I just miss Rurouni Kenshin, okay? And I hope y'all remember some shit from the previous book. 

Okay aside from that, I was gone for like two years since I got, uuhhh, occupied I guess??? I changed schools, got a boyfriend, had too many school activities because I was having too much fun, started becoming an extrovert, then went on to a downfall where I realized my boyfriend was just a stoic prick and may or may not have any feelings for me, we broke up because my mom found out about my secret boyfie, my anxiety kinda spiraled down badly this year (despite looking like a living breathing APH Italy for the entire year because I loved my activities), and now I'm trying to get myself back up. I started to remember things that made me happy before the new things that happened the previous year, and one of them was Wattpad. I enjoyed making people happy with the thoughts and ideals I had in a person, not only as a lover but in a friend as well. Hopefully, I'll be back for good because right now? I'm finally 18 y'all. I started writing The Troll Hunter at 14 and I'm honestly horrified at my writing HAHAHAHA

Hope y'all enjoy this fic, and have a Merry Christmas! If your Christmas ain't merry, it's aight. I'm right here for this chapter.

Auf Wiedersehen for now! Love y'all <3

-Pumpkin

It was day three in Japan. You and Nick were in Kyoto for one last final shoot in the mainland before moving on to Hokkaido. It was a charming city, preserving a lot of its heritage. You swore that once you both finish early, you were renting a kimono or yukata for the rest of the day just to relax with Nick. You thank the company for being so specific with their shots, and locations, and how they want it to be. It almost seemed too magical (the shots) since all of them had perfect views of the unseen around. The phoenixes during the sun rise were captured through long exposure to make the Toji Temple have more color. The flames of the sun radiated perfectly with the red and gold odyssey. You also had photos of the Ninna-ji Temple yesterday where you could've sworn that the Raijin made that lighting strike for the photo on purpose. 

The sad thing about this entire trip was that the company requested for a few locations, which didn't seem entirely right to you but work was work. Whatever the client wants, they get—especially when the client has their own creative perspective. It's pretty helpful when they already have something in mind, but the struggle is how you can pull it off. Strangely, the Toji Temple photo was a bit too detailed for someone to do without an edit. 

"Alright! That's the last of 'em." You checked your shot of the Byodo-in Temple. 

There were three shots you liked, but you noticed some of the other shots contained things that shouldn've been there earlier. Thankfully, those things in the way aren't on your prized shots. 

"The negative energy here is giving me a headache." Nick groaned as she searched her bag for her medicine box. "Ugh, this is worse than that one time in Lawang Sewu in Indonesia."

"Are you saying that whatever we have caught on camera on some point is on a whole 'nother level of haunted?" Nick nodded.

"Probably demons." She grabbed her wallet and you both began to walk to the nearest vending machine. 

"They won't bother us though, right?"  Nick snorted and inserted a few coins into the vending machine. "Right??"

"(Nickname), if there's anything I can remember about demons from where I'm from, they have no chill." Nick had her left hand slapped on her forehead in distressed. "Japanese ones definitely have no chill at all."

Nick quickly grabbed the Pocari Sweat she chose and popped a pill in her mouth. She downed the drink on one go before throwing it in the trash. Her eyes were unfocused. You caught her before she could topple over the trashcan beside her. At that moment, you realized her body was going cold and she started shivering, despite wearing a parka for a weather like this.

"We should go. " Cold sweat started to drip down from her forehead.

You gladly packed up with her and went out of the haunted-ish area, supporting her body as she staggered side to side. Once the both of you finally exited the historical site, Nick started to feel a bit better. Warmth was returning to her body, cold sweat stopped, and her eyes were beginning to focus on wherever she was stepping. She looked a lot better.

"How are you so affected by those things?" You sipped some of your water. "I get affected by ghosts more than those entities of evil."

"Well, if I can recall, demons are more religion-related beings rather than ghosts, who can belong anywhere at anytime." Nick started. "My Lola Ama taught me that demons are tied to things in this world that are brought upon by people with evil intentions, while ghosts are people themselves who have powerful souls with powers that can either be good or bad.

