CHAPTER IV 

    (THE NECROMANCER)

    “SAY, you would do everything for your older brother, right?”

    Humming the death tone as he crushes the chalks into specks of dust on the cold floor. His eyes deepen as he stares closely at his work, alone and ragged as he spends in isolation and hidden in the mansion's underground basement as no one knew and no one even notices. 

    “I’m almost there.”

     He whispers somehow in an insane tone, yet definitely in a clear state as everything from those ten years ago was all just yesterday's event inside his mind.

     “This should do it, right?” he sinisterly smiles.

     Placing the right and perfect ingredients inside each bottle with the books of his long research are scattered around in a pile, and some are torn and even burned to ashes, he smiles as he successfully concocted the perfect formula he forever desires to hold. 

     To the clicking bottles inside the tray as he places it according to the list and in order, he whispers. 

     “Water, 35L, carbon, 20kg, ammonia, 4L,” he somewhat chanted, placing each one in a basin, popping its leads as he pours it one by one. “Lime, 1.5kg, phosphorus, 800g, salt, 250g, niter, 100g, sulfur, 80g, fluorine, 7.5g, iron, 5g and,” he seconds pause looking at the empty bottle where the last ingredient is. 

    Sinisterly fixing a smile upon his face, he opens it up as he pours everything down saying.

     “Silicon, 3g, and now for the circle.” 

    Scoping a handful of that powdered chalk, he draws the perfect geometrical shapes of the pentagram into a transmutation circle and wrote down the Latin words and symbols as he hums and sings the song. 

     “Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock.” 

     He sings in between as he completed the human transmutation circle for a dead’s revival. 

     “Air, Earth, Fire, Water.” 

     He chanted in order, placing each symbol of the elements in the corners from the complete list out from his mind. Now, placing the basin in the middle that will serve as the body, he smiles as he whispers.

    “For the last ingredient and the most important one.” 

     Taking out a knife as he draws his blood, cutting his palm in between. He eases the pain as he let his blood drips staining the ash-colored mixed powder from his scarlet blood. 

     “A blood that shared by the one who dies.”  

     Picturing the person inside his mind and who he considers as his everything, the satisfaction and the long-run blood sacrifice that he took is all for the revival and the plan of having 'him' back alive. 

     “A promise is a promise.”

     To the tear that falls from his left eye. To the last words and the tragic event of the past that leaves him with no one to look up to and see as a leader and defender, everything in his once perfect life crumbles down like the ash that 'HE' becomes. To the agony, insanity, and the longing that his life becomes and are too much to bear, as the only solution for the months that passed and all the research that he did is finally having its fruit. For this day he swears he will make sure that he will have the only thing he ever desires to have. 

     “Now.” 

     He whispers after wrapping and tying his wound with a cloth stopping the bleeding, he then places both of his palms down as he whispers the words in Latin. 

     "Agite Tenebrae Abyssi"

     Just then, neon blue light traces the lines and symbols illuminating the transmutation circle as flashes of lightning draws from the ground and onto the six points of the pentagram that dances erratically from his command together with the whisper from his memory that pushes him further and making him promise to dwell in this state with the words. 

     “If I die, would you do everything to bring me back alive?”

      “Come back.” 

      Now crying in silence as his tears fall and nonstop. The dancing lights creep their way into the center of the basin as it’s taking a bit and a chunk of the ash mod molding it into a thing. 

     Marking a hoping glee as his research and experiments are paying off and the sacrificial blood is served perfectly without waste. The servants of the mansion slowly vanish without a trace, and one by one falls missing without certain information on how and why, he is thankful as they serve him with utmost perfection as his guinea pigs. The disappearance, the howling cries in the night, and the brand hunted and curse mansion it is now was all was the aftermath of the sickening intricate and flawless crime an innocent child-like him in the eyes of the many could do. His cards that he played well and precisely, the young master everyone believes and obeys. Did him a favor as his long wait and experimentation are coming in a fruitful stance. 

