Tsukune

I can't sleep...

I've been tossing and turning for the past few hours now. I just can't get what happened today out of my head, especially what happened in the aftermath. Luna Everett looked...absolutely heartbroken when she came back, she couldn't even look us in the eye when she left with her husband. What did Elijah say to her? More importantly, what is going on with him? The brother I know wouldn't hurt his mother like that. And that spell...

Elijah told me that he would never use it again, he gave me his word... So why the heck did he lose himself?

"That's it."

I sat up in my bed, deciding that it was no use in asking questions and that I needed to get to the bottom of things. But I can't do it alone. I take my phone off my nightstand and open my contact list. It doesn't take me too long to create another group chat with everyone minus the main concern of this late-night message, I just hope everyone is up to at least talk.

Tsukune: "Hey, is everyone awake?"

I set my phone down in my lap, all I have to do now is wait to see if anyone is awake and willing to respond. A quiet ding comes from my device only a minute after sending the first message, I pick it up to see that Moka was the first one to message me.

Moka: "I am. Hey, Tsukune." I smile at her text, it somehow makes me a little bit better. It doesn't take too long for the other girls to text me either.

Yukari: "I'm up."

Mizore: "Me too."

Kurumu: "Same here. What's up, Tsukune?"

Alright, how to start this conversation...

Tsukune: "It's about...Elijah."

Kurumu: "Is that why he's not in this group chat?"

Moka: "I noticed that too."

Tsukune: "Yeah, I thought it would be best if he wasn't a part of this. I don't want to antagonize him any further."

Yukari: "Wait, shouldn't we wait for Ruby? She should be a part of this too."

Ruby: "Sorry, I'm here now."

As if it was on queue, Ruby made herself a part of our conversation. Good, now everyone is here.

Moka: "Where have you been, Ruby? We haven't really seen you in a while."

Yukari: "Yeah. I thought you'd at least like to meet my parents."

Ruby: "It's a long story. I've been so wracked with what the Headmaster has me doing around the Academy that I barely have any free time for even myself."

Kurumu: "What does the Headmaster want with you this time?"

Kurumu brings up a good question. Every single time that the Headmaster gets involved with us, something big goes down. The last time, nearly got a lot of people killed and Yokai Academy destroyed, and before that, the entire monster world was almost exposed to the humans. I still get flashbacks of Hokuto nearly beating me to death. Part of me still wants him to be okay...wherever he is. Then again, I hope the next time we cross paths, we can try to be...friends.

Ruby: "I'm afraid I can't tell you specifically everything he has me assisting him with. What I can say is that everything is going the way it's supposed to."

Kurumu: "Wow. That's not cryptic at all."

Yukari: "Does it at least involve any of us?"

Ruby: "Again, I wish I could say more. But let's get back to what you had to say, Tsukune."

Tsukune: "Thank you, Ruby," Alright, now to get down to business. "So I'm sure we all have noticed a change in Elijah's...behavior lately."

Moka: "I think we all have, Tsukune."

Mizore: "Care to share why that is, Kurumu?"

Kurumu: "What the hell is that supposed to mean? :("

Mizore: "A little birdie is telling me that you somehow had a hand in Elijah's recent 'attitude adjustment'. Would you like to elaborate further?"

Moka: "Do you mean Archimedes?"

Kurumu: "I don't what the fuck you're on about, but if you really think that I would do something like that to Elijah then you're just really fucking stupid!"

Tsukune: "Guys, stop it! This is not what I made this chat for. Can you two go one day without going at each other's throats, please?" I wait a few minutes to see if they respond but the only thing I get is nothing. "I'm sorry."

Moka: "Go ahead with what you have to say, Tsukune."

Ruby: "Actually, before that, I would like to know what you mean by a 'change' in Elijah's Behavior. What kind of change?"

Yukari: "Well, it's a little hard to explain so I'll try my best. Basically, he's becoming more...aggressive, and it all started when we came back to Yokai Academy. I think it became more noticeable when we had that fruit hunt last week."

Ruby: "What happened?"

Yukari: "When we found the Monster Durian, Elijah used a spell of sorts to manipulate his body that gave him remarkable strength. Not only that, but he seemed to...enjoy killing that monster."

Ruby: "What exactly did this 'spell' do to him exactly? Describe it for me please."

Yukari: "This black, tendril-like substance just...grew out of him. I honestly thought it was pretty cool how he managed to take down the Durian on his own, but looking back on it after what happened today...it scares me."

Moka: "Me too, especially with how his Mom looked devastated when she came back."

Mizore: "I saw that too."

Kurumu: "The Elijah I know wouldn't hurt Luna like that."

Ruby: "Hmm, I'm afraid I do not know a spell with that description. Not even my familiarity with Dark Magic rings any bells. Maybe if I were to see it for myself."

Tsukune: "Which brings me back to my point," I text before anyone else could offer a response. "I think it might be best if we do not...antagonize Elijah any further for a while. At least until we've figured out what's really going on with him."

Moka: "What do you mean? Are we just gonna not include him in anything we do?"

Kurumu: "No way! Wouldn't that just make him feel worse?"

Tsukune: "I'm not saying that. I'm saying that we just need to be careful."

Yukari: "I agree with you, Tsukune. But how do we know that this wasn't just another bad day for him? I mean, I know today wasn't exactly stress-free, but I don't think that means we should just walk on eggshells around him from now on."

"..." Okay, they deserve to know what I saw the day they left.

Tsukune: "Alright, I'm gonna tell you all something but I want you to hear me out, okay?" I waited a few minutes for their responses, everyone seemed to agree with letting me speak on what I've kept to myself for a while now. "The day you guys left my house after the festival, that's when I noticed Elijah acting different."

Kurumu: "What happened?"

Tsukune: "Well, there was this story being covered on the news about one of my local convenience stores, the suspects that were caught and they ranted on about...some monster attacking them and destroying everything in its way."

Moka: "Oh, my gosh."

Mizore: "Did they at least get what they deserved?"

Tsukune: "They were arrested, yes. But...when Elijah saw the news too, he seemed a little too satisfied with how it all went down. The look in his eyes just screamed that they were full of pride."

Yukari: "Are you saying that...Elijah was the one who did it?"

Kurumu: "That's ridiculous!"

Moka: "I agree. I know Elijah is willing to protect those in need, but he wouldn't cause destruction on purpose, right?"

Tsukune: "I don't know for sure, I'm just going off from what I know. And with how everything happened that night, especially afterward, I honestly wouldn't be too surprised if Elijah lost himself."

Kurumu: "Afterwards? What do you mean?"

Crap. I didn't even realize that I texted that, I just let the words flow onto my phone without even thinking twice. Well, may as well explain it to the others, maybe I can figure something out. I explain everything that happened the night everyone came to my home in the human world. How I came downstairs and saw Elijah storming out of the house and what he said to me, I could still hear the pain in his voice whenever I think back on it. I explained further how I found him on the front porch of my house the next morning sweating like a dog.

Moka: "He didn't come back to the house that night?"

Yukari: "I thought he was just in the shower or something."

Tsukune: "Does anyone know what might've set him off that night to make him rush out of the house?"

Mizore: "I'm sure someone here would know. Isn't that right, Kurumu?"

Kurumu: "Don't you start that shit with me again."

Yukari: "But she has a point, kurumu. You're his best friend, if anyone here has the faintest idea what might've upset him, it's you."

Moka: "That's right. I think I remember you leaving the house to go check on him after we all had dinner together."

Tsukune: "Kurumu, please. If there was anything that happened between you two, we need to know." It took a few minutes, but my Succubus friend finally decided to speak her mind.

Kurumu: "Look, the only thing that happened between us is that we talked. Nothing we shared together was anything that made him upset, okay? I barely even see Elijah anymore nowadays so I'm sorry if I can't offer any insight. If I knew, I would tell you guys in a heartbeat."

I sigh as I read Kurumu's text. I expected her to know at least something but I can't blame her for not. Still, until we know for sure, we need to proceed this situation with extra caution.

Moka: "It's okay, Kurumu. We know you wouldn't keep anything from us."

Yukari: "Well, nothing that we shouldn't hear about. :P"

Ruby: "If it would help, I could perhaps research the 'spell' you told me about. Or I could ask the Headmaster."

Kurumu: "No! Who knows what that guy would do to him!"

Tsukune: "She's right, we should be able to figure this out on our own. But if there's anything you can find out by your research, that would be a great help."

Ruby: "Of course."

Yukari: "So what do we do in the meantime?"

Tsukune: "Like I said, we need to do our best to not antagonize and stress out Elijah in any way, at least until we figure out the root of his problem. We just go about our usual school business like normal."

Moka: "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea, Tsukune."

Yukari: "Here here!"

Tsukune: "As for you, Kurumu and Mizore. I want you both to do you're absolute best to not get into any more fights. I mean it this time."

Kurumu: "I know. I promise."

