Yuto lay on the cold, cracked ground, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His chest still throbbed where Nyx's blade had pierced his heart, the pain gnawing at him like a relentless beast. Everything around him felt distant, blurred at the edges. The once brilliant light of his Anima was now a faint flicker, barely enough to ward off the creeping shadows.
His fingers twitched against the dirt as he struggled to stay conscious. The sounds of the battle—the clang of weapons, the shouts of his comrades—felt muffled, like he was submerged in deep water.
"Kaito..." Yuto rasped, barely able to get the words out. "Where... where are you?"
He felt the warmth of his brother's presence somewhere in the recesses of his mind, a soothing comfort that had kept him going through the darkest moments of the fight. But now, it was slipping away, just like his strength.
Suddenly, a voice broke through the haze, harsh and commanding. "Yuto!"
Takeshi's figure appeared in his line of sight, kneeling next to him. His face was grim, his normally composed demeanor shattered as he stared down at Yuto's wound. "Hang on, Yuto. Don't you dare give up now."
Yuto tried to respond, but the words wouldn't come. His lips moved, but nothing but a faint gasp escaped. His body felt heavy, unresponsive. He could feel Takeshi's hands pressing against the wound in his chest, but it was a distant sensation, like it was happening to someone else.
Takeshi's voice became more urgent. "You hear me? You're not dying here! Not after everything we've been through!"
Yuto's eyes fluttered, and he forced himself to meet Takeshi's gaze. "Takeshi... I... I can't..."
"Shut up." Takeshi's voice cracked as he spoke, his hands trembling slightly as he tried to keep the bleeding at bay. "You're not allowed to quit. Not now."
Yuto wanted to argue, to tell him that it was too late, that he could feel his life slipping away. But he couldn't muster the energy. His vision blurred, and he could barely make out Takeshi's face anymore.
Takeshi's hands tightened around Yuto's wound, and his voice softened, filled with something Yuto had never heard from him before: desperation.
"Please... don't go. We need you."
Yuto's heart clenched, not from pain, but from the raw emotion in Takeshi's voice. It was strange, hearing someone as stoic as Takeshi sound so vulnerable. It almost made him want to stay... almost.
But the darkness was calling to him, pulling him under. He could feel it tugging at his consciousness, dragging him into a deep, endless void. And in that void, he heard a voice—cold, mocking.
"You thought you could escape me?"
Yuto's eyes snapped open, though his body didn't move. The battlefield faded away, and he found himself standing in an endless expanse of darkness. Shadows swirled around him, coiling and uncoiling like serpents, and in the distance, a familiar figure emerged.
Abyss.
The figure strode toward him, its form tall and imposing, eyes gleaming like black stars in the void. Its smile was sharp, predatory. "You should've known better, Yuto. You can't outrun the darkness. It's always been inside you."
Yuto's body stiffened, but he didn't retreat. He couldn't. He was tired of running from Abyss, tired of fighting this endless battle. "What do you want, Abyss?" he asked, his voice echoing in the void.
Abyss stopped a few feet away, tilting its head as it regarded him. "What do I want? Isn't it obvious? I want what I've always wanted, Yuto. To claim you."
Yuto's fists clenched at his sides, his heart pounding despite the pain that still radiated from his chest. "I'm not yours to claim."
Abyss chuckled, the sound low and rumbling. "Oh, but you are. You've always been mine, Yuto. From the moment you awakened me, you've been walking the path toward this moment."
Yuto shook his head, his expression hardening. "I won't let you take me. I've come too far to fall into your hands now."
Abyss's smile widened, its eyes glinting with amusement. "You think you have a choice in the matter? You're already dying, Yuto. That wound in your chest? It's fatal. Your body is failing, and your precious Anima is fading."
Yuto's breath hitched, but he didn't let the fear show on his face. "Maybe... but I'll fight until the end. You won't win."
Abyss's form flickered, shifting slightly as it stepped closer. "There is no winning or losing, Yuto. There's only inevitability. You are bound to me, and in the end, you will fall into the darkness. It's only a matter of time."
Yuto's jaw tightened, his gaze never leaving Abyss's. "You're wrong. I'm not afraid of the darkness anymore."
For a moment, Abyss's smile faltered, replaced by a flicker of something like curiosity. "Oh? And what makes you so confident?"
Yuto took a deep breath, drawing on the faint connection he still felt to the spirits of the Soulbound warriors. They were still there, their presence a steady warmth in the cold void. And Kaito... Kaito was with him, too.
"Because I'm not alone," Yuto said quietly, his voice filled with quiet determination. "I have the strength of all those who came before me. My brother, my comrades—they're with me. And as long as I have them, I won't fall to you."
Abyss's eyes darkened, and it let out a soft, mocking laugh. "Sentimentality. How quaint."
Yuto narrowed his eyes, refusing to be intimidated. "Call it whatever you want. But it's enough."
Without warning, Abyss lunged forward, its form dissolving into a swirl of shadows that wrapped around Yuto like a vice. The darkness constricted, squeezing the air from his lungs, but Yuto didn't flinch. He braced himself, digging his heels into the ground as he fought back against the suffocating force.
"You think you can resist me?" Abyss hissed, its voice echoing all around him. "I am the void. I am inevitable!"
Yuto clenched his teeth, straining against the shadows that coiled around him. His muscles burned with the effort, but he refused to give in. "You might be the void... but I am Yuto Kisaragi. And I choose my own fate!"
With a roar of defiance, Yuto called upon the last vestiges of his Anima. Light exploded from his body, pushing back the shadows and shattering Abyss's hold. The darkness screamed as it was torn apart, and Yuto staggered to his feet, panting heavily as the void around him trembled.
Abyss reformed in front of him, its expression twisted with fury. "This isn't over, Yuto."
Yuto met Abyss's gaze, his chest still heaving from the effort. "No, it's not. But I'm not afraid of you anymore."
Abyss snarled, the shadows swirling angrily around it. "We'll see about that."
And with that, the darkness around them began to close in once more, but this time, Yuto stood his ground. He was ready. He wouldn't let Abyss claim him. Not now. Not ever.
The fight was far from over, but Yuto had already won the first battle—the battle against his own fear.
And that was a victory Abyss couldn't take from him.