Chapter 4

Dammit! Where is it?! I remember it being here somewhere. I huffed.

I was drawn to this place from a dream I had yesterday. It must’ve been another flashback.

From what I can recall, I was younger and my comrades were there. We all hung out in some sort of dojo. While hammering down a sign outside, my friends trained and conversed with each other.

That's all I remember.

I returned to my present location and tried to re-experience the entire scene, but that didn’t work. Instead, I’m running around a field in circles, looking for a place I don’t even think exists.

What can I expect, though? It was all a dream. I remembered that much. And I only remember fragments of it.

It was another dream. It's not like anything important actually happened.

No, don’t say that. It’s important to me.

No it wasn’t.

It was.

Shit! I paused, catching my breath.

I sat down on the damp grass, looking at the ground with my hands on my temples.

My head pounded. I couldn't tell if it was from an incoming headache or from the dream.

I removed the bandages from my face. The cold air hit the skeletal part as I spaced out. It didn’t help much, but it did calm me down a little.

I replayed the dream in my head. It only occurred for a fraction of a second this time.“It’s not real.” I whispered.

I stood up and looked straight ahead. As much as I want to throw in the towel, I can’t give up yet. That place must have the answers I’m looking for.

Without that I’m…

No, let’s not think like that.

It has to be around here somewhere. I know it.

The harsh sunlight hit my face, as I walked forward.

I can't give up, I can't give up…

I continued to walk around and around on the same exact path I was on. From the distance, what appears to be a small house came into view. It looked old and out of place in this landscape.

"This must be it." I said as I sauntered up to it. I was out of breath.

As I got closer and closer, the “house” appeared to be something completely different. It looked more like a dojo.

Wait, is it…

I ran my hand along the wooden sign, brushing off the cobwebs and vines.

“Welcome home Minji. We miss you.” I mumbled to myself, getting a little teary-eyed.

I ambled forward, as I entered the dojo. My comrades were in the back of my mind. It looked different from how it looked in my dream. It was a cleaner. I remember that the floor was in perfect condition. It didn't have any cracks or anything like that. Now, the place reeks with vines, cracks, and stains.

Time did a number on this dojo. It won’t be long before the place itself will start to deteriorate and become a husk of vines.

I walked towards the training grounds as I brushed off the cobwebs. The wooden floor creaked as I sighed.

"I'm back." I whispered.

The dojo was quiet because nobody was here for a while. I stopped by the counter as I looked at the various weapons that were placed there.

The weapons didn’t look rusted. They all looked almost brand new. I grabbed one of the swords and tested its weight in my hand. It felt a little light for a sword of this size.

The curved blade had a hilt with a nice grip. I unsheathed it and did a few basic movements. Everything felt fluid. It was like this sword was meant to be in my hand, it felt natural. I put the sword back and grabbed another one. This one was bigger and heavier. I tested it out as well. It felt the same.

I drew out my tanto to make a comparison. I wasn’t a sword type of girl. Furthermore, I loved sneaking on my enemies and killing them with a knife. My comrades will always lambaste me about it but I didn’t care. The only time I will ever use a sword is when I’m fighting noblemen.

With these powers given to me by Diablo, I presume I have no use for those things anymore. Now I have these bandages that do weird things altogether. I also have no use for my tanto but that’s a keepsake that I would never let go, no matter what.

I roamed around the dojo for a little while, letting nostalgia take me for a ride. It felt as though I was relieving my past life all over again. It was a strange feeling and I didn’t even know how to express it.

All the memories I had of this place were in my head and now I can see it all in front of me. I guess you could say that my emotions have gotten the best of me.

I walked up to one of the mirrors and looked at my reflection. For a fraction of a second, I saw my younger self in the mirror.

It's weird that I don't even look like the person I once was. My features have completely changed now. My hair was a bit longer, I grew taller, and most of my face was a skeleton.

I drifted my hand in front of my reflection. As soon as I did that, my younger self disappeared right before me. It was all an illusion. I'm still me. Nothing has changed. It was just a reflection of someone I used to be.

I strode back into the main room and sat down on the ground to gather my thoughts. I sat there for quite a while, thinking about many things.

Nightfall somehow got into my thoughts even when I blocked him out. Still haven’t found a way to stop his antics either.

As much as I tried to think of something I would always get stuck, not knowing what to do next. I guess that's one of the drawbacks of having “amnesia.

“Oh, there you are!” A high pitched voice exclaimed, making me cringe. I know that voice from anywhere.

That “pest” buzzed around me with a shit-eating grin on her face.

“Taking a trip down memory lane I see.” She hummed.

I got up from the floor and immediately blocked her from seeing me. But as always, she followed me.

“Ew! Why does your face look like that?!” Lilith teased, pointing at me.

I know she was trying to get a rise out of me but I was clever enough not to fall into her trap.

"How does it look?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Well, it looks like someone completely torched your face. It’s creepy. It looks like you’ve seen death.”

“Cute.” I hissed, heading towards the door.

“So, did you find what you’re looking for?” Lilith asked.

My hand froze when I reached for the sliding door.

"What did you say?" I asked, my voice trembling a little.

"I said, did you find what you're looking for?" She giggled as I stepped away from the door.

Does she know? Or is she playing tricks on me?

"I don't know what you're talking about," I responded, trying to keep my cool.

