Chapter 16. No Prey Leaves Alive

  Suddenly he raised his arm and pointed at the leader with both the sword attached to his wrist and his finger. He said to him in a low voice full of rage and disgust... It was clear he wouldn't let anyone survive...

  -"I will not spare every single one of you, you'll all fucking die for what have you done to my home and my father and god knows how many fucking people around here in the slums... I'll murder every single one of you cunts..."

  The gangsters hearing this were scared, some were trembling and pouring cold sweat. They were threatened before, but people usually never followed up with their threats, or were dispatched before they had the chance to... Suddenly one of the gangsters started laughing nervously, it was clear that he tried to hide his fear of Kael. He heard many threats before, but this was different... This one will be fulfilled...

  -"Boys... This is just one teenager... Hahah, this little SHIT CAN'T DO ANYTHING! HE'S JUST ALL BARK-"

  Before he could finish a loud bang echoed through the air, the gangster's head popped open like a balloon... Some screamed at the sight of this gruesome sight, when they turned their heads to Kael, he was holding one of the revolvers that Frost gave him as a token of appreciation... They fired based on their users magical power, when Kael tried to fire them for the first time, all that came out was some small sparks and a sound compared to a firecracker... But now, he blew this person's head up like a balloon... Kael thought to himself that his rage and "Darkness Release" form amplified his magical power thousandfold if not even more... The gangsters didn't know what to do, they were trembling and cold sweat poured down their foreheads and backs. The rain continued to pour, everything was barely visible and hearable. Kael put the revolver back in its holster, he tightened his fists and put the swords in his wrists forward. It was a clear challenge, and a couple of the gangsters decided to take up on it. They rushed Kael with their knives and other blunt or sharp weapons, Kael at first only dodged and blocked... He was playing with them, testing them... Suddenly one of them attacked Kael from behind, before he could even blink...

  His arms were cut clean off, he dropped on the ground screaming and whining in pain. Kael didn't bother and cut off his head with one strike, it was just another prey waiting to be killed in his eyes... Suddenly he lunged forward, slashing and cutting apart the rest of the gangsters who threw themselves at him... Limbs, intestines, heads flew around as screams of pain, agony and terror filled the air... After Kael was finished, 15 bodies were laying around him, slashed, cut and dismembered... He raised his arm and pointed with the sword on his wrist to the leader...

  -"I'll leave you for last... I don't like eating the main dish before I finish the side dishes... As for the rest of you... For your lack of bravery in attacking me first... Your deaths will be slow, agonizing and painful..."

  After these words some of the gangsters started fleeing, Kael didn't give them a chance to escape... He pulled out his revolvers and shot them, shooting off their limbs one by one before making their torsos swiss cheese... After he was finished with the escapees, he holstered his guns... Suddenly the swords on his wrists caught on black fire... "Cursed Black Flames", he would give them slow and agonizing deaths... The flames would never extinguish and the user could adjust their intensity... Meaning Kael could make those gangsters suffer for hours at the end… Suddenly he lunged forward, the rain drops evaporating around him, he slashed and cut the gangsters one by one... Screams of agony and terror could be heard, muffled by the rain... Blood mixed with the water on the ground creating bloody and muddy puddles, it was a disgusting and gruesome sight... Locals from the slums gathered around witnessing the one sided massacre, it was clear who was the butcher now. Some people cheered him on, while others questioned his doing... Some even started calling him a murderer, a pathetic excuse for a person...

  He didn't care, he killed the gangsters until the leader was left... He cancelled the "Darkness Release", making the swords return to their original form. He sheathed them and pulled out his revolver, the leader tried to run away seeing this... Kael didn't bother and shot him in the knees, blowing his knee caps off... He slowly approached the leader, revolver in hand... The leader tried throwing knives and other nearby stuff at him to slow him down, Kael reflected everything with his revolver... As he finally stood by the leader, he planted a knee in the leader's chest and knelt down...

  -"What... Is... Your... Name..."

  He wanted to know the name of the person that would be his prey soon, he wanted to know the name of the person that nearly killed his father... But even if he knew the name, the outcome of this encounter wouldn't change…

  -"C-Chris... Pl-please spare me... I'll never do it again I swear... You already crippled me, what more do you want? ANSWER ME! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT REAPER!? STATE WHAT YOU WANT AND I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU!"

