Nikai
I finally have the power to leave this place… And Kozuna is nowhere in sight to stop me… If only he could see the big picture, as bright as he is… Oh well, this Mifune guy should be good enough, with abilities like his…
"So… Mifune… Are you joining the Hanakai with me? Or just leaving the clan..?"
"I'm... joining the Hanakai… Especially if it means I get to destroy clans like these… The ones that try to use me like an object for their own personal benefit… My clan- the Tonura- they're nothing like… you Ozukashi…"
"The Ozukashi suck. I know, heh. I can't wait... I hope those Hanakai guys sense our powers and come running. I don't feel like standing around once we leave The Primary."
I don't even know how I'm gonna get in contact with them… Nazun and Orion…
Missiles and ammunition bombarded us from every direction, though none of it was effective at stopping me… I became unstoppable with the added benefits of Kozuna's lightning and Mifune's ice. A pure combination of offense and defense, their puny guns were simply no match for the likes of me…
I couldn't describe the emotions I was feeling… But there was something so freeing about watching the abusive world around me… burn… And at my hands, it was even more satisfying.
These people are lucky I don't kill them slowly…
During my previous curse transformations, I'd always felt like something was controlling me… but I couldn't figure out what it was… It was like my body moved unconsciously, yet not of my own volition. At some point, control was just… in the palm of my hand, the sensation of another living creature deep inside... It seemed like... whatever was there happily gave me the reins.
Whatever it was that clung to me beyond what the human eye could see was my partner… Not my enemy… It only had my best interests in mind…
When I'd walked outside earlier, directly into the moonlight, I could feel the monster inside growing and stirring, and I didn't want to stop it… The power was surging… Every time my eyes closed, the same shadows encasing my physical body formed a silhouette inside my consciousness, shaped like a human with a few additional... body parts…
I could only view it as something created through the awakening of my curse… And I wondered if the same applied to Kozuna and Mifune… But there was an undeniable itch that made me fully aware of what it was…
A demon... Through and through...
"Are you enjoying my power? Do you desire more?"
I knew no one else could hear the thing inside of me speak, and I could only respond with my thoughts... My curiosity wanted to know its name, but every time the voice echoed within my mind, it would never tell me…
Who are you... and what are you? Why… are you inside of me?Why do I have a curse?
"You ask too many questions... The first thing you must do is destroy everyone and everything that stands in your way... Burn it all to smithereens... Everything you need to know will be answered in good time… vessel... The Hanakai know of my existence, and they will explain to you in ways you can understand…"
That's an unsatisfactory answer... These people in the helicopters are no real threat; I can walk past them without so much as a scratch. But you, whoever you are, you will at least tell me why the Hanakai are so important... And how are you even able to contact them?
The demon smirked at me as if I were also there, physically standing in the darkness of my subconscious, though it was still strange how I could "see" it.
"Kill everyone in the helicopters, and I'll tell you everything."
Fine, whatever... Their lives mean nothing anyway.
I raised my claw into the air, swirling a vortex of flames in my palm, pulling all the airborne vehicles in for quick incineration… Eyeing down the choppers as one after another was burnt to a crisp, I caught a glimpse of Anari and Yvira screaming and shouting... And of course, Yvira was crying uncontrollably…
"Don't let up... They are your enemies... They seek to destroy you... You've been oppressed for things out of your control. You were born cursed, but that is not your fault, Nikai… If they cannot see that, then they mustn't be shown mercy either…"
Yes… You're right.
Everything was getting fuzzy as the demon inside my head whispered words of sweetness to every inch of my inner desires… My heart was beating slower. Nothing really mattered…
At first, I couldn't decide whether or not to kill them... Was it really my wish to cremate those two? Or the demon's wish..? Anari and Yvira were present in one of those attack helicopters… meaning they supported the people who wanted me dead…
It was clear where we stood.
So quick to turn on a childhood friend? Just because of my curse? They're not the victims here… I am… They're not the ones at risk of losing everything they care about… I am… They're not the people who have to adopt a whole new lifestyle, branded as a criminal simply for being born… Living in their deluded worlds, just like Kozuna, where they all believe they're doing the right thing… A bunch of fucking worthless empty-headed fools… There is no such thing as "Doing the right thing."
"You must kill Mifune as well... He will only turn on you, like everyone else… You cannot trust him."
Mifune hates the clan, just like I do. He doesn't have a reason to fight me; he can't defeat me.
"He has a motive... A debt to be... repaid… He hates the Ozukashi, and you are an Ozukashi. Do you think that someone who you barely know won't betray you, Nikai? Your friends made their decision. Mifune will make his own too… Don't give him the chance to turn on you. Kill him, before he… becomes a true threat…"
I breathed slowly and deeply, turning my head to my shoulder…
"Mifune... What do you really plan on doing?"
"I already told you… I'm joining the Hanakai…"
"He's lying to you… Just like all the others…"
"Don't lie to me, Mifune. Not if you truly care about your life…"
Still standing on my shoulder, Mifune met my eyes unintentionally- paralyzing himself in the process. I scoffed with a jagged crimson smirk… With just two fingers, I plucked Mifune from my shoulder and flung his limp body all the way toward Centra Highlands.
