Shattered Sins

Chapter 13: ARTEIMUS

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Chapter 13: ARTEIMUS

(After the events of chapter 11)

"So you still breathe old man." Rei's dark tone echoed throughout the empty hall.

"Yes, I see you're still your cheerful soldier self." Declan laughed. Kuromura stared at Rei, her palms sweaty. She dare not look him in the eye, how could she after this. The kid she needed to protect during the war, the one thing she held onto. She searched for years after the war to find this kid, she'd stop at nothing to find him. After all of that, karma had made her send him to the worst place he could be.

"How's the face?" Rei laughed, pointing to the mask. "Mask is kinda stupid tho."

"My face is great, how's yours?" Declan muttered in a disgusted tone. The three had walked to an elevator, it started to descend into the depths below the school.

"It was doing rather well until someone had me show it off." Rei looked over at Kuromura, she couldn't look back at him. She stared down at the ground.

"Yes well, life disappoints sometimes," Declan turned to look at Rei. "You've grown, got your powers back yet... Wrath?" Declan laughed.

Rei lunged at him pinning him up against the wall.

"Don't you dare call me that!" Rei held his arm across Declan's throat. Rei felt the cold steel of a pistol land on the side of his head.

"Let him go Rei." Kuromura couldn't do this, it was breaking her inside. She wanted so badly to point the gun at Declan and pull the trigger. But she had to listen, he'd hurt Misuchi if she didn't. Rei turned to look at her, a scowl grew on his face.

"Ok." Rei let go and turned to face the door of the elevator. Silence echoed for a few seconds before the elevator halted to a stop.

"We have arrived." Declan walked out, signalling for Rei and Kuromura to follow. Rei looked down the bright hall, it was a testing facility and he knew exactly what for.

"You're still testing sin type energy." Rei looked over at Kuromura, she looked towards the ground still.

"Ding, Ding, Ding, we have a winner. Yes, Rei I'm still testing it." Declan huffed.

"Thought you would've given up after me." Rei looked around, the hall had bright rooms all around it. Each of the locked, training facilities.

"No Rei, you're not that special." Declan turned to Kuromura, "She's taken your place now, she's better than what you could've ever been." Declan laughed, before turning into one of the training rooms.

"Old man, I could kill you without those powers any day." Rei clenched a fist.

"Oh really? Let's test that theory. You can verse Kuromura, beat her and you can fight me." Declan laughed throwing both Kuromura and Rei into the training room and locking the door behind them.

"No, my fight isn't with her," Rei yelled loudly.

"You fight when I tell you to fight boy!" Declan's voice echoed throughout the dark empty room. A landscape generated around them, one Kuromura and Rei knew all too well. It was the burnt down camp from the war, that remained after the attack.

"No... anywhere but here." Kuromura's now silent voice somewhat echoed through the wasteland. She stood opposite Rei about ten metres away.

"Look Kuromura, we have all the time in the world to play catchup. Right now, you need to beat the fuck out of me." Rei was serious.