Chapter Thirty-Seven: Death Knocks

Alice:

An alarm blared, my feet sliding into my boots.  Throwing on the nearest jacket, I skidded into Renkin. His hand cupped his side, my eyes falling on the blood pouring from the corner of his lips. Collapsing into my arms, my lips parted to give an order. Ginger sauntering up to me stopped me, Sy skidding into the hall. Silent tears stained my cheeks, Renkin gazing warmly into my eyes. Don't you dare die on me, you stick in the mud. 

"I tried to stop her." He wheezed, coughing up blood. "I'm sorry that I couldn't continue to serve you. I love you, little s-" Closing his eyes one last time, a tortured wail burst from my lips. Passing him to Sy, my palms pressed together. Struggling to keep it together, no words could come to mind. This battle was mine to finish, the fact that Renkin died rang the alarm bells in my head. 

"Guard his body while I nip this in the bud. I am going to get his soul back. Protect the girls, and help Draken get everyone to safety." I sobbed brokenly, his lip pressing against my forehead to mark an agreement. "I don't know if I will be back." Kissing my lips once more, his next words shattered me. Wishing that he didn't have to say them, my decision had been made. 

"Even if you died, I know you would find a way back. I know I can't stop you. I love you, Pumpkin." He whispered sweetly, his hand cupping my face. "Get my brother back. I have everything here."  Kissing his lips passionately one last time, my palm pressed against the wall. Watching his tears fall, my next job could be my last. If my kingdom survived, then my sacrifice would be worth it. A shadowy energy devoured the space in between us, Ginger sliding to a rough stop. Wicked laughter burst from her lips, the words flowing from her mouth would always be the truth. 

"You are going to die today." She bragged gleefully, clapping her hands together. "How strange that you are accepting it?" Smiling through my tears, it was my turn to save Sy and pay him back for all of his kindness. Wiping away my tears, none of that mattered as my sword appeared in my palm. My goal was one and the same, the outcome doomed to never change. 

"I don't care. Do you want to know why?" I stated simply, bewilderment stealing away the harshness of her features. "People will be saved because of me. My whole life has been me just taking it and taking it. Now it's my turn to stand up to the bully. I didn't become queen to bow down to you. If I die today with you, then I count it as success. All we are anyway are little blimps in Hell's history. So are you going to fight me or what!" Extending her claws, one swing of my sword sent her sliding back. Adjusting her bright armor, her very presence contrasted my inner darkness. Darkness was all I was made of, twisted memories had given me too many thorns to be comfortable. Blocking her attack with ease, a frustrated growl erupted from her lips. Breaking into full power, her claws extended into real blades. We were getting there but I could push her further. 

"Like hell I am going to lay down to you." She hissed venomously, neon green marks appearing on her cheeks. Growing twice as powerful as me, her blows knocked me back. Letting her push me around, my dodges grew less effective. Fighting with all I had, it all proved fruitless. Being a pure demon sure helped, didn't it. Placing a sad smile on my face, my weakened blade shattered to pieces. Letting her pierce my body, my grief blocked any sense of pain. Inky blood rained like a rain storm the moment she ripped her blades from my chest, my body sinking to my knees. Coughing up blood, she had played into my trap. Smearing my hands in the blood, my secret trump card was about to kill her along with me. Shadows kept her at bay, her insults stinging in my ears. 

"Final act." I wheezed while hating myself, preparing for the world of hurt as the necklace they made crashed to my knees. "Turn all of my blood into my ultimate weapon. Darkness, you have full permission to move my body." Screaming out in pain as a fire coursed through my veins, a single giant curved blade consisting of my blood waited for my use. My earrings shattered, any hope of healing was gone. Darkness sealed my wounds, my soul taking the hit. Struggling to my feet, our power now matched. No, I was stronger than her. Watching inky drops of blood pump into my blade, fear showed for the first time in her eyes. Coughing up blood, my eyebrows twitched in the agony. Charging at her, her claws couldn't move fast enough. Slicing up her skin, the next step was going to destroy her. Thinking that she won with how many hits I was taking from her, the last spell was going to drain all that I had left. Slamming her claws through my body once more, silent tears mixed with the inky blood soaking my cheeks. 

