aroma. Eventually she'd bite into it, chewing slowly before forcing it down. Rene refused to admit how delicious the food tasted, biting off a bit more before devouring the remainder whole.
"I'll take your reaction to say that it was good" As if Tetsuya needed to hear it from her; Aethon's reaction was more than enough confirmation that his sandwich experiment was a great success and further solidified Tetsuya's pride as a master chef.
Aethon nuzzled Rene a bit, attempting to soften up Rene a bit, even as her eyes remained hard as rubies. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because you're strong" Tetsuya said straight forwardly. "You're strong but you still have so much left to learn. You have so much potential that even I'm afraid of how you might turn out if you're given more opportunities to grow and polish your own skills while learning new ones. Also..." Tetsuya trailed off, alluding to something more subtle as he followed the assassin's "blink and you might miss it" glance towards his thigh still dripping of blood and spoke "...It's only natural that a dhampir such as yourself would be able to grow even stronger by devouring blood" He stated, ready to entice the young assassin who couldn't have expected him to say something like that.
He had her until he mentioned that subject. She hissed, moving backwards, even as her attention honed in on the tantalizing substance. Her senses ranging out, catching the steady, strong thump of a heart. How long had it been since she last properly fed? She remembered the massacre, empty broken husks. It hadn't been enough then; still wasn't.
"Uh..." Tetsuya immediately regretted opening his mouth as he saw the viciousness in her stance. He was so close! He thought that if he slowly built up to the subject, he'd be able to slowly convince her. But this reaction? This wasn't in his plans at all as he tried to calm her down.
"Hey listen..."
"No. NO." Rene shook her head vigorously to clear it of these thoughts. When Renesmee refocused, her voice trembled with a seething, burning rage.
"So this is a joke to you? That's it. Leave. Don't ever show your face around me again."
Aethon reached out a wing only for it to be batted away, the woman disappearing into the forest. The familiar glared at Tetsuya, cuffing the man on the side of the head for his insensitivity before flying after her, following the quiet sounds of weeping in the distance.
Ataecina facepalmed in the skies above. "Did he not hear a word I said? What about hating herself and her need for blood did he not understand? I expected him to have a better way of putting it at least...."
"Ow..." Tetsuya reached for his head as he rubbed the spot where the bird had smacked him. If it were anyone else he might have had a problem with it but in this instance, he was completely at fault and sighed heavily as he looked up in the sky. He didn't know why but he felt as if Atae was face palming at him and he couldn't disagree; he just made a very stupid move. Mentioning blood? Her being a dhampire? Even after the goddess had told him to be wary of the subject? He couldn't have been more naive.
"I'm such an idiot..." He scratched the back of his head before he looked back and threw his arm backwards, the katana that had been embedded in the floor lifting before being pulled towards Tetsuya's arm as he caught it and sheathed the blade. Once that was done, he activated his lightning body spell and jumped forward, flinching as he put pressure on his injured thigh but steadied forward as he cut through the same forest they had fled too.
As Tetsuya sped through the forest, he couldn't help but think in the back of his mind that what he said wasn't completely wrong, or rather what was wrong was the timing as opposed to the substance. She couldn't avoid the subject forever and if she was going to join Dawn Horizon, Tetsuya needed to make sure her urges could be sedated before bringing her before a group of people who were bathed in blood quite frequently.
With his acute vision, he saw Aethon up ahead and moved beside him, the bird reacting aggressively towards seeing him again as Tetsuya nodded with a face full of regret.
"I know, I know. I messed up. Forgive me, it seems I can't get anything to go well for me today" Tetsuya said as he begged Aethon "Give me one last chance, you know that I can get through to her" He was serious as he never took his gaze away from the bird even as they weaved through the forest at an incredible speed.
All she could see was red at first, then it was blinded by some other substance. Tears? What was she doing crying at this time. Rene stumbled a bit before righting herself, eventually slumping against the trunk of a tree.
She stared at her hands, finding them shaking. Whether it was from anger, despair, or a forbidden fruit she didn't know. Yet Rene's mind drifting to the taboo subject anyway: an unsatiated hunger. The dhampir knew she'd have to feed eventually; but she couldn't. Every thought of that need went back to her. Anger and frustration colored the assassin's features, culminating in her punching the ground. She breathed deeply, seeing a shadow over her: Aethon.
"Sorry about that...."
The bird shook its head, spreading its wings protectively around her. With Tetsuya's arrival, at the same time, it glared at him once more. It would add an angry squawk, ready to tear Tetsuya a new one.
Rene would then catch the additional presence. "I thought I told you to leave. Are you hard of hearing?" she snapped, not even bothering to look at him.
Tetsuya flinched at her attitude towards him, sighing heavily once again. He had made one step forward and three giant steps back thanks to his stupid blunder and aimed to correct his misgivings as he lowered his head.
"I'm sorry..." He said regretfully "I know... that bringing up the subject of your source of rage was something you can't forgive me for and I'll gladly leave if that's what you want, but before that there's something I want you to see..." He worded off before he turned around, removing his jacket along with his shirt as he stood in the forest bare chested, to the bewilderment of the duo but that confusion soon turned to surprise when they saw scars and injuries just as bad as the ones carried by the assassin herself all over his upper torso. They were marks of war that showed just how ruthless of a life the outwardly cheeky guild master had been through, not even mentioning the newly added thigh injury he had inflicted onto himself.
