The first thing Mei and Adam saw upon regaining consciousness was a scene of destruction.
Raging flames surrounded them, devouring various small buildings and trees that got in the path of the volatile element. The heat was rising, and the smoke was making breathing harder and harder.
"W-What is this-ah!" Mei gasped as she stepped back, realizing that the destruction wasn't just limited to structures.
In front of them, on a stone path, there were dozens of bodies scattered everywhere.
Men, elderly people, women, and children. No life was spared. Worst of all, not all the bodies were 'whole'.
"BLEGH!" Mei threw up. The scene was too much for her.
"Fucking hell…" Adam cursed.
Without waiting for Mei to recover, Adam pulled her hand and started running in no particular direction. It didn't matter, they needed to get out of the kill zone and try to figure out what the hell was going on. The more they pushed through, the number of bodies grew. Adam frowned and quickened their step.
"The fuck is - There!" Not far from them was a set of stairs leading up. Adam headed there and climbed up as fast as they could. Once up, he noted that they were at the entrance of a shrine, with destruction and flames devouring everything in their path. Nothing encouraging, but at least there were no more corpses scattered around the place.
"Mei, we need to get out of here. We are not safe." He turned to look at the girl, and to his worry, she looked perturbed. Her face was a mixture of shock and horror, and her eyes had a faraway look...
"Mei! Snap out of it! We need to keep going!" Adam took her by the shoulders and shook her. A couple of seconds later, Mei blinked back to reality. She looked frantically around her.
"A-Adam-kun?! What's going on?!"
"I don't know but we need to keep moving! We're sitting ducks here," he responded quickly.
"What the fuck is this? Is all this destruction the manifestation of the assimilation of the alien Stigma?" He pondered, scanning his surrounding at a fast pace. "It better be that and not the fucking remnant…" He shifted his feet, ready to jump into action if it was the case.
"[Subject Mei and Subject Adam, are you two okay?]" A holographic blue square popped up in front of the duo, causing them to jump in alarm. In it, there was Bronya.
"Damn it Bronya!" Adam glared at her.
"[The Bronya apologies, but there was a sudden jump in your heart rates. We worried that something bad has happened.]" Her even tone was still the same as always, but after months of living with Bronya, Adam noted the slight rise of volume in her voice. She must have imagined something terrible happening to them, seeing how their hearts jumped as soon as they started the dive.
"Things don't look good on our side," he glanced behind him before returning to her. "I don't know if a sea of flames and a field of corpses is what we're looking for." Bronya flinched and her eyes widened at the information.
"[Fortunately, this is not the case, Mr Adam.]" Dr. Margot appeared in the frame, next to Bronya. "[We haven't picked up any traces of Director Theresa in the dataspace sector you are in,]" she informed them. "[In a few seconds we will transport you two to another sector. Please wait.]" Adam hoped they were quick. He didn't want to stay here more than necessary.
"Someone…"
Mei and Adam turned, looking for the origin of the voice.
"There!" Mei pointed out. Following the direction of her finger, he saw a figure leaning on a pile of rubble. Adam hesitated to move closer, not knowing if this was a trap or part of the Stigma. He pushed aside his indecision as Mei ran towards the seemingly injured person without hesitation.
"Better be ready than sorry," he thought as he quickly followed her, not before concentrating for a second, feeling the familiar chill of transformation in his hand. He felt a sliver of relief knowing that he could use his powers. It would be very troublesome if he couldn't.
Adam couldn't help but do a double take at the woman's appearance, mistaking her for Kiana for a second. She was a young woman with silver-white hair tied up in a single braid. She wore the habit of a nun with the emblem of a golden cross on the front. Her robe had suffered damage, there were holes and tears in it. The robes weren't the only thing damaged; Adam grimaced at the large pool of blood growing under her.
"Can you hear me?!" Mei asked, kneeling to the woman's level, and putting her hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright? What happened in this place?"
The woman's eyelids trembled. After a moment, she opened her sea-blue eyes, making Mei flinch for a second. The woman was very similar to her dear friend, and her condition - covered in scrapes and cuts - reminded Mei of Kiana badly injured when they were escaping from Nagazora.
