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Chapter 7
A Dog In The House
In an elegant spire beyond the imagination of commoners, low chants filled the air as the nobility of Okabe gathered. They sat in their stilted chairs, dressed in the most opulent suits, their eyes ever vigilant, believing themselves omnipotent. A circle of candles surrounded Lady Kyo, the young high priestess, as she knelt upon the checkered floor. Her brush painted bloody signs and symbols, and her haunting croon accompanied the shimmer of her cloak dancing through a haze of dull red smoke.
Before Kyo lay the body of a young girl, her throat slit open like a sacrificial lamb. Blood pooled around the lifeless body, and as the girl’s form paled, Kyo dropped her arms to her sides, taking a deep breath. The girl was about twelve years old, Kyo thought, her heart aching at the innocent life taken. But the sacrifice was for the sake of appeasing her masters, and it had to be done.
Kyo’s eyes lowered, her gaze locked on the scarlet pool. She felt a sense of futility, knowing that this would be just one of many meaningless killings. She spoke, her voice echoing with solemnity, “It is I that have watched you in your perpetual slumber, and in return, I have given you that which you seek. Blood, drink of it off the floor like dogs. For you stand at the threshold of paradise, but paradise eludes you. You have brought the place that you had once regarded as the highest low, and now you have unlocked and opened the door, but you have not found habitation in it, rather you have given a home to every unclean being. Hence, your nightmare will begin, and I will release you from the shackles of that seduction tonight, and I will do this favor only for you and transcend where you have failed so far.”
Lord Mitsura, sitting on his ceremonial throne, hissed, “What is this?” He expected Kyo to be frightened, but she felt surprisingly calm. She had become High Priestess, no longer merely Kyo, the niece of Lord Mitsura. Her duty to the Okabe clan far outweighed her loyalty to her uncle. “Is this a joke, Lady Kyo? You violate our ritual so foolishly?”
Kyo stood, an aura of brazen courage enveloping her, silencing Mitsura’s outburst. “My chance has not come to me. You gave your alchemy to a secret weakness, and you could not capitalize on it. There is a pressing need for quick action, for fresh blood to resurrect the Okabe family.”
The other cloaked men, like hounds awaiting their master’s command, drew their daggers. The sharp blades failed to intimidate Kyo, for if the scry was true, she would stand before the gates of Evermore and witness the birth of a New World from her own hands. A sense of curiosity flickered in Mitsura as he raised his hand, signaling the cloaked men to stand down. Kyo’s expression remained hidden behind her mask as she glanced at the other men, her eyes meeting Mitsura’s once more.
“All these sacrifices,” she said, taking a deep breath. “For years, you have been performing these rituals without understanding what you were doing. Do you not realize how many children like her have died? Have you not seen the results yet?”
Mitsura smirked, “The result? I suppose with a mouth like that, you should know better?” He taunted. “We cannot see the spiritual realm. What we do, the world beyond responds to.”
As Kyo drew a dagger from her sleeve, Mitsura’s eyes widened. She sliced her palm, blood welling and spilling as she clenched her fist. The crimson droplets fell into the scarlet pool, shimmering like silver upon contact. “My Lord,” she said, her voice resolute. “You’ve never understood.”
“She has done it.” A noble clapped, and the onlookers craned their necks to witness the unfolding spectacle. The room buzzed with commotion, the revelation dawning upon the gathered nobles.
Mitsura gripped the armrests of his throne, leaping to his feet. “How is that possible?” he barked as a small stone formed from the mingled blood. Astonishment rippled through the room. Kyo lifted her gaze from the pool, locking eyes with the Lord. “I have received a vision. The time here has dwindled. What they have completed, you have failed to accomplish. Because of your ignorance, the nobility of Okabe has forgotten the greater work to accomplish. The Azoth’s death was because of your corruption.”
“You are just a child. You dare to speak this way to your elders?” Mitsura scoffed. “Do you think this kind of trick impresses us? This is not an Azoth either. That stone is hardly complete.”
