Third Person:
"I can't keep up much longer!" Seiji shouted as he struggled to catch his breath.
"Just keep sprinting if you don't wanna die!" Isamu shouted back while he heaved wildly.
The two sprinted away in the darkness, narrowly dodging obstacles like rusted beams that blocked their path to salvation. From behind, an ear-uncanny roar reverberated at them forcing Seiji to cover his ears at the sheer volume. Not only that but the foul stench coming from whatever was chasing them made Seiji's eyes water. Isamu, however, was unmoved- Having dealt with creatures like this before.
"Screw off!" Isamu yelled as he threw an orb-like device behind him. It began to twitch and sparkle. Next thing they knew, a brilliant flash of light radiated the room, followed by a guttural scream so pained that it almost felt human.
"What was that?" Seiji shouted in a pitch higher than normal.
"Flash bang," Isamu replied with heavy breath. "They've got a weakness to sunlight."
With the creature momentarily distracted, the two dove behind a decently-sized wreckage of cement fragments and cardboard. Covering their mouths, they peered out in the direction of the flash bang which had now ceased to function.
In the darkness, the pair made out a shambling mound of shadow creeping towards their direction. With each step of its rotting claws, a foul pus-like liquid oozed, coating the cement ground in ectoplasm-green. As it got closer, its rugged features became more defined- A quadruped beast covered in scarlet shells that uncannily resembled apple peels. Its barbed wire of a tail flailed around in agitation which resembled more of a wild serpent acting on its own accord rather than an appendage. Even when the monster ceased its movements, the tail kept on flailing and flailing, even smacking the creature's stag beetle horns on occasion. Then its insect-like face rotated around 360 degrees, searching for its prey- Unaware that they were right beneath it.
Isamu stared at the quaking Seiji with a face that read "don't move a muscle" written all over it. They waited and waited some more until the towering, mammoth of a beast stomped forward- Narrowly missing its prey. The rotting stench of its body was now mere inches away from the two, causing Seiji to lurch and nearly barf. However, the creature hardly noticed as it kept lurching forward into the void. Within seconds, it disappeared, leaving behind crater-like footsteps in its wake.
Once the coast seemed to be clear, Isamu gestured Seiji to get up on his feet. "Let's get going, we need to find Shiro." He muttered under his breath.
"That thing-" The man in purple gulped. "That was a Rakav wasn't it?"
Isamu nodded. "There's no time to explain what they are- Frankly, I don't know much either." He fidgeted around some more with his satchel, preparing something for the strong chance that they'll encounter the Rakav again.
-
Into the shadows they went, picking up with feet as to not divert attention to themselves. Despite the darkness blocking their vision, Isamu opted not to use any lighting as it can attract the monster back to them. Clutched inside Isamu's trembling hand, however, was the same flashbang that he used earlier. A last ditch effort to temporary incapacitate the creature.
"Blood." Seiji whispered, pointing at the dark stains that were barely visible in the darkness.
"How the hell'd you notice tha-" Isamu paused, his jaw slightly agape. The same purple eyes from earlier stared back at him. "Your eyes….. they're purple again."
"Purple," Seiji muttered. He brought his hand up to his eye, expecting something along the lines of static-electricity to occur but alas- Nothing. "Not sure what I was expecting. Are my eyes really different?"
Isamu nodded, resting his chin in contemplation. He thought about how the Forbidden Fruit seemed to be linked to Seiji in some way. "This could be the after effect brought forth by the forbidden fruit…."
"Excuse me, the what?" He whispered back exasperated.
"The work of the Forbidden Fruit or- Or...…"
"Or?" Seiji stared in baited anticipation.
"You might just have pink eye, bro." Isamu deduced in a monotone voice.
"Pink eye!"
-
Not a minute later, the two stumbled upon a pile of empty oil barrels which coincidentally formed into something akin to a small hut. The pained cries became more audible as they got closer to its entrance, along with the darkened streaks of the blood trail.
"Shiro-Kun?"
