Private Lost Souls - "An Unfortunate Circumstance!"

[Wee Yong]

In the quiet of the Konohan night, a lone figure slipped through the shadows, his form blending seamlessly with the dim light filtering through the hospital's sterile hallways. The rogue ninja, clad in black from head to toe, moved with a precision that seemed to defy gravity, his every step calculated to avoid the creaks of the floorboards, the only sound accompanying him was the faint hum of the intentionally dull overhead lights.

The hospital was eerily quiet, save for the soft beeping of heart monitors and the occasional rustle of the medical shinobi's uniforms as they made their rounds, completely oblivious to the shadows presence. The ninja's goal was clear, since hearing of this virus Yong had made the connection that one of his Myakashi may be amongst its victims as she had failed to check in, if she was alive he would save her... Migoya had given him a potion for this very task of the need should arise. He would also check on the other plague victims in their comas, but the elderly woman was his priority, she hadn't checked in for days and her advanced age may have increased mortality risk.

He approached the intensive care unit with the same ghost like stealth. His eyes scanned the room as he entered, each bed occupied by a patient, their faces pale and motionless. His fingers lightly brushed the walls, feeling for the familiar presence of the buildings chakra, calling the shadows to him. They obeyed his command, elongating and twisting around him, concealing his movements further, a void of curling shadow moving through the dark room.

Moving to the first patient, he carefully checked the chart at the foot of the bed. Vitals were stable, though some strange anomalies in the blood work. He slipped silently to the next, repeating the process, stable, stable. All young and strong, all suffering from the same apparently catastrophic conditions and blood anomalies.

At last, he reached the last bed, the face he had feared to find lay motionless in front of him, her eyes partially opened but staring unresponsive into nothingness. The old woman lay wrapped in a blanket, her frail body hooked up to various machines and monitors, a faint trace of sweat glistening on her forehead and down her neck, slightly moistening the bedclothes with perspiration. The monitors beeped weakly as her pulse grew ever more erratic. Her face, pale as death, seemed to reflect the fragility of life itself.

The ninja’s shadow stretched, blending into the wall behind him as he crouched beside the bed. His fingers grazed the chart, scanning the information rapidly. Her chart indicated that she was not as stable as the other patients and probably unlikely to recover. As he read the chart her vitals began plummeting, her pulse slowing dangerously, and the heart monitor emitted a steady, haunting tone.

He inhaled deeply, his breath steady and calm. With a swift motion, his fingers pressed against her wrist, feeling for the faint pulse that could be her last. The moment hung in the air like a thread about to snap. He had to act fast but he also had to remain calm.

His eyes narrowed as he reached into the folds of his cloak and produced a small vial of of clear liquid already in a hypodermic, a rare concoction capable of stabilizing the weakest of hearts designed by one of the greatest Medical Ninja of all time. With meticulous care, he twisted the nib off of the syringe and injected the clear liquid into the woman's chest, as close to the heart as possible without risk of potential trauma.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, her breathing deepened, and the faintest flicker of color returned to her cheeks. Her pulse steadied.

It was fleeting, the concoction a failure as the beeping of the heart monitor grew slower once more. The color in her face drained away, and her breathing became dangerously shallow. The ninja’s eyes, which had once been full of focused determination, now softened. He sat in stillness beside her as he lifted her light frail hand with his own, the unnatural shadow coiling up down her wrist, the weight of her life pressed on him like an immovable stone, she was a great Shinobi and she would be missed.

The heart monitor emitted one last, weak beep, and then flatlined, she sharper tone cut off as a coil of shadow turned off the machine.

Yong closed his eyes. In the silence of the room, the shadows seemed to grow heavier without his influence. His fingers, once so sure and steady, lingered for a moment on the woman's frail hand before he slowly pulled away. He remained at her side for a short while, watching her lifeless body, the sadness in his eyes almost palpable if not concealed by the shifting void.

For a brief moment, he wished he could have done more, but he knew this was not his battle to fight. In the end, death was inevitable, and no shadows, no medicine, no magic could change that.

With a final glance, he turned from her and began to move through the quiet room... He would add her name to the book of the lost when he returned to the Myakashi village... For now, he hoped her body would help Konoha solve this fatal mystery...