Mizore: "I have no problem acting civil for the sake of my man."

Kurumu: "'Your' man?"

Tsukune: "Starting now!" I never texted so fast before in my life. "Let's just all get some sleep so we're all not too exhausted in the morning. Besides, we're supposed to be getting back to work on our newspaper this week too, right?"

Moka: "Oh, yeah! I wonder what kind of story we should cover."

Yukari: "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Kurumu: "More work...yay." I laugh a little at Kurumu's text, It's like I can hear her pouting right in front of me.

Tsukune: "Good night, guys. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Moka: "Good night, Tsukune. :)"

Kurumu: "Night."

Yukari: "Night night!"

Ruby: "Sleep be to you all."

Mizore: "Rest well."

I turn off my phone and plug it back into the wall, I set it back down on my nightstand and feel a sense of relief wash over me. I feel a little better getting some things off of my shoulders, It's good that everyone was up to at least talk for a little bit. Maybe it's a sign that things are finally going the way it's supposed to.

Well, I guess we'll all find out soon.

The Next Morning

Kokoa

The Vampire...A monster renowned for its great power and otherworldly beauty. These traits shine brightest in one vampire in particular, one whose strength and character make her the paragon of this superior breed.

"My dear sister..." The youngest sister of Moka Akashiya, Koka, voices her inner thoughts as she secretly keeps an eye on her big sister. Kokoa watches in disappointment as Moka walks to school with her human friend. "My sister has been reduced to this thanks to that wimp," Kokoa didn't even bother remembering his name.

"Moka, come on..."

"Please, Tsukune?" Moka begged, her cheeks completely flushed. "Just one little sip before today?"

"What if someone sees us?" Tsukune was equally as flustered as the Vampire girl.

"Pleeeease?"

"...Alright," The human complied with the Vampire's demand. "Just one sip, okay?"

"Yay! Thank you!" Moka wasted no time and wrapped her arms around Tsukune's shoulders, she sank her sharp fangs into his neck and started taking a small drink of his delicious blood.

This is what has become of you, Big Sister. Not a single ounce of her former elegance and power is there, she's always fawning over that weakling and his blood. What could have turned my Moka into this travesty?!

"Hey, guys!" Another girl joins the human and Vampire, one with aqua-blue hair tied in a ponytail. She greets them both with a cheery smile. "How are..." But her smile soon grows into a slight frown when she sees what they are doing. "Really, Moka? So early in the morning?"

The Vampire in question pulls herself away from the human's neck, her face even more flushed than before. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself! It's just so good!"

"I don't care how 'good' it is, one of these days you're gonna make him pass out from all the blood loss!"

"It's alright, Kurumu," Tsukune tried to treasure the Succubus. "I really don't mind. Plus, Moka hasn't done it in a while."

"That still doesn't mean she can just drink you up like a morning breakfast!" Kurumu stood her ground and eyed down her friend. "You need to learn how to control yourself, Moka! Tsukune is not your food!"

Kokoa's eyes twitched in silent fury as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. How dare you speak to my sister like that?! But guess what, bubbles? Kokoa smirked evilly. Today is the day you meet your death! And your gravestone's gonna read, 'Vampre Slain!' Prepare to meet my sister in her full glory!

"I know, Kurumu. But I honestly haven't tasted his blood in almost a week, I really have been holding myself back."

"..." Kokoa's disappointment was beyond measure as she watched her big sister pout like a toddle as if she was caught doing something bad. The idol in my mind is shattered...

"Well, well," Another girl joins them, one with lavender hair and fairly pale skin. She leaned against a nearby tree with her arms crossed. "I thought we all agreed to not cause trouble. Can't a moron like you follow one simple direction?"

"Who are you calling a 'moron'?!"

"What the heck, Mizore?!"

All right! Here we go! Kokoa silently cheered. Show them who's boss, Big Sis!

"How about we all just chill out?" Tsukune suggested. "Just because we're not at school yet doesn't mean that what I said last night doesn't stand. So let's just get through today like normal for the sake of Elijah, okay?"

"Oh, come on!" Kokao couldn't keep herself quiet and shouted in frustration. "You're so pathetic!"

"I was ready to count how long the big showdown would've taken. Whee!" Kokoa's bat companion squeaked.

"Kokoa?" Moka tilted her head back to see her little sister, she smiled once she realized she was the one who shouted. "Oh, hi! Where'd you come from?"

"Stupid Moka!"

"Wait for me, Miss Kokoa! Whee!"

"But..." Moka wanted to chase after her little sister but she stopped herself from taking another step. "Dang it..."

"I guess you still haven't made up with your sister, Moka?"

"Mm-mm," She shook her head sadly.

"I guess I forgot to factor her into the equation. Do you think she'll give us any more trouble?"

"Maybe...but I think it'll all be okay."

After school, Kokoa decided to sneak around to find out why her sister had become a shadow of her former self. She followed closely until she reached a room on the top floor of the Academy. Inside, she could hear the voice of an older woman, so she put her ear up against the door and listened closely.

"I'm so glad to share this great news with you all! Thanks to all of your amazing efforts last year, our club has been awarded with our very own club room! It's a much better upgrade than that old classroom we had been using so let's use our new headquarters to do an even better job this year for the Newspaper Club!"

"Yeah!"

"You can count on us, Ms. Nekonome!"

My sister is in a 'news club'? And those voices...it sounds like those same losers she was hanging out with this morning. Now I get it...it's this club that's ruined her! I've got to get her away from them! By force if that's what it takes!

Kokoa bursts the door open and screams, "Excuse...me?"

But inside, she finds everyone completely relaxing. Her big sister and Tsukune were laying their heads down on a brand new table, the Succubus and Snow Fairy were sinking into a couch that was laid out underneath a window, and the Neko teacher was curling herself up in a recliner chair and silently purring."

"Ahh..." Tsukune let out a relaxed sigh. "You can really kick back in this place."

"These new chairs are so comfy," Moka added.

"I never wanna leave this couch..."

"I wanna steal this couch..."

"What the hell is this?!" Kokoa exclaimed.

"Is there any more room on that couch? Whee!"

"Shut it, Ko!"

"What do you want now, Kokoa?" Kurumu leans up from the couch, an annoyed look growing on her face. "Y'know, if you can't behave, you and I are gonna have serious problems."

"A problem?!" She sneered. "You wanna know your problem?!"

"Yeah, it's you. I just said that."

"Don't make me laugh, twin peaks! Come on, Ko!" Kokoa's bat companion flies directly into her hand. "Hammer mode!"

"Right away, Miss Kokoa! Whee!" Ko quickly shapes himself into a giant medieval hammer, Kokao holds it firmly over her head and bears a proud smirk.

"Vampires are a superior race! We can't waste our time on loser Monsters! Which is why I'm getting all of you out of my sister's hair!"

"No time!"

"Huh? OW!" The immediate opening of the classroom door along with a shout caused Kokoa to drop her giant weapon on her head accidentally.

"We've got a story!" The voice belonged to a young Witch, she was carrying a few bags and she set them on the table.

"A story?"

"We've been doing some investigating and I think we're onto something really big!"

"What do you mean, 'we'?" Mizore asked. "We haven't seen you all morning and all day."

"Well..."

Stomping from outside the clubroom made Yukari stop herself from answering her question at first. The one behind the heavy footsteps came into the room with a sour expression all over his face. His disheveled clothes and messy hair brought a feeling of uneasy tension to the room, especially with that cold look in his...green eyes.

"Turns out Elijah was doing a little investigating too...hehe..."

"...So what did you guys find?" Tsukune decided to break the unsettling silence.

"A phantom attacker! Here, let me explain," Yukari rushes to get one of the papers from her bag, she lays out what appears to be a map of Yokai Academy on the table. Drawn in red marker were a few x's across the paper. "Look here! All over campus, students are being attacked totally out of the blue! The red markers here, here, and here, represent each place a student was attacked," Yukari pointed to each red x on the map. "There are already twelve serious injuries and three students missing! And they say that this attacker was using a knife!"

"A knife?" Moka gasped. "That's horrible!"

"How come we're only hearing about this now?"

"I thought about that too. Elijah and I came to the conclusion that the Headmaster wants to keep these attacks under wraps to keep things calm."

"What do you think's happened to the missing students? Do you think the attackers kidnapped them?"

"Or perhaps he's finished them off somewhere else?" Mizore added to Moka's theories."

"We're not sure, but this is a hot story either way!"

"I'll say, we need to investigate more about..." Moka's words trail off when she notices her little sister eyeing down the map with a driven look in her eyes that she's never seen before. "Kokoa?"

"Shouldn't somebody catch this guy?" Her words shock not only her big sister, but nearly everyone else in the clubroom.

"That's not exactly the Newspaper Club's job..."

"Pfft," An overexaggerated scoff comes from the Wizard. "That's never stopped us before."

"What's this marking here on the map?" Kokoa points to a triangular symbol that's been drawn in the bottom left corner of the map.