An eerie silence followed as the two men held their breath. Hoping. Praying that the young child didn't bleed out. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds passed, causing Seiji to believe that all hope seemed lost until-
"H-here." A quivering voice replied back. Seiji gave out a happy chuckle while the other sighed in relief. A pale, yet crimson-colored hand emerged from the entrance which Seiji immediately grabbed, blood stains and all.
Fully emerged, a boy, no older than 8 stared back at them with watery eyes. He had a large claw-shaped mark strewn across his right thigh, exposing the dirt-covered wound underneath. "I'm scared, mister. I-"
"It'll be alright." Seiji reassured, embracing the terrified child in his arms. Realizing that he was truly safe, Shiro completely broke down, clutching at Seiji like a newborn baby. "You were so brave- Come, let's get you home."
Isamu stared on in sentimentality, a grin forming on his usual stone-cold face. It was rare for an incident involving the Rakav to end without any tragedy. In fact, most, if not all of them end in the demise of an unsuspecting soul that he himself was unable to save.
"Perhaps, this was a turning point." Isamu thought to himself as he felt the Forbidden Fruit's energy course through him. The energy first spread throughout his head and down towards upper body like his shoulders and chest. To Isamu's surprise, it was rather cold, a far cry from the radiating heat that Seiji displayed outside the building- And oddly…. slimy.
Filled with suspicion, Isamu ran his empty hand over his coat. His left palm was now red. Red with slime. The grim reality struck Isamu like an arrow through the heart as he realized that it wasn't coincidence or sheer luck that they were able to find Shiro alive.
"Both of you! Stand back!" The Rakav-veteran threw his last-remaining flash bang overhead. What followed was a small popping sound that became finished by the ear-piercing shriek that reverberated throughout the ceiling. The disoriented Isamu managed to heave the two out of the way before the monstrosity above cratered down towards the ground- Just narrowly missing all three of them. The rotting mass of flesh and fruit writhed in pain, clawing out its eyes as if they were the catalyst of its agony. Taking advantage of the brief reprieve, Isamu tugged at Seiji to move, almost ripping out his scalp in the process.
"Calm down, Shiro- Hey! That hurts!"Seiji protested through the pain as he clung onto the screaming Shiro in his arms. However, the words remained futile to Isamu, desperate to bring everyone to safety.
-
"Please, please tell me that you have something ward that thing off!" Seiji heaved. Instead of a verbal response, a slimy projectile whizzed past his ear, leaving a small dent in the walls. Shiro's screams grew louder as did the monstrous screams.
"I do, but we need to- There!" Isamu shouted at the top of his lungs before diving behind a cluster broken lumber and cracked concrete bricks. The two followed suit, cowering behind the make-shift barrier. Seeing that everyone was reasonably safe, Isamu pulled out the object- neigh the weapon of mass destruction that he had been preparing from inside his satchel.
"Is…. Is that a pomegranate gun?" Seiji asked, bewildered by the sight of its scarlet and metallic glory. The thing was about 8 inches big and 4 inches wide with the top of weapon taking up most of its mass. The top resembled a half-cut pomegranate with six bullet holes in the front of it. The bottom was about the size of a pistol grip, comfortable to the touch. Isamu grinned, hiding back his fear in an attempt to reassure the two.
"It's the Pome-Gatling Gun."
Seiji clasped his hands in prayer, a single, solitary tear falling down his cheek. "Lord, please let mom and Shinji know that I'll see them soon. Mari, I love you. Please live a long and-"
"Shut the fuck up!" Isamu snapped, his face red with embarrassment. "I'll have you know that these weapons are the only ways to even harm a Rakav!"
"It looks like a toy! A literal toy from Kamen Rider or something! For Christ's sake, there isn't even an ammo holder underneath!" Seiji retorted, pointing out the bottom of the weapon which lacked an area to insert a magazine.
"That's because-" The rotting monstrosity leaped across the tiny barricade, going for a body slam against the three. Relying on his instincts as a soldier, Isamu shoved the two out of the way while simultaneously aiming at the monster's belly.
