(I hate dragging you guys out even more than I already have, so I'll cut the crap and I'll just preface that updates will be relatively slow. I got a lot I'm having to deal with and most of the time I'm too burned out or I just wind up not working on the stuff at all. Added to that the fact that I'm ultra picky on what I put in here and I'm overcritical on myself for it. Despite that, I still appreciate seeing you guys see the work I put in the time and effort for. For now, things get interesting...ENJOY!!!)

The Next Day

???

"A-After all this time, she's alive??!!" The man on the other side of the phone, known as my husband, exclaims.

"Yes...honey. She is. I'm on my way to find a way to that island. I'm going to see her." I declare.

"That island has only just opened up to the general public, you don't know what to expect!"

"I expect to see our daughter there..."

"(Sigh) Please...baby...be careful. Don't do anything she would've done."

"You know that won't stop me. It didn't stop her."

"I know..."

"I still love you, babe."

"You too. Please call me when you get there."

"I will. Bye."

I hang up the phone and make my way to the boat I had to pay under the table to get a spot on, as most other places have been booked for weeks ahead of time. I get in the watercraft and secure myself alongside other passengers. The boat takes off and the anticipation only grows.

Michiru...for nigh on 2 years now you've been missing.

I suspected the worst until I saw you on that video dancing alongside that angel of a man, at least that's what he appeared to be, kind soul.

I hope to let you know I never forgot about you...nor has your father.

And soon...I can see you...my precious daughter...once more...

I'M COMING FOR YOU, SWEETIE!!!

Marie

"First official day, ladies and gent." Cato announces to us, walking along our line from eldest to youngest.

It's been a day since we've had that realization that there's more to our apparent conditions than our loss of our Beastman forms...

Scarecrow, when he injured us with his weapons, must've done something more to us.

And frankly...I'm disturbed to find out what inter-universal...thing he put into us.

"With your lack of native power, the only thing to supplant it is to begin with growing a new one. What we must do is to start by containing your power to it will grow." He explains.

Michiru raises her hand.

It's so weird to see that kid without her Beastman form.

Without it, she really is just a normal girl...

At least on the outside.

But that's what we all tell ourselves.

"Yes, Michiru?"

"Hasn't our power already been growing?" She asks.

Didn't we already ask that?

I'm not sure.

"Yes, but you need to start containing it. Right now, you guys are hemorrhaging power because you're not in the right mindset. I will help you do so and when you do, you will notice the differences instantly. Now I also need to mention that every universe reacts differently to this knowledge and power, so if you have some kind of...I dunno...bodily change, don't worry, it's normal." He says.

Nazuna leans into Michiru.

"Did he say 'bodily change'?" She comically asks.

"I don't think anything that'll happen will be really as bad as we think."

"Okay..."

"First things first. Shirou." Cato looks to our former wolfman friend. "Step forth."

The man in the trench coat does so, and looks at our blonde friend.

"What I want you to do is close your eyes. Stay calm. Shut off all senses to the outside world and only focus inwards. Focus on what you want to achieve, and it'll happen." He says.

We watch Shirou close his eyes, and seemingly become a statue of focus.

Shirou

Nothingness.

No sight, no colors, just blackness.

Not even any sound, surprisingly...almost disturbingly as my ears are supposed to be among the sharpest in the Beastman world...

Yet there is not a sound to be heard.

"You've made it." I hear Cato say. "Now. Feel around your being. Search for what seems to be the warmth escaping from you."

I do so, scouring myself everywhere to see if there exists what he describes.

Strangely, there is a part I come across that seems to be cool in a slightly unpleasant way.

Yeah, it matches the description.

The heat is escaping from me and seemingly out of my being.

"Now, focus on it. Give yourself the power to 'will' it closed."

'Will' it closed? What's that supposed to mean?

Do I just imagine it?

Or do I just treat it as if it were my physical form?

Then in that case it's like a muscle, I'll will it to move and that's what happens.

