I stood in a black void. Surrounding me were small wisps of colorful lights, and with every step I took, I could hear the sound of my own heartbeat.

Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump

At first, it started softly, but as time went on, my heartbeat grew louder and louder. It felt as though there was something in me that was wanting to break free. I could feel it pounding against my chest, almost as if it were trying to get out.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP

I wasn't sure where this place was or where exactly I was going. All I knew was that I was alone with no fears within my mind. I felt at peace here. My heart, however… just kept beating, and beating, and beating.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP

With my hand to my chest, I could feel its rhythm speeding up, regardless of whether I was walking or running. There was this strange tug it made that led me through the darkness. I walked for hours, and every so often, I could hear the whisperings of inkling dreams floating past me. I could hear their thoughts, feel their ambitions, relate to their struggles.

But, oddly enough, I could not hear my own thoughts. I felt like an empty shell, being guided by my heart towards an unknown goal. It wasn't scary. No, it was more… passive than anything. I trusted it more than I trusted myself.

After a long time, I began to see a glow off in the distance. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. There were no words to describe the kind of warmth it provided. It was as if I belonged here, as if I was finally where I was meant to be.

Just barely audible, I could hear an oddly-comforting whisper in my ears. "Welcome back home."

"Home…?" I whispered back, wandering closer. "Mom? Dad?"

"We miss you," Mom said from ahead. I could just barely see her silhouette in front of the light-bluish glow.

"M-Mom, I miss you, too!" I exclaimed, beginning to run. I didn't want to lose her again. She was finally here and I was so close to seeing her face-to-face.

But as I got closer and closer, the bluish glow behind her slowly changed into a more reddish hue. I felt fear striking my heart. There was something wrong, but I couldn't place what.

"You've stopped. What's wrong?" she asked with concern in her voice.

"Something's wrong," I responded, feeling my heartbeat getting louder and louder, beating desperately.

"Mom, what's going on?" I asked.

"I've made a mistake," she said. "I should've never let you go…"

"B-But I'm here now," I said, running closer towards her silhouette.

"No, my baby…" she whispered. "You're not..."

Just one blink was all it took, and I was at home. As I stood in the living room, I saw Mom sitting on the couch and staring out the window. After a long moment of silence, she stood up and walked into the kitchen, where she grabbed a knife.

As I ran into the kitchen and approached her, she looked at me with a sad smile on her face, tears dripping down her cheeks. "I'm sorry for what I did…"

Staring at her with an unsteady breathing, I asked, "Wh-What did you do?"

She walked right past me and I followed her, going up the stairs, morbid curiosity filling me. My heart beat faster and faster with an irregular rhythm.

Thu-Thump-Thu-Thump-Thu-Thump-Thu-Thump-Thu-Thump

"M-Mom, what's going on?" I asked, but I received no answer.

When she reached the door at the end of the hall to hers and Dad's bedroom, she knocked slowly. "Hun… We need to talk."

"Mom, what are you doing…?!" I shouted.

As my heartbeat suddenly stopped, she looked back at me, her sad smile gone, "We must all pay for what we've done in the end. Your father and I are no different, Amelia."

I woke up to the smell of cooked crab. As I opened my eyes and sat up, I looked over at the coffee table, seeing what looked to be the strangest sandwich I'd ever seen. In between two slices of bread were fried eggs, shrimp, and a big roasted crab. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I looked around, seeing Splatt chew on a crab leg, the tip sticking out of her mouth. "Mornin' sleepyhead," she said with the leg in between her sharp teeth.

"Is this for me?" I asked, feeling groggy, already pushing the dream aside from my mind. I was done with the dreams, done with the mystery this week. I didn't want to think about it anymore until I could get home.

After drawing the rest of the leg into her mouth and crunching it loudly, she said with a full mouth, "Yeah. It's great. You're gonna need it if yer gonna do a Turf War today. Think you'll like it. Almost as good as Marigold's sandwiches."

Looking down at the sandwich, I picked it up, staring at it with wonder. "I've never seen anything like this."

"Hurry before it gets too cold," said Splatt. "It's best eaten hot."

Well, I didn't want to be rude… but could I really eat an entire crab and its shell, too? Looking at Splatt nervously, I put the sandwich up to my mouth and took a big bite, my teeth somehow penetrating the crunchy shell with ease, and the moment the juices of its inner meat hit my tongue, something lit up in my brain.

This was… amazing. I'd had crab before, but it was never this good! Something enhanced its flavor. I could taste every bit of its juicy interior and that simply made me scarf it down like a savage.