  Kael stayed quiet, and instead put his revolver to Chris's stomach and pulled the trigger. He roared in pain and agony, as the bullet made out of pure magical power burned through his flesh and blood... He didn't care, he didn't even try to care for this pathetic excuse of a person...

  -"You forced women into prostitutiom and tortured people...? Isn't that right Chris...? If you lie to me, you'll earn two bullets to your gut... And if you answer truthfully, I'll rethink your proposition..."

  Chris hearing this nodded desperately, he wanted to come out of this alive, even though the chances were spare. He started crying with a smile on his face thinking he bought Kael over with his admission to his crimes, but instead he was shot in the gut again... Not two times as Kael promised, but four times...

  -"You're fucking lucky that's the worst I can do, although I wish I could somehow make you pay for your crimes by making you suffer the exact same fight you subjected all those people to..."

  With those words he shoved the revolver into Chris's mouth and pulled the trigger, blood, skull fragments and brain matter scattered around on the ground. The rain quickly washed them away into a bloody puddle mixed with mud, after Kael was finished he put the revolver back in it's holster and made his way back to his father. Once he was by him, he picked him up gently and started carrying him away from the slums... The gangsters ended just as Kael said... Their blood would moisturise the ground that the flowers from their bodies would bloom on... Suddenly he heard Tenebrae speak to him.

  -'Holy shit Kael, that was both edgy and disgusting... And if you wanna know, hell does exist, just so you'd remember in the future hahaha... So don't worry about him suffering for his crimes, he's probably already reliving the countless torture he subjected people to over and over and over again and again...'

  Kael ignored her for now and continued to carry his father out of the slums, all that mattered to him was his and his father's safety... Nothing less, nothing more... As he walked he felt his vision swim and his movements get raggy, he realised that he overexerted his magical power and his body was shutting down. As he continued to walk through the rain, constantly stumbling, he suddenly fell onto his knee... He tightened his hold on his dad and pulled him even closer...

  -"C'mon dad... We'll be safe soon... You'll meet Frost hahah... She's quite energetic, but I like her... She even wanted my jacket, you know? Nghhhh fucking hell... C'mon Kael, don't give up... You need to carry your dad to safety, so move your ass..."

  He continued to slow down with his walk, not only was his father's weight slowing him down, but the sheer fatigue made his body shut down. He felt his steps grow heavy through the mud of slums, he saw people stare at him like a monster... He figured out that the gossip about him completely eradicating the "Black Hook Gang" spread like wild fire, he continued to drag his body while carrying his father. He felt like he would pass out any second, but he couldn't force himself to. Suddenly Tenebrae said to Kael.

  -'Kael... You're tired, come on, rest... Find some abandoned house and stay there for a while, or at least until you'll have your strength back... You're in no-'

  -"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!"

  She suddenly went quiet, Kael never snapped at her with such venom in his voice. Even when she mocked his dead family members, he didn't have that much venom and disgust speaking through him... Suddenly he fell onto his knees and his dad's unconscious body slipped out of grip. When he saw that he dragged his broken and tired body to his father...

  -"C'mon dad... We're close... We'll be out of the slums soon... Fucking hell... Aghhhh... Dad please, I beg you, wake up... Dad... Please... Listen... To... Me..."

  As Kael finished speaking his head fell onto the ground, he ran out of strength and vigour to even keep his head up... He laid there, cold rain pouring down onto him, his body covered in blood and mud... Alone, forgotten and without a spark of hope... He didn't care about himself as he only cared if his father would be safe... It's the only thing that mattered to him...

  -'You'll never change, kiddo? Will you... That's why I love that I got to watch over you as the next born Heir... Hahahahaha... Rest for now and don't worry about anything, trust me... You won't regret it...'

  Tenebrae's voice was full of warmth and somewhat of motherly love, Kael didn't understand why she was like this to him after he just snapped at her, literally telling her to shut up… His vision suddenly went completely bad and his body didn't respond... He suddenly felt a tug at his sleeve, but it didn't make sense... He was wearing a short sleeved t-shirt... Why would he be pulled on his sleeve...? When he opened his eyes he saw a woman, she was around 40 years old... But something didn't make sense to Kael... Her face, he didn't recognise it, and for him it was somewhat blurry... Kael sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the face of the woman...

