First, hissing and curling of steam into the stale air was heard, and the metallic groan as the docking pod latched onto the Skeld. It was a sound eerily echoing through the too-silent corridors of this ship. Standing in the pod's airlock, Ninja was heaving with his chest, as his adrenaline surged wildly in his veins. Firmly, he clutched the pod's release lever with fingers that shook slightly from the rush of excitement and fear. His breath fogged up the visor of the helmet.
It slid open with a rush, the hiss of compressed air breaking through the heavy silence like punctuation. Stepping out into the hallway, the metallic scent of blood hit him at once, mingling uneasily with the acrid tang of burnt circuits and electrical failure. His eyes scanned the dimly lit space frantically, taking in the flickering lights overhead that cast eerie shadows to make every corner feel more sinister. Each of his boots came down loudly against the cold, hard floor, amplifying the tension that was thrumming in the air around him. "What the hell is going on here?
" he muttered under his breath-low, but it was a voice filled with growing dread. His hand instinctively tightened on the hilt of his katana-the smooth grip so familiar and reassuring-and then he went forward, silently. The stillness was unnatural, as if some predator was waiting out of sight, and each step made his heart leap in anticipation of terrors to come from the shadows.
He pressed deeper into the dark hallways of Skeld, with each nerve in his body on full alert. The unnerving silence was periodically broken by the muffled sounds of explosions that rattled through the metal hull and caused the ship to shudder and heave as if it too were groaning in agony. Unresponsive cold walls appeared to press in on him; metallic surfaces mirroring the uncanny light of warning beacons.
Something unnerving caught his eye from the corner of his vision: a dark, slimy tendril slithered silently across the floor, vanishing into the gloom. Time froze as Ninja staggered to a stop, his heart racing against his chest in terrified bounds, the beats echoing through his eardrums.
"Shit," he whispered, trying to catch his breath.
The metallic doors to the medical bay hissed open, and Jean knelt on the floor; his hands dark, slick as he worked to apply pressure to Captain Max's wound. Max lay sprawled on the ground, his uniform soaked crimson, the shallowness of his labored breathing one of the most ominous signs yet.
"Jean!" Ninja exclaimed, running to their side.
Jean's head snapped up, his face pale and streaked with sweat. "Ninja! Thank Ymir you're here!"
Ninja dropped to his knees beside Max, his stomach churning at the sight of the wound—a jagged puncture in the captain's side, the edges charred as though burned.
"What. happened?" Ninja demanded, his voice tight.
Max coughed, blood speckling his lips. His voice was a rasp, barely audible. "The. parasite. it's back."
Ninja's eyes widened. "Kenneth?!"
Jean nodded frantically, his hands shaking as he tried to stem the bleeding. "He's killed everyone, Ninja! We need to get out of here before—"
Stop," Max interrupted, his voice hoarse but commanding. He clutched weakly at Ninja's arm, his bloodstained hand leaving a crimson smear. "You can't run. Find. Cheese.
The heartbeat of Ninja quickened, with his throat turning tight as he locked eyes with Max, the captain. Max's gaze teetered in the wind, like a candle struggling to stay alight, weakening slowly as the shadows began to nuzzle their way around them. Within that moment, the air grew thick with memories and the face of another emerged unbidden in his mind, an elusive memory of Aiden--a person who once was a source of strength and loyalty.
Aiden. he whispered, his voice no more than a murmur, breaking the heavy silence into a fragile sound that seemed a prayer on the edge of despair.
At the mention of the name, Jean looked up sharply, his expression changing from concern to confusion. "What?" he asked, furrowing his brow, as if sensing the weight of the moment.
He shook his head, the tightness wrapping around his jaw as he struggled to contain his emotions. The memories were an emerging storm within him, and he needed to act. Rising to his feet, he grasped the handle of the katana resting at his side. As he pulled the blade from its sheath, it caught the dim light, reflecting a cold, silvery glimmer both reassuring and ominous-a tangible reminder of his purpose.
"I will avenge you," he murmured low, but the words were colored by a firm commitment. That commitment gave strength to his voice, making it ring an echo with a promise: "All of you." Every syllable vibrated with the ghosts of fallen friends, shackling him to a path of vengeance as he readied himself against the darkness that had stolen them from his side.
Laughter echoed around the filled mess hall, heavy in the air with an atmosphere of camaraderie that starkly contrasted with the grim reality of the situation. Younger Aiden sat back in his chair at a worn wooden table, the 'no-care' grin illuminating his face as he carelessly flipped a ration bar between his hands, the package crinkling softly with each movement.