"It doesn't need one!" He shouted, pulling down on the trigger. Isamu grimaced as red bullets of energy, heavily resembling pomegranate seeds expelled out of the weapon. The beams of scarlet slammed into the monster, causing it to screech like a pig. It once again tumbled down, utterly flattening the barricade like a pancake. Not letting up an inch, Isamu kept on bombarding the monster.
"Get outta here now and don't look back!" A worrisome Seiji attempted to retort back but a smile from Isamu made him pucker up in silence. "I'll be fine. Trust me."
The two stared at their protector in a mix of anxiety and admiration before Seiji reluctantly turned around and sprinted towards the exit with Shiro in his arms.
A single side-eye was all Isamu spared at them before bellowing out a kiai war cry. More and more energy pulsed out from his veins and into the weapon. In his non dominant hand rested the forbidden fruit which Isamu hoped that it would share some of its power. Although the Forbidden Fruit was letting Isamu shoot more bullets than he usually would, his body began to break down like usual. Blood gushed at of his eyes like a macabre waterfall as did his mouth. Mere seconds passed by but for Isamu, they were minutes of pure anguish. No matter the pain or how blind he was, Isamu kept pulling the trigger until-
"Bffph!" He spat out as something solid smacked into his solar plexus. Before Isamu knew it, he whizzed past the fleeing Seiji and Shiro, cratering into the concrete walls.
"Mister!" The child spat out in horror as Isamu landed face first into the ground. Seiji rushed forward to aid him but he too was smacked by the same solid object. Before the two tumbled to into Isamu, Seiji was able to get a glimpse at their assailant. The solid object in question was the Rakav's tail whose end was shaped like something akin to a chewed up apple core. The beast was riddled with holes as it lurched forward in a pained motion. To Seiji and Shiro's horror, however, the freshly-made holes were slowly closing up. Regenerating.
"The core..." Isamu gritted through his teeth. He motioned towards the glowing orb-like object implanted in the Rakav's chest area. "Seiji….. The weapon. I need to finish it."
Seiji glanced around, desperate searching for the weapon until he found it just a few feet in front of an unconscious Shiro. Bruised and battered, he lifted himself up on all fours in an attempt to crawl towards the weapon and the distressed child.
As Seiji got closer, however, his bright eyes turned into despair. Their crimson ray of hope was broken cleanly in half, the insides of which was sparking and starting to combust.
"Shit." Isamu gurgled in his blood. Out of options, he resorted to pulling out the BanaKnife, only to realize that the strap that held his satchel was cut open- It's contents lost within the cavernous warehouse.
"It's over." He thought to himself as the monster stumbled ever so closer. However, instead of the over-encompassing dread of death looming overhead, Isamu felt strangely relaxed. Almost hopeful.
The fruit. It was calling to him, or so he thought. Its glow was so intense that even the monster flinched- Covering its eyes in response. With every punch of strength remaining in his body, Isamu scraped towards the artifact a few feet away from him. With his singular functioning hand, he grasped the stone. The nerves in his fingertips fired up as Isamu reached a state of euphoria and more importantly- Confidence. The energy that remained sealed inside rushed all throughout his body, giving him the strength and will to stand up.
"The fruit, it's choosing me." Isamu couldn't help mutter. As if his dialogue was the cue, the artifact began to pulsate similarly to the human heart. Translucent tendrils of energy burst out from it, entering into Isamu's pores. Now the Forbidden Fruit's pulse matched Isamu's own in imitation- Becoming one in unison.
The bloodied Seiji stared in awe at the glowing Isamu as he took one step towards the Rakav. To him, the monster was weak. All the previous Rakav he barely scraped by against were even weaker. Despite its towering presence, it was only a pest- An ant as it slowly dwindled in height in his mind. Isamu glared into its fearful eyes, unleashing his dominance over the creature and by extension, his wrath against its very kind. The same kind who took away many of his acquaintances and innocents alike.
Just as Isamu was about to throw a fist at the creature, he suddenly felt….. cold. No, the word cold was an understatement. It was as if all the heat in his body had suddenly disappeared without a trace. Now the monster before him looked like an eldritch horror that came straight out of Berserk, leaving Isamu paralyzed in fear. Coming to its senses, the Rakav transformed its claw into an apple-shaped boxing glove. One smack was all it took to break nearly every bone in Isamu's body, sending him tumbling back at Mach speed.