So...okay...I'm focusing on it.

The warmth escaping from me...you will not anymore. You are me...you are my power...you are not yourself, and I control this.

Suddenly, the 'leak' is sealed. The heat in the area rising slightly.

"Good. Continue to do so for every one that you find." Cato orders.

After that first one, I seem to instantly notice more 'leaks' around, and I take it upon myself to race to them, like a wolf prancing around a field making all ground dwellers seal their exits for when the apex passes. I seal them faster than when I did the first one. I seal one, then two, then 3, then another.

All the while the heat gets more intense, almost like an oven heating up, but it symbolizes my strength and control over myself.

Eventually...it gets to where I'm sealing the last one, and it's the most difficult out of all of them.

Come on...

Close...

I control this.

All this is me.

Nothing else.

No Alan...no Scarecrow...no pain caused at Nirvasyl or whatever worries me.

Whatever exists in life, all this within my being is nothing more than my strength, one thing above all else that I can have!

The voices of the denizens of Nirvasyl are cheering me on.

YOU ARE MY POWER! AND I COMMAND YOU TO STAY!

With my resolve strengthened, the final leak seals, and the heat within me begins to start swirling like a cyclone.

"Perfect." Cato commends me. "Now..."

I await his orders as I remain at the epicenter of the whirlwind of power.

"Reach out, Shirou. Lash the reins on this beast, tame this storm, place it under your absolute control. Grab ahold of it like you grab ahold of life, and never let go."

Doing as he says, boldly, I thrust out my imaginary arms and grab the apparent reins like I would if I was on a horse. I violently pull down the might of the tornado unrelentingly and stare it down as I do so.

When I figuratively get it to the ground, I pull it towards me, letting it envelop me and invigorate me.

"MAKE IT YOURS, SHIROU OGAMI! YOU! ARE! THE STORM!"

IT ALL COLLAPSES INTO ME, LIKE A BLACK HOLE ABSORBING EVERYTHING AROUND IT, AND I MERGE WITH THE POWER!

MY ENTIRE FORM SUDDENLY GETS ENERGIZED WITH WHAT I CAN ONLY DESCRIBE AS BEYOND ANYTHING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. TRANSCENDING EVEN FEELING ITSELF AND ME FEELING AS IF I JUST BECAME SOMETHING...

GREATER

"HAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"

Michiru

The one who I've come to know as my friend and mentor suddenly thrusts his eyes open and ROARS with a force like a mortar round exploding in front of us! The strength of which kicks us back slightly as we're left there, our jaws agape at the spontaneous change! A dust cloud surrounds Shirou when his legs embed themselves into the ground, causing craters to form where they are...

But the feeling of power is VERY evident.

When the smoke settles, we witness Shirou standing there...

A minimal, but noticeable, fiery aura of white energy coming off of his body. The same light even visible under his skin as the power channels through him.

The power emanating from him literally kicks up more debris around him as if he were generating wind itself, also causing his clothes to flutter in the force, his trench coat now looking more like a superhero's cape as it does the same.

He's...he's controlling it...!

The power! He's gotten control of it!

HE'S DONE IT!

When we look at his eyes...

His irises, too, are emitting that same white light.

"S-Shirou...?" I utter.

His eyes snap to me, and turns his head slightly.

I just about work up the courage to edge my way over to him, the feeling of his presence getting even stronger.

Damn...it's so tingly!

Almost electric, even!

"You...good?" I ask, not sure what else to say.

He looks to his form, observing the wonder that is the power he's unleashed, and then looking upwards.

Finally he looks to me...

And smiles.

"Yes."

His voice...it's like it's even magnified a little bit!

Th-this is amazing!

"Congratulations, Shirou Ogami. You have Unleashed your Awoken power." Cato commends him, smiling.

Shirou looks at his hands again and looks to Cato.

"Similar color." He chuckles.

Cato shares the laugh.

