CHAPTER I
Heritage

It was a calm, autumn morning in Vernos, the Hunter tribe of the East. The leaves were beginning to fall to the brown and gold earth, littering the forest floor and making the trees and ground look on fire with their bright and warm colors. The village strategically sat a few miles from the big city of Kartha, and was only a very short distance from numerous streams, which provided the small village of demon slayers with an adequate supply of water.
Being a Hunter meant being a hunter of flesh demons, also known as Trei’oche. One’s duties in the tribe could be many and various, but everyone had a job to perform and they were expected to do that duty with honor, pride, and a sense of excellence. Most the duties of the women consisted of cooking, cleaning, and education, but there were a good number of demon slayers in the tribe that were females and were just as good as the male Hunters.
The children learned from a young age how to kill a flesh demon; they were taught by the elder slayers, mostly the ones that were wounded in a battle or too old to fight safely anymore. This kept everyone fit and gave everyone a feeling of belonging in the tribe. The majority of the adult males in the tribe would be the Hunters, the ones who went in search or under call to kill demons harassing humans or flesh angels—also called Trae’oche.
One might wonder what the difference was between humans and the flesh angels and flesh demons, for they looked similar. Flesh angels and flesh demons both had pointed ears, often had sharp fingernails, and usually obtained strange elemental or spiritual powers. The flesh angels were a people known for their beauty and kindness, but there were cases of evil flesh angels, which many called ‘black’ angels. The flesh demons looked just like the flesh angels but they often hosted a bad attitude or an evil persona; the flesh demons had strong hormones that caused them to be more than often cruel and blood-thirsty. But not all were evil; just like flesh angels, flesh demons could be contrary to their nature. There were clans of flesh demons that were the nicest people you would ever meet; they were known as ‘white’ demons. Those beings that were cruel and murderous by nature were chased down and killed by the protective flesh angels and demons and humans that banded together to form the Hunter tribes.
The members of most the Hunter tribes consisted of a menagerie of people, ranging from humans and flesh angels to flesh demons. But Vernos consisted mainly of flesh angels. There was a handful of humans in the tribe, but only one family of the ten that lived there were humans. And there was only one flesh demon in the entire tribe, and his name was Coldfire.
“Coldfire!” Katherine called. She ran through the village, weaving between the homes of her family and friends. “Coldfire! Where are you?”
“Good morning, Katherine,” a woman hanging her clothes on the line outside smiled. The people in Vernos lived simple lives; they mostly depended on nature to provide them with food, water, and weapons to live off of like their ancestors once had long ago. They used solar panels on their roofs to create electricity. Katherine wouldn’t trade her way of life for anything.
“Good morning, Harana-san,” Katherine bowed.
“It’s a nice day today, isn’t it, Katherine?” the woman smiled.
“Oh yes, ma’am!” the teen girl beamed, bouncing back up from her bow of respect for her elder. Harana was her aunt, her father’s second eldest sister, and the head teacher for the children of Vernos. She had been the one to teach Katherine her ABC’s and 1-2-3’s, and Katherine greatly respected her. “It looks to be a wonderful day today,” the young girl agreed.
“Your father is going to take the children out to fly kites today,” Harana smiled as she reached in her basket and pulled out another shirt.
Katherine knelt down and helped her hang the rest of the clothes up. She was always one to leap at the chance of helping someone, especially the elderly. “Is he?”
Her aunt nodded, her soft smile not leaving her glowing face. Harana was known for her gentle and loving nature throughout the Hunter tribes, and Katherine honored her for it. “He was wondering if you wanted to come with them,” her aunt went on.
“Well, I normally would,” Katherine sighed. “But Coldfire and I planned on going to the lake today. We were going to fish a little this afternoon,” she explained.
“Oh. Well, he just wanted me to let you know. Thank you for your help, Katherine,” her aunt smiled. “You’re so kind.”
“You’re very welcome,” Katherine bowed. “It was my pleasure, Harana-san.”
“Now then, what was it you were yelling about earlier?”
“Oh! I was looking for Coldfire,” Katherine pouted. “I can’t seem to find him anywhere. Do you know he might have gone?”
“Hm.” Harana thought for a moment. “Nope. Sorry, Katherine. I haven’t seen Coldfire since he and your father came home last night from that demon hunt. He seemed pretty pooped, though. Did you check his room?”
“Yes,” Katherine mumbled. “I checked his house, the stalls, the forest, and all the tents! I even checked by the lake to see if he was waiting for me! NO COLDFIRE!”
“Did you perhaps check the armory?” her aunt suggested. “You know how he’s always on the look for new weapons.”
Katherine’s eyes flattened angrily. “Checked…”
“Did you look in the kitchen?”
“TWICE,” the girl moaned. She was beginning to think she wouldn’t find him in time for their lunch! He was supposed to have a picnic lunch with her by the lake before they started fishing, and he had promised to meet her by noon. But it was already nearing ten and he was nowhere to be found! Where could he have run off to?
“Well he certainly didn’t disappear from the planet, dear,” her aunt giggled. “I’m sure Coldfire will turn up sooner or later. He always does.”
“I know,” Katherine sighed, still worried. Worrying about Coldfire was something she found herself doing often. The two had grown up as children together, and even though he was very capable of defending himself, she was constantly worried about him being off alone. “I suppose I shouldn’t worry about him… But I just can’t help it. He makes my life so difficult sometimes,” she grunted angrily.
Her aunt laughed at her words. “My dear child, Coldfire will be just fine. You’ll see. He’ll be back soon and you’ll scold him, but he will just smile and go on like he always does.”
Katherine scowled at her aunt for making the remark, though it was right. Coldfire never concerned himself with what others thought, not even her. But he did care about Katherine more than anyone else in the tribe, this everyone knew. The two were best friends—inseparable from their youth. He was like her older brother, even though she was older than he was.
Coldfire was seventeen years old. He was left by an angel in the camp as a boy, but he had no memories and no name. Her father, Regae, the leader of the tribe, decided to take Coldfire in and treat him like his own child. Because of this, Katherine and Coldfire grew up together. Coldfire was named after a wandering Hunter that had died a few years before Coldfire’s arrival. Little had been known about the hunter other than his name being James. The tribe named Coldfire collectively, deciding his name to be James until they could create a full name. Katherine nicknamed him ‘Coldfire’ because he could create blue flames that were cold to the touch. Thus the name stuck, and he became James K. Coldfire to the tribe, but he was called Coldfire by most everyone there. Calling him James seemed improper and often caused his brow to furrow angrily when it was mentioned at all.