“Don’t be silly! You can’t fool me,” The demon fairy flew right in front of me, her beady red eyes looking into mine. “I know you were looking for a safe sense of security. Trying to reconnect with your past and all that.”

She does know. Damn pest must’ve been following me.

“I know that you’re trying to find some way back into your old life,” Lilith continued. “It’s pretty pointless if you ask me. Your friends are already dead so what’s the point? You can’t live in a lie forever, demon.”

I immediately unsheathed my tanto, holding the blade to the fairy’s neck. “Don’t ever badmouth my comrades!”

Lilith looked unmoved, still having that stupid smirk on her face. She pushed the tip of the blade to the side with her tiny finger.

“Looks like someone hit a nerve~”

I grabbed her by the wing and pushed the blade further into her flesh. It was a bit harder than I thought it would be, but I managed. She was still laughing at me.

"Shut the fuck up!" I yelled, as her eyes widened in shock.

I pushed the blade up her throat and it came out through her mouth, pinning her to the ground. I gasped, feeling my heart pounding in my chest.

The fairy went limp and fell to the floor. A small pool of blood came from her.

I stared at my “latest victim” and stormed out of the dojo. Putting the weapon away, I took one more glance at the wooden sign again.

I wasn't going to be deterred. I’m going to find my memories, dammit. No matter the cost.

“Are you sure about the ‘cost’ thing?” A voice asked.

No, it can’t be!

I snapped my head back to see that annoying pest floating in front of me.

“How are you still alive? I killed you!” I shouted in complete shock and awe.

“I’m a demon, remember.” Lilith cocked her head to the side.

“What the hell does that have to do with anything?!”

“Don’t worry about it.”

I clicked my tongue, looking away. Looks like I can never have peace around here.

This was the first time I was able to sleep in almost a full day. I was exhausted. I think I fell asleep right on the spot. Though, waking up on the cold hard floor of my dojo was not a pleasant feeling.

I dreamed of my friends again. I wish I could've seen their faces one more time before they…

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, causing a small stream of tears to run down my face.

I never got to say goodbye to them. I'll never get to say goodbye to them.

I shook my head roughly, trying to shake those sad and painful thoughts away. But they wouldn't go away.

I felt something small resting on my chest. Something told me that it was that damn demon fairy. I squinted my eyes open to see that little fucker resting on my bosom. With one hard jerking motion, Lilith rolled off.

As I was about to go back to sleep, a small chuckle echoed in the room. I opened my eyes to see that it was still night. The dojo was still dark. No one was there.

Then, I heard some more chuckling but this time it was a little closer to me.

On high alert, I jolted off the floor and whipped out my tanto.

"Who's there?!" I growled, my heart pounding.

A hand grabbed my wrist, stopping me from striking. I struggled against them, but they were much stronger than me. They twisted the knife away from me and I cried out in pain as they threw it to the side. Then they pulled me up. I tried to shake them off, but I couldn't.

I couldn't see anything. I was being dragged through the dojo, unable to stop myself.

"Who the hell are you?!" I demanded through gritted teeth.

“You’ll see soon enough.” The figure cackled, making me more pissed off.

Once we were outside, the moonlight gave me a better gander at my captor.

It was…

“Nightfall!” I called out his name. I know that he was smiling under that mask.

“Indeed,” He purred. “So this is where you’ve been huh?”

I finally got out of his grasp and massaged my wrist. For a man his size, I’m surprised that he could drag me around like a ragdoll. I’m way taller than him, if anything it should’ve been the other way around.

“How did you find me?”

"You left your scent in that alleyway. I merely had to follow it back to you."

What a creep! I thought.

“Besides, you didn’t come back after I gave you a token of my appreciation. I thought I scared you off.” Nightfall cooed.

“You call that a ‘token of appreciation?’ A bunch of men in suits covered in blood, having their backs to the wall in an organized manner? That’s fucked up!” I shot back.

He must’ve been hurt by that statement but I could care less. It’s already bad enough that I have to deal with someone else following me.

"You have a sharp tongue for such a pretty girl," He noted. “But it doesn't matter. As long as you acknowledge me, that’s what truly matters.”

“You’re sick.”

“You’re beautiful when you’re covered in blood.”

“I’m going back to sleep.”

Not wanting to escalate things further by entertaining him, I start to head back to the dojo.

“Hold on, I’m not done talking to you.” He grabbed me by the shoulder. I nudged it away and turned around to face him with my fists balled up.

I was about to reach for my tanto when I remembered that it’s still in the dojo. I could make a run for it but I don’t want to deal with Lilith and her antics.

Instead, I took a deep breath and prepared to take a swing at him.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," Nightfall said, grinning. "I'm going to tear your pretty little throat out."

He pulled out a huge hunting knife from behind with the blade glowing. It was hard to tell whether that was from the moonlight or that weapon of his is supernatural.

I tried to jump away, but he was too fast for me. In a flash, he cut through my chest and I fell to my knees, clutching my chest. The burning sensation took a little time to go away which was weird. I didn’t get a lot of wounds so my healing factor should be functioning properly.

I looked up at him, my blood spilling out onto the ground.

"I'm not finished," I growled.

“Oh?” Nightfall cocked his head to the side. “Is that so?”

He took a few steps back as I got up from the floor, letting go of my wound.

I got into my fighting stance as he readied his blade.

"I'm going to enjoy this," He said gleefully. "You're going to die a slow death and I'm going to relish in your pain."

And with that, he lunged at me.