     “No one knew,” he whispers, talking to the foolish humans he branded. “No one notices,” he added, satisfied with everything. “I simply play it safe, well planned, and perfectly done everything right.” As he smiles all proud of himself. 

     “One by one I took them out, every other week so no one would come around.” 

     He remanence taking his silent kill not by brute nor by a scam, but a brain that is mightier than a sword. 

     “I used every piece so no one can tell as there will be no evidence left to be checked.” He ended as the mold is in utmost perfection.

     Hearing a muffling sound as glee enveloped him, he smiles, calling.

     “Nii-san!”

     Yet, “Die!!!” 

     Screaming a shrieking sound as the lights turns into purple and down into a tainted black. Tiny black hands from the undergrowth emerge holding and pinning his limbs down as the molded figure of an imperfect human opens its mouth shrieking louder than it has ever been. The ground shakes, and painful vibrations shook as he was a drag in the middle. 

    “DIE! DIE! DIE!” 

     It all could scream as it choked his voice, leaving him speechless in shock and fear. 

    Looking at the monster he created wondering from the back of his mind what he did wrong to turn his perfect experiment into this. Its bloodshot red eyes look down at him from above screaming with its fangs and teeth as it growls in pure hunger. His tear flows as a memory flashback.

    “Do not do something stupid that could hurt you or anyone else, okay?”

    Closing his eyes as the memory only gave him pain and longing. He held his breath, screaming. 

    “Nii-san!” 

     Mouth wide and in pure hunger, the monster’s screams shriek even more as it strives, diving, and devouring everything it could lay its sight into. Finally drawing its sight unto him it opens its mouth even wide as it swallowed him whole blocking everything out from his sight. 

     “I will be the one to protect you.”

     “JOHN.” 

     Waking up as it was some kind of nightmare, he opens his eyes as his name is called, yet he only finds himself in an empty white void as nothing can be seen from a mile or more. Looking around as his heart is in a race for the horror that he witnessed, he felt a tingling sensation at the back of him, and turning quickly around as he swallowed his fear, he comes face to face to a beautiful woman in a reaper’s scythe. 

     “Hello and welcome, John.” 

     Calling his name as her smile fixed unto her beautiful face and perfect image, both her grace and the warning flag of a death trap where there is no escape left him in a stun. 

     “Who are you?” 

     Somewhat stuttering, yet took his composure as he is trying to hide his fear inside. The reaper smiles back, leaning close as she could smell the fear all over his body as it gives her pure satisfaction. 

     “Don’t you know?” asking with a puzzling tone, she giggles, waving her scythe as her blood-red shot eyes sparks and leaving him the idea that he is facing the monster he created. “You called for me, right?” reading his mind as his face surely shows the trembling fear he is trying to keep in containment. 

     She smiles with satisfaction before answering. 

     “I am as I am not.” 

     Taking a deep breath in as he is finally able to take his resolve, he asks.

     “Are you God?”

     Taken quite a shock as she laughs loudly in entertainment from those claimed words, she then looks back at him as she smiles confessing.

     “Let us just say, I am playing one right now.”

     “What do you want, where am I?” 

     Knowing the impending questions inside his mind as she can sense the fear inside his heart, she smiles once more in satisfaction as it gives her the chill that she loves to feel. Stepping forward as he took a step back she giggles tempting him with the superficial words. 

     “The thing that you want comes with a price.” 

     Ringing the words with the hidden meaning behind a price that comes with the sin, he finally understands. Crumpling his fist as he swallows every inch of his fear aside and looking back with conviction, he commanded. 

     “I’ll do everything to bring my brother back. I want him back. Anything you wish for as a price, just bring back my brother.” 

      Laughing in satisfaction at his reply, he surely impresses her with how easy, naïve, stupid, but smart he could be. Every human could be, as she smiles laying her price. 

