Silence in the world that stood still.
You failed…
I know.
It was lost, a mistake, an accident, an oversight. They would have been dead anyway. Going after a corpse would be pointless.
You killed them…
They would have been dead long before or without me.
Snow began to fall, blurring the branches of the trees with their bodies. A long, cold breath in and a burning breath out. Tears formed and sealed the writhing veins in my skin and the cracking of my bones.
Killer…
Not yet.
My blood continued to boil and make my skin coil and unravel. Peeling back skin and fracturing bones and gilding them to flesh, my head bloomed into an unholy lily. 'Divide.' And my eyes split in two, then four, then eight, then sixteen. Each pair moved independently, searching, filtering snow and branches for the one thing that stood out from the shades of white and brown. A Black fur cloak. Floating and being dragged higher through the branches.
Crackling and snapping, clawing through bark and piercing branches, they were Infront of me after five blinks. A smile grew from behind the cloak, and their head shimmered into existence, followed by an arm-wide claw swiping to my head.
Close, slow, and beautiful. Through scattered frames, the organic runes in their scales shone like small trapped stars, fizzling to pearl white. It was a shame that it had to die. 'Restrain and suffer.' My ribs bent open, churning into a bouquet of sharpness. A breath in, and release, a salvo of muscle-roped living javelins.
Stabbing their eyes and staining their pure scales. Ivory javelins, turning dark crimson as they tasted blood, burrowing as they hungered for more, with the muscle writhing and wrapping through their limbs like starved snakes.
The Basilisks' limbs buckled, and they let out an ear-ringing screech. Yu'ri fell from their maw, and I fell with them. Weaponized arm stretched and flattened, wrapping around them and pulling them close. unwounded and unconscious. Still alive.
My legs collapsed as they crashed to the snow-padded ground. Hot breaths escaped me, and steam hazed my vision. Sixteen, to eight, to four, then two. Eyes, flesh, bones, everything merging, popping, reeling through torn clothes and back into place.
Boom
A heavy crash that rumbled the ground was quickly followed by horrid screeching. Blind and half invisible, their stained limbs and skin stood out like unfinished paintings. Sniffing the air with rage and desperation.
Putting Yu'ri behind me, my legs crackled as I stood straight. 'Needle.' Weaponized arm flexing, then turning straight, its end twisting to a fine red point. A quick drink of air, and I sprinted to their side.
"FACE ME BASTAR!-" A shriek cut through the air, quickly followed by a wide bite and a flurry of claws. It was already too late, and I was already above them. Thrusting straight down their head. An audible crack as the tip pierces their scales and skull, then a slosh as the rest was driven inside. Their body shuddered, then still…
The air was dominated by my breath, and pulling back the Needle, their body convulsed and collapsed. For a while, my knees remained planted on their head. Breath-breath, suddenly being aware of my need for air, everything organ burned like a furnace. Invisible cuts appeared on my chest, and flesh on my ribs flayed into vents. My eyes drifted down to find that my clothes were a mess, riddled with slits and ripped seams, traveling from my shirt down to my trousers. My control was cruder than expected, effective, though unusable if there was anyone else but me.
Crunch.
The sound of chewing made my eyes sharp, and everything shut still. After a few more steadying breaths, the sound became uncomfortable to bear. Standing up and keeping my arm ready, my legs moved with caution as I circled to the sound.
Carving the underside of the Basilisk, their hands sharp and full of raw meat, their lower face dirtied with blood. Jaw stretching and crushing, grinding flesh and swallowing meat like a slurry. Yu'ri's eyes gleamed gold, and with complete focus on their meal. It made it easy to sneak up on them, and with their back exposed, killing them would be easy.
"Are you still in control?"
Yu'ri's head turned, and their temple met the tip of the Needle. The gleam in their eyes faded, and their expression turned flat. Blood continued to drip from their mouth and they nodded before turning back, then continued eating.
The Needle tip stayed close to their head, and my eyes watched for any sudden movement. What was I supposed to do with them? Leaving them would have wasted everything I had done, but taking them with me would just be a burden.
Not to mention, coming back without Reilya and bringing along a random child. The village would immediately recognize them as a mimic, and with my reputation, suspicion would turn to me as well. Staying here and risking freezing to death, or returning to the village and risking getting caught. The latter seems better.
"Do you have any other vessels besides this one?" Yu'ri glanced at me before shaking his head. It was worth a shot.
"Can you fight?" Again, they paused, then nodded.
"Can you fight well?" They shook their head.
It was not surprising, and leaving them behind became more appealing despite how wasteful it was. They had food and an instinct to survive, and with the dead basilisk in front of them. It should make for a stronger vessel compared to what they have.
A warm sigh left my nose, and the Needle retracted into my arm, absorbing, transferring flesh and bones as my left arm grew back with a crackling pop. The heat from my chest grew, and skin flayed to vents. A huff of steam out, and my legs turned and walked.
Pulling out my map and compass, both were still thankfully intact, albeit the compass fared better than the parchment. Inconvenient as it was, reclaiming my bearings was even more of a tedious chore. The snowy sky made it even more difficult-
'YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY'
A ring. Not my ear, not my head, but in my very core. Sharp, gentle, and shivering. My head started to unravel, and my hands turned to blades. Eyes started to divide as my body turned as if called, but there was nobody there but Yu'ri.
Yu'ri?
The question reeled me back in control, and I forced everything to return.
"Why are you still following me?" Words came out sharp. "You have food, and that lizard should be more than suitable for a vessel."
"I can't."
…
"I can't have another vessel."