Nohtay by Anton Hall (best novels for beginners txt) 📖

"The Demons...Are They Real?"

“It’s so dark, why are we running?” The thoughts run through my head as my mother and I flee. I turn around and see our home up in flames. I can’t see anything in front of me only my mother’s back. I can hear her breathing heavily as we run. She tells me, “don’t worry, we’ll be fine”, but I don’t know what she means. There’s a smell in the air making me sick. Heavy black smoke fills my lungs and makes me dizzy. A loud explosion sounds to my right, and then in front. Mother stops running and I see green lights surround us. I hear a voice coming from up above.

“It’s time to release him now! He’s ready! Leave him be!” I look up to see who was speaking. I’ve never seen him before. He floats above us with a black essence surrounding him. His face was hideous. It reminded me of stories my mother used to tell me.

“The day will come when there will be no difference between humans and demons. Sharp teeth, adamantine skin, claw that rival katanas, hair thick as rope, horns grow from their head in many different ways, the powers they wield could destroy us all, and their eyes tell you exactly what they can do.”

“What’s wrong with their eyes mother?” I asked young and fascinated. She smirked and said, “Their eyes all tell a different story unique to their own personality.” Hearing her story again in my head made me look into his eyes. They were blacked out and a small diamond shaped pupil remained. I asked my mother, “The demons…are they real!?” She stood silent with an intense look of surprise on her face. The nameless demon tried to answer the question for me.

“We are not demons we’re all just”- Suddenly my mother took action. She stepped forward slightly and beams of green light shot out from around us. The demon danced around them deflecting some of the beams in the process. He retaliated with orbs of black smoke that exploded around us.

“He needs to know how to control it, or your baby boy will grow into something that you’ll have to put down! You won’t be able to just stop him! He’ll try to destroy anything and everything!” He pleaded to my mother.

“He’ll grow on his own terms, in his own way, with friends he can trust! I won’t let him be another mindless feed into the depths of hell that you call the Midnight wars!” Mother responded with such ferocity. Her response made my heart burn. I heard a heavy voice in my head say, “I can help if you want.” I didn’t think anything of it. Maybe I was just scared. I looked to my mother.

“Mother what’s going on?” I asked but got no answer. Mother reached up and her green light began to shine so brightly that anyone looking at it was blinded. I couldn’t see but I could hear the demons voice grunting and shouting. Maybe she had blinded him too. She spoke to me very quickly.

“There’s no one in Adon that can help you. Never come back here until you’re the one leading the revolution. The world is a dark and evil place but never forget to be the light that illuminates it all.” When I got my eyesight back she was waving goodbye as her green light was lifting me into the air. I couldn’t move I couldn’t speak. I could only watch as she vanished from my sight. I was thrown into a completely dark tunnel, I couldn’t see anything. I was so scared I could hear myself breathing. I tried to cover my mouth but that just made it worse. I called out to my mother but got heard no response. A green light shined in the distance. I ran to it as fast as I could but it didn’t seem to be getting closer. I was very scared and alone for the first time in all my life. I screamed as loud as I could. I pushed myself when my body wanted to stop. I just kept running after the light. Hopefully it was my mother leading the way.

“We could have stopped this you know?” The voice came back again. Before I could answer, the darkness shattered. I was cast out into a forest. I tumbled and rolled into a large tree.

“You know we could have beaten that guy back there right?” Once again a voice I didn’t recognize, speaking in such a dire tone.

“We can burn anything you want my little friend.” Thinking of what could’ve have happenedI almost agreed to the offer but I didn’t know what it would mean. I didn’t quite understand what the voice wanted from me. I stood up and looked around. I grabbed my head and pulled on my hair.

“What is this? Who are you?” I shouted. I fell back against the tree and shed a few tears.

“Hello, is someone there!?” A female demon drifted from the wood. Gliding on air she locked eyes with me. I could feel the fear and anger inside colliding with one another.

“Another one?” I asked myself.

“What a strange looking child you are.” She said. At the time I had only seen one other like this but his eyes were blacked out. She was a pinkish color and her eyes appeared to be made of pure gold. I felt a heavy pressure on my shoulders. My eyes started to sting slightly. My anger survived the collision with my fear.

“Where is my mother demon?” I asked but didn’t care if she answered or not.