     “The price can wait as for now what you desire is what is important.” Tempting as she taps his head lightly with her cold hand. Her red eyes slowly turning into a purple one that resembles a serpent’s eye with her perfect face that is slowly doing the same, a tail is making its way changing her feet into a serpent's scales. 

    “You open a gate as you are now a living candidate. The price that I needed I will collect it in time, as for now.” 

     Turning his head around as a gate was present in front of him, the symbol that is carved with it and the name on top draws his attention as the closed and sealed black gate in front of him is his. 

     “Now you shall see the truth.” 

     Pushing him hard as the stone gate opens and with those same tiny black hands emerge from within and immediately holds his limbs tight as it dragged him inside. He screams as he wanted to break loose, but it turned him around to face the reaper only to leave him in shock and surprise like his blood is drained out from him as it turns out the beautiful reaper is a disguise for something more and sinister as a silver scaled serpent. 

     “We shall see each other again pretty soon.” 

     To the tiny hands that slowly cover his eyes and finally drags him completely inside the gate, his screams slowly faded as the gate closes and everything turns dark and calling.

     “JK!” 

     Waking up almost buried with his research works and papers, he stood up massaging her eyes as he clears his vision for the dream. Yet, rather the past that he hides from deep within his sinful life. 

     Noticing the flickering lights of the laboratory, he stood up, shutting it off and leaving the wall lights on that gives an eerie dim to the place. Carefully inspecting the place and making sure everything is in its right place down to the vials and the flask that arranged perfectly on its shelves, the powdered and liquified elements that were stored into its dry and cold shelves inside the refrigerator, and to the experiments that are labeled. The symbols on the walls and the restriction that it brings, the laboratory no one dares and allowed to use beside the six is wreaking with the foul smell of the monster and demons' corpses making his job mystical yet, a thrilling fun ride for a necromancer and an alchemist that he is. Now standing in front of a big whiteboard as images of places, elements, symbols, and words in Latin are inscribed. He pulls a red string from its roll as he marks a connection pinning it in the desired corner as it pictured the perfect human transmutation circle where in the middle are the Latin words of sacrificium and sanguis.

     “Tsk!” he smirks.

     Tilting his head sideways, hiding his right eye from his hair as the other marks a sadistic stare. He covers his mouth with his hand as he laughs silently, yet sinisterly. Admiring his work as it implanted the paid marks from his years of labor, everything is set as the grand stage is about to unfold, the sacrifice is offered with just a few hours away before he could see him again. 

     “It’s almost time, me, you and her, I’ll make everything into a paradise for just the three of us.” 

     Giggling sinisterly as the grand picture formed the written word of ‘REVERSE’. The book that hungers for blood and soul, the perfect time to open the cursed world and set foot the reality that he longs, dear. The people involved and the thousand to be sacrificed, everything is all for the revival of 'him' as the philosopher’s stone is about to be made. 

     “A few hours from now, a moment to the truth as everything will turn back and undo, a thousand souls and blood to be spilled and a holder’s doll to be manipulated. Everything is perfectly falling into the plan.” 

     Drawing an evil smile, he looks at the picture of the one that will pave the book for that world to exist and the same that will be ‘HIS’ final sacrificial soul to feed the sin that this world holds. 

     "Soon enough,”

     “ALLIAH.”

     Looking back as someone whispers a call unto her name, the wind blew in an eerie pattern together with a warning she could not pinpoint what. Shoving the thoughts away as she might just hearing things. She continues walking as she’s reading the documents, reports, and proposals of the clubs that were signed already by their respected adviser, and now are waiting for their facade of a club’s approval and JK's signature as the student body president, for the celebration of the upcoming death festival. As they all look forward to making it smooth and perfect behind the menacing dread that is growing around in this time of the year. Walking to the usual path unto the east building of the Academy and the faculty room, the usually crowded path becomes empty, by which she just only notices now. 

     “Alliah.”

     Whispering like the wind is calling her in. She stops on her track looking and observing as it keeps calling her name with the wind that hits her gently, yet in an uncanny chilly breeze. 