Splatt, watching me, chuckled. "Wow, even Weaver could never eat a whole crab like that. He had this weird tendency to pick it apart like some anemone."

It was then that I'd begin to think about it. If I was slowly changing, did that include my mouth as well? Were my taste buds different now? Standing up, I stretched, groaning. "I, uh… I'm just quirky like that, I guess?"

"Quirky is good," said Splatt. "Now, then. It's time I introduce you to my team. We don't wanna go into a Turf War half-baked, right? We need a full team that knows what it's doing!"

After traveling to the strange building known as the Splatsville Lobby, I was astounded by how big it was. This definitely wasn't Deca Tower. No, this was much bigger and filled with the better tech. Running past me was a hologram of an inkling, surprising me. "What the shell…?" I muttered. "Is this real? It's like TentaTek's building."

"The Splatsville Lobby was built by Glen Fiddler," said Splatt. "He helps to innovate the city and is currently planning future constructions. From what I hear, he's hoping to upgrade Inkopolis, too."

I was astonished. "This is incredible!"

"Yeah, it is,~" she said. "Hey, Lydian! You there?!"

Right before us was another hologram, this time of an octoling wearing an orange, rubber jumpsuit of some sort, and atop her head, her tentacle hair was neatly packed away under an orange helmet. In her hands, she held a slosher. "Huh? What's up?"

"Can you join us for a Turf War?" asked Splatt.

The hologram jumped quickly as if she were startling. Turning around, eyes widening, she replied, "Uhh, that may need to wait! It's a big one!"

"You're working this early in the day?" questioned Splatt, putting a hand on her hip. "Is it a Cohozuna?"

"You got that right!" Lydian shouted back. She then started pointing in a random direction. "Hey, can someone help me take out that Flyfish?! I can only take out one side!"

"This is amazing," I said almost breathlessly.

"Yeah, Lydian's gonna be a little busy," said Splatt. "Don't worry, you'll see her at Splatfest, though."

"Was that a Salmon Run outfit?" I asked, curious about the outfit.

Splatt nodded as she directed me over to what looked like a large elevator-like tube. "Yeah, she's a longtime employee.

As we walked into it, a holographic panel appeared, just like Deca Tower's elevator. As Splatt tapped on a few panels, she smirked. "Ah, the twins are available.~"

My heart almost stopped. "The Barazushi Twins?!"

"Yeah, we go way back!" Splatt replied. "They're really chill. Hey, get this. One's a freakin' zombie now! Ain't that wicked?!"

"Y-Yeah, we've met!" I said.

"Small world,~" she said. "Anyways… We've just gotta wait until the Lobby transports us to Hammerhead Bridge. From there, I can take you back home!"

"Th-Thanks!" I said. "How can I repay you?"

"No sweat," she said. Soon after that, though, her brows lowered a bit. She quickly returned to the holopanels, cancelling the trip. "Before we go, I'mma get us some of Marigold's sandwiches. Stay here."

"Um, alright," I said, smiling as she walked away. I was very grateful to her. She kept me safe from that psycho inkling, Ana. If she wasn't there, who knows what would've happened? I took out my phone and began texting Nem, excitement welling up inside my chest.

Amelia: Hey, I'm gonna be home soon, likely within the hour.

Nem-Nem: Thank cod. I was starting to get worried again.

Nem was always so worried. I really needed to do something for her soon. I couldn't bear the guilt of going out all the time on these strange adventures. She'd already lost two daughters. I couldn't let her lose me.

But…

THUD!

My world went black, a brief pain from the back of my head sending me into an unknown period of unconsciousness. In the black void, Ezra stood before me, sighing. "Seriously…?"

"Where am I?" I asked frantically, turning around in circles to try and figure out my surroundings.

"My world," said Ezra. "As you can see, it's pretty lonely here. Looks like someone got to you. I can hear them giggling and it's freaking me out…"

"N-No…" I replied. "It can't be! Ana found me?!"

"I told you to leave Splatsville yesterday," said Ezra. "You didn't listen, and now we're both paying for it."

"I need to wake up!" I shouted.

"Well, lucky for you, I can make the perception of time move faster for you," Ezra replied. "Or slower, and we could spend time together…?"

I shook my head. "Ezra, I need to get out of there!"

She sighed again, looked down. "Fine… I was hoping to show you something, but that can wait, I suppose. Have fun waking up. Even Turf Madness won't save you from this."

