Nothing else made sense in those moments. Nina's skin was always incredibly silky and fragrant, and he couldn't help fill his hands with it as the clothes fell on the ground, passing his lips over it, feeling the enveloping warmth in contact with his own. It was his most powerful drug against loneliness, oblivion, despair. When he was with her the Devil was silent, his mind was empty, his heart became incredibly light. His eyes were blind to anything but her delicate face and perfect body, his ears deaf to every noise, except her voice. Body that seemed to shape itself perfectly to his, voice that begged him not to stop, not to leave. Words that revealed to him all her feelings and emotions. Every moment spent with her was a gift from heaven, but every moment where they abandoned themselves to each other was a real blessing for his cursed soul. He promised her that everything would be fine without being sure, when the only certainty he had left was her. He was ready to give his life to allow her to live in a better world. But time could wait. The world could still be patient. He wouldn't have left without first giving her all of himself one last time, continuing to love her relentlessly until the first lights of his last dawn...
His heart still remembered the heartbreaking pain it felt when it believed she died. Not only had his plan failed miserably, but unwittingly he had been the executioner who made the axe hang over her head. Not a single night went by since the day of that horrible discovery without nightmares tormenting him: her tortured and tormented body continued to appear to him in a thousand different ways, dripping with blood, disfigured, or simply cold as ice, feeding an even more fierce hatred of himself. Lars was right: he had to stand up and fight, he owed it to the whole of humanity forced to suffer the consequences of his wicked choices, he owed it to her, who had always done everything to protect him, to the point of sacrificing her own life. Yet now she was there, before his eyes. Sore, wounded, covered with blood and dust, but alive. And he knew that it was not a mirage, because when he was transformed into his devil form, his senses were so heightened that he could feel the warmth of the blood flowing through her veins, her wheezing breath and the fast heartbeat of her heart. But it wasn't the only thing that upset him at the time. It wasn't even Steve, though he didn't know why he was with her at the time. There was that little thing in Nina's arms, held tight to her chest, which at that moment stared at him with a glacial gaze, full of interest. He was just a baby with thick raven hair, yet those slightly almond-shaped eyes pierced. They nailed him on the spot, totally unable to react. It had been immediate to attack his father as soon as he had re-entered his field of vision, but he never imagined that he was aiming for a similar scenario. He should have wondered who that child was, but he didn't. He already knew. Now he understood.
"Congratulations kid, the resemblance is remarkable, but you should have prevented a disaster like this from happening." Devil said, in an angry tone. "It wasn't enough to mutilate me once with your useless existence... You had to hurt me again."
Jin didn't answer. Devil was right, he should have avoided. And he really thought he did, but then again, he and Nina were two conscientious adults and they would never have taken such a risk without due precautions, but apparently something had gone wrong. And the result of that mistake was now before his eyes, truer than ever.
"Little abomination... Fortunately he is still weak! Come on, hurry up, eradicate him! So at least we can recover some of our powers before your father does."
But once again the boy didn't reply. Although Devil was right about having to act quickly to prevent Kazuya from becoming even stronger and more dangerous, he couldn't move a muscle. And not out of fear. He was overwhelmed by a new feeling, something he had never felt before before that he couldn't decipher. It wasn't only the eyes of that child that paralyzed him, but also Nina's, totally identical, who looked at him for the first time with a look full of horror. Not even the first time that his hidden nature had manifested itself in front of her had he seen a similar anguish in her irises. He wanted to scream that she wouldn't be afraid, that he would never hurt her, but he couldn't. He felt lost again.
"How long I've waited to see that terror in her eyes... But that's enough. Kill him Jin. Kill them all! And this time you won't rebel against my will."
A sharp twinge went through his temples. It was as if his brain had taken the shock. All of a sudden he had become a puppet in devil's hands, and he could do nothing to stop his body from rushing towards them in a dive and landing a few meters away. He further covered the handful of meters that separated them advancing with slow and well-stretched steps, despite trying with all of himself to stop his gait his legs did not give him more heed. Meanwhile Kazuya had stood up, he refrained from attacking to sadistically enjoy the scene of his son terrorizing that woman and those bastards. A momentous moment.
"Jin..." Nina said, trying to control the trembling in her voice. "Stop."
But it didn't wirk. One more step in their direction, as pitiless as the previous ones.
"Jin!" the blonde tried again, now in despair. " Don't do it... Remember who you are!"
One more step. There was nothing left to do. Maybe everything was really all lost, Jin, his Jin, seemed to have definitively disappeared forever, swallowed up in the abyss that lived inside him. There was no longer that reassuring amber reflection in his silvery eyes, his lips were clenched in a hard line that made his face even more unexpressive. Nina had no choice.
"Steve..." she muttered, handing Keiichi to him in his arms and covering himself again in front of them to protect them.
The boxer took his little brother with trembling hands, now he too was devoured by fear. The smell of death hung heavy, Anna had been the first, they would be next. Devil Jin could have taken them out in a second. The feeling of hatred towards him that had been set aside out of respect for his mother made its way inside him again: he didn't blink an eye in front of the woman he had sworn to love so much and who was clearly his son. Was there really nothing left of that kind and charitable being that Nina swore she knew? Not a shred of humanity remained in him?
"Forgive me Jin..." sighed the murderer, looking him straight in the face and once again back in position, ready to fight. " But I won't let you hurt them. You'll have to kill me first..."