"I'm not going to sit here and brag that I've had a worse life than you but I want you to understand that you're not the only one whose had to endure a great deal" Tetsuya stated as he turned around and put his shirt back on. "There's no future for you if you keep yourself from growing because of what happened in the past. Why do you fear what you are so much?"
"What are y-" Renesmee fell silent.
Her gaze turned upward ever so slightly, before turning some more as she realized what she was seeing. When it came to scars and old wounds, each was a story; a reminder of some trauma. Seeing someone else's was no different; though the copious nature of his own marked frame was surprising given his attitude. Looking at them deeply however, she saw the tale of a mercenary, of someone who had to be selfish otherwise they'd be no more. "Nothing personal, just self-preservation." What Tetsuya didn't realize was this simple display proved far more convincing than anything he had attempted earlier.
Thus, for the first time in this conversation, the assassin proved candid. "Because it's her. Everything about it is her. The blood-red eyes, the fangs, the maniacal expression, the bloodlust, the hunger. That's all I see; nothing else. How can you love a side that deprived you of your father? Of anything that is good? That reminds you everyday no matter how much you masquerade, how much food you eat, there's no place for you here?" she asked, before lapsing into silence once more.
She didn't speak of the vampire hunters she had encountered in the past, ecstatic to have found someone who practiced the trade for a living. They too were enthused to have a new comrade-in-arms, someone who was strong and capable. Never did she think they would care about her being half; they had bigger fish to fry after all. That is, until they tried murdering her in her own bed. Rene learned just how soft and fragile human beings, even those trained to kill "bloodsuckers" and "bastard offspring" like her, were on that day. Three more bodies on a pyre...
"But there is a place for you" Tetsuya began as he stepped forward, proudly walking towards his sole objective. "There's always a place for someone, no matter the person. You just have to be willing to open your heart to the possibility of a new home" He stopped just short of the assassin, not breaking eye contact as he raised his hand slowly, offering it her.
"I can help you...err" Tetsuya had forgotten that through all of this that he had yet to know of the assassin's name, which was rather funny when he thought about it.
"I can't exactly help a person if I don't know there name" He said with a light hearted laugh.
She started as his outstretched hand, unsure whether to take it; the assassin had a mission to complete and that always came first. Regardless of anything else; kill Esme, kill every single Whispering Wind associate she could find and then some. That was the priority right?
Aethon nudged her lightly, moving its wings out of the way as it waited for her to accept.
"'Open your heart to the possibility of a new home'? You make it sound so simple; but I have a mission to complete. I can't afford distractions like this.." she retorted persistently, even as her hand started towards Tetsuya's.
"It's R-"
Tetsuya's sharp dragon like senses quickly felt something was off and before he had a chance to speak on it, a dark figure wearing a black robe that had a strange emblem with four wind symbols blowing in several directions, appeared within Tetsuya's heightened sight as they stood behind the unsuspecting assassin who was still in the midst of grasping his hand. Their sudden appearance wasn't what made Tetsuya's heart freeze; it was the sharp weapon they held in their hands as they aimed a silver blade at the unsuspecting assassin's back, which would most certainly penetrate her fragile skin and impale her unprotected heart.
"Damn it!"
With no hesitation or second thought, Tetsuya used his out stretched hand and gripped the startled assassin's hand, throwing her with monumental strength to the side as she landed against a tree. He didn't get a chance to sigh in relief as he became the replacement target and was impaled by the sword straight through his upper left shoulder, in part due to his insanely potent reflexes that allowed him to avoid a fatal blow at the critical moment. Blood soaked out of Tetsuya's shoulder as the robbed figure looked momentarily stunned that their original target had been changed but regained their composure as they looked over at the side where the assassin had been thrown.
"You've escaped certain death once again, Shadow Stalker" Their voice was deep and masculine, matching their intimidating demeanor.
Her own reflexes kicked in, feet pressing against the bark as she rolled to a crouching position. Rene was about to lash out in anger, until she picked up on the presence, cursing inwardly. Now wasn't the time to be distracted.
As flipping a switch, her emotions flushed down the toilet, a chilling smile creeping along her face. "Hand of Death...I surprised it took them this long for you to be sent after me. Could they be tired of losing their breeding grounds?"
Aethon glided silently to Renesmee's side, its expression as cold the assassin's. Both watching, waiting.
"You're still as sharp tongued as ever. Well, that won't be a problem for much longer" The man snarled back, attempting to pull the sword that he had impaled Tetsuya with out earlier as he continued. "I've been watching you for quite a long time, waiting for the perfect opportunity for when you'd let your guard down. I don't know what kind of relationship you have with this man but you'll end up joining him soon en- what the hell?" He stopped mid sentence as he noticed the blade he was pulling had stopped moving and he turned to the side to get to the bottom of it.
He would only learn later that doing so was something he would come to regret immensely as a tunnel of lightning energy began to surround the nearby area as the man who was supposed to be down for the count had gripped onto the the blade in his shoulder with his head down, an uncontrollable rage emitting from his body.
