Familiar

Edelgard spewed her breakfast out in a violent torrent, her ears ringing with a high pitch, and vision blurry. The shrieking had come to a stop, she forced herself up to her hands and knees.

'Get up. Get up. Get up! GET UP!' she screamed at herself. Her body didn't respond, falling onto her shoulder.

Rolling onto her side, with blurred vision she watched Zeke toss the Grimoire aside, sprinting towards her.

"Z-z-ze-" Leaping on top her, and curling her in, the two were launched violently into air with the debris of the top floor. With Zeke as her shield, she felt nothing but a force simply push them aside.

He held her close to his chest, landing with his back to the ground. They crashed through the concrete, smashing into the dirt.

He checked her weak and shallow breathing. She looked up to him shouting and shaking her. 'What's he saying..?' Zeke leapt out of the crater, holding her in his arms, looking to the Centipede towering over him.

With twitching mandibles, a throng of wriggling centipedes swarming down the building, the creature frantically combed the area.

"Where the fuck are the soldi-" He froze in place, seeing the nightmare in front of him.

Centipedes writhed and wriggled from every orifice of the soldiers, they shambled towards the Giant Centipede, gun dangling on their shoulders.

Zeke held Edelgard tighter, seeing their eyes glazed over, bodies convulsing. Even if they were a Hunter, there was no hope of healing them in that state.

"Seiros!" He called out. "Get your master to safety!" From Edelgard's mark a large green Rift opened, nearly five metres in diameter, a giant Black eagle emerged.

With a golden beak and eyes, Serios let out a cry spreading his wings. Standing nearly ten metres tall, Zeke leapt up with Edelgard in hand, tossing her on top of the giant winged beast.

Looking at her bleeding ears, and bloodshot eyes, he checked her pulse. Slow and irregular. "Hospital now! Heart problem!" He ordered.

Seiros nodded, taking to the skies with a singular beat of his wings, creating a powerful gust of wind.

The soldiers continued to moan and shamble towards the tower, with the Giant Centipede coiling around the tower, still searching for the Grimoire.

Zeke sprinted towards the tower, hearing high pitched screams, and Moon shouting.

"MOON!" He shouted tearing his way through the metal shutter. He found a swarm of centipedes crawling over Moon's invisible wall, in the far corner of the floor, with terrified Citizens behind her.

The centipede swarmed over him, sinking their fangs into his skin, secreting their venom onto him. None pierced his skin, and he shook them off crushing them under his shoe with a loud crunch.

"There's too many of them!" Moon shouted. "Where are the guards!?" "Dead!" He screamed being covered in them.

They crawled and scuttled across his face, climbing into his ears, slithering under his eyelids, and trying to shimmy their way into any open gap.

The Citizens watched on horrified, as he didn't react continuing to try and rip them off.

Moon clenched her jaw, swapping arms. "Zeke! Brace!" She shouted, releasing a concussive blast, clearing Zeke of the swarm.

Terrified screams rang out from the Citizens, as the swarm closed in. She quickly raised the barrier again. "Stop screaming! I'll hold them off!"

Zeke spat out a wad of acidic venom. "I need to get to the roof again!" Zeke exclaimed crushing the centipedes in his hand.

"Athena! Help Zeke!" A green Rift opened from her mark, and a giant Great Horned Owl flew out. With pure white snow feathers, and stern golden eyes.

She flew out from the Rift clutching Zeke with her large talons, soaring out of the building, the two flew towards the roof with the wind rushing past them.

"Get me up there and go back to help them." Athena nodded stopping short of the top, tossing him into the air, and barrelling back down.

He landed onto destroyed top floor, spotting the Grimoire floating in the air. Its pages riffled from end to end, radiating a sinister energy.

Sprinting over, he snatched the Grimoire out of the air forcing it shut. It thrashed violently in his grip, like a fish out of water, desperately trying to be open again.

Zeke clenched his teeth forcing the Grimoire closed. "You're not fucking opening!" He growled. It released a chaotic surge of black violet lightning through the room.

It disintegrated everything it touched, cutting through the floors, and turning his clothing into ash. "Great. Now I'm naked." He strained holding the Grimoire to his chest.

The lightning became more and more violent, it's field growing larger and larger. The giant Centipede let out a hiss of anguish, being pierced by a stray bolt, and losing a leg.

The lesser centipedes on its body swarmed to its missing leg, and solidified into a new leg. It shrieked at Zeke, spitting a violent torrent of blood red venom.

The floor beneath Zeke melted, and he crashed into the lower floor, with the lightning growing in intensity.

The giant Centipede reeled back stunned, seeing Zeke glare back at it, covered in its acidic steaming venom.

He sprinted and leapt towards the Centipede, lightning coursing through his body. It reeled back terrified. Hissing and shrieking as its body was reduced to ash and dust.

The swarm attacking Moon and the Citizens retreated. Athena struggled to keep the centipede's in her mouth, forcing herself to swallow them.

The soldiers fell dead, centipedes slithering out, all of them racing towards Zeke. He clung onto the Grimoire feeling its strength grow and grow, refusing to be sealed away.

The giant Centipede collapsed writhing in agony, as the Grimoire tore it apart. Centipedes swarmed to repair the damage, but it was a fruitless endeavour.

