Yoru could feel it. The power, the raw, unfathomable energy coursing through his veins, pushing against the walls of his humanity, demanding release. The symbol etched into the walls of the underground chamber pulsed in time with his heartbeat, each throb sending a wave of darkness through his mind.
Beside him, Rika staggered, struggling to stay on her feet. The weight of the power in the chamber was suffocating, pressing down on them like a heavy, invisible force. But there was no time to think about it. No time to wonder what the Abyssal Order had unleashed. Yoru could feel the beast inside him waking up, its hunger clawing at his insides, threatening to rip him apart from within.
He could no longer fight it. He didn't want to fight it.
"Yoru…" Rika's voice was weak, filled with a mixture of fear and concern. "We need to get out of here… We can't—"
But her words were drowned out by the roar that tore from Yoru's throat, a primal, animalistic scream that echoed through the crumbling chamber. His body convulsed, muscles tearing and reforming as his human form was consumed by the monstrous power within him. Claws erupted from his hands, dripping with a black, viscous substance that hissed as it hit the ground. His skin cracked and split, revealing dark, writhing tendrils beneath, like serpents eager to break free.
"Yoru!" Rika shouted, stumbling back as she watched the transformation in horror.
But Yoru was beyond hearing. The beast had taken over, and all that was left was an insatiable hunger—a need to destroy, to consume, to tear apart anything and everything in its path.
His vision was tinted with red, the world around him a haze of shadows and blood. He could see them now, the figures moving in the darkness, the remnants of the Abyssal Order that had survived the explosion. They were coming for him, weapons drawn, their faces twisted with fear and hatred.
With a guttural growl, Yoru launched himself at them, moving faster than humanly possible. His claws slashed through the first man, rending flesh from bone in a spray of blood that painted the walls. The man didn't even have time to scream before his body was reduced to a mangled heap of gore.
The others hesitated, but only for a moment. They charged at Yoru, their weapons gleaming in the dim light of the chamber. But they were nothing to him now—mere insects to be crushed beneath his feet.
He tore through them with a ferocity that was almost beautiful in its brutality. Limbs were severed with a single swipe of his claws, heads ripped from shoulders with a twist of his monstrous hands. Blood spattered across the chamber, mixing with the black ichor that dripped from Yoru's body, creating a nightmarish tableau of violence and death.
Rika watched in stunned silence, her mind struggling to process the carnage unfolding before her. This was not the Yoru she knew—the kind, gentle boy who had always fought to protect her. This was a monster, a beast driven by bloodlust, reveling in the destruction it wrought.
But there was something else, too. As she watched Yoru tear apart the last of the Order's men, she saw the pain in his eyes, the agony of being consumed by the very power he had fought so hard to control. It was a twisted, tragic sight, a reminder that the monster before her was still Yoru, somewhere deep inside.
But that Yoru was fading, buried beneath the weight of the beast.
The last of the Order's men fell, his body hitting the ground with a sickening thud. Yoru stood over the remains, his chest heaving, his body covered in blood and gore. The beast within him was sated, for now, but the hunger was still there, gnawing at the edges of his mind.
He turned to Rika, his glowing eyes locking onto hers. For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of recognition, a glimmer of the boy she knew. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by the cold, calculating stare of the monster.
"Yoru, please…" she whispered, taking a tentative step towards him. "You have to fight it… You can't let it take over…"
But Yoru didn't move. He didn't speak. He simply stood there, his monstrous form towering over her, a silent reminder of the darkness that had claimed him.
And then, without warning, he lunged at her.
Rika barely had time to react. She raised her weapon, a small blade she had taken from one of the fallen men, but it was no match for Yoru's strength. He swatted it aside with ease, his claws wrapping around her throat, lifting her off the ground as if she weighed nothing.
"Yoru…" she choked out, her vision blurring as the air was forced from her lungs. "Please… don't…"
But Yoru's grip only tightened, his claws digging into her flesh, drawing blood. He could feel her pulse beneath his fingers, the frantic beat of her heart as it struggled to keep her alive. And the beast within him reveled in it, the thrill of having another life in its hands, ready to be snuffed out at any moment.
But then something happened—something Yoru didn't expect.
Rika reached out, her hand trembling as she placed it on his chest, over his heart. And in that moment, something inside him shifted. The beast recoiled, its power wavering as a flood of memories and emotions surged through him. He saw flashes of their time together—the laughter, the tears, the quiet moments of comfort and companionship. He saw the boy he used to be, the boy who had vowed to protect Rika no matter what.
And for a brief, fleeting moment, the beast loosened its grip.
Yoru's eyes widened, his claws retracting as he released Rika, letting her fall to the ground. He stumbled back, his hands trembling as he looked down at them, at the blood and gore that stained his skin. What had he done? What was he becoming?
Rika gasped for breath, her hands clutching at her throat as she looked up at Yoru, tears streaming down her face. "Yoru… you're still in there… I know you are…"
But Yoru couldn't respond. The guilt, the shame, the horror of what he had done, what he had almost done, crashed over him like a tidal wave, threatening to drown him in its depths. The beast was still there, lurking beneath the surface, waiting for its chance to take control again.
He had to get away. He had to protect her—from himself.
Without a word, Yoru turned and fled, his monstrous form disappearing into the shadows of the chamber. Rika called after him, her voice desperate, but he didn't stop. He couldn't. The only way to keep her safe was to stay as far away from her as possible.
But even as he ran, Yoru knew that the beast wasn't done with him. It was still hungry, still craving more blood, more death. And no matter how far he ran, no matter how hard he tried to fight it, he knew that eventually, it would win.
And when it did, there would be no coming back.