Being surrounded by nothing but pure black........Yuka looked around, then at her arm to see it reattached.....yet completely coated with black ink...........

Yuka:.......never expected the afterlife to be........like this.......

Yuka stepped and began to walk in the pure void.....noticing that she was standing within even more black ink.....living up her shoes to see it slowly drip from off of her.

Yuka:.........what is this stuff?.......HELLO!!!?......ANYONE!!?

She called out and only heard a response of her own echos.........she sighed and shook her head......looking at her black arm.......shaking it a little to try and flick off the black ink on her skin.......the black Ink only creeped onto her more, which made her uncontrollably grumble before shaking her hand fast and recklessly.

Yuka: get....off! Dammit!

???:....Yuka.....

Yuka stopped after hearing her name from the distance behind her.....she turned around and looked back into the inescapable void, but this time, she wasn't alone. A slight distance away from her was no one other but Yumi............Yumi's back was facing towards Yuka....making her unable to see her face.........

Yuka:.....Yumi?.......

The simple name of her sister slipping from her mouth was enough to make an echo.....and even though she called back, Yumi did not turn to face her......unintentionally........Yuka's body began to move on it's own, walking through the black ink that surrounded her......holding her hand out towards her sister.....

Yuka: Y-Yumi.........Yumi.......

Yuka's walking began to pick up the pace until the Octoling was running directly for Yumi, gritting her teeth in the process. She felt a tear flow down her cheek as she hugged her sister from behind.......burying her head in Yumi's shoulder.

Yuka: YUMI!........w-why are you.....No I......I'm sorry! I don't-....

Yuka felt her emotions run wild within her, which made her back away gently from her sister after seeing no response from her....not even a body gesture for a sign of acknowledgement.......

Yuka:..........Yumi, I'm............I'm sorry!! I just........j-just.......I couldn't keep my promise!............I got carried away........my goal........my love for you........I just wanted.........to be the best.........for you...

She sniffled a little and wiped her face, noticing her tear drops fall within the black ink below, but oddly burn as they touched the ink, emitting a tiny stream of smoke.....

Yuka:..........did you.......did you even want any of this?............did you.......want me to save you......to help.....you?......linking you back within the family........reminding you of them....the ones who caused you the most pain.........

Yumi:.......

Yuka:...........I was an embarrassment to you.....wasn't I?..........I treated you.....like a child.........no......a baby.....the main reason why..........you get pushed around so much.............by the soldiers...........is because of me....

Yumi:.......

Yuka:......I was a horrible sister......a bunch of soldiers knew.........they knew about my title.........me: a squadron leader......who got pushed down to only be a lunch lady and janitor..............they knew you for.....being my younger sister.........teasing you......that you'd end up like me some day.

Yuka's body completely stopped......for the last time.........Yumi kept her back turned.......face out of sight.......which only made Yuka's heart drop.........she allowed her tears to fall........looking down at the black ink........

Yuka:.......I was reckless........I didn't think about the consequences of evolving my strength to it's peak.........I would go everyday.......hearing the words......."disappointment"......."a waste of potential"............"a sorry excuse for an older sister".....but I never gave in until now........realizing the pure greed from others......they only.......wanted me for my strength and nothing more........I refused to give them my full support.....i never wanted their dreams to come true.....

Her eyes shifted up towards Yumi......she felt a big sense of guilt pass by her body..........she hesitated........but then gently placed her hand on Yumi's back.....

Yuka:....Yumi, I-

Yumi: don't touch me........

Yuka felt the cold remark completely flush over her.........she wanted to speak, but then saw Yumi turn her head and body around to face her.

Yumi:........you are nothing but a disgrace........

Yuka:......

Yuka looked at Yumi, face-to-face....but Yuka realized that.......something was off....Yumi's eyes were blood red.....her teeth were razor sharp.....covering her lower face with a smile.....laughing a little towards her.......

Yuka:..........Y-Yumi?.............w-why are......you.........

Just then, Yuka felt a hard squeeze around her ankles, a squeeze that was enough to cut off her blood circulation. She looked down and saw a pair of hands emerge from the ink blow her, covered with said-ink.

Yuka immediately tried to react after getting caught off guard. She quickly tried to pull her legs away, but it was no use, and she soon felt her legs get dragged down within the ink.

Yuka: let go!!! Stop!! Yumi-

Yuka reached her hand towards Yumi, but was dragged down until her whole body was within the black ink. Her eyes widened since she didn't have the time to take a proper breath. She sunk lower and lower, grabbing her own neck as she began to drown within the Ink, wailing in fear.

Yuka:...............(.........w-what have........I.......done?......)......

Her movements slowed........her hands dropped.......and her eyes closed.....but before it was all over.......she saw Yumi......looking down into the ink....watching her suffer..........but she had no words.......letting out one last breath.........her eyes.......her life......and her story.....came to a close.......

~~~~~
~~~~~

???: HAHA!! A SUCCESS!!!!

