Code stood before Van, the air thick with anticipation. "I'm ready," he declared, his voice firm with determination.
Van's masked gaze locked onto Code, his tone low and even. "Then let's begin."
Van stood up, his movements deliberate. "We're moving beyond the thread test." He turned to Code. "Stand."
Code rose to his feet, his mind racing with questions. What was Van planning?
"Okay... so what?" Code asked, his eyes locked on Van's masked face.
Van exhaled deeply. "I'm going to haul a wave of tenzen at you."
As he spoke, Van raised his left hand, palm facing Code. Code's eyes widened, but before he could react, a colossal blast of tenzen exploded from Van's hand.
The impact was catastrophic. Code's body was lifted off the ground, his feet dangling in mid-air as the tenzen slammed into him with the force of a raging tempest. The sound was deafening - a cacophony of crackling energy, shattering wood, and the sickening thud of Code's body crashing into the wall.
Papers swirled around him, torn from their sheets. Code's vision blurred, his senses reeling from the sheer intensity of the attack. He felt like he was drowning in a maelstrom of energy, his body battered and bruised from the inside out.
After a few minutes, Code's senses slowly returned, his vision clearing as he struggled to catch his breath. "Hey, what the hell!" he exclaimed, clutching his torso in agony as the aftershocks of the attack coursed through his body.
Van's expression remained nonchalant, his voice laced with a hint of amusement. "Good grief, I thought the first one would do, but looks like I was wrong."
As Van raised his hand once more, Code's eyes went wide with terror. "Uh!" he yelped, his voice trembling.
Van's hand began to glow with an ominous energy, and Code's fear turned to desperation. "please, we can talk about this!" he screamed, his eyes clouded with panic.
But it was too late. Another blast of tenzen erupted from Van's hand, striking Code with incredible force. He was lifted off the ground, as his body met the same fate. Plaster and debris rained down, burying Code beneath a pile of rubble.
Code's body screamed in agony, every fiber of his being throbbing with intense pain. He struggled to his feet, shrugging off the rubble that had buried him. As he stood, blood burst from his lips, and he instinctively cupped his hands to catch the flow.
For a few moments, Code stared at his palm, transfixed by the blood pooling there. And then, he noticed something peculiar. The blood, instead of spreading across his palm, had coalesced into a single, glistening drop.
Just as Code's gaze locked onto the drop, Van raised his hand for a third time, poised to unleash another devastating blast. Code's eyes snapped up, and he raised a trembling hand. "Wait..." he gasped, his breathing ragged. "I-I think this is it."
Code turned to Van, his palm still cupped around the mysterious drop. Van's eyes narrowed, and he took a step closer. "Oh..." he breathed, his voice tinged with surprise. The drop of blood on Code's palm seemed to be suspended, as if defying gravity itself.
Van's eyes remained fixed on the drop of blood on Code's palm. "Wow, that was fast. I didn't expect two attempts to be enough." But before he could continue, the drop of blood began to twitch and contort, suddenly exploding in a tiny, crimson burst that sprayed droplets all over the room.
"Uh?" Code exclaimed, his tone laced with surprise.
Van nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, I see."
Code struggled to catch his breath. "What happened?" he asked, still trying to process the sudden explosion.
Van's expression turned explanatory. "Due to the balance between your tenzen and Aidra's anti-tenzen, you can't control any external form of tenzen. But your own blood, which carries your unique tenzen signature, is a different story."
Code's eyes narrowed. "But why did it burst?"
Van's response was matter-of-fact. "You didn't maintain the balance well. That's all."
"Oh", Code replied, as he breathed a sigh of relief, staggering towards the exit, and thinking to himself, "I thought I was going to die." But his reprieve was short-lived.
"Where are you going?" Van's voice echoed from behind.
Code turned, his eyes questioning. "Uh?... Aren't we done?"
Van's response was a low, menacing chuckle. "We are just getting started."
Code's eyes widened in terror as he exclaimed, "Uh?" His mind racing with the implications.