     “Alliah.”

     Taking the silence as everyone somewhat disappears with no warning or a whisper. She closed her eyes as she listens and felt the exterior of the place. Calculating her field of sense in a 50-meter radius and as an advanced dowser, she listens to the movement of the elements as an uncanny encounter good or bad, her ability to perceive the soundless sound will let her know that will defend her in return and help her strike back. 

    “Alliah.”

     Calling out from the vibration of the wind and to every natural sound, she could find, felt, and see. Each drop of water to a puddle creates the sound of a silent ripple. From each dried leaf that falls to the ground, and every tiny cricket in the smallest places is perfectly giving off their original sound and perfectly tune as it harmonizes, everything seems off as her ability is somewhat being blocked in an eerie silence. 

     “Ali…”

     Taking the warning as she immediately opens her eyes, taken by surprise as a shadow looms behind her without a sound’s vibration that she should have heard. Taking the step forward and turning around as she leaps backward and for a split second, she draws a small transmutation circle of ‘hallow’. A transmutation spell of a hidden void that could store anything, everything, and even anyone the wielder’s wishes too. Activating it with her blood as she put her hand inside clutching a handful of the illusion sand JK made using the dimension demon’s claws they once defeated then. On the brim of throwing the sand to pave for an escape from an unknown and sneaky enemy. She immediately stops as she was taken sliding the sand back, canceling the transmutation for finding not a demon or any monster, but.

     “Alliah.”

     Shyly calling out her name as she immediately acts normal, setting aside any suspicion that could arise any warning bell to their real identity and kept in the sealed reality of a job. She smiles halfway hiding her doubts and suspicion, when the shadow that she felt in a split second with a dread of a warning plus the same where she did not even hear a vibration, somehow is playing a trick as it cannot be from a person innocent in nature and even though from someone who is tainted with a demon past. 

     “Ayumi.” As she calls her name. 

     Staring quite bewildered but in suspicion at the innocent, shy, and introverted girl. Which past links to the tragedy caused by a dark demon that almost devour her entire life and family, the brand 6th of their mysterious seven cases she solved, helped, and cured, but never defeated is somehow roaming with the shadow she cannot pin what.

       Ayumi gently nods, hiding her face in her hair as her unknown trauma in the past unknowingly hunts her in return. She became the student body bookkeeper by which Daniela asked for JK to watch over, concern from her tainted past that might still loam in return.  

     “I am sorry. Did I scare you? I did not mean to.” 

     She apologizes almost stuttering as she is someone who's been afraid of everyone and has never been trusting to anyone besides Daniela. By which she looks up and only considers as someone she could trust, with the whole Blood + as consideration for being Daniela’s comrades. 

     “No, you did not, do not worry about it.” 

     Alliah assures, making Ayumi felt at ease. 

     “You called, right?” As she asks.

     Immediately notices Ayumi's sudden deep expression as it moves back a step away from her. Hearing the uneasiness it felt through her still activated zone, she smiles assuring with the words.

      “Don’t worry you know you can tell me anything, right, Ayumi?”

     She gently eases tapping her head just like Daniela used to do unto her when she is in any dire state or unwavering emotions. Using her ability towards her, she heard the screams of Ayumi's mix of fear, worry, and unstable emotions that are vibrating unto her ears. Somewhat burying the other sound in her span radius a red flag of a thousand warning rings. 

     The ability of a dowser by which she is been training and studying. To strengthen herself until she could get a hold of her pure potential. Widen her radius, extend the limit of her ability, and not rely anymore upon the relic she gave as she could finally be able to hear the voice of the only one, she could not reach. 

     “I’m scared.” 

     Taken by that whisper as Ayumi’s voice shifted from a worry and fear into a cunning warning. Her flight and defense kick in as she immediately moves away two steps back. 

     “I’m scared, for her.” 

