Lea knelt in the rubble and cried. He felt his heart break as she took two metal shards and tried fitting them together. Though Daniel wanted to comfort her, what could he say? Wendi set him down so he could touch the metal shards and glean whatever precious little his Eye for Destruction could sense. If the cold metal had once been the body of a shapeshifter, now it was lifeless.
Kenta looked at the great curved tusks gleaming red in the sunset, held his head in his hands, and shook in denial. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Everyone was going to be reunited!”
To his left, Paul whispered to himself, “W-what have I done? What have I done?”
Rana stood there, hands opening and clenching on nothing, unable to fight a foe long gone.
Landing near them, Cassie turned to face phantom figures. “I can hear them… they were retreating through here… their footsteps soaked into the stone.”
Lea wheeled on her and demanded, “What happened?”
Cassie reeled as if she’d been punched in the face. “I’m not good with the past; the echoes are so distant…”
“Tell me!”
“Something was chasing them,” Cassie surrendered, wincing at the Libra’s tone. “The T.O. went through the Terminal, but Gaja and John stayed behind. They blocked the way with their own bodies to let the others escape.”
Lea screamed until she ran out of breath, then sobbed herself hoarse.
“Cry, cry, cry, it won’t do any good.” The Wendigo, thin and sharp and wicked, laughed from behind them. Daniel and Rana spun, hands raised as weapons, already regretting they’d lowered their guard. The Wendigo spread her arms, palms open. “Relax, you’ve already proved your pet frog is too fast for me… Right now.”
“Then why are you smiling?” Daniel asked.
The blue devil chuckled. “Every time I come out, there’s a little less Wendi and a little more me. Once she’s gone, and I have all our power, ending you won’t be a challenge.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
The Wendigo dismissed him with a chuckle and returned to mocking Lea. “What’s the matter with you?” she said with disgust. “Blubbering and carrying on like you’re the only one with dead parents. Last time I checked, Daniel’s mom is dead, Paul’s are probably dead, Kenta’s are deadbeats, Cassie’s parents wish they were dead, and Rana wishes her parents were dead. Oh, and my parents are dead, plus my sister was murdered right in front of me—and you don’t see me crying about it!
“Yes,” she said to the others as they stared in shock. “While the demon was taunting you all, it whispered your secrets to me. I know what makes you tick.” The Wendigo laughed at Lea again. “Those two weren’t even your blood; they just took pity on you. So why are you crying, pretty girl? Did you care about them that much? Or is it that you failed, that you never had a hope of winning this game, that your mission was futile years before you set out to try?”
Daniel stepped between the Wendigo and Lea. “Shut up.”
“Or what?” she smiled with razor-sharp teeth and licked the tip of a claw. “I already killed you once, little boy; what can you do to stop me?”
He got angry.
Daniel punched. He aimed the blast of ruinous power low so it wouldn’t kill even if he misjudged the force. The blow hit the Wendigo in the abdomen like a low-speed car crash, knocking her back in a puff of dust without penetrating her defenses.
The blue devil lurched, off-balance, and he threw two more of the same. Her hooves left the ground, and she fell, turning red as the dark side fled. As the rage faded and his cheeks cooled, Daniel worried he’d gone too far and rushed to her.
She appeared unharmed. Wendi stood, dusted herself, looked up to see Daniel, and smiled warm and bright. She extended a hand to him for a shake.
“Hello, my name is Wendi! What’s yours?”
Her real damage was far worse than he’d feared. The ground shook beneath them, tiny pebbles bouncing in time to the rhythm. Footsteps.
The beast neared.
Lea knelt in the rubble and cried. He felt his heart break as she took two metal shards and tried fitting them together. Though Daniel wanted to comfort her, what could he say? Wendi set him down so he could touch the metal shards and glean whatever precious little his Eye for Destruction could sense. If the cold metal had once been the body of a shapeshifter, now it was lifeless.
Kenta looked at the great curved tusks gleaming red in the sunset, held his head in his hands, and shook in denial. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Everyone was going to be reunited!”
To his left, Paul whispered to himself, “W-what have I done? What have I done?”
Rana stood there, hands opening and clenching on nothing, unable to fight a foe long gone.
Landing near them, Cassie turned to face phantom figures. “I can hear them… they were retreating through here… their footsteps soaked into the stone.”
Lea wheeled on her and demanded, “What happened?”
Cassie reeled as if she’d been punched in the face. “I’m not good with the past; the echoes are so distant…”
“Tell me!”
“Something was chasing them,” Cassie surrendered, wincing at the Libra’s tone. “The T.O. went through the Terminal, but Gaja and John stayed behind. They blocked the way with their own bodies to let the others escape.”
Lea screamed until she ran out of breath, then sobbed herself hoarse.
“Cry, cry, cry, it won’t do any good.” The Wendigo, thin and sharp and wicked, laughed from behind them. Daniel and Rana spun, hands raised as weapons, already regretting they’d lowered their guard. The Wendigo spread her arms, palms open. “Relax, you’ve already proved your pet frog is too fast for me… Right now.”
“Then why are you smiling?” Daniel asked.
The blue devil chuckled. “Every time I come out, there’s a little less Wendi and a little more me. Once she’s gone, and I have all our power, ending you won’t be a challenge.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
The Wendigo dismissed him with a chuckle and returned to mocking Lea. “What’s the matter with you?” she said with disgust. “Blubbering and carrying on like you’re the only one with dead parents. Last time I checked, Daniel’s mom is dead, Paul’s are probably dead, Kenta’s are deadbeats, Cassie’s parents wish they were dead, and Rana wishes her parents were dead. Oh, and my parents are dead, plus my sister was murdered right in front of me—and you don’t see me crying about it!
“Yes,” she said to the others as they stared in shock. “While the demon was taunting you all, it whispered your secrets to me. I know what makes you tick.” The Wendigo laughed at Lea again. “Those two weren’t even your blood; they just took pity on you. So why are you crying, pretty girl? Did you care about them that much? Or is it that you failed, that you never had a hope of winning this game, that your mission was futile years before you set out to try?”
Daniel stepped between the Wendigo and Lea. “Shut up.”
“Or what?” she smiled with razor-sharp teeth and licked the tip of a claw. “I already killed you once, little boy; what can you do to stop me?”
He got angry.
Daniel punched. He aimed the blast of ruinous power low so it wouldn’t kill even if he misjudged the force. The blow hit the Wendigo in the abdomen like a low-speed car crash, knocking her back in a puff of dust without penetrating her defenses.
The blue devil lurched, off-balance, and he threw two more of the same. Her hooves left the ground, and she fell, turning red as the dark side fled. As the rage faded and his cheeks cooled, Daniel worried he’d gone too far and rushed to her.
She appeared unharmed. Wendi stood, dusted herself, looked up to see Daniel, and smiled warm and bright. She extended a hand to him for a shake.
“Hello, my name is Wendi! What’s yours?”
Her real damage was far worse than he’d feared. The ground shook beneath them, tiny pebbles bouncing in time to the rhythm. Footsteps.
The beast neared.
