Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ The Coven ❯ The fledging ( Chapter 6 )

The Coven - Chapter 6 - The fledgling

 

 

 

After securing Sara's wound, Omi made to his way to the front door. He heard them, Gau and Michalik, laughing at the background. He felt immense dark powers merging out the wall cracks, covering the floors and ceilings. There were hissings. Something scaly cold was wining around his feet. He looked down and discovered that it was a snake. What was worse that was they were dominating the floor. One of them drew itself backwards, baring its venomous fangs. The laughter echoed maliciously. It seemed to be from outside and the only thing that stood between Omi and the front doors were those snakes. Recalling the spell he accidentally conjured at the bookstore, Omi quickly uttered the words. To his amazement and relief, streaks of wind surfaced from the ground and blew the snakes aside, tearing them apart. Releasing tension, Omi went to the door, pushed it opened and stepped outside. His eyes widened at the sight of the surroundings, a field that stretched endlessly across the dark skies. Gau and Michalik were in the middle of it, sitting leisurely on a wooden swing hung magically on its own.

 

“Omi Tsukiyono,” Gau greeted. “So, you have powers on your own, heh? The witchdoctor said you would.”

 

“The witchdoctor?” Omi questioned.

 

“None of your business,” said Michalik. “Gau, let's finish him while he is still vulnerable.”

 

“Wait!” Omi mentally prepared himself. “Your coven is broken. Why aren't you taken over by the Madness?”

 

“None of your concern!” Michalik unleashed an energy ball at him. Omi dodged, barely escaping with his skin. Dirt was unavoidably in his mouth.

 

“Wonderful!” Gau applauded. “Don't be too hasty, Michalik.”

 

“Stop playing and get serious! We are supposed to kill him.”

 

“Not unless he joins us. Come on sugar, I'm sure we can afford the traditional bad-guy-reveals-all talk.” Gau swung his arm as if he was swatting a fly.

 

In a moment of incalculable power, Omi saw himself lifted, then, thrown to the ground like a twig. Rolling limply, he lay almost lifelessly. Thankfully, none of his bones were broken.

 

“While you recuperate.” He proudly towered over Omi. “Allow me to explain. There is a little.” Pausing for a second before he continued. “Detail that I failed to mention to Raphael. It's true that once the circle is broken, the coven is at the mercy of the Madness. Nonetheless, there is one way to redeem oneself. It's really simple.” The jester's smile filled up his face. “Since I've done it…” Two fingers shot up from his fist like daggers. “Twice.”

 

“You need to kill,” Omi coughed, using his elbows to heave himself up.

 

“Bingo!” Gau kicked him in the stomach. “I'm not finished yet.” The groaning sound of Omi's pain was music to his ears. “The witchdoctor told me just after he handed me the talismans. Oh! What was that?” He leaned closer. “You said something? The witchdoctor? I believed you did ask about it minutes ago.”

 

“Enough babbling!” Michalik interrupted, taking out his dagger. “Let me slit his throat.”

 

“Not yet, sugar.” Gau gripped his wrist tightly. “Not yet. Now, be good and check on Sara. Let's hope she's still alive for you to kill.” Michalik glared at him. Backing away, he turned. Then, he stopped, turned back and waved his hand over Omi's leg. A deep red line materialized sharply over Omi's right calf. Omi gnashed his teeth.

 

“Sorry about that,” Gau pretended to apologize. “Now, where were we? Oh yes, the witchdoctor? Are you looking for a particular one?” He tapped his head. “You mind is an opened book to me. That's how I found out your real name from Sara. She's a darling, isn't she? Ahhh! Let me think. He wouldn't happen to have a Vyborg eye? Judging from the look on your face, I can safely conclude that we are talking about the same person!”

 

He laughed riotously. “A small world, isn't it? What has he done to you that makes you so upset?” He pouted mockingly. “Were you dumped? Frankly, I don't give a damn to your history. This entire affair is nothing personal. Just keeping our end of the bargain. You die. Michalik and I get more powers, and together we will dispose those who stand in our way. Too bad you weren't there to see Kelly's gay dad rammed to death by the evening train? I pity her mother, having to lose her adulterous husband and bratty daughter in less than six months.”

