You Again?

The End

“What do you want?” War asked, surprising Yin. The smaller was glaring at the creature with fierce eyes, face in a scowl. “Tell me what you want.”

“I know you War Wanarat.” The creature laughed in its hollow voice. “You cannot sway me with your words.”

Yin looked at War and he could see him gritting his teeth. Although there were two of them, they still had no full grasp of what this thing was capable of. They couldn’t risk facing it head on, they had to bid their time.

And War was doing a wonderful job at that, distraction.

“I want to know what I have to do for you to leave me alone,” War said slowly, but the creature only laughed, deep and humorless.

“You talk to us, pretend that you care and get us to do your bidding. You are no different from those wretched guardians who think they are above us.” The creature spat out and then pointed at Yin with his rotting hand. “You care for this mortal, I will take him from you.”

Yin watched a variety of emotions pass through War’s face, from confusion, to realization and then finally anger. “Then you do not know me at all.”

“Do I really not?” The creature said before turning to Yin. “Do you not use the beings in this school to protect him? You show them a facade of pity but you only ever care about him.”

The puzzle pieces were starting to fall into place. It was no coincidence that War was there every time he was in trouble. For a long time he shied away from these beings, never wanting to be associated with the supernatural, but War was different. He should have known that from the day the ghost of the little girl approached him in the library.

“Even now.” The creature laughs. “You don't really care about what I want. You were just waiting.”

War’s eyes widened when the creature vanished before their eyes.

“You underestimated me, War Wanarat.” A disembodied voice said from somewhere around them. Taunting them.

Yin gasped when he felt cold hands around his shoulders, he smelled rotting and burning flesh and he knew that the creature was behind him.

“This is who you want to protect?” The creature said, long nails digging into his skin. “Pathetic.”

Yin’s eyes darkened, and he laughed.

“You find this funny mortal?” The creature said, digging his nails deeper and drawing blood.

Inconspicuously Yin pulled out the dagger that Off gave to him in the sly a few days ago. Technically he wasn’t supposed to have it but Off is paranoid and rightly so. He mustered up all the strength he had and stabbed it as hard as he could on the creature behind him.

“You’re the one underestimating me.” He said before struggling out of its hold. He grabbed War’s hand to pull him away from the screaming creature. “In this world I don’t run from you.”

Off told him that the dagger should be powerful enough to incapacitate the creature if they ever encounter him without the guardians but it won’t be enough to get rid of it completely.

It was about to make another pass at them despite its weakened state but before it could make a move it screamed again, louder and more deathly this time.

Behind him Yin could see that Off had expertly thrown a dagger followed by two more, piercing the creature's back and Gun was muttering something under his breath. Whatever they were doing seemed to make the creature writhe in pain until it crumpled to the ground.