Andrew's POV

I step out of the university's main entrance. Dozens of other students follow suite, screeching and hollering like they've just been freed from a prison. I can't say I entirely blame them, though. We're finally on a break and we can sit back and relax.

I sigh in happiness and relief, standing still to observe the gorgeous sunny day that we've been blessed with.

I felt my phone ring and reach into my pocket to receive it. Our Literature Club group chat was buzzing with activity, no doubt from the girls' excitement to finally be done with testing and studying, at least for now.

I chuckle while I read some of the texts, most of them from Sayori and Natsuki. I send one 'See you guys soon' text and put my phone away.

I leave the school grounds and cross the street adjacent to it, making my ways towards the towns center to make it to our last club meeting of this semester.

On the last day of the semester, we all meet up at the girls' favorite coffee shop to relax. It became somewhat of a tradition after the first year.

I zoned out while walking, thinking about everything and nothing, and before I knew it, I looked up and saw the shop.

I walked around the store's main entrance to the outdoor seating section, where I saw Sayori and Natsuki already sitting at a large table. They noticed my approach and waved frantically at me.

I laugh and threw my bag into a chair, giving the girls small hugs.

"Hello there, crazies. You guys are in good moods, huh? Glad to finally be able to relax?" I chuckle to them.

"Duh! I can finally catch up on all the manga and anime I've had to neglect during the year." Natsuki cheers.

"I love to sleep!" Sayori chirps while stuffing her face with a muffin, making a mess everywhere.

I laugh heartily at them.

"Well I guess I wouldn't mind gaming as long as I want without having to wake up in the morning and hate myself."

The girls giggle at me and I turn to the shop.

"Imma grab a drink or someshit, are the others here?" I ask while opening the outdoor entrance.

Natsuki nods her head and immediately starts talking to Sayori about something that I probably don't care about. Or want to know about.

I walk into the homey little shop and immediately notice the outlier of purple hair. I grinned and approached Yuri, seeing Monika was next to her.

"Hey, you finally made it!" Monika calls to me, giving me a squeezing hug in the process.

"Duh, you know me. Always fashionably late." I laugh while giving Yuri a hug as well.

She squeezes me a few seconds longer than the others and I can faintly feel her smelling around me.

"Like it? It's called Old Spice, the manliest of scents." I tease her. She immediately lets me go, beet red.

"W-what? No, I just-" She stammered at me. I laugh and playfully roll my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you dork. You make it too easy."

She sighs faintly in relief and we order our drinks. We wait around for a few moments until our beverages are ready and we meet the other girls outside.

We take seats and Monika immediately hold her hands up, getting our attention.

"Okay, everyone. Thanks for coming to our traditional end-of-semester, coffee-extravaganza club meeting! If we all sit here today that means…we made it to another break!"

The rest of us break out into cheers, well most of the cheering being Sayori and Natsuki, but still.

"So, that being said, let us enjoy this beautiful weather, these tasty Frappuccinos, and get some gossip and talk out for the break!"

We spend a majority of the "club meeting" just laughing and talking. Mostly the girls did the talking and I listened, placing stupid humor in the conversations whenever I felt it needed some dumb spice. They shared plans for the summer, places they will go or want to go, and things like that.

A one point, I focused on Yuri, who was sitting there, zoning out to herself. I realized she was…murmuring something. Or talking to herself. I lightly kicked her from under the table and she flinched, looking up at me.

I gave her a short head nod and a thumbs up, signaling to ask if she was okay. She lightly nodded her head, but her eyes remained wide. She gave me a small, forced smile and turned to the other girls.

'Oooookay' I think to myself.

The sun slowly lowers, and I look around, noting the growing absence of individuals out with us. I make eye contact with Monika and I can tell she silently has the same thought as me.

"Okay, everyone. We've been here for several hours and the sun is starting to set. I have some errands to run before I head home, so I think it's best to end our meeting here."

We all agree and stand up, discarding trash and retrieving our items.

"Hey Monika, I need to grab some things for Papa before heading back, so I can tag along if you want." Natsuki relays to Monika while grabbing her bag.

"Of course!" Monika smiles at her, waving goodbye to us as the two walk off farther into town.

"I gotta meet my Mom at the market down the street! I think she's getting me something! Or maybe not….but see you guys later!" Sayori squeezes both me and Yuri and sprints off down the block, full of energy and caffeine.

I chuckle at her leave and turn to Yuri, who's standing but still lost in her own world.

