Chapter 5: Be Silent

I gnashed my teeth as I slammed my fist into the face of a zombie, sending the honkai energy-riddled corpse into the others behind it, clearing a way as I instantly began to sprint down the centerline. I could hear the distant sound of gunfire, focusing on that single sound alone led me in the direction of the nearby mall. The entire bottom floor was filled with a few types of zombies. Overall, it had been obvious that the evolutionary states of the zombies were limited, Vigiles were the few that used Scythes, Rangers utilized Bows to a frightening degree, and Revenants, they were, as Kiana called them, the "Bullshit Summoner" bosses from Fantasy games that summoned the Monsters to fight the heroes.

"Looks like another route is needed."

I cracked my knuckles beneath my Gauntlets, I swung my hands up towards the second-floor windows, Stellar Swirl humming with energy before I was pulled. I had figured it out not long after seeing the Valkyrie die, Stellar Swirl could manipulate gravitational fields to pull those it is used against in my general direction, forcing their body to be stressed, damaging them pretty badly before I could slam a fist into their skull. I had also learned that said manipulation could be used for greater movement.

The simple style of pull towards and punch was great but relied too heavily on me allowing myself to be rooted in spot for a moment to pull zombies towards me. But, due to experimentation, I had learned that if I instead used something else as an anchor and let myself be pulled, I could maneuver with ease through areas and enemies without needing to be in one spot. That was why I shot to the second floor, blasting through a window with a grunt before sliding to a stop in a crouch before Sirin, who had just pulled the trigger on a zombie that flopped to the ground before her.

"You moron, if you had asked, I would've just opened a portal."

I felt my face heat up before looking away from Sirin who just watched me with a smirk. The Eruption a month ago in May had changed everyone. After that first night, Sirin had been on constant alert, lashing out at anyone and anything in our way as we made to set up a safe house. Our first thoughts had been to return to Tesla's house, expecting the borderline fortress to be completely fine, only to find a ruined house, littered with robot parts. Sirin informed us that some form of teleportation had been used, stating that the other Sirin said it felt like the creation of 'Reason,' which I assumed was another Herrscher like Sirin which overall meant we could assume Tesla was fine.

With that in mind, we had found a nearby apartment complex, that we had needed to clear the zombies out of, which had worked perfectly as a safe house. We stripped nearby cars of metal and set up walls, venturing out to bring any survivors in. If I was honest, Sirin had become a Leader. Telling us anything we needed to know about the Honkai, mostly information that was relayed to us through her by the other Sirin, she had even begun to teach Mei how to control her Herrscher powers to such a point that she could even begin to imbue Thunder into weapons other than her Pulse Katana. It was astounding how quickly Mei was catching on, it was also amazing how most of the younger Survivors had begun to see Mei as either a mother or big sister, much to Kiana's chagrin.

Out of everyone, I felt as if Kiana had changed the most. It wasn't something that happened instantly, it had taken for the better part, half a month. But, she had seemingly warmed up to Sirins' mentality after being jumped by other survivors who had attacked her. She hadn't lost her bright personality, but she was hesitant with people, which was fair, especially since she now had a scar running up her right side, from her hip to her ribs from where she had a knife dragged. The kids hadn't taken too kindly to one of their 'Heroes' returning covered in both her own and her attackers' blood.

I shifted my head to the side as Sirin shot her hand forward and fired a bullet behind me, clocking a zombie in the head that thought to sneak up on me. My own arm lashed out to blow another away that had slipped behind her from the horde she had been holding back. I nodded to her, the only response I gained was her smirk widening before we moved. Weaving around one another like snakes coiling to strike, quickly tearing through any zombies that got in our way. Our destination was the Food Stores on the first floor, the horde obviously being the only issue for the two of us as we made our way from the second floor to the first.

It had taken more time than expected, but we had reached the only intact store on the first floor. Sirin and I walked around with measured steps. Naturally, one would think that the sound of fighting would eliminate the need to be silent, but the moment we had stepped inside, I felt as if we were being watched. The worst part was the fact that every shelf was completely stocked, no one had gotten in and if they had, it likely meant they had died within the store.

Nevertheless, we slowly made our way through, grabbing every simple canned good we could take and sliding them into our bags. The rattling sound was unwelcoming, but the prospect of getting food back to the safe house was all that mattered. I was about to pick up a can of Spam, but froze in place, my hand brushing against the metal as a heavy feeling pressed down upon me.

