Hours Later
"Continue straight."
I stopped when I heard a human like voice in the distance. So far I've been hearing this voice for hours now. This voice is what has been leading me through this world to somewhere that isn't full of monsters. An hour into walking around and looking for any indication of where it originated from instead I was attacked by… something. It was a head with a large tongue and no eyes. I was a bit afraid at first, but I've been trained for bouts and experienced my fair share of them. I drew my sword and in two cuts it faded to black. I can kill it. If I can kill it I don't need to fear it. Without fear I've no problem pushing forward.
I cut my way through monster after monster for maybe three hours so far. I've killed or banished more monsters than I wish to count after falling into that television, of all things. To think that my life went from normal to supernatural in under three days of arriving in Inaba. From impossible to a certainty. I'd chock this up as a bad dream if I could but the wounds are very much real. I was tackled by a head and stabbed at by this other monster that was like two in one with a rapier. Both of them went down easy though. I'm faster than these things and have had contact once every five to ten minutes.
I wish I could blame someone for this, most likely Yosuke or Chie if I could, for my situation but can't. The fault is mine. I could've put the past behind me, but I persisted to live in it. I could've left this world alone and called the bracelet a lost cause, but I can't lose her.
Not yet.
I strangely recognized some of my surroundings even though the fog. I deduced that I'm in Inaba right now. A dark and distorted version, but this is Inaba. I past the hotel I saw from the train and the school was here to. This is strange, but it doesn't really matter right now. I fell into the television and somehow found myself here with a mission to complete. That's what matters and keeps me going.
A voice screaming through the fog caught my attention much like the last one. This world is constantly changing and yet repetitive in the way it waves and flows. It wasn't too difficult to follow the sounds of human voices. It wasn't too difficult to distinguish the sound of the monsters to that of a man or what I believe is a woman being attacked by a monster. Hopefully not a monster in the form of a woman. I mention this because I've seen one in this world. It was the shadow of a woman. A woman I heard and saw on the news. One that's supposed to be dead, and yet I saw her alive in front of me. She was a bit weird with golden yellow eyes but still breathing and standing before me. We talked for a moment then it attacked me like a mad dog. I fought for a time but ran once it proved too much for me. It could do some sort of transformation into some powerful monstrous form. I ran as fast as my legs would let me because there's no way I'm fighting that thing.
That was a couple hours, maybe two, ago I believe.
My rotary watch remained working and oddly my music player. No matter how long it played the bar never once went down from the half mark it was at before I entered. Oddly enough I could hear other things if I kept my head phones on once the music stopped. Static, which isn't normal, played but that wasn't peculiar enough. In the static I could hear whispers. I'm not sure what they say, but I'm sure I don't want to know. The whispers in the white noise don't matter though. That voice from before is has been haunting me is in it as well. Whoever this voice belongs it wants something. It also sounds so familiar. Even now as I play my J-pop music every time the music ends the static comes back and I hear it again.
"Please reach… only one… the gods…"
These fragments of maybe one or many sentences make almost no sense to me but the word "God" always brought a shiver to my spine. When gods are involved with the wiles of mortals it spells trouble. Anime proves this theory.
I took a breath and pushed back the fog around me clearing it at least three meters in radius with me at the epicenter. A circle surrounded me comprised of the fog only being held back by my will power. It's sort of cool once I discovered I can do things here outside the norm. I pushed forward towards the next voice along the road. This highway lead me through Inaba to the Central Shopping District.
"Take the next left."
I made it to the shopping district and stopped outside a liquor store. I narrowed my eyes at the sign and the designs on it. Blue with yellow stars. I took a whiff of the air and that perfume from before was coming off it. I looked around to try to recognize that area… this is where I met that one girl that didn't gave me her name. Is she the girl here?
The store looked just like the rest of this town, warped and distorted; maybe if I'm unlucky I'll walk into the store and have to fight another BBM or Big Boss Monster. It's mainly because the large ones with the most human of form seem to be the most powerful of the monsters.
"Y-you're lying!" That's a human's voice for sure. A young woman maybe 17 or 18. The voice isn't mature enough to fit a fully grown woman so a kid is trapped inside by something. I sighed and drew my sword again for the next confrontation. I walked up to the door and reached for the knob.
Beep beep! Beep beep! Beep beep!
04/15
It's midnight according to my watch and the fog grew lighter. It was fading away. I looked around the town and saw more buildings becoming clearer as the moments pass by. I rose up my watch and the seconds slowed down. One millisecond past according to the counter on my watch for ever seven seconds worth of time according to my count. The number seven, why that number? The fog seemed to be sucked into the spiral in the sky. Everything became crystal clear. The static grew to ear piercing volumes and alternating frequencies when my music came to an end. A moment later the song "Colors" by Aqua Timez began to play.
I pulled off the beanie I found here and finally my head phones. The ear piercing screeching grew louder instantly. I covered my ears and grit my teeth. It was like two drills were piercing my ear drums and meeting in the middle. I took up my head phones and threw them back over my ears. I flipped the noise dampening switch on the right muff and the screeching fell to bearable levels. I looked around again and noticed the shadows around me started to seize up and convulse. Some of them started taking form and attacking the surrounding area. One broke down a light pole for no reason.
"Stay strong…forward."
The voice grew louder and clearer the closer I got to this house. It was clear as day.
The size of the shadows grew to levels that left me a little anxious. I've fought oversized monsters already and they proved to be insanely powerful compared to their smaller counterparts. If this happens to the shadow after at midnight… this isn't good.
