How To Survive A Calamity

[Gods! What path may the two of you have crossed in what previous life to warrant so much hatred and bloodlust against you, boy?!] Zets laughed heartily, the sound of his voice betraying his sincerest mocking amusement for the situation.

Nicodemus blinked in confusion as the manifested arms of pitch darkness continuef to press down and hold Alex who was was still tirelessly struggling.

The meaning of Zets words was partially wasted on Nicodemus as he failed to immediately understand and he hesitated a little in his actions.

It was when he managed to truly see the look in Alexander's eyes that Nicodemus expression began to slowly realise.

'He hates me?'

[Hah! The reason he fights and struggles so hard and desperate, as one who handles the domain of emotions and thoughts, its obvious that boy holds a deep seething grudge and venom. Almost enough to to transcend.] Zets said, then continued as the Demon added seriously this time.

[It would do you well to finish him off. Now, boy]

There was no room for compromise in Zets voice.

Nicodemus's brows furrowed again.

'Is that a command, demon?'

Zets snorted inside the boy's head.

[It's a threat, but it's not from me...]

Nicodemus didn't appreciate the response.

Nor the situation.

But something told him he had to end the whole thing immediately at this point in time.

Right from the beginning, the whole thing never really went as planned at the start.

The plan was simply to use the Dungeon as a medium to flee and grow stronger by siphoning the life forces of the Cadets within.

Somehow, Zets had known which Dungeon would be used for the Field Experience.

And according to it, inside of Terra Sanguis lied the fragment of a long lost power that could only aid them and make them stronger.

That Fragment — was the Dark Castle.

An ancient fortress that belonged to the Doom of Drought — A Demon Lord.

If they could get a hand on one of the legacies left behind by such an ancient and powerful entity from the past, both Zets and Nicodemus would experience a tremendous rise in power and ability.

Then they would intentionally force a Dungeon Collapse, and the Dungeon Gate to seal.

A Dungeon which was a passage way and fragments to another world — the Demon Realm — if the Gate were to collapse and close, they would be stuck, left to travel the broken realm of Terra Sanguis until they discover other Demon Civilization.

But that was exactly what they wanted.

While the other Cadets, or anyone else mau find themselves stuck, Nicodemus and the Demon sought it as a means of escape.

But things went awry and upon summoning of the Dark Castle, all creatures were forcefully drawn into it from across the Blood Dessert and forced to survive against each other.

—It was like a culling game.

Many died.

It wasn't entirely Nicodemus's intentions, and this unforeseen development caused delays in the initial plan.

It wasn't that Nicodemus couldn't kill — he already had.

—near countless at this point actually.

But it wasn't like it was something he particularly enjoyed.

Those who fell victim to him and died, he considered them as unlucky — wrong place at the wrong time — , or those he held particular ill-will against.

Nicodemus didn't exactly hate Alexander.

He didn't like him either, though. In all fairness, there weren't that many people Nicodemus liked actually.

Ever since his low Talent and Rank were revealed at the Evaluation, and the cruel reality of the Academy against those like him — the weak and how the strong preyed on them — revealed itself, Nicodemus had found himself slowly estranged away from humans and their nature.

So... there wasn't really anyone Nicodemus Kodrey would admit he liked

All that was left was either he despised them, wanted them dead, or disregarded them.

Alexander was one of those few in-between. He didn't have much of an opinion or regard for him, but he had just enough regard for him enough to make Nicodemus find the thoughts of killing him hesitating.

But if what Zets, the Demon, admitted was true,

—It appeared there was probably no other choice.

Dammit... Nicodemus gritted his teeth.

He despised the idea of having 'no other choice'. It shouldn't be like before any longer.

He had power now, after all...

The grip of the hands holding Alexander down against the wall unconsciously grew even tighter and the sounds of crushing bones amidst beastly struggling echoed loudly.

Nicodemus's black eyes deepened even more.

Then eventually, he said;

"Fine."

"Stopp!!"

Suddenly, he heard a voice tear through the air and flinched.

Nicodemus had been so consumed in his thoughts and the pressure he felt from Alexander that he hadn't noticed the figure of Chelsea lunging at him quickly.

