Chapter Seventeen- Into the Castle

Chapter Seventeen from the "Hina's Tears" series

Chapter Seventeen

Into the Castle

The two weeks flew by, and Angel zipped up her suit case with a sigh. 

I wish I had gotten to spend more time with Ryo before we started this plan. I hope it goes well, and I’ll be home soon. I already miss him.

She picked up her bag and walked downstairs. 

“Mom, I’m about to leave!”  she called. Her mom stepped out from the kitchen and smiled. 

“Alright, you have my number. Remember, call me at least once a week. Here’s some money to get something with and for emergencies.”  

“Thanks mom.”  Angel took the money and put it in her bag. “I’ll be fine.”  She hugged her mom and smiled. “I have to go now. I’ll take pictures and call, love you.”  

Her mom smiled and stepped back. 

Angel left the house and stopped when she saw Kai outside. He was waiting for her on the street.  

“Good morning.”  Angel said as she walked to him. He looked down at her small suitcase and took it from her hand. “I could carry it.”  

“I know, but I want to be a gentleman. Especially since your mom is watching us from the window.”  He stated quietly. Angel blinked and nodded. 

They walked to the station and got onto the train. As they rode quietly to their stop, Angel ran through the plan again in her head. 

First, we will meet up at the inn. Since Liz rebooked the room, we have a hang out. Then everyone will head to the mansion ahead of me. When it gets dark, I will go with Jason following me to the station to make sure I’m not attacked before then. Then, I will board the train alone and go to the mansion. Everyone will be in hiding when I arrive. I will go inside and pretend to look for Kai. Finally, I will pretend to sit and wait for him. Hopefully, a demon will appear and try something because it believes I’m alone.

“Angel, it’s our stop.”  Kai said as he stood up. Angel followed him off the train, and they walked to the inn. Once there, Kai opened the door and went in with Angel. Skyler, Bryan, Jason and Liz were already waiting for them. 

“So, I have a question.”  Skyler said once Kai shut the door behind them. “Once we have the demon, and get the information from it, will we kill it?”  

“We’ll have to. Otherwise, it will let Akuma know that we’re coming.”  Kai replied as he took a seat on the bed. 

“Where exactly do you want me waiting?”  Angel asked.

“Right in front of the mansion. Bryan and Skyler will be around the corner in hiding. Liz will be in the trees, and I will be just inside by the front door. You absolutely can’t look towards us at any time. Just act naturally. I know you’ll be fine.”  Kai stated with a smile. 

Angel nodded slowly. 

“Why do I have to be in the woods?”  Liz asked with her arms crossed. 

“You told me that your ability can be long range. That will be the best place for you.”  

“Whatever, I guess you have a point. When are we supposed to attack?”  

“When the demon is in sight.”  Bryan stated bluntly. 

“No, it could get away if we attack too early. We need to wait for it to be right up to Angel, but we don’t want to wait too late and have it disappear with Angel either.”  Kai replied. “The timing has to be perfect.”  

“It’ll be fine.”  Angel said quietly. 

“Well, it’s already early afternoon so Bryan and Skyler should go first. We don’t want to go in a group and draw attention.”  Kai said. Bryan and Skyler nodded and left the room. 

Two hours later, Liz left. Finally, late afternoon, Kai got up and faced Angel.

“I will protect you tonight.”  He stated before turning and leaving as well. Angel sighed and sat on the bed. Jason was reading a book and looked up at her.

“Are you okay?”  he asked. 

“I think so.”  She replied. 

“How about you take a nap, and I’ll wake you when it’s time for you to go.”  He said. She nodded and stretched out on the bed. A few moments went by, and she drifted off the sleep. 

Jason shook her awake gently. She opened her eyes and yawned. After looking at the clock, she sighed and got off the bed. He went to the door and opened it. After looking outside, he looked over at her and waited. 

She went to the bathroom then left the room with Jason. They walked in silence to the station. When the train arrived, Angel looked at him and smiled. 

I feel like I don’t want to say goodbye. 

“Thank you for walking with me.”  She said.

“Always my pleasure. Take care, Angel.”  He replied. She got on the train, and the doors shut between them. After taking a seat, she waited in silence until her stop came. 