"Ahhhh!" I heard inside the store. Some girl is in trouble and I just about left it alone but I know what I seek is in there. But what If one of those monsters happened to be in the building. The human ones that is. If there is then it grew in both ferocity and power at the turn of midnight as well. I ran from the last one but I wasn't sure if I could beat it. This isn't Dark Souls with unlimited retries. This is real life and if I die what might happen to me?
"You must overcome."
"But I also can't go back on my word," I sighed with my head down. This is why I never make a promise unless it's something incredibly childish and easy to keep.
I pulled my black beanie back over my head and reached for the door knob. I took a breath and breached into the store. The world around me was much more different and larger than a building of this size should have. Then again it had to be to fit the thing that inhabits it here safely. The monster appeared to be like some manner of demon woman. It stood up to at least six metersa and maybe 15 meters long in total. It's huge with grey skin. Over it is a red gown made out of what appeared to be scales. Its hands turned out to be claws made of fire and its arms black and muscular. It's black hair feel well past its face covering its face leaving only a pale nose and red lips showing. That hair was also nearly touching the floor and behind it I could make out red glowing eyes full of rage and just as much bitterness.
It stayed hunched over with its arms waving back and forth. Instead of a human's legs I saw some manner of lamia snaky half covered with brownish-red scales and a red triangle on its underbelly as it slithered around further surrounding the girl. It's height contributed to its snake half that was maybe four feet in thickness. Coming out of its back are these appendages, long and sharp with blades at the ends that are as pale as its face. I could only describe them to be like lightning rods because of an arc the flowed from one to the next. It's a hideous monster and exceeded every other monster I've seen to date. It's power is stifling as well. The pressure exerted on my body from being near it, it's like having a hundred pound pack on my back.
"Holy shit," I gasped at the monster and nearly stepped back and ran again until I saw her. The girl stood in the middle of its swirling black clouds that seemed to suffocate her as they converged upon her. She rivaled in pain and cried out… I brought back those memories. The memories of my failure. My body was trembling and every part of my body was telling me to run like a bitch and live.
"You laugh at your friends, your family, and even your little brat because you believe everyone else is below you. And why not?" The monster chuckled slyly at the girl but she didn't respond. She covered her ears and shook her head in a futile attempt to block out the noises. "You're a pathetic excuse of a person than thinks of no one but yourself and how you can rub your situation in someone else's face. You think you can help your family as well by working at that stupid store. You're kidding yourself."
"No! You don't know me. You don't understand me," the girl cried to the monster.
"Haven't I told you?" The monster loomed over the girl with its face right above her. It's mouth opened revealing ghastly breath I could see and teeth that looked that should belong in the mouth of a dog, maybe a wolf. It's mouth dropped to a point that would be impossible for a human but this thing wasn't human.
"You. Are. Me." The shadow of the girl. "Because I'm a shadow of your true inner self."
My eyes widened at this. A shadow of her true inner self. I thought back to the monster or shadow of that announcer from before.
"No…you…you're not me!" The girl denied it.
Suddenly the shadow burst into a fit of laughter and if possible that pressure grew more powerful than before. "You're right!" It said between its evil crackles. "I'm not you. I am me!" The shadow reached for the girl and grabbed her by the throat with both its deathly pale hands. The girl struggled to no avail as the shadow hoisted her up in the air above its snake like coils. The black smoke from before swirled around her like a hurricane of "And now… you are nothing." The four arms protruding out its back like arms rose up pointing the blades at her. Saki struggled and tried to kick at the shadow but it did nothing.
If I do nothing this girl dies. Another will die in front of me while I have the power to stop it. "Damn it," I bit my lip and swallowed my fear. I rushed forward with my slightly bloody sword gleaming at my side. I have to save her. I don't understand any of this, but I have to help her because that thing is killing her. It said it was a shadow of her true inner self. That thing is her darkness or something? Doesn't matter right now. I have to move.
"This is the end." It said as it strangled the life out of the girl.
I climbed up the coils and jumped using at hard as I could into the air as the shadow thrust its arm down on the girl. I rose my sword up and swung down on the shadows shape back limbs and connected cutting them down just as they were about to tear into her. I don't even know how I climbed up its coils so fast, but I made it in time.
"What!" The shadown roared as I landed on the ground next to the both of them in the middle of the coils. I slashed down with my sword on its left arm and slashed through it forcing the shadow to roar at me. The shadow brought up my senior by the neck and threw her straight at me. I caught the girl if you can call her impacting my chest and sending the both of us flying catching. I landed on my back in a small skid and grit my teeth from the impact. I stopped when my back hit a box in the corner of this large store of televisions and roaring shadows.
"NOOO!" The shadow thundered and faced me glaring daggers and murder. I've a feeling she didn't mean to throw my senior at me like it did. I lost air from my lungs and coughed up a storm from the impact. The girl coughed as well and wheezed on top of me as she took tried to recover from almost being strangled to death and possibly ripped to shreds. That's my good deed for the day over and done with.
"A-are you okay?" I asked as I reached up and grabbed a box. My senior, whose name I still haven't gotten, coughed again as she climbed off of my chest.
"Y-yeah," she gasped with her hand on her throat.
"Let me see." I rose my hand up to check, but she quickly bat my hand away.
"No don't…" she panicked.
I don't have time for this.
I rose my hand up again to give her a quick swipe across the face the moment I saw that she was about to freak out. Her face shot to the left and her eyes widened. I brought my left hand back to grasp her neck gently. "Come to your senses. I'm human like you, not a shadow, so calm down." I finished checking the marks on her neck and leaned back up with a deep sigh of relief. A second later and she'd be dead.
