Yoichi watched with horrid enchantment, as Kimizuki, Shinoa, and Guren stood fast against a monster from some of his worst nightmares. What had once been the innocent face of the one who had held Yuu so lovingly as he grew ever colder had become a face wracked with anguish and despair.

Suddenly, like a wave that washed over him, his face became serene. It was expressionless. The blank face more disconcerting than the anguish that had been there mere moments before, his eyes were empty, but they bore into the souls of those who held their stare for more than a moment.

Mitsuba and Shinya managed to inch their way over to him, leaning heavily on the wall behind them while they watched as their caring counterparts hale and powerful stood bearing arms in the path of the monster.

Words seemed beyond them all at the time, they could do nothing more than watch as the battle started. Afterall, the beginning of a battle could decide it as easily as dice tumbled from a cup. But Yoichi knew that this battle was going to take more than two of a kind, they would need them all to come up the same if they had any chance at all.

The first move was made by Kimizuki, as he leapt into the air to cut off any chance of the demon's escape. An innocent enough gesture, but it was cut short as one of the black wings swept upwards, catching Kimizuki by the shoulder, skewing his landing zone and sending him into the wall.

Kimizuki hit the wall with a thud and fell to the floor in a rustle of fabric, but before Yoichi could raise his voice in alarm, he was already climbing to his feet, even with his shoulder stained red along with a certain spot on the wall. He still raised Kiseki-Ō in defiance and Yoichi felt a little bit proud to see him stand up like that.

The next strike was held by both Shinoa and Guren, in a divide-and-conquer strategy trapping Mika between them. Guren was much faster than Shinoa, however and reached him before her, this also meant that he met the demon's wing before her as well. However, Guren was wise to the trick and twisted in mid-air, moving Mahiru-no-yo just in time to block the inky wing from hitting him. The block struck the wing at a vulnerable joint and dislocated the tip of it.

A ripping sound more horrendous more than anything he had heard before accompanied the weight of the wing as it bore downward. It almost seemed like he had split the night itself, a portion of the wing now hung limply from the ulna. With the severance of the nerves, Mika let out a horrendous scream, turning to Kimizuki who had attempted to strike where it was weakest, and causing the entire room to shake and stones to fall from the ceiling. But with this scream came knowledge, the knowledge that it could be hurt. They could win this fight.

The first die cast came up a six.

Kimizuki knew that if Kiseki-Ō didn't heal his wounds and soon, he would be out of the fight, and then what good would his promise to Yoichi have been?

Damn you demon, would you just stop the bleeding? I need this fight.

Kiseki-Ō didn't even bother answering, but Kimizuki could feel his wound warm as tissue was reformed, and bone reknit. Sinew connected again, and muscles were rebuilt. His severed vein was connected and the blood flow stopped. That was all that was important at the moment.

He saw Guren launch himself upwards, evade an attack, and sever the joint of the wing. There was a terrible ripping noise as the skin hidden in the pooling darkness was torn by gravity. But vexingly enough, it did not fall completely and hung, limp and useless at the demon's side. Heedless of his injuries, he ran towards the exposed back of the once-vampire. But the demon turned and faced him, faster than any other could possibly move, and stopping Kimizuki in his tracks.

The pain of his injuries ebbed as Kiseki-Ō healed him, but it did not vanish even when the demon screamed. He could feel the sound waves course through his body, threatening to tear him apart. The sound was unbearable but this scream was different than the one that they heard in the tunnel. This scream was one of frustration, one that reached from the very depths of Hell that this monster had come from.

The sound got louder and louder, shaking his chest. It reached an apex and he clapped his hands over his ears, but the demon had directed the attack on him. He screamed, only adding to his predicament. But then it all suddenly stopped, just as suddenly as it had begun, but only this time, there was no warning.

He could hear ringing in his ears, it gained in intensity and caused him to fall to his knees, his eyes watering as he tried to do anything to stop it. The high pitched noise stayed, however, and even grew to a climax when it receded and stopped.

There was no sound, nothing. He couldn't hear his heavy breathing inhaling, or exhaling, but he could feel it. He couldn't even hear his heart beating. He could see the movement of his friend's feet, could see them yelling at him, but he couldn't hear them.

He knew something was very wrong

Well, look here. It seems you've managed to do damage that I can't repair. Kiseki-Ō's voice reached him in the silence, like a bell ringing clearly to warn of dangers yet to come.

