Chapter 11

Not wasting any time, the three ran to the front of the hideout, where Loba was waiting for them, tapping his foot against the floor, causing the stone underneath to frost over. “Okay, how are we doing this?” he asked, his eyes wide with panic.
“I’ll go alone,” Biji said. “None of you are fast enough to keep up with me anyway. It’ll take a bit longer than usual; I can only hit top speed moving straight, but I should be able to scale all of Shin-je fast enough for nothing bad to happen.”

Panka lifted Jason using the arms on her back before he could protest, wrapping him in a vise grip as he squirmed. “I’ll go with Jason. I can carry him. Faster than moving on foot.”

“Hey, I didn't agree to this!” He protested aggressively, limply slapping Panka’s back in order to get her to pay attention, but she wouldn't let go. Loba grabbed his hand to stop him, looking into his eyes intensely. “Doesn’t matter, kid, no time. I think it'll be faster if I go on my own as well. I’ll head up towards Yama’s, Biji; head towards the common district. You two, stay around here. If you find him, Panka knows what to do,” he said gravely.

…

“You seem upset, Jason.” Panka said softly as the two made their way over to Shin-je. “Of course I'm upset! You’re flinging me like 100 feet into the air! I feel like I'm going to pass out!”

Panka was flying through the air, jumping from building to building, the force of her jumps causing him to feel like he was on a rollercoaster. Oddly, when she landed, it felt light as a feather, causing him to somehow feel even more nauseous. As he brooded, Panka looked at his face softly in between leaps. “I understand that. I don't think that’s why you’re upset, though.”

Jason’s head dropped. “... I’m worried about Uddi, that's all. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have wandered off to begin with.”

“You have something that’s important to you. Being dedicated is a virtue. and you miss your home. Also understandable.” She said softly, stopping for a moment to give him a soft smile. Jason sighed dryly but didn't protest. “Sure… what's your home realm like, Panka?”

“Asura is violent. Everyone is either in meditation or at war. Despite that, I miss it sometimes. I also had friends. But I have friends here too, so it's alright.” Jason was left stunned; her answer was surprisingly down-to-earth. "I—well, I don't get it, but I can imagine the feeling. Home is always home, I guess.”

“Even if it's painful,” she said, turning her gaze to Jason. The two remained in silence for a while. “... Panka, do you know a way out of here?”

“The only one I know is by asking Yama or another domain head. They can send you home. It's why we are trying to gain favor with Yama.” she said solemnly; it clearly wasn't the answer she wanted to give him. “...Got it,” he said, staring off into the starry sky of Naraka. As the two glided through the air, Panka’s hands tightened around him, smiling softly. “Don't worry, I'll make sure you get home.”

Jason was silent again. ‘Why is she being… so nice to me?’ he wondered, squirming in her tightened grip. Attempting to break the awkwardness, Jason attempted to change the topic. “Y’know, Panka, you don't seem particularly worried about Uddi; you think he's alright?”

She simply continued smiling as she scanned the ground. “Likely. Don't let him fool you; he’s very capable.” Suddenly, from below them, an explosion rang out.

On the ground were around 7 knights in white cloaks surrounding Uddi, led by a woman with long black hair who pointed her sword at him. Behind him, there were three bodies, already laid out on the ground. Blood littered the alleyway as stone spikes jutted out from the walls.

“Last chance, Raksha, come with us, and we won't kill you. There are too many of us for you to take out,” the leader said, her tone dripping with a bloodthirsty venom, despite her command. “I've told you, I'm not a raksha!” Uddi puffed; blood dripped from his mouth onto the ground as he held his right arm.

A crash from the sky caused a cloud of dust; out emerged four arms, grabbing four of the soldiers by their necks, pulling them into the smoke. Then, a tornado spun up from Panka’s body, causing the dust to dissipate and the soldiers’ armor to be torn from their bodies. In a moment of quick thinking, the leading knight stepped back, thrusting in Uddi’s direction.