I recognized this girl well. She's the one outside that store talking that one guy. She blinked with the light of cognizance returning to her eyes. She looked up towards me the turned her head over in a tilt. "You/you!" They both exclaimed at same time with a mixture of curiosity and shock in their voices. "You're that one guy," the girl pointed out.
That one guy is pretty vague but nodded regardless. "Yū," I reminded her. "Yū Narukami." I spotted something on her wrist and sighed in relief. I leaned down and reached for her hand. She watched as I gripped her hand gently. I rose my eyes up and she just watched me carefully as I pulled a white bracelet with beads from her wrist. "I'll be taking this back, thank you." I pulled my bracelet back around my left wrist. I touched the beads and traced my name written on one the beads. So I never forget my promise. It's a cliché memento of a time lost from a person in which I owe my life to. I will never meet them again but… I will remember my promise to them.
"T-That was you?" The girl questioned. "It was your hand I reached for?"
"Yeah," I rose the blue handkerchief and dropped it down into her lap. "You can have that back."
The girl looked down at the cloth and gripped it hard in her left hand. She brought it to her chest and sighed softly at its return. "Thank you." She looked up to me.
"I…"
"You should stay out of this!" The shadow of this girl's true inner self screamed at me cutting me off.
I faced the shadow snake thing with my sword in both hands. "Stay behind me," I said to my senior before making my way forward to stand between the snake thing and my senior. I have to admit this is insane. I tried the Midnight Channel thing out and lost my promise bracelet. Then I willingly entered this world, a distorted shadow self of Inaba, to find said bracelet. I fought monsters that I thought only existed in movies, anime, shows, or any form of entertainment that can have the genre supernatural attached to it. Now I'm about the fight the darkness or shadow of my senior in high school who refused to get me her name. Life has a way of screwing you with the irony.
"Sorry," I apologized to the shadow. "I might not be capable of doing that."
The shadow's maul closed and it showed a very deep but toothy frown on its face. I still can't see its eyes from behind that The Ring styled hair, but I can tell its glaring questioningly at me. "And why not. I've only known you not even four minutes after watching me like a weirdo. You may be cute, but that still bothered me."
Cute? I looked back to my senior and she looked away from me. If this is her shadow self then that means these are her true feelings. She found me cute but in what way?
I shook my head to get back on track. "Sorry about that. She… uh… you were…"
"Beautiful in your eyes." The shadow finished for me. "I'll admit that was a first. I've been called hot as hell, a raging bitch, and sexy a few times, but never beautiful. You were the first and sounded genuine as well." The shadow chuckled. "I was about tease a little as well for that, but like I said, you're weird."
"Is that a good thing?" I asked.
The shadow chuckled again in a sort of cute way. I think it was meant to be a giggle not a dark chuckle but came out as such. "It would've been. I was interested in finding you out and what you wanted from me… sadly it was never to be," the shadow's tone turned vicious. "Move Narukami. She and I both have business with each other, and I'll hurt you if you get in the way." I took a breath as I faced towards the shadow and walked towards the monstrosity. I guess pleasure talk is over and done with then. Very well. If this was an RPG I'm pretty sure this would be classified as a boss battle.
"No, keep that away from me. That thing," my senior pleaded. The shadow hissed at her. Its eyes turned red under its hair. I still couldn't see them but I know that it's pissed off once again.
I pointed my sword towards the shadow then I took a middle stance
"You stupid bitch. He can't save you. He doesn't even care about you." The snake woman laughed then it stopped only for that laugh to be replaced by a gritty growl. "This doesn't concern you! Now move!"
The shadow made a good point. While I don't really care about her as a person, I still can't stand back and watch as a woman gets torn to shreds. I took a stance with the sword over my shoulder still pointing towards the shadow same with my offside. "I don't know her much, but if you're trying to kill her I have to help her. It's sort of what I do." If I see another woman die in front of me I'll end up having nightmares as well.
The shadow gave me an empty stare. It rose its human arm up above its head and brought it down. I looked up and saw something form above. On instinct I rolled away and watched as lightning the struck spot I was in.
It can use magic?
"Holy hell," I awed as I stood back up and took my stance again.
"You're in my way." It roared and charged at me.
I started to have flashbacks of that one movie I saw in America. Anaconda I think it's called. If one of those coils wrap around me I'm screwed. I need to stay nimble and fast if I want to survive this. Running away isn't an option. I tried looking around for an exit while I was talking but sadly the door I went into was gone. I tried looking for weaknesses to nothing. At least it's not slash proof like this one wall like shadow I stabbed. I was able to cut into those arms quite easily. I need to go for the head or maybe the heart. Something generic like that.
I followed through with its charge. One of those coils came at me to take me out. I jumped up and vaulted over its snake appendage. I hit the ground but wasn't down for long. I always told my mom that track was stupid and didn't see much use in it. I can hear her laughing now. I rolled to my feet and trailed my sword across its snake half. My attempt was denied when my sword skid across the scales and her coil rammed into me, pushing me back. I tried to swing my sword again but still it bounced off its scales.
This isn't going to work.
I felt a presence at my back. I swiftly climbed up its snake half and fell as something swiped across my back. I heard the sound of fabric ripping and fell over to the floor. I rolled to my feet and rolled around swiping back just encase that human half gave chase. Instead I hit its lighter colored underbelly and pierced into it.
"AHH!"
That did something.
The shadow screamed and slithered around me. I vaulted over its snake half once more but this time it caught me. "Oh no," I groaned as I was stuck up into the air and landing on top of a box.
"Ahh!" God damn that hurt.
I climbed up with adrenaline running through my brain now.
