Anya tilted her head, "what does your mother have to do with it? does he..." That's when the sounds of heavy footsteps.

*Stomp Stomp Stomp Stomp Stomp*

Devil's Lyric (Shinji's theme)

A deliberate but quick pace, betrayed who was coming.

Anya panicked, "it's Shinji! quick into the room." She grabbed Soh's hand and pulled him into the room.

----

Killian finished his conversation with the voice in his head turned to see Anya pulling Soh into the room, "Shinji coming?"

"yup!"

Graceful Serenity (Save Room)

Anya shook her head, "not really. I mean we have direction at least right?"

Killian perked up and looked toward her, "you mean we have to find those special books? yeah I guess it's nice to have goals." he said as he looked around at the mess. "What could have happened?"

"years of neglect and Elena probably coming around to...o-oh! there must be one of the black books here!" Anya exclaimed, "Kira-san why don't you take a look around!" she said as she pointed in a random direction.

Killian decided it wasn't worth bringing up a counter to that and started looking around. he decided to check the rows of shelves in the back.

Anya turned to Soh, "okay what about you? why would Kira-san have a problem with your mother?" she asked, "did he do something..."she leaned in, "untoward? s-scandalous?"

Anya looked at him and wondered, "a witch..." she had to think about it for a bit, where had she heard or read that? it must have been somewhere, she's read most of the books in this place.

Anya dear, don't worry about that.

"hmm...well I don't think that's anything to worry about. Come on, let's look for that book or anything else in here we can use." Anya said with a smile and a nod, moving toward the lectern she opened it up to reveal a set of writing tools and a bunch of papers stacked in the back, inside is a smaller typewriter with an ink ribbon. Anya looked up at the window staring into the storm outside, seemingly mesmerized for a moment. The storm was all she could look at when she was in here room. It was a storm that never stopped and when people where invited over it was to their doom. Maybe just maybe these two were her way out. Anya was tired of the hatred and the loneliness, she just wanted to see what was outside, beyond the storm.

Killian was tracing his fingers across the bookshelf, occasionally taking a book out to glance over it before putting it back, "really..." there were books of all kinds of subjects, from wildlife to meta physical properties and psychology. There was no shortage of learning to be had in this place but what he was really looking for was a book on magic of the darkest kind, there were two others just like it in his coat. The dust heaped on the tomes didn't bode well, these books were meant to be read. Killian traced his finger and rubbed the dust away with his thumb. Not only was he looking for the black book but he was also thinking of what he was going to say to Anya, he didn't want to start an argument but he didn't want her cast spells that, while effective, put everyone in danger. Running around with these two was going to raise he blood pressure and he was way too young to be worrying about that!

You really shouldn't be worrying, the violent life a mage will surely end you before any age related thing.

So leaving Soh to browse around the room himself. Thinking back, this whole mansion felt a lot like his home. The same feel of magic, and the same feel of mystery. But it definitely did not have the same homey feeling. At least he could see the sun or moon shine through his room's window. And the familiarity of his mother's furniture was extremely more preferable than these zombies. But to return to that home he has to be brave, for Anya and Killian's sake. And when they do get out of here, he is definitely inviting them over for a celebratory tea and Cake!

Where Soh was searching, by the lectern, he found a black, leather-bound book inside the fold out desk. This must be the thing they're looking for!

Anya walked over to Killian, "...um...you still mad at me?"

Killian turned to her, "no...okay. Maybe a little. I know you don't have a lot of experience in battle magic but that doesn't mean you have to compensate for it with berserk, just go back to the basics and stay with us. That's the only way we're going to survive this."

Killian turned to Soh, "oh great job...let me see it" he stuck his hand out for Soh to hand it to him. Killian wasn't keen on letting a novice hold a book with such evil lore without looking at it himself, whoever this witch was he was sure that the two witches would be a recipe for disaster.

Certainly, the witch is a wily and voracious foe. Keep far away from them fatebinder and you will live longer.

Killian knew the voice in his head was right but he was nervous of this powerful mage able to exert her influence on him so easily.

Anya nodded, "how many books does that make so far?"

"Three" Killian said.

"That mean only one more book remains" Anya put her hands on her hips.

Killian shrugged, "certainly, but we don't know where the 4th book is and I'm not keen on just wandering around until we find it. It's gonna drain our resources...what little of them we have left." he opened the book and started skimming it.

The book of Gnashing Blades: ...From Vicissitude I've created spells and rotes to not only create powerful furniture but also powerful weapons from life and death. To think the path to ascension lay in the hands of the very thing those in the Traditions hate, Witches and Monsters. I will achieve a mastery over death such that I will ascend to a higher plane and become unto a god of death. My next objective is to free myself of this weak mortal body and with that I will be that much closer to godhood. To think that Witches were once like us, stuck in the game that all mages play but when they finally reached the finish line they chose to stay in the mortal realm and use their power for themselves. Now that power is mine to use as I see fit.

Anya looked at Killian as he read the book, "what's it say?"

"You father says he has a witch under his command...he's been using it to steadily increase his power for what seems to be a number of years but...not explicitly stated" Killian explained. If there really was a Witch involved then he was really out of his league but in some small part he felt kind of bad for the witch in captivity.

Killian nodded, "yeah I can imagine. I wonder if he is using the witches power now or has he taken it all for himself." he turned to Anya, he wanted to ask if they even had a chance? was he just taking a slow march to death with an innocent kid? No...Killian couldn't think like that. He was a survivor and he was going to make it out with both of them!

Anya started to look uncomfortable with Killian staring at her like that, a bit of cold sweat ran down the side of her face, "w-what are you staring at me for?"

"Can you lead us to the next study?" Killian asked without warning.

Anya jolted up from the fright, "y-yeah But I don't know if the last book is in there."

Killian sighed, "There is a spell in this book, I think I can understand it...you want me to teach it to you?" he turned to Soh, because the question was for him as well.

Soh nodded, a spark of excitement shined in his eyes "Yes! Please teach me!" If there's one thing Soh is, aside from having good behavior, its an eagerness to learn magic. Thats how his mother rewarded him for such good behavior after all.

Killian raised an eyebrow at Soh, he was starting to think he was giving the boy a treat rather than teaching him a spell. It wasn't something Killian was too keen on doing because Soh did shoot him with a shotgun. He wasn't sure how he was going to get back at him for that but that didn't matter now. "alright this is called gnashing blade? and it's cast by drawing this strange symbol on your arm and then..."

Anya stops him, "I'm not sure you want to cast that spell...it's a bit wild."

Killian shook his head, "I should be fine..." though he was starting to get nervous perhaps casting a relatively unknown spell from a crazy necromancers book about witches but he was already this far in, "and speak the words of power: Ossis Telum!" From Killian's perspective it was a quick and dirty spell that could be used in emergencies but he wasn't quite prepared for what the spell actually did, his arm began to emit a sickening crack, "ah-aahhhh!"

Anya handed him a leather belt that she took off her dress but Killian refused it, "oh boy...I tried steering clear of spells like those."

Killian clenched his teeth and took deep deliberate breaths to try and take the pain but the pain only got worse as his forearm split open into a mantis-like blade of bone, "haah haah! [holy shit that hurt...]" he said in English before he switched back to Japanese, "T-this is it, vulgar as hell but" he swung the very sharp and bony implement around then impaled the air with it, "...surprisingly effective."

Anya smiled wearily at him.