Chapter 7 – Transformation


It took a long moment before Ragna realized that he was missing an arm, but when he did, he let out a blood curdling scream, clutching at the short stub attached to his shoulder. Blood poured through his fingers, gushing and dripping into the puddle his arm was forming on the floor. His eyes were wide with panic, his breath coming out in frenzied gasps.

Terumi was monopolizing on the horror. "Come on now, don't fall apart on me so easily. Need me to lend you a hand?" He laughed manically. "At this rate you're going to die, slowly and painfully. Isn't that going to be fun, vampire?" He looked at her. "Let's watch the show. It's making me in the mood for popcorn."

Rachel was too traumatized to speak, watching as Ragna collapsed onto his side, face contorted in pain, his breathing slow and labored. She strained against the ropes, feeling them burn and slice into her skin, but it was the furthest thing from her mind. She needed to do something to save him.

"Aw, that's it? I was hoping for more of a show." Terumi leaned over to check on Ragna, waving his hand in front of the boy's face. "Well, you're still breathing, so I guess I can enjoy the fun a little longer. Hmm, what to cut off next? The other arm, maybe? Or perhaps a leg…?" He raised his dormant Ouroboros, a pair of knives, out in front of him. "Decisions, decisions…"

"Haven't you done enough?" Rachel shouted, making him flinch, "Haven't you caused enough pain and suffering?"

He thought it over. "You're right. Cutting of something else would make him die faster. I'll just leave him as is." He smiled and bounced off across the room.

Suddenly, the entire room shook, startling both of them. The room shook again, this time accompanied by a loud banging sound. The sound was getting closer and closer, the sound louder and the tremors fiercer.

Terumi sniffed the air and scowled. "Cat," he hissed angrily. "What a time to show up. I wasn't even finished yet. Oh well. Have fun watching the brat suffer, filthy bloodsucker." He gave her a wave before opening a door and closing it behind him, the lock clicking in place a split second before the other door burst open and Valkenhayn stumbled in, Jubei close behind him, Musashi drawn.
"Where is he?" Jubei growled, slightly muffled by the sword between his teeth, casting a sad and uncomfortable glance at Ragna. "Where is that son of a bitch?"

"Through the other door," Rachel replied as Valkenhayn untied her with ease. "You'll have to hurry if you want to catch him."

Without so much as a nod, Jubei sliced through the door and took off down the adjoining hall. Restraints gone, Rachel practically leapt across the floor to Ragna's side, pulling his head onto her lap. He was barely conscious, sweat thick across his skin, looking paler with each passing minute. Blood continued to pump out of his body, spilling out onto her tattered dress.

"He may be beyond saving," Valkenhayn muttered in the background, uninvolved and slightly bitter.

'Maybe he thinks it would be better that way, the world devoid of a potential monster. He did fight the Black Beast and knows all too well of its potential for destruction, but…' She looked down at Ragna, meeting his half-open eyes that seemed nearly devoid of life, feeling the stabbing sensation in her heart take control. 'I have to save him. The first matter is to stop the bleeding…' "Valkenhayn, give me the Grimoire."

He caught on to her train of thought immediately. "Madame Rachel, that's far too dangerous. The Grimoire's power may prove too strong to contain. He may become another Beast."

"The potential is there, but that is hardly the concern right now. Give me the Grimoire."

"It won't be enough to save him at-"

She turned her fierce glare on him, angry at his hesitation and disobedience. "Give me the Azure, now!"

Stunned into compliance, Valkenhayn drew the brown paper package from his jacket and handed it to her. She snatched it from his grasp and laid Ragna back on the floor, his injured side off the ground. With swift movements, she unwrapped the package and unfolded the paper, careful not to touch the contents. The moment the book was fully exposed, it morphed into a black blob and sprung from her hands, attaching itself to Ragna's missing arm. Ragna twitched and spammed, gasping in pain as the Grimoire began taking the shape of a black arm, tendrils of it spreading up his shoulder and embedding themselves into his skin. A large seal appeared on the floor in a faded red light, pulsing like an unearthly heartbeat.

"The Black Beast's crest," Valkenhayn breathed.

As if in response to his words, the crest shifted, the bottom half vanishing as the wide fractured wings folded inwards. The dark, red center of the crest hollowed out, only a portion of its distorted qualities remaining. The new, altered crest faded away as Ragna let out a relieved breath and lay still on the floor. Rachel pulled him back into her lap, checking his pulse. It was weak, but still present.

"It's still not enough to save him," Valkenhayn replied, watching carefully as Rachel brushed away some arrant strands of hair stuck to Ragna's forehead. "He'll certainly die at this rate."

The only solution occurred to her. "Valkenhayn, I plan to save this boy's life, no matter what rules I must break to do so. If I lose my place as an observer, then so be it. To me, this boy's presence must remain in the world. He still has things he must do."