I should be fine. The demon will come, and the others will attack. I will be fine. I just have to act natural. 

The train pulled up to her stop. She gathered her nerves and got off it. While looking around, she started the hike to the top of the hill. 

“I wonder if Kai is home. I hope so. I really need to talk to him.”  She said to herself. 

When she reached the top of the hill, the dark ground below showed no sign of life. She took a deep breath and started down the hill towards the mansion. The wind blew dark leaves past her. She wanted to jump but held it in.

It’s creepy here at night. 

She jumped when the sound of a stick breaking echoed from the woods. 

Liz really isn’t suited for the woods. 

The thought almost made her giggle.  

She walked to the mansion and knocked on the door. After nothing happened, she sighed loudly. 

“I guess I could wait a bit to see if he returns.”  

“I don’t think that will be happening.”  A male voice said from behind. Angel jerked around, and her eyes grew wide. Standing in front of her was ten demons of different sizes and genders. Behind the one that was talking to her was a sight that made her stomach drop.

Four of the demons were carrying motionless bodies in their arms. Kai’s dark hair covered his eyes as the demon had him under his arm. 

We were ambushed!  I have to do… 

Pain shot her head and she fell to her knees. As her vision started to get darker, she fell to her side and could hear the laughter of a woman from behind her. 

Kai!  Wake up!  Someone, help us!

She went unconscious with the sound of laughter around her.

Angel woke up, but didn’t open her eyes. 

I’m cold.

She felt cold stone beneath her. Her hands were bound by something. She snapped opened her eyes and blinked. After frantically looking around, her heart raced in her chest. The room was small and made of stone. Other than the walls, the only other object in the room was a metal door with a slit at the top of it. The room itself was dark, and Angel couldn’t make out the corner of the room. She used her elbows and pushed herself up into a sitting position. When she tried to move her legs, she couldn’t. Looking down, she saw a black rope tying her legs together by the ankles. 

It really happened!  We were ambushed and attacked by demons!  We must be in the castle now!  Where are the others?  What should I do?  Oh, Ryo!  

She felt tears appear but swallowed hard to stop them.

I won’t let the enemy see me as weak.  

She leaned against the wall and sighed. Then, a sound from the other side of the room made her jump. A figure appeared from the darkness and started walking towards her. 

“W-who are you?”  she asked and tried to push herself into the wall.

“You don’t have to fear me.”  The voice replied. Angel blinked and tried to make out the figure. Then she recognized the voice.

“Spirit!”  She cried out. He knelled in front of her and touched her shoulder. “Help me!”

“I will when I’m able too. For now, you have to stay quiet and wait. It’ll happen soon enough.”

“What will?”  she whispered. A sound of footsteps echoed came from outside the room. Spirit stood up and backed away from her. “Please, don’t leave me!”  Her whispers turned into begging. 

“Whatever you do, don’t let him win over you. He won’t kill us because he needs us.”  Spirit said and went back into the shadows at the same time someone unlocked the door and opened it. 

A demon stood there and smiled. He walked over and picked up Angel. As he tossed her over his shoulder, Angel let out a groan but kept her mouth shut.

Where is he taking me?  Spirit said they won’t kill us, but that doesn’t mean they won’t hurt us!  What about the others?  Will Jason know that we are gone by now?  How long was I out?  Will Ender come and rescue us?  Who am I not supposed to let win over me?  Akuma?

The demon walked for a while then stopped in front of a large door with a larger demon in front of it. The sheer size of him made Angel tense up. He was large with huge muscles and no hair. Across his face was a long scar from his right eye to the bottom of his neck. He had a large claymore on his back. 

Angel closed her eyes and waited. 

“This one?”  he asked in a deep voice. 

“Yes sir.”  The demon that was carrying her replied. 

“Very well, you can enter. He’s waiting.”  

The sound of the door opening echoed in the hallway. The demon walked in and dropped Angel on the ground. After a moment, he reached down and touched her ankles. Cold metal touched her leg, and she wanted to jerk away but couldn’t move. After a second, the demon slashed the black rope then picked Angel up so she would stand on her feet.

He released her, and walked away without another word. The door shut, and Angel squeezed her eyes shut even tighter.   

