Shadows loomed over the house, creaking wood almost blotting out the noise of those who dwelled past the mist. But their contours continued to circle it, lifeless eyes peered through the veil that surrounded the house, rushing with their twisted spines and leaking saliva from their broken jaws.
"Crap.." Another loud thud smashed against the door; moonlight leaked from the many cracks of the barely functioning door. A large chipped knife trembled in his hand, not from fear, but exhaustion. How many hours had passed in this hell? Are there an endless number of creatures outside? Those were the sort of questions circling Aiden's mind.
The blade ripped through the door, slicing the beast apart. Tar-like blood seeped from its wound and then hit the wooden deck, twitching with remnants of life. 'Three hundred and eleven,' he whispered under his breath. As if counting would somehow lessen the load.
Three more ghouls emerged from the fog, hobbling forward with their twisted bodies toward the fresh young meat that had taken out countless of their kind. A smile, more crooked than the trees that surrounded the house, trembled with anger. "FINE- YOU ARE ALL GOING DOWN WITH ME!!"
Silver flashed. His body blurred across the bloodstained field. Bones groaned as his blade sliced through, leaving empty husks scattered around. His gaze followed sprinting white tigers with glowing yellow eyes that rushed toward the house. "Oh, now you don't!" A twig pierced the demon's head and burst like a water balloon across the outside of the house; the rest were quickly hacked apart by 'Her'
"These demons are too weak to free 'it'. If they weren't, it' would've allowed them to enter." Aiden's knife flashed red. A blood arrow splintered as it splatted against the silver blade. His body shifted. Rather, the world shifted to accommodate him. The creature buckled over, its last lights leaving the husk before landing with a wet crunch.
A quick dash slayed three more ghouls. His hand trembled at the fourth, the hilt slipping from Aiden's hand. 'Too...much...' He rolled forward, picking the knife back up and slicing through its jaw before leaping toward another. Exhaustion had already built up past what the human body could handle. So...it began breaking down.
His ragged heaves sounded more like plane engines. Smokey blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, staining his already dirty shirt as he wiped it away. The field was not as empty as he had hoped, but the numbers had been reduced compared to that morning. And to his delight, the clock would soon hit midnight.
The pommel of his knife smashed against his palm, and blood seeped freely, marking the pillars of the veranda. "This should hold them until the gate closes. As soon as the first wave of relief washed over his body, he plummeted to the ground, his butt now sore from the hardwood floor. But it was a million times better than being infected by the creatures. And his blade that had been chipped slowly began restoring itself by drinking the blood of a nearby ghoul.
Gaze cast forward, he stared at a distant light, one which had lain beyond the horizon of the fog since the beginning of the night. The rift was close, too close. Normally, it would rip itself into existence much farther, at least a dozen kilometres from the house, to terrorise villages. Notes like these were marked down in the discovery notebook, one of Aiden's five treasures. The other being his enchanted knife, of course. It was a relic given to him by his older brother, and naturally, he kept it all this time.
A flash of light burst from the fog, piercing the fog and smashing against the blood barrier. Aiden leaned forward, half from curiosity and fear. "A...torso..?"
THUD
A second smash nearly knocked the entire barrier down. This time, the head that the body belonged to. Then another. And another. Again. Another one. Three this time.
A typhoon of blood raged from above. Tempests stronger than a hurricane cleared the fog in a single swipe. Every body that had been killed blew away, cleaning up the rice field the house had teleported to nearly a month ago. Time shifted for a second. Space distorted as a demonic hail pierced his eardrums. "The gate...it closed early?!" Indeed, it had. The light that haunted him for three weeks had finally shut off. But he could feel it faster than he could have seen it. Aiden could no longer feel the pull of the Arch Demon. His 'Angelic Divination' no longer affected his mind.
Under normal circumstances, Aiden would have been delighted. But...the disappearance of a powerful creature meant that one stronger had arrived. Quickly, he patched the large wound in his side. Blood dyed the white bandage. It wasn't much, but it'll have to work. Aiden sat up slowly, leaning his back against the wooden door, but it gave way. He tumbled back into the darkness of the living room. The whispers nearly invaded his mind, but he quelled them quickly.
Just in time for the three figures to emerge from the treeline.
"I see, so this must be the house in the report. Looks a lot more rugged and rundown." Her voice was cold and sharp, much like Aiden's blade.
"Well, what would you expect from a house that teleports around the world? I am surprised it has managed to survive even this much. The windows are intact at least, that's an upside."
A short pause ensued. Several knocks shook the blood barrier before finally shattering from a tap of the wooden staff. Three pairs of steps clacked against the wooden steps, now standing in the doorway. Their eyes wandered, looking for 'Him'.
Silver flashed, splitting the wood beside the girl's head. "Begone. Or you will meet the same fate as the ghouls." Aiden emerged from the darkness, blood pouring from his side along with a crimson streak running down the side of his face.
"My my. Is this the pup of the Aros family~? Can I gobble him up??"