The girl seemed slightly shocked at his question. Her eyes quickly dodged contact with his as her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. She seemed to fidget in place slightly before she looked back up at him.
“I… I didn’t even tell you my name?” She seemed disappointed in herself. “I’m really sorry. I…” She stopped and took a moment to collect herself. “I’m Aerin.”
“Aerin.” John repeated the name, savoring it for a bit. “Well Aerin, I’m John.” He stated as he stood and held out his hand. Aerin took hold of it and they shook. “I think I’m dead.”
“Yeah… I know.” Aerin said, somewhat squirming in place. “I kind of…” She stopped herself as her cheeks once again flushed a shade of pink. “That’s kind of my fault.”
“What.” John didn’t particularly ask a question, he merely spoke a temporary placeholder that marked his extreme confusion.
“I kind of… accidentally… killed you.” Aerin said. “Sorry.” She looked up at him with a very innocent expression, like a child caught red handed.
“You… what?” John repeated his confusion.
“The first thing you should know about me,” Aerin began. “Is that I hunt rouge spirits, or Demons. I’ve been chasing one for a while now.” Aerin paused as she recollected some events within her mind. “A few days ago it entered your city, so I set up a barrier to fight it freely without damaging your world. But…” She stopped once more to see if John was following. “It managed to slip outside of the barrier right as I attacked. That blast, the one I fired, it was the one that killed you.” Her gaze dropped toward the floor once more in shame.
“So that guy from before, huh?” John remembered the man he had seen earlier atop the hood of his car. He paused and thought for a moment before a smile crept up onto his face. “So you’re telling me that I’m dead, and the person that killed me is an Angel?”
“You know…” Aerin responded. “When you say it like that, it sounds a whole lot worse.” By this point her cheeks were fully red with embarrassment.
“Man.” John shook his head. “I was looking for something, but… I never expected this.” He stood up and took a deep breath as he patted his sides. “So, what happens now?” He asked, looking down at Aerin.
“Well.” Aerin said as she stood. Now that they were both upright, John could finally see how tall she was; or wasn’t for that matter. She only came to around his chin, putting her somewhere around five feet or so, give or take. “Since you’re taking to this so well, we might be able to help each other.”
“Help each other?” John echoed her words with piqued interest. “How so?”
“This isn’t normally how we do things.” Aerin assured as she brought her hands to her hips. She seemed to think for a moment and sighed before speaking again. “There’s a pact that can be made between a human and an Angel.”
“A pact?” John echoed again. “What does it do?”
“First and foremost, I’ll tie your soul to mine so that you can keep on living.” Aerin stated. “At least for now. In return, you will become my Slayer. I will give you power to fight alongside me against my enemies.” She stopped herself again and John could see that she was hung up on something. “I know it must sound crazy and I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t believe me, but-“ She was cut off as John raised his hand.
“I get it.” He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. A chance at life again, a real life, wasn’t something he was about to let slip by. “We make this pact, I help you out, and I get to stay alive.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Aerin agreed. She stepped forward and approached him with her hand held outstretched. “Give me your hand.”
John did just that, and Aerin took hold of it with her left hand while she brought her right to her chest. She held her right hand in a position that reflected how a nun or someone of religious stature might pray. John’s attention was snagged by the large blue glyph that now circled them on the floor below. It was composed of several rings that circled inwards on themselves. Inside of each one was text written in a language John didn’t understand. The glyph shone a light blue and seemed to resonate within John’s own body. Suddenly his attention was diverted to the girl in front of him. Two brilliant wings burst from behind her and directed themselves upwards. They were solid white and covered in thousands of feathers. She hadn’t lied, she really was an Angel.
His eyes gradually dropped from the large wings to Aerin’s right hand. A glowing white sphere had appeared on her chest next to it. His eyes dropped down to his own chest, where he discovered an identical sphere exiting his body. It felt odd, like someone was pulling something terribly important from him; but at the same time, he felt at peace. The two spheres, one from John and one from Aerin, floated inwards before meeting each other in the middle. As they intermingled between them, John could feel a strange burning sensation running through every part of his body. He clenched Aerin’s hand in his own as he furrowed his brow until the pain subsided. Once it had passed he opened his eyes to see something inside of the sphere beginning to take shape. Aerin released his hand and reached out toward the sphere. She cupped her hands beneath it and the item inside slowly descended. Once the sphere had vanished, she held her hands toward John and motioned for him to take what was inside.
“What… is this?” John asked as he took the thing from her hand.
He dangled it in front of him as he inspected it. At first glance it appeared to be nothing more than a necklace. The chain was made of a silvery metal that glistened as he turned it. At the end of the necklace, a small wooden cross was fitted. He suddenly felt an incredible urge to fasten the accessory around his neck. It was the perfect fit, like it had been made just for his neck specifically, and it secured itself with a click. A surge of feeling rushed throughout John the moment the necklace was secured. Something felt familiar, like a distant memory, or that he had finally found something that had been lost for ages.