Isamu watched as Seiji desperately held his arms out to catch him, his tanned face transformed pale with dread. The only thing Isamu could do was think. Think about how weak he truly was. How his weakness could've prevented the deaths of countless lives had he been stronger. How he couldn't even save one child who desperately relied on him to survive. Those were Isamu's fleeting thoughts as his broken body crumbled against the warehouse walls- Unconscious.
Seiji:
I watched in horror as Isamu's husk of a body lied on the blood-stained ground. I could only hope that the man was still breathing but after a hit like that- The chances were slim.
"Why? Why didn't you help Isamu out!" I shouted at the stupid rock which coincidentally fell in front of my face. It's like it was mocking me, giving us false hope that everything would be alright. That we would all survive this nightmare. With intensity, I grabbed at the artifact, almost choking it as if it was a real person. Nothing. Nothing happened at all as I tried to replicate Isamu's interactions with it. Then I noticed the Rakav inch towards Shiro-kun who was thankfully unconscious, not dead. I had to do something to fix this. I had to-
"Get the hell away from him!" That was all I could say at the top of my jumbled up head. Luckily for Shiro-kun, the monster stoped dead in its tracks. Unluckily for me, it was now staring right into my soul. Its tail-like appendage darted towards me like a whip before stopping unnaturally in the air, mere inches away from my face. It then slowly wrapped its tail around my neck, crushing nearly all the air I had. Before I could attempt to loosen its hold, the monster slammed its claw into my chest. I was expecting the worst before I died- The pain. The blood. The gore. There was none of that. Just a deep sense of emptiness as the Rakav's claw phased out of my chest. It now had a purple fig-shaped object in its plans, reminiscent of the Forbidden Fruit artifact but more oblong. It even had….. cat ears? Did that thing come out of me? No, I've gotta be imagining all this.
I felt my consciousness leave in and out of my body as I began to see white. In the end, I wasn't able to fulfill my dream. A dream to make everyone smile, including the one's I held so dear to me: the Momoi's, Kenji, Megumi, and even the Akagi family. Perhaps, someone else would make them happy- To fix what I wasn't able to.
No! Screw that! I need to live for their sake! I need to-
My inner thoughts came to a screeching halt as I noticed the appendage around my neck turn cold. It was as if I had a scarf of solid ice wrapped around me. My vision began to clear up as I felt something lodge back into my chest. The purple orb in the creature's hand was gone, and so was the sense of emptiness. And then the Rakav itself caught my eye. It was completely still, frosted over with ice.
"You're not going to give up, are you?" It was a woman's voice. A familiar voice that I've heard not that long ago.
"Weiss?"
Overhead, a lithe figure robed in gold and white approached forward. Only this time, she looked different. I couldn't put my finger on it but she seemed almost transparent like a ghost, shifting in and out of reality. Despite that, her piercing azure eyes and snowy flesh remained the same- Leaving me entranced. Her gaze shifted towards Isamu and then at Shiro-kun. For some reason, her gaze towards the boy seemed….. forlorn. Oh god, he isn't dead is he?
"Relax, Shiro's….. well. Stable." The bewitching beauty responded, reading my mind. However, she narrowed her eyes at me, making my heart lurch in anxiety. "But he won't be for long if you don't get your act together."
"My act together? Hold up. Did she just mention Shiro-kun by name? How does she know-" My thoughts came to a halt as the monster began to quake.
"The frost won't hold it for long. You need to bond with the Forbidden Fruit before it does."
"Forbidden Fruit? How do you know all of this? Who really are you, Wei-"
"Are you daft? Now isn't the time to be asking questions!" Weiss snapped back.
She's right but how? How am I supposed to bond with an artifact that barely listens to the laws of physics, let alone me!
"Aero-Razer."
