"Sei-lo!" Ferrin's eyes trembled, he pushed himself off the ground.
His eyes traced along the wandering blood on the ground and paused at the feet of the one they gave the luxury of surrounding.
His eyes flickered, as he gazed at the reflection in the blood, "Mom!"
His eyes darted slightly left, widening bit by bit as he traced his mother.
Her petrified expression, pale and ashen, as warm red blood caressed every nook and cranny of her face.
Flowing down her chin and falling atop her freshly bloodied clothes.
His paused as he gazed at her trembling eyes, unable to shift from Seilo.
Ferrin's eyes... didn't spare a glance to Seilo, 'She's fine!'
Suddenly, something far different and ancient whispered into his ear, from inside him, 'But... it could've been her.'
Ferrin's words stuttered, "Sh-She's fine!"
'But it could've been her.'
"She's fine!"
'It could've been her.'
"But look_"
'It could've been her!'
"It... could've been her?"
Ferrin's eyes climbed atop Seilo. His eyes moved past her bloodied clothes dripping blood drop by drop and rippling the puddle on her feet.
His eyes paused on the four claws piercing through her waist, blood kept spurting out as the monkey slowly drew back his hand and stepped back in confusion.
Its eyes drifted between Seilo and Ferrin. "Ke-kek?"
Ferrin couldn't even register its words, his eyes rose up, onto Seilo's wretched face. Blood stained her lips and chin.
Her eyes- conflicted and confused, stared back at him, Ferrin's heart throbbed loudly, "It could've been her!"
'Why not become a devil yourself? Then it will be much easier to protect that which you love!'
"A... devil?" Ferrin's trembling hands calmed down, his hazy eyes turned resolute, he stood up on his feet and morphed into a 6 feet plus monkey.
His stained claws pierced out of his skin, trembling while thirsting for the metallic graze of blood.
'Yes! Just like this! Now, listen! If you kill that girl, trembling from the lack of blood, you will have one less baggage to care about, besides, isn't she going to die later on any way? It will be best if you end her suffering early on, no?'
Hearing the enticing voice, Ferrin started walking forward.
'It... wasn't supposed to end like this, I shouldn't... I can't die like this! He needs to kill me himself! He needs to become cruel like the people of this world, that's why, that's why he needs to kill me himself! To reassure me that he will be fine after I die! I must be the last person he ever has to protect, so why? WHY?' Seilo's legs gave up as she collapsed on the floor.
Ferrin walked towards the monkey stepping back bit by bit. The monkey thought he could sneak attack Ferrin and emerge as the the one delivering the final blow but... this idiotic woman! Why did she step up and protect him?
"A de-vil! You were supposed to be a devil!" Seilo muttered to herself weakly, her voice not even reaching her ears, much less anybody else's.
But Aria's eyes snapped open, she gazed at Ferrin and yelled as loudly as she could, "FERRIN!"
Ferrin's, lips stretched apart, he could hear her, the beautiful singing of an angel, calling out to him in worry and concern.
"Don't worry Mom! I won't become a devil... didn't I say," His eyes flickered, "I will eliminate every devil? The one's outside and the one's... inside, I'm just going to do that real quick!"
Ferrin's eyes flickered dangerously, he dashed towards the monkey, causing the latter to yelp and run back.
Aria couldn't understand her but she knew... her son was with her.
'You're... a fool! Hahaha! You won't eliminate me! You will acknowledge me and willingly allow me to solve every problem for you, just wait! You will pay the price for being a good boy! Hahaha!'
The voice drifted away, and Ferrin caught up with the monkey, without hesitation, he rolled his tail around its neck and punctured his claws within its skull.
His eyes surveyed around, the monkeys had began to rise.
He took a breath and gazed at the girls, Ano had snapped back to herself and was holding Seilo with her shaky hands, Ferrin suddenly remembered her smile, the one she flashed at him in his misery.
He shook out these thoughts and firmly glanced at the Genius, sitting on a chair while sipping something, unconcerned of anything.
Ferrin huffed out a hot breath, the other monkeys had risen to their feet, seeing the caved in walls, Ferrin bit his lip, 'I... won't be able to protect them all like this!'
"KEE!"
Ferrin slapped his thighs and pumped himself, his heartbeat rising alongside the screeching screams.
BOOM!
Ferrin's eyes darted to the trembling ground.
The rubble around him trembled as the horrifying force kept shaking up the floor underneath him, causing him to stand still to stop himself from falling.