"You bastard... just when I was so close to convincing her and learning her name..." He mumbled as he crushed the blade in his hand into countless sharp fragments and glared ferociously towards the speechless robed man as he stumbled back and tried to regain his bearings.
"W-Who the hell are you!"
"Thunder Dragon's Almighty Roar!" Tetsuya bellowed as he opened his mouth and released a hazardous blast of lightning energy at the helpless enemy who was incinerated by the beam of light that cut through the forest in a linear fashion, vaporizing everything that came within a few meters of the titanic attack. It was as if someone had let off a nuclear bomb as the blinding light and surging lightning made the tree's whither and explode by simply being nearby.
After the attack died down, a puff of smoke escaped from Tetsuya's mouth as the assassin and her feathered companion stared wide eyed at the remains of whatever was left of the robed man before shifting their attention back onto the distressed Tetsuya who was still bleeding profusely through his shoulder after having taken the attack meant for the assassin himself and potentially saving her life.
Her expression shifted to blankness once more, as fragments of the adversary fell to the round. She couldn't help but be disappointed, realizing a potential meal was now up in smoke. Rene once again shook her head to clear it, attempting to exorcise such thoughts from her mind; it was a painful reminder that the sandwich was only a stopgap measure at best. At least it distracted her from the fact that one of her kills was taken; though the assassin would be no doubt vexed about it later.
"Shit, I was so pissed off that I forgot to hold back" Tetsuya grumbled before falling backwards and landing on a nearby tree, his breathing a bit heavy as the wound left in his shoulder was still quite deep but fortunately non threatening. Having suffered two severe injuries on both his knee and his shoulder, it was certainly impressive that he was still conscious, let alone able to deliver such a devastating attack in his condition, only further validating the incredible strength this man possessed.
Focusing back on the assassin who approached him, he sighed as he apologized. "Sorry about that, you must have wanted to take him on yourself" He was also not a fan of someone kill stealing but hoped the assassin would understand his rage.
She began backing up once more as the smell of fresh blood wafted across her nose. Rene covered it, picking up two sticks. Muttering a quick incantation while breathing through her mouth, she changed them into a wound dressing before handing it to Aethon. The bird would proceed to carry it to Tetsuya, before placing it atop.
It then spoke. "Apologies about the distance thing, but my creator is a bit...incapacitated. She hasn't fed in weeks and well...all of this blood isn't good for her self-restraint, especially in her weakened state. Something tells me that in your current situation, you'll need a ride home. Do not take this as a yes to your offer, as we don't have time to play house; not with a menace to society on the run."
"...I see" Tetsuya said solemnly as he gazed at the assassin's figure from afar with pitiful eyes, paying little mind to the fact that Aethon could speak, which was something he would have geeked out if his mind wasn't preoccupied with something else.
The bird sat. "Now hop to; the one we're chasing is the real deal, not a false alarm. Dropping you off will take time, time that could allow her to slip away."
"..." Tetsuya remained silent, getting up slowly and looking to accept the bird's offer but then stopped and shook his head.
"Sorry. Thanks for the offer but there's something I.. no, we have to settle first"
He approached the distant assassin with firm intentions, ignoring the protests coming from the feathered familiar and spoke as he never stopped walking.
"Did you not hear a word I said??!!! She's gone without too long!! Would you listen for once in your life??!!" the familiar berated, watching this too fall on deaf ears.
"You never finished telling me your name, and I'm not going to stop walking to you until you do" He half demanded half asked as he marched forward despite the pain in both his shoulder and leg that still probed him even after being dressed.
The assassin kept backing up, waving for him to stay away. Not paying attention to where she was going, the assassin tripped, before rolling into a standing position. She went to cover her mouth again before seeing it was pointless; her gloves ripped as her hands turned into claws, her fangs clicking into place as the rest of her teeth sharpened while her eyes turned that infamous blood-red, the substance spreading across Rene's sclera as her pupils became razor-thin.
Tetsuya momentarily stopped his approach as he saw the radical change in front of him. It was a shocking sight, seeing the stoic and withdrawn assassin turn into what she hated most as her claws and fangs gave birth to a hybrid vampire. Tetsuya wasn't well versed in the biology of vampires but he understood from Evangeline that there was a marginal difference between pure bloods and hybrids and how the latter's thirst for blood will grow in magnitudes the longer they delay it. With what Tetsuya saw in front of him, he guessed that seeing him with so much blood must have been like taking a kid with a sweet tooth a chocolate factory and saying "Dig in".
"Poor girl..." These thoughts didn't delay him much longer as he continued forward.
The assassin's claws fell to her sides loosely. "Just....stay back....please," she forced out, focusing everything on breathing through her mouth in a bid to evade the pungent scent. It only partially worked, her mouth watering as she listened to the steady thrum of Tetsu's heart.
Everything seemed to slow down, Rene teetering on the edge as she warred with herself. She wanted to...but she hated to. He took away her meal so it's only fair that he provide another meal...blood teeming with powerful magic. But he also saved her from dying by the Hand of Death's blow, one who had a flawless record until now...food? Or helper? Food? Or a friendly stranger? He had sent that spirit after her though.....the one that nearly killed her and her familiar. That meant he only drew even...did she owe him a name?