 

 

“You sick bastards!” Omi cursed, getting onto his feet as he spitted out some salvia. “Murderers!”

 

 

“Speak for yourself, hypocrite.” Gau's tongue shot out like a snake. “Don't tell me that you do not enjoy killing those junkies since who knows when.” Tapping his head, he leaned forward. “You mind is a brilliant treasure chest. Do you keep a scoreboard? You know, as a way of keeping track of how many people you killed? Do you recall the hunt? Everybody loves to hunt. The thrill before the kill. It's ecstasy to me, vigilante. Why? The wholesome goodness of revenge! All those who have rejected me for no reason, broke my trust, betrayed and abandoned me. Many times I tried to forgive. I prayed and prayed and prayed for the cup of bitterness to be taken away from me, but the more I tried, the bitterer the bitterness becomes.”

 

He shook his head madly. “I can't! The wounds these people have inflicted on me are too deep for healing! I have passed the point of forgiveness!” He breathed excitedly. “Now, that's off my chest.” He looked at Omi as if he was a toy. “Let's have fun now!”

 

 

 

 

With a click of his fingers, the ground trembled under Omi's feet. Responding quickly, Omi jumped to a safer area. Bearing with the pain in his leg as he landed, he nimbly evaded Gau's aggressive attacks. Shreds of grass rained on him. As the energy balls exploded few inches away from him, he searched for a way to escape. There was none. Forcing himself to run, Omi couldn't help thinking that he wasn't getting any further. The ground appeared to be moving under his feet, like a treadmill in the gym. He turned back and saw Gau quite a distance behind him. He wasn't chasing or shooting energy balls. He was just standing there, arms folded, as if he waiting for Omi to finish running. Omi stopped. Just as he predicted and feared, the ground continued to move. It moved backwards till it halted to a stop.

 

 

“I was wondering how long you intend to run, my little hamster?” Gau mocked.

 

“Tell me, Gau,” Omi responded curtly. “Since you are almighty, why did you set up a coven?”

 

“Good question.” He pretended to ponder. “Why bother now? It doesn't matter now, doesn't it?”

 

“It does.” Omi tried to sound confident. “That witchdoctor you and I met, in case you didn't know, that man is a two headed snake. Did you know that he actually wanted me to be his apprentice?”

 

“Oh really,” Gau replied skeptically. “That's impossible. I was born with it.”

 

“Me too!” Omi strained to smile. “You said that I was a natural. Guess that coven thing was merely a cover up for your shortfalls.”

 

“Shortfalls?” Gau pronounced the word like it was a taboo. “I don't have any.”

 

“Suit yourself. Like Raphael said,” Omi quoted. “Once you are at the top of the ladder, you have to do things to stay there. You never intend to have a coven anyway. You were just gathering the potentials, earn their trust and then, stab them once their backs are turned. Hiroto gave you the best opportunity. Manipulating Raphael was a piece of cake. As for Michalik,” He shrugged his shoulders. “I don't know what's going on between the two of you but you will done him in eventually.”

 

Gau was about to reply when he stopped. Then, he began to laugh, his pitch went higher and higher.

 

“I see what you are trying to do,” He remarked. “You are trying to stall time by playing games with my mind. Are you waiting for backup? Don't expect any. As long as I'm alive, you're trapped in this dimension. There's only one way out.” Spreading his arms wide, he went on. “You're right about Hiroto and Raphael but it wasn't me alone. Michalik was too in this gig. You will never understand the bond between us. But hey! Everybody needs a bit of love. I sincerely hope you will die a satisfying death.”

 

Clapping his hands together, he rubbed them together, forming bright flames of blue and purple that exploded sparks one after another. He hurled them towards Omi. Desperate, Omi lifted his right hand and uttered the gale chant. Waves of air merged from the ground and set a rampart between Omi and the flames. With his other hand, he used to grip his right wrist tightly. At the way his right arm was shaking, Omi was afraid that it might rip apart in the process. Omi regretted not asking the priestess about the gale chant. It was like using a computer software program without knowing the proper functions.

