Half-Bloods R • 2 : Growing Shadows

C • 4 : Blood in Water, Shadows over Flowers

"There's something I want to show you, Talv," Villin said, a large black bird flying over them.

She pulled out a deep red eye with an orange iris, its sclera coated as if it were made of blood. The eye radiated a sense of hatred and anger as if it were held together by nothing more than pure malice.

"This is the Root Eye, an artifact left behind from the battle over San Antonio, back when our grandfather walked on Earth. Pieces of the monster were left behind, namely a few small items. In all, there's the eye, a finger, and a chunk of its heart, the places where the beast was struck," she held it out, clutching it between her fingers.

"How'd you learn all of this," he asked, reaching for it.

She let the eye roll back from her fingers and clutched it in her palm, "It's one of the reasons I've been out here, one of the artifacts was found by the Order. This one I stole from them, and the third, I've been looking for it."

There was a snap of a twig, the archdevil siblings spun around, focusing on the sound. Out stepped a man, dressed in bright white clothing with greenish highlights beneath his arms, and between his legs. His hair was mottled, and his eyes a sharp blue.

"Greetings!" The man said, "I'm Agent Seventy-Five, and I've been sent here to kill you," he formed a crystal blade and pointed it at Villin, "Also to take back the eye."

Villin wrapped the eye and stuffed it away in her pocket before the two siblings readied themselves for a fight, both crouching low. Villin's tails lashed, and Vaelan's arms became fully coated in shadow.

Damn it, my fight with Villin drained me!

"We'll take him together," Vaelan growled.

The man laughed, "As if, you ever face a Jaato? We're beyond your levels of strength, you should be scared!"

His head fell to the ground as Villin whipped forward faster than Vaelan could process, a single mana blade in her hand. The agent's headless body slumped forward onto its knees, then fell.

Villin skidded along the ground, dust flying up from her feet.

"Twelve-hundred and sixty-three," she whispered, the blade dispersing.

"You've gotten quicker, Villin," Vaelan huffed, the mana wrapped around his arms breaking away.

"Yeah, you've gotten quicker, Villin," the head spoke, its nerves and muscles shooting out and reattaching to the body.

The two snapped back together, its veil-marks igniting with blue light, and the agent pushed himself back up to his feet. Five veil-marks sat along his left arm. Villin sped back to Vaelan and was quickly matched in speed by the agent. Vaelan darted away as best he could but found himself slowed down without his wings.

The agent grabbed Vaelan's main left arm and tore away the large chunk of mana, prompting Vaelan to spin around and throw a devastating punch through the agent's gut. The flesh, muscle, and organs quickly reformed around Vaelan's arm, trapping him as the agent's skin turned hellish red. Villin grabbed the agent's head, snapped his neck, and sliced off his arms, before ripping him off of Vaelan and tackling her brother to the ground. The agent erupted into a large ball of flames, scorching the trees and grass, and even marking the nearby structures of concrete.

The agent stood up, fresh arms sprouting from his horrifically burned torso. Pieces of flesh dropped from his body as his head snapped back into place. Vaelan rushed at the agent and grabbed the agent's head, smashing it against a nearby tree. Blood, bits of bone, and pieces of brain matter splashed against the tree. He let go and backed away, the agent's skin quickly healing.