Katherine was a flesh angel, and she was born was power to control wind. This was a unique ability that none of her ancestors possessed, which made it a strange and remarkable manifestation. But since no one in the tribe used wind to teach her how to accurately wild it, she had little power over the ability. Katherine stood five foot one; she was often mocked for her small size, but she didn’t seem to mind it much. She had brown hair that she often pulled back in a ponytail; its end hung below her shoulder when her hair was pulled up and half-way down her back when her hair was down. Her skin wasn’t tanned; in fact, many said she was pale. But no matter how hard she tried, Katherine couldn’t tan or sunburn. Her eyes were a bright baby-sky blue, and her figure was curved and tight from her battles with flesh demons. She was most often seen wearing flare blue-jeans and variety of white and blue shirts, but sometimes she wore shorts.
Katherine was an X Slayer, meaning she was one of the highest ranking Slayers of all the tribes. There were only believed to be thirty X Slayers in the world, averaging less than ten per tribe. In order to be an X Slayer, you have to be able to kill a demon of X rank by yourself. A demon of X rank was considered to be the highest rank a Trei’oche could reach when it came to strength, speed, intelligence, and power. The test one must pass to reach this prestigious rank is a hard one many perish trying, but Katherine single-handedly killed an X flesh demon when she was only thirteen years old, which made her a prodigy. But her power was no match for Coldfire’s, who reached the rank of X Slayer when he turned eleven.
There were three different levels of a Hunter: A, B, and X, ‘X’ being the strongest and ‘A’ being the weakest. And ‘A’ Slayer was a beginning Slayer, one that was often under a ‘B’ Slayer’s care and tutorship; a ‘B’ Slayer was an average Slayer. The symbol of their rank was placed on the emblem.
Each tribe had its own symbol, and the member of the tribe would wear that symbol in the form of a tattoo or jewelry as they chose. This was a way of telling flesh demons in the area that they were there to kill them, and if they didn’t leave and leave the people alone, they would be hunted down and slaughtered. Just alone, the symbols often caused the demons to scurry in fear and never return, but the emblems also served for the tribes to recognize each other with ease.
Katherine decided to wear her tribe’s emblem—a pair of white wings with a curled ribbon in front of them—as a necklace. Coldfire wore it in the form of a tattoo on the side of his left bicep. Many of the male Hunters wore the symbols as tattoos on their foreheads, hands, chests, backs, or arms, that way it was easily seen.
“Katherine! Katherine!” Her father’s voice boomed through the camp.
Her neck snapped towards the direction of his voice. She knew to come when her father had that tone. “Bye!” she waved as she scurried off. Katherine ran until she came to the edge of the camp, where her father was standing with another Hunter everyone knew best as Trey. “Hey, Dad,” she smiled, hugging him. “Trey.”
“Hey, Kath’,” Trey winked.
“Katherine,” her father hugged her gently, “where were you? I called several times.”
“I was with Aunt Harana,” she explained as he let her go. “I was helping her with some chores while looking for Coldfire.”
“Oh,” he nodded, shooing away Trey, who seemed nervous. He was trying to get her father’s attention, but Regae seemed agitated or bored with him and sent the young Hunter on his way.
Katherine became a little worried about what was going on. “What is it?” she demanded as he summoned her towards their house. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing you need be concerned of,” he replied, pouring himself a drink of water. “We just got back from another demon raid, that’s all.”
“Another one?” Katherine followed him back outside.
“It was the same group of flesh demons that attacked yesterday night, I’m afraid,” he sighed, shaking his head and sitting down in his chair in the front yard.
“The same demons?” There had been numerous attacks on humans by a group of very nasty flesh demons the past several months. They were great in number and had intense strength that seemed to have no end in sight. Katherine and her father knew something was terribly wrong, but no one was sure what. She suddenly knew where Coldfire had gone off to, and her stomach sunk with the thought. “He’s there, isn’t he?” she murmured weakly.
Her father took a sip and nodded. “Yup.”
“Alone?”
“Yup,” he nodded.
“How could you let him stay there by himself like that, Daddy?” she hissed. “Coldfire’s not going to be able to fight those monsters off by himself forever, y’know!”
“I don’t know about that,” Regae smiled. “He seemed to be handling himself pretty well when we left him this morning. Calm down, honey,” the man smiled when he noticed the look of horror on his daughter’s face. “I have absolute confidence in Coldfire’s capabilities. You of all people should, too,” he added softly. He knew his daughter had a soft spot for the brown-headed demon. “Coldfire will be fine. I tried to get him to come home; I told him you’d kill me if I didn’t,” her father laughed. “But Coldfire would have none of it. He told me he would stay and fight until the last of those demons were dead or taking their last breath. You know how that boy is, honey. He likes to fight. Let him have his fun. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“Yeah,” she agreed quietly.
“Sir!” Trey came running, this time with a smile. “Sir! We’ve just got news from Threta!” Threta was the town the demons had been picking on; the town where Coldfire was.
“Yes?” her father demanded. “What is the news, then?”
“He’s done it!” the man exclaimed. “I don’t know how, but that kid killed all of the demons!”
Katherine’s eyes widened, as did her father’s. They’d expected Coldfire to put up a good fight, but to kill all the demons there? That was something no one had predicted. It was an astounding feat—maybe even an impossible one to most mortals.
“What?” Her father’s brown eyes were wide with awe. How could this be? Coldfire was only seventeen years old! And the last time Regae had been there, the boy had only a single sword to sight with. The Hunter stood slowly from his seat, eyeing his friend for any sign of trickery. “Trey…are you serious?”
“Yes, sir!” Trey exclaimed again. “News just came in from Kartha!” Kartha was a checkpoint about a mile away. “They’re saying Coldfire is on his way back to the village!”
“Is he okay?” Katherine demanded.
“I’m sot positive on the details,” Trey replied, “but no one has said anything about seeing any injuries. They just said he was coming this way, and he’s carrying the forearm of Teraos!” Teraos had been considered by many the leader of the flesh demons.
“When will he be here?”
“They say he’s about half and hour’s walking distance from here,” Trey answered, still excited.
“Let us congratulate him when he returns,” Regae smiled. “He will for sure be in need of a bath, a good meal, and some rest after that kind of battle! Be sure he gets it!”
“Yes, SIR!” Trey smiled, bowing and shooting off to tell the other tribe members of Coldfire’s success.
“And you were worried,” her father chortled, shaking his head and walking off. She watched her father walk towards the edge of the tribe, but before he could lean against the side of one of the houses to take a rest, another Hunter ran up and started saying something. Even with her sharp ears, Katherine couldn’t hear what the man was saying to her father, but she could tell something had alerted him. She watched curiously as her father glanced around and followed the Hunter around the corner.
Now very curious, Katherine slowly walked after them. She snuck around the corner to see them disappear into a house. After making sure they hadn’t seen her, the girl crawled next to the doorway; it was left cracked open just enough for her to peek inside and hear what they were saying.
Inside, she saw three figures, one of which she did not recognize. Trey was standing next to her father quietly, but the third man was a stranger to her. It was dark in the room; there were no lights on. This was a secret meeting. Katherine’s suspicions raised; her father was not the sort of man to hide something, especially not from her.