"I'm from a religious-superstitious family, from the only Christian country in Asia, and that the entire country is literally a home to numerous shared myths around Asia—I'm probably the best target for every creature who'd want to do some evil shit on me."

"Huh." You blinked. "Didn't you stop going to church like three years ago?"

"Did I stop praying though?" Nick flashes a smile before giving you a finger gun. "Words have power, (Y/n). I may not be like my Lola Ama, but the rawest form of power are words."

"I have been working with you for three years and I'm pretty sure you just yell profanities at whatever creature is bothering you." You smirked. "When I was being attacked by a banshee last summer, you ran into my room and started yelling 'AHHH, GET OFF OF HER YOU STINKIN' WET BITCH!', in your greatest impression of a Scottish accent, with your tripod drenched in holy water. Then there was that one time in Puerto Rico where you were about to get dragged by this thing you called a chokoy? Sokoy?"

"Siyokoy." Nick muffled a laugh.

"Yeah! And before I can save you from getting dragged towards the sea, you were already doing damage to the poor critter with the room's emergency kit." You started to let out some giggles. 

"Hey, I'm not the only one with bad ass stories like that." Nick taunted playfully. "Remember Greenland? That giant wolf bowed down to you! How cool is that? A-And that encounter with a dragon when we were hired to take photos on Dyatlov Pass—when we were working for a supernatural magazine? I was beginning to think that you've got a stronger connection to the supernatural than I had in years or that you were some kind of royalty, some shit like that."

"Excuse me, but you're the girl who lives with ten other entities—OH SHIT!" You immediately grabbed Nick by the shoulders and tackled her against the pavement.

A fire ball was shot at the both of you, missing your skins by an inch. It shot a burning hole through the board with the temple's map and set the tree behind it on fire. Your eyes widened as you watched the flames in front of you danced with lightning coming out and whipping around it like snakes being held hostage at the black market. The hairs on the nape of your neck rose from the sight of it—an instant fear that froze you. You didn't understand why the lightning scared you so much. You've taken pictures of them a lot, even ones inside a jar, but you didn't understand why this was one was so different from the others; but you knew you had to get out of here with Nick—that's the main goal, for now.

The adrenaline finally kicked in. The both of you got up and made a run for it. You weren't what was going on and who the hell shot that blast, but you were sure as hell that you didn't want to find your attacker in front of you. The tourist around were screaming and running towards the main entrance, and there were some with burns on some of the tourist; hopefully, no one was on fire. You turned back and realized that the fire balls were coming from the inside of the temple. 

Nick fell back and screamed as a fireball landed right in front of her. The both of you moved backwards as the fire in front of you danced with the lightning. It was oddly mesmerizing at first until it began to form itself into a giant fire snake with the lightning as its exoskeleton.

"NOPE!" You screamed and scrambled towards the forest with Nick. 

The both of you ran until you were both by the shore of that lake that surrounded the temple. The dark waters mocked the both of you of a dead end. You huffed in frustration and looked around for a weapon or something. Your best options were some gravel, bigger stones, and a somewhat thick tree branch. 

You chose the tree branch.

"Well this is just fucking brilliant." You looked at Nick who did the same, but picked up some stones instead. "This is some David and Goliath shit!"

Nick didn't respond. There was fear in her eyes, but she was muttering something that you couldn't understand. You've heard those words when you were in the Philippines for a visit, but you just couldn't make out the words she was saying.

"Amen." 

Oh, she was praying.

Nick finally let out a sigh. There was cold sweat around her body all over again, but she stood strong. She shut her eyes for a moment. The area remained silent except for the distant roar of the fiery reptile after the both of you.

Suddenly, your chest began to feel light. Not in a way that you were about to pass out, but in a feathery feeling that you felt safe. There was this sudden voice in your head now that was telling you to protect Nick before everything could go down. Then another voice came into your head that sounded like you, but it wasn't something you would say or hear yourself ever say.