"I have you now!" That snake shadow somehow wrapped around me leaving me in the midst of her coils. It rose its hands up to grab me with its mouth open to bite me. I rose an eyebrow at the snake and rose my sword up. It impaled itself on my sword and picked me up forcing me back against its scaly body. I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly and pulled while slashing outward. Blood, black and inky, sprayed over me as my blade exited her human half from her left side.
It whirled around and one of its back blade arms came at me. I rose my sword and blocked it's swipe, but the pressure made my bones rattle. It felt like getting hit by that car all those years ago. I braced as I was picked up and thrown over its snake half tjem rolled over the top until I was out. I hit the ground with my feet and one hand then shot back to get some distance to reset. I bet it felt that.
My victory was short lived as the damage I caused before began healed over. The slice through it body seemingly stitched itself back together in a near grotesque manner. Like when Venom from Spiderman came back together with inky back tendrils. "Oh man," I looked away for a bit as it came back together with loud pops and smacking sounds on top of that. It faced me and stood up high like a cobra glaring at me heatedly. I rose my sword up ready for the next phase of this battle but strangely enough it just gave me a blank stare suddenly as if gauging my power.
It rose its arm again and brought it straight down. I was ready for the lightning and looked up but nothing came. Instead a dark aura formed around me. It looked to be black magic energy or something because I felt dead on the inside. It was like the smoke that surrounded the girl before only much more condensed. It got worse the more this energy hugged my whole body. I broke my stance and waved my hands around the dark tendrils in hope to push it back to no avail. 'Shit,' I cursed inwardly as I braced for the choking sensations and riving pain I witnessed from before, but it never came. I blinked and put my arms down from my brace as the smoke hugged my body I dare say soothingly. It felt almost revitalizing and so very good. It was like I had something nice to look forward to. Something… peaceful. I took a breath and felt them dark tendrils take to my being.
"What the…" I breathed out and that spell it used came to an end leaving me mostly the same and very much alive. I felt sort of good actually from whatever that was. I rolled my neck and smiled. "That was nice," I said as I rose my blade up. The darkness and shadows seem to like me. Why don't I feel happy about this fact?
I am thou…
I blink but kept my eyes on my foe. My music player must be malfunctioning again. I reached down and changed the song to something less domestic. Something American and classical. I've always loved AC/DC and a little "You Shook me all Night Long" works well enough for the situation. I could feel my determination grow and rise to the surface. I can hurt it I know that. I can tell by the way it's slouching a bit. That last attack did some damage and this sword is freaking awesome. I knew it was of high quality but didn't realized it could slay demons like this. I can do this just like in Demon and Dark Soul's fashion. Screw those games as well. My mom got the hook up from From Software and got it for me. I 've such a love/hate relationship with that game.
I felt my instincts scream and charged forward dodging bolts of lightning appearing from above and ran underneath her. I rose up my sword and tailed along its underbelly and made a scratch at the most. It's resistant to my sword at the snake half but not impervious. The underbelly is the weak spot. I just need to put more power behind my strikes it seems.
I turned around with my blade swinging around and bat her arm away. I swung again in the same spot only for it to scratch across the shadows body. I changed into a thrust and put my body weight into the piercing stab. Success, my sword dug into the top portion. I turned the blade and ran along its body dragging the sword behind me. I ducked at fire shot past me and dragged out my sword. The shadow's screeches pieced my ears despite wearing my headphones, but I didn't stop. I shot away from it when a coil impacted my body. I grit my teeth and forced in shoes into the floor while leaning forward. I can see how heavy armor could help against blows like this. I weigh close to nothing compared to this thing and it's able to push me back with ease. I can't be impatient and charge in just because I can. I'll lose in a contest of might every time.
I stopped in a skid but with my sword still up and my hand against the false edge. I panted a bit from that attack and felt my chest seize a bit. I hate pain so much, but I've learned to channel it. I need it to make me swing harder.
I stomped down and slashed downward when it tried to grab me then lunged to the left once its bladed rod arms came down upon me. I whirled around and sliced through those as well. The snake shot the tip of its tail at me, and I took a stance. My sword's master always told me something about a technique called "Master's Focus" but for the life of me I didn't understand it or cared to. I felt something though. It was as if the attack was moving in slow motion but so was I. I gripped my sword tightly at the attack came and I took a breath and waited with my katana ready.
I stepped right when I felt the time was right and shot under the thrust of its tail and allowed my sword to move into its soft and lighter underbelly. The tail shot back from the stick spilling black ichor over me and my clothing and sword. It faded away almost ostensibly becoming one with us both. Crazy talk, every bit of it. I tried again and this time I ran towards it and slid the sword through flesh. Just as I thought I had the upper hand I felt something hit me and send a shocking feeling through my body. I gasped but it didn't stop there. It shot at me and tackled me back against it's coils. I coughed as the air fired out of my lungs. I bought the blunt end of the tsuka of the sword up and forced its jaw shut when it tried to bite me. It fell back and dropped just as it backed away. It lunched back at me but I was ready and met it with a thrust. I connected with its shoulder but was still pushed back again away and over its coils from the power behind it. I skid to a stop on my stomach and grit my teeth. I was in pain but very much alive.
I look up to the shadow and scoffed.
"What are you!?" The snake reeled back with her hand over her wound. I climbed to my feet again but with most of my weight on my right leg. I took my sword in hand but held his end pointing at the ground. I leaned forward with most of my weight on one leg over the other. The shadow just stared at me. It persisted with this until my song ended. How my headphones are surviving this I will never know, but I'm not questioning it. Strangely as well there's no static to be heard when the song came to an end.
Hear me now…
I shook my head and drown out the voice.
