Chapter 13: Hannya

Even though winter had just passed, making way for spring, the sun still set in the early evening. Side by side, Zophie and I left the park with the sun setting behind us; we’d spent longer here than I thought we would. The gravel path crunched underneath our feet as Zophie led the way, eager to return to my apartment.

I was eager too, but likely for a different reason than hers. The closer to evening it got, away from my place of power, the more likely we’d run into someone (or something) I’d rather not. I took a deep breath of the cool, twilight breeze, Zophie’s hand the only source of warmth.

“Gosh, I love nighttime! The stars come out, the air cools down, and when everything gets dark, it makes it feel like the world is smaller— closer, somehow. You know?”

“Yeah, I do. Nighttime and I have a… special relationship.”

Zophie sighed with contentment and self-conjured wonder. “Nature really is amazing.”

“Sure.” I didn’t particularly agree, but I didn’t necessarily disagree, either. Nature was definitely better than all the man-made structures, that was for sure.

“So,” Zophie began, changing the subject, “What do you wanna do when we get home?”

“Home?” I narrowed my eyes at her in confusion. “Isn’t it about time you headed back to your place?”

“I guess I could,” Zophie allowed. “But I was hoping we could have dinner together, too! I really enjoy spending time with you, Asmo, and I had such a good time today.”

After spending the entire day together, I felt a bit suffocated, longing for a piece of the solitude I’d known for centuries. I could now admit I enjoyed Zophie’s presence—unlike any other mortal—but I wasn’t used to this constant socializing, talking for hours on end, and it left me worn down. I’d be happy to see her again tomorrow, though.

“How about I walk you home?”

Zophie winced, clearly unhappy. “Did I do something to hurt you?” she said, sounding unsure of herself.

“Not at all, I had a good time today, too. I just want some alone time,” I explained patiently.

Letting go of my hand, Zophie skipped forward a few steps then turned back around. Fiddling with her fingers, she asked, “Are you sure you’re okay? I didn’t do anything?”

In that moment, I had to contextualize where this was coming from. Zophie had admitted that she’d never felt this close to someone. And I’d pieced together that she’d never had true, longstanding relationships with anyone else. Hell, she got taken advantage of more often than not, naïve as she was. And now, dragging all of that along with her, she felt insecure.

With one big step forward, I grabbed onto both of Zophie’s shoulders and looked her in the eye so that she’d know how sincere I was. “Zophie. You are fine. I’m not mad at you. Go home, get some sleep. Make sure to eat something, and don’t bother random homeless men on the way home. Promise?”

Still a bit tense, she let out a small nervous chuckle. “Uh, well, yeah,” she settled on. “I can do that.”

“Good.”

Then, I hugged her, and she melted into the embrace. It felt a lot more natural now that I had some practice with it. I was the first to let go, and she looked up at me as if hoping for more.

The rest of the walk felt more subdued, Zophie trying to put on a brave front and a happy smile, but I knew she was disappointed. She wanted to spend more time together, and I figured she’d be happy if this moment never ended. When we reached her apartment complex, she spun around, gave me a tight squeeze, and then rapidly ran to the stairs.

“Bye, Asmo!” She waved from the stairwell.

“See you tomorrow,” I easily returned.

The promise of tomorrow seemed to make her light up, a blush even forming on her face. She slapped both of her cheeks twice, getting herself together, and then ran up the rest of the stairs.

Once I heard the click of her door shut from the upper floor, I allowed my shadows to fill the air around me. “Touch her, and you’re dead,” I warned, voice low and cold.

Laughter rang out from the air around me with no obvious source. It sounded feminine and alluring. Yet, behind that allure was the stink of rotten blood. “Asmo, Asmo, Asmo. You know I don’t prefer the fairer persuasion.”

“Hannya.” I identified the voice around me.

“Does this mean our weekly tea is cancelled?”

“It doesn’t have to be.” I scanned the surroundings, looking for any sign of her. “Did Michael send you?”