"You lose." I sobbed violently, every sob aching like a snake bite. "Blood of my enemy, combine with mine and poison the darkness along with me." Pumping my blood into her veins, shrill shrieks bounced off the walls as her skin began to bubble. My vision blurred, her body decaying to ash. The shadowy realm faded away to  busted Sy, my hand catching her soul. Glancing down at my hands, my body was fading to black rose petals. Mouthing I love you, my real smile was the last thing I gave to the world. A peaceful darkness stole me away. 

Standing in the realm where Yurei ruled, my hands were transparent. Calling out for Renkin, he had a family to raise. A young Ginger appeared next to me, her shaking hand reaching for mine. Forgiving her for all she did, my arms scooped her up. Deep down, she had been innocent. Flashing her my real smile, the sadness faded from her face. Carrying her to Yurei's home, she waited for me with open arms. Pushing the door open, an eager Renkin smashed into my arms. Sobbing into each other's shoulders, we couldn't stop crying for all that we lost. Yurei cleared her throat, Felix joined the embrace. Begging to me that I wasn't dead, Renkin took Ginger from my arms. Sitting on the couch with her, Felix refused to let me go. Rubbing his back, my hands rested on his shoulders. Turning towards Yurei, her wet eyes met mine. My goal was to get my brother-in-law back and nothing else, my heart sinking at my current situation. Remembering Sy's smile, a crippling depression threatened to knock me to my knees. 

"Return Renkin's soul and you can have me. He has a family waiting for him. I promised my husband that I would bring him back." I offered politely, her head shaking. "Why can't you? I am in charge of you after all. I command you to do it." Her lips parted to speak several times, a force ripping us towards the tree. Silent tears streamed down my cheeks, Renkin's eyes flitting around the empty landscape. His eyes opened up, his pensive expression frightening me. Clearing his throat, his deep voice thundered to life. Shivering in my spot, he had the most say after all. 

"I will grant you that but on one condition." He sighed exhaustively, placing a branch on my head. "You return with him. You would have a spirit's eye but that is a low cost. You came a little earlier than expected. Ginger has to stay to be reborn into a better life. When you pumped her full of poison, you cleansed her soul. Get out of here with Renkin and visit me once a month." A tap on our head had us in a drawer in the morgue of Draken's castle, Renkin calling out to me. Panic widened my eyes at the spirits floating all around me, my other eye beginning to bleed. Pushing through the agony, my best friend needed help. Kicking at the door with my bare feet, it took several tries and a bruised foot to knock the door off the hinges. Tying a white blanket from the nearest shelf around my body, the thought of why Draken even had this place crossed my mind.  Gritting my teeth, the soft hiss of the door opening had Renkin crashing into my arms. Scarlet colored my cheeks at him not letting go, his naked skin touching mine. Throwing a white blanket over his head, he got the message. Twisting the fabric into a tunic, pride glowed in his eyes as he placed a makeshift eye patch over my eyes. The noise stopped, my hand resting over my left eye. My feet carried me over to a mirror, curiosity getting the best of me. Lifting up the eye patch, a cloudiness had devoured my eye. Renkin lowered it, a promise of making a pair of glasses falling on deaf ears. Chaos had erupted upstairs, the sounds of a battle stealing us back to reality. Dread bubbled in my gut at my lack of a weapon, little feet broke my train of thoughts. Cobalt tossed me a blade made out of the same metal as my glittering metal hand, his eager eyes swimming with tears. The twins were on his back, his body slamming into my legs. Crouching down to his level, we examined the sleek black leather hilt. Kissing his head feverishly, his emotions soaked my shoulders. Such a sight made coming back worth it, my mind wondering how much time had passed at how much my kids had grown. 

