Chapter 3-2

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From what Kiwi could see, the fight was not going well for Sune. His lute case had been strewn to the side and he was attempting to defend himself against three Ghouls with a single long knife held in his left hand. His right arm hung limply by his side, blood dripping from his fingertips onto the ground.

Both of the Ghouls from the previous night were there, along with a newcomer. The newcomer was dressed in all blue and wore no mask, largely due to the fact that it had a long orange beak where its mouth should’ve been. Dark blue flames fanned out from its arms, taking on the form of wings.

The reptilian Ghoul, still dressed in all black, leaped towards Sune, swiping its flaming red claws with reckless abandon. Sune deflected its first blow with his knife, only to receive a gash across the torso from the Ghoul’s other arm. Staggering backwards, Sune was immediately assaulted by the Ghoul in white. Striking with a hand covered in white flames, the Ghoul in white hit Sune square in the stomach, launching him backwards. Sune skidded over the ground, tumbling and crashing to a stop at a large rock just a little ways from where Kiwi was hiding.

Taking deep breaths, Kiwi closed his eyes and tried to ignore everything except for the little girl’s words. If you don’t have hate, your demon will never come out.

Wasting no time, the three demons approached Sune, who was struggling to even sit up. Hate, hate, hate! Kiwi thought to himself. The first thought that popped up in his head was Plunkett. I hate Plunkett! To test out his newfound power, Kiwi punched a large rock from behind the bush where he was hiding. Trying to keep his cries of pain at a minimum, he curled up in a ball and massaged his bruised fist.

The Ghoul in black reached down and stomped on Sune’s left arm, eliciting a cry of pain and causing him to drop the knife.

What do I hate? The second thing that popped into Kiwi’s brain was himself. Frustrated, he shook his head. Stop being an edgy loon!

The Ghoul standing on top of Sune pulled its arm backwards. The flaming red claws on its hand burned bright red and pulsated, almost as if they were yearning for the blood that was to be spilt.

Think! Kiwi tore at the long red hair on his head. There’s no time!

With a demonic snarl, the Ghoul thrust down with its claws. As the finishing blow approached, Kiwi could make out a small smile on Sune’s lips as he prepared for death. In that instant, Kiwi saw Sune as a spitting image of Saya, lying in the rice paddy, body broken and ready to die. Why does everyone around me get hurt? Why can I do nothing about it? Trembling, Kiwi’s hands tightened into fists.

I hate it!

Kiwi burst out from behind the bush, yelling what he believed was a war cry. Distracted, the Ghoul paused mid-blow to glance at Kiwi, who vaulted over Sune and yanked his fist back. As he descended toward the Ghoul, Kiwi felt a familiar coldness burning through his chest and into his right arm.

The coldness of hatred.

Kiwi threw his right arm forward and felt his knuckles smash into the Ghoul in black’s mask. The bright blue flames exploded from his fist, obliterating the Ghoul’s mask and sending it flying.

Kill!

Letting the voice in his head consume him, Kiwi felt his right arm move on its own accord, deflecting a kick from the Ghoul in white.

Kill!

Kiwi stumbled forward as his right arm lunged, trying to snag at the Ghoul in white. The Ghoul leaped backwards, easily evading his attack. Immediately, the bird Ghoul leaped at Kiwi’s exposed back, only to have its legs tangled by Sune, who still held onto a thread of consciousness.

Kiwi charged at the Ghoul in white, fears inhibited by the hatred swirling in his mind. As Kiwi approached, the Ghoul dropped to all fours, tail swishing back and forth. When Kiwi got within twenty feet, the Ghoul pounced at him, hands and feet chipping rocks as they left the ground.

When it reached Kiwi, the Ghoul twisted around in the air, smacking Kiwi in the face with its white tail, temporarily blinding him with fur. While Kiwi was stunned, the Ghoul landed behind him and swiped his back with a paw of burning white fire.

Kill!

Unlike the previous night, Kiwi felt no pain in the moment. With no hesitation, he whirled around and hurled his right fist into the Ghoul’s abdomen, letting the coldness detonate into his opponent’s body with a blast of blue flame.

The Ghoul in white crashed to the ground several feet away, clutching at its injured midsection. Without giving the Ghoul a chance to recover, Kiwi leaped on top of it and pinned its arms to the ground with his legs.

Kill!

The voice in his head egged him on, and Kiwi was more than happy to oblige. With a guttural roar, Kiwi smashed his fist down over and over again into the Ghoul’s masked face.

Die! Die! Die!

The voice screamed with glee as Kiwi battered the festival mask, eventually shattering the thick wood. With another roar, Kiwi punched at the Ghoul’s exposed face.

What?

Kiwi’s fist hit the ground next to the Ghoul’s face, splintering rocks and sinking several inches into the ground. Panting, Kiwi extracted his hand and leaned back slowly to meet the wide yellow eyes of a scared young woman.