As I felt myself being pulled from Ezra, wisps of colorful lights circled around me faster and faster, and when finally I opened my eyes, I saw a very bright light shining down on my face. Ana was watching me with the biggest grin. The first thing I noticed was that my beanie had been removed, revealing my hair and my human nature.

The second thing that came to my attention was the bindings on my arms and legs, keeping me strapped down to a cold, metal table. And the third, well, I just couldn't do much. My body felt so slow, so tired. The lights were dizzying and everything was just slightly blurry.

From what I could tell, I was in a dark, barren room, the walls concrete and bare. Next to me was a small table of surgical equipment, needles, scalpels, all included. I was scared out of my mind. Whatever I had thought of Doctor Scalpel before was nothing compared to what was happening here and now.

"Oh, my sweet little lab rat,~" whispered Ana. "We're going to have so much fun together!~"

I could hardly speak, this strange something keeping me sluggish. My eyes could only stare right at her as I mumbled, "N-Nn…Nuhhh…"

Her goggles reflected my face as she leaned in, inches from me, her smile gone, a face of giddiness replaced with a face of pity. "You poor baby… I've seen what your kind has gone through. So vulnerable to disease, so vulnerable to broken bones, with no medical care possible because nobody knows how to treat a human in this day and age…"

The more I looked at her, the more I noticed something. Was… her hairstyle different? Instead of a messy haircut, her tentacles were in pigtails instead, making her seem a bit more professional and scarier than usual. "P-Please… N-Nem…"

"Shhhh, it's okay, sweetie," she whispered, turning to rummage around in a big cardboard box. "Now, where is it…?"

Looking up at the lamp, I could only worry. My heart wasn't even beating faster like it should've. Whatever she'd done to me, she must've done to the other humans she'd captured before. My body was relaxed but my mind was screaming in fear.

"Such a tragedy," she said, now facing me and holding a metal helmet with blinking lights on it. "I've seen the end through their eyes, and they can see through mine! Their thoughts run rampant within my brain and I can see what it truly means to be human!"

Ana put on the helmet, then tightly fitted a second metal helmet onto my head, and as much as I wanted to struggle, my body simply let her, my muscles unable to move at all. I was scared out of my mind, gravely concerned by her crazy talk.

"N-Nuhh… Not… h-human…" I muttered.

"I'm more human than you," she said with a giggle. "My machines informed me of your poor condition. I may not be able to fix you, but I can preserve your mind! You can keep living on through me! And once you're in my head… you'll get to see me dissect your broken body from my perspective. Isn't that so cool?!~"

"Y-You're insane…" I muttered, but she soon placed a rubber mask with a tube attached to it up to my mouth to silence me, my body involuntarily breathing in some kind of substance. My body relaxed once more, my speech back to its previous state of slurriness.

"Shh… Can't have you recover yet…" she whispered to me. "Poor thing… So alone, no friends to understand her. But, I understand. That's how I used to feel when I was little. I couldn't find anyone to be my friend. At least… not until I met my first human. She was as innocent as you and she trusted me to take her pain away. She's still with us… She's watching you through MY eyes. And soon, I can restore her."

Ezra stood by me, looking scared. "Something's invading our mind!"

Lifting up her goggles to reveal her pink eyes, Ana grinned widely, the lights on her helmet blinking faster and faster. "Soon, you will both live forever. I promise! Just like her!"

As the helmet on my head began to whine with a high electronic pitch, I could see dozens of human people standing around the table, all of them staring at me with empty eyes. This was a nightmare. I could see memories that weren't mine flood my head with frightening events of the past. I couldn't take it. It was all beginning to overwhelm me.

I could see the eruptions, the chaos in the mobs as everyone tried to get to safety! More importantly, I could hear the humans and their confused thoughts.

"Save me…"

"It hurts!"

"Just a girl?"

"I want out!"

"Why do I exist…?"

"I don't wanna be here! Mommy?!"

Through the grogginess and the mental chaos, I could only scream out one name. "NEM-NEM!"

"Only I can save you!~" Ana screamed back at me, cackling loudly.

But… behind her, I caught a glimpse of the familiar purplish glow of tentacle hair lighting up the face of a mother scorned. "How dare you…"

Ana, surprised, quickly turned around only to receive a powerful punch, sending her down to the ground, the grin wiped right off her face.

Nem-Nem hurried over to the table and removed the helmet from me, all the human apparitions vanishing from my vision and their foreign memories leaving me. As she removed the mask from me and undid my bindings, I wanted to cry. I wanted to thank her, but my body was still stuck in a state of tiredness.

