Heroes in the Dark chapter 41

(AN: General warning for heavy content)

The first thing that struck him was the smell. The sharp scent of cleaner hit him, but what made it worse was the unmistakable underlying odor that made him feel nauseous. Before his eyes could even adjust to the darkness of the confined space, it was quickly evident that there was something horribly amiss. Nothing could conceal the presence of blood, no matter how hard it tried. For a group headed by a boss so insistent on cleanliness, there was something fundamentally wrong here. But that was only the first impression.

Tokoyami searched the nearby walls for a light switch, but no such thing presented itself, much to his annoyance. Barely any light slipped in from under the door. It was enough, though, and after giving it some time his eyes were able to make out the vague shapes of things scattered before him. A long, thin shape was nearby – it could only have been a lamp – and fighting back his instinct to flee from this room, he made his way towards it. Tokoyami tried to ignore the smell, the sound of his heart, everything that felt all the more amplified in the situation he'd found himself in.

You shouldn't be here.

Why do you have to do this? Why couldn't you just look after yourself?

Please. Just go back.

Tokoyami's breath hitched in his throat. He fumbled in the dark, as though slipping on something slick, but his hand caught a nearby table allowing him to correct himself. His hand disturbed what felt like metal tools, sending a few clattering. He grimaced at the touch of them, quickly retracting his hand like he'd been burned. Except he knew what that felt like, and yet this felt worse somehow. This place felt hostile, which frankly was nothing new to him, but something about here in particular put him so on edge and instilled him with an unprecedented amount of unrest, and that was saying a lot. Perhaps because it wasn't just his own safety being staked here, or maybe it was the knowledge that this was so deep in enemy territory, far from the influence of heroes, and he knew that there was nobody who could help him here. For some reason, it was only now that this realization was hitting him so hard. He clutched his cloak around him.

He continued through the room, headed toward the promise of light to show him what couldn't be seen.

If Toga were here, she could've used the light on her phone…

The last thing this place needs is light.

Tokoyami wasn't sure what his quirk meant by that, but it left him deeply unsettled.

When he finally located the dim silhouette of the lamp, he reached out a shaking hand to locate the switch that would reveal this place to him. He found himself hesitating, and he could've stayed like that for a while still. But he shoved the frantic thoughts and grim warnings circulating his head to the back of his mind and proceeded, hoping beyond all else that he wouldn't regret this. But perhaps that was asking for too much.

The blinding light of the lamp forced him to close his eyes for a moment, and when he finally opened them again he was able to make out what was awaiting him in the room.

It was set up much like a hospital procedure room. Tables were pressed up against the wall as well as dragged near the center of the room, lined with containers and loose tools. The metal instruments glistened in the harsh light. Most of them were an assortment of scalpels and similar tools. It looked like they'd been recently clean, but not as well as they could've been, as though the people that had been here last had left quickly intending to come back later. The same could be said for the rest of the room. A trashcan nearby contained heaps of dirtied bandages, and something about them felt achingly familiar. He wanted to not think about it, but there was no avoiding it. Not when he was here, now, witnessing it all for himself. He wanted to gag.

His eyes trailed unforgivingly to the floor where he'd slipped earlier. He'd thought – hoped – that it might've been water. But no, no it couldn't be that easy, that simple, now could it? Of course it had to be blood, pooling to the ground, barring his path for him to slip on, being tracked through the room by his shoes after stepping in it… dripping from the chair.

The chair. It was sitting there, empty at the moment, in the center of the room. It was like something you'd see at a dentist's office. Or perhaps it was closer to an executioner's chair. There were adjustable leather straps on it, worn on the edges as though they'd been tugged on countless times. They were set up in a way that only a small child could sit there. And it was splattered with a deep red, an effect that looked painfully close to something he'd had the displeasure of seeing before. It was unnatural, the way to stretched out, with droplets going every which way, and it brought up a recent memory that still made him sick to think about, where he could only stand by and watch as such a messy killing blow had been dealt. Is this all he was in these ordeals? A bystander?

The blood was still so fresh, too. Quite a bit of it was already drying but… And an attempt had obviously been made to wipe it up, but… there's just so much.

Tokoyami was trembling horribly by this point. These were things that happened in the world – happened often – and right now it didn't feel like there was a single thing he could to make this situation any better, any less bleak or horrific. Because it'd already occurred. Probably countless times by now. And whether or not he was here now did so little to make up for what had happened.