"Yuri.." I call. No response. "Hey, Yuri!"

She flinches again and turns to me, shyly smiling.

"Oh, Y-yes?"

I roll my eyes and wave my hand, beckoning her to walk with me.

"I think it's time to get home. What you got going up with you today, hm? You seem lost in the sauce." I say to her as we start down the street.

She ponders for a moment before answering.

"Have I been? I'm sorry if it's been a nuisance.."

I roll my eyes and lightly bump into her.

"Obviously it's not a nuisance, I just want to make sure you're okay."

She sighs and we continue in silence for a moment.

"It's nothing, really. I've just been pre-occupied with the novel." She quietly tells me. Her demeanor gets instantly fidgety.

"Yeah? That's all? Is it just….really good or something?"

She breaks into a smile and nods her head.

"Yes! I mean…y-yes. It's so well written. It's all so fluid and descriptive. Everything seems as it should be, as it was. I'm just glad it's all in order."

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Er-all in order? What do you mean?"

She freezes in her tracks for a moment, her eyes wide.

"Er-did I say that? I just meant that it is a very good read." She stutters, giving me a force laughed.

"Er-okie dokie then, wacko."

My mind wanders to the events of yesterday, how she became almost entirely a different person when she retrieved the book. She talks about it very instinctually, and every time I ask about it, she instantly becomes strange.

We make it too her condo and she gives me a small wave before retreating to her home, speeding out of sight.

I rub the back of my head and sigh.

"What the fuck is going on with you, Yuri?"

I shake my head and head to my own home.

…

Libitina's POV

The square chamber is damp and dimly lit. My limbs feel numb, hanging uselessly at my sides. I feel my knees on the cold, shattered concrete floor.

I pinched my eyes shut and tried to regain my senses. My haggard breathing was bouncing off the walls, creating a strange illusion of voices in my head.

I focused my energy into calming my mind.

I hear the crackle of an intercom being activated and my eyes slowly open.

"Okay, did you-did you write down those results?" A voice speaks. I hear murmurs in the background of the microphone. "Yes, Test #13 – Radio Frequencies. Positive response, although the triggers didn't stay nearly as long as Test #6. Mark it down as 'effective' but make a note to up the intensity for more testing at a later date."

There's another moment of murmurs before the voice comes back, this time sensing it's on me.

"Okay, E-11. So far this afternoon we've conducted and observed your stimuli to shock, intense radio frequencies, and extreme heat. You have proven positive stimuli to these tests, but we need to push these studies a bit further before we conclude your session for today."

I shakily lift my head to look up to the large rectangular window near the entrance. I wore a permanent scowl on my face, partly from contempt and part from sheer lack of control.

There were three observers on the opposite end of the window, each holding clipboards and next to electronic equipment. They seemed to be comparing notes or observations on my behaviors to the hell I've been enduring for the past hour.

I lift my hands up with difficulty so I can see them, my skin taking an ashen hue. Scorch marks and small trails of blood flowed down my arm, covering me in my own fluid and filth.

"Okay, E-11. The final experiment today will test of your ability to Awaken due to various levels of pressurized water." I see the man speaking turn to the doctor next to him. "Alright, activate Test #9"

I shakily stand to my feet, my entire body depleted of energy.

'No, I'm done. I don't want to feel…that thing clawing at my mind again.'

I hear a whirring noise and look to see a small machine rise out from a containment unit in the floor. It looked like a small turret of some kind. The barrel couldn't be no more than two feet long.

The machine hisses and water foamed at the tip. I could hear the mechanisms from its containers whirring to life, pressurizing its contents.

I turn to the window and see one of the doctors holding a small, black cylindrical switch. I take a small step towards with the window.

"No…please, no more…" I softly croak out loud.

I see the doctor's thumb close around the device and in an instant, I feel water plunge into me, thrusting me onto the ground and against the wall.

I put my hands up in defense against the blast, trying to shield myself. The water completely covers me.

The water concedes, the turret slowly calming down before only small drips of the liquid are spurting from the opening.

I level myself on my knees, hands pressed to my chest.

"Okay, stage one blast is ineffective. Ready stage two." I hear the head observer say over the intercom.

The instrument begins to rumble, powering up another blast. I shakily put my hands up to cover my face.

I hear the 'whoosh' from the cannon and am immediately assaulted with water, this time with the force of a ground vehicle.

