23.

Seeing Blue

Everything suddenly looked…weird. There was a fuzzy blue outline around all things as if an indigo cloud settled on the world. Reyna blinked, hoping the action would clear her odd vision. She was still on her back, a small clump of grass serving as a pillow under her head.

Suddenly, the skin crawling sound of a knife scraping on glass was heard. Reyna’s eyes widened when she saw a sword’s blade hovering over her face. The edge, though black, was also highlighted with the peculiar blue blur. Reyna flattened herself against the ground, waiting for the impact. The sword remained hanging in midair, slicing at a transparent sapphire object–the cause of Reyna’s blue vision– that was blocking it.

Ram, holder of the weapon, smirked as he pushed his attack down. “You don’t even know what you’re doing, Little Sister.”

Reyna’s right arm was up and angled over her chest. It was outlined in the same almost-transparent blue haze up to her elbow, traveling up to her elbow to fit her like a long glove. Hovering over her arm, and over her entire torso and head, was a bulging, half oval also the same color as the substance on her arm.

Reyna’s lips parted in surprise. “A shield?” she whispered to herself.

Ram pulled his weapon away. As soon as he did, Reyna’s arm relaxed –an involuntary action– and the azure matter vanished. She gazed at her limb, amazed. However, before she could fall into further awe, Reyna’s vision blurred for a few seconds. When she regained it, she was in a crouching position. The earth was cool on her bare feet. With one hand flat on the ground for balance, she faced Ram. He was a few yards away, his sword halfway stabbed into the soil where Reyna had previously been laying down.

His weapon looked bizarre. It resembled a sword, but there was something off about it. The weapon was entirely black –blade, guard, and hilt. The dark mass then began to shift and move through its own will, losing all resemblance of a solid object. It went through a short spasm of erratic, random movements as if unsure what form to take. It stopped only to constrict into a small ball, merely to release into a bigger one. Tiny, multiple blades would emerge and lengthen or shorten in accordance to the black mass’ current size. As it waltzed over Ram’s head, it split into a dozen pieces. Small, dully glowing blades sprouted from each lump.

“Daggers?” Reyna said under her breath, surprised she had been able to track such erratic movements so clearly against a dark sky. She paused, waiting for Mundus’ explanation on what was going on, but none came.

“Your demon is not going to answer,” Ram smiled, the daggers hovering around him like swaying leaves.

She flinched at his words but Mundus’ continued silence confirmed it. Reyna’s thoughts raced as did her heart. She couldn’t sense him. Alarmed, she lifted from her crouching position, and, again her body reacting on its own, she took what appeared to be a type of defensive stance.

“You are a big believer, aren’t you, Sister? You’re so cute!” Ram’s smile was authentic in its display of happiness, yet it sat like a twisted wire on his face.

“Why isn’t Mundus here? What did you do?” Reyna demanded. Other loved ones raced through her mind. “And where is Uncle Amon? My parents?”

Ram, grin still in place, all of a sudden began to fade in front of her as if the wind was blowing his body away. Only the floating daggers remained.

“You mean our parents!” Ram’s voice exploded in Reyna’s right ear. She gasped, turning toward him. Synchronized with her body’s twist, her arm raised and her hand tensed out. The blue mist extended out her fingertips, spooling as four, long, thick ribbons. They braided together and hardened into a lengthy, compact needle. Reyna trust her newly made weapon at him, but it only ended up passing through an afterimage. Ram was back in his original spot; the daggers, however, were not. They were flying towards Reyna.

Her body tensed as both her entire arms once more began to outline with that strange azure power. It seeped out of her fingertips again, from both hands this time, and took the shape of small, rectangular shields. Once more, her vision blurred, her eyes unable to keep up with her own body’s speed. Only semi second glimpses of her blue shields swatting away the racing daggers were seen.

As soon as Reyna knocked the last dagger away, Ram appeared before her and embraced her tightly, locking her arms against her sides. The blue around her body retaliated, pushing him away with waves of sapphire light. They bent and broke under Ram’s steel grip that was firmly latched onto her.

“I love you, Sister,” he said and then disappeared. Everything disappeared.

Reyna was in what seemed to be a dark room. She took a step forward to verify she was still on solid ground. Her arms outlined themselves in the blue light once again, this time upon her own command. Reyna briefly looked down at them, surprised at her feat. She returned her sights to the black and figureless environment. Despite the soft azure glow around her, there was nothing that could be seen.  

The room then sprouted out multiples hands and the blue light became obstructed by the black blobs that grasped Reyna’s arms. They held her down like anchored ropes. Then, two small, green lights emerged. They were round and glowing. It took a second to realize they were eyes. Their appearance caused the restraints to retreat and the darkness to lift.

An endless plain of grass dotted with trees birthing red leaves was revealed. Reyna stood on the grassy ground, a figure before her. It resembled a grown man’s shadow. A standing silhouette with no owner. Entirely draped in black, his eyes –the green lights that had seen– were the only entities on it that held color.

