Facing Reality

*soul watches from a rooftop*

"F**K ow....ow...ow that stings..."

*he runs over to them* “you ok?!”

*hides their arm*
"uh- yeah!"

“Your lying, show me your arm”

"uh-no can do-....."

“Why?”

"it's a secret..."

“Hmm”

"i'm not allowed to say..."

“Whys that?”

"my dad would get mad at me"

“Oh”

"yeah"

“Damn”

"it's just to protect me and my family"

“Makes sense”

"ow...still hurts though..."

??: *walking and notices Devin*

"you are wearing a visor of sorts- looking into the make believe world."

Reece: A visor-?

"y-yeah- you can take it off and see the real world-or...keep it on and stay here. your choice"

Reece: I think I'd rather stay here

"me too"

Reece: That's good to know

"yeah"

Reece: So what do you want to do?

"i just want to stay here with you-"

Reece: That sounds nice right about now

*you see a foggy outline of a boy*

Reece: *Yells out to him* Hello?

"no need to yell....it already echoes...." the voice timidly whispers

Reece: *quieter* Ah, sorry

*as you get closer you see it's kaitou*

Reece: *His eyes light up* Kaitou?

"...."

Reece: *Runs up to him, partially shocked*

"r-reece-? what are you doing here?"

Reece: *Hugs Kaitou and starts to tear up*

???: damn- okay. that's a long time-....

Reece: Yeah, it is. I was experimented on for 3,000 years, put in a purge-type boot camp for 10,000 years, I've been an assassin for 9,002 years, and the rest was just heavy abuse and suffering.

???: i'll warn you- after this.....it's just a whole lotta nothingness- an empty void.

Reece: I'd rather that than this.

???: not to be nosy- but it is my job...please state your name and reason for ending your eternal suffering.

Reece: My name is Eceer, I usually go by Reece however. My reason for ending it is because I have been here long enough. I have lost too much and I just, cannot take it anymore.

???: anyone you want to say goodbye to before leaving?

Reece: *shakes his head* No, the only people who I've ever cared about are long gone by now.

???: and no one else knows you're using this spell? because if someone tries to stop us in the middle of this things could go very badly.

Reece: No one knows. Dangour is the only person who could possibly know, but he doesn't know what spell is happening since he doesn't study dark spells.

???: alright....*pulls out his scythe*

Reece: *stays still*

*it goes through you and everything goes dark as the candles go out*

Reece: *Purrs and closes his eyes happily*

*when you open your eyes you are blinded by a white void*

Reece: Ow-

...

Reece: *squints*

*you hear humming*

Reece: *Looks in the direction of the humming*

*it walks slowly to reece*

Reece: *Gets into a defensive position and growls*

*it hugs him and pets his head*

Reece: *Strikes out at it with long, sharp claws that suddenly appeared on his fingers and lashes his tail*
Levi: *Gets up and away from the two*

*it stumbles back as flames surround it, the form, still of kaitou, looks at you sadly and desperately as it collapses to the ground in the ring of flames, and it feels too real*

Reece: *Growls as his pupils turn to very thin slits*

*as the flames die down and sludge disappears, you see devin, blacked out and completely beaten up, burnt, and bloody*

Reece: *Watches it bitterly*

*the image of kaitou's death and near death experiences burn into reece's mind*

Reece: *Approaches it, keeping his cold, dead stare*

'i'm not the same reece.'

Reece: 'What do you mean by that?'

'i changed, a lot'

Reece: 'Ah,'

'i'm barely even the same person you used to know'

Reece: 'Oh ok'

'i did things that- weren't morally okay'

Reece: 'Uh- Ok?'

'and i know i can't move on as easily as we both want to believe, but there is a reason i'm surviving'

Reece: 'And that is?'

*they bring him to the ambulance*

Reece: *Stays in his spot and watches*

*the ambulance drives off with kaitou in it*

Reece: *Stays sitting there, looking over the damage*

*pretty much everything has been reduced to dust*

Reece: *He continues to sit there*

*you see the book of forbidden spells, perfectly intact*

Reece: *Picks it up*

*it flips to a page*

Reece: *Looks at the page hesitantly*

*devin stares at you, their eyes blacked out and they have thick black sludge oozing from their mouth, laughing manicially*
"Y0u c0uldn't eVeN SAve THEM-!"

