The air was thick with the same oppressive silence as before. The woman's words echoed in my mind, their weight pressing down on me like a stone. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had just been shown a glimpse of something far beyond my understanding—a truth so massive it threatened to break my mind in half.
"Control both sides of yourself…" I muttered under my breath, the words tasting foreign on my tongue.
As I stood there, lost in my thoughts, the world around me began to shift once more. The ground trembled lightly, and I felt a strange vibration beneath my feet. My body tensed instinctively, every muscle on alert. Something was coming.
I wasn't alone.
Suddenly, from the distance, I caught sight of figures moving toward me. At first, they were mere shadows, indistinct, their forms flickering in and out of focus. But as they grew closer, the silhouettes became clearer—more solid, more real. The figures were humanoid, but their movements were unnatural, almost jerky, as if they weren't quite at home in this world.
The first of them broke into a run, its speed unnerving as it closed the distance between us. It was a man, or at least, he appeared to be one. His features were twisted, his skin pale and almost translucent, as though he had been stripped of his humanity. His eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and his mouth was twisted into a grin that spoke of madness.
Without warning, he lunged at me, a grotesque, monstrous arm swinging toward my face. My instincts flared, and I barely managed to dodge the strike, rolling to the side as the creature's claws scraped the air where I had been standing.
I was on my feet in an instant, my kagune unfurling, the tendrils of dark energy snapping and crackling. This was no ordinary opponent. This was something else entirely.
The creature grinned wider, revealing sharp, serrated teeth as it advanced on me, its movements erratic but deliberate. There was something familiar about it, something that gnawed at the back of my mind.
"Come on," it hissed, its voice like nails scraping against stone. "Fight me."
I clenched my fists, my heart pounding in my chest. I wasn't just fighting for survival anymore. I was fighting for answers—answers that I couldn't afford to ignore.
With a growl, I charged, my kagune slashing through the air. The creature dodged and countered with frightening precision, its claws tearing into the ground with a deafening screech. It was fast, far faster than anything I had encountered before.
"Who are you?" I demanded, my voice tight with frustration. "What do you want from me?"
The creature's grin widened, its eyes flickering with what could only be described as amusement. "I am nothing but a shadow, a reflection of what you fear," it answered cryptically. "But you… you are something far greater. I've been waiting for you, for the moment you would finally awaken."
I narrowed my eyes, my mind racing. This wasn't just some random ghoul or freak. This thing, this creature, knew exactly what was happening. It knew who I was—and what I was becoming.
With renewed determination, I surged forward, my kagune wrapping around my fist as I swung toward the creature's chest. It ducked, its body moving like liquid, and retaliated with a flurry of slashes that left deep gouges in the earth. I barely managed to avoid the worst of it, but one of the claws grazed my side, sending a shock of pain through me.
I hissed, the pain fueling my anger. "Enough of this!"
I slammed my foot into the ground, my kagune extending outward in a massive arc. The creature's eyes widened, but it was too slow to react. The tendrils wrapped around it, pinning it in place.
With a roar, I thrust my other hand forward, driving my kagune through its chest. The creature let out a shrill scream, its body spasming before it went limp in my grip. I could feel the darkness that had once felt so foreign to me now coursing through my veins, like an old friend returning after a long absence.
As the creature dissolved into nothingness, I took a deep breath, my body still thrumming with energy. The world around me was silent once again, but the tension in the air remained.
I stood there for a moment, trying to catch my breath, before I turned my gaze to the horizon. The woman's words echoed once more, louder now. "The true battle is not against Miyu or anyone else. It's against yourself."
What did she mean by that? Was this creature somehow connected to me? Was it a test? Or something far worse?
Before I could contemplate any further, the ground beneath my feet trembled again, more violently this time. I staggered, barely managing to keep my balance as a deep rumble shook the earth. The vibration was so intense that I felt it in my bones.
And then, from the distance, I saw them. More figures, far larger than the one I had just defeated. They were monstrous in size, towering over me like giants, their forms covered in dark, jagged armor.
They were coming for me.