In an unlikely trance.......Yuka opened her eyes slowly..........unaware of her surroundings............her blurry vision slowly faded.......and the first noise she made was a tiny groan........her attention however was caught by the rapid clapping of an Inkling's hands...she wanted to move her head to face the figure, but her body was still too limp to do so...

Luckily instead of moving her own body, the Inkling moved hers instead and looked down on Yuka.

???: Good morning, sleepy heeeeeead!

Not a single response.........nor mumble was heard from Yuka........she looked straight at the Inkling........her blood red eyes......razor sharp teeth......and her unnerving aura.......

She tried to open her mouth to speak, but only slight gibberish emerged, and her body began to cough up blood as a result, which made the Inkling smile at her once more before grabbing a napkin and wiping the blood from her face.

???: eeeeasy now~......your body needs a biiiit more time to adjust itself~.......

Yuka began to breathe heavily as she tried to move her body, only making her arms slightly twitch at first. She tried to soak in her surroundings once more, but not have any hint on where she exactly was.

Her body twitched more and more, then her twitching slowly turned into small, segmented limb movements.....as her breaths increased, her movements merged together once more slowly but surely. Yuka fell off the bed and worried the Inkling before her who put a hand over her mouth to slightly hide her giggle underneath.

???: oh my~.....

Yuka:.....Y-Yu...........

She lifted her head from the ground as she gritted her teeth and used her strength to push further. The Inkling began to see Yuka move her fingers to one of her hands, than her fingers of her other.......sliding her hands across the floor with her limp arms.

She panted from exhaustion as the Inkling simply watched her little struggle, leaning over Yuka's bed with her chin on her palm.

???: almost~.....c'mon sweetheart~

Yuka felt more blood slowly flow from her mouth for every exhale she took. She slowly raised her arms and then used her hands to push herself off the ground, arching her body upwards in the process.

The Inkling girl giggled and finally decided to help Yuka by sliding over her bed to meet her on the other side. She offered her hands to Yuka, and as the Octo shook uncontrollably, she hesitated......yet still reached over towards the Inkling, holding onto her hands, then was pulled up from the ground.

Yuka:.....*pant*.......*pant*.......

???: I'm quite impressed, little Octo. You should've been paralyzed for at least a day......but you pushed through....*giggles*....looks like I miscalculated~

Yuka looked at the Inkling as her legs wiggled rapidly due to their limp state. She averted her attention to her legs....staring in shock when she noticed her right leg, completely covered with black ink.......she lifted her right hand to see the black ink on there as well, exactly like how it was in her dream.

Angelica: let's start off with our first words being our names, okay?~...my name is Angelica~

Yuka:..........

She took a little breath and composed herself by concentrating, which only made Angelica smile more. Her legs straightened, and Angelica let her go after knowing that no more assistance was necessary.

Yuka looked back at Angelica after she caught her breath......and at first, she hesitated, but then opened her mouth to speak towards her.

Yuka:.....Y-....Yuka..

Angelica: *gasp* that's adorable! And it's also quite unique.....I like it~....

Yuka:.....how did I........get here?........

Angelica: well I obviously took you here, dummy~

Yuka:..........

Yuka saw Angelica approach her with a nice smile, leaning close to her ear.

Angelica: before you ask~........no....this is not a dream~......

Angelica bit Yuka's ear, which made her jump slightly and grab her own ear with a disgusted face, but she simply watched Angelica walk past her and giggle within the process. She frowned at the Inkling before thinking to herself....and slowly following her while still not trying to fall in the process.

Yuka: w-wait!

Angelica: mm?

Yuka: uh.........look......

Yuka felt slightly embarrassed as she saw Angelica reaching her hand out to the exit door to the room. The moment she saw Angelica look back at her with a smirk, then cross her arms as she leaned up against the door instead of opening it, Yuka rubbed her arm slightly as she mainly averted her attention to the floor.

Yuka: t-this....is completely confusing......I don't know.....w-who you are......where I am.....or how I'm......a-alive........but.......thank you....Angelica.....

Angelica:.......

Yuka: you.......gave me another chance......so I highly apprecia-

Just then, Yuka heard a snicker before her....which made her stop within her statement.....she hesitantly looked up from the ground to see Angelica holding her hand over her own mouth with her eyes shut, covering up constant giggles.

Yuka:............what.....w-what's so funny?.......

Angelica began to burst out with laughter and hold her stomach as tears rolled down her face. Yuka simply stared at the Inkling in confusion, but also annoyance.....

Yuka: look, I'm just trying to be nice, alright!?......there's no need to laugh at my damn gratitude.......

Angelica: oh no no no, your gratitude is adorable......*snickers* but c'mon, silly! Look at yourself!

Yuka:......what?....

Angelica: do you actually think I "saved" your life?~.............

Yuka:....

Angelica: you're dead, dummy! C'mon, I thought that was obvious!

Yuka:............wait.......what are you......

Angelica: look........I saved YOU......but I didn't save your LIFE........does that make a bit more sense, cutie?~.....