“That’s you.” Aerin stated. “Well, with a little bit of me sprinkled in there too.” She watched as John marveled at the necklace. “That’s the source of your power, so try your best not to lose it.”
“It won’t leave my sight.” John assured her.
“Good. You’d be useless to me if you did.” As soon as she spoke a loud bell rang out. It sounded as if it was coming from everywhere at once. “Oh no.” Aerin looked up above her. John followed her gaze to see the hands on the clocks slowly counting down. Some of the smaller ones spun round quickly as the largest slowly ticked away towards the end. “We’re almost out of time. Quick, hold out your right hand.” She instructed.
“Almost out of time? What do you mean? And why?” He questioned.
“You need to create your extension.” Aerin said with haste in her voice. “It’s like a physical manifestation of your soul that you will need to-“
“Is it a weapon?” John cut her off.
“Yes.” She answered flatly with an annoyed look on her face.
“You’re not very good at explaining things are you?” John jested.
“We don’t have time to argue!” Aerin shouted. “Just shut up and do what I say! Hold out your hand, pick one I don’t care!”
John raised both of his hands in a statement of surrender before holding his right hand out by his side. He was naturally right handed, so it only seemed correct for him to pick that one.
“Draw power from within yourself and give your soul a shape.” Aerin instructed.
John wasn’t too sure what to make of her instructions as they were nearly the definition of vague. Something whispered inside of his mind, it was faint and didn’t really seem to utter any real words, but John felt that he could understand it. He closed his eyes and followed the guidance of the mute voice within him. He imagined what his soul looked like, a pale blue orb. He visualized it in his mind and wondered what kind of a weapon he needed. What did Angels use to fight with, swords? Then again, he wasn’t an Angel at all, however the idea of a sword s
eemed appealing to him. It was sharp, and sharp things could cut. More specifically, they could kill.
The bell tolled above them once more. It was loud, reverberating throughout the white dimension around them and filling them both with a sense of urgency.
John could feel it. It was there, just at the tips of his fingers. He reached out, stretching his hand just a little farther to take hold of it. The moment that he did was the moment that he changed forever. Flames erupted around his body out of thin air. They licked at his skin, but did not burn. He was completely consumed by them, but it felt natural. His right arm felt heavy, and as the flames died down into nothingness once more, he looked over and saw it. In his right hand was a sword. It was long and slender with a black hilt and silver guard. It looked to be something akin to a claymore.
“Woah!” John shouted in disbelief. “That’s… This is a sword.”
“Yes!” Aerin shouted with joy, an expression John had yet to see her display. She seemed genuinely pleased at this turn of events, and it brought a strange warm feeling inside of him. “You’re a swordsman!”
“So that’s good?” John asked for clarity.
“Yes. The demon I’m chasing is a Mage, just like me. We only use magic, so we cancel each other out.” Aerin explained.
“Right.” John nodded and took hold of the blade with both hands. He swung it once and found it to be much lighter than he had originally thought. It sliced through the air with great precision as his hands moved, guided by something within him. “You need me to get in close and cut him.”
“Exactly. But…” She watched as he swung the blade to and fro. “Do you really know how to use that? I mean, you look like you do, but…”
“I’ve lived long enough to know how to use a sword.” John responded with a smile as he made another slash. “I mean, I’ve never used one, but this should be nothing.”
Suddenly the bell above them tolled once more. It was louder this time and seemed to reverberate throughout John’s entire core specifically.
“Okay, now quickly, hold out hold out your left hand!” Aerin urged. Seeing the question about to arise from John, she quickly explained. “I need you to cast a basic shield. Since you took to your sword so easily, this should be nothing.” John followed her command and raised his hand. “Block this.”
A glyph appeared over her right hand. It was blue and circular, similar to the one John had seen on the floor before. Suddenly a beam of white light fired from the spinning blue disk toward John. He concentrated on his left hand and visualized a wall of some sort, the same way he had called out his blade. But strangely, nothing happened. The beam slammed into his hand, causing him to reel back in pain. He let out a howl as he dropped his sword and clenched his left hand with his right.
“Ow, dammit!” He yelled. Despite his exclamations, the wound hadn’t been severe at all. He mostly screamed from the sheer shock of the matter instead.
Aerin stared at him in astonishment as he waved his hand around in an attempt to ward the almost nonexistent pain away. There was a look on her face that was complex. It was a mixture of emotions, mostly of shock and a bit of buyer’s remorse. She couldn’t understand why he hadn’t blocked the incoming spell, and wished to investigate why; however her thoughts were cut short as the bell tolled one last time.
“We’re out of time.” She stated as the sky began to change colors. “I hope you’re ready.”
John ceased his display and picked up his sword. His personality did a complete turnaround and he wore a very serious expression. The world around them slowly faded into obscurity before being replaced by a dark mountain road high above Station. John’s eyes adjusted to the difference in lighting and ahead of them up on a ridge overlooking the road, he saw a figure. They were suddenly greeted by a voice John had heard before.
“Ahh… there you are Angel! It’s been sooo… lonely here without you!”
