Rise In Revolution 『Seraph of the End』

4 / Torture

Demons. Malevolent beings that appear to exist only for the torment of humans. In recent years, humanity has found ways to tame and utilize the chaotic power of the monsters, calling the technological advancement 'Cursed Weapons' or more commonly 'Cursed Gear'. Many soldiers in the Japanese Imperial Demon Army are armed with low-ranked weapons that only contain weak demons, but only a select few are able to wield first-class Cursed Gear belonging to the Black Demon Series. Specialized, aggressive, powerful; the demon weapons contained in the series hold the most power of any Cursed Gear within the army. The only way to obtain such power is through a special 'Contract Ceremony', in which the human comes into direct contact with the demon within the weapon. What occurs during such a ceremony, however, is not common knowledge.

"Are you sure this has been approved?" Adria questioned, following close as Anthony led her further down a staircase she was not familiar with. The rusted metal stairs creaked under their weight, the stained gray walls dimly lit by a single row of naked light bulbs. Everything down to the dust particles floating in the air made the space feel more similar to a scene from a horror movie.

"Of course it's been approved, I wouldn't bring you down here if I wasn't supposed to. Then again, I might have made the matter a tad vague when I discussed it with the Lieutenant Colonel" Anthony said. It wasn't uncommon for such behavior from him, and yet Adria continued to be amazed by it.

"And what exactly did you tell him? He knows I'm down here with you, right?"

There was a bright light at the end of the staircase, prompting the two siblings to quicken their pace in order to reach it. The stairs led off onto a large metal platform, which in turn split into another, much shorter staircase that led down towards the largely spacious room below. The size of the room alone was enough to gawk at, with tall gray walls that seemed to reach up to the sky itself, and large circular lights that all focused inward towards the center of the solid concrete floor. Deep scrapes and lacerations crisscrossed along the surface of each wall, their shapes shadowed by the bright yellow light that shone down from above. Adria gripped the silver guardrail, taking in all of the sights the large room held. Along the floor at the center of the room was a large magic circle inscribed in white chalk, where a dark chestnut pedestal remained stationed at its center. A black sheathed rapier rested within the grooves of the wood, its surface coated in worn paper talismans.

"Isn't it neat? This is a special room for Cursed Gear, where only the qualified get to enter" Anthony said, joining Adria by the guardrail. "Although there's only one here now, this place is used to contain some of the most powerful Cursed Gear the army has ever managed to find. That rapier down there has remained in this room for years, with not one person having been able to conquer the demon inside"

"That just makes me want it more" Adria stated, a grin growing on her face. She gripped the rail tighter, leaning forward far enough to get a full view of the weapon that awaited her down below. The few inches of black that remained untouched on the sheath glimmered in the light, its smooth metal shining with youth as it remained unused. Adria longed for such beauty, finding it difficult to believe such a weapon had never been wielded before. She could tell, simply having looked at it for a few moments, that this was the weapon she had been aiming towards. Such a strong, beautiful, and difficult blade; it would become hers, that she was sure of.

Anthony stood there, watching, staring at the confidence that shone in his sister's chestnut eyes. Even when they were younger, and success seemed impossible, she always had stood up to the challenge. Anthony put a hand to the back of his head. Such stubbornness was surely an inherited characteristic that ran through the family. He simply remained there, not wanting to move from his spot and ruin such a moment. He admired her determination, however somewhere in his mind he knew it wouldn't last.