After chasing the target through countless streets and alleys, we ended up back in front of the toy store from before. 'This place again..? Hm... It might somehow be of some significance to her...' I thought. The target glanced back at me before trying to run inside, but I slid my scythe's blade aross the ground, sending forward a trail of ice spikes. "Chill Ride!" The target jumped out of the way of the attack, but I still got my target. The spikes managed the block the door, effectively cutting off the target's escape route.

"Oopsie, Mari forgot about Blue-Hair's freezy cold magic..." The target giggled, looking back at me. She pulled out her sword-wielding doll and hugged it, pretending to listen to it. "Yeah, Elizabeth's right. Mari needs to be more careful next time." She said, her eyes flashing red as her doll seemed to disappear in a blur.

Suddenly I felt something strike my back and knock me to the ground. Rolling back to my feet and turning around, I saw that it was the doll that had slashed me. I felt the cold air on the fresh wound on my back.

"Northern Wind!" Spinning my scythe overhead, I tossed it at the target and coated my fist with ice. The target deflected my attack with her case, sending it off to the side, and laughed. "Home run!~" I ran at the doll and punched, sending it flying backwards and freezing it in a block of ice. The target let out a quiet, angry whine. It sounded similar to something a small kid would make when upset. She rushed at me and swung her case wildly. I managed to back-step the first two blows, but then she hit with an uppercut that sent me into the air.

Suddenly chains burst from her case and held me up by the neck. The target snapped and a bear puppet appeared from the case. It's arms had saw chains embedded in its arms, which were revving like a couple of chainsaws. The puppet jumped up and slashed my shoulder, the bear's saws digging into my arm. I screamed out in pain as the doll tore into my shoulder and chest. Before the blades reached my heart, the bear was sent flying back down and into the ground. The chains holding me were suddenly severed, too, dropping me back down. Looking up, I saw Shiro flying above with... angel wings? No, they weren't his. Looking closer, the angel from before was carrying him.

"Don't run off on your own, Nyte!" He called as the angel brought him down to the ground and released him. She flew off to attack the target, firing a few arrows that formed a field around the target, trapping her.

"Sorry, I didn't want to let her escape..." I said, covering my wound with my hand and falling to one knee. Shiro noticed me and hurried over, sheathing his sword.

"That looks pretty bad, man... Just hold on a bit longer, the others will be here in a sec." He said, kneeling down to inspect the wound. Just before he started treating me, Sora was heard screaming. We both turned towards the sound, seeing that the target had broken through the field and was attacking the angel. Shiro stood up and pulled his blade from its sheath. "I'll take care of this."

He ran towards the fight, but the target's bear puppet as well as the sword-wielding one appeared in front of him, ready to fight him. The bear struck first, but Shiro dodged the attack and countered with his sword, sending it flying away. The doll tried to sneak up on him and slash. I quickly pointed my arm forward and spoke.

"Winter Solstice, return to your master." The scythe twirled back from the spot Mari knocked it to and came into my grasp, splitting the doll in half on its way to me.

The target saw this and screamed. "Ours! Elizabeth!" Her eyes darkened. "Blue-Hair killed them!" She vanished suddenly, appearing behind Sora and striking her from behind, sending her plummeting face-first into a window and knocking her out. The target vanished again, appearing in front of me. Before I could react, she fired a chain from the case. I closed my eyes and shielded my face. Moments later, the sound of tearing flesh filled the air, accompanied with the smell of blood. After noticing the lack of pain, I opened me eyes. Shiro stood between me and the attack, having shielded me with his body. He looked back at me and grinned slightly, blood dripping from his chest. "Hehe, looks like I got to play hero on my first mission... Lucky me..." He said quietly. The target pulled the chain back before sending another into him, killing him instantly. My entire body began to shake as I stared at the blood dripping down the the ground.

"Stay out of Mari's way!" The target growled, tossing the corpse aside. I lowered my head and shook even more as tears fell to the ground. She began to walk towards me. Shiro's dead... It was my fault. I caused a teammate to lose his life... I felt angry, afraid, devastated... I wanted to scream, but I couldn't move. I felt something engulfing me. Something was trying to take over. A familiar presence, something that had been there within. Always watching, waiting, for a chance like this. I didn't fight it, I let it take over. Let the darkness take me in. A black aura surrounded me and I began to chuckle softly. It grew louder, becoming full blown laughter.

The target paused and began to back up. "Wh-what's so funny? Mari just killed Blue-Hair's friend. Why is he smiling? Why?" She asked. I suddenly glared up at her, my hair becoming undone and falling over my face messily.

"Why am I smiling..? That's easy..." I quickly moved directly in front of her in the blink of an eye, ignoring my wounds. I looked her dead in the eyes and licked my lips. "You've released a devil, girly..." I grinned widely. Before she was able to react, I kicked her in the side, sending her flying into a wall. "... And I'm gonna make you regret it!" Just as she recovered, I grabbed her neck and slammed her back into the wall repeatedly. After I grew bored with that, I tossed her to the ground and kicked her across the road.

"P-please... stop... It hurts..." She cried. I looked down at her and laughed, calling my scythe to me.

"What happened to that 'life's a fun game' attitude of yours?" I asked, holding one blade of the scythe to her neck and applying pressure, drawing blood. She stared up at me, teary-eyed.

"Please don't kill Mari... She doesn't want to die..." I brought the blade back and prepared to decapitate her, but suddenly hesitated to swing.

'Why aren't you finishing her?' A voice in my head asked.

'I don't know...'

'Is it because she's just a child? No, you've had younger targets than her, and you had no problem then.'

'I know...'

'Because she's a girl? Of course not, you've killed plenty of woman.'

'I know...'

'Is it because she spared you once? Remember, that was a fatal wound. You survived because of me.'

'It's not that either...'

'Then what?'

Looking down at her, it suddenly hit me; she was scared. She genuinely feared for her life. I was reminded of myself, all those years ago...

~~Five Years Ago~~

"This shouldn't be happening! This was supposed a D ranked demon, but his strength is off the charts! He's beyond even an SS!"

"What the hell? This is nuts!"

"There's no way this is possi- Ahh!"

My teammates' screams filled the bloody cave as they were all slaughtered before my eyes. Covering my mouth, I fell backwards and looked up at the black demon that was now standing over me. His claws dripped with blood. He looked down at my wounded body and laughed. I was trembling as I looking into his glowing eyes.

~~Present~~

'Is that how I look to her?' I wondered. 'What am I becoming..?'

'You're becoming like me, powerful. Doesn't it feel great? Now, hurry and finish her off! She killed your friend, remember?' The voice said. 'Just give in to the madness and chop her apart already... I can give you unlimited power! All the power you'll need to avenge your fallen friend, and do anything else you want to.'

'I can gain... power?'

'Yes, of course. All you have to do is listen to me...'

Nyte: And there's chapter 4, guys.

Mari: Mari and Nyte's owner has decided to let the readers pick our paths by voting on the poll on his profile.

Nyte: Well, you can only directly decide mine, since Mari's path is dependent on mine. Either way, please vote for your favorite path, and remember that our paths have a major impact on how the story goes.

Mari: For now, au revoir, readers!