There was nothing.

There was silence.

There was noise.

There was nothing.

There—

Hiromi woke up, shaking. It was unusual, weird. Her breath was frantic but she didn’t know why. It’s okay, it’s alright, calm down, she repeated inside her head. Her logical side tried to make sense of the situation she found herself in.

She was in her house, on the kitchen couch. It was still night. It—

A scream cut through the air, stopping all of Hiromi’s thinking process and making her focus on it instead. It came from above. Above… the attic!

“Tamaki?” Hiromi asked loudly, trying to hide the shakiness in her voice.

In an instant she was at the ladder to the room above. Not sparing any time on climbing, she jumped to the top. Her eyes, open wide, scanned the space in look for anything and was met with the frightened look of Tamaki.

“What’s wrong?”

“There… I think I saw something,” Tamaki’s voice was quiet, unsure, “I don’t know what it was….”

Hiromi tensed. Her intestines stirred at the possibility that there might be someone inside the house. Her gaze rummaged frantically through the room in the search of anything out of ordinary. Upon seeing nothing of sorts, she sighed heavily.

“Come downstairs.”

“Alright— Alright, okay.”

Both of them were now in the hall next to the only bedroom in the house. Hiromi quickly made her way towards that room, in order to check on other inhabitants — Moshi and Shion. She didn’t bother herself with knocking in this situation and just went straight through the door.

Her pupils constricted at the scene she was met with upon entering. Shion was sitting in the opposite corner of the bed, with her body put as close to the walls as possible. Her face wore a terrified expression, eyes fixated on one point in front of her. That point was Moshi struggling against… something. A mass of some sorts was coming out of the gaps in the windows. It was formed in an imitation of humanoid hands, that were holding the said woman’s face, pulling it towards the outside.

Hiromi felt herself boil inside, her soul trying to escape the shackles of her body. She moved like a thunder, jumping at this weird being. With a little to no effort, black, smoke-like tendrils appeared on her arms, moving towards the hands. There, they materialized into a medium sized blade, which she gripped with all her strength and stab it into the mass.

It have worked as the weird hands quickly retreated, leaving only the four women in the room. Moshi, having regained her vision that previously was obscured by the entity, looked around at the people surrounding her. Her breathing was rapid, as the adrenaline was still pumping in her body.

“What the hell was that?” she asked finally.

Hiromi only looked at her with her wild eyes, the blade still in her hands. She was too focused on any possible signs of danger to answer the woman below her. The air was tense, nobody dared to speak.

Hiromi’s keen hearing picked up slight footsteps. Without as much as a word, she ran out of the room and then the house. Strong wind hit her overheated skin and strands of hair got tangled on her face.

Her eyes were glowing at this point. They always tend do that when she was using her powers. It wasn’t much, but the slight light still illuminated her cheeks.

She searched the area with her gaze, when she finally saw the root of the problem.

There, on the roof of the house, she saw her. Rheya stared down at Hiromi from above with her unforgiving stare.

“You,” Hiromi snarled.

“In the flesh,” Rheya actually responded, her voice raspy and inhuman.

Hiromi gritted her teeth and jumped to reach the roof. More tendrils came out of her and merged with the blade in her hand, morphing into her signature scythe.

Rheya quickly reacted, turning away and running into the forest. The demon went to chase after her, not intending of letting her go until she gets rid off her.

The forest was dark under the cover of the night. The only light came from the moon above, but it really didn’t do much. Although that didn’t stop Hiromi’s hunt for the harean.

Her eyes were fixated on the person in front of her, her legs never stopping running and her hands holding the scythe as if her life depended on it. Rheya seemingly made attempts to lose Hiromi in the most dense parts of the forest, although the latter was quick to find and chase after her time and time again.

Hiromi’s breathing remained relatively steady, mostly to stabilize her emotional state. Even now, especially now, she needed to remain control over her feelings, so whatever is inside her, doesn’t lash out and cause havoc to anything it meets. It could be helpful against Rheya, although the fact that she’d be unable to control the actions of her own body for unknown amount of time, was stopping her from doing so. Plus the whole transformation thing.