Justice to my family.

You couldn't understand what this monster had to do with your family. You didn't understand why a part of your mind was telling you, a magic-less being, to stand up against a twelve foot fire snake that has lightning for an exoskeleton. You were starting to confuse yourself with the mysterious thoughts deep in your mind resurfacing at the speed of a torpedo under water. 

Until something glowing beneath your shirt started to confuse you even more.

"What the fu—," As you were about to panic about the light, another roar is heard; but this time it was closer.

"(Y/n)." You looked a Nick who still had her eyes closed. "I know that we've been photographer buddies for three years, and I just wanted to tell you that whatever happens, keep on running—,"

As Nick opened her eyes, your mouth gaped wide open. They were now pure black. 

"And I hope you could still consider me as a friend after all of this."

The snake finally arrives to the show with three more heads. You found yourself holding the tree branch tighter than ever. You steadied your breathing and watched as Nick threw stones at the snake. 

"Ignis." 

Igni.

Show off.

A vision was starting to resurface.

Fuck, not now! You tried to fight the vision away.

The events happening in front of you were beginning to come to a blur. You could see that the stones exploded into blue fire that made the snake hiss violently as Nick started to gather more. You breathed heavily as you watched the light on your chest glowing brighter than ever. The brighter your chest glowed, the chances of you passing out grew. You weren't going to back down now, and you had no plans of leaving Nick behind—not now, and not ever. 

You let out a cry and shook the power of the vision off. You finally had a clear view of the situation. Nick was throwing gravel and water at the snake, but the more it took the water in, the fiercer the lightning moved. A tiny shriek came from Nick as she dropped the gravel in her hands from a small zap. 

Then you realized something—the both of you were stupid for not realizing this earlier.

"Nick, catch!" Nick faced you with surprised, but wasn't surprised enough to get hit by the reptile on fire.

You threw the branch at her. She caught it with ease and held it tight. She pointed it right at the snake.

"Colere." She spoke with regality as the branch grew more branches towards the snake.

The branches grew thicker and thicker, nearly ceasing the uncontrollable fire coming within the snake, but lines of lightning were still coming out of the growing cage.

"I can't deal—ugh!" Your eyes widened as Nick loses her grip on the branch.

"Nick!" You ran towards her.

Nick falls on her knees, starting to cough hazardously. Blood started to splatter on the ground as she hugged her chest.

"Nick, Nick—stay with me Nick." You knelt down and helped lie against your lap, cradling her.

"G-Get out of here..." She groaned and huffed angrily at you. "I have no idea what the fuck is—," She wheezes, "—going on, dammit!"

"You don't need to explain, just get up!" You persuaded her. 

Suddenly, lightning strikes you in the chest.

You could've died. You should've died, but you didn't. You were still alive, flesh and blood—not charred into charcoal by the strike or paralyzed by it. 

"Y-You're glowing?!" Nick managed to choke out.

"Huh?"

 You looked at your arms to see some blue-violet aura around you with a mist of silver glowing around you like the night sky. The lightning crawled around you, but dispersed as the silver mist started to eat it up. The mysterious aura gave you a familiar feeling of warmth, something that you would compare to a few sweaters and some warm beverages. Your lips twitched into a smile. You couldn't help, but feel somewhat happy and relieved by the mysterious colors that surrounded your body. It felt like a hug from someone who misses you, one of the warmest hugs you can ever receive. 

The feeling was making your heart feel heavy. The warm embrace felt like it could've triggered your visions, but it made you sorrowful. Melancholia was sewing something for you that brought your tears out. 

You missed this embrace.

"Get away from her." The voice behind the both of you dripped with poison.

You turned your head to see Lukas in the most majestic form you have ever seen. Glowing ribbons of the aura around your skin were coming out from his fingers and palms. What caught your eyes was how it was similar to Nick's, but instead of black they were blue.

At that point, you knew that things were about to go down.

"Ah shit."