"Oh, that's just what's left of an abandoned underground dungeon."

"A dungeon?" Kokoa tilted her head in curiosity, silently hoping that Yukari would continue to explain.

"A long time ago, that dungeon used to be the maximum security prison for monsters who committed major crimes, like...murdering someone at Yokai Academy or...the human world."

"Isn't that the same place where we were imprisoned when Kuyo tried to take us all out?"

"That's right," Yukari confirms Kurumu's question. "Now it's nothing but a ruin, but they say you can still hear the moans of the monsters who were imprisoned there. Not a lot of people go near it anymore."

"That's why it's a perfect place for them to hide," Elijah adds.

"But wouldn't that be too obvious?"

"Ha!" Kurumu's question made Kokoa laugh mockingly. "I bet you're scared, huh? I can't blame you, a jiggle-girl like you wouldn't last one round with a phantom."

"Why you little-"

"You can watch though! My sister and I will wrap this up in no time!"

"Hahahahahahahaha!" Elijah's obnoxious laughter confused everyone in the clubroom, but Kokoa was annoyed with the boy's found humor.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I think it's funny that you think you're gonna 'wrap this up'. Please, if you know what's good for you, kid, you should sit down and know your place while the professional gets this done. And when I say, 'professional', I only mean me."

"Wait, Elijah!" Kurumu stops him before he can leave. "These people seem really dangerous, maybe we should-"

"Since when do I need your permission to bring worthless worms to justice?"

Kurumu flinches by Elijah's harsh tone. "But you promised that-"

"I wasn't asking."

"Wait!" Kurumu tried to stop him, but Elijah was already down the hall. "Dammit!"

"What's that asshole's deal?"

"...That's a long story."

"And don't call him that!" Kurumu shouted at Kokoa. "At least he was right about one thing, little kids like you shouldn't poke their noses where they don't belong. Let the professionals who actually know what they're doing get it done!"

Now with a new story underway and a pair of criminals to catch, Kokoa took it upon herself to find this 'Phantom Attacker' despite the Succubi's warning. Moka decided to tag along with her little sister out of concern..but Kokoa had another plan in mind for her big sister, she figured this was the perfect opportunity to bring out the ruthless and cold Vampire she had idolized ever since she was a little kid.

The Vampire sisters' investigation brought them to the abandoned ruins of the dungeon just outside the grounds of Yokai Academy. While this area was completely new to the youngest sister, Moka was all too familiar with this location. Even just walking around these ruins gave the poor girl an uneasy chill down her spine. As for Kokoa...

"Ahahahaha! I feel so much better!" She thrived in such a cold and desolate place. "I finally got you away from those bad influences! You better be careful, Moka. Hanging around losers like that will turn you into one too!"

"Kokoa!" Moka wouldn't stand her little sister talking about her beloved friends like that. "Don't say that! Those are my friends that you're talking about!"

Ha! We'll see about that. Don't worry, Big Sister, I'll find a way to get you back for sure. "Hm..." Kokoa looked around the ancient ruins, they seemed to resemble an old castle estate that could be dated back to the Dark Ages. The foundation of the stone walls looked as if they were one brick away from falling apart at the seams. "So this is the entrance to the underground dungeon, huh? It's pretty creepy."

"I'll say."

"Listen, Big Sis, there's no way you can be friends with them, Vampires like us...we live in a different world! For example," Koka gestures her hand to the ruins around her, a prideful smile overtakes her face. "Finding a place like this. This phantom hasn't been committing these crimes at random, and he's got an escape route. If you connect all the possible escape routes, they have to come out here."

"Wow," Moka was impressed by Kokoa's detective skills, maybe she could-

"It's easy to figure out..." Koka sneered at Moka. "if you think like a killer."

Perhaps Moka thought ahead too soon. "I'm not a killer, Kokoa. I'm not what you think I am."

"Oh, come on! I saw that look on your face back in that dumb clubroom of yours! It was practically screaming, 'aha'! It was easy for you to connect the dots because you're just like me! Born to a family of villains!"

"Kokoa, that's not-"

"But you can't go on like this, only being powerful sometimes," Kokoa opens a metal gate that leads down a darkened corridor, she smiles as the darkness makes her feel right at home. "C'mon, let's go deeper into the darkness."

Ruby

"I really hope the others are okay," The fair young witch sighed as she continued organizing the books around the Headmaster's office. But Ruby found herself at a stopping point in her work when she heard her superior groan with dread. "Is something wrong, Headmaster?"

"We have an emergency, Ruby. I want you to inform all the teachers that they must gather all of the students inside the school. A gang of bandits have infiltrated the Academy grounds, they were on a rampage in the human world and they took a wrong turn down the road which led them here and now they've decided to make this school their hiding space."

"Oh, dear. Do you think this may be the work of the infamous Phantom Attackers you spoke to me about?"

"If those ne'er do wells are involved, things could really get out of hand. Do you think you and that beloved club of yours can handle it, Ruby?"

"Headmaster," Ruby smiles at him and proudly nods. "All you have to do is ask. But..."

"Hmm?" The Headmaster noticed the slight hesitation in his trusty helper. "Is something troubling you, Ruby?"

"..." Alright, Ruby, it's time to finally help your friends. "It's about one of my friends. More specifically, Elijah."

"The Blessed Child..."

"Yes," She nodded. "Something is very wrong with him, something me and my friends fear terribly badly."

"Ah, yes. I heard about his little temper tantrum with a few of the parents yesterday."

"You have?" Ruby tilts her head in confusion. "So why hasn't he been punished?"

"Because the boy's will is not of his own...at least not as of now."

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me, Ruby," Headmaster's glowing yellow eyes seemed to shine brighter once he looked back at the young Witch. "How familiar are you with...the 'Servus Animi' project?"

Ruby couldn't stop the shocked gasp escaping from her rosy lips, a feeling of dread she thought she had forgotten long ago overtook her mind. "That... Only Her Ladyship has ever told me about such a travesty, but she never showed any interest in or wanted to be involved before...she passed."

"I see...then allow me to give you the complete story. It might just save the boy's life."

Kokoa

Moka and her little sister continued their investigation within the depths of the abandoned ruins of the castle estate, the oldest sister carried an old oil lantern she found to light their way through the darkness. So far, it has been nothing but endless corridors along with the occasional dripping of water within the vast darkness. The only reliable source serving as their guide was Kokoa's bat companion, Ko.

"Miss Kokoa, I sense another living person here! Whee!"

"Nice work, Ko! See, Moka? Ko's echolocation found something, and it's alive too!"

"Then we should-"

"Turn off that light, Sis! It's the Phantom sneaking around, I know it! He could be coming from right behind us!"

"Keep your voice down!" Moka whispered. We don't know what exactly is in this creepy place, but if someone alive is here, it could be someone who got hurt. We need to stay alert."

"Oh, come on!" Kokoa hid herself and her big sister behind a cobblestone wall just around the corner of the hall. Wow, even in the dark she's practically glowing! I guess this is the perfect time. "Ko, transform!"

"You got it, Miss Kokoa! Whee!" Ko morphs himself into a giant metal bat with spikes but instead of landing in Kokoa's hands, the weapon falls right into Moka's instead.

"Kokoa, what's-"

"Take this and hit the Phantom with it! I'll cover you! I can hear his footsteps already!" Moka could hear them too as the metal weapon trembled in her hands. She was no stranger when it came to defending herself, but she knew she rarely stood a chance. "if we don't slay him first, he'll slay us!"

"We don't know who-"

"Just do it already! We won't know until we strike first! Now go!"

"..." Out of ear for her own and sister's life, Moka reluctantly swung her weapon around the corner once the footsteps got close enough. "AAAAHHHH!"

"WHOA!" Just by a hair, the one who was approaching narrowly dodged the Vampire's attack. Now that she's revealed herself, Moka finally gets a look at who it was...and her heart drops along with her weapon when her emerald green eyes meet with familiar brown ones.

"Tsukune?!"

"What the heck was that all about?"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Moka pleaded for forgiveness, small tears began forming in her eyes. "I thought you might've been one of the attackers and I wasn't thinking straight and I just-"

"Moka, Moka," Tsukune gently held onto the crying girl's shoulders. "It's okay, I'm the one who should be sorry for scaring you guys like that. I got worried so I came after you on my own. I'm just glad to see you guys are okay, both of you."

"Tsukune..."

"Why?!" Kokoa shrieked in annoyance. "Why did you have to come here?! We were just starting to have fun! I was this close to leading her back into the darkness! But the second she saw you she went right back to being the same wimpy girl! I knew it was your fault! You're ruining my sister!"

"Kokoa, stop that! You're acting-"

"I loved her!" Moka's little sister wouldn't listen to reason and continued on with her child-like tantrum. "All I ever wanted was to be like her, as powerful as her, as beautiful as her! I used to be so proud of her!" Kokoa couldn't help but allow a few teardrops to fall from her cheeks. "And now she's just a stupid weakling! I won't accept it! I won't!"