The shadow stopped and slowly slithered around me. It stared at me with that same curiosity as before. "Tell me," the shadow mused as it circled me. I'm in a bad spot and can't run much anymore. I think it knows this. "Why do you defend her? It's between the two of us not you," it asked while swaying left and right almost hypnotically. I didn't have an answer for the shadow. I don't even know what I'm doing anymore.
"You… are a 'shadow of her true inner self'? You came from inside of her so why not…" I tried to handle with talking until the girl screamed at it.
"That thing isn't me!" The girl yelled from the side. The shadows let out a ghastly moan with her glowing red eyes pointed terrifyingly towards Saki. "That thing can't have come from me," Saki denied. I looked back between them. She's rejecting it and it doesn't like that. Maybe that's the key.
I turned back to the girl. "This is you…you on the inside." It wasn't a question and my senior knew this.
She glared at me. "No…I."
"Shut up," I said firmly and my senior closed her mouth. "We all wear a mask and we all have something deep and dark inside of us!"
"Yosuke," I heard from above in disgruntled disgust. "What an idiot. He is so annoying thinking that could ever like him. Ha, like that would even happen. The Prince of Junes, what a joke and I'm not laughing." I looked back to the girl and she shook her head. "My family resents me and always puts me down but who cares if they don't like my choices."
"But why," I asked just to by some more time.
"Because," the shadow said from behind me. "They think I just want to join the winning team but they understand nothing!" The shadow charged at me in a fit of rage and grabbed me by my shoulders and pushed me down into the ground. "I want to help!" The shadown cried.
I pushed it back with a kick and rolled back to my feet. I leaned back from a swipe of its claws and dropped to watch my sword slide across its scales once its coil past me by.
"I want them to see that if I work for them then maybe we can get better business!" The shadow shot fire and lightning every which way in a mad tantrum.
This might have worked too well but it's almost in a frenzy now.
"The money I get goes to our food and my employment makes everything more affordable!" The shadow caught me by the chest and slammed me straight down into the ground. It picked me up and buck and I went flying. I fell and braced with my good arm over my head and tucked in my legs. I hit boxes to the side and felt my body plow into them.
"They all bad mouth me, spread rumors about me, and deny me everything. I don't let any of it get to me, but I still hate that I have this crap to put up with." The shadow rose her hands up and opened her mouth. A gas or smog shot out of her mouth and surrounded me. I choked and gasp. The gas entered my skin and burned into my wounds. It entered my lungs and set them aflame. I was forced to close my eyes as this smog entered my body. This gas was taking the energy out of me. I prefer another one of those dark attacks would hit me now than this.
"They will never understand me and what I do for them," this time it mostly whispered as it stood before us all. "I'm always put down and inside I feel like a germ effecting everything around me." The shadow sniveled. I felt almost tempted to give this thing a hug just from the sorrow it's emitting.
"I'm disgusting and terrible because that is how they see me," this time I didn't hear from the shadow. This instead came from the girl herself that was just a few feet away from me.
I struggled to push out of the rubble a little sick and tired of this world, this shadow, and this ordeal. I startlingly heard something behind me and glanced back with a turn of my sword to see. "Oh crap," I saw one of the coils coming down upon me. I shot to the side in a barrel roll out of the way and crawled up to me feet as it chased me. I moved as fast as I could but not fast enough. I evaded when I could and attack forcing it back to get some distance away. I glanced back with my sword once more and saw that tail coming towards me in an arcing attack. I have no way to dive out of the away or time to turn around to block. I took a breath and leapt back. My back hit the coils at my shoulder and rolled me back on the opposite side. I landed on my butt and back with a grunt.
"I'm tired of falling on my ass," I groaned before rolling to my feet. I felt a burning sensation like standing too close to a raging bonfire. It surrounded me and forced me back. I turned and rose my sword and saw a fire ball of sorts just feet away from me. I blocked it and cringed as the heat burned my hands and my sleeves. I cut it down and panted as my body began to catch up thus setting in the pain.
"Got ya!" Suddenly, I was slammed face first into the ground. It fell on top of me and crushed me into the floor. It grinded down on top of me and my back.
"Ahhh! Damn it!" I yelled and struggled under its body but it persisted to crush me down the more I tried to struggle. It persisted until I felt the pain and exhaustion overcome me and force me still. I whimpered a bit as those sharp scales broke my back apart. It was like my back was getting sent back and forth through a cheese grater.
"Hurts doesn't it," the shadow slithered right into my face with a wolfish smile on her face. I looked around for my sword and it was just out of reach of my right hand. Suddenly it stood up off of me. I looked at it in shock and it just tilted it's head a bit at me. A soft smile was painted on her face. A groan of relief escaped my throat and I reached for my sword. Once it was in my hand it caught me by the neck and dragged me up with an arctic cold hand then placed me in front of its face. It was so cold that it burned… the pain in my body right now is unimaginable. It's worse than almost every injury I've ever suffered combined.
My eyes shut from the pain else I'd see nothing but blinding white right now. Suddenly it's grip loosened and the pain began to wane. It waned enough for me to get a single eye open to look upon that shadow. It was different now. As if pushing curtains to the sides the shadows hair flowed from around its eyes to behind it's ears instead. It revealed it's face to me and I was mystified. This close I have to admit that this shadow was sort of pretty as well. Her visage is one of calm, very much poised, and lady-like. It's like I'm gazing upon one of those noble women from like Edo time. I can't see her eyes for they appear closed almost, but I know under those closed lids are hell fire. Her smile took has lost its predatory grin to a much softer smile. I felt… overwhelmed but this sudden change that both my eyes opened to gaze upon her.