'Ear-Earthquake? Can't be!' Ferrin shook his head. The trembling was weak and it vanished rather quickly.
'Just what was that?' Ferrin looked back at his mother, for some reason, his heart stirred and he hurriedly glanced back.
"KEE!"
'Shit!' Ferrin felt sweat dye his whole body, his pupils thinned as he raced his mind, wondering how he could escape the monkey pouncing at him, he felt something grip his throat, 'Too...late!"
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Ferrin's eyes flickered, his vision blinded by the silvery metallic hair fluttering in front of his face, even without seeing her face, his heart roared, 'It's her!'
Hinomi flicked her spear, her petrifying blood red eyes peering through the glass window and at the Genius, she stepped backwards and stopped as her shoulder grazed Ferrin's, causing both her and his heart to palpitate.
"Y-Yo!"
"...Good to see you here!" Ferrin felt his tense mood breaking up.
"Ha-haha!" Hinomi laughed dryly, causing Ferrin's spine to tremble from the europhic feeling. "Sorry for the racket earlier, I had to destroy that metal door."
"You saved my life doing that..." Ferrin scratched his forehead.
Hinomi smiled, her blood-thirsty eyes surveying the monkeys slowly surrounding them. "That monkey on the upper floor, he's different!"
"...I know. Despite me already knowing it, it still forced me to learn it the hard way." Ferrin's gaze darkened, a few familiar figures flashed past his eyes.
"...I see. I wished... you could be protected from ever learning of this wretched thing called... death!" Hinomo gazed back, she couldn't spot a few figures, she found a eaten corpse on the way and now that she looked at it, one of the girls was injured.
Seeing Aria, her slightly shaky breath calmed down.
"Go on, I know you are after the one above, I will handle these pawns by myself. And don't worry, I won't let them die... at least two of them." She sighed, gazing at Seilo.
"...Thank you, I needed that help!" Ferrin let loose a tired breath.
"Go on!" Hinomi's gaze turned pungent, her bloodied spear glowed maliciously, still dripping the blood of the foes it had slaughtered just recently.
Ferrin nodded and took off towards the stairs.
Seeing him, the Genius stood up, placing his cup on the table in front.
"Are you sure? The price for stepping onto here without eliminating the monkeys is... death of every last one of your comrades!" Seeing him smile sadistically, Ferrin's gaze turned cruel.
"No, they won't die!" Ferrin snickered.
His feet stepped atop the empty circular stairs.
"Hahaha! You don't decide that... I do!" The Genius chuckled mischievously, "I will teach it ti you the hard way then! Hahaha!"
Ferrin's claws trembled as he leapt from the first stair and onto the last before his feet stepped onto the thick glass floor.
"Now then," The Genius smiled widely, his lips stretching to his ears, "Face the punishment for breaking the rules!!"
His hand rose up, causing the air to freeze and suffocate everything.
Ferrin's raging heart calmed down, his steps frozen from the mystical serenity in the air.
The Genius's thumb and index rushed towards each other and snapped past, creating a strange spark which flickered before extinguishing.
With a gentle snap, the air returned to norma. Ferrin's sensitive ears didn't catch anything.
But the ease didn't mean peace.
His heart squirmed and struggled, as if something was twisting it into tiny, crude shapes.
'The air... why does it smell so sweet? Sweat yet afraid? As if... somebody spilled the blood of an angel! Its blood is spreading the sweetness and its dread is causing the air to scream.'
'This... sound,' Ferrin's head turned back, his gaze seeking the strange dripping sound, piercing through the glass and onto his mother. His eyes blinked uncontrollably for a while, unable to process anything.
As if some kind of filter was placed in the glass, his gaze turned wobbly and cold.
Something seemed to start squeezing his throat, causing his next words to be chocked, "Mom! G-get away! What are you even doing?"
"O-Oi! Si-silly mom! What are you doing pl-playing with a monkey? G-Get away."
"Get away, mom! Th-things can get dangerous, you know? It might bite, so please stay away!"
"Mom! Oi mom!" Ferrin's feet moved, he walked atop the glass floor and squatted to his knees, glancing straight down to his mother.
"Mom! Hey! I'm talking to you!"
"Mom!"
"Oi! OI!!"
"I'M TALKING TO YOU! CAN'T YOU HEAR?"
The statued Hinomi's eyes finally flickered, her left hand squeezed the the spear tightly, causing her fist to turn pale white, veins bulged out of her forehead, her teeth clutched together tightly, causing her jaw to feel numb.