 “Faith, this darkness is mine,”it spoke, its voice a million whispers, yet no mouth hole opened.

Reyna took a step back. It reacted to her movement and shot towards her. Its maneuvers were like water and its body morphed into a mass that resembled the swerving liquid itself. It arched and swirled up her body –too swift and too fast to follow– like a tight cocoon, leaving only her face bare. Its ink-like frame continued to weave and tauten around her, providing a straitjacket-tight fit.

“Mundus!” Reyna wanted to cry out, panic pushing her to call for the one that keeps her safe, but the blackness around her painfully bent her ribs into her lungs, cutting off all possibilities of breathing, much less talking.

 “Do not call for Power,”it spoke with invisible lips. “He resides in darkness too.” Neck stretching out like wet clay, its head loomed over Reyna on a grotesquely long and bent nape. Its black mass of a head rounded past her right ear and stopped in front of her face, eyes dancing with sapphire flames. It then stretched open his mouth –or at least the area where his mouth should be– abnormally wide. The inside was plain white. A blade started emerging from the whiteness, like a knife stabbing through the middle of a white piece of paper.

The crushing force on Reyna’s body had already fractured and cracked her arms, ribs, and pelvis. The blood that bubbled in the corners of her mouth was what had been squeezed out of her. Sight already darkening, Reyna closed her eyes to the inevitable. A slightly heated tingle in her chest was felt before she heard the words.

“Sister, I love you so much.”

~*~*~

Amon chuckled quietly. “Don’t look so scared, Mundus. It’s just a car.”

The demon answered with a throaty growl. He was rigidly sitting in the passenger seat with his hands gripping the armrests unusually tight. Anxious claws were digging into the grey leather.

“I don’t think Kathy is going to be happy when she sees those holes in her seat.”

Mundus turned and scowled at him.

They were in Mrs. Felix’s Honda with two other slumped figures heaped in the backseat. It was almost three in the morning yet floating pairs of red break lights could be seen on the multiple lane highway. The green sign that flashed overhead told their destination was going to be found in the next three exits.

“Are you sure he will not follow?” Amon’s voice rose again after a few minutes.

“He will reside in unconsciousness for a day at most. However, our encounter was…perplexing.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Spirit accompanying him is unlike any I have encountered; however, Spirits are strange entities and details of their existence are unknown. This shadow in particular appeared quite oddly. I believe it to have–”

Mundus stopped talking, sensing a gradual awakening in him. It was Reyna. Relief immediately flowed into him.

Reyna! Mundus’ thoughts spoke to her.

Amon glanced at Mundus and saw how his ponderous face and tense body eased. He knew Reyna had woken up, and was also comforted by it. Amon gripped the steering wheel, deep in his thoughts while Mundus and Reyna shared their own.    

“Are we in my mom’s car?” Reyna’s shaky voice vibrated in Mundus’ head. “What’s going on?”

We are in route to the…are-port, Mundus said the word slowly as he struggled to recall Amon’s pronunciation from an earlier conversation. We are to travel to Amon’s dwelling.

“Dwelling? You mean house, right? Like his house?” Reyna said and then paused. “Wait! We’re going to TEXAS?”

Mundus cringed at the boom in his head.

Amon turned to momentarily face the demon. “She knows where we’re going?” he asked with a small smile.

Mundus glared at him before answering Reyna. Yes. We are to reach this…Tex-ees land, he spoke, his head still slightly humming from her yell.

“But why? Are we going alone? Where are my parents?”

They sleep in the seats behind this vehicle.”

Reyna quieted. “So that means we were all able to escape. Mundus, what happened?”

The car stopped then stopped and turned off. They were in the dim, concrete parking lot of the Belling County Airport. Amon took the keys out of the ignition and turned towards Mundus.

“You have to board the plane with us,” he told him.

“Plane?” Mundus inquired.

“The machine that flies that I explained to you earlier. You are to board it with us.”

 “I shall not!” he growled. Reyna began giggling at the apprehensive thoughts coursing through Mundus’ head.

“Are you afraid, Mundus?” she laughed. “Wow. I never thought you’d be afraid of something. Much less flying!”

Mundus snarled. Silence!

“She’s giving you a hard time?” Amon’s voice came out amused. He took Mundus’ irritated expression as verification. “But yes,” he continued. “You have to board the plane with us. It is still easier to keep up with an illusion for only two people, Kathy and Walter, than the entire plane.”

“What tale shall you weave to fool them?” Mundus questioned in hopes of pinpointing a loophole.

“I’m going to wake them with the implanted memory that they’re going back to Texas to drop me off. We have no luggage because we mailed it to our destination. You’re a friend of mine that is going to accompany me. I will have to change your physical appearance a bit though or you’ll draw attention. It is easier to fool people about your appearance than making them believe you are not there at all,” Amon quickly added, keen on Mundus’ attempt to escape.

“I can simply and truly not be present at all,” the demon still insisted.