??: 1 W@$ THe 0N3 WH0 K1LL3D Th3M 4NyW4Y

"NO. you weren't. IT W4$ CrueL FATe thAT YOU Can'T eVEn hELP SOmeonE LIkkE ME!"

??: *a ring of fire surrounds himself*

*the sludge take the form of kaitou*

??: ꋪꏂꏂꉔꏂ
Reece: *appears near the two* LEVI I TOLD YOU NOT TO SUMMON ME WHEN YOU- *Notices whats happening* Uhm-

*the sludge wraps around levi*

Reece: The h*ll is happening-?! *Shakes his head* USE YOUR D*MN QUIRK ON HIM!
Levi: *Engulfs Devin/Kaitou in heavy flames*

*the sludge seems unaffected but stops as it notices reece*

Levi: *Wriggles away from the sludge to Reece*
Reece: *Steps inbetween the sludge and Levi*

*you see the book next to you*

Reece: *Opens a portal and throws the book inside, then closes the portal*

*it reappears*

Reece: *Growls* F*CK OFF DUMB BOOK!

*it flips to a blank page with a pen*

Reece: I SAID F*CK OFF! I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU!

*kaitou's breathing is weak and gradually worsening*

Reece: *Shoves his face back into the couch*

*kaitou's eyes blink open*

Reece: *Slowly begins to fall asleep*

*more news stories report on Kaitou's death, seemingly a big deal*
"Kaitou Takami was killed earlier today in a head-on collision, please be advised to wear your seatbelts, and use your headlights while driving." *they show pictures of kaitou at a young age and with his family, a few with a purple haired boy, and some of him with you*

Reece: *Gasps for air but instead chokes on his own blood*
Reece2: *Drags Reece up and throws him against a wall*
Reece: *Coughs up more blood and tries to get up, but fails weakly*
Reece2: *Smirks* Had enough yet?
Reece: *Growls and suddenly lurches forward and onto him* NOT IN 5 MILLION YEARS! *Smiles sadistically and drives his claws into the clone's chest*
Reece2: AH-
Reece: *Rips open the clones chest and starts picking through it's exposed organs*
Reece2: GAH-!

"we now turn to an interview done with Keigo Takami;"
"Hawks, how do you feel about this happening?"
"it's been tough since Devin was hospitalized, but losing Kaitou....it's hard to imagine that this could have happened to him, i'm still in shock and trying to process it myself. He and i weren't the closest but i-....i'm going to really miss him and despite him not having many close friends, i'm sure there are others who feel the same way...."

Reece: *Continues to rip at the organs and flesh, eventually leaving a very mangled clone and flesh and guts and blood everywhere* a**h*le- *Looks at the news again*

*you see the pictures they show of kaitou*

Reece: *Wipes his nose* Hm, d*mn, guess he's dead or something. *Shrugs* They all die eventually I guess-

"more people continue to go missing and have for the past two years, if you find someone please alert the local authorities immediately"

Reece: HAH- Like I'd do that-

*the middle part sticks out to you, about two years*

Reece: ..It's probably just some villains or something

*kaitou talks with the doctor, going into coughing fits*

Reece: *hugs his pillow*

*the book snaps shut*

Reece: *Shoves it onto the floor*

*kaitou calls reece*

Reece: *groans and picks up the phone without looking at who called* It's Eceer, who's this?

"reece- i- i don't know if you wanted to be here in person or not for this...."

Reece: For what?

"my....final wo- *coughs and wheezes* words...."

Reece: ...

*it flips to a page*

Reece: *Breathes a shaky breath* You have a spell to kill an immortal?

*it quickly flips through it's pages and stops near the back*

Reece: *Looks over the page*

'Death beyond death; requires: soul and physical being, blue flame, candles'

Reece: *Nods* I can get that, I can definitely get that, *Opens a portal to Dangour's house and steps through it*

*the book appears in your hand*

Reece: *Whispers to it* don't let them see you, *Walks into the house and straight upstairs to Dangour's room*
Dangour: Oh- Reece-!
Reece: I need some blue flame candles.
Dangour: Uh-

*the book hides*

Dangour: How many-?
Reece: Uhh, 10 I guess, to be safe.
Dangour: Oh, uh, ok, *Points to a drawer* there's probably some in there
Reece: 'k! *Searches through the drawer*

*they look at you in surprise*

??: You didn't clean it!

