Kevin drove the shining chains into the wall until he reached the bottom of the pit. His feet touched the cold, damp ground, and the chains dissolved behind him, vanishing like green dust in the air.
He took a deep breath, keeping his eyes fixed on the new corridor. The stench was worse down here — a mixture of coagulated blood, rotting flesh, and smoke seeping through the old stone. Before him, the bodies of grotesque monsters lay piled up. Some still bore human traces: an arm, a leg, bones that vaguely resembled faces. Others were shapeless abominations, twisted carcasses barely worthy of being called creatures.
Kevin swallowed hard. Each step echoed dully in the silence until a faint light appeared ahead. It was not natural — flickering like flames trapped inside old lamps.
And along with the light… the sound.
A wet, repetitive noise, something chewing bones and tearing flesh.
Crunch.
Slurp.
Kevin froze for a moment. Thoughts flashed through his mind, heavy with fear and adrenaline:
"What is that?"
"Can I even kill… that thing?"
"Doesn't matter… I just need to focus."
He clenched his fist and pressed forward.
At the end of the corridor, a vast chamber opened, like an ancient medieval arena. The stone walls were worn, covered with cracks and dark stains. Torches fastened to the sides lit the place with trembling flames, casting twisted shadows that danced across the floor.
In the center lay a grotesque pile of corpses — dismembered monsters, butchered human bodies, blood pooling into black puddles.
On top of the pile sat a girl.
Her skin was lightly dark, a shade like tarnished bronze. Her short brown hair was messy, her torn clothes showing she had already endured battles or torture.
She chewed on chunks of flesh ripped from one of the monsters, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.
Behind her back rose the tip of a colossal scythe, the metal stained red with veins that pulsed as if alive.
Slowly, she stopped chewing. Her eyes lifted toward Kevin, who stood in the shadows of the entrance.
A strange smile curved her lips.
"Who are you, hooded boy?" she said, her voice rough, almost mocking. "Another one of them?"
Kevin stepped into the chamber slowly, every movement measured, eyes sharp on the grotesque vision before him. The stench of blood and smoke burned his nostrils, but he kept his focus on the girl sitting atop the mountain of corpses.
"Her voice… it gives me a strange feeling. As if it pushes me to fight, yet… it also brings me a calm that makes no sense."
The girl's gaze sharpened, suspicion flaring.
"You don't look like one of them…" she said, her tone now harsher, like a blade cutting the air. "Tell me, why are you here? And how did you make it this far?"
Kevin stopped, staring directly at her. Before he could answer, the girl leapt from the top of the pile with brutal speed, landing right in front of him. The impact thundered through the chamber. Instinctively, Kevin staggered back, his heart racing.
"I…" He breathed deeply, clenching his fist. "I'm just a guy who came here to kill these abominations created by a cruel man."
Kevin's eyes narrowed with resolve.
"But you? Who are you? You don't look anything like those monsters."
The girl trembled for a moment. Her face hardened, but pain surfaced in her eyes.
"I wanted to be like you…" she said, her voice breaking. "I didn't want… this."
Kevin watched, confused, as she stepped closer. The torchlight cast restless shadows over her body.
"What I became was because of him!" Rage mingled with tears streaming down her face. Her fists erupted in wild flames, burning like desperate fire. "I hate myself… I want to die! I can't stand being what I am anymore!"
With a scream, she hurled a colossal blaze at Kevin.
The scorching wave rushed forward, and Kevin dove aside, rolling across the stone floor. The explosion slammed into the wall, spreading fire throughout the chamber.
He sprang back to his feet, panting. From his back, four green chains emerged, writhing like living serpents, and in his right hand a sword of the same essence materialized, glowing brightly.
Kevin smirked with determination, eyes locked on the girl who burned and wept all at once.
"Then let's fight."
Kevin charged at her, aiming his blade at her neck. But in a swift motion, she swung her scythe from her back, blocking the strike. The impact sent them both skidding back across the floor.
Still crying, the girl whispered, almost pleading:
"Please… kill me. I don't have the courage, but you can…"
Her expression shifted suddenly. The tears vanished, replaced by a cruel smile and fiery eyes.
"Kill me? Are you serious? I fought so hard to survive, and I'm going to give up now? Not a chance!"