 

[Senju Akio]

Akio stood at the edge of the hospital room, relief washing over him that he could at least stand without the dizziness from earlier. He had spent the better part of the evening checking on patients still in comas from the Red River Virus, murmuring the same quiet reassurances at each bedside. It was a grim rhythm, but one he insisted on maintaining. Their labored breathing cut straight through him every time he listened. He reached for the hand of a young boy, noticing the faint twitch of a finger. “Come on, lil guy,” he whispered, voice cracking from a mix of exhaustion and worry but still carrying that same nurturing tone he learned from his late Grandpa Itsuki. He repeated his paternal figures words as well, “Don’t quit. You’ve got a whole life to live.”

A chill crept up his spine just then, the hairs at the back of his neck prickling as though some invisible hand grazed his skin. The hospital fell into an oppressive silence. Akio’s breath hitched; something was definitely wrong. He released the boy’s limp hand and took a step toward the hallway.

"That chakra… it’s so dark," he thought, a cold shudder rippling through him. "It feels like it doesn’t belong in this world."

He quickly formed the hand signs for his Crystal Eye jutsu. A small orb of shimmering chakra appeared and slipped through the partly open door. Anxiety coiled in Akio’s chest as he waited for the Eye’s perspective to reveal what lurked just beyond sight. At first, it showed only the sterile corridor, lit by dull, flickering lights. Then Akio’s stomach dropped. A figure dressed in black crouched beside an elderly woman’s bed, syringe in hand. As the stranger injected her, the heart monitor beside the bed went into a flat drone that made Akio’s blood run cold. The figure casually flicked the switch, and the machine went silent. The old woman’s hand went limp.

Tears blurred his vision for an instant, a blend of grief and rage. He usually believed in seeing the best in others, but in this moment, there was no room for doubt. He could not stand by while another life was snuffed out, especially not someone so fragile and helpless. Anger bubbled up, driving him to act. “Y-you monster!!” he hissed, fists trembling with fury as he dispelled the Crystal Eye and stormed into the hallway at breakneck speed. This man was a monster, in his Archsage-heightened senses Akio could see that as clearly as one could see the moon on a cloudless night. Nevertheless, fully undeterred, the emotional young Senju's voice rose in volume, echoing off the walls. “Why!?! That was someone's grandma! She was already suffering, and you… you just ended her like she was nothing!”

His breath came in ragged bursts as he fought the urge to lunge straight away. He was furious, his mind replaying his own guilt for not being there when his own grandfather passed just weeks prior, but his training reminded him to think of the civilians first. A direct fight here, surrounded by fragile patients, could put more lives in danger. He needed to lure this killer away.

Akio took a deliberate step backward, glancing toward a distant set of double doors that led out to a small courtyard. It was a wide, empty space, perfect for a confrontation. He locked his gaze on the figure in black, voice quivering with raw emotion. He gritted his teeth. Protocol would dictate he find out more, that he don't fight at the hospital, that he use his brain instead of his emotions. Akio was never the best at any of that. But Fire? That the young Senju had in spades. “You don't belong here!” His pulse pounded in his ears. “These are my friends, my family, my home! And I'm not gonna let you hurt anybody else!” he shouted, turning on his heel and sprinting for the exit. He didn't know if the intruder would follow, but that was the idea, and he knew he couldn't go all out here, especially with the kind of combat the Archsage leaned into. Better he unleash his rage and power outside than risk the lives of the sleeping patients who relied on him to protect them.

One thought blazed in his mind. "I won’t let anyone else die on my watch. If I have to face that awful darkness alone, so be it." He refused to let fear silence the Will of Fire that burnt brightly inside his heart.

[Calling B-Mod]

 

[Wee Yong]

“Y-you monster!!” The voice echoed unconfidently through the quiet room. The shadow turned to face the Shinobi confronting him, ready to calm the confrontation with a presentation of the Sennins token given to him earlier that day, he also intended to give a gentle explanation as to who the woman was and that she was no stranger to him but when his shadow concealed eyes looked at the young Shinobi all those intentions, all of those explanations faded...

'A bright soul... A lesson...'

A thought almost tangible in the air, the first bright soul other than Nao since he had entered the great gates of Konohagakure, he would not let this moment slip!

The righteous rebuke continued, he was wrong that she was someone's grandmother, though she had fondly taught many of the children in Myakashi Village she had never become a mother herself... She was suffering though, as all suffer... And now she was gone...

Seeing the bright souled shinbi take a step back and glance at the distant double doors at the end of the intensive care unit. The seasoned missing ninja watched the young bright soul closely, reading his movements like a book.

“You don't belong here! These are my friends, my family, my home! And I'm not gonna let you hurt anybody else!”

