BLOODY LOVE'S
Episode 198's

Everything happened so quickly in Rolan's eyes. He saw Sir William slamming to the ground, but the devil just slid out of the plume of black smoke growing. Now the smoke is soaring up to two meters high, with the width of one adult arm. The beast-headed demon earlier had a human torso. His arms and chest were covered in fur like a brown bear. The waist down was immersed in a flying black material. Rolan was still gaping as Jose slid towards him as fast as a bullet whirring. A second ago his nephew was still far away at the intersection, the next second was already beside him and pulled him to his feet.

With unexpected strength and speed, Jose swung the rifle in hand and smashed the rooster in the face with the rifle butts, then dragged Rolan away.

What was that? What was that? What was that goat chicken? Rolan could not think. His feet are heavy. Everything was going slowly in his head. He saw many faces peering at them from the cracks of the city, from the windows and doors of the house, but Rolan was sure it was not human. He did not want to look to be sure.

They run, but Rolan doesn't know where to go. They split up at a branch. He heard Jose cursing, then his arm was pulled back.

"Home over there!" Randy pointed confused.

"We're not going home!" jose exclaimed, now pushing Rolan's back until the man ran in front of him. "South! Hurry along!"

Debum loudly echoed in Bjork. The ground shook and the air turned heavy, making them difficult to breathe. The path seemed to shrink to the size of a straight line. They ran towards the tax office. Rolan felt his back goosebumps violently. He was about to look around, but Jose again rebuked, "Don't look back!"

There was a long howling sound behind them, the howl of an animal that was not from the earth. The sand flew by noisily, slapping their faces and making them wander. Rolan ran while holding his breath. His heart was racing and painful. Throat's hot. Every time he slowed down, Jose pushed hard on his back, making him almost fall down. Rolan was half-grateful but also half-excited. He himself wondered how he could still be irritated in this situation. His legs and hands moved automatically outside the command of his brain. Rolan realized that his body wanted to live.

Through the corner of his eye, Rolan saw bodies crawling from the ground, coughing up sand, and staggered. It's just an illusion. Just illusions! He ran tighter even though his waist hurt like a slice and his lungs like burning. Jose pushed him again from behind, Rolan cursed inwardly. Jose can run faster than him. He knew his noble-hearted nephew deliberately ran behind and periodically gave a rude impulse to keep him sane, so as not to be lulled by the monstrous forms around them. But still Rolan hates being pushed around.

If he pushed me once more, he thought as he coughed at the sand dust, I would strangle him.

Is the devil still chasing? Rolan couldn't bear to look. His skull bristled as soon as it saw what was chasing them.

Not a strange creature, not a demon, not a demon. The one chasing them was a scroll of black material that made the sky dark. It was shaped like a cloud of cloudy coils, only more dense and strangely moving like thousands of bees.

The air around them plummeted until pieces of ice appeared and made their breath steamy white. Far behind them, there was a long howl that sounded like it was coming from the ends of the earth.

Jose ran to Rolan's side, pulled his arm, then without speaking immediately took him plunging into the river.

Rolan didn't even realize they had reached the border river. He only had time to hear a muffled splash, steering everything to silence. deaf's ears. A cold current smashed into his chest, making his lips open until the river water entered his throat. Rolan choked, air bubbles coming out of his mouth and nose. Bemoan. He flapped his hands and paddled in the water, trying to pull over, but the river flow was so swift. Jose was invisible.

***

"Rolan didn't come back." Renata pinched his temple, spinning anxiously in Marco's room. Her day was standing guard outside the room, in the open doorway. "Jose didn't come back either. Now that it was night, there was no way they would not go home without giving a message! Something must have happened! Can you get the police to search Bjork?"

"Jose sneaked into my room" said Marco, equally dizzy. "And he took Arabella's necklace. I'm sure he's looking for Sir William himself. Rolan might have prevented it. They must be together now."

"But where? Can you be sure?"

"We will find him as soon as possible" Marco said. "You just rest."

"If you think I can take a break while my sister and son aren't clear on where he is, you must be crazy."

Marco smiled faintly. "There's nothing you can do, Renata. Pacing will not give way."

"What gives you a way out?" cold Renata reply. Eyes squinting. "Bring yourself in the room with your new boyfriend?"

Lady Chantall, who was also in the room, immediately got up angrily. "I've been out there looking for clues all day! And I brought the results!" His hand gripped the two bundles he found hidden under the water catchment window. It was no coincidence that he found it there. The window is indeed the place to exchange information with Krip or Mr. Stuart all this time. "What do you see is we locked ourselves in a room? At least it's because we're looking for a solution, not just whining about holding hands."