“Demon?” she said confused by my question. I went after her with a speed I had never been capable of. I threw a punch but she just pushed me away without even touching me. The anger was too much to control. I just kept attacking her and shouting.

“Where is my mother?” After my loud plea she let me punch her. Her skin was so hard it felt like my hand shattered. She gripped my neck and took a closer look. Her grip was so strong I couldn’t move my head at all.

“You’re Adonian that explains your look. You’re a long way from home child. I’ve explained many times to you Adonians that this forest isn’t a rebel territory. This forest belongs to us.” When she finished her sentence children, adults, and even elders appeared from the woods behind her.

 

“What is your name child?” she asked.

“Well what’s your name you worthless scum!!?” The voice in my head screamed so loudly. My heart began to burn again. My entire body began to feel warm. My hair started to feel really heavy. The back of my eyes started to sting again. She looked into my eyes and saw red pupils.

“Well if only you could look at yourself, you’re just the same as everyone else. You’re no pure human child. There hasn’t been a pure human in existence since before those petty little wars began. Humph, I think I know who you are. Yes your ignorance plays your cards prematurely. You’re the son of Nohkaria. Raikoe was it? Anyhow I don’t know why your mother would send you here.” I felt my body and anger calm to a simple ease when she mentioned my mother.

“Where is she?” I asked.

She answered simply. “Fighting and dying in the war I presume.”

“What!?” I asked frenzied. She released my neck. And I fell to the ground. My neck still felt like she had her grip on me. She silently noticed a burn mark on her hand from my neck.

“Fire?” she said confused.

“How in the world did you get this?” she asked.

“Get what?” I responded.

“How could she let you be so ignorant and have the nerve to send you here?” she asked angrily.

“She was trying to protect me from demons like you!” I responded. The people waiting near the forest were drawing near.

“That’s hilarious. It seems your mother kept you this way on purpose.” She said.

“My mother’s never lied to me demon!” I responded. “Oh? Then why are you still calling me demon like I’m any less human than you.” She softly floated to the ground and revealed her human form. The demonic skin and hair seemed to recede into a stone that appeared onto her chest.

“See? I’m no demon. There’s no such thing. Now this is what makes me look the way I do.” She held a large medallion in her hands. It was split down the middle with a green and pink crystal on each side.

 

“What is it?” I asked.

“People like us use these to change into…well, what you call demons. Every person that uses these is combining their souls to the crystals. Some people say that eventually the souls can no longer stand alone without the crystals and you can never change back. But that’s probably just the people who are too scared to use them complaining about them. You have one too don’t you?” she asked.

“No I don’t.” I answered.

“But the fire, I know you have one.” She said.

“No I’ve never had that, done that, or whatever.” I answered. The voice inside my head spoke to me once more.

“Yes you have, but I don’t think you remember.” The voice said as I fell into what seemed to be a daydream.

“We are one. I am you and you are me. When the time comes I’ll protect you and you’ll defend us. I’ll give you back your home. Just give me someone to fight. Show the world our perfect union. The fires will reignite the embers one by one and we’ll find whoever you wish. To begin I need to show you your memories.

The Huntress

“I hope he’s okay. I probably shouldn’t worry about him. She’ll show him what he needs to do now.” Nohkaria, Raikoes mother thinks as she flees from her still burning home.

“I wonder if he still knows where I am. The light should have blinded him in his demon form. But--" she was interrupted in the middle of her thought when a random black orb almost hit her. The black demon was casting out black orbs to flush out Nohkaria.

“You can’t run forever Nohkaria I smell your fear! Oh I forgot you don’t use your power anymore because you’re scared of it! Face me!” the black demon shouted. From beyond the shadows, green lights and a heavy mist filled the darkness.

“Yes that’s it embrace your power!” the black demon screeched.

“I’m using this evil to destroy you with it!” Nohkaria responded. As she stepped out of the shadows her emerald green demonic skin shined brilliantly.

“I’m no demon I hunt them!” she spoke as she opened her eyes. Her pupils were a light green tint with numbers inside.

“You hunt them? What an ignorant notion, demons don’t exist.” He responded.

“You’re wrong there’s a child on his way to proving just how wrong you are. Demons do exist but by the time the world knows, you’ll be history!!!” Nohkaria shouted.

“Don’t threaten m--" the black demons remarks were cut off when Nohkaria attacked. She was so