"A-Are you two warriors?" The woman asked, her voice barely above a whisper. It was surprising she hadn't succumbed to her wounds yet. "I-I do not know your names but -she coughed a bit of blood- but please… grant me a boon."
"How can we help you?" Mei asked, worried about the woman's state.
The woman moved her hand to her neck and took something off from it. She handed the item to Mei. A gold crucifix pendant was in Mei's hand dangling from a thin silver chain.
Tears began to flow from the woman's eyes. "Please… you must give this to her…" The light in her eyes began to fade. "T-Tha's all I ask… of you…" Her hand hit the pool of blood, and her eyes turned cold and dull.
"Shit…" Adam cursed.
Mei's eyes widened as she shook the woman, trying to get some reaction from her, but it was more than clear that the silver-white-haired woman was gone.
"H-hey! Hang on!" Mei raised her voice. "You must wake up. We can get you help!" She began to shake the woman harder.
"Mei," Adam put a hand on her shoulder, making the girl flinch. She turned to look at him with a pleading gaze.
"A-Adam-kun! Please ca-carry," she choked on her words for a second. "Please carry her. Maybe we can-"
$/##"$%%$&$%"#$#$%"#$"$%#$$#%#$%"#$#$%"#$"#$"#$!
There was a loud crash, followed by a deafening buzz that made them both shudder.
"[The sector is collapsing!]" They barely managed to hear Dr. Margot over the noise. "[We will force the transfer to another sector. Get ready!]"
"Wait!"
Mei and Adam felt a pull on their bodies. Their minds could barely comprehend their surroundings fading in a mixture of colors, and then, they fell face-first on a river. The cold water and sudden change of scenario snapped them up in a second. They both got up from the water gasping for air.
"Damn it!" Adam cursed. "A warning next time, doctor!"
A loud buzz was what answered him.
"Doctor?" Again, there was another buzz. "Bronya?" Another buzz. Adam didn't like it. "Does anyone copy?!" He yelled. And again, there was only a buzz in response. "Fuck!"
Adam spoke to Mei "Mei! I can't get in contact with Bronya or Dr. Margot. Try to speak to them, maybe there is an error on my side."
There was no response. He turned and saw his companion, standing in the knee-deep river with a lost gaze.
"Mei?" She didn't respond. Adam walked to her. "Mei?" He grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her. His action made her yelp and look him in the eye with a gloomy face.
"I-I-"
"Mei?"
"I-I couldn't help her," she said, looking down at her hands. Her eyes focused on the crucifix in her palm. "She was in m-my hands, and she passed away," she clenched her hands. "J-Just like that."
Adam opened his mouth but couldn't think of anything to say to her.
Should he yell at her and tell her to move, that this wasn't the time and place to be lost in her mind? Or should she just give him hopeful words and that everything will be alright? What she had just seen was just a fragment of information from a memory, and she shouldn't feel bad about it?
"We need to get out of the water," he settled to say and internally winced for his shortcoming. "Once we get dry enough, we can think of what to do next." It would have been preferable for the two of them to continue their way, Adam doubted that both of them could get sick inside the Stigma, but considering Mei's stunned state, he considered it best to wait for her to recover. After a moment, Mei nodded and saved the crucifix in one pocket of her dress.
Adam took her hand and led her to the riverbank. They both took a seat under a tree a few meters away from the body of water, waiting for their clothes to be dry enough, although Adam was waiting for Mei to recover from the distressing scene in the shrine.
For several minutes, neither of them said anything. From moment to moment, Adam caught a glimpse of Mei, who was sitting with her legs together and her chin on her knees, shivering from the cold, but he was sure that her wet clothes weren't what made her shiver.
"Damn. What am I supposed to say to her in these kinds of situations?" He thought. "It would be best to tell her that the woman's death was not her fault, but I doubt she would accept that easily."
