What’s going on here? That is Yuuna, right? But why is her hair like that? More importantly….how is she alive?!

As if a knee to the face wasn’t enough, a roundhouse kick lands on the demon’s neck. The power behind the strike could be felt purely from the sound of impact…if that was a person, their head would be miles away already. The, what seems to be Yuuna in an unfamiliar form, lands on the ground which gives the demon an opening. Unfortunately for it, as it attempts to reach her with its nails sharp as needles, all Yuuna does is slightly lean beneath its arm and land a blow on the monster’s solar plexus.

Remember how I made an example of a person’s head flying off? Well…it isn’t just the head that flew off now, she took the whole demon and launched it so damn far! It ended up crashing into a huge boulder.

I look at Yuuna as she stands with her back turned to me. Is this really Yuuna? What happened to her? This power and agility…..it couldn’t be. When demon blood enters a human being’s body, there’s a ninety percent chance the person will die from poisoning and a ten percent chance they will turn into a demon themselves, but when that happens, they lose their human form and become unrecognizable. I saw Yuuna die with my own eyes and turning into a demon after death is unheard of…..so how?

***

[Yuuna’s Perspective]

Thump

As my withering heart releases a single beat, I wake up and spring the top half of my body up. Then I follow up with heavy breathing.

I lift my hands to the height level of my waist, they are shaking.

“Is this heaven?…Or maybe, hell?.”

Calm down, get your breathing under control. I need to figure out what is going on and so I slowly get up.

I’m surrounded by darkness, it is a familiar feeling. It’s just like the dreams I’ve been having…..just that this time it doesn’t feel like a dream.

“Yuuuuuna~ Finally awake?”

It’s the voice again. The same evil voice that has been haunting me in these dark dreams. Cold sweat starts running down my forehead. I don’t want to be here, but I need answers, I never got the chance to talk to it either.

I place one of my hands on my racing heart and question the being.

“W-who are you? What d-do you want from me?” Finally, for the first time, the being steps out of the shadows and faces me in the single illuminated circular area. A girl painted in pitch black, a literal shadow with a silhouette closely resembling myself. All that’s visible on it are the pure white eyes and smile...an evil grin.

“Oh Yuuna, there’s no need to be afraid. After all….” It gently strokes my cheeks and leans towards my ear.

“We are sisters.”

H-huh? What is it talking about? This doesn’t make sense and it isn’t making me feel any better either, instead, I’m shaken up and left standing on the spot as I make a single quivering exhale.

Meanwhile, the shadow giggles to itself with its hand beneath its chin.

“What’s the matter? You don’t seem very happy about it?”

I’m trying to calm myself down, but nothing is working as I stand before the being. It’s almost as if it has no presence yet the pressure makes chills run down my spine. I can’t wrap my head around it.

“Oh that’s right, I almost forgot. We don’t have much time left, unless you are willing to let your little friend die.” The shadow says as it has its hands in a triangular position with the fingertips leaning against each other. It then lifts one of its arms and snaps its pitch black fingers.

The light that was once surrounding us is now completely gone, leaving both of us in the darkness. But moments later, the light re-appears a bit further from us. I divert my gaze towards it.

What is that? Some kind of a projection? Wait, that’s Hidiku!

The projection is showing the outside world. In it, Hidiku is fighting of the two remaining demons that were chasing us down. I need to help him…but how.

I look at the shadow, the irritation on my expression is as clear as the cloudless sky.

“ ‘I need to help him before it’s too late, but first I will need to find a way to get out of this place. Whose side is this shadow on anyway? Is it responsible for the demons fighting Hidiku?’ Is what you are thinking, right?”

What? It read my thoughts perfectly!

“We are in your head after all. You don’t need to worry, I have nothing to do with those demons attacking your friend. Your death would mean my death too, you know?” The shadow giggles again.

“So…are you going to tell me then?”

The shadow lifts its hands and shrugs.

“I would love to, I really would….But if I let you go now, you would actually die this time and I can’t have that, so I have a suggestion.”

“I’m all ears.” I become cautious as I do not know the intentions of this shadow. Can I trust it? I have a feeling I shouldn’t, but I have no time to waste either.

It makes a step toward me and surrounds my jaw with her hands.

“I will lend you my power. That’s the only option you have if you want to save your friend.”

What does it exactly mean by lending me power? This doesn’t feel right.

“Bastard!”

Suddenly, Hidiku’s voice comes out of the projection. I rapidly direct my view towards it just to see Hidiku being pushed back and kicked around by the demons.

“Hidiku!” I yell out without realizing it.

“Which will it be?”

I return my gaze to the figure holding me with desperation in my eyes. If I hesitate any longer, I will miss the chance to save him. I don’t like the idea of this but there’s nothing else left, I will just have to hope for the best.

“Alright, I...I accept your request, lend me your power!” The shadow’s grin widens as a few last words escape its lips.

“Your wish is my command.”

And with that, the shadow vanishes, taking the remaining light with it and leaving me in complete darkness.

———

[Shadow’s Perspective]

“So this is what it’s like being a human…” I inspect my new body all around, then lift my hands and clench them into fists.

“Not bad…..I like it!” as I’m busy playing around with myself, a sound of thin metal breaking resonates throughout the darkness engulfed forest. I became so immersed that I nearly forgot about the demons.

I soon spot Hidiku and the demon assaulting him a few meters away. I put my right leg to the front and lean on it, then with all my strength I use the back leg to launch myself forward. The power I put behind it allows me to leap all the way to the demon and before it sees it coming, I bury my knee in the side of its face. The joy and excitement of being able to fight makes my blood boil, I can’t stop myself from grinning!