The shadow's smile grew a bit as she took in my shock. "You still think I'm beautiful don't you?"
I rose my sword arm not far for it's back arm pierced straight into my shoulder. Pain exploded into my side and made a cry come out of my throat despite the fact it had a hand around it. I didn't drop my sword but my right arm is lost. I can't use it to defend myself anymore. I rose my free hand to try to pry hers from my neck to less than success. It wasn't choking me as much. It's just suspending me in the air. "I wonder," I mused as it's sharp lightning arms surrounded me. "What are you to do what you do," the shadown thought out loud. It must've because she wasn't asking me. Before I could react it clawed at me swiping one clawed hand across my chest, legs, and face. It brought its open hand up and tore open my blazer in one fierce swipe. The buttons of my uniform flew every which way and one hit its face. The shadow used a free hand to move the long bangs of its hair to shift over her ears when it fell back over in her assault.
How can something so beautiful be so sadistic and malevolent?
"Who knows," the shadow giggled profusely at me. I must've said that out loud as well. Seeing that my arm was lost to me it brought me in closer until we were almost face to face. "Maybe I should play with you like I did Hana-chan. It might make us feel better about ourselves too," it suggested gently and with the calm grace of a noble woman from like an anime or something taking place five or so hundred years ago.
I grit my teeth as it's grip doubled in pressure. My lungs began to seize and my face turned hot from the pressure. I'm going to die if I don't do something.
"STOP!" I gasped as the shadow released my neck enough for me to breathe. I coughed and remained still and limp in it's grip. The shadow grew it's attention away from me and to the origins of that voice.
"Why?" the shadow asked someone and swung me by the neck left and right. I was afraid she might tear my head off from this.
"He's not part of this and… You can't do this!" I heard from the background.
"I can do anything I want. I am me and if I want to toy with this boy like you have Hana-chan and the rest I will.
"Not anymore," I gasped and got its attention back to me. I can't used my right arm but i can still feel my hand and use my fingers some what. Just as it looked at me I dropped my sword down and kicked its blade. The sword shot forward and stabbed straight into her freaking face! Right between the eyes. Hell yeah, I can't believe that worked.
"Ahh!" it screeched loudly.
I felt my energy come back during their talk. With my working free hand I reach up to her now flaming claw and pried it off my neck while it wrestled in pain from having half of my steel in her face. It's grasp gave but mine didn't. I held on as it bucked and shuttered around like a raging bull and waited for that moment. I released and landed at the shadows woman part. I caught my sword and fell. I rode down with my katana in hand cutting it down the center. It dislodged in a loud squelch once my feet touched the ground. Black blood poured all over my blade and blanketed me and the shredded remains of my clothing.
I coughed it out of my mouth as I landed in the ground but my left leg gave out. I fell straight down onto my rear. My leg was broken at the ankle. I stabbed my sword down and gripped my ankle to check it. My stepdad taught me how to join my joint back together. I pulled then pushed the joint back into place causing a spike of pain to hit me but dull down a second later. I looked back and saw the shadow convulsing on the ground like a snake with it's head cut off, which is pretty much what just happened. I slowly climbed up to my feet and watched the shadow quake until going still.
"Ah, shit." I sighed in relief as I limped away from the monster towards the girl. I'm freaking done. I felt like I'm moments from passing out. I glanced back and noticed a small trail of red behind just when I did it to make sure there wasn't one. I'm bleeding out and god knows from which cut, gash, or laceration I've suffered from that damn shadow. Maybe all of them combined. How did Guts from Berserk do this for two years? This is insane.
"A-are you okay," the girl reached out to me and I smiled at just how retarded that question happened to be. It was also very cliché. Of course I'm not okay. Nothing about this is even close to being remotely okay. But, I'm alive and victorious. I think I made the Slayer of Demons proud this day. I have hope that we just might survive this and get out of this alive. I beat the BBM so what else is there to come at me?
When I was half way to the girl she gasped in shock and pointed upward. I blinked as a shadow loomed over me. I froze as the sound of slapping and smacking resounded behind me. I'm positive it's the same sound it made when it stitched itself back together.
"No," I almost begged and shook my head. Most of the hope from before almost fell out my chest. "You can't be serious." I turned around and I watched nearly horrified at the hell fire in those eyes grew in unimaginably levels of fury. Its blackened ichor drenched the ground like black tar and shifted beneath my feet like worms creeping and crawling under my skin. In true Venom fashion it began to come back together with blood and part splattering out from it's bisected halves. One flew out and hit my forehead and cheek, but I didn't react. I watched as a reddened haze surrounded its body and its hair went all medusa like snakes. It slithered convulsed angrily much like it's user.
It rose its two arms up to the heavens just as it came back together for the second phase of this boss batter then pointed them towards me. Suddenly lightning it must have been charging fired at me. I rose my hands up and braced. My back convulsed from the massive amount of voltage it produced pierced through my body once. It wasn't as bad as I first assumed though. Surprisingly, I was alright. This was the same amount as when I evaded it before. How is that possible?
It repeated and this time a large ball of fire came at me. I rose my sword placing the false end against my arm and held it in reverse grip. I faced my off side towards it and leaned down. Just when the fire ball was about to him me I shot up and cut the ball down and forced my way through it. i was hit with the intense heat and know my fingers are burnt hard now, but I've forced through it. I stabbed my sword into the ground to keep myself up the best I could but that was it. My body is overwhelmed from it all and I don't have anything left to give.