The gravity of the situation was undeniable. He couldn't ignore what was going on. Looking back, witnessing that person's quirk in action, seeing those bandages, remembering the words that had angered him just earlier today. It had all been leading to this, but he hadn't wanted to admit it. Didn't want to think about it, in case he might be jumping to conclusions. Because after all, who would be so sick as to enact such a thing?

Overhaul. He'd lamented on several occasions how sick everyone else was. How he was justified, curing this world of its diseases and its spreaders of infection, as though he were nobly fighting back against a plague that had taken everything from him. And this had been evident from his first encounter with the yakuza boss, but… he's the sickest of them all.

Tokoyami wasn't sure how long he'd been standing there, just staring in disgust and distress. It consumed him with an indescribable feeling, one that truly spoke of his failings and brought to mind everything he couldn't do. The thought of every instance where Overhaul had so casually mentioned Eri's appointments, her check-ups, and the time she spent with him. It had always taken place here, hadn't it? His grasp of control felt so fleeting, and even in the starkness of that single light illuminating the room, he was keenly aware of the shadows closing in on him from all sides, chilling the air and putting pressure on his throat. It was suffocating him. Of all the dangers he'd faced, right now he felt like his own worst enemy.

He'd done something horrible, he realized only now. He couldn't have possibly known at the time, but he'd been responsible for something that left his heart heavy, like it was weighed down by his accumulating mistakes with every passing day that he was forced to live out this miserable existence in the clutches of people who only intended to use him to create more harm to others. I told her that I'd do what I can for her, but now even that feels like a pitifully empty promise. Nothing I ever do can erase the things that have happened here. Asking for her happiness… even that doesn't seem feasible, if this is the life she's had to live. I… I can't. I can't do anything here.

Tokoyami held his hands up to his beak, where they captured his labored breath. He hunched his shoulders as though to shield himself from the burden of the knowledge he'd uncovered. As though this were something he could walk away from, he retreated back a step, and he bumped into one of the tables. A sharp blade clattered to the ground, the only sound to fill the room other than his own pathetic noises. I feel like I'm going to be sick, Tokoyami thought to himself in what felt like cruel irony. Because as it turned out, everyone down here was tragically ill. And it wasn't something a monster like Overhaul could ever hope to cure. This was a hell for the unstable. A place for sociopaths and the deranged, a place for the abused and the suicidal rejects. A place for bastards who thought that doing these things to fucking children was redeemable so long as the product or end goal, whatever the hell that was, was satisfactory.

Tremors wracked his body. I don't want to be here anymore.

Preoccupied by the voices that plagued his thoughts, he failed to recognize the ones that were sounding from just outside the room. It was only when the handle to the door began to twist that he came back to attention. The instant thought of "what do I do" left him paralyzed for a second, before he finally willed himself to break free from his shock. Different thoughts shouted down at him, but he made the quick decision to hide under the closest table. His hands kept his beak firmly shut so that no sounds would escape him, but he couldn't stop the shaking.

The door opened, and a person stepped inside. He wore a black suit and a doctor's mask – Tokoyami tried to think of where he'd seen him before, but his mind was too muddled to think straight – and the man was talking on a private communicator.

Tokoyami tried to shut his eyes against the world, but that didn't stop him from hearing the unraveling truths that were being spilled.

"Yes, yeah, the samples were adequate. It was just figuring out how to fine tune them into something more potent that was the trouble… huh? A-ah, well, we have plenty of temporary doses now but…" The man grew silent as the person on the other side talked, and he used this chance to survey the room. "God damn, you guys left this place a mess. I thought the Boss hated when you didn't clean up after him? You even left the lights on… Well I'm not the custodian!" He began fiddling with the tools that had been left out, and took them over to the sink to be cleaned. "…Yeah, I can tell you had to cut the appointment early… What's that? …A bad reaction?"