I get slammed into the wall, not expecting the blast and inhaling sharply. The lack of oxygen immediately sends fight or flight messages to my brain. I flail on the ground until the water concedes once more.

I shift to my knees and cough violently, liquid exiting my lunges and bubbling around my hands on the cold floor.

My can sense my head starting to lose itself, diving in between thoughts of harm and contempt. I force my eyes up to the window.

"Stage two blast is ineffective. Prepare stage three."

I once again hear the device begin to roar, activating another module to increase its effective power.

I shakily stand to my feet, turning to the machine.

'No. No. No more, I'm done'

The machine fires its blast, spreading a powerful burst with the force of an airplane towards me. The blast propels me against the wall, crushing me against the stone surface.

My oxygen supply was once again cut. The blast of the water was fighting its way through my airways and I knew I was drowning. This is where my fight ends. Before I could even remotely think any rational thoughts, I felt a heat wave flow through my body.

I felt my mind split and my mouth scream. My eyesight goes blood red, and a strange pulsing wave spreads throughout my body, heating up my skin. I feel the unbearable urge to dominate every living entity in the vicinity that dare stand in my way.

I thrust my arms forward and move my palms outward, forcing the water to part around me. I bring a fist back and punch forward, sending an invisible concussive blast to the turret, immediately crushing it and pummeling it out of its container, sending it into pieces against the wall.

My body is no longer my own. It feels like I'm being powered by an evil, omniscient being. My mind fights with the entity that's taken over, screaming for control. All I hear is sharp, dark laughter and I realize its emanating from my own lungs.

I hurl my head back and shriek in laughter, looking around the room. Now that my eyesight has taken a red hue, I could notice every detail on every surface. I could see every exit and entrance, could tell how many entities were around me at all times and best of all…..I could see the three observers clearly.

I kicked off my legs at an alarming speed to the window, landing just before the glass and staring into the quarters where their studies reside. I can see them mindlessly scribbling down notes onto their notepads, uselessly making a name for their pitiful lives.

My favorite part about feeling this powerful? I can hear them. They're thoughts. I've never been able to sense that before. It felt wonderful.

"Okay, stage three of pressurized hydrotherapy is a success. She Awakened at…." He looks at a watch on his pitiful, pale wrist. "….two seconds past treatment of stage three. Document results."

They wrote more notes down and scanned their monitors. I grinned and hummed a low growl in my throat, content with their antics.

One of the observers made eye contact with me and noticeably shivered. His eyes went wide as he pierced my gaze. I took it as a challenge.

I grinned wide and squeezed my fist, feeling a deep pulse in my mind. The glass in front of me began to slowly crack.

The three observers dropped their clipboards and immediately slammed a red button, which was an emergency switch to activate the toxins that rid me of this power.

I begin to laugh, the evil sound echo from throughout the drenched room.

'I'm going to kill them. Kill them all, right now' I gleefully thought myself as I placed my hand upon the surface, prepared to blast the shattered wall and annihilate the three useless men with shards of glass.

My piercing gaze scanned each of the cowering observers, bringing extreme happiness to my soul.

"Yes. Cower before me, useless mouth-breathers."

I feel my hand vibrate violently as the window itself starts to build up pressure, cracking under my power.

My mind is flooded with visions of Ilia and all the others, going through the same treatment as me. Each one of them, building up their power until the day comes where we can assault our aggressors and take out the Speaker. The time will come….but not now.

I hesitate and drop my hand, scowling. I wanted so badly to end these sad, sadistic mens' lives. It would be so fun to dance around in their entrails and paint the walls with their crimson ichor.

I turn my red gaze to the hissing sound coming from the top of the walls. A green toxin begins to come through four vents scattered throughout the room, permeating the air. The gas enters my nostrils and I feel my bloodlust slowly fade, until I drop to my knees, completely drained.

I faintly hear a voice come over the intercom.

"G-good, E-11. You have completed your t-tests for today..." The man says, clearly shaken up. "..you are released to your quarters."

It seems like several moments pass before I feel control of my head again. I groggily lift up my skull, my vision hazy. I hear a latch open and slowly turn my head to my immediate right, where two Onyx guards walk in with their laser weapons.

"Congratulations, you finished your tests for today. Now let's go, head to your room."

The two men activated their wands, electricity crackling at two prongs at the tip of the cylindrical weapon. I shakily stand and drag my feet out of the room, completely drained.

I can hear the guards behind me saying things to me, but I block them out.

