He felt like such a fool. Izzbelle was counting on him to get back to town safely, and Cobalt had messed it all up.
Running eastwards through the snow had tired him much sooner than he had realised, and when he stopped to catch his breath, he was alerted to a figure lying unconscious in a nearby field. Once he climbed over the gate and rushed to their side, he saw that it was Corris. But when he woke the Oni up and helped her to her feet, she realised all too quickly that he was trying to escape the estate, and with a few well-placed punches, knocked the Incubus out before she dragged him back to the compound.
But in a way, Cobalt was glad to be back. His heart hadn't stopped pounding since the ceremony, and that wasn't just because he had been running nonstop.
Izzbelle's words still echoed around in his skull, and he couldn't make any sense of them. Why didn't she just read the vows from Lorenzo's flashcard? He reasoned that she needed to keep up the ruse of going through with the wedding in order to find an opening in order to escape, but it didn't make any sense to say all that she did.
And that kiss... it just defied logic.
Wiping his bloodied finger on the front of his jacket, the Incubus nervously balled his fists and raised them in front of his face. Across from him, Lorenzo smirked and cracked his knuckles threateningly.
This was a terrible idea. He knew that before he even invoked the Rite. Bruised all over in a stunted body, he didn't stand a chance against a full-grown Oni. No matter what way he looked at it, this was only going to end terribly.
Yet he couldn't just stand and watch as Izzbelle suffered. He made a promise to her; to face up to her father together. And if he wanted to get violent, then Cobalt would be forced to reciprocate.
"Aelda was right about one thing; you've got grit in you somewhere," the Oni warlord taunted, rolling up his shirt sleeves.
"Don't you fuckin' touch him!" yelled Izzbelle, only to be silenced as Corris pushed her gun against her head.
"But that's all you got goin' for you. I thought you'd be stronger, but maybe I got ahead of myself. Lookin' at you now, I see you ain't nothin' like a Trayer at all."
Over in the crowd, Jezebel screamed and tried to kick her way through the Sulfur Bloods, only to be forcefully restrained.
"Lorenzo! D- Don't you dare...!" shrieked the Succubus, struggling against the Oni holding her back.
He glanced over at her, only to sigh and run a hand through his hair.
"I'm real sorry you gotta see this, Jezebel. Sorry you had to raise such a disappointment, as well. Must be hard, knowin' that he ain't ever gonna live up to-"
The Oni warlord cut himself off before turning his gaze skyward. Fireworks were still going off over by the burning storehouse, filling the darkened sky with smoke.
"I ought not to speak ill of the lost..." Lorenzo murmured.
"Let's not draw this out..." Cobalt stated, shaking all over.
The Oni smiled.
"Of course. Sulana singi."
He stomped his foot.
A massive blast of heat suddenly erupted from Lorenzo, evaporating the snow in an instant and nearly knocking the Incubus off his feet. Flames erupted in a circle around the courtyard, walling them both off from the crowd. The air was thick with steam and smoke, and as sparks rained down alongside the rapidly melting snowflakes, Cobalt realised that dying at the Oni's hands was a very real possibility.
He was scared. Far more scared than he had ever been in a long, long time.
But he had to do this. Izzbelle was willing to rebel against her father for the sake of her future, and Cobalt promised to do the same.
"Arm yourself. Ocov et. Amra ilobaid!" called Lorenzo, flexing his hands.
He reached into a blazing rift and produced his Bronze Axe, the sight of which only served to further fray Cobalt's nerves. It was a massive weapon; a brutal executioner's axe, rough-hewn from bronze that sizzled as the snow landed upon it.
The very same axe he used to behead his own father and earn himself the dreaded title of Parricidio...
"I said arm yourself!"
Swallowing hard, Cobalt chanted the words of the spell, forming his Leather Whip in his hand. This was not going to end well... not well at all...
"E- En garde..." he murmured, gripping the weapon tight.
Grinning, Lorenzo hefted his axe onto his shoulder.
"About damn time...!"
He closed the gap in an instant, to the point where for a split second, Cobalt could smell the alcohol on the Oni's breath. He slammed the axe's pommel into the Incubus' stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs. Lorenzo followed up with a savage uppercut that rocked his head and threw him flat onto his back. The pain was so intense that he almost didn't see the oncoming axeblade swinging at his face. He just about managed to roll out of the way as the Bronze Axe smashed through the cobblestones, spraying the Incubus with shattered stones. He tried to clamber to his feet, only to get violently kicked in the face.
Cobalt staggered back, clutching his face as blood oozed from between his fingers. From beyond the ring of flames, he could hear the Sulfur Bloods cheer for their boss, drowning out the lamentations of his own family.
