Posts by Anti

Patiently, Tenebris stood in the attic, leaning against the sturdy stone wall. He watched as the girl stacked books upon books in hopes of them not falling. He listened to her statement. "And… what do you want me to do about that? We're hiding, remember? I can't just leave… Or perhaps I could?" Jackie thought for a moment. "Yeah, I could leave and find you something. Only you have to remain out of sight."

"I… I'll try to keep that in mind." commented the green-haired immortal, glimpsing at Willow with a lightly tilted head, "I will go. You stay here, 'kay?" He didn't wait for a response. With a light exhale, Tenebris melted into the shadows, only to reappear again on the ground floor of the castle. However, his true reason to leave the attic was not to fetch the human food. It was to spy on K's progress at finding their hideout. Quickly brushing the dust off his jacket as to not give hints about her location, he began towards the kitchen area.

Stealing food was surprisingly easy. Time to check on the humans. As Tenebris snuck around corners, unseen, he noticed K wasn't on any of the levels he oversaw. Where had that little pesk gone? He didn't give much thought on that subject. Instead, he returned to where he had left Willow. In his hand he held a fruit, the same kind of fruit as before at the Blue Forest. "Here." he stated, holding out the fruit in his hand for her to take.

Tenebris blinked repeatedly, locked in his standing position, not knowing whether to feel shocked, insulted, or impressed. The last time a human possessed the gall to embrace him… they had chosen him. Of course, that was eons ago. He went with a different emotion: pleasantly surprised. "Uh…" A soft, genuine smile appeared on his facial features. "You're welcome, Willow. Anything for you."

"Thank you." Tenebris told the human girl, observing her with celestial blue eyes. He couldn't decide what she was at the moment: brave or naïve. She had embraced the physical embodiment of malevolence and immorality itself, and yet she had done it so calmly, as if he was just another mortal. She really was different from the others. He noticed she was overtaken by a sudden wave of tiredness. That wasn't very much like herself. Willow was an energetic type, not to abruptly slow down and sleep within seconds. Was it the fruit? It couldn't have been; nothing was wrong with it when it was in his hand. "Are you alright?" Jackie inquired her, kneeling down beside her and the cat-like creature.

Though Tenebris couldn't see the physical manifestations of auras, he could sense them. And right now, he could feel the girl's disappearing fairly quickly. The carictal's, too. Something was wrong. Auras shouldn't leave a person. "Willow…" he murmured quietly, his eyes narrowed and his concern hidden, "This isn't right. Try to stay awake. I'll be back." The demon would vanish into the shadows and reappear once more on the ground floor.

The demon felt around for auras. A human aura. And to his surprise, he could feel the faint traces of an aura below him. In the basement. It was a familiar aura. K's, perhaps? Was he doing something down there? Tenebris transported himself to the basement to see what was going on.

[Hey, I found this while digging around for threads. Mind if I join?]

Project's Code Name: Sammy (Muse B) - Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3

Lining the wall opposite of the door was a barred off section, a cage of some sort. It wasn't anything impressive; it was only designed to keep him from sprinting through the door when it was unlocked. Inside this prison, he heard a sound from his position on the floor. The door. His head snapped in the direction the noise had come from. It opened. His mocha brown eyes narrowed at the sudden shaft of light that seeped into his room; he stood. A figure appeared in the light. Then, as always, the light was gone with a loud slam of metal. He hated the sound of the door. Despite the darkness, his eyesight was sharp enough to see the outline of a new arrival. One like all the rest. A new scent reached him, one of strawberry shampoo and sweat. It came from the body standing there. From where he stood, he could hear the heart beat inside of her chest. They would see if it stayed that way.

The dim lights flickered on, not doing much to improve the dull scenery. However, nothing was inside of the cage in the wall. While the lights were still off, the bars had retracted silently into the ceiling, releasing what they had once restrained. As soon as he was allowed to leave his cramped prison, he took the opportunity. Now, he stood soundlessly in the corner, his optics studying the human girl. She had no weapons; she didn't appear threatening. She probably wouldn't put up a fuss. A low growl emanated from deep within his throat. She would be no problem.

The clothes he wore were torn and tattered. He liked the ripping noise the fabric of his shirt made. His jeans, however, he hated the sound of them tearing, so they were mostly intact. The cuffs were in tatters, though. His shoes? He wore none. They were stuffed in the corner of the cage-like section, with bite marks etched into the soles.

A low growl came from the demon. He stepped from the shadows towards K, eyes narrowed and fists clenched. "What do you think you're doing?" he snarled furiously at the mortal. He easily noticed the ominous candles and the circular chalk drawing on the stone floor. He must be the reason Willow's aura was vanishing. K would regret doing this. Tenebris wouldn't let this slide.

[Yeah, I have.]

The dim light bathing the room was all he need to see her clearly. Her light-colored locks, tied back behind her head. Her wide, pale eyes. The details only came more into focus as her hand brushed past the door and kept walking, slowly heading towards his corner. Her approach set him on edge; he bared his teeth though she couldn't see him like he could see her. She then halted. She must have heard his growling, not that he was trying to be silent about it. She was now fearful; he could hear her heart and breathing quicken. He must act now. He knew how to take down this kind of prey. He'd done it many times before. Why should this girl be any different than the others? With inhuman speed, he lashed out at Mari. With her left in the dark, this would be easy. His fingers wrapped remorselessly around her throat; he forcefully shoved her against the metallic wall. She would be pinned.