"You know, the party's gonna be lit tonight; you coming?" Aiden said, his voice bright and playful. His eyes sparkled with excitement at the mere promise of that release from everyday toil to enlighten his youthful spirit.
Opposite him, a younger Ninja was sitting cross-armed, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. Slowly, he shook his head, and the slight chuckle escaping his lips betrayed how amused he was. "Wouldn't miss it for the world," he replied in that playful, reassuring tone, as if the shared experiences offered some sort of comfort against the harsh background of their lives.
As the scene in his head changed, that which was once bright began to fade away, like an old photograph left exposed to the noontime glare of the sun. The infectious peppered laughter that had filled the air started to fade into echoes, each chuckle and shout of joy reverberating less distinctly until they were mere whispers lost within the vastness of time. Whereas earlier, the warmth of those moments was lived and full of life, that warmth slowly became immersed by an unsettling silence that had crept in so stealthily and cast such a long ominous shadow over shared happiness. There had been a growing sense of unease settling in the atmosphere, thickening the air around him, as if it were some living entity. The lengthening shadows presaged the difficulties they were about to face quite shortly, turning what should have been a day of reunification into an inexorable reminder of the starkness of reality.
Moments of violent tremors shook the reactor room, each explosion like a rumble of thunder that blew inside the ship's metal corridors. Throbbed with the ominous red light of the core, its glow pulsed like a heartbeat, casting long, twisted shadows that erratically danced across the walls, forming grotesque shapes that seemed to mock the chaos. Resolution of steel shone in his eyes as Ninja stepped into the room, confident and sure, his katana held at the ready. The blade was keen and polished, shining with the eerie crimson light, harbinger of the fierce battle to come. He stood, poised and alert, ready to meet whatever horrors were lurking in the shifting shadows around him.
Before the pulsating reactor at the center of this cavernous room, Kenneth knelt, his form bathed in crimson as if in marked contrast to the gentle, blue luminescence of the core. The air around him crackled with an ominous energy, distorting the very atmosphere until tendrils of darkness writhed and twisted, taking on forms that defied the limits of reality itself.
"KENNETH!" Ninja's voice rocketed across the room, an absolute tempest of rage and astonishment, reverberating off the cold metallic walls.
Kenneth slowly turned to face him, his movements almost delivered in deliberate theatrics. A manic grin began to unfurl across his lips, revealing a disturbing sense of glee amidst the chaos. His visor was cracked and splintered, doing little to obscure the insanity in his bloodshot eye, which shone with a malignant delight that mirrored the flickering lights of the reactor. "Ah, Ninja. Right on time," he said, the giddiness in his tone a jarring contrast to the tautness in the air.
You betrayed us!" Ninja yelled as his voice reflected a mix of anger and disbelief, his hand tightening on the hilt of his katana, the blade shimmering ominously in the dull light of the room.
Kenneth stood before him, calmness in his demeanor an unnerving factor, moving with fluidity that was just about graceful enough to be considered inhuman. "Betrayed you? he replied, the corners of his lips twisted mirthfully. "No, my friend, I have transcended you. I have unlocked secrets that lie beyond your comprehension.
Come with me, and together we will unveil the latent might, locked behind closed doors, which shall alter the course of our destiny." A gleam in his eyes-now an intoxicating cocktail of ambition and dark promise-dared Ninja to take a step closer toward the edge of temptation.
But before Ninja could utter a word, there was a surge in the darkness that coalesced into this huge, writhing thing behind Kenneth's back. The Dark One loomed over him; his form shifted as a mass of void and malice.
"NO!" bellowed Ninja, his voice resounding through the air as he surged forward with fierce determination.
The Dark One struck in a flurry of motion, a surge of shadowy tendrils whipping around him. Out dived dark, viper-like tendrils, wrapping tightly around Kenneth. On Kenneth's face, the triumphant grin that had lit it suddenly contorted into an expression of sheer horror; his eyes were wide in absolute disbelief.
With a blood-curdling scream, he was consumed by the darkness-a sound filled with so much desperation and terror that the cacophony surrounding him momentarily ceased. The shadows enveloped him tighter, washing away light and the last bits of his hope, leaving nothing but cold aftermath to the Dark One's insatiable hunger.
Moments later, Kenneth's body was pitched out, falling to the floor in a lifeless heap.
"Kenneth!" Ninja had gone rigid, his katana clattering to the ground as he stared at the motionless figure.
The Dark One began to stir, its form contorting in a grotesque and unsettling manner. Slowly it took on more of a humanoid shape, the fluid mass of its body coagulating into a grotesquely familiar visage.
