"W-why…? Everyone always loved me… Why? Why am I dead then?" Feloria wondered as she aimlessly floated in the dark void.

"I loved serving people in that small bar," she thought, remembering the warm moments of her past life.

"Another one?" a young man asked politely, setting his empty glass on the counter.

Feloria smiled. "Of course, coming right up!" she said cheerfully, grabbing the bottle from the shelf. She poured him another drink, then continued polishing the glasses.

"Everyone loved me, and I loved them!" she thought—but her heart shifted from warm and bright to heavy and cold. "But then… it happened."

Feloria finished her shift and went outside to take out the trash, her last little duty. "These people never clean up after themselves," she said with a small smile.

She tossed the trash away, and as she turned around, she saw three figures standing in front of her. They were tall—too tall—and the streetlight could only illuminate their backs.

Her smile immediately vanished. "E-excuse me, but… we're closed…" she said softly, a little frightened.

"Huh?" one of them muttered. "But I was just about to order dessert…"

Feloria forced herself to smile. "Please… come back tomorrow…" she said, trying to see their faces.

The three figures began to walk toward her. "I don't think you understand… the dessert is you!" one of them said.

"Um…" was all that came out of her mouth. She tried to scream for help, but no sound came out. Fear took over—she couldn't even move.

"I-I have to do something…" she thought, her eyes darting around in search of a weapon. "I have to defend myself…"

"Come on now… relax, we just wanna have some fun with your body!" one of them said, stepping closer.

Feloria's eyes jumped frantically from side to side—then she spotted it. A glass bottle. "A weapon…" she thought—but hesitated.

"Do I… really want to hurt them?" she wondered, staring at the bottle. "Maybe they want to hurt me, but… do I have to hurt them too?" she thought, even as they drew nearer.

"I don't want to kill anyone… but still… something feels strange… so strange…" she whispered internally. "How do people become killers? Are they born that way… or do they choose it?"

The figures were too close now. There was no time to think. She grabbed the bottle and smashed it against the wall. The jagged half in her hand gleamed like a razor.

The men froze in place, staring. "Hey now, no need for that—" one began, but it was too late.

She charged forward with her deadly weapon.

SPLASH!

Blood splattered and poured across the ground, forming a crimson pool. Feloria had stabbed the broken glass deep into his stomach. As if that wasn't enough, she twisted it, grinding his flesh like a blender.

"You like that, don't you?!" she shouted, her expression warped. He only responded by coughing up blood.

Feloria stepped back, yanked the bottle out, and let his body fall lifelessly to the floor.

"Y-you're insane!!!" another screamed, turning to run—but unlike him, Feloria had a SHINKA Core.

She activated it—her body dashed forward in a burst of energy. She caught his shoulder, yanked him back, and threw him to the ground.

The third one rushed in to help. "KICK!" he shouted, raising his leg to strike—but Feloria bit into his shoe.

As her teeth clamped down, her hand stabbed the broken bottle into his leg, twisting it viciously.

"AHHH!" he screamed.

The second man got up and punched her in the head, but she turned toward him, unfazed, and rammed the bottle into his face. "Gotcha!" she laughed wildly, grinding the glass into him, turning his face into pulp.

She turned toward the last man—he wasn't even trying to fight anymore. He looked at the mutilated remains of his friends… then at the Devil standing before him. "Why…?" he asked.

His face was carved with fear and sorrow. Maybe he started it, maybe it was all his fault—but still, he blamed the Devil before him.

Her eyes no longer reflected light or color. They were white—completely blank. Empty even of the will to live. He didn't want to breathe the same air as her.

"Why…?" he whispered again, his gaze dropping to the ground. His stomach churned just looking at the scene.

Feloria slowly looked around—and finally realized what she had done. "D-did I do this?" she whispered, staring at her trembling hands.

Dark red blood soaked her palms. The shattered glass reflected the lamplight. Feloria wanted to vomit. Her vision blurred, her knees weak.

"I… I'm a murderer?" she asked herself, horrified. The world spun around her. She threw the bottle to the ground.

"This is for serving guests… not killing them…" she whispered, disgusted with herself. Her heart pounded as she realized her life had changed forever.

"I… I'm the DEVIL!" she screamed—and then felt a sharp, piercing pain in her neck. Slowly, she looked down to see the last man holding a shard of glass.

"Maybe… this is for the best…" she thought as her body hit the cold ground. She lay there, watching her life slip away.

"Yes… I deserve nothing but death…" Her head tilted to the side, and with that, her final breath escaped.

"Rise, my child…" came Nytherra's voice. "Rise… I need you!"

⬜ ⬜ ⬜

Kai, Mei, Kitty, Aki, and Rhazir stood watching as the head of the Shadow Queen emerged from the earth. The fog around them made it all the more haunting.

