Field Trip
Miya POV:
The forest was dark and eerie looking. The silence of the dark, calming night was suddenly broken by the sound of loud thuds and screams. Uriella has come to get rid of me, for good this time, she wants to put an end to my 'tyranny' and 'evil doings' once and for all. Her strength was unmatched this time, her will as hard as iron and her fury unquenched. She raised her staff and summoned a large beam of light from the sky, illuminating the surrounding darkness with a harsh blow that sent me flying across the dense trees. I quickly recovered and charged at her, using the remaining strength I had left in me, I raised my arm up high. Her eyes widened as she saw my expression, cold and emotionless. A bright blue flame engulfed me as a surge of energy rushed through my raised arm. I yelled loudly, pointing my arm toward her. Without enough time to dodge, she summoned a shield that managed to block a portion of my attack. But it didn't last long before it broke and hit her instantly, causing her to scream in pain.
I laughed manically as I slowly walked towards her, "You angels think your determination and perseverance alone can beat us" I muttered to her, stepping on her hand as she laid there in front of me. She let go of her staff as I did so. I took her staff in my hands and smiled sinisterly. "Why don't you go back to your realm and tell your higher-ups that you did such a good job annihilating me, trust me, I won't tell a single soul" Uriella scowled at me, her expression filled with rage "Unlike you sneaky yokai" She jumped up suddenly. I looked up, and she was right above me. Her wings glowing with radiance and her halo floating elegantly on the top of her head. "Once we start something, we finish it!" The surrounding ground started to shine with lights of multiple colours. My fox ears perked up and I felt deeply uncomfortable. "What did you..." I trailed off, and before I could finish my sentence, a loud song began to play in my head. It was the most beautiful melody I've ever heard, but at the same time, it brought me deep discomfort. Without warning, Uriella charged towards me from above.
I was so distracted by the music, I couldn't find time to dodge anything. My body made a large crease in the ground as it hit the earth hard. I felt myself lose touch of reality. I saw strange visions of people I once knew as I laid there, motionless. She looked down at me in what I could only describe as a look of pure disgust and shame. "Your era ends now, Kageonna" She took her staff from the ground and raised it up high to summoned a large ball of light that descended upon me. Only my screams of agony and sorrow could be heard across the forest as I felt my body slowly disintegrate under her angelic powers. Then, silence, defeating silence. She squinted, looking towards the ground where her attack landed, but I was nowhere to be seen. The only remaining thing there on the ground was my broken red hair clip.
Now that I'm thinking about it, I was never able to find it. It's true that I've lost a large portion of my powers since that fight a few hundred years ago, but I was never rendered useless after it. My newly found strength is derived from the fear and anxiety of others, and of course the best place to harvest those emotions is at a school. Where young, impressionable children experience all sorts of trauma. My new mission isn't a simple one, my heart aches for revenge. My thirst for blood will not be quenched until I see Uriella's head between my hands. This takes time, and lucky for me, that unsuspecting angel is here to guide me straight to her.
The school is organizing a field trip soon, It would be a great opportunity for me to get to know that demon and angel, and if things go as planned I might be able to bust through their defenses and go straight for their higher ups. Maybe I'll even find my missing hair clip somewhere in the dirt of the nearby forest...
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Hanako could feel her head pounding in pain as the students started to board the buses. She has waited for this day for months. An opportunity to leave her family for even a couple of days was unpassable. Even after a long night of arguing with Ryu on whether she should go or not, the frustration was worth it.
"A field trip? Yeah, that's a no for me."
"Why? It would be great for me to get away from my family, even if it's just two days" Hanako uttered in a sad tone, trying to convince her demon friend to consider this. She knew he could be stubborn at times, which is why she chose to announce this a few days prier to the trip. "Come on, Hanako, enough trouble for this month. I don't like really like your friends" The girl rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Well if you're not coming than I'll go by myself, Tenshi and Hina would be enough company for me" She felt him perk up in surprise at her words, he folded his arms as he leaned against the tall bookshelf in my room "Hmph! I'm not letting you go without me" He tried to stop her, but the girl's bags were already packed while he was busy being a nuisance. "Too bad, I'm already going" She said teasingly, grabbing her bags and placing them near her bedroom door. He rushed after her, grabbing her bags and raising them high, just out of her reach. "Ryu! Give them back now" She yelled. He smirked in response, "Okay, fine, I'll go with you. But it's not because of Tenshi or anyone else, I just don't want you getting hurt" he spoke with a caring tone, but Hanako showed no emotion. She grabbed her bags from his hands as they descended and left with a small sigh.
As the students on the bus slowly found their places, Hanako couldn't help but notice Miya's over-the-top enthusiasm as she looked at a particular seat near the window. She chose to ignore her odd behaviour and took a seat near the back of the bus, waiting for Ryu to take the one beside her. In the meantime, she put her elbow on the armrest and looked out the window. She felt a weird feeling, a feeling of relaxation and serenity. Was this what freedom felt like?
Minutes later, Ryu got on the bus, but just before he could take the seat near Hanako he felt a strong and painful grip on his wrist. "Ryu! There you are, come sit next to me!" He felt Miya's hand drag him towards her, her unusually sharp nails dug into his skin as she forced him to sit near her. He looked at her in surprise and frustration, but before he could protest, he saw Tenshi take the seat next to Hanako. The demon hissed in anger at this inconvenience. He knew something like this would happen, but he had to remain patient, for both him and Hanako's sakes.
The bus ride was just as uneventful as the rest of their day in this resort they were now headed to. It was a resort sitting on top of a hill surrounded by trees and wildlife. The place itself wasn't that bad. Despite the cold weather, the sun gleamed brightly, which caused Ryu to wince as they got off the large vehicle. He helped Hanako carry her bags to her shared room with Hina and Miya before going to his own room for the day. Later at night, Hanako and the young demon decide to sneak out to have a chat outside the confines of the residential building. They made their way to a secluded bench nearby and sat down to watch the stars floating in the night sky.
"You seem to like Miya's company. I'm glad you finally decided to open up a little" Hanako broke the silence between them. "What? Who said I liked her?" He looked towards the girl in confusion. "I just figured you did, since you sat next to her earlier on the bus" She remarked with a bit of sarcasm in her voice. Ryu rolled his eyes, understanding what she meant, "I don't like her Hanako, she's annoying and pushy" he paused for a moment "Plus, I didn't sit next to her willingly. She dragged me against my will" He folded his arms and looked away, feeling the anger built up inside him surge again. He felt bad for his friend, she must have waited a while for him to sit next to her.
Hanako sighed, "I don't like her either, I just put up with her because of Hina" She admitted. "I think you should do the same" The girl smiled at him genuinely, and he had no other choice but to return her smile. "Fine..." he muttered before wrapping his arm around Hanako's shoulder, "But I'm not doing it for Hina" The girl next to him chuckled as they continued to watch the bright stars above them. It seems there is yet to discover about Miya and her strange appearance, but that was the least of their worries at the moment.