She began holding her head before one question popped into her mind, having not thought about the circumstances until now. It temporarily clears her flooded mind. "Who healed Aethon and I? Give me that and I'll tell you my name."
"Hey, that's no fair" Tetsuya pouted as he placed his hands on his hips "You were just about to tell me your name back there and now you want to exchange? Let's not even forget the fact that I'm injured here because I tried to save you! You're a sneaky one you know that" He tried to counter but then sighed as he looked up into the sky, thinking back to the conversation he exchanged with the goddess. He had made a promise not to reveal any of what had happened between them and he was definitely going to keep that promise but at the same time, he couldn't keep referring to the girl as "you" or "assassin" and needed a name.
"If life was fair would I wouldn't be this ugly, twisted thing; I'd have a stable family situation, not be a mess, and probably in the arms of someone I'm ready to spend the rest of my life with," came her retort, delivered through gritted teeth.
After thinking it over, Tetsuya smiled a bit as he decided to play a little game of "Half Lie, Half Truth".
"Well, to be honest I have no idea how you two were patched up. When I came back into my own body, I saw the two of you suspended in a cocoon and simply waited for you guys to emerge. Sorry if it's not the answer you were looking for" He lied, but then decided to give the girl a bone as he continued "However, what I found weird was that a name was spelled in water just short of where you two were. The water spelled the name 'Atae', whatever that means" He shrugged, secretly winking up the goddess above at how he had spun the truth.
Atae shook her head. "Clever boy....now if he'd only have the sense to not provoke every interesting person he met...." The moon brightened a bit in the night sky.
"Now it's your turn to pay up" Tetsuya demanded as he walked even closer, the sight of him covered in blood being irresistible to the assassin "What's your name?"
At this point, Aethon had enough. Flying overhead, it wrapped its claws around Tetsuya (ignoring any pain inflicted) and bodily moved the man backwards, sitting him hard on the ground. "Since it seems the only thing you understand is force...I amazed you're able to articulate thoughts..." the bird snapped.
"Hey! Let go of me Aethon!" Tetsuya argued as he was forced into the ground with a large thud, his wounds being opened slightly as he winced. He was surprised by the bird's forcefulness; was he really that desperate to prevent his master's vampire like urges? Tetsuya couldn't agree with that, he knew she'd have to overcome them sooner or latter so why not sooner? Damn it, why couldn't either of them see that!
The assassin threw her companion a grateful glance as the blood scent receded a bit; it allowed her to focus on sifting through what she had just learned. "Atae......spelled in water..." she mused, unsure of these pieces connected but certain they were important. Moreover, Ren couldn't shake the suspicion there was more to the story.
Regardless, she knew her turn had arrived. "Well...I can tell you that it starts with an R..and is a combination of two first names. You know part of my name already," Renesmee responded, trying to will her transformation away. It did not work; too much hunger.
Tetsuya momentarily stopped resisting as he heard her speak as he comically frowned and tried to pieced together what she said.
"It stars with an R... it's a combination of two first names... how the hell am I supposed to figure that out?" Tetsuya frowned, frustrated that he had to solve a puzzle he shouldn't have too. As he wrapped his head around it, one important name came to his mind.
"Wait a minute, her mother's name was Esme right? It's not Resme is it? Remse? Damn it, I wish I had a clue..." He knew he was close but he just couldn't solve it and just as he was ready to throw in the towel, he felt someone whispering in his ear and his eyes widened at the name as he spun around to see who had done so and was only met with Aethon's confused stare as Tetsuya blinked confusingly.
"...Who....Ah..." Tetsuya figured it out pretty easily as he smiled, thankful for the assistance. Having learned the name, it was time to break free.
"You're welcome." The assistant voice appeared saucy before disappearing.
"I can understand why you're worried about her Aethon but you can't shield her from this forever. I'm going to help her and no one will stop me" Tetsuya stated seriously before his body became lightning and easily bolted away from the startled bird as he traveled like a lightning bolt and landed behind the assassin before she had time to react, reforming as he leaned into her shoulder and whispered in her ear.
"Don't fight what you are, Renesmee"
She snarled grabbing the leaning Tetsuya and tossing him like a rag-doll. The assassin then marched over to his location, picking him up by the scruff of his neck before shaking him.
"That's easy for you to say..you don't have to sit among humans and wonder if you'll see one of them as a snack. You don't have the mental image of your father being consumed like a beverage sitting in the back of your mind at all times. You're not haunted by murdering every other trainee and turning them into an all you can eat buffet. Nor do you have the recurring nightmare of becoming some parading, maniacal monster that makes your sick, sociopath mother soooo proud," she roared, the trees shaking.
"You want me to stop fighting? Fine, I'll eat everyone within this shithole of a region; but not you, cause you left a bad taste in my mouth. So you know what? Fuck you and fuck your guild; I don't want any part of it." With that, she dumped him like a sack of bricks, before disappearing into the night, catching the scent of other people several kilometers away: meal.
