Keeper of Demonic Forces - Bella_Artz

Genres: Shojo, Action, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy

Lily & Rose Issue 1 Sample Part 1

Kira

~

I've woken up from several uncomfortable naps in my life but none could probably compare to this.

Trust me, I've fallen asleep in the craziest positions.

I pull my body up into a sitting position, taking the softness beneath my aching body as my bed.

Weird, when did I get home?

Searching my brain for what I could have done that had led up to the pain and me getting back home only turns up blank spots and a light migraine. Despite that, a strange nagging sensation doesn’t release its jaws on my mind. Constantly screaming that I was forgetting something important.

I glance around my room, nothing looked off, then reach for my phone to check the time only to discover it's past midnight. And it was charging, that was nice.

Then again...

Why was nothing making sense?

My thoughts are cut off by the sound of the door creaking open. I could make out Ares' face, lines of worry pulling at his brows and he looked so anxious.

"You're awake." He says, relief calming his features slightly. He takes quick strides to get to my side and embraces me in a crushing hug, "Kira, what happened? You leave for hours without telling me where you are or what you're doing then show up at the door passed out and covered in bruises. Who hurt you?"

Now that he mentioned it I could feel tiny Band-Aids on my face and see some on my arms where scratches decorated the skin beneath them. I search the recesses of my mind further but the less that turned up, the more frustrated I became. Why couldn't I remember anything?

"I...I... can't remember..." I admit shamefully.

His eyes are filled with anxiety, "I couldn't get a doctor to come at this hour but...do you feel any pain...down there?"

A burning heat creeps into my cheeks and I scream in embarrassment, "No, Ares! Shit.... don't ask me that?"

He merely chuckles but there was no joy behind it, he still looked pale and anxious, "If you say so, but we're going to the hospital first thing in the morning and get a proper test."

"I wasn't taken advantage of if that's what you're implying."

"Better safe than sorry," he mutters under his breath, "Anyways, are you sure you can't remember anything?"

"I was just walking...I wanted to run actually but then...it all just goes kind of black." I say, concentrating as hard as I can. Annoyance at my own incompetence pulses through my veins but as much as I want to remember what had happened, my brain only throbs with pain and a demand for sleep.

I fall back into my pillows with a great sigh. Ares takes my left hand in his.

"It's okay Kira, You'll be alright." He murmurs rubbing soothing circles into the back of my palm.

To me, that was one of the best things about him, there weren't that many men out there who would know how to handle comforting a teenage girl. Ares was amazing at it, which is why I respected him so much. He genuinely cared for me and Kat and would find any excuse to do what's best for us.

He's still shit at cooking though.

But everything else was just the best.

I hold his hand back and flash a smile his way, "I'm fine...dad."

His face breaks out into a bright smile, nodding he gets to his feet, "Try to get some sleep, we still have that trip to the hospital tomorrow. Goodnight."

"G'night." My gaze follows him until he's out of the room then I dim the lights with the remote at my bedside and pulled out my phone.

Yes, I was tired and exhausted but like every teenager, those feelings didn't always equal sleep.

The internet should be a great distraction from my raging thoughts and that nagging feeling that wouldn't let go of me. I pull up my browser, aiming to type in the first random thought I could conjure when my eyes instead fall on an article about Demona.

Reading through it, not only could I tell that it was written by a very over-enthusiastic fan girl or boy, but it kept sending shivers down my spine, as well as dark cloudy figures dancing in the back of my mind.

I sit up once more, peering down at my screen like it held the secrets of the universe. My head begins to throb once again, I can feel pain with every effort I make to navigate through the fog that surrounds the memory of what happened tonight.

Demona.

Throb.

But why?

Throb.

Shit!

I slam the phone into the sheets and collapse into them once again. If I said it out loud I probably would have realised how stupid it sounded but I think Demona had something to do with what happened to me.

The more my thoughts linger on that the more my head throbs but that feeling at the back of my mind seems to calm. I lift the phone to my face, looking intently at the poorly taken picture of a lone, shadowy form on top of a tall building.

No, she's definitely involved.

***

The following days after that were little more than minutes and hours blurring into each other.

Obvious news, I wasn't taken advantage of and none of the injuries I had sustained were a major threat.

The doctor kindly suggested I just get lots of sleep and avoid being out late as that is when Demona hunts for criminals.

Go figure.

Ares tried to stop me but I kept venturing out at night but didn't wait until it got too dark before I headed home.

I venture down the path I had taken that night to see if anything would shout out to me but the mist that hung over the memory like a thick fog refused to give way. My only drive was that Demona had something to do about it. I didn't trust whoever it was but I had grown curious and needed answers.

Immediately.

I turn the corner, nearly five days had passed and my thoughts still refused to settle. The thought of school starting the following day also wasn't helping.

Ares had insisted I try online schooling like Kat but I could speak fluent Japanese and I had brushed up on my writing, it wouldn't make sense to stay cooped up all day.

Besides, I like having people around me. Friends and a social life helped me feel grounded. A long time ago I was shit at making friends and it didn't help when I had nowhere to go after my family's death.

I'd learned my lesson. Always have people in your corner.

As always the streets are busy and dark clouds hang over the crowd, constantly reminding me that I hadn't brought an umbrella and I should probably start heading home. To my misfortune, the rain wasn't going to wait, it started as a drizzle, building momentum until it became a torrid downpour.

I sigh at the apparent sign that my luck might just continue to be shit until further notice.

I'm about to make my way to the nearest subway station so I wouldn't get drenched but I felt a sudden pull, like a gut feeling that something was terribly wrong and I had to act fast. My entire being feels on edge like a danger I'm familiar with lurks in the shadows.

I look around for any immediate signs of threat but I find nothing.

Weird.

I continue down the sidewalk until I'm hit by that fear again. The irritating madness itches within my skin, I want to run. I turn around, ready to snap right there on the street when I see a ripple of light.

Wait, that couldn't have happened.

The space in front of an alley seems to shift, like a hologram seeming to fade, struggling to hold on.

My eyes narrow, lingering on the refracting light, there was definitely something there. I keep looking, pushing past the fog trying to get around my brain.

It's the rain, Kira!

Turn around!

Go home!

Don't look!

All these thoughts scream themselves inside my head but I knew what I was looking at. Whatever hologram had been there had sort of glitched for a split second and I had been able to see what was going on.

Jorōgumo.

Demona.

I make my way to the front of the alley, rain mixing with sweat from my brow as I struggle to make sense of what I'm seeing.

A cloaked figure clad in purple, fighting off at least six large spider women monsters. The mist in my head disperses leaving the floodgates open for my memories to come back.

Demona had saved me.

read more of “Keeper of Demonic Forces” on bella_artz’s tapas and royal road ☆ ̫  ☆ and check out @bella_arz1 on instagram and @bella_artz1 on twitter to see more of bellaartz’s art :)