Black Avatare

52 | PURPOSE

A hysterical laugh built in Binara's chest. They brought a holy water cannon. Of course they did. The Narumas stood no chance. The turret rotated, taking them out like many wickets in an infernal cricket game. Skin and flesh sizzled. Howls pierced the night—a haunting melody rising into a crescendo.

A worrisome thought suddenly clouded Binara's mind, and she launched herself at Diyan. Taken by surprise, he fell to the ground with her on top of him.

Diyan's hand, the one that wasn't gripping the kastane, took hold of her waist. "Binara, what—"

"It's my turn to shield you." She angled her petite form to cover him as much as possible. "Stay still."

As the holy water doused the demons closest to them, droplets sprayed on Binara's back, though she felt nothing through the Yakadura vest fortified with demon aura shielding. She leveled her face to his, and her asymmetrical hair fell, sliding down like a curtain, cutting off the violence.

He watched her as if stunned, mere inches from her—so close that she could trace every detail, from the sharp jawline to his low eyebrows, now dotted with perspiration. Her trembling hand reached up to his forehead and pushed off a lock of wavy hair. It helped to focus on him—in order to tune out the horror surrounding them. It felt even more imperative since there was no telling that they would survive this night. His pulse synced with hers, and she lost herself in his eyes—silver pools that sucked her into their fathomless depths.

Diyan seemed to cherish the moment as well, since his lips stretched into a sad smile, dimpling his face. "Thank you..."

Her heart buoyed up. However, there was something in his eyes that stirred an inexplicable unease. It was a deep-seated melancholy and something she couldn't even decipher. It fueled a sense of dread, and the devil bird cry echoed in her mind.

It was so disconcerting that she held his face with a clammy hand. "Diyan, tell me you're going to be okay. I need you to tell me that."

He started, evidently taken aback, and then his eyes closed under her touch. "I'm a demon, remember? You on the other hand—"

Fresh howls erupted but more sporadic. Lightning split the sky, bolts branching out like dendrites.

It amplified the chaos building within, and she demanded, "Why are you not afraid? We have to face Mahasona—"

"I will do everything I can to make sure that Hevana is safe—that you are safe." His words were hurried while his gaze penetrated deep into her. "That's all that matters. That's my purpose."

"You make it sound like—what about you? You need to think of you! What could happen if—"

"Anything could happen..." He hesitated. "What's important is stopping Mahasona. And if I finally set this right and fix my mistakes, then maybe I can move on."

"What—you mean reincarnate?" She swallowed while something inside her threatened to fracture. "A new human life?"

"There's no other way to escape my existence." He paused. "Binara, I'm clinging on to the past. My life is gone. I died thousands of years ago. I have no one, and—"

"You have me." Her voice broke.

The smile rematerialized on his lips like the moon shining in a cloudy sky. "And that means everything to me. But it's a fleeting joy. And you don't deserve...There's only pain up ahead."

The last of the Narumas fell, and Bahirawa roared again, his fury louder than thunder.

"Don't say that," she said desperately, anger mingling with despair. "Promise me that you will be okay—that you will protect yourself for a change."