Déjà vu.
This wasn't the first time that Cobalt had been in a situation like this. Surrounded on all sides by students bearing a bloodstained fist, staring down an Oni bent on breaking every bone in his body. But last year he felt deep sensations of fear and anxiety.
This time, however, was different. This time all he felt was anger. And shame.
He thought he could withstand it. He thought he could let Magnus' ignorant words roll off him like water off a duck's back. But all it took was a little provocation, and all the work Cobalt had put into restraining himself went to pot. The ball of wrath in his gut burned hot and heavy, driving him to do something he couldn't retract.
Shaking all over, Cobalt took a deep breath and clenched his fist, blood oozing from where he had bitten his finger.
"Pfft. What's this, huh? White-knighting for everyone to see?" Magnus Rost said, giving him a yellow-toothed grin.
Cobalt wanted to back down before the situation escalated. But the adrenaline coursing through his veins simply wouldn't let him. Over on the floor, Karazelle gave her teacher a worried look, but he tore his gaze away before he began to feel any guiltier.
"Even at an informal event, I will not tolerate the verbal harassment of other students," Cobalt announced through his teeth, desperately trying to cling to his educator's authority.
"Any fucker with ears can hear this bitch cuss you out every damn day. Is that any different?" Magnus retorted, nodding at an infuriated Izzbelle.
With an irate roar, she made to lunge at Magnus.
"Izzbelle, stop! No-one can interfere when the Rite is invoked!" Cobalt called, opening his hand out.
She stopped herself right as she was about to hit Magnus, much to the other Oni's amusement.
"Good doggie," he hissed, narrowing his eyes at her.
"Magnus. I'm going to give you one more chance to apologise, and we can leave this be," Cobalt told him, silently hoping that his drunken bravado will ebb away.
The Oni scoffed.
"Yeah I'm sorry."
Muttering beneath his breath, Magnus summoned a burning rift in mid-air. Thrusting his arm inside, he retrieved the weapon of his people; the Bronze Axe. The warped metal smoked and sparked as he hefted it onto his shoulder.
"Sorry you're such a fucking bitch...!"
He abruptly swung the axe overhead, the momentum launching him forward towards Cobalt. The Incubus just about managed to backpedal out of the way as the axeblade smashed into the floorboards in a shower of burnt woodchips. Planting his foot on the ground, Magnus tore his weapon out of the floor and swung the blunt end at Cobalt, screaming all the while. The onlooking students gasped as the Incubus was forced to topple onto his back in order to avoid getting split clean in two.
"Stay still, motherfucker!" Magnus roared, leaping towards his prey.
The crowd screamed and parted as he fell upon one of the couches, smashing it to pieces as Cobalt rolled out of the way.
The Incubus took a deep breath. He wanted to say something to deescalate. Something. Anything.
But what came out of his mouth was:
"Ocov et! Amra ilobaid!"
Black wisps of oily shadow dripped from Cobalt's fingertips, each coiling around the other and solidifying into the shape of a handle. Gripping it tight, he pulled a full Leather Whip from the umbral nothingness. Taking advantage of Magnus' distraction, he lashed his weapon at the Oni. It struck Magnus with a mighty crack, tearing the back of his blazer open but not breaking the skin. Grunting, the Oni took another swing, but his drunken state slowed his movements somewhat, allowing the Incubus to easily reposition himself for another attack.
He hated how natural this was beginning to feel. His body was running hot off adrenaline; just like with Diate.
"Kill him, dumbass!" Izzbelle bellowed from the side-lines.
Launching himself off a still-smouldering section of destroyed couch, Cobalt twisted his body mid-air and lashed out with his foot, kicking Magnus clean across the side of the face. His strike evidently wasn't enough to stagger the Oni, however, as he simply grabbed the Incubus' leg and swung him around with all of his might.
"Sir!" cried Whitney as other students cheered, their bloodlust spurred on by the ensuing violence.
Cobalt felt as though his stomach was getting pulled up into his throat as he was swung around like a ragdoll, his entire world blurring all around him. Magnus' vice-like grip around his leg suddenly relented, sending the Incubus hurling across the room. He crashed into a table, scattering bowls of snacks everywhere before slamming against the far wall. Feeling as though his brain was rattling around in his skull, he crumpled to the floor, taunted by Magnus' guttural laughter.
"The fuck is this, huh? Was that Devil just a fluke?!" he guffawed, cracking his neck as he hefted his axe onto his shoulder.
