• I have to break through…I have to break through! The slender figure thought while she dashed through puddles of blood in the dark green halls of one of the demon realm’s main branches. The demons behind her screamed long ragged cries that were instantly silenced by slashing sounds echoing off the hollow walls. Blood spilled off of her shoulder and a glimmering light of glass shone in the moonlight.
    “Izumi…?” she called out into the darkness. No Haru! Don’t look back! Her mind screamed at her. She squeezed her eyes shut and continued running until she came up to a large gate with thousands of locks sealing off each corner of it. A giant serpent-like handle was the only inch of the gate that was not covered in chains. Still panting heavily the girl reached out gingerly and touched the handle. A blast of blue light shot through the door and through the handle. Haru leapt back and yelped. She looked into the palm of her hand where large burn marks broke out and oozed blood.
    Haru growled low in her throat. Darn it Selene! What is it you want me to do? I can’t get through this without your help! She thought angrily. Her dark brown hair was a tangled mess just lower than her shoulders and her face looked about six shades paler than usual. Despite being a demon her eyes weren’t the normal crimson red color of many other demons, instead her eyes were an unusual human shade of dark brown.
    As Haru anticipated, Selene didn’t answer her thoughts. Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon, and the person who’s orb of absolute power now resides in Haru’s right shoulder. Only small shards of the crystal orb can be seen on the surface of her skin.
    “H…Haru…?” a week voice called out from the shadows. Startled, Haru spun around on her toes to face another girl only she wasn’t a demon or a human; she was a celestial, a heavenly creature and the complete opposite of a demon. Haru blinked as though to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. “Izumi…is that you?” she asked rather quickly. The girl nodded in reply and came out of the shadows. Izumi’s thick, long, dark brown curly hair looked no better than Haru’s at the moment and her startled yet bright green eyes looked weary. Her dark skin made her barely visible, unlike Haru’s luminous pale skin that shone through the darkness of the demonic realm’s gate.
    “Are you okay?” Izumi nearly shouted at her. Haru nodded and turned her attention back towards the gate. “You have Riku don’t you?” Haru asked without looking back at Izumi. “Yes, I made sure to put him in my backpack before I fled…” she whispered, her gaze following my own. “That’s good…we’re going to need him to get us around the different parts of the realms.” “Um…Haru, have you even figured out how we’re going to get out of this part of the demon realm?” Haru lowered her head for a moment then replied slowly, “Yes, actually I have.”
    Izumi examined my hand closely then gave me a skeptical look. Haru whipped her hair out of her face and smirked. “C’mon now Izumi you should know me better than that by now.” Izumi sighed and nodded with a smile. A small noise came out of the torn up bag on Izumi’s back. Haru grinned then nearly pushed Izumi out of the way.
    “You okay in there Riku?” Haru chirped happily. At the sound of his name a bright red, fuzzy head popped out the bag. Small grey bat wings could be seen coming out of the little chimera’s back. Riku swished his little fox tail, leapt out of the bag, and onto to Haru’s shoulder. A small orb shaped pendant hung off of a silver chain around Riku’s neck. Haru gently took the chain with the orb dangling off the center and maneuvered it off Riku’s neck.
    Haru stared at the orb for a split second with hatred then yanked it over her own head. The orb glowed bright red for that moment of hatred then dissolved into soft silver. She clutched it tightly and approached the gate. Izumi’s heavy breathing could be heard merging with Haru’s own fast beating heart. Riku, however, was just as calm as he ever was. Haru closed her eyes and the world became completely different with nothing but swirling colors and all that could be heard were the sounds of Haru’s soft footsteps on the wet concrete of the dark tunnel. Izumi closed her eyes and hesitantly made her way after Haru.
    Riku’s posture never slackened on Haru’s shoulder. His breath was gentle and his small grey wings were folded neatly with one on either side of him. The black rings that dappled his face and surrounded his bright eyes seemed to blend in with the darkness that began to engulf the three of them.
    Haru gingerly reached forward and touched the gleaming silver chains. More blue sparks flew from the chains and towards her hand. Haru relaxed herself and clutched the orb even more tightly. The orb in her palm glowed silver and through the ripped up black shirt Haru was wearing, a bright light could be seen glimmering on her right shoulder. Haru trembled at the slight burning sensation she received when she touched the orb to the immense serpent-like handle. The moon in the sky seemed to pulse in complete unison with the orb.
