CALAMITY CORE : FREE THE WORLD

CH.3 'CRAWLING IN DARK'

The scaled demon stood awaiting his rival, the one person holding him back from asserting certain control over the entirety of the world around them. Chains hung from Ra's wrists, and there had been a new formation of black steel on his body, that being a black-purple chain dug directly into his chest, mirroring that of Andrei's own in the waking world. Disapproval was evident in the swirling pools of molten yellow that he called eyes, and embers of crimson-black energy crackled at his fingertips.

What was once a simple alley had expanded, though it all felt the same. Now about the side of a city block, Andrei woke in the manifestation of his headspace... it was still dark and ragged, and he still awoke in that alley. Jolting to life, he felt his chest, then his face. No cuts, and no chain reminding him of his demon... though that demon waited patiently for him. A clawed foot thudded against the concrete ground, leaving a burn mark where it moved rhythmically up and down. Unfolding his arms, Ra heard as the chains on his arms jingled, and he watched with a viscous smirk as Andrei flinched. "A meager first kill. You know, there is potential within us... if you would only accept me, fool." He started with an almost sour tone, which quickly turned to bitter anger.

Andrei hesitantly stepped back, and out of sheer instinct he threw up his hands in defense, as if he was going to be able to stop an assault from the monster in his mind with the meager power he held within him. "I don't need you... I've seen it, barely... even without you, I'll keep on living." his voice shuddered as he spoke, in direct opposition to Ra's confidence.

The demon closed his eyes, then smirked and shook his head. If they were what he believed them to be, then neither of them would budge by words alone. They were one in the same, a thought which they both held in their minds, only Ra had actively dwelled on it with all his time alone in this cursed space. The thought, and the reminder that he had been trapped here, caused his smirk to convert itself into a scowl, and he opened his eyes to stare across the way at a defensive Andrei. "You and I both know that there's more to living than simply walking, fool. I'll burn every bridge you hold close to your heart, if only to spite your youthful ignorance... You're a monster though, like that beast that tore you to shreds. Like those that you devoured so voraciously. Think of it, and save yourself the trouble."

Ra and Andrei finally locked eyes, and the boy felt his hair stand on end. Ra raised his leathery brow at the human before him. "Relent, and give yourself to me." The demon commanded.

Breaking their contest of equal glares, the gold in Andrei's eyes flashed for a moment in his retreat. Even though he felt as though he couldn't win... there was now something that he felt the need to protect. The only thing, quite frankly, that he had seen worth living for in all of this hellish afterlife. Ra knew it too, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say it. Andrei cleared his throat, and stuttered as he retorted to the command. "No... even if we're both-..." He felt a sharp pain in his gut, and saw that Ra had thrown a punch faster than he could even register. Gasping for air now, he fell to his knees, looking up at the monster before him. "Monsters... I'm not, not like you, at least."

In the boy's bout of defiance, Ra became suddenly angry. It was a simple exchange, his body for all of the power in the world, Ra's world. It was simple reason... though of course, that was the mistake he made in trying to speak with a simple, immature human, who was part of himself. A Chimera. Growling, Ra reached down to grab Andrei by the jaw which the boy had nearly lost only days earlier. Pulling him up to his feet, the two locked eyes, and the burning heat which radiated off of the demon seemed to seep into Andrei's eyes. Crimson red stained their golden irises, and Ra closed his eyes before hoisting his other half high into the air. "You'd be a real demon on your own... it's unfortunate, but one day... one day you'll see reason. You'll want a release soon."