Instead of picking me up, she picked up Ana by the neck instead, whose pink eyes stared at Nem with fear. Through the choking, she managed to spit out, "N-Nem Nemone?!"

"Give me a reason not to permanently splat you!" said Nem, her eyes filled with rage, a scowl on her face, and her teeth bared. "YOU TRIED TO TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME! WHY SHOULDN'T I TAKE YOUR LIFE?!"

"N-Nuhh…" I tried to speak. I had so many questions now. Who was Ana? What had she done to these humans? What was her real reasoning? "N-No…"

Nem turned her head to look at me. "She tried to hurt you, Amelia. I'm doing what's best for you."

"She… kn-knows… humans…" I muttered.

"I don't care if she knows the Squid Sisters," said Nem.

"P-Please…!" I managed to spurt out.

"Do you realize how much I'm holding back, Amelia?" asked Nem. "Do you know how many I've taken out on the way here? I'm no stranger to this kind of madness. She will try again! Bram was proof enough!"

Nem and I exchanged expressions, mine being one of desperation and Nem's being one of seething vengeance, but finally, after looking at me for some amount of time, she dropped Ana, walking over to the table and picking me up.

As Ana shakily stood up, she pointed at Nem, the psychotic squid clearly angry. "What did you do to my gang?!"

"What did you try to do to Amelia?" Nem asked in return, her gaze stern. "I won't give mercy to anyone who stands in between my daughter and I. If I ever see you in Inkopolis, I won't hesitate to make sure you meet the same fate as the ones who stood in my way."

I heard another familiar voice behind us. It was definitely Splatt's. "Hey, we've gotta go. More inklings are startin' to gather outside."

That day was… embarrassing. I was scolded by Nem after I was brought home. She went on a rant, telling me how worried she was. I just wanted to curl up in my bed and forget what had happened, but Nem was insistent on telling me just one thing: I wasn't allowed to go back to Splatsville or the Splatlands, even if I wanted to find more humans there.

Ezra would give me the same glare as Nem, disappointed in me for not listening in the first place. At least Splatt was nice enough to stick around to make sure I made it home. Nem was very grateful to her for leading her to me. After dinner, Splatt was offered a chance to stay for the night. She accepted and graciously landed on the couch for a much-deserved rest after she had helped to fight off an entire gang of inklings just to get to me.

I felt guilty. It seemed that I had been going against Ezra's advice more and more, becoming more daring all for the sake of curiosity. Was this part of puberty? Ezra may have done some stupid things, but she was clearly interested in helping me lately.

I mean, yeah, she was creepy at some points in time, but those nanobots were messing with her. I should've listened to her… I should've gone home straight after that Turf War. Did she know I was sorry? She'd been inactive since the kidnapping event.

That night, when Nem went to bed, I snuck out of my room. I had more questions, my mind still curious. I wanted to ask Splatt more about Ana, and since I wasn't exactly going to the Splatlands by doing that, Ezra didn't seem to have any objections to it.

Splatt was still awake, watching the television with interest in a horror movie that was playing. Seeing me, she grinned. "I knew you'd be out here."

I nodded. "Then you know what I want to ask, right?"

"Ana's a nutcase," she said. "Her story is all kinds of messed up and everyone in Splatsville knows how it went."

"Tell me?" I asked, sitting on the couch next to Splatt.

Splatt bit her lower lip for a few moments, looking at the television before finally pausing it. "Well, I don't know all the details, but I do know she used to be best friends with a human. Some girl who had an incurable disease. I'm not sure what happened to make Ana snap, but… it didn't end well for the human. Since then, she's been gathering more and more humans."

I kept thinking back to my kidnapping. "She said they were all in her head…"

"Maybe it's the guilt getting to her," Splatt replied. "I know I wouldn't be sane after hurting so many innocent people."

"What about Weaver?" I asked. "What's his story?"

She shook his head. "Nah. I'm not talkin' about that. That's too long a tale, alright? Maybe he'll write a book or somethin', but I'm not gonna dig up something from the past like that, especially if it involved me."

What was so bad about the past that she refused to talk about it? I really wanted to know more, but I knew I couldn't push it. It wasn't my business. Ana, however…

"How did Ana come up with the Emberz brand?" I questioned.

Splatt put her hands behind her head, getting comfortable as she answered me. "Well, ever since Splatsville became popular, Ana began making gear with her weird sciency knowledge, but she'd make the most chaotic things, all these outfits made from different fabrics as if–"

"As if there was more than one person trying to make a design," I finished. "Like I said, she claimed there were multiple humans in her head."