"Get off your ass, dipshit! Come on!" he heard Violet cry.
Though he usually disregarded his sister's cruel remarks, this one served to help him get back to his feet. Bleeding heavily from both nostrils, Cobalt whirled his whip around his head and lashed it at Lorenzo. The Oni simply raised his arm, catching it and hoisting the Incubus into range of his axe. He swung it laterally, and though he tried to backstep, the blade glanced Cobalt's shoulder, cutting through his clothes and splitting his skin open. Blood seeped into his suit jacket, staining it red.
"Stop it! You're gonna kill him!" cried Izzbelle from outside the ring.
"That's the general idea...!" Lorenzo replied, gritting his teeth as he thrust the axe forward.
It struck Cobalt squarely in the chest, intensifying the pain he was in and knocking him back onto the ground. Everything hurt, with Izzbelle's pleading cry ringing in his ears, the Incubus took a deep breath and forced himself back up.
Blinking the tears from his eyes, he tried to begin an incantation, but Lorenzo had him outmatched in that regard as well. With a wave of his hand, he send a jet of flame surging at him before he had even finished the first word. The fire scorched his jacket and very nearly Cobalt himself, but as he rolled out of the way, his opponent swiftly grabbed him by the throat and raised him high into the air, much to the delight of the onlooking gangsters.
"A disappointment in every regard. What sort of Incubus can't even hold his own?" Lorenzo sighed, tightening his grip.
Cobalt choked and sputtered, whip slipping from his grasp as he clawed fruitlessly at the Oni's hand.
"What kind of Trayer would behave like such a weaklin'? I can't believe I thought I saw my clan's future in you."
Raising the Incubus higher, he turned to Izzbelle.
"You watchin', girl?!" he called.
"Put him down, you bastard!" she responded.
A dangerous smile crossed her father's face.
"As you wish...!"
He swung the Incubus over his shoulder, smashing him into the ground with such force that the cobbles cracked. Cobalt screamed in agony, but his cry was swiftly silenced when Lorenzo wound his leg back and kicked the side of his head.
The strike rattled the Incubus' brain, darkening his vision and leaving him exceedingly lightheaded. His breathing grew panicked and erratic, and as he tried to cling to consciousness, everything began to swim and distort.
As hard as he tried, however, Cobalt failed. His eyes rolled backwards as everything faded away to nothingness.
~~~~~
A tremor shook the entire room, forcing Cobalt's eyes open just in time to avoid a falling bookcase. He threw himself out of the armchair, landing unceremoniously on the floor atop a pile of scattered tomes.
"Back so soon?"
Blinking a few times, the Incubus craned his neck.
He was back in his Deepest Refuge, for the third time by his count. The fire was burning bright in the grate, but the study looked even messier than usual. Furniture lay knocked-over and broken, while the countless books were scattered all over the place. As another tremor rocked the room, dust rained down from the ceiling, nearly choking the Incubus.
"Agh... not by choice...!" Cobalt grunting, pulling himself off the floor.
The black cat – eyes ever gleaming – slunk out from behind a toppled shelf.
"Little seems to be by your choice these days," he remarked, seemingly unfazed by the chaos of the room.
"Again with the cryptic nonsense...!"
"I'm just stating facts. If you find the contents of your own mind cryptic, then that's your problem."
As Cobalt pushed past toppled piles of books, the cat began to follow him at a leisurely pace, tail slowly waving in circles as it walked.
"I can't be here. I need to get back out there," Cobalt breathed, reaching for the door.
"You seem to be operating under the idea that this place is just a minor inconvenience to you."
"Well I said I didn't want to be here by choice, didn't I?!"
As he managed to pull the study door open, another tremor struck, causing him to cry out and fall onto his back. The cat flicked its ears and leaped up onto the Incubus' chest, staring down at him as dust floated down from the ceiling.
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"The Deepest Refuge is a Lust demon's last resort; a place to sequester the consciousness when one is about to die. Most of your kind only ever visit it once; twice if they get lucky the first time. But here you are, back again, cheating death for the third time," it said, eyes gleaming in the firelight.
"I... I don't follow."
It cocked its head.
"Were you always so resilient? Or have the changes wrought in your mind simply steeled your resolve?"
"What are you talking about?"
The cat made a little sighing noise before it jumped back onto the floor, allowing Cobalt to clamber back to his feet.
"Everything and nothing. Everything you don't know, and nothing you do. But what would I know?"