"it'll heal on it's own"

??: It won't if it gets infected!

"it's not gonna-"

??: How do you know that?

"because it's healed before-"

??: Clean it!

"how do you clean a burn?!"

??: *Inhales as if he's about to say something, but then doesn't*

"but that's not how the story goes- she's not dead yet-"

??: Yeah, she tried to go on a mission with Reece, f*cked something up, and died

"you're MESSING UP THE STORY!#$^WWWWW^456#^&!!!!"

??: WELL THAT'S WHAT REECE TOLD EVERYONE!

"!@$^T4##%"

??: #_+$&6) ;#&/@+$

*your mind is flooded with memories of Devin and Kaitou that do not belong to you*

??: what the h*ll-?

*it comes with a wave of emotions, a turmoil of everything, happy, sad, anger, fear*

??: *clutches his head in his hands*

"i- i thought you were immortal-..."

Reece: I found a spell that would let me die! *Smiles* Isn't that great?

"is that what you wanted though?"

Reece: Yes! I've wanted it for so long! I can finally be free!

"well then..."

Reece: Whats wrong?

"there's nothing to do here"

Reece: Thats ok! We can make up something to do!

"...i wish....things could've been better..."

Reece: With what?

*the book peeks out*

Reece: *finds the candles*
Dangour: *sees the book* Is that a book of-
Reece: *Grabs the book after quickly getting the candles* Nope!
Dangour: What are you-
Reece: Thanks for the candles, bye! *Quickly opens a portal back home and jumps through it*
Dangour: Wait!
Reece: *shuts it* What next?

*it flips back to the page*
'light each of the candles casting the spell each time one is lit, place in a circle'
'efillatrommi rof tserlanrete, with each candle unlit undo my strife'

Reece: *Does that*

*the room goes dark except for the light of the candles*

Reece: *Looks back at the book for what next*

*a figure appears in front of you, dark eyes, blue hair and wields a giant, purple glowing scythe*

Reece: *Waves at it*

???: ugh-...i do not like that summoning spell...

Reece: Why don't you like it?

*tears run down kaitou's face*
"i know what i need to do..."

Reece: *Gets off the lady* Alright, now that that's done, *Disappears*

*kaitou appears next to reece, tears running down his face*

Reece: *Immediately snaps into a defensive position*

"it's just me-......forgive me for what I'm about to do..." *he holds the book of forbidden spells and kisses reece until he draws blood from inside the mouth*

Reece: *Tries to push Kaitou away*

*stumbles to the ground*

Reece: What the h*ll are you doing?!

*kaitou looks away*
"you- don't have to worry about ever running into me anymore....." *you can see he's in pain and holding back a flood of tears*

Reece: What does that mean?!?

"i knew what i was getting into. i thought it could be my last chance because no one else could love me. but i can't take it anymore. i love you reece. but- goodbye." *kaitou says it firmly, leaving*

Reece: *Growls*

*you feel the reality of his sentence hit as he leaves*

Reece: *Continues growling*
Levi: *Watches Reece with a scared expression*

*two years slowly pass by*

Reece: *Fighting with a copy of himself that he made out of boredom, and bottled up rage*

*the news comes on*
"Today we mourn the death of pro hero Hawks son, Kaitou Takami, who tragically passed away moments before arriving at the hospital due to lung and brain damage from a car crash."

Reece: Hm-? *pauses to look at the news*
Reece2: *Jumps on him, effectively making him fall and pinning him to the ground*
Reece: *Slams his head on the ground when he fell and groans* Ugh- *Feels blood seeping from his head* Well f*ck me gently with a chainsaw-
Reece2: *Starts violently punching Reece in the face*
Reece: *Wriggles around but can't get out of the other him's grasp*
Reece2: *Punches him harder and harder, making Reece's face into a bloody mess and his own knuckles start bleeding as well*

"in other news, overwhelmingly large amounts of people continue to go missing, if you see any of these individuals, contact the local authorities immediately."
(also love the heathers reference✨)

Reece2: *Lands another punch*
Reece: *Bites his wrist hard*
Reece2: AH-! *Tries to shake and pry him off*
Reece: *Bites down harder and the clone starts spewing large amounts of blood from the bite*
Reece2: *Growls and lights his wrist on fire*
Reece: F*CK- *Lets go*
Reece2: *Gets up and starts stomping on the original Reece, spiking up the bottom of his foot while doing so*
Reece: AUGH- *Starts violently coughing up blood as the clone continues to stomp on him*

"F**K! ow- ow- ow!"