“I would agree with you. There is a need to create a new world as soon as possible. That was my call, was it not? Yes, that is exactly what I shall be doing. We can no longer stay here. The long night is upon us, and with it, an endless nightmare as well. I am sure that you have heard of the birth pains that we have all experienced. We are now living in an era of oblivion. If we do not complete the greater work, all will be lost. There has been a time when I have seen you eating the bones of your children, Lord Mitsura. We will all be forced to eat the flesh of the dead until we become one with them. It will be the night of the full moon, and the sun will never rise again. Light will be robbed from us, and everything will fall into disarray. Despite the plans of disaster you have drafted, I refuse to follow them. I know the way to the new world, and I am determined to follow it. There is still a hunger for what we have forgotten in this Azoth, therefore it is not complete.” Lady Kyo beckoned Lord Mitsura into the circle, extending her hand. “I shall show you.”
All eyes followed Mitsura’s hesitant steps, the silence in the room as heavy as lead. Kyo grasped his hand and led him to the pool, where he stood before the dead girl. The stone below trembled, greedily consuming Kyo’s meager offering of blood. She moved closer to Mitsura, her breath warm on his earlobe as she whispered, “We used to use our children. That is the secret. That’s what we did, it’s what we still do.” A searing pain tore through Mitsura’s stomach as Lady Kyo plunged her dagger deep into his gut. She carved an opening in his body as if offering him to the sky. Mitsura clutched at his side, blood streaming through his fingers as it cascaded to his feet like a fountain.
Two men grabbed hold of Mitsura’s arms and neck as he stumbled back. Gasping in agony, he screamed, his consciousness ebbing away. “Your lack of enthusiasm is troubling, Mitsura. To be honest, I thought you would be happier.” He looked down to see the stone had grown in size as his blood flowed into the Azoth. “This is actually the first true Azoth since the old ones were corrupted.”
By pulling Mitsura’s hair, Kyo lifted his head, exposing his throat. As he hung there, sweat poured from his flushed face, his lips trembling as a low moan escaped. Kyo’s voice took on a sinister tone as she sliced a vicious gash in his neck, “It’s all in the nobility.” She told him. The moment she released Mitsura’s head, it fell to his chest, the torn muscles no longer able to support the weight.
Kyo raised her hands, addressing the room with fervor, “Our great work has begun! Let us begin!” Her hands still aloft, she strode out of the circle of candles, spinning gracefully across the floor like a ballerina. With each step, she left a trail of bloody footprints on the black-and-white tiles. The last thing Mitsura heard between his ragged gasps was the sound of his compatriots clapping their hands, giving Kyo a standing ovation for her performance.
As the room echoed with applause and the blood of the fallen mingled on the floor, Lady Kyo stood tall, her eyes filled with an unwavering determination. The young High Priestess had unveiled the secret to the Azoth, seized the reins of power, and forever altered the fate of the Okabe nobility. With the great work now underway, the path to the new world lay before her. And she, Lady Kyo, would be the one to lead them all to salvation.
A white-haired man, seemingly part dragon with a pair of horns crowning his head and serpent-like eyes, brandished a long spear-like sword. He lunged at a red-haired man, who blocked the attack with a large blue cross shield. In midair, the red-haired knight slashed at the horned attacker, but his sword met the grip of the dragon man, who wrested the weapon from his grasp. The dragon-man knocked the knight to the ground with a roar and, with a powerful hack, sliced him through the middle, draining his life bar. Shining golden letters flashed across the screen: “Falaris Wins!”
“Haha, I won! I won! I won!” Apricot shouted, raising her controller in the air, her heart swelling with triumph. “Sweet, sweet victory.”
Jasper kicked up his feet, growling under his breath, his face twisted into a frown. “Of course, you won,” he said, bitterness tinging his words. “You picked Falaris.” He glanced at the floor, crossing his arms. “He’s so much better than Brigeld. You only won because of that.”