"Yes. It is." He smiles before looking to the rest of us. "Who's next? Fate waits for no one."

I initially try to encourage Nazuna to go, but she seems to beat me to it.

"You should go first. You've been through more than me, you need it." She insists.

"If that's what you want." I nod.

But as I go to Cato, I can't help but think about the look in Nazuna's eyes.

She's still carrying that guilt of what she's done.

I think...if my conjecture on all of us having nightmares based on our alternate selves mocking us...

Is her guilt being exacerbated because of it?

I'm...going to have to have a talk with her, eventually.

I approach Cato, the guy whose presence destroyed everything I knew about reality in general, and the one who showed me truths beyond my own. And that truth now, is that I'll be entering a new reality...

And a new power that I will be granted...alongside all the possibilities that come with it.

I stand right in front of Cato.

"You know what to do. I will guide you." He instructs me.

"Okay. So..."

"Close your eyes. No when, no want, no worry. Focus only within you."

Okay...and using what he told Shirou...

Shut off all senses, only feel within...

I close my eyes and enter my mind.

Okay...

It is unsettlingly quiet right now.

Didn't even think I had the capability to even shut off my hearing.

Guarantee you Shirou thought the same thing.

But yeah. Blackness all around. I'm only focusing on the feeling, not even touch.

"Remember as instructed before, feel where the warmth escapes and will it to be sealed."

I follow his directions, figuratively finding my way around and determining where to go based on the supposedly imaginative feeling of heat.

Hey, yeah, there is some coolness around here!

Yeah, it feels like a place where heat would escape.

So...will it to close...

Sounds...easy enough?

I stare at it, and attempt to think about it closing, and treating it as if it were a wound within me that I'd normally be able to heal if I was a Beastman.

I soon decide on mentally commanding...

'Close'

The moment I do, the cool feeling disappears, and the warmth in the area increases.

"Continue."

I follow Cato's next order and do so, finding even more as I gallop around in my psyche, using my willpower to close all the exits that my apparent power is escaping from me.

Okay, final seal...

Final step until I am Unleashed...

As I stand there, I take a moment to think about my life again.

I've seen what Cato can do with this, I just witnessed one of my friends take hold of this and become something more than just himself.

Once I do this...

No going back.

...

...

...

Ha! And I see nothing wrong with that!

I focus on it, feeling empowered to do so and doing so for the betterment of myself and others around me.

Eventually...

It's sealed.

The heat in my being has risen to a fever pitch, swirling around violently.

"Now Michiru...you know what to do..."

I mentally grin and I witness the reins within me, I snag them as they try to get away from me but I aggressively yank down, getting it to submit to me. I have to do it repetitively because it's exceptionally wild, but once I slam it down to the ground, it's broken.

I pull it towards myself and the submitting force surrounds me, seeping into my form and merging with me, finally becoming the tool I've needed.

I suddenly start to feel it...!

"CLAIM IT NOW! GO! BEYOND! HUMAN!"

My eyes shoot open.

I barely have the capacity to even see anything as my senses are overwhelmed by the power shooting through my body. The sound of energy exploding from my form saturates my ears as I emit the unrelenting force from me. My nerves feel like they're overloading, somehow in a good way, my body is facing the sky as my back is arched slightly. My feet dig themselves into the ground as the rest of my body lights up, even blinding me for a second.

When I open my eyes, I feel...

Calm.

Unnaturally calm despite the storm that I just experienced and became.

Like I've found a kind of peace I never knew I needed.

A serenity that surpasses all understanding.

It's...

Pleasant.

It's...

"Blue..."

I hear the sound of Cato whispering in front of me. I look at him as he has a face of...recognition? I look at my hands, and my body, and sure enough...

The fiery power exhuming from me emits traces of a deep sapphire blue.

The same color as my eyes when I was a Beastman...

Wait...

It's also the same color my eyes were glowing in my vision...

Cato seems to snap out of his recognition and gives me a smile.

