2 - Change

Kaika's sudden change from an average tomboy with no care on life to the strong-willed Pact Bearer she's fated to be.

Kaika’s POV

Usually, I don’t do too much for my physical appearance, like brushing my hair and looking over my clothing, but today’s an exception for that. Tonight’s the prom, which starts in a hour, and I want to look my best for Sota-kun. Not that I want to look all “diva”, but at least decent when I show up. There’s no way I’m going to a prom, and I’m wearing the daily T-shirt and jeans skirt again. Everytime I start to slack in my preparations for the prom, I think of Sota-kun waiting for me at the front of the school, and that drives my motivation to keep on going. Maybe I’ve gone that “lovey-dovey” for him at this point, but I don’t see a problem with that so it’s all fine~.

As if I were working on an art canvas, I delicately flat iron my hair, and getting that wavy bangs going. Happily smiling to myself, I take two red hair ties I had, and fixed up my hair to get those two long ponytails I always had everyday. People usually ask me why I let my hair grow to that long length, but I’m okay with the long hair. Getting this special two ponytails on is the reason why I love to let my hair grow out. By the looks of it, I’m finished with the hair preparations, I should get my dress on by now.

Oh, just the thought of Luki keeps on appearing in my head. Her face when she sees me and Sota at the prom, she’ll be the one bawling over the “perfect” couple she created. Makes me wonder though...who exactly is Luki’s date if she didn’t want to be with Sota? Meh, I’ll find out later, I don’t need to worry about Luki’s date that much. I have my own date to prepare for. Cleaning up the bathroom of all of the hair supplies I used for my hair, I exited the room to snatch the purple dress I managed to buy earlier today with my mom. I thanked my mom of course, she’s always the best when deciding out clothes for me, or else I would be wearing random pieces of clothing that never matched or looked right in.

I didn’t want to get too much for a dress, and my mom chose this dress that fits me well. Just like I wanted, it was a short dress that went up as long as where my knees were. Around the chest was a solid color of purple, and a black leather belt wrapped around my stomach-torso area. The skirt part was a mix of purple and blue, and the skirt was shaped like a condensed tutu that would be worn in a ballet class. Again, it was just well fit for me. It wasn’t too long, or else I would be tripping a lot, ruining the dress and hurting myself. So, it was alright with me, I could work with a dress like this.

Getting the dress on wasn’t that hard either, I only had to pull it up to my chest and zip up the back to tighten it around me. A perfect fit! It’s amazing~! I smiled to myself on the mirror of my room, pleased with the decent looks I had. This should be enough for the prom tonight. My eyes focused to the clock...I had a good half an hour to get there now. More than enough time to arrive early. Not so in a hurry, I walk out to front door exit of my house, carefully putting on the formal black flats on with the addition of my brown leather jacket.

“There’s my wonderful daughter, you appear so mature now. You’re all set to go?” my mom walks over to my side, she was dressed in a casual outdoor wear. My prom getup wasn’t all that mature, but I guess that’s how mothers feel when their oldest child goes to events like a prom.

“I know...mom. I’m all ready too,” I smiled back at her. She always brings up the talk of her love to me as a mother and daughter relationship. It was always the same thing, so I know where it all goes from there. Yet, I didn’t want to appear too annoyed and rash towards my mother. So I had no other choice but to pleasantly reply back to her like an innocent child.

“You’re meeting up with Luki-chan, right?” my mom asked me if I would meet up with Luki. So she was curious if I had a date in mind or not.

“Yup mom, it’s just me and her there,” I responded without any sign of hesitation. I didn’t want to mention anything about my date with Sota-kun to my family. First of all, Kuro would then get the idea of getting a date of his own when he’s only in elementary school or he would spread the news of it to his friends. Plus, my parents would be spewing out questions, like a ton of questions that would make me feel...uncomfortable. I mean, I’m fine with being close to my parents, but they’re prone to pester me about relationships. The only thing to prevent that is be absolutely quiet about the relationship, and pretend that I’m not in a relationship myself.

“Then have fun, I’m sure that it’ll be a good time,” my mom smiled and opened the front door for me to walk out without a problem. I smile back at her, and walked out of the house. It was getting dark, meaning the prom would surely start soon once I arrive there. Oh! It’s going to be a blast alright! It’ll be so much fun!

“Hurry up! We’ve been waiting in here!” Kuro exclaimed from the open window of the car. Wait, why was dad and Kuro-chan doing here? I thought it was only going to be me and mom going to take me to the prom. Oh yeah, I forgot. Kuro also has a soccer game tonight, so I guess mom and dad are going to watch him play while I’m enjoying myself at the prom. I feel a little bad that I won’t be able to see my brother play tonight, but maybe I could make it up for him later on in the long run.

“Coming!” I exclaimed back in response to Kuro, not wanting him to repeat the same thing over and over again. No offense to him, but repeating what he just said over and over is a little annoying in my opinion. At the same time, I didn’t want to ruin my joyful and happy mood for this night. Usually, Kuro and I bicker at each other because either Kuro’s whining or my short-temper, but I’m sure enough not to cause any bickering tonight. I wanted to have a pleasant feel with my family before I have my date with Sota-kun. Speeding up my walking, I open the door of the car, and seat myself in the passenger seats with Kuro to my left. My mom sat at the front next to my dad, who was going to drive the car for us.