The third character was a handsome man; he was tall and thin, but had an impressive muscle tone. His skin was a light peach, and his eyes a blazing midnight-ocean blue with slitted pupils. He had long, straight, thin hair that was an ice blue so gentle that it was close to being white; it ran down to his knees. He was dressed in a simple, dark blue kimono that had an open chest and slits in the shoulders to reveal his skin. He wore a pair of white hakama, which was something unusual for this area of the world.
She listened to the stranger and her father’s conversation, focusing in with her pointed ears in hopes of hearing something that might offer a clue as to who he was.  Katherine turned her attention on the stranger.
“Levi-sama,” her father said quietly, taking a bow of respect. “To what do I owe this visit?”
Levi was the eldest created thing in existence; he was also the oldest of the three ‘good’ Gatekeepers that were known to roam the earth. He was the Gatekeeper of Water and Wisdom, this she knew. But what was he doing in their village? What did he have to do with her father? And what did he want?
“I have returned to you under dire circumstances, Regae,” Levi said, his voice nearly a quiet whisper. He spoke so softly; so gently. “I am afraid Ashur and Tremor have been released into this world once again.”
This was horrific news. There were only seven known Gatekeepers in existence, four of which were good and three evil. Brooklyn, Levi, and Jolt all wandered the earth, as well as Kraken, Ashur, and Tremor, while Shalom stood guard at the Gates of Heaven. Kraken and Brooklyn were still locked away in their crystalline prisons somewhere in the world—where, no one really knew. But the awakening of Tremor and Ashur, the Gatekeepers of Earth/Lies and Fire/Wrath, respectively, was a devastating factor in the battle against the shadows Katherine’s people were waging. Ashur and Tremor may not be true demons—for they followed Kraken, not God or Satan—but they had incredible strength and were very evil. Kraken was the worst of the three, as well as the strongest and most intelligent. Tremor had been the first to be awakened, then he found and awoke Ashur—now the two monsters were for sure on the search for their leader’s whereabouts. If Kraken were to be released into the earth without Brooklyn present to seal him away again, the effects would be catastrophic. It would be the end of life as everyone knew it, as well as the beginning of an age of bloodshed and war far beyond that anyone could imagine.
“You want us to stop them,” her father guessed, his eyes tightened with fear.
“No,” Levi replied, somewhat startling both her and her father. They had been expecting him to ask that they find and stop the two demonic creatures before they could release Kraken. What did he mean by ‘no’?
“Then what?” her father demanded. “What is it you’re here for? Why tell us this and then not ask for our help?”
Levi seemed to be strangely collected for someone who was the messenger of what might very well be the end of the world. He radiated vibes of gentleness and serenity from his being; even looking at him could make a person with an angry spirit serene.
“I am here for him,” the blue-haired Gatekeeper replied quietly.
Him? What did he mean by ‘him’? Katherine’s eyes widened in dark realization—he wanted Coldfire. He had come for the boy he had left for them to care for. It was understandable; after all, Coldfire was the strongest X Slayer in existence. But he wasn’t immortal! He wouldn’t stand a chance against two Gatekeepers!
“Only he can stop Kraken.”
“But…he’s too young,” her father insisted. “I won’t let you take him! Coldfire is just a boy! He won’t understand!”
Katherine’ heart pounded madly. The angel was here to take Coldfire? Why? And what did he mean by ‘only he can stop kraken’? It made no sense! Coldfire was strong, but he wasn’t nearly strong enough to fight a demon like Kraken!
Levi’s eyes tightened. He would have his way. “Nonsense,” the angel replied. “We both know Coldfire is capable of FAR more than you let on.”
What did he mean by that?
The room was quiet for a long time after that. Levi finally broke the silence again. “He will find out about his heritage sooner or later, Regae.”
Did her father know where Coldfire had really come from? But, why had he kept it a secret from everyone so long? It didn’t make sense.
“I know. …I was just hoping we could wait until he was eighteen to tell him,” her father replied silently. “That had been our original agreement, after all,” he quickly added.
But the angel wouldn’t have it. Levi shook his head. “No. I came here to tell Coldfire about his past and to help him prepare for his future. I will teach him the ways of the Gatekeeper, and he will just have to come to terms with his origins along the way,” he argued.
Why would Levi offer to teach Coldfire the ‘ways of the Gatekeeper’? Coldfire was a flesh demon, not a Gatekeeper! There were only seven Gatekeepers left of the original thirteen, after all. What was going on? Katherine rustled a little, leaning in closer in attempt to better hear the conversation. Perhaps she’d misunderstood or missed something, or maybe this was all just a dream. She couldn’t be hearing what she was hearing!
“I don’t know if he will be able to handle it, Levi,” her father replied. “After all, he is very strong willed.” Boy, wasn’t that the truth. “And Coldfire’s not one to just believe anything someone says! What if he doesn’t believe you? What if he rejects his past? Or worse—what if he accepts it?”
“What do you mean?” Levi asked slowly.
Katherine didn’t like the look on her father’s face. It was not serious and somewhat frightening. He looked suspicious or angry, between the two she couldn’t tell. But whatever the expression was, it made chills run down her back eerily.
“Coldfire is like one of my own,” he murmured. “I love him like my own son, and Katherine adores him. He’s the perfect warrior; he can kill a demon in less than a second if given the chance. He recently slaughtered more than a hundred Trei’oche in less than twenty-four hours,” her father explained. “But I have recently come to fear him.” Her father’s eyes were constricted eerily. He didn’t trust Coldfire, she realized. He feared him, in fact. “He is rash…overzealous…dangerous, even… I sometimes fear him being alone with the children… I fear that Coldfire has inherited his father’s lust for blood.”
Coldfire’s father was a killer? This was news to her. Up to this point she’d thought her father had no idea of Coldfire’s past or heritage. How much had he been hiding from her? And why?
“Good,” Levi smirked.
“GOOD?” Her father seemed taken back at Levi’s calm reaction. “What’s GOOD about THAT?”
Levi folded his hands in his kimono sleeves. “He will need to have incentive if he plans to defeat Kraken in the near future.” Katherine and her father’s eyes widened. Levi planned on using Coldfire to fight Kraken? That was suicide! “With his desire to battle, I am sure Coldfire will make for the perfect stand-in until Brooklyn can be found and awoken.”
“Coldfire is powerful, but he’s nowhere NEAR that strong!” Regae exclaimed, now worried for his adopted son’s well-being. “Kraken would slaughter him!”
“What’s wrong, Regae?” Levi’s eyes lodged in to her father’s frame quietly. They sent chills up and down his body rapidly. “Just a moment ago you sounded like you’d be happy to see Coldfire dead.”
“That’s preposterous. I told you,” her father grunted, “I love him like my own son.”
