Chapter 52 - Between You And I : Part 1

"Hello, and good morning. This is the Livedam News, bringing you the latest news around the city."

The screen flashed into a woman with tidy hair, staring at the camera with a serious expression. The guard leaned back as he watched the television, lazily watching it while letting out a big yawn.

"Grief and sorrow following the tragedy of massacre in the city involving red-eyed people or 'demons' that took more than 100 lives and caused almost a thousand people injured two days ago."

The lamp inside the room flickered a bit, almost causing the inside to go into a total blackout. There was no window for this place was placed underground—only a door in front of the security guard's table as the way in and out.

"This city is messed up, man. What kind of shit are those things? Demons?" The guard commented while taking a bite of a spicy chicken wing in his hand.

"At least I'm safe here. I don't even know why the president insisted on guarding this arrow thing." He munched the chicken meat as he vaguely mumbled the words in between his chew.

"-president Alfred is set to deliver a remark for the situation and the safety of Livedam city. He also planned for a moment of silence for those who got caught up in the tragedy alongside the grieving family." The woman inside the television continued, describing even further about the situation.

The light in the room flickered again. Yet the guard did not care because it was an ordinary thing that had happened in this underground room.

"All the heads of ministries and governments had lost their lives to 'the world burn', as stated by the infamous mercenary in the city. For further information regarding the replacements of governments were still unknown to this day." The woman explained briefly. The screen was showing a picture of a man in a black trench coat, standing on top of a building with wide-open hands.

The guard raised an eyebrow at the picture. "The mercenary, huh? That guy's nuts for doing all of these."

"Now live at the Livedam News, president Alfred's speech about the situation." The woman ended her sentence as she disappeared from the screen, changing into a man with red hair and a pair of sharp hazel eyes.

"Two days ago in our beloved city Livedam, there was a sudden attack from the creatures mark off as 'demons' that was lead by the mercenary— the ciy's most wanted criminal." Alfred began, taking a deep breath as he looked through the crowd with determined eyes.

"Today, we'll take care of the casualties and rebuild some of the fallen buildings. We'll-"

There was a faint falling sound from behind the security's desk, causing the guard to avert his gaze from the television to his back. His eyebrows slowly knitted together as his face morphed into a frown.

His eyes looked around, scanning the room, searching for the source of the sound. He stopped at the black arrow that was still there, looming the room with a glass over it to protect the little weapon.

The guard shrugged and went back to see the television. He took another piece of chicken wings before focusing on the screen again.

"We've taken a precaution from the tragedy regarding the demons. This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront some foreign enemies in modern history. Rest assured, the Livedam City is still and will always be the safest place in this country."

"If you say so, president. I'll believe you." The guard snarled as he took another bite of the chicken wing. "You even went to protect just a single arrow. If the people know that you gave so much effort just for this thing, they'll believe you too."

The guard chuckled at his own words and glanced back to an empty glass case. He looked over to the screen again and took a bite from a new chicken wing and-

The guard froze.

The chicken wing in his hand fell to the floor as he snapped his back really fast that he believed his neck cracked. He blinked a couple of times to make sure he was actually seeing an empty case before realizing that the black arrow was indeed missing.

"Searching for this?" A voice chimed in. Too close to the guard's ear that his hands turned cold.

The guard could hear his own heartbeat ringing in his own ears. He slowly looked toward the voice source, right hand quietly tracing to the gun in his pocket.

His pupils were blown wide as he trembled in his place. There stood the mercenary on top of his table with a foot crossed over to the other. The criminal's black-gloved hand was fiddling with the black arrow like some kind of toy.

"Had to retrieve this last arrow for a mad scientist. She is obsessed with this thing, you know?" The mercenary leaned closer to the trembling guard, blue eyes staring at him with full of mocks.

"Apparently, I'm not the only one who's 'nuts', Mr. chicken guy." The mercenary continued, tilting his head down as he taunted him.

The guy quickly aimed his gun at the mercenary and took no time to shoot him. The gunshot rang in the air as the guard closed both of his eyes tight, hoping for the best.

A hand touched the guard's shoulder softly as a head went closer to the guard's ear. "Oops, missed me." The mercenary whispered.

In the act of impulse, the guard screamed and jumped back as he let another shot to the criminal, who darted easily as if he was dancing.

