Chapter 56 - Arthur CunninghamHollow NightA feeling I could only describe as a burning sensation seized me upon waking. The sharp slice of agony that had infiltrated my stomach, that had cwed up through my ribs and besieged my chest, had disappeared.

  All that remained in its pce was the inkling that I was different. In some fundamental yet invisible, intangible way, the canvas that depicted my spiritual makeup had been altered. Ameliorated. There was a flicker, deep inside, that hadn’t been there before.

  A warmth now lingered – that blinding light I’d seen before bcking out, burning like embers under my skin. The strangest part wasn’t the heat itself, but how right it felt. Like it belonged solely to me. I imagined this was how Daisuke and Rusuban felt after absorbing those strange white spheres.

  It was undoubtedly something raw, something primal.

  I blinked and clenched my fist, watching as the air around my knuckles shimmered and sparked, a faint glow licking the tips of my fingers. I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined it or not, but then it happened again—a brief, barely-there fme. The heat crawled up my veins, coiling beneath my skin, waiting.

  I didn’t understand it fully, but I had no intention of questioning such a gift handed to me in the jaws of death.

  Death.

  My mind fshed back to the hooded figure, their voice as clear as the fire inside me.

  "Death is no fun unless you've seen its beauty."

  I couldn’t believe I hadn’t realized it sooner. But why go to such lengths to hide their identity?

  I took a breath and pushed myself up, my mind in two worlds. My limbs felt heavier, but stronger.

  Scanning my surroundings, I re-acquainted myself with the colpsed walls and crumbled ceiling of the ruined department store looming around me like the carcass of some forgotten beast.

  Dust swirled in the dim light, the debris-strewn floor still thick with that unnatural miasma. The entire pce felt like a half-formed nightmare, caught between reality and something darker.

  But the oppressive weight that had gnawed at me before was gone. The fear—the uncertainty—was repced by a quiet, smouldering confidence. Something in me had changed, and I could feel the fire still simmering in my blood, a steady pulse of power waiting to be unleashed.

  I took a step forward, the crunch of broken gss and shattered tile echoing in the silence, and stopped in my tracks.

  My hunter was still here.

  I could feel its presence like a whisper on the back of my neck, slipping between the shadows. Watching. Stalking me from the darkness, waiting for another opening, another chance to strike.

  For a brief moment, a fsh of movement even caught my eye—a figure darting between the toppled shelves, barely more than a shadow in the fog. I tracked the movement, knowing what it was doing; trying to stay hidden, still pying the same old tricks.

  For the st few moments, I had still been questioning the sudden disappearance of Ironcd, under the assumption that it and this lizard-like creature were one in the same.

  Only now could I see where I had gone wrong. Only now, did I see that I truly did fell Ironcd with that strike. What hadn’t crossed my mind was that, perhaps, Ironcd was never one entity only.

  Rather, it was being worn as a shell, as a second skin, a suit of armour. The "Ironcd" I'd been fighting was a Noise worn as a set of armour, a decoy for another, until I’d hit the core – and inside, this “Mirage” had been hiding, waiting for the second its compatriot was shattered, to strike against me.

  I took a sharp breath, and there was another flicker—closer this time. The faintest movement in the mist, Mirage slipping between the shattered remains of mannequins and dispy racks, now a predator that didn’t realize its prey had grown teeth.

  I narrowed my eyes and took a step toward the movement.

  The mist parted for a second—just long enough for me to catch the briefest glimpse of it. Mirage was darting between broken shelves, their form flickering as they moved. But it wasn’t enough. They couldn’t hide anymore, not from me.

  I let the fire surge.

  In one swift motion, I raised my fist, and the fmes roared to life, igniting my clenched hand with a searing fme. With a swipe at the air, a crescent-shaped wave of heat shot out, streaking toward the shadowy figure in the mist. The fire cut through the miasma, burning away the fog and revealing Mirage in the open.

  I could practically see their dagger-like eyes widen, just for a second, as the fmes seared past them.

  It had underestimated me - a mistake it would never get the chance to correct.

  The heat in my veins surged, roaring louder than the chaos around me. The fmes licking at my cws were eager, hungering for release, for a target to tear through.

  And there it was—slithering through the shadows like a wisp of smoke, its bded tail gleaming in the faint light.

  I snarled, my muscles tensing, my height from the ground skyrocketing as the raw power of the transformation vibrated under my skin. My breath steamed in the cold air, mixing with the remnants of the creature's yellow mist. It thought it could outwit me, outmanoeuvre me like before, slipping into the fog, making me second-guess every step.

  No longer.

  I felt the primal fire surging inside me, an untameable force that burned brighter than anything else. The mist? It was ughable now, barely a nuisance. My senses cut through it like the sizzling heat in my cws. I could smell the creature’s sweat, feel its fear.

