Loud shouts and a bang came from the yard. Kimoko slowly opened her eyes. Kigami stood over her, his face betraying concern.
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“What’s going on…?” she began, but the man immediately silenced her by placing a finger to her lips.
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“Shh…” he whispered. They were here. They have Estella, and I bet it’s not for peaceful negotiations.
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He held out his hand to her. Kimoko took it without a moment’s hesitation, allowing him to pull her up. However, once she was on her feet, Kigami didn’t let go of her hand.
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“So what do we do?” she asked, straightening her blouse and looking at the demon. She could see that he wasn’t too concerned about Estella’s fate.
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He looked away, then nervously started playing with his disheveled hair. Kimoko immediately sensed that something was up.
‘ Kigami… what were you planning?’
‘ Eh… How about we look for her crystal and go from there?’ His voice was uncertain, as if he knew she wouldn’t agree to that.
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‘ Are you serious?’ There was disappointment in her voice.
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‘ …Yes…’
Kimoko sighed. She understood his dislike for Estella, but she couldn’t agree to leave her when the goddess needed their help. Taking advantage of the fact that Kigami was still holding her hand, she pulled him towards the door.
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‘ There’s one thing I’d like to know.’
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‘ Yes?’
‘ How are you even going to help her?’
Kimoko released his hand. Kigami saw determination in her eyes, but he knew she didn’t have a plan yet. When their eyes met again, a wide smile appeared on the girl’s face. She snapped her fingers.
‘ I know! We’ll use the fact that you’re a demon!’
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‘Sigh… I don’t know if I like this idea… The opinion of me in your village is already, how should I put it… not very positive.’
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Kimoko narrowed her eyes.
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‘Do you have a better plan?’
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‘No.’
Kigami sighed, lowering his shoulders in resignation.
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‘Okay, I’ll listen, but if this idea is stupid, I reject it right away.’
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Kimoko smiled victoriously.
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‘If they’re afraid of you, then we can use it! You pretend to be even more dangerous than you are, you cause chaos, and in the meantime I’ll drag Estella out.’
The demon frowned, crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at her skeptically.
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‘Pretend? Kimoko, I’m dangerous.’ His voice low, almost predatory.
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‘Yes, yes, the terrible demon of death, the one from dark stories, I understand… But I mean more than that. You have to make them panic. The more chaos, the easier it will be for us to act.’
Kigami was silent for a moment, considering her words. Finally, he smiled crookedly.
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‘So you just saying, I can have fun with them?’
‘You could put it that way.’
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‘Hmm… Okay, but if something goes wrong, I’ll pretend I don’t know you.’
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‘Sure, sure.’ Kimoko waved her hand, grabbing the door handle.
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‘Come on, before it’s too late.’
The demon looked at her in disbelief once more, then sighed heavily and followed her.
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‘This is going to be a disaster…’ he muttered under his breath.
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Kimoko gave him a teasing look.
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‘So try it not to be.’
More screams rang out outside. Time was running out.
As soon as they stepped outside, Kimoko felt the cold air whip against her skin. In the distance, between the buildings, she could see people running in panic. Some pointed their fingers towards a large, black carriage surrounded by guards in dark armor.
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“That’s where they’re keeping her,” she whispered to Kigami.
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The demon looked in that direction and sighed.
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“Alright, fine…” He stretched his hands out and began to stretch his fingers as if preparing for a fight.
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“This is sure will be fun.”
Kimoko took a step back, ready to act.
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“What are you going to do?”
Kigami didn’t answer right away. Instead, he smiled sinisterly and raised his hands up.
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Suddenly, the air around them began to vibrate. Darkness gathered around the demon, and black, shadow-like shapes shot out of the ground, crawling towards the terrified people. The screams grew even louder, and the guards who were guarding the carriage turned towards Kigami, drawing their weapons.
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“The demon of death!” one of them shouted. “He’s here!”
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The demon rolled his eyes.
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“And here we go…”
Kimoko took advantage of the confusion to sneak towards the carriage. Her heart was beating like crazy, but she couldn’t slow down now. If the plan was to work, she had to act quickly.
Meanwhile, Kigami watched with a smile as the guards began to panic. Some of them retreated, others tried to attack the shadows, but their blades passed through them without effect.
‘‘And now… something more dramatic?’’ he muttered to himself.
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His eyes turned black and the shadow under his feet widened, swallowing the light around him. Suddenly, there was a boom like thunder and the ground beneath the guards began to crack. The people panicked even more.
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‘‘Yes, that should be enough,’’ he said, pleased with the effect.
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At the same time, Kimoko reached the carriage. She carefully peered inside through the small window. In the semidarkness, she saw Estella, sitting with her hands tied with a thick rope. Her eyes were closed, as if she were unconscious.
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‘‘Estella!’’ Kimoko hissed. ‘‘Can you hear me?’’
The goddess flinched and slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was blurry, but after a moment it focused on Kimoko.
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‘‘Kimoko…?’’
‘‘Yes, I came to get you out. Can you stand up?’’
Estella tried to move, but the rope around her wrists held her tight.
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‘’No…they’re too tight…’’
Kimoko gritted her teeth. She had to act faster.
Meanwhile, Kigami noticed that several guards had gathered themselves and were running towards the carriage.
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“No, no one is ruining my fun,” he muttered, holding out his hand.
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The shadows around him suddenly moved as if they had a life of their own, and in the blink of an eye, they wrapped around the guards’ legs, knocking them to the ground.
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“Not so fast, my dears,” he said with a wide smile.
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Kimoko, hearing more screams, knew that time was running out. She had to cut the rope, and immediately. She looked around frantically, until her eyes finally fell on the knife on the belt of one of the downed guards.
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“I’ve got you,” she whispered and moved towards him.
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Kimoko crouched down next to the unconscious guard and quickly yanked the knife from his belt. The metal flashed in the dim torchlight as she squeezed the handle. ‘‘Just a moment, Estella…’’ she whispered, then ran to the carriage and began to cut the rope that tied around the goddess’s wrists.
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‘‘Kimoko…they…they want me…’’ Estella whispered, her voice weak and hoarse.
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‘‘I know. And that’s why we’re taking you away from here,’’ she replied firmly, unraveling the last of the knots.
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The goddess tried to stand up, but her legs were too weak. Kimoko cursed under her breath and threw her arm over her shoulders.
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‘‘Can you do it?’’
Estella nodded, although she seemed barely conscious.
In the meantime, the chaos in the square was reaching its peak. The guards were still fighting Kigami’s shadows, but many of them were clearly disoriented. A few tried to escape, others called for reinforcements.
Kigami, standing in the middle of all the chaos, seemed to be having a great time.
‘‘I really… love it when people panic.’’ he muttered to himself.
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But then he felt something… An unsettling energy.
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Something was wrong.
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His shadows twitched restlessly, as if they were suddenly starting to retreat.
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Kigami narrowed his eyes.
And then he saw her.
A tall, hooded figure in a long, dark cloak appeared between the buildings. She moved slowly, but her every step seemed to echo in the air. A strange, aura swirled around her, as if space itself was bending under her presence.
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Kimoko sucked in a breath through her teeth, noticing the stranger.
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‘‘Who is she?’’
Kigami clenched his fists.
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‘‘Shit.’’
‘‘What?’’
The demon didn’t answer right away. He watched as the hooded figure approached, the guards almost instinctively making way for her.
‘‘It’s…another demon.’’
Kimoko looked at him in surprise.
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‘‘What is she doing here?’’
Kigami turned his head towards her, anger flashing in his eyes.
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‘‘There are only two possibilities, either she wants Estella’s crystal too, or my head.’’
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