NOTE: THIS BOOK CONTAINS A BLEND OF FIRST PERSON POV AND THIRD PERSON POV.
Kurohane Universe - Universe of the Demon Hunters.
Akira's Pov
"I'm coming to find you!" I yelled as I hid my face against the cold wall. My friends and I were playing hide and seek in the backyard. "Akira! Lunch is ready!" my mother yelled. "Mum, give me a minute! I need to find my friends, or else I'll lose the game," I said.
I quickly started searching all the corners I knew my friends were hiding. "Got ya," I said as I dragged my friend Eren from his hiding spot. "You'd better change your hiding spot, or you'll end up losing the game every time," I said as I chuckled at him. "Ugh, whatever." Eren rolled his eyes as he started searching for the others.
Bang!
A loud noise was heard coming from the sky. Eren and I looked up, panic etched across our faces. Up in the sky, we saw a very large aircraft, more like a fighter jet with an afterburner. Then more started flooding in.
Fire shot out from the afterburner, burning everything around.
"Akira!" my mother screamed from the balcony.
Another blast of fire crashed down, shaking the ground with a deafening explosion.
My friends and I were thrown to the floor as thick smoke swallowed us, stinging our eyes and burning our throats.
"What is happening?!" I cried, hot tears streaming down my cheeks.
"Akira, honey, stay there! I'll come for you and your friends, just stay put!" my father shouted as he sprinted toward us.
Then, another fireball fell. It landed terrifyingly close to him. And just like that… he was gone.
"No!!" my mother's scream tore through the chaos.
"Dad!" I screamed, my whole body trembling as I lost control, wetting myself in pure terror.
The air was filled with the smell of blood and thick smoke.
"Bastards!"
I heard a loud voice coming from the sky. I looked up and saw them: the Demons.
They had always waged wars against us, but we always defeated them. Now, they were here for revenge. I clenched my fists so hard that blood started seeping out. "You bloody demon hunters, you all thought you deserved a happy ending, bloody clowns! I'm here to take over your universe and kill every single one of you!"
The head of the demons, Gorjo, said as an evil laugh erupted from his lips. Then, more demons came down from the aircraft and started shooting everywhere. "Akira! You and your friends should hide somewhere! I'll come get you guys!" my mother yelled as she brought out her gun and started attacking the demons.
Then, more demon hunters came out with their weapons and started attacking. "I want to go home. I don't want to die," my friend Takai said as he held his hands against his ears, trying not to hear the loud sounds of gunshots.
Different bodies were on the ground, and my stomach twisted.
"We need to look for somewhere to hide, now!" I yelled to my friends as tears trickled down my cheeks. I glanced towards my mother; blood trickled down her arm. She was severely injured, but she kept on fighting the demons.
Then we started moving like spirits, crawling and dodging every bullet.
We got to a small corner at the back of our basement that looked like a cave.
The place was very small, but we all managed to squeeze ourselves inside.
"What if they find us here?" my friend Sasha asked.
"They can't. This place is very hidden," I said as I clutched the pendant my father had given me as a birthday present.
My thoughts drifted back to how he died, trying to save my friends and me. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks.
"Ahhh!" Sasha yelled as a demon pulled her leg from outside.
Fear gripped my whole body like a vice. My friends and I tried pulling Sasha back, but the demon was much stronger. The demon broke the cave with his hand.
Demons had special superpowers like super strength, and they could smell the blood of demon hunters the same way we could smell the blood of demons. But my friends and I hadn't been given the powers of the demon hunters yet, we were still too young.
"No, let go of me!" Sasha screamed as the demon held her tightly by the neck.
Eren and I looked up in fear. The demon was enormous.
"Let's try to defeat him!" I yelled as I picked up a stone, trying to hit the demon.
"Are you crazy?" Eren barked. "This demon is huge! How on earth are we going to defeat him, dummy?!" he roared.
I ignored him and hurled the stone at the demon's face.
"Aghhh!" it groaned painfully. The demon dropped Sasha to the ground as it clutched its face in pain, one eye staring at me with deadly rage.
Fear gripped me.
"Guys, let's run!" I yelled.
We kept running and running, stepping on different dead bodies, but we didn't stop.
"Guys, hide here. I need to get my mum," I said, trying to catch my breath.
Eren let out a scoff.
"Are you insane? It's dangerous! If you go back there, you might get killed!" he roared.
"So you'd suggest I leave my mum?!" I roared back at him.
"Guys, please don't fight. Akira, I think Eren is right. If you go back there, you might get killed," Sasha said.
"Akira, run!" I heard my mother's voice echoing from the sky.
I looked up and saw a giant demon holding my mother, lifting her toward its mouth. He was going to eat her alive.
"Mum!!" I yelled as my chest tightened.
"We need to help her! Guys, let's do something!" I shouted desperately.
"Akira, what do you think we should do?" Takai asked.
I looked around and spotted a huge stone. I threw it at the demon, but it didn't hurt him.
"No! Akira, run! You and your friends must go!" my mother screamed, her face covered in blood.
"No! Mother, I can't leave you!" I yelled.
The demon looked down at us and began marching toward us.
"No, no, we have to move!" Eren yelled.
I glanced at my mother, tears rolling down my cheeks.
We ran and ran, the demon still chasing us.
"Ahhh!" Sasha screamed as she twisted her ankle and fell to the ground.
"Sasha! We have to go!" I yelled, wetting myself again out of fear.
"Guys! I can't move, please help me!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Before we could help her, the demon was already standing in front of us.
It grabbed Sasha from the ground and brought her close to its mouth. It was about to eat her.
"No!! Put her down!" I yelled as tears stung my eyes.
"Akira, run! Please, go!" my mother sobbed.
The demon then shoved both Sasha and my mother into its mouth.
"No! Mother! Sasha!" I screamed.
"Akira…" Those were my mother's last words before the demon devoured her and Sasha.