Tainted Blood

Chapter 29

Loki was narrowly unable to dodge an attack coming from behind him. He rolled away to confront his attacker to see it was a puppet dressed all in black resembling closely to a ninja. His jacket collar covered his mouth.

The pavement uplifted causing the rubble to fly everywhere. The young girl giggled.

"Surprise," she declared. Loki stared at his attacker to see how rigid his movements seem to be as he slowly stood up. However, his skin seemed to be porcelain and his blue eyes seemed to be glass as it rolled to look towards Loki. There was a tattoo around his right eye that trailed down to his cheekbone.

"That's a little creepy," Loki remarked dryly.

"Don't call Raven creepy," the young girl cried as she turned to Raven," Kill the meanie!"

"That was mean," Loki questioned incredulously arching a brow and continued in an icy tone," You obviously haven't seen mean."

Raven began to unsheathe the two swords on his belt though his movements seemed rigid like a dolls. However, his speed almost seemed like he had teleported to in front of Loki and sliced in succession with his swords. Loki faded away like an illusion and appeared behind him as a blade without a handle came out from under his sleeve and slashed Raven.

However, Raven ducked just in time before he was beheaded and swerve around to slice his sword horizontally causing Loki to jump back. Raven brought down the other sword in his other hand on Loki causing Loki to be sliced in half. He dissipated like air appearing beside Raven attempting to slash him with the blade, but Raven parried it with one of his swords.

Loki twirled the blade around causing Raven to drop the sword and instead grab Loki's blade in his hands.

Loki quickly kneed Raven in the stomach and kicked the other sword out of his hand. However, Raven seemed to teleport away from him. Loki began to scan his surroundings as Raven appeared to his right bringing down the sword. He disappeared like air before Raven's eyes and appeared behind Raven stabbing his blade straight through him. Raven's body began to shatter falling to the pavement unable to support himself.

However, a split second before Loki would break Raven's head the doll seemed to speak.

"Help… me…" Raven spoke in a quiet, pleading voice as his eyes turned to look at Loki. The young girl looked upset as she glared at Loki.

"Raven was defeated? Valentia was right when she said you weren't just good with messing with people's minds," the young girl exclaimed as she began hiccuping and tears rolled down her cheeks. Her expression darkened," You're going to deal with the Levin family for doing this to me on my first mission. They're going to make you pay!"

Suddenly, Raven began to struggle to stand up in a slow manner. He slightly hunched over as he punched the ground causing the pavement to be uplifted once more and dust rising around them.

When the dust dissipated, Loki was standing alone. He seemed to have a troubled expression thinking of the name the young girl had spoken.

"The Levin family?" Loki muttered under his breath icily," Isn't Lillie's friend... a Levin?"

Lillie exhaled loudly attempting to understand what Cerberus was trying to tell her through his growls.

"Cerberus… I don't understand," she said in frustration hanging her head low," Man, Caleb would be able to understand you."

Cerberus literally bumped his head into her causing Lillie to seem surprised at his reaction. Lillie frowned.

"Have you gone rabid, Cerberus?" Lillie questioned. Cerberus gave her an odd look before growling at her causing Lillie to seem like she was starting to understand," You mean… this has something to do with Caleb?"

Cerberus froze for a moment thinking it through he swayed his head as if telling her 'kind of.' Lillie began to light up.

"You came to me last time… when Koji was in trouble of being killed. Maybe this time it's the same thing?" Lillie said questioningly. Cerberus nodded at her. Lillie exhaled loudly as she said in a droll tone," I can't believe… I actually… figured out what a black undead wolf was trying to tell me. Go me!"

Cerberus had growled at her attempting to race out. However, a male, Seth, was standing there with a not so happy look over his face.

"Hellraine… You've caused me a lot trouble you know…"

Riku watched as Koji roundhouse kicked the masked man but the masked man ducked grabbing a hold Koji's leg. The masked man threw Koji into a wall as rotting hands reached out from the wall to hold Koji in place. The masked man turned to Riku.

"Little demon, why are you just standing there," the masked man sneered at Riku as he began to close in on him.

"Thinking how you fooled us," Riku said with a cheeky smile over his face. The masked man chuckled low in his throat.

"Hypnosis is a powerful way to control someone. You may see a different Rain than Koji because Koji actually knows Rain," the masked man exclaimed. Riku seemed to think about it for a moment.

"Oh. I wonder how you can hypnotize someone so fast," Riku said in a curious manner.

"I wouldn't tell you," the masked man said. Sand began to swirl around Riku.

"I'll make sure to avoid that," Riku said brightly. A sandstorm began to take place in the hallway causing everything to blur and Riku to disappear into the sand. The masked man attempted to see through the sandstorm brewing around him.

Suddenly, from behind him, sand needles came at the masked man causing him to leap and roll out of the way. He had dodged most of them except one that pierced through his left shoulder.

The masked man was carefully attempting to observe through the sand storm like he was bidding his time.