"I just think she's off her rocker," Splatt countered. "We can definitely both agree on that!"

Sighing, I shook my head. After thanking her for answering my questions, I went back to my room, plopping onto my bed facefirst. I was more tired than anything right now. As I closed my eyes, I went into yet another dream, one that I wouldn't soon forget.

The sky was bright blue and the land was a barren landscape. I'd been wandering for two days, unable to find either food nor civilization. Was I truly the only one to wake up early? Thoughts ran through my mind. I should've stayed back at the bunker, hoping someone would wake up, too.

However, with no food there, I was unable to really do anything about it. Looking around, I knew the food storage had been ransacked by someone, but I didn't know who. My stomach growled in protest, no longer wanting me to keep going, but I had to, or else I'd die.

Walking by a large cliffside, I could see a structure off in the distance. It… looked like the Eiffel Tower, upside-down and lodged into the ground. What had happened to everyone? Did anyone survive outside the pods? I was so scared, my hand clasped over my mouth, tears going down my face.

I couldn't… No, I can't be the only one out here!

But, as if to answer my prayers, I heard sniffling, followed by crying.

This crying was so garbled as if the person was underwater. I couldn't ignore it, though. I needed to find someone! I took my chances and ran towards the noise, going around the cliffside to eventually see a pile of scrap metal, a lone blonde girl in pigtails next to it, looking at me with pink eyes. She wore rags for clothes, and her hair… wasn't exactly hair. The majority of the surface was smooth and easily reflected the sun, and her pigtails actively moved from time to time.

Were those tentacles…?

We stared at each other. As I approached, she scooted away as if in fear of seeing me. I suppose I could've understood that. We looked similar, but our hair was completely different. I was human, but I couldn't tell what she was.

"W-Wait," I said, but this seemed to startle her. Speaking in a foreign language, she stood up and ran behind a sheet of metal that was well-stuck in the ground. I tried to speak in a calmer voice. "H-Hey, it's okay! I'm lost. Do you think you can help me?" I asked, my hand held out to her.

She spoke again in her strange language, worrying me further. This language barrier was going to be tough to close. But then my stomach did the translating for me as it growled loudly. She tilted her head a bit, slowly walking out from behind the sheet of metal and holding out what looked like… a chocolate bar.

These creatures had food…?

I carefully and slowly reached out. The look in her eyes told me she was wary, too, watching my hand as my fingers closed around the snack and gripped it, taking it from her. I hesitantly rose the bar to my mouth and took a bite, the familiar smell and flavor of cocoa pleasing my senses. I dropped to my knees, grateful. I had feared I'd never find any food and this creatu– no, this person saved me.

From then on, I stuck around her and we travelled. I didn't know where she was going, but I knew she was safe. On occasion, we'd walk past a few signs, each in a language I couldn't understand. I could only assume it was the same language she was speaking. She knew where she was going and I knew she was leading me to shelter. She would hold my hand the entire way, looking back at me on occasion with concern, and I couldn't help but smile back at her kindness.

As we walked into a large city, I was surprised. Life was thriving here. Creatures like her were walking all over, displaying human behavior. Talking, laughing, expressing themselves through beautiful clothing. Yet, here was this girl guiding me, wearing the dullest of rags and looking different compared to the others.

We walked into what I realized was an apartment, where she put on a metal helmet, then gave me a second one. Without hesitation, I put it on. I trusted her and was rewarded with human language.

"Hello," she said, smiling at me. "You're… human, right?"

I nodded, then pointed to the helmet I wore. "Yeah… Is this a translator?"

"For now," she said. "I hope to adapt the technology into something smaller, but this will have to do. How long have you been out there?"

"T-Two days…" I said. "Are there other humans out there?"

"A very small band of them," she replied. "They live over in the junkyard."

"I'm relieved," I said. "But, why the junkyard?"

"Paranoia," she answered. "It's common with them. Hey, um… Would you like to stay with me until you can find another place of your own?"

I was thankful. "Yeah," I replied. "I'd love to!"

"I'm Ana," she introduced gleefully.

With a smile, I told her, "I'm Hazel."

Our friendship grew from there. I felt the courage to face life again. Months went by and we bonded over every little thing. Food, games, and even her amazing inventions. I grew to see her as someone I wanted to stick with for as long as I lived.