“Are you interested in a rematch?” Jasper met Apricot’s eyes, his smile melting the scowl from his face. He gave a slow nod, a hint of a smile crossing his own lips. Apricot thought to herself how much more enjoyable games were when both players were emotionally invested. A deep, satisfying feeling welled up in her heart when she won hard-fought matches. She especially enjoyed competing with Jasper; although he had pride, he never went overboard.
Hovering her cursor over a man in red armor, Apricot declared, “All right, well, I’ll pick the moonstone guy this time.”
“Well, if you’re going to pick a Drakr,” Jasper said, grinning and moving the cursor over a massive black dragon. “I’ll pick Valis!” He started the match, excitement in his voice.
Apricot’s eyes widened as the screen displayed a loading screen. “You chose the dragon! How am I going to win?” Jasper stuck out his tongue at her, smirking. “Fine, fine, even if you play with a dragon, I will still win and wipe that stupid smile off your face.”
Over several matches, both of them claimed a fair share of victories. “You know, Apricot,” Jasper suggested between games, “you should find a husband.”
Apricot nearly dropped her controller at the unexpected statement. “What!” she laughed, trying to mask her surprise.
Jasper commented while mashing buttons, “Well, you are in danger a lot.”
Though she knew he was right, Apricot still chuckled. No husband could save her from the perils she faced. “I haven’t found the right guy yet,” she admitted, a pang of sadness filling her. She hadn’t found the right guy, and at this rate, she never would. Not until her life’s nightmare was over, but who knew if that was even possible? The idea weighed heavily on her mind.
“What about Sato?” Apricot’s face flushed at the thought.
“Sato and me!” She shook her head, dismissing the idea. “No way, that would never work.”
Jasper looked over at Apricot, puzzled. “I don’t see why not? After all, you both are into journalism. He could take photos and you could write the articles. Besides, you two are great friends, right? You probably think he’s cute, too. It’s obvious. You’d be safe, too. You could stay at home instead of working at the supermarket. These days, I don’t think it’s safe to go out. Just let him take care of things.”
“Sometimes you’re such a kid, Jasper,” Apricot said, a faint smile crossing her lips.
“What!” Jasper shouted, offended. “What do you mean by that?”
Apricot laughed out loud and continued playing the game. “He’s worried about me. That is kind of sweet of him,” she thought to herself. Despite her laughter, a part of her heart warmed at the thought of Jasper’s concern for her well-being. As the game went on, she couldn’t help but feel grateful for the friendship they shared and the little moments like these that brought them closer.
“Where are Mom and Dad?” Jasper asked, his voice wavering with uncertainty. Apricot looked up from her desk, which was cluttered with papers and her laptop.
“They’re on a date tonight. And then they’re going away for two weeks.” She continued typing her grueling report on the duties of a state journalist. In the past, the subjects were just as dull as ever, topics that bore no relevance to journalism at all. But still, she had to complete the work as a gesture of obedience to the state. Whenever Jasper stood in front of Apricot’s door, he would wait for her to open it and invite him inside. However, after a while, he would grow tired of waiting and enter.
Jasper leaped onto Apricot’s bed with a loud crash, the impact shaking the frame. “Jasper!” she shouted, her voice laced with irritation.
“What?”
“Don’t break my bed, you little monster,” she snapped, narrowing her eyes at him.
He rolled onto his back, snuggling up under her covers. “I’m not,” he replied, his voice muffled by the blankets.
Apricot continued to read her textbook. “The role of media in civil society is to control the collective narrative and to propel people in a positive direction. The advancement of…” she stated, only to be interrupted by Jasper’s concerned voice.
“Is it likely there will be more terrorist attacks in the future, Apricot?”
She put her book down, pausing her reading. Terrorism was the buzzword of the day, and almost every day, an attack was reported. These attacks were all pseudonyms for paranormal activities that took place, Apricot considered. And yet, the public was going bonkers over them. “I hope that’s not the case. You never know, though.”
An awkward silence fell between them. “Was it scary? The attack, I mean.”