Gritting his teeth, Cobalt stepped out into the hallway. The tables and chairs lining the walls had been knocked over by all the shaking, and the books covered the floor, to the point where he couldn't see the boards. The blank paintings were askew, and as another tremor hit, the padlocks rattled on all the doors.
"I must be going crazy..." Cobalt gasped, fixing his sights on the last door on the right.
"Are you not already?" queried the cat, following him.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Whatever you want to make of it."
As frustrated as he was, Cobalt bit hi tongue and continued on down the hall, aiming to get back to reality as quickly as possible. He needed to be there for Izzbelle. He couldn't let her down. Not like this.
"Worried for the Oni girl?"
He kicked a chair aside.
"How could I not be? Her future is at stake."
The cat slunk between Cobalt's legs, nearly tripping him.
"Did you not hear her words at the altar? If she loves you, would the future planned for her really be so bad?"
The Incubus shook his head.
"She was keeping up a ruse. She just said what she had to say" he breathed.
"Or are you just hearing what you want to hear?"
It leaped up onto a toppled chair by the single unlocked door.
"Perhaps only what you have to hear?" it purred.
Grabbing the door's handle, Cobalt shot a nasty look at the cat.
"Enough of this," he sighed, pushing it open.
But unlike before, he did not find himself back in the land of the living. Instead, Cobalt found himself standing in the entrance to a small room, filled with blank books like all the others. The far wall was blank, though it looked as though something used to hang on it if the nail in the wall and the dirty plaque were anything to go by.
"What...?"
Slipping past him, the cat stalked over to a large tarpaulin by the left-hand wall.
"Many people go on journeys to discover themselves. It appears as though you're on one to rediscover yourself," it said, pawing at the tarp.
Stepping over to the covered object, Cobalt lifted it up to find that it was much lighter than he expected. Rectangular in shape, he figured it must be a painting of some kind. Stepping over to the display wall, the Incubus stood on his tiptoes and carefully hung it on the nail, before kneeling down to inspect the dust-caked plaque. Spitting onto it, he grabbed the hem of his grey robe and began to polish. The dirt came away bit by bit, and when he took a step back, he was able to read a single word.
Courage
"Go on then. On with the big reveal," urged the cat, staring at his expectantly.
Tentatively, Cobalt reached for the tarpaulin. He didn't know why his heart was beating so fast. Swallowing hard, he ripped it off the painting.
He just about managed to shield his eyes as he was enveloped by blinding light.
~~~~~
It was little more than pure, unadulterated adrenaline that drove Cobalt to force his eyes open and roll out of the way just as the blade of a Bronze Axe came whistling down upon his head. The Incubus' head was pounding, his stomach was roiling and he felt faint from the blood he was losing, but one way or another, he managed to get back to his feet and stare down Lorenzo.
Dislodging his axe, the Oni raised an eyebrow and laughed.
"You're a tough man to kill, it would seem," he remarked bemusedly.
Cobalt coughed and wiped the blood from his face. It was faint, but he could feel that sensation in his stomach again, underneath all the nausea. That hot, boiling sensation.
"It would appear so..." he gasped, wiping his hands on the front of his jacket.
He paused upon feeling a slight bulge in one of his pockets. Reaching inside, his eyes widened as his fingers brushed a warm glass vial.
"Of course..."
Odd as she was, he could always rely on his mother.
Producing the strange orange concoction brewed specially for him, Cobalt ripped the stopper out with his teeth and poured it down his throat, grimacing at the overly-sweet taste and disconcerting texture.
It took effect almost immediately.
Cobalt gasped for breath as his heart gave an almighty lurch, pumping faster and faster as he felt his entire body grow hot. His fatigue and exhausted just melted away, while the pain dulled to the point where it became naught but a manageable ache. Feeling energy return to his limbs, the Incubus stood up straight, grinding his teeth as he focused on the feeling in his gut.
"You fixin' for a killin', Trayer? You know I can end you in a moment, right?" taunted Lorenzo, readying his weapon.
Anger, frustration, indignation... It all boiled together in the pit of Cobalt's stomach.
"Just stop, dumbass! He'll kill you otherwise!" Izzbelle pleaded.
That hot, indescribable fury began to rise. It surged up from his stomach, through his esophagus and into his mouth, bursting forth in the form of a roar.
Fists balled, Cobalt sprinted towards Lorenzo, who gave a guffawing laugh and swung his axe in a sidelong arc. The Incubus ducked beneath it, scraping his knees on the stones as he slid beneath the blistering axeblade. Before the Oni could react, he leaped up, grabbed his shoulders and headbutted him hard.