After running for quite a while, Hiromi realized that they have gone out of the elves’s terrain. Come to think of it, how exactly was Rheya able to enter that area? Better yet, where’s Roux?

Fuck, fuck.

Hiromi gathered all the strength inside of her, dematerializating her scythe along the way, to run as fast as she could. She was now within arm’s reach to Rheya. She had to take care of Rheya and get back immediately.

She took her chance and jumped.

Her hands caught the small bit of a fabric of the harean’s clothing, but that was more than enough. She grabbed her with all her might, sending them both to the ground. Hiromi wasted no time and instantaneously got on top of the other, her legs immobilizing her arm and her hands grabbing around Rheya’s throat.

The person below chuckled. It made Hiromi’s face twist with disgust.

“You think you’re so great, o’ Hiromi Kuroibara?” Rheya spat out her name like a curse.

“But all that your existence is, is just a big fucking mistake. You can’t run away nor protect yourself from your memories. Your past will always be present.”

“What do you mean…?

Rheya gave her no answer to that question. she just looked at her with those empty eyes. Hiromi tightened her grip on the other’s throat, when she felt the mass beneath her change. Her expression turned to a more grossed out and terrified one, when the thing that she thought was “Rheya”, started to literally melt, exposing the rotten insides, before those too disappeared into the ground below.

Hiromi quickly got up. Her gaze shifted towards her hands, on which the remains of that mass stayed. It was weird to the touch. When she finally looked up, she noticed the scenery has changed as well. The forest became eery. A fog surrounded her, tinting everything with a blueish-purple color. It felt as if any living creature just ceased to exist.

“Rheya?” Hiromi called out in a warning but her tone hid fear behind it.

“Look at you.”

She froze in place. This voice…

A shiver ran down her spine, cold overtaking all her senses. Her body screamed at her to move, to run, to do anything but her muscles were not listening to her, it could only tremble in place. She stood there helplessly, begging that this all was just a figment of her imagination.

The being from which that voice came from slowly made its way towards her. Each footstep reverberated in her head like a bell. It was getting closer, and closer, and closer. All her muscles tensed when she felt a hand land on her shoulder from behind, gripping her hard. She couldn’t stop her breathing from accelerating.

The figure was towering over her from behind, unmoving for a moment. When it spoke again, she had no doubts to who it belonged, terror overtaking her.

“A mistake,” it slowly stepped into her view. Short, silver hair with obsidian-like horns, one of which was broken off in half, telling a tale of long ago. One eye with nothing but a sclera that’s as dark as the abyss itself, the other eye piercing her right through her very soul.

“You were nothing but a mistake.”

Her fears became reality, as he saw his face. Hideo Kuroibara, her own father stood there, looking down at her with his cold and unforgiving stare.

She tried to remain control over her breathing in hopes of stopping her emotions from overtaking her. Forcibly taking slower, deeper breaths, even though her body begged for more, making her dizzy in the head.

“What— What are you… How…?” Hiromi struggled to get the words out, her own body putting up a fight against herself.

All the sudden questions in her mind disappeared in a second when she felt a hand seize her by the throat. A panic set inside her as she realized she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs now.

“Did you really think you could run away from me?” his deep voice was nonchalant, yet still hold an invisible threat in it.

Hiromi couldn’t answer him, what should she even say anyway? She had hoped she could run away from him, hoping that he’d never find her ever again.

Receiving no response, Hideo lifted her in the air. As her feet lost the feeling of the ground, the grip on her throat only intensified, making breathing even harder. She began frantically gasping for air, begging for at least a bit of oxygen to enter her lungs. Her hands were trying to loose the grip of his own, but the panic only made it harder to do anything, her own muscles weakening by the second.

“You’re pathetic,” he began speaking again, “Did you really think you could do all that? Run away and live an impossible dream life, far away from your responsibilities? With no consequences for such acts?”

It’s not like this, she wanted to say, but she could only fight for the smallest bits of air now. She could feel her brain slowly shutting down, her vision going hazy.