    The surface beneath them rumbled and quaked furiously. Haru nearly screamed when loud shrieks of nearby demons pierced the dark, clouded air. Izumi had shuddered, but had kept her eyes squeezed shut nevertheless. Riku tensed for a fraction of a second, but returned to his calmed posture. It was almost as if the shrieks of the frenzying demons had just melted into the walls. Haru’s palm was burning now and the chains on the great gate were rattling wildly. Izumi looked as though she was going to collapse any second from the uncontrollable quakes and rumbles of the ground below.
    Suddenly a large fissure erupted before the gate. Haru tumbled backwards and Riku leapt off of her shoulder, both she and Izumi’s eyes shot open and a ripping growl tore itself out of Riku’s throat. A large, scale-covered head rose out of the rubble before the gate. It looked like another chimera, the same species as Riku. This chimera was a cross between a werewolf and a basilisk. It had a large snake’s head with poisoned fangs protruding out of its lips, but had a buff wolf’s body that was covered in a scraggly mass of black fur. Haru’s heart missed a beat when it opened its eyes only to reveal a dull shade of yellow with black, raging, and narrowed pupils.
    It looked a bit startled at first, as though it had just woken up. Haru remained still on the ground where she had fallen, with Izumi crouched down next to her and Riku tensing ever so slightly. The chimera reared its ugly head towards Haru and, much to their surprise, said in a gruff and slurred, but perfectly understandable human dialect. “You, girl!” he stated a bit angrily. “You wouldn’t happen to be named Haru Sylvania...would you?” Haru grimaced but replied as calmly as she could, “Yes…and who are you?” The chimera straightened up and glared straight down at Haru before saying, “I am the demon realms guardian Aggrevo.” he stated while continuing to glare at Haru, “If you’re Haru Sylvania…then you must be the one causing all this commotion.” “And what if I am?” Haru retorted more calmly. “A demon servant of mine came to me and told me that many demons were found slaughtered in front of this temple. He made sure to state that he saw two fox demon girls running about with weapons in tow and that their names were Haru Sylvania and Izumi…the nerve of bringing a celestial like her in here,” Aggrevo snarled. “If that’s the case then I, Aggrevo guardian of the forbidden gate to the demon realm, must and shall destroy the both of you.”
    Izumi’s grip on Haru’s shoulders tightened and another fierce growl ripped up and out of Riku. In response Haru let out a small chuckle. She staggered up to her feet and pulled Izumi up with her. “Alright then…” her back straightened and she flashed a smirk in Aggrevo’s direction, “if that is the case then I, Haru Sylvania hostess to the treasure of the moon brought down to me through the moon goddess Selene, in return will take full responsibility in finding a new guardian of the gate to the demon realm…once you’re dead of course.”
    Aggrevo suddenly chuckled despite his seething glare. “What makes you think I am like those petty little demons you slaughtered earlier?” he questioned. “Neither of us killed those demons, in fact they were dead already by the time we got here.” Haru retorted. Izumi stepped forward and nodded in agreement, “We only came here because we have business to attend to outside this part of the realm and we need to find a different passage way into the demon realm to accomplish what we came here for.”
    Aggrevo heaved a muffled roar between his clenched teeth. Izumi flinched a bit but stood her ground. Haru snarled in return and took a small step forward. “Fools!” he roared in pure rage, “What do you take me for? I can smell the stench of those worthless little demons on the both of you!” Haru smirked and tilted her head to the side. “Is that so? I’m afraid you’re a little off you liar…Izumi wouldn’t harm a fly let alone take the life of a demon even if she wasn’t a celestial. I could if I had wanted to, but what reason would I have for killing them?” Haru asked calmly.
    “And besides…the stench of blood is coming from all around us…including from you.” Haru said while pointing one of her sharp claws at the immense chimera. Aggrevo grunted nervously and leaned down towards Haru’s naturally pale face. “You wouldn’t happen to be accusing me of slaughtering those pathetic little mice…would you?” he snarled.
