Clap! Clap! Clap!
The applause echoed from the rooftop of a small residence. Koji and the pregnant woman turned to face a well-dressed man whose hexagonal face with straight sides resembled Ryan Reynolds. With a confident smile, he was dressed like an executive, his hair neatly styled in a short pompadour, looking ready for a business meeting or a romantic dinner.
This man was Tramen, a unique bearer known for carrying the Red Prism instead of being bound by demonic pacts. Prisms were exceptional sources of power, completely independent, with only three existing in the entire world.
Koji frowned, puzzled by the man's presence. The woman asked,
"Do you know him?"
"I don't know him, but I've figured out what's going on," Koji replied.
Spherea wasted no time and spoke into Koji's mind.
"If you're smart, you've already caught on to the game, right?"
The young man descended from the rooftop to the sidewalk, arms open and a friendly demeanor. His welcoming approach caused an unease, but he initiated the conversation.
"I'm impressed. I was sure two Gyakus would be enough to kill you."
"But your guardian angels are surprising; these spheres are worth their weight in gold."
Koji remained serious, not opening up to friendly banter.
"You're the guy controlling these creatures?" Koji asked dryly.
"I always find that word a bit too offensive for my pets," the elegant man replied with a slightly offended tone.
In that brief moment, Koji noticed a mark on Tramen's left wrist.
"Don't worry about it, okay? I'll let you go; it was just a misreading on my part."
"You'll let us go? Even after my spheres just killed two of your Gyakus?" Koji found this suspicious, his wary look evident.
"Why not? My pets are recyclable, and I know that statement is a bit problematic," Tramen replied with a smile. "And you? Is she pregnant?"
"Yes, it will be my second child."
Tramen approached the woman, looking at her belly.
"May it come into the world healthy and be able to enjoy some of the good things in this world, right?" he said sympathetically.
Tramen walked over to Koji and spoke.
"You can go. Before my less understanding colleagues arrive here."
As they were released, Koji began walking with the woman down the avenue towards the military bases. He was still confused, and Spherea took the opportunity to emphasize something.
"You better pay attention to-"
Suddenly, a deafening noise ruptured the ground in front of Koji. He could only express astonishment at what he saw. The pregnant woman ended up being impaled alive by a giant scorpion's tail. Koji quickly understood.
"It's the same... scorpion that attacked me and Roger."
The necklace the woman wore around her neck, besides the rosary, was green and had a pendant with a picture of a little boy, fell to the ground. Koji knelt down, picked up the necklace, and was shaken by the scene.
The woman's chest was completely pierced and destroyed by the tail, splitting her body in half. The lower part fell into the opening in the ground caused by the appearance of the tail. The scene was horrific, and the blood seemed to weigh heavily on Koji's shoulders.
He couldn't move, he was paralyzed, just like when Roger died. There was a sense of resignation in his expression.
"What am I doing? I don't, don't, never get anything," murmured Koji with despair and a sense of doom in his voice.
His knees gave way to weakness, and so he remained, kneeling before that scene. The young man, looking at Koji kneeling and downcast, said,
"Usually, people say to others that they have a big family, big houses, and other things. But with you, I say that you have a great technique."
Koji wasn't crying, but his fixed gaze on the ground seemed lost in some corner.
"I killed the woman because I needed it; it's almost an obligation for me to have many and many creatures under my control. But I don't need to kill you, do you hear me?"
Tramen turned his back on Koji, who was kneeling and downtrodden, and shouted.
"You have 10 seconds to get out of the avenue. My pets love unnecessary destruction!"
Ten...
Nine...
As the seconds passed, Koji remained subdued, showing no reaction. But Spherea didn't want to remain silent and spoke.
"Is it over, Koji? Are you giving up on everything now, after all you've been through?"
"That doesn't matter anymore, Spherea," Koji replied bitterly.
Eight...
Seven...
From the sky, hundreds and hundreds of strange creatures fell, each about six meters tall and with horrific physical deformities, a grotesque mix of common animal organisms. These were the pets the young man had mentioned.
Six...
Five...
The avenue, already devastated, was about to face something even more destructive. The crash of their imminent landings filled the air, foretelling destruction.
Four...
Spherea, in a rare moment of solidarity, said to Koji.
Three...
"I can't even mock you right now; I just feel pity."
Two...
"I do too." Koji's look of resignation and sadness was palpable.
One...
The seconds passed and gave way to almost complete destruction. The creatures collided with the ground, causing an 80% collapse of the highway. A massive cloud of dust rose into the air, obscuring everything around.
Koji lay on the ground, very close to the opening in the ground where part of the woman's body had fallen. He looked with difficulty to the sides, seeing houses, cars, and other objects completely destroyed.
The dense dust, caused by the fall of the deformed and toxic creatures, made him cough up blood.
With a great effort, Koji turned onto his back, and tears filled his eyes as he saw hundreds of thousands of dark spheres forming a large and strong circular protective base around him. The spheres, as if obeying a silent command, joined perfectly to shield him.
"Did you know this would happen one day, Dad?" Koji's voice choked with emotion, tears streaming down his face.