“Of course, darling. Why, he just had the most fascinating tale to tell!” She made her tone almost friendly with how chipper she was. Then, her voice darkened. “And, it looks like he wasn’t lying.”

A flash of red caught the corner of my vision, and I exploded forward, trying to grab her. My hand passed harmlessly through the empty air.

She laughed uproariously, deeply amused. “You know I’m harder to catch than that!”

My shadows surged out in a wave all around me, impossible to evade, but they passed forward harmlessly, the magic rebound coiling back and making me wince. I kept scanning the area, sending out questing tendrils of shadow.

Hannya’s laughter rang out, echoing from all directions, and the air grew thick with the stench of rotten blood. “Oh, Asmo, you’ll have to do better than that!” she purred, her voice tickling against my ear.

I spun around, but she was already gone. My anger simmered in response, but I forced myself to stay put. If I was going to protect Zophie, I needed to be smart about this. Closing my eyes, I merged into the shadows, pouring myself into them.

Finally spotting her, Hannya’s face was crimson-red, distorted, and her head sported two horns. The rest of her body screamed ‘damsel’, but her venomous grin and demonic face betrayed her true nature. In this form, I easily sped through the air— after all, the only thing faster than light was the shadow it cast. Like an invisible force, I crashed straight into her, barreling her to the ground.

She skidded and bounced once with a shrill scream, piercing through the night. Disheveled, she forced herself up. Demonic, purple blood ran down her face and into her clothes, but the realization only made her smile. With a wave of her arms, the blood shot into the air like a whip, and in a roar of blazing fire, the blood-whip ignited into violet flames, the light forcing my shadows back.

“You think you can play house with a mortal?!” she screamed, flailing her weapon across the parking lot without care. Wherever it hit, the concrete itself set alight, lines of burning purple forcing me further back. “The likes of us can never find happiness! The mortals only take and take and take!” she roared, her whip screaming toward me. “Michael will carve her out of your life, and I’ll be there to lick the tears from your broken heart!” she promised with a jealous hiss.

The parking lot had all but erupted into a purple blaze, so I emerged from my shadows. With a giant inhale, I brought every last drop of darkness closer to me, concentrating it as sharp, clawed extensions to my fingers. I flexed my back, and my wings emerged behind me, a few black feathers falling before my eyes. I pictured Zophie’s smile, the warmth of her hand in mine, and I steeled my emotions.

“You’re jealous,” I taunted, seeing it in her eyes. “What I’ve found is something you will never experience again.”

Contrasting her earlier madness, her face almost seemed to soften. “Oh, Asmo. I loved once, too, but jealousy tastes so much sweeter than heartbreak, don’t you think?” Then her features morphed into an insane grin, the whip wriggling with power behind her.

There were no more words to say, so we launched at each other. She ran forward, each step leaving molten footprints behind. The wind soared past my ears as I flapped my wings twice, flying through the air.

Her whip primed toward me, coiled like a spring. I wound up my arm behind me, claws ready. The whip struck out like a viper, and I rolled in the air right past it. Then, we were face to face, Hannya looking at me with wide, fearful eyes.

My claws gouged through her body, a spray of blood erupting out of her as I sailed past. As the oozing purple droplets hit the ground, they released a hissing steam. I turned around just in time to see her fall face-first into the concrete, lying in a pool of her own demonic essence. She began to melt into the earth, returning from whence she came.

I approached, already feeling the strain of overusing my powers. The shadows gradually evaporated from my hands. When I reached her, I knelt down to look at her. Turning her face with one hand, I made sure she could see me in her final moments.

“It has been a long few centuries, don’t you think, Asmo?” she smiled, and I doubted myself when I saw genuine peace upon her features. “Do you remember when we used to dance together in the shadows?”

“Yeah,” I whispered back, staring into her even as her eyes began to glaze over.

“Be a dear; teach her to dance like we used to.” Her venomous grin faded, the edges of her eyes softening for the first time, as if a weight had finally lifted. Then her head finished melting into the ground, leaving behind a puddle of purple spiritual essence.

“I will,” I promised, and I meant it, too.