At the bottom of that abyss, Jin's soul was also torn by despair. This time Devil had managed to completely control his body and mind, subjugating them to his perverse will. But he had been sadistic enough to give him that shred of conscience to actually realize what was happening, to make him suffer even more and, consequently, to draw power and relief from his pain. It was tired of being outraged by his pathetic feelings and would have made him pay dearly for his insolence in rebelling. He bequeathed the woman's expression of pure anguish when a sinister silver aura began to manifest around his body, releasing electricity. He wished to keep her in suspense in terror forever, but he had already wasted too much time. He raised his hand against her, ready to strike her, but was stopped by a powerful grip on his wrists. She had been so quick to overpower him, he had not heard her coming, so focused on his target as he was.
"No, Mr. Kazama, she's not your target!" Alisa said, kicking him out in the chest.
"Alisa!" Nina exclaimed in disbelief. "How..."
"How are you Miss Williams?" the android asked, landing gracefully beside her. "Your body has suffered numerous injuries, your vitals are not stable!"
"You don't say..." she replied with a bit of sarcasm in her voice, but infinitely grateful for having escaped death again.
"ALISA!"
She would have recognized those two male voices among a thousand others. Lars and Lee were rushing in their direction, but they froze at her sight.
"No way... Nina!" Lars blurted.
"You're alive, but how?" Lee added, with just as much disbelief.
That charade must have been very convincing, staring at her like they saw a ghost. However, it was the sight of Steve and Keiichi that employed them even more.
"I can't believe it..." the Swede exclaimed, stunned.
"Lars!" Lee said. "We have bigger problems now!"
"Exactly!" thundered Kazuya's voice, clearly annoyed by those unwelcome extras. "You were just missing to complete the picture of annoyances. It will mean that I will have to nip even your useless lives!" he concluded by winking his head at Anna's lifeless body.
"NO!" Lee yelled, as soon as he saw her dead. " You'll pay for this, damn it!"
Kazuya laughed loudly.
"Of course, I'm already shaking. Come on, you parasite!"
"STOP, LEE..." shouted the comrade, but it was all useless.
The Chinese had already rushed against his half-brother, blinded by anger at the loss of his old flame. But Lars could do nothing to stop him, because meanwhile Devil Jin had also gotten up and headed back towards them.
"What are you doing? You lost your damn mind huh?" shouted the former commander of the Tekken Force, siding to protect Nina along with Alisa. "You were so devastated by the idea of losing her and now you attack her? Do you really want to hurt the woman you said you loved so much?"
"His brain activity is compromised. He is completely subjugated by the Gene." Alisa reported, preparing for the defense by sporting the chainsaws secured to her arms.
"Damn it! Jin, you gotta get your shit tog..."
The sentence remained unfinished, Jin managed with two simple kicks to throw them away about ten meters away. He had only eyes for Nina at the time, but his intentions were hostile. Alisa landed on him again, as Lars was still on the ground, in a pile of rubble. The android attacked him with all her strength, but he always managed to dodge all the shots with extreme ease. If only he had put all that power into facing and defeating his father instead of his loved ones. He punched Alisa in the face, sending her away. The impact was so devastating that it destroyed part of her face, revealing the metal and the circuits that were hiding under that realistic skin. Removed that umpteenth annoying obstacle, Devil could finally refocus on his prey, that tried in every way to remain impassive in order not to give him any satisfaction. But he felt her fear so distinctly, it was an intoxicating and terribly pleasant feeling. For the first time he had managed to bend her, after hundreds of unsuccessful attempts. For the first time he had her in his grasp, completely at his mercy. She still insisted on maintaining an attack position, but a simple movement of the arm was enough to send her to the ground. She was so helpless, so pathetic, so... Human. Watching her lie on the ground pure terror painted on her face was the most satisfying thing he could feel right now. Even more than the petulant voice of its human receptacle, screaming desperately to let stay away from her, in a remote corner of his mind.
"Finally..." he hissed as an evil grin disfigured his face.
He spread his large black wings and glided over her, placing himself above her trembling body, his arms at the sides of her head and his gaze pointed at hers, which nailed her to the spot and prevented her from reacting.
"Say your last prayers..." he muttered sadistically, licking his sharp canines and intoxicating with his terror.
Slowly and relentlessly he raised his right arm, pointing the palm of his hand as if it were a sword at her heart. He had fantasized so much about how to kill her and finally found a solution that would allow him not to miss even a second of her agony, he wanted to see those eyes so full of annoying determination tarnish until they become glassy and feel her last breath on his skin, as life left her. The claws twinkled menacing, ready to strike. He would have stopped her heart with his bare hands, so finally that damned organ full of life and feelings would stop beating and get in the way of his plans for conquest.
"One last wish?" he asked in a soft, icy voice.
"Yes..." the blonde replied with a firm voice, despite everything. " Come back to yourself!"
Devil Jin laughed at those words. Deluded! He raised his elbow even higher, one moment and her blood would finally paint that canvas of death that bore her name on it. It was done! Nina held her breath, but didn't close her eyes. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of closing them in despair. Devil was ready to strike. One movement in absolute silence.
A harrowing scream tore the sky...
Author's note: I'm back, ladies and gentlemen and I'm almost there! Just 3 more chapters to go (1 almost translated and 2 more to write). I hope you're enjoying, I'm definitely finishing this endless ff by the end of this year, so trailer will finally stop ruining my plans and hopes, lol. Thanks for reviewing, or simply reading, it means a lot ❤️! See you soon!