Autor Note: Here is the first chapter I owed you, I'm missing one.
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"I'm leaving, I don't know how you can believe what these two are saying," said Sienna's other friend skeptically, crossing her arms and shaking her head, clearly annoyed.
"Brooke, but you saw the girl floating right in front of us," Sienna replied to her friend, taking a step toward her, her brow furrowed and her voice filled with frustration.
"It must be a magic trick, there has to be some explanation," Brooke said, waving her hand dismissively and avoiding looking at them directly.
"But it's true that Art the Clown almost killed me yesterday, I told you a few hours ago," Allie said while looking at her friend in disbelief, her voice slightly trembling. "You thought it was a joke, that I was lying." Allie's eyes widened as she realized it, her chest tightening and a knot forming in her throat when she understood that Brooke truly believed she was lying, feeling deeply betrayed.
"Well, yeah. It's Halloween," Brooke replied as if it were the most logical thing in the world, shrugging coldly.
"Brooke, seriously, you didn't believe her? Allie looked really scared when she told us today, she even cried," Sienna said, clenching her fists in helplessness while instinctively positioning herself beside Allie.
"I'm sick of this farce, I'm leaving," Brooke said sharply, turning around abruptly and walking away at a fast pace without looking back.
It seemed like the two of them wanted to go after their friend; they even took a couple of steps in her direction, but at that moment Liam spoke, his firm voice cutting through the moment and stopping them from leaving.
"Don't follow her, it doesn't matter what she thinks, we have more important things to do," Liam said as he looked seriously at Sienna and continued. "So take me to your house to see that sword and the sketchbook."
Sienna and Allie looked at each other in silence, exchanging a glance full of doubt and concern, and finally gave up on chasing after Brooke.
"Alright, follow me," Sienna said, taking a deep breath before turning around.
...
They were currently standing at the door of Sienna's house. The night was quiet, and the atmosphere felt heavy.
"Let me talk to your mother when we go in, she needs to understand that what happened with Art the Clown is real," Liam said, keeping a serious and determined tone.
Sienna nodded somewhat uncertainly, lowering her gaze a little; her mother had a very strong character, and that worried her.
With that, she opened the door and the four of them went inside.
"Mom, I'm home, I brought some friends," Sienna said as she entered, trying to sound natural.
"Welcome back, Sienna. You can take your friends to the living room while I prepare something for you," Sienna's mother said from the kitchen, her voice firm but calm.
"Okay," Sienna said.
The house smelled of freshly made food. Something warm and comforting… an uncomfortable contrast with the weight they carried and the tension lingering in the air.
Sienna left her things by the door and led the group toward the living room. Allie walked close to her, restless, looking around as if expecting something to happen. Carrie observed everything with curiosity, her eyes taking in every detail, while Liam carefully scanned the surroundings as if searching for something, analyzing the place.
"Sit down," Sienna said quietly. "Don't touch anything."
From the kitchen, her mother's voice was heard again, firm but controlled.
"Sienna, are they friends from school?"
"No, Mom, just Allie," she replied. "They're Liam and Carrie."
There was a brief silence. Then, footsteps approaching.
Sienna's mother appeared in the doorway, drying her hands with a cloth. Her gaze quickly scanned the four of them, evaluating them. When her eyes landed on Liam and Carrie, they lingered a second longer, with a suspicious expression.
Liam and Carrie held her gaze without looking away.
"Ma'am, we came today because of something very important. Your family was in danger recently," Liam said, pausing for a second before continuing. "Art the Clown almost killed your daughter's friend." Liam looked at Allie.
Allie nodded fearfully, swallowing hard. "He was about to cut my face when he saved me."
The mother raised an eyebrow slightly, clearly skeptical. "That clown again? Looks like your brother infected you with that nonsense," she said, shaking her head, visibly annoyed.
"And these kids filling your head with more crazy ideas, just like when your father was still alive," Sienna's mother began complaining about her late husband, her tone full of reproach.
"Mom, don't bring Dad into this, he was telling the truth," Sienna said angrily, rising slightly from her seat, her voice tense.
"Enough!" Liam raised his voice, stepping forward because he didn't want to waste time on an argument that would lead nowhere.
"Carrie, show her that a murderous clown isn't the strangest thing that can exist," Liam said, without taking his eyes off Sienna's mother.
"With pleasure," Carrie said with a confident smile, relaxing her shoulders and stepping forward slightly.
One second later, all the objects in the room began to float in a controlled manner. The items slowly rose, as if held by invisible hands. For Carrie, it seemed extremely easy; her expression was calm and focused. A second later, she pulled a knife from the kitchen, which flew through the air toward her. She focused on it, and it could be seen how it quickly began to turn red, heating up, until it melted into a liquid state.
Carrie didn't stop there and froze the molten metal, causing it to crack and become completely frozen. The cold radiating from what had once been a knife could be felt, an icy air spreading through the room.
"And there you can see that a murderous clown who is supposedly dead isn't the strangest thing that can exist in this world," Liam said as he looked seriously into Sienna's mother's eyes.
Sienna's mother stood in complete shock, totally stunned by what a girl who had seemed completely normal just seconds ago had just done.
"Now, Sienna, bring that sword and the book," Liam said.
