Episode 3

Without any difficulty Yuki found the mountain trail. It wasn’t his first time going down and before he noticed it he was at the foot of the mountain where the small village was. It was located near one of the rivers. Thanks to its warm climate, most of the year the village was used as a tourist station. Improvements and extensions were constantly being made. Yuki knew well the stalls and buildings.

Even though he came often, he noticed how they changed little by little. He found the stables at the end of the city and took the usual horse. He saddled it in a hurry and drove off. When he came out on the big straight road he spurred the hors. The strong summer sun was not a problem for him, thanks to the angelic blood flowing through his veins. Usually the people were trying to avoid it, but Yuki did not. He was in a hurry, and even if he had to go through the desert he would have done it. His horse, however, did not agree. Yuki saw that the horse was getting tired. He whispered something in his ear, and the horse harnessed all its strength to keep the current speed. Thanks to his demon blood, he survived all these years in the Underground kingdom. The place where he was headed to, neither of his bloodlines would help him.

He was heading for a sacred place for the angels and at the same time a place where no demon could stand. Despite the importance of the place, none of the races dared to enter. As he approached, he slowed the horse's pace. He jumped from the horse only when he was a few steps away from the entrance. Yuki tied his harness to the nearest tree. He looked around. There was an open gate and a very long fence. He took a few steps and stood in front of the metal gates. Slowly he reached for the gate. Even if he had not touched the gate, he could feel the ominous energy. Yuki took a deep breath and walked in. Once he set his foot across the gate, memories began to emerge in his mind. He knew the price to go into the Cemetery of Ghosts. Place where people's souls were resting. The little one knew that all the suppressed memories until now would reappear, but he was ready to take even this risk so that he could see his family one more time. And his family was not close at all. His parents had made one of the most unforgivable sins. Both of their souls were hidden deep in the heart of this cemetery.

- "I hope my body will endure until I get to them. Mom ... Dad ... it's time to finally meet you again." These were his last sane thoughts.

The spirits sent there for one or another type of sin, were trying to swallow the soul of anyone who dared to cross the entrance to this sacred place. This could only have happen if the person’s psyche broke down. Yuki's painful memories came back, the childhood he was trying to forget - came back. A child could not even imagine what he had to go through.

Memory: (<< ... .. >>) <<<–>>> THIS IS HOW YUKI’S MEMORIES WILL BE MARKED!

<< - “Yuki ... Yuki, are you okay? "- A tender woman's voice ... a beautiful blond girl was the first picture I saw when I opened my eyes," the child thought, and reached out to touch her and make sure she was real.

- “Sis ... ter, what's up? Why are you here?” - Said the drowsy little boy with raven black hair tied to a tail as he rose from the soft green grass on which he laid. A lovely meadow shaded in places from small trees.

- “Don’t play innocent! Teachers complained about you again! Every time I go home, I hear only this. If you do not show your wings, they'll kick you out of school. How many times do I have to repeat you have nothing to fear. You have incredible power and you are not using it.” - The girl had folded her arms in front of her chest and was angry at her little brother.

- “Come on, sis. You know very well why I don’t want to show my wings. I'm different from the others and if I show what I'm capable of, they'll still accuse me of cheating. I’m not a cheater! Everyone tell lies and the teacher does not believe me! Each time is the same! I just don’t want to be first anymore I don’t care even if I’m last! I just want them to leave me alone.” - His face dimmed.

His sister's anger disappeared when she saw her little brother so sad. Her hands slowly fell to her side. She sighed heavily, and sat on her knees against him. She lifted his head with her hands so that she was sure he was looking at her.

- “Listen to me, shorty. Father always told us to do everything we can and not to hide our strength. No matter what we are and where we come from, we just have to show what are we capable of. But you were too small and you don’t remember it.”

- “Yes, as you say. I have no intention of showing my strength or anything else. As for my wings ... I will not allow anyone to ever see them again. Even the big ones say my wings are stained like those of my mother. That with these wings I don’t deserve to even have my father's name.” - After his last words the little boy was ready to cry. How he could use his wings was like that. Everyone laughed at him. They stood away from him and whispered behind his back.

- “That is not true. Do not listen to them, they simply envy you. You have lovely wings. Dad loved you so much, just like your mother. The boy's face was still ragged. He turned his face away from her. You know you will never advance in school like that. They think you are a fool now, and what if you continue to act this way. Get yourself together.” – She slapped him with both of her hands. Still holding his head between her hands she told him: - “Since when is my little brother such a coward! You don’t want to betray our parents’ wishes, do you? ” – In her eyes were sparkling small devilish flames.

- “Sister ... “- She stared at him with a look that said she won’t give up until he accepted it. Anyone who knew her knew she was stubborn as a donkey. Her brother was most aware of this, and he gave up. There wasn’t even a slides chance for him to win this battle. –“ All right fine, fine! You win I will be serious during the training.”

- “I do not expect less from you. That's why you are my brother. – “Layla (his sister) pulled him tight against her chest and snugged him hard. He spread his hands from the unexpected pull of his sister. >>

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- “If was fun Sis. Those moments that you were there for me and supported me… I’ll never forget them.” – He smiled and opened his eyes again. Yuki stood up and continued forward. He was going forward into the shadows. The air grew heavier. With each step it was harder to walk. He couldn’t use his powers here because immediately he would be swallowed up by the shadows.

The only way was to just keep going forward until he found the spirits of his parents. For him - and even everyone who came here it was like a blind man walking through a minefield. Knowing what risk he was taking, he was determined to see his parents at all costs. His memories of them were just blurry spots in his memory. There were many questions he wanted to ask them, and he had to get an answer at all costs. Though the ground was flat, he stumbled from time to time. Not long after, stones began to appear around him. Some were about a meter wide, while others were barely visible from the ground. He did not know how long it had been since he had come in here, but he felt he had spent several years in this suffocating place. He began to drag his feet. He paused for a second and leaned against one of the larger stones. Just in time, because one more of the memories popped in his mind.