Yuka:.....so I'm..........l'm just........a walking corpse?..........is that what you're trying to say?........

Angelica: precisely!

Yuka:.........but this doesn't hide from the fact that........this is just stupid......I'm walking.....I'm talking....I'm breathing......I can feel my heart pumping............I FEEL alive.....

Angelica simply stared at Yuka with a small grin.....she leaned off of the door and grabbed the handle after turning around, opening the door and looking back towards Yuka, nudging her head to her direction.

Angelica:....come with me....

Yuka stayed silent and simply walked towards the Inkling with concern. She walked past Angelica and out of the door......and she was instantly caught within a trance........

Before her, Yuka stared off into a gigantic blue atmosphere.....consisting of broken buildings, damaged cars, and floating black orbs of ink all around her.......she stood in amazement......and when she looked into the sky......she saw the moon.......coated in blue......standing tall and proud above the destruction before her eyes.

Yuka:........where........w-what.......what is..............this?.........where are we?.........

Angelica: Ms. Yuka~.......welcome......to Nocturnal~......my home.....

Yuka:...........Nocturnal?.....

Angelica walked past Yuka, and she quietly began to catch up and walk alongside her.......seeing her little smile as she looked off into the area.

Angelica:.......Nocturnal.......is a limbo realm.....a dimension from Ink as you could say.......this location is a slim segment.....located at the very top of the Metro......yet below the ground from the surface world.....

Yuka:..........

Angelica:.....this is where everything goes when it dies.......even structures and objects..........when a building gets demolished on the surface world......it gets rebuilt within here.............and I......

Angelica looked over at Yuka and continued to walk straight forward with her. Yuka began to notice the ground before them stop completely, leading into the endless abyss below, which made her stop completely and stumble a bit......she looked at Angelica and saw her motions continue, stepping off the ledge, with Yuka believing that she was walking to her death....but before her.....Yuka saw a Stone hover within the air, allowing Angelica to step onto it, then a car soon came afterwards, creating a staircase for herself.....

Angelica: am the god of this realm......this is my playground~......all thanks to my mama......

Yuka:.......your mother?.....

Angelica:.......I give you my thanks~....for killing some of those codes~........it relieved some stress off my shoulders.........

Yuka saw Angelica hop to the top of a jagged building, gesturing her to follow......and she deeply hesitated, but then stepped her foot over the ledge, placing it onto the staircase that was made. She walked up the staircase pretty quickly before hopping off next to the Inkling once more.....continuing their walk.......

Yuka:........those children?........

Angelica:.....they were created by their professor.........and their sole purpose is to destroy this place.............a place that is needed for balance.............peace within the aspect of life.......

Angelica and Yuka walked up to a black floating orb of ink that was coated with an aura of blue.....Angelica held out her hand and Yuka watched as the orb morphed in her hand to represent a soul of an Octoling after being splatted.......

Angelica: an Octoling or Inkling who dies within the Metro.....will be transferred to this realm instead of the afterlife..........extracting their negativity and horrible desires...........

Yuka:.....why?.....

Angelica: so they can be reborn as a new being.....a beautiful, kindhearted cephalopod.......this place is a cleansing realm.....erasing the negative spirits.....my mother was the founder of this realm......she managed to gain control of this area.....but the Professor of the codes killed her because of her selfishness and greed.....so the role was passed onto me......

Yuka:......

Angelica: the professor took aspects of this realm and used it within her blend of Inkling and Octoling DNA to create the perfect being......a cephalopod who would stand against me and kill me one day.......and they will have access to this place, which will allow the professor to control the world............you obviously know how the aspects of Ink work......correct?...

Yuka:.........*nods*......

Angelica: Turfing......the love for splatting your opponents......it sends many emotions through your body....but potentially the biggest emotion.......is anger............within the ink you fire from your weapon......it varies on how powerful it can be...........when ink dissolves after a match....it becomes airborne.....acting as a disease......

Yuka:.....

Angelica: this place acts like a trash can for the dissolving ink.........absorbing it from the surface world to keep the minds of cephalopods safe and happy.......because if it didn't......the airborne disease would spread to many homes......Inkopolis.....corrupting the minds of innocents.....making them ruthless.....

Angelica stopped in her tracks and looked at the ground, which made Yuka stop as well..........then Angelica turned her head towards Yuka.......

Angelica:.....hey...........answer this for me.......

Yuka stood confused at Angelica's statement, but within the literal blink of an eye, Angelica pulled out her signature knife and quickly sliced across Yuka's stomach at the speed of light. Blood shot from Yuka's stomach and her eyes widened in shock, instinctively grabbing her stomach to stop the blood flow. When she looked at the Inkling once again, she saw her giggle a little while looking into her eyes.

Angelica: did that hurt?~......

Yuka: YES YOU FUCKI-

Angelica: *smirk*.....

Yuka could only stand and be slightly puzzled from her own nerves within her body.....she looked down at her stomach.....slowly removing her hands from the slash Angelica gave her.....but then she saw the slash heal itself....leaving not even a scar on her....