     Watching Ayumi as it slowly lifting its head and eyes that change their color from its greyish-blue into a total black. An eerie laugh echoes as everything turns black, like everything of the light was suck and now gone. Then a foul smell of a demonic presence fills the air, as she finds herself in the void as Ayumi’s face turns demonic tilting her head sideways on the right. Her lips form the uncanny smile and wide from ear to ear with the now demonic tone as she speaks. 

     “Open your eyes, be keen on your surroundings as you should be careful. For the blood that is yet to be full as the rhyme will play again, everything is at risk.” 

     Chanting a warning verse in the demonic tone as she realizes that she cannot move an inch and is somewhat bound by a force she could not see nor hear, the demon moves close and dashes as it stops centimeters away from her. To Ayumi’s turn demonic presence tilting her head sideways from left to right with the same demonic smile and eyes that pin towards her, ‘IT’ whispers. 

     “You should better think twice, for the one you hold dear, you will be the key to her demise.” 

     Crying with blood as ‘IT’ immediately moves away. Laughing at the eerie tone that echoes around from what is not just a warning, but greater than a threat. Dancing with a psycho’s moves floating up and down and to the step that finally touches the ground. Everything snaps as it all turns back. “Be careful,”

    “Alliah!”

     Waking up as she stared blankly from afar with Ayumi standing in front of her, yet unlike what she witnesses and the smell of dread that surrounds her a while back, everything was clear as the crowd are now present with voices that did not mark the uncanny tone. 

     “Are you okay, Alliah?” 

     Shifting her attention and thoughts as Ayumi called her again which marks a worry and indifference unlike a while back, she rubs her eyes as something somewhat sucked her into a dream void. Yet, too impossible as she should not be for, she is not a dreamer like Daniela. 

     “You’ve been space out for a minute there, Alliah.” 

     Realizing as she pins her sight back to Ayumi by who is carrying a bundle of proposals from the other clubs for the upcoming Death Festival and looking at her with its usual introvert, shy tone, and presence hiding her face with her hair.

     The vision that she witnesses and the voice that calls it like a demon’s howl, yet the kind by which taking their side wherein all corners rings the thousand red flag. Just what kind of demon would warn the inevitable, not if it is not a pure one.

     “Alliah!” 

     Snapping out again as she took her head straight fixing herself and throwing all those thoughts aside and for a while, she smiles nodding in assurance towards the worried face Ayumi. 

     “How long have you been here, Ayumi?” 

     Taking her head straight as she smiles, hiding any thoughts away asking a run-away question, Ayumi confirms her 

     “Just enough to notice you staring blankly out space.”

      Taking her words as everything that happened at that moment, the pure void of a demon’s work, and the dread that was present, everything turns as the warning it brings is not as simple as it may seem. 

     “Did I?” she jokingly replies. “Sorry about that, maybe I’ve just been thinking too much about the upcoming festival.” 

     She reasons a way out by which Ayumi bought as everyone knew, that their club Blood + is the host and head spear for the festival and taking that Daniela is the shrine priestess herself. 

     “Are you bringing all the proposals to the student council?”

     Nodding as a reply as she looked at the papers that the club's designated adviser has already approved. She smiles, lending a hand. 

     “Why don’t I join you, I’m also heading for the student council room myself.”

     Nodding as a reply as she took some papers and deliberately scans them, Ayumi once again ask. 

“Are you okay, Alliah?” 

     Taken again by that question, she smiled nodding back as she lifted her hand and on the thought of tapping Ayumi’s head gently. A tick of that demon’s face took her in a hidden surprise as she backs off, taking her hand away and only left with a smile. 

     “You know you should not think far too deep for everything. Just take one thing at a time, in that way you will know what to do and not.” 

     Holding that thought as it somehow rings an inevitable warning, she smiles as she replies.

     “I should, I should always do.” 

     Smiling as they two walk side by side, a card falls with someone’s eyes pins in their direction, whispering. 

     “Strength or justice, which one are you, Alliah.”