What the Hell, Kiseki-Ō? What do you mean by that?

Isn't it obvious? You're never going to hear again. That demon broke your eardrums and did even more damage to your auditory nerves. I can heal the pain that will come with physical damages, but I can't do a single thing for severed nerves.

Well, then. Can you at least hear the sounds of the outside world? Maybe if you could, then you could tell me whats-

Nope. That's not going to happen. I can see what you see, and nothing more, the same can be said for hearing, and besides even if I could hear the outside world, why would I help you? You haven't necessarily been the kindest partner to me, and I have helped you when you were wounded. You, my dear, dear partner, will never hear again.

Kimizuki raised his hands quickly to inspect his ears and discovered that his fingers came back, wet with blood. He cursed, but couldn't tell how loud it was, which only gave him the impulse to swear louder, but the demon standing before him was a bigger problem for him than his lost hearing.

In the minuscule amount of time that Kimizuki had turned his attention away from the fight, the blood-sucker had turned its attention to Shinoa, who was holding her own against one of the wings. She dodged and blocked and twisted and turned, never letting it touch her, with every block she was able to minorly nick the wing that attacked her. It was like a dangerous dance, where one wrong step would get you more than a simple twisted ankle or a swollen foot.

He watched as the demon encroached on her space, reducing her maneuverability significantly with every step he took towards her. Kimizuki felt vibrations run through his chest and throat as he emitted something akin to a scream when the demon nicked her shoulder, knocking her off balance, and sending her sprawling.

Before she was struck down by the wing Guren was there, blocking and countering with Mahiru. The room shook once more when he presumed the demon let out another scream, causing the ceiling to lose more and more integrity.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Yoichi ushering Mitsuba and Shinya out, probably to keep them safe if the ceiling were to fall. That was just like him, trying to make sure everyone else was safe before he worried about his own injuries. They made eye contact for a moment, and nodded in mutual understanding.

Kimizuki couldn't hear, but he would be damned before he let the demon take any more from him. Fully turning his attention to the demon, he attacked once more, efficiently dodging the first strike, but unable to counter. He was barely able to hold his own, and this was with the blood-sucker's attention away from him, and evading the broken wing.

That was at least, until he was finally able to land a blow and grab the attention of the demon. Faster than he could track, the demon spun and stabbed with his wing, just in time for Guren to slash downwards and tear the end of his wing off, just as he had the other one.

The room began to shake once more, only this time it was more vehement than the last times that it had happened, large pieces of the ceiling crashed down, causing yet another obstacle for them to work around, and avoid. Any one of those pieces could crush them if it were to fall. Instantly dead. And nothing could bring them back.

The sheer danger of the situation was sinking in. The ceiling was falling down on them, they were fighting a demon that was holding it's own against the three of them, all wielders of Black Demon Series weapons, and Kimizuki's hearing wasn't worth a damn.

But they weren't falling, they even seemed to be excelling, beating at him more than he was beating at them.

The second die was cast, revealing a six.

Ching! Shikama Dōji clanged against the wall as she rebounded off of Mika's wing. This was the third time that this had happened, and she was with people she looked up to and that looked up to her, and this is how she showed them she could fight? It was a disgrace.

She needed to try harder, to push farther, she needed to show her worth like she never had before, and the way to do that was to go on the offensive.

Slowly and smoothly, she transitioned to a more aggressive tactic, she gave less and less ground and started dodging and countering the attacks. Now she knew that she needed to be even more careful, if she landed a few lacerations, then the attention would immediately be directed at her. She needed to bide her time, watch for null areas of his defense.

There! She sprung forward, moving faster than she normally would, after Mika slashed downwards, the small of his back was defenseless. The opening was small, but it was there nonetheless, and it was consistent. If she could just get the tip of her ax into that spot, then she-

Ching! Her thinking was cut off when Guren was suddenly in front of her, Mahiru raised, and Mika was facing her. His black eyes wide and unseeing, with Yuu's limp body in his arms.

She was so close to him that she could hear his rasping breaths. He was breathing hard and heavy, and every breath seemed to be a pain for him. She could see the tips of his fangs peeking out from behind his lips, and the black viscous liquid that streamed from his mouth and eyes, imitating tears and spittle, and leaving angry red marks in its wake.

As she watched, a single black tear fell from the nadir of his chin and onto Yuu's exposed chest. The effect was immediate, the caustic tear ate a hole through the graying flesh. The sight sent shivers down her spine, she knew that she could not be touched by the black liquid.