Lorenzo cried out and staggered back, giving Cobalt just the opening he needed to pull at the Oni's shirt and sink his teeth deep into his exposed shoulder. The blood flowed thick and fast, pouring down the Incubus' throat and splattering all over his front. The crowd of gangsters gasped in abject horror as their boss howled in pain, swearing loudly as he grasped his assailant and hurled him to the ground.
"Come on, Lorenzo! I thought you wanted a fight!" the Incubus yelled, half-delirious from the combined effects of Jezebel's concoction and the Oni's blood.
"You little shit!"
Abandoning his axe, Lorenzo let loose with a flurry of heavy punches, but he only succeeded in glancing the Incubus as he retaliated with a kick.
"You want to show everyone who the boss is, am I right?!" continued Cobalt, getting in a good punch at Lorenzo's face.
He grabbed his wrist and smashed his knee into the Incubus' stomach, but he just coughed up a glob of blood and continued his assault.
"Well come on then! Be just like your father!"
"You better watch your fuckin' mouth!" barked the Oni, swinging both of his fists down, fixing to shatter Cobalt's spine.
But the Incubus caught both of them, arms raised above his head. They both stood there shaking, locked in a struggle for dominance. Cobalt knew in the back of his mind that the force of Lorenzo's strike should have been enough to crush his back, but he could feel the two new vertebrae holding together, giving him the strength he needed to persevere.
"Your father's ambition drove you to decapitate him. Are you really willing to end up the same way?" Cobalt hissed, wincing as his whole body screamed for mercy.
"You don't a damn thing you're talkin' about!" Lorenzo retorted, upping the pressure.
"Keep going the way you're going. Let your ambition take precedence over your daughter's happiness. Then maybe one day, she'll cut your head off, too!"
At his words, Lorenzo faltered.
Releasing his grip on the Oni's fists, Cobalt swung himself between them, allowing him to kick off his broad chest and smash both of his feet into his face, toppling the great Parricidio with a mighty dropkick.
As he fell, the entire courtyard went silent. The Incubus, pulling his jacket off in order to bind his wounds, stood over the Oni and sighed.
"I- I want her to be happy too, Mr. Suyas. Please..." gasped the Incubus, stumbling as the pain intensified.
Groaning, Lorenzo clutched his bleeding nose and sat up, glowering at the Incubus.
"Got a solid kick to you... Didn't expect you to hit so fuckin' hard..." he grumbled.
Rising from the ground, he murmured beneath his breath and tapped his foot against the shattered cobbles, causing the flames to extinguish. Spitting blood, he glared at the Incubus.
"I'm not like my father. What I do, I do because-"
"Because you want the best for Izzbelle. I understand, Lorenzo."
He gestured to Izzbelle, who had broken out of Corris' grasp, yet stared on with the rest of the crowd.
"But she's an adult. Izzbelle can handle herself, believe me. She's done so well for herself since the start of the school year; she has so much potential, and it won't do for you to stand in the way of that," he explained, wincing as his wounded shoulder throbbed.
Lorenzo looked over at his daughter, before turning his gaze away.
"You sound like Aelda..." he mumbled.
"W- We want the best for her. Both of us. So let's not fight, okay?"
He didn't respond. With the gazes of the entire Sulfur Blood clan burning into him, Lorenzo just stood in place, fists shaking. Though Cobalt didn't consider himself to be a master of diplomacy, he could tell that his words had struck a chord with him. He was so concerned with the future of the clan, to the point where he believed it to be in Izzbelle's best interest to sacrifice her happiness for the Sulfur Bloods. Not once did he draw the comparison between his own actions and those of his father.
The Incubus just hoped that Lorenzo would see sense.
"I... I'm not gonna act like you're not makin' sense..." the Oni breathed.
Cobalt's face brightened up.
"... but I'm not about to let a little shit like you show me up...!"
A bright flare. A deafening crack. A flash of searing pain.
Inhaling sharply, Cobalt slowly turned his gaze down to see the smoking gun clutched in the Oni's hand. Shaking, he tracked his gaze down to the rapidly-darkening bullethole in his stomach.
"COBALT~!" screamed Izzbelle.
"NOOOO~!" shrieked Jezebel.
The Incubus fell back onto one knee, breathing shallowly as he held a hand over the bleeding wound.
"I don't care if you speak sense. I can't show weakness in front of the clan. That's just how it is," Lorenzo sighed, raising the gun for another shot.
He never got the chance to fire. Cobalt - half blinded with pain - could barely comprehend what happened next; it happened far too fast.
An almighty scream of anguish suddenly tore through the night, nearly deafening everyone in the courtyard. A dark shape darted down from the rooftops, forcing itself between Lorenzo and Cobalt. The gun slipped from the Oni's hand, clattering to the ground.
