45 Family P 16

After Lia left, Noel determined they couldn't stay there any longer. He took Barn and Phil down the stairs, waited a few seconds before he stepped into the black and silent hallway.

The end of the hallway drew closer but just as they were about to reach it, the door was violently kicked open and a familiar rough voice roared,

"I know you lot are there!"

It was the same they heard at the entrance who gave orders to the others.

In the darkness, Noel couldn't make out his face but could guess who this voice belonged to. His proud and arrogant demeanor were indistinguishable.

"There you are," his hostility magnified the malice in his eyes as he stared at Noel and the others behind him.

Noel assessed the situation and relaxed. Kil was alone. None of the other intruders were backing him up. He could easily divert Kil's attention and let Barn and Phil escape.

"Here we are," Noel walked in front of Kil. They were about the same height.

Kil scoffed, "Confident, aren't we?"

"You talk like an older man. Yknow those sleazy ones in the mortal-"

Kil's vein popped on his forehead and he raised his hand to punch Noel. The latter skilfully evaded. Barn and Phil were surprised, shocked and impressed.

"Watching mortal films isn't a good hobby," Kil was visibly angry. Being told he sounded like a lowly, old mortal guy irked him the wrong way.

"Really? My bad then?" Noel evaded another punch.

Despite them being the same size, Kil was larger and more muscular than Noel. And Noel was by no means weak and thin, he also had his fair share of muscles but Kil was another calibre.

Noel had to be wary. Kil had physical power and strength, that was no doubt, and he was also fast in addition, despite his large body mass, the punches he pulled were at an insane speed and on top of that, he had exorcists abilities as well.

Noel gave a funny smile. This was by no means fair and balanced. How could someone have everything?

"The holy trinity! Dammit," Noel was jealous.

Kill stopped for a second trying to attack Noel and gleefully said, "Cultured, I like it. Sad you about to leave this world."

The holy trinity was something that guys claimed only men would understand. It was the accumulation of strength, speed and power (as in exorcist abilities). Any male that has attained this holy trinity was truly holy and to be envied in other men's eyes.

Noel felt even funnier. At least he had a better personality than Kil. With that thought, he comforted himself and while Kil pulled out for another attack, Noel grabbed the knife Lia gave him from his pocket and attacked Kill with a surprise attack.

The knife grazed Kil's cheeks and at that moment Noel shouted to Barn and Phil, "Run!"

Phil didn't need to be told twice. He immediately scrammed his way out of there and when he reached the door, fell on his bum and crawled out into the open and disappeared.

Barn followed suit but he was slower and hesitated. He wasn't comfortable leaving Noel behind. At the door his doubts and worries only increased as he witnessed Kil's fist leaving a grave hole in the wall after Noel barely escaped it.

Yet Barn didn't know how he could help Noel. He left the door open and turned his gaze to the floor before him, then he witnessed the unfolding fight between Kil and Noel in the narrow hallway.

Barn balled his fists. He wanted to help but he was too weak. Above all, he wanted to repay Noel for all this time. It was only due to Noel could he continue working here.

He has always been called out by everyone around him that he was too soft for any guy, too lanky for a male and his gentle smile was the favourite mockery about him.

He was a guy! He had to be strong, masculine and powerful yet why did he turn out to be such a soft wuss?

His parents were embarrassed and even wanted to hide the fact they had a son like him. Their friends' kids were all phenomenal so why was he so damn weak?

The only way he could make them proud and acknowledge him was to gain power. He signed up for the academy but couldn't pass the test.

So his parents, fed up with him, were able to pull some strings and land him the job here.

'Do well and don't embarrass us' they said.

'Don't you dare come back without power' they put pressure on him.

Barn didn't want to be hated anymore, after all he had a soft heart and that fragile organ couldn't take anymore hurtful abuse, so he got himself into the mindset of succeeding yet…

The sight of the mortals and the fact he had to torture and kill them, shattered his last hopes and ambitions. How could he for his own benefit destroy the lives of others?

But he realised even if he didn't kill them, they'd inevitably die and he couldn't do anything about it.

Yet it still brought nausea up his throat. He was afraid to kill and he was also afraid not to because if he didn't, he'd be thrown out. He couldn't confine anyone until with only one look Noel seemed to have read him and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's alright," he said, "If you can't do it, no one's forcing you. Live how you want. Let me do it for you," he removed the pressure that was on Barn.