??: *sneaks to a spot where he can see Devin better*

*lands on a roof and shields themself with their wings*

??: *watches*

*pulls out bandages and suddenly stands up and looks at the other end of the roof as if expecting someone to be there*

??: *Freezes and says to himself* Didn't Reece talk about some kid with red wings like that before-?

*stays like that for awhile*

??: *Continues to watch Devin*

*wraps their wound*

??: *Watches for a few seconds, then calls out to them* Aye!

*the figure stands up, and you receive a notification on your phone that kaitou was in the area*

Reece: But he died-?

*a portal opens up by the figure and takes care of the body*

Reece: *Continues watching the figure*

*turns around and looks around cautiously, you see white and gold hair, messily pulled back and blue eyes*

Reece: *Stares at it for a bit and then pulls his hair up in a very messy ponytail*

*pulls on gloves and starts clearing the scene*

Reece: *Watches*

*sits and wheezes hazardly*

Reece: *Calls out* Need some help there? I see you made quite a mess

'So you rather i stayed weak and dependant on others?!'

Reece: 'NO, BUT I'D RATHER YOU TRY TO FIGHT FOR YOURSELF INSTEAD OF JUST LETTING PEOPLE WALK ALL OVER YOU! ME? I was f*cked to begin with! There was never ANY hope for me! You had a flame that was beautiful, but instead of trying to keep that flame alive, you just LET them extinguish it! That isn't strength, that is more weak and dependent than anything I've EVER seen before! I never had any hope, but AT LEAST I FOUGHT FOR MYSELF, I TRIED TO IGNITE MY FLAME, AND I AM STILL TRYING, I AM STILL TRYING TO PROVE THAT I AM SOMETHING TO EVERYONE ELSE AND MYSELF!'

'YOU WERE SOMETHING TO ME!' *kaitou anger spirals and he suddenly stops replying, holding his head in pain*

Reece: *Breathes in and out, shaking with pure anger* ..... *His eyes start to tear up* ..my time for needing someone was 20,000 years ago, I don't NEED anyone to care about me now! I need to prove to IT that I'm worthy enough to have more after me so I can JUST LEAVE ALREADY! I'VE BEEN ALIVE FOR MORE THAN LONG ENOUGH, BUT I CAN'T DIE UNTIL THAT B*ST*RD THINKS THAT I'M GOOD ENOUGH TO HAVE MORE DEMONS OF NO REGRET OR GUILT!

*tears run down kaitou's face as he shoves down the urge to lash out violently*
"WHAT IS HE SO AFRAID OF?! WHY DOES HE PUSH EVERYONE AWAY?!" *Kaitou screams*

Reece: *he growls, still shaking*

*his shape twists and deforms him and he lashes out with rage until he is sedated and taken away*

Reece: *As he keeps growling, he gets a text from a co-worker saying he's needed for a mission, he slowly gets up and calms down enough to go*

*kaitou wakes up screaming, in tears from a dream*

((Wait- was the Reece being mad a dream? I'm sorry I'm confused rn-))

(no)

((Ohhh okkk))
Reece: *On his way to the target*

*kaitou looks around*

Reece: *Slows down as he approaches the target's house, checking the message once more to make sure he went to the right place* Yup, it's here

*kaitou sighs and looks down*
"Reece was right..."

Reece: *Walks to the target's door and knocks*
???: *Opens the door* Hello-?
Reece: Hi, there was this really creepy dude following me,
???: Oh-
Reece: I don't want to go home in fear that he might follow me, may I come in for a while?
???: Oh of course! Come in, come in! *Opens the door wider for him*
Reece: *Walks in*
???: Closes the door behind them*
Reece: *Bows his head* thank you very much miss!