"You again..." Nicodemus, halfway through his transformation form, growled without hiding his irritation.

He shifted on his feet, diverting his attention towards the girl rushing at him.

Amongst all the three of them who came after him, Nicodemus found Chelsea to be the most annoying for some reason.

Perhaps it was because of the memories he shared with her... Everytime he saw her now he was constantly reminded that things were different.

—They were different.

Things had changed — the better or worse, however, did it matter?

[She's clingy.] Zets added in a deadpan voice in his head.

Her persistence was a different kind than Alexander — it was both amusing and deeply infuriating, even Zets had to imagine.

What was more amusing though, was how Nicodemus reacted separately to her. Particularly sensitive and extreme.

Zets, truly a Demon like his kind, found that interesting.

Nicodemus clicked his tongue as the black mist around his body surged for an attack.

'It's annoying.'

Chelsea was.

The whole thing — everything was annoying.

Nicodemus just wanted to be done with all of it!

The darkness billowed around Nicodemus and came alive, surging forward at Chelsea's battered figure like a devouring tide.

"Stay away!"

Nicodemus roared and sharp black pikes erupted from the surging darkness like spears and elongated through the air.

Chelsea's body suffered the weight of internal injuries and faltered as the darkness rose against her.

She failed to react properly and staggered as the multiple points of the black spears stabbed through her body and ran through her flesh.

—Stab! -Stab! -Stab!

It stabbed through her shoulders, chest, elbows, stomach and thighs.

—seamlessly tearing through flesh, bones and muscles as easy as anything.

Searing pain shot through Chelsea's mind from all over her body that refused to move.

The elongated full length of the spears raised her off the ground partially and suspended Chelsea up in the air.

Chelsea's eyes widened in shock — or perhaps pain and sorrow — as they reflected the figure of Nicodemus against her iris.

And at that moment, the orange haired girl couldn't help have a particular thought.

—How different Nicodemus looked compared to the memories they shared.

The frail, timid and shaggy black haired boy — the one she had grown up with as children and loved — was nowhere to be seen in those hatred filled dark empty gaze.

All that was left in its place instead, was a cold, unfeeling unfamiliar monster.

Alexander watched as the spears of darkness tore through Chelsea like a piece of flailing cloth and something moved inside of him.

At the same time Nicodemus turned back to face him, disregarding the presence of Chelsea.

Nicodemus...

The Demon... Stood facing him.

Alexander...

"Nico!!!!"

Alexander raged like a madman birthed by a beast.

Right there, he swore he would kill a Demon.

Something rose up from deep within his depths.

Something hot, immolating, and smouldering.

Rage, anger, malice, pain and sorrow seared from deep inside of him — his hearth burning like a hearth.

Alexander gritted his teeth enough to make his gums bleed.

Nicodemus had been partially distracted by Chelsea and the grip of the black hands holding him down had lightened up slightly.

But that was enough for Alexander to force his body and grabbed one of the inky black arms in his left hand.

"Nico!!"

Veins wiggled and bulged up Alexander's head and neck and his blue eyes slowly became brighter.

—Almost white.

-Clack -Clang! -Clack...

Alexander heard the mysterious sounds of rattling chains at the back of his mind and he had a recurring memory.

A memory of flames and when his whole world was burned down before his very eyes in a dark, red, hot night. Sinister, hateful figures of Demons, their shadows and silhouettes dancing in the crimson glow of the flames — cackling and parading.

—The sight of a mysterious person, who with a single slash of their sword brought down the heavens and the geads of the Demons rolled like a dream.

It turned to him, standing over his little body, and asked him:

-'What do you want to do now, kid?'

-Clack -Clang! -Clang!

Up until this very day, Alexander could never forget.

The words that had been spat out of his mouth.

"Revenge!"

Something hot spread from deep within his soul as if a hearth had been inserted by the world deep inside of it.

"Ah..."

Alexander's lips parted as a strange unfamiliar sound escaped from it like a whisper.

—And his mind went blank, seared in complete white as everything else in the world seemed to cease at once.

-Flutter~

All of a sudden Alexander's figure burst into burgeoning flames that sporadically spread.

—White flames that burned beautifully.... dreadfully.