Adam frowned at the memory of the destroyed scene as soon as the two entered the Stigma's dataspace. "On second thought, what the hell was that about the destroyed place, all the corpses lying around and the woman so similar to Kiana?" Adam put his hand on his chin. "Was this all a symptom that something is wrong with Theresa's Stigma? Was that a side reaction to the strange Stigma trying to merge with Theresa's? Or I hope I'm exaggerating, was all this a symptom that the remnant Is acting?" He tapped his index finger on his chin. Another thing in his mind was the lack of communication from the other side, in and out of his head.
"Hey! Are you there, jackasses?"
"Adam-kun?" He ceased his pondering when he heard Mei calling him.
"Yes?"
"Why you aren't so shocked by…" Her voice sounded unsure, hesitant to her next question. "By what happened with that woman? With all tho-those bodies around?"
He blinked, surprised at the question. She glanced at him but quickly looked away.
"S-Sorry. That was out of line," she apologized. "What am I trying to say is- why you aren't so shocked as I am?" After a few seconds, she spoke again with a trembling voice. "I-I'm sorry. I know y-you didn't want me to come because of the risks of diving, and you still agreed to my selfish request." She snorted weakly in self-loathing. "And the first thing I do is freeze in shock and then snap at you." She buried her gaze between her knees. "What a companion I am," she sneered. Again, silence fell between them. Mei pursed her lips, thinking that what she had said was crass of her and that Adam was angry at her.
"In my travels, from time to time I would come across similar scenarios like the one we saw in the shrine. These events tend to happen in small communities, usually isolated, easy prey for a group of Honkai beasts and zombies." Mei looked up from between her knees and turned to see him.
"Adam-kun?"
He moved his gaze upward. Instinctively, he reached into one of his pockets, searching for a pack of cigarettes, but remembered that they were inside a simulation—not to mention that he hadn't been able to have a wad of tobacco in a long time because of Theresa. Adam resisted clicking his tongue in annoyance and spoke.
"I understand how you feel, believe me, I've been there. It hurts and makes you wish to have done more, and you never forget that sense of impotence, but eventually, it dulls just enough to let you keep going." How much he wished for a cigarette right now.
"My advice? Move on. You'll have to accept that bad things happen, and you'll do everything possible to limit them, but you will not be able to stop them. You accept that these things will happen and move on."
An awkward silence fell between the two. Adam didn't need to look at Mei to know that his words profoundly impacted her. He knew that what he had said was somewhat bitter, but he really didn't know what better to say to her. And to be honest, her question surprised him, since they had both survived Nagazora. Although Adam had to consider that during the entire route in the destroyed city, the girls and he was focused on surviving. They hardly thought of the people who perished because of Honkai.
It sounds cruel, but it is easier to distance emotionally from those thoughts that keep one awake during the night, making it easier to continue one's life.
"Of course, she would be unsettled by what she just saw." He shouldn't have thought that she would be used to this by now, or that she wouldn't have those thoughts. "Fucking stupid," he scolded himself.
Around them, not far away, could be heard the song of some birds and the sound of water running through the river. Adam found the scenery beautiful, but twisted, considering that within the Stigma, within Theresa, lurked an abomination, ready to destroy everything in its path.
It felt like it was the calm before the storm.
"That- that's dark, Adam-kun," Mei said, breaking the silence.
Adam chuckled dryly, breaking the silence. "Hahahaha. I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you something more positive, but I'm not the best when it comes to encouraging words, Mei." He admitted, but he felt a bit of envy for Siegfried's talk skills. The old man would have known what to tell her.
"HELP!" The pair jumped to their feet the moment they heard the scream. "HELP! IT'S GOING TO KILL US ALL!" And it was not the only one, in the distance, they could hear the screams of more people, followed by a roar.
"That doesn't sound like the abomination," Adam thought. Again, there was another roar, followed by more people's screams. "Whatever that thing is, it sounds pissed off." He thought for a moment about what to do. The best thing will be to examine the situation and see what can be done. They both couldn't throw themselves into a fight without knowing what they were dealing with. They had to be careful, even more so being in the strange place that was the data space of the Stigma.
"Mei, we-" Adam barely began before she hurried to the place of the screams.
"Fuck." He cursed as he ran after her. "Mei! Wait! We need to know what is happening before acting!" He screamed behind her. She didn't stop, though. Either she didn't hear him, or she completely ignored him. Adam just grunted.