“You’re quite excited, Kaika. It’s that prom this year, isn’t it?” my dad noticed my excited expression on my face, and grinned at the rear-view mirror to technically look at us.

“You sure are right! Heh heh,” I chuckled and grinning back at him. I also had a very close father and daughter relationship with my dad. He isn’t as strict as most dads I would see from my friends, and he’s the kind of dad that can take jokes. That’s why I’m such a tomboy frequently, since I never really got interested in clothing and makeup, but I got a liking to several things that the usual stereotypical girl would hate.

“Oh, and Kuro. Rooting for you and your team tonight,” I give my good luck regards to my little brother. Honestly, I think he’s actually better at soccer than how I was back then. At least I have gymnastics and martial arts instead of soccer for physical activities.

“Thanks Kaika-oneesan!” Kuro happily smiled at me for the comment. In return once again, I give him a thumbs up and then sit quietly in the car. Meh, I didn’t want to talk too much, I would waste my voice out that I would waste out in the prom. Plus, my dad started driving at that point, so I didn’t want to distract his driving for now.

Since it was all silent in the car now, at least pleasant silence, I could think about the things I never had time to think about until now. Let’s see, well, I’m for sure going to enjoy my date with Sota-kun, and Luki’s going to enjoy her date with some other guy I don’t know about. Basically the prom’s going to be awesome for the both of us. Wait...I feel like there’s something else I’m missing out on. This part of the neighborhood, this is...this is where I ran into the strange shadowy figure. TWICE!

The eerie flashback replays itself in my eyes, and the actual feelings I had when I encountered it the second time came back to me. I wanted to force those feelings out again. I didn’t want to experience this event a third time. I forcefully blinked several times to push that memory out of my head. Just relax Kaika, you’ll be at Sota’s side soon at the prom, you’ll enjoy yourself there. Just because it’s dark outside already, doesn’t mean that the same shadow will pop up and scare me. I’m not alone this time, I’ve got my family with me, and I’m in a car. Besides, I was for sure just imagining that sight in my head because I was only alone and afraid.

So, I really have to ignore that thought for a while, and it’ll go away without any trace in me left. I gave out a content sigh and leaned my side of my head on the car window. The car past by that certain neighborhood part and into the town park portion of the city. While driving through that area every time, there’s a large amount of trees for scenery. I’m sure why that the trees haven’t been chopped down yet, but it’s a lot of trees to have...especially during night time. I didn’t want to see trees the entire drive to the school, so I stared up from the window to the night sky above us. It was beautiful. Many stars glimmered in the dark blue sky, and some stars aligned together to make small and simple constellations if I gazed at it for a long time. I really loved seeing stars at night, since there aren’t much stars to see any more due to pollution. It was surprising for me to see this many stars, must be a special night tonight. Heh heh, also my special night with Sota-kun. Wait...what kind of star is that?

I’m not sure where to begin with this certain star. I mean, it’s a star, but somehow different from the others. It stands out that I always notice it even if I try to focus on another star. It...It appeared much brighter than any other star I would see, and it was a bright blue too. Instead of glimmering with it’s brightness, it was flashing, as if it would give away at any moment. Poor star. I was only curiously eyeing this star, which could die out now. The blue star only flashed, and it flashed faster as it went. That’s strange...even for a star. I can’t decide if there’s something wrong with this star, since stars aren’t usually like this one...but I feel...I feel like this star...is actually telling me something. Something, that I can’t understand on my own.

With my continuous gaze upon this abnormal star, it finally vanished from the night sky, no remainder was left of it. My curiosity stayed though. I was curious to know if there was some kind of hidden message for me within that flashing star. However, I also tried to ignore it’s presence too. I guess that’s how stars die out, by flashing it’s final amounts of brightness left. I sigh and glanced down, away from the night sky, and into the endless amounts of trees that were on the sides of the road. We should be getting close to the prom now, knew it was going to be a very quick drive. I happily smile to myself while gazing out of the car window and staring at the trees that were there.

Then, a faint sound reaches my ears, my expression slowly turns into a blank face that was null and void of emotions. I...I...I just imagined that sound...r-right? I immediately scanned my eyes at the trees, wanting to find the source of that faint sound. Nothing. I saw nothing that could even make a noise such as that. And what the hell was that sound? It...it sounded like some deranged person screaming...or just something that wanted to scream....I’m not even sure if the thing that did scream is even a person. Alright, relax....breathe, maybe you’re just imagining things to yourself again. It’s just the nervousness of the upcoming date with Sota-kun, and you’re not going to back out now! I’m not going to be nervous, I should just take it easy and slow. Alright, breathe....breathe.