“Then why fear his power?” Levi wondered. Regae was quiet, his eyes tightened angrily. He knew Levi had backed him into a corner, which was to be expected from the beginning of their argument. Levi had lived for possible hundreds of thousands of years; one could not expect to fight with him and win. “Either way, it no longer matters,” Levi sighed. “I will take the boy with me into the mountains to train. I am under orders, my friend, and I am sorry that it must end this way. I do hope that you will not be angry with me, but I must do this—for ALL our sakes.” That was the last word on the subject they knew. Levi’s word was final; no one could stop him, and no one dared try.
As Levi turned to walk out, Katherine stumbled to get from the doorway. But she was too slow. He opened the door, knocking her over. “WAHH!” she screamed as she hit the dirt.
“KATHERINE?!” Regae hissed, angry and embarrassed.
“Hehhe…heh…” she giggled nervously, rubbing at the back of her head in pain. “Oops…”
Levi was staring down at her, scanning her. It was an eerie feeling, and something inside of her clicked with the faintest sense of recognition. His eyes were wide and focused on her, and his expression was that of shock, almost. She hadn’t frightened him, but he looked scared. Katherine eyed him warily, wondering what she’d done to upset him. But he seemed to shake it off as she was helped up by her father, who apologized immediately. But Katherine wasn’t so kind; she wasn’t about to let Levi lead her best friend to a death trap. She had to stop him!
“Don’t take him from us!” she cried, falling on her knees again in a prayer stance at Levi’s feet. “Please, Levi-sama! Don’t take Coldfire from me and my father!” Katherine begged with teary eyes.
Her father lunged to force her up again, but Levi held out a hand. His blue eyes softened on Katherine’s small frame. He knelt down and pulled her chin up, eyeing her with his cool and calming eyes. Those eyes… So deep and loving… From his conversation with her father she would have thought he was cruel, but looking into his eyes she knew it was just the opposite. Levi was doing what he had to do; he was there to help, not to hurt.
“What is your name, my child?” he whispered with a soft smile, pressing the tears from her eyes with his thumbs.
“Katherine,” she murmured quietly, calming down.
He smiled genuinely. “Katherine,” Levi whispered in a warm voice; he helped her stand and used his sleeve to dry her eyes. “That’s a pretty name.”
“Thank you…”
“Katherine, I know how much you care for him,” Levi whispered, “but this is out of his best interest. If Coldfire doesn’t come with me, he will never know his true potential. I have been sent here by God to train Coldfire in the way of his people,” the angel whispered in addition.
The girl’s eyes widened with his words. Had she heard him correctly? Was this man trying to say that Coldfire was a Gatekeeper? Her bright blue yes tightened with misunderstanding. It just didn’t seem possible.
“How is this possible?” she murmured in shock, trying desperately to comprehend the angel’s soft words. “Coldfire is a flesh demon. How is it possible that he is a Gatekeeper?”
Levi helped her to her feet and brushed her hair affectionately. “All will make sense to you in time,” he promised, patting her head and wandering into the open.
Katherine and her father walked after the angel curiously, wondering where Levi was headed. “Levi-sama!” she cried. “Levi-sama! Where are you going?”
Whispers shot through the camp as the Gatekeeper wandered into the walkway. He didn’t seem to be alerted as the woman hustled their children into their homes and the men stood guard, eying the stranger warily as Katherine and her father walked close behind him. The men all had their weapons drawn, ready to defend themselves and their families if Levi were a demon. But Levi didn’t seem interested in their threatened nature.
A child outside his home was standing close to his mother. He was young, probably only three or four, and he was curious like all children at that age. The child walked towards Levi; his mother cried out and begged him to return. But before she could reach him, her son had already reached Levi’s side. He looked up at Levi and the angel smiled down at him gently.
“Heh-woh,” the child grinned, a hand in his mouth bashfully. He reached up and tugged at Levi’s white hakama.
“Well, hello there,” Levi greeted, squatting to look the boy in the eye.
The child’s mother cried out in fear, tears swelling to her eyes. Her husband pulled out his sword and looked ready to attack, but Regae held out a hand, motioning him not to move.
“What’s your name?” Levi asked.
“I’m Nick,” the boy replied quietly, reaching up and pulling at Levi’s blue strings of hair curiously.
Levi laughed quietly. “You’re a curious one, aren’t you?” he smiled. Levi loved children; he didn’t have any of his own, so the opportunity to play with one was always a welcome time. He rubbed the boy’s brown hair as Nick let Levi’s bangs go. “How old are you, Nick?”
“This many.” The child held up hand with three fingers flipped out proudly.
“Ohh. So you’re three, huh?”
“Mm-hmm!”
“You’re a big boy, then.” The smile didn’t leave the angel’s face. He stood up and nodded towards the child’s mother, as though telling her it was okay to come get her son. She ran up and picked Nick up, cradling him. After a moment she scurried back to her home, scolding the child quietly for disobeying her. The father closed the door behind her, quickly following his family inside.
“Why are they afraid of him, father?” Katherine wondered. Levi hadn’t been a threat; he simply spoke to the child. Yet the family treated him like a pedophile. “He’s not a demon.”
“You know how we Hunters are,” her father replied coolly. “We’ve learned to trust NO one, especially a possible demon that wanders into camp. Levi-sama is a Gatekeeper, but he does not wish the people to know because he fears Tremor or Ashur may get wind of it,” Regae explained sadly. “Because of this, Levi-sama is often run off by villages in fear of attack. So he lives alone in the mountains, waiting for Brooklyn-sama to reawaken and become his companion once again.”
Katherine’s eyes weakened; they set on Levi’s tall frame sadly. She felt pity swell up for the angel’s lifestyle. “He must be so lonely,” she whispered.
“I would imagine. He is separated from most that he loves while here on earth,” her father continued. “Rumor has it that he fell in love with an Archangel years ago, but she died in a battle.”
“I miss her,” Levi thought aloud, catching her and her father off-guard. He slowly looked at Regae; his blue eyes were filled to the brim with sorrow and loss, but they were strong. “But I do not desire your pity, Regae.”
“I apologize,” Regae bowed. “I didn’t mean… I…”
“I know.” Levi turned away and looked towards the forest path. A few minutes of uncomfortable silence ensued before he spoke. “He is here.”
Just after Levi had murmured these words, Trey suddenly reappeared, another smile across his dirty face. “He’s back!” the man cried. “He’s come back!”
“What? Who’s here?” Regae demanded.
“Coldfire!” Trey announced, causing everyone to poke their heads from their windows. “Coldfire’s back!” Their eyes were wide. It hadn’t been long since he said Coldfire would return in half an hour’s walk. It hadn’t been more than fifteen minutes! “He took a cut through the forest,” Trey went on in explanation once he saw the looks of Katherine and Regae’s faces.