He let out a weary sigh and turned the chair in the center of the room. It creaked sadly, and a few more drops of blood splattered to the ground from the disturbance. "This is what you get from working with kids. I hate it, they can never just sit still. She's usually so much more compliant, too. I wonder what made today any different – you'd think the brat would get used to it…"

The man walked to the back of the room, attention given to the conversation. Keys jangled from his pocket, and he unlocked a large metal cabinet that loomed in the shadows. Tokoyami tried to peer past the man to see what it contained, and saw countless vials filled with liquid and strange metal tools. "Heh, but it was exactly what we needed… Oi, don't doubt me just yet. I actually was able to construct some bullets that, if my testing is correct, should provide permanent effects. They're just really hard to make, and require a lot of source material, time, and money… Well, no, I only have three right now, and two more that I'm struggling to finish, but now that I've got a handle on it I should be able to complete those and replicate more, just so long as we get plenty of–"

The person on the end began to talk over him, and the man started to become visibly annoyed. He tapped impatiently on the metal shelf, absentmindedly glancing over the different glass containers set out before him. "…And I've already gone through today's extractions. What don't you understand? I've been going at this for hours, thanks to the Boss getting on my ass about it. Look, I can already tell that he had to do a full reset today. That just means she's ready for more, right? We're on a time crunch, here, we don't know when the heroes will –"

Tokoyami jerked instinctively at the mention of heroes. He hadn't actually thought about them in a while, but he remembered his first conversation with Eri, how she had met Deku. The heroes knew she was here, they just had to. And now they were being talked about like they were a threat to their plans. This couldn't be a coincidence. Maybe someone was actually coming. Someone who was capable of saving those in need.

But that man. He just wouldn't shut up, no matter how much Tokoyami willed him to stop. "Look, I don't care how many times you have to bring her in here, we need this done. We're way too close to slow down now. If you go to Overhaul about it, he's not going to complain. He's the one that wants this more than anyone, remember? I want you to go to him, and I want you to get Eri back on that fucking chair or so help me–!"

Tokoyami couldn't stand hearing this anymore. He'd wanted it to stop, that's all. He'd wanted this night end. For this nightmare to end. But hearing Eri's name like that brought to mind her scared expression and all the pain she must've suffered through. He couldn't do this anymore.

Tokoyami choked out a sob. It escaped his beak, a strangled sound that he wasn't able to hold back.

The man stopped talking. The voice on the other end could be faintly heard, but soon even that sound faded into oblivion.

Tokoyami quietly shrank into the folds of his cloak. His feathers were on end, and his heart raced so fast it made his chest ache.

He continued talking again, but it was about mundane stuff, and the person on the other end was beginning to sound frustrated. The yakuza locked up the metal cabinet and turned as though to head for the exit. But he walked slowly, as though looking for something. Tokoyami stopped breathing. It was maybe the only thing he could do. And that's why he could only sit still and listen as the next words were said.

"I'm going to need you to send some people here now. Let the Precepts know that something's wrong in the experimentation lab. We've been infiltrated."

The man was standing next to the table Tokoyami was hiding under now. His foot was hovering over a footprint of his that had been left after Tokoyami had slipped in the blood. There was a trail leading directly to him. There was no going back now.

Tokoyami rushed to his feet, shoving the table into the yakuza with as much strength as his terrified body could muster. A scream of surprise and outrage came from him, and above that the words "Get Overhaul! Get Overhaul!"

No! Don't get him!

Tokoyami tried to make a mad dash for the door, but his cloak caught on that chair, that horrible centerpiece of the room. Caught off guard, Tokoyami twisted his body to try and free himself, but he was too panicked to do much of anything. The one thing that had given him a small sense of security in this grim place, the one thing that he had accepted from this group of people, was now holding him back in the worst possible situation. He could feel the cruel knife of irony twisting into his guts. And then he heard the fabric rip.

Tokoyami had a valid attempt at recovery, finding his feet, but before any more action could be made, a strong hand gripped him by the wrist. It tightened mercilessly around him before the man twisted the arm behind his back. Tokoyami let out a cry of pain and alarm, arching his back to try and follow the movement.

The man dropped his communicator with a curse and he tried to control the writhing bird. Tokoyami had been taught how to break free of such moves. Of course he had, through all his training. But in the moment he couldn't do anything. He didn't want to be touched anymore. Not by these people and not by anyone. His feet was skidding in the puddle of Eri's blood. He crumpled to his knees, and he reached out his free arm to catch himself on something. But there was only that damn chair to hold onto. They were coming. He wanted a way out. He'd raze this whole facility if it meant he wouldn't have to be here anymore.

It was just too much. He thought he'd been better, that he could control his emotions, but how could anyone be reasonable at a time like this.

Please, make it stop! I never wanted any of this!

"Make it stop!" he wailed.

He felt Dark Shadow's presence before he saw it. The quirk's power was coming off of him in waves, a barely controllable darkness that was feeding off of his fears. He didn't know what happened, didn't want to know, but because his master had been rendered paralyzed, Dark Shadow had to take the initiative again. To protect him. To protect them. Because that was the only thing he could do.