"Excuse me, wha-" My eyes widened as two blades of green condensed wind emerged out of Weiss' palm. The blades then whizzed towards me, dissecting the Rakav's arm by the wrist. Released from its iron grip, my body plopped down butt first on the ground, leaving me speechless.
"Now. Relax. Channel your mind, focus on the Forbidden Fruit." I did as Weiss instructed, closing my eyes and steadying my breathing. In addition, I clasped the artifact in between my palms, holding it up right in front of my face. At first, I felt nothing as I stared into the dark void laid before me. Then, I saw it. A spark. A single solitary sparkle in the vast sea of darkness.
"Don't resist. Give in to the fruit instead." Not sure what Weiss meant by that, I decided to drift off in my mind. My worries and fears began to float away as my heart pumped slower and slower into a relaxing rhythm. And then- I lost consciousness.
-
The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back. The soft grass massaged my bruised body along with the cool, refreshing breeze. I stared blankly at the sky above, a mixture of ocean blue and clouds of white. Over the last few years traveling with Kazuki Godai, I was able to appreciate every small aspect that nature was able to offer. It all felt nice- Well, compared to the musty warehouse at least.
"I could lie here all day if I wanted." I mumbled to no one in particular.
"You sure got that right." Turning to my left, a woman with pink-dyed hair was smiling back me, resting her palms on her stomach.
"Mari? Gee, I really must be dreaming all this. Or maybe-"
"You're already dead?" A smirking Megumi stared down at me, her arms crossed in composure.
"You're sure in tune with that dark humor of yours, aren't you?" Mari chuckled.
"That's right!" Out of nowhere, Kenji had his arms around Megumi's shoulders. He gave his iconic and frankly cringey wink at his girlfriend who in turn, completely ignored. Kenji's face twitched in dejection but he continued on.
"Ha! Only a real man can truly win over a woman of this cali-BUH!" A precise jab to the stomach was all Megumi needed to shut her precious boyfriend and his bravado up.
"Aren't you the one who begged me to date you?" Megumi teased, if you could even call it that. What with her devilish glint in her eyes and sadistic smile and all.
"Come now Gumi, you didn't have to call him out like that." Mari responded back, slightly amused.
"Mmm. I find his reactions amusing." She mused back.
"Speaking of amusing, do you guys really find amusement staring at clouds all day? We've got a whole park to explore man!" Heeding Kenji's words, I lifted my self up to observe the scenery around me.
"Nara Park?"There were deer, possibly dozens of them, benching on the nearby grass and even the orange-red foliage that accumulated from the late autumn trees. To my right was the famous Sarusawa Pond, glistening back at us in its watery glory. And then everything clicked.
"Am I dreaming about my last school trip with everyone?"
"I don't know, are you?"
I turned towards Mari in surprise. "You're reading my mind?"
"Well, You weren't always the hardest person to read~" Mari chuckled, putting her fingers to her chin in a playful fashion. Normally, I would've lost my mind over seeing her like this- If it weren't for something else that caught my interest.
"Seiji?" She gasped, noticing me avert my gaze from her.
"Out of the way!" I tackled Mari to the ground before the giant claw overhead could cleave my friend in two. The claw crashed perpendicular to the ground, causing a miniature crevice.
"Mari, are you o-" She was gone. Instead of her in my arms was the glowing Forbidden Fruit which was ten- No, twenty times bigger than before. However, that wasn't the only thing that was different. The serene grass that the local deer fed on had turned into scarlet thorns. They looked like they were made out of frozen blood- As opposed to the running blood streams of the Sarusawa Pond. In addition, the skies were now pitch black with purple smoke that imitated clouds.
"Mmmji!" Mari's muffled screams averted my attention behind me. She was banging against some kind of transparent wall about a few meters away. In contrast, the area where she was in remained the same: green grass, autumn leaves, and the serene blue skies above. There were others behind her too, but they remained oblivious to the situation. It was as if Mari could see me and only her.
