Winter soothed down the streets of Scarlet City. The air was cold and tight as Kota trudged through the thick snow. Each moment his mind wandered off, he thought of Minori Kimura. For some odd reason, she wouldn't flee his mind. Her words were like a broken record, playing over and over in Kota's head.
The cold wind brushed against his back as he entered the grocery store. Kota needed milk badly, despite the fact he was lactose intolerant. He used milk for tons of the meals he cooked, like cake or milkshakes, Kota surely thought of himself as a chef. He quickly walked into the isle where the milk was located, and grabbed it from the container. Then he went to the register and paid for it.
Fleeing from the sleek store, he made his way home. Kota lived in one of the mediocre apartment buildings Scarlet City had. But, his rent made up for that, his rent was only 70 dollars a month, quite the steal if you asked him. As he waltzed down the snow-covered street, an alley was to the corner of his eye. He tilted his head to the alley, and to his surprise. There she was, Minori Kimura, but with a group of people.
The alley was murky, he barely made out what he saw, but for sure he saw Minori. And the group of people seemed to be wearing black cloaks, with white symbols around the shoulder area. Kota stumbled forward, he wanted to know what was going on, but most of all, what she needed from him. However, the world around him began to spiral.
The air began to tint a crimson shade and the city rumbled ever so slightly. What was this? Kota's mind raced as the cloaked figures looked at him. Then Minori glanced at him, her eyes widened as the cloaked figures covered her mouth. Kota clenched his fist, he knew something bad was going on with whatever they were doing to her.
Kota sighed, then looked at the cloaked figures."What's going on here?!"
The figures glanced at each other inorganically, their movements were hasty and motionless, almost as if they were glitching. "Child of the evermoon, it is none of your concern."
Kota's face scrunched up, evidently he was getting frustrated. "Just tell me and I'll leave you all alone."
The tallest figure trudged forward, and placed their slender hand on Kota's face. "You're an oddity, aren't you? You can help us, we'll cut you a payment too." The figure, despite being colossal in length, sounded like a female.
Kota glared at the murky face of the figure, "Then tell me what're we doing here?"
The figure smiled, although Kota couldn't see that. "This girl here has knowledge about some ancient power. We need that knowledge for one of our plans, are you willing to help?"
Kota glanced around confusedly, "Ancient power? Are you guys some cultists or cosplayers?" Kota asked hesitantly.
The tall figure chuckled. "You've got jokes huh, oddity. We just need the knowledge, come on, show her your power so you can frighten her."
Kota snarled, "What power? And who's an oddity, certainly isn't me. You guys do seem pretty odd though."
Silence fell over the alley for a moment, then the figure stared into Kota's cerulean pupils. "You really don't know, do you? But how is he here, in this myriad?"
"Myriad? Huh?" Kota sighed at the thought of the cosplayer. "Just let her go, alright?"
The cultist lady revealed her arm. It was lathered in white oozing juice, the liquid moved around inorganically around her arm. Then the liquid began to take shape into something sinister. The arm grew substantially in size, then bumps began spreading around the arm swiftly. Her fingers grew lanky and muscular, veins could be seen wrapping around her arm as she raised it.
Kota gulped in horror, he had never seen anything like this. Kota lived in the world of the natural, and this was his first time ever crossing over to the supernatural side. Her arm slammed into his body, he let out a bloodcurdling scream right before her arm landed. Kota was dead, or so he thought.
Kota reactively raised his left arm to block the ladies attack. Kota tilted his head upwards, glaring at the concoction of mass known as her arm. An azure energy seemed to flow from her arm into his. Kota's face was filled with wonder, then shock, then finally horror. He stumbled backwards, tripping on a can. It seemed the lady's arm deflated into her normal one, but why?
The lady glared at her hand in shock too, then she walked towards Kota. "So you're the real deal, a real oddity?" She asked, although she knew the answer.
Kota didn't know what to say, he was completely flabbergasted. He tried to speak but only gibberish flowed out. Then that's when it happened.
A girl with long silver hair, roughly 4 '10 appeared from thin air. She glanced at Kota and smiled, and for some reason her smile brought him solace. Then the girl glared at the cultist before her, a red energy coated her body as she walked to the tall cultist first.
The short girl spoke quietly, then a concoction of light pierced through the horizon and slammed into the cultists. The cultists were blasted into the ground, but Minori wasn't hit. Kota looked in awe, then his vision hazed, and then he blacked out.
Kota began to awaken, his eyes adjusted to the new murky lighting. He raised his head, revealing that he was in his room lying in bed. He thrashed his blanket off him and lifted himself off the bed, he glanced around, looking for anything that had happened.
"No way it was a dream, it was too real." Kota muttered to himself, then he looked out his window. The night sky was blanketed in stars, each one different in mass yet all the same beautiful. Kota brushed his slender hand against the windowsill, then he sighed. The air caressed the window slightly, as he pulled his window open. Kota desired fresh air, he wanted to be alone and think about what had happened, was it even real?
It all happened so quickly, the arm, the girl, the light beaming down from the heavens. But if it weren't real, then why had it felt so authentic? Each time he remembered what happened he reminisced on the thick red coating the air had and the white liquid oozing from her arm. Then it dawned on Kota, he sprinted out of his room and into the kitchen. Then he ripped open the fridge door and looked around the fridge, but he didn't find the milk carton.
"Oddity, it's time we meet again." The familiar voice soothed into his ear. Kota swiftly turned around, and glared into the emerald eyes of the lady before him. She was tall and muscular, and held a gigantic sword in her "special" arm. Then the lady lunged from the living room and into the kitchen, and in one swoop she sliced Kota in two.