“Very,” Apricot said, picking up her book once more. “I don’t have time to talk now, Jasper. I have to finish this paper for school.” She said, half wanting to avoid the subject as she had finally put those memories behind her. Those thoughts she wanted to keep buried among the layers of slumber and the relaxing calm of gaming.
“Yeah, I know but, can’t you do it later?” Jasper asked, his voice desperate for her attention.
“No, Jasper. I played games with you earlier, and now I have to finish my paper.” She raised her book to her eyes. As she scanned the page, Jasper let out a sigh. “Jasper, go to your room.”
“Well, can’t I stay here?” He whined, his eyes pleading.
Apricot groaned a bit before she relented, “Yeah, but you have to be quiet.”
“Ok,” he chirped, his eyes brightening.
As she picked up her book, she glanced at what she had read last. “So, what is that book about? Let me see,” Jasper asked, bending over her shoulder.
Apricot gestured to her door with a finger as she said, “Out.”
“I was just wondering what it was all about!” said Jasper, his voice tinged with shock.
“Out, Jasper. It’s way past your bedtime, anyway. Go to your room,” Apricot insisted.
As soon as Jasper slid off the bed and ran out of the door, he yelled, “You are such a jerk!”
Apricot shut her door and walked back toward her desk. Before she even got to her seat, however, she heard a knock at her door. As she opened the door, she saw Jasper standing there, looking up at her with a disheveled look on his face. “What do you want now?” she asked, her patience wearing thin.
“There’s a dog in my room,” Jasper quaked, his eyes filled with an almost convincing look of fear.
Her eyes rolled back as Apricot sighed. “You’ve been taking home stray dogs again.”
Jasper then spoke so fast that the words were hard to understand. “The window had been open, but I didn’t even realize it was open. I think it had come through the window.”
Considering the weakness of the excuse he used, there’s no doubt that he was trying to rouse her. Apricot shook her head in disbelief. “On a two-story house, of course,” she said sarcastically. “Are you really expecting me to believe that? I don’t have time for this, Jazz.” How foolish did he think she was? It was almost to the point of being insulting.
“I’m not lying. There is a dog in my room,” Jasper whimpered. “It has a lot of teeth and red eyes.”
“Then go downstairs,” Apricot replied, not believing anything he said.
“Apricot!” he shouted at her in a loud voice.
As she gripped her fists, she felt a wave of anger wash over her. Jasper shivered to the bone by the roar that followed. “Downstairs, Jasper, don’t bother me again or else I will ground you when our parents get home.”
“But Apricot!” Jasper cried, clutching his fists to his chest.
“No! I said. I have heard enough. Now go downstairs and let me study.” Apricot stomped her foot, causing Jasper to rush down the stairs in a hurry.
Getting back to her desk, she reached for her book and sat down. During her study, she heard a stirring in Jasper’s room. Then she smiled to herself. “Silly kid,” she thought. “Thought he was going to make a fool out of me.” A few moments later, she heard a loud crash coming from his room. Apricot jumped to her feet and made her way across the room towards Jasper’s room, yelling with a loud voice: “What are you doing?”
Jasper had turned the lights off. “Jasper, stop playing around. I have to finish this report by the end of the night!” She growled. Flicking the switch on to see Jasper’s shelf lying on the floor with pieces of his models scattered around it. Apricot felt a sudden chill in the air as the room’s light flickered off and the temperature plummeted. “Phantom,” she whispered to herself in a hushed tone.
As she reached toward the door, she grabbed Jasper’s baseball bat. While looking through the darkness, she detected several red eyes lurking in the shadows. As she raised the bat to her side, Apricot clutched it tightly in her hands. Apricot murmured to herself “Just like softball,” and took a slow swing at the ball. Her memories of proper softball form suddenly flooded into her mind. Apricot whispered to herself, “Feint, Parry, Riposte.”