Meanwhile, Tetsuya would be saved from the unforgiving ground by the back of Aethon, who took to the skies. "Great job helping her overcome Tetsuya.." the bird commented, its voice bitingly sarcastic.
"...She didn't hold back huh..." Tetsuya said with a exhausted smile as he tried to regain his senses as he rode on top of Aethon and contemplated whether what he did was the right decision.
"What part of 'I hate this side of me', did you not understand? She'll end up taking someone to full consumption because a) she has no control and b) she has no choice. I don't know what it is, but her venom is particularly potent, especially for a halfling. Those she doesn't empty will be turned; a fate she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy."
"I got that... but you can't tell me with a straight face that letting her be was the only option. If this is how she becomes when she hasn't eaten in a few weeks, god only knows what kind of monster she'd become if she were to go months or god forbid, years without properly feasting" Tetsuya argued back as he gripped onto the bird tighter from the acceleration.
Further explanation was interrupted by a chorus of screams. The bird's head snapped to the right. "Shoot!!" it banked a hard turn, going into a free-fall dive. "Hold on!!"
"Woah!" Tetsuya was thrown for a bit of a loop at the increased speed but held on regardless as he and Aethon dived towards the source of anguished and terrified screams.
They would find a grizzly scene awaiting them. Renesmee could be seen cradling a broken female corpse, rocking it back and forth. To her left were three more bodies, two young men and another woman. All empty husks....all very, very dead. Blood stained Rene's mouth like lipstick, her pale, unhealthy pallor banished as color returned to her cheeks and face.
Aethon, for its part, was flabbergasted. "This......doesn't make sense. There's no way she could have found and downed four people this quickly...had she gone longer than she said? But would mean she'd be weaker..how??"
"That doesn't matter..." Tetsuya said solemnly as he stared at the corpses around the blood crazed Renesmee, a surging anger rising within him. Not at her, but at himself for allowing this to happen. If he hadn't decided to push so hard, they'd still be alive and wouldn't have had to endure such a cruel fate. Now that things had escalated to this point, Tetsuya could no longer act like this wasn't his problem anymore. He needed to deal with the situation the only way he knew how as he stood upright on the circling bird.
"Thanks for the ride, I'll handle it from here. Don't worry, I promise I'll get her back to normal" Tetsuya soon jumped off Aethon and landed on the ground, staring down the distressed Renesmee as he clenched his fists.
Rene continued rocking the dead woman a few moments longer; hating herself just a little more than she already did. As if mocking her, the woman's claws retracted while her fangs receded and her teeth lost their razor-sharpness. The blood-red hue will coalesce into her irises once more, becoming a pleasant russet red. With her pupils returning to normal size, she looked...well, human again. She smiled bitterly at this thought even as tears ran down her face once more.
"Hey" He said, hoping to direct her full attention towards himself and prevent any more meaningless sacrifices.
Hearing that familiar, now despised voice, she gently places the deceased on the ground. Renesmee refuses to face him. "Happy now?" the assassin asks, her voice cracking. All the woman could see in her mind's eye was how easy it was. Too fast, too strong; they had magic, but not enough time to use it effectively. The first three she drained were the appetizers and meal; the woman she cradled, dessert. Her blood was the sweetest after all.
"Of course not" Tetsuya replied bitterly as he began walking forward, frustration and disgust in his voice "How could I be happy knowing that my actions caused the deaths of these innocent people. I caused all of this and I have to take responsibility for it" Tetsuya understood Renesmee more than she could possibly fathom as the sight of corpses around his feet was a sight not unfamiliar to the dragon slayer as he finally reached the distant and silent assassin. He first turned his attention to the corpses, lowering his head as he offered a prayer to them.
"Forgive me" Tetsuya said as he offered them peace in their next lives before he focused back on Renesmee, crouching down onto one knee as Renesmee's back was turned to him while she was on on the ground.
"Renes" Tetsuya began, having assigned her a nickname already. "Be honest with me, when the last time you fed on blood? And I don't mean through alternative methods, I mean directly consuming it with your mouth" He asked with a straight face.
Rene flinched at the shortening of her name, still not turning. Did she really want to answer this question? Probably not. But here she was about to answer.
"A year and a half or two years," she responded quietly, trying to ignore the full, content feeling in her stomach. It was yet another reminder that everything else just took the edge off; stop-gaps incapable of addressing the real need.
Aethon's mouth dropped to the floor. Two years?? The amount of willpower necessary....no, it was using other things...substitutes. "Still...two years.."
Tetsuya joined the feathered familiar's sentiments as he looked stunned by what he had just heard. To have resisted such a crucial and addictive urge just for a few months was considered astounding to a person with vampire biology, but for two years? Over 700 days? That was insanity. He had heard from Evangeline some of the symptoms that befall vampires who do not consume blood for extended periods of times such as a loss in stamina, severe mental stress, a limit on how much magic they could exhibit, and of course a quenching thirst to consume blood that was akin to a human suffering from dehydration. Her pale skin was another indicator of her lack of nutrition that Tetsuya believed was due to not just her lackluster choice in food but also her refusal to consume blood properly.
"To think she hates being a vampire that much..."