With that he turned on his heels and began to run for the double doors, the intent obviously to draw the perceived threat into the open and away from the patients still motionless in their beds. It was a good plan... It would not work...

"Black Blockade..."

The words barely more than a whisper would be the first spoken by the shadow wreathed Shinobi, the assumed murderer, not a totally inaccurate assumption but one that in this specific case was incorrect. The blockade would spread in the blink of an eye, an invisible force surrounding the room, intentionally formed through the chakra system of the building... This room, with all its quietly beeping machines and it's critical care, motionless, vulnerable occupants, was now completely isolated.

If the young Shinobi turned to look back at his would be opponent he would see the shadows spread like a spiderweb made of ink across the room, in the gloom though, a sharp toothed smile could bee seen clearly, spreading uncomfortably wide.

"Family? Friend? But you did not know her name..."

The young Shinobi was a Bright Soul, one destined by the gods to shape the world! Yong had no intent on killing the young bright soul, infact the opposite was the case, a lesson on how not to die...

The key was not letting the student know it was a lesson...

"...and now you will die for her..."

To them it had to be real...

[Ooc: will send stuff and actions etc ]

 

[Senju Akio]

A shudder coursed through Akio’s entire body the moment the room plunged into darkness. It was as though the lights, the walls, and every last shred of normalcy had vanished, replaced by an all-consuming void. His mind seized on panic as he realized he could no longer see the exit, let alone fight his way toward it. His fingers fumbled for the communicator headset he had stashed away. He slammed the button to broadcast on an emergency channel. “Nao-sensei!” he hissed, voice cracking under the weight of fear. “We have an intruder! I’m-” Static filled his ear. The line was dead. There would be no help, no quick response team. Anxiety roared in his chest, but he tried a second time. “Nao! Anyone! Please!” Again, only oppressive silence.

His eyes darted around, trying to pierce the pitch-black, only to catch the gleam of impossibly white teeth drifting through the shadows. The sight ignited a dread he had never felt before, not in all his missions or training sessions. He knew the risk that came with his path as a shinobi, but facing down this darkness while still inside the hospital, with comatose patients mere steps away, made his heart pound painfully hard. The man’s words echoed in the suffocating air, accusing Akio of not knowing the old woman’s name, and threatening him with death. The bitterness of that accusation stung, because it was true. Akio had cared about that woman’s plight, about her pain, but he had never taken the time to learn her name. There were too many victims, too many failing pulses, and his best efforts had come up short yet again.

He didn't have time to reflect on the way he had clung to the old woman's fading life as if it were a replacement for his own late grandfather's. The sunny Senju was still trapped in a the endless void of a black that was darker than night. Akio’s gaze darted around, trying to orient himself. The only thing he could see were the shockingly white teeth floating in the blackness, contorted into a wide, unsettling grin as the man spoke his intent bluntly, words that felt less like a threat and more like a promise. A spike of terror shot through him. He had faced monstrous chakra signatures before, but never anything that felt so wrong.

Still, in the darkness, a light ignited inside Akio, a rekindling. It wasn't a brightly burning flame, not yet. But it was a warm memory, a rejuvenating hearth in his soul. He recalled his loving grandfather's warm tone, the guiding words of Grandpa Itsuki repeating in his mind. “Never forget, Akio, that a single candle is never truly alone. Its flame might flicker, but it shares its fire with every friend and ally that basks in its light.” The memory pressed against his heart, a reminder of the Will of Fire that coursed through every true Konohagakure shinobi. He felt that old weight of grief twist inside him, the guilt of not being there for his grandfather in his final hours mingling with this desperate moment.

Akio inhaled shakily, forcing himself to believe in the flame that had guided him this far, to breathe in the energy, to come alight. He clenched his fists and squared his shoulders, trying to sound more confident than he felt. “You think you’ve got me all alone and scared. But you’re wrong! I’m a shinobi of Konoha and I'm a Senju. I am never alone!" There was a fire in his eyes that almost seemed to glow amidst the pitch black of the ANBU's most intimidating jutsu. "The Will of Fire burns in me, and I’m NOT afraid of you!” It was a lie, but one that Akio forced himself to believe, at least for now. His heart hammered in his chest, pounding hard enough that he could feel it in his temples. Even so, for one precious moment, he let those words chase away the almost physical weight of terror that gripped him.