"Kokoa, listen, It's not like I'm-"

"Wait a minute..." Tsukune got the feeling that...something was wrong, he could feel it in the pit of his stomach. It was his instincts, he could feel that...someone was watching them...and that someone was right behind Kokoa. "Watch out!"

Tsukune didn't even think twice when he shoved Kokoa out of the way and onto the ground, but Kokoa was angry someone as low as him dared lay a finger on her. "What the hell was that for you-" But her anger is quickly replaced with shock as she watches the boy get pounded into the cobblestone wall by what she saw as...a giant fist. Oh, no...the Phantom!

The 'Phantom', so to speak, took the form of a massive Minotaur, a mythical creature from Greek mythology that is half-man and half-bull. The Greek monster stood over the Vampire sisters as steam exhaled from his nostrils, he carried a massive blade that was sheathed around his trousers, and his eyes were glowing yellow.

How could this happen?! I know my guard was down, but how could a giant like that get so close without me noticing?!

"Tsukune!" Moka ran over to the human boy, his body remained unconscious as blood poured from a small wound on his forehead. "Oh, no..."

He...saved me. Me, a Vampire. Saved by a little worm like him... "It's all over," Kokoa admitted herself in defeat. "I'm pathetic, not worthy of my fangs."

"Get a hold of yourself, Miss Kokoa! Whee!"

"Behind you!"

"Huh?" But Moka's warning came too late as the Minotaur struck Kokoa with the same blow that had knocked out Tsukune. She only remained conscious but is now struggling to get back up on her feet.

"Miss Kokoa!"

"Kokoa!"

"Well now, ain't y'all sweet?" A raspy, gravelly spoke from behind the older Vampire sister...wielding a decorative blade and holding an unconscious Tsukune by the back of his shirt collar. "Let's have some fun."

"Huh- Gah!" Moka didn't even get a glance at her attacker before he struck her in the back of the head with his fancy blade and knocked her out, the aggressor wearing a striped shirt threw the unconscious Vampire over his shoulder.

There's another one?! And I didn't sense his presence either?! Their speed and power aren't normal, who...what are they?!

"Heh, this girl's a nice catch, and the boy will make a nice present for the boss. But the kid's worthless," The striped shirt man turned to his Minotaur friend with an eerie grin. "you can have her."

The Minotaur snarled and drew his massive blade, his striped companion took Moka and Tsukune further into the keep and left the Minotaur to finish off the young Vampire.

"Miss Kokoa!" Ko flapped his wings in a panic around Kokoa's head. "Get up! You have to get up! Whee!"

"..." All Kokoa could do was bring herself to her hands and knees but they shook, she was still fazed by the strength of the Minotaur's previous attack. Why...? Why is this happening? I just wanted Moka to be her old self. That's all I... "That's all I ever wanted," Kokoa's inner voice croaked in a soft sob. "That's all..."

"See? What'd I tell you?" A familiar voice called out, it soon appeared in the form of a Succubus with aqua-blue hair. Beside her was a familiar Snow Fairy with lavender-colored hair. They both took their stance before the towering minotaur with determination as their anchor. "Vampire or not, little kids shouldn't go poking their noses where they don't belong."

"Y-You...?"

"Just stay down," said Mizore. "We'll take care of this bozo."

"N-No! Don't you get it?!" Kokoa protested, she fought through the pain in her limbs to get to her knees. "He's not just another Monster! Weaklings like you don't stand a chance!" Kurumu and Mizore merely ignored the Young Vampire's warning and marched forward to face their opponent, Kurumu tightened her fists and Mizore had her hands formed into ice fists. "You don't have the power! Stop! Weaklings like you don't stand a chance! You'll get killed!"

The Greek monster held his oversized weapon above his head, ready to strike down what he saw as two measly insects for him to stomp on. But little did he know that these girls were not ones to be trifled with. As one, Kurumu and Mizore easily dodge their opponent's attack and maneuver themselves to deliver a powerful blow to his abdomen, this sends him back stumbling across the damp ground.

"Who are you calling weak?" Kurumu smirked. "I've been training hard since the day I almost lost someone near and dear to me so I could never lose him again."

"And despite our rivalry, I joined her so I could be just as strong," Mizore adds. "We call it our 'Protect Him at All Costs' training. Kind of like one of those shonen manga."

"So if you think that Vampires are the only tough monsters, then you're only setting yourself up for failure."

"God dammit!" An infuriated voice roared through the darkness of the keep. "Why are you here?!" The voice revealed itself to be Elijah, he emerged from the darkness with a furious expression taking over his sweaty face. "He was mine!"

"Elijah, clam down!" said Kurumu. "It's fine. Mizore and I got it taken care of."

"Yeah," Mizore nods in agreement. "He's not going anywhere while we're around."

"Oh, really? Then where the fuck did he go?!" Elijah points over to where the Minotaur had supposedly landed from the girl's attack...only for that space to be completely empty.

"What the?!"

"When did he get away?"

"While you guys were striking tough-gal poses!" Elijah yells. "Not to mention the fact that the other guy took Moka and Tsukune!"

"What?!"

"It's true," Kokoa rose to her feet despite the remaining pain. "They were taken by this creepy man with a striped shirt and knife, if only-"

"It's because of you," Elijah snarled, he slowly marched toward Kokoa with his anger rising with each step.

"My fault? How is this my fault?!"

"Why did you have to get in the way? I had the perfect bait set and I was this close to getting them both! None of this would've happened if you hadn't overstepped your bounds!"

"Bait?"

"You... You were using Tsukune and Moka as bait?!"

"It doesn't matter now," Elijah huffed and turned away from the girls. "Now, for the last time, stay out of my way!"

"What can you do?!" Kokoa shouted as Elijah started walking away. "You're just a Wizard, the lowest of all monsters! Those guys will kill you in a heartbeat!"

"..." Kokoa's insult made Elijah stop in his tracks, he tilted his head back and sneered at the Vampire girl. "Excuse me?"

"I said-" In the blink of an eye, Elijah held Kokoa by the neck and raised her off of the ground. "Gah...ugh..." The young man gave her no room to breathe.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" Elijah leaned up closer to the girl's face, he bore an ominous sinister smile as his nose came only an inch away from Kokoa's. "I am the Blessed Child. I can alter the foundation of the world just with the snap of my fingers, you are an insignificant pest compared to the likes of me!"

"Elijah, stop!" Kurumu cried out. "You're hurting her!"

"How dare you lay a hand on Miss Kokoa, Whe-"

"You stay out of this, wretched vermin!" Elijah smacked away Kokoa's bat companion, he slammed into the wall with a loud thud.

"K-K-Ko!"

"You cannot fathom the mere power of which I hold!"

"Stop it!" Kurumu pushes him away from Kokoa, the Vampire falls to the ground and starts to desperately cough for air. Elijah stumbles to the ground but quickly recovers back to his feet.

"How dare you touch...me...?"

"What is wrong with you?! Why are you being like this?! This isn't the Elijah I know!"

"..."

The Wizard boy looked down at his hands...they were shaking with what looked like anger but his faltering face showed just a tiny bit of...fear. He looks back up at Kurumu's furious eyes and mutters only two words in a breathless whisper.

"...Help me."

"Elijah?" Kurumu noticed the millisecond of change within Elijah's expression, but only for the anger to overtake him once again and he shook his head violently.

"Just stay out of my way..."

"But..." Kurumu could only watch as Elijah went further into the darkness. Those two words linger in the girl's mind and just wouldn't stop repeating. "Help me," She repeated them in a hushed whisper.

"What the hell is wrong with him?! He could've killed me!"

"Miss...Kokoa..." Ko desperately tried to crawl back to his master.

"...Kurumu?" Mizore's voice shook as she stepped beside the Succubus. Despite rivalry with them, she was still her friend. "Are you...alright?"

"...I don't know."

Tsukune...

"...noisy upstairs."

"Ngh..." I could hear voices as I felt myself wake up, pain shooting all through my head and I could feel that my forehead was wet.

"Oh well... If they're coming this way, we'll just have to kill 'em when they get here."

Where the heck am I? How did I even get here? It wasn't just my head that was hurting, my entire body felt completely sore. I really need to stop making a habit of jumping myself in front of enemies' attacks.

"Awake already?" A gravelly voice calls out, and I feel like they're about to fall off as I bring myself up to my knees. "You're a lot tougher than you look, I thought your bones have been crushed to dust."

"Wha...?"

My vision finally cleared despite being in such a dimly lit room...and I finally got a good look at who exactly had been speaking to me; two men towering over me. One stood to the right of the other with his left hand over a sheathed knife, his scruffy chinstrap gave me an unsettling feeling in my stomach. The other sat down right in front of me wearing a dark beige vertically striped business shirt with a black vest, he's smoking a cigarette and purposely blowing the smoke into my face which made me cough.