A few students offered their hands, helping Cobalt to his feet and dusting bits of broken wood off his jacket.
He didn't respond to the Oni's insults.
"Get it together, Trayer..." the Incubus murmured beneath his breath, gathering his whip up into his hands.
"SIR, WATCH OUT!"
His heart nearly stopped as the Bronze Axe suddenly embedded itself in the wall, singing the wallpaper and badly cracking the plaster. Had he been standing just a few inches to the right, Cobalt would have been obliterated. He tried to reposition himself, but Magnus simply grabbed the front of his shirt and singlehandedly lifted him into the air.
"What was that you taught us about this fucking Rite or whatever...? Oh yeah, it don't stop until surrender or death. I'm not planning on surrendering, and I'm not gonna take any yield from you neither," he hissed threateningly, bringing Cobalt's face close to his.
Gritting his teeth, the Incubus looked him dead in the eyes.
"Yielding would be best for both of us, Magnus."
"Are you fucking deaf?! I just said- GAH!"
Cobalt swung his head forward as hard as he could, headbutting Magnus in the nose. Blood splattered from the Oni's nostrils as he staggered back, giving the Incubus enough time to lunge for his weak point.
His horn.
As soon as the Incubus grabbed hold of that rocky spur of red bone, Magnus gave an ear-splitting howl of agony, dropping his Bronze Axe and falling down onto one knee. Cobalt had him at a disadvantage. He had him where he could probably negotiate a surrender.
But instead, the Incubus bared his teeth and dragged the Oni's head down with all his might, bashing his jaw off his raised knee. The onlookers all hissed through their teeth as the sickening crunch of Magnus' jaw dislocating reverberated through the common room.
Straightening out his clothes, Cobalt gasped for breath and slowly circled his downed opponent.
"Shall we stop this nonsense?" he asked, clutching his chest.
Grunting in pain, Magnus reached up and arduously cracked his jaw back into place.
"You dirty motherfucker! Not on your damn life...!"
Staggering back to his feet, he tossed his axe aside, where it fizzled away into smoke and ashes. He raised his fists and fixed Cobalt with a bloodthirsty stare, much to the delight of the crowd.
"Sutom eregua!"
Magnus' raised fists began to glow orange, glowing brighter and brighter as they vibrated with kinetic energy. Swallowing hard, Cobalt lowered his stance and prepared himself. Oni kineticism was as unpredictable as it was rarely used, but if he kept alert, he could-
Magnus was on him in an instant. His charged fist rammed into his chest with all the force of a freight train, causing something to painfully give way beneath the Incubus' skin. A concussive sonic boom scattered the students as Cobalt was thrown backwards, blood flowing from his mouth as he hurtled through the air. Slamming full-force into a couch, he cried out in pain and toppled onto his back, his vision spinning.
His entire body felt as though it was on fire, his chest most of all. Magnus had definitely broken a few ribs, and yet they weren't hurting as much as they should. As he gasped for breath, a red face came into view.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"Q- Quinn...!" Cobalt grunted, clenching his teeth.
The Imp nodded solemnly and offered her hand, which Cobalt accepted once he stopped seeing double.
"Just give me the word, blood brother, and I'll gut him life a fish," she told him, patting the pocket where she kept her switchblade as she hauled her teacher to his feet.
His ribs ground together painfully with every breath he took.
"Can't... against the rules of the Rite..." he gasped, glowering at Magnus as he lurched closer.
"Bloody stupid rules if you ask me..."
Reaching up, she wiped the blood away from his mouth with her jacket sleeve before giving him a thumbs up.
"Knock him for six, yeah?"
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY, BITCH!"
Quinn turned around just in time to greet the vodka bottle that Magnus had thrown right at her.
The bottle shattered against her face. Strong alcohol splashed everywhere as shards of glass peppered the pair of them. The Imp stumbled backwards, screeching in pain as she clutched her face.
"Quinn!" Cobalt and Lottie cried simultaneously.
They both fell to their knees by her side. Lottie, scared and delirious, blubbered and tugged helplessly at her best friend's jacket. There was blood seeping from between Quinn's fingers.
His blood went cold.
"FUCK! IT'S IN MY EYE! IT'S IN MY FUCKING EYE~!" the Imp screamed, reddish tears flowing from her left eye as she thrashed about on the floor.
People were screaming all around him, ringing for ambulances and getting as far away from the injured demon as they could. Quinn and Lottie were both crying on the floor before him. Magnus was still approaching.