Yuka:............no.......

Angelica: thought so.....I just wanted to show you a benefit you have over others~...........and another benefit as well would be your access to this realm.....

Yuka: what do you mean?......

Angelica: if a normal living creature enters this place.......their body will be slowly used as a vessel......absorbing the ink or blood from their bodies until they die......which is why I try to make sure nobody enters this death trap~.......

Yuka: and I'm an exception?

Angelica: yes. You are dead, so you have no form of life to strip away. The only beings that are able to access this place would be me.....you.....blood relatives.......and the codes...........and even now.....I don't understood why you thanked me.......that should've went towards something different......

Angelica pointed towards the moon within Nocturnal.....and Yuka looked at it closer than before......from above the moon, Yuka saw black mist flow down from the surface world and sink into the giant sphere....

Angelica: do you remember when I said the ink from battles would become airborne?....and Nocturnal absorbs it?...

Yuka: *nods*......

Angelica:.....that black mist you see....is the airborne hatred of the promise land....being absorbed into the moon......and converting itself back into ink from its airborne state.....this ink is called "Minus".....it's what I used to bring you back.......

Yuka:.....Minus?.....

Angelica: when you died.......your spirit was soon casted within my Nocturnal realm.......but even though your soul was thrown into a crowd of thousands.....it shined brightly....more than any other spirit I've ever seen..........

Yuka saw Angelica start to walk once again, and before Yuka walked after her, she looked down at her shirt once more, seeing her healed stomach, but still being slightly annoyed from earlier..........she threw her annoyance aside and shook her head as she began to follow Angelica again, seeing the many spirits that floated past her body and all around the area......

Angelica: I tracked your body down.....and once I found it.....I began my process.....I conducted your spirit and segments of Minus into your body....and that's when I found out...the reason why your spirit shined so bright was because of your strength.......your strength to keep pushing forward....your pride....your courage........this persistent mindset was what made your spirit counter the minus instead of getting consumed by it....it truly was a sight to see..........but tell me, Yuka.....

Yuka:.....

Angelica:.....why exactly are you like this?.......what was your reasoning for having such a strong will?.....

Yuka instantly knew the answer......and she couldn't help but think back to.......her......which only made her feel dull....upset......

Yuka:.................Yumi.......my younger sister......

Angelica: oh?~

Yuka: she was my reason to keep going......everything I did.....it was for her......

Angelica: a deep bond of family love, huh?~.....looks like we both have the same aspect of doing whatever it takes for our loved ones~

Yuka:......yeah but......after that incident.....I'm never gonna see her again.......I obviously know it.....

Angelica: awe, why?~

Yuka: the only reason why I even did all of this and am here right now is because of the bombing mission I was sent on by Octavio......he.....h-he gave me the opportunity to become a commander at my own division.....and I would've been allowed to take Yumi with me if I completed the mission........but I failed......now Yumi is in his grasp forever.......

Angelica: *shrugs* well we can always take her by force~

Yuka: what? I can't do that! I would seriously get slaughtered if I tried. My division is full of highly skilled Octarian soldiers!

Angelica: you're forgetting something, silly~

Angelica moved a little closer to Yuka and poked onto her completely black arm, confusing her.

Angelica: you're a walking death machine because of the Minus I inserted into your body~.....you are way stronger now compared to before when you were still alive.

Yuka:.....

Angelica: Minus runs within your head....the stronger your emotions....the stronger the minus~ you'll most likely get more and more powerful as you progress....

Yuka:.........I.........but I still.........

Angelica:....mm.....okay, let's make a deal!

Angelica held out her hand after stopping for one last time......and Yuka stopped to look directly at it.

Angelica: I will help you........I will allow you to go save Yumi.....we will bring her here.....she's your blood relative....so that means Nocturnal will have no negative effects on her at all....she'll be safe here....

Yuka:...........and......what do YOU want?

Angelica: your assistance~.........even though some codes escaped the explosion......only a single code was not present..........this code is the only one that has the potential to destroy everything......it's the only one that can truly end the meaning of happiness for everyone......

Yuka:.........w-who?.....

Angelica: her name is Erida......or "code 15"...........she is the perfect being......the final product that the professor created..............when we save Yumi.....you will assist me on killing code 15........the second she is out of the picture.......*smile* I will escort you and Yumi to the promise land together.

Yuka: K-Kill them!!? NO!! I SERIOUSLY JUST GOT OUT OF THAT MESS!!! WHY WOULD I WANT TO RELIVE AND CREATE MORE HORRIBLE MEMORIES FROM IT!!!?

Angelica: do you wish for your sister to die?........I understand that code 15 is young........but if we allow her to grow......she'll get stronger.....and stronger.......she'll overthrow me.......take possession of the Nocturnal realm.........and once she reaches that form of power.......it's all over.......especially for your precious little Yumi~.......

Yuka:.....

