Jet and Jade | Black and White 1

Chapter 25: Jet

I went up the staircases hiding my face. Though the demoness, Maila, had not recognized me, the reapers surely would. Well, she hadn't until I told her who I was. Why had I said my real name and admitted my rank anyway? It was an utterly risky move that only an idiot would choose!

I rolled my eyes to myself.

Focus.

The coldness that stretched its silky tendrils at my beating heart grew stronger as I went on. I followed its deadly guidance.

Dear Banvon,
Your death has arrived,
You'll soon be gone,
Though you've always thrived.

As I passed by a doorway, I stopped, almost instinctively. I looked inside it cautiously, and just as I thought, there he was. And he knew I was there.

Banvon Rydonl smiled, a motion unnatural and strange on his near-black grey face. His crimson eyes filled with glee and no surprise, he watched me with his legs crossed as he sat upon his black throne.

I felt my body stiffen and my eyes narrow.

"Hi, sis," he said in a weird tone, giving me a sarcastic little wave. "Are you finally going to kill me?"

"I'm not your sister," I growled at him as I stalked across the grey floor.

"But you are!" Banvon widened his eyes innocently as he leapt off the throne. He began walking towards me.

"No, I'm not. Your sister is dead."

"Oh come on, Jet! Humour me a little, at least!"

I glared at him as I stopped a meter away from him. "No."

"How boring..."

"For Hell's sake, you killed her! Or do you not remember that she is dead?" I snapped.

Banvon laughed as he stopped smiling, a sound that made chills creep up my back. He was finally throwing off his façade and showing his true colours.

"Of course I remember," he said. "That is what's going to happen to you. Which is why I called you that, because you will end up just as she did, with your head unattached from your body."

"Are you so sure that you won't lose?" I said.

He smiled at me. "Of course."

The smile still on his face, his ice-covered fist flew at me with shocking speed.

I dodged, but the vibration from the icy punch still hit me. I had forgotten how powerful he was because of the childlike form he was taking right now. I could feel the red liquid seeping out from my ringing ears.

"You've gotten weak." Banvon's voice was both taunting and stating a fact. "Did you miss fighting with me?"

I took advantage of his excessive amount of teasing, throwing a piece of darkness at him. It sliced through the air and cut him square across the neck, like a blade.

Crimson blood splattered everywhere, spilling on the grey marble and all over our clothes. Wow. He had so much blood.

"Not bad!" Banvon praised. "But you should know that can't kill me. Now my turn."

Unwilling to listen to him, I shot out a wave of shadow arrows, going in every direction. That was what had gotten him the last time, the time he cursed me. Even while I knew he wouldn't fall for the same trick twice, this didn't take much energy-- I needed to buy some time so that I could conjure two orbs of darkness in my hands to grow. They needed time to hurt more.

Banvon began to weave tendrils of an old curse he had cast, that had broken, to shield himself. I knew that from the actions his black hands were making in the air. The stronger the curse had been, the stronger his shield would be.

The day he had cursed me, I had almost died from trying to hold him off with the arrows. I couldn't do it properly, back then.

Now, it was nothing to me.

Banvon was wrong. I had not gotten weaker.

I knew that if I hadn't blocked my mind, he would know everything I was planning-- because he had telepathy, so he could normally hear my thoughts. Before, he could.

A fist of ice shot towards my face.

I drifted backwards, the way reapers walked.

Banvon's fist came an inch away from me. His grinning face was revealed through the onslaught of my arrows. Evidently, from the way the arrows went straight through him as if he was a spirit, he had finished weaving his shield.

I stopped the arrows. They were useless now.

Glancing down at the shadow orbs in my hands, I knew they were not ready yet. I had slightly underestimated Banvon-- I'd thought it would take longer for him to find a way for defending the arrows. I needed another distraction.

I put a weaker orb around me, like a force field that angels used. Banvon would get through it soon, but for now, I willed my power to flow towards the circular objects in my hands.

I looked out of the window, the sounds of Banvon's ice attacks in my ears. The sky was dark with reapers, demons and spirits flying towards wherever they were going, and grey clouds. The air felt cold.

I found that I missed the moons of Uranus and its near-clear skies. And, more so, I missed my sister.

The force orb around me shattered.

Banvon smiled sinisterly. "Any other new tricks, Jet? For me to take?"

Ah. I'd forgotten he could copy skills.

I let a breath of air escape my nostrils.

I could feel that my orbs were ready.

Now, just a bit of acting...

I shook my head no and made my body shake like I was afraid.

His smile grew as he inched toward me, blades of ice in his hands. It was chilling.

I let myself back away, until I hit a wall.

Good.

"You're going to die like Balena." Banvon laughed. "It is so fitting."

It was the perfect moment.

In a flash, I brought my hands up to his head, throwing the orbs of darkness out of them.

They hit him, dissolving.

I couldn't see the damage, but then again, Banvon's external injuries never showed.

I knew this was far from over, but I also knew that I had to win this fight.

If I didn't, I would be dead.