The sound resounds a bit louder now, and it was all clear to my ears. Huh?...it’s that sound again...it’s louder than last time too. How come mom, dad, and Kuro can’t the faint screams at this volume? Am I really imagining this sound from the nervousness I have? I guess so...I should really lay off for a few weeks and rest after this, maybe staying up at night and watching horror shows is going to affect my mental stability like this. Then the same sound became louder and louder...and yet...I am the only one to hear it. My family were only enjoying the ride while I felt troubled by the sound. Maybe I was just hallucinating.

NO...this was all reality. I constantly denied it being my imagination...but what kind of cruel imagination do I have if I really did create this all in my head? That’s why it has to be real. But yet, only I could hear it. Why? I don’t get it. How does someone not notice an extremely loud and nerve-racking screech and scream that I’m hearing?...there’s no reasoning I can come up with to deny that. What was that phrase that my mom used when she couldn’t back up a proof she had?...Oh yeah. I remember that mom was used to be an investigator working with the police before she retired to take care of me and Kuro, right after Kuro was born. She called it the devil’s proof. We can claim that certain deed was done, and not explain why to back it up. Because it was definite!

Then why if it’s devil’s proof that I am the only one who can hear the screeching...why am I hearing it in the first place? A sign? A warning? A proclamation? I don’t know..it’s just too much for me to think about at the moment. To believe that a screech that only I could hear would shaken me off of my happy mood to enjoy my date with Sota-kun. Why does everything seem to make no absolute sense!?!!...

Reality then smacked me in the face...hard. From the dense arrangement of trees of the city’s park, rustling noises of the many leaves echoed off, the sounds of a running animal were rapid. I grew dead silent in my car seat as I had the slightest feeling that this noisemaker was not a person or an animal. Then what! In just seconds, a shadowy figure came out of the forest scenery, the very appearance of it was almost exactly similar to the shadow I ran into yesterday afternoon. Everything. From the shadowy masses it had around it, to the humanoid body structure, to the apparent red glow from a possible eye. It was like an exact replica of it! It felt different to me, as if the presence it gave off was from another person!

Not only did this shadow appear to scare me again, it was going to harm me...physically. Upon revealing itself from the trees, the shadow rushed towards our car, the red glow gave off the impression that my family and I were it’s dinner. Fear overcame me, overpowered the words I wanted to tell my family upon the very sight I recognized. My last resort to them was a desperate scream. My parents were dumbfounded to why I was screaming, they couldn’t see this shadow. Why? Why me? It was useless. It was all useless. I wanted to scream out “HURRY!”...but nothing else would change that...right? The car completely was forced off of the road and down the tree-filled hill, the cause of it...maybe that shadow rammed into the car, tackling us into a dangerous spot of tumbling down this hill.

There was nothing else I could do to prevent this from happening from this point. It was already in the process of a potential and fatal car crash. I can’t deny that...and the chance of survival was slight. Was I the only one not completely panicking? Why was that? I didn’t feel the need to be scared. In fact, I felt like I would be protected by something that I couldn’t understand. My hearing’s awareness muffled out, only my heartbeats became the sounds that overpowered themselves in my ears. Silently, I gazed at my parents at the front of the car, they were scared...scared of dying or the possibility of being hurt. I could understand that. That’s the usual response towards death in humanity. However, I felt lost as to why I couldn’t feel that fear and expression of fear myself. My brother was also in the same situation as them, he clung himself tight to me, never letting go of a tight hug before the crash. I would actually do the same...but again...I’m lost to why I can’t do that either.

The vehicle we were all in tumbled down the hill like a rock in an avalanche. The car rolled down like a pinball, hitting trees along the way of tumbling down, but wouldn’t stop there and would actually crash through the tree. Upon every time the car made impact with a tree, either the car’s metal roof would cave in more and more...or that the glass would crack and crack until it finally shattered. I didn’t do anything that would protect myself from the mishaps that would result in hurt, injury, or death. I wasn’t afraid, but not from my will...but something else I couldn’t understand.

The car finally stopped it’s tumble down the hill, finally at the bottom of the forsaken hill. I was completely unharmed, I...I survived this car crash without a single scratch or bruise? Again...not possible to happen...but I guess it did. Kuro was still holding onto me...but he had his eyes closed. Oh no! Don’t tell me! Don’t be dead! I gently press my hand to his chest, and felt a steady but struggling heartbeat. Whew...that’s a relief...he’s still alive. He must be that strong to survive the crash...but he still has a bit of scratches and bruises from the shattering glass. That could heal up in a day or two. I looked up to see my parents seated at the front, the windshield was completely gone, the metal frame of the car was totalled.

“Hey, mom...dad...are you okay?” I asked, naive to think that they survived the crash as well. They were seated at the front...so maybe they obtained several injuries that are fatal, but can heal in a long period of time. No response.

“You two hear me...right? Answer me!” I couldn’t wait for the answer, and yelled out to them. Absolute silence. My heartbeat lurched at the silent treatment I was getting. Was...was it for them?...Did the crash really...? Slowly, I unbuckled myself from the passenger seat in the back, and stood up to see what really happened with them.