"I know you'll betray me too… So I'll see your splattered corpse when I also arrive at Centra Highlands, Mifune."
By the time Mifune disappeared from my sight, four of the helicopters had already melted in my hand… A mere two remained… I hadn't been paying much attention, yet I could still hear and recognize the screams of Yvira and Anari… Their helicopter was desperately trying to escape, pulling up and away from my fiery vortex…
"Stop holding back, Nikai. Obliterate those unworthy humans... They mistreated you, they deserve death!"
Soon, only a single helicopter remained intact. And I watched as they gradually drew closer to the heated abyss of my claw. Any escape attempt up their sleeve was futile. Numbness overwhelmed me. All but satisfaction coursed through my veins until a familiar voice called out to me…
"NIKAI! YOU HAVE TO STOP! PLEASE!"
Wait, was that..?
The fire in my palm dissipated immediately, and the helicopter buzzed away as fast as it could... I whipped my head in every direction inside my shadow form until I located the correct one… And there I was, thinking I'd never see him again…
Shooting my gaze to the left, I caught sight of Tyuyo standing on a rooftop... His fists were clenched, and he was clearly shaking in his boots, his chest puffing in and out... There was a mixture of tears and sweat covering his face, not to mention the pissed-off look in his eyes… A whole combination that perfectly displayed how a kid should look after being thoroughly mistreated…
I understood that all too well…
"N-Nikai... W-why are you killing everyone? Please, just stop doing this already... If you want to leave the clan, then do that... But stop killing everyone! You're even gonna kill Anari and Yvira!"
"Another brat returning to slow us down? Squash him like the insect he is."
He's my brother. Don't start thinking I'm gonna kill every soul I see... This is my power. I'm in control, not you, demon…
"Oh really? That's how it is, huh? Wrong answer…"
I brought myself to one knee, leaning further down until my face- covered in shadows- was at the same level as Tyuyo.
"This is for your own safety, Ty. You have nothing to be afraid of. If I eliminate these people, there will be no one left to put you in danger... And with me gone, the councilors will finally leave you alone... They'll stop involving you with me... That's all I want."
My birth was always the problem, Ty… You shouldn't have to suffer for it. I made sure to destroy all those blood samples on my way out. So those councilors have no way to infect you... and no reason to kidnap you…
"But Anari and Yvira are my friends… Anari… She protected me underground, she comforted me! She's like a big sister to me! And Yvira, she's always been kind to me ever since I was really little! If you leave, and kill them… I won't have any family left…"
Family? He thinks of them as… family?
"Tyuyo, I am protecting you. By destroying all the ties you and I possess, you are protected. With no one around to involve you in their dangerous lives, you won't need them around to protect you... You'll be able to live a more normal life. People like my 'friends,' and I aren't meant to live those lives… The whole reason why you were captured was to be made into a cursed… demon… like me. I know because I beat it out of one of the councilors during the escape. That old bat Carmen... If everyone those wretched councilors are after disappear. You'll be safe- permanently. And I'll always be watching over you… from a distance…"
"You're just being selfish! Running away isn't like you, Nikai! If you're gonna kill everyone we care about, then there's no point in living anymore! We might as well die, too!"
I reached out to my sibling, my beastly claw twitching…
"Ty-"
"What a touching reunion… You and your dear little brother should've BOTH chosen your words wisely! THAT'S ALL I NEEDED TO HEAR!"
My heartbeat intensified out of nowhere, and… there was a sudden loss of feeling all across my torso and limbs. I could no longer shut my eyes to what was going on, or drown out the noise…
NO! STOP! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! IF YOU'RE MY DEMON, THEN YOU WON'T KILL MY BROTHER!
"I'm your demon? You're my vessel. You listen to me, human."
For the first time, it felt as if I were paralyzed…
My arms pointed straight ahead all on their own, charging a blast of pure curse energy... The demon was blending all of the abilities under my possession with electricity and ice into one large-scale move… And I couldn't move my body, just like the first time I transformed outside...
The demon was in complete control… My power... was no longer my own… And it couldn't have happened at a worse time… Anari and Yvira had flown away… Mifune was probably dead… and Kozuna was frozen somewhere several miles away…
How could I resist the demon's power to save Tyuyo..?
"You need to understand something, Nikai... My will is absolute. You're just a mere human. Don't get so cocky after relying on the power of demons. None of this destruction could've been done by your useless human hands…"
I struggled to resist firing the energy sphere while Tyuyo tripped backward.
Unblinking, he was scared out of his mind, unable to move from fear alone. Not to mention the demon forcing me to glare into Tyuyo's soul... Every bone in my body... Every vessel of blood... They all felt as if they were bending to the will of another being…
I… couldn't stop myself…
"Don't mistake this power to be your own! How pathetic... If this is your power, why am I taking over? I've been LENDING you my abilities, you could've stayed nothing more than a small shadow if I chose not to amp you up... This curse you have is formally known as the Shadow Behemoth... The power of the curse seal I currently inhabit... You're only the vessel available in which I can let my powers manifest! Do you understand what I'm saying?"
My curse relies on this demon… I'm powerless...
As the orb fired from my hands, I was blinded… And the only sound I heard… was a blood-curdling scream from my kid brother…
If only you were here to save him... like you were there for Anari… Kozuna…