King's Kou: Do not awaken the knight in the beast

Chapter 33: Wake up II

The storm had begun. Kairon had not come home. Kou waited by the window, blowing warm air against the glass and drawing a childish image of His Majesty's face. He grew unsettled as the skies grew even darker without him in sight. Thunder rolled and growled in the skies. The downpour was heavy.

"Kou!!!"

The viel jolted from his seat from hearing that distraught cry.

"King is in trouble!"

He rushed out of the cabin and charged into uncertainty. Running into the forest without a scent to chase on was grueling. He took random directions; the cold droplets struck his skin and glued his clothes against him like second skin.

"Your Majesty!" Kou shouted.

"Kou! Help me!!!"

"Your Majesty, where are you?!"

Kou darted to the origin of the voice that kept changing whereabouts. One moment the call was east of him and the next the call was on the other side.

"Kou...Kou! It burns!"

The viel's blood had begun to chill from the fear of hopelessness. The sun no longer hid behind the dark skies and had completely set. His king remained out there– in peril and alone– and yet Kou was incompetent. He couldn't protect him. He couldn't fulfill his duty. In the end, the small kingdom that they tried to build in replacement of their previous one was threatening to fall apart again.

Kou fell on one knee. His arm rested on his other thigh. His head was low, he was drenched.

"Where are you? Where...where can Kou find you?" he murmured.

Darkness further grew. The rain didn't appear to be stopping any time soon. His voice kept calling to him from everywhere yet he didn't seem to be here at all. He was far away. He was so far away.

Kou's hand was starting to harden like stone because of the cold. He grew numb. He glanced at his fingertips, his vision blurry from their own nimbostratus clouds.

"What use...am I?"

...

...

...

The fake Kou sighed, jumping down from the casket. "The Kou you're referring to is damaged goods. Lord Mammon is giving you me. What more can you ask for?"

"I'm asking you people to get off my forest yet none of you listen..." Boota replied.

"You have a lot of nerve copying Kou!" Basil snarled.

"Of course, unlike the Kou you're referring to, I still have my nerves intact. You really don't know how lucky you are."

The false Kou took a deep breath, stretching his neck side to side. Hands of varying appearances which represented the breeds mixed into his being burst out of his body, climbing out of him. A large white wolf, a demon, an angel and a humanoid dragon stood before them. All of their eyes were clouded from death. Their flesh was rotting. The angel didn't even seem ethereal anymore. Their stances were limp and awkward yet their grins were wide with pride.

"Stay out of this one, Boota. You don't look so well," Basil teased.

Boota snorted, pulling up his sleeve which showed his already healed arm. "Knowing you, you'll drag this fight on for too long. I'll help you out. This fraud can't even move himself in one piece."

The replicas of Kou's components frowned from Boota's insult. "I'm just as good as the original."

Gaku was about to step in and join but Salem stopped him with his umbrella.