The dimension cracked like glass under pressure. Light bled through the broken seams of the sky, and the world that once felt endless now began to fall apart.
Zed dashed forward, his boots scraping the crumbling terrain. "You guys okay?!"
Floris fell to her knees, tears slipping down her cheeks. Her arms were still wrapped around empty space where Miss Kate had once been.
Zed halted beside them, scanning the area with sharp eyes. "Where's Kate?" he asked, his voice low, almost afraid of the answer.
Felt didn't look at him. He just stared at the empty air. "Dead."
Zed froze. His heart skipped.
Dead.
That one word hit harder than he expected. He clenched the hilt of his sword so tightly his knuckles turned pale.
(Felt beat her… He actually beat her.)
His eyes twitched as the realization cut deeper.
(Even though I could barely survive against her… So much for killing all monsters. How can I be this weak…?)
A sound.All three turned.
A low, panicked whimper.
Felt narrowed his eyes. "Who's there?"
A figure darted out of the shadows. It turned to run.
Zed's pupils narrowed. "It's him!"
-
Flashback
Two monsters clashed violently. One gripped the other's chest and ripped out its beating heart, eyes void of empathy.
-
The memory vanished like smoke, and reality returned.
Felt turned back to Floris. His expression had hardened.
"Forget it," he muttered and gently tapped her forehead. "You're in my care now."
Floris didn't respond. She still sat in quiet grief, the sadness unshaken from her eyes.
-
Far away, in a towering, steel-gray headquarters…
Shido burst into a large room, panting, eyes filled with desperation.
Before him stood Grayslake, staring out of a tall window, a glass of dark beer in one hand. A woman leaned beside him, twirling a strand of her red hair Mira.
"Well?" Grayslake said, without turning.
"I saw them, sir!" Shido cried. "A hunter, a monster… and a girl. They were together."
Grayslake blinked.
(A hunter… working with a monster?)
He chuckled. "Brilliant. Anything else?"
"No sir. Please I've done everything. I gave you the intel. Free my family like you promised."
Grayslake smiled thinly. "Of course."
He pressed a button on a remote beside him.
Below, a platform released. Cages dropped. Inside Shido's wife and child.
"My love!" she screamed.
Shido reached for them just as their bodies exploded.
"No!!!"
"You were all monsters anyway," Grayslake said calmly. He raised a pistol and fired once.
Bang.
Shido collapsed.
Mira tilted her head, lips curling into a strange, curious smile. "That was a little harsh, don't you think?"
Grayslake sipped his beer. "In any case… seems my son and his partner are on their way."
-
Meanwhile, back at Zed and the gang
"We should keep moving," Felt said, walking toward the nearest opening in the crumbling void.
But a sharp scream pierced the air.
Zed convulsed as electric sparks zapped his body.
"ZED?!" Felt shouted.
Chains flew from the sky and wrapped around his body. A smooth voice followed.
"Well, aren't you handsome," purred Kochi, a woman with long, spiked cords dangling from her arms.
A second figure dropped in a sleek, chrome-enhanced tech suit. Banid.
He pressed a button on his wrist. "We found them."
Banid extended a hand to Floris. "Are you alright?"
Felt's body strained as he pulled against the chain.
Banid glanced at him. "Strong, I see."
Felt threw a punch
But Banid caught it with ease.
"Impressive," he said and unleashed a pulse of high-frequency energy from his gauntlet.
Felt screamed as his senses were overloaded and collapsed to the ground.
"Stop! What are you doing?!" Floris cried.
"Oh, right," Banid replied, raising a brow. "You're the accomplice."
He struck her with a swift jab, knocking her unconscious.
Banid adjusted his gauntlet. "That makes three out of three."
Kochi nodded cheerfully. "Let's go!"
-
Back at the headquarters…
Grayslake smirked, sipping what remained of his drink.
"A fallen monster… and a hunter," he mused.
"Looks like it's time to execute them both."
His smile deepened.
"Publicly."