Chapter 29

As Ahri and Nate began to chat, Nate noticed something was off with the girl. She was normally full of jokes and liked to roughhouse with him, but today she seemed to be distracted. Nate figured it must’ve had something to do with her summons to the mage council.

“So, what did the mage council want?” Nate asked.

“Hmm?” Ahri replied, although she heard his inquiry just fine. “Oh, the mage council just wanted my testimony about what happened during the field trip.”

“What did you tell them?”

“Nothing important. Don’t worry, they’re not on to you if that’s what you’re wondering.” Ahri said, but the look in her eye said there was something she wasn’t telling him.

She seemed to forget he was there for a moment as she reached up and began biting her nails, something he’d never seen her do before. She was clearly nervous about something. Nate would’ve asked if he could help, but he didn’t want to get involved in anything at the moment. He was eager to go home and try out the locater weave.

“Hey Ahri.” A stranger’s voice drew them both from their thoughts.

Nate looked up to see a brown-haired youth wearing pristine and expensive looking clothes. He turned away from the man. Ahri often had admirers come to fawn over her. She always flirted back with her admirers, but never to the point of it going anywhere. But today wasn’t such a day.

“Go away.” Ahri made a shooing gesture.

The young man looked shocked and hurt, but he quickly recovered. “Actually, I’m not here for you.”

Nate turned back to the youth who was staring at him with an unfriendly gaze. He noticed there were two other students standing a couple of paces behind the brown-haired youth.

“Can I help you?” Nate asked, surprised at their interest in him.

“I’d like to know how a freshman like you already has a spot in the Advanced combat class?” The young man looked Nate up and down with a look of disdain. “Some of us have been here for years and actually deserve to be in there.”

Nate frowned at the youth’s attitude. But before he could speak it was Ahri who came to his defense.

“It’s none of your fucking business.” She snarled as she turned on the youth. “I know you expect everything to fall into your lap because your parents are both Masters, but believe me, you ain’t shit.”

The youth sputtered like a fish. Such sharp words from Ahri, who he thought was a close acquaintance, if not a friend. It was at this moment he realized all those other times where she had been friendly towards him were pure bullshit.

Nate was also surprised. He’d seen Ahri treat everyone, no matter whether they were freshman or upper class, with respect. To see her tell someone off was a very rare occasion. It had never happened before.

The youth recovered from his shock and turned towards Nate with an even nastier expression, as if Ahri’s behavior towards him was somehow Nate’s fault.

“I have a right to challenge this one to a duel for his position in the Advanced combat class.” He spat.

There was an uproar among the students in the library as they heard the conversation between them. Duels always drew several dozen spectators eager for a good show. It was generally accepted that once a duel was issued, the other side would accept, lest they bring humiliation and disdain from students and faculty alike.

Nate had no qualms about fighting. He was about to stand up, when Ahri spoke again.

“You’re still here?” She turned to the youth with a chilling gaze. “If you don’t fuck off right now, I’ll break you in half, little boy. I promise you your parents will spend a fortune trying to heal your crippled ass.”

The youth looked into her eyes and saw she was dead serious. She would carry through on her promise if he didn’t walk away. With a final glare towards Nate, the youth turned on his heels and returned to his table.

The other students nearby began to gossip but Nate ignored all that as he carefully observed Ahri. She seemed… afraid. Her normal brave front was peeled back and all that was left was fear and anger.

“Everything alright?” Nate said in a low voice.

“Yeah…” Ahri said, although she wasn’t looking at him.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes until Ahri finally stood up. She walked over to his side of the table and gave him a one-armed hug. “I love you Nate.” She said as she kissed his cheek then walked away.

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Nate turned to see her go. She had never been so affectionate towards him before. And this was the first time he heard the word ‘love’ come out of her mouth. What was going on? What was Ahri so afraid of? And why did it sound like she was saying goodbye?

Nate ran through a dozen scenarios but they were all speculation. He shook those thoughts away. He realized he didn’t know enough about Ahri’s situation to make an educated guess.

Besides, I have other things to worry about. Nate thought as he gripped the book sitting beside him.

…

The weave for the locator spell was simple. It was a mid-level weave that required several mental energy threads bent into a specific pattern. The threads required different amounts of energy, but after an hour of practice Nate managed to get it down.

“Who should I search for?” Nate wondered aloud into his empty dorm room.

The demon who started it all was the obvious choice, but Nate was a little nervous about what he might discover or where the locator spell would send him. Would he end up in the NetherRealms somewhere?

No use wondering, just do it. With a mental image of the demon affixed firmly in his mind, Nate wove the locater spell. Once the diagram was complete, it shimmered briefly before floating towards him, and then through him. As the weave dissipated over his face, Nate’s mind was transported elsewhere.