“Dammit, you got allies, demon? No matter, I'll just finish you off here, then!” one of the soldiers proclaimed, flaring her white cape as she threw her sword forward to pierce Uddi.

“Nah, don't think you will.” Faster than a blink, Jason was in front of her, cloaked by a black aura and radiating stars. Time moved as if it were in slow motion for him: ‘So this is what she gave me. I feel like I can do something now.’

Despite the situation, Jason couldn't help but have a wild smirk cross his face. ‘I'm worth something to them if I can do this.’ With a single crack of his hammer across the soldier’s helmet, the blade flew out of her hand, and the soldier was on the ground.

Jason got on top of them, slamming his fists into the helmet obscuring their face. “You coward, if you’re going to attack someone in an alley, at least have the balls to make it a fair fight!” The other two soldiers backed away slowly before sprinting away from the alley.

Ripping the dented helmet off, Jason flinched as he saw the knight; she was a girl around his age, her black hair and pale face caked in blood as she struggled to breathe. “... You’re… Human? You must be the man Nikolai was talking about.”

She smiled humorlessly. “You’re really taking the side of a demon over a person? Are you really human, or are you just one of them, playing tricks on me?” As his aura faded, Jason got off from on top of her, deflated. ‘I just said I wouldn’t kill other humans, but…”

Slowly, she propped herself up using her sword as a crutch, laughing dryly to herself. “Maybe you are human after all. Now, to finish what I started. The soldier then lunged her sword at Uddi once more. ‘No, I’m not letting it happen again. I'm not letting someone else get hurt because I can't finish the job!’

Jason reached his hand out.

Stinging pain, followed by stiffness and numbness.

Then, blood.

Before the knight was able to retract her blade from his hand, he gripped onto it, holding it still with his fingers. ‘Not yet. I can't let her get to him.’

From below the feet of the knight, roots started to take hold of her legs, wrapping up around her body to her shoulders, then to her head. The wood was constricting. Tightening. There was a wrenching snap—the sound of metal and cloth falling to the ground. And the screech of pain. Jason felt a wave of nausea hit his chest.

…

A bolt of lightning came streaking into the alleyway as Biji arrived to see the scene. Four bodies were knocked out around Panka, their breathing soft. She stared off at the main scene, wincing with discomfort.

A human girl was wrapped in a tree, wailing in pain as the severed stumps of her arms and a severely damaged eye socket dripped blood onto the ground. Uddi was hurt and was being lifted up by Jason, who was bleeding profusely from his hand, coating Uddi’s white clothes.

Quickly, she rushed to help lift Uddi onto Panka’s back before wordlessly ripping a strap from her jacket and tying it around Jason’s hand. “Wait!” The soldier screamed as she struggled against her wooden prison.

“You… human, what's your… name?” She puffed, exhaustion taking her as her eyes flicked in and out of consciousness, her one eye falling in repetition as her other poured with crimson.

“...Jason,” he said, eyes glossy as he clutched his hand. “My name is Chisako Shishio, first daughter of the Shishio clan, and I'm going to gut you like a fish. I want you to remember that.” She panted wildly, staring at Jason as if she was trying to damage him with her mind.

Jason looked at her for a moment before turning away. “I mean it!” she screeched before seemingly going unconscious. As the four walked away, Jason refused to look back.

Within a few hours, the group had returned to headquarters. In the hallway, Biji, Loba, and Panka stood against the wall, talking quietly amongst themselves. “...The kid seems pretty beat up about his hand,” Loba spoke quietly. “Do you think he’s going to be okay?” Panka knitted her fingers. “He will be. He’s strong. I should have been able to stop them all myself if I had just used more power...”

“I doubt he blames anyone but himself. If I had just gotten there faster… bah, there's no point in playing the blame game! The point is, we just have to get our get-back for both Jason and Uddi.” Biji’s eyes were alight with electricity as she clenched her fists.

In the room, which was completely dark besides some of the light streaming through the windows, Jason held the wrist of his damaged hand. He then slammed it into the bedframe behind him, causing a growl of pain to fall into an anguished scream.

‘My life is over.’