Narumo

Chapter 9 - Answers Gakupo was the first to react to the abrupt appearance of the man in the grey suit, letting out a roar as he landed a punch squarely on the man’s jaw. He might as well have punched a brick wall. The man calmly grabbed Gakupo’s fist and lifted him off his feet. After a brief appraising look, the man tossed him aside. The sound of his body hitting the stairs and tumbling down was ripe with horrifying possibilities, but Luka had only a moment to fret about it. Something was happening to the skin of her wrist, under the man’s fingers. The sensation spread quickly upwards engulfing her arm in agony. It expanded like a ripple, crossing her chest, reaching her limbs before her next breath. She screamed, and many inhuman howls echoed from above, in mockery of her pain. Her legs buckled under her, and would’ve tumbled down as well if not for the steely grip around her wrist. Tears filled her eyes and swiftly evaporated before they had the chance to roll down her

Chapter 8 - The Scorched Axis She couldn’t remember how the summer sun felt on her skin. Try as she might, the perennial humidity and cold sank into her body, permanently expunging any trace of comfort. All that remained was the rain, the heavy clouds, the tower growing larger and larger as the procession slowly crept along the coast. The rags covering her shape were always damp, always frigid, always clinging to her goosebump-covered limbs. It was the same for the children in front and behind her. The weather worsened by the day, something that the glum adults herding her and the others seemed to expect. But that meant they could seldom keep dry as they marched. Only at night, when they were ordered to strip and sit around a bonfire, could they get some reprieve from the icy touch of the stinking fabric. Every now and then, one of their number fell ill. The unfortunate child soon disappeared during the sleeping hours, and the line grew shorter. The remaining ones knew better than