CHAPTER EIGHT

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Eight



         Pushing down on the soft skin at his neck I could hear him whisper words that sounded like ‘I’m sorry’. He raised his hand, and I could see a white glow around me, the fog was pressing down on my mind, but a part of me knew that pain was going to come. Reaching out Soji touched the collar I wore around my neck, and it felt as if a thousand volts of lightning were passing through me.

         Pulling away from Soji I dropped to the ground twitching from the current that was running through my body, the pain that I felt was enough to lift the fog that had surrounded my mind. I laid on the ground tired, and breathless when I saw a demon rushing up behind Soji. I tired to sit up, to speak, to warn Soji to stop the demon or something.

         Turning around he must have sensed the demon coming. Soji reached for his pocket, but as he was pulling his cross out the demon slammed into him. I watched as Soji’s cross fell away from him, and the demon was on top of him pinning him to the ground. The pain that the collar had caused was subsiding at last, and I started to make it to my feet. I could see the others start to surround the demon of course they were ready, and willing to help Soji.

         “Run Zero,” the demon yelled to me. I frowned my mind still mush from the fog, and the shock. “I got him get out of here,” the voice was of someone I knew. I stumbled to my feet as I saw the harsh white light of Soji glowing protecting himself from the unknown demon that had just attacked him. “Hurry up Zero,” the demon yelled, and I shook my head clear.

         “Let him up Blake,” I said, and the demon looked at me, going back into his human form Blake backed away, getting off of Soji, and coming to stand by my side. Soji jumped up as well grabbing his cross, and looking at Blake then at me.

         “You know this demon Zero?” Soji asked as the others went to stand at his side. Fang was looking at Blake. I could see that calculating look in his eyes again. It was times like these I remember that I didn’t know all there was to know about Fang. Times like these that I wondered why he really decided to join me.

        “This is my friend Blake, I knew him when I was human.” I paused looking at Blake while he smiled, and waved at the others. “Blake thats Soji, Rai, Ayase, Fang, and the others.” I said, and Able frowned when he was grouped as just an other. Soji stuck out his hand first always ready to greet a new person with open arms.

       “Nice to meet you.” Soji said, and Blake took his hand; I could see Blake eyes running over Soji, and I frowned for a moment. Friend or not Blake wasn’t allowed to touch what was mine either. Soji was only for me, leaning down Blake pressed his nose to Soji’s wrist breathing in his scent.

         “Sorry for attacking you,” Blake said, and before he could kiss Soji’s wrist I pulled him away giving Blake a low growl. I knew that he didn’t know yet that Soji wasn’t to be touched, but Blake was always more bold then he should have been.

        “Enough of that,” the woman whose name I didn’t care to remember said. Her eyes were on me as her brows knitted together in a frown. I couldn’t tell if she was frowning because she thought we were wasting time or if she just didn’t like me. Maybe she didn’t like Blake, I didn’t care either way. My stomach was still empty, and though the pain lifted the fog for now I could still feel it at the edge of my mind. It would be wise for me to eat soon or else I would be snacking on my friends. “Did you get the sword of souls?” She asked me, and I just looked at her as if she was an idiot. After all she had to have been one if she didn’t see that I had the sword. What did she think I had on my back, a toothpick maybe.

        “I went to the souvenir shop, and they told me that they were fresh out of sword of souls sorry.” The look in her eyes was full of malice, and if I was human I might have actually been scared of it. I could sense her ‘don’t play with me’ so I rolled my eyes taking the sword off my back. As hard as I worked for it she better hold up her end of the deal. “Soon as you get this collar off you can have it.” I told her, and she looked at Soji.

         He took a step towards me, but I backed up a bit; hey, shock me once shame on you, shock me twice, and I’m going to bite you. Soji held up his hand in the ‘I come in peace’ fashion so I allowed him to get closer to me. He stood on tiptoes as he reached around my neck to release the collar. I flinched thinking that there was pain to come, but as soon he started backing away the blasted collar fell off me.

         Still standing simi-close to me Soji reached out running his finger down the cord that I wore around my neck, his hand touched the ring, and everything went dark. No everything went white; there was pain mine, and Soji’s. I could feel what he was feeling. His pain, his fear, his hopes, and dreams were all flooding me. I could hear him screaming, but it felt so far away, maybe I was screaming too. My soul, if demons had one, felt as if it was on fire. My very core was in meltdown. Then there was nothing.


         I was outside of the church that Soji, and his people call home; it wasn’t standing in glory like how I know it to look. Instead it was worn, and broken down; the roof was cave in, the door falling off. It was clear that no one lived in this place. I looked around, and could see Soji’s father walking towards the building. There was no more than twenty people following behind him. They all looked beaten; they all look half dead. Holding on to his father hand was Soji.

         He wasn’t the Soji that I know; he was younger, he was dirty, and scared as he walked towards the church with the others. He couldn’t have been older than seven or eight. His little hand clinging to his father’s for dear life. They all moved slowly going into the church, and looking around. I followed behind them inside of the broken church as they kicked away this or that to make room for them all to lay down.

         My eyes went to Soji; his father had parted from him, and he was now wondering deeper inside of the church’s walls. Youth always had its fault. When you become too curious you normally find yourself in a world of trouble. Walking to a door I knew  it would lead him down into the basement. I remembered it for the door that I came from when I first escaped this place.

         The young Soji looked around seeing if he was going to get caught before opening the door, and venturing inside. I looked around as well, but all the other adults, and children were too busy building a fire, warming themselves to worry about Soji. Going deeper down into the lower levels I could feel a great demonic presence. It had to be an S class demon down here. I looked at Soji; if I could feel it he should have been able to feel the demon as well. Soji was one of the best white mages I knew, but then again he was just a child right now. Most likely he was untrained or at the very least only half trained.

        I could feel him quake as we made it closer to where the presence was coming from until at last I saw. In a cell like the one I had been in there was a demon. Only this cell had bars, and not the steel door that held me. Nice to know that they upgraded. The young Soji slowly walked towards the bars, and I saw the demon move closer to him.

         “What have we here?” His voice was smooth, soft, even luring as he reached through his bars, and stroked Soji’s face. Soji stood looking at this demon, his red eyes seem to bore a hole in him, his hair was white as snow. I stepped closer to the bars looking in on this demon, getting a better look at him until I saw. I backed away looking down on the young Soji, and then back at the demon in the cage. It didn’t make sense, it couldn’t make sense. I don’t remember this, I have been with Shu for the last forty years of my life. How could it be, how could I be the demon inside of that cell?

          
         My eyes opened, and I was looking up at the night sky. My body was in agony, my mind was racing, sweat soaked through my clothes. I was burning, and yet I was cold; I couldn’t move, and yet my body shook. My eyes slide to the side, and I could see him beside me. Soji laid on the ground twitching next to me.

         People had touched the ring before, but no one made me feel like this, I felt as if I was dying. It might have been an even worse pain than what was caused when Ban killed me. I was losing myself in this pain, as if I couldn’t remember a time that I existed outside of it. I didn’t think  there would be an end. My hand moved with an effort. I grabbed Soji’s hand, I wanted to be there for him. If we were going to die I wanted to do it with him.

         When my skin touched his a shock ran through me. I knew my mouth was open, I was pretty sure sound was coming out of it. I couldn’t hear my screams, I couldn’t even hear Soji’s. I knew though, I knew that when you felt a pain like this one you cry out to the Gods. You curse the demons, you die. That was all that we had to look forward to after all. With this amount of pain death would be welcome right now.

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