But…

Then I started feeling ill. Over time, it had become more and more difficult to breathe. I tried to power through it, thinking exercise would keep me healthy, but the more I did all that, the worse it became. It was only when my chest began hurting and I began to cough up blood did Ana begin to run tests on me.

I had tumors in my lungs and they were quickly spreading…

Ana had no idea how the human body worked. There would have been a fatal risk if she'd tried without proper knowledge. Since the hospitals in Splatsville didn't know anything about human anatomy, there was little-to-no hope for me…

My final days were scary… I wanted to see my mom again, to tell her I loved her and to ask her to keep going for me, but the pods were on an auto-release program that Ana couldn't figure out how to crack. I stayed in bed and Ana would stay by my side the entire time, telling me outside world events and asking how I was feeling.

Then, one day, Ana approached me in the early morning before the sun came up. She had her helmet on as usual to talk to me, but… it had extra metal clutter attached to it. I looked at her warily as she attached a second one to my head and I asked her through the translator, "What's wrong…?"

"I think I can save you…" she quietly said. "I just… need to buy time. Can you trust me?"

I looked into her sad, pink eyes, seeing fear and desperation in them. I held out my hand and grasped hers tightly. "Of course I do, Ana…"

"I… want to transfer your consciousness into my brain," she explained. "If I do this, I can have more time to make you a new body, but… I'd have to undergo a lot of mental trauma just to contain your mind. But, please, understand that I will keep trying to save you. You are my only friend and I will do anything to keep you alive. You will be aware of being in here, so… it'll be like you're still alive."

I thought about it for a long time, keeping her hand gripped tightly. Ana was the only friend I had and I didn't want to leave her. If she wanted to go ahead with this, who was I to stop her? I'd do everything for her after she'd saved me.

"Let's do it," I whispered, shakiness in my voice. I knew my time was almost up. Ana was offering her sanity to save me and although I was worried about how it would affect her, I knew she would've been persistent about it.

From then on, I'd been part of her, watching everything through her eyes as she changed. Our thoughts were jumbled, our memories were rearranged. I suffered as I watched my best friend do the unexpected and start dissecting humans, taking various organs and adding their minds to our own, my squid friend trying her best to keep them all from dying completely.

I saw her reasoning, but it wasn't a sound one. She wanted to harvest them, study them and try to replicate them, but no matter how many times she tried, she couldn't. She was caught in an eternal cycle of adding more people to our collective consciousness. I was trapped in here and I could only witness all the atrocities she'd committed, all just to save me, all just initially to save one life and one life alone.

I could only watch helplessly as my one and only friend descended further and further into madness…

I bolted awake with a wet face, my pillows soaked with tears and my body sweating. Ezra stood by my bedside, looking down at me with an indifferent expression. "You gonna be okay…?"

I nodded and got up, stretching my arms. "Of course we'd have a dream about that," I muttered. "Do you know why we get these dreams?"

"You've been having them since before I was a thing," Ezra replied. "I can't explain it."

"There's only one thing to do, then," I said, walking over to my closet. I grabbed my dualies and gripped them tight, a new purpose in my heart forming.

"No," said Ezra.

I turned around to face her. "I know you've been trying to help me with everything and I appreciate it, but this girl… She's different. She needs to be stopped before she hurts more humans. I have a real reason to push my training now."

Ezra stared at me, a thoughtful look across her face. "You really want to fight this girl after what she was able to do to your arm?"

"When the time finally comes to face her at Splatfest, I'm letting you help me," I replied, causing her eyes to widen in great confusion. "There's no doubt she'll be there to try and get at me, so I'm giving you full permission to help me take her down. That includes changing me when you need to. The only restriction I'm giving is that you don't take over completely."

"You realize what you'd be doing, right?" she asked. "I'd be very close to my goal, pretty much inches away from that finish line. You're seriously trusting me with this?"

With steel resolve, I nodded. "There's a lot going on right now. The undead inklings, the Splatfest, but this is one thing I need to put above everything else, at least for now. If I want to help other humans, she needs to be stopped."

Ezra's eyes looked over me with heavy thought behind them. "Cool. I'll agree with you there, but remember what I said. Marina may be working on a body for me, but I don't know how long I can last against these nanobots. It's either you or me, Amelia."

Without a word, I went to the warehouse, where I waited for Bryson. I had texted him everything and he immediately responded with a phone call. He didn't know about Ezra, but he knew that if I was going to fight for other humans, I needed to represent them at my full potential, and it was something he understood more than anything else.