Alongside his neatly-severed index finger.
"GAAAH~! FUCK~!" roared the mob boss, grabbing his wrist as blood spurted from the stump.
Though he could barely move because of the pain, Cobalt just about managed to crane his neck in order to see none other than Elya Yalfre standing before him, her dirty coat flapping in the wind. She held Immoderata out before her, the blade marred with Lorenzo's blood.
In the chaos that followed, the Incubus began to drift in and out of conciousness, awakening to a different scene every time. He saw the Sulfur Bloods set upon Elya, who welcomed her opponents with maddened rage. He felt Izzbelle lift him into her arms, taking advantage of the Fallen's diversion in order to escape. He felt the wind on his face as she carried him out of the compound, calling his name all the while.
The bullet had torn through his insides. He could still feel it in there, like some burning anomaly.
"Come on, dumbass... I'm gonna get you to a hospital, so... so don't you fuckin' die on me!" gasped Izzbelle, holding him close as she trudged down the snowy road.
Vision blurred and heart throbbing, he reached a hand up and tried to give her a reassuring pat, but he only succeeded in limply brushing her cheek.
"Stay with me... Stay with me...!"
The pain was unbearable. He felt as though he couldn't breathe, and every step Izzbelle took caused waves of agony to rock through his body.
It felt as though she was carrying him for hours, until all of a sudden she came to a stop in the middle of the road.
Elya stood in the Oni's path, blood dripping from her coat as she gasped for breath. She was covered in cuts, bruises and bullet grazes, but she stood her ground, dagger held in her hand as she glared at Izzbelle.
"Put him down. I shan't warn you twice," hissed the Fallen, seemingly unbothered by her wounds.
"I don't have time for your bullshit, you crazy bitch! He's dyin'!" barked Izzbelle.
She cocked her head.
"You forget my vocation. Put. Him. Down. Now."
A few moments of tense silence passed before the Oni gently laid Cobalt down on the road. He watched her stare into his eyes for a moment, only for Elya to move in and block his view.
"Can you hear me, my love?" she asked in a firm tone.
"E- Elya...?"
"Good. Just focus on my voice. Stay with me."
He could feel her cold hands unbuttoning his shirt with practiced ease, cleaning the blood away to the best of her ability. As she applied pressure to the wound, Cobalt cried out.
"He has lost too much blood. Step back," she instructed.
"I'm not leavin' him with you!" snapped Izzbelle.
"I said step back, you salacious meathead!"
Placing both hands on the gunshot wound, the Fallen took a deep breath and shut her eyes.
"Arenluv aut. Oedivni sibov," she chanted, hair rustling as the wind picked up.
Strange black energy began to course around Elya's hands, dancing across her skin and pulsing through Cobalt's flesh. At once, the slug buried in his midriff began to stir, slowly moving and causing him no small amount of pain. But as the spell took effect, he realised that it was receeding, and the flesh was knitting back together as it was slowly extracted. With one final cry, the warped bullet was pulled from the Incubus' stomach, leaving the skin flat and smooth, like it had never been wounded in the first place.
The slug floated above Elya's hand, before it turned around and fired itself into her own stomach, striking her in the exact same spot as Cobalt. She shrieked with pain and toppled to the ground.
"Elya!" gasped Cobalt, closing his shirt as he crawled to her side.
Applying pressure to the wound with one hand, the Fallen reached for his face with the other.
"W- We share our pain, my love. Always and forever," she rasped, wincing.
Gritting his teeth, the Incubus slammed his fists against the ground. Not only had he put Izzbelle at odds with her family, but now Elya had gotten herself badly hurt just for his sake. His nerves were completely shot; he felt as though he could pass out at any moment.
"No...! Have some damn courage, Trayer...!"
"C- Cobalt...? We gotta go, come on...!" breathed Izzbelle, tapping his shoulder.
Swallowing hard, he lifted Elya into his arms. She was shockingly light.
"Let's go. We're bringing her to the hospital. How far is Brimstone?" he asked, teeth gritted.
"It'll take a while on foot... But are you sure you wanna take her?"
He took a deep breath, still feeling a strange tingle in his stomach from where the bullet penetrated. Behind them in the distance, the estate was in an uproar. Cobalt just hoped his family got out okay.
"Of course I want to take her. She saved both of us."
With that, he began to run down the road, holding Elya close in an effort to keep her warm. Behind him, Izzbelle stood in the middle of the road, staring at her home before she stooped down, plucked something off the ground, and quickly followed.