However, hearing all of this from Renes just reconfirmed how important it was for her to get over her need for blood. He could not allow her to restrict herself like this all because of the resentment she had towards her mother. The powers given to her could be used in so many ways and Tetsuya wanted to draw them out, not for his sake or what she could provide for the guild, but because he truly wanted to see Renes accept herself and live with what she was. If he could do it in regards to his demon heritage, then so could she.
"Renes" Tetsuya began, grabbing onto her shoulder gently and spoke clearly "Don't you think that using the powers given to you by your heritage would be the most cathartic way of ending your mother's miserable life? Don't you want to see how much suffering you could inflict onto her by the very same powers she prides herself on? You can become stronger, so much stronger that perhaps there might be a way for you to transcend being a vampire and become something else. I have the answer your looking for" He stated, attempting to break through the girl's outer shell and speak to the human side of her.
Wrong words. She shook his hand off. "Is there a reason why you're so touchy? So a 'if you can't beat them, join them' mentality. Inflicting as much pain on her as possible? You really don't understand how she works do you...that'd be 'victory in defeat' for her....hell, she might lose just to see it happen."
"She. Is. A monster." Rene stood, back to Tetsuya still as she stepped away a bit. "I can't accept this..." What lie within those words, however, was a fear of accepting it. Fearing what this acceptance said about her. Admitting her status as a dhampir would mean accepting her need for blood. Accepting her need for blood would mean accepting the need to kill people. And normalizing people as nothing more than foodstuff meant to be consumed...well, she had no interest in going down that rabbit hole.
Her mind went there anyway. "Nothing more than objects..they're such wonderful toys to play with; maybe you'll lay with one or two out of pity. In the end though, they're such wonderful meals..such fun, fragile things. I already know you'll have a sweet tooth, just like me...while else would I choose your father for dinner?"
Something clicked, as she snapped, her magic aura thundering to life, quickly encompassing the semi-enclosed meadow as it rose above the tree-line. The ground shook, fault lines zig-zagging across the forest floor until opening into yawning fissures. The quality of the magic changed as well, its potency far higher than before as its quantity quadrupled repeatedly. Most of all, the texture and feel of it changed....gone was the maleficent, vile red. In its stead was a rich, royal purple, generating a tangible pressure as the tall redwoods began flattening, slowly crunched. It made the intimidation show and magic sensed in Sin feel like a drop in the pond comparatively.
"No. She's dying by my hand, my way. We'll see what comes after."
Aethon finally managed to close its mouth. Only for the beak to fall open once more. The feather companion felt light-headed, visibly sweating as the pressure mounted. Just as it felt the world start to go black the pressure disappeared, the scene quieting.
Somewhere, hundreds of kilometers away, a lone figure smiled. "She's ready."
"...Incredible..." Tetsuya thought, memorized by the sheer power oozing out of the woman standing before him. Although she still couldn't compare to the three strongest woman in his own guild, the power Renes held within her despite her young age and hybrid origins only further stirred Tetsuya's desire to see how far she could go. More than that however, Tetsuya wanted Renes to know what it felt like to use that power for the sake of others and not just for her own personal goals.
However, he was not stupid and he understood through today's rather long day that Renes was far too focused on her mother to pay heed to any other distractions, even if said distractions were for her own benefit. As such, he could only instill in her a desire to seek him out and join Dawn Horizon when she's ready and willing.
Before that however, there was a matter he wanted to address immediately as he stood alongside her and stepped forward. "You're one tough nut to crack, you know that?" He chuckled as he shook his head and placed his arm on her shoulder once more, this time facing her directly.
She glared at him. "What is it with you and touching people? Do you not know personal space???" she retorted furiously, placing his arm at his side. At least Rene didn't throw him this time.
Tetsuya was not bothered by her a blank refusal of his hand and merely continued.
"I can see it in your eyes, Renes. You're afraid, deathly afraid of what you might become if you were to succumb to relying on what you hate most. But you know..." He worded off, raising his hand to his face as he materialized his previous demonic mask as his eyes changed once more and his voice became deeper and more mature sounding.
"Accepting the part of you that you feel makes you different is what can also be what you makes special" Tetsuya slowly removed the mask off his face as he smiled charmingly towards the stoic assassin. "I never wanted to be a human housing demonic powers but it was only thanks to accepting what I am that I was able to become as strong as I am now and act as a pillar towards those that lean on me. Are you truly not even the slightest bit curious to finding out whether you can overcome your worst fears?" He asked sincerely.
"Maybe I don't want to be special....maybe I just want to fit in....." She didn't want to go down that road..what had that boy said so long ago? Curiosity killed the cat; it was that curiosity which sucked her into his web of lies and meant almost being another nameless trainee dead on the ground.
Rene promised herself that she wouldn't be gullible like that again, but she would be lying if there weren't those 'what if' days. Even as she wept in previous massacres, she found herself on a power trip; pondering the possibilities if she kept feeding like that. How easy it would be to carve out her own territory in Sin...maybe even the whole country in time. They were thugs, punks, and lowlifes...at the very least they'd be useful as a sna- she stopped herself.
"Where are you going with this?" the assassin asked, a mask of calm obscuring the turmoil within.