"There's no convincing you otherwise?"

"No. My mind is set."

"Then I cannot interfere." He stepped back to further prove his point, standing at attention should she need him.

Carefully, Rachel rolled the boy onto his side again, cradling his head in her lap. "Ragna, I swore to myself I would never do this, because the results may be wrong. However… if it allows me to save your life, then it is a risk I am willing to take. Do not hate me for what I am about to do if it should turn out wrong… or even if it should turn out right. Please forgive me." Holding her hair back off her face, she leaned over and brought her mouth to his neck, sinking her teeth into his skin.

His skin gave way easily under the pressure, blood slowly pooling out into her mouth. The taste sent shivers down her spine at first, a tangy metallic sludge that slithered its way across her tongue. She felt the muscles in Ragna's body spasm and protest, his heartbeat picking up and slowing down erratically as it alternated between panic and near death. She could feel each heartbeat pulse through his skin, bringing more blood with it, and she dissolved herself into the rhythm, her own heartbeat slowing and picking up in time with his.

The blood began to acquire more of a taste, soothing and filling, but never enough. She needed more. Slowly, she began sucking it from its source, gulping blood down like her stomach would never be full. Something akin to screaming registered in her ears, not enough to wake her from her hunger, but enough to slow her down, letting her fade back into her semi-awake state, content but unfinished.

Finally, the second heartbeat slowed and evened out, alive but sleeping. Rachel drew herself back, wiping the blood and saliva from her mouth with the corner of her sleeve while she examined her handiwork. Her heart shot back into full speed, her mind swirling, as she looked down at Ragna.

The boy seemed almost unrecognizable. His blond hair was now almost white, looking dark grey in contrast to his pale skin. His eyes were half open, as though he had fallen asleep that way, his left eye a bottomless red, like it had been painted over with blood. For a moment, the Ragna before her and the man from her dream, that dream from so long ago, merged in her eyes, one and the same.

Shuffling made her look up as Jubei reentered the room, sliding Musashi back into its sheath. The cat let out a sigh of disappointment. "Bastard got away. I was hopin' I'd catch him, but…" He trailed off, eyes wide as he saw Ragna, his mouth hanging open in midsentence. Rachel had the thought to ask why he had stopped, but his face became gravely serious. "Rachel, is this your doin'?"

"Yes, it is." Her voice was dry and hollow in her ears, gravelly and painful. She realized it would take some time to adjust, the only sound comforting to her ears being her own heartbeat.

"Then we need ta talk. You probably want to get cleaned up, so the best place to speak would be your place."

"Certainly." She looked down at Ragna, whose eyes had closed and was fast asleep, and turned to Valkenhayn. "I believe I shall need your help with this."

Despite his obvious distaste, Valkenhayn complied.


When Rachel was sufficiently bathed, bandaged and wearing a clean dress, she met Valkenhayn and Jubei down in the sitting room. Jubei still looked agitated, though Rachel wasn't sure whether it was Terumi or Ragna that was the reason. Valkenhayn had prepared some tea for her, which she sipped carefully, thankful that the taste was enough to wash away her yearning for more blood. When she had sufficiently recaptured her senses, she looked to Jubei for an explanation.

The cat took a deep breath before he started. "I guess now I understand a few things more than I did before, and I reckon it's about time it explained it to ya. When I picked up Ragna from Caelica, we both though he'd be the successor to Bloodedge. Caelica believed it from the day he was born. That's why she named him Ragna; it's Bloodedge's real name. I don't think either of us expected this to be what happened, though."

"I think I may be missing the point of this, or you have yet to make one," Rachel said stiffly, taking another sip of tea.

"Ragna isn't the successor to Bloodedge. Ragna is Bloodedge."

Rachel felt her brow furrow. "How so?"

"Bloodedge and Ragna are identical. The way Ragna looks now… that's exactly how Bloodedge looked. There's no difference between 'em."

"And this is based purely on physical details? I am skeptical to believe such a thing."

"It's not just that. I suspected it for a while. Their personalities and fighting styles are similar."

"Similar, but not identical. All of this is inconclusive. What possible explanation could there be for all of this?"

Jubei sniffed indignantly, obviously not taking very much to being berated by someone he had helped to rescue. "It's the continuum shift. He's probably somethin' like Hakumen, from a different cycle or different time."

Rachel suppressed a chuckle. "It would be highly ironic if it were so. For now, I still have my doubts, but we shall proceed as though your hypothesis is correct and plan our actions from there. There are many things we have to discuss in the meantime."

"Like the Grimoire, I take it?"

"Yes, the Grimoire is one of them. I stand by the decision I made."

