Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Fighting that clown was a bad idea. 

Damn, I’m losing a lot of blood. This healing factor isn’t doing me good but making me lightheaded. 

Hiding behind this tree is the only way for me to get a quick breath and form an escape plan.

How did this go so wrong? I could’ve sworn that I had him in the first half?! I should’ve killed him when I had the chance.

When my wounds were “healed,” I sneaked from the tree and ducked into the night, trying not to get detected.

I had to make sure that my moves were as quiet and precise as possible. Even if my wounds were fine now, I couldn’t run into Nightfall.

A flash of metal caught my eye. In the grass a few yards away from me was a discarded sword. My stomach lurched as I picked it up. 

"Perfect." I whispered.

The sword had a serrated blade and a wooden handle. It looked like it was wieldable. I've fought with worse.

But what about my bandages? I wondered. They could do some harm right?

Now looking back at it, I ignored them during the fight. Got so caught up to care at all.

My eyes dropped down to my bandaged hand. It started to emanate a red glow. 

Not yet. I told myself, balling up my fist. 

I continued into the night when I felt something sharp penetrate me in the back. The pain rendered my movement a little but I still trudged through. 

I ducked behind a tree to see Nightfall standing over me with his sword drawn. 

"You're still alive, I see," he said.

I drew my sword, as I had done to him earlier, and prepared for a fight.

"Tonight, a lot of blood has been spilled. A lot.” The killer cackled.

Yeah, mine. I thought.

That bastard hasn’t spilled a drop of blood in this fight at all. What the hell is with him? Something tells me that he isn’t a normal human.

“Are you enjoying it so far dear?” 

“Of course not!”

Nightfall chuckled. “I wouldn’t have expected otherwise.”

He's taunting me, I thought.

I immediately charged towards him, preparing to swing to sword. He was faster than me and blocked my attack.

We continued to dance around each other, me trying to land a hit on him and him defending himself.

"I'm enjoying this," he growled.

His face was inches from mine, the stars on his mask were gleaming. 

“Let’s end this, then.” I responded. 

We clashed blades for a few more moments before I started to pull away. I needed to get a fatal hit from him to make sure he stays down but he keeps invading my attacks. I have to find another way to take him down.

With the flick of my wrist, a stream of bandages swarmed towards Nightfall.He yelped and jumped back. The bandages wrapped around his arm like a tight coil. Then, like a chain, they tightened around him, holding his arm in place as he struggled to get free.

His mask twisted into an expression of pure hatred and pain as he struggled.

I have him! I thought.

As I was about to close in, Nightfall leapt into the air, somehow breaking the chain and sending the coils flying. He brought his knife down towards my head. I blocked it, and in the same movement, I swung my sword upwards and cut his mask in half. 

It flew into pieces as he dropped to the ground. His face was revealed. It was a horror that I had never thought possible.

His face was horribly burned, nose and lips were hacked off, and his left eye was missing. It was the most hideous thing I had ever seen.

Not to mention those weird little horns sticking out of his head.

Horns…

“You’re…” I trailed off.

“Not human? No,” Nightfall finished my sentence, getting off the ground. “The night made me this way.”

What the hell does that mean?

I started to say something when I felt a pain in my chest. It was as if someone had driven a knife into me. I fell to my knees and couldn't catch my breath. I looked down and saw a small needle protruding out of my chest.

“What…did you do?” I gasped out.

“I gave you a gift.” Nightfall hummed. He looked at the sky, smiling with delight. “Isn’t it pretty? You don’t get to see a full moon like this often.”

Hunter’s Moon is what we used to call it back in the day. The moon occurs when the season of hunting begins. Knowing Nightfall, he probably chose this night to fight me. He is a fighter—or perhaps—killer after all. It seems fitting that we fought under this moon.

I wanted to say something but blood filled up my throat so I had no choice but to listen to this clown’s banter.