My eyes widened with shock at the sight...the final sight of my parents from here on forward. Blood was leaking out from both my parents, and some of it was splattered all over the front seats of the car. Dad had been...impaled through the head by a sharp and loose part of the car’s metal frame on the car’s roof...no....WHAT IS THIS!?!!! Mom too....parts of the broken glass were large enough, probably from the windshield, were lodged into her torso...and more importantly...her heart... I....I can’t accept this!!! I CAN’T ACCEPT THIS D****T!!!!!

“NO....NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! C’MON! MOM!!! DAD!!! PLEASE TELL ME YOU’RE FINE! JUST SAY SOMETHING! MOVE! YOU BOTH AREN’T DEAD!!!! ANSWER ME! DON’T LEAVE ME AND KURO ALONE....p-please...just...don’t...leave me...without an answer...” I literally broke down in tears. I didn’t care if I couldn’t meet up with Sota-kun for the date...I didn’t care if my dress was ruined by the crash....I didn’t care if the car was totalled. All I care about...is that...MY PARENTS SHOULDN’T BE DEAD NOW!!! I know people die...everyone does...but this...THIS....it’s too early for them! I wanted them to experience so many other things, like my high school graduation, my arrival to college, the reveal of my relationship with Sota-kun! I wanted all of that to happen with my parents around. Now...now they won’t.... I’m fortunate enough to have Kuro alive with me...but this is still a tragedy....Where would Kuro and I go now?...we were orphans...we would have to be separated by the result of adoption...

The same screeching noises could be heard from above the car. Damn...was I too late when grieving the deaths of my parents? I wanted to say stuff to them...but my voice may had drawn in that shadowy figure....would this be the end of me and Kuro? There was absolutely no one around at the moment to prevent the upcoming event of two more deaths..and I had no way to figure this out myself. That yesterday afternoon, when I encountered that shadowy figure, it held out it’s hand like it wanted to invite me to death. But I cheated that death invite, and it disappeared. Is...is this the result of cheating death?...to face another death after the cheated death..

I stuck my head out of the broken window, and felt my breath shiver as I saw this sight. Not only was it just that shadowy figure that was responsible for causing the car crash...but there were lots and LOTS more of those shadowy figures that were like exact copies of that shadowy figure. If one shadowy figure caused this to happen, it was certain that all of those creatures are aiming to kill us for an unknown reason, which I have to face in the upcoming seconds. I felt sorry that I couldn’t do anything to get the corpses of my parents out, hopefully they’re left unharmed. Wasting no time at all, I unbuckle Kuro from his seat, and I forced the broken car door to open with a forceful kick. Gently as possible in this kind of situation, I set Kuro down on the ground near the wrecked car, just so I could also get out of the wreckage safely.

I stare back at the shadowy figures, they were swarming towards the wreckage site, closer and closer, faster and faster. My adrenaline picked up than ever, and I threw myself out of the car. However, something yanked me back from coming out, and it wasn’t one of those shadowy figures. In fact, only the skirt of my dress was caught onto the loose and wrecked pieces of metal of the car. I didn’t care about the dress anymore, and Kuro’s life and my life were on the line here. I tore my dress skirt from the car, and immediately picked up Kuro into my arms like a cradled baby. However, by the time I was going to make a run for it, I was completely surrounded.

A horde of these shadowy figures cornered the both of us at every angle, corner, and direction. There was no escape, there was no chance that I would be able to guide the both of us to safety until the authorities arrive. It was useless, it was all useless. I had no way to prevent the inevitable from happening. It’s all set. I stand there helplessly as the shadowy figures begin to close in fast, and death could be seen from moments away. At least...I could do one more favor...one more favor for the last person in my family...Kuro. I’ll protect...you...no matter what....I’ll die protecting you if that’s the inevitable fate I’ll have to struggle against. Knowing that time was running out. I quickly placed Kuro onto the ground, and I got myself on top of him...hugging him tightly with my arms. I was basically sacrificing myself to be a human shield for him.

“...I....I won’t let go....even if I die...I’ll protect you...from everything...” I mumbled quietly to him, and began to sob deeply in hopelessness. I heard the shadows coming closer, and the moment I knew that I would be mauled...

*~*~*~*~*

Where...where am I?...did I die?....is this the afterlife?....wait! Where’s Kuro! He could had died with me! I quickly glance in all directions to see that Kuro was no where near me....actually...I was all alone here. I’m completely alone..no one was there to give me company. Maybe I should...get used to the apparent surroundings I have around me...It’s impossible to see anything but myself!...it’s endless blackness and darkness all over the place, and there’s no way to tell if all of this ends somewhere or not! Actually....I don’t think I’m standing on anything either....a black void with no floor for footing. So...since I couldn’t really land and stand on anything...was I floating? Like...in midair....I don’t even understand any bit of this anymore. Why did I care anyways? I’m dead. Everyone I was close to, my family, they’re dead. They could be experiencing this strange black void incident in separate afterlifes...that could be it. It was all useless from this point.