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  -"What's wrong Kael? Do I have something on my face...? Ahhh doesn't matter, come on, you'll miss breakfast... You don't want it, do you?"

  Ahhhh yes, it was his mother... Kael nodded and got up from his bed stretching slightly, but something still bugged him, he couldn't pin point what exactly... When he looked into the mirror he looked normally, no scars, no distinct features, and he had his left eye...?

  -"No... I always had my left eye... What the hell am I thinking about...? Nevermind, Hey mom is [...] awake? She always misses breakfast, and besides as a good older brother I can't allow her to hahaha..."

  His mother hearing this chuckled as well, but she got slightly nervous when Kael mentioned something about his missing left eye... He quickly brushed it off, after all he had school to attend after he finished breakfast. He quickly changed into his school uniform, as he left the room he headed to the kitchen. He saw his father and mother chatting about something and his sister sitting in the kitchen...

  -"Hey bro, what are you doing so late? You always scold me for waking up late, yet here you are hahahahaah... It's quite ironic isn't it?"

  His sister's face was blurry too, but he didn't mind it. He quickly sat down and started eating breakfast, it was some scrambled eggs along with a piece of toast. As he quickly finished breakfast and grabbed his school bag, as he was by the door, he turned one last time to his family.

  -"Cya dad, mom... Oh and [...] I'll pick you up after school, don't worry you won't wait for long... My last class was cancelled..."

  As he left the door he thought why his sister's name was also hard to hear and so blurry? Besides, his mothers and sister's faces were blurry and barely recognisable as well... As he was thinking he saw that Katrine was waiting by his house, she probably came here to walk with him to school.

  -"Hey Kael, we're going to school yea? Can we stop by that one shop on the way? I forgot to bring anything to eat with me... And you know that the prices in our school are so expensive... Geez…”

  Kael chuckled at her whining, it was true that their school's food and drinks were extremely expensive for some reason. As they walked to the school Kael noticed the streets were unusually empty, usually the city was bustling with people at this hour. Suddenly he heard a gruff male voice whisper into his ear.

  -'Wake up...'

  Kael got cold shivers down his spine, when he turned around, there was nobody there. He probably was just hearing things... When he looked at Katrine, she was still walking ahead, seemingly not hearing the whisper. Kael quickly caught up to her and walked beside her, as they were on their way past the store Katrine wanted to come inside. Kael quickly tapped her shoulder, Katrine quickly turned around with confusion on her face.

  -"What is Kael? Did you see something or do you want to ask me? C'mon spit it out, we don't have all day to ponder and figure out what you want... Chop chop..."

  Kael was confused, he clearly remembered that Katrine wanted to visit the store to buy something to drink, but why didn't she want to suddenly? Clearly something was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint why...

  -"Didn't you wanna buy something to drink? You said you forgot to bring your own drink if i remember correctly, so we're going in to buy it or what...?"

  Katrine stared at Kael in eerie silence, he didn't understand why she was acting this way... He got on her nerves previously but she never acted this way, after a while she finally responded to him...

  -"No i changed my mind hahah... Silly me... You know how it is with me don't you? I mean... Hahaha... Relax Heir...”

  Kael couldn't believe his eyes and didn't understand why she said such stuff, the nervous laughter didn't help either way... He knew something was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint why... After all, this was his... Ordinary life... Ordinary... Ordinary... ORDINARY!? Kael then realised, it was too ordinary, there was no Frost, no Mediae, no Tenebrae and besides his mother and sister were alive... That'd explain why he didn't see their faces and instead saw a blurry image, same goes for their names and Kael being unable to hear them... He started laughing like a madman in front of "Katrine"... Suddenly she started laughing, but her voice was different... Way more mature and sultry, it was clear she would probably try to seduce Kael…

  -"So you figured it out... Good boy~ I think you deserve a reward hm~? I'll make you a deal... You'll stay in this perfect ordinary world forever like a good lap dog should~... And I'll just take over your life hehehe~ Don't you think it's fair...? C'mon accept the deal like a good boy~..."

  Kael didn't respond to her proposition, instead he stared her down with murder in his eyes... She deserved death in her eyes, and he would deliver it personally...