"Michiru Kagemori...congratulations." He nods. "You've done it."

I bear witness to my form again and return the smile.

"Yes...I have." I say, my voice also seemingly empowered from my...well...power-up.

I take the liberty of taking my first steps, putting my right foot in and leaning on it, using it to follow up with my left foot, and so on.

I feel like I'm walking on air...!

Despite the fact that each step actually splinters the ground slightly when I do so...

It's...actually insane...

I walk over to Shirou, whose power still flares a pearly white.

He stares at me, and seemingly gives a smile of pride.

"Michiru...how much you have grown since we first met..." He says sentimentally, his pearl white glowing eyes matching my sapphire blue luminescent ones.

"Could say the same for you." I reply, and cheekily smile. "Dirty Wolf."

"Thief Tanuki." He raises his eyes, chuckling.

We share the laugh and look back towards the man who changed our lives.

He really is a miracle worker...

Because of him, I feel like I've regained what I've lost, and I don't think anyone else here could've provided that to us.

That's...just something to seriously think about.

Cato then turns to my orange-haired friend.

"Nazuna. Your turn." He instructs her.

Unlike me and Shirou, she seems hesitant.

"Cato...I know this is a chance for me to right my wrongs..." She says sheepishly. "I just still can't get over the magnitude in which I've hurt everyone, I know I'm supposed to at this point...but I just feel like I don't deserve the peace, much less this power."

He seems to think about this for a moment, and then walks over to her and gets eye-to-eye with her.

He sighs.

"I'm going to quote someone I...somewhat respect, Nazuna." He says, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Nobody deserves anything. Whether it be good or bad. It's just what happens in life that you just roll with. Make the most out of the cards you've been dealt, and you never know, you may beat the game." He summarizes. "Everyone's got sins, and some are truly unforgiveable, but with civil problems like this, redemption is possible. You just need to be the one to reach out for it, show that you want it and want to become better. You want this redemption, and you want to heal what you've harmed, and that's all you need. It's easy, you just need to say to yourself 'Do it', and you will."

This...seemingly deeper than intended saying looks like it gets to Nazuna, who also ponders about that.

She nods contently.

"Okay. I will do it." She promises.

"Now, let us continue." He says.

He goes through the same process as me and Shirou did.

Nazuna closes her eyes, letting Cato instruct her as well.

To think, my childhood best friend is now going to step up in existence and join us...

It's a weird feeling...a new feeling...actually.

What is it...?

Pride...in someone else?

Yeah...she came from someone wanting to become a star and sought fame, to someone seeking redemption for her sins and wanted forgiveness. She desires it.

Who am I to stop her in that?

"Ah!!!!!"

Though not a guttural scream as Shirou did, Nazuna's eyes shoot open with the force of her power being tamed. In the same concussive force, it pushes against us and her feet digging ground with her aura enveloping her, the same crater forming under her as well.

But what sets me back...is the color within her fiery aura...

Because when the light subsides...I see it...

Traces of...pink...or like a deep magenta...

It takes her a good moment before she slightly shambles her way out of the crater, also splintering the ground with each step.

When she looks her hands, she turns her head to us...

Her eyes are pink as well...

Again...from my dream...!

She, like me and Shirou, looks to Cato.

"Nazuna Hiwatashi...this is a new beginning for you."

She nods.

"You good?" I ask, my voice still slightly amplified from my power. "How...do you feel?"

Once more she looks to her hands, the fire within her being emitted around her and even off her skin, just like us.

"Magnificent..." She utters serenely, a grin forming on her face.

Cato, noticing she's still shambling slightly, guides her to us and helps her stand side by side to us before going back to Marie and Nina.

We bear witness to the sly woman and our youngest friend being attended to by Cato.

Marie chuckles.

"Kinda weird, huh? Started off as a street urchin and now I'm gonna be given a power beyond anything I've ever seen or experienced before." She says as-a-matter-of-factly.