 

Through the rampart, he saw Gau looking less cocky. Perhaps, he did succeed in affecting his pride.

 

“Don't think you have won, Omi!” Gau roared. “It's just an appetizer.”

 

Concentrating harder, Gau increased the magnitude of his flames, pushing Omi backwards. Gritting his teeth, Omi forcefully heaved forward, channeling every bit of strength he had. Pain was no consideration. He only prayed that by the time either of them gave way, his right arm would still be intact. As seconds rolled by, Omi sensed Gau advancing closer. The heat of his flames was upon his face, mounting his anxiety. Then, a chilling thought came to Omi's mind. It occurred to him that Gau's flames were feeding on his wind barrier. After all, any chemistry textbook would tell anyone that fire need oxygen for combustion. Omi cursed aloud in his mind.

 

 

“Ha! I've got you now!” cried Gau victoriously.

 

In a dark flash, Omi saw his wind barrier shattering like glass. He saw spurts of red dancing in the air. The spurts were coming from his right. His eyes rolled to that direction and saw a hump of flesh and veins dangling from his shoulder that appeared to be the remains of his right arm. Funny, he didn't feel any pain. In another blinding flash, he saw Gau's fist. Omi's head was drawn back. He saw everything upside down, roller coasting in wild circles. He fell through the air. Everything zoomed past him. He saw the field changing a barren rocky ground, rising up to catch him. Momentarily, he faintly thought he felt every bone in his body breaking to pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wiping the blood from his dagger, Michalik found Gau standing rigidly at the edge of a cliff, frowning. Michalik found that expression very odd. In fact, it was the first time he had ever seen Gau's brows knitting together. His lips were slanting sulkily. Michalik also never saw that before.

 

“Gau?” He asked cautiously, approaching closer. Peering over his shoulders, he saw Omi lying motionlessly in a pool of blood at the bottom of the cliff, like discard garbage. “Is he dead?”

 

“He better be!” Gau retorted like a brat. “News flash, Michalik. He met our witch doctor, Muraki Kazutaka, before us. Do you know what the good doctor said about him? He would make a fine apprentice! My foot, he is! Why didn't he tell us he met that loser before?”

 

 

 

“Maybe, he thought he didn't need to at that time,” Michalik remarked, pulling a small photograph of Omi from his inner breast pocket. “After all, we didn't ask him any questions when he instructed us to assassinate him. How peculiar. I thought assassins had the perception in detecting danger. Guess I was wrong.”

 

“An assassin assassinated,” Gau scorned. “I wonder how many surprises does the world hold for us?” Putting on an appealing smile, he held Michalik's chin. “You are still on my side, aren't you?”

 

“Don't be silly,” he saucily replied. “A human can't function without both sides of his brain.”

 

“You don't say,” Gau amusingly advanced nearer to Michalik. After locking lips, he withdrew. “You go ahead and book air flight tickets to Thailand. We have an appointment with the doctor.” An axe materialized in his right hand. “But before that, I have to get him a token of our appreciation.”

 

 

 

Buoying between life and death, Omi imagined himself dreaming of a beautiful woman approaching towards him. From the way she glided over the ground, he couldn't tell if she was walking or floating in her silk garments. An elegant headdress of gold and peacock feathers crowned her head of ebony black hair that had gold circlets adoring the plaits in a vertical fashion. On her naked arms and fingers, gold bracelets and rings of the finest kind. A purplish blue veil half covered her face, exposing her almond shaped eyes. For a second, Omi saw a hue of amethyst in her dark blue pupils. He almost cried at the exquisiteness.

 

 

Rising her hand, she gently caressed one side of Omi's cheeks. The touch was cooling and it nearly made Omi feel light-headed. Then, he heard her spoke.

 

 

 

Do you know who I am, dying child?

 

“Yes,” Omi murmured lifelessly. “You are the Mother.”

 

Then, come into my grace, Omi Tsukiyono, my young handsome fledgling. For you will do wonders.”

 

“Is there a price tag to it?”