Apricot recalled her fencing technique from primary school as the creature approached her. It moved through the shadowed room, appearing more like smoke than flesh. The many red dots on its head suggested it may have multiple eyes. With the streetlight outside of Jasper’s window, Apricot could just make out its prowl across the room.
“Come on!” Apricot roared, feeling herself grind her teeth. It seemed as if her fear was being washed away by a surge of unimaginable anger. The wolf-like monster opened its thousand razor teeth at her and lunged. Apricot dove into the creature, slamming it in its mouth and promptly sending a few bloody teeth flying through the air. She turned her head toward it and saw them land on the ground behind her. “I think it’s blocking my exit.”
Apricot watched as the monster stared at her, baring its teeth, before preparing the bat for another blow. Suddenly, the creature once again dove at her, this time biting her on the arm. Apricot worked the bottom of the bat and slammed it against the monster’s head, which caused its teeth to tear into the sleeve of her shirt. When the snarling beast struck into her again, she did not have time to recover from the attack. In a single blow, her bat mauls the creature in the head, crushing it to the ground. As the smokey creature rose to its feet, it snapped at her only to be met with another swing that knocked it into a wall. It stood up injured and snarling at her.
Grasping the bat, Apricot drew back. “Get out of my house!” she screamed, jumping up and slamming the bat as hard as she could onto the monster’s head. Apricot continued her flurry with the bat as the beast crashed to the floor. The beast’s body erupted in a puff of smoke as each blow was dealt. It sparked like a blown circuit when it was struck. After the flashing stopped, the lights turned back on, leaving the creature nowhere to be seen, as though it had vanished into thin air.
She dropped the bat to the ground as she fell to her knees. She could feel the sweat running down her face. When she turned her head, she saw Jasper staring at her wide-eyed. “I told you there was a dog.” Apricot nodded, her eyes wide with fear. The look in Jasper’s eyes was almost the same. For several moments, the two stared at each other in silence.
“We can’t tell Mom or Dad.”
Jasper nodded, shaking. “Where did it go?”
“Out the window,” she groaned. “Keep your window closed from now on,” she advised. “I’ll keep mine closed too.” She had been lying a lot lately since everything happened. There was a part of her that felt guilty about this. It was better if no one knew what was really going on, she told herself. This was especially true for Jasper. After all, he didn’t need to be bothered by these kinds of problems.
Jasper looked around the room. With a frown on his face, Apricot could see that he was frustrated and worried. “What are we going to tell Mom and Dad?”
The room was a total mess; everything was scattered all around it; broken plastic and model pieces littered the floor. “We better clean this up before they get home,” Apricot said. “They can’t know anything about this, Jasper. They wouldn’t believe us even if we told the truth, and you, mister, will get in trouble for bringing in a stray dog.”
“But I didn’t!” Jasper yelled.
Apricot nodded. “I know. They will think that I am covering for you if I tell them it came in from your window. In that case, I might also get in trouble. We will then clean up before they get home and forget that it ever happened.”
Apricot’s blood had seeped through her light orange shirt, and Jasper noticed it when he looked over at her arm. “It bit you, didn’t it?” he asked. “Are you all right?”
Apricot glanced at her arm with little thought. Looking back at Jasper, she tried her best to smile. “Yeah, it got me when I was trying to shoo it away. It’s not a big deal.” Her eyes drifted back to the ripped sleeve. The wound was stinging but not as bad
as she had expected. At most, she felt a dull throbbing pain from the gash. Apricot picked up a piece of Jasper’s model as she gazed around the room. “Come on, let’s get this done.”
“You have to study,” Jasper’s voice quivered.
Apricot reached out and grabbed Jasper’s wrist. She rubbed his hand, sighing. “It doesn’t matter now. We have more important things to worry about.”
Together, they worked to clean up the room, piecing together the broken models and picking up the shattered plastic. The silence between them was filled with the weight of the night’s events, but neither of them dared to speak of it again. Once the room was in order, Apricot sat down on Jasper’s bed and examined her arm. The bite marks were deep, but not severe enough to require stitches.
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