"Mommy, you made it. I knew you would. Help Daddy win and save my kingdom." He begged desperately, pointing to the stairs. "I will protect my sisters." Spinning a metal ball in his palm, one touch had them in the toughest steel. Producing his chains, Renkin nodded in my direction. Pounding up the stairs, we cut down our enemies blocking our paths. Placing his arm out in front of me, Sy was fending off three rogue demons. Waiting in the shadows, my eyes watched his grief stricken body struggle through the battle. 

"Duck, Sy!" I shouted from behind, his eyes falling on me. Hitting the floor, one flick of my wrist sent my new blade whistling towards him. Cutting them down, ash rained down on him as my blade whipped back to his hand. Leaping into his arms, he spun me around. Fury mixed with relief, his hands cupping my cheeks. Kissing my lips feverishly, his wet eyes met mine. 

"I want to kill you so bad right now but thank you for bringing back my brother. We have twenty demons left and they are heading towards the town. Are you coming, Renkin?" He asked through a wall of tears, confusion dawning in my eyes. "You two died on me and now you are going to help me.  After that you are going to make me dinner for six months. Understood! You did put me through Hell after all. Let's go." I suppose that was fair, my heart fluttering at how strong he was behaving in the moment. Following him along the empty halls, Draken lit up at the sight of me, the demons dragging him down the hall noticing us. Sy cursed under his breath, his sword spinning in his palm. 

"I know I made you mad but I told you that I might not come back." I retorted irritably, Renkin's chains whipping over our heads, the demons cutting them down before they could get close to them. Climbing onto Sy's shoulder, their faces paled. Taking off my makeshift eye patch, a darkness had devoured their soul. They were beyond repair, my heart sinking for them. 

"You died along with our master." The tallest masked demon stuttered with fear rounding his eyes. Leaning forward, I lifted my blade to the level of my eyes. Maniacal laughter burst from my lips, Sy shooting me a warning look. Ignoring him, this was going to be fun. Time for some revenge, my boys nodding in my direction. 

"Boo!" I shouted, whipping my blades towards them. Draken hit the floor, the blade decaying the monsters to dust. Hopping off of Sy's shoulder's, a howl of pain shattered the quiet peace. Ivory was having her baby, Renkin melting into a puddle of anxiety. The rest of the demons bounded towards the noise, the three of us sprinting after them. How much time had passed? Laughing nervously to myself, Sy kissed the top of my head. The stress wore on his face, his eyes watching the blood pour from my other eye. Now wasn't the time to worry. 

"I love you but you have to understand that two months have passed with constant attacks on Draken's kingdom." He huffed as we neared them, one swing of his blade obliterating them. "I haven't had a moment of rest. So give me a fucking minute to get used to this again. Renkin is practically useless right now. I have now power left which pains me to even admit that." Charging ahead of them, Sy stuck back to protect his shocked brother. Whistling sharply, the remaining ten demons hissed in my direction. Ugly faces got closer as I leapt over the railing, Sy begging for me to be careful. 