It didn't take long for the pair to reach the scene of the screaming. It was a clearing in the woods. The smell of fresh grass filled their nostrils. As well as the fresh smell of blood.
There were around eight bodies scattered around the place. They were all men, wearing what appeared to be yukatas, with long, thick slits running the length of their bodies. Pools of blood had formed below them. It should be noted that there were also rudimentary spears -made of stone tips- and one or another tool for farming scattered around the place. Ineffective in combating the responsible for the screams and corpses on the ground.
It was stout and hairy. Its fur was black and thick, looking wet and darker in some sections from the blood of its victims. Despite its thick hide, wide veins could be seen protruding along his figure. Its legs were broad and strong, denoting powerful claws, ready to tear at anyone who passed in its path. The creature was panting, displaying a powerful jaw to crush whatever fell into it, thick saliva dangling from it. Its eyes were wide and purple, with no pupil visible. One of its round ears was missing a piece, as was the brown horn that sprouted from the center of its temple.
It was a bear, or at least one before it was twisted into a Honkai beast. To the duo's good luck, the beast was busy chewing on what was left of a bruised carcass.
The bloody scene froze the dark-haired beauty in place. It took her about three seconds to understand what was happening. Two seconds to feel horror, and one to feel a terrible anger flood her being.
Her body trembled with righteous anger and a great desire to launch herself against that terrible creature responsible for this scene of death.
"You-you-!" Mei hissed. A familiar and terrible energy began to gather from within her body, seething with a yearning to be released upon this hideous abomination!
Mei took a step forward and her center of gravity shifted abruptly as she was tackled, falling to the ground behind a series of bushes, making barely a sound on the spot. The bear looked in the direction of the noise for a few seconds. Perceiving nothing, the bear returned to its food.
Mei struggled against the hold of her attacker, who covered her mouth with one hand and pressed her body to the ground using their long form. She was about to fight back, but her attacker spoke up.
"Mei! Take it easy! It's me, Adam!" he hissed.
Hearing who it was, she stopped struggling and stared in disbelief at the young man above her. She was going to protest but Adam made a silent gesture with his free hand and shook his head. He glanced in the bear's direction for a second and turned his eyes from it back to the black-haired girl below him.
"Keep your voice down and please don't do what you were about to do a few seconds ago," Adam whispered. Mei frowned but nodded at his words. Adam moved his body off hers and removed his hand from Mei's mouth. He lay face down on the ground and warily eyed the bear. Mei did the same to one side of him. Mei was about to speak, but Adam did before her.
"Before you get mad at me, think for a second. Do you have any weapons to face the bear? A bear's body and fur are thick and resistant, even more so if it has mutated like the one in front of us," he pointed out. "If you had thrown yourself with the beast without any precaution or weapon, you might have ended up like them." Marking his words, Mei heard the clatter of bones, courtesy of the furry beast.
"But there might be a survivor!" Mei urged quietly.
"Very difficult." Adam denied. "That amount of blood spilled, not to mention how strong its attacks could be. Their bones must be broken, maybe more than one has some internal bleeding," he explained in a distant tone. Mei didn't like the coldness with which he described the situation or how he assumed it was too late to help them.
She wasn´t going to hide. She was about to get up, but Adam held her firmly by the arm. Mei shot him an incredulous and angry look. She didn't impress Adam, who was now looking at her rather coldly. "Remember what we talked about in the river, Mei. You can't avoid this kind of thing, at least not all the time."
"We have to help them!" Mei didn't understand how Adam didn't care what was happening in front of him.
"They are already dead. The best we can do is make sure we kill this thing. And to do that, we need to exercise caution," he remarked. Carefully, he looked at the space around the bear, considered his options, and explained his plan.
"Mobility is vital in this situation. It would be easier to corner the bear or make it fall into a hole, but we don't know the terrain or have the tools to set a trap. The best thing would be to attack the bastard from behind. I can use my powers, at least I can transform my hand into a blade or claw, sharp and long enough to cut into its spinal cord at the height of its neck. Once downed and immobilized, it will be easy to smash its head and kill it for sure." He finished explaining. "But I need something to distract it." It took Mei a second to understand his gaze on her. For a second, Mei hesitated, but upon hearing the beast taking a bite of its snack again, she nodded firmly.