Guren looked like he was struggling against the weight of the world, but Mika's face betrayed no emotion or exertion, his wing poised elegantly against Mahiru's blade, slightly quivering as it pressed slowly downward. Guren's strength was not one to be taken lightly, but here Mika was, not only on equal ground but actually beating him.

There was a slash as Kimizuki practically flew over Mika's head and removed the tip of the wing troubling Guren. He was able to push him back and catch his breath, but only for an instant when the three of them launched a synchronized attack, Guren and Mitsuba from the front and Kimizuki from the back.

It was like it had been planned and practiced over and over, ingrained in them from the moment they began training. No words or commands were needed, they moved to compliment each other's weaknesses and strengths, never stopping their attacks and flowing with calm determination.

The third die to be cast revealed a six.

Guren knew his endurance was failing. There was no way that he would be able to keep up this pace for long, despite that he wanted to kill the blood-sucker himself, there was no way that he would be able to do it on his own.

Well, other than that.

He, Kimizuki, and Shinoa seemed to be holding the attention of the thing, avoiding the attacks of it and inflicting small scratches on it in response. It all seemed to be going perfectly, and that was the perfect time for everything to go wrong.

Kimizuki was taken off guard by a wing, throwing him back and practically embedding him in the concrete wall. As opposed to the last time, he didn't move after the impact.

"Kimizuki!" Shinoa screamed as she parried one of the wings away from her. But in one moment of weakness, one moment of distraction, the blood-sucker redoubled his efforts and attacked her relentlessly. She gave ground quickly, and that was all well and good until she no longer had any farther to move.

Realization dawned in her eyes as the wings were raised in preparation to finish her off. He wasn't going to be able to get there in time.

All Guren could do was watch what he knew as her last moments. He cursed himself, if they had never come on this God forsaken mission, none of this would have happened. Shinya wouldn't have been hurt, Shinoa wouldn't be in this position, and Yuu, Yuu wouldn't be dead. Guren squeezed tears from the corners of his eyes. He needed to get there.

And get there he did. He threw himself in front of Shinoa, raising Mahiru in defense of Shinoa and himself. But, it was futile, because the attack didn't come from above like he anticipated. It came from the front.

The blood-sucker sprayed the black liquid from his mouth right into Guren's open eyes. The effect was immediate and unbearable. The caustic material ate away at any protective layers and dug through his pupils, destroying all sight he ever had. But the pain didn't stop there, he could still feel the acid digging through his eyes. He gripped his eyes tightly, rubbing vigorously, which seemed to just make it worse.

Guren fell and screamed himself half to death. His sinuses all emptied, making it harder to breathe, he was choking on his own saliva. He began to scratch and claw at his eyes, anything to make it stop, anything to reduce the pain, even if he had to claw out his own eyes. What was left of his eyes were watering and making streaks of tears that burned his cheeks, but he couldn't stop anything.

Guren

Everything faded, the pain of his eyes, and the sounds of battle. He was able to breathe again. But then he felt the temptation.

Guren. It hurts me to see you in pain. If you just let me take over for a little bit, then I can make the pain all go away. All you need to do is surrender your entire being to me.

No. He couldn't let that happen, under no circumstances could he do that. It would be Hell on Earth if he let Mahiru take hold of him. But then the pain would fade. Everything would be okay. He could create his own private universe where Shinya and he could live together in peace.

But then, it wouldn't be real. Nothing would be real, and he would know that nothing was real. Everything that he ever said would be a creation that Guren put in his mouth to hear him say.

But in that one moment of weakness, when he thought that he would be happy in an artificial universe, Mahiru struck at his walls. And his defenses crumbled.

I thank you for your submission, my dear, dear Guren. I will crush your adversary more thoroughly than you and your puny friends could do in a thousand lifetimes. So just sit back and enjoy the ride.

For better or worse, Mahiru was in control. The fourth die was cocked, but recast to be a six.

Shinya ran down the hall, Yoichi and Mitsuba trailing behind. It was Yoichi's idea, but he had to make sure it was carried out. He concentrated, calling out to Byakkomaru, searching for his presence. If he was going to help Guren and the rest, then he needed to find him. And Yoichi needed to find Gekkōin to save them.