I lost hope from here on now...I can’t do anything or will do anything here. What am I supposed to do in a dark lifeless void? Nothing, of course. So....might as well go and die off in the afterlife...that’s how helpless I am here. Silently, I shut my eyes closed, and to see more darkness. However...even if everyone I was close to is dead...there’s still people that would be hurt without me there. Luki-san....she’ll break down just like I did with my parents. Sota-kun...I’ll be hurt even more if he is hurt by my death. But it didn’t matter to me anymore...it was final and inevitable...I am DEAD.

“No...this isn’t the end of your journey, Kaika...don’t let this be your final resting place,” a distant voice echoed from complete directions around me. W-Where was this voice coming from?...and more importantly...whose voice is this?...I can’t tell where exactly it came from...I heard the echoing voice from all directions...it’s like the voice is everywhere...I...I didn’t want to listen to the damned voice anyways. I don’t have a true meaning when I’m dead...

“And why should I stay alive?...I already lost my purpose in life. My family, including me, are dead! Alright...DEAD!” I responded with a snapping rashness to whoever this voice was. With what I wanted to get straight to this voice done...I kept my eyes shut...and refused to hear whatever else this voice that was false hope.

“It appears that your will wants to fall into a pit of darkness with no return...then I will lift that will with a revealed light to save you,” the voice wasn’t echoing anymore...but I heard it close to me...closing in. I didn’t care, I didn’t listen, I kept myself from responding to this stupid voice, there’s no light to save me! Why can’t that voice get that straight to their head!?!! At the same time, I felt that a sudden change was taking place. The curiosity got to me, and I slowly opened my eyes to see what was changing. To my astonishment...the black void was now being completely changed by an apparent light source...and the lifeless void I am in is now completely white. It...it happened that fast too! In just seconds, everything went from black to white...it was almost amazing to think that such a thing could happen!...wait...this is the afterlife...it’s like a dream...anything can happen I guess...but it wouldn’t be able to change anything in the world that everyone is still alive in. Still...I have nothing true happening for me anymore...I just want to be dead too... With that thought, I forced my eyes closed again, wanting to shut myself away from the voice...whoever was this voice in the first place.

“You give up so soon...even your family is on the line...depending on you...” the voice still spoke on, close to my location. God d****t! Just shut up! Shut up shut up shut up shut up! I didn’t want to listen to you! You’re...You’re just a stupid imagination I’m making with my head so I wouldn’t be alone here, but I have nothing going for me in this afterlife...so just curl up somewhere, die, disappear! I don’t care what happens to you! Just LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

“Even your will is tainted to this extent, but it is not truly over for you. You still have a purpose...which is why you are still in tact in this state of mind. If you were dead, you would be only a portion of spacious air around in an endless void. You still have a will left to complete, and I will guide you. Open your eyes...and I will elaborate my words for your consent...” the voice explained heavily on me, and in actuality...this voice did make a point. If I were really dead and had no more meaning...then why am I still here? Thinking all of this to myself and having an one-sided conversation with this voice. I’m not going crazy, it’s just my stubbornness towards the situation. But...if I’m not dead...where is this? Why am I here really? The voice said that elaboration to my meaning here will come up...if I open my eyes...well, here goes nothing. I slowly open my eyes, and saw another figure floating in front of me.

It appeared to be a young girl of age, she had blonde hair that had two ponytails that were clearly uneven, and wore a pure white kimono. Who was this? No...I mean, what is she? Maybe I should let the girl talk, explain to me what exactly what was going on. It was a chance for myself to familiarize my knowledge into this confusing array of events. I wanted to know the answers of the shadowy figures...and maybe that flashing star too!

“I see that you are convinced now, Kaika...” the girl emotionlessly remarked at me, able to tell off my emotions! W-What? Is she some kind of psychic or something like that? How exactly did she know my feelings right off the bat? Did she read my thoughts or something? I dunno.

“W-Whatever...just explain everything to me. Then I’ll be convinced...” I nonchalantly sighed in frustration with my inner thoughts on this girl. I felt conflicted by this point. Not only did I want to refuse to believe whatever she says, I need to hear from her as I have no one else here to tell me what exactly is happening. Everything started to feel...off the day I ran int othe shadowy figure the first time.

“Alright, listen carefully. I will not repeat my words once it is done,” the girl warned me that there will be no repeats for me. So this is it, either listen or not find out the answers to my dilemma. It seemed like a hard choice for me...but I had no choice in the matter anyways. Silently, I nod to tell her that I would listen and that I was ready for the words that would determine my purpose in this void.

“You, out of all Livings, are chosen by fate to bear a spiritual pact with me. I am known as Miki, the Elder Spirit of Life Energy, and all occurrences you’ve experienced firsthand relating to those shadows are based on your fated destiny. That is why you are here to create a pact with me and obtain the Spiritual Pact of Life Energy,” the girl explained. Well...this sounds like something out of an anime...but I actually made some sense out of Miki’s explanation. It’s like one of those “chosen one” cliche stories...but more original and serious. However, the info just seemed...hard to accept as true...I didn’t feel completely convinced just yet.

