Karin's hug to Covy had grown tighter. She pressed him closer and closer to her chest near suffocation. His tears were still audible but were slowly regressing due to the hug. So much so that Covy asked.
"Hey lady…" he said trying to push himself away from her. "I can't breathe."
Karin's hug only got tighter, "No, just stay there. Its okay just stay there."
Karin drew Covy in closer. Covy's face laid adjacent to her chest to a point where the only thing he could hear was her blood pumping. He could hear nothing else from the alley. Not even the voice of the new presence looming in towards the trio. Only thing he could hear was Karin's heartbeat.
"Lady?" he called raising his eyes and looking at Karin's face.
"Why is your heart beating so fast?" his curious voice wondered.
Up above his little child eyes, Karin stared across into the dark side of the alley, the opposite side from the entrance. Covy could feel her breathing. It was heavy and would slow down then shoot back up again. The other thing was her body. Apart from rampant heartbeat he was listening to, the rest on her body shivered. The cold? No. Thanks to her hug Covy could feel Karin's body warm seep through her and onto his skin. Then why did she?
Why was with every pull into her hug, Karin's body rippled in shiver?
"Is something wrong?" Covy asked.
Karin looked down to him and gave him a gentle smile.
"Yeah, everything is alright. You just stay there. Okay."
***
Frozen in place behind Karin, next to the large dark sphere, Lozo stood not daring to move. His mind had gone blank with only the instructions that Karin had told him earlier ringing in his head.
"When I say any of the name act accordingly." He remembered her words.
If Purger handle it. if Wanderer run away… If Limbo, pray to the Saints!
He Looked to the side where Karin crouched in her hug to Covy. He was waiting for her command, but just like him she didn't dare make a sound.
Behind them the presence advanced closer, each step declaring that it was far from human. Though not visible, the air around it felt red. A steaming red vapor swirling around it like a veil of its aura.
Why red you might wonder.
Red felt right. Red is a sign of danger, anger, frustration, hate and more so blood. All these signs were compactly brought together to form the composed entity that walked towards them in its disciplined steps.
"Quite moving for vassals of the Fallen house Himo." The cultured voice of the entity spoke.
Its voice was formal and blessed with a deep and disarming tone. A stack contrast to the air it gave.
On the giant ball balanced behind him, Lozo felt a gentle force settle. Though subtle the touch propagated through the tensioned fluid like surface of the ball coursing to his fingers in concentric waves.
"Tazugata," the entity spoke.
"The black strands of the Mihane family. It has been long since I felt it graze my skin. Though this one isn't as refined."
Lozo's eyes hesitated. For more times than he had time to count, his eyeballs had been pulled to look. Like a ferrous metal to a magnet. But each time he pulled them back, his peeks not even close to seeing its attire.
His curiosity was being barred by the earlier instructions and guidelines. He needed to wait for Karin's call. He had never seen or felt either of the two classes, Wanderer and Limbo. And by the instructions they were…
Karin crouched motionless facing into the dark. Her crouch was no longer just a hug. Lozo knew this.
Deep in her chest Covy was nested. Covy was a kid. And Karin shielded that kid from the ominous inhumane presence that shook the both of them.
So, when the cognition sparked Lozo didn't hesitate. It was his call now.
***
"Oh, aren't you brave?"
Draped in complete black from it well pressed trouser, a slightly tight overcoat and gloves with the only exception its white long-sleeved shirt, the entity stood. Its dark hair, jelled and neatly kempt to the back, shimmered in the little moonlight from the excess gloss. Two piercings in both ears gave the creature it final highlights.
"And who might you be. You aren't marked like her. A rogue?" the butler asked greeting Lozo's shocked face.
Lozo heaved twice in a row.
"Name doesn't matter right now. What does is…"
"Quite interesting." The butler said interrupting Lozo." You shiver yet you face remains calm. Aren't you frightened?"
"…"
"No. you are scared… just not of me. A memory perhaps. Something far more frightening than the demeanor I had hoped to give off."
The butler's eyes widened. They were quite interesting. One more highlight for the entity's appearance.
Its pupils were large relative to a normal man's. A matter of fact they looked less of pupils and more of two reddish bubbles floating in the sclera (White part of the eyes) of its eyes.
"Hmm. I see. You felt it too. Didn't you?"
"Two months ago. The hymn. You heard too. As it coursed through your body…"
Lozo body twitched. His breathing followed hitching and sending him to his knees.
"Quite painful wasn't it. Or that's what the others who felt it say."
The red eyed butler looked at Lozo knee and clutch his stomach.
"Guess you haven't recovered completely. Well don't worry I won't spoil your story."
"One's pains is usually a call for them to get stronger."
Just then the butler's hand rose. In one swift drive his hand cracked through the shell of the dark sphere that held the domain. Behind it a relatively large red bubble formed. The bubble floated towards the crack, stopping just below it.
Then like egg York from a cracked egg the domain inside started to flow into the red bubble.
The final drop of the lifeless domain seeped out of the dark sphere and into the red bubble. The sphere itself shattered into small particles that floated into the night breeze.
The butler turned to Lozo, who still clutched his gut in pain.
"That all I needed. I thank you two for the aid in recapturing this." He said with a bow.
"Now I'll be taking my leave."
And just like that the entity's presence left… quiet like the popping of a bubble.
***
The lights of the village had all gone dark. Curtains were drawn and dreaming became the main activity.
Lozo and Karin had just dropped off Covy to the Correspondents house and were striding back to the main gate of the normal sect. On Covy, not much had been said only that for the coming few days he would live with the correspondent. The lady with shawl had left when by the time they got there. Covy had asked on her whereabout.
"Don't worry. She's coming back. Mommy just went to get you new clothes to wear." The correspondent answered before quicky shifting to the meal set on the table. It was a quite meal. Quite the distracting meal.
Much to Lozo's disappointment they didn't to join Covy in the course. They were needed back at their sect of Himo village.
As such they left walking side by side in the dark. Lozo's hands deep in his trouser pockets and Karin cozy in her dark greyish woolen robe.
"That was quite nice of you back there. With Covy."
"It was nothing. Normals hate association with Domains. But when they are were as vassals have to help them get through it. Physically or emotionally."
"You should remember that." She added.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Really liked the 'Gifted part'. Being gifted means carry more weight than others do." Lozo smiled.
"I hope I'll remember that."
Karin scoffed. "If you don't you might get killed one day."
There was slight hesitation in her tongue as she readied her next words.
"Anyway… You did good today. I'm glad to see you are not as dump as you sound."
There was a chuckle in Lozo's voice. It faded gradually as he approached the pressing matter at hand.
"So that thing back there. Was that a…"
"No. I don't know. "She said dismissively.
Lozo stopped and shot a glance at her.
"So, we are not going to talk about it?" he asked.
"Yes. We'll just report to Mr Kisharu and leave it at that. Got it?" she said with finality.
Lozo's eyes narrowed. Karin was quite serious. He turned and continued his stride to the main gate.
"Yeah, yeah. I understand."