The pressure that had been holding Tokoyami in place was ripped from him. A resonating crash filled the room. The sound of glass vials and metal tools accompanied it. And then everything was still.

What happened.

Please get out of here, Fumikage.

What did you do.

What you asked me to.

Tokoyami lifted his head slowly. Everything around him was in disarray. The tables were knocked over. Nothing was where it once was. He couldn't see where the man had gone.

I've done everything you asked me to do. This one time, just listen to me. Run from this place now. Don't let them catch you.

Tokoyami rose unsteadily to his feet. He gripped the chair desperately, as much as he hated it, because it was the only thing that was supporting him. But he couldn't stop his eyes from wandering the room. He had to know what had happened. What everything up till now had led to, because as much as he hated it he didn't want to live in ignorance. His eyes fell upon the door, his exit out of here, calling out to him, but he kept searching the room.

And then he saw it. The form of the man that had been gripping his arm mere moments ago, yelling in his face, talking about Eri. It was someone he shouldn't have felt any remorse over.

But his body. It was just so motionless.

There weren't any clawmarks this time. No external injuries present at a first glance, but it was clear to see that Dark Shadow had flung him against the wall with everything he had, fueled by everything that had been welling up inside him the entire time he'd been forced to reside in this cursed place. Tables and equipment had broken down around him – on top of him, too. His neck was bent at such a weird angle. A thin train of blood leaked from his mouth. And still he wasn't moving, or crying out in pain, or anything.

Tokoyami retched. He was truly sick to his stomach now.

In this dark, grisly place, nothing was sacred. He felt tears beginning to form, and made no attempt to wipe them away as they dampened the feathers under his eyes.

"I don't want to be here."

His quirk appeared next to his shoulder for a split moment to see what he saw. "I'm sorry," Dark Shadow croaked, voice filled with regret. And he could tell that it was sincere. But still, everything felt so awful. He didn't want to immerse himself of the consequences of his actions. Because it'd been his fault, and there was no other way around that. He had to take responsibility for what had happened this time.

Everything hurt, and yet he hadn't been the one to be injured.

He didn't know how long he stood there, frozen to the spot, staring at the quiet body in anguish. He couldn't move his feet, couldn't even think of running now, or trying to escape, or find help, or literally anything else.

And then the door to the room was thrown wide open. The light from the hallway spilled in, granting better vision on everything that had occurred him and revealing the truth of the situation for all to see. Tokoyami flinched away from it. He'd lost his chance to run while he still could. Not that he could ever pretend this never happened, but… at least maybe then he wouldn't have had to face what was about to transpire next.

"What happened here?! What's going o–" Tokoyami didn't have to turn to see who it was. It was Chrono's voice, loud and in charge as he gave his demands and tried to bring order to the situation. But it must not've taken long for him to piece everything together. His tone changed, becoming filled with an unprecedented amount of venom. "So it was you." It was almost as though he'd feared – or more accurately expected – as much. Was the result of this truly no surprise? Because Tokoyami sure hadn't expected it, despite being the one responsible.

And then a smooth, icy voice sounded above his. It was calm, horribly so, and underneath that was a burning disgust that not even the most silver-tongued could've perfectly concealed. "I should've known that something like this was going to happen. But you sure didn't wait very long to test my patience yet again. Isn't that right, Fumikage Tokoyami?"

Tokoyami whipped around, ever nerve on end and every instinct afire. Dark Shadow was hurriedly cawing various thoughts in his mind in a panic, and Tokoyami was internally yelling back at him.

Shut up! Just shut up, let me think! It's fine! It's not fine!

Overhaul was blocking the doorway. His chest was heaving slightly, like he'd run here. Chrono was in the room now, but he'd been pushed to the side, smartly not saying a thing while his boss surveyed the situation. His yellow eyes were brimming with anger, as though he'd just watched his most valued possession be desecrated.

"What made you think that this was the best thing to do? Was this planned? Are your intentions against me truly so vile that you wouldn't even hesitate to wrong me like this? You really are a scourge on this world, aren't you?"

Tokoyami shook his head uselessly at the questions being spat at him. It wasn't like that at all, but at the same time this wasn't something he could talk himself through. The time for talking was gone now.

Chrono had warned him. So had others, while Overhaul had been so keen on having the bird-headed student be by his side. But now there was nowhere to go and nothing he could do. Everything had been brought upon himself. Not just today, but every action he'd made. I thought he wasn't expecting to voice came to the forefront of his mind: I wish All Might was here.

