Demon in the Snow by Heather Fledderus (cat reading book .TXT) 📖

seemed like something was holding him down. The world rushed into focus around him. The smell of anesthetic stung his nostrils as Nate took a big gulp of air. He felt Cain, sitting beside him, relax a little, but not much. Cain leaned forward- Nate realized that he was lying in a bed, probably in a hospital. His tongue clung to the roof of his mouth.

Slowly, Nate opened his eyes, his pupils adjusting to the brightness of the room. He opened his mouth when he saw Cain leaning over his face. It took some doing to force the words out.

“Move.”

His voice  was a lot raspier than he expected. Cain backed off, and Nate had a moment's hesitation at Cain's lack of expression. The guy's face was normally an open book, but now there was nothing. Nate tried to remember what bits and pieces he had heard, tried to make it fit, but there was nothing that made sense.

“Water,” he managed, sighting the glass with a straw beside it on a table he knew he didn't have the strength to reach.

Cain leaned backwards and grabbed it, holding it for Nate as he sucked the water. It pooled in the back of his throat, and Nate sputtered as he tried to swallow the water. Finally, some of it made it down, soothing the ragged tissue of his throat.

“Sorry,” he apologized as Cain wiped spittle off his arm.

Cain shrugged, his face still blank, “It happens.”

“Hello,” a new voice spoke. If Nate had any energy left, he would have jumped at hearing the voice right in his ear, but he could barely summon enough strength to turn his head to watch as some sort of doctor stepped into view. At least, he looked like a doctor, complete with a white lab coat over green scrubs. “Can you tell me your name?”

“What? Did Cain forget?” Cain didn't even smile at this, unlike the doctor.

“No, we just want to make sure you aren't concussed.”

“Nathan Markham Hitagashi.”

The guy didn't seem to catch Nate's sarcastic tone. “Alright, can you tell me what you remember, Nathan?”

Nate tried to shake his head, but it barely moved, “No. There was a huge demon, everyone was running, we attacked, and that's it. That's all I've got.”

Cain and the doctor shared a look. “I'll leave you to fill in the details,” the doctor said quickly before turning around and exiting the room.

“I'll leave you to fill in the details,” Cain repeats in a tone Nate had never heard him use before: defeat.

“What happened?” Nate asked, “I remember trying to stop the demon before Hannah got killed. I made a shield, but something shattered it.”

“Hannah cast a spell,” he started, “It shattered the shield you made. And that's not the only thing it shattered.”

“Did we kill the demon?”

“A 'Slayer came and finished it off.”

“So what's wrong?”

Cain looked down, “It's Abel. They're not sure what happened, but he somehow got caught in the crossfire. They just finished operating an hour ago.”

“He going to be okay?”

“Yeah, complete recovery. I mean, that's what happens to your soul, right? Do you think 'Slayers have souls?”

“I... I don't know.”

“They're calling him a hero in the official report. Can you believe that?” he smirked slightly, the mirth not reaching his eyes, “Abe was never a fighter, hated it. He was just going through the motions to keep our guardian happy. Already had a science position to report to once he graduated.

“But he died a hero, protecting the other students from the deadly fire-type. They set it up so that they only have to say 'Killed in action' for cause of death. No mention about how it was White magic that did it. Pieces of shit.”

Nate didn't know what to say. They just sat in the room, the two of them, mourning the loss of a great mind. It was his fault, Nate realized. If he hadn't hesitated, if he had attacked just an instant earlier, if he had approached the demon faster...

“Don't beat yourself up,” Cain said, as if reading his mind, “It wasn't YOUR fault.”

He was blaming Hannah. Nate remembered how he had reacted on the field, yelling at Hannah to stay away. White magic meant that another 'Slayer had killed him. Hannah used White magic. That last bolt, the one that had shattered his shield.

Hannah had killed Abel. With no consequences.

Deep down, Nate began resenting everything that the Killers stood for.

21. 2 Years Later

Nate gripped the armrests on his seat as he and the rest of the class watched from their position as the demon hurtled down from the sky and into their view. It stood up, and didn't look too impressive to the inexperienced eye, but Nate studied the Class C energy demon with interest. He had finally figured out just yesterday how to tell the difference between different classes and types, something the class wasn't supposed to learn until their fifth year. As third years, they were divided into their respective classes, but 'Slayers of the Accelerated stage were grouped together to form the Corps, within which the Crimson Dragons were located.