Katherine’s blue eyes lit up happily. Coldfire was back home! She was eager to see him again, and her jumping revealed her joy.
“Hey, guys,” a familiar voice called from behind her.
Katherine turned and smiled excitedly. It was Coldfire. He was standing in the entrance of the camp, carrying a dismembered arm that was nearly as long as he saw tall. He was dirty and covered with blood, a mix of his own and numerous demons, she presumed. Katherine let out an exclamation of job and ran up to him. “Coldfire-kun!” she squealed, throwing her arms around him happily.
He laughed as she knocking him to the ground. “Hey!” he squealed in a mix of happiness and pain, dropping the bloody arm of the flesh demon when she had tackled him. He was tired, beaten, and hungry. His energy was exhausted from the long battle with the demons. “Katherine! Gees! You sure seem happy to see me!”
She sat back, allowing him to use his arms to arch him up painfully. She shifted suddenly from friend to scolder, bobbing a threatening finger at him angrily. “Don’t you EVER scare me like that AGAIN, James K. Coldfire!” she hissed, slapping him upside the head. He laughed nervously and nodded in agreement, rubbing his head painfully. “If you EVER pull a STUPID stunt like that AGAIN, I’ll rip your head off MYSELF!”
“She really will, you know,” her father warned with a laugh.
“Sorry,” Coldfire apologized as she helped him stand up. “I didn’t mean to worry you, Katherine. But I had to get ride of those demons.” Coldfire suddenly noticed the unfamiliar visage of the blue-haired angel. The teen slowly pressed her aside to eye Levi warily, not sure if he was friend or foe.
“Oh!” she smiled, jumping between them. “Coldfire, this is Levi-sama!” she introduced.
Coldfire’s eyebrow arched curiously. He knew the stories of the Gatekeepers and found it surprising Levi would be in a Hunter tribe like this without significant reasoning behind it. But he calmed his muscles, allowing his body to relax at the news of no threat. “Levi? As in, the Gatekeeper of Water?” he wondered aloud, not sure of what to think at this point.
“Correct,” Levi bowed. It shocked everyone listening from their homes, and they all stared in awe, including Coldfire. But he was not amused. He did not understand this being, nor did he trust him, regardless of his being a Gatekeeper. When Levi came back up abruptly from his bow, Coldfire’s stale glare hadn’t been removed. “I am Levi,” the angel nodded.
“Why are you here?” The boy’s words had been strong and forceful.
Levi seemed either amused or surprised at the way Coldfire was reacting to him. Most people honored the angel for who and what he was, but this boy did not seem in any way intimidated, or even look like he cared of Levi’s age or rank. Levi wasn’t sure if he should feel insulted or happy. “To get you,” the blue-eyed man replied.
Coldfire’s eyes were tight with confusion. He looked towards Regae for an answer. Regae nodded slowly. What was this? Some kind of a joke? What would Levi, the Gatekeeper of Water, want with a measly demon slayer like himself? It didn’t seem to make sense. “I don’t…understand,” Coldfire admitted slowly.
“Come with me, Coldfire.” Levi walked towards Regae’s home, and Regae and Katherine followed the angel close behind. Levi wanted privacy, for everyone was staring at them from their windows in awe and curiosity. The angel walked casually into Katherine’s home, opening the door and sitting down as though it were his right.
The truth was that Regae knew Levi well, for his father had been good friends with the angel, so his family saw Levi very often. This being said, it was only natural for Levi to feel welcome and at home in Katherine’s dwelling; but since he had left long before she was born, Katherine felt a little uneasy and somewhat upset that he wandered into her house without so much as asking her father if it were all right. But she withheld her anger and sat down in her usual spot across from her father, who sat next to his old friend.
The three took their seats comfortably on the pads in front of the table; it was a traditional Oriental-style table that sat only a few inches off the ground. They lived in the East but they followed these customs simply because it was convenient and already burned into their culture. Katherine had a very small amount of Oriental blood on her mother’s side; about one-eighth—it wasn’t enough to make much show in her own physical attributes.
Coldfire was used to these setups but he preferred the traditional Western-style tables and beds to these. Still cautious, the teenage boy took his seat next to Katherine, staring at Levi who sat directly from him across the table.
“Would you care for some tea?” Regae offered, holding up the tea kettle.
Levi nodded gently and was poured Green Tea; Regae knew Levi liked it the best. The angel sipped at his tea and set the cup down, giving Katherine and Coldfire a moment to calm and soak in to the moment.
“I know you’re tired, Coldfire,” Levi finally spoke. “I think it would be best if you took an hour or so to get cleaned up and take a short rest before we further discuss my business here.”
Coldfire glanced over at Regae as though asking him what to do. Regae nodded and the teenager stood. “I’ll be back in two hours,” he murmured as he walked out the door.
“I’ll hold you to your word,” Levi nodded, taking another sip of his Green Tea.
Coldfire headed towards his home, which was on the far north-west side of the camp. His house looked to be a single-roomed home; it much smaller than the other Hunters’ dwellings. But that was only on the top floor; Coldfire’s real dwelling lye beneath it, underground.
The first floor served as his relaxing room, where he hung out with his friends and family. He had his table for dinner set up on the top floor; his home was dome-shaped, much unlike the normal box-shaped houses of the other Hunters. The place was actually once used as the tribe’s cellar; they stored food and supplies there, and used it to hide things and sometimes even people from demons. The cellar had been given to Coldfire when he turned fifteen, for they made a new one and had no further use for it. The teenager found the building compact and secretive design to be perfect; he liked time to himself, and being underground was a big plus for his own room.
The way he had it decorated was designed to look relaxing and more of a hang-out than living quarters. He had a long couch made of a dark blue fabric; the couch coiled around the round room, hugging the walls. The table sat was folded and hid behind the couch; when set up, it stood in the middle of the room on a mat Coldfire could pull out. The walls were decorated with claws, weapons, and dragons, all symbolic of his Hunter heritage and rank in the tribe. The room itself was made from metal, hand-crafted by the tribe’s local blacksmith.
Coldfire opened his door and wandered towards the back of the top floor, where he pulled open a hidden door in the floor. The steps that spiraled down to the second floor underground led to the trap-door in his floor. The flesh demon walked down the winding staircase, closing the door as he lowered. The underground floor was much larger than the upstairs one. The first room you walked into when exiting the staircase was his bedroom; it was the largest room in the house and was made to give him plenty of walking room. His sky blue bed was very large and sat in the corner of the room. The walls were decorated with memorabilia of his battles; the arm he took from the battle that morning would find its way onto his wall, for sure. He also had a wall of photos of him, Katherine, and his other friends there at the tribe and in the city. His walls were painted a light blue and his carpet was a light tanned-beige.