“And how can I be sure this is all true? I could be just imagining this entire encounter from the start, that I’m hallucinating all of this in the afterlife,” I asked, wanting to know if this was truly convincing and true to the truth.

“Because this is not the time for you to spirit away. You are not dead, and this isn’t the afterlife. We are residing simply within your subconscious. I relied on a faint strand of a miracle when the incident happened, and used that faint miracle to protect you and your brother from the upcoming dangers. However, I apologize for not doing the same with your parents. The faint miracle wasn’t enough to protect them as well,” Miki elaborated that all of this was true. So wait...I’m not dead...but in my own subconscious...that sorta makes sense. Kuro’s alive too...but how would I know?...

“As you can see here...this is the definite proof of the safety I gave to you and your brother,” Miki slowly held out her hand, which was emitting some kind of purple mist. God, my curiosity was peaking up and up from all of this. I wanted to feel this purple mist, but I backed my hand away as it built itself into a strong energy reflection of some kind. There...an image formed itself...showing a scene which was quite familiar to me. Considering that it happened moments ago before appearing in my...subconscious, I think I got that part right. It was the car crash site in the park filled with trees, I was still on top of Kuro from my decision to become a human shield for him. Both of us were still unconscious...but I wondered on why we weren’t harmed yet. Then I squinted my eyes to see what was protecting us. A transparent force field thingy covered the entire radius around Kuro and I, and I could see it a bit by seeing it’s pink hue of color. That’s why when I see the shadowy figures lunging towards us, but are forced away from us by that force field. Whatever that force field is made out of, it’s pretty darn powerful against those shadows.

“I kept you safe from the demise under those Shadow Replicas, and I know you have the will to protect those who matter to you. So I offer my power to you, through this Spiritual Pact of Life Energy, and you can expand your will to protect others,” Miki expanded on her proof to prove to me that I still have a purpose in living. Protecting others...I actually understand that. I wanted to sacrifice my life for Kuro when we were surrounded by those...Shadow Replicas...and at the same time, Miki supported my will to protect those that I’m close to by creating that force field. Even if I wanted to protect Kuro, I couldn’t do that much on my own, since I’m sure enough fist to fist fighting won’t be enough to inflict harm towards those Shadow Replicas. Maybe...maybe this is the only other option that will work out in the end. I would have to face the Shadow Replicas with the help of this spiritual pact and use whatever superpower I get from it to fight off that shadowy force away. Looks like I am left with one option on the list...wish me luck...mom..dad... I took a deep breath to keep myself from overreacting to the offer, since this was serious.

“Alright Miki, since there’s many things on the line for me...I’ll accept this pact of yours. I want to have the power to protect not only people that matter to me, but those who deserve to live a life here. It sounds quite cheesy, but I don’t care if it does! That’s just my determination and will talking here!” I declared with no regrets or hesitation. It was all clear to me now. I didn’t have an end here, but some time later. For now, I have to take this pact, which seems to be my fate, and gain the power to protect the very people..no, the very WORLD I knew for the better. Who knows how extreme this pact will take me regarding measures? All I know is that this supernatural pact, it’s going to be a large responsibility!

“Then it is settled. The pact is finally verified and realized. This pact will be your fate, and your fate is final and inevitable, no longer prone to change by premature means,” Miki announced without much to say. Even if Miki sounded like an emotionless and monotone AI, she would be a person that would give me helpful advice on the pact, since she is the one giving it to me in the first place. Without warning, a bright white flash began to consume my body in my subconscious, and I wasn’t expecting it. So, I began to squirm in surprise.

“Don’t worry, it is only the realization of the Spiritual Pact implanting itself into your fate. If you cannot figure out your abilities, it will all come together soon. It’s a natural feat for pact bearers,” Miki reassured me the moment I began to squirm. By that, I calmed down and began to feel confident in myself now. It was a sudden change for me, that I’m gaining these supernatural powers for the better...but I have to adapt anyways, it’s fate.

“Right...I’m ready...” I mumbled silently before I felt myself disappear from my subconscious. Not sure how that’s possible, but I guess it is. It was time...to show those Shadow Replicas to not mess with my family!

*~*~*~*~*

Oh god, that “hungover” feeling was coming back to me again, I already had enough of that feeling from that hangout I had with Luki’s crazy friends. Kaika, focus! You have to act serious! I remember what I was doing before the strange subconscious event. As if I was waking up from a nightmare, I sprung up from the ground to see that I was still in the foresty park where the car crash occurred. By how things appeared outside the force field that Miki made, I felt like I was rather waking up to a nightmare than waking up from one. The amounts of Shadow Replicas was a lot more than the last time I was here, and there were a lot wanting to break through that force field and kill me and Kuro. There was no way I was going down without a fight...but it was a close to zero chance to win against all of these Shadow Replicas on my own. It was like a thousand versus one. How am I going to put up with this? I remember that Miki mentioned that I would figure out how to use my abilities soon...but how soon? I don’t think I’ll become a master at it in just a few minutes against all of these Shadow Replicas. So...now what am I supposed to do? Then a realization came to me...even if this force field was protecting us...how long would it last? I’m not completely sure how much time I took up inside my subconscious, but at any given moment, the force field will disappear. So, I need to familiarize myself with the abilities...but how? I was frantically panicking to myself, my eyes glancing back and forth between the Shadow Replicas outside the force field and Kuro.

