Chapter 10: First Blood
There were dozens. Maybe hundreds. Clawing out of the ground around them.
Aoi shot. Again, bullets did nothing. Hana threw a rock. Useless.
Kelvin put the mask on. Drew his grandfather's medal from the trunk. It was sharp. Like a blade. A shadow tool.
"Get kalina out of here," he told Aoi. "Now."
"I'm not leaving you—"
"GO!"
Aoi grabbed Hana and Mrs. Nkechi. They ran with kalina.
The demons ignored them. They all looked at kelvin. At the mask.
"Kageyama," they hissed. All of them. "You broke the deal. You pay the price."
Kelvin lifted the medal-blade. "Come take it."
The first one lunged. Kelvin moved faster than he ever had. The blade went through the demon's neck. No blood. Just ash.
Another. Ash.
Another. Ash.
He was cutting through them. Dozens. His arms burned. The mask was fused to his face now. Hot.
Then they stopped. Parted.
One demon walked through. Bigger. Older. It wore a crown of bones.
"Grandfather," it said. Voice like kelvin own. "You look like him."
Kelvin froze. "What?"
The demon King touched its face hole. "I was the first Kageyama. I made the deal. To save my daughter. Your ancestor. Now you break it to save a stranger's child?"
Kelvin blade shook.
The Demon King laughed. "You cannot kill me, boy. I am your blood."
It raised its hand. The ground under kelvin exploded.
Kelvin went flying. Hit a tree. The mask cracked.
Right down the middle.
The Demon King walked toward him. "The deal is blood. Kageyama blood. Give me the child. Or I take you. And your line ends."
Kelvin looked past him. Aoi, Hana, and kalina were 200 yards away. Safe. For now.
He looked at the cracked mask. At the medal-blade. At his hands.
Then he smiled. Same smile Yume had. Same smile kalina had.
"No," kelvin said.
He stood up.
And took the mask off.