“I love it when the moon is full,” he continued. “Makes the night beautiful if I do say so myself. But I've always loved the way it looks during the day. I love how it creates the shadows. I love how it illuminates the world. I love the way it looks on the surface of the water.”

I felt myself growing colder as he spoke. His aura was off putting.

“But my favorite part of the moon is during the night. I love the darkness. I love the way it hides the ugliness of this world from our eyes. Do you agree my dear?”

I coughed up blood in response. I should’ve spit it in his deformed face instead.

My power wasn’t kicking in fast enough. Hurry up damn it.

“I love the way the beauty of nature can hide amongst the horror of it. I love the way darkness and light can exist at the same time.” The unmasked killer laughed, it was unnerving and chilling. 

He’s insane. 

I struggled to my feet and my knees were weak. I looked down and saw some blood still leaking out of my chest. 

I have to remove these needles. I thought, reaching for them. 

Some more needles pierced my hand. The pain didn’t stop me as I managed to yank out one needle much to Nightfall’s disapproval. 

I’m not gonna let this psycho talk me to death about the moon. Yeah, it’s pretty but no one shouldn’t be that invested in the moon.

He should’ve picked another job than being a killer if that’s the case.

By the way, what does all this have to do with the killings he’s conducted? Is there some sort of moon spirit telling him to commit those crimes? The “moon spirit” thing sounds a little far-fetched. But if demons, fairies, and god knows what else exists, then it wouldn't surprise me if spirits happen to exist.

“Is that why you kill them? Because the moon told you to?” I asked in a cold tone.

Nightfall cocked his head to the side and placed a finger on his chin. 

“The moon doesn’t tell me to do those things. I do them on my own. Though, the moon… the moon likes me. It smiles on me when I do the right thing. Especially when I hunt.”

 "The moon is the moon, asshole," I countered, spitting out the last word. "It doesn't like anyone."

"I have a different opinion on this matter," Nightfall said. “The moon is a being that belongs to everyone. It reflects the light of the sun. It has its own power and its own will. And it… it likes me. It trusts me.”

Welp, the moon spirit theory is starting to come to fruition. Either that or this guy is completely crazy. 

"The moon is a part of nature," I said. "It reflects the light. It doesn't have a will of its own."

“The moon is a force of nature. And I am a part of it,” Nightfall said, smiling. “Ever since I was born, the moon spoke to me and told me to do things to make it proud. This ranged from stealing to killing to arson and many other wonderful things. Everything I did, it pleased the moon. So much so that it offered me a deal to get powerful in exchange for my soul and I took it.”

Sold his soul to the moon, huh?  I mused.

I did the exact same thing. I made the deal with a man instead of the moon and got weird powers and distorted memories. At least the deal didn’t resort to me spewing crazy talk about wraps and bandages all day.

“In turn, I turned into this. And I don’t regret it.” Nightfall held his arms out, giving a good look at his appearance.

“You should regret it. You gave up your soul for something as silly as power?” I shot back. “Give me a break.

I can feel my healing factor now kicking in as I yanked out another needle. 

I held the metal prick in my hand with it glimmering in the moonlight.

What are these things made of? Regular needles wouldn’t cause this much pain unless the tip’s coated with some sort of toxin or poison. I analyzed the needle, tilting it from side to side.

“They’re made out of magic!” A tiny voice pointed out, making me dread the worst.

Don’t tell me.

That familiar buzzing noise came towards my ear. I instinctively swatted it away.

“Ow!” Lilith yelped in pain. “Why did you do that?!”

I clicked my tongue. This couldn’t get any worse. Well, on the “bright side,” at least I know what they’re made of. If that’s the case then I must remove these things so I can heal properly.

My eyes darted at Lilith who was floating with glee. When I thought things couldn’t get any more irritating. She must’ve heard all the racket that was happening and came here. 

Gee, I’m surprised that the gnat didn’t wake up from me getting dragged out of the dojo. I surely needed some help then. She just comes and goes when she wants huh?

“What are you doing here?” I whispered harshly.

