Strena Animéga Final Part

 A Brutal Blow

The first thing that Strena could feel when she woke was the presence of something evil all around her. She felt like she was naked and covered in dirt. She could feel like she was in a den of snakes that were pressing their fangs into her, infecting her blood with their venom.

Then she looked down at Yukino’s dead body with his blood still mixing with her’s. His body was cold and had already started to swell with wounds all over. His eyes were open and filled with shock.

She pulled her hand away and checked his pulse, which just confirmed that he was dead. That was when she heard the sound of Kitsuné Ryu laughing in her ears. She looked at Yukino, but his lips were not moving and then looked all around and noticed that there was none there! Yet she still heard it. She whipped her head all around her to notice that she could see no one laughing. Upon seeing this she realized that the laughing was inside her head!

“Thank you for letting me in!” Came a voice that sounded like a high-pitched creek. Yet she could sense that there was great mischief, malice and aggression filling it.

“What?”

“Don’t you remember my invitation to help you?”

That was when she remembered the conversation that she had with Yukino. Her stomach dropped as she suddenly realized that it was not Yukino that she was talking to back then. This was followed by the realization of what it actually meant that she was hearing his voice inside her head.

Her mind was flooded with the image of a fox that, instead of fur, had bright orange scales with white scales at the tip of each of his nine tails and long black bat-like wings. His face was like a cross between a dragon and a fox, looking at her with malice. She looked down to see the pool of blood and behind him was a pile of dead bodies.

She started to breathe rapidly.

“Now you know what this means.” He growled as she could him getting closer to her. “I can smell your fear, I know that you have seen what Wolfox has done with your dear uncle. Although you still fear him, however I can defeat him.”

“N-no!”

He let out a chuckle.

“We are rivals. So we will end up fighting eventually. And now that I have this body and not held back by the old man, our next little rematch will end very differently.”

“No! Please, no!”

She looked down at her uncle with fear and trembling. She wanted to get away from him. She no longer wanted to kill him. She could feel her heart in her ears and she touched the cuff. She looked down as relief spread throughout her body. She even started laughing herself! She never thought that she would be so happy that her uncle put it in her.

“What?”

She looked down at it.

“You can’t! Not as long as I have this!” She declared as she showed it to him in her mind.

He looked down and nodded.

“Alright, but you will find a way to get those things off. If you don’t then I will make you kill!”

“No, you won’t.”

He raised her eyebrow. Suddenly she felt him all over her body. She felt her body kneel. She looked at the body of Yukino. Her hand pulled a chunk from his arm.

What are you- 

Then he raised her hand and put the chuck in her mouth! She felt disgust rise as she tasted the iron in her mouth. Then she felt her jaws chewing the piece. She could feel the bile building in the back of her throat. Then she swallowed despite her and her body screaming to throw it up. Then she felt dread build as he took another chunk. Then she felt tears fall as she took another and another. Soon he body was begging to throw it all up.

Then she let out a scream that woke the rest up. Then she felt him release his control over her body. She then threw up all that was in her stomach as all she could do was scream and weep.

Now she understood. Now she knew who truly had the power. Then she felt arms around her. She looked up and saw Zaryb. Suddenly she jumped back and screamed.

“Please! Stay away! I-I don’t wanna hurt you!”

He looked at her with shock.

“What?”

“He’ll make me hurt you!” She repeated as she wept.

Then Cerpheres, along with Chashathrophogh, placed a hand on her.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

She gasped as looked up at him, shocked.

“Alright, but you will find a way to get those things off. If you don't I will make you kill.”

W-will he start now?

She opened her mouth.

“He-he-”

“Kitsuné Ryu is inside you, isn’t he?”

She nodded as she burst into tears. She just could do nothing but weep and weep.

Bash and Leonardo looked at Yukino.

“What?”

“Has he been eaten?!”

“Oh my! Did you do that?” Neko asked.

“He-he-” 

Tears choked her.

“Kitsuné Ryu did it.” Zaryb snapped as he pulled Strena in closer and held her tightly as he too started to cry. She tried to pull him off her but he kept his grip.

“Shhh…shhhh….shhh… it’s okay…it’s okay…”

“No! It’s not!” She almost screamed. “Don’t you see? He wants to use me to kill Wolfox! Yet when he found out about these he told me that-that-that if we-we d-don’t then he’ll- then he’ll-”

She breathed in and out rapidly, finding it difficult to get control over herself.

“He’ll make me kill! He made me eat Yukino just to prove that he could!” She wept.

Soon Zaryb wept too. Cerpheres narrowed his eyes.

“Tell me, did he tell you how to get those nasty, nasty creatures out of you?”

She shook her head.

Is there any?

“I don’t know!” Kitsuné Ryu spoke.

Her heart sank as she closed her eyes. Once she was calmer she shook her head.

She looked at Chashathrophogh and Cerpheres and took their hand and took them to the size.

“What is it dear?”

“I don’t want you to tell Uncle Zaryb but if Kitsuné Ryu tries to make me kill, do all that you can to stop me. I hate killing and I always have. It makes me feel sick, and if he is still in me when they’re removed, kill me before he uses me to kill my uncle. My father has hurt him enough.”

He nodded.

“We will keep that in mind.”

“I won’t! Not if it leads you to even greater heights!”

“Please!”

He chuckled.

“Juuust kidding! Nah! I see it as all the more reason to get those naughty, naughty Demon Kings out of you, my dear. After all, you’re so sweet!”

“Speaking of which, we need to leave this place. After a year here, I felt Gajellidor Darcrogh and Dark Lady Grasharlo have left Animéga.”

Everyone gathered out of the cave.

“Where is he?”

“Deathlia. The Continent of Death!”

She nodded. 

“Anyway!” Sang Neko as he stretched. “I’m out of here!”

“What? Not staying with us?”

“Nah! I’m afraid not, my old friend! You’re into stuff way too much, even for little old mischievous me! So I will be bailing way before I get myself killed. I highly recommend you do too or, if you all don’t die, half of you will.”

“I won’t.”

Neko chuckled.

“Oh, there are ways to kill even you my dear old friend!” He spoke as he disappeared behind a bush.

“Alright.” Chashathrophogh said as he picked Strena up. “I think we need to go. I don’t think that you want to stay around here.”

So, after a week’s travel, they boarded a ship and left Animéga and Strena’s early journals behind. Strena promised that, once this was all over, she would get a place. Somewhere tucked away and hard to find, and come back to collect them all and put them away in one of the rooms. Maybe make them public.

Yeah…I like the sound of that…