"I'm glad you asked" Tetsuya smiled, having already been long prepared to offer what he believed is what Renes needed as he took a step closer and met her eyes with his own.
"If you really need to consume blood that much but don't want a repeat of what happened today, then you can drink mine, Renes. Whenever and however you want" He stated with a serious expression, one that expressed absolute certainty in what he was saying.
For the second time today, Aethon's mouth dropped to the floor, scarcely able to understand what it just heard. "This guy is insane.....do you not remember about her venom???!!" it called.
Renesmee was speechless. She had met foolish people, reckless people, and those who were outright stupid...but this? Nothing prepared her for this; even if some small part of her wasn't surprised.
"W-w-why would you even offer that? You don't know me, and I hardly know you. Besides, even if I wanted to...my venom is too potent..if I stop at any point before full.the person starts turning. I wouldn't wish this life on anyone.." Rene responded haltingly.
Yet some part of her wanted to; yes, Rene was full from earlier, but didn't he owe her this much? After everything he put her through in the previous hours...a sample of his magic saturated blood wouldn't be remiss.
"Why?" Tetsuya raised an eyebrow incredulously, as if what she had just said was something he could not understand. "Because I want to help you dummy, why else? Though you probably don't consider me one, I already consider you a friend Renes and I couldn't live with myself knowing I let one my friends suffer if there was something I could do to help them"
Well, that was new. Friendship; considering he sicced a demon on her, pushed her to murder, and continued to have no sense of personal space that was odd. Then again, he was still alive so that ought to count for something. "Friendship..."
At the mention of her venom, Tetsuya chuckled "I don't think you have to worry about that. I haven't told you this yet but there's actually a vampire in my guild, except she's the real thing and not a hybrid like you and no, she's nothing like the shit stain of a mother that you have" Tetsuya immediately clarified to make sure Renes understood that she was a good vampire. "Her name is Evangeline and she's a good vampire, one that was just like you and was betrayed by those that she trusted but was able to come to open her heart to others again after meeting me and my friends"
Her eyebrow began to raise in inquiry, before her expression warped into something resembling rage before stopping. Somehow, she felt mildly miffed about not being considered the real thing "A....good vampire? Those exist? Are you certain...." Rene started before falling silent once more.
"Yes, I'm certain. Anyway, she sucks my blood every now and then and I'm still standing here so you shouldn't need to worry about me turning or whatever it is you call it. In fact, what you should be more worried about is if my blood warps your sense of taste since Eva told me my blood is incredibly strong in quality" He warned with a lighthearted expression.
The assassin's eyebrow began working. How could he be so....casual about this? Admitting he let a vampire suck his blood every so often as if it was getting a haircut. Rene's eyes narrowed with his warning. "So what you're saying is it's addicting," she commented, sniffing delicately, "I can see why....I doubt that'll be a problem though; not to be rude, but you aren't my type."
Tetsuya only laughed at the response. "Heh, you're the second vampire to tell me that. I'm glad though, I'd have alot of trouble on my hands if I was your type" Tetsuya could imagine the hell storm he'd raise with Sabrina and Mizuki if they were found that he had charmed another woman, especially when he was married to the latter.
She studied him, unsure as she went back and forth between the pros and cons. Nevertheless, her fangs peeked between her lips, as if certain where she'd go.
Seeing her retreating hesitation, Tetsuya decided to give her a little push as he pulled on the collar of his shirt, revealing his bare neck and smiled.
"Go on"
They were right. Without warning, Rene sprung, her fangs sinking into an area just below Tetsuya's neck, gulping down several mouthfuls of blood before pulling back, moving away a few millimeters. Blood circled her mouth like lipstick. It further cleared her head, bringing another question. "Why do you consider me a friend?"
Tetsuya momentarily flinched as Renesmee's fangs plunged into his neck but he closed one of his eyes as he smiled a bit, glad that she had taken his offer. As long as it made Renesmee not have to worry about having to look for her next meal, Tetsuya was willing to do this for her anytime. He was an absurdly generous guy, at least that's what he thought.
"So, how was it?" Tetsuya asked with a curious face "I'm not one for judging blood but does it live up to your standards?"
"It was alright, I see what your....vampire means about it being potent. Too smoky, dry and sparky for my liking though; I prefer sweeter variet-," Renesmee stopped. Since when had it become alright to talk about blood preferences? More than that, when did she start having them? The assassin shuddered visibly, not liking where she was headed. She refocused while waiting for a response.
At her question on friendship, Tetsuya contemplated on how to answer it before he shrugged.
"Because I understand you Renes, as much as you don't want to believe. You've gone through something similar to what I have and though we may have lived different lives, those experiences are what connects us. And most importantly, I don't just consider you my friend, I consider you one of my rivals. To see how strong both you and I can become..." Tetsuya looked into the sky, raising his hand as he grasped it with a confident smirk "...Even perhaps become strong enough to challenge those that sit upon the throne in the sky, is that not something that thrills the very fiber of your being?" Tetsuya's eyes sparkled with life before he dropped his head and looked towards Renes with a amused smile.
