Who were you?

The voice was familiar but I couldn't understand whose exactly it was. Suddenly I was able to see again. I saw that I was floating in a dark space, with nothing to be seen.

"Sorry for being late my friend.", I heard the voice again and realized who it was.

"MARYU!!", I yelled out happily, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN LATE? I AM ALREADY DEAD.", my happiness soon turned into anger. "Charles is dead, and that man is going to kill Cassie too.", I realized that I was crying. "I couldn't do anything…. anything at all. I was powerless.", I tried to wipe off my tears but they just wouldn't stop.

"Don't worry.", Maryu said in a reassuring tone. "We can still fix this."

"But how, I am already dead.", I wiped off my tears

"You are not yet dead nor is Charles, not yet but he is slowly but surely dying. I can save you and Charles if you let me control your body. I will also be able to defeat that demon. But you will have to give me full control of your body.", he said

"DO IT. I am willing to do anything in order to save them.", I paused, if I gave Maryu full control of my body that meant that he could do anything with it. I don't even know if I get the control back. Yet, that was the only way to save everyone. "I give you full control of my body.", I yelled

The moment I said that I could suddenly see my body lying on the ground, I looked at my hand and it was as if I could see through them. I looked ahead, the demon was pretty far away by now. I tried to move toward my real body but before I could even take a step I was suddenly sucked into my body laying on the ground.

I was now in my body which was lying on the ground, I stood up but it wasn't me who was moving the body. I looked at my stomach and it still had a big hole in it. But it wasn't paining anymore and the blood had stopped flowing as well. The demon was still casually walking towards Cassie's house as if nothing had ever happened.

I pick up a stone lying on the ground and threw it at the demon (Just making sure you guys realize that it isn't me who is moving the body meaning when I say 'I', It means that Maryu is doing it.). The demon yelled, "WHO DARES?" and in the next instance appeared right before me and attacked me without any weapons but something like a barrier appeared right in front of me and he stopped mid-air. More like frozen in mid-air. It seemed like he wasn't able to move.

"You?", he said in a confused voice, He was thrown back but landed safely on his feet.

"How are you still alive?", he asked

But Maryu decided to ignore that and attacked the demon, the demon managed to block the attack but was thrown back. He landed on his feet again but suddenly fell on his keens and put his hand to his head.

"What did you do?", he roared

I slowly walked towards him and he started groaning in pain. I raised my hand to his head and said, "Who sent you here?",

"Who are you?", he said shaking in pain, his voice sounded weak as if it would fade any moment.

I ignored that question and kicked him in the stomach. He coughed up blood and lay down with his hand on his stomach shivering in pain. I then pulled his head up by his hair and said, "Answer the question." and he started screaming in pain.

"Answer the question.", I warned him again. "Or else I won't kill you, and you will keep suffering like this for the rest of eternity"

"I will… tell you.", He paused. "Stop this pain first.",

I let go of his hair and he fell right on his face. He slowly sat back up and said, "It was him, the 1st general sent me here."

"For what purpose.", I asked him coldly

"He had just ordered me to just kill and enjoy. Nothing else.", he stood up, "Now let me go, I told you everything I knew."

I touched him on his head and said, "Rest in Pieces"

And he started screaming, a light burst out of his body and his body fell but I caught it and laid it on the ground gently.

I could now move the body on my own, and all the pain came back to me. I crouched down low.

"Sorry, I can't stop the pain. I will heal you and Charles. Walk over to him and put over hand over his wound, I will do it.", Maryu said

I limped over Charles and crouched down. I put my hand over his wound and his wounds healed as well as clothes were fixed. I put my hand over my stomach and it healed too. "Okay. Now mind explaining what all that was about.", I said 

"I can't explain it all to you right now. I don't have enough time.", his voice sounded weak. "Now listen carefully to what I am going to tell you. I have used too much energy so I won't be able to help you for the next 3 months. You have got to survive on your own until then. Go to Kyoto and meet with the Izanami clan leader, he might help you. Don't tell them anything about the book or about me. If they ask you how you became an adept tell them that you did it somehow yourself.", his voice continued to sound weaker

"But why,", I asked 

"Don't ask, Just do as I say for once.", His voice started to faint. "I will disappear anytime now. Remember, Izanami clan from Kyoto. Don't let anyone find out about the book or about me. And don't fight enemies that you can not defeat."

"Alright.", I reassured him. 

"You should rest a little.", he said

and suddenly everything started going black and I felt weakened, and I blacked out.

                                     --------------------

I woke up in a hurry thinking I would be late for school. But when I woke up I wasn't in my room. I looked here and there, It looked somewhat familiar but unknown. The walls were pink colored, and just near the bed I was lying I saw a shelf full of stuffed toys. And the teddy bear on top of it was kind of familiar. As if I had seen it somewhere before.

I was just looking around when the door of the room popped open and Cassie came inside. Now I recalled why I felt this room to be familiar. It was Cassie's room and that teddy bear was her favorite toy when she was little that is why I remembered it.

"You woke up?", she looked happy, "You were passed out for 30 min."

"What? Where did you find me?"

"I found you and Charles lying unconscious in front of my house.", she paused, "I didn't call you mom, don't worry.", She knew that I hated troubling my mom.

"What about Charles?

"Oh, he woke up early and is down in the hall, talking with my mom.", she added. "let's go down, if you are feeling well."

I touched my stomach and no wound, nothing. It was as if the wound never existed.

"Yea. Let's go.", I said and walked out of the room with her.

We went down and her mother greeted me. I had only been to Cassie's house a few times before, and I rarely met her mother, so it was kind of awkward. I asked Charles whether or not he remembered anything, thankfully he didn't. All he remembered was since before taking the turn into the street and since after he woke up. He had no recollection of whatsoever happened in between.

Her mom asked us how we ended up passing out in front of the house. I pretended to not remember anything just like Charles. After a little while we concluded that both of us must have passed off because of the heat, since it was especially hot today no one argued.

Cassie's mom went to cook in the kitchen and we started playing board games. I asked Cassie the reason she hadn't come to school today. And found out that she was feeling slightly weak and ill so she didn't bother coming to school. Personally speaking, I don't think one should take a leave from school for little matters like this. I would dare say it's pathetic.

But it didn't matter, instead, it was good that she didn't come to school today. The demon would have killed her on her way home if she had come. But now with Maryu gone, I wouldn't be able to fight those monsters for the next three months. And With these overly powerful monsters appearing nearly every day and threatening the lives of my friends and me, there will be a day when I will have to fight a monster way more powerful than me and at day if I am not able to do anything that would mean my death. And I don't think I can let it happen. I must become strong. I must seek out this Izanami Clan, if what Maryu said is true then they should be able to help me grow stronger.

Suddenly a thought emerged in my mind. Why were there no monsters threatening my life before? Why are they all appearing right now? This all started on the first day of school. I was able to see the monsters then. That means there must be an event that happened before school started. I tried to think of all the possible things I had done in summer break that could have initiated it all. And arrived at only one answer.

The book, It must have all started when I opened that book. After all, that book contains data about the world of adepts, meaning that it might be the reason behind all of this.

That must be when it all started. There is no other way. Either they existed and did attack humans just that I didn't know and that I never had the misfortune of ever crossing paths with these monsters or they all started targeting me because I opened that book. Maryu also warned me about never telling anyone about the book. That book is the key to all of this that is happening as well as the reason.

I can't stop what's happening now. All I can do is be strong enough to face it.

At that point, just one thought crossed my mind.

 "Just who were you? Grandpa."