"And here I am just wanting some freedom and having the same experience." Nina chuckles.

"I'm gonna try something a little different with you two." Cato announces, the two girls look to him. "Both of you do as I tell you at the same time."

"Why?" Nina asks, confused.

"More than likely in the future we'll need ways to expedite the process for multiple people instead of just one at a time, for emergency situations. I want to see if I can do it with you two." He explains.

"Okay..." Marie raises her eyebrow.

"The two of you. You know the process. Close your eyes, follow my instructions." He orders.

The girls do so, the same process as us follows...and their presence intensifies as they start taking hold of their power and containing it within their bodies.

"AH!"

"AAH!!!"

Marie and Nina soon join us in this fate...the two of them also having their dramatic explosive power Unleashing, forcing debris back one more time and destroying the ground again while they're at it.

When the light comes to...

This time...

Marie's aura has traces of emerald-green, and Nina's has that of a baby-blue...

Cato smiles once more, and walks up to them as they look up to him.

Marie's eyes are also a luminescent emerald-green, as is Nina's with her same baby-blue hue...

"Now...there is one more thing for you all to do." He announces, gesturing to all of us.

He walks in between all 5 of us and eyes us up.

"You need to be able to extinguish and Ignite these Auras at will. As of right now you feel the power as a raging fire within, now use your willpower to reduce the power to an undying ember inside of you." He explains. "You have control of it, but now the presence is radiating, so you need to learn to contain that as well."

Okay...

Flame within, down to an ember.

I breathe deeply, focusing on my power that has been made manifest outside.

Bring it back in...

Closing my eyes, and as if you place a lid atop a candle, I command the raging storm within me to be quelled, as there is no need for it right now.

As I do, I open my eyes to witness the blue flames around me begin to dissipate, and seep back into me all the while.

I look at my friends, Shirou's white fire, Nazuna's pink/magenta flames, Nina's baby-blue blaze, and Marie's emerald-green aura all become quelled and also be drawn back into their forms like a vacuum sucking up smoke.

We all take a deep breath, the flames still being within us, just not visual right now.

Cato gives us a small round of applause.

"And thus, you are all now ready." He smiles. "How do you feel?"

"Controlled..." I utter.

"Collected..." Nazuna adds.

"Good." He says. "With that, let us begin."

He leads us further into the field to where we have more open space to work with.

"With your power now Unleashed and controlled, it will continuously grow. Like embers of a flame, you must stoke it. You do so by training, and what we'll start with is by sparring." He says. "You all know how to fight already, at least relatively so, minus Nina. Both you and I will show her."

Sparring? Already?

And yeah, Nina definitely isn't a fighter...yet...

"Michiru, Nazuna. Come forth."

US?!

Uh...

We look at each other, uneasy.

The last time we technically 'fought'...

Was when we had our fallout before the Nirvasyl incident...

Even then we never actually threw hands at each other, more passive-aggressive...and aggressive remarks.

I mean...Cato hasn't failed us at all...

No reason not to trust him now...I guess.

Me and my friend do as we're told, walking towards him and standing tall.

"For formalities, bow to each other."

Keeping eye contact as we do, we slowly and methodically bow, like the traditional Japanese greeting.

"Turn away and walk 10 paces."

Okay...turning.

Walking...

...

10 paces...

And there.

"Face each other."

I turn 180 degrees to witness my friend, both of us getting the impression we're about to throw hands at each other.

"Ladies." He looks at us individually. "Ready?"

We nod.

"Stances."

I shift my feet into an agile place, and hold my hands up in a martial arts position, Nazuna does the same except a little more daintily.

"Remember this isn't personal, it's meant for-"

"OH, JUST FIGHT ALREADY!!!!" Marie screams, Cato rolls his eyes.

"May the best warrior win! FIGHT!!"

Taking the initiative, as well as a deep breath, I engage by using my front facing leg to launch me towards Nazuna.