"Unfortunately for you, you woke up..." He sneered. "Just in time for me to kill you."

"Who..." I don't even bother with my question to the smoking man and focus more on what I saw on the other side of the room unconscious...more specifically, who I saw. "Moka!" And it wasn't just here either, many other students from Yokai Academy were here too. Their bodies were beaten and bloodied but I could tell they were only knocked out, thank God. This is the work of no ordinary gang of thugs... "So," I turned my head to look up at the smoking man, I kept a calm yet strong expression on my face despite the pain I felt in my body. "are you what they call the 'Phantom Attackers'?"

"'Phantom Attackers'?" He laughed after puffing some more smoke in my face. "First of all, that's a really lame name. Second, no, we're not. My associate and I are just a simple pair of thieves, serious thieves, mind you," The smoking man smirked as he grabbed a briefcase that was settled down beside him. "Wanna take a look at our haul?" He opened it and inside was...

Dear God... It was full of unmarked bills with blood completely splattered over all of the money. It's completely drenched... Whoever this used to belong to is definitely not alive anymore...this is bad.

"This time we knocked over an armored car," The man continued with a cheery attitude. "Not sure how many million we snagged, but doesn't all that money look pretty as a picture? Sure, it got splashed with a little bit of blood, but we can always just wash it off."

A 'little'?! That money's entirely red, you freakin' maniacs!

"You wouldn't believe how many people are after us since we've grabbed this, that's why we're hiding out here in this trashy dump of a school."

These guys are bad...really bad, worse than any phantom attacker or whatever. These guys would kill us without even a second thought or a hint of remorse, I have to get Moka out of here and warn the others.

Yukari

VROO! VROO! VROO! VROO!

"Warning. Warning," The PA system blared an alarm along with an automatic announcement. "Code Red. This is a Code Red. A group of thieves have invaded the school grounds. Several students have been wounded and the perpetrators are hiding on campus. For your own safety, students are to return to their homeroom classrooms and lock the doors. I repeat..."

As the PA system repeats the warning and the alarm continues ringing out through the Academy, the young Witch, Yukari hurried to find her friends. Crap! This is bad, this is bad, this is really really bad! We spent all morning finding one Phantom and now there's a whole gang! Now everyone has rushed in without a single clue! First, it was Elijah, then Moka and her sister, then Tsukune, and now Kurumu and Mizore are gone! This is an absolute worst-case scenario!

"I can't stand it! I can't stand it!"

"Um, Yukari?" The Young Witch's frustrated rambling is cut short by a friendly voice calling to her from behind, belonging to another Witch. "What's wrong?"

"Ruby!" Yukari immediately hugs her magic friend, Ruby chuckles at how childlike she's behaving.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to come visit as much, even now I'm on patrol for-"

"What do we do?" Yukari interrupts and looks up at Ruby with a panicked frown. "The others could be in mortal danger right now!"

"...What?"

"...Never mind," The young witch shook her head. "you're too busy. It's all up to me now..."

"What do you mean?!" Ruby asked now more worried than before. "Tsunukne hasn't...and Elijah hasn't used... I mean, they can't..."

"What's wrong?"

"...I'm afraid I can't explain everything in such little time that we have. We need to find them now!"

"You'll help?!" Yukari's eyes glowed with hope.

"Of course I will, Elijah saved my life and you all are my precious friends. And part of my job description is to ensure the safety of the student body!"

Tsukune

"Hey, boss," The man with the chinstrap spoke up. "Looks like some more kids are comin' to see us, probably this punk's pals." He's been looking through a projection coming from a small monster with a large eye that Moka once described to me. A Denko, a small shinigami that comes in pairs that can transmit images to each other. Inside, I saw Kurumu, Mizore, and Kokoa walking through the dark corridors with a small lantern to light the way.

"This dungeon is like a maze," I could hear Kurumu's voice through the glowing projection. "But we've got to find our way through it and fast if we're going to help Tsukune and Moka!"

"What about Elijah?" Mizore asked. "He's in here somewhere too."

"I swear, when I see that asshole again, I'm gonna show him what a Vampire is really made of!"

"Give him what for, Miss Kokoa! Whee!"

"Will you two shut up about that?!" Kurumu exclaimed. "You would only make things worse for him. He's not right in his mind, and antagonizing him is not going to make the problem go away!"

"Then what will?"

"I...I don't know! Just keep your eyes open!"

"Sounds like there's four of them upstairs," Chinstrap guy continued.

"How in the hell did they get past the Minotaur upstairs?"

"No idea... Want me to go kill 'em? Killing girls is fun! Plus that fourth kid sounds like an easy kill."

"Nah," The smoking man shook his head. "Gives me a bad taste in my mouth, and that fourth guy will get himself killed in here anyway."

"Seriously?" Chinstrap sneers mockingly at his boss. "You gotta get over that. I mean, come on! Afraid of girls? You haven't even touched that fine-lookin' one over there!" He points at Moka...which infuriates me.

"I'm not afraid of girls!" His boss retorts...but a small blush betrays his words. "They just don't do anything for me. I could kill 'em anytime I want to. In fact..." The smoker stands up and towers over me...and places his left hand over my face, his fingers are only a centimeter away from my forehead. His right hand meanwhile is place over his own face. "

"What are you-"

"Check this out," He interrupted me with his words...followed by a blinding light and a jolt of electricity shooting through my entire body. When my eyes opened, the man's face was surrounded by smoke and when it cleared, I was looking at...my own. "Pretty cool, huh? Like looking in a mirror."

"What...what the hell is-"

"It's simple really," The smoker uses my own face to smirk at me. "I absorb faces through my left hand and transfer them with my right. Think of it as a kind of... copy and paste technique. Whenever we need to make a quick getaway, I just kidnap someone and paste their face onto all my guys. That's why nobody has the faintest idea what we look like!"

This is...what the hell?

"My little trick also comes in handy for murder," The copy sneered. "I just make myself look like someone's best buddy and... Poof! Easy as pie!"

"..." My heart stops when my mind puts two and two together, I know exactly what he's about to do. "Stay away from my friends."

"Aww," He cooed mockingly. "But where's the fun in that?!"

My body tries to chase after the fake...me but It's in too much pain to even make it to the cage door. The double locked me inside with his buddy and looked back with a sinister smile. "Hope you enjoy the show!"

"NO!"

"Shut it, kid," Chinstrap grabs the back of my head and forces me to look at the projected image of my friends. "Do what the boss says...and enjoy the show."

"Isn't this kind of weird?" Mizore's voice echoes through the projection. "We've been walking for a long time but we're not getting any closer."

"Come to think of it, it feels like we've been walking in circles!" Kokoa added with annoyance in her voice. "So I'm going to take the lead like I should have from the beginning!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Kurumu kept her lantern out of reach before Kokoa could snatch it away. "You'll just get yourself ambushed again like last time, it's better if we all stick together so we can save Tsukune and Moka."

"You guys came all the way to find me?"

No...

My worries rose beyond comprehension as I saw...myself approaching my friends with a grin all across his face.

"Thanks," He said. "but we got the Phantom already. It's over."

"No! Don't be fooled, guys!" I cried out. "He's a fake! A killer! Don't let him get to clo- AGH!" I was struck on the back of my head by the Copy's buddy.

"Just shut up, kid. They can't hear you anyways, the best part of the show is coming right up," I could practically hear the way he was sneering down at me. "The scene where Boss slaughters your friends."

Please... See him for what he is, guys!

"I'm so glad you're safe!" Kurumu cheered as she ran toward my double, which she hugged tightly and nuzzled her head into his shoulder. "I was so worried about you."

No, Kurumu! He'll kill you! He'll...wait a minute.

I noticed something off about my double. Instead of taking advantage of Kurumu's lowered guard and killing her...he freezes up and his face goes completely red.

"Tsukune?"

"Ehehehehehe..." The copy let out a nervous chuckle and fell to the floor with a flushed smile all across his face.

"God dammit..." Chinstrap groaned next to me. "Every fuckin' time. The Boss can never handle women. He turns red as a tomato if they simply look him in the eye and he even passes out when they..."

I'll never complain about your smothering hugs again, Kurumu!

"There they are!" Another voice rings out from the projection that I immediately recognize. "Are you guys okay?!"

"Yukari!" Kurumu cheered as she came into view along with another friend. "And Ruby too? Cool!"

"Jeez," Chinstrap beside me groaned. "How many friends of yours are girls? Don't tell me you're one of those..."

Okay, this guy definitely sucks.

"I apologize for not showing up to see you all," Ruby said as my double got back up on his feet. "Who's this?"

"Moka's little sister, Kokoa," Mizore answered Ruby, my Witch friend bowed to the young Vampire.

"Nice to meet you. Tsukune, I must speak with you and-"

Ruby is cut short as my double dashes at her and strikes with his elbow directly into her abdomen. I could practically hear her bones being rattled around, any normal person would go down from such a blow. But I remember that Ruby is definitely no ordinary person.

