Author's Note

Wow, this was my bad. I thought I had finished this chapter and posted it already like a week ago but apparently I hadn't while I was thinking of what I wanted to happen next for 18. Anyway here it is and as always let me know if I made any mistakes.

Enjoy.

Chapter 17

Chapter 17:Open Your Eyes, And What Do You See?

“Where Am I?”

Somewhere, somewhere on an old abandoned farm on the side of Trottingham, was a young pegasus stallion checking up on his great grandfather’s property, one last time before he closed it down forever.

Barley Oats, was the name of this pegasi’s grandfather. And if anything as the young stallion walked into the mahogany based building that had once been his grapa’s (as he liked to call him) home, the pegasus could tell one thing: Oats had done much with his life.

Oats had invested in his family’s wheat making services and gained tons of money in the process that would later prove to greatly benefit him and his family in the later years to come.

Years later, back to before his retirement the old earth stallion that once had curls as golden as the sun from the photo his own flesh now held, Ethnic Duty could tell his grapa had seen the wonderful days in life. But since time had passed, the stallion could still recall how white and in a few strands of hair, gray his grapa’s hair had become from age.

Ethnic Duty walked around the large home his grandfather had built and left behind almost a hundred and thirteen years ago.

It was a wonder how this old thing that had been made from nothing but trees and nails could still hold even after being abandoned for so long. 42 years to be exact.

Turning around Ethnic adjusted his tie, and fixed his collar in a old dusty mirror that had caught his attention as he passed. He smiled at himself for a second, just vaguely able to make out the now straw colored mane he had adopted from his father, and the ruby eyes his mother possessed.

On the side, just next to the mirror, a photo. Ethnic stopped messing with his reflection and leaned in to get it.

Once the image was betwixt his index and thumb the stallion stared at the image depicted on it and broke out into a nostalgic smile.

It was a picture of his grandfather, his own father, and his uncles and aunt. They all sat in front of the very fireplace that was just in the living room across from the Ethnic himself, smiling warmly with Oats holding his wife.

A somewhat tight feeling began to fill Ethnic’s chest.

He never really had the chance to meet his grandmother, and his grandfather and hims hadn’t spoken in years since he got out of his law training program. The only real reason he was here was because his father had asked him to shut this place down for him because Oats would be visiting very soon, since he’d been unable to make it to his graduation from Horizon University back in Baltimare.

It brought a feeling of sadness over Ethnic, “Has it really been that long since we talked?” Ethnic wondered.

And after taking another long look around him and at the room the pegasi’s wings fluffed, and a small smile made its way to his face.

“I should hurry up so I can meet gramps before he leaves again. It’s been so long, and we haven’t talked in awhile either” Ethnic thought to himself. Maybe it would be good to tell him I got hired by Filthy Rich recently. I’m sure he’d love th-

The pegasus stopped his hurried movement in clearing up the place of anything he thought his parents may want to see, and turned his head towards a door across from him that was shut.

For a good few minutes Ethnic Duty didn’t move, he just waited and listened.

Funny, his ear twitched, I thought I heard somethin- SMASH!

Ethnic Duty froze. The door in front of him lead to the basement. No one was supposed to be in this building as the city had made it private property as a respect to his grandfather and some of the investments he had made towards Trottingham in the past, so whatever was causing that noise was obviously something foreign.

Ethnic sighed, he glanced behind him at the large box he had brought to put stuff in. “I guess I’ll come back for it later.” And with that the stallion started towards the basement.

As Ethnic moved down the long line of steps all sound having disappeared the pegasus began to wonder if it were a bunch of vandals again. Before coming onto his grandfather’s property there had been a few guards not too far away from the far that had informed him some naughty colts and fillies would sneak in when the guards were all on break, and do some snooping around the old farmhouse.

Ethnic merely shook his head at the thought with a youthful smile, “Darn kids” he muttered under his breath as the bottom of the stairs came into his view.

And as Ethnic reached the bottom of the stairs and moved to turn on the switch that would bring forth light to this dark room he was both astounded and surprised to see the very thing that had been causing all this racket.

It was...”a boy?”

Hours. How long had he and the others been retreating from the rest of the CCG before he made a mistake and got surrounded.

Ayato Kirishima had no idea. Had it not been moments ago that he had been facing off against a team of detectives bent on taking him down?

Or had that all been hours ago? Whether it was the former or the latter Ayato couldn’t tell. He vaguely remembered seeing a bright light, and then gaining a horrible headache before everything went dark.

“Ugh” he groaned,whatever he had hit as he landed must have been sturdy, tree bark sturdy. Where was he anyway?

Ayato froze, instantly recalling that he had been in a fight with detectives of the CCG the boy quickly rose to his feet and backed up into the corner of Barley Oats basement.

Both sclera turning black, irises going red the young ghoul prepared to release his kagune but froze when he realized what was staring at him.

It looked like a human. But it wasn’t one at the same time. It had a tail, wore a suit, had a tie, some strange tattoo awkwardly placed on it’s rear end, and ears and mouth that no human ever had.