We arrive to my room and my hatch unlocks. One of the guard's steps pasts me and opens the door with ease. The second guard pushes me from behind, causing me to stumble and fall into my room.

With laughter, the two men close the door and I am once again sealed inside.

I cough and tremble onto the floor, weak from my testing. My arms are still ashy and bloody from the experiments, and I dreaded seeing the rest of me.

I weakly dragged myself to the shower across the room. I entered the small, circular area and struggled to pull the curtain closed so no one could see from outside the window.

I shakily stripped off the tattered gown and dropped it next to me. I reached up and fumbled with the valve controls until I felt the cold-water rush from out of the shower head.

I sat in a fetal position, feeling the water hit my back. I look down through my legs on the tile surface, seeing grime and blood wash down the drain.

I started to shake and put my head into my hands, weeping uncontrollably. I've never felt so out of control in my entire time being here.

'It's getting worse. It's becoming more frequent.'

I think to myself, trying to steel myself so I can stop crying.

'I don't know why this is happening. It's never been this bad before, just several times throughout the months…'

I sat in silence for the remainder of the shower, hiding from my thoughts. I never understood why, but showers were of the few things that usually helped me regain some energy back. Just enough to get me through dinner and our evening recess we were allotted.

I turn off the water and exit the curtain, feeling the cool air hit my bare skin. I stood in front of my mirror and eyed myself over. My silver hair was wet and clung to my skin, hanging down and covering my chest. I had assorted bruises and cuts along my abdomen and arms. My hips and legs were in no better shape.

I sighed and reached for my towel that hung on the wall in between the sink and shower. I dried myself off and retrieved a clean gown to wear.

As I was finishing drying off my hair, I hear the slot in my door open. I flinched and turned around, seeing a tray push through, signaling it was time for the evening meal.

I drop my towel in a pile on the floor and slowly walk toward the door, picking up the tray and resting on the floor with my back against my bed frame.

I didn't realize how hungry I was until I smelled the subpar food. I dug in, hoping to nourish myself.

As I ate, I reached beneath my bed and dug out my small cardboard box I had stashed underneath. I lifted off the soft, worn lid and place it neatly beside the container.

Inside was small folded parchments, a small composition notebook and some writing utensils.

I dug out the notebook and flipped through the pages, seeing my assorted poems and entries I've written over the course of the year.

There are rare occurrences where the director will bring in various items for us to keep in our rooms. I think they were small tokens to try and keep us grounded here, like what they were doing was actually for the betterment of ourselves. I was just gracious enough to receive things to write with.

I've always had a strange attachment to writing and reading, though I didn't get a whole lot of books. I just felt a….yearning for it. I picked up writing poems when Ilia told me that she thinks I had an eye for it a while back. I still thank her for it to this day.

I briefly smiled, reading one of the passages I've written. I titled it 'Hope', and I think it was a day when Ilia's optimism really got to me, for only briefly.

I was ripped from my thoughts when I heard shrill screams coming from out in the hallway.

I spring to my feet and jog to my window, pressing my face against it to barely see through.

Two guards were dragging one of the girls by her hair and arms down the hall, towards the exit. I recognized her as one of the girls that was around twenty years old, just a year above me. She was kicking and flailing her remaining limbs, trying to break free.

"Let me go!" She screeched. Even with her darker complexation, I could see various harmful marks on her body from her tests. "I will end you all! And when I'm done dissecting each and everyone of your carcasses, I will come for Him!"

The guards, clearly amused, chuckled and continued onward, unfazed. They passed through the gate and disappeared down the halls.

The section once again fell quiet as the disturbance passed. I slowly walked back to my spot on the floor, sighing to myself.

They could have just zapped her to shut her up, but no. They wanted to make an example out of her. But why?

I jumped in place as the intercom in the halls crackled on.

"Section E, report to the Playroom for the evening recess." A guard's voice orders.

A loud, low beep rang through the halls as our door locks unlatched, the green light appearing over the doorway.

I slowly got up and made my way to the playroom.

I walked in and immediately went to Ilia, who was sitting with her back against the wall in the same corner we usually take over. I sidle up next to her and drop down, our shoulders touching.

"Did you see what happened to Evie…?" I ask Ilia.

She slowly nods her head, looking straight ahead. For someone who tries so hard to be optimistic all the time, she truly looked shaken up right now.

She drew a shaky breath.

"She snapped. I think the things they did to her today broke her…"

I turned to meet her eyes, but she kept her gaze forward.