Everything needed to go as planned for this to work. They needed to find Byakkomaru, Gekkōin, and Tenjiryū. And everything needed to work. That was the key part of the plan, everything actually had to happen.

And if everything didn't happen, then the word would completely go straight to Hell. No exceptions. No 'get out of jail free' cards. If that thing got out there, then the world would end.

So, it wasn't all that much pressure on his shoulders as he rushed through the unfamiliar hallways listening for the answering call of Byakkomaru desperately.

"Gekkōin!" Yoichi screamed in relief and excitement, "I heard him, he's this way." He gesticulated wildly and turned a hard left corner shouting behind his back for them to follow.

As they grew closer and closer, Shinya heard Byakkomaru's voice in his head once more, it was faint, but it was there nonetheless. Hey, absolutely love to know that you care so much about me. I am overjoyed to know that you're coming to my rescue. Or are you only doing it to come to that tramp's aid?

What tramp could you mean by any chance, you were always my favorite partner, Byakkomaru. I am wounded that you would ever think I care so little about you to not come help you. Absolutely offended.

Byakkomaru scoffed in Shinya's mind, which was quite an odd experience when it got right down to it. But the rise in volume was significant, almost exponential from when they had first started their banter. Yeah, do you know how awkward it is when you two are together? I mean. It would be bad enough if I was just your roommate. But nooo. I'm actually inside your head. I'm aware of everything that goes through your head and everything you feel. But, no, I see, I'm still your favorite partner.

Shinya felt a blush slowly color his cheeks. He supposed it was possible and even plausible that Byakkomaru was aware of his… sessions with Guren. But he never dreamed in his entire life that Byakkomaru was actually listening and aware. But then he got a horrible thought. What was it like for Mahiru?

But, his own embarrassment aside they finally rounded a corner and their demons came into sight. They had been flung haphazardly into a pile in a corner with no regard for any of them. It almost hurt him to see his precious rifle flung on top of Gekkōin, and Tenjiryū flung on top of it. Almost, he still remembered his conversation from earlier about Byakkomaru's knowledge of his exploits with Guren.

Mitsuba rushed to heft Tenjiryū, even as Shinya wondered at the effortlessness of the small girl as she wielded and dangerously swung the gigantic ax around her body. Her gaunt face seemed to regain a little composure as she was reunited with her demon, even if her scratches and scrapes were blindingly obvious on her skin.

Shinya was next, as he carefully pulled Byakkomaru from the ground, there was a slight blemish on the black exterior, but other than that, he was as good as new.

Finally, Yoichi carefully lifted Gekkōin from the ground. He looked to be the weakest of them all, with his fragile appearing weapon, but for all the weight that was atop it, it showed no signs of any blemishes whatsoever.

After a few moments of a joyous reunion, they were all brought back to the present by a monstrous roar that echoed through the hallways and shook their bones. What even is that? Byakkomaru asked through Shinya's conscience.

No clue, it's something we need to kill though. All I know is that it was a vampire that knew Yuu and when he died, the vampire just lost it. Went insane, screaming his heart out or whatever. Now it's attacking us, and we need to kill it to save the rest of the team.

Wait. That kid Yuu's dead? Man, I really liked the kid. He was one of the few people that could actually handle Asuramaru. Speaking of Asuramaru, you should take him back to headquarters, he's not going to let anyone touch him after Yuu. He may not have acted like it, but he really liked the guy.

Shinya turned around at the mention of Asuramaru and found him. He was cast aside in the corner, apart from the others. His blade was halfway out of the sheath, and a dull gray. Whenever Yuu had used him, it shined so brightly that you might cut yourself simply by looking at it. Now the blade looked unpolished, scratched, and even cracked, like a blade that hadn't been cared for in a decade.

Taking pity on the forgotten blade, he removed his jacket and carefully wrapped Asuramaru in it, being cautious to not touch him at all, because that may be one of the largest mistakes of his life.

If he concentrated hard enough, he thought he could pick up on waves of anguish emanating from the sword and it made his heart go out to the demon. It was a constant reminder that Yuu was gone, and he could do nothing.

Look at me. Feeling compassion for a demon. What has this world come to?

We are quite a compassion inducing species if you ask me. Not as squishy as humans, but not as hard as the vampires. A happy medium. And besides, Asuramaru's been through a lot. He heard Yuu's death song, and couldn't do anything to stop it, or even get close.

Death Song?