  It darted left, vanishing behind a fallen dispy rack, but I was already there. In an instant, my cws sliced through the metal frame, sending sparks into the air. The thing hissed and recoiled, sshing its tail at me with deadly precision, but I caught it mid-swing, my fming fist closing around the bded appendage.

  It writhed, twisting its body to break free, but I held firm, the heat from my grip scorching its scales. The creature released a guttural shriek, and I could see the panic in its glowing eyes.

  "Not so fast," I growled, yanking it forward and smming it into the ground.

  The impact sent tremors through the cracked floor, shattering what remained of the tiles. It hissed, a cloud of that yellow mist spilling from its maw, enveloping me in a thick haze.

  But this time, I didn’t hesitate.

  I plunged my cws through the fog, feeling the searing heat ripple outward. The mist sizzled, and I heard the creature dart away, desperate. Fine. Let it run.

  I took a breath, the fmes dancing across my skin, and felt my body settle into a rhythm—an instinctual pulse of the hunt. It was trying to lead me into another illusion, to disorient me, but I could see through the trick now. My eyes caught the faint shimmer in the mist, the subtle bending of light as it moved between pilrs and overturned shelves.

  The creature dashed behind a half-colpsed column, thinking itself safe. I didn’t even need to look.

  I leapt high into the air, fmes trailing behind me as I came down with a crushing blow, my cws carving through the stone and scattering debris in every direction. I heard it cry out, its thin, brittle legs scrambling to escape the rubble. It was quick, I would allow it that, but I could feel the fear radiating off it like a stench.

  I bared my fangs, a low growl escaping my throat. It had become a game.

  I unched myself at the creature again, my cws glowing red-hot, the fire burning deep into the marrow of my bones. I could see the panic in its movements now—the erratic swipes of its tail, the wild lunges that missed by miles. Every time it tried to vanish into the mist, I was already there, ripping through the illusion before it even had a chance to form.

  It sshed at me, cws aimed for my throat, but I caught its wrist in mid-air, squeezing until what felt like bones cracked under the pressure. The fmes spread from my grip, scorching the creature’s arm as it shrieked in agony.

  “Is this it?” I snarled, tossing it aside like it was nothing. “All that sneaking around, all those tricks—this is what you’ve got?”

  It scrambled to its feet, desperate now, tail whipping through the air like a frenzied whip. But I wasn’t interested in pying anymore. The thrill of the hunt had already faded.

  I took a step forward, and the heat beneath my skin fred, a firestorm roaring to life. The creature's bded tail sshed toward me one st time, but I didn’t bother dodging. I raised my hand, letting the fme engulf my arm, and grabbed the tail mid-strike. The fmes shot up its length, engulfing the creature in a wave of red-orange light.

  It thrashed wildly, screeching as the fire consumed it, its shadowy form flickering like a dying fme. I tightened my grip, dragging it toward me until it was eye level.

  “No more games,” I said, my voice a low growl.

  With one final, searing burst of fire, I clenched my fist and felt the creature’s body disintegrate in my grasp, its form dissolving into ash and smoke as a familiar snowy sphere bounced on the floor. The yellow mist evaporated around me, leaving only the smell of scorched earth and molten metal.

  I stood there, breathing heavily, the fmes simmering down. My body felt heavier now, the adrenaline wearing off, but the sense of power—of control—still lingered. The primal fire inside me was still there, crackling just beneath the surface, waiting for the next time I called upon it.

  But for now, the fight was over.

  The burning heat of victory still lingered in my veins as I stared at the small orb left behind in the ashes of the creature’s demise. Its glow pulsed faintly, like a dying ember waiting for the right breath to reignite it.

  For a moment, I felt the pull of it, the whisper of power that it promised. Another surge of strength to carry me through the chaos.

  I crouched down, reaching for it, my fingers hovering just over the surface. It would be so easy to take it, to absorb the orb just like the one I had before. But this time… I hesitated.

  I clenched my fist, pulling my hand back. No. There was someone else who might need it more than I did. Junko. If she was hurt, this could help her.

  The thought of her, bloodied and weakened, pushed the idea of taking the orb out of my mind. I stood, pocketing it instead.

  My gaze shifted upward to the massive hole in the ceiling, the pce where Ironcd had torn through the building like a falling meteor. Light streamed through, casting jagged beams down into the ruined department store, illuminating the destruction we’d left behind. It was my only way out.

  I took a deep breath, feeling the primal energy simmering just beneath my skin. My muscles tensed, and with a powerful leap, I unched myself upward, nding with a quiet thud on the floor of what had to be a half-destroyed perfume shop, if the soft scent if strawberries and vanil were any indication.

  The fmes still whispered inside me, urging me to go faster, push harder, but I kept them at bay, using my werewolf agility to navigate the colpsed architecture instead.

  I weaved through the broken beams and shattered gss, my cws digging into the metal framework for stability as I swung to another ledge. The weight of my body felt lighter now, as if my new abilities had sharpened everything—my movements, my reflexes, even my bance. Every leap felt effortless, every swing natural, instinctual.