He represented the Annakis and I wanted to represent humanity. Being part of a race that was dying, I had to carry the mantle. This was for Mark, for Mom and Dad, and for everyone who suffered in the final days of human civilization.

Bryson walked into the warehouse with a glare of serious nature, his nose upturned as if he were looking down on me. "Are you worthy of representing your entire kind?"

"Ye–"

"WRONG!" he shouted, kicking me back, but as he did, I raised my arms to block his move, only being pushed back by a few feet. As I steadied myself, he smirked, twirling his umbrella. "You're not ready yet. Unless you can beat me, you aren't ready to represent anyone. But I will train you. I will mold you into a real warrior in the eyes of the Annaki!"

"Is it really possible?" I asked. "For someone like me to become worthy in the eyes of Annaki?"

"A long time ago, there was a squid who couldn't shift in between forms," said Bryson. "Barnes Annaki. You may not have heard of him, but he was definitely an important figure. The son of the traitor, Sheriff Brayden Annaki. He was a squid who brought honor back to his branch by taking out all the generals of the Enperrial Empire during the Early Turf Claim Era. This set in motion the final attack on the Enperrial Empire."

A squid who couldn't shift forms, taking out generals?! I was blown away by the fact, my eyes widening. "R-Really?!"

Bryson smirked, then held out his umbrella. "This is the very weapon Barnes used against the Enperrials and it's a weapon I take good care of. I begged my father to let me use it the moment I laid eyes on it as a young squidlet. I knew it had to be my weapon."

"That's moving…" I said, staring at his umbrella. I had seen him use it so many times before with such skill and grace but I had no idea the weapon had such significance. "And you think I could reach heights like his?"

Bryson walked up to me, removing his Annaki shades. His blue eyes looked right into my soul. "Only if you're willing to break your limits."

There was something about those words that concerned me. I thought I was already breaking my previous limits. Were there really more limits I could break? I quickly nodded. "Yes! I'm willing!"

Bryson's upper lip twitched, flashing a fang for a brief second. "Then I'm not going to hold back. You and I, we're going to fight every day of the month. You won't ever take a break. I don't care how much your body screams at you to stop. You will not break, you understand me?! If you do, you're done!"

Fighting Bryson…? Every single day?!

I was scared, but then I remembered Ana. She was a menace, and since I didn't see any other threats at the moment, her downfall was my only goal. "I won't break!" I screamed back, clenching my fists with a burning blaze in my heart.

The moment I said that, I heard thunder outside. "R-Rain," I muttered, looking out towards the entrance. I should've paid attention because it seemed my training had started the moment I said I wouldn't break.

I received a kick to the chest, sending me tumbling across the cold, hard concrete and into a pile of heavy boxes. With my breath knocked out of me, it was difficult to recover, but I stood up regardless, watching cautiously as Bryson sped in my direction, his umbrella still closed. Why wasn't he preparing to shoot?

Unless… Oh no…

He gripped his weapon tightly and swung it the moment he was within reach, trying to hurt me with a melee attack. He wasn't joking when he said he wasn't holding back! I tried to raise my hands, but I received a hit to the side of my head, sending me flying yet again with nothing to cushion my fall onto the ground.

"Th-This isn't good…" I groaned. "I-I'm not ready!"

Ezra appeared, looking down at me in what I could only interpret as pity, her hand held out. With Bryson approaching fast, I had to make a quick decision! She then said, "I can make it so you can take the hits easier. Do you trust me?"

Seeing Bryson with eyes of blue fury running towards me, I grabbed her hand, watching her vanish the moment our grips tightened. In that moment, I felt some renewal of strength and I stood my ground, a primal, gurgling scream erupting from my throat as I rushed him as well.

He swung the umbrella and I grabbed it! Furious glances meeting for a fleeting second, I decided to fight back, sweeping my legs to knock him back! He jumped, avoiding the kick and delivering one of his own to my face, but I only stumbled back a small ways, the gurgling in my throat almost constant as I began to deliver a fierce warcry.

This training was for humanity. I needed to represent them. If Weaver wouldn't protect them… if no one would protect them, then I would!

I WAS SICK OF SEEING PEOPLE STAND BY!

Closing my distance, I delivered an almost-lightning-quick punch, hitting him across the face and stunning him. From there, I elbowed him in the stomach and shoved him to the ground, but he quickly recovered, rolling back onto his feet and getting into a more serious fighting stance.

"That's it!" he said with a grin. "Show me what a human can do!"

