Chapter 6: Djinn

Sven stumbled falling to his knees. gasping for air.

"Going somewhere Bartolv?" I said looking down upon the nordic man. He looked at me and swore under his breath. "You weren't thinking of leaving our little family were you?" I said circling him like a vulture encircling a rotting piece of carrion. He shot me a glare and spoke.

"I...I just want to be alone"

"is there a reason for your shortness of breath?" he abruptly stood up, clutched his chest, and walked away. "My acting a tad suspicious aren't we? Mario goes missing and you start packing to leave" I tapped my cane on the floor. his body slowly lifted off the ground and began to float mere feet above the ground.

"My best friend is dead and I will have answers do you understand me Bartolv!?" My tone hid my anger, well mostly. I couldn't hide the fact I was deeply enraged. but in business appearances must be kept and maintained. like a well-worn mask. but now wasn't the time for theatrics I wanted answers and answers I was going to get. With a wave of my hand, Sven slammed against the wall blood flew from his mouth dramatically. Clenching my fist, I increased the gravity that affected him. His body began to dent and bear down upon the old wood of the stairwell.

"I Can't hear you Sven speak up or die!"

Sven struggled to lift his limbs and fight the gravity that oppressed him. He let out a demonic blood-curdling scream that shook the room. blood flowing his cheeks, the capillaries having burst. He grits his teeth and screamed again. The emblem on his chest. the mantle of the heir to the first king his right as a prince began to glow. It flashed from bright orange to a vibrant black. in a flash, two demonic looking figures appeared. their hands ended in long black claws. pale skin craked showing a mysterious glow that lies underneath. sharp knife-like teeth and wild and crazy hair. with a simple footfall, the presence the two exerted was immense comparable to a shockwave of a bomb. the pair looked down at me with a glare and sorrowful gaze respectively. I felt my whole body freeze upon seeing these inhuman beings. The one with red hair spoke up with a distorted voice that sounded neither male nor female at one time.

"Sorry, pal we can't let you kill our Incarnate" The being spoke before pointing to itself. "I'm Amon the Djinn of rage and you've pissed me off"

"Kill? no no no I'm simply interrogating him for answers"

"Don't think people are supposed to bleed during an interrogation" Amon added a wolf-like emblem appeared on his arms. "Garou" he spoke softly his breath a heavy mist that was filled with blood lust. In a split second its fist impacted against my stomach. my entire world went black. pain enveloped me and I dropped to my knees. Coughing and wheezing, I grabbed my stomach doubling over.

"If he can't even take a serious punch he mustn't be a serious threat" Amon spoke as all i could hear was a muffled mess of the outside world.

"Amon, humans are the scariest things imaginable, they have will" the lanky djinn spoke.

"Yeah yeah don't underestimate them, i got it"

As i groveled on the ground several images of Mario flashed back and forth in my mind. Darkness swirled around me like a vortex of hatred. I glared at the beings, digging my nails into the wood below, my strength shot through me like a wave of adrenaline. I sloppily ran forward stumbling along the way, I grabbed the face of the taller Djinn. a series of small blasts ignited in my palm before a larger explosion went off. Amon recoiled and held its face, it roared in anger its fist digging deep into the soft flesh of my stomach.

"thought you could be sneaky on a Djinn?" Amon said raising its second fist. "Garou Phase Two: Fifth Knuckle!!" Its fist connected against my face. my body left the ground. everything felt slow, time seemed to slow to a crawl as my body crashed through the wall of the circus. tumbling into the street outside I coughed and caught myself on my knees continuing to glare. Amon stepped outside chortling as it did.

"Well you took a punch of five percent power how do you feel? It cupped its ear and mocked me. "What's that I can't hear you over all that blood your gurgling" Amon walked towards me in a jovial playful manner that belied an intense and fiery rage underneath. Amon grabbed my head and lifted me to eye level. I got an up-close encounter with its gnarly and inhumane razor-sharp fangs. It peered into my soul with its eyes.