    Haru rose fully to her feet and flipped her mangled hair back out of her face. “I don’t see why you shouldn’t be a suspect here either, but after all you wouldn’t care either way since those demons were just petty, little mice.” Haru spat. “Haru, what are you doing?” Izumi whispered to her in a frantic tone. “Are you trying to get into a fight?” Haru looked back blankly at her. “Yeah, so what?” she said as bluntly as possible. Izumi sighed and let go of her shoulder. “Okay…but you know how I feel about this just leave me out of it and make sure to contact Kaida so we can find a new guardian.
    “Yeah and maybe one not so ugly…” Haru mumbled just loud enough for Aggrevo to hear. Aggrevo lifted his head back and shot down furiously at Haru! Haru smiled with glee and pushed Izumi to safety before jumping off the walls to dodge his rampage. Aggrevo long fangs grazed the side of her leg, however, and sent her spiraling back down to the concrete with loud crash that echoed throughout the halls. “Maybe this would’ve been easier if I wasn’t so tired…and if he hadn’t just woken up from a power nap.” Haru grimaced in pain.
    Izumi rebounded when she went rolling out of the way. “You could’ve given me a warning before you did that, Haru!” she shouted. Izumi sat up and yanked a long black type of chalk out of the bag. Riku was watching Haru leap off the walls nervously pacing back and forth around Izumi. Aggrevo was desperately trying to claw at any part of her body that he could reach. Haru’s sly cunning easily allowed her to tumble out of the way. Izumi was now drawing strange circles with the arm-length black chalk on the floor in the light of the moon. She touched a spot on the back of her neck where a small, dim glow barely showed behind her thick, curly brown hair. It looked like a flickering flame dancing. Izumi closed her eyes while the black circles gleamed first blue then red. Suddenly, bright, red flames started swirling around Izumi and made strange burning symbols float in the air around her! Izumi could be seen, but not heard, murmuring incantations of healing. She finally opened her eyes and lifted her hands towards Haru. All at once the flames spun around Izumi once more then barreled their way towards Haru!
    Haru couldn’t help but flinch when the flames covered the wounds on her body. The fire only burned a little while it dissolved away both the pain and the wounds themselves. Izumi’s eyes gleamed bright orange, but returned to the soft shade of green they had always been. The symbols levitating in mid-air also vanished along with the remaining flames left smoldering on Haru’s, now refreshed, body.
    Aggrevo gaped open-mouthed at the sight. Haru, whose skin was covered in scratches and bloodstains, now looked as though she had just gotten out of the spa. Haru’s lips curled back into a sneering smile. Her shoulder glowed blue and the auras of the moon pulsed. “Now it must be my turn to show off…” she confidently said. Haru leapt to the nearest wall she could find and yanked the orb around her neck into full view of the moonlight. The soft silver shimmered in the white light. Haru closed her eyes and the room seemed to pulse. Suddenly, light began pouring out of the small shards on the surface of Haru’s right shoulder.
    Haru’s eyes burst open and she, somehow, caught the light in her palm! Haru murmured strange words of incantation just like Izumi had done before and the light transformed. A long silver revolver formed in the palm of Haru’s hand. A large “H” was engraved the color of jade-green on the handle of the revolver. Haru lifted up the gun and aimed it straight at Aggrevo’s scaly head. Aggrevo roared and shot head-first at Haru, who was still in midair, with the long snake-like fangs bared.
    Haru smirked and pulled the trigger. There wasn’t a sound…not even the sound of a regular gunshot could be heard, because, instead of a bullet now barreling towards Aggrevo a large rose-shaped, dark blue colored silhouette was striding too him. Aggrevo’s eyes widened as the blue rose touched the short, wolf hair covering his chest. It merged into his skin and large symbols covered the outside of his body. Haru still had the revolver in her hand before saying, “…And now you die…” With those words still drifting off the tip of her tongue the giant chimera let out a blood curdling screech of absolute agony. The symbols had burned their way past the fur and the scales and now small blue needle-like daggers were being plunged into his body. In his heart, in his head, in his arms and legs, the daggers struck.
    Haru took a step back as the giant chimera fell at her and Izumi’s feet. “H…how did you obtain the midnight revolver?” he stammered in a weak breath. Haru said calmly, “I gave up my soul to the moon…”