Angelica: Erida is on one straight path.........Nocturnal cannot be a good hiding place forever.....she will eventually find her way here~.....and kill us both....

Angelica leaned closer to Yuka with a smirk.....seeing her blank state of mind.......it only made her giggle.....playing with and spinning her knife within her hand before holding the blade up to Yuka in a teasing way.....

Angelica:....I gave you a second chance.....so this will technically be my "thank you" for my polite gesture~.....

Yuka:.......

Angelica: sometimes sacrifices are required in order to move forward~....

Yuka:......this....t-this is for the greater good?.........

Angelica:........you want to live out a peaceful life with Yumi?......right?.....this is the only requirement to make your dream come true.........and I only have a single rule you must follow..............for the rest of your days....

Angelica held out her hand for her to shake.....surging with confidence.......seeing the black ink begin to slowly flow across and drip from her arm....

Angelica:.....under any circumstances........do not absorb the ink you already distributed.........unless you are.......that curious........but.....do we have ourselves a deal?

Yuka:............

~~~~~~~~~

Max let out a tiny sigh as she made trays of meals for the many Octarians within the lunchroom...

Max: here you go!

The very last Octarian took their tray and walked off, finally allowing Max to let out a small breath from exhaustion. He leaned over the counter.......then looked to see side........seeing nobody next to him.......being all alone to serve the soldiers their meals........

Max:........(it's been a week.......since Yuka left....................I don't......I-I can't-....)

He looked at a table near him to see some soldiers eating together while laughing towards one another.

Octarian: I guess she really did get moved down to a worse position now.

Octarian 2: *shrugs* most likely cleaning deep within the trash compartment or sewer.

Octarian 3: I heard that Octavio killed her.....but eh *nom*.....it makes sense.

Max:........(I can't accept this........you'll come back, Yuka.........any minute.....I know it..................p-please.........)

———

Meanwhile. Two Octarian soldiers stood outside of the facility together, guarding the area....kinda?......one Octarian looked up at the sky and smirked as they let out a small chuckle.

Octarian: I spy.......with my little eye......somethiiiiiiing.....Purple!

Octarian 2: is it the GameCube that's been hovering over this place for 5 hours now? -_-

Octarian: hell yeah! Damn, you're good at this. Your turn!

Octarian 2:.......*sigh*....Kay.....I spy with my little eye.........uh......

Just then the Octarian soldier squinted their eyes to get a better picture of the distance ahead of them. Before their eyes, they saw a hooded figure land directly in front of the base.....then walk towards them.

Octarian 2:......who the hell?.......

Octarian: "who the hell?".......that's...not a good clue-

Octarian 2: no dumbass! Look!.....

The two Octarians stared at the figure.......and soon glared towards them as they pulled out their Octo shots and took their stances.

Octarian: Hey!!

Octarian 2: who are you!? Answer or die!!

The hooded figure stopped in front of the two Octarians......they reached up to their hood and slowly pulled it down to leave the two soldiers confused, yet stunned.

Octarian: Yuka!?......

Octarian 2:......big boss killed you......how are you here!?....

Yuka:...............I mean no.....harm......

The two Octarians raised their eyebrows and slowly lowered their weapons when they saw Yuka's face simply look at theirs with no form of aggression.......and she slowly raised her hand and pointed past them towards the doors in the facility......

Yuka:.......I came for one single thing.........Yumi.........

Octarian 2:.....what?

Yuka:.........give me my sister.........and I won't cause any violence..........I want to do this quick and simply..........please....

The two Octarians lowered their Octo shots completely......and after a single scoff.......they moved out of the way for Yuka.......

Octarian 2: I recommend you go to Octavio first......barging in there recklessly will only get you killed........

Yuka:.......thank you......

Yuka walked past the two Octarians, but behind her back, an Octarian looked up in the distance to see another soldier welding an E-Liter in the distance. The Octarian gave them a nod to take the shot.......and the soldier lowered their trigger until the ink shot towards Yuka at blinding speed, already approaching her to completely pierce through her head.....but Yuka, within the speed of light, moved her head faster than the Octarians could even see, and the ink missed her head, hitting the door with tremendous force.......

Yuka:..............please..........

Yuka turned her head and saw the two Octarians jump at her with blades in their hands. Yuka effortlessly dodged the two soldiers......noticing the E-Liter in the distance readying another shot.....

Yuka:.....I don't.........I don't want to-.....

An Octarian thrusted forward with their blade, and Yuka sidestepped, but quickly noticed the other Octarian running back for her once more. She saw the E-Liter once again, then jumped within the air, dodging their shot along with the blade from the Octarian at the same time. Yuka grabbed their shoulder from above and shifted her body to properly land away from the two soldiers.

Yuka:......no-

[Angelica: just end it~..........]

Yuka heard Angelica's voice in her mind......without the inkling being present....she felt Angelica's hands slide across her body.....which only made her heart skip a beat just as she dodged another slash from the knife of the soldier.

[Angelica: nothing that a little bloodshed won't fix~......]

Yuka:.......

[Angelica: show them your superiority......your dominance~.......kill them, Yuka~]

Yuka:.......(leave me be.......I'll handle this with the least amount of violence possible.........)