The rooms that connected to his bedroom were the kitchen and the bathroom, as one might expect. His kitchen was a descent size and had a marble counter with three chairs set up, and two more were in the closet. The counters were made of solid marble, and his sink and other appliances were all made of silvery metals. Coldfire liked to look clean and liked his home that way, too. He had a fridge and freezer in the corner, stuck into the wall. Combined with the food in his pantry, he had enough food to last him the winter if needed. The bathroom was a direct extension of his room; the door was right next to his bed, making easy entry to his bathroom for late night hits. It made it easy to find. The bathroom was larger than most and had a tiled shower and a large tub; he was a big boy and needed his room. Like the kitchen, the bathroom’s counters were made of a marble, but they were white rather than black like the kitchen’s counters. He had a large mirror running over the counter, and various hair products and other such things were set neatly on the counter.
Relieved that Levi had given him time to relax, Coldfire put the demon arm in his freezer for safe storage, wrapping it in foil until he could prepare it for his wall. After making sure the arm was taken care of, the teen walked to his room and pulled his wooden dresser open. He searched until he’d found his typical, short sleeved, navy-blue shirt. He grabbed a pair of boxers and walked to his closet, which wasn’t exceptionally large. He had little changes of clothes; Coldfire preferred simplicity and comfort when it came to his clothes. His choice of pants was a pair of baggy, thin, black pants, with a white dragon on the bottom of the left pant leg. After grabbing his clothes he walked into his bathroom and stripped off his bloody, torn clothes. He threw them in the dirty clothes hamper and prepared his shower.
After a long, hot shower and having washed his hair of the dirt, twigs, blood, and other materials he’d managed to get into during the battle, he hopped out and dried himself off. Coldfire took time cleaning himself; personal grooming meant a lot to him, regardless of the fact that he lived in the middle of a forest and battled demon and monsters for a living. He always cleaned up after a Hunt, although God KNEW Coldfire enjoyed getting dirty and nasty in a good fight.
Coldfire took a short nap after he showered, then, realizing he was hungry, he got a quick bowl of cereal to fill his stomach. Now clean, rested, and fed, he felt fully refreshed. Coldfire walked back upstairs and made his way towards Katherine’s house on the other side of the village.

“I have many things to tell you, Coldfire.” Levi said. They were now sitting back in their previous positions with Coldfire across from Levi, Katherine at his left side, and her father across from her and next to Levi. Coldfire was clean and rested, ready to receive Levi’s message with open ears. “About your heritage and where you come from.”
Coldfire hid his eagerness. He always wondered where he came from, and why he had been abandoned at such a strange age. He had heard of babies being left at the doorsteps of Hunter villages by parents who feared they couldn’t take care of their children; if this had been the case with him, he may have understood and found forgiveness in his heart for his own parents. But he had been brought here when a small child, looking to be around eight or nine—a strange age for his parents or keepers to abandon him. He was a healthy, strong boy, so why would they give him up? He had always wondered about his past; perhaps this visit would prove worthier than he had originally anticipated…
“You can tell me about my parents?” he asked.
“Yes. I can,” Levi nodded. “I wish I had more time to tell you about your grandfather, Crow.”
The name was familiar to the three Hunters. Crow was an Angel of Death that was said to have died in a battle with Tremor several hundred years ago. He had a daughter, but Tremor stole her away and she was presumed dead. Was it possible that Coldfire’s father or mother could have been the child of that missing daughter? It seemed hard to believe. After all, it was just a bedtime story; a myth. Coldfire felt skeptical and his face showed it more than he realized.
“That’s ridiculous,” he snorted.
Levi was calm. “Why is that?” he asked.
“Crow’s story is nothing more than a myth,” Coldfire grunted. “And even if it were true, that would mean I am part Angel of Death. And that’s—”
“True as well,” Levi finished. His cool reply caused everyone’s eyes to widen considerably, including Coldfire’s. “But it is not manifested in your flesh,” he continued, taking another sip of his tea. “I will not know the extent of your death powers until much later in your spiritual training. However, it is unlikely you received anything worth mention from Crow if the powers have not appeared in this stage of your life. Although I must say that you did receive his hair style,” the angel added with a smile. “Crow was renowned for his wild hair. But his was black.”
Coldfire was quiet. This was alarming news; if it really was true, he was an angelic being spiritually! But he was a flesh demon. “Then how am I Trei’oche by flesh?” he demanded, thinking he’d cornered Levi. “It makes no sense!”
Levi smiled, amused by Coldfire’s likeness to his father. “I am not completely sure yet how your father pulled that trick off,” he admitted. “But I know you got at least half of that trait from him. It is possible he found a way to somehow override your mother’s genes to make you full demon.”
“So my father was a flesh demon, then?” It didn’t surprise him. Coldfire knew he was flesh demon so he was expecting both his parents to be, as well.
“I suppose you could consider him that. But I wouldn’t call him that to his face or he might rip it off,” Levi grinned at the thought.
“What do you mean by that?” Coldfire wondered aloud, now becoming very curious where Levi was headed. “Is he ashamed of being a Trei’oche?”
“No, because he’s not.”
“Wait a second,” Katherine interrupted. “You JUST SAID he was a flesh demon.”
“Yes I did,” Levi nodded in agreement.
“So what is he, then? Is he a demon or not?”
Levi sighed. “It’s difficult to explain.”
“Why?” Coldfire grunted. “Just spill it out.”
“All right.” Levi paused, as though considering whether or not to say it; Regae waited to see if his old sensei would go through with it. This was the moment of truth for Coldfire and his future. If he accepted his fate, he couldn’t turn back. “Your father,” Levi began, “…is Kraken, the fallen Gatekeeper of Darkness.”
“Excuse me?” Coldfire yelped, now more upset than surprised. He stood, not sure of what to do with himself. This was disturbing news; if it were true, that would mean he was the son of the most evil and most powerful being of darkness in existence! The same Gatekeeper who led the mutiny against God with Lucifer and his angels! That would make Coldfire the son of darkness itself, and he wasn’t about to accept that. “You’re telling me that Kraken is my FATHER?!” he screamed.
“Calm down, Coldfire,” Regae begged. “Yelling is not going to change the past.”
“What?! So you KNEW about this and you didn’t TELL ME?!”
Regae sighed. “I’m sorry, Coldfire,” he apologized. “But I was sworn to secrecy! I wanted to tell you about your father so many times! …But I couldn’t bring myself to go through with it… I’m…sorry…”
“…NO!” Coldfire screamed, shaking his head. He couldn’t accept this! It wasn’t true! It couldn’t be true! “It’s NOT TRUE!” Angry and confused, he shot out of the front door.
“Coldfire!” Regae called, running after him. But Levi stood and held the man’s shoulder, pulling him back inside.
“Let him go,” Levi instructed calmly.
“But he’s so confused!” Regae cried. “I have to explain!”