…

“What do you want?”

“Father!” Ahri sighed with relief as she sat hunched over a bowl of water. The image of a demon sitting on a throne appeared on the surface of the water.

“Out with it, girl!” The demon hissed. “You’ve pulled me from a clan meeting.”

“Father…” Ahri hesitated. “I… I need to come home.”

She tried to read the expression on her father’s face but there was none. He sat there expressionless, waiting for her to finish.

“The council suspects my involvement with the recent happenings. It’s only a matter of time before they make their move.”

The demon sighed. “There’s no place for you here, Ahri.”

“But I did everything you’ve asked of me!”

“No, you did those things for your brother. And it’s not that I don’t want you here, it’s just that I can’t shelter you. The clan is getting restless and they’re moving up their plans. We’ve held a war council for the past week and tensions are high. What do you think would happen if a half-human suddenly appeared?”

“Lucian!” Someone shouted from the demon’s side. The demon looked away and began to converse with someone in a harsh and strange language.

A minute later Lucian slammed his fist on the throne chair and turned back to Ahri. “You’re on your own.”

“Father, please! I need you!” Ahri’s voice broke as she sobbed. But the demon didn’t reply. The image in the bowl of water disappeared. The demon had severed their communication.

Ahri wiped the tears from her face and glared at the bowl. “Dam you to hell.” She smacked the bowl, flinging water across the room.

She sat there silently for a few minutes, contemplating her options. She couldn’t go back to the NetherRealm. She was being hunted there. And soon, she’d be hunted in the human realm as well.

“Guess I have no choice.” She sighed as she began to gather her things into a duffel bag. Once she was finished she began walking towards the door when she suddenly paused in her tracks.

Her head turned to the corner of the room. It was empty, physically, but Ahri could feel something was there. She closed her eyes and focused. A few tendrils of mental energy moved towards the corner of the room, where she found someone was watching her.

“I guess you know who I am.” She said aloud.

Although Nate couldn’t speak, he could still hear everything. The locater spell had transported his mind into Ahri’s bedroom. She was the demon. The one who’d killed his family and made his life a living hell all those years ago.

“I don’t expect anything other than hatred and loathing from you for what I’ve done to your family. I’m sure you want to challenge me to a duel, or kill me even. But you and I both know you aren’t capable of that. At least not yet.” Ahri said to the empty corner. She could still feel Nate’s presence there, she knew he was listening.

“You have to understand, everything I’ve done, I’ve done it to help you. You might see me as the monster that tortured you, but look at where you are now. You’re a powerful individual, and a candidate to be Inquisitor. You have so much potential in you to be far more, and you have me to thank for that. I did all the hard work of molding you into the powerful being you are today.

You probably think that none of that matters, that all you could ever want was stripped from you ten years ago. But you must realize what a lie that is. Those people who adopted you were never safe around you. Sooner or later the angels would’ve come for you. They would’ve ripped your family apart and tortured you simply for the fact you’re the son of Lucian, one of the demon clan leaders.”

Ahri went silent. In some ways, she felt relieved to be telling Nate all of this. She’d been holding onto it for so long, it felt good to un-burden herself. Even though she would never have the glamorous brother-sister relationship she’d always fantasized about, she hoped Nate would at least understand.

She raised her head and fixed her eyes where she thought Nate’s eyes might be. “You might hate me for my methods, but you can’t deny the fact that you have all this power because of me. There are powerful people out there Nate, I just hope you’re ready to fight for your life.”

A wall of shadows sprung into existence and Ahri moved towards it. “I love you, Nate. Take care of yourself.”

Ahri disappeared into the black doorway, and the shadows collapsed after her, leaving Nate alone in the room. He ended the spell and returned to his own dorm room, his mind full of conflicting emotions.

He’d made great progress in letting go of all the hatred he held for those who’ve wronged him in the past, but seeing Ahri and knowing who she really was had darkened his thoughts again. Her words dragged back the scenes of his family’s death, and her continued involvement after that incident.

It was like he was feeling their loss all over again. Through the dark thoughts of his mind, one image came to the fore, dispelling his negative emotions. Amelia. The first girl he met after the loss of his family. She was the only thing in that dark asylum that made him feel like his life wasn’t so bad. Her brightness and affection revived him from his depressed attitude then. He desperately wanted to see her again.

As much as he hated the demon, he knew she was right. He was no match for Ahri. His inner demon wanted to test his mettle anyway, to risk it all on vengeance. But he wanted to cling to life. He could feel happiness again, if he tried.

“Her time will come,” Nate said aloud to convince himself as much as the demon that stirred within him.