A shudder filled him, and his body suddenly felt so much more tired.

Overhaul began to step forward. "You really have caused me a major inconvenience, I hope you know."

"Stay back!" Tokoyami screamed at him. His feet finally began to move again, and it brought him backing away to the far end of the room. He was only trapping himself further, but it was the only thing he could think to do at the moment. Darkness swelled around him, responding to his panicked cries. Dark Shadow was ready to fight for him at a moment's notice. A part of him didn't want to cause anymore destruction here today, but the rest of him was begging to get out of here through whatever means possible.

Overhaul tilted his head, looking down at him from across the room in disappointment. "Is this really the way you want to go? I'm embarrassed to have thought so ideally on you. This will no doubt leave a stain on my reputation."

The sound of footsteps running closer could be heard, and several masked yakuza appeared in the hallway behind Overhaul, the backup from that man's call. They all looked ready to fight, with guns and katanas at the ready. But Overhaul barred their path, halting their progress and keeping them from entering the room.

Chrono was evaluating the situation. "Overhaul, don't you think you should let them in here? We should quell this situation as soon as possible – I fear this one might go berserk on us if we wait too long."

Tokoyami's eyes stretched wide in shock. Had it really reached this point? He couldn't even be sure if that statement was valid or not – it could be, with how tumultuous his thoughts and feelings were at the moment, but Dark Shadow wasn't reacting to them as negatively as he might've in the past. He didn't even understand what was going on anymore, it was so difficult to do anything, let alone move. Was he going to lose himself? Or was he too overcome, even for that?

"Just let me handle this for now," Overhaul said. He reached out a hand behind him, and one of the lower yakuza handed him a small gun. "Despite everything, I still have need for him. We can clean up this disgusting area later. Put all appointments on hold for the next two days while we evaluate our losses and plan for what's to come."

Tokoyami felt the cold, hard concrete of the farthest wall as he pressed his back to it. This was as far as he could go. There was no going forward. And no going back.

"Tranquillizer? Will that be enough to pacify what we're dealing with?" Chrono asked, not wanting to doubt him but ever so cautious of what they had to deal with.

"No. We're settling this my way. It'll be easier, and maybe I can put this bird in his place like I should've from the start."

"You don't have to do the dirty work here. I can use my quirk on him, and–"

"Chrono, that's enough." Overhaul pulled a small container from his pocket. Tokoyami couldn't see the exact contents of it, but it was obvious what was happening when he loaded some sort of bullet into the gun before handing the container to Chrono.

"You're using these ones… Boss?"

"Did you expect me to use the other ones? Don't try to waste my time. I know what needs to be done." Overhaul's tone was still unnervingly calm. Tokoyami wished there was more. Just. Any indication of what to expect. He had to have been in so much trouble, how could he not be? And still he didn't know what to make of all this. Everything was too much like a natural progression of events.

Overhaul pointed the gun wordlessly at Tokoyami. He'd been prepared for countless things before, but he'd never been on the receiving end of a loaded gun. He held it in the air a moment too long, focusing his sights, and Tokoyami found that he couldn't say anything. His thoughts were still too immersed in themselves for any outward communication.

A loud bang penetrated the room. Tokoyami bolted to the side, as though that might've been any way to dodge a bullet. But it pierced his shoulder nonetheless. And yet it didn't hurt like he thought a bullet would. It was only a sharp pain for a second, but nothing more.

Tokoyami straightened himself, confused more than anything. Looking at what it was that had struck him, he saw that it was more like a small, cylindrical dart than anything. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

Tokoyami reached his hand towards it, as though to pluck it out. But then a burning sensation rippled through him, causing his hand to freeze in midair. His breathing became labored, and his muscles convulsed. Something was wrong.

Footsteps sounded, filling the room. Overhaul was making his way easily through the room, avoiding the broken tables and scattered equipment like it meant nothing to him.

"Don't get near me!" Tokoyami cried, his voice hoarse.

Overhaul stopped for a mere second. He quirked an eyebrow, as though wondering why the loud little child was trying to tell him what to do. It was but an empty warning challenge.

"I-I'm warning you! Don't you dare try to touch me!"

It was right then that Tokoyami was finally starting to realize what had happened. Because he realized he felt nothing. There were no shadows closing in, no darkness swirling around his feet. The light was just a light, not something that made him feel even slightly uncomfortable. And the darkness was the same: nothing more, nothing less. Tokoyami felt something that he hadn't felt in a long time: nothing. The fear of his predicament still possessed him, but there was no force or power behind it. Only a sense of loss and confusion.