"Apprrr." The same Rakav from earlier growled, stepping towards my direction. With each step, the force field blocking Mari from me began to push back. As it did so, the patches of green grass that hid behind it devolved into the bloody thorns from earlier. With each step by the Rakav, more and more thorns grew, slowly taking over the peaceful sanctuary. Eyes open wide, Mari desperately leaned against the walls but it was futile. There was nothing that she or even I could do. That was until-
The glorified fruit monster shrieked as the artifact in my arms glowed. The light that emitted from the thing was bright- So bright that even I had to cover my eyes with my sleeves. When I opened my eyes again, the artifact was no more. In its place was a crystalline glaive that emitted the same purple glow from before.
"Mmmmmji!" I heard Mari's muffled voice again but this time, it was closer.
The walls! They were pushing forward towards me, enveloping the thorns and transforming them back into grass. As I held the glaive, I realized that it was the catalyst for these walls. The walls that were protecting my loved ones and innocents alike from their thorny doom.
The Rakav's eyes widened at the change of events, stepping forward once more. It grimaced as if each step caused the beast unimaginable pain. It was as if I was in the middle of a tug of war against two forces, the wall's movement screeching to a halt.
As I held the glaive, mesmerized by its glow, I had a tingling sensation that the thing wanted me to.... Trust it. Trust it, but how? I felt the glaive's power begin weaken as it began to darken in color.
"The Rakav's power must be warning it down, somehow." I thought as the walls begin to backward, causing the grass to transform again.
"It needs me. The glaive needs my help. We need to become one." Those were the words that came into my mind as the Rakav closed in on me. Without warning, my heart began to ache, causing me to lay my hand over my chest on reflex. My heart was gone replaced with a gaping hole in its stead. Instead of freaking out or feeling disgust, however, I was calm.
Staring the Rakav dead in its scarlet eyes, I lifted the weapon up towards the center of my heart.
"I know what I must do now." I braced myself, plunging the glaive deep within my chest.
-
My eyes burst open, followed by a tingling sensation in my chest. I had to take a moment to heave my lungs out before scanning my surroundings. I was back at the warehouse, the Rakav from earlier barely frozen in place as cracks began forming in the ice.
"Congratulations." The white-haired maiden strolled on over, her hands clasped together in a celebratory gesture. Before I could question her about what just happened, Weiss placed her palm gently over my chest. Just from her touch alone, I felt a surge of energy run through me. It didn't feel like those of a human- Rather something unreal akin to a mythological figure. Or at least, that's how I would describe Weiss' touch as. Come to think of it, I don't recall ever giving her a handshake or any form of physical contact. Staring at her figure too, it seemed like her body stopped glitching in and out of reality.
"You successfully bonded with the Forbidden Fruit."Taking her hand off my chest, a faint purple light glowed from beneath my hoodie. She's right….. or I'm assuming she is. The artifact was nowhere in sight after all.
The monster in front of me began to rumble, the frost breaking apart bit by bit. Despite the fear I should be feeling, I stared down the beast. That dream I just had gave me that determination. The determination to save everyone- To protect.
"It's a long story but I won't be able to help you out in this fight-"
"No need." I interrupted. Black viscous fluid began surrounding my body as I felt my chest pound more and more. My chest, arms, legs, and even my face was covered up until every bit of my body was encased in the fluid. Then I felt it harden around me. The sensation was hard to describe but it was like I was wearing a second layer of skin- An additional line of protection from the elements.
With a guttural roar, the creature broke out, its giant claw beelining towards me. Time seemed to stand still as I dug further into my connection with the Forbidden Fruit. Electricity ran through my brain the moment I did so, forming a link. One word echoed in my mind. A word so weirdly nostalgic and yet so natural to my tongue.
"Henshin."
The razor-sharp claw dug into my newly blackened flesh, the velocity of which was enough to throw me hurtling in the air. Within seconds, I felt my neck smack hard against the concrete walls. Such a blow should've nearly torn my head off but something cushioned my nape. That wasn't all, other parts of my blackened body were changing too. Watery-purple pus excreted out of my chest, arms, knees, hands and feet. Just like the black liquid, it too solidified into what I could only describe as gel-armor. Finally, that same purple pus secreted out of my face, completing my transformation.