“Welcome back, Spirit.”  A strong male voice said. Angel felt a sudden power wrap around her. She jerked open her eyes and stared at the one demon that scared her most. He sat in a black throne with his head resting on his clawed hand. His long black hair reached the floor where a long black blade sat. He wore black pants and boots, and only black leather straps that tied to a shoulder pad. His bare chest showed multiple scars. Black bracers lined his arms and multiple earrings pierced his pointed ears. It was his piercing crimson eyes that caused her body to lock up and for her to fall to her knees. 

Behind him was a large blue crystal. Inside of it was a naked woman with long black hair. Her eyes were closed, and she appeared to be asleep.

“A-Akuma.”  Her voice was low and hoarse. 

“Correct.”  He gave a lazy smile and showed his sharp teeth. 

Her body began trembling and her breathing got faster. 

Akuma!  Right in front of me!  Spirit said to not let him win?  What should I do?

“You’ve caused a lot of problems for me over the years.”  He stated calmly. “I thought I would never see you again when Youkai took you away.”  Although he said it in a normal tone, something about his voice held a different meaning. “I gave you a home, a large room, and protection and all I wanted from you was your power.”

“You killed my parents.”  She stated suddenly. The outburst surprised her as she covered her mouth and looked at the demon lord. His smile was gone. 

“Actually, your parents didn’t have to die. They chose to kill themselves with you. Did you know that?”  he asked and sat up straight. “They started a fire, and a demon saved your life.”

My parents tried to kill me?  They knew I would be tortured by Akuma, so that was the only way to protect me!  

“That was the only way they could protect…”  Angel started when Akuma’s eye narrowed. An icy wind blew around the room. 

“I don’t care about the actions of a human. You will give me your power, or your friends will die.”  He stated bluntly. Angel closed her eyes and remembered what Spirit told her. 

“No.”  she replied and felt a sudden power close around her neck. Her breathing stopped and eyes widened.

It hurts so much!  Make it stop!  No, he won’t kill me!  Angel, be strong!

After a moment, he released her. She dropped to the ground, gasped in air, and began coughing. 

“Why not use your power?”  he asked. “I’m sitting right in front of you.”  

“Y-you would beat me…”  she paused to cough. Akuma started to smile when she finished. “…as I am right now.”  The smiled vanished, something lifted her off the ground, and threw her back down into it. Angel let out a cry as the power picked her up again and threw her across the room. She hit the door and landed on the ground. Tears ran down her face, but she didn’t cry out loud. 

“Get her out of my sight.”  He said in a low dangerous voice. Someone appeared from the shadows of the room and walked over to her. Angel barely got the chance to look up at the demon.

It’s the demon that captured me and made me attack Kai. 

“It’s you…”  she whispered. 

“Don’t talk.”  He whispered in a soothing tone. “I’ll find you some help.”

Angel nodded slowly before blacking out completely.

Angel reopened her eyes and jumped back when she saw someone over her. Then relaxed when she recognized who it was. 

“Spirit.”  She whispered. 

He smirked and touched her leg. “You’re very lucky.”  He stated. “If a demon had said what you said, he would be dead.”  

“Why are you here?”  she tried to move but Spirit gently pushed her back down. 

“It’s best if you don’t move right now. Thankfully, nothing is broken or fractured, but it will take a while for the pain to completely go away. I’m here to help you.”

She slowly shook her head. “No, why are you working for Akuma?”  

“I don’t have a choice. He has me bound.”  Spirit replied and pressed on her hip, she winced. “Sorry, just checking for injuries.”

“How did he bind you?”  

“He took away my name. It’s a spell only one demon knows how to do and that’s the second general to Akuma. Now take a deep breath.”  She did and he pressed on her ribs. 

“This may seem dumb, but how can you see with that thing on your eyes, and why is it there?  Are you blind?”  He stopped touching her and sighed. 

“Akuma doesn’t like my eyes. So he put this over them. I can still see because of my abilities. Now can you roll to your other side for me?”  

She did and felt him touch her back. “How do you know medical stuff?”  

“I taught myself. I had to do something while being trapped in this castle.”  He stated. “You can roll back over.”  She did and sighed. 

“Oh, thank you for saving Kai.”  

“Well, he can’t die. Akuma needs him so that would have been bad for everyone if he did. Besides that, once I get freed, I want to fight with you against Akuma.”  He gave a small smile and sat down next to her. 