“Kaika, do not worry too much,” Miki suddenly appeared at my side, reassuring me to relax my tension. Right, I’m straining myself with this paranoia, just take a deep breath. Seriously, I need to calm it if I’m going to live through this upcoming fight.

“I am running out of the energy needed to keep this kind of protection up, but I’ll do what I can to keep your brother safe. Go and handle the Shadow Replicas, I know you can handle this,” Miki explained to me, and took a position near Kuro. I had no choice, if Miki was going to protect Kuro during the fight 24/7, then she wouldn’t be able to assist me directly within the fight. Meaning, I was the only one possible at the given moment to actually fight back against the Shadow Replicas. The situation seemed almost intimidating for me, the thought of going against all of those Shadow Replicas alone and on my own...this will be hell for me. My time of thinking was running out as well, I noticed that the force field began to slowly flash, meaning that it was about to fall apart from lack of energy. C’mon, soon I would have to face this nightmare and destroy it here and now. There’s no more time for waiting around, I need to take action...but there was one thought that I need to clear before so.

“Wait! Miki! How do I use my abilities exactly? I wasn’t given any specific directions!” I suddenly blurted out to the spirit behind me and next to my unconscious brother. She blankly stared at me for a moment, as if she expected me to know the answer to my own question. Well, obviously, I don’t, so better hurry it up! The spirit let out a frustrated sigh, not pleased with my lack of knowledge of the answer.

“Just focus,” Miki simply put it at that. Erm...what the hell kind of advice was that? That’s what my algebra teacher usually told me and the other students when taking a damn test. “Just focus.” Seriously, it sounds like some kind of false motivation...but in this situation...it still sounded pretty cheesy. Maybe I should listen to that advice anyways...it could help, who really knows? Well, I’m sure Miki would if she’s done this “pact” thing for a century’s time or more. Alright...here goes nothing, and if this fails...then that’s that... I gave myself time to breath a deep breath one more time as the force field began to disappear and fall apart. Within all of that time, I tried to focus myself, keeping myself focused so that one specific thing can happen. I’m not sure what exactly, but something out of the ordinary has to happen. I hear the rampant dashing of the Shadow Replicas closing in on my location, I ignore the noises, I returned to my focus. All I focused on, was a single thought based on my spiritual pact. Hopefully something will happen, because I’m not doing all of this for no progress done.

The noises got closer and closer, and soon I will face a mauling from them. No...don’t think that, I won’t let that happen, I won’t! I WON’T!!! A few more seconds of this focusing, and I feel a sudden change within my body. Not like I feel like someone who isn’t sick anymore, but that feeling that I could do anything! At the same time, I heard horrid hissing and the dashing motions from the Shadow Replicas stop immediately. I simply glance down to see that both of my hands were glowing bright pink-purple like energy mist. The Shadow Replicas were backing away from it as if my powers were it’s weakness. Hah, so this is it...this might actually be easier than I thought it would be before. However...I still was clueless on how to use this energy mist to my advantage, and my dumbfounded action of standing in place was starting to instigate the Shadow Replicas. Since I was doing actually nothing at this point, the Shadow Replicas aren’t exactly afraid of the energy mist I’ve created, and began to charge towards me once more. The anticipation of the upcoming attacks stressed me, but I tried to keep calm. Desperation began to build up in me, I have a certain amount of time before I am truly prone to these attacks. C’mon! Energy powers, do something! Panicking, I held out my hands which had the energy mist, on my attempt to protect myself and maybe draw away the Shadow Replicas away to buy myself more time and out of fear, I closed my eyes. During all of that,I began to focus again, I hoped that all of this focusing would do something different with my powers and give me a great advantage.

Another pleasant feeling came over my body, as if some drastic change happened. To add onto that, I heard an agonizing hissing noise right in front of me....was this it? Will this be the end? I thought about it for a moment, and then opened my eyes to see a fascinating sight. From all of that focusing, I created an energy blade in the grip of my two hands. And for the Shadow Replica, it lunged at the same time as the energy blade appeared, from what I thought, it was impaled through the torso by the energy blade I held. I unconsciously held the transparent weapon...and I already inflicted great damage onto the Shadow Replica already. Before I could even comprehend any further on what I had done as an attack towards the Shadow Replica, it faded away into smokes of dark energy before that completely was erased from existence.

