Yuki and Tatsuya stood close, back-to-back as three demi-humans circled them, each step echoing with anticipation. Their eyes gleamed with a cruel light that turned Yuki's breathing shallow, while Tatsuya's focus sharpened as he felt the bond between them intensify. Their blood bond heightened, amplifying Yuki's voice as it reached his thoughts, faint and uneasy.
What do we do, Master? Her question held a tremor. They're faster than us, and there's three of them...
Yuki's hand tightened around the hilt of her katana, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to keep her composure. She had fought creatures before, but never enemies who looked upon her with such cold, human malice. One of them, a leopard demi-human, smirked as he observed her, his golden eyes gleaming with mock amusement.
"Frozen already, little Soulborne?" he taunted, flickering into her face in a blur. Yuki flinched, stumbling back with a startled squeak, her katana clattering slightly. The leopard leaped back, his smug grin widening at her reaction, and his companions chuckled, sharing his amusement.
"You two might be the weakest monsters we've ever seen," sneered the silver-haired wolf demi-human. He flicked his fingers disdainfully, sending a small cloud of dirt toward them. "How did creatures like you even evolve?"
The dirt cloud hung in the air, swirling for a brief moment before the particles began falling. As Tatsuya watched the dirt drift, his gaze shifted to a cut on his hand, where blood had begun to bead.
I'm bleeding…
Tatsuya? Yuki's voice broke into his thoughts. What about the bleeding?
I can use my blood flames again, he thought, heart beating faster as the memory of his first victory in this world—against the saber-toothed monster—flickered in his mind. These guys definitely have ill intent...
Focusing, he tapped into their blood bond, channeling Yuki's mental energy as his own eyes turned crimson, burning with a fierce light. Spinning in a swift arc, he flung his bleeding hand outward, droplets of blood scattering and freezing mid-air, like ruby sparks glinting in the dark forest.
The demi-humans stilled, eyes narrowing as they followed the scattered droplets in the air. The leopard and black-haired wolf took instinctive steps back. But the silver-haired wolf, their captain, held his ground with an unsettling grin, tilting his head back as he allowed the blood to splatter across his face and body.
"Thank you for the blood-offering," he sneered, his eyes glinting with arrogance. "It'll be the perfect appetizer for the main course…"
Tatsuya's eyes narrowed as he completed the incantation with a low, steady voice.
"Ill intent."
The silver-haired wolf's smirk vanished as his body erupted in flames—a grotesque, unnatural blaze of black and purple. His skin began to wither under the intense heat, fur curling and burning as the flames licked across him, devouring every part of his flesh in waves.
"What…what did you do?!" he shrieked, his voice warping with agony as his skin cracked, and muscles shriveled with unnatural speed. His strength melted away, his proud frame collapsing in on itself.
"Squad Captain!" his two comrades screamed, their eyes widening with horror.
They shot into action, darting away only to return with large leaves from the rainforest canopy. Desperately, they wrapped the leaves around his blazing body, circling him as they tried to smother the flames.
The black-haired wolf worked furiously, clenching his teeth. This should be enough to smother it!
"Why isn't it working?" growled the leopard, a wild look in his eyes as he spun around the burning captain.
The flames roared in response, fed by the leaves they had used to contain them, the dark blaze spreading higher, wrapping the captain in a searing inferno. The black-haired wolf and leopard staggered back, terror etched across their faces as their captain's body twisted in agony, his skin crisping, his eyes bulging as his life was stolen away in painful, unbearable seconds.
Finally, he dropped to the ground, a lifeless, charred figure, his form still wreathed in those unholy flames as he curled into a motionless ball on the forest floor. The silence that followed was thick, broken only by the crackling embers of his ashen remains.
Tatsuya watched with grim satisfaction, the residual power of his flames casting a dark glow over his face. But then he felt a rush of pain, a terrible ache pulsing through his skull, forcing him to grab his temples as if trying to hold his mind together. Too much strain, he thought, gritting his teeth.
As he fought through the pain, Tatsuya turned, noticing Yuki still crouched on the ground, her body trembling, eyes wide and fixated on the flickering flames that encircled them. Her face was pale, her breathing uneven.
Tatsuya's focus snapped back to her, his own pain forgotten. He knelt beside her, his voice soft, filled with worry. "Yuki… are you okay?"
Her voice came out barely above a whisper, choked with fear. "P-please… don't eat me… I'm not worth it. I'm… just a small being trying to survive…"
Tears welled up in her eyes as she clutched her chest, her face scrunched with a deep, trembling fear. Tatsuya's heart tightened, a surge of unfamiliar pain flooding his chest as he watched her shudder, her strength completely sapped.
She's so terrified… he thought, feeling her hurt echo through their bond. This isn't the Yuki I know.
Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as he let her lean into him. Her small, shivering form melted into his hold as he rested his head against hers, feeling her heartbeat racing like a frightened animal's.
Damn it, he thought, feeling a raw ache in his chest as he probed the depths of her mind through their blood bond. I have to know what's causing this fear…
As he reached deeper, images began to flicker in his mind, memories not his own but painfully vivid. He saw a musty, dark room, dust lingering in the air as young Yuki—a small horned rat—was backed into a corner. The saber-toothed monster, the same one he had slain in his first fight, loomed over her, its massive claws raking through the air, barely missing her as she scampered away, squeaking in terror.
Each swipe brought her closer to the edge, and he could feel her heart pounding in panic, the sensation so intense that it pulled him from the memory with a jolt, the firelight snapping back into focus. The flames encircling them crackled, casting shadows across Yuki's tear-stained face.
Tatsuya's hand gently brushed her shoulder, his own heart aching with a fierce protectiveness. He could feel her pain, her lingering fear, but he knew he couldn't alter how she felt.
I'm not a therapist, he thought, desperation tightening in his chest. But maybe I can snap her out of it…
A sudden idea struck him, and he leaned closer, bringing his lips near her ear, whispering softly to himself, I'm such a pathetic master...
Then, acting on instinct, he nibbled gently on her ear.
Yuki's eyes widened, her body stiffening before she sprang up, her cheeks flushing as she spun around, flustered. "W-what are you doing?!"
Her voice wavered, embarrassment washing over her face. She stared at him in shock, as though he were some lecherous stranger, and for a moment, her usual confidence flickered back.
Before either of them could speak further, they noticed the two remaining demi-humans. Their eyes, filled with hate and despair, locked onto Tatsuya, hands gripping their spears as they stalked forward, muscles taut.
Tatsuya felt Yuki's posture shift beside him, her hand once more tightening around her katana. Her gaze was steady now, her shoulders squared, and her jaw set.
He smirked, slowly drawing out the twin Uzis beneath his cloak. His gaze fell on the leopard demi-human, who was eyeing them with a mix of rage and fear.
"Well, now that the cat can't claw you back into fear, let's see if he really has nine lives," he sneered, his voice carrying a mocking edge as he aimed.