Makima led Rika to the clearing in the forest, where the tall, dark trees created an oppressive atmosphere. The silence was broken only by the crunch of leaves beneath their feet. Makima stopped in the center of the clearing, and without a word, turned to face Rika.
"Do you know why I brought you here?" Makima's voice seemed distant, as though the air itself had grown heavier.
Rika, still unsure of what was happening, shook her head. "I thought... it was for training," she replied, her voice uncertain.
Makima let out a small laugh, though there was no humor in her eyes. "Training implies progress. But right now, you're useless. You can't control your cursed energy, which makes you a burden." The coldness of her words cut like a knife, making it clear there would be no hint of compassion.
"But..." Rika began, only to be interrupted as Makima raised her hand and, without warning, vanished, leaving her completely alone in the clearing.
Rika looked around, feeling the oppressive darkness of the trees closing in on her. She tried to sense Makima's presence, but there was no trace of her. The silence became unbearable, and anxiety began to swell inside her.
Suddenly, the sound of branches snapping made her jump. Something was lurking in the shadows. She felt the oppressive weight of cursed energy in the air and knew she wasn't alone. Lesser curses moved between the trees, watching her with empty, hungry eyes. But what terrified her more than the curses was the fact that Makima had left her. The one person who seemed to know how to help her was gone, and if she couldn't defend herself, no one would come to save her.
The curses grew closer, and Rika began to tremble. She didn't know what to do. The cursed energy inside her was present, but it was like an uncontrollable torrent. "Makima... where are you?" she whispered, desperate.
Hours passed since Makima had vanished, leaving Rika stranded in that shadowy clearing. At first, she tried to stay calm, searching for some hint of cursed energy and distancing herself from the presences she sensed lurking in the darkness. But the curses kept closing in, relentless, always just out of reach, stalking her. As time went on, her energy, both physical and mental, began to drain.
She ran for what felt like endless hours. The curses didn't attack directly at first, almost as if they were enjoying watching her flee, savoring her fear and desperation. As the night deepened, Rika grew more and more exhausted. Her breathing became erratic, and the weight of her own body grew unbearable. The darkness surrounding her was suffocating, and only the faint moonlight breaking through the branches offered brief moments of hope that quickly faded.
Finally, her legs gave out. She collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, her muscles shaking from the effort, sweat pouring down her face. She could barely stand, and to her horror, the curses noticed. They emerged from the shadows with glowing, sinister eyes, slowly surrounding her. There was no escape.
Makima's voice suddenly echoed through the air, as if she had been watching from the shadows all along. "I thought there was something unique about you, Rika, but it seems I was wrong. You're just as pathetic as the rest." Her tone was merciless, as cold as the night wind.
Something inside Rika snapped. She had endured as much as she could, but those words from Makima broke her. Fear, exhaustion, and frustration consumed her, and all she could do was scream, a raw, primal cry that echoed throughout the clearing. In that moment, without understanding how, a wave of intense pink cursed energy erupted from her body, blasting outward in all directions like a cannon. The curses surrounding her didn't stand a chance; they were obliterated in an instant.
Rika remained frozen, breathing heavily, barely comprehending what had just happened. The energy she had unleashed left her utterly drained, and she felt as though something inside her had torn apart. The pain was overwhelming, as if the burst of power had come at a greater cost than she could bear.
As she blinked, still dazed, a soft whisper filled her ears. "Die..." That single word echoed in her mind, and before her eyes, the remaining curses, those not destroyed by the blast, began to kill each other in grotesque ways. Some strangled themselves, others tore their own bodies apart, and within seconds, the clearing was littered with the remains of the curses.
Rika felt nauseous, but before she could fully process what had happened, she noticed a figure high up in one of the trees. Makima was watching her from the branches, a smile on her face that seemed completely out of place, as if she were enjoying the suffering around her. But something about that smile was disturbing. False, calculated. All of Makima's smiles were, but this time, Rika saw it more clearly.
"Good job," Makima said, her voice cold, not matching the words of praise. "Now, we can finally make progress."
Rika trembled. Not from the cold, but from the brutal realization of how ruthless Makima was. From the beginning, this had been nothing more than a cruel test. She knew that if Rika hadn't shown her power, Makima would have lost interest. The truth was simple and terrifying: if she couldn't prove her worth, if she wasn't useful to Makima, she would be discarded, no matter how weak or vulnerable she was.
The moonlight cast strange shadows on Makima's face as she continued to watch from her elevated position. That smile was still there, but now Rika understood. It wasn't a smile of approval; it was the smile of someone who saw everyone around her as pieces on a chessboard, and Rika had been on the verge of being discarded.
As she struggled to her feet, exhausted and in pain, Rika realized a chilling truth: if she wanted to survive under Makima's control, she not only had to grow stronger, but she also had to become emotionally resilient. Because in Makima's eyes, there were only two options: be useful or be eliminated.
Makima gracefully descended from the tree and walked toward her, stopping just beside her. "Rest for now. Tomorrow, we continue." Her voice was as indifferent as ever. Then, without waiting for a response, she turned and began walking into the forest, leaving Rika alone in the darkness, her mind full of doubts and her body pushed to its limit.
Rika followed, knowing she had no other choice.