"Try to sneak through the bushes to get to the other side of the clearing and get his attention. As soon as the bear notices you, I-"
"RRAAARRRHHH!" The bear roared for no reason, surprising Mei and Adam for a second. To their relief, the bear had not turned to see them. The creature roared at an unexpected person.
"I may be small and cute, but I will surprise you with my fighting skill!" A small girl screamed with conviction as she picked up one of the makeshift spears and twirled it in her tiny hands with ease. A girl who was well-known to Mei and Adam and had both of them worried in the last hour. "Witness the true power of an S-rank Valkyrie!" Theresa Apocalypse screamed as she lunged to attack.
CRACK!
The spear handle snapped like a twig. The young duo watched as Theresa realized her terrible mistake, panic making itself known in her eyes.
The bear did not wait for another second. In an instant, to the surprise of the others, tendrils sprouted from its back and caught Principal Theresa, immobilizing her completely, and slowly strangled her.
In the blink of an eye, Mei and Adam jumped in to help her. Adam was faster, cutting the distance in a few strides and throwing himself at the bear's back, both hands transformed into claws, severing the tendrils in a second. The bear roared in pain and anger, as Theresa was released and fell into Mei's arms, who quickly left the clearing and disappeared behind some bushes. Neither of them had planned for something like this. Mei didn't like this course of action but to her discomfort, Adam was right in that she didn't have a good weapon to support him. She had decided to leave the place with Theresa, so it would be easier for Adam to fight without worrying about the two of them.
For his part, Adam saw Mei's action out of the corner of his eye and approved of her decision. He jumped off the bear's back and caught its attention.
"Come get me, you big piece of shit!"
The bear responded to the insult, lunging at Adam without caution, but he dodged to the side. Spinning on his heel, Adam slashed at the exposed side of the beast. His claws had little difficulty cutting through the bear's thick meat. The creature roared in pain.
To Adam's mild astonishment, new tendrils sprouted from the bear's back, but this time the new limbs showed sharp points and were not as flexible as the old ones. They reminded Adam of the legs of a spider. The bear roared and charged at him again.
"The tendrils give it increased attack range," Adam quickly deduced. And he was right as he dodged the attack again, the tendrils extended to take a piece of him. Adam dodged the second attack, leaping away from the bear barely missing the first. The beast snarled, angry that it didn't take its prey by surprise.
"Let's get this over with! I don't have all day," Adam said in a provocative tone. The bear must have understood his tone, for he roared fiercely and lunged harder at Adam.
"Perfect."
Adam did the same, running straight for the bear. The creature tried to catch him with its snout and spidery limbs, but to his surprise, it missed by inches and Adam slid under the long frame of him.
The bear's surprise ended in a second when it felt a sordid pain that ran from its chest to its belly. The bear turned on its paws to face its attacker. As it did so, its innards fell onto the grass with a wet sound, just below it. The pain multiplied, making the beast gasp in sudden exhaustion. All of its limbs trembled with weakness.
CRACK! SWISH!
The bear did not feel the sharp claw pierce its brain or the other claw, separating its head from its body in a mighty slash. With a sharp jerk of his hand, Adam wrenched free the head of the beast caught in his grasp. The bear's head ended up hitting one of the trees with a thud. A few seconds later, the beast's head and large body turned into black smoke and vanished in the cool forest wind.
"That was quick," Adam commented aloud, his hands returning to normal. "I better search for Mei. The faster we finish here, the faster -"
"Do not move."
Adam's eyes widened in surprise as he heard the voice of a young woman just behind him, not to mention the cold, deadly edge of a sword resting on his carotid artery.
"Damn. Don't hear her coming!" Adam was impressed by the stranger's ability to sneak up behind him without making a sound.
"This is the first time I've seen one of the clawed demons speak coherently," the woman said.
"Devil? What the hell is she talking about?"