“How much more idiotic could you be?”

With that question, he gathered strength in his arm and with a swift motion, he threw Hiromi half-limp body with all his power. She flew for a moment, before she hit a tree, slumping to the ground. Within a second, she was on all fours, viciously coughing and finally getting oxygen into her body.

She was too occupied to realize that he was coming closer. Only when his red boots entered her vision, did she remember the situation she was in. Yet she didn’t dare to look up at him at that moment.

“I did my best to teach you everything, everything. It was all so you could be my perfect successor. And everything would have been good if you just didn’t decide to mess it all up.”

“All my knowledge, that I’ve gathered for hundreds of years, and you tossed it right into the trash. I’ve sacrificed everything, I have sacrificed myself for you and this is how you’re repaying me? You ungrateful piece of waste.”

His words stung her as if someone was rubbing salt deep into her wounds. She knew she was supposed to be thankful to him for all the things that he had done, she wouldn’t know as much as she does if it wasn’t for him. She knew, oh she knew, but…

She dared to look up at him, but when her eyes reached his head, Hiromi was met with something that she hadn’t expected. Her father stood there now, right in front of her, but his face was gone. There were no features on it, no eyes, no mouth, no nose… Hiromi could feel her blood run cold, just at the pure sight of this. He just continued speaking, even without any mouth. She could only watch him in horror.

“I wouldn’t do anything to harm you, ever. Everything that ever happened was for your own good. So why are you using my ways of teaching to justify you running away?”

“You’ve left us, you’ve left our nation and everyone that has ever trusted you with their life. You wouldn’t have left if you truly care about us. Did you ever really cared?”

“Just look at what you did. You’ve failed to protect everyone because you couldn’t bear the easiest things, because you’re weak. Now we are the one to bear the consequences of your actions.”

“You know it all very well because it haunts you since day one. It will not stop as long as your heart is beating and your soul hasn’t shattered. The past will always be there with you to remind you of everything and you will be bound to repeat all of your mistakes time and time again.”

“And now? You’re ruining things here too. You’re ruining more lives. Just like you’ve always did.”

With that last sentence, he melted away just as Rheya did before, leaving horrified Hiromi alone again. It’s not right, it’s not real, she repeated to herself in her head. It’s all fake, it’s all…

In the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.

“Tamaki?” she reached out hesitantly, but the other just backed away from her hand. “Is that you, Tamaki? Please tell me what’s happening.”

“You…” the taller woman spoke, a sob threatening to come out, “I hate you, so much.”

“…what?”

“I hate you!” Tamaki now shouted, “why can’t you treat me like a person? Am I even one to you? What does it take for you to even consider my feelings?”

She was sobbing by now. Hiromi tried to reach out again, putting her hands on the other’s arm. Upon the touch, the skin boiled, and began deforming itself. Her horrified expression met with the face of the taller woman, empty just like her father’s just moments ago.

“I wish I had never even met you…”

And melt. Her friend melted away in front of her, bones and muscles rotting away at an unbelievable speed, all turning into this mass that sank into the ground. It left nothing behind.

What was even happening right now? Hiromi’s mind couldn’t comprehend anything that her eyes were seeing, only the emotions that resulted from those events persisted. The only thing that she tried to keep away with all her might.

She didn’t have much time for her thoughts as another figure caught her eye. It was Moshi now. It was her, but… the face… why was it gone too?

“You never listen, do you?” Moshi spoke, regret in her voice, “would it kill you to sometimes listen to someone who knows better than you? Maybe then we wouldn’t have to get hurt because of you.”

“You’re not the pinnacle of wisdom that you think you are,” Moshi leaned towards Hiromi, “Now your unwise choices led us to this…”

“This is your fault.”

Moshi’s figure melted right in front of the demon, some of the mass landing on her skin, burning it. Hiromi backed away, trying to get rid off that thing on her at the same time. Unexpectedly, her back were met with something, causing her to stop in her tracks and turn around. Her eyes were met with Effole, faceless.

“You’re here only for the gain. Your existence has no purpose outside of what you can provide to us.”