[Angelica:......but why~.....what makes these Octarians worthy of keeping their lives?.....after what they done to you~.........]

Yuka evaded a slice and struck the Octarian's hand to make them drop their blade before kicking them in the stomach and making them fall back onto the ground with a loud grunt of pain.

Yuka: ( I don't want to kill anymore.......I can't take the lives of Octarians......when Octavio sent me away.......I.......)

She quickly moved her body once again to dodge another shot from the distant E-Liter, feeling it slightly graze across her cheek.

Yuka: (I assumed that I would kill a bloodthirsty monster....or destroy the building before any proper creations could've been made....not....killing innocent children.......)

[Angelica: do you really think the codes are innocent?......after everything I told you?~]

Yuka: stop.......I don't want to speak anymore...

[Angelica: the way how these soldiers treated you......making fun of you.......]

Yuka already knew Angelica's comments had no effect on her.....just because of her pride that protected her.......but for some reason......it felt as if her barrier has been broken through for the first time in her life........she felt her heart drop which made her slip up and stumble within combat.

She quickly lifted her arm and the Octarian stabbed her straight through it, but since her body was no longer alive, her nerves were dead as well, and just as the Octarian applied pressure onto the knife, Yuka noticed the other Octarian getting up once again and grabbed their blade with a glare of pure anger on their face as a drop of blood seeped through their mouth.

Yuka shook her head in annoyance, but felt her black ink hand twitch a little as if it had a mind of its own. She lost concentration once again just as the Octarian extracted their knife, and she quickly lowered her head and held her hand out, seeing the stream of ink from the E-Liter pierce directly through her hand and splat it, but she quickly regenerated her hand and gritted her teeth, but then, the Octarian dashed at her and thrusted their blade once again, and she managed to grab their wrist to keep their hand at bay.

But she was quickly overwhelmed and the other Octarian stabbed her straight in her side, which only made her slightly grunt as they pushed her back.......

Without Yuka noticing whatsoever........an Octarian woman......her own mother appeared behind her.....within the form of her spirit.......she looked in pure sadness and concern as she saw her own daughter get overwhelmed by the two soldiers........

Y Mom:..Yuka.....please.....stay strong. I know you are.......you can hold your own.......

Yuka:..........

She heard her mothers voice......and Yuka felt everything slow down within her mind.........she felt new tears begin to flow down her face..............she looked over within the E-Liter's direction........seeing the pure glow illuminate brighter and brighter as they readied their shot.....she was being pushed back........and she knew she wouldn't be able to dodge the next shot.......

Y Mom:.......you promised........that you'd never let your love blind you-

Just then Yuka's mother was instantly stabbed from behind by Angelica. The Inkling grinned as she aggressively dragged her blade and sliced through her body......making it fade away just as Yuka turned her head to see her mother....

Before her eyes............her spirit stood before her..........right before Angelica manifested her form......giving Yuka a gentle smile exactly like her.....

M Angelica: From the truth..........with how far you've come........your bond with Yumi......grew beautifully.......

Yuka:.........

M Angelica:.......don't you want to keep it?.........my daughter....

Yuka's body twitched as the spirit faded away..............her tears flowed constantly............but for an odd turn of events.......her tears lost their transparency.........and now.....instead of her real tears......she cried with black ink seeping from her eyes..........

She looked over at the E-Liter......seeing their shot ready and fully charged..........her body began to heat up.........she felt a very painful sense of adrenaline rush through her...........an Octarian managed to pull their blade away from Yuka and her grasp, then thrust the blade directly at her face.......

Her body moved......her mind froze......and the shot was fired.........Yuka evaded the blade, and immediately punched the Octarian directly on their face with full force, knocking out some of their teeth in the process..........she kicked the other Octarian straight on their leg to fold it backwards, making them yell in pain as she looked up at the sky.

After punching the Octarian......their blade slipped from their hand once again........and flew into the sky. Yuka quickly turned into her Octopus form to evade the shot, then super jumped up into the sky, directly towards the blade.

The E-Liter looked up at Yuka and aimed directly towards her. Before the E-Liter could take their shot.......Yuka swung her body and kicked the blade with her foot, making it dart through the air and down towards the E-Liter user.

With the E-Liter having no way of reacting in time, the blade quickly pierced directly into their head, killing them instantly and making them drop their weapon. Yuka pulled the other knife out of her side and instantly fell down towards the Octarian she punched prior, holding her mouth as blood flowed rapidly.

She pierced the Octarian and slammed them into the ground, digging her blade in their neck and breaking the floor below her slightly. She stood and pulled the knife out just as the last Octarian grabbed their Octo Shot, but Yuka threw the knife and pierced the weapon, knocking it away from the soldier.