"DAMNED MONKEY!" Her speed shot through the roof, as she instantaneously appeared next to Aria, and her spear shot forward, slicing through the air.
"Kekeke!" The tiny monkey laughed, his hand drew back, he calmly flicked his claws, causing the blood to slip from them and join the pool below.
And the next moment, he vanished and appeared right next to Hinomi, causing the latter's spear to slid through empty air.
"MOMMM!!!"
Ferrin's fist blasted onto the glass, rupturing his skin. Without a care, his fist rose up from the glass and pounded it again.
'I told you.... hahaha! You will regret not giving up to me!'
Ferrin's mind numbed down.
"Cough! Cough! Fe-rrin!" Aria's weak voice drifted through the air, reaching nobody. Not even Hinomi who stood in front of her.
But... it reached Ferrin, more clearly than the sound of his heart thrashing left and right against his rib-cage.
"MOM!"
THUD!
"Keke! Master, I will take my leave! The battle on the other side is about to commence!" The Dwarf bowed humbly, leisurely standing next to Hinomi.
The Genius chuckled, "Go on. Though nothing shall deviate from what I told you, this world will crumble soon."
The Dwarfs eyes flickered before he nodded, "I will take my leave, master!"
Without making even the wind ripple, all his traces vanished... except the one which would change everything.
"Mom!" Something slid down to Ferrin's nose before dripping on to the glass.
One by one, it drizzled on to the glass, draining all power from him, "Mom!"
His fist meekly touched the glass, not having any strength to continue.
Nausea hit him hard, right where it hurt. And he couldn't even pile up the weakest of resistance.
"Gah!" A mixture of all he had eaten gushed out of his mouth, squeezing his chest so close it felt it would get crushed, "Blarr!" His hand gripped his throat as he felt his internals whirm around.
Ferrin's breath quickened, he felt a loud and piercing drum striking right inside his head, warning him of splitting it in two.
His hand pulled at the fur on his stomach, the ache spreading from it caused his eyes to spin. "Blaarrr!"
"Cough! Cough! ...Ferrin!"
Ferrin's vision drifted all around, barely able to catch a few proper glimpses of his mother.
"Mo-"
"Blaarrrrr!"
His tears streamed down like there was no end to them, the hand he was supporting himself up with fell weak, causing his face to slam into the pile off his vomit and tears.
Something snapped inside Ferrin, "GAHWAAHHHH!" His jaw stretched wide, unable to shut down, it roared thunderously, his wails drifted to every nook and cranny of the place.
The minute particles of dust trembled slightly but what could they do?
Hinomi's whole body fell limp as she collapsed next to Aria, her eyes trembled as she took her head in her hands and gazed at the wound in her chest.
'HOW? HOWWWW? IT'S THE SAME! IT'S ALL THE SAME! WHYY? WHYYYYYYY? HOWW? WASN'T I STRONGER? WEREN'T I MORE CRUELER? SO WHYYYY? WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN ALL THE TIME? I LOST HIM! NOW... SHE! HIS- HIS MOTHER! SHE'S DYING IN MY HANDS AND I CAN'T DO ANYTHINNGGG! WWWWHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYY?'
Even she didn't know why this woman was so important to her, the only reason that came to mind was that it was his mother... but... who was he to her? She didn't know... nor did she had the appetite to ask.
"GAHHHHHUUUWAAAHHHHHH!!" Ferrin's throat went dry, lacking any moisture, yet he continued to scream, his wind-pipe ruptured bit by bit. A strange darkness enveloped his vision, turning him blind.
His pupils had long spun to the back of his eyes. Foam came out of his mouth
Even his own tears couldn't reach his open mouth and pour in, easing his burning throat.
Cold, dark and cruel fire hugged him, despite his heart thrashing around like a madman, his whole body twitched uncontrollably.
Nothing helped him; he was scared.
Nothing eased his pain; he felt he would burst.
Nobody comforted him; Hinomi didn't come.
His mother's soothing words were nowhere; her voice had dried out.
But... it was there, for him! To ease his pain, to help him, to sooth his misery.
It seemed to caress his body lovingly and gently, like a florist holding a rose.
In a tone almost like it was speaking to his love, it whispered to him, only to him, 'See... wouldn't a devil had been fine?'
Then; when nobody comforted him. It was there for him.
It responded to him.
He... responded to him.
The devil... was there for him!