A familiar blonde figure soared into view, her sword held high as she charged the demon. After completing the required two years, Hannah, Chad, and Sora had been reunited with another woman, who apparently was their team's Summoner and leader, and had returned to Misd to be stationed in Tokyo.

They hadn't talked since the fire demon fiasco. Since then, Nate had been taken to the hospital wing of the school. When they finally released him, he learned that they had been placed in different classes. Sora, the one who had used to hate Nate, now looked up to him, bragging to anyone who would listen that he had been on the same team as Nate for months before school. The way he told it made it sound like they had sought him out and rescued his sorry-but-talented ass, and not the other way around. Nate didn't mind.

Just as Hannah's sword came crashing down towards the demon's Mark, the frame froze, causing the class to let out a collective groan as the lights came back on in the room. They were in study hall, one of the few places where they actually tried to behave in order to watch the documentaries of all the different demons that had been challenged and defeated over the years.

Jasper Adams, their room teacher, started speaking immediately. “This footage was taken two months ago. After going up against a Class C without backup, team Senshi returned to treat injuries, along with to bury one of their own. Cresta Giles, a commoner who nevertheless rose through the ranks to earn herself the nickname of “the Wind of Death” due to her method of releasing demons in her Cache.

“The team is currently training and awaiting their new comrades, which will be two of you lucky people.”

Cain elbowed Nate in the ribs, leaning close to whisper, “Normally, they merge two teams of two, and get them training together for over a year. So, whichever team they choose, Senshi's gonna be a fiver, and after a week or so, are gonna get redeployed. Limited resources.”

“Mr. Pope, perhaps you would like to speculate as to who the replacements will be?”

“Your last name's Pope?” Nate muttered to him, “No wonder you mess with Bible names.”

“Shut up, man,” he muttered back. Then, louder: “Well, sir, seeing as how it was a Summoner who died, then it would have to be a team that has a Summoner as one of the two. And, considering how two of the other members are people destined to take over the Saitou household, they might benefit from a little extra protection in the form of a Pyro.”

Giggles started in several corners of the room. Adams suppressed a smile. “You know what? Your uncanny wit and desire for attention have actually helped you formulate the correct answer. Starting today, a Summoner-Pyro team is ordered to report to the Senshi Barracks.”

“Why bother?” Seth hollered, “With two out of three belonging to the same House, won't they be holed up in their compound?”

Chuckles sounded at this remark. Adams rolled his eyes, “Because the balance will be tipped out of those odds with the addition of the two others.”

Nate glanced around the classroom, a sinking feeling settling in his stomach. There were only five S'n'P teams, his being one of them. Please not Gold, he thought remembering the last time he had seen Hannah. They hadn't ended on the best of terms.

“After dismissal today, Gold team will merge with Senshi.”

People around Nate patted him on the back as Cain flashed him a thumbs-up, “Now that's what I'm talking about. Action time for the action team.” Cain hadn't seemed the least bit bothered by the way he had acted towards Hannah two years ago, in the aftermath of the clash with the fire-type demon. Nate had chalked it up to an overreaction due to the guilt that Cain had been feeling about not sticking by his partner. Since that day, they hadn't been more than ten feet apart at any given time of day or night.

Nate cast a glance around the room, surprised to find that he actually cared about what the others thought of this turn of events. Lionel caught his eye, his face unreadable as his eyes bored into Nate's head. Instinctively, Nate caused a mental apparatus to form in his mind, protecting it from any mental attacks that Lionel might try. Himanachis were infamous for that.

“This is gonna be awesome!” Cain crowed, oblivious as usual.

22. Special Treatment. Traitor!

Team Senshi's barracks were located on the outskirts of Gossen, in the compound with all the other 'Slayer barracks, with two separate gates to enter the compound from either the city or to a path that meandered towards the Academy and the noble's compound on top of the hill. Nate tugged at his jacket, amazed that Cain could move so easily in their new uniforms. To make it obvious that one's birth held no value as a 'Slayer, everyone wore the solid black clothing, without a hint of colour. The exception to the rule was if the 'Slayer was Head of his House or if he or she belonged to the Crimson Dragons, which Nate and Cain had since first year.

Cain strutted down the street, passing each wooden barrack, checking the signs posted outside each one. He stopped at the third one on the left, the sign outside showing a cat's paw, claws extended. He grinned at Nate,