"Whatever!" I called back, a snarl twitching on his lips. "Deliver that baby while I fix this problem! You can yell at me later!" Sprinting through the castle, I jumped out of the nearest window. Hitting the loose dirt of a dead vineyard, their speed was picking up. Darting between the sticks, one of them kicked the ground. Throwing me up in the air, a second one sent blades of air flying in my direction. Spinning my blade over my head, shadowy energy built around the tip of my blade. Floating upside down, a clumsy swing canceled their attacks. Landing roughly, my bare feet kicked up a cloud of dirt. Using the cover to cut down the two who attacked me, inky blood painted my face. Kicking up another one, my spirit eye showed me right where they were. Sliding underneath the next one, one jab up had my blade sliding through his chin. Ripping it out, inky blood stained my outfit. Decomposing into dust, one of them spotted me. Holding my blade over my head, his body fell on my blade. Sliding down the sleek metal, nausea wracked my body at his maggot covered face. Maggots dropped onto my face, a swift flick throwing him to the side. Struggling to my feet, two of them were coming up behind me. Picking up his blade, I swung them underneath my arms. Gruff groans echoed behind me, the bodies turning to dust. Counting in my head, five more remained. Kicking up another cloud of dirt, I crossed my blades. The world became quiet, too quiet. Looking up slowly, one toss of his companion's blade had him impaled into a thick branch over my head. Ignoring the ash snowing around me, a rush of wind blew my hair up. Scooping me up, Batty squealed with joy as she took me high towards the golden moon. What an odd color? Scanning the ground for the rest of them, horror widened my eyes. A giant demon with wings devoured the rest, his yellow eyes meeting mine. Zooming towards us, his leather wings far outpaced her speed. Kissing the top of her head, she protested as I jumped onto his muscular body. Holding on for dear life, a sharp metal point glistened in the distance. Whipping around in the sky wildly, his soul had been corrupted. Steering him towards that point, this had to work or I couldn't make it work. Batty zoomed ahead, the demon roaring. Flying towards the point, he picked up speed. Hovering over the point, her body shot into the sky. Allowing a ball of black energy to build around my foot, one push off of his back sent him onto the spike. It was time for him to die, determination burning in my eyes. Warm air lashed at my cheeks, Batty catching me. Roaring thunderously beneath me, a ball of shadowy energy building above my head. Throwing the ball down, one pat on Batty's head had her whisking me to safety. Grinning ear to ear, flying felt so nice. A second chance shouldn't be thrown away, my mind racing at what to do next.  Landing gracefully near the castle, a blast of ash was floating our way. Shit! That was going to coat the town. Slamming my palms on the ground, a shadowy wall formed in front of me. Inky blood poured from my nose, my muscles screamed in protest.  Keeping my form, the ash threatened to take down my wall. Sy appeared next to me, one swing of his blade sending it into the sky. Lowering my wall, the crisis had been averted. Collapsing into his arms, his ears pinned back. Please don't ream me out, my happiness at being alive now doing little to help out my current state. 

"I am so happy you're okay." He sighed tiredly, his new onyx velvet suit causing a wide grin to dance across my lips. Kissing his lips passionately, his tail curled around my waist. Letting him go, he examined my eye. Wiping the blood from underneath my other eye, he took a step back. Looking lost in thought for a second, his lips parted to speak several times. Bowing my head in shame, one eye was not a big price to pay. Used to the burning sensation by now, small spirits floated behind him. They looked like beautiful balls of light, my breath hitching at their dance. 

"I haven't seen a spirit eye in person but it is mesmerizing. I can see the other realms in it. Such a gift should be treasured by the holder." He mused curiously, my hand pulling the makeshift eye patch down. "We should get back inside." Turning to leave, my fingers grabbed his wrist. My bangs hid my wet eyes, all of it hitting me at once. The guilt was devouring me alive, the overwhelming sense devouring me whole. 

"I am so sorry but there was no other way to get your br-" I apologized sincerely, his finger lifting up my chin with his finger. Pressing his lips against mine softly, storm clouds rumbled to life. Heavy rain soaked the top of our heads, my heart seconds from beating out of my chest. There was no way we could return back to normal like nothing happened. Kissing me again, time stopped. The rainfall came back to life, his arms clutching me close to his chest. Tears of joy flooded from my eyes, his warmth bathing me. Please may this never end again. 

"I don't care. You made it back with my brother in tow. You did say you were going to bring him back or did I ask." He chuckled lightly, grazing his fangs along my neck. "Now to claim you as mine again." Sinking his fangs into my tender flesh, the sound of him drinking my blood relaxed my fraying nerves. A satisfied sigh escaped his lips, his hand guiding my fangs to the nape of his neck. Sinking my fangs into his soft neck, gruff groans poured from his lips with every gulp. Leaning back with pure joy in my eyes, I wished this moment would never end. Draken called out to us, the biggest threat was now gone. Taking me into a warm hug, he spun me around. Draken couldn't let go of my hands, Sy's ears pinning back with jealousy. Dropping them awkwardly, he scratched the back of my head. 