But Cobalt wasn't registering any of it. His gaze was turned inwards, on the fire burning within.
He took a laboured breath and allowed it to consume him.
Heat spread throughout the Incubus' body as his veins pulsed a dangerous red. Steam wafted from his throat with every breath he took, his ribs painfully grinding and fusing back into place. The entire room watched on with terrified gazes as he pointed a finger at Magnus.
"You broke the terms of the Rite," he said, shaking all over.
His blood was boiling. Rose petals fluttered at the edges of his vision.
"Stupid dyke got in the way," the Oni spat.
"You hurt her."
Magnus scoffed and folded his arms.
"So?"
Cobalt bared his teeth, his fists clenched and his wings spread wide.
"You bastard~!" he roared, breaking out into a full sprint.
Magnus held his hands out and prepared to intercept the Incubus' charge, but his cocky grin quickly gave way to a horrified grimace as Cobalt slammed into him with unholy force, bowling the mountainous Oni to the floor. The teacher pounced on him, slamming his knees against Magnus' chest as he grabbed his throat with one hand and raised his other in a fist.
"Wait, wait, wait-!" he cried, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
Cobalt punched him. Hard. It was no petty strike, no feeble blow. He struck Magnus in the face with strength that seemingly surpassed the Oni's own, fueled by the raging inferno scorching him from within.
He punched him again. Blood splattered from Magnus' mouth and all over the floor.
Again. Screams of horror rang out all around him as Cobalt's vision went red.
Again. More blood. A tooth rattled to the floor.
Again. More.
Again. More!
Again!
Again!
Agai-!
"Cobalt, stop!"
Karazelle voice rang out through the red haze. With ears ringing and chest burning, he gasped for breath, snapping himself out of whatever manic bloodlust he had slipped into. All around him, the students of B.I.D. looked on in terror. Pinned beneath him, Magnus Rost lay unconscious, his face bloodied and battered. A few drops of blood dripped from the Incubus' hand onto his cheek, hissing as it made contact.
Shivering all over, Cobalt slowly craned his neck to look at his raised fist.
Teeth. Warped molars, jagged canines and serrated incisors. They jutted from his flesh at erratic angles, reddish steam rising from wherever they had ripped through his skin.
One more punch and he would have killed Magnus stone dead.
"N- No... I..."
Staggering to his feet, he held his hand close to his chest and surveyed the chaos all around him.
The common room was utterly destroyed. Huge scorched gashes had been gouged into the walls and floor while the tables were smashed to bits. Those students wounded by Magnus' rampage lay groaning on the floor, while all the rest stared at the Incubus with terrified eyes. Izzbelle and Whitney were kneeling by Quinn as they tried to keep her calm, and over in a corner, Jelli was cradling a distraught Lottie.
Karazelle slowly approached Cobalt, her hands raised before her.
"Okay, stay calm sugar," she breathed in a steady tone.
The Incubus took a step back, his own heartbeat echoing through his skull.
"K- Karazelle, I didn't..." he guttered, clenching his jagged fist.
"I know. I know. Just take a breath, okay. Then we can-"
"No, I... I have to go!" he stammered stumbling towards the door.
"Sugar, wait!"
"I- I'm sorry...!"
With Karazelle's pleas ringing in his ears, Cobalt pushed past what few onlookers were blocking the exit. He pushed out into the hall, threw the front doors open and rushed off into the night.
-----
Cobalt ran as fast as he could, keeping his head down and his right hand tucked within his jacket. By the time he left the campus, it had started to rain, but he kept on going. As the downpour began to soak him through, his blood gradually cooled and red glow subsided. His chest still ached, but the burning sensation eventually subsided and returned to his stomach, where it resumed its constant smouldering.
It had happened again. The one thing he had been doing everything to avoid. The maddening vestiges of the very fate he had been trying to escape his whole life.
Incupsychosis. Carnimancy. Manic bloodlust.
It had taken him over, and he allowed it to almost kill a student.
It was unforgivable. He was unforgivable.
"No no no no..." panted the Incubus, rushing through the nearly-empty streets of Brimstone.
He barely knew where he was going, but spurred on by the driving rain, he found himself stumbling through the gates of Brimstone Nature Park. He ran off the beaten path, plunging deep into the heart of the park without knowing where he was going.
Eventually, exhaustion took its toll and Cobalt ground to a halt in a small clearing. Falling to his knees, he shakily raised his hand in front of his face. He stared wide-eyed at the teeth jutting from his flesh.