He gritted his teeth; he took a step closer towards K. Memories then suddenly flooded back into his mind, triggered by the male's voice. A sly, devilish smile overtook the demon's features. "Revenge." he simply stated, "This is all about revenge, isn't it? Revenge on me. Revenge over what happened to your sister, correct?" He gave a light chuckle. "Y'know, she was a compassionate person. Only wanted peace in the world. And not many people pray to me as is. So, when I got her prayer ten years ago, you can believe that I was fully surprised. But her plea was the most shocking thing. She stated that the gods weren't listening to her, and that I was her last hope." He was enjoying his recollection of what happened. He continued, "She didn't pray for money or power. She wanted something else. Her little brother's wellbeing." He stepped closer to K. "She explained to me that her brother had fallen ill, and that there was little hope left for him. She told me that she would give up her soul to me just so he could live the life he was suppose to. She made the deal, y'know? Her soul for your life. I only followed the contract."

[I was thinking he would react negatively.]

[Lol.]

The girl struggled, just like all the others. However, she soon gave in, knowing she couldn't win against his strength. He could kill her right now if he wanted to. It wouldn't be hard. If he squeezed her neck any harder, she would suffocate. If he exerted any more force against her throat, her neck would break. Slowly, painfully. But, despite his urge to kill, he listened to what she had to say. He couldn't understand her language, but he understood her tone. It was a plea; a plea for her life, blooming out of terror. He hadn't had a visitor in a while; it would be a shame if he allowed this experience to end so soon. As she desperately clawed at his hand, he slowly eased off her neck, yet still held it. He still wanted her to know he was in control. A growl still resonated inside of his own throat. In this close proximity, her scent enveloped him and flooded his senses. It was comforting, unlike the smells that came from the laboratory. This was different. It made him tense.

"No, you won't be doing that." commented Tenebris, a wicked grin on his features, "You see, I still have your sister's soul. She's been in my realm. Healthy, unharmed... And if you don't stop this, I'm going to make her afterlife unbearable." His smirk faded inhumanly fast, only to be replaced by a face of anger. His voice was low and threatening. "She will be tortured until she can't stand. Until she's unrecognizable. I will enjoy listening to the sounds she makes when her throat is too raw from screaming. Now, put down that book," Jackie snarled, "and she will remain in ignorant bliss of where she is because of you."

He could feel her throat shift as the girl breathed inwards. Her heartbeat pulsed in his ears, quick and frantic. The scent she carried was familiar. It was of a thick, golden liquid, the one a sympathetic scientist once brought in for him to have. It was delicious compared to the colorless mush he was forced to eat daily instead. What he was thinking of was honey, the golden liquid. There was also another sweet smell he couldn't recognize, chased by a twinge of salt. The growling faded until he was once again silent. His free hand took hold of her wrist. Her skin was soft. Smooth. Gently, he traced his fingertips up her arm until he came to the cuff of her sleeve. His gaze moved to her face. The color was leaving her face, most likely the result of fear or lack of enough oxygen. But her eyes... Her pleading eyes, begging wordlessly to be let go. The sorrow and the fear mixed together in her optics caused him to lift his hand off her neck. Was it mercy? Perhaps. Or perhaps it was a momentary pity, brought about by the sadness in her eyes and how he wanted this visit to last just a bit longer.

"You destroy my realm, you destroy all the souls still trapped there! Your sister included!" snapped Tenebris furiously. He shifted his gaze to the circle. K had forsaken the safety of the demons, himself, and his very realm. The demon lord was furious. Jackie approached the male and took his throat in his hand. K had angered a deity. A very powerful one with a frozen heart that can handle death caused at his own hands.

Thank you. He heard the words, but he couldn't decipher what they meant. Was it a noise of gratitude? Or was it a precursor to an attack? The creature stood rigid in front of Mari, locked in position with eyes narrowed emotionlessly. If the human made any moves he disliked, the scientists would have a hard time cleaning her blood off the ceiling. He could hear the electricity buzzing in the fluorescent bulbs behind him. More dim lights continued to flickered on, not that he cared. He could see the other fine. The girl's heart beat seemed to slow slightly. He kept his arms at his sides. He wished to see what the prey would do next, what means to escape would she take. His breathing was heavy and unsteady.

Tenebris wanted nothing more than to watch the dying light in K's eyes as he took the soul right from his body. But, as much as he wanted the other dead, he wanted something else more. With his narrowed eyes locked with K's yellow optics, he spoke, "If there's anything, anything at all, that you can do to stop this," He hated himself for making this offer. "I promise I'll bring your sister back. In full health. But only if you stop this. Now."

"Then we break the connection," stated Jackie, releasing K's neck, "or you bring down the barriers and I take Willow and the carictal as far away from here as I can." He was relieved the yellow-eyed human was complying. Everything the demon knew was on the line because of other.