Chapter 18

At this point there wasn't much that I considered surprising. If anything, the unexpected simply justified my reason to protect the things and people I cared for. With the current situation that was impossible. I have no freedom to do as I wished. My surroundings were always the same—a cave like structure with fire and strange symbols. Symbols that I was close to breaking but at the same time not.

All I knew that for whatever they wanted me for I had to be alive. It was no exception in this case since I was given food daily. I couldn't bring myself to eat it all though. Who knew what was inside the food much less how it would affect me. They took my katana away and I didn't have anything else on me to defend myself if it came to that. Worse of all was the fact that my katana wasn't that far away from me. It was hanging on one side of the wall, completely visible.

With this all occurring, it made sense as I slowly started to make sense of what the symbols meant. Some of them I knew and others I was completely clueless about. I hated that I didn't know what was going on but it wasn't like I can change much.

I just needed to break enough of those symbols to know what is going on—enough so I can break out of here with no problem. It would be difficult and if I was being honest suicidal but if it meant that I was away from here I will.

Time Skip (Days)

Days. More days have passed as I stayed stuck here with nothing to keep me company. Not that I wanted demons to be a companion of sorts. They are all wrong and they never answer my questions. I needed more answers about what they wanted with me.

As I sat in the middle of my home that has been for the past weeks, clanging could be heard. I was staring at the walls, trying to decipher more of the symbols covering the walls. I could smell the food before I actually saw it. "Here is your food Young Prince," the demon sneered, placing the tray of food onto the ground then pushing it towards me.

I didn't move from my spot nor did I look at it. My eyes were trained on those symbols. Shuffling could be heard and I assumed that the demon left. Instead from the corner of my eye, I could see it going to the wall and drawing something. Huffing in frustration, I watched the new symbol being etched on the wall.

Lately they've been adding more symbols and feeding me a lot more frequently. From what I concluded, I was a crucial part of whatever they were planning. "What does that symbol mean?" I pressed, my annoyance of not knowing what was going on making me speak out. The demon laughed before saying or doing anything.

"Strength," it cackled before leaving again. Glaring at the retreating form, I climbed onto my feet. At least I learned another symbol but it was still vague regardless. Strength for what? All the answers that I managed to get out of the demons were vague. Constantly vague. Stepping to the food, I picked it up and stared at it. I had yet to figure out about the food. Some I didn't eat from what Akira and Ayaki taught me, others I was unsure over. I would need my strength when I got out of here. There were no options of not escaping. It didn't change the fact that most of the time I just wanted to go home and forget this ever happened. That was an unrealistic thought but one I had often when I thought of home. I wonder how close Ayaki and Akira are to finding me.

Akira's group made their way to their region, searching for any kind of demon that looked like they would know something. Given with their luck, none have appeared thus far. Demons haven't been showing up as frequently as they used to and normally that would be a good thing yet it only raised suspicion.

Demons were always looking for a victim yet not many have been going out and about. Frowning, Akira walked ahead since she was a lot more experienced in comparison to the other two. For some reason, Akira was worried that something was going to happen that she would most likely have no control over. Not that she minded but it was an unease that she couldn't shake or ignore. She could understand that things were slowly progressing in a way that she wished yet it changed noting of the sort when it came to others.

Her gut was telling her that they would finally get an answer, but at the cost of something that she hoped she wouldn't have to find out. Life was unpredictable and it simply made it difficult to pick out the cost that would result from her choice. Things were connected but not connected.

Footsteps clanged against metal, Akira glancing in that direction. Someone was there, the form of a human watching them from the ledge. The issue was that it didn't give off the vibe of a human—far from it actually. It was a demon, the kind that took many to capture. Cursing, she moved into a defensive position, silently commanding the other two girls to follow her example.

Akira hoped the rest of the group received the signal from her tracker and were on their way here. Akira was strong, but even she doubted that she would be able to hold off this demon. It didn't move though, simply smiled at her which unnerved her—especially its pale silver eyes.

"Shiemi and Izumo, do not engage unless I command otherwise. Understand?" Akira ordered, her blade out in the open. The demon did nothing as she came closer and its smile didn't leave its face. "Kawasaki Akira…. are you still looking for Okumura Rin?"

Her muscles tensed unconsciously as she stared at the demon for a tensed moment. "Do you know where he is?" she returned, standing close enough that it could attack if it wanted. The smile grew in length, the demon moving to jump in front of her. Akira didn't move back, watching without saying anything.

"If I do what will you do?" it asked, pale silver eyes glowing brightly. Her eyes narrowed as she took the look in the demon's eyes as a possible sign. "I would ask you first before I would resort to capturing you." The demon smiled at her answer, taking a step closer to her. "Does he mean that much to you?" it grinned, eyes glowing brighter than earlier.

"Why does it matter his worth for me? I plan on getting him back, no matter what!" Akira answered, biting her lip for a moment. She felt at edge with a demon so near but she didn't want to do anything to make it go away. If it meant finding Rin faster so be it. Shiemi and Izumo felt worry and unease as they watched. They wanted to move but Akira ordered them not to. So they dealt with the fact that they could watch from this distance to ensure her safety.

"Very well. I shall help you find him. Inform the others to come here." All three females tensed at that sentence. How did it know about the others? Unless the demon has been watching them for a while. There was something about this demon that rubbed at them the wrong way. "Let's hope they come quickly because I do not have a lot of time."

Akira's eyes narrowed slightly, never turning her attention from the demon. "Shiemi, signal them to come this way." Izumo stood closer to her while Shiemi moved a couple of steps away from them to signal the others with a flare only they could see. With a grin on the demon's face, Akira simply stared. She hoped that this didn't backfire on her. It wouldn't only be her life at stake.

I'm sorry that I've been gone for so long. School...well...

I'm currently writing the next chapter so it shouldn't take me long...hopefully. Thank you for staying with me this long. I'm lucky to have to you guys. :)

-ShyReader