"C- Come on..." he breathed, clutching his wrist.
He flexed his entire hand, hard enough to hurt.
"Come on...!"
With an unsettling cracking sound, the jagged fangs suddenly snapped off his hand, falling to the muddy ground below in a shower of twisted enamel. His veins pulsed red, and his torn flesh began to gradually knit itself back together, steaming in the cold.
"This can't be happening... Please..." gasped Cobalt, staring at the scars spanning his skin.
No. He had to get a hold of himself. Fear was the mind killer, after all. He just had to...
Just had to what? He tried to restrain himself. He tried so hard. But it took so much effort to restrain that raging fire, and one little slip was enough to make him...
"What do I do? I don't want to hurt anybody..." the Incubus murmured, climbing back to his feet.
He clenched his fists.
"Get..."
He took a breath.
"Get it together, Trayer... Get it to-"
Something rustled in the brush behind him. Turning around, he squinted into the darkness.
"Wh- Who's there?!" the Incubus cried in a shaky and uncertain tone.
For a few moments he was answered only by the howling wind and driving rain. The bushes parted, and out stepped a tall figure dressed from head to toe in worn leathers. A torn, hooded coat and a tightly wound scarf concealed their identity, but as they took a few steps closer, Cobalt's blood damn near froze in his veins.
From the shadows of the hood, he could make out a pair of dark metal horns and a single, blood red eye.
Paralysed by fear, all he could do is stand and stare at the stranger.
"D- Devil..." was all he managed to say.
They scoffed and spread their wings. Unlike his own, theirs were massive, almost regal in appearance. A long tail thrashed behind them, tipped with a thorned spade.
"You know what I am, then. Good. We can skip the formalities."
A gruff woman's voice. As surly as it was terrifying.
"You're an Incubus. Stricken with Everlast, just like the stories. You're Trayer?" she asked, cocking her head.
Cobalt took a step back, but she noticed his feeble escape attempt immediately. The Devil woman whipped out a dark pistol and aimed it right at him, causing him to freeze and raise his hands.
"P- Please... If this is about Diate-"
She cut him off by lowering her scarf and spitting onto the ground.
"Diate? I'd piss on his carcass if I knew where it was. No, this isn't about him. This is about you."
"M- Me?"
"Yeah. Now answer the fucking question; are you Trayer?"
Cobalt swallowed hard and nodded, his wide eyes locked with the barrel of the pistol. This answer didn't seem to please her, however, as she let out a frustrated growl.
"You've got to be kidding me. Knee high to a gnat and a fucking coward to boot. Exaggeration is a Hell of a thing."
She took a deep breath.
"But if you killed that rat, then you must be worth something. You'll do." the Devil sighed, her red eye glinting.
"I- I'll do?"
"Mmhm. Hold still."
She launched herself forward, coat flowing behind her like a cape. Before Cobalt could react, the mysterious Devil swiftly pistol-whipped him, knocking him off balance.
"Sutcartnoc sutaitini. Rep meniugnas muem," she chanted, effortlessly grabbing the Incubus from behind as grey, metallic mist began to surround the two.
He struggled against her grasp, but she just struck his head again and wrapped an arm around his throat.
"Quit squirming. I need a body, and your is supposed to be the best."
"Wh- What...?!" he choked in reply.
"Suem se!"
His question gave way to a howl of pain as the Devil bared her teeth and sunk them deep into the soft flesh of his neck. Hot blood mixed with the cold rainwater as her fangs plunged deep into the side of his throat, but as he thrashed and squirmed, he began to feel something else. Like a tug at his very soul, the Incubus' energy began to drain at an alarming rate, forcing his eyes to droop and his knees to buckle. His attacker held him aloft as her own dark, insidious essence began to seep into his body. The warmth drained from his extremities as his skin went pale and his veins blackened in colouration.
Was this it? Was he dying?
Attacked by a mysterious Devil out in the middle of nowhere?
No...
Damn it, no!
Not like this!
The fire flared, filling his body with heat for a split second. Spurred on by the sudden rush of adrenaline, Cobalt grabbed the Devil's thrashing tail and sunk his own teeth into it.
She gave a shocked grunt as her blood flowed down his throat. The more he felt himself slipping away, the harder he clamped his teeth down. The pair of them growled through mouthfuls of the other's blood, all the while Cobalt's consciousness was slowly fading. A high-pitched whine filled his eardrums as his vision gradually went white.
Then, a flash of steely light, a head-splitting headache, and all went blissfully dark.