An anthropomorphic? Ayato wondered. He only knew of these things back when he had to act like when he was human, when he had to act to be friends with someone before he ate, he had to associate with all types of weirdos back in Japan.

Then the thought hit him. What's a humanoid animal doing in Japan?

Thoughts began going through Ayato’s mind. How did I get here? Why am I in a basement? Did this thing bring me here? What happened during the fight? What’s going on? And the more Ayato thought about this confounded situation, the more frustrated he became, till finally one sound echoed throughout that basement.

A grumbling stomach.

Ethnic froze. He wasn’t sure if this was one of those ghouls he’d heard about in the papers or through rumors or if this was one of those CCG detectives rumored to be scattered all over Equus.

But when the pegasus heard that stomach grumble, two things went through his mind instantly that made both his wings begin to spread apart as if he were ready to take flight. He’s either hungry for food....or he’s hungry for me...

Ethnic swallowed as Ayato held his stomach for a brief second and looked around. There was nothing in this basement aside from old furniture. The ghoul grimaced, but then that grimaced turned into a face of realization.

Slowly Ayato’s gaze landed on Ethnic and for a brief split second their eyes connected and both saw right through the other, straight into each others soul.

And that’s when Ethnic knew.

If he didn’t escape now he was going to die.

Another grimace formed on Ayato’s face at the thought of having to eat such a bizarre creature, but then again if it looked human there was a possibility his stomach could take it.

Both Ethnic’s wings spread and in an instant the stallion took off up the stairs, Ayato stood slightly dazed at the sudden movement and how quick the pegasus had been but he regained his composure within a few short seconds.

Hearing commotion upstairs Ayato looked to the ceiling that was the basement and immediately called out his ukaku, in a matter of seconds the sound of splintering wood and something breaking filled Ethnic’s ears as he just made it upstairs but he ignored it. He had to get out before that ghoul was done hammering away at the floor boards.

Rushing towards the living room and turning a corner the stallion tripped and fell with a grimace. Looking at what had caused his blunder he saw he’d just tripped on the box he would be bringing to his parents, but the sound of something horribly breaking. A deafening crack that filled the entire room and discarded the bird’s in the distance made him stop any further attempts in moving.

Like fear itself had placed a cold blanket on his body that froze every neuron in his brain telling him to run..

Standing in the living room, just a foot away from Ethnic was now a masked being. He had the same size as the ghoul and the exact same hair color, but Ethnic knew this was the same person he had just witnessed in his gramps basement.

He swallowed a lump within his throat and began to scramble to his hooves in desperation, but then he heard something, felt a sharp pain in his left thigh and right calf then collapsed to the ground.

“NNG!” Ethnic winced immensely, biting the inside of his cheek so hard he tasted blood. The pain was unbearable, he wanted to scream but no one would hear him. He was too far away from the town and the guards that watched his gramps home to get them to come, besides even if they did they’d be murdered also.

Pain filled tears began to fill Ethnic’s eyes. This wasn’t how I wanted to go! He thought as he began weakly crawling towards the door. I had so much planned with my life! So much I wanted to do, so much I wanted to see, I didn’t even get to tell ol’ gramps about the kick off in my career!

A sudden pressure on his injured leg made Ethnic choke back a scream of pain that came out as a deathly moan.

“Look at me” a cold voice said.

Ethnic Duty refused to do as such, but if anything this only made Ayato unleash his frustration at his current situation. Surprises were not things he ever enjoyed receiving, and eating this thing wasn’t doing him any favors either, if anything not answering him immediately was worsening his mood.

“I said look at me.” Ayato ordered once more, but upon realizing the force he was currently applying to Ethnic’s thigh was too much he eased up and stepped around the injured stallion blocking his exit from the door a mere inches away.

Ethnic lay there, whimpering, forcing back sobs as his eyes released tears in torrents. “Where am I?” Ayato’s voice asked.

It was cold, such a harsh voice for such a small looking creature. Were all ghouls like this? Cold as much as their thirst for blood?

Feeling a sharp smack to the face jolted the stallion out of his thoughts, dazing him. “I said, where am I?” Ayato asked with a dangerous level of malice to his voice as he brought the stallion’s tear stained face in his direction.

Ethnic shook his head. He couldn’t give this thing any information. If anything he would go down a true stallion in the face of an enemy before divulging such information, so instead he did the last thing he would ever do in front of anyone.

He spat in Ayato’s face.

Ayato dropped the injured stallion almost instantly when that filth hit him. Sure he had his mask but he could still feel it, some even slipping through the holes within the mask and getting on his face.

Standing up. Not saying a single word, Ayato released his ukaku showing a ukaku in its premature stage before crystallized for battle; glowing flame that came out of his back.

Ethnic stared at those flames as if they were magnificent. The most beautiful thing he had ever seen. And as Ayato walked towards him slowly like a predator that had trapped it's prey he wondered How could something so beautiful, be this cruel?. And so he stared, he stared and he stared and stared at those flames watching them dance as they came ever closer to him.

He stared.... even as the life....drained right out of his eyes.