We fought for three hours, punching, kicking, trading bruises and just outright screaming at each other, practicing our reflexes, dodging instincts. It was exhilarating and I wanted more, but after the third hour, my body could no longer take it. I collapsed and he didn't even look like he had broken a sweat.

Looking down on me with disappointment, he said, "We'll be doing this again tomorrow."

My body was worn out. Could I really recover within a day? "Y-Yeah…" I panted, sitting up and wiping the sweat off my brows. "J-Just need to get some good sleep tonight…"

"You said she was able to dislocate your arm," he said. "Until you can prevent her from doing more damage, we'll keep practicing. Melee is just as important as shooting. It's why we have the rollers, the brushes, and the splatanas. You've been avoiding those weapons for too long. I plan to give you a chance against them!"

"I'm a little scared…" I admitted. "If I break a single bone, I won't be able to stop her."

"My ancestors went into battle regardless," Bryson pointed out. "You want to be seen as a warrior in the eyes of Annaki? You must have their courage! They didn't have a spawn point, just like you! You will become a legend by the time I'm done with you!"

Nodding, I stood up, my legs aching. "This is going to hurt me in the morning…" I muttered.

"Impressive," said a familiar voice.

Bryson's sudden angry expression told me everything. The Barazushi Twins had been watching us the entire time we'd been training. Turning around, I watched her and her twin warily. "You heard everything?" I questioned.

"Even if we did, it wouldn't matter," said Tsuki. "Splatt already filled us in on who you are. We might be willing to keep it a secret from the citizens of Inkopolis, but… on one condition."

I was scared now. They were blackmailing me now?! "Wh-What do you want?"

"We want to train you, too,~" she replied, hitting me with puzzlement.

"What?"

"Ana Emberz is moving in on Barazushi turf. Our brand must be the only one on top and she threatens us," explained Tsuki. "We will join you in Splatfest, but only if we are all united with the same goal of permanently splatting that stupid girl."

"I-I don't want to permanently splat her!" I replied, glaring at her. "I just want to stop her from hurting other humans!"

Taiyo, Tsuki's brother, walked up to me, his silence scaring me. Even his footsteps were completely quiet. "Won't stop…" he said in a smooth, deep voice. "Keep hurting, no matter what."

"Oh…? Taiyo?" questioned Tsuki. "This is the first time you've spoken since you've…"

"She hurts," said Taiyo. "I see them around her, crying, begging. Real Ana is gone. Replaced with a true monster. A warped mind in a broken body…"

I knew what he meant. Ana was so twisted from the human minds inside her that she was no longer herself. But…

"I can fix her," I lied, looking down at the ground and avoiding all eye contact.

Taiyo's cold hand gripped around my chin, lifting my face back up to look directly at him once again. Our faces were inches from each other, my hands shaking in fear as I was up close with one of the inklings who had defied death. "Can fix…?" he whispered.

I shivered at how emotionless his voice was and how cold his hands were. Raising up part of his tentacle hair, he revealed his blue pupils and black sclera. Bryson seemed tempted to intervene, stepping forward, but Tsuki put out her splatana in front of him, drawing his attention to her.

"Y-Yeah?" I shakily replied, looking into his eyes with great fear. These new undead inklings… they scared me. I didn't know what they were like, so this was an experience that would traumatize me.

Forgetting to breathe, I took a gasp the moment he let go, the undead boy stepping back and letting his hair back down to cover his gaze. "Liar…"

I almost whimpered, wanting to go home. "I-I can!"

"Admit it," said Tsuki. "You can't stop her without permanently splatting her!"

"Th-Then I'll go to Doctor Scalpel!" I shouted in sudden defense, immediately regretting what I had just said, but… I kept talking. Why was I still talking?! "H-He's smart, just like Ana! He could fix her! He brought Taiyo back from literal death, didn't he?!"

Tsuki and Taiyo both exchanged glances, Tsuki smirking. "Hmm… Perhaps he could… but this had better turn out in our favor. We want the Emberz brand gone! If she returns to making gear, then we will go after her ourselves and finish the job!"

I was making a promise I wasn't sure I could keep, but these two were dangerous. I could feel it. "I promise she won't!"

And so, I'd realized I'd need to make good on my promise. It'd been a while since I'd really talked to Scalpel. From the moment his daughter had been brought back, he'd just been sending David over with an anti-serum to keep Ezra in check.

Now I was scared. I knew Scalpel was off his rocker, but Ana was even more so. If anyone could fix her, it'd be him, right?

I just needed to convince him…