 

 

Come to the catacombs of Rome and there you will find a monastery, hidden secretly for thousands of years. In there, there will be a mentor destined to teach you.”

 

“When the pupil is ready, the master will appear?” Omi sarcastically commented. “No need for more teaching. I have a plane for Thailand to catch.”

 

The witchdoctor, Muraki Kazutaka? My little assassin. Have patience. Vengeance will be yours when you go to Rome.

 

 

“What if I don't go to Rome?”

 

Your body returns to the earth where it came.

 

 

“Not much options, is there?” Omi felt his body leaving him. “Then, go away! I want nothing to do with that occult mumbo-jumbo. I won't fall into the disease of Madness like you did to Raphael.”

 

 

 

 

They did it to themselves. They blindly invoke the spirits on their own. The one they should blame should be the witchdoctor. Time is running out, my dying fledgling. What will it be?

 

 

 

Dying. Omi thought. What a simple word with such an ominous ring to it. What a sensation he's feeling now. He long yearned for Death but now he got it, he wasn't sure whether he wants it. Oh boy, he's falling into the part where the long-suffering hero suddenly realized he didn't want to die yet. Omi managed to crack a chuckle. Too bad the others won't be here to witness the irony. Yoji, Ken, Aya… Will the others be able to handle his death? They should. As seniors in this bloody profession, Death was no surprise. Everybody had to go. It's the matter of how and when. Omi coughed out blood. Oh dear, guess he's the first. He wondered whether he would be able to see Manx. How badly he missed her red hair.

 

 

On the other hand, if the pattern of logic was equivalent to the pattern of insanity, he might take a leap of faith on this occult power stuff. Then, he remembered Muraki Kazutaka, the bastard who started the entire mess. Well, looked like he wasn't going to let him off the hook. Sending a bunch of mentally sick hot-blooded boys to finish him. Hell, there were things a lot worse than that. Omi was growing sleepy. Yup, he was dying all right. Omi visualized him rejoicing over his death. One more score for the bad guys, huh? Now the idea of being brought back to life sounded pretty tempting. Rome was a perfect vacation spot. His `mentor' was waiting for him. Oh goody. After training, Omi's back to kick that witchdoctor's butt. Awww… How enticing!

 

 

Then, he remembered Aya's words regarding his soul. Since when did he become a soul-searching peacemaker? He was a heartless cold-blooded son of a gun! Did it happen after he had his revenge? Did the doctors give him too much drugs that it messed up his brain cells? Why trouble oneself with such nuisance? His soul's already dammed for eternity. It wasn't if an angel were to come down, collect his broken body and take it to Heaven? He was beyond that point. In fact, he was beyond the point of any redemption!

 

 

So, what the Hell?

 

 

 

This is your last chance, fledgling. What will it be?

 

 

“I will do it,” Omi answered faintly. Darkness was conquering him. He couldn't hear himself at all. “I'll go to Rome, find my mentor and become your servant. Nevertheless, you must give me the vengeance I justly deserves!”

 

 

Agreed. When you're ready, you'll return to Japan to quench your thirst of revenge.

 

 

At that point, Omi succumbed to the darkness. He didn't feel cold, much less feeling dead. Instead, it felt like he was sleeping in a comatose state, like an infant in his cot. Then, something flowed into his mouth. Something delightfully cold, sweet and thick. His tongue began to quiver a little. As more of that marvelous nectar traveled down his throat, his tongue became more active and eagerly lapped it up. He had no idea where it was coming from but he knew he wanted more. Whatever it was, it was strengthening him, gradually bringing him out of the darkness.

 

Suddenly, his eyes snapped opened.

 

 

 

 

 

Hoisting the axe upon his shoulder, Gau clicked his fingers. The ground beneath him shook and moved downwards with a heavy moan. Omi's body was still lying there at the bottom, like a fallen tree waiting for the chopping. Gau grinned. The witchdoctor specifically said he wanted the heart. That was easy. The moving came to a stop. With slow deliberate steps, he approached the body, whistling a tune.

