39 Kyo doesn't like pain

"Kyo!"

Kresi's scream wakes up Deia and others. They rush out of the tents and sees Kresi looking around frantically. The sky becomes white. The atmosphere is thick with an ominous air.

"Kresi, what happened?" Deia rushes to her. Kresi is staring at the distance blankly.

"Master, where did that boy go?" Mogrok nudges her leg.

Kresi looks at her hand with empty eyes. "Kyo left me."

Iver stares at the sky. The surroundings have changed. As far as he can see, there are only empty black fields. He sees dark shadows rising from the ground. Soulless ones.

"We have to run." He presses his ring and gathers his things. "Hurry."

"What are those things?" Deia points at the shadows.

"Soulless ones. Seer, we don't have time for explanations." He glances at Kresi, "You. Why are you standing still? Pack your things. They are slow, but we are worse than being dead if they catch up to us."

She looks at Iver. "Leave without me."

"No, I can't do that." Deia protests frantically. "I will follow you to death if I must. I won't leave you here."

"Master, leave the boy. We should leave this place." Mogrok senses the foreboding darkness in the air. He has a bad feeling about this. Whatever is happening, it's bad for his master.

Deia stares at Mogrok. What does that suppose to mean? Why only Kresi? Iver doesn't understand Mogrok. He frowns at them. The shadows are walking toward them and these kids are chatting like they have all the time in the world. He should run away now.

Kresi doesn't say anything. Space twists around Kresi's body and envelopes her. With a crunch sound, Kresi is gone.

"Master, don't leave me," Mogrok yells for his master. But, Kresi is gone. Iver blinks his eyes. What just happened? How could that girl bend the law of this realm on her own? Who is she exactly?

The soulless creatures are closing on them. Iver grasps Deia's wrist and runs. Mogrok looks around helplessly. He can't see his master. Feeling lost, he changes his form and uses his thousand eyes to look in all the directions in the cursed realm to find his master.

***

Kresi keeps walking through the dark corridor. It feels endless. Space around her moves on its own, guiding her to her destination. She remains silent. The cursed sea belongs to the 13th God. Kyo is the dark God. If the god doesn't want her to find him, she won't be able to him. However, she is patient. Kyo will change his mind. He can't stay without her.

The corridor finally ends. She pushes the door. He is watching the mountains with a gloomy expression.

"Kyo." She approaches him nervously.

His dark gaze meets mine. A sinister smile appears on his lips. "Harbinger."

"Give me my Kyo back." She looks at him with fury. "Go back to where you came from."

He admires this little girl's guts. She doesn't try to run away. This girl thinks that she can bind him with her sly tactics. He pushes her against the wall. She cries out in pain when the bones on her shoulder breaks. This grasp becomes tighter, crumbling the bones like the straws. She purses her lips. Her face is pale because of the pain. Yet, she doesn't beg.

Does she think that she can keep him away with promises? He is the Dark God. If he breaks a promise, he will only face small retribution.

"Harbinger, I didn't know that you can fall so low. You bound me to you with a promise and a name. You try to seduce me. You went as far as manipulating me to turn you into my bride." He chuckles lowly. "You will have the same end as her."

He raises his arm. His hand turns into a dark claw. Kresi's eyes can't hide the terror in her heart when she sees the claw pointed toward her chest. She doesn't beg. He is unsatisfied when he doesn't see her beg for mercy. Does she still think that he can't take back what belongs to him?

The claw thrusts into her chest, splitting it into half. She howls in pain. Countless golden runes erupt from her body and swim around his claw. He narrows his eyes. He isn't surprised. The 11 gods would have never made it easy for him to get his core back.

The runes burn the skin of his arm. This pain is nothing compared to what he felt before. He shoves his hand further. The runes try to push him away with the same force. Kresi howls in pain. He clenches his jaw when he finds her painful screams uncomfortable. He ignores it. The skin on his arm is turning black. Losing an arm won't matter to him. He wants it back at any cost.

"Kyo doesn't like pain." She speaks with a pained voice. Her eyes are focussed on the arm that's being ruthlessly struck by the runes. Her mind is delirious because of the pain. She closes her eyes and mumbles, "Don't hurt him."

His body freezes when he hears her words. Even when she is on the verge of death, she cares about his other self more. His body pulls away from on her on its own. Kresi's body drops to the floor like a lifeless doll. The stitched runes on her flesh glimmer and revolves around her. The gaping hole in her chest is healing.

"Harbinger, I will let you live for a little longer."

The Dark God falls to slumber.

***

"Sister, Sister." Kyo is shaking my body. "Wake up, please. Don't leave me. Don't die."

I recall what happened. The Dark God was trying to dig his heart out of my body. His right arm is badly burnt.

It's my fault. I forgot that the Dark God takes over his body whenever he is upset. Kyo is hurt because of me.

He sniffles. "Sister, I am sorry. That bad man didn't listen to me. I tried to stop him."

He is blaming himself for what the Dark God did. I am blaming myself for what happened to his arm. I can't help but smile. "Kyo, it's not your fault. You didn't hurt me. Your sister has something that belongs to you and that bad man. If he ever takes it back, don't blame yourself. Let me see your arm."

"Anything that belongs to me also belongs to you." He rests his head on my shoulder. "I won't let him take it back. Sister, trust me. I will be a good boy from now on."

I wrap my arms around him and kiss the top of his head. "I trust you. You will never harm me."

For me, Kyo and the Dark God will never be the same.