"Oh, my. Tsukune..." Ruby's voice shakes as she smiles, and her cheeks turn bright red. "I didn't think you were capable of being so...rough. If only you were Elijah..."

I don't think I'll ever understand masochists, and I'm not even gonna begin to question that last part.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Kurumu and Mizore shouted in unison as my double stumbled back, he was completely flustered by how close Ruby had gotten, fell onto the floor, and hit his head against the cobblestone wall.

"The hell is up with you?" Kokoa tries to help my double up to his feet. "You're acting more wimpy than...usual..." Her eyes widened as she saw a small trickle of blood going down the copycat's forehead, she couldn't resist her Vampire instincts and started licking the blood...but her face immediately grimaced.

"What are you doing?!" The copy pushes Kokoa away from him.

"Gross! Pwh! Pwh! Pwh! You taste like cigarettes! What did you do to yourself?! Why do you taste so nasty all of a sudden?! Your only redeeming quality was the flavor of your blood!"

"Wait...what?" Kurumu was first angered by how Kokoa was supposedly drinking 'my' blood, but that anger slowly subsided once the Young Vampire's words got through to her.

That's it, guys! Put the clues together!

"Oh, come on," The Copycat tries to play it as casually as he can but his voice doesn't do anything to back up his confidence. "Who cares about what my blood tastes like?"

"I could think of someone..."

That voice... Elijah!

"Huh?" The Double turned his attention to the voice, his eyes widening when he saw the disheveled look of my best friend. "Oh, hey...buddy. I was wondering where you ran off to- GAUGH!"

Elijah didn't care what the Copycat had to say and immediately went for his throat and lifted him up off of the ground. Yes! If there was anyone who would see through him, it was... Wait, how did he even know that's not me?

"Elijah, what are you doing?!" Mizore shouts out of concern about who she thinks is me.

"..." My friend pulled the Copycat closer to him, his face was only a few inches away from Elijah's searching gaze. I watched in slight confusion as Elijah tilted his head in the way a wild animal inspects his prey...but what confused me was the fact that he started sniffing him. "...You're not Tsukune."

"Huh?" The Copycat croaked. "What are you...gah...talking about?"

"Is this guy always this nuts?"

"Surely you won't mind if I did this, right 'buddy'?" Elijah takes his free hand and uses it to raise 'my' right hand over his head and pulls down his sleeve, this makes me look down at my own. "Tell me...where's your Holy Lock, 'Tsukune'?"

How could I forget about the Holy Lock?! Way to go, dude!

"We all know that you have to wear it at all times," Elijah continued on. "or else the Vampire blood running through your veins will consume your humanity and turn you into a Ghoul."

"And Tsukune without his Holy Lock," Yukari added. "wouldn't be Tsukune anymore."

"And why would Tsukune ever wonder why someone would care about the flavor of his blood?" Kurumu questioned. "Because there's only one person he allows to drink his blood."

"Which leaves us with one question," Yukari adds. "Since you're not Tsukune, who are you?"

"Yes! Hell yeah!" I cheered. "My friends saw right through your boss! They're gonna kick his ass now!"

"Tch," Chinstrap clicked his tongue and drew his knife, I took my stance and was ready for a fight. "You really think unmasking the boss gives them a hope in hell of beating him?"

"Yeah, I do. You don't know who you guys are dealing with, you guys aren't going to hurt anyone anymore."

"Little punk," The striped shirt guy snarled at me and lunged at me with his knife. "Don't underestimate us!"

"Oh, no, you don't!"

"Gha!"

"Moka?!" I stood back as I watched Moka shove the knife-wielding thug away, he slammed into the cobblestone wall with a hard thud. "How long have you been-"

"Oh, I woke up a while ago. I was just waiting for the right moment but we have to act fast!" Moka placed a heart over her chest, I already knew the words she was about to say to me. "Take off my Rosary!"

"Right! Here goes-"

I was only a few feet away from Moka...until there was a sharp main going directly into the middle of my lower back. I looked over my shoulder...and I saw that a knife reached by an extended arm had been driven into my back.

"Don't get cocky," I saw the monster finally take its true form, it looks like he's some sort of Spider creature. "You were doomed the second you and your little friends got here," The knife is immediately pulled out from my body...and I can already feel my blood staining my clothes. "Heh. One down..."

"No! Tsukune!" Moka cries out for me as I fall to the, I can hear the monster cackle as my vision was getting more darker.

No, come on... I have to get back up...

I wriggle my right hand. I know I haven't done it in a while, but I have to unleash the power of the Vampire within me. It's the only way I can save Moka and the others.

Come on... Get up!

Moka

"Please, Tsukune," the young Vampire begged as her human companion slowly lost more blood. Just hang on. I know you can fight it! Please!"

"Hehe," The Spider chuckled at the Vampire's helplessness. I like to go straight for the vitals. Sorry, girlie, your little boyfriend is finished." He finally revealed his true form. Before the Vampire stood the spider, with his human legs still remaining but an abnormally large thorax and abdomen protruding from his back, along with four new arms. His jaw metamorphosized into four mandibles. "And you're next!"

"Ah!" Moka is dragged away from a bleeding-out Tsukune by her legs and her arms are restricted from their movement by another pair of the spider's arms.

"Jealous? I've got six arms," He sneered maliciously. "Wanna know why I have so many? So I can hold down my prey with four of them...and cut it up with the other two. Allow me to demonstrate." The spider forced Moka to spread her legs and reveal the contents underneath her skirt, his eyes searched up and down Moka's exposed pale skin...slowly calculating the many options he planned to do to the poor girl. "Now where should I start? Here...?" He took one of his knives, slowly pressed the tip of the blade into Moka's inner thigh, and dragged the sharp blade up to draw a small drop of blood. "Here...?" He repeats the same action across her opposite thigh...drawing even more blood. "Or here?"

Please, no...

Moka's entire body shivered once she felt the tip of the Spider's blade press against the soft fabric of her panties, this monster had no problem with violating the Vampire's forbidden fruit. Moka wanted to struggle but the fear of being hurt in such a sensitive area stopped any movement from happening.

"Stop...it..."

"Hmm?"

Now able to open her eyes, Moka lets out a small gasp when she sees the boy she loves back on his feet. "Tsukune!"

"Stop..." Tsukune had ditched his uniform blazer and button-down and donned a long-sleeved black shirt, his legs were shaking but he stood strong regardless. "Let go...of Moka."

"Hmph," The spider grew annoyed at the Human's arrogant nature. I mortally wounded him! He thought. Nobody gets back up on their feet after I pull that move! "You wanna die twice?!" The Spider, using his two free limbs, stabs Tsukune once again. Now only this time in his right shoulder and left lower abdomen, blood splurts from the Boy's mouth...but he doesn't fall to the ground.

"TSUKUNE!"

"Now, where were we?"

"NO!" Not caring for her own safety anymore, Moka helplessly fights in the Spider's grip to no avail. "TSUKUNE!"

"Shut up!" The Spider slams the Vampire's head into the cobblestone wall to stop her from shouting even more. "I'm going to enjoy this..." He tries to pull his knives out from Tsukune's body...but they don't even move an inch. "Huh?" He looks over at the boy. By some miracle or just dumb luck, Tsukune was firmly grasping the Spider's extra limbs. "What an idiot," He mocked. "Doesn't even know when he's dead." Using one of his limbs that was momentarily holding Moka down, the Spider struck Tsukune in the head, allowing his limbs to be freed from the human's grasp. "Let go of me! What the hell is keeping you going?! Don't you realize you're..." He looks down at his hands...but they were severely crushed and now dangle off his wrists just by a thread of flesh. "...doomed?"

"Ah!" Moka was dropped from the Spider's grip and fell to the ground, she looked up and saw her friend...licking the spider's blood off of his fingers. "Ts-Tsukune?"

"That...hurt," His voice shook with a hint of fear. "My hands...crushed... How did you...?" Tsukune was on the monster in a second, grabbing onto another pair of his limbs...and crushing them as if they were nothing. "AH! H-H-How are you...?" Now the roles had switched, now it was the monster at Tsukune's mercy...but no remorse was shown in his glowing red eyes as he slowly started pulling the Spider's limbs away from his abdomen. "W-Wait! S-Stop! I'm sorry! Can't we talk this over-"

RRRIIIPPP!

"Tsukune..."

Moka shook out of fear as she watched the sweet and kind boy she admired tear off the Spider's limbs, a major part of his shoulder came along with it. The assaulter's body falls lifelessly to the ground, he won't be getting back up for a long time. And when he does, he'll never be the same. Tsukune slowly looks back at Moka...and smiles. In his current state of mind, he had just made a glorious kill to save Moka from a monster. but for Moka...she saw the boy she loved slowly lose his humanity.

"Tsukune?" The boy was straight past her and headed straight for the cell door... breaking it open with a singular punch. "Wh-Where are you going? Don't you...recognize me?"