She lunged forward, scythe in hand, striking with ferocity. Kevin barely managed to block with his sword, the blade cracking under the pressure, until he reinforced it with his chains.
"She's more aggressive… like she's another person." Kevin muttered to himself.
With a firm motion, his sword reformed in his right hand, now engulfed in blazing green fire.
"The more fear I feel, the stronger I get…" he said, glaring at her.
From a distance, the girl smirked, sadistic.
"Someone's bleeding… and it's not me."
Kevin looked down, horrified to see his body covered in deep, near-fatal cuts.
"I didn't even notice when she did this… I'll have to go all out."
His eyes shifted color, now gray with a green streak cutting across the iris.
"I'll fight with everything, girl… this will be the end of the line for you."
The girl only smiled, her eyes changing too, mimicking Kevin's but with a red streak instead.
"Impossible… how do you have the Hagan? You're not even part of my family!" Kevin exclaimed, shocked and tense.
She answered firmly, stepping forward:
"So what? I was created by him too… I'm a monster just like you."
Kevin lunged instinctively, his sword consumed by green fire, slashing with a flurry of strikes. She dodged with precision, countering with her scythe. Kevin evaded most blows, but the fight was against him.
"If she has the Hagan too, she can predict my moves… just like I can."
The girl's voice cut through his thoughts:
"You've already lost your confidence. Just how I like it."
She swung her scythe lightly, the blade glowing a deeper crimson.
"Neo Jutsu: Sanguine Symphony."
Kevin tried to strike, but her sudden blow shattered his sword again. The fragments were instantly absorbed into her scythe. Weaponless, Kevin fought with fists and chains, but even those were absorbed, until she hurled him brutally against the wall.
"This curse is devouring my essence…" he muttered, watching her approach.
"If this keeps up, she'll kill me… I'll have to use everything."
Then, a familiar voice echoed in his mind:
"You must not kill the girl. From now on, I'll take responsibility for this fight." — Melissa.
"What? I'll kill her, no matter the cost!" Kevin roared in defiance.
But a clean strike from the scythe brought him crashing back to reality. Melissa's voice spoke one last time:
"I didn't ask for your permission."
The scythe-wielding girl, thinking Kevin dead, pulled her weapon free. But a thick white mist swirled around them, cloaking everything. When it cleared, a new figure stood there: a girl with pale skin, long black hair, gray eyes with the same green streak glowing faintly.
"Who is she? And where's the hooded boy?" thought the scythe girl, glaring at Melissa.
"I didn't come here to fight you. I came in peace, with an offer." Melissa spoke calmly.
"How can I believe that? Where's the hooded boy? And why did you just appear out of nowhere?" the girl snapped back.
"My name is Melissa. I'm an angel, a being sealed inside Kevin — the boy you were fighting. Now tell me your name." Melissa's voice carried power, a voice that commanded respect.
"I… I'm Ruby." the scythe girl answered, flustered.
I feel so good near her… but why am I afraid? What is this sensation? Ruby thought, unsettled.
"Pleasure to meet you, Ruby. As I said, I didn't come to fight. In fact, I stopped Kevin from trying. I can feel the pain you carry, the regret of the lives you've taken. Deep down, you only want peace — someone to trust. I'll help you find that. But first, we need to leave this place. You must see the world outside and learn that not everything is cruel."
Ruby fell to her knees, sobbing.
"Everyone hates me. How can you say you'll give me something I don't even know? I can't leave this place… I'm a freak. He made me what I am now. I can't control the urges that drive me to kill. My whole body hurts, from the inside out. Every day is agony. Sometimes I just want to die!" She collapsed, weeping louder.
Melissa slowly approached, knelt beside her, and lifted her face gently, gazing into her eyes with warmth.
"I can make the pain stop. I'll fill the void in your heart."
Melissa embraced her. For the first time, Ruby felt what it meant to be held. She heard Melissa's heartbeat while her body was wrapped in her arms.
"I feel so good… the pain in my chest… it's fading." Ruby whispered.
Melissa sighed softly, stroking Ruby's hair, her voice tender:
"You and I, together, we'll leave this place. We'll start over, from zero — a new life, a new chance to live as we choose."
Ruby lowered her arms and murmured quietly:
"I'll go anywhere… as long as it's with you."