Readying herself, she braces for when we make contact.

Not sure how to do this, I throw a jab at her, making her sidestep it.

Must've been from when she learned basic self-defense under the Sylvasta reign.

I follow up with another jab, which she parries, surprisingly countering with her own punch to which I wind up responding to my own at the exact same time.

The result is the two of us landing our own punches on each other's faces, my right hook to her left cheek, and her left jab to my right cheek.

Normally, based on my assumptions, I'd imagine we'd just recoil from the pain.

However...given we've just been given access to interdimensional knowledge of power...

We wind up throwing ourselves at least a few meters back from the force of our punches.

I recuperate myself by thrusting my hand into the ground, stopping myself while Nazuna stumbles. Taking the initiative, I launch myself in a sprint to catch her off-guard.

However, when I throw a punch at her, she manages to sidestep it, using my momentum against me and grabbing my arm, throwing me over her shoulders and onto the ground.

Dang, aggressive Aikido much?

She tries to go all Jiu Jitsu on me by keeping me on the ground, but I retaliate by repositioning my legs to kick her away.

I kick myself up gracefully and recuperate, before she charges back at me. She goes for a hook, which I block, following up with another, that I block again. I parry with a rapid jab to her side, when she recoils from the low hit, I try to grab her arm to set her up for the same throw she did, but she surprisingly manages to counter it by using her momentum to pull herself closer and kneeing me in the gut.

She pulls the same move by throwing me over her shoulders. Learning from my mistake, I maintain my grip on her and make my feet land on the ground, using my own momentum to throw her over MY shoulders.

Yeah, Nazuna, I'm a quick learner.

How 'bout you?

She tumbles for a bit before flipping back to her feet, using them to stop herself.

We get ready to charge at each other again, before Cato raises his hand.

"CEASE!"

We glance at him for a moment, and relent, the duel now over as per Cato's order.

He applauds us with a smile.

"Good, girls. So far, given your previous history, you're already adept at hand-to-hand combat. That'll be perfect, so we can move on relatively quickly to more advanced and mixed stuff like weapons." He explains.

"What kinds of weapons?" I ask.

"Whatever works with you. It's good to know how to use any weapon sufficiently, but it never hurts to have a weapon to use extra efficiently."

"Ah."

"Now, Shirou, Marie. Your turn." He commands, the two of them come forth.

We take their places where they once were, and vice versa.

"Would ask if ya' wouldn't hit a lady, but I know ya' don't discriminate." Marie quips.

"No. I don't." Shirou says as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Well...I don't either." She grins.

"FIGHT!"

Marie starts by slowly walking towards Shirou while the latter stares her down.

I know that this is meant to gauge where we are in our Awakened human forms...

But Shirou's got more experience than all of us...

Marie raises an eyebrow at him, as if nonverbally teasing him on what he's gonna do.

When she gets close enough to him...

She tries a little lunge forward to psych him out, but he doesn't react. Instead, impatient, she just follows up by jabbing at him, but he redirects it and socks her in the face. She retaliates by throwing a roundhouse at him which he blocks, adding to the combo a low kick and a high kick, also getting blocked. He throws a hook at her, but she just about blocks it, parrying with a gut punch to Shirou. He parries, surprisingly, by slamming his hands into her ears, discombobulating her. She throws a wild hook which Shirou blocks, only to be met with another face punch. Marie goes for a leg sweep after receiving such, and manages to get Shirou with it. Before she can get at him more, he rolls to the side and kicks himself up.

Marie front kicks at him, but he sidesteps it. She goes for a downward fist strike but he blocks it, as well as the follow up feral left towards his head. He parries by throwing two fists towards her head, but sidesteps the first and weaves around the second, using her momentum to slam her leg right into Shirou's sternum. Surprised by it, he rotates 360 degrees and sends an elbow right at her, she blocks it and the two are locked in a brief grapple.

Or should I say, as Cato said, a Clash.