"Look I'm gonna be merciful this once. Leave our Incarnate alone or die right here and now!!"

Amon clutched my skull like an eagle clutching prey with its talons. Its muscles bulged and writhed as if its own sinew were living squirming worms. He balled a fist and held it meters from my face. I weakly glared deep into the Djinn's eyes. I watched as its arms, hands and the end of its claws began to glow a dark shade of red. Its eyes glazed a pure red and it opened its mouth and the horrid demonic tone is one I will hear until the day I perish.

"Choose Or Die!" It ground its teeth together. "Garou Phase 3: Tenth Knuckle" The fist impounded against my face. I could only feel a wave of pain. unholy, inhuman pain that sent me soaring through the air like a ball in a rousing game of sport. I flew before smashing into a stall selling knick-knacks and other eccentricities.

"Oh, so you're still alive?" Amon chuckled. it placed his arms together and the sky began to darken as it chanted something in an unknown language. Agares the other Djinn grabbed Amon by the arm. jolting Amon's attention from my neigh lifeless body to itself.

"You've stopped him you needn't go that far"

"He breath still lingers"

"Our job is to stop deadly threats not eliminate them, allow me an audience with him"

"Be my guest Lord Crybaby" Amon chuckled Agares shot its contemporary a deadly glare silencing the fiery Djinn.

Agares knelt down and spoke softly, it was an odd almost womanly voice that reminded me of the soothing tender voice of my mother.

"Why hello, I don't think I introduced myself I'm Agares, and you are?"

I weakly looked up at the being before my eyes bloodshot, body covered in wounds.

"I heard Kevin is your name, Kevin?"

though muffled I could hear it speak my name as if it knew me. My ears rang like the annoying ringing of a blasted inn keeper's bell.

"unlike your assailant, I'm rather merciful. If you promise to never harm our Incarnate again I can send you to a world where you can heal and be alone"

"M-Ma...."

"I beg your pardon, Kevin?"

"...Rio....." I spoke as loud as I could sending my final thoughts along to Mario. "I...I'm C...oming" I lowered my head as all strength left me. Agares nodded it scratched its chin with its long obsidian claws. Agares swiftly turned around jabbing his claws into the air. With a quick tug, he tore apart the very fabric of space. a gapping one side void appeared, its contents on the inside were nothing more than an infinite sea that spread vaster than the horizon with several sporadic islands placed in the sea, as if they were random mistaken blotches of paint on a canvas. Agares hoisted me by my Collar or at least what remained of my collar. Holding me like a mother cat would carry her young. Agares threw me into the floating void. I soared through the dimension's air feeling the salty breeze of the endless sea. I landed on a small island one of several in a small archipelago. The air stung against my wounds. my wounds closing as the air swirled around me. The blood on my body dried. My strength returned. I stood up looking at my surroundings. As the only magi here I was God. No longer Devon the circus ringleader I was now Arcadia Lord of All here in the realm without life. a small muffled hatred bubbled inside me. I felt my mouth fly agape as laughter uproarious laughter escaped me.

Agares as if it were sewing closed the hole in space. It turned to Amon and sighed.

"That should hold him there for at least a good while until he gets fed up with being his own god"

"Humans will never grow of such a dream" Amon added the glow under its skin flared to life in a demonic orange hue. it huffed and a plume of smoke escaped from its mouth. "But who knows any magi who can take a punch from Phase three is most certainly a threat worth eliminating" Amon grabbed Agares and glared daggers.

"Don't you ever stop me from using Bloodless Hunt again, I can sense malice you can't" Amon pushed Agares away and walked back towards Sven shaking its head while saying something in an unknown language. Amon knelt down and palmed Sven's face examining it.

"He's alive obviously but just Unconscious" Amon blinked twice before disappearing into a gust of magic back into the King's Vessel.

"Have fun in there Oh Lord of Respludence Arcadia" Agares chuckled to itself before howling in a monstrous cackle. Agares shook its head. "Only thing you can do when you're trapped forever" Snapping its claws as someone would with their fingers it disappeared in a shroud of light.