“To help you of course!” Lilith chirped. “I am your guardian angel after all.”

I rolled my eyes. You’re not a guardian angel, you’re a gnat!

After pulling out the last needle from my chest, I bandaged myself up and let my regenerative powers take over. All the while I was eying Nightfall, thinking of a way to kill him. He’s too busy looking at the moon like an idiot to notice me conversing with Lilith. Either that or he can’t see her. I mean, she is a demon so maybe some people can’t see her.

I kicked up my sword and held the blade at an angle. With his back turned I can get a good hit on him that would do some damage. Depending on his looks he also might have a healing factor so I have to be more aggressive with my attacks.

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I began to inch forward towards him before he spun around to face me.

“Do you really think you think sneaking on me would work?” Nightfall asked.

I nearly choked on a gasp. How did he know? 

He must’ve seen my expression because he tapped on his ear a few times. 

“The moon has blessed me with hearing things beyond a normal person,” He pulled out his knife once more. “It also blessed me with many other things if you want to find out.”

I took a deep breath. I have no choice but to play his game and see where it takes me.

"You're just full of surprises tonight aren't you?" I taunted, running forward and swinging my katana at his back.

He jumped to the side and the blade missed him by a mile. 

"You like that?" I asked, swinging the sword at him again.

He ducked under it and stabbed it straight through the grass.

“Damn!” I hissed, trying to pull out my katana from the ground.

Whilst pulling it out, Nightfall dashed over and punched me square in the jaw.

The attack sent me flying a couple of meters. I hit the ground with a loud smack and my mouth filled with bitter grass. Didn’t know cutthroat over here could even throw a punch. Impressive.

"Nice one!" Lilith cheered.

I groaned and struggled to get up. The punch alone was enough to make my head spin, but the grass I swallowed was making it spin even more.

"Get up, you idiot!" Lilith exclaimed.

"Fine!" I growled, pushing myself up.

Seriously?! What side is this gnat on? Is she for me or against me?! This is why I don’t like to have an audience when I fight.

“Did you like that?” Nightfall looked at me with a crooked smile on his face which made me even more pissed off. 

I looked back at my katana which was still stuck in the ground. If I try to get it then I will get punched again. Guess I’ll have to do another approach.

I dashed towards him and kicked him in the crotch. He bent over and I kneed him in the face. It was a cowardly move but at least it does damage. 

I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and hurled him against a tree. His head bounced off the wood and he crumpled to the ground. Two can play that game.

“Great, he’s knocked down,” Lilith cried. “Now use your power to finish him.”

I shot the fairy a confused look.

“Eh? What power?” 

“You know, your power. Every demon has it.” 

“My bandage powers?” 

“No you idiot! Your other power!”

What “other power?” The only ones that I am familiar with are my bandages and healing factor. What else can I possibly harness?

Before I could answer, Lilith flew over and bit me on the neck. I yanked my head away and her teeth tore into my flesh. 

"Ow!" I yelled, rubbing my neck. It stung a little, but nothing major.

"You'll thank me later. Now, go kick his ass!" Lilith exclaimed. 

I shrugged at the fairy and approached the moon fetishizer. All the while I started to feel a little more energized than before. Is this the “power” she’s talking about?

I held my hand out, the emanating red glow returned. Instead of wraps coming out, small specs gathered in my palm, forming a ball of energy.

I hurled the ball at Nightfall and watched it strike him in the chest. He got knocked into a few trees and cried out in pain.

Woah! I thought. My hands let off a red aura. This power…it’s…

I formed another energy ball but instead of throwing it, I kept it in my hand. I was astonished to see that the energy in my hand didn't stop growing and it soon filled my entire fist. I wonder if it can grow larger.

Testing out my theory, I squeezed the ball of energy. My entire fist got red and a loud crack was heard. The energy inside of my fist seemed to have grown even larger and my fist was glowing brighter than the moon. I squeezed even harder and the glowing fist of destruction grew larger. 

