I look around the black dimension surrounding me, nothing but darkness in every direction. Glancing down at my arms and hands, I notice they're a lighter shade of pitch black than the void around me.
Looking up at Kurayami, I see he appears the same as before, except his eyes aren't glowing red like he's about to take my soul. "How so? You old skeletal fossil," I reply to his joke.
Kurayami's jaw drops. "Stop calling me that! I'm not that old!" He clears his throat and continues, "Okay, so I can basically lend you a sixth of my power to start off with..."
My eyes widen in excitement. "So I can actually have some power now and not be almost magicless?"
But then I realize something. "Aren't you like a summon? Like my servant or something? How can you grant me powers?"
Kurayami face-palms. "First of all, kid, I am not your servant. You are totally helpless," he sighs and then continues, "I am not a normal summon. I can grant powers to my host. That's because I can only be summoned once a month. When I return to my realm, I go to sleep for around twelve hours, and so my powers cannot be used at all."
I start to understand now. "Ohh, so is that why I couldn't sense you last night after you finished the fight and left our world?"
"Yes, that is correct." After a short pause, he continues, "Yeah, I forgot to mention that I require human souls to replenish my energy. The amount varies - the more power I give to you, the more souls I require."
A chill runs down my spine. Figures that there was some price to pay for the services of a Reaper.
"Here, give me your hand," Kurayami extends his long bony arms.
Reluctant at first, I eventually extend my right arm and my hand touches his. Although it feels like I'm touching nothing, I guess it's because we're not in some physical world.
Instantly when our hands meet, I feel his dark reaper powers first entering through my fingertips, continuing their way through my arm and then around my whole body, finally reaching my head.
After about thirty seconds, Kurayami lets go of my hand. I look down at my hands and arms; they've become all bony and skinny with no skin, just like the Reaper's arms and hands.
"Where is my arm??" I screech while visibly panicking.
"Don't worry, kid. The girls will dig the new look!" Kurayami laughs hysterically in a dark, raspy tone.
He then pushes me, which makes me lose my balance. I fall down, but then I keep on falling into nothingness like I was pushed off the tallest mountain.
I yell at the top of my lungs and look up, noticing the Reaper nonchalantly waving with both hands and smiling down at me.
"Good luck, Basa fish. You always had it in ya," he says one last time.
-Aimi's perspective-
I clench my fists. Ma- Masa... I watch helplessly while he lifelessly lays on the sand on his stomach, his head turned to the side.
As Masa is knocked out cold, Kajiwara makes his way to the front where everyone is watching, flexing his muscles and throwing his long hair to the back of his head.
As Kajiwara's massive body blocks Masa lying on the ground, I move to the side a bit to look at Masa one last time, can't help but feel bad for him.
Masa never gives up no matter the odds. I wish people could start seeing that instead of judging solely his magical abilities.
Kajiwara glances at me, smirking. "Magicless was all bark, no bite," he laughs.
I clench my teeth at Kajiwara, wanting to knock the life out of him.
"Hey hey, puddle princess, what's that look for? Did you think Magicless could eve-" Kajiwara gets cut off
Our classmates point behind Kajiwara. "Wha- wh- what is going on with Masa?" they say, at a loss for words.
I watch as a bundle of dark shadows emerges underneath his lifeless body and then shoots up into the sky.
As Masa slowly gets up, a fierce ball of darkness surrounds him. Once he's fully on his feet, the ball of darkness disappears and small grey shadows drip down from the bruises given by Kajiwara, then to the ground, kind of like tears flowing down your cheek and hitting the ground.
Miraculously, Masa's injuries are completely healed. He stands there, gazing down at the soft sand, now stained with his blood, his hair falling over his eyes.
"M- Masa? Are you okay?" I ask, my hands trembling and my voice broken.
This doesn't feel like Masa at all... The atmosphere feels like it's ruled by darkness and terror, in contrast to the Masa I know who brings happiness and determination.
Suddenly, Masa tilts his head back, looking up at the blue sky, and just as quickly looks in front of him.
"AHAHA, I have never felt better!" Masa looks at all of us with a wide smirk, tilting his head to the right.
I get goosebumps and a shiver is sent down my spine. We all take a step back, including Kajiwara. One of Masa's eyes has changed color to red, and his gaze seems like he's condemning us for looking down on him.
Kajiwara takes step back, his confident smirk faltering. "How are you back up? What is this power I'm sensing from you" he stammers.
Kajiwara then gets his wand out trying to regather his courage, and creates a square-like shape in the air and stomps on the ground. "Earth Magic: Eternal Prisonus." It creates a square box made out of hard dirt, that seems impassable which traps Masa inside.
"Not so smart are you Magicless?" he huffs.
I thought that Masa would be in there for a while, but in a moment then I see a dark shadowy rift tinted with red open up at side of the box facing us and he just walks through it, his hands in his pockets with his smirk, still radiating with dark energy.
"Now what Kajiwara?" Masa taunts coldly.
Kajiwara shakes his head, desperately trying to regain his composure. "Earth Magic: Earthus Surge!" he shouts defiantly, "This spell took you down in one hit before, and it will again!" He summons another towering column of earth, towards Masa with even greater speed and force.
Masa extends his right arm towards Kajiwara, his hand forming a fist before lifting his index and middle fingers together. "Reaper Magic: Soul Shackle," he says chillingly.
A wave of shadows travels faster than Kajiwara's Earthus Surge, stopping the spell before it can reach Masa. The shadows then travels in a straight line colliding and binding Kajiwara, forcing him to his knees and shackling his hands to the ground.
Kajiwara struggles against the shadow's grip, but it's too strong. Masa slowly approaches, laughing maliciously. The whole class, including Professor Akagi, is too stunned to move or speak.
"Stay away from me, Magicless! How can this be happening? I'm a descendant of Tsubakiyama, one of the greatest earth mages!" Kajiwara exclaims in disbelief. "You can't do anything to me, you magicless peasant!"
Masa stands inches away from Kajiwara. "Shut up. You're the biggest scum on Earth. I hate you so much. What have I ever done to you? I just want to live my life. Just because I don't have money or status like you doesn't mean I should suffer for it!" he yells, his voice breaking with emotion.
Masa releases the shackles and grabs Kajiwara by the throat, lifting him off the ground despite being half his size, darkness swirling around his palm.
Kajiwara gasps for air. "L-let me go... help," he croaks, grabbing at Masa's hand, but it's unyielding.
Everyone is too scared to stand up against Masa, his menacing aura suppressing their will to rebel.
This is not the Masa I know. I draw my wand and yell, "Water Magic: Blunt Club!" A large club made of water flies towards Masa. "Masa, you have to stop this! You're killing him, can't you see that? The Masa I know would never deliberately want to kill anyone."