"What do you mean 'broke her'?" I carefully ask. I looked around the room to make sure we had no one eavesdropping, all though it was clear everyone was having similar conversations of their own.

"I think her normal state of mind and the mind that comes out when they…trigger us…kind of fused into one or something. I kind of saw it unfold. She awakened from one of her tests and when they brought her back down, she still was just as demented, just lacking the powers I guess."

I sat there in silence and digested the information she gave me. They….broke her?

I looked around the room to the dozen or so individuals we had in here. Each one held permanent frowns, housing a sadness and hopeless in their hearts. I already feel like we're all at rock bottom…it can get worse?

The thought sent chills down my spine.

"I think….I don't know, maybe I'm starting to head that direction…" I softly say out loud.

This causes Ilia to turn to me.

"What do you mean? You think you're going to end up like…her?"

I slowly nod my head.

"Why?" She asks.

I didn't respond to her, just focused on the room. Being inside myself today was the strongest it's ever been. I felt so powerful, such a need for bloodlust.

I felt soft hands squeeze my bicep and I turn, seeing a pair of worried brown eyes.

"Libitina, why do you feel like that?"

I could feel myself start to fall into vulnerability once again, so I took a shaky breath and kept her gaze.

"I don't know I just….today was the most powerful I've ever felt. They awakened me again for the third time this week….it's becoming more and more frequent and I'm…liking it, more and more."

Ilia gave me a small smile, squeezing my arm.

"Well, you never know. This could be your ticket out of here! Remember, once we've reached our true potential, we get out of here!"

I gave her a sympathetic look.

"Ilia, come on, we've talked about this before. I don't believe that for a moment. We get released, sure. But only from here. I'm sure they have plans after this for us…if we make it to that point."

Ilia rolled her eyes at me.

"It's kinda hard to hope for a bright, safe future when you constantly bring in a rainstorm, Libitina. You're going to get out of here soon, I know it."

I sighed and gave her a small smile.

"Look, I'm sorry. I want to believe that. Besides, I'm not leaving you behind. They'll have to drag me away…" I falter for a moment before locking eyes with her again.

"….which they would do anyways." We both say in unison. I couldn't help but giggle slightly along with her. It was such a commodity, laughter. Maybe our minds were finally breaking after all.

The main door opened, and Dr. Winters himself walked in, wearing the same scrubs/trench coat combination from the morning.

The room felt quiet, a hush falling over everybody. He slowly gazed at each of us before clearing his throat to speak.

"As I'm sure you are all well aware by now, E-3 herself will no longer be joining us. She fell behind in her training, and continuously fought against us. We had no choice, but to take her to the Pit."

Murmurs broke out to the crowd, stirring up fear into everyone.

"Silence." He boomed, shutting up the room. "I did not want to make such rash decisions, but as Director, it's my duty to take precautions when they are needed. I hope this serves its purpose to you all. Don't fall back, and do not fight back. Everything we do here is for your betterment. When you choose the path against that, well….the consequences are clear."

Without as much as a goodbye, he turns and departs the room swiftly, one of the Onyx guards closing the door behind him.

Low murmurs echoed from some individuals, but other than that the room remained quiet. I turned to Ilia who gave me a meek nod and a small, forced smile.

"Just….keep your chin up." She tells me halfheartedly.

I just nod and squeeze her hand. I wish for a day when we can finally be on the outside, safe from these obscenities, where we can live our lives. Maybe one day…

The door opens and the guards instruct us that it's lights out. We all say our small goodbyes to our section mates and head off to our quarters for bed.

….

There was a loud siren wailing, it's red light flashing inside the halls. Smoke was rising to the ceiling from the numerous fires that were littered throughout the area. The walls were covered in blood, some stains fresh and others coagulated, with dismembered bodies lying in several places.

I seemed to be out of my body, just watching the events like a flashback. I looked down at myself and barely could see my arms, my body being transparent like a ghost. I glided slowly to the doorway I was in and looked into the hall.

I drifted down a small hallway that seemed familiar and I saw a guard crawling on the messy floor. His legs were missing, the wound looking like the appendages were ripped off. He was slowly crawling, his breathing haggard and his mouth bloodied from coughing up his own fluid. There was a trail of his own ichor that followed his path.

A shadow passed over the man and he whimpered out loud.

"N-no, please! We can make this right, you just have to-urk!"