The Rakav rushed towards me head first like a raging bull. Whether it was the gel-like structure on my face or the surge of confidence that the Forbidden Fruit gave me, I was easily able to detect the creature's weaknesses. Its front legs were powerful like tree trunks but its back ones left a lot to be desired. Crawling on all fours, I blitzed towards the creature, making sure to squeeze my body enough to pass right under its belly.
The first thing I noticed after moving was how light my body has become. So light in fact that I was able to easily spin my entire body like a top, kicking at the monster's back legs multiple times. The Rakav, who was already sprinting towards me at max speed immediately lost its balance and hurtled into the wall like a cannonball.
Before it could regain its composure, I ran at the creature to perform the Tobi-geri jump kick that Mari's father taught me long ago. My new sneaker-like feet made contact with its cheek, cracking the apple-like armor around it. In response, the Rakav opened its maw, revealing its scarlet whip-like tongue. Before it could use its tongue to grab me, however, I immediately somersaulted out of the way.
"Apppuuuuuu!!!!!!" The foul creature screamed at the top of its lungs, clearly irritated to all hell. Its apple peel-like armor began to glow ruby red as it did so. In a blink of the eye, they detached from its body, launching out like thinly cut apple shurikens. Not wasting any time, I jumped towards the whirring blades, using them as a platform to get higher and higher. Some of them managed to strike me but the gel-like armor on my chest and back was enough to protect my vitals. Finally, I leaped into the air using the last shuriken as momentum. Nearly touching the roof of the warehouse, I was now tens of meters above my target.
Looking down, I caught a glimpse of Isamu and Shiro-kun sprawled on the ground, both beaten and battered. They seemed so small- So delicate. How many innocent lives like these two were lost to these Rakav? Why wasn't I ever there to stop it? Why was I so oblivious? All of these thoughts raced through me, making my blood boil.
I gave out a nostalgic Kiai warcry as I prepared to finish the monster once and for all. The purple gel around my leg bulged out- Expanding in size until my regular human-sized leg became a giant glowing fig that dwarfed the Rakav in size. With all the strength I can muster, I spun around like a drill, using my enlarged limb as the focal point. The Rakav can only whimper as I crashed down on it like a meteor. Only the sounds of flesh and cracks of armor can be heard as I pushed harder down on the nightmarish beast until-
A giant white flash of light blinded my vision which was followed by an explosion so loud, it nearly tore my eardrums out. Luckily for me, my transformed self kept my inner human body safe as the explosive energy lit up my armor. And just like that, it was all over. The dust and debris around me cleared away as I rested on all fours. Expecting to see goo and all kinds of viscera on the floor, I was surprised to see that there was only a single red orb instead. It resembled an apple with two jagged horns that reminded me of a kuwagata stag battle. Weirdly enough, it reminded me that purple fig that the Rakav tried removing out of me.
Aside from the orb, something else caught my attention as black dust-like particles fell from the ceiling. Where have I seen these before? With how eventful and potentially traumatic the day has been, pinpointing the exact memory was the farthest thing from my scrambled mind.
"Defeating the Apple Rakav was the start. It'll only get tougher from here on out."
"Weiss!" I had so many questions for her. The Rakav, the Forbodden Fruit, the black pollen, the bizarre chest orbs, but more importantly-
"You said Shiro-kun was stable earlier. Does that mean…."
"He's going to make it." I was expecting that answer but my anxiety floated away nonetheless. However, her response after that took me by surprise. "Isamu, too."
I blinked at her, not sure if I heard that correctly or if I was still trapped in a dream sequence. In the corner of my eye, Isamu laid there drenched in blood, two of his limbs bent in unnatural formations.
"Always the worrywart aren't you," she chuckled which I was a little put off by.
"I'm not sure if we should be joking about people's li-" A surge of lethargy came over me, forcing me to abruptly pause. It was like all the energy I had stored within me disappeared with a snap of a finger as the purple armor and black skin that protected me began to dissolve like snow. Weiss' comforting visage was the last thing I saw before my eyelids grew heavy.
"Welcome back, Kiboud-" Unable to make out the rest of her words, everything went to black.