Renata. "How dare you," he hissed. "Do you realize who you're talking to?"

Marco mendehem slowly. "Jeanne, don't be rude. You're talking to my sister, the hostess here." He got up from the sofa and rubbed Renata's shoulders, looking at her wet shaking eyes. "You're tired" he said gently. "Go back to your room, get some rest. I promise you that Rolan and Jose will survive. You know, Rolan, he's not gonna let a hair fall out of Jose."

Marco rubbed Renata's head affectionately, then lowered his head to whisper briefly in his ear in a tone of comfort, but no one could clearly hear what he was saying except Renata. The woman listened, then nodded slowly. Without saying anything more, Renata turned out of the room followed by the maids. The bedroom door closes in a light clap.

Lady Chantall was still standing annoyed, her hands folded under her chest. "I won't apologize!" he said defensively as soon as Marco looked. Even so, inwardly he felt fear that the man was angry with him. "I'm not wrong, but if you ask, I'll apologize!"

Marco reached out his hand towards Lady Chantall, flicking his finger at the woman's forehead. "You don't understand" he said.

"What?" reply Lady Chantall astonished while rubbing a forehead.

"Renata was not really angry. He just pretended, to look like he had a reason to come here and give me this." Marco shows a fold of paper in his hand, giving it to Lady Chantall. "He needs to bother doing this because he suspects that there is an intruder inside the house."

"Inbreathers?"

"Someone gave our movement info to an outsider. There's probably someone working for Spencer or Hastings. Renata's looking for who it is."

Lady Chantall opened the paper that Marco handed over, reading the handwriting printed in cursive letters there.

There's something suspicious about the ladies. Maybe that's why Anna and Linda were targeted first. You know those golems were made by Hastings. I'll move on my own, no need to worry.

"Oh." Lady Chantall gaped. He asked in guilt, "Did I mess things up?"

"No. Renata did want to provoke that reaction from you." Marco smiled. "Rolan will take care of Jose, no matter where they are. Me and Renata know that. We're not too worried about him. All we need to think about now is the raid on the chapel tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Tomorrow is Wednesday. Is it Friday afternoon?"

"Milady, you want to wait for me to be truly sacrificed?"

"But your plan was originally—"

"That plan will go ahead" said Marco calmly. "But you clearly know that there is no victory in one clean final fight. Victory gained from hitting an opponent repeatedly mercilessly."

Lady Chantall turned her face, realizing the truth of it. Even her late husband fell not because of one trap but repeatedly stumbled in deception and slander so that he could no longer save himself.

Marco approached, pulling a file of notes from Lady Chantall's hand. "I was wondering why Duke Ashington asked Hastings to hide for seven years, which was the limit. There are seven body replacement rituals to make Arabella immortal in the world. Each ritual will open one gate of the seven sins of man, he has done six times the previous ritual, opening six gates that represent the six sins of man. This is his last ritual. The last gate he had not yet opened. In other words, the peak ritual. If he succeeds, Arabella will be just as likely, the world's immortal chained. To Be Eternal."

"That sounds like punishment" Lady Chantall commented. He pulled Marco's arm, dragged him to lie on the bed.

"Maybe it's a form of love for him." Marco responds while Lady Chantall showers him with a kiss. "Maybe Arabella wants it too—though I doubt I remember the story of Jose and Nolan. Poor girl, she doesn't seem to want to be in this world any longer. Jeanne, stop. I'm being serious."

"I'm anxious to see you serious" Lady Chantall laughed sheepishly.

She thought that just being certain was enough, but after her feelings were accepted, she wanted a kiss. Then he thought one kiss was enough, but it turned out that his body missed the man's sense of body in it. And now he can't last long without putting their skin together. This greed tormented her, but Lady Chantall did not want to hold back. She's a woman who knows what she wants, and will fight to get it.

"I'm sorry, sorry," he said hurriedly, unwilling to make Marco think he had chosen the wrong woman. "I can stop for a minute." He sat sweetly on the bed. "You think he can be destroyed by blocking his rituals? What if he did it all over again from the beginning, opening the gate from number one again?"

"That's what we don't know. I want to see what happens tomorrow." Marco placed the Krip file on the nightstand and lay down on Lady Chantall's side. Being with the woman strangely makes the pain less, even sometimes not felt.

I should have killed Sir William long ago. Marco closed his eyes. Whatever happens, I have to destroy it this time.

***