Van's expression turned cold, his eyes glinting with an unnerving intensity. "You heard me," he said, his voice dripping with malice as he began to walk towards Code.
Shivers ran down Code's spine as he recalled Nara's parting words: "Make sure you don't die!" He thought to himself, "So this is what Nara meant..." Still wincing in pain, Code's anxiety grew, wondering what new horrors Van had in store for him.
***
The morning sun cast its warm rays through the windows, illuminating the room with a soft, golden light.
Inside the room, Code lay motionless, his chest rising and falling with each slow, deep breath. Three days had passed since he'd last opened his eyes, three days of uninterrupted sleep. The silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the occasional creak of the old wooden floorboards and the soft hum of the morning breeze outside.
Code rolled onto his side, wincing as a wave of pain washed over him. He slowly turned towards the window, and the sunlight pierced his eyes like a thousand needles. He opened his eyes to the light, squinting as he gazed out at the breathtaking Bucharest view. The city's skyline stretched out before him, a tapestry of ancient architecture and modern marvels.
With a groan, Code sat up, his body protesting the movement. His muscles ached, his joints creaked, and his mind reeled from the memories of Van's hellish training. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog that clouded his thoughts. As he swung his legs over the side of the bed, his feet dangled in the air, and he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.
Code stood up, his legs trembling beneath him. He took a tentative step forward, his eyes fixed on the door. As he reached out to grasp the handle, the door burst open, and Nara strode into the room. Code recoiled, narrowly avoiding being struck by the door.
"I honestly thought you were dead," Nara said, his hand reaching out to grasp Code's.
"Dead?" Code repeated, his eyes snapping with shock. "Why would you think that?" he asked, his tone even.
"You slept for three days straight," Nara replied, his eyes still fixed on Code's face. Code's eyes widened in surprise, and he felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Three days?" he whispered, his voice trembling. "I've never slept that long in my life."
The news of Code's awakening sparked a lively celebration, with Hina cooking up her signature 'dragon breath' dish to mark the occasion. As they sat down to eat, Hina slurped her noodles, her eyes shining with excitement. "I'm really surprised, I mean, you slept for three days straight!" she exclaimed.
Code responded with a slight grin, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Yeah, I know Van's training is no joke," Hina continued, her voice filled with a mix of amusement and awe. She leaned in, and lowered her voice. "You know, Nara slept for five days straight," she whispered, her lips curling up into a sly grin.
Nara, who was busy slurping down his noodles, choked on his food, his face turning bright red. "Ahem...!" he spluttered, his eyes watering. "It was four days!" he exclaimed, his face burning with embarrassment.
Hina turned away from Nara, a dismissive snort escaping her lips. "Whatever," she said, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture.
Code watched the exchange, a slight grin playing on his lips. However, his amusement was short-lived, as he suddenly realized Van was nowhere to be found. His face furrowed in worry, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of their missing companion.
"Um, where's Van?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Hina's expression turned serious, her brow furrowing. "Oh, Van said he was going out for a walk two days ago, and he hasn't come back yet."
Code's thoughts was cut short as the front door burst open, and Van strode in, his masked face gleaming in the light. He wore a white nylon bag slung over his shoulder, and his eyes gleamed with an air of mystery. He turned to face the trio, his masked gaze sweeping over them.
Van walked up to them, his masked face gleaming in the firelight. A strange, unsettling aura emanated from him, like a whispered warning. "Good grief," he sighed, his tone laced with a hint of exhaustion, as he sat down on the sofa next to them.
The trio stared at him, a heavy, oppressive silence settling over the room like a shroud. The only sound was the flickering of the fire, casting eerie shadows on the walls that seemed to twist and writhe like living things. "What?" Van asked, his tone surprised.
Hina's eyes sparkled with a mix of amusement and unease. "Where did you walk to again?" she asked, her tone laced with a hint of mockery that seemed to falter.
Van let out a dry, mirthless chuckle. "Nah, I just needed some fresh air."
