Chapter 9 - Hello, little one

Chapter 9 - Hello, Little One

"I know you are not human. I know you are a cambion."

Calen's frown deepened. He took a step back and stared deeply into Reve with a severe expression spreading on his face.

Reve didn't hold anything back. "You are the son of a devil and a mortal human, aren't you? I sensed something vile in you, and it only took me a while to figure out what that was. You see, I have the sixth sense."

Calen's demeanour shifted, and he warned in a low tone, "You should be scared, Reve. Cambions are not exactly weak. I could kill you right now if I wanted. And believe me, I think I want that."

He seemed on edge after his secret was revealed. Reve guessed this was probably the first time he felt naked.

Reve remained unfazed.

"Why should I be scared of a cambion?" he replied boldly, moving closer to Calen until they were inches apart.

He placed Calen's hand on his chest, unafraid. "You hold the weaknesses of a human and a devil. I can think of a thousand ways to kill you. You do not terrify me. You are just a cambion. And I'm a titan, after all. I have nothing to fear. Are we clear?"

"A titan? That's impossible."

"Believe me, it is."

Reve revealed his true identity to Calen, unnerving the cambion at the same time.

Contrary to ancient lore, the newer generations of titans weren't born titans. They evolved into that status as magical beasts.

For Reve, when he accidentally entered Arcadia as a mere cat. He used Arcadia's unique traits to evolve into his best self, but that was not enough. Under the machinations of a strange god, he was forcefully evolved into a new species called Nexus Cats. It was through this species that he became a titan.

As a cambion, Calen was one of the few people that knew about the titans. His identity was enough to strike fear in Calen's heart.

Calen withdrew his hand and scoffed, attempting to downplay the tension, "Let's say I believe you… Fine, I will stop thinking about killing you. What happens next? Really, we are good, right? We are still besties, aren't we? The past is forgotten, my dear friend."

Reve nodded, and the two of them dashed up the stairs, their feet pounding against the metal surface as they raced towards the surface.

When they burst out onto the soldiers' camp, the sight that greeted them was one of utter desolation. There was no sign of life, no movement, except for the flickers of shadows dancing in the breeze.

They heard screams coming from far away, as well as a monster's roar that rumbled occasionally. It was unlike any beastly roar he had ever heard.

Reve shivered with a sudden realization. He was too late.

'The titan is already here.' he thought, his hands trembling as his mind raced.

'The Crimson Creed summoned, but that's not possible. They would need a lot of magical items and the shard of Sheol. Yet, I can feel his presence…'

Turning to Calen, he asked urgently, "You had a plan, didn't you? We need to leave Ashtown now, or I will be the least of your problems. Tell me your plans. Quick!"

Without a moment's hesitation, they picked up their pace, dashing past street after street with Calen's directions guiding the way.

Calen explained as they moved, "My plan was to use the south entrance to leave the town and go west, following the road to a coastal town. Well, it is a bit more complicated than that. However, right now, that's where the chaos is!"

Reve squeezed his face, increasing his speed once more. The chaos engulfing the city grew louder and more violent. The sound of vehicles colliding and explosions rocked their ears, and the sky was lit up with beams of destructive energy.

"We will take the north entrance and bypass the forest to cut back to the external road. We will be back on track to the coastal town. I heard it's the only place you can find a ship that sails the waters of the archipelago. We can use it to escape this fucked up–"

Suddenly, a terrifying beam of energy pierced through the building close to them. The building collapsed to the ground, falling in dangerous large bristles.

Calen looked at the object plummeting him and screamed, "Ahh, f*ck this shit!"

The two of them increased their speed yet again. They broke past the limits of humans, and only their mere silhouettes could be seen as they bolted for the North Gate. It was now in their line of sight, almost as far as the horizon, but it was close.

Another beam shot at the sky, destroying everything in its path. The duo ignored the aftermath and continued their run.

Suddenly, Reve felt a presence that alarmed his mind. As much as he wanted to ignore it, this presence captured him.

Reve sighed and suddenly stopped.

His sudden stop confused Calen. "Hey, buddy, we need to keep going, okay?"