 

“If he wants the heart, then what shall I do with the rest of your miserable body?” Gau towered over the body menacingly. “I know, how about I display your head on the spike of the university gates first thing in the morning? Or should I impale your body through your ass and out of your mouth and fix your rotting corpse on the highest top of the highest building?” He placed the axe an inch over Omi's neck. “I think I'll do the chopping head thing.”

 

Swinging his axe high, Gau was about to strike when he noticed something disturbingly wrong. The flesh from Omi's right shoulder was regenerating themselves in colours of red, blue and purple. Even the bone itself was materializing, extending to the fingertips. There was a crackling sound of bones reassembling themselves inside the body. The bruises and cuts on his skin were healing on their own, leaving no trace of the injuries.

 

“Impossible!” He responded. His mind tried to think of more vocabularies but his lips could only repeat the last word. “Impossible!” Swinging the axe high up again, he strike down with a killer blow.

 

 

At that very moment, Omi's eyes snapped opened. Seeing the axe, he rolled away. The axe cut the ground where he had been, shattering to pieces. Its impact knocked Gau down. On the palms of his hand, he crawled backwards as Omi stood up. The dimension around him started to disappear, washing away like a coat of paint. Speechlessly, Gau stared at Omi. There was an eerie halo radiating all over his body.

 

 

“It's over, Gau,” said Omi. “Surrender while you still can.”

 

“Impossible!” Gau cursed. “You're dead. I killed you!”

 

“Was,” Omi corrected. “The Mother came to me. She took me into her grace.”

 

“The Mother? What kind of witchcraft is that?”

 

“Does it matter?” An axe materialized in Omi's hand. “You are going to die anyway. Want to chop my body into many pieces, huh?”

 

“No! Wait!” Gau pleaded, crawling away. “I'll give myself up to the police. I'll confess everything!” His heart pounded immensely. His powers failed to comply with his commands.

 

“What a lying bastard, you are.” Omi towered over him with the axe held high. “In case you didn't know, creating a dimension requires a lot of power. As an amateur, you need time to recharge. Either you didn't know that or the witchdoctor didn't tell you. Now, how does it feel to switch roles?”

 

“You can't kill me!” Gau croaked. “Heroes can't kill villains. It's against their principles.”

 

“Gau,” Omi replied coolly. “I'm an assassin. This is what I do.”

 

 

With a powerful swing, he skillfully sliced off Gau's head. It happened so quickly that Gau didn't have time to scream. His head rolled flaccidly as his corpse slumped flat out on the ground. Blood flowed out like water from leaky pipes. The head rolled and rolled till it stopped, facing upwards. There was a bizarre peaceful expression on his face. Dropping the axe, Omi wearily gazed at the night skies, his heart beat in harmony to the chirping of the crickets. Naturally, Omi presumed he would feel some heavy emotions. There was none. Turning, he walked away into the darkness.

 

 

 

 

 

At a hospital…

 

 

Half-lying on his bed, Aya switched off the television with the remote control. It seemed that they were too late to save Sara Mikagami. There was also a headless body found not far from the crime scene, someone by the name of Gau Suzuran. The police found a sheet of paper in his pockets, confessing that he, Michalik Fernandes and Raphael Chaurasia were responsible for the deaths of Hiroto Kazeyousei and his girlfriend, Kelly Yuma as well as Roberto Churko and Eva Chaurasia. Earlier on, the newscaster also reported that the Raphael Chaurasia committed suicide a few hours after he was arrested. Apparently, he had bit his tongue off and bled to death. The last murderer, Michalik Fernandes, was yet to be found.

 

Aya leaned against the pillows, wondering how the police are going to explain Gau's mysterious beheading. It's their problem now. Well, at least Rex could finally take a few days' vacation. She needed that more than anyone.

 

Then, he sensed a presence lurking outside. Aya frowned. That presence was highly familiar to him but yet, it felt unnatural. It was difficult to tell whether it's welcoming or not. He heard the balcony door sliding. A straying breeze blew in. A footstep.

 

 

“Omi?” Aya guessed, stretching out his hand in attempt to touch something. “Is that you?”

 

“Yes, it's me,” Omi answered, taking Aya's hand into his. “I didn't mean to scare you.”