Then someone attempted to kick him. The masked man's movement was faster blocking the kick and grabbed his attacker's throat. It was Koji. Koji twisted the masked man's hand causing him to lose grip around his throat.

Crack!

Koji had broken the masked man's arm before kicking him in the stomach. Then he did it again in the face with a jump kick. The masked man stumbled back as someone grabbed him from behind. He could smell death. A zombie.

Koji brought down his fist just as the masked man flung the zombie over his shoulder causing Koji to be knocked down to the ground. Koji grabbed the zombie on the forehead as it disintegrated into dust. He leaped back to his feet to realize the masked man had disappeared.

Suddenly the masked man appeared behind Koji kicking him in the back and then elbowing him in the spine causing Koji to be knocked unconscious.

Riku was caught off guard as two zombies tackled him to the ground causing the sandstorm to begin to dissipate. He kicked a zombie off him and with a hand hit the other off him. Sand slammed into the zombies making a huge hole through the center of their chests as they collapsed to the floor.

The masked man had come at Riku before he had recovered and upper punched him causing Riku to skid a few meters. Riku grimaced as the masked man pinned Riku to the ground. Riku saw his eyes begin to swirl causing Riku's expression to turn blank. He was becoming entranced… hypnotized by the swirling eyes.

Suddenly the masked man was thrown back meters away and skid to his back a few more meters.

Riku blinked a couple of times to see Caleb standing over him. Caleb looked rather sinister with black blood down his shirt and one side of his neck was covered with black blood.

"You need to smile less and find some other person to save your ass," Caleb snarled maliciously.

"You should smile more," Riku retorted cheekily. Caleb rolled his eyes at Riku before he pushed off his feet and, in an incomprehensible speed, he had appeared in front of the masked man. Caleb pulled back to punched the masked man. He had attempted to block it but shadow entities seemed to surround his fist. The masked man wasn't able to block it and Caleb had smashed through his hand and mask disorienting the masked man. In an unseen motion, claws struck a hundred times slashing the masked man into pieces. Blood was splattered across the floors.

Riku swallowed hard. He knew how scary Caleb could be… and now he was witnessing what a pissed off guardian werewolf could do.

Caleb walked past Riku with blood splattered over his face as he lifted an unconscious Koji over his shoulder and picked up the chain necklace on the floor. Riku followed after Caleb.

"Brat, how did you end up in this place?" Caleb questioned. Riku laughed nervously.

"For adventure! This kid told me it would be fun to play down here. He said there would be video games!"

Caleb rolled his eyes.

"I hope it was adventurous and fun being locked up in that room," Caleb said deep in his throat. Caleb stopped abruptly when he had turned a corner causing Riku to nearly bump into him.

Caleb had a troubled expression as he tried to keep going but there was a force that seemed to be holding him back.

"That asshole was right… We can't get out of here," Caleb growled in frustration. He didn't do well in underground places and enclosed areas. Koji began to stir causing Caleb to put him on the floor and putting the chain necklace back around his neck before Koji attempted to kill him.

"What happened," Koji groaned.

"You got knocked out and now… we can't get out," Riku summarized. Koji rubbed his temple as he looked straight ahead with his mismatched eyes widened.

"Rain…" Koji trailed off causing Riku and Caleb to turn to see a man with his face half covered with a black cloth standing a few meters away from them.

Rain bowed his head slightly at him.

"That's Rain? He looked nothing like before," Riku said somewhat confused.

"He looked more normal than someone with a half mask over his face," Caleb said huskily.

"The man with the mask has a tendency to fool others. He knows they wouldn't discuss appearances. In your eyes, he looked like your average stranger but to Koji who knows me saw me," Rain explained in a casual tone.

"Why did you really come here, Rain? Does this have anything to do with my grandma?" Koji questioned in a serious tone.

"You know she has wanted the Hellraine, but she told you she wanted her dead. That's not the case. Your grandmother wants to control the Hellraine and I believe… we've found a way," Rain exclaimed indicating Caleb with a look.

Caleb began to chuckle deep in his throat.

"You're an idiot."

Bianca had walked into a rather traditional looking house with its walls decorated with floral patterns. She had tears running down her cheek as she hiccupped upset she had lost. Bianca was dragging Raven behind her as she struggled from his weight. She made her way up the stairs carefully. Bianca entered into her room as she put Raven against the wall.

"I'm going to need to fix you because the meanie broke you. Don't worry I can fix you. Then… I won't fail again," Bianca exclaimed pouting her lower lip. Then she began to smile in a childish, devious manner," I won't ever let you leave me all alone, Raven. You're going to be with me forever!"

"For…ev…er?" Raven questioned in a strained tone in his voice struggling to speak. The young girl giggled as she nodded and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Forever!"

Raven's blue eyes stared ahead with indignation filling within them. His fingers began to slowly curl into a fist unbeknownst to Bianca.

I want... to be free. I'll find a way… I swear it.