"Tell me." The woman pressed her sword. "Are there more like you roaming the place?" Adam knew that if he didn't like her answer, she would cut off her head without hesitation. The confident way she spoke, the way she approached without making a sound, and the firmness of her grip on her weapon, told Adam that she was someone experienced in shedding blood without hesitation.
"I'm not a demon, miss," Adam said. "I'm a… I'm someone who has experience killing things like this." It was the best he could think of at the time. The young woman didn't like her response, forcefully pressing the edge of her sword into her neck, drawing a small line of blood.
"Do not lie, demon. I saw how you cut that possessed bear with ease using your claws, and how you transformed them back into ordinary hands," she said, her voice rising. "Now, answer my question and I will make your death quick and painless."
"Shit, we're going to have to fight, aren't we?" Adam thought, preparing to act and use his powers instantly.
The tension began to grow. The sword began to put more pressure on his neck, and he was ready to counterattack as soon as he got the chance.
"Adam!" Mei yelled, appearing from the bushes and running in his direction. In her arms was Theresa, who to his concern, was passed out with a face as red as a tomato. "Adam! Principal Theresa-!" Mei fell silent as she realized the dangerous situation she walked in, taking a few steps back and tightening her grip on the director's petite body.
Adam's mouth pursed as the woman looked away from him for a second to see the new intruders. The woman's eyes widened, and a sharp pain shot through her head at the sight of the young girl in the arms of the black-haired young woman.
"Kallen? No, she-" Her body trembled. One of her hands released the sword and brought it to her head, trying to ease her inexplicable headache.
Adam, feeling the sword at his neck falter, didn't wait for another second and sped away. He stepped in front of Mei and transformed his hands into sharp claws again.
"Mei, contact Doctor Margot and tell her that we have the director. Tell her to get us out of the dive right away," Adam ordered Mei, as he kept his eyes on the unfamiliar, hostile pink-haired woman, who remained disoriented. Seeing her, it took him a moment to recognize her. He had a hard time not cursing openly as he recognized her.
"Fuck me…" Adam thought in astonishment. "I thought she was gone when she helped Theresa." The last time he had seen the pink-haired woman with the animalistic features was when she kissed the headmistress, shortly before Theresa finished off the abomination.
"Bronya-chan, we have Principal Theresa. Now you can extract us," Mei said aloud, waiting for her response. Nobody answered. "Bronya-chan? Do you hear me?" Mei tried again. She didn't like the lack of response from the other end. Neither did Adam. "Margot-sensei? Do you hear me?" Mei's voice became anxious not hearing the others respond. "Margot-sensei?! Bronya-chan?!" Adam gritted his teeth, realizing that he wasn't the only one who couldn't communicate with others. That and the pink-haired woman seemed to be slowly recovering from her confused state.
"Ce-Cecilia!"
Mei let out a small squeal as Theresa stirred in her sleep, kicking and swinging her arms to break free of Mei's grip. She almost succeeded, but Mei managed to prevent her from falling. Still, it was getting harder for Mei to keep the petite headmistress in her grip.
"Cecilia! Please don't leave me. I- Kiana and I, we- we need you…"
"Adam!" Mei raised her voice. "She couldn't contact the others and," she touched the headmistress's head and her face twisted with concern. "Director Theresa's fever is getting worse. I think she's hallucinating!"
"Cecilia!"
Adam bit his lip, cursing the dire circumstances that surrounded them. Adam's concern grew as he saw that the priestess had recovered from her confusion. She was staring at them, but he noticed that the pink-haired woman's eyes were focused on Theresa.
"Adam!" Mei yelled. Theresa's screams stopped, but she was panting heavily now, scaring Mei and causing Adam to make a dangerous decision.
He inhaled deeply and called upon the very gift that had gotten Mei and him into this mess of a situation, but this time he didn't do it with measure, he let the strange power wash over his body.
As if Adam had thrown a switch, a biting cold ran through his veins and bones, but he also felt searing heat welling up from his skin and muscles; adrenaline and tension increased his reaction time to a greater degree; his muscles coiled like an aggressive snake and his senses sharpened to the point that he could see his surroundings more clearly, even seeing what was in the shadows with great clarity and smelling a sweet fragrance coming from the strange woman mixed with the very well-known copper essence of blood; the red in his eyes turned bright and his pupils dilated as time seemed to slow down every so often.