<< Someone pushed him hard from behind, and the little boy fell down facing the ground. He only raised his head and coughed.

- “Hoch! This is the impure blooded one. He's nothing special. His ratings are one of the lowest, and the exercises are even worse. Not to mention that he can’t even show his wings. I wonder how he even reached this level.” – One of the boys talked loudly.

All of the children that gathered started laughing arrogantly. They were anticipating a fight. The boy that the bully had pushed just stood and didn’t move at all. This was the easiest way to deal with those situations. The little boy had understood that no one could help him when his sister was away. – “I wonder why he is here in the Sky kingdom! Weakling!” – The kids continued with their cruel laughter. The little boy was surrounded. The situation wasn’t different from that of poachers to surround some rare animal.

- “Kids it’s time to come back. Your parents are here.” - The voice of one of the teachers was heard from the building behind them.

- “Let's go guys. He will be kicked out of school after the next test.” - The kids ran to the entrance of the building. The teacher saw him, but she said nothing, and hurried back in to the building again. All teachers noticed the children's obscene behavior, but no one wanted to deal with this problem.

As they went away, he stood up and wiped as much as possible from the dirt on his face. He brushed off his clothes, picked up his backpack and walked home. His older sister was coming home soon, and this time he wanted to delight her. He was going to train very hard to pass his next test. His sister's fiancé was coming back tonight, and the little one was eager to learn something new from him. >>

He was breathing hard and heavily.

- “Whatever may happen, I’ll find you mom and dad.” – breathing harder, he stood up and walked forward. He stumbled and fell, but he stood up and went on. His memories were becoming clearer and more painful. The one that he had locked deep in his mind was getting close, and he never wanted to remember it again. But he had no choice here. Very soon he would have experienced this nightmare again. The nightmare that turned his life upside down.

If he wanted to prevent it, he had to find his parents as quickly as possible. Yuki put every last drop of his powers. He did not want to be swallowed up by the shadows, and he wouldn’t give in that easy.

Thanks to the angelic blood flowing through his veins, he could come in here, but his demon half turned out to be a bigger problem than he had expected. He knew it would be twice as difficult. But his stay in the Underground kingdom over the past few years, and the recent wounds, had exhausted his energy faster than he expected. If he had not been suspended from his sun light for so long, he would have passed much faster and easier. In recent years, Yuki had relied heavily on his demonic half, so he ignored the angelic. He only used it when he needed treatment. But was there something normal here? This place had nothing to do with the places he had visited until now. Even with all the books he read and the information he gathered, nothing could have helped him. Even the angels who dared to enter became part of the lost souls here. Yuki was approaching the hearth of the graveyard. He felt it very strongly. The force he needed to put only to move even one step became ten times more.

- “Just a little ... more ...” - Yuki lost his balance and fell to his knees.

His gaze began to blur. It was a sign that he didn’t have much time before he loses his consciousness. He staggered and went on. The next memory popped into his mind. This may have been the most painful thing for him so far.

<< - “I want everyone to line up in a column. We will test the strength of each of you in the “Labyrinth”. You will enter one after another in five seconds intervals. There is a special surprise inside. Even if everything is mechanized, don’t drop your guard. Consider this as a real battlefield. After a certain time, the holographic walls will disappear and you will have to help one another. We start!” - He blew his whistle.

He watched his stopwatch and gave signals to the next one to enter. Although they called it the “Labyrinth”, it was a huge obstruction room. At the entrance each child had the right to choose a weapon. The room was specially designed to be able to change its surroundings. There were hologram sensors that could create any combat situation. Here the children learned to fight and defend, and to kill their enemies. Yuki was the last in the line, thanks to his low grades and his lack of participation in school exercises. But that did not bother him at all. >>

- “Sweet, it was one of my most terrifying moments. I thought I did well by saving those idiots, but it would have been better if I hadn’t done it. The price I paid was very high ... right sister ... “- the more he approached the heart of the cemetery, the more his strength was leaving him. It was already unbearable. All of his body hurt and the pain grew stronger. The opposite did the intervals of time between the memories. The memories of that "moment" of his life. A single moment in which he surrendered to the animal within himself. He could no longer avoid it. He thought he was ready to remember again, but reality is crueler from what we think. The most painful memory came...

<< - “Yuki! Your turn! What weapon do you want?” - His teacher treated him like everyone else. He was rude and always looked at him with contempt.

- “Whatever you give me, teacher. I have no preference. “ - Said the little boy with a quiet, monotone voice. He didn’t want to argue. Not this time. He promised his sister to pass this test. Whatever happened, he had to give everything that he was capable of.

- “Well then. So you can come in without. Looking at your past achievements, you probably will not need it. You'll probably run like a little girl just of the look of the monsters. Till...”

- “Kyaaaaa!” - His teacher was interrupted by the cry of one of the girls. Several screams followed after that one. As soon as the teacher ran in, the intruder alarm was also activated. Yuki ran when he heard the first scream, and after him came the teacher.

- “Will someone tell me what's going on here?!” - The teacher yelled, but he quickly became numb when he saw what was going on inside.

Neither he nor Yuki had any words to describe the bloody sight before their eyes. The man pulled out his gun and ran forward. The hologram system was stopped. All the judges were in the room and were fighting against the transformed ... that fell under the influence of the "Kiss". No one knew how they got in, but one thing was very clear. Too many children had died, and more would still die and it wouldn’t be just the kids dead until reinforcements come.

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