Only her upper body rose; from the waist down, she remained buried beneath tons of dirt and grass.

Kai looked at Rhazir. "You can handle this, right?" he asked—but then saw his eyes. They were completely black.

Rhazir couldn't even hear him. He collapsed, his body motionless, his axe falling beside him like it sought comfort from its master.

"He won't be of much use…" Mei said, clutching her jacket tightly.

"No… but he will," Kai said, looking upward. A shadow dove down at great speed and punched its queen straight in the head.

The Queen's head snapped to the side from the impact. Her size might have been immense, but it was clear—the Shadow could hit hard.

The Shadow Queen didn't react. She simply turned her head back and looked at Mei. "My child… return my talisman," she said.

Mei glanced at the talisman around her neck, then back at the Queen. "No!" she said, gripping it tightly. Determination blazed in her eyes.

The Queen's expression twisted with irritation. She raised her arm and slammed it down toward the siblings, shaking the ground.

Kai and Mei rolled away just in time, tumbling across the grass before standing back up.

Kai's Shadow dashed forward again and punched the Queen across the face. "Fight me!" he shouted, trying to draw her attention.

The Queen swung wildly at the Shadow but couldn't land a hit. "You annoying little bug!" she roared.

Meanwhile, Kitty had retreated to safety, lying quietly on a hill—until a hand gently patted her head.

She looked up slowly and saw her brother—Vex. His hand softly stroked her hair as they watched the battle together. "How's it going?" Vex asked.

Kitty nodded slightly. "It's… fine," she said. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Will you help them?"

"Help them?" Vex said, extending his hand toward the fight. "Well… I guess I can't let them die…" he murmured, thinking aloud.

"I like Aki… he deserves to be stronger," Vex said, focusing his energy. "Here—take it. GOD SLASH. But at a price… human flesh…" He glanced at his sister.

"Be careful he doesn't eat you," he added, placing his hand back on her head. "What would they even do without me? Completely useless."

Kai looked around but saw nothing. "What?" he muttered. Then he turned to his sister. "Did you feel that?"

Mei nodded. "That surge of energy? Yeah… I felt it," she said, eyes fixed on the Shadow Queen.

"Who could be that powerful?" Kai wondered—but before he could think further, the Queen lifted her hand again, ready to crush them like insects.

"Watch out!" Mei shouted, pushing her brother aside. Kai hit the ground safely—but Mei remained under the enormous shadow.

She raised her hands over her head, bracing for impact—but nothing happened. Looking up, she realized the Queen's arm was gone.

Aki stood nearby, sword in hand, panting—but ready to sacrifice himself for his master… or his master's sister.

The Queen's arm regenerated, irritation twisting her features. "You little—" she began, but Kai's Shadow struck again, punching her square in the eye.

"AHHHH!" she screamed, clutching her face.

"How do we kill her?!" Kai shouted to the Shadow. This couldn't go on forever. If she could just keep regenerating, it was pointless.

The Shadow turned to him. "The heart!" it yelled back. "Open the path for me!"

"Easier said than done…" Kai muttered, glancing at his sister. "Got a plan?"

"Of course I do!" Mei replied. "Aki!" she called, and he immediately ran up, kneeling before them.

"Open the path to her heart!" she ordered, and he nodded firmly.

Aki turned to the Queen, gripping his sword tightly. "GOD SLASH!" he roared—and from his blade, golden energy surged forth, slicing toward her.

"AHHH!" the Queen screamed as the blast struck, carving a massive gash down her abdomen. Inside, all was black—except for one thing: a glowing blue diamond at the center.

"An angel…" Kai whispered, and Mei chuckled softly.

Kai's Shadow leapt forward and smashed the diamond with its fist, shattering it into fragments. The Queen's body began to crumble—slowly fading away.

"Did we win?" Aki asked, watching the Queen's disintegrating form. He sheathed his sword and sighed. "It's finally over…"

The Shadow landed beside Kai and Mei, setting a cylinder down before them. "Thank you… for keeping your end of the deal," it said sincerely.

Kai smiled. "No problem. She would've come for the talisman anyway. I couldn't lose my sister," he said.

Mei blushed slightly at her brother's words. "Thanks…" she whispered so he wouldn't hear. She tugged at her jacket—then grabbed Kai's hand.

"It's… not over," she said quietly, looking away.

Kai's eyes widened. "Not over?" he repeated. His gaze instinctively went to Aki, standing behind them.

Behind Aki stood a dark figure — human-sized — but wearing a black crown. It thrust its hand into Aki's back.

Its arm passed through his flesh, reaching straight for his heart. With a slow, deliberate motion, it pulled its hand out — holding Aki's heart in its grasp.

Aki gasped for air, choking as pain ripped through him. His body trembled… then collapsed to the ground with a dull thud.

The Queen — smiling faintly — held his heart in her palm.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.