"I ain't disagreein' with ya, 'specially after what Valkenhayn told me about the crest. If Ragna could suppress the Grimoire's power enough to stop from turnin' into the Beast, then he might be able ta make use of it."

"That remains to be seen. The Grimoire is a fake, and half of one at that. If the other half were to surface, there is no telling what the result maybe. Ragna himself may gain the power to combat the True Grimoire or he may be consumed by it and become a second Black Beast. The best course of action is to protect him until he recovers. Then we shall see what he is capable of."

"Next order of business would be-" Valkenhayn began, but Gii flew into the room, calling for Rachel at the top of his lungs.

"What is it now, Gii?" Rachel snapped, placing her teacup carefully on the table.

Gii took a deep breath. "Princess, he's awake! He's been screaming and crying for the last five minutes! We don't know what to do!"

"Sounds like that's what we need to be seein' about next," Jubei mumbled, hopping to his feet. Rachel led the way, Gii floating beside her.

They had placed Ragna in one of the spare rooms to let him rest, and Rachel had left Nago and Gii to stand sentry until he woke up. Nago remained crouched at the door when they arrived, paws over his ears. "He's stopped screaming now," the large cat groaned, tentatively lifting his paws, "but he's far too quiet now. I didn't know what you wanted to do, Princess."

Rachel didn't reply, instead stepping around him and pushing the door open. The room was smaller than her own, though the bed was still large by any standards. The windows opened out to the moonlit night, making the candle-lit lamps seem pale in comparison. The room seemed empty at first glance, but Rachel quickly spotted the lump under the bed sheets and waltzed over to it. "Ragna?"

"Go away," the lump snapped, shifting slightly.

Rachel sat down on the bed, the soft mattress indenting around her. "That is hardly the way to respond to someone who saved your life."

The sheets flew off, revealing a very angry Ragna. Having fully recovered, Rachel could finally take a close look at him. With the color returned to his skin, his hair was a silvery white, like a shimmering beam of moonlight across a clean blanket. His left eye was still green, but his right eye mirrored hers, blood red and infinitely deep. "Fuck you! You think I wanted you to save me?"

Jubei stepped further into the room, Nago and Gii cowering behind Valkenhayn in the doorway. "Ragna-"

"Stay out of this!" He turned back to Rachel. "Who in the hell decided you could play God, huh? Who gave you the right to save my life?"

"Whether I had the right to save your life is irrelevant. I did so, and here you are. I take offense at your comment that I was 'playing God'. It was within my ability to save your life. A person like Terumi has less of a right to toy with people's lives than you believe I do. There's no need to put so much pressure on your tiny brain contemplating my rights in regards to you."

Ragna's temper seemed to die down a bit, though the glare he directed at her remained. "Then tell me why. Why did you save me? I can tell he wasn't lying about what I am or that you knew about me for all this time. So why would you save me?"

Rachel took a moment to think, meeting Ragna's glare with her calm gaze. For a moment, she could feel the warmth from that long-forgotten dream resurface, feel the flames the touched her but never hurt her, removing from her mind the faint memories of the cold water below. Her eyes were locked with his, gauging his reaction to her carefully worded response. "Terumi had no right to try and take your life. That thing," she sneered, "is a vile and irresponsible beast. I felt it best that you continue to live and continue to fulfill whatever goals you see fit, if only to sufficiently annoy that wretched being."

"Liar," was Ragna's blunt response. Any indication of humor was absent on his face, his glare softened into a look of shame and sadness. His scowl deepened before he grabbed the sheets and threw them back over his head. "Don't bother talking to me 'til you're ready to tell me the truth."

Rachel opened her mouth to reply, her mind racing to come up with a viable way of supporting her lie, but Jubei shook his head, silently calling her out of the room. With reluctance, she followed him, Valkenhayn, Nago, and Gii close behind her.

"Give the boy some space," Jubei said in a whisper once the door was closed, "He's a got a lot on his shoulders right now. I don't want to put unnecessary pressure on 'im."

"And what are we to do about him then?" Rachel asked. Something she suspected was guilt started creeping its way into her chest, worming around her heart until she felt sufficiently uncomfortable with not telling Ragna the truth.

"Kid's been exposed to what we've been tryin' to protect him from. We can't do much about him now but tell him the truth. I didn't want it to come ta this, but he might be the best chance we have of riddin' ourselves of Terumi."

"That would be dangerous, all things considered," Valkenhayn mumbled despondently.

Rachel shook her head. "It may be a risk, but Ragna will surely seek out Terumi, not only for revenge, but for his siblings as well. Jubei is right. Our best course of action would be to properly educate and prepare him, so that when next he and Terumi cross paths, we can avoid a much more devastating disaster." 'Until then,' she decided, 'I have another few tasks to take on.'