A tightness seized his throat, his breathing catching as his eyes met the figure. His memories were in tattered pieces, chafing his insides raw as he recognized the face leaning over him.
"Aiden.
But the figure before him was not Aiden, per se. It was a distorted impersonation, a haunting impression of his dear friend that he knew. The eyes, once bright and full of life, were now like dark, hollow cavities-void of life, warmth, or recognition. The mouth was contorted into a mean, jesting grin that ran chills down Ninja's spine; a nightmarish caricature taunting him with echoes of times passed.
Ninja," the Dark One said, its voice an echo of Aiden's that was sickening to hear, in particular for something so much more sinister. "Do you see what you've wrought?"
Ninja stumbled back, his heart racing. "No. this isn't real. Aiden, I-"
The Dark One laughed-a sound like no other, grating against Ninja's very soul. "Your Aiden is gone, just as you will be. You're weak, Ninja. Just like him.
The reactor chamber exploded in a display of chaos as, with Ninja lunging forward, the katana sliced through the air. The Dark One moved with a totally unnatural fluidity, its tendrils lashing out to intercept him.
"You think you can save him?" it sneered, voice mocking.
Ninja gritted his teeth and dodged a tendril, countering with a spinning slash. The blade struck true, severing one of the appendages. The writhing piece fell to the floor before disintegrating into ash.
"Let him go!" Ninja exclaimed in desperation.
The Dark One lunged, its tendrils wrapping around Ninja's torso and slamming him against the reactor wall. "Aaagh." Ninja grunted as his breath was knocked out of his lungs, but he refused to back down.
He twisted free with a burst of strength, kicking off the wall as he launched himself at the Dark One. His blade met resistance once it struck the entity's form, sparks flying as though he had struck solid steel.
The Dark One recoiled with a seething intensity, its shadowy form pulsating and flickering like a dying flame. "You're persistent," it spat, its voice slithering through the air, thick with contempt and malice. Ninja landed gracefully in a low crouch, the weight of the moment pressing heavily upon him. He felt the rapid beats of his heart echoing in his ears, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths. A sheen of perspiration on his brow, his hands shook just a little as he clutched the katana tighter, the bright blade reflecting the dim light.
"I won't lose you again, Aiden," he told him, implacable, his voice weaving together anguish and fierce determination, each word laced with a raw urgency that cut at the taut atmosphere like a blade.
With a fresh plunge, the Dark One's motions were quicker and stronger, more brutal. The room was a blur of motion, clangs of steel and the hiss of tendrils in the air. Every step forward Ninja took seemed like the overwhelming force of the Dark One was pushing him backward; its tenebrous form billowing forward like a tide that would bury him beneath its dark waters.
The air was electric with tension, thick and heavy, as Ninja confronted the darkness towering before him. The Dark One heaved and twisted, boiling like a storm as his dark form beat against Ninja with wave after wave of malevolent fury. Still, he refused to bend under the press of its attack. Fire within him, burning hotter with every blow, every flash of memory adding to determination.
Every slash of his katana tore through the dark tendrils, their shrieks echoing in a chorus of despair. But with every strike he was able to inflict, the Dark One retaliated in turn, its monstrous form pressing forward with the inevitability of a tide. The ship had trembled with their clash, the reactor room a maelstrom of shadows and blinding light.
You can't save him!" the Dark One roared-the guttural voice a symphony of malice. "He's gone!"
"No," Ninja growled low, his voice unrelenting. He gripped his katana tighter, the blade gleaming with his resolution. "You're wrong. I know he's still in there.
The Dark One lunged, its shadowy tendrils converging in a massive, crushing blow. Ninja rolled to the side, the force of the attack cracking the floor where he had stood. He countered with a leaping strike, his katana slicing through the nearest tendril. The creature shrieked, recoiling as inky darkness sprayed like blood.
"Hear me, Aiden!" Ninja yelled, desperation lacing his voice. "I know you're still in there!"
For an instant, the shadows flailed, and Ninja saw Aiden's features flutter in the twisting mass-white, agonized, imploring. But in that very instant, it twisted back into the snarling monster.
The Dark One struck again, this time swifter. Its tendrils cracked like whips. Ninja deflected and evaded; his action a blur of precision and agility. Each impact numbed his arms, but he was firm.
Then an opportunity opened. In an instant burst of speed, he slipped under the monster's body, striking upwards as he went. His blow sheared off one of its massive arms, the limb tearing apart into a cloud of darkness. The Dark One shrieked in pain, its form buckling.
Without hesitation, Ninja turned and leaped, plunging his katana deep into the creature's back. Its blade pierced through the Dark One's torso; for a moment, the room fell eerily silent.