Report Three: Peach Tree

Angel! Angel! Why do you Cry?
What did you lose?
Can my heart replace it? 

- Dark, The Book of Memories

All Hollow's Eve. The most scared and feared days of the year. Some praise it for the thinning of the veil between the worlds. Others fear it for the monsters and demons that come out at night, so the dress in costume to fool the creatures. Children now seek candy in some realms, but not this one. This was a night to be feared.

Isthar was terrified as the vampire hunter dragged him through the door. He was struggling, but the supernatural creature was far stronger than he was. The poor little chimera didn't stand a chance, nor did he understand what the hell was going on. None of it made any sense to him.

He was thrown into the grass by Mik unceremoniously. The vampire hunter was eying him up and down before he spoke non-encouraging words, "Run, Idiot."

"What? Why?"

There was a howl of a wolf, entirely too close for comfort. The vampire repeated himself flatly.

Ishtar shook his head.

"Then you'll die," Mik said as he adjusted his hat painstakingly. It made the young Chimera wonder why Mik was nice to him when he met him in the bed room. Had he always been like this? Or was it just because of that woman who claimed to be an angel?

There was a crash as something burst out of the thick trees and underbrush. The vampire whipped around, suddenly drawing several blades from places unknown. The blur of a monstrous figure was already on him, pinning him down.

Ishtar held his breathe slowly edging backwards as the struggle ensued. Why had he left the book behind? The chimera suddenly rose and bolted. He didn't want any of this!

He continued to run until he recognized and heard nothing. He wanted answers, not more questions! He was here for a reason, and then he could leave, but why wouldn't anyone tell him what was going on? Ishtar realized that he was completely out of breathe as he fell to his knees.

It wouldn't have been odd to him if he had still heard the sounds of the fight, but it was just entirely too much. The world was moving too fast for this.

A peach was lying on the ground besides him as he stared up at the sky. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he struggled to sit up. Ishtar rubbed his forehead. It must have been a dream. He had simply feel asleep besides the peach tree, he was really home with Roja and Kainon.

He suddenly felt arms wrap around him. He froze staring straight ahead as the person whispered in his ear, "You're the only one who can save us."

All Hollow's Eve was the night where spirits could visit the realm of the living. Mik, Dark, this person, the angel, that's what they were. They were spirits who could only show their true face on the night on this sainted and cursed night. But what did the peach tree have to do with anything?

"Ishtar Feldt, you have been given a mission, one to save those of us who have been forsaken. There have been many before you but none of them could find the truth. You, however, are just as broken as we are," the voice was still a whisper.

"You're an angel like that woman..."

There was a silent agreement in the air. Isthar could feel the hair on his neck standing up.

"This tree links you between the world of technology that you hold so dear and the world you hate. You can't go back to the world you love until you defeat the one you hate. I'm sorry."

"None of this makes sense," Isthar growled. "I've had it! This is nonsense!" he screamed as he threw the arms off him and stumbled forward. "Just tell me what I need to do! This is stupid! Don't run me ragged saying I need to go on some sort of holy crusade! I was attacked by a vampire and an angel of wrath and WHAT NEXT? I've HAD IT! I'm DONE!"

Then he saw the spirit that had been holding him. It was somewhere between a man and a woman, with long flowing white hair, pallid skin, and two different color eyes that shown brightly over the scared and facial features. He was nothing more than scary, but his face was one of utter shock. "Please help," he said while choking on his words. His wings, that on closer inspection were tattered and falling apart, quivered.

"No," Ishtar said.

"But we--"

"You don't need the help of a sixteen year old boy that you abused to get you to do what you want." He walked away from the tree and the individual, but he was suddenly fell forward. Something was pulling on his leg!

He turned around slowly as he struggled to get up. He found that a chain had been attached to his ankle. When had this happened? He struggled as he pulled it to find its source. The peach tree sulked in the distance as the chain was attached to one of it's roots. The angel sat staring at the ground, looking at his own chain, that had him bound not only to the tree, there was a chain trailing off into the distance.

Then Isthar realized he had another chain himself, one that reached off into the distance. He suspected that it was his link to the book.

"You're bound," whispered the angel, "We're all bound to something. But you need to find out where you other chain goes," he pointed to a rusted handcuff that was on the chimera's opposite arm. It reached off and faded into the trees, it almost seemed broken....

"What the hell?" he screamed as he sat up quickly. He was very tired of all this stupid crap. He rubbed his face of the sleep in his eyes and leaned back once again to stare at the ceiling. It had been a year since he had arrived. He had had very little contact with his world, besides a simple letter explaining his departure. He had been stuck alone with the book for most of his year alone, along with reoccurring dreams of past events. He hadn't had a decent night's sleep for a long while.

 Dark sat in a chair across from the chimera. He had long trailing hair as pitch as night, and a wardrobe like that of a scholarly gentleman. His eyes were read, though the whites of his eyes were actually white. He could have pulled off normal if it weren't for that awful smirk. "So, has my master discovered anything else?"

Ishtar grumbled, "Of course not. But once I find the chain's owner you're be released."

"I know that, but when. It's been a year already," The man sulked.

"How's Mikheil?" Ishtar suddenly asked as he slipped off the bed to get dressed in proper clothing.

"Why so worried about Mik all of a sudden? He's a heartless bastard after all. Only wants to use you to commit genocide on vampires so he can "rest" in peace so to speak. Even though he'd just be driven to kill humans like the things he hates so much," the man snorted.

"You're one to talk D," Ishtar said as he pulled on his favorite purple shirt. "You're just as bad as him."

"Master's a mean one," D looked upset for a moment before returning to his composed smirk. "Does Master want to know why I'm in human form?"

"Master probably knows," Ishtar sighed as he reached for his guns. He had acquired them for self defense, and he had known how to use them thanks to his past. "It is that time of the year again."

"Hollow's Eve! The time where the spirits are out and sensitive to the human world. Yes yes! And I can record the history of my creator and my past without interference." He almost purred as she spoke.

Isthar's tail twitched uncomfortable as he slipped a bell onto it. It was time to search for his link again. He couldn't see the chains in the waking hours, he could only see them when sleeping. But sometimes he could feel the pull between him and his bound counterpart. The only thing that worried him was the rust. Everyone else's chain was clean, but this one was tattered and broken. What did it mean?

"Maaaaaster?"

"What?"

"Can we please just go and kill stuff? Sending things where they belong like we should," the man bounced in his seat.

The chimera pulled on his gloves in a final act of preparation. "Let's."