"Did the president never learn from past mistakes? Look at how easy I got this thing in my hand." He exclaimed sarcastically as he ignored the guard completely while looking at the arrow in his hand.

The guard was still shooting him while backing away slowly. Though he missed all of his shots easily as the mercenary played with him.

Then he went to pull the trigger again-

-only realizing that he had no bullets left.

The mercenary raised his eyebrows at him. "Oh, you're done? Alright, that's it for today, then." He tucked in the arrow to his trench coat and clasped both of his hands.

The criminal slowly walked backwards from the cowering guard. He saluted him on his way out as he easily went out of the door. "See you never, chicken guy."

"Oh, and thanks for the wing." The mercenary shook the chicken wings box in his hand giddily, leaving the guard alone.

✵✵✵✵✵✵

Kiaran ate the last chicken wing and threw away the box to a nearby tree. He swiped his gloved hand to his trench coat, trying to wipe off the sauce from it.

The forest was watching him as he passed through them, ready to see a certain mad scientist. He put on his mask again, covering his nose and red-tinted lips for the sake of identity or whatever.

After passing some big trees, he finally met with the neat looking building. He scanned the windows with his eyes, wondering if he should break one of them just to irritate the mad scientist.

Sadly, he had no time to do it for now. Maybe later.

He got inside the building through the front door. The lights were flickering as he went past them. It was as if dramatic things always followed a drama person anywhere.

When he arrived in front of the lab door, he kicked it open and made a grand entrance.

Kiaran could see the scientist sigh tiredly, unwantedly having to look at him as she stopped what she was doing.

The 18-year-old took the arrow from his trench coat and threw it at her. The woman caught it with ease, boring her eyes at the black arrow with a hidden madness between her black pupils.

"The president took it from the last scene where I had to frame a guy. So I had to break into an underground base where he kept it, which has a really dumb guy protecting it." The mercenary ranted at her, almost whining.

"Seems like they've lost so many guards already that they sent that chicken guy." He added, leaning over to a messy table to see her works.

"So you named him chicken guy." She replied silently without looking at him.

"Yep, he was eating a chicken and acting like one when he met me. It's like cannibalism, you know. If you actually think about it." Kiaran said, or rather blurted out jokingly.

He caught a black roots mirror in the corner of his ocean eyes. "Old lady, I'm going to use that mirror to cross to the other world. You stay here and guard the mirror or whatever."

He walked closer to the mirror, looking at his own reflection, knowing that the scientist's counterpart was probably watching him right now. Why did she have a mirror if not for her demon to use it? It was always the demon who needed to use the black roots mirror to see what was going on.

"If I come back with my murderer and then there's an 18-year-old teen with two black wings following us right after, can you send my message for him?" Kiaran asked sweetly, as fake as he could.

"Tell him, non ducor, duco." Kiaran sent his message at her, smiling triumphantly behind his mask. "He'll know what I meant."

"And now, I really need to go. Need to take back what's mine, old lady. See you soon." Uttered the mercenary before crossing the mirror and disappeared from the human world.

The scientist sighed again.

"I hope I don't."

✵✵✵✵✵✵

"Hello there." Kiaran greeted the demon with two smiling eyes. His fingers intertwined with each other as his hands sat on top of a table.

A blond demon with two red eyes that had just got in the room started to form wind around him defensively. "What are you doing in my office?" He spat dangerously.

"No need to be violent. I'm here to help you." The mercenary assured with his overly honeyed voice.

Valerian was still keeping his defence up, sceptically examining the person in front of him. He kept staring at the two blue eyes that should have been red.

If he was a demon, that is.

"I know where the Vergessene's house is." Kiaran specified, the tone of his voice quickly changed into a serious one. "I want you to attack the Vergessenes, but don't harm the youngest."

The wind slowly died down around the office at the mention of the Vergessene name. Valerian sauntered to Kiaran slowly. His pointed ears twitched as they got closer.

"I thought the youngest is dead?" There was an apparent uncertainty in the knight's voice.

"Oh, he is dead." The mercenary acknowledged while nodding vaguely at him.

"Though this Vergessene one doesn't belong here, and I'm going to bring him back where he actually belongs." He continued while keeping their eyes locked into each other.

Valerian tried to search the lies between the two familiar eyes, "Who are you?"

Kiaran's mouth formed into a wide grin. "Just call me a friend for now."

He stood from Valerian's chair and offered his hand.

"So are you in or not, police boy wannabe?"