Nara, who had been surprised by Van's entrance, jumped back into his meal, slurping his noodles with a haste that seemed almost desperate. However, he wasn't done yet - he dragged Code's uneaten meal to his side, grinning mischievously at Code. "I'm gonna do justice to this," he said, as he dug into the food with a ferocity that seemed almost animalistic.
Code wanted to protest, but his words died on his lips as Nara slurped off half of the noodles in one swift, ravenous motion.
Van let out another sigh, his masked face gleaming in the firelight like a cold, calculating gaze. "Arrrgh... We've got trouble."
His gaze shifted from Hina to Code, his eyes glinting with an intensity that seemed almost predatory. "Aidra is still out there..." he continued, his voice low and mysterious.
Nara's eyes snapped up from his meal, his expression surprised and uneasy. "Uhn? What do you mean Aidra? I thought he was inside Code."
Van's gaze never wavered, his eyes fixed on Code with an unblinking intensity. "Yeah, that's what I thought too."
He paused, leaving a sense of suspense hanging in the air like a challenge, or a threat. "What?" Hina asked, her voice tight with anticipation and fear.
Van's words dropped like a bombshell, shaking the very foundations of their reality. "I don't know, but I think Aidra can possess demons too"
Code's mind reeled, his thoughts spinning with the implications, like a maze of horrors. Hina shook her head, her eyes wide with disbelief and terror. "What do you mean? Is that even possible?" she asked, her tone laced with horror and dread.
Van's masked face gleamed in the firelight, his eyes glinting with an intensity that seemed almost supernatural. "Yes."
He reached into the nylon bag slung over his shoulder, his hand rummaging through its content. The bag rustled, and then Van's hand emerged, holding something that made the trio's eyes widen in horror.
"What's that?" Nara exclaimed, his tone trembling with fear.
Van's gaze never wavered, his eyes fixed on Code with an unblinking intensity. "This is a strand of Aidra's hair."
The black strand of hair writhed and twisted in Van's hand, like a living snake, its movements seeming to defy the laws of nature. Code's eyes widened in dismay, his mind reeling with the implications, like a maze of horrors.
"How did you get it?" Hina asked, her tone tight with tension and fear.
Van's masked face gleamed in the firelight, his eyes glinting with an intensity that seemed almost supernatural. "I retrieved this from the demon that wiped out Code's team. It had this in it."
Code gulped, his heart racing with fear, as Nara dropped his chopsticks with a loud clatter.
Van's gaze never wavered, his eyes fixed on Code with an unblinking intensity. "As I got closer to this place, the vibration of the strand got more violent, like it was attracted to this house," he said, his voice low and mysterious.
As Van brought the strand of hair closer to Code, the strand began to vibrate with an otherworldly energy, its movements becoming more frantic, more desperate. Code felt a creeping sense of dread as the strand seemed to reach out to him, as if it was being drawn to him by some dark power.
Van's gaze never wavered, his eyes fixed on Code with an unblinking intensity. He held the strand of hair mere inches from Code's face, the air between them seeming to crackle with energy.
And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, everything stopped. Van pulled back the strand of hair, his movements swift and precise, and placed it back in the nylon bag.
"Code, the demon your team fought against was actually a mid-class, but the presence of Aidra's hair strand in it amplified its power level to a higher level," Van said, his voice low.
"This means that demons too can be zeros." Van declared, his voice heavy with the weight of his words.
Code's eyes widened in fear, his voice trembling. "S-so what do we do?" he asked.
Van's gaze never wavered, his eyes fixed on Code with an unblinking intensity. "Hmm..." he replied, as he grabbed his chin, his eyes narrowing in thought.
"We have to harvest all of Aidra's body parts, and align them together, if we want to keep this a secret" he said, his voice low and mysterious.
"Yeah, and also, demonic signals have been detected very close to this place. They state it's a low-class demon," Van stated, his gaze sweeping across the trio, his expression serious.
"Code, I want you to use this battle as a training," Van turned to Code.
"From now on, you'll face worse foes than you can ever imagine, so you must get stronger at all cost!" Van declared.
Code nodded in response to Van.
'Tomorrow, my second mission begins!'
***
❤️