If there was no way out, then he would stand and fight. He would hold the line here, in this darkened ward, to protect the unconscious patients who still relied on him. His breathing steadied as he prepared to face this twisted threat, refusing to give in to the creeping cold of despair. With his grandfather’s words echoing in his mind, Akio found a spark of resolve that glowed brilliantly despite the looming shadows. Fear hadn't snuffed Akio's flame. His bright soul burned on.


[Sending Stats & Actions]

 

[Sazuki Nao]

You have found a battle mod!
Good morning/afternoon/evening towards you all! I'll be your battle moderator for this battle. If you happen to have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask them. You can contact me either through NC or through Discord. Yet please keep in mind with my work I can react at odd times and varied in time.​

Send, in a PM on NC, not discord, your actions, and all your battle information: Stats, class, abilities, jutsu, items, weapons, etc. When sending this information, I would prefer to have hyperlinked stuff or regular links. This greatly decreases the time it takes for a moderator to mod as it cuts down on searching. Do NOT just link your dojo, your profile or anything. I really want that information in my DM box. Rolls are in Discord -> Bmod-rolling. This is an open channel for you all to see. UBR rules do apply: meaning you have 48 hours to post and send actions.

Please be clear on your actions and conditionals, even when stating what you're maintaining. For this fight as there are multiple people, you will need to specify who are your allies and who are your enemies in your opening actions. This way I don't have to do any guesswork and you don't get upset if an item is modded the way you didn't wish.

I am human which means mistakes can happen; feel free to point these out! Let's enjoy!​

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Senju Akio has been given 48 hours to fix the few points of Dojo before the fight can continue. ​

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Participants

Yong	Akio
HP: 30.000 CP: 42.000 - 2.173 - 1.265 - 1.155 - 504 = 36.903 AP: 10 ( 10 next round) Maintains: genjutsu Status: Splintered Legs. -2 Dodge	HP: 27.405 -90 -330 -742 -337 +330 = 26.236 Barrier: 4500 -143 CP: 27.260 - 6.815 Natural Energy: 14.993 -1500 -375 - 560 -450 -450 - 450 -450 = 10.758 AP: 10 ( 11 next round) Maintains: Status: Under Genjutus, Not feeling so well.

What Happened?​

0.00 seconds Yong uses Genjutsu against Akio.
[ 40 vs. 26 ] Hits
[ 24 vs. 21 ] Yong is now in stealth.

0.00 seconds Yong uses World Standstill.

2.00 seconds Yong does hidden action.

2.50 Yong does hidden action.

3.00 Yong does hidden action.

0.00 Yong does a hidden action against Akio.
[ 41 vs. 15 ] Crit hits.
330 dmg.
Akio isn't feeling so well.
Yong is no longer hidden.

0.00 Akio contract conditional went off. Turtle performs Tidal Wall on Akio.
+4500hp barrier

Spoiler: contract Akio.

Hp. 18.800
CP. 15.510
Ap. 3.25

subtype Ninjutsu = Elemental

0.10 seconds Akio goes into Archsage mode; turtle.
55% CP to Natural CP. - 6.815Cp + 14.993 Natural energy.
Akio is now considered Holy+.

0.70 seconds Akio equips Bracerse.

0.75 seconds Akio uses a Basic strike on himself.
143 dmg to barrier.

2.85 seconds. Akio summons wood clones.
- 1,500 Natural Energy

Spoiler: Clones.

Clone 1;
HP: 2.055
CP: 2.726
-5 secondary.
2.5 AP

Clone 2:
HP: 2.055
CP: 2.726
-6 secondary.
2.5 AP

Clone 3:
HP: 2.055
CP: 2.726
-7 secondary.
2.5 AP

Clone 4:
HP 2.055
CP: 2.044
-8 Secondary
2.5 AP

[ 21 vs. 19 ] Yong is unaware of Clone 1.
[ 24 vs. 26 ] Yong is aware of Clone 2.
[ 4 vs. 16 ] Yong is aware of Clone 3.
[ 10 vs. 21 ] Yong is aware of Clone 4.

3.00 seconds Yong uses genjutsu against Akio.
Akio = 1 Clone = 2. Rolled 1.
[ 51 vs. 19] Hits.
% roll for secondary. Akio Rolled 39. hits.
Clone 1 also suffers.

3,45 seconds Akio enters Forest Dweller stance.

4,55 seconds Akio uses shell smash
4,55 seconds Akio uses Willpower - Cancel.
Akio rolled 47. Failed.

5.50 Seconds Yong uses Genjutsu against AKio.
[44 vs. 19] Hits

6.65 seconds Akio uses High-speed regeneration on self.