 

“Why didn't you contact Ken and Yoji?” Aya pressed on, trying to shake that discomforting tingling he was having. “Rex's mad at you.”

 

“Michalik got away,” replied Omi. “I traced him to his dormitory in the school's campus. Apparently, he used some spell to teleport him to somewhere safe. Guessed he took off the moment he sensed Gau's death. Lucky bastard.”

 

“Omi,” Aya interrupted strongly. “What happened to you?”

 

 

“I'm not going back to Weiss for a while,” relied Omi robotically after a long while, keeping his emotions in check. “Nothing personal, just keeping my end of the bargain. After all, coming back to life doesn't come cheaply.” He took a deep breath. “I know I shouldn't but I couldn't reject the offer. If I die, they'll carry on their killing spree. Ken and Yoji wouldn't be able to handle them since they aren't normal beings.” Tears were coming and he was fighting to prevent them. “I shouldn't say that since I'm not normal now. I guess that the real winner is Muraki.”

 

“Muraki?”

 

“He's the one responsible for giving Gau and his coven the occult powers in Thailand. In return, they had to kill me. He might be still here, maybe if you could inform Rex..”

 

“No. He'll return. I sense he will.”

 

“But Aya…” Omi objected.

 

“No!” He said firmly. “There will be a time when he and I will settle our score. When that happens, it'll be on my terms and conditions. You'll probably face him but yours is different from mine. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes,” replied Omi meekly. Now he done it, he made Aya angry.

 

“How long will you be away?” Aya returned to his gentle self.

 

“I don't know,” Omi whispered hoarsely. His cheeks were starting to get wet. “One or two tears, I hope. I'll try to write back as much as I can. Maybe, that place might have an Internet.”

 

“Omi…” Like an older brother, Aya led the crying boy into his arms and held him tightly.

 

“I'm sorry,” Omi wept. “Back there, I didn't want to die. I was afraid to die.”

 

“Nobody is ready to die,” Aya hushed, cradling Omi like a baby. “You did what your instincts told you to.” Sighing, he buried his face into Omi's dark blond locks. “Yoji and Ken are going to be furious. I don't know how Rex is going to accept your absence. Nonetheless, everyone had to leave the nest and find their destiny. Otherwise, they will never grow.” Withdrawing from Omi, he continued. “Do what you must but come back in one piece. Promise?”

 

“I promise!” Omi nodded, bursting fresh tears from his eyes. “I promise!”

 

The two embraced each other for a very long time. When all the tears dried up, Omi departed without looking back.

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile… somewhere else…

 

 

Michalik staggered into a room. Blood dripped from his mouth. The teleportation spell took a heavy toll on his body but it was regrettably inevitable. Half-blinded by tears, he made his way inside. At the far end of the room, there was a man standing in front of the window, arms folded behind his back.

 

“Oya oya,” The man remarked, turning around. “I didn't think you are capable of using such a spell. Would you like to have something to eat? I do believe I still have some dessert. Mango with sweet sticky rice? That dish is particular good.”

 

“Muraki Kazutaka!” Michalik coughed more blood. “Trickster! You used us all along” Mustering all of his strength, he tried to summon his occult powers. “I'll kill you from where you are standing!”

 

“Don't fatter yourself,” Muraki laughed. “You couldn't even hurt a fly at your condition. However, you should admit that you were careless in letting Gau to finish off Omi Tsukiyono all by himself. The little assassin has proven himself more worthy than I estimated. Can't blame him since that day. No doubt, he too will come for me. Blood will unavoidably be shed. It seems that I underestimate you as much I underestimated Omi Tsukiyono.” His Vyborg eye gleamed brightly. “Tell me, will you reconsider if I heal you wounds and personally train your powers? Will you still go after Omi Tsukiyono?”

 

“I will kill Tsukiyono for what he did to Gau!” He hissed. “Be warned, witchdoctor. Once I'm done with him, you're next.”

 

“Very well,” Muraki agreed. With the wave of his hand, the room immediately lit up with candles. “Shall we begin?”

 

 

 

THE END