"Okay, I'll be right back," Sienna said, her voice trembling from the shock of what Carrie could do, before quickly turning around.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the living room, a thick silence that seemed to crush the air, until moments later Sienna returned with a boy who was probably her brother. He walked a little behind her, holding a book tightly against his chest with care, while Sienna carried a sword in her right hand, gripping it firmly but also with a certain reverence.
Both of them approached Liam and handed him the two objects without saying a word. Then they stayed there watching him in silence, attentive to every movement, as if waiting for a verdict.
Liam opened the sketchbook first, slowly flipping through the pages while examining them closely, his eyes tracing every line. The soft sound of the pages turning was the only thing that could be heard. After some time, he stopped at a page that caught his interest.
It was a drawing depicting children walking through the streets on Halloween. The lights, the houses, the costumes… everything seemed normal at first glance, but if you looked closely, in one of the house windows you could see what looked like a person floating and burning, engulfed in unnatural flames.
Liam observed the illustration seriously. Carrie leaned forward slightly to get a better look, and Allie felt a chill run down her spine. Both were shocked; that image was an exact representation of what happened yesterday when Carrie burned the body down to ashes.
"That… that's exactly what happened yesterday," Allie said with a trembling voice as she pointed at the window in the drawing, her fingers slightly shaking.
Sienna, her brother, and her mother looked at Allie in surprise when she said that, exchanging glances filled with disbelief and confusion.
"It seems that it's from your father that you inherited the Shining," Liam said without taking his eyes off the drawing.
With that, Liam continued turning the pages. One after another, drawings of Art the Clown appeared, some distorted, others violent, until he reached one of Sienna dressed as a valkyrie, holding his severed head in her hand.
Liam stared at that drawing for a few seconds longer than usual.
"Art the Clown will probably come back to life in the future, and you'll have to fight him. I advise you to learn how to use that sword well and get some weapons to defend yourself. That clown may be resistant, but if you deal enough damage, he'll still be affected," Liam said in a firm tone.
With that, Liam set the book down on the table and turned his attention to the sword.
[Demon-Slayer Sword]
[Abilities]
[Increases damage to demons]: This sword damages demonic beings, something that should be difficult to harm. (Only works if the user is of the creator's bloodline).
[Family Amplifier]: This sword amplifies the powers of those related by blood to its creator.
[Mental Protection]: Can protect the user and their family members from dream or mental attacks (Only works if the user is of the creator's bloodline).
"It seems your father not only could see the future, he also somehow gave abilities to this sword," Liam said, gently passing his hand along the blade without touching it directly.
"I don't know how your father managed it, but he was probably desperate to prevent what he saw in the future, and this sword was his answer." Liam carefully handed the sword to Sienna.
"Keep it close at all times, you never know when that clown will return," Liam said. He had thought about asking for the sword at first, since he was interested in wielding a weapon in each hand, but after seeing its effects, he knew that wouldn't be possible.
Sienna took the sword and looked at it in silence, lightly tightening her grip as she thought about her father.
At that moment, the TV that was on caught everyone's attention.
The constant murmur of the television became impossible to ignore. No one had noticed it before, but now the volume seemed louder, almost invasive.
The image switched to a local news broadcast. The serious face of a news anchor filled the screen. "We interrupt the programming with breaking news."
Everyone froze.
Sienna tightened her grip on the sword without realizing it, her knuckles turning white.
"Approximately one hour ago, two employees of the County Psychiatric Hospital were found dead inside the building." The image changed to police cars and red lights illuminating the entrance of the asylum.
"According to preliminary investigations, the bodies showed severe mutilations. Police sources indicate that much of the victims' flesh and blood had been… consumed."
Allie brought a hand to her mouth. "No…" she whispered, feeling her legs weaken.
Sienna's mother took a step back, leaning against the back of the couch, her face completely pale.
"Authorities have also reported that a patient from the hospital, the only known survivor of the murders that occurred last year during Halloween, has been reported missing." The air grew heavy, almost suffocating.
Carrie frowned, feeling that familiar chill run down her spine. "She left on her own…" she murmured. "Or someone took her."
Liam didn't take his eyes off the screen, his expression hardening.
"And in related news, just minutes ago the lifeless body of a man was found on a street in the city center." The image showed a cordoned-off street. A white sheet covered a body.
"The victim was found completely naked. Witnesses claim that moments before his death, he was wearing a costume similar to that of Art the Clown, the clown linked to last year's violent events."
An absolute silence fell over the room.
Sienna felt a knot twist in her stomach.
"So…" she said with a trembling voice. "He's alive."
Sienna's mother looked at Liam, pale, her eyes full of fear.
"You said he could come back," she whispered. "You said this could happen."
Liam slowly nodded. "That's probably why that demon took his head, to resurrect him. His resurrection must be related to why the bodies have no flesh or blood."
"I'll try to find him, but if I don't, the rest of you will have to defend yourselves. I think he'll try to avoid me and Carrie," Liam said.
...
In an abandoned house, Art the Clown could be seen sitting completely still on a chair, his head tilted to the side like a grotesque statue. In the bathroom, the disfigured girl who escaped from the asylum was lying in the bathtub, her arm bleeding slowly and filling the water with red. Both remained completely motionless, as if dead, but they were only recovering their strength.
Liam didn't know it, but bringing Art the Clown back to life wasn't that simple. With his entire body destroyed, the demon Amon-Veil had to use two human bodies to fully reconstruct him, and now they would have to wait a few years before returning to the killings.