“How old are you?”  

“In human years, I would be sixteen.”  He replied and felt her tense up. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re a demon?”  she asked. 

“Not exactly. I’m something that existed before demons and humans. One of the last of my kind.”  He stated calmly. “You have nothing to fear. Akuma trapped and killed my brothers and sisters a very long time ago. He captured me when he learned what I was.”  

“That’s terrible!”  Angel exclaimed and covered her mouth. 

“It happened a very long time ago.”  He replied and stood up. “You should rest. The faster you get better, the faster you can help the others.”  He started to walk out when Angel stopped him.

“I have one more question before you go.”  

He looked over his shoulder and waited. 

“Who is the demon that carried me back from Akuma?”  she asked quietly.

“He’s the first born son to Akuma.”  Spirit replied. 

“Is he a half demon?”

“No, he is very much a full fledge demon.”  Spirit stated and disappeared into the shadows. 

I would like to know how he does that. Why is Akuma’s first son helping me?  He’s a full demon and tried to help me twice now. Now I can see why he doesn’t have a choice in what he does. I’m starting to believe that all demons aren’t so bad.

Later on, Angel’s stomach growled. She sighed and rolled on her side. 

I’m so hungry. Will they let us starve?  Do demons even have to eat?  

As she thought this, someone opened the door. Angel rolled back and looked up at the person. It was a human girl with very red hair. She wore a black old long sleeve shirt and gray pants. 

“A human!”

The girl stared at Angel than put a tray of bread, cup of water, and a bucket on the floor. She turned, left, and shut the door behind her. 

Angel crawled over to the food and began eating. Once the tray was empty, she went back to lying on the floor and drifted back into sleep. 

One day, Angel was lying on the floor when she heard footsteps outside of her door. They disappeared moments later and Angel sighed.

How long have I been in the room?  Other than the girl who brings food, I haven’t seen anyone else. I feel much better since the first night. Whatever Spirit did had worked. Now I need to work on these ropes on my legs. I wonder why they never redid the ropes on my hands. 

She started slowly by pulling at the ropes. They wouldn’t budge. 

“They aren’t like normal ropes.”  Spirit stated suddenly. Angel jumped and glared at him. 

“Let me tell you something. It’s not polite to sneak up on someone who has been trapped in a small room for who knows how many days.”  Angel replied and sighed. “How else can I get these off?”  

“With this.”  He tossed a small blade at her feet. She looked at it and back at him. “Also, you have been in here for six days.”  

“Six days!”  Angel exclaimed and grabbed the blade. “I have to get out of here!  Mom is going to be furious with me if I don’t call by tomorrow.”  She started trying to cut the rope. It started to fray and tear apart. 

“Then get out of here tonight.”  He stated. “I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to get this, but I had to stay out of sight.”

Angel stopped cutting and looked at him. “Get what?”

Spirit smiled for the first time and tossed a metal ring with keys on it. 

“Oh Spirit, you’re the best!”  Angel continued cutting and finally got the rope to break. She stretched out her legs and tried to stand up. After a stumble, she steadied herself on the wall and smiled at Spirit. She grabbed the keys and looked at the door. 

“There isn’t a key whole on my side.”  

“I know.”  He touched the door, and it opened slowly. “I went ahead and opened it.”  

“Thank you, but where do I go now?”  she continued stretching and walked over to the door. 

“I suggest you go to the bottom of the castle where the experimental room is.”  He pointed in a direction. 

“Why?  Where are the others?”  

“Well, you’ll find the others along the way. However, Youkai is down there right now and is about to undergo an experiment that cannot be reversed easily.”  

“What are they doing?”  she asked and tightened her hold on the keys. 

“Akuma thinks that if Kai reverts to his demon side then he will join the demons.”  

Angel gasped and stuck her head out the door. 

“I have to save him, but I’m scared.”  She whispered and glanced back at Spirit. 

“I wish I could help you, but I can’t. Now go.”  She started to and turned back one more time. 

“I need to know one more thing. Where are the other kids that are fragments that didn’t come with me here?”

"You won't find him here."  He stated and faded in the shadows. 

What?  Don’t think about it right now. I need to find Kai.