The force behind my kick blasts the demon into the distance. I cover my mouth as the grin gets bigger and bigger, almost as if I am embarrassed for my excitement. To think to it would be so much fun, I can’t contain the pleasure and start silently giggling to myself.

[Hidiku’s Perspective]

I slowly get on my feet and cautiously approach the Yuuna lookalike.

“H-hey, Yuuna…is that you?” She rotates her head while covering her mouth and gazes at me with a single eye. Her glare feels murderous, shivers run down my spines.

As she’s looking back at me, her hand covering her mouth leaves its position and an intense grin is revealed. Yuuna then turns around completely and begins to approach me with the same expression. Her fingernails rapidly extend by a small amount, now resembling claws.

“Y-Yuuna?” I start reversing, I don’t like the feeling of this. This isn’t really Yuuna, is it?

I trip on a tree root and fall over.

“Yuuna, don’t you recognize me? It’s me, Hidiku!” I try to make her snap back but it’s not working. Yuuna is still pursuing me.

When she finally catches up, Yuuna crawls over me and stares with her crimson red eyes directly into mine, then she aims a claw at one of my eyeballs. She’s serious about this, Yuuna’s about to gouge out my eye as it’s a millimeter away.

What happened to you? Why are you like this?

As if being saved, one of the demons appears above us and attempts to strike Yuuna but her reflexes have also increased and she swings her arm at it, cutting my nose in the process.

The demon bounces back as it dodges her slash with a slight scratch. Its blood is left on Yuuna’s nails.

“I really hate it when someone sneaks up on me from behind…” Her grin fades, instead, an expression of irritation emerges. She extends her arm and lets the blood drip off her hand.

“Blood style…” The drop of blood hits the ground. On that very spot it touched the surface, a crimson red circle appears which then rapidly expands all the way behind the demon’s ankles.

“..…Bloody surge, destruct.” Yuuna finishes her chant and out of the demon trapped in her spell blood bursts out from every wound inflicted on it. As if rewinding a movie, the blood returns to its owner and soon the demon begins to.…inflate? It’s looking like a really badly made and creepy balloon when suddenly Yuuna clenches her extended fist and the demon explodes, spraying blood all over the place.

Yuuna sighs and out of the many blood stains she has on her, she chooses a single one and creates a crimson string out of it, which she then swings behind herself. The strand of blood solidifies and straightens up, then slices off the head of the second demon as it tried to jump her from behind.

“Now that that’s done…” The fibre disintegrates into thin air. Yuuna once again walks towards me but this time she doesn’t look so happy.

Is this how I die? By a friend’s hand?

“Yuuna! Wake up, don’t let it control you!” Sweat starts running down my body.

“I heard enough from you.” She stops as veins appear on the edges of her forehead….She’s mad, but that won’t stop me!

Yuuna launches a head on attack to silence me.

“Think about your father, and Himarin! Do you really want to disappoint them!?”

She swings her arm at me which I barely managed to dodge, but only because she slowed down the moment I yelled out, I would have been dead otherwise….I think what I said actually had effect on her!

Yuuna straightens herself up and glances down at me. She fully intends on finishing me off. Will I be able to survive this time?

Her expression shows anger only, but with a single step she freezes up on the spot.

What’s going on? Why did she stop?

Displeasure leaves Yuuna’s face, she looks….confused, but also surprised. No, it’s neither of those, what she’s showing is fear! Perhaps she didn’t stop but something stopped her!

[Shadow’s Perspective]

Bad bad bad, this is bad! This presence I’m feeling, so powerful it strikes fear. But where? Where is it coming from?! I need to get away before they get me, but where do I go? Do I have time?

I start looking from left to right, cold sweat runs down my head and my mind is flooded with thoughts of escaping, leaving me indecisive. I then clench my teeth as a single safe idea comes to mind. I’m not the biggest fan of it but this is my best chance of survival.

I have a last look at the confused boy sitting before me and say my last words.

“Be grateful, I will spare your life. But heed my words, boy. The next time we meet you will not get out unscathed. Take care of my sister.”

And with that I return to the mind of the body, letting my other half to regain control over it.

[Hidiku’s Perspective]

“W-why is she after me? Did I do something wrong?”

Yuuna’s face returns back to her original state, staying untied. Her eyes take back the golden colour and her fangs fade beneath her lips. She then falls towards me.

“Yuuna!” I catch her before she hits the ground. Her wounds are gone and her body temperature is that of a regular persons’ again.

It’s as if she never died.

Suddenly, as we are on the ground of the darkness engulfed forest, for a split second, something in the sky reflects the moonlight directly into my eyes. I direct my gaze towards it with interest but what I see is unexpected. The shine was reflected off a blade held by a person falling directly at us at high speed!

There’s almost no time to move before the person hits the surface but I manage hide Yuuna’s head in my arms just in time. As they land, a vast amount of dust jolts out and covers our surroundings.

When I lift my head, there’s already a blade of a single edged sword resembling Yuuna’s touching my neck with its sharp end. Moments later the dust ascends and its wielder is revealed.

Her amethyst eyes shine through the remaining dust, her straight long hair reaching to her waist takes on the same shade of purple together with her eyes. Her dress code is made of a dark gray kimono with amethyst flames imprinted on it and the white belt around her waist which is holding the dress together is as white as snow with a dark solar symbol on the side. Her hair pin resembles a bead of a pure white flame and her legs are wrapped in snowy stockings with wooden samurai style sandals on her feet. And finally, the dual sword scabbards attached to the back of her waist, in which only one sword is stored and the other is ready to slit my throat. The expression on her face feels soothing. If I had to guess, I would say she’s about eighteen to twenty years old.

The mysterious girl then inquires, her soft voice gives me the impression of elegance and the answer will decide our fate.

“I ask you, are you an ally….or the enemy.”