Chapter 54: The Aftermath
Kazuki stood in the center of the carnage, his chest heaving as the scent of blood filled his nostrils. The bodies of the wolves lay strewn around him, their lifeless eyes staring blankly at the sky. His hands trembled, stained red with blood — some of it his own, most of it not.
Elara and Tara watched him in stunned silence, their faces pale and their eyes wide. Tara's daggers were still clenched tightly in her fists, her knuckles white.
"Kazuki... what did you do?" Elara whispered, her voice shaky.
Kazuki swallowed, his throat dry. He didn't know how to answer. The last thing he remembered was the Grizzly's voice, dark and demanding. Then, everything went black.
"I... I didn't mean to," Kazuki said, his voice hoarse. "I couldn't control it."
"Couldn't control what?" Tara snapped, her eyes blazing. "That thing inside you? That monster?"
Kazuki flinched, his fists clenching. "I tried to hold it back."
"Well, you didn't do a very good job," Tara said, her tone biting. "You could've killed us!"
Elara stepped forward, placing a hand on Tara's arm. "Enough. This isn't helping."
Tara scowled but said nothing, sheathing her daggers with a sharp motion.
Elara approached Kazuki, her eyes softening as she reached for his hand. "Kazuki, what happened back there?"
Kazuki squeezed his eyes shut, the Grizzly's voice still echoing in his mind. "It took over. I let it take over."
Elara's fingers intertwined with his, her touch gentle. "But why?"
Kazuki's jaw clenched. "Because I was afraid. I thought you were going to die."
Elara's expression softened, and she stepped closer, her forehead resting against his. "I'm still here. We're both still here."
"For now," Kazuki muttered, his gaze dropping to the bloodstained ground. "But what happens next time? What if I can't stop it?"
Elara cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. "Then we'll figure it out. Together."
Kazuki swallowed, his throat tight. But before he could respond, Tara cleared her throat loudly.
"We need to move," she said, her arms crossed. "That fight probably attracted more attention than we can handle."
Kazuki nodded, pulling away from Elara. He wiped the blood from his hands, the weight of what he had done pressing down on him like a boulder.
They moved quickly, leaving the battlefield behind. The forest grew darker, the air colder. Kazuki kept his head down, his jaw clenched. The Grizzly's voice was silent now, but its presence lingered like a shadow.
"You did well, Kazuki," it finally purred, its tone dripping with satisfaction. "You let me out."
"Shut up," Kazuki growled, his fists clenched.
"You can deny it all you want," the Grizzly said, its voice echoing through Kazuki's mind. "But you enjoyed it. Didn't you? The power. The strength."
Kazuki's breath quickened, his pulse pounding in his ears. "I said shut up."
"Kazuki?" Elara's voice broke through the haze, her hand resting gently on his arm. "Are you okay?"
Kazuki blinked, forcing the Grizzly's voice back down. "Yeah. I'm fine."
But he wasn't fine. And he knew it.
And so did the Grizzly.