Adam was going to take a step and-
"Wait," the woman suddenly said.
To the relief and surprise of the visitors to the Stigma, the woman saved the sword-her katana- inside her scabbard and raised her hand, motioning them to stop.
"The girl, what does she have?" The woman asked them.
"Why does that matter to you?" Adam responded with a hostile tone. The woman narrowed her eyes at hearing him.
"Adam!" Mei raised her voice. He didn't turn around, but from her tone, Mei sounded annoyed. "Director Theresa needs help! We need her to help us!"
"Mei, we don't know-" Adam started, but Mei didn't let him finish.
"The director is hallucinating, Adam!" Mei yelled angrily. It was something new for Adam to hear her like this. Rarely had she raised her voice, but she had never done so in anger, even when Kiana and Bronya's arguments escalated.
"We lost communication with each other, we can't be picky now," she argued. "If we don't do something now, the director might die!"
"I-" Adam searched for a response, but the more he thought, the more he realized that Mei was right. This was not the time to be selective with any help they received. They were on a tightrope and against the clock.
Adam lowered his arms. The intensity of his gift was fading. He wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline, the situation, or the fact that he was immersed in a flawed Stigma, but Adam could swear that his power was lingering, as if it didn't want to leave him. Adam concentrated for a second and the hot/cold sensations faded.
"We'll do as you say, Mei," Adam said, moving and standing next to her.
Mei sighed in relief as her words reached him.
The pink-haired woman stared at them for a moment and relaxed her posture.
"Follow me," she ordered. "The village is not far from here. There I will be able to help your friend," and she began to move towards the forest.
Before Mei followed her, Adam took Principal Theresa from her hands and carried her. Mei thanked him, her arms had started to get tired after carrying the director for a long time.
"Mei, stay close to me, in case this is a trap," Adam whispered to Mei. She was going to protest, but the look on his face made her think twice, and nod reluctantly.
"By the way, my name is Yae Sakura," the pink-haired woman identified herself without breaking stride or showing that she had heard them.
"R-Raiden Mei."
"...Alighieri Adam."
Sakura turned her head enough to catch a glimpse of the two visitors and tilted her head slightly.
As they continued their way into the unknown, Adam couldn't help but wonder:
"What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?"
Adam mentally crossed his fingers, hoping the situation wouldn't get worse.
The fresh smell of grass and the song of some birds hit its senses, causing its multiple red and purple eyes to snap open and gasp in surprise. The birds, upon hearing the gasp, stopped singing for a second. That didn't matter, it was surprising to see its surroundings and understand that it was no longer in pain. The smell of the grass, the cool breeze, the clean air, the clear sky; all these elements were new to it. Similar to its old lair, but cleaner, calmer, and more alive.
"₩ⱧɆⱤɆ?" It growled softly. The birds close to it stopped singing, scared by the being that was in the forest. Some of them flew up in fear as its stomach growled.
"ⱧɄ₦₲ⱤɎ." It screeched.
A branch snapped and it turned in the direction of the noise.
Not far from it, there were two people, a man, and a woman, paralyzed in terror to see that the horrifying eyes of it were on them.
Their clothes were very different from those of those who had come to hunt it. They were also thinner.
"₣ØØĐ."
It did not matter. Food was food, even if it lacked more meat.
The couple did not have time to scream. In a blink, the claws and jaws of the hideous creature were upon them.
The chewing and crushing of the monster were lost with the furious flapping of the birds, who fled the place in terror.
Damn, I wanted to have this chapter updated before the end of February, but damn, projects and homework are a total pain in the ass. Well, at least it didn't take me three months to update this.
As you can see, Adam and Mei don't have a smooth start or a warm welcome. And Theresa's condition certainly doesn't make things any easier for both of them. Not to mention, the remnant/abomination just woke up.
I hope this short chapter is to your liking. I'll try to be faster and update the next chapter by the beginning of April, or in the middle of the month if things get busier.
See you!