Red

'Sometimes a face strikes harder than a sword'

-A sad young man.

Chapter 13

Dinner was bad, Reno wounds weren't too bad. A broken arm, some bruises all over his body, and a severe...

'Achoo'

'Master take your soup!'

'I hate carrots' Reno told her shutting his mouth so she couldn't insert the spoon in. Hade started to pout, slightly annoyed at her master's immature behaviour.

'Master you're acting like a child!!' She yelled. Reno looked at her straight in the eye, he held her chin and drew her closer, their lips so close to touching. Hade's heartbeat raced. 'You're cute when you're angry' he told her with his naughty smile.

Killin walked by pushing the breakfast tray through the dark hallway, watching them. 'Killin, what do you think about them?' Damian asked from the shadows.

'What would you want me to think, master?' Killin asked staring into the darkness. 'I know you're not human' he said as he stepped out of the dark sneaking up close behind her.

'I am simply your servant, I have never been nothing more' she told him. Meanwhile, Hade found herself unable to move away from Reno, not that she couldn't, rather she didn't want to. It was as if time stopped just for them.

Slowly, Reno brought their faces together, touching noses. 'Erm..ma-master' she stuttered under her breath. As they stared at each other Reno noticed Damian at the door.

'We have company' he told her steering his eyes to the door. Hade nervously backed away from him reverting to her usual blank expression. 'I can't believe you only broke your arm' Damian said as he punched Reno's shoulder. 'Doesn't it hurt?' he asked.

'No, it's this damn cold that sucks' Reno told him blowing his nose with a tissue. 'So how was he?' Damian asked taking a seat by the fireplace.

'He was strong, he managed to make me use my full power' Reno told him.

'But I did manage to get something in return' he said reflecting on what happened after the final clash.

Reno had won against the almost unstoppable lord of ice. He walked over to the monster lord's dead body to examine it. There he found all that remained was his crown. 'That took longer than expected' he lowered himself to grab the crown.

As he touched it, it faded into smoke and his black talisman shone succinctly. A wave of knowledge flooded Reno's mind, particularly the last part of the painting. He saw it and was shocked at what he saw, but as soon as the information was being saved into his brain the image was, deleted?

To his surprise, he couldn't remember anything of what he saw, only the fact that it shook him. He checked his power 'Just as I thought I've gained his energy. But not his powers'.

'But what was that? If only I could remember...that painting!'

'However... I feel like there's something else important I'm forgetting, hmm'

As Reno slipped his hand into his coat pocket his fingers bumped his phone and he immediately remembered, he snapped his finger 'Right dinner!'

The space around him began to collapse 'The dungeon's closing!' He looked back at the ruined castle contemplating on whether to search for the painting.

'It's probably just nothing' he said rushing out of the dungeon. After he slammed the door to the dungeon he dashed up the stairs to his room, he showered, bandaged his injuries. Only a few seconds until six O'clock he rushed down the stairs again, to the dining room 'How many stairs does this place have!!' he complained jumping the stairs, he tripped and fell down the remaining stairs breaking his arm.

'And that's how it went, mostly' He told Damian, skipping the part about falling down the stairs. Damian sighed at his story 'If only I had followed' Reno grinned at him menacingly.

From the window between them, they heard a bloodcurdling scream out in the forest, the town. They directed their eyes outside, then there was even more screaming.

'Could it be monsters?' Reno asked. 'Most likely'. They didn't take the matter too seriously and continued to lounge. But Reno couldn't shake the feeling that something strange was going on.

In the thinking room, Takeshi was meditating trying to improve his energy control, when he felt it, from the town, a familiar aura.

He stepped closer to the window, with his keen eyesight he could see someone, a man with red hair. And a long chain with a scythe on its end.

The flames of vengeance inside him burned even fiercer. He picked up his swords and left the castle without saying a word.

Takeshi Kante, always been a man of few words, on the outside he could be seen as 'boring' But inside a flame burns intensely with many brilliant colours.

This soul desired something, even before Reno killed and summoned him, he's always been this way.

It might have something to do with the girl he was holding when he first met Reno, the trauma of being the only survivor still haunts him.

'Hade, where's Takeshi?' Reno asked her. '...Ta-Ke-shi?' she said trying to remember who Reno was talking about. 'Oh, that mop' she said making fun of Takeshi's messy hair. 'Yeah, I haven't seen him in a while'.

Killin looked through the window and cut in, 'There he is heading to the town'. 'What's he doing, Hade what did you do!'. 'Me, well I might have told him to take a hike a few times' she said under her breath softly.

Takeshi reached the town, it was deserted and decorated with blood and torn human bodies almost unrecognizable. He walked further in, he could see women hiding their children in their homes, fathers barricading their doors, and the injured begging for help desperately.

Far in front of him he could see soldiers armed with guns, and some with swords, they all aimed at him ready to shoot, Takeshi readied himself the red-haired man, licking the blood off his scythe on a barrel stepped forward, throwing a cigarette he finished aside and gave them the signal to stand down.

He looked at Takeshi and frowned. They both glared at each other, the redhead seemed rather relaxed, but also a bit confused. He thrust his finger forward at Takeshi.

'So...who the f##k are you again?'

'Master no!!!' Hade screamed 'You cheated' angry that her master beat her again at chess, Reno could only chuckle fully aware of his almost master-level skill. Meanwhile, Killin struggled to beat Damian in a heated game of chess; she seemed surprised that she was being dominated by a human.

Damian played as he lived, with order and knowledge; no matter what strategy she used Damian had a counter. 'You're using your ability aren't you? She said, 'I tried, but it doesn't seem to work on you.'

The two concentrated even harder on their game, not giving way for each other to advance. Reno observed their match with a stopwatch; it had gone on for over ten minutes, ten times the time Killin expected it to take.

Hade soon got bored of watching, and she tried by Reno wouldn't give her any attention, so she went to the window to comfort herself.

From there she could see the man with red hair. 'What beautiful red hair' she said.

Damian was about to play the winning move but stopped when he heard what Hade said, red hair.

'No, it can't be!! Reno wait!!'

He looked beside him only to see smoke, Reno had vanished. '$h#t that idiot's going to get himself killed this time!!'