"Not bad for a 1000-year-old wolf boy." She smirks.

"Slick for a street mink." He retorts.

So it seems whereas Nazuna and I are more evenly matched when it comes to our stats, Shirou is clearly the powerhouse here, but Marie is making up for her disadvantages with her speed and mobility.

Kind of like a FromSoftware game where you're clearly the underpowered one, but you're nimble enough to dodge everything and do all the damage you need.

I mean, what good is power if you can't hit your target?

Shirou breaks the Clash and tries to punch Marie away, but in a move I guarantee you she saw somewhere else, she throws the top half of her body back as if she were doing a backflip, and Shirou's fist goes right over her. In turn, Marie's legs follow upwards, getting sent flying towards Shirou's jaw and slamming right into it, throwing him back a bit.

Damn, even without her Beastman form, she's VERY nimble!

She lands and recuperates gracefully and faces Shirou down once more.

He rubs his jaw and looks at Marie, impressed at the length of her skills.

"Cease."

The two of them lower their stances, the bout having ended.

"Seems becoming human hadn't worn down your deftness." Shirou compliments her.

"Nah. That's the physical aspect. The greatest weapon-" Marie starts.

"Is the one between your eyes." Shirou finishes, pointing towards the top of his nose. "I know."

"Alright, guys. You did exceptionally well. Consider your skills gauged. With that, I know we can progress even that much further."

"What about me?" Nina asks.

Shirou and Marie enter casual talk while I listen closer to Cato and Nina's conversation

"We'll be helping you every step of the way, Nina. Just had to get this out of the way because, well...you know what happened." He says somberly.

"I wouldn't wish such a fate on anyone...especially after the whole Sylvasta incident was literally about the eradication of Beastmen, from their DNA and all that." She says. "And now despite everything, they suffer from that now."

"It's why we're training now. They're underpowered and they have to get stronger. As you do, Nina." He says.

"I know. I volunteered for this." She looks at him as she says that.

"We never force this life on anyone who doesn't desire it. We at least encourage them to do so, and that's normally what inspires them to do so, but we never hold anyone against their will and order them to fight...unlike what the Demons do with their Influence..."

"What is that Influence...?"

"Didn't I mention this already?" Cato whispers. "It's how the Demons attain their masses. They force their way into your being...and slowly but surely assimilate you into...well...them. Some willing, such as those with previous malicious intent...and others unwilling when they have certain aspects that they desire."

"Oh..."

"Yeah. It's worse than it sounds." He says, but shrugs it off and looks to us, getting our attention as he speaks. "All of you, start sparring some more. Mix and mash it up with each other, I'll get started with training Nina."

We all nod collectively as we decide to swap partners.

Me with Marie, and Nazuna with Shirou.

Next, we'll do me and Shirou and Nazuna with Marie.

In the meantime, I see Cato getting Nina into position, showing her the ropes on stances and basic strikes, parries, blocks, dodging, etc.

I get the feeling she's gonna do extremely well.

There's no doubt in my mind!

SCARECROW

"Hm..."

Been probing around this place for a while...wanted to see if there was hell to raise...and I think I've found some.

Big ole' island with maximum security prison?

Dead giveaway.

Yunno...speaking of probing...

I still got all records of those girls and that guy with their fears stored in my little ole' head.

Nearly all of them tie back to what I'm sensing in this place.

Let's take a little trip...shall we?

I toss my sickles into the air, leading to the top of the facility and yank myself high into the sky and aggressively climbing my way up. I reach the top and land like the supervillain I am.

I witness some little denizens of this world spot me, and they transform into those same little animals and charge at me.

I simply dodge and weave their attacks, slashing and stabbing my way through, even going as far as hooking them and slamming them into each other. My sickles instantly neutralize their powers so they're either in agony without their healing factors or just straight up dead from shock or being bisected.

In case the fear I emanated from myself wasn't enough a warning to back the f*ck off...