They stared at her in anger and rushed towards her as she loosened her hand slightly, then quickly swung her hand, using her claws to slice the soldier.......then as she stood and watched the soldier fall........she felt the blood drip from her fingers......her heart pumped rapidly.......her pupils dilated......her breathing was awkwardly paced........hearing nothing but the constant ringing in her ears.....

Yuka:........................fine then.....

———

Max cleaned up his counter as he glanced over towards Yumi in the far distance........but this time, the Octoling wasn't sitting by herself.......but rather with two Octoling girls sitting on opposite sides of her......Max saw the look of sadness and disbelief on Yumi's face.......but it only concerned him slightly.....only because he noticed the two Octoling girls hugging her and comforting her........which only brought a tiny smile to his face......

Max:.....(this is definitely harder for her to take in than me..............but I'm glad..........that she has new forms of support...............if only you saw this, Yuka)

Soldier: SOUND OFF!!! WE HAVE A BREAK IN!!!! YUKA HAS BREACHED OUR FACILITY!!! GRAB YOUR WEAPONS AND MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!!!!

Max:..........Yuka!?

Max saw Yumi look over in shock exactly like him......the Octarian soldiers all stood up and began to instantly evacuate the cafeteria, and Yumi stood up from her chair as well, running out with the hoard of soldiers. Max felt an uneasy feeling within his body, and he quickly jumped over the counter and began to evacuate too, but also to catch up to Yumi.

Max: YUMI!!

Yuka ran through the hallways within the facility, immediately piercing her hand straight into the chest of an Octarian. More soldiers showed up and began to all shoot at Yuka, but she quickly used the dead body of the Octarian she just killed as a shield, dashing forwards towards them.

She threw the dead body at the soldiers, which made them dodge by jumping within the air, or move to the side. An Octarian that jumped over the body was instantly met with Yuka's heel of her foot, aggressively swinging and bashing their head, indenting it and making one of their eyes slip from its socket. She quickly snatched the Octo shot from the soldier and shifted her body in mid air.

She claimed another soldier as her victim when she thrusted the shot straight towards them, slamming it on their face and unloading a full tank's worth of ink, making them explode, and just as another soldier dashed towards her......Yuka slightly smirked  as she stood back up.

Just then, a giant black tentacle emerged and from her back and pierced the Octarian, then began to slice them into pieces while more black tears flowed down her face.

Yuka:......hm........h-hmhm......HAHAHAHAHHA!!!!!!

Multiple Octarians dashed towards Yuka to engage her once again. A splat bomb was thrown towards Yuka, and she quickly caught it just as she dodged a load of Shots from an Octarian. She dashed towards them and aggressively slammed the splatbonb in their face, but it didn't explode, it instead broke completely onto a soldier's face, leaving glass shards within their face, which only made them scream in agony.

She grabbed a large glass piece of the broken bomb and immediately stabbed the shard through the throat of another soldier, then ran through the facility once more as her eyes flickered between red and black, immediately using more tentacles to slaughter the soldiers in her way .

Yuka: YUMIIIIIIII!!!!!

She ran faster and faster which made the blood on her body fly off slowly but surely. Screams of torture came from the Octarians she killed on her way, so even though her blood was flying off of her body, it didn't even matter due to the constant death happening all around her, which is what made her even more bloody than before with her psychotic grin.

One last turn was taken down the halls.......and Yuka was then met face to face with her........Yumi.........Yuka saw a face of happiness from Yumi, but it only lasted for a moment......because once Yumi got a good look at her......she immediately froze up in front of Yuka.

Yuka's body dripped with constant blood.......her smile widened......salivating as well.......her stream of black tears continued............

Yuka: D-Don't worry, sis!......I'm here......I'm here for you........I went through..........h-hell and back.....

She panted slightly as Yumi's color faded and became more dull......and Yuka only stood with confusion......watching her sister back away from her.....with Yumi noticing her bloody hands in the process.

Yuka:.............Yumi?.....

Yuka walked towards Yumi, only for her to back away faster............Yuka began to slightly shift back to her normal self....giving a concerned stare as her black tears stopped........and were now replaced with her regular tears once more.............

Yuka:............w-why are...........no I...

Yuka looked at her own hands seeing the blood, which made her mind go blank once more.....ringing pulsed from her ears.........and she unintentionally felt a smile creep back onto her face within the process.......she grabbed her own head..........blood seeped and spread from her hands.....lightly coating her tentacles....

She felt the acid flow.......she was only herself for a split second.....but quickly shifted back.......she felt no pain within her corpse of a body.........but the tears she shed.............they broke through her will.......she could hear it......feel it......smell it.........the scent of her flesh slowly burning as the acid tears flowed down her face.......her mouth opened.........and when she looked at Yumi , she saw her sister continuously move away from her.....

Yuka: this......t-this blood.......where did it............come from?.........n-no no........no.........

Yumi:......

Yuka:....Yumi.......you......

She couldn't control her own expressions as she began to pant heavily.....with black ink dripping from her mouth.......falling down her face......and seeping through her whole body......

Yuka:.........I'm sorry.......no I.....I will do better..........you.......you're not.......Yumi, you're not scared of me.......a-are you?.........