“Flying with us will get you there faster than if you traveled alone. Besides, if daybreak were to arrive while you were traveling, Reyna will take over your body and what then?”

Mundus grunted. Reyna burst out laughing again.

“I think he’s pretty much got you,” she said.

“I demand silence!”Mundus clamored out loud instead of in his thoughts. Reyna laughed harder. Even Amon chuckled softly.

The large airport was under construction. Half of the building was closed off, cramping the already dense waiting areas with more people. Amon quickly found a soon to be boarding flight to San Antonio, Texas. Using his Sight, security clearance breezed by and he, Reyna, Mundus, Kathy, and Walter boarded the plan with Amon’s conjured tickets. The coach flight sat them all together in one row, Mundus on the window seat, followed by Amon, Kathy, and Walter by the isle.

“ I’m glad you’re going back home with a friend, Amon,” Kathy smiled at her brother. She switched her gaze to Mundus and told him, “Thank you so much for staying with my brother, Adam.”

“Oh, let him be, Kathy,” Walter said. “You’ve thanked him enough already.”

“You shush!” She glared at him.

“Can’t you see he’s terrified of flying? He doesn’t need you hovering over him!” Walter whispered to Kathy.

“You’re scared too!” she harshly whispered back. “And traveling is in your job!”

Mundus grinded his teeth together, having heard their whispered conversation with his demon ears. Reyna heard it too and would’ve been laughing to tears if she was in her own body. For once, she was the one reading his nervous thoughts and emotions with great pleasure.

“Scared of being close to my parents too?” she chuckled. Mundus’ rigid posture in his seat was the mirror image of Walter’s own petrified state.

“Mundus?” she spoke slowly. Her demeanor completely changed and he sensed it. “What happened? How did we escape?”

He slightly relaxed his grip on the airplane seat, ready to recount the tale. I am sorry I was unable to aid you during your battle. Though your Initiation had concluded, the site continued to pulsate with purification. Such held me at bay. Upon finally awakening, it was to darkness. A combination of Ram’s Illusion and the power of his weapon. The environment around you warped as his weapon assaulted you.

“His weapon attacked me? On its own?”

Yes. Such is the power of a demon’s weapon. However, never have I witnessed a Spirit partner to a mortal.

“A Spirit? Demon weapons are alive or something?”

Such can be concluded.

“Well I’ve never seen yours do anything.”

Perhaps you shall witness its powers soon. However, Spirits at times tend to…annoy.

“Annoy?” Reyna asked, puzzled. She then waved it away. “I don’t want to know about Spirits. I want to know what happened!”

Indeed. Such discourteous haste shall earn you no credit.

“Mundus!”

He smiled, but continued, I had sensed the moon’s rays through the Illusion. The transformation aided in disrupting the darkness. I overtook your mortal brother. However, I had to obtain my sword in order to do so. He paused. Your room was demolished during the retrieval of it.

“What?” Reyna yelled. Mundus jumped in his seat.

Walter turned towards the demon, noticing his uneasiness. “Yeah. I hate turbulence too.”

Mundus responded with a low growl and a glare, causing Walter to look at him funny.

“Hey! Stop scaring my dad!” Reyna scolded. “And focus! My room! What happened?”

Your room, in addition to quite the majority of your dwelling, was destroyed.

“My home?” she whispered sadly.

 Yes. However, such during my battle, the mortal fell to distraction aiding Amon to recover from an Illusion burdened upon him. He transported your parents to the vehicle. I had been able to impale Ram. I was unable to kill him, though. His Spirit intervened.

I am profoundly weak, Reyna. Such a battle proved as much. The Initiation’s purification did aid me though, for it was that which prevented Ram from Summoning demons against me.

“But I thought the purification was keeping you away too.”

The purification is strongest during the Initiation. I felt the moon’s rays and it energized me. Thus I was able to emerge despite the lingering purification. I am not a lesser demon. You surprise me in you lack of understanding towards that fact. In which case, did you not notice your Initiation lasted the entire day?

“Hey!” Reyna exclaimed, her Initiation’s events suddenly flooding her mind. “You tried to kill me in my Initiation!”

Indeed? The surprise was evident in his voice. As I comprehend it, the Initiation varies among those who undergo it.

“You stabbed me,” Reyna said. “I didn’t know what was going on. Then I heard you say, ‘Heal. Heal yourself.’ and I come to. In front of Ram.”

Mundus remained silent, listening.

“I was in your realm,” she continued. “During the Illusion I mean. Trees with red leaves on a big plain and the sky was black.”

“My realm, yes?” Mundus’ voice was soft. “I believe we shall visit it before long.”

*************************************

Author's Note: EEEP! Okay...so it wasn't THAT big of a fight, but it was the first time I wrote a fight/action scene, so I am totally open for feedback/suggestions. Did it flow right? I feel like I overtold a buncha things. I don't know! >.<

Either way...thanks for reading and for your support! XD

^_^