Yeah, it's like a last token to the world. Everyone has one, but no one can hear it unless they have been deeply intertwined in the destiny of the one who died. Having a mental connection where we are literally in the head of someone. They're supposed to be incredibly beautiful but incredibly dangerous, like a siren's call. Asuramaru was trapped here, where he could just barely hear the song, but he couldn't get close enough to truly experience it. It's a song of sorrow but also thanks, a song of forgiveness, and of regret. All of the person's memories, failures, and successes all released in a mere ten seconds. They lay everything to rest in those ten seconds. They forgive traitors, they love lost lovers, they accept their failures, and everything they've been running from catches up to them.

Shinya wasn't sure what to say after that. It sounded like a terrible thing, but such a wonderful thing at the same time. He was curious as to what his would be like. Would people weep at his death? Would Guren hear his song? Would he hear Guren's? This battle could decide either one of the questions or maybe even both.

They rounded the last corner and saw the monstrosity once more. It looked like they had done a number on the wings, but the body was still a horrible broken husk of what it once was. The same as when it first entered the room carrying the lifeless body of Yuu.

He held up his hand to the others to portray silence, then motioned for Yoichi to get down and take aim. Mitsuba was to wait for the signal and then attack while the enemy was still off balance.

As he aimed Byakkomaru, he could see Kimizuki, Shinoa, and especially Guren fight and dodge the behemoth that assailed them. Shinoa seemed to be fighting fine, albeit a little slower than usual. But there was something off about Kimizuki and Guren's movements. Kimizuki wasn't using these surroundings to his advantage as much, he should have been able to dodge some of the attacks that were being thrown at him. And Guren's movements seemed almost mechanical. He wasn't moving as he usually would and was concentrating hard on auditory indicators, not paying heed to any visual tricks, could the monster make some people hallucinate as well?

He shook these thoughts from his head as he readied Byakkomaru, like always steady as a rock. He could thread a needle from half a mile away if he was given enough preparation time and enough indicators. This was a controlled environment where the target was no more than fifty meters away. There was no way that he would miss.

Once he had the monster fully and completely in his sights he glanced at Yoichi, waiting for the sign that he too was ready to fire. His face was a mask of concentration as he aimed at the behemoth, no one wanted to hurt their own. Finally, Yoichi gave the microscopic nod that meant he was ready to fire at Shinya's say so.

Shinya turned his attention back to the monster and recalibrated ever so slightly. He then swallowed his reluctance that seemed to diminish every time he took a shot. And pulled the trigger, losing a white tiger from the barrel.

The fifth die was cast and landed a six.

Mitsuba heard the twang of Gekkōin and the muffled roar of Byakkomaru and knew that it was her turn to run down into the fray. The world seemed to move in slow motion as both attacks screamed across the sky towards Mika. She saw Shinoa turn and stare at them, Kimizuki saw them out of the corner of his eye and moved away, not wanting to take any chances. And Guren seemed to be standing stock still, his eyes still closed.

As the attacks reached about halfway, she sprung from her spot, knees bending to absorb the fall, and then flung herself at Mika as fast as her legs could carry her. Her breath came in even inhalations, practiced over miles every day, and her legs made quick dull thumps that easily outpaced her breathing.

Before she knew it, Byakkomaru and Gekkōin had struck their target, one on each wing propelling Mika backward with the force. Microseconds later, there came the deafening boom of an impact that shook the ground beneath Mitsuba and almost threw her off balance. Then the piercing scream came.

She had never heard such a loud sound in her entire life, the scream echoed throughout the room, and rebounded over and over in her head. She tried to do her best to avoid the sound, but the closer she came to Mika, the louder it got.

Right when she thought that she would have to stop and cover her ears, it stopped. Her ears began to ring, but she could still hear the thumping of her feet on the floor, and the slight metallic clinking when she hefted Tenjiryū. Everything else was deathly silent, no one moved, no one spoke, except for her.

She could count the number of strides that it would take her to reach Mika. Fifteen, and she could see the gray pallor of Yuu's skin. Ten, and she could see the inky black splatters on the impeccable uniform of the monster. Five and she could hear the rasping breaths of Mika. Three and she could smell the fresh blood that had been spilled. Two and she lifted Tenjiryū above her head. One and she swung down, delivering a bone-shattering blow to the crown of Mika's head. The impact carried all the force of her dash and the strength of her arm, with the added fury over Yuu.