*thinks for a while*

???: Its alright! Would you like some snacks while you wait?
Reece: That would be nice!
???: Alrighty then! One snack coming up! *Giggles and scurries to the kitchen*
Reece: *Follows her slowly*

*gets up but stops himself*

???: *Goes to a counter and starts making something*
Reece: *Approaches her and leaps onto her back*
???: WHA-?! *Falls*
Reece: *Stands over her*
???: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!
Reece: Shhh,
???: Wha-
Reece: *Quickly pulls out a knife and stabs her over and over again*

'Unlimited power; required: soul/physical being, the blood of a loved one'
'lortnocdnoyeb detnargrewop'

Reece: *Growls at it and tries to tear at the page*

*a deep gash appears on your hand*

Reece: *Growls at the book and throws it*

*it lands on the ground*

Reece: *Looks at the gash*

*it looks infected*

Reece: *Scoffs at it* ..whatever. *Appears back at his house*

*kaitou lays in the hospital, unmoving and barely breathing*

Reece: *Flops face-first onto his couch*

*it nags at the back of your mind*

Reece: *Thinks about it for a bit longer before dismissing it* Why am I worrying- Its not like it can hurt me anyway-

*you hear loud noises outside*

Reece: The f*ck-? *Looks outside*

*in an alleyway across the street you can see someone brutally beating the pulp out of another person*

Reece: *Watches, still very bloody, and partially mangled*

"Stay- On the ground- You piece- Of Sh*t!" *beating the crap out of him*

Reece: D*mn- Get it I guess-

*the guy struggles and a flash of blue flames quickly appears and disappears*

Reece: *Keeps watching with interest*

*kaitou wheezes and coughs, collapsing as the building starts to crumble*

Reece: *Sees Kaitou and rushes to him, using his body to try and shield him from being crushed by the building*

*the smoke and dust clear*

Reece: *Looks at Kaitou*

*his skin is horribly burnt and he remains still*

Reece: *Stays there with Kaitou*

*Emergency services come and look for survivors*

Reece: *Waves his hand at them while staying by Kaitou's side*

*they rush over*

Reece: *Watches*

*kaitou is already gone*

Reece: *Thinks to himself for a bit* I'll just put it somewhere and if he comes back for some reason, he can just grab it *he pockets it and continues cleaning*

*you finish*

Reece: *sighs and stretches*

*you try to process what just happened*

Reece: so he isn't dead then, impressive I guess

*kaitou walks back to base*

Reece: *sets the inhaler down somewhere where he could see it*

*slumps down on his bed*
?: "mission went well sunshine?"
"shut up, don't call me that..."

Reece: *yawns and sits down*

*the world shifts and you see kaitou*

Levi: What the h*ll-!?!
Reece: *Growls*

"R-Reece-?! i- i- i'm-...." *reaches for you*

Reece: *slaps his hand away and flashes his razor-sharp teeth*

*blood runs down his hand and he looks at you in shock*

Reece: *Stares back with the same cold dead eyes he had before*
Levi: *watches them*

"reece-...it's me- Kaitou..."

Reece: And?! *His words are harsh* I've been around for more than 25,000 years, I've lost every other person who I've cared for, some even at my hands! I've sacrificed every last thing I've had and I'm not afraid to sacrifice you too!

*the glimmer washes from kaitou's eyes and he turns away*
"this isn't the future you want reece. trust me. but it's too late now- you made your choice. you know, devin was right- i was scared to let go. i was scared to leave, but you've managed to scare me into leaving. you are your own undoing."

Reece: I MADE "MY" CHOICE A LONG TIME AGO. I'M A F*CKING DEMON, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM ME?! *His eyes start to leak black liquid and they slowly blackout* DO YOU EXPECT ME TO BE ALL HAPPY RAINBOW-Y FRIENDS?! I CAME UNDONE A LONG TIME AGO, BUT YOU CLEARLY COULDN'T SEE THAT
Levi: *Quietly* Reece- it-
Reece: *Looks at Levi* NO, YOU DON'T GET TO SPEAK B*ST*RD, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE EVEN SUMMONED ME IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Levi: S-s-sorry sir..
Reece: *Walks over to Levi and slaps him, leaving a mark and scratches on his face*
Levi: *The strike sends him reeling backwards and he gasps*

"look- i know you're f**ked up and always have been, but when we were a thing- i saw something in you, something that made me feel good things around you, and even though we aren't a thing anymore, you clearly reciprocated those feelings and came back to save me.....if you didn't, why on earth would you come back?"

Reece: *stays silent*