My eyes moved upwards, looking through the holes in the shelves, and caught it. A single pink eye stared back at me from the other side, I inhaled sharply and stepped back, knocking the can off of the shelf and onto the ground as my body went rigid. The lights above us flickering wildly, the eye was gone, that sense of being watched intensifying as I moved to stand back to back with Sirin who had heard the noise and swiftly moved to me.

I glanced towards the exit of the store, the dim lighting that bled through the heavy fog doing little to illuminate the inside of the mall beyond the glass sliding doors. We could run, it would be a swift exit, but something told me that attempting to run, would just make whatever was watching us more ravenous in what I assumed was its Hunt.

"This isn't good. Something is here."

I nodded along to what Sirin said as my eyes began to dart everywhere attempting to find anything out of place and I did. It was within the distant shelves, but the eyes were there. Staring at us, waiting for something. I felt my heartbeat wildly in my chest as I stared back. The metal of my gauntlets creaked ever so slightly, sending out a sharp noise before the lights flickered again and the eyes were gone.

"Sirin. It can hear us."

Something was wrong, extremely wrong. This wasn't like anything Sirin had taught me, the Honkai that was stalking us within the store was different, it was cautious, it was dangerous and ultimately, it was in control. I turned my head and caught Sirin's golden gaze, sending her a grim look as we both readied out weapons and pulled closer to one another to maximize contact.

"We need to be silent."

Then the entire store was engulfed by darkness, the power seemingly giving out.

Nothingness, that was the feeling that permeated from the now completely dark store. There was undoubtedly something, but at the same time, there was nothing. I made sure to keep my back against Sirin's as we slowly moved out of the aisle we had been in. I kept my fists completely clenched, so tightly squeezed that they made not a single noise of protest.

"I can't see the exit. It's too dark. It's like the sun completely disappeared."

I hissed out lightly to Sirin as we escaped the confined space of the aisles and breached out into the massive lanes of the store for walking. A sudden noise caught my attention, the sound of something moving within the air at a high speed causing me to spin Sirin behind me and swing out with a fist. It glided gently against something before my attacker wrapped around my arm and sank a set of fangs into it.

"FU-"

My words were cut off as Sirin slammed a hand over my mouth from behind me and pulled out a small blade made from the thing her void lances were created from before she slammed it between the very visible eyes of the honkai that had bitten into me, I watched it lock up before going slack and fall to the tiled floor below. I stepped back as Sirin let go of me, grasping at my wounded arm and raising it to inspect it as the local Herrscher opened a void portal, the orange glow illuminating my wound.

Two distinct puncture wounds throbbed with pain as a pink luminescent liquid slowly slid out from where the fangs had been. Honkai Energy is liquid form, that much was obvious from how I could feel my body rejecting it so violently to the point that every few moments the liquid would spray out and splatter against the floor below, my natural Honkai Resistance expelling it from my body.

"What is this..."

Sirin had raised up the dead honkai to the void portal's light and inspected it. There was no doubt about it, the thing held in Sirin's hand was something that neither of us knew existed. A small batlike honkai, it had no armor on it and seemed to rely on its fang to do any damage, mostly through what I assumed was the Honkai Energy it expelled into the victim's body when it bites.

"Sirin, if anyone is bitten at the safe house..."

I left my words unfinished as the girl in stood straight and snapped her fingers, suddenly the store was flooded by light from the portals that flickered into reality around us, illuminating many more of the same honkai that had been watching us, a lump in my throat formed before I looked to Sirin, her eyes were completely gold, the other Sirin had grown tired of it all and she was not hesitating.

"Stay down. I do not wish to hurt you."

I didn't even get a moment to contemplate her words before the side of the store was blasted open, tearing through any of the bats within the store while also letting in the limited amount of sunlight that pierced the storm above, the Herrscher of Void looked towards me for a brief moment before holding a hand out towards me with that familial coldness she let off whenever she was free.

"We are returning home, it will not disappear on my watch."

I nodded and let her pull me up before she dashed to the breach in the wall and jumped out onto an adjacent roof.

I didn't hesitate to jump when I followed her.

"Kiana, check everyone under our care for any bite marks, specifically two puncture wounds on a limb or neck!"

I shouted into the walkie-talkie as Sirin and I ran across the rooftops, something had changed from the start of the Eruption up until now, the raging storms above should've stopped when Mei calmed, yet they thundered on. The fog continued to flood the entire city, making it impossible for an untrained person to survive on instinct alone, the darkness of the city was forced out into the world as humans freely hurt each other to prolong their own survival.