“NO,” Levi insisted in a firm voice. “This is something he will have to accept for himself. No one can force Coldfire to believe this. It is a hard blow, and I am sure he is angry and confused, but we must allow this time to sink in. I have no doubt he will return. Just wait. He will come back, Regae. Just have patience and faith.”
Katherine was still sitting, her head lowered and her eyes focused on the ground. It was true. It was all true. Somehow, she knew he was Kraken’s son; it just…made sense. Levi and her father walked next to her when they realized she hadn’t moved or said anything for much of the conflict.
“Katherine, honey…” her father whispered, kneeling down to look her in the eye. But she stared at the ground quietly, her blue eyes tightened with thought. “Are you all right?”
“…How long?” she demanded, her fists clenching in her lap. She slowly looked up at him. “How long have you known?”
Regae was silent with guilt. He didn’t have to answer. Katherine let out a grunt of anger and disbelief. She stood and walked to her room, slamming her door behind her. Levi and her father were left standing in the living room, both quiet and both unnerved at the morning’s events. Things hadn’t gone as planned.

“It’s not true,” Coldfire murmured to himself loudly. He was walking through the dense forest, wandering places he had never drifted before. He had often kept on a few designated routes that the Hunters had used for the past centuries; the forest was a dangerous place lurking with many demons and dark figures, and the Hunters knew which paths were safe to walk without danger. But he was too mad to think about others, so he made sure he wouldn’t run in to anyone by walking an unpaved path. “None of it is true!”

“He is nearing, brother,” Tremor hissed with a wicked smile. He and Ashur were watching their nephew from a safe distance, high on a cliff above him. They knew Levi would go looking for Coldfire sooner or later; all they needed to do was wait. And finally the day had come and the Gatekeeper of Water had led the two creatures straight to their prey. But they weren’t there to kill Kraken’s youngest son—only to capture him for a short time.
Kraken was sealed away in a spirit crystal by Brooklyn ten years ago. He had been sleeping for only a short time, but he was already being insistent as he tended to be. Kraken wanted out, but the only way to be released was for the crystal he was trapped in to be broken or someone were to release him manually. A demon (of flesh of spirit) or a fallen Gatekeeper could not do this, which was why the two dragons had sought out Coldfire.
The being to release Kraken would have to be a person of considerable strength, and Coldfire had finally become of age. He was now strong enough to release his father again into the world. But Coldfire would not so this for just any reason; he would fight back. But even at his current stage of power, his spirit was not yet strong enough to put up a fight against Tremor and Ashur for very long. They would simply force him in to releasing Kraken.
“We will wait for him to become disoriented,” Ashur thought aloud, cackling to himself as he did it. “Then, when he is confused and lost, we’ll strike! And we’ll take him to the caverns where Kraken sleeps!”
“Then we’ll force him to awaken Kraken!” Tremor finished. “And the world will again be ours to destroy!”
The two demonic Gatekeepers laughed at their plan. But they had caused far too much noise, and had not spied their prey during their conversation. During those few moments, Coldfire had heard them and had snuck up behind them. He was fast, stealthy, and quiet; another pile of qualities he’s inherited from his father, he supposed. But in his stalking Coldfire hadn’t overheard their plan other than the words “Kraken” and “awaken”; but these two monsters he did not recognize, nor did he care for the name of his father, especially during this time in his life. He would attack quickly; they wouldn’t know what hit them.
But as Coldfire charged, Ashur and Tremor turned and reacted faster than his attack could reach them. They slammed their tails into his body, slamming the boy against the mountain and knocking him unconscious.

Coldfire awoke in a dark cavern that was lit only by the lights of fires that were lit across the walls. He stood but cradled his bruised sides and stomach painfully; the demons’ tails had caused considerable damage.
“You’re finally awake, little nephew,” Tremor chuckled.
Coldfire looked up, taking in Tremor’s form. The creature was in his dragon state, large, brown, and plated from head to toe. He was about forty feet in length, Coldfire presumed, from the tip of his snout to the end of the blade Tremor sported on his tail. The blade was called a Squar, and it was three feet in length itself and made of bone. Tremor walked on all fours, and his body was muscular but thinner than his playmate’s.
Ashur was enormous—at least sixty feet long, and he too had a Squar, but his was serrated and nearly six feet long. The monster was much more frightening that Tremor in appearance. He also had a pair of wings, which he had tucked away between three pairs of blades on either side of his back, the middle longer than the other two pair. Ashur’s body radiated strong waves of heat; the heat pulsed throughout the room, causing the cave to warm up far past that of Coldfire’s comfort levels.
Coldfire hid his anxiety. He was not afraid of these two; he knew who they were and of what they were capable of, but he had faced many demons in the past without fear, and he wasn’t about to start now. He stood firmly and strong, determined to let them know who the boss really was and that he did not fear either of them. “It wasn’t smart of you to take me to such an isolated place,” he warned.
“Oh, no?” Ashur chuckled, taking a step towards to brace youngster. “And why is that?”
Coldfire smirked and sneered, “Because now you have nowhere to hide, and neither of you can fly in here, either. So your trumps are played and I have the advantage.”
Ashur and Tremor laughed, throwing their spiked heads back in amusement. “My child!” Tremor snorted. “You are foolish! Do you really think WE fear YOU?”
“No,” Coldfire smiled. “I guess you don’t. But you should,” he added haughtily.
“My, myyy,” Ashur snickered, towering over Coldfire. The demonic figure stood well over ten feet tall. “Aren’t WE the courageous one?”
“I just know my limits,” Coldfire replied firmly. “And I have full confidence that I could take the both of you.”
“Ha! You speak of what you do not know, foolish boy!” Ashur snorted, flames nearly searing Coldfire’s blue shirt. “But you are lucky!” Ashur leaned down and picked Coldfire up; the teenager struggled to get free but Ashur’s plated hands protected him from any of his nephew’s attacks. The demon carried Coldfire towards a small platform. On the platform there sat a single sphere that was clear to the eye, but held a swirling cloud of darkness. Ashur dropped Coldfire, and the boy hit the hard ground with a grunt of pain. “Take hold of the sphere and we shall let you go without conflict,” he instructed, stepping a few paces back and giving Coldfire some room as he stood.
“Why should I?” Coldfire grunted angrily.
“If you don’t, we’ll destroy your village,” Tremor replied.
Coldfire glared at the two demonic figures angrily. He knew he couldn’t fight them off, even though he had previously bluffed he could. But they knew well that he lacked that ability, he now realized. They could somehow read his strength; they knew his weaknesses. He would have to do what they said to keep his friends and family from being killed at their hands.
