Demon Eyes

Chapter 10: Spark and Shadow

The northernmost part of Kawazumi is the university district, standing atop the highest spot in the town. Beyond the last buildings, a vast landscape of rolling hills stretches into the distance, fading into the horizon. Among the endless fields of green, a single yellow light goes unseen.

"Finally... I caught up to you."

The modern district next to the university, with its skyscrapers stretching far higher than the hills, blocks the view of the central town. But it fails to obscure the raging flames to the west, as the clouds of smoke reach far higher than even the tallest of the concrete giants.

"So this is Kawazumi. Just a peaceful coastal town."

The yellow spark comes to a halt, crystallizing into a clear image. A man stands amidst the glow, his ragged clothes fluttering in the wind. His eyes narrow as he looks at the flames, but his body barely reacts. From the energy crackling around him, a single purple light jolts past his eyes.
"What are you here to do..."

"Kuroshi?"

✦

Blood. Why is there blood?

The grass is stained red. Noreyu tries to push himself up, but his arms won't react. He moves his head, but everything before him is a blur. He can barely see grass, trees, the sky. And people. Someone else is on the ground. The blurry image in his becomes sharp.

Hirisu!

His empty eyes narrow. But his body still won't move.

Snap out of it!

Energy born purely from anger rushes through his body, and he forces himself forward. His legs, his arms, pushing against the ground, to fulfill his desperate command to himself: move.

A second wave of blood rushes into his mouth, forcing him to spit it all out in cascade. His body convulses, sending him back to the grass below. He lands in a puddle of his own blood. But he keeps moving. He'll crawl if he has to. To get to Hirisu.

Everything blurs, his vision distorts again and again. He can barely keep up his breathing. With every movement, Hirisu slips further away from him.

"You're still moving?"

Those three words send panic through Noreyu's body. He can't see Hirisu anymore. Instead, his vision is covered by Kuroshi's cloak.

"Y... you..." he croaks desperately, as more blood spills out. But his words aren't even loud enough for the assassin to hear.

"You put up a good fight, at least." Kuroshi towers over Noreyu, holding a kunai pointed at Noreyu's neck. "I see why my subordinates failed. But now, it's about time I dispose of you."

As his eyes fall shut, Noreyu feels the blood running through his body, his heart desperately pumping even when there is not enough left to supply him. His blood...

Wait!

With his certain death mere seconds away, there might still be a way out. Energy courses through Noreyu's body.

"Ever since Kuroshi knocked me down, I've been operating on the human part of my body," Noreyu thinks. Despite the dizziness, his thoughts are clear. "My Demon Eye was forcibly deactivated from the shock."

"The main problem I'm dealing with right now is blood loss, right?" He feels the blood dripping down from his mouth, a metallic taste lingering on his tongue. "It's because my stomach is damaged. But that's not what is making me dizzy. If I had more blood, I'd be fine."

His right eye slowly opens again, emitting a faint teal glow. "There's no way for me to get blood right now. But there is something even better than that. Unlike blood, energy regenerates quickly without the need to take in nutrients. And when my Demon Eye is active..."