7,75 Akio casts Armor of Thorns on self.

8.75 seconds Clone 2 uses Wooden Tendril against Yong.
[ 22 vs. 31 ] Miss
[ 18 vs. 32 ] Miss
[ 12 vs. 26] Miss
[ 25 vs. 27] Miss

8.75 seconds Clone 3 uses Wooden Tendril against Yong.
[ 21 vs. 25 ] Miss
[ 27 vs. 23 ] Hit. Yong's legs are now Sprained. -1 dodge.
[ 20 vs. 33] Miss
[ 19 vs. 23] Miss

8.75 seconds Clone 4 uses Wooden Tendril against Yong.
[ 19 vs. 37 ] Miss
[ 15 vs. 25 ] Miss
[ 24 vs. 38] Miss
[ 28 vs. 28] Miss

8.85 seconds Clone 1 uses Wooden Tendril against Yong.
[ 24 vs. 34 ] Miss
[ 21 vs. 33 ] Hit.
[ 27 vs. 25] Miss Yong's legs are now fractured. -2 dodge.
[ 15 vs. 30] Miss

10.00 seconds, contract poofs.
10.00 seconds Akio heals for 330hp. (you cannot heal over your max hp.)

OOC:
HP in blue = not healable damage.
HP in Red = healable damage.

Akio; your clones are unable to enter the style. Styles are not techniques see UBR common Terms. Also, this has already been brought to Metsu and he rolled over it too.

Fixes:
Akio; Your natural energy. And your clone. Also Dmg was fixes as you deal more damage to yourself.

• Important: Called Shots can only occur on Full Hits unless stated otherwise.

Fixes: Yong caught 2 things, and edited them as I KNEW I forgot something... such rookie mistake xD

 

[Wee Yong]

"The Will of Fire burns in me, and I’m NOT afraid of you!”

The senju's words seemed to fill the young Shinobi with a burst of renewed courage, though Yong could plainly see the fear in his eyes. It was said though that true courage was being afraid of something and still facing it... The boy showed true courage... Good...

Yong exhaled slowly, relaxing his body for what would come next...

"Fear is logical..."

A cold, disembodied voice whispered in Akio's ear, its breathy tone would send shivers down his spine as it seemed to echo from nowhere and everywhere at once. As the words would echo away Akio would feel a sharp pain in his occipital lobe. Yong did not give him a moment respite though, faster than any could react the Sage of the Wilds moved to stand in front of him, placing his hand gently against the young Shinobi's chest, allowing the boy to see what he was truly fighting for the first time...

The air vibrated around the faceless demon, not allowing one's eyes to fully focus on any part of its body, except that is for its mouth and teeth, clear and in focus despite the violent vibration surrounding it. The creatures head seemed to tilt slightly to the left as it's eyeless gaze seemed to analyse the young Shinobi for the briefest moment.

"Everything dies alone..."

The words seemed to come from the creatures mouth, though it's lipless teeth and discoloured tongue did not move as they should to form the words, again no more than a whisper.

Then, with a sudden flex of its shoulder and wrist on the hand against his chest moved forward only an inch, though with such extreme velocity that Akio would be pushed backwards some distance creating space between the two combatants. The air around Akio rent with chakra as his Contract Turtle broke through reality a moment too late, ready to defend Akio with its life but not fast enough to stop what had already been done.

The faceless demon lowered it's hand slowly down to its side, it's shoulders rising and falling with each slow, deep breath. Its feet remained in place as it's head once more tilted to the left, looking momentarily at the Turtle Contract for a moment before turning it's eyeless gaze again towards Akio, seeming to be looking into the young Shinobi as if searching for something... Then a strange, lipless smile came over its face, it seemed it had found what it was looking for as it raised its hand towards Akio, fingers outstretched...

This time the young Senju was more prepared, Yong noticing the weapons now held as well as the signs of a sage mode activation, one of the fastest Yong had ever witnessed. Clones scattered around him though Yong was reasonably sure he had kept track. He was quitely impressed, though the Faceless Demon did not show it. This was a test after all.

The Faceless Demon closed its outstretched first, incoherently muttering something too quit for the Senju's ears to understand but loud enough to hear something. A strange cold burning sensation would start in his chest where the creatures hand has touched him, quickly spreading out through his body the young Shinobi would feel as if burning ice moved through his veins. If he looked down he would seen infection spreading quickly from the minor wound.