“Did I just...?” I was going to say, but trailed off since I already knew that Miki was the only one that would hear me. She would know the obvious answer, so I guess there wasn’t much of a need to speak and clarify the phenomenon that I performed unconsciously. It was all somewhat clear to me now, this energy can be manipulated from my mind’s focus... Not sure how exactly, but when I’m at my “adrenaline” point or “determination” point, that energy blade was manifested by that certain focus, when I didn’t anticipate that happening anyways. Since that seemed to be very important basics to know about my pact, might as well keep a mental note of that. I knew what to do now, since I had the energy blade within my hands’ grasp. I’ve handled a prop sword before and had been into practicing martial arts at the same time. I’m pretty sure I could adapt some of that with this new source of power, it’ll do me good in this upcoming fight.

“Okay, I’m all good to go! Hear that Shadow Replicas, karma is going to bite you in the a*s hard!” I confidently shouted, tightening my grip on my energy blade, and recklessly ran into the horde of Shadow Replicas. I thought at first that this will be an overwhelming fight, but now I see that I will have a chance. Of course, it wouldn’t be super easy...but somewhat manageable for me to experience. The closer and closer I ran, the Shadow Replicas that were the nearest to me were going to pounce at me with their claws. My anticipation was correct, and I stopped my running as I saw three of those Shadow Replicas in midair, lunging down towards me. I only gave a confident grin, and awaited for the right moment to strike back. Literally a second before I would be pinned down, I widely swung my energy blade in the air, directly tearing my blade through those three Shadow Replicas. In seconds, those also faded away from existence as dark smokes of energy. Well...that was three down...and many more to go. I’ve got a lot of work on my hands then. I saw the rest of the Shadow Replicas heading towards me fast. Looks like they all have some mentality to try to take me down at the same time...well then...challenge accepted. Again, it felt overwhelming, but it soon began to feel like child’s play. Of course, I felt inexperienced at times since I couldn’t really properly counterattack the Shadow Replicas, so there were times where I was hit, but it wasn’t fatal. Despite that, it still hurt, but I ignored it, I treaded onwards with the fight. Recklessly and aggressively, I swung the energy blade I had into different directions and angles, doing this as much as I could do to actually hit the Shadow Replicas. Only a single hit would dispel a single Shadow Replica, so I was okay if I actually hit them all with my spiritual weapon.

Slowly, I was tearing through the horde of Shadow Replicas with a single energy blade, and most of the threats fail to inflict actual painful damage onto me. The current fight gave me confidence to fight on forwards, for the safety of myself and my brother, for those who are alive and for those who died. I’m not going to abandon my cause! Those thoughts drove my motivation over the roof, I became more focused and less reckless in my movements, striking at the Shadow Replicas with precise and direct attacks. This will end soon, it will. It then narrowed down to the last Shadow Replica that was charging towards me. Child’s play. This is the finisher, HERE I COME!!! The moment that Shadow Replica gets too close to me, I immediately thrusted the energy blade forwards, impaling the last Shadow Replica through it’s supposed neck. Silently, I watched as the Shadow Replica squirms in pain before being erased from existence from my blade. Even if everything that tried to harm us was gone...I didn’t feel like it was all done with. If I received this power, and the pact seems permanent...would things like this happen all of the time? I knew this would be correct, as this couldn’t be the only Shadow Replica fight I’ll be in, there is more to come towards me, and I have to prepare for it.

“I...I actually did it...” I gasped in exhaustion, fighting the urge to collapse to the ground. Probably from the usage of my energy manipulation, the energy blade suddenly faded away into the pink-purple mists around my hands, which shortly faded out as well. Maybe I did exert that much energy in that one fight. The exhaustion was that bad...I wanted to pass out now, but I wanted to check on my brother and Miki. Struggling against the urge to collapse, I weakly turn around and began limping over to Kuro and Miki. Luckily, Miki was still there, her complete silence the entire fight made me think she ditched me or something...but she’s there. Without a word, the spirit merely nods at me, as some sort of congratulations towards me success against the Shadow Replicas, and disappears from my sight. I felt confused, why exactly did Miki leave without any word to say to me? My weak knees couldn’t handle it anymore, I collapsed onto the ground next to my brother, who appeared to be peacefully sleeping despite the tragedy we were placed into. I nudged myself towards him, closing up to him so he could have some of my body warmth.

My ears then picked up noise that I expected to come about minutes ago. Sirens of police cars and ambulances echoed from afar...finally...help. Silently, I stare at the car wreckage...it was already too late to help out my parents. Nothing would had prevented it in the first place anyways...it was an instant death...and I couldn’t do anything about it. Besides grieving over my mom and dad...I still have to protect those that are still here and that I still care about, meaning the entire world. I’m sure enough that they’re watching me from the great beyond, a Spiritual World I think, and feeling proud that their daughter will do something as much as this. Even I think this was a sudden change for me, and I’ll make the best out of it. I turn my attention towards my sleeping brother, ignoring the sounds of people coming down the hill towards this wreckage.

“Kuro...just rest soundly...I promise...I promise to keep you safe...and everyone else on this world...just be the little brother to make me smile...” I mumbled to him softly, trying not to bother his rest, as this wasn’t the greatest time to wake up to. now the exhaustion was getting to me, weakening my body that I would actually faint any second. The sounds became distant, my vision blurred, my muscles grew numb. Before I knew what else happened, everything went blank...

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