  -"Tsk... And I thought you'd be an obedient dog~... You know what they do to dogs that don't listen~? THEY'RE PUT DOWN, DIE!"

  As she finished speaking, she suddenly summoned a giant scythe made out of shadows and charged at Kael. He in return dodged and weaved, he had no access to his weapons or powers. He was basically bare when it came to fighting, but he decided to not give up just yet... As she brought her scythe down, Kael decided to use this moment... Since he had his left eye back in this world, he decided to attack from the left side. He delivered a powerful kick to her ribs, he swore he could hear bones snapping and organs being mushed. He saw that "Katrine" was indeed pushed back and flew into a nearby wall, she dropped onto her knee and puked up huge amounts of blood...

  -"You fight well... For a kid... Too bad I'll have to put you down, I wanted to have some fun with you~... I guess I'll just have to fight for real now, SO BE A GOOD BOY AND DIE~!"

  Kael hearing this suddenly ducked down, as he did so he saw that "Katrine" rushed forward and swung her scythe in a wide angle. She missed Kael by hairs end… He suddenly lunged forward throwing a barrage of punches forcing "Katrine" into defence, even though he lacked his power and arsenal, his sheer raw strength that he got through fighting was enough to push her back. She blocked his attacks with her scythe making Kael wince in pain with every hit, he noticed that he started leaving bloody marks on the scythe. He decided to jump back and inspect his hands, they were bleeding heavily... His breather was a huge mistake, as "Katrine" suddenly lunged forward into the offensive... Kael had to dodge and weave, he figured out that since this illusion or dream was his city, he'd know every nook and cranny... He decided to deliver a strong straight kick to her chest and began running, as he was running he noticed something strange... The buildings were looping, before he realised he was running into "Katrine" head first. Seeing no choice he decided to slide on his knees across the road to dodge her strike, it was painful... His knees were like bloody crayons across the ground, he got up stumbling and breathing heavily. His body was in huge pain, but he noticed that "Darkness Regeneration" hadn't activated yet for some reason, so suddenly she spoke to him.

  -"What's wrong pretty boy~? Your regeneration isn't kicking in~? Hahahaha, you should know... That it's my curse to keep you alive, besides I'll let you in on a fun fact... This illusion is from a technical perspective my best one so far... Yet it was extremely fragile... Probably due to that pesky Tenebrae being in your soul... Too bad pretty boy~... She'll die with you..."

  Kael, hearing this started laughing, he solved one of the mysteries regarding himself just now. That's all he needed to know, for now the goal was to kill whatever the hell that thing was... He decided to straighten up shakily and rip his school uniform apart, he used the cloth as makeshift bandages for his knees and knuckles. He had an idea how to possibly win this fight, but it'd be a suicidal one...

  -"I don't fucking care about being kept alive nor do I care about whoever the hell you are... All I care about is getting out of here to see if I made it out with my dad safely. And you're nothing more than a whiny bitch that's getting in my way... SO MOVE THE FUCK AWAY!"

  With these words he lunged forward, "Katrine" was stunned by his sudden vigor. She saw previously how he fought and that he was a true monster when a certain switch flipped on him, but no, she flipped the switch herself... Kael suddenly grabbed her scythe and kicked her away, he finally acquired some weapons. He decided to push on his advantage and constantly attack "Katrine", his plan was working. He was making small scratches and cuts on her body... Suddenly he had an idea, he threw the scythe at her and rushed behind it.

  -"THROWING YOUR WEAPON AWAY!? HOW FUCKING DUMB YOU HAVE TO BE LITTLE SHIT-"

  Before she could finish, Kael's fist connected square on with her face, knocking her head backwards. He didn't stop there, he continued to barrage her with kicks and punches. He suddenly punched her with his right fist and then retracted his arm back, smashing his elbow into her temple, her vision started to blacken... Kael didn't stop just there, he kicked her in the abdomen with his knee bending her over and using her position to grab her shirt and throw her away like a mere piece of trash… She hit the wall with a loud crack, she felt bones breaking throughout her body...