Akio had a plan though, a true combat medic he quickly cast a regeneration technique, it would not have the desired effect though, as only the bruising around the injury healed, the infection would still be spreading despite the medical intervention! Then he protected himself more, out of instinct as much as training by the looks of it, thorns of unnatural sharpness covered the young Senju. Simultaneously Akio's clones lashed out at the Faceless Demon, the wooden tendrils screaming through the air towards its legs, though the Demon stood apparently still, many of the tendrils seemed to move through its body with no resistance, though the few that found their make tore raged chunks of flesh off of the creature who's menacingly vibrating body still rose and fell with each slow breath, it's unseeing gaze looking slowly down at the raged wound on its leg before returning it's focused attention on the young Shinobi.

"Death is inevitable..."

[Ooc: will send the things and stuff ]

 

[Senju Akio]

Akio’s vision blurred at the edges as the Faceless Demon struck him with chilling speed. “Everything dies alone...” He barely registered the words, sharp pain thrumming at the base of his skull before he found himself staggering backward, the impact driving the air from his lungs. His newly arrived Turtle Contract slid up beside him, shell scuffing the cold floor. His companion's sudden entrance had been moments too late to prevent Yong’s initial blow. Kazan's sturdy form stood between the young Senju and the darkness, though it did nothing to ease the icy dread that clung to Akio’s soul.

He forced his lungs to work, inhaling in broken gulps, and looked down to see a faint web of necrotic discoloration spreading outward from the otherwise insignificant wound in his chest. The healing aura he had cast moments ago had closed the bruising, but the black taint refused to recede, sending jolts of cold agony radiating through his muscles. Akio’s breath caught, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst. Everything in him screamed to run, to call for help, but the blockade of shadows had locked them all inside. Beyond that, there were patients still comatose in their beds. If the demon advanced on them, he would be their only defense. No, the youth believed he was the help. "I have to do this. I have to protect them."

He blinked, and the visions twisted. The intruder’s face flickered in and out of shadow, sometimes revealing gaping holes where eyes should be. Horrifyingly, the only part that was ever-present was a distorted mask of jagged teeth. The illusions crawled through Akio’s thoughts like hungry insects. So he focused. In the midst of battle, Akio closed his eyes. He couldn't follow Yong with them anyway. No, he had to use something else to sense. Roots from the massive, ever-spanning network that covered countless miles beneath Fire Country snaked and swirled beneath the hospital, popping up out of the earth as Akio's wooden clones called to them with handseals. Like twisting spikes, they erupted from the tile floor, a couple actually making contact with the menacing missing-nin. "Found you."

Even through the haze of horror, he felt a surge of grim satisfaction at the sight of the shinobi’s wounded leg. A coupled of the roots had found purchase, gouging a ragged tear in the vibrating flesh. Yet the faceless demon barely reacted. It glanced at the injury, then returned its eerie gaze to Akio with a menacing stare and a simple statement. “Death is inevitable...”

A knot formed in Akio’s stomach, the words triggering a flash of memory. His best friend, lost without a chance to say goodbye. His grandfather, taken by the silent pull of time while Akio slumbered. He knew that Yong was right, knew that everything in life ended sooner or later, but it was a truth he refused to accept for those he loved. Life was precious, and in Konoha, they did not let each other face that final moment alone. Gritting his teeth, he took one shaky step back. “Kazan, keep those people safe!” He ordered in a yell, voice catching a little in his throat. The turtle gave a resonant grunt of acknowledgment before vanishing in another swirl of smoke, off to guard the comatose patients Akio could not protect if he fell.

The infection in his veins burned like ice, and the demon’s illusions made the room tilt crazily around him. Still, he forced his shoulders back, ignoring the nauseating vertigo. But his training under Nao all these years had reminded him that people were depending on him, that he could not yield to fear or despair while the wounded needed his help. He raised his hands into a guarded stance, eyes narrowed on the half-man, half-monster that lurked in the dark. “It might be! Every story has an end! But I'm not dead yet! And as long as that's true, you’re not gonna kill anyone else! Not today!” he shouted, voice echoing off the walls. His words were shaky. After all, the boy couldn't stop the trembling of his heart and limbs. But the spark of flame within him was anything but timid as he barked a far-too-wishful thought, “Not if I break you first!” To an outsider, it might seem laughable, but Akio had to believe he could do it, that he could protect these people. Otherwise the fear would win. So Akio would stand. He might fall, he might be outclassed and beaten, but he refused to let that fear be the thing that defeated him.


[MFT | 767 Words]
[Sending Actions]