  In moments, I had cleared the debris and found myself outside. The mall parking lot sprawled out beneath me, littered with the remains of destroyed cars and cracked asphalt.

  I paused, inhaling deeply. The air was thick with the Hollow Night’s unnatural pressure, but beneath it, I could sense something else. The hum of EXS, pulsing faintly in the distance.

  I closed my eyes, letting the scents and energies wash over me. There—just beyond the parking lot—I could feel a cluster of familiar signatures. Eiji, Junko, Mizuko, and a fresh, dynamic spsh of warm hues. It must have been Nakamura. In the background, y a dark mixture of furious bck splotches – it must’ve been Katoru. They were fighting, and there were two other strong concentrations of EXS nearby, one of which felt particurly unique.

  Unfamiliar, and yet structurally identical to all of ours.

  I furrowed my brow, focusing on that strange energy. It was sharp, cutting through the air like a bde. Powerful. Precise.

  Whatever—or whoever—it was, they were unlike anything I had encountered thus far. The sheer strength of that EXS sent a ripple of unease through me, but also curiosity.

  I’d never felt anything like it before, and from the way it pulsed, I was unsure if the others would be able to handle it alone.

  I was about to leap in their direction, to help them, when something else hit me—another scent, dark and sinister, lurking in the opposite direction. I froze, my muscles tensing instinctively.

  This one was different. A sinister smudge of EXS, thick and oppressive, drowning out everything around it. There were others nearby—I recognized Miharu and Daisuke’s signatures, faint but there. But they were overshadowed by something… darker. Stronger. Familiar, in the worst possible way.

  In my mind, there could have only been one person capable of an essence that disquieting.

  A growl rumbled in my chest, my cws digging into the ground. The idea of confronting him again sent a jolt of anger and dread through me. But… if that really was him, Miharu and Daisuke could be in serious danger.

  I stood at the crossroads, my mind racing. I could feel the heat of the fmes stirring again, eager for a fight, for the hunt. Eiji and the others were already locked in combat, and I wasn’t sure how long they could hold out against that unknown force. But on the other side, Miharu and Daisuke could have been facing something even more dangerous.

  I cursed under my breath, my hands tightening into fists. Two battles. Two choices. Either way, people I cared about were in danger. But I couldn’t be in two pces at once.

  The wind howled through the broken mall behind me, its icy fingers cutting through the air, sharp and bitter. Carried within it was the unmistakable scent of blood and conflict—two battlefields, both equally desperate. Junko, Eiji, Mizuko… I could smell them, feel their presence burning through the distance like beacons. They were locked in their fight, pushing themselves to the limit. Every second mattered.

  But then there was the other pce.

  It was subtle at first, that pull. The dark, smothering weight of it crawled across my senses, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Rusuban was one thing, but before long I noticed that Daisuke’s presence was slowly becoming unrecognizable. His aura, once den with equal parts determination and pain, had twisted into something votile, dangerous. His EXS surged—so violent and warped and uncontrolled it felt like I was staring into a void.

  A bck hole ready to consume everything around it.

  I tried to focus on it, tried to separate his presence from the two-toned swirl of madness that Rusuban was emanating. They both bled into the same space—two dark auras, both vicious and suffocating. One, a spiralling pit of menace I could already imagine grinning in its vile amusement, and yet elsewhere, quietly rising in the periphery, there was something else entirely. The lines between them blurred, but the more time that passed, the more rampant this rising felt. The worse it felt.

  It was as if the air itself recoiled, twisting and pulling in the wrong direction. Whatever was happening in that other location, it wasn’t just a struggle anymore—it was a storm about to break loose, a raw and terrifying force. The energy felt as though it was splintering, exploding into something monstrous, alien. And I had the gnawing sense that once it started, there’d be no turning back.

  My throat tightened. My gut told me something horrible was about to emerge from that pce. Something none of us might have been ready for.

  A slight tremor ran through the earth beneath my feet, a rumble of EXS cshing against EXS in the distance. It was hard not to run toward Junko and Eiji—everything inside me screamed to help them, to protect them.

  But that presence, that suffocating darkness cwing its way across the Hollow Night, pulled me in, deeper and deeper into its bck maw. Whatever was happening over there, it wasn’t natural. It wasn’t right – and I just might’ve been the only person able to see it.

  I knew what I had to do.

  I turned on my heel, my muscles tensing as I unched myself toward that crushing aura, tearing through the night as fast as my body would allow. The decision weighed on me, but my instincts couldn’t shake the feeling that if I didn’t get there in time, the person I once called my friend would be lost to something none of us could stop.

  I had allowed Rusuban to sway her heart and corrupt her ideals. I had stood by and watched on that rooftop as another innocent soul was cimed by the whim of a madman.

  And now, it was my responsibility to see her out of it.

  I could only hope I wasn’t already too te.