“This day has really sucked,” Coldfire mumbled to himself, turning to take a second look at the sphere sitting on the rock in front of him. It was about six inches in diameter, and on further inspection of the dark fluid inside the crystal, one could see it was more like a cloud. It swirled slowly; ominously. This was nothing Coldfire liked. It was dark and gave off vibes of hate and darkness; it gave off a stench rich with blood and death—a smell he had become accustomed to being a demon slayer. This crystal held something alive within it; Coldfire could almost feel the creature’s heartbeat from within the crystal, beating and pulsing with dark energy he dared not test. Something was terribly wrong here…
He hesitated, and Tremor and Ashur were quickly becoming impatient. “TOUCH IT!” Ashur screeched. “TOUCH IT! Or you’ll NEVER see your FRIENDS and FAMILY ALIVE AGAIN!”
Enticed by his will to save his kin, Coldfire reached out and grabbed hold of the crystal. Immediately he knew he had done something of horrific consequence. As soon as his fingers had touched the cold ball, a shock of pain vibrated through his body. He screamed in pain, nearly falling to his knees as he felt his energy being sucked from his body and into the void. It was only about a second later that he heard an ominous and spine-chilling laugh. Coldfire was released, sent flying back and hitting the floor. He slid several feet before stopping; his whole body sizzled from the experience.
Not sure of what he had done, Coldfire watched as the ball released the black energy within it. The tar-colored cloud quickly took shape of a black form above the crystal; it was some sort of dragon-like creature, but since it was still in gaseous form Coldfire couldn’t make out any significant details. Red eyes glared down at him; those eyes…he knew them… The sudden reality of what he had done hit him hard; he had released Kraken, his father; the destroyer of worlds unknown… How could he have done this? He had damned his own world to destruction by releasing this being into it!
“Hello, my son,” the cloud hissed. Even though it had no facial features, Coldfire could almost feel Kraken smiling down with twisted amusement at what he had done. “It has been a while since you were stolen from me. I see you’re all grown up; you’re taller than I thought you’d be.”
Coldfire knew what Levi had told him was true, that Kraken was his birth father. But it was still difficult to accept, even while being acknowledged by Kraken himself. The teenager stood and pointed an aggressive finger at the cloud. “I’m nothing like you!” he screamed in insistence. “And I am going to put you back where you belong!”
“Hahahahahaha!” The three fallen creatures laughed. “You are more like me than you realize,” Kraken replied. “And we shall meet again soon!” With those words having been said, Kraken’s spirit took off, flying away in gaseous dragon form, with Ashur and Tremor close behind.
Coldfire ran after them, following the three out of the cave and back into the open forest. “On, no you don’t!” he screamed. “Come back here and fight me!”
“Soon, my son!” Kraken screeched back as he and the others disappeared. “Soon!”

“He has returned.” Levi stood from his seat and walked out the door. Regae quickly scurried after him.
Katherine was lying on her bed, still upset. She looked out her open window and saw Coldfire’s familiar form wandering towards the camp. She leapt from her bed, ran out her door, and met her friend outside.
Coldfire had a pale face and a frightened, drained expression when Levi, Regae, and Katherine had some out to see him. They all knew something was terribly wrong, and it wasn’t about what Levi had told him. This was something far more dramatic than that; something horrific had occurred during his absence. They could only wonder what until he said something, which was a few seconds later.
“I did something,” Coldfire whispered sickly, gulping down a nervous knot in his throat to keep him from throwing up. “I did something terrible… Please don’t hate me, Regae,” he pleaded quietly. “I didn’t… It was an accident.”
“What has happened?” the man asked slowly, now incredibly concerned. This was big; he hadn’t seen Coldfire this distraught since he was a young boy upset about breaking Regae’s sword while playing with it as instructed not to. “I won’t hate you, Coldfire,” he promised when the look of fear didn’t leave his young friend’s face. “No matter what you’ve done, we can get it fixed.”
“No,” Coldfire murmured back. “No, we can’t…”
Levi’s eyes dilated as something inside snapped. He couldn’t have… No… The air was filled was a deathly familiar scent; the scent of blood and rotting flesh. Kraken had been released, and he was on the hunt for a body to use.
“You released Kraken,” Levi said, his voice remaining calm, regardless of the anger and fear that was swelling within his spirit.
Coldfire’s eyes were wide; he had been expecting Levi to be angry. But the angel didn’t even yell at him.
“Is this true?” Regae asked, his eyes wide with fear.
Coldfire’s silence made it clear that he had, he didn’t need to say anything. Regae fell to the ground in despair, crashing to his knees slowly. “This…this is the end, then?” he murmured. “Kraken will kill us all…”
“No,” Levi insisted. Everyone looked at him with confused eyes. The rebirth of Kraken in the world was nothing to shrug off; every time he was released and obtained a body he wreaked havoc and murdered millions. He caused world-wide trauma and panic; chaos and blood reigned mercilessly during the years Kraken wandered the earth. Why would this be any different? He must know that the Hunters were powerless against Gatekeepers, especially considering there were three! “There is hope.” Levi placed a hand on Coldfire’s shoulder and smiled at his nephew confidently. “You can defeat Kraken.”
“What?” Coldfire’s eyes widened and then tightened with awe and rejection. “No! I couldn’t even fight off his two buddies! Besides,” Coldfire pushed Levi’s hand away, “when I took hold of the ball he was encased in, he drained my energy to regain his strength and be released. I nearly fainted from just the energy he required to escape that ball,” the teenager murmured angrily. His fists tightened with wrath and hatred for both his father and his own weakness. “I am weak… I could never defeat him… Not in a thousand years.”
“Good.” Levi smiled at Coldfire’s glare of building anger. “Because you only have two before Kraken gains the strength necessary to destroy all Mankind,” the angel pulled up two fingers.
“Two YEARS?!” Katherine screamed in shock. Kraken normally created havoc and chaos in a hundred to thousand year reign, but never before had he attempted to destroy all Mankind! “That’s IT?! That’s all we HAVE?!”
“Two years is plenty of time to prepare,” Levi assured, still staring Coldfire down. “If Coldfire will dedicate the next twelve months to being my pupil, I shall teach him everything he needs to know to fight Kraken and win.”
“You can train me in a year’s time?” Coldfire asked. He had been the one to release Kraken; it was his responsibility to put the demonic figure back. “You can teach me to fight?”
“That and more,” Levi nodded.
The angels’ offer was promising; maybe too promising. It didn’t seem possible that just a year’s training would empower Coldfire with that much of a strength boost. But Levi was well-known to be the wisest and oldest created being in existence, and Coldfire trusted his uncle’s judgment and word. This was HIS battle—HIS responsibility. He would put his faith in Levi’s hands, something he had never entrusted to anyone.
Katherine and her father eyed the teenager in eager silence to see what he would do. A few seconds later, after weighing his options and coming to a decision, Coldfire held out a hand. Levi extended his own hand and the two angelic beings shook to complete their pact.
“One year,” Coldfire smirked.
“That’s all I ask,” Levi nodded.
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see http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/16815493/ for the chapter's continuation.