"So," the shadow bellowed before me. "Electicity doesn't seem to effect you and you shrug off fire. Darkness seems to embrace you, or maybe you embrace it." The shadow spoke calmly with a poised face in contrast to the heated volcano hot glared focused on me. It then rose all of its arms and appendages into the air and that red haze grew clearer. It's pressure grew heavier to the point that I was dropped down to the ground. I hiit my hand and knees with my sword to the side in front of me.
Thou Art I...
I heard again from my ear phones. Another song come to an end and a new one begin. Sarah's theme from Final Fantasy 13 and after that is Lightning's. I paid that no mind though. I can't move let alone run. I'm basically at this thing's mercy. I can't even lift my sword up anymore. My body won't work. It just like that time. The car crash.
"I can't die here. I can't." I said this to myself for the thousandth time as I climbed up to my shaky feet. I looked up with my good eye while the other was burning too much for me to open. I reached up and felt something on my forehead and pulled back to see that it's blood. I looked up and witnessed as the shadow hands began to fall.
Unexpectedly light surrounded me. Some sort of cards encases a light base power around my body and then it happened. It didn't feel divine and nice. I felt dread and every pore in my body told me to run. I couldn't though. I couldn't move and watched as the cards stopped and blasted me with light in every direction possible. It pierced through me and not just my body. It felt deeper than that. Deeper than any bullet or blade could ever reach. I felt whatever the light stabbed pierce through it and shatter it into piece. Like every molecule inside and out was split into a million pieces. My mind was shattered and I felt something break loose. My life force was sucked out of my body. I felt like I was dying and not in a good way. I felt like I was no longer in my body.
Is this what death is like?
That feeling of having little to no connection with the world anymore?
A quiet and almost still sensation.
Cold but also gentle.
Is this what everyone feels when they fade away into darkness?
It's… over for me.
I am thou… And Thou art I…
The voice was louder than before and my eyes… they opened but I wasn't in my body. I was watching from above.
The shadow turned towards my senior and growled. She didn't bulge from how close her shadow drew. "You're next," the shadow promised.
The girl didn't react though. Instead she stood straight with her head down. She murmured something, but I couldn't hear it.
"What did you say," the shadow asked.
Saki looked up towards the shadow with a steel glare. "You're a monster," she spat at the shadow and it looked taken back. "But you're right as well," she admitted I think. The shadow looked taken back by this and began to static over. "You didn't have to kill Narukami you bitch! He was weird but he was also great! He…" The girl clenched her fists before her shadow as I watched.
"I do want to help but they never understand and I guess I am a stupid bitch and a monster just like you on the inside aren't I. Uncaring of those closer to me and snuffing out anyone that tries to get close! Using them just like…" The girl didn't finished but I could see tears falling from her eyes.
I saw a light and looked down at my wrist. I don't have one for I don't have a body, but the one on me. My body I guess. I looked down at the empty area around me becaming visible. The light on my body and my… spirit remained tethered together.
Take up your sword…
I looked down to my body and the sword next to it. I began to fall down to myself and reached out. My right hand, the bracelet, I touched it and then everything went black. The peace from before faded away and was replaced by pain.
Accept it…
I used everything to lift up my chin to my katana. I reached for it and shakily took up my sword my right hand and left the wall.
And Stand…
I pushed my arm down, following the words of the voice in my head. One that… has always been there but I think only know can I hear him. I felt some sort of energy from within giving me the strength to push up. I stepped up to my full height with my head down and my back slouched.
Now say it…
"You want to know who I am and what I am!" Saki screamed at the shadow of herself. "I'll tell you everything you bitch! I'm a girl with an ego the size of a skyscraper. I'm above every little son of a bitch around me, because I do what they can't. I do it all for them but it's never enough," Saki sobbed with her hands trembling from the pure and raw emotions she's revealing. "I want my parents to back off but they just ridicule me! I don't like Yosuke and his antics." Saki looked up to her shadow. "I hate working at Junes, but I have to in order to support my family. But leech off it all. Anyone and everyone around me, I take advantage of them and milk them of everything as payback. You are right!" Saki stomped down whilst screaming at her shadow. "Are you happy now!?" The shadow remained speechless as a realization flashed across the girl's eyes. "You are me… And I am you. I… we are just a bitch that does it all wrong thinking it's right... and does what's right in the wrong ways."
"No," the shadow wailed and charged towards Saki who stood her ground. "You think you can accept me so easily?!"
"No," Saki yelled with her arms to her sides and hands open. "I dont. But if you want to kill me then go ahead!" She challenged bravely and reigned to her fate. One that she doesn't need to fulfill.
Say it… For the time has come. Open thy eyes and call forth what is within.
My body, beaten and broken without any form of life in it, moved. Like a raging typhoon energy swirled around me, encased by the confines of the walls around us. Whatever that light did and whatever that light shattered into pieces… It released the flood. The pent up raw thoughts, feeling, emotions, dreams, and finally her memory burst. Around this time as well Lightning's battle theme began to play.
"W-what the…" The shadow gasped.
"Y-you're… alive?" The girl panted in shock.
Open thine eyes to the Truth!
I heard in my head and took a breath. I can hear him loud and clear now.
And I know who he is.
If you hear me… Then SAY IT!
"I… hear you…" My hollow voice left my lips. With this, I let it out in a breath.
"Per." The power that blew and scratched at the floor and walls and even shredded a box close to me. I compressed hard and the pressure grew.
"So." A card formed in front of me. I closed to my eyes and took one more breath. My left hand came up and the card floated right above my hand.
"Na!" I roared this last syllable and I closed my hand into a fist.
The card shattered.