There Mika stood, Yuu cradled lovingly in his arms, and Tenjiryū lodged-

But Tenjiryū wasn't lodged in his head as she had expected. The giant ax had been deflected by nothing. It was flung in the corner, slipped out of Mitsuba's hands after the impact. So she stood there, the anticipation of striking the killing blow leaving her completely unprepared if it were not to work.

And it didn't work, that was when he struck.

It took awhile for Mitsuba to register what had happened. Mika's arm quickly and almost painlessly piercing its way through her heart. He had half dropped Yuu's body to the ground but held tight to the other half as if his life depended on it. She saw Shinoa's eyes widen suddenly in shock and fear. Heard a distant scream of anguish, and fury spark in Kimizuki's eyes. But none of that mattered now.

Her legs had gone limp, and she practically hung to the arm protruding from her. She supposed she should have been in pain, but she didn't feel anything. She just felt... cold. She couldn't breathe, nothing was working the way it should. She couldn't stand, she couldn't breathe, she felt cold. And she was tired, so very very tired.

Mika ripped his bloody hand from her chest and proceeded to lift Yuu again and turn away from her falling body. Using his wings to block attacks from Guren and Kimizuki, and even an arrow or two from Yoichi. All the while, Shinoa watched, frozen with fear and panic, Shikama Dōji hung limply from her hands.

It was odd, her body seemed to be falling in slow motion. Her brain chose now to decide to shut off, in the worst time of her life. She heard a dull thud as her knees hit the ground, no pain whatsoever. Just sound. That was all that mattered to her now. Sound.

If she concentrated she could hear the lub-dub of her heart.

Lub

Her body crashed to the floor.

Dub

The crashes of impact and battle roared above her, but it didn't matter.

Lub

Someone turned her over. Someone predominantly black. A black silhouette against a bright white sky. Her eyes refused to focus not even to filter out the white so she could determine other colors.

Dub

She let out a tiny cough, splattering a bit of warm liquid down her chin. Something long and soft tickled her face. She tried to smile, what else would the silhouette want? Cold fingers brushed her bangs back from her face. Her eyes still wouldn't focus.

Lub

The silhouette disappeared, and a pressure began under her arms and she had the slight sensation of being dragged across the floor.

Dub

This was going on an awful long time. Mika had obviously missed her heart, there was no other explanation for her living this long. Finally, the silhouette reappeared, and this time, Mitsuba was able to make out traces of purple hair. Of course it was Shinoa, who else would tolerate her enough to take her out of the thick of the fighting? She tried to smile again, but this time, it probably came out as more of a grimace.

Lub

Shinoa seemed to be talking, but she couldn't hear individual words. All that mattered was the ups and downs of her voice. The highs and lows of her vocal patterns. She couldn't feel anymore, but that was fine because she knew Shinoa was holding her.

She saw Shinoa lean down and place her lips on her own. Her lungs were filling with air, and then Shinoa was rhythmically pressing on her chest, making her lungs slowly deflate. And the process was repeated, it was funny. She didn't remember the last time she heard her heart beat.

She couldn't smell anymore, but that was fine. All she could smell was blood and besides, she knew what Shinoa smelled of. As long as she could hear her, she was fine.

Glittering drops fell from Shinoa's face and landed on her own. Was Shinoa crying? Shinoa had never cried before, at least not in her presence. What made her do so now?

She couldn't taste anymore, but that was fine. Losing the ability to taste anything was a small price to pay to continue to hear Shinoa.

Shinoa had stopped breathing into her and instead gripped her as tightly as she could to her body. Sobs wracked her body but Mitsuba didn't care, she was with Shinoa and that was all that mattered.

But then her hearing disappeared. There was nothing just an acute silence that seemed to cut at her in every way possible. But she forced herself to calm down. As long as she could see-

But then everything became increasingly clear. She couldn't do anything but watch. She begged her heart to beat again. She commanded her lungs to inflate without assistance from Shinoa. She urged her body to move. But it was ultimately useless. She was dying and there was nothing she could do about it.

She was trapped in her own body, watching on a screen what her mutilated body was seeing and screaming when Shinoa gingerly reached down and shut off even that screen by closing her eyes, completing her prison. Until even she began to disappear, nothing left. In the last moment that she was conscious, she let out all of her anger and fury. Her sadness and regret. She let everything out into the world because she would be damned if she didn't leave one last mark on the world.

The last die was cast and flew askew.