“Don’t you think it would have been better without you anyway? So much problems would be gone. Just if you removed yourself.”

And melt.

So many voices of everyone she has met here, appear only to then melt. They all disappear, leaving Hiromi without a chance to say anything to them, to say “sorry”, to explain herself, to do anything. She tries to grab onto at least one of them, only to then be left with that mass on her hands, burning her skin.

All their featureless faces stare at her with no eyes, yet she still can feel their painful gaze on herself. She cannot help them when they’re melting away, and all they do is stare at her. They beg for her help, which she cannot give. Or do they? Maybe they really just want to get away, maybe…

A sudden noise got her out of her thoughts. As she looked up, she saw a familiar figure.

“…Miru?”

Short purple hair, adorned with short, pointy horns. but they looked… wrong.

Half of their left sleeve was ripped off, revealing some weird symbols that covered their skin, illuminating it with a slight white glow. The flesh itself looked almost rotten, way darker than the rest of their skin.

Upon hearing her speak, Miru’s head shot up, “You—!”

They attempted to jump at Hiromi, but were stopped by chains that tied around their limbs. The shackles in themselves were emanating the same light that the symbols did.

“You bitch! It’s all because of you!”

“I am imprisoned because of you! I’m stuck on my own planet… tortured. All day, every day… I— fuck! If you just didn’t exist in the first place…”

Abruptly, Miru began melting just like everyone before, but they screamed. They shrieked as if they were actually being burned alive, as if they could feel the skin being turned into a burnt goo. Nothing that Hiromi could have done or said, would help them, so she just watched. Her eyes taking in how the figure that was Miru turned into the same mysterious mass.

But it didn’t disappear. It started bubbling, boiling on the ground, reshaping itself into something different.

A human.

Before now was standing Ayami, still with the marks inflicted by Hiromi from the last time they saw each other.

“Why did you take my life? Do you feel good with yourself after doing this? With killing?”

“Dear me, you’ve sank so low, you can’t go back from this hole now.”

Just as quickly as she appeared, she melted away, leaving Hiromi with just her emotions. Her fear, her guilt, her sorrow.

There was nothing in her mind so the deepest parts of her heart were overtaking her. Slowly, bit by bit, eating away all her defenses.

The things that she tried to ignore are now swarming her like a sea of moths, unable to be ignored, uncontrollable.

Breathe in…

“…Hiromi?”

This gentle voice. The one that once used to sign the songs of the moon, cradle with its softness and share words of empathy. This familiar voice was the last one that Hiromi wanted to hear now.

She lifted her head once again, her eyes landing on that faceless creature. As she spoke, her voice betrayed the emotional state she was in.

“Mom…”

Hikaru just stared back with no eyes of her own, but her gaze could still be felt. It filled Hiromi with sorrow and longing for the old days, where they weren’t separated. It filled her with regret for what she has done, for ever even thinking of escaping that place that used to be her home.

“What have you done, dear? Why…”

Hiromi took cautious steps towards the other, chasing after the feeling of closeness. Even if the other wanted nothing to do with her.

“Mom, please—”

“How could you? Why did you do this to all those people? It’s not who I raised, no… I never thought I’d be so disappointed in you.”

She stopped, empty stare locked onto the figure in front of her. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, forgive me please, she begged inside her head. A thousand of unspoken pleads, reaching ears of no one.

Hiromi’s eyes filled with horror as Hikaru, too, slowly started to melt. The skin on her face like a hot wax was coming off of her body, hair falling off of the top of her head, turning to nothingness.

She desperately grabbed onto her mother’s cheeks, trying to keep the other’s face in place despite the burning sensations on her own skin that it caused. Yet despite her efforts, the chunks would fall off, one by one, sometimes falling on Hiromi’s arms.

The person who she held the dearest in her heart has, too, melted, leaving just the burns after. Her whole body felt like an inferno at this point, but she couldn’t care less. Her mind was filled only with the words spoken by them, all of them. They hurt way more than what her physical form was now feeling.

She fell to her knees in defeat.