"Watch them Athena." Moon ordered sprinting out. She nodded standing in front of the crowd spreading her wings.

Zeke screamed feeling his grip breaking on the Grimoire. He summoned all his strength, keeping it tight to his chest, and trying his best to follow the Centipede. Moon found the Centipede, completely stunned at the grotesque sight.

Seeing the creature trying desperately to escape the Grimoire's lightning. She planted her feet, raising her right palm, and took a deep breath.

Releasing a colossal concussive wave. Both Moon and the Centipede were violently blasted back. She tumbled and rolled violently against the debris, stopping herself by, digging her nails into the ground.

Moon watched as the creature was completely eviscerated into a raging lightning pulse. Forcing herself to her feet, she fell down to her knees, her vision blurry and dizzy.

A warm trickle ran down her nape. Gently touching the back of her head, she felt a open gash. "Sh...it..." Moon collapsed face first.

Melting a crater through the concrete. Zeke gnashed his teeth together, straining every muscle, veins bulged across his lean body. The Grimoire begun to glow hot white.

"WHAT FUCKING NOW!?" He growled, still wrestling for control.

In an instant the Grimoire fell still, its white hot glow disappearing. Zeke hesitantly pulled it away from his chest, inspecting it with an incredulous stare.

It flipped open to a blank page, the ink rushing inwards. 'Son of the Nine.' It spelt out. 'Find Violetta' "What the...-" 'Please.'

The ink morphed into a map showing a destination in the trees, marked with a cross. The book closed shut.

Zeke panned the area absolutely dumbfounded. "What the fuck!?"

The sound of guns cocking surrounded him . "FREEZE!" A booming voice ordered.

Zeke quickly covered himself with the Grimoire, raising his mark at them. The lowered their weapons relieved. "Any of you got something to cover me up with?"

Moon awoke in a hospital bed, her forehead wrapped in gauze, wearing a loose gown. The regular beeps of monitoring machine echoed through the hallways.

Her room illuminated with a dim light, and the residual light, from the neon white UV ceiling lights down the hallway.

She forced herself up, seeing her own comforter on top of her, and to her right a large slice of matcha cake.

Looking to her left Zeke was dead asleep on the stiff and rigid chair. He wore a tattered and plain shirt, with faded sweat pants.

Red his familiar, a small red panda, slept curled up on top of his chest, rising and sinking with each breath. She smiled seeing the two of them gently snoring away.

Forcing herself up, she looked at the clock up above. '1:30' It read.

"Shit...how long have I been out for?" She whispered touching her sore head. Looking for her phone, she slipped off the bed, still feeling dizzy and light headed.

A nurse walked in helping up. She was a heavy set woman, in her later years, with a stern face. "What are you doing out of bed lady?" "Where's my phone?" "Destroyed. Like everything else." The nurse said.

"Shit." Moon groaned. "You should be grateful that you're alive. Not worrying about your phone." "How long have I been here for?" She checked her watch.

"Just shy of twelve hours. Now go back to bed, and don't make that great boyfriend of yours worry anymore."

"Woah, woah,woah." Moon said raising her hands. "He is not my boyfriend. He's just my best friend. So don't be gross lady."

"Tsk, at least tell that poor boy then. I don't know many 'Friends' that would stay for 12 hours, and bring you cake."

"Well now you've met one." She hissed. The nurse rolled her eyes. "Go back to bed."

Moon stomped her feet back inside slumping onto her bed, letting out a sigh and pouting. She took the matcha cake taking a large spoonful.

She tried her best to stifle a delighted squeal, as she devoured the sweet fluffy cake. A gentle tap on her door caught her attention.

Edelgard stood at the door, her hair messy, loose and flowing past her shoulders. She wore a grey pants suit, holding a large package under her arm.

"You're awake. Good." She said relieved, entering the room.

"Did you come out of that fight unscathed?" Moon whispered.

"No, he saved me twice. I'm lucky to be standing. Healer had a field day with me." She whispered, placing the package on the table.

"Then why are you here in a suit?" "No rest for the weary. We have a meeting with the head of the Australian Agencies, today at 3pm, and we need to be on that plane at 1pm at the latest."

"Wait what?" She handed Moon a brand new smart phone, and a spare one under it.

"Try not to break these. No Agency isn't a fan of spending money on this kind of stuff."

"Wait, slow down, what's happening?" Edelgard took out a smart tablet, handing it to Moon.

"The details are all on here. Wake Zeke and Red up at 7am. Don't be late."

"But-" "See you soon." "Wait-" Edelgard left the room like the wind, leaving Moon completely baffled.

"What...just...happened?" She frantically begun swiping on the tablet, reading the report, known as the Colossal Centipede incident. Hunter casualties – 0. Citizen casualties – 135+. She sighed, clenching her jaw.

135 people died, because some rich assholes wanted to use magic, to boost their workers' mindset. Repair fees $30,000,000.

She winced at the amount of zeros. Grimoire bonded to D grade Hunter Zeke Chen. She looked at the line confused, reading it again, before looking at Zeke.

Finally noticing that the Grimoire was being used to prop his head up. Her jaw dropped. "WHAT THE FUCK!" Zeke and Red shot awake startled and screaming.