"..."

"Tsukune..." No, if this keeps up... Tsukune's humanity won't...

"...Stay here," Tsukune's words slurred out of his mouth before he slowly crept into the darkness further within the keep, no longer concerned for his own safety...but now on the hunt for the man who donned his face to kill his friends.

"Wait..." Moka tried to chase after him, but this resulted in her falling to the ground. All the strength in her legs was stolen thanks to the Spider's earlier attempts to assault her special area. "Please... Come back..."

Kurumu

Now with this stranger's identity revealed, the girls surround him as Elijah holds him up by the throat. "Where's Tsukune?!" Elijah demanded, his hand squeezed around the Fake Tsukune's throat.

"And why do you have his face?!" Yukari added.

"Did you..." Kurumu's voice shook as her anxious thoughts reached a dark assumption. "Is he...?"

"Hehehe..." Using unexpected strength, the fake kicks Elijah in the stomach and sends him back into the cobblestone wall, a chunk of the wall falls on top of him and pins the Wizard to the ground momentarily. "Yep. Dead as a doornail. Probably," He pops a cigarette into his mouth and sheds away Tsukune's face, now returning to his own.

"Elijah!"

"One of my guys is keeping an eye on him, he's a total psycho. Ain't nothin' he likes better than cutting people into little pieces, he's a killing artist. And he's had your friend for a while so, well... I won't bore you with the details."

"You fucking monster!" Kurumu snarled, immediately readying herself to beat down this thug. The Succubus rushes him without even an ounce of regard for her own safety.

"Kurumu, no!" Ruby protested. "We need to find out where-"

But her warning came too late. In the blink of an eye, the copycat struck in Kurumu's direction...blood splurts from a cut now on her left arm, staining her white shirt. "Go ahead and attack me, Girlie," He smirked. "I've got no qualms about hitting back. You better be ready though, I'm a helluva lot stronger than any of you."

"I don't give a shit of your Satan himself!" Kurumu roared despite the slight pain she was in. "You're gonna tell us where our friends are!"

"Either you can tell us now, or we'll make you talk," Mizore added with her fists tightening up.

"Hmm," The thug lit his cigarette as he pondered his next words. "By nature, my kind aren't exactly built for combat. So, I had to find a way to increase my strength. One path was through the martial arts developed by human weaklings. Karate, Kung Fu, Boxing," He listed on as he puffed a cloud of smoke. "I've mastered them all. So if any of you girls are thinking of taking me on-"

"Stuff it!" Kurumu maneuvered herself to try and attack the copy once again, this time focusing more on her target rather than letting her anger get the best of her. "You're gonna tell us where Tsukune and Mok are or I'll-"

"You're fast," But unfortunately for the Succubus, the Copy easily dodged her attack and now stood right behind her. "And I bet you're way stronger than me too..." How'd he do that? "Lucky for me," The Thug smirked as his left hand reached an inch away from Kurumu's face. "I've got another, even better weapon." Everyone minus a suspended Wizard is temporarily blinded by a sudden flash of a bright white light. "My people's gift is to transform, we can become anyone. Not just by adopting the face, I can duplicate everything. Even your strength and special powers." Everyone stood in shock as they watched the thug suddenly don Kurumu's entire physical appearance, even doing her true monster form. Her wings, tail, pointy ears, everything. "I'm a doppelganger," He smirked. "We're thieves who survive by stealing the lives of others."

Doppelganger, meaning 'double walker' in German. According to legend, those who look upon their doppelganger are destined to die within a few days. This monster's true appearance is a mystery even to the most scholared of monsters in the modern age.

"He...copied her," Mizore couldn't believe the sight of two exact copies of her friend.

"Right down to her-"

"Wings," Kurumu finished Yukari's sentence, it was like looking in a cruel, foul-smelling mirror. "To my wings..."

"Huh," The Doppelganger looked over his shoulder and flapped his wings. "Didn't realize you were hiding these in your human form. I feel sort of off-balance somehow though..." He looks down and 'his' face immediately turns red at the sight of Kurumu's most flaunting feature. "Agh! It's because of these things! They're so huge!"

"Hey! Watch what you're saying about my body!"

"I've never been a girl before. Hehehehe..."

"Stop squeezing them like that, pervert!" Kurumu grew more angry as she was forced to watch a shifter practically assault herself, the Succubus extended her claws and snarled. "get out of my body before I tear myself apart!"

"Hey," The Doppelganger dodges Kurumu's onslaught of slashes with ease. "maybe this form will help me get over my girl phobia..."

"No, it won't!"

"Might be fun to live your life for a while. After all, you won't be living it much longer. There's just no room..." Dammit, none of my attacks are landing! Kurumu internally groans as she effortlessly tries to land a single hit on the Doppelganger. "for you and me."

"Move it, Kurumu!" Mizore steps in right before the shifter can land a hit right into Kurumu's face, she blocks his attack with a fist of ice and takes a step back with the Succubus. "You need to calm down, he has you completely flustered. Remember our training!"

"Hmm..." The Doppelganger gazes up and down his arm, specifically at the remaining ice shard around his limb. "Power over ice..." He smiled as the cigarette in the corner of his mouth left a tall tower of smoke. "Might be fun to take your life too!"

"Listen, you," Mizore scowled, her hands forming into ice claws. "Your powers are just copies."

"Yeah! There's no way a cheap copy like you can be better than the original!" Kurumu and Mizore move as one like before to take down the Doppelganger. "Against the two of us, you don't stand a chance!"

"'Copy'?" He sneered, moving faster than Mizore's claws and Kurumu's underhanded punch. "You two just don't get it, do you?" Having the advantages of experience, the Succubus and Snow Fairy fall right into the Doppelganger's swift and efficient attacks. They fall to the ground with blood dripping out of their noses and mouths. "I told you...I mastered every martial art. I can do things this body couldn't dream of!"

Dammit! Kurumu tried getting back on her feet. He dodged both of our attacks and even countered them!

"Hahaha..." The Doppelganger mocked as he extended the claws of his new form. "You get the idea now? Even all together, none of you stand a chance."

"Tch!" Ruby grew tired of this monster and held her wand at the ready. "You haven't fought me ye-" The Witch cut herself off as a familiar someone came from behind, he ignored her and headed straight for the Succubus duplicate with determination in each step.

"Now die..." Just as the Doppelganger came close to striking down the Succubus with her own claws...his killing blow was blocked by a forearm, and his Holy Lock rattled around his wrist. "Huh?" The fake stepped back and got a better look at who exactly stopped him from claiming another kill. "Well, well, well," He smirks. "Look who's here. Honestly can't believe your heart's still beating."

"Tsukune!" Kurumu was relieved to see her friend, she even let out a few small tears of joy. "I'm so glad you're alright!" But her sense of relief was fleeting when she saw his glowing red eyes. "Tsukune?"

"No way..." Kokoa stood astonished as she felt a familiar sensation when Tsukune appeared. "That's a Vampire aura. So it's really true? My sister really did inject her own blood into Tsukune's body?!"

"Yes...but this cannot be good."

"You know," The Doppelganger tilted his head, a small grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You'd have to be pretty good to get here. I bet you had to kill my buddy I left guarding you, right?"

"..."

"Hmph," The fake Kurumu didn't care for Tsukune's silence. "Think ignoring me makes you a sudden tough guy? You reckless or just overconfident?" The Doppelganger laughed at his own question. "Nah, you're just a newbie, that's all."

Tsukune's rebuttal to his words was not more silence, but a sudden and swift spring into action. The human boy's powerful blow was mere inches away from coming into contact with the Copy's face, the only thing he did manage to hit was his lit cigarette. Well, damn. He thought. This kid's faster than I thought, but he's still an amateur at best. I'll simply hit him underhanded, follow up with another counter punch, and then stab him in the heart with my clawed hand. His plan seemed to be setting itself in motion as Tsukune came in for another powerful strike. Perfect position, now to fake left and... But the Doppelganger's defenses were overpowered by the sheer brutal strength of Tsukune's punch, knocking him back into the stone wall and rumbling the depths of the keep.

"Tsukune?!"

"Oh, no... This is bad!"

"What do you mean, Ruby?"

"I was afraid this might happen," The Witch began to explain. "The Vampire blood running in his veins hasn't been used in such a long time, Tsukune's been taking it easy for a while and not allowing himself to go through that transformation. I'm not sure he'll be able to handle the power as easily as before."

"Do you mean he might..." Mizore's mind goes back to many months ago when Tsukune lost himself to the power of the Vampire, nearly turning him into a Ghoul.

"Yes," Ruby confirmed their fear. "there's a risk he could lose his humanity and go on another rampage."