"So I was thinking that I could throw a ball in honor of your return or something like that." He suggested cautiously, lifting up my eye patch. "Wow, it is like you have a pearl in your eye. I have never seen a spirit eye before." Sy placed his hand on his shoulder with a twisted grin, Draken taking a step back. A quiet breeze caused his navy suit to dance away, his whole body shaking. A tiny voice called out in the distance, an eager Cobalt leaping into my arms. Spinning him around, his laughter twinkled in the air. Clutching him close to my chest, Renkin ran up to me with his real smile. Huffing to a stop, he rested his hand on his knees. Good news must be coming from all around.

"We have a baby girl and we decided to name her Vixen Alice. What do you think? Ivory suggested it." He gushed excitedly, squirming in his spot. "She almost killed me  and then she broke down. Someone coming back from the dead must be pretty weird." His face fell, guilt dimming his eyes. Sy picked up on his cues, his hand dragging mine towards the castle. Cobalt buried his head into my shoulder, his emotions soaking my shoulders. Always happy to comfort him, Cobalt was mine and always would be. Stepping over the threshold, his old man pulled us into a bear hug. Fresh tears flowed from my eyes, his new beard tickling my face. Holding me by my shoulders, his wet eyes almost couldn't believe that I was actually here. Smoothing out his white dress shirt and pants, he cleared his throat. 

"Thank you for bringing back my son in time for the birth of my grandson." He effused proudly, letting Cobalt leap into my arms. "This one here has been keeping me company at home. He insisted on coming here today. I am glad he did.  Here are my little nuggets." Sy came out with the twins, my arms scooping them up. They had grown so much since I died, the last word hitting me hard. I had died and left them alone. Shaking off the depression, Renkin motioned for me to come with him. Kissing my girls a million times, their laughter sounded like music. Noting their lovely black dresses, their hair had grown longer. Pausing in front of the door, Renkin scooped up the twins. Knocking on the door frame, her eyes lit up at the sight of me. Too weak to move, it was my sisterly duty to fuss over her. Showing off a blonde haired girl with ruby eyes, my breath hitched at her beauty. Kissing their foreheads, they needed to know that I was never leaving again. Clutching my hand to my chest, this all felt like a dream. 

"She is gorgeous." I assured Ivory lovingly, her hand slapping me across the face. "I deserved that." Yanking me into a desperate embrace, her tears soaked my shoulders. Sitting back up, her bright smile illuminated her features. Struggling to find the words, it took a couple of times. Clearing her throat, I offered her water. Shaking her head, her lips brushed against the top of Vixen's head. 

"Thank you for getting Renkin back. What did it cost you?" She choked out brokenly, mixed emotions flashing in her eyes. "Don't you ever do something that stupid again! Do you know what fresh hell you put Sy through? He wouldn't eat, sleep or drink for the longest time!" Fighting the urge to argue back, she had every right to feel this way. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I had to ask for her forgiveness. Her hand raised in the air, her head shaking. My father-in-law made his way in, her smile brightening her face. Rising to my feet, I had to make this better. Pulling myself onto the roof, I wasn't shocked to find Renkin there. His guilty eyes met mine, silent tears staining his cheeks. Understanding how he felt, our bond had gotten even tighter. 

"I don't get why you saved me. You didn't ha-" He protested dejectedly, my hand raising in the air. He was family and family deserved to be saved no matter what. Bowing my head in shame, a mistake might have been made. Burying my head into my knees, he needed to know that he deserved to live. Right now, he looked like death warmed over. 

"I don't care what you have to say. The moment you died, I planned on getting your soul back no matter what. I can't run Hell without you." I spoke sharply, a sad smile dawning on his face. "I had to get you back in time to see your little girl get born. Yes, I was willing to trade my soul for yours." A snarl twitched on his lips, his claws digging into the roof. 

"Why did you care! No one cares about me! I have lived my whole life without anyone giving a damn and you come into my life." He roared thunderously, my brow cocking. "I don't understand you." Flashing him a busted smile, our dejected eyes met each other. An oppressive silence hung between us, his claws retracting. What was on his mind? 

"I have always been the little guy that no one cared about. I would never want anyone to feel like that again." I explained serenely, happy to be alive. "We got a second chance so let's live it. Can you do that for me?" Smiling sadly at each other, we would never be the same again.