It was wrong, and, obviously, I wasn't the only one to have noticed, Sirin and Kiana for the last month since we fled the school had been on edge, their sensitivity to Honkai Energy was higher than my own, so the fact they were continuously searching the walls of our safe house and beyond meant that something was moving out there that was out of place.

I shook my head as I launched myself off of an air conditioning unit and onto a wall, using the claws of my gauntlets to swing myself over the edge and onto the higher point of the building I was scaling. I could see everything, the limited light illuminating sections of the city around me, the street level was completely engulfed by the fog, but the rooftops were clear, you could see tents in the distance where survivors had set up, there were even a few who could be seen patroling, everyone was surviving and yet, humanity was further apart than ever.

I felt a hand brush against my arm, startling me out of my pondering as I turned to look at Sirin, she was worried. I felt a soft smile take root on my face as I shook my head to assure her that I was fine before I took a few steps back and jumped across the street to the next building, that dull ache from my old wounds was slowly returning the closer I got to the ruins of Chiba Academy, a feeling of nausea fluttering through my body as we sped past it over the rooftops towards our safe house.

Internally, I silently prayed that no one would've been bitten before we took them in.

'Please God, let them be safe.'

I grunted as my feet impacted with the cement of the apartment complex we had made into a safe house, the ground cracking ever so slightly with my landing, alerting everyone in the vicinity to my presence. I caught the eyes of Mei and Kiana who were talking with someone, their bodies blocking whoever it was from view. I looked to Sirin who was focused intently on their direction, the cold look was enough of a hint that she could sense the Honkai Energy of whoever it was. Which meant that someone bitten had been found.

I took in a shaky breath and began to walk, heavy feet dragging me towards them, Mei had noticed me first, turning her head away with a shake of her head as she stepped aside. The first thing I saw was the smaller frame of the person, the dark blue hair that was disheveled, a pair of teary eyes that were glowing a soft pink as the person wiped at their own face.

A child. That was what registered to me first as I watched Kiana cover her face and turn away, leaving off to one of the rooms before slamming the door shut behind her, I could read her emotions, the sadness and, anger. Then I focused on the child, fear was all I felt as I moved to crouch down before them, staring up at them with a small smile.

Now that I was closer, I could see the Honkai Corruption that had been settling in from a bite on their leg, leading up their body as the lines it left behind pulsed with energy. The child looked back, those pink eyes filled with insecurity as she shook. I felt a hand land on my shoulder, Mei squeezing it consolingly as I reached a hand out to the child, she took it weakly and allowed me to pull her up from where she sat.

"Hey Umi, how are you feeling?"

Namida Umi, one of the first children we had found when we investigated a collapsed Elementary School. A brave little one who had essentially led her classmates to us by accident while evading any Honkai Beasts and Zombies that had entered the school, always willing to help, a ball of sunshine that would illuminate the lives of those around her with but a single smile.

"Tired. Really tired, I wanna sleep."

I chuckled lightly and ruffled Umi's hair as she closed her eyes in content. I shook slightly, forcing my pounding heart under control as I wrapped an arm around her and lifted her up.

"Say, Umi. Do you have anywhere you want to go? Places you haven't been before?"

The girl seemed to brighten up and nod with renewed vigor as she leaned down to whisper to me. I weakly smiled and nodded. I looked to the others, the adults who watched sadly, the children who were confused as to why their friend was being treated differently, and then to Kiana, Mei, and Sirin, the first two watching with worry, the last, Sirin seemed to be lost in herself as she squeezed her arms around herself. The haunted look on her face was something only I could see as her eyes flicked between blue and gold.

I made my way over with Umi in my hands and pulled Sirin into a hug, gently placing a kiss on her forehead before pulling away and walking towards the gate of the Safe House, not once looking back as I slid it open, closing it gently behind me as I left with Umi.

I didn't know how long I'd have left to do what Umi desired, so I ran, holding her against me tightly as the wind wafted over us.

AN:

Apologies for the long delay, my hard drive with all of my writing died because it fell out of my bag and into a puddle right before I caught a train. So I lost a few chapters of work and have been working on remembering everything I had written. I should have the next chapter up, hopefully within the next few days if the internet stays stable, but the storms recently have been growing worse and the internet is messy.