  She tried to get up, but it caused her such pain that she started puking blood, along with the blood some teeth fell out of her mouth. Kael approached her slowly, as he was finally by her side, he grabbed her hair and smashed her head repeatedly into the wall... After that he dragged her face first through the ground only to finish with a throw to a nearby wall... When Kael looked up he saw that the sky was cracking and falling apart, he was breaking the illusion... "Katrine" with her last ounces of strength pushed herself up and summoned her shadow scythe again...

  -"THIS ISN'T OVER YET KAEL RIGGS! I'LL COME FOR YOU AND YOUR BODY AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL I'LL FUCKING SUCCEED! IT CAN TAKE ME DAYS, WEEKS, YEARS OR EVEN FUCKING CENTURIES! YOUR BODY WILL BE MINE YOU LITTLE S-"

  Before she could finish, Kael ran up to her again and smashed his knee into her face. A loud crack echoed through the air, "Katrine" fell onto the ground barely conscious... Her body was broken, beaten down and at its max fatigue. Kael knelt down next to her and grabbed her hair roughly.

  -"You talk too much you fucking whore... And stop that 'Pretty Boy' bullshit, it's annoying... And just so you know, I'll be waiting for you... Hahahaha... Good luck healing BACK FROM THIS BITCH!"

  Suddenly he kicked face, and as it was recoiling back, he smashed his heel in the back of her head, smashing it into the ground... Suddenly a large "maw" looking portal appeared beneath her body, and something similar to tentacles dragged her in. Suddenly a piece of dark dust flew up from the portal and approached Kael, who in turn got into a defensive position immediately... The dust suddenly spoke to Kael in a low, respectful voice.

  -'Excuse me Heir of Darkness for my servant, she had a personal grudge against Lady Tenebrae. When she found out you were now the next Heir, she just couldn't hold back, and that's how this situation went down... Let me apologise to you again, O Heir of Darkness...'

  With that, the body of "Katrine" along with the tentacles and dust cloud disappeared in the maw. Kael after that plopped down onto the ground and stared up at the breaking sky, it was truly a bizarre sight, seeing how huge cracks formed around the sky and fell like pieces of glass. He knew this illusion wouldn't last longer, so he decided to at least do something while in this illusion. He started walking back to his home, it was now burned down in reality, but at least here he can experience it slightly longer... When he arrived at the house it was empty, with nobody around. He sat down on the couch and stared upwards as the illusion was breaking apart, he had nothing to do but wait... Suddenly he heard footsteps behind him, he already knew not to trust this illusion in any way, so he got into a defensive stance... What he saw was his mother and sister, their faces were still blurry and barely recognisable...

  -"Mom, [...]...? But... The illusion is breaking apart... What are you doing here? Shouldn't you disappear along with the illusion...? I mean you're just a part of it..."

  His mom, hearing this, chuckled to herself and pulled his sister closer...

  -"Kael... We're not an illusion, but rather fragments of our original souls... That woman used us as puppets... We didn't want to hurt you in any way... Or deceive you in any way as well... Besides we've been watching you grow, fight, kill, survive... Hahahah... My little baby grew up when I was absent... This is probably the last time we'll talk together... Goodbye Kael..."

  His sister also chuckled at his mother's words and waved goodbye to him...

  -"Cyaaaaa Kael... I hope we'll meet together somewhere along the way again, Goodbyeeeeee!"

  When he saw this he dropped onto his knees and outstretched his arm, he wanted to get one last hug, one last word... But it was too late... His mother and sister started disappearing along with the illusion, he suddenly got up and tried to run to them, but the earth cracked beneath his feet, not allowing him to do so... He dropped onto his knees and started punching the ground repeatedly, mangling his fingers and wrecking his knuckles...

  -"NO NO NO NOOO! COME BACK! PLEASE COMEEEE BACK! MOOOOM PLEASEEEEEEEE COMEEEEE BACK! I DON'T WANNA BE ALONE, MOOOOM, MOOOOOOM!"

  His voice was filled with agony and despair, he broke completely... He didn't have any will to live left in him, he just laid down onto the ground rolling himself into a ball and cried like a small child. He couldn't bear another loss like that, it was too much for him... He just wanted to live an ordinary and normal life with his family... But it was already too late... The illusion started collapsing in on itself even faster, huge chunks of the sky fell around him and shattered into nothingness... He didn't have time left, he needed to get out of this illusion before it completely collapsed... But he counted, he tried to stand up only to fall again…