Chapter Three
Across the road, atop a dirt embankment stood the man from before. A demon, Aerin had called him. He didn’t particularly favor what John had imagined a demon would look like. This man appeared, well, human. John studied his figure slowly, examining him from head to toe. Nothing seemed to stand out, not his white hair, his casual clothes, nor his closed eyes; though they were a bit unsettling, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. However, as John examined the demon, he started to notice something he hadn’t picked up on before. Whether he had been too in shock from his first encounter, or his new powers had given him some otherworldly sense, he felt something about the man now. There was an aura about him that radiated an unknown intent. John wasn’t sure whether to expect a handshake from him, or a knife in the throat.
“Thanks for waiting.” The feathers on Aerin’s wings fluttered as she spoke. John could feel the tension mounting in the air around them.
“It was only a moment, but it was the most painful few seconds I’ve ever had to endure…” The demon spoke with a smile as he gestured with his arms, holding them out beside him. “I could’ve run, you know?”
“I knew you wouldn’t.” Aerin asserted with a bit of a grin. “You’re having too much fun.” Her statement garnered a bit of a laugh from the demon across the road.
“You know me well, Angel. But it seems I can’t say the same.” He turned his gaze towards John. “You went and made a deal with a dead man, didn’t you?”
John could see the feathers on Aerin’s wings shake as she took a step forward. Her hands were clenched tightly into fists as she grit her teeth. “And so what if I did?!” She shouted.
“You must be really desperate to kill me then…” The demon smiled and turned towards John once more, who for this whole time had been watching quietly from the side. “Tell me, Slayer. What do you think about all of this?”
John unconsciously took a step forward, but as he did something crunched beneath his shoe. Looking down, he saw his reflection in one of the broken side mirrors from his Charger. It was the first time seeing himself since becoming this Slayer and he hadn’t expected the changes to be so drastic. His brown hair stood on end, as if electrified. The two halves, parted down the middle, waved about as the wind blew across the mountainside. His arms showed definition in their muscles he’d never seen before. Toned, like he’d been hitting the gym for years, which certainly wasn’t the case. The most drastic change, however, was that of his eyes. The dark bags and dull sheen he’d seen in them earlier were now gone, replaced with healthy, focused eyes. John clinched the hilt of his sword in his right hand as he turned his gaze back towards the demon before him. Slowly, he raised his sword towards his target.
“I’m not just some dead man.” He spoke, confidence in his voice he wasn’t used to. “My name is John, and I’m here to kill you.”
“Is that so?” The demon smiled wickedly, seemingly finding some new pleasure in the situation. “Say then, Slayer, how about we play a little game?”
“Game?” John questioned with an eyebrow raised. Over beside him, Aerin raised her fists in preparation for a fight.
“Be careful.” She ordered.
“It’s simple, really.” The demon assured with a limp wave of his right hand. “Even a human like you could understand.” Suddenly he raised his right hand, opening his palm in John’s direction. A blue glyph, not unlike the one John had seen beneath him and Aerin earlier, appeared inches from the demon’s hand. John could feel something happening in front of him. It was like a whirlpool, sucking something towards its center. “Dodge!”
Before the words had even left his mouth completely, a large bolt of light fired toward John. It moved at incredible speed, bridging the gap between the demon and him in no time. The bolt was a bright blue, just as the runes had been. It was similar in shape and size to the one that had struck the road, effectively killing him, just moments before. John’s body moved on instinct against the aggressor. He raised his sword high above his head and brought it down into the destructive spell. He had no idea whether or not the a
ction would work; he didn’t really even know what he was doing. John moved, guided by a silent voice in his mind that directed his actions. Luckily, the gamble paid off. The blade cut through the spell like a hot knife through butter. The two halves of the spell flew around John on both sides. They careened wildly before slamming into the valley below, exploding into the woods and causing small fires to break out.
“Did you just?!” Both Aerin and the demon shouted in disbelief.
Somehow John got the feeling that his move wasn’t exactly run of the mill. He felt an odd sense of accomplishment as he looked at both their astonished faces. Aerin’s eyes were wide beside him as she struggled to find words to explain how she felt. Up on the ridge, the demon’s eyes were also open as he stood frozen, his arm still outstretched. His irises were small and black, and they stared at John analytically. John quickly twirled his sword in his hand, riding the wave that let him showboat, before bringing it down by his side.
“Oh this will be fun!” The demon shouted as he brought his left hand up to join his right.
A twin set of glowing blue disks appeared over the demon’s left arm. They spun in place in tandem with the ones on his right until they slowly merged together. John raised his sword once more, ready to perform his apparent game breaking move. However, this time he received a swift jab in the side before the demon even managed to attack. John quickly looked over in time to see Aerin push him out of the way.
“Idiot!” She shouted. “That won’t work twice!”
She clapped her hands together before thrusting them out in front of her. A large rune covered circle appeared just in time to block multiple bolts that the demon had fired at the same time. The spells collided with the blue wall, causing it to ripple but nothing more. John quickly picked himself up, slightly shaken from the sudden push.
Slayer: A Demon Hunter's Tale Page 2