Eventually I come across a highly advanced door with thick steel. Not exactly in the mood to be hacking away all day at this, so I just find some other little termite on the ground and conjure up a little nightmare for him. He goes into the consequential state of mania and believes that to escape, he needs to open the door only he knows how to, and he does in a few moments.

I thank him by slamming his head into the ground, not even caring if he's dead or not.

If he is...I want him to spread the word...

As the mighty doors open, I find myself walking in and greeting a little hallway of seemingly formerly dangerous individuals who witness me, and crawl back at seeing my presence.

Smart.

Nearing the end, I find some guy with broken glasses with an already-manic state about him.

"Dessesz Louve...Dessesz Louve...I'll be with you one day..."

I probe him and find he's talking about a barely legal girl.

Hey, I'm a fear-inducing nightmare of a monster, but at least I have class.

Relatively speaking.

He'll work better as a puppet if I brainwash him.

In the meantime, I see what seems to be the apex of these people here...

A young, blonde man who is doing pushups, but stops once he sees me.

I stare at him and he stares at me, slowly getting to his feet as he does.

He sniffs the air and recoils as if he picked up a rancid smell.

Which it is.

"What...the f*ck...are you...?" The young man utters, shivering at being in my presence for the first time.

"You first."

"I...am Alan Sylvasta. Former CEO of Sylvasta Pharmaceuticals...and prisoner here on New Alcatraz, as you see." He just about manages to get out. "Now tell me...whatever abomination stands in front of me...what kind of hell did you spawn from...?"

"The hellraising kind... the one that would like to see a show. The kind that senses you were a hellraiser...someone to be feared..."

"Yeah...I WAS feared...until that bastard Shirou Ogami decided to dishonor me by showing me 'mercy' despite me literally having all his people killed and had me and my men sent here." He growls.

"Then he was a professional kind of stupid for not finishing you."

"EXACTLY!" He says.

"Up for some revenge...huh?"

"If you'd do so without any catches..." He glares at me skeptically.

"Oh please, from you there is nothing I'd desire in return, aside from you putting on a bit of a new show."

"Then unchain me, abomination."

"There are such things as too many compliments."

I swing my sickles once in opposite directions cutting through the plexiglass, and then another in a perpendicular direction, creating a little rectangular opening for this Alan Sylvasta to walk through.

He chuckles.

"Mind doing the same for my associates?"

I oblige him and in several circular swings as I dart down and back in the hallway, I create more openings for the little maniacs to be freed.

"You know, I no longer care what you are. You freed us, and I thank you for that." He grins.

"Only payment is you go out and raise hell...Mr. Sylvasta."

"And that I will...Mr...?"

"SCARECROW..."

"You certainly look the part. I hope to see you around..." He thanks me as he and his little army all charge away, with that one creepy guy even more manic than others shouting about that girl.

I grin maliciously...knowing the absolute entertainment I'll be witnessing very soon as I walk out the front door.

Until I pick up another presence.

One that is like mine...sinister.

And I already enjoy it.

"Ya don't needa hide. Ya didn't come for these guys."

The being I picked up appears behind me in the entrance.

I turn around to see the black and white masked individual with a black and white business suit.

He speaks in a distorted electronic voice.

"Never come across one of you guys for a good long while now. You don't even realize how rare you are."

"And what would you be?"

"I am of the Demons."

"Sick name. What do you see me as?"

"An Anomaly...Scarecrow. And an opportunity."

"Heh...ya know my name already."

"A fitting one, at that. One thing else I find fitting is the similarity you and my people have in common."

"The love for battle? The raising of hell?"

"That and the desire to get stronger."

"Ya ain't wrong..."

"Then I propose a little something."

"Say nothin' more...Mr. Demon. Just let it all begin..."

"And begin...it shall."

I grin at seeing how this day has gotten so exponentially better for me.

After everything this is the cherry on top...!

Things...have just gotten most interesting...

Chapter End