Breath in, hold, breathe out.

Calm down.

For the love of everything, please calm down.

Please…

“Do you realize what you have done now?”

Hideo’s voice filled Hiromi’s head once again. She wanted to get it out so badly but she knew that this battle had a winner from the very beginning. There was no resistance to the stabbing of her bleeding heart by now.

“Do you see it? How you have destroyed everything?”

“You came here, to this planet, breaking so many rules and morals. All for your selfish reasons.”

“You treated everyone like shit because of your ego, always hurting them.”

“You became a burden to them because you can’t even act like a normal person.”

“You put everyone in danger because of your thoughtless acts with no regards for your illness.”

“You left everyone at home, with not a single thought about us, about how we’d feel with your actions.”

“You, you are the source of the problem, you absolute disgrace of a living being.”

“This punishment is your consequence.”

It all felt familiar now. The grass below her body was like the cold corridors of that mansion, footsteps reverberating in the distance, until it was right by her side.

Her eyes looked up to fully grasp the image of a person standing above her.

Just like in that moment, her brother was there, with a wild look in his eyes and his polearm in his hand. The blade was pointed straight at her. She knew the next move in this play.

Hiromi tried her best to swiftly get on her feet and run away but the other was quicker to act.

The blade quickly moved towards her back, but it didn’t slice her like before, no. This was the nightmare that she had after the first time it happened.

It pierced her spine, forcefully drilling itself into her body until it came out on the other side. Blood started spilling out of her like a waterfall. A monsterous shriek came out of her throat, filling the empty forest around with an almost deafening sound.

Pain shot through the entirety of her body and soul. It felt worse than anything she has ever experienced before by thousands, twisting her face into a wretched expression. She could bathe in that burning mass and it still wouldn’t be a fraction of what she was feeling now. Every nerve was screaming at her in agony, her vision hazy and hearing overtaken with her own voice. The outside world ceased to exist to her and time seemingly stopped in this agonizing moment.

She begged for this to finally end, but there was no one that would hear her out now. She felt the control of herself slowly slipping from her hands, so she decided to grasp it for the last time.

All those words were ringing in her head, her own voice muted by their volume.

Everything was spinning and burning, it all felt unreal.

She extended her arm, black tendrils coming out of it and moving towards her hand. At the end of which, a small blade materialized.

With one last look, she saw two figures. Rheya and Roux, looking at her with their piercing stares, as if they were controlling all her movements with just that.

She didn’t have strenght to fight back.

Hands, coming out of every place, grabbed her by anything they could. Limbs, torso, hair and face, covering her vision fully. Even more of them grabbed her arms, cupping both of her hands on the blade.

They guided it, pointing it at her throat.

Is this the end?

…Hiromi—

The hands thrusted the blade towards her. In a fraction of a second, countless black stripes shot out of her arms, attacking the entity, gripping all the hands and clenching all around them, causing them to disappear in a puff of smoke.

The stripes grabbed the hands that were holding the blade, trying to misdirect them from her body. They were quick enough to stop them from inflicting a lethal injury, but not to leave her unwounded.

Its sharp edge sliced the side of her neck, blood immediately gushing out of it upon contact.

More and more stripes came out as runes appeared on them, glowing, They shielded Hiromi from the army of hands, dispelling of them one by one.

The two hareans watched the scene unfolding before them, their expressions turning sour.

“Is this truly it?” Roux asked.

“It appears so.”

“What should we do now, then?” he further inquired, “if this reaches us—”

Rheya’s eyes narrowed, furious with what he was insinuating, even though she agreed with him. This thing, it truly could only be one thing — the seal, one of demon’s abilities.

“You’re almost at your limit anyway,” she sighed, “retreat.”

And so, Hiromi was now truly alone.

Without any strenght, she slumped to the ground, countless of the stripes wrapping around her like a protective shield. Blood was still dripping from her neck and phantom pains lingered where the polearm pierced throught her.

As her vision was coming to blur, she looked up once more to the sky, but there were no stars that night.

She put up no protest when the conciousness left her.