Power unlike anything I've ever felt before surged out of my body starting from my head to my feet. I poured out from my heart and out every pore. That part of me that shattered before revolved in front of me, to the left of me, to the right of me, and behind me. It swirled around until the pieces began to fire behind me. They formed a figure I couldn't see but this figure is much more powerful than the shadow on front of me.
The shadow despite its size and power reeled back away from me. "W-w-w-hat a-a-re y-you!?"
I smirked at the fear evident on the shadow's face. The entity behind me did as well. I could feel it.
"Izanagi," I said out of reflexes I didn't know I had. I rose my sword and pointed toward the snake. With one word the fate of this shadow was sealed. "Zionga."
The entity behind me released its energy. It was so powerful it shook the building placing a gravitational stress on the foundation. Lightning spread around the snake and covered its entire body and blasted the area lifting up dust and rubble from the ground. The snake screamed this time in pain instead of anger. I swiped my sword down and a strong hurricane of wind barreled toward the shadow and battered it down into the ground much like it did when it sat on me. That was from a simple swipe of the blade Izanagi held.
I walked up to the shadow during all of this and stopped at its face. "Hurts doesn't it," the words of the shadow seeped past my lips in a hiss. It looked up to me in horror and wonderment as I smirked at it. A wolfish smirk at that.
I rose my sword once more and the being of godlike power behind me mirrored. "Cleave."
A large blade came down on top the snake and pierced right into its body then cleaved its way across from waist to tip of the tail. It was down, but I had a little more in me though.
I rose my hand up and looked up to a small orb of light gather up above. It grew bigger and bigger like a super charged spirit bomb. It had its own name though. "Megidola," I closed my fist and it came down on top of the snake in a beautiful display of light and omnipotent wrath. Light covered the room so brightly it almost blinded me.
I felt the power that bolstered my being fade away in an instant after that then slouched over. I sighed from the strain and smiled. That felt so good. Just releasing all that pent up energy and I don't even understand what just happened. I rose my left hand and saw my bracelet glowing a faint white before fading away. I clenched my fist and closed my eyes. "Thank you." I said just as my song came to an end.
The light faded away and the shadow was nowhere to be found. Just a crater was left in the wake of that power I just used, but it wasn't empty. Inside the crater I saw a human form. A girl by the looks of it. I have to be seeing double right now. I looked back to my senior who was approaching me with a attentive shine in her eyes and back to the girl in the crater. The shadow with golden eyes slowly walked up in the same school uniform as my senior, with the same wavy slightly dark brown hair as her, and even wearing the same black leather clip buckle boots as her. The only difference between the two are the golden eyes and shadow was glitching out.
I stepped back as the shadow covered in a dark shroud with golden eyes (that are very hot for some reason) climbed out of the crater. A conceded look was in her eyes. The shadow no longer held the will to fight. It was beaten.
My senior walked up to the shadow that struggled to crawl out the crater. The girl then did the unexpected. She extended out her hand to the shadow. The shadow's eyes widened at the display of support. "You were right the whole time," my senior said again. "I want them to understand me but don't so I let it change me. I blamed others when I didn't take responsibility. You are right about everything." She placed her head down and smiled sourly. "You are me…and I am you." The shadow looked relieved and reached out for Saki. When their hands touched the dark aura around the shadow turned a radiant blue.
I stepped back. The shadow faded away with a smile on her face and rose up in the air. It turned into a woman. An extremely beautiful woman dressed in red kimono with scale like patterns white in color. Her eyes closed but they opened a tad to that red glow like before but with an almost purple hue about it as well. Protruding out of her back are four pitch black swords floating behind her and in her hands I saw a white whip of sort the took to fire in a dance. Beautiful and majestic.
"Lady Kiritsubo," she whispered but loud enough for me to hear. The shadow or whatever this thing is smiled at me and bowed before disappearing back into a card and falling into my senior's hands. The card went into her chest then the light faded away.
The girl turned around and faced me. She looked me over then smiled. Then she fell back. I moved and caught her quickly before she could fall into the crater. She panted and gripped my shoulders. She must be tired I suppose. We are both exhausted. I feel empowered and my wounds don't hurt much anymore, but I know that won't last for long. I turned around and let her fall on my back. I felt her hands loop around my neck and her chin rest on my shoulder. I caught her legs looped my arms around them. "Y-your name is… Yū Narukami right?"
"Yeah." I nodded.
"I'm Saki. Saki Konishi, and you've impressed me." I felt a smile take my lips and chuckled a bit. I've impressed her and it just took me risking my life in a death defying struggle against her shadow self, dying, and finally beating the hell of out her shadow self. Dad I really know how to pick them huh?
She muzzled herself to my back and her head fell to my shoulder "Can… Can you take me home?" I blinked when she gave me that request. She rested on my shoulder and went quiet. I looked back. She's asleep it seems.
I sighed and stood to my feet.
Get her home huh? I guess I could manage that…I hope. That shadow was powerful. If it wasn't for my persona Izanagi I'd be dead right now. Maybe that and the thing around my wrist. What the hell was that? What I dead or in some sort of suspended animation? I looked down to the beads once more but couldn't read the words the characters made out. I've kept them against my skin at all times.
"Well, mission accomplished I guess." I said.
I sheath my sword at the hip then walked a door that formed in the distance with the room slowly turning white and shrinking down into nothing I believe. I didn't stick around long enough to see.
A/N: Wow what a shift in the story. How will the world change with the survival of Saki Konishi and the discovery of her persona? What Arcana could she possibly be in this story? How will she factor into the main story? How will the MC escape Shadow Inaba alive during the midnight hours? Tune in next time to see.
Please Review and tell me this revision went.