Life in a new Kingdom (Original Story)

Chapter 59

"CALEB!" It was all I could do: shout at the top of my lungs. Mortified by the sight of him impaled. He coughs up blood and staggers back before the tendrils rip out of him.

The shield around his arm snaps in half, trails of blood flowing from his wounds; I catch him in my arms. Panic sets in as I struggle to hold onto him, frantically shaking without any sense of control. The beating heart in my chest slams against my ribcage. In the split second of my thoughts and feelings, all I can truly feel is an overwhelming sense of rage building. The scent of his blood mixed with my emotions spirals my mind into the void. Growling and flicking the blood off its tendrils, the Shadow Hunter backs away from Lukia as she swings her blade at the creature. She rushes to Caleb's side and places her hands on his wounds.

"He's hurt badly; I am not sure I can heal his wounds fully with how deep they are. But I will use everything I can to save him!" Lukia quickly tends to his wounds. I let go of his body and stand from my knees. My hands and chest were covered in his blood. The sweet scent lingers through my nose.

"This...blood..." I mumble my words; they come out animalistic and slurred. Without realizing it, my mouth opens, and drool slips past my lips. Images of Caleb flash through my mind. I was blinking rapidly as the moment was seared into my memories.

The Shadow Hunter growls and slowly crawls out of the shadows across the ground. The beast's eyes stare at the wounded Caleb and back toward me. Seeing that it now has the advantage, it approaches with a confident stride.

"I'll kill you... I'll make sure you die... I'll kill...Kill..Kill....KILL....I'LL KILL YOU!" Letting out a vicious yell, I feel the presence of my Demon blood boil under my skin. Lukia turns her gaze at my figure.

*

Trails of smoke emit from Celia's skin. The heat radiating from her body begins to burn, causing smoke to be created. Bearing her fangs and teeth, Celia clenches her fingers as long protrusions of claws emerge from her nails. Eyes glossed over in a deep crimson red. She breathes heavily, panting as each breath is visible steam. The Shadow Hunter observes her behavior. An actual Demon standing tall. A low guttural growl bellows from Celia.

"Celia..?" Lukia looks at her, unsure how to respond.

Unable to see any reason, only the death and destruction of the creature that hurt her Lord. Unable to be reasoned with, she takes a step forward, a dark aura surrounding her. It isn't long before the Shadow Hunter advances and swings its tendril at Celia. Not a single flinch as the tendril whips and hits her arm. It bounds back as it leaves a minor wound on Celia. Blood trickles down her arm, but she continues to walk forward.

She takes a long breath, the steam gently flowing from her lips. The creature attacks again with both tendrils and aims at her chest. They extend forward and, without defending, pierce her chest. However, they only pierced very little; her skin was now more hardened than most armor. Celia grabs both tendrils and grips them tightly, blood leaking from her hands being stabbed by the spikes on the tendrils.

With her full strength, she pulls them out of her body, holding tightly onto them. The Shadow Hunter attempts to break free from her grasp, but she barely budges, solidifying her hold. It growls and lets out a roar, dragging its feet and trying to pull back. It jerks forward as she pulls, her strength multiplied, moving the large beasts with her hands alone. Her grip tightens as she pulls them up, dragging the beast further forward and lifting it by the tendrils. Letting out a bellowing war cry, Celia fully throws the creature to one side of the field, still holding onto the tendrils digging into her hands; she lifts it once again and crushes it down into the earth.

Tumbling around, the creature is knocked into a daze. It shakes its head but is instantly kicked in the chest and sent upward into the air. With incredible speed and power, Celia rushes the beast and begins to pummel the creature into the ground with her fits and kicks. With each blow she landed, there was a loud thud as her bones cracked against the creature's hide. Any wounds she sustains from her barrage are only minor and bleed very little. The purple blood splatters against her fits, her face, and her neck. The Shadow Hunter attempts to claw back at her, but she defends quickly and kicks the creature back before grabbing its head and slamming it straight down into the ground.

"RRRAHHHH!" Devoid of any semblance of herself, Celia continues her mindless assault—each blow landing with her Demonic might. The sight of Lukia's eyes watch in horror as she witnesses the actual carnage of the Demon Race when they were once this powerful and vicious.

"C-Celia..!" The sudden outburst from Lukia falls on deaf ears. She is too scared to do anything and has exhausted all of her magic trying to heal Caleb. She feels a grip on her arm as she looks to see Caleb barely conscious, his wounds still bleeding slightly. "Caleb, I don't know what to do; Celia won't listen to me; she is out of control."

"E...Err... Her Demon blood... It must have awakened seeing me...in this state. If we don't stop... Don't stop her; she won't be able to regain her senses."

"What do we do?"

"We need to prevent her from going further than she already has...!" Caleb gets to his feet, holding his side. Blood slipped past his fingers. He stares at Celia, who continues to beat into the Shadow Hunter. The creature is barely alive from the constant barrage from her.

"What can I do?" Lukia asks.

"When I try to calm her down, it will be up to you... You need to kill that creature before it gets a chance to act. I am in no shape to fight, so it has to be you to finish it off before it gets away.

"I...I'll try but-"

"Just believe that it will work... It has to; otherwise, we may very well be dead!"