"Damn," The Doppelganger coughed a little blood from his mouth as he got to his hands and knees. So he's powerful too.. Blew right through my defenses like I was nothin'. I coulda easily dodged that if I-

"You..." The doppelganger's body froze once he heard the cold tone of his current opponent, a hint of fear twinged in his eyes when he looked back into Tsukune's glowing red ones. But before the Human could utter another word from his lips...a black tendril suddenly wrapped around his neck and pulled him away from the bleeding Copy.

"What the?"

"Tsukune?!"

Oh, no... Kurumu's eyes widened in shock as she immediately recognized the tendril that yanked away her human friend, even more so when she saw the oozy tentacle retract all the way back into Elijah's reached-out hand. "Elijah?"

"...He's mine," He growled, taking slow and strong steps toward the Doppelganger, an unnerving chill went through his friends as he passed every one of them without even a side glance.

"...What is that?" Ruby's heart stopped for a millisecond when she saw more tendrils morph out from Elijah's arms and torso...and begin wrapping themselves around the Wizard's body.

"That's the spell we told you about!" Yukari shouted.

"...That's not a spell."

"What are you-"

"Heh," The Doppelganger smirked as he got back on his feet. "You think you're some tough guy, don't ya? Even in my natural form, my kind can beat a worthless Wizard like you."

"Funny," Elijah tilted his head. "I think it's cute you believe you're making it out of this dungeon alive. I'm gonna put some dirt in your eye..."

"Ha! Don't make me-" Elijah wouldn't let the Doppleganger finish and unleashed an onslaught of tendrils toward him, he narrowly dodged each tentacle as Elijah grew closer with each step. Damn, too many of these fuckin'...things! What kind of power even is this?! He thought...and a sudden idea popped into the shifter's head when he looked down at the current body he stole. Every man's weakness... Just as Elijah was about to strike down the Doppelganger, the copy turned to him...and ripped open his button-down shirt and allowed Kurumu's chest to be exposed for Elijah to see, "No so fast there, big boy!"

What the heck?! Kurumu's face grew red with embarrassment as she was forced to see a copy of herself expose her breasts to her best friend, even more so that Elijah actually stopped and looked down at them. At least he was wearing a bra... Please don't look, Elijah!

"...How fucking dare you?"

"Huh- GAUGH!" Just like before, only now with a tendril protruding from Elijah's shoulder, he holds the Doppelganger by the throat and lifts him up off of the ground. This shocks not only him but Elijah's friends as well.

"My kill..." Tsukune regained his footing and tried to stumble back over to the Doppelganger, only to have his throat pinned down by another tendril and slammed him into the wall.

"You stay out of this," Elijah didn't even look back at Tsukune and solely focused his attention on Kurumu's copy. "You dare flaunt the girl's body right in front of me? And you really believed it would have any effect on me? Hahahaha..." Elijah cackled. "You're pathetic. An insolent, witless worm compared to what I am."

"Oh, yeah?" The doppelganger croaked and managed to reach his left hand to Elijah's face. "Let's see how you like it!" In a flash, The Doppelganger's form instantly changed into Elijah's, he smirks feeling that now he has the upper hand. "HA!" He tries using the very power that Elijah had...but nothing comes from his body. So he tried again...and again...and again. "What the?! Why isn't this working?!"

"Hahaha... Hahahahaha... AAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Elijah...

"You think it was that easy?" Elijah's lips curved into a smirk. "There will ever be only one of me. Do you have any idea who I am?" The tendrils around Elijah's torso grab onto each of the Doppelganger's limbs...slowly pulling them apart.

"Augh!" He cried out in pain. "W-Wait! Can't we just talk this over?!" He begged for his life...but he was pleading with someone with no hint of mercy in his eyes.

"No matter what form your filth takes, it will never compare to the power of which I hold. For example..." Elijah's grin grew ever wider as the Copy's limbs were solely tearing away from his body, blood splurting out and splashing onto Elijah's face...

"No! Please! I beg of you!"

"...I missed the part where that's my problem."

"Elijah! Stop!"

"You're gonna-"

RRRIIIPPP!

SQUELCH!

"...Oh, my God," Everyone watched in fear as their friend tore away the Doppleganger's left arm and right leg slowly and painfully, he let out a pained screech as he was dropped to the ground. He took his original form and twitched in pain now that his vocal cords wore down with his screams.

"Elijah..."

"What did you just...?"

"You guys!" The high-pitched call of the Vampire girl came from the end of the hall, soon to reveal herself as Moka. "I'm alright, I..." Her eyes darted down to the ground...and she screamed at the sight of the horrific sight of the Doppelganger's bloodied body. "What...What happened?!"

"I got rid of a monster, that's what happened," Elijah answers the vampire. "And by the way..." He looks to the other girls with a sinister smile, the blood that was splashed onto his face trickled all the way down his cheek. "You're all fucking welcome."

"Huh?" Tsukune, now having been dropped to the ground, wakes up and his brown color has returned to his eyes. "What happened?"

"..." What did he just do? Elijah would never... I mean, this couldn't be... He just...

"...You're coming with me," Ruby didn't even waste another second and grabbed Elijah by the shoulder firmly. In a flash of yellow light...she and Elijah disappear, leaving the others alone in the dungeon with a bleeding body.

"Guys..." Tsukune looks up in horror to everyone. "What happened?" But no answer was offered to the human boy, only shocked silence, as none of them knew what to do about their friend's actions.

Ruby

POOF!

Now appearing in a dimly lit part of what Ruby knew as the restricted section of Yokai Academy's library, she and Elijah are now in a safe place where she can begin her own thorough investigation.

"Ah! What the hell, Ruby?!"

"Stay still."

Ruby pushes Elijah into a nearby chair and takes hold of his face, closely examining his eyes. Instead of being the normal cocoa brown she'd grown to like, they were now a questioning dark forest green. The next thing she examined was the black ooze that remained wrapped around Elijah's torso, it seemed to...twitch at Ruby's sudden touch.

"What do you think you're-"

"Calm," Runy traces her hand around Elijah's face as she muttered a simple calming spell so she could continue her examination. "Elijah? Can you hear me?"

"...Ruby?" His eyes blinked with bewilderment. "What's...going on? Where am I?"

"Tell me," The Witch spoke firmly. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I..." Elijah's pupils dilated as his mind went back to yesterday. "Oh, my god," He looked down at his hands...they were completely covered in the black ooze that had been terrorizing his mind for the past weeks. "No...not again... Ruby, what's happening to me?"

"Elijah, tell me everything you know."

"...This thing came to me the night we went to the human world, it...wrapped itself around me and..."

"Elijah," Ruby placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "This...'entity', is it the one behind your recent behavior and actions?" He nods. "Does it show you..false memories, scenarios that had never occurred before?"

"Yes," He nodded again. "Exactly yes. How did you-"

"Elijah. Have you ever heard of the 'Servus Animi' project?"

"No," The young man shook his head.

"I'm not surprised, it's not known thanks to the Administration of Magic keeping a travesty from the ears of the public."

"What do you mean?"

"...Years ago, there was this group of dark Wizards and witches who forced a group of human scientists to collaborate with them on a mysterious project of theirs; once where the end result would end with a living embodiment of the Imperium Curse. They used many humans and monsters as test subjects for their experiments...but one day," Ruby shudders at the thought. "Many of the subjects succumbed to the madness of being under the influence of the Imperium curse for too long, eventually leading to some Yokai and even some humans to be metamorphosized thanks to the inhumane living conditions they were forced to live in. Some madmen called it a successful day, and those same men shared the same fate as their experimentations. They became a part of of these...amalgamations and even developed a will of their own combined with being under the influence of the Imperium curse. Not many people survived that horrid day..."

"Wait..." Elijah looks down at his arms once again, his face contorting in shock as he realizes exactly what he's looking down at. "So you're telling me...that this thing is a bunch of dead monsters, humans, and dark sorcerers?!"

"The Adminstration gave them the name...'Symbiotes'. They live within human and monster's bodies like a parasite and bond at the subcellular level of their host, creating the perfect creature those dark forces wanted...at the cost of their own life. Many were destroyed once the Adminstration got involved...but one managed to escape..."

"That means..."

"This is the one that escaped...and it chose you. Which means it's more dangerous than I could've ever imagined," Ruby took out her wand and wore a determined expression. "We need to get that thing out of you, we must destroy it."

"...Destroy...us?"

"..." Ruby's body freezes after Elijah refers to himself as...'us'. A small tendril comes from his shoulder, snatches away her wand, and throws it across the room. Ruby slowly backed away as Elijah slowly tilted his head...and smiled.

"You said it chose me, Ruby...just like Merlin chose me," His voice shook with what Ruby felt was glee, and Elijah's eyes began to glow bright green. "It makes me a better Wizard. I now have the power to protect everyone..."

The lights flicker on and off as Ruby is backed into the wall of the library. They go off for a few seconds, trapping Ruby in complete darkness. But when they came back on...Elijah was nowhere to be found.

"This is bad, really bad. I must find a way to help him before he hurts anyone else, or worse... We could lose Elijah entirely..."