While Noel had to bloody his hands twice the amount for him, Barn only pretended to work, casually trying to help Noel as much as he could.

Seeing Noel's bloody appearance and the gruesome corpses, he still couldn't help but feel for the first time liberated. He thought that the saying he heard some while ago turned out to be true, sometimes you only need one good word, one good person to keep you moving.

"And if they move you," Barn whispered, "then be ready to move mountains and skies for them, be ready to part seas and raise the tide for them."

His eyes flashed as Kil dominated Noel and tossed him to the ground. Kil stepped onto Noel's stomach and blood spat from Noel's mouth. It was as clear and obvious as day that Noel was in a tight spot.

Before Barn could even properly think, his feet moved on their own. In this whole world, in all of his ears, in his little, pathetic life, all he needed were the tiny words of encouragement directed to him to help levitate him out of the deep hole he fell into.

Even if Noel's words were small, casually said, not of any importance, even if he misunderstood him, they were everything to Barn and the feeling in his chest rose to every part of his body.

He never felt this way before and if he could, he wanted to treasure it for a lifetime, even if it only lasted in the last few seconds before he would forever disappear.

If there was something as reincarnation, he hoped he could be reborn and live the free life Noel told him too. With these last thoughts, he closed his eyes as a hole was torn in his abdomen.

The brief surprise of Kil hitting someone else than the target he intended to, made him briefly freeze. Noel's eyes widened but he seized the small escape he was given and grabbed Barn to run away.

Once he left the hallway, he could hear Kil roaring behind them. Since Barn was fairly tall, Noel could only carry him over his shoulders. The warm, sticky feeling of the hateful blood soaked into Noel's clothes, mingled on his skin and made him curse viciously in his mind.

"Hang on."

"Don't die."

Were the only things Noel could press out and hoped they would relay his thoughts to Barn.

At the beginning, Noel didn't care about killing anyone in this facility but as time went on, as people naturally got closer, who in the world could still dare to harbour those thoughts?

Who in the world wanted to forsake, wanted to see the person who sacrificed themselves for them die in front of their eyes?

Everything seemed so cruel to Noel at the moment. Noel had killed before but never had a life that rested in his hands felt so heavy before.

How could he think rationally? How could he move on?

"It's fine, we're almost there. Don't worry, I'll save you," Noel helplessly muttered these words.

There were some medical stations on each floor and Noel rushed at a passable speed to it, in hopes not to aggravate the wound on Barn more.

Yet what he didn't know was that Barn faintly smiled at those sweet words as his consciousness faded. They were like a lullaby softly and gently singing him to a long sleep, he never had before.

His last thought was he could finally rest. He had done his best to repay, to move immovable landscapes for the person who gave him a purpose.

May his attempt never be in vain.

Noel's fingers trembled as he closed Barn's eyes. Noel knew he had to be extremely careful around Kil. He was no match for him but he still needed to get rid of him.

He couldn't let anyone else die. He couldn't let Lia die. It was unclear why but if Lia were to disappear too, Noel was convinced his heart really couldn't take it anymore.

"Barn, I won't let your help be in vain, I'll take care of myself but I gotta kill that bastard."

Noel stood up but hesitated before crouching down before Barn's dead body, "I'm sorry but my real name's Noel. Thank you."

Noel found a quilt and pulled it over Barn, then he stepped out of the small store. The knife was in his hand but when he found Kil, he really felt everything was too laughable and injust.

The right in front of him ordered every fibre of her body to feel rage. The families of the pro-faction, the Ghost King. They all needed to disappear.

If only they had acted sooner, then a Ghost King would've never been elected. If they had sped up their process and their search for the true King, instead of waiting around, then much suffering could've been avoided.

Noel blamed it on his and the other families. In the end, he couldn't blame anymore. Fate turned out to be like this and they were all too comfortable deluding themselves.

Kil stood in the midst of the plaza and the ghosts danced around him. One by one he absorbed them and each time they disappeared in his body, a tiny layer of green enveloped Kil and it was visible to the naked eye that his body grew with it.

Noel finally understood. This was Kil's powers: He ate ghosts to transform them into raw power and thus became stronger.

The ghosts couldn't do anything to him. Noel was at a disadvantage. How in the world would he be able to fight him?