Crimson Core - Chapter 2

Sound of the Shadows
Reina, still confused from her mental entrapment, stumbled before dashing straight from the alleyway. A Shadow immediately slithers after Reina before it's tail is stomped on by Kazuya's foot. The white-haired boy raised his hand, his hand contorting into that of a claw. Fierce orange flames ignited at his claw, sending it down as it cleaves the Shadow into burning ashes. Screeching pained shot into Reina's eardrums just as she veers around the corner. For a moment, she feels like the entire city block upholds an eerie silence and empty streets.

That lurid illusion is easily broken by warm hands clasping onto Reina's arms. Reina was just about to fight back when her grasp of reality suddenly returns, concerned eyes only she knows all to well peering into hers.

"Reina! Are you okay!?" Alice exclaimed as she began to assess the situation.

"Uh... yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Again, it was the only thing Reina could concentrate into real sentences. The shadowy creatures, the white-haired boy, the fire... just like from that dream of the distant dragon. What exactly does it all mean?

"You're not hurt, but you're very shaken and pale. What happened?" Alice questioned as Reina cut her eyes to Evan and Damon rushes over to the two.

"Dear God, we thought someone must've taken you or something!" Damon stated first, worry and slight anger expressed.

"Where'd ya go off to?" Evan followed up.

The bloodcurtling screech of the Shadow still haunted her; how could she come up with a logical excuse? Oh, I heard something creepy so I went to the alley to get jumped by a creepy reflection of a person. Golden. feeling it futile to proceess the event anyways, Reina comes out with her most resasonable answer.

"A cat stole my wallet!" she called

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Kazuya does a rolling flip across the air, his flaming foot landing down on the Shadow's neck as a crushing sound is heard. The Shadow spurts dark blood along with a screeching pain before disappearing. Two Shadows disappeared and began to slither swiftly against the walls. Kazuya's orange eyes darted to both sides as the shady forms produced an array of razor-sharp and prolonged teeth from gaping purple mouths.

Bringing up his now formed claws, Kazuya grabs the top portion of the Shadows' mouths, riping them from their jaw hinges effortlessly. He drops the corpses as he turns his attention onto the last limp Shadow that is holding onto his missing arm. Its penetrating slit green eyes narrows as it snarls, "Damn you, Demon... You shall know Hell for this!"

"Hmph, says the one who has one foot already in the grave." Kazuya retorted as his glare narrowed as he begins powering a flaming ball of fire within his hand. "So I don't think you're in the position to threaten me, you piece o-"

"My, such battle language." A sudden voice interrupted Kazuya, making the irritable boy look up immediately. A dark-haired male sits upon the roofedge of a building, a unreadable smile crossed upon his face.

"I knew I smelled something like death... or more like trash."

"Oh stop, you're hurting my feelings," the man replied as his glare met with Kazuya's.

"What the hell do you want? I was just finishing kicking your little foot soldiers' asses." Kazuya said as he kicked a disappearing body from his shoe. The man sighed to himself; he already knew this guy would not be easy. But it was all the more enjoyable.

"Well, if you stop killing my subordinates..." the man started before something like steel suddenly grows out from his fingers, protruding claws with menacing edges like a scythe. "You can hurry and die already..." Kazuya spat on the ground with a steely glare.

"That's my line."

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