章 17: Chapter 17- Kaede~1
Ryouya left Chiaki's house in a daze.
After the system informed him about Souta being a supernatural entity, his focus on the real world seemed to have detached, and his whole concentration was limited only to Souta.
Cautiousness, apprehension, and most certainly, suspicion.
As the Guide had suggested, Souta could have detected Ryouya's demonic aura and possibly taken action against him. The prominent reason behind such a move would have been most likely Chiaki.
No boyfriend, including someone so easygoing and kind as Souta would tolerate his girlfriend being alone with another guy.
'But why was Chiaki behaved like it didn't matter to her what Souta might think...'
It was really complicated to discern what goes through her mind at times. From what he remembered, there wasn't a single instance where Chiaki appeared apprehensive about Souta's perception of her closeness with Ryouya. Even during their study sessions, Chiaki intentionally opted to sit next to Ryouya, a choice that Souta certainly noticed.
Regardless, the topic of Chiaki's relationship and her choices could wait for now, since at the moment, a more glaring matter concerned Ryouya.
'What kind of inhumane he was? An incubus, just like me?'
As he made his way toward his home around seven in the evening, Ryouya couldn't help asking.
[No, he didn't possess any demonic energy...and the Succubi/Incubi race is pretty rare amongst demons.]
Ryouya blinked in surprise but before he could have asked the obvious, the Guide continued.
[Indeed, as I mentioned earlier, there exists more than one type of energy. The energy that endows Souta with supernatural abilities stands in direct opposition to Demonic Energy.]
'Light energy or sort?'
[Damn...yeah. The catalyst which brings forth the forces of heavens and purge darkness kind of shit. Their main purpose is to vanquish everything that possesses Demonic energy at any cost.]
A shiver traveled down Ryouya's spine reading those texts as he realized the severity of the matter. It didn't take long before he presented his next concern.
'You say it like there are numerous Demons present around that someone like Souta has to keep a watch on them?'
[Indeed there are various...just like the one currently in front of you.]
Ryouya's eyes widened reading the text as he caught the silhouette of something dark and small lurking past the blue screen.
As he snatched his gaze away from the screen and focused on his front, he found that indeed was something moving there under the flickering street lamb.
"What the heck is that..." Ryouya's pace dropped as he tried visually discerning what kind of creature it was.
The creature was about the size of a dog, but its entire form was cloaked in an impenetrable darkness, greatly diminishing the likelihood of it being a mere canine.
"Grrr..." Feeling Ryouya's gaze, the creature shifted its blood-red eyes toward him, glinting ominously in the dim light. The palpable menace emanating from the beast prompted Ryouya to retreat a few paces.
"Grruurr!" With a powerful leap, the beast sprang forward, charging at Ryouya with a velocity that far surpassed any typical street dog's capabilities.
Ryouya was frozen at his spot as he saw the beast incoming, crossing meters with each stride. Just as the darkness enveloped creature was a mere ten meters away from him, Ryouya raised his left hand and shouted, "Stop!"
It was not a desperate call rather seemed like a muscle memory acting up.
Something radiated from Ryouya's body, akin to a greater darkness that the creature possessed. And just as he wished and expected(?) the dog scratched its paws against the concrete and brought its body to a halt.
Once Ryouya regained his composure, he observed that the creature was utterly still, its head lowered in a gesture of submission.
"Huh?"
[....I suggest you leave this here and return to your house as soon as you can.]
Given the circumstances, Ryouya's primary inclination was to distance himself from the formidable creature as swiftly as possible. Opting for a wide arc to keep a length between himself and the beast, he hastened his departure.
Ryouya was so tired of all these weird things happening since this morning that he decided to ask it all once he reached home.
This was an extremely bizarre day for him.
****
"I am home." As he switched his shoes, Ryouya called out to his sister, assuming she might have returned by then. But the absence of a reply or any sound from inside the house led him to think she hadn't come back yet.
Making his way toward the living room he thought about having a quick snack before returning to his room...when suddenly his eyes landed on the person lying down on the couch.
'Seems she returned not long ago...' Since she still was wearing a pair of jeans and a white shirt, it seemed she was really tired, to change her clothes.
Ryouya's gaze subconsciously went toward the slight cleavage formed because of her two undone buttons, providing a clear view of her pearly skin and the thickness she had inherited from her mother.
'Hmmm?' For a moment he felt her facial muscles moving, like she nearly smiled at something but when his gaze locked back at her face, there was no change whatsoever.
'Must be my imagination...' Concerned she might catch a cold from sleeping on the couch, Ryouya gently leaned in, placing one hand beneath her neck and the other behind her knees before pulling her up in a swift motion.
'Why does she seem so light?' It wasn't that he was lifting her like this for the first time since she usually tended to sleep on the couch and next day, roam with a red runny nose. However, at the moment she seemed extremely light like a feather.
'Must be something to do with Demonic energy...'
Walking with slow and steady strides, Ryouya led his sister to her room...only to realize it was locked.
"Damn...now should I wake her up?" He didn't have any extra key for obvious reasons but when his gaze landed on her peacefully sleeping face, Ryouya felt bad waking her up.
Not to talk about, how rudely she would act upon finding herself in his arms.
'Hmm...for the time being...' Bracing himself for potential consequences, Ryouya chose to carry his sister to his room. He likened the situation to a ticking time bomb due to the potential scene that might unfold when she wakes up and realizes where she is.
Once inside his room, he laid down Kaede gently on his bed before he got up, preparing to take another shower and talk to the Guide. Only the system was Ryouya's sole hope in this great darkness.
However, just as he rose to his feet, something passed through him. It wasn't completely visible but Ryouya discerned the thing to be bluish-white. However, the shade of that energy wasn't something he was currently concerned about.
"Khak!" Ryouya dropped to his knees, a faint groan escaping him. The Demonic Energy within him depleted sharply, and his vision blurred as if he'd been thrust onto the world's most tumultuous rollercoaster.
His mental state was spiraling, with his waning consciousness singularly focused on reclaiming his depleted energy, lest Ryouya's very existence become imperiled.
With his raven eye now turned blood red, Ryouya turned to gaze at his sister—now merely being viewed as the source to replenish his lost essence.
[....ah, this might end up badly....]
****
A/N:- Everything will be explained. I am taking things from Ryouya's perspective but soon the world, the power scaling, and Ryouya's standing in the hierarchy will be detailed.
The next chapter is gonna be rough and spicy~
And based on the description, please give me some illustration suggestions. I have put Chiaki's illustration in the previous chapter's paragraph comment, by the way.
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