"There is no use. He is already here." Reve said warily, his gaze fixed on the monstrous entity perched atop a particular building.

The monstrous entity had a golden glow stained with reddish blood that shined majestically.

The creature set his eyes on them, sneering with its bloodstained lips. Slowly, it crawled to the ground, taking his time while the two held their breaths in sheer apprehension.

"Is that a titan?" Calen carelessly asked.

"Yeah…"

"Hey, do you know who it is? Maybe we can talk to it?"

Reve turned to Calen and replied calmly, his eyes carrying the weight of weariness and exhaustion, "I have only interacted with two titans in my entire life. I don't know who it is… and I don't think it wants to talk to us."

The titan widened its jaws and fired another red beam of destruction that aimed at them. Reve evaded with a jump to the left, while Calen took the opposite direction.

Reve's mind raced as he watched the titan get closer. 'Hmm… it is not going to let us go. And there is no way I can throw his trail off. It can smell me from even miles. Perhaps, I should try talking to it like Calen suggested. Not every titan is like Tiamat, are they?'

His last meeting with the titan Tiamat didn't go well. It ended with the Dark Lady vowing to cause a lifetime of pain for him, a threat that always loomed over his mind.

'I will try. It is the only way. I have no chance.' Reve decided.

He might have seemed unbothered by the turn of events, but that's because he was an expert at controlling his facial expressions.

The titan drew closer and closer until it was inches away from him.

Reve stood his ground and took the initiative bravely. "What is your name, brethren?"

An ancient accent flowed out of the titan's mouth. "Ravriel, the Beast of Aurelia."

"Well, I am—"

"I know who you are, little traitor. I know everything about you, even more than you think you know. You reviling snake!"

Reve squeezed his face and said, "Ah, I see you have heard about me. Did Tiamat send you? I'm sure she did."

Ravriel stared down at Reve and uttered no words.

However, Reve took that as a confirmation. Tiamat was really going through with her words.

"We can talk this out, can't we?"

Ravriel hissed, "No. I am here to deliver judgment upon you. Your treacherous deeds are not hidden from me. You have set us back years, Reve Amethyst."

He pounced at Reve almost instantly, grabbing him by the leg and throwing him at the nearest building. Beams of red energy pulsed from his mouth and he shot them toward the direction of Reve.

Ravriel roared angrily.

Meanwhile, Reve escaped the debris, popping his bones back to their normal position and sighed.

Sure enough. It was no use.

He couldn't blame them though. After all, he had betrayed his own race a few years ago. He had the chance to free the titans from their imprisonment, but he refused, choosing to resurrect his friend instead. Reve put his own desire above the titans' cause, and now he was facing the consequence.

Ravriel leaped through the hole in the building and grabbed Reve by his throat. His claws pierced into Reve's skin.

He spat, "You are pathetic. I will break you and then make you kneel before Mother for eternity. You will have no peace, Reve Amethyst. From today on, your purgatory begins!"

Reve said, his eyes blazing with defiance, "It wasn't personal. It's not like I knew you guys. You can't just expect me to give up my desires for your cause. What have you done for me? You just pull up the kinship card and expect me to follow you around like an obedient puppy. I am Reve Amethyst. I will not be manipulated."

The more he spoke, the angrier he got.

With a burst of strength, he planted his feet on Ravriel's chest and kicked off, managing to slip away from Ravriel's grip.

Reve wheezed as he caught his breath. "I have had enough of this. If it's a fight you want, you will get it. You will bleed to get it!"

"I don't bleed," Ravriel scoffed, lunging at Reve with terrifying speed.

Reve began to whisper, "My body is a puppet, and I am a puppeteer. I can command it as I wish. I can summon it tirelessly. [Morai]!"

This was the only technique he could rely on. It was a fighting skill belonging to the system of arts he developed back in Arcadia based on the mind. [Morai] was all about self-hypnosis. With the chant, he could perform beyond the scope of his previous self.

Reve dodged Ravriel's claw swipe with uncanny agility, dancing around Ravriel in a bid to avoid getting caught. Each of Ravriel's attacks was meticulous and deadly to the extreme. If he were caught, he might as well be dead.