"Whoa! What are you doing?" Lilith cried. 

"Shut up and watch," I responded, squeezing even harder.

The energy grew to the size of my entire body and I felt like I was going to explode. I let go and the energy formed a sphere of red light that hovered in front of me. It resembled a giant ruby.

I shouted, "Let's see how this thing works!"

I raised my arms and launched the sphere of light at Nightfall who was catching his breath on the tree. His eyes widened when he saw the sphere hurtling towards him. The clown scrambled away as the ball impacted the tree. It turned the tree into splinters and the ground shook. The blinding light swallowed up the surrounding area.

I would’ve ran away but what’s the point if you were gonna survive it. 

The shock wave of the blast tore off the bandages on my face and some parts of my kimono.  It also knocked me off my feet and my flesh was torn open. 

I felt like I was drowning in red, but it was more like I was flying through it. My ears rang as I regained my senses.

"That's pretty powerful," Lilith whistled.

I dropped to my knees and panting, "I don't know if it's stronger than my bandages, but it's definitely more…"

I scanned the area. Despite all the debris and broken up trees, Nightfall was nowhere to be seen. The last time I saw him was when he was running from my attack. Who knows where he went.

"Now what?" The demon fairy questioned.

"Well, I guess we follow him," I said, groaning.

"Uh, how?"

“Good question.”

I stood up and walked into the forest. If I remember correctly, he went this way. 

I stepped through rubble, debris, scattered pieces of wood, and other things. I’m surprised that a ball of energy caused all of this. 

I followed the path and sure enough, I found Nightfall and he looked pretty banged up. The lower half of his body was completely gone, his skin was burned, and his face was more deformed than before.

I approached him and was met with a disgusting stench. It was a smell that I couldn't quite put my finger on but I instantly associated it with rotting flesh.

"So, you survived." I said, grossed out.

"Yeah."

Nightfall's voice didn't sound like it was from a living creature. It sounded more like a raspy whisper. I guess some of his organs got fried.

“I thought the moon blessed you with many things.” I said, sounding a little disappointed.

He laughed, a horrible raspy noise. “Not everything.”

He raised his hand and pointed it at me. I raised my arms to block his attack but nothing came of it. His finger moved towards the moon in the sky. It’s a little smaller than before which means dawn isn’t far away.

“The moon used you as a pawn. It didn’t grant you anything.” I spat.

"I…think you're mistaken," Nightfall reached his hand out and I flinched. His hand was smeared with blood and guts. “I can hear it calling to me right now.”

“What does it say?” I asked, humoring him a bit.

“It's calling me to become part of something much bigger than this world.”

“Is that so?”

He glared at me, his eyes full of malice. “Yes.”

I don't know why I did it, but I lashed out at him with my foot. He reeled backwards with a yell and clutched his hand.

It’s common for people to have a dying wish or last minute delusions before they die but this is asinine.

Nightfall looked up at me with a broken expression. "You are a blight on the face of the world."

“So are you, Nightfall.” I shot back.

He laughed. “True.”

The sun rose from the other side of the woods and the sky got brighter.

Nightfall glanced at the sun and said, “It’s time.”

Smoke started to come from his body as the sun shone over the forest. 

His body started to turn into ash as he chuckled. “That’s right. Accept me.”

I could only watch in awe as the killer decomposed into ash and dust.

“Good bye, darling. We will reunite in the stars of Hell.”

With that last part, I stood there and watched as Nightfall’s remains blew away in the wind. 

So, he wasn’t human after all. I mused, looking at the sun.

“Hey! That’s it?! He just goes up in smoke like that?!” Lilith exclaimed. “No final fight that spans towards the last chapter? Or a final speech of encouragement or malice? No nothing? What a waste!”

While the gnat rambled on about whatever, I made my way towards the dojo. Hopefully it didn’t get destroyed from those attacks I did.

Man, I'm tired. I can’t wait to go to sleep.

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