And then when another thought occurred, it came to him easily. And it brought a slew of different problems with it, ones that he thought he'd never have to think about again. He was alone, truly and utterly. His inner thoughts were deathly quiet. No voice to guide him, support him, argue with him. There was only himself now. It hadn't been that way since he was four.

Like a cruel blow to the head, Tokoyami realized that Dark Shadow was no longer with him. "Dark Shadow…?" he croaked, desperation rising in his voice. His chest heaved.

Where are you? Why aren't you here? Answer me! You were always supposed to be here! Don't leave me alone like this! I promise I'm not mad, so please…!

His thoughts raged, but it was only the one, and nobody answered the call. It was only him, talking to himself like a lonely fool. He didn't want to think about what had just happened, but it was everything that preoccupied his thoughts. His hands came up to hold either side of his body, as though it were the only thing keeping him secure. This feeling was so much worse than he ever could've imagined. It was so unlike the times when his quirk was flooded with light, or when Aizawa would erase it with his own quirk. At least then Dark Shadow was still in his thoughts, a constant companion that, while annoying at times, was all he'd ever had for most of his life. But now even that was no longer feasible. He was just… gone.

"Do you understand now?" Overhaul asked.

Tokoyami jerked his head up. He hadn't even realized that the yakuza boss had gotten so close to him. He made an attempt to back away, but there was nowhere left to go.

"I've robbed you of your quirk. So why don't you resign yourself to me now and we can put an end to this horrible night. You have nothing left worth fighting for, and no means to do so," Overhaul explained impatiently.

But there was.

Tokoyami frantically grabbed at a scalpel that was resting near him, and pointed it towards Overhaul. "I thought I told you to stay back!"

Overhaul's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Oh, no, you did. I was just hoping you'd be smarter than this. You really think you can do me in with just that? Don't insult me. You've already done enough of that already. Or perhaps you don't actually intend on trying to hurt me. Only a sick fool not in their right mind would attempt such a thing."

Tokoyami wavered, his hand shaking. I… don't know where to go from here.

No response.

Tokoyami dropped the tool. And balled his hand into a fist the second that Overhaul stepped within his range. If there was any time where he could put the combat tactics he'd learned to use, it would be now, when he was utterly defenseless and void of other options. It was all he could do, in the face of such tyranny.

Tears blurring his vision, Tokoyami grit his teeth and threw a punch. All his grief, anger, and frustration culminated into a single move aimed right for the bastard's mask. Even if it didn't hurt him, we wanted to make his stance clear. He wasn't going to cooperate with the person who did this to him.

But Overhaul caught his fist before it could ever reach him. The lanky yakuza, with his pale, almost sickly physique and purple feathered coat, looked down at him with an incredible amount of anger and contempt, like he couldn't believe that this wretched crow would do something so impulsive and unsightly.

Overhaul looked at Tokoyami's hand, now clenched in his own, and Tokoyami followed his gaze. He felt his heart skip a beat, and all those feelings that had fueled him before had just as quickly left, leaving him more vulnerable than ever before. Overhaul's hand was ungloved. Tokoyami could feel how unnaturally cold his skin felt, and could feel the man's nerves twitching in utter disgust at the position he found himself in now.

Overhaul's voice was no longer smooth. It was rising in volume, every word spat out angrily. "You… you… are really the most vile thing I've ever had the displeasure of putting up with. And for that – for all the trouble you've given me, and for your crimes – I will not let you off easy. I hate that you've quite literally forced my hand like this. So you have no right to complain now. Take this time to think about your actions. And next time, do better so that this doesn't have to happen again."

Tokoyami heard a distinct, vaguely familiar sound, just like when Magne had met her end. Cracks appeared like a pattern on his flesh, and his bones could be felt groaning as though they were being taken apart splinter by splinter. A realization hit him – everything hurt so badly. It felt like every molecule that composed him was being severed from one another, the very fabric of his existence being ripped asunder.

He didn't have the capability to scream with how quickly it all was happening. He wasn't even sure if his throat still worked. And yet somehow it all happened in such careful detail that it was as though he could feel every little attack on his body. But Tokoyami did have a thought. One that plagued him like a sickness, circulating his empty, rapidly decaying mind. I don't want to die.

No response.

And then everything went dark.