Yumi stopped, and from Yuka's perspective..........she saw a singular tear.............flow down her sister's face......and Yuka.........felt her soul die within her................she heard aggressive footsteps from multiple soldiers, who immediately stood in front of Yumi while pointing their Octo Shots at Yuka..........

Soldier: MOVE OUT!!! ESCORT THE SUCCESSOR TO OCTAVIO NOW!!!!

Yuka couldn't stop her tears.....but after hearing the name of Octavio.......and the phrase of "successor".....in between all of the bodies......she saw soldiers grab Yumi and began to immediately run from the squadron.......she breathed heavier.....and even felt veins extracting from below her skin.......

Yuka:......N-No..........I didn't......please leave my...........sister alone........don't touch her........don't..........d-don't touch her.......

More tentacles shot from her back once more.........her eyes turned completely pitch black.............twitching violently while looking at the many soldiers immediately begin to shoot at her.

Yuka: I SAID DON'T TOUCH HER!!!!!

Yuka let out a hard, unrealistic scream that made her sound hideous like a monster as it echoed through the facility. She dashed at the speed of light, immediately killing every single soldier In her path. Even though she got hit with multiple shots of ink....her minus grew stronger.......and the ink that touched her immediately disintegrated before it even touched her skin.

Brutal screams came from the soldiers that died one by one.......she roared loudly while chasing the two soldiers who dragged Yumi away, stomping aggressively to break the ground below her with each step she took......

She extended her tentacles and pierced the back of one of the soldiers heads, which made blood splash onto Yumi's face.......but Yuka immediately followed through by tackling the soldier, which made Yumi stumble and fall onto the ground......

Yumi watched her sister immediately slam the soldier's head onto the ground.......crushing it before running over to the other soldier with a scream, and before they could react, Yuka stabbed her fingers through their eyes, pushing them against the wall, using her other hand to Pierce into their throat.........

Yumi got up and tried to run, but Yuka's tentacle reached and wrapped around her body.....Yumi struggled to break free......and she looked at Yuka to see her glaring at her........Yuka aggressively threw Yumi to the wall and made her yell in pain.........and then began to approach her with a smile on her face.........

Within her mind, Yuka could only watch as she approached her sister, screaming at the top of her lungs......but then felt Angelica gently hug her from behind........covering her mouth with her hand.........and from the corner of her eye, she saw Angelica's dark red eyes before her......taking control.....

Y Angelica:..........If you wish to side with Octavio............then I'll simply take your life........

Yumi saw Yuka extract her tentacle back, then face it towards Yumi with the tip pointed towards her, ready to Pierce and kill her........she began to uncontrollably cry herself........and Yuka let out a laugh as the tentacle thrusted towards her.........

Yumi covered her face and curled up into a little ball......and Yuka simply laughed towards her own actions.....and that was when everything shattered for the two octoling girls that faithful day........

A large sound of Yuka's tentacle Pierce shot blood out around them.......Yuka panted with her blank smile......feeling the blood fly onto her.......

Yuka:......I killed them all.....every......last.............

Yuka froze.......seeing the upper body of the one she stabbed, who stood directly in front of her........but wearing different clothing compared to her little sister......

Yuka:.....one.........

She traced her eyes up the body of the one she stabbed.........nothing of Yumi was shown on this cephalopod.....her eyes moved more and more until she finally looked at the face of the cephalopod................

Yuka:....................Max?..........

Yuka saw blood seep from the mouth of Max..........the Octoling coughed and his eyes began to lose color..................she extracted her tentacle............seeing it being completely coated with his blood..........and on the very tip of her tentacle.........was Max's heart........pulled out from his own body.........Max fell back onto the ground....................leaving behind a puddle of blood that began to flow.........

Yuka stood blank and lifeless...........she looked at Max to see him looking directly back at her.........Yuka saw Max mumble towards her........but with his injury......it was nearly impossible to speak at all..........Yuka fell to her knees.......her tears turned back into their normal state........she picked Max up in disbelief...........seeing his eyes shut below her...........her body felt dull.........she looked towards Yumi's direction.........only to see that Yumi was nowhere to be found............she grabbed Max's body firmly as she gritted her teeth........hearing one last spoken statement in her mind.............

"The second you open your eyes.......you might see something that will change you..........I entrust you with her..........to mark her path.......but......if you destroy all of her future fears.....you.....will become her new......and only fear....."

Yuka: MAAAAAAAAAX!!!!!! NO PLEASE!!!!!! I DIDN'T MEAN TO!!!!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!!!!!! I'M SORRY!!! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!!!!! MAX.............M-Max........

She cried profusely and hugged Max as many drops of her tears fell onto the floor......feeling all of the minus going back to normal after finally regaining her senses................

Yuka:.....please......p-please open your eyes Max...............Max.......I don't...........I don't want it to end like this..........No......don't go...............Max.