Her expression was blank, as his look became starry eyed; a kid at the candy store. "I'm not an adrenaline junkie Ludius Grande Di Tetsuya, nor filled with battle lust," she responded flatly before falling into thought.
"And now that you've consumed my blood, is that not enough of a reason to consider you a friend?"
"It makes us even at least." She stared at the sky, realizing it had lightened considerably. Morning was close. The woman stared at her hands, feeling the crackle of magic power underneath, even greater than a few moments ago.
Tetsuya couldn't help but smile when he saw her actions. "You feel it, don't you? I can't do anything about how it tastes but there's no way my blood wouldn't have a positive effect on your body. Embrace that strength, Renes. That is the strength you will need in order to overcome your greatest obstacle" Tetsuya said as he stretched, looking at the sun rising towards the horizon. Tetsuya found it to be rather symbolic as his favorite thing to watch was the sun rising over the horizon. As he stared at it, he addressed the assassin.
"I understand that you have your priorities and that even if I invited you to join my guild right now, you'd probably say no, right?" Tetsuya asked, his expectations towards a different answer being almost non existent.
Yes, she felt it. It crackled and lived, roared and soared. It was the kind of pick me up needed with the road that lie ahead. Phantom faces clamored in front of her mind's eye, none larger and more grotesque (in her eyes) than the one that birthed her.
"You guess correctly; a no is the only answer you would receive at this time," she commented, watching the dark purple sky bleed into a warm reddish pink. The moon winked out of existence to the normal naked eye, yet remained for those beyond.
"I sense a 'but' in your question though."
"You guessed correctly" Tetsuya mimicked as he had already expected a rejection. However, what he focused on was the fact that she had said "at this time", which meant that there was still a chance she'd be willing to join once her personal matters were settled and as long as possibility still existed; Tetsuya would never let it go.
"I'm sure you've already figured out how persistent of a man I am. You're not ready to join now but I know you will someday and when that day comes, I'll ask you again. Also, if you ever get hungry and need to feed on some blood, come to Fiore and seek me out, it shouldn't be too hard since I'm quite famous there. Like I said before, you can drink my blood anytime. I'm sure you'll see the benefits of drinking the blood of someone like me consistently will do for your growth" He smiled a bit as he prepared to leave, walking up to the assassin as his face turned serious for a minute.
"Be careful, Renes. I still can't help but worry about you even if you aren't a member of my guild. You have a very... dangerous family tree" Tetsuya worded off as he couldn't help but think of the goddess Atae when he said that along with Renes' mysterious grandmother as well. "That all said..."
"Noted," Renesmee said before raising an eyebrow at his enigmatic statement. Rene couldn't help but feel there was something more to it. "A dangerous family tree..." she mused, before setting it aside. One thing at a time.
Tetsuya then reached his fist out, expecting Renes to meet his with her own for a fist bump as he smiled confidently.
Rene stared at his fist, before giving the corresponding bump with her own. Despite being unfamiliar with the exchange, she figured it was rude not to.
"Be sure to give that mother of yours an ass whooping she won't ever forget, alright?"
"Considering it will be the last thing she remembers, that goes without saying. Come on Aethon," she commented, her familiar finally recovering mentally from the recent events.
The bird followed before stopping in front of Rene, allowing the assassin to hop on. It couldn't help but notice the changes in Renesmee as they prepared to take off. "Does this mean you'll finally give me that form you told me about?" Aethon asked, as it began to take off.
"Yes; after we send Esme to the next life though."
"Sweet! No more hiding; remind me why you sucked that nutcase's blood again?"
"Because he owed me after all the crap he put us through."
"Fair enough, just don't catch his reckless stupidity." With that, the bird waved at the increasingly small figure below before shooting towards their next destination.
Meanwhile, Rene lapsed into quiet. A battle maniac who was reckless as he was generous, dangerous as he was caring. It didn't make sense to her that someone would have made a contract with a depraved demon but be willing to offer their blood to a veritable stranger...then again, greed meets persistence. Put together, well, he was probably adept at getting what he wanted immediately, and expected it to remain as such. As a result, the assassin felt a sense of satisfaction in making him wait without giving any guarantees.
"Oh well."
"...Don't underestimate a dragon slayer's ears you cheeky brats" Tetsuya said with a smile as he saw the figures of Renes and Aethon shooting off in the distance. He let out a long sigh before he dropped to the ground, laying on the floor as he stared into the light sky, morning vastly approaching. If you were to look at his body from the outside, it looked like he had taken quite a beating but Tetsuya could barely feel in injuries as he was more concerned with Renes.
"It won't be easy to recruit that one" He laughed. Of all of the people Tetsuya had been eyeing to recruit, Renes was definitely one of the toughest to get through to. Hell, he wasn't entirely sure if he had even gotten through to her but at the very least, he had made an impression. And that was good enough for him, at least for now.
The only thing left for him to do now was to believe she'd come out triumphant and seek him out if she was still interested in joining. And with his blood now in her veins, he was fairly certain she'd come around alot sooner than she thought. Closing his eyes, Tetsuya felt a bit sleepy and planned to take a nap on the open plains and worded one last thing before his consciousness fell.
"You may watch over her in the skies Atae, but I'll be looking out for her from the ground"