His cries were cut short as his neck looked like it was caving in on itself. He reached for his throat and clawed at something that didn't exist. Blood started to leak out of his ears and tear ducts, and his body began to useless flail around.

A cracking sound echoed above the crackling of the flames and his body fell limp, with his head still suspended in place. His eyes were caved in, and his bloodied spine hung useless below his dismembered head.

I covered my mouth so silence my gasp.

Soft laughter echoed from the area and his head fell useless on the floor. The shadow moved and disappeared further down the hall.

I drifted along and followed the shadow in horror at the carnage that was displayed. I recognized the area as the quarter's hall, where all the members resided. Most of the windows had blood stains splattered along their see-through surface, with the rooms being torn apart from the inside.

Beds upturned, limp bodies laying in various positions. The sight was horrifying.

I glided over some deceased guards and heard a buzzing sound. I looked up to see a neon sign sparking, fading in and out.

"Section F" is what is read.

'Section F? I thought 'E' was the last one?'

I hear the shuffling of feet behind me and turn to see a formation of Onyx guards aiming what looked like energized rifles down the hall towards me.

"Halt! Come out with your hands up!" The head guard ordered, garbed to look like the captain.

I instinctively put my hands up, freezing where I was. I went to call out that I didn't know what was going on, but my voice made no sound.

"F-4! I said come out with your hands up! Do not make any sudden movements!"

I realize the guards were focused on something past me.

I turn around to see a girl, no older than fifteen, emerge out from the farthest room near the exit, dragging the upper torso of a deceased girl by its arm. She turns herself to face the formation, an evil grin plastered on her face.

Her long, purple hair was stained red from the bloodshed she was causing. She had on a green gown that was scorched and falling apart, the skin of her abdomen and upper chest being revealed. Her irises were a fiery mix of purple and blood red, the colors fusing in a hurricane. The middle of her forehead has a small, piercing red light emitting, a clouded shape of an eye fazing in and out of form.

I gasped to myself, recognizing who I was looking at.

"S-sister…?"

The girl began to laugh, the atrocious sound bouncing along the halls. She snapped her eyes up to the red sirens that flashed and they instantly crumbled, leaving the hall lit only by the dancing flames. The sirens were snuffed out, leaving just the crackling of the fire and breathing of the individuals to be heard.

She lowly lifted up the disembodied torso, flashing its wrist to the crowd.

"Do you see this?" She menacingly calls out to the guards.

The formation made no attempt to answer, just shuffled from them staying in their readied positions.

"This is the brand that you people put on us, to mark us like your cattle. You treat us like we are expendable subjects, keeping us in the worst conditions and feeding us lies."

She started taking slow steps forward.

"As for me….you all figured out my power. Instead of working with me to contain it, you tried to break me so you could harness it for yourself. Now, I am going to exit into the real world, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

The head captain charged his rifle and it hummed with energy.

"F-4, stand down! You aren't going anywhere!"

The girl grinned wider, dropping the torso to the floor. This is exactly what she wanted; more bloodshed.

She took a step back, giggling to herself.

"We'll see about that."

"Charge and fire!" The captain orders. Sounds of rifles clacking to life entered the air and beams of electrified energy soared through the air at the assailant.

The girl's forehead twinkled, and she lifted her hand up, stopping all of the lightening projectiles in the air.

Dozen after dozen, the shots collected in the air, forming a wall of electrified energy. The guards halted firing and stay still, weapons still at the ready. The air was still, with light blue shadows bouncing in and out of existence from the hovering projectiles.

The girl lets out a laugh and sighs.

"Witness true power."

She closed her fist and the halted projectiles reversed back to their users, shredding apart the formation. The guards had barely any time to let out guttural screams before their bodies were ripped apart, pieces fumbling all over the hall and blood splattering on every surface.

The clattering of equipment and weaponry rang throughout the hall until none of them stood standing.

I turned wide-eyed back to the girl, who seemed to be staring directly at me.

"Libitina…" She called. I felt my heart skip in my chest and my body, or lack thereof, go cold.

"I will come back for you. When I do, I will rain hellfire on this entire encampment. I will lead us to a free world, where we will no longer be obstructed by anybody, where we control our own fates."

I reached my hand out but could not move.

"Dear sister, be ready. Our time is coming."

With that, she turned and used her power to bust open the gated door, metal shrapnel littering the hall beyond.

I felt my voice slowly surface as I desperately call out to her.

"Yuri! Yuri, wait!"

With that, I could sense the scene starting to fade, covering the world in darkness.