The sand was gliding across the dunes, Aoto's body was completely still, almost as though he'd already been a corpse. Aoto had begun to rise as though he were a rusted machine, powering back up after years of being stagnant. Aoto's hair draped over his eyes, throwing a shadow over his face as blood dribbled down his cheek and dissolved as soon as it landed on the sand. The sky had bled a dull gold, clouds building around the area as the sun just barely managed to shine through the oncoming prison.
Aoto started to sprint towards it, causing it to prepare for a strike and anticipate his movement! Its initial idea was to attack from the front, that was the subconscious pattern that Aoto had gone through after all. However, when Aoto reached the front of the demon, he managed to side step around it and elbow it's neck!
Aoto must've been growing in speed, his gaze was fixated upward, the idea of his death fading like a projector in the light. Aoto landed a sidekick onto the demon's back, Sending the demon flying skyward, only to be met with both his arms upraised! This was a martial technique he picked up, Double-axe handle. As before the demon knew it, Aoto's are slammed down onto the top of its head, forcing it to the ground. Aoto landed on the sand, grabbing a fist full and letting the sand fall between his clenched fingers.
He grinned a little, his lips quivering as Aoto began to erupt with laughter, growing louder, severely more unhinged than the last. The sun seemed to light his body from behind, making the point of view for the demon nothing more than a silhouette.
"This…This feels amazing! it feels too good!" Aoto clawed at his face, his eyes rolling back as his body made an effort to heal at the insane speeds it'd been programmed to. It hurt, the healing hurt a lot, but the euphoria from the revelation from being able to use this as many times as he wants with seemingly no punishment had sent him through a rapturous plunge in sanity! His enlightenment had just begun!
Aoto felt the now healed hole in his body, feeling the scar and somewhat blemished skin as he licked his lips and let out a sickening chuckle. "I found myself inured to everything, adapted elegantly, and now I feel like I'm gonna explode!" Aoto hugged himself, letting his arms fall to his sides as he hunched over as well, His body swayed from side to side, almost mimicking the hypnotic sway of a grandfather clock.
Aoto rushed through the sand, vanishing from the demon's sight as he hit it witn a combo of three kicks; A sweep kick, a teep kick and a back kick all aimed at the ankle, waist, and neck. Aoto must've been getting faster, because the demon was caught way off guard! He then clung to it's shoulder, his head buried deep into it as he bashed its face with his knee combined with his weight.
Aoto stood up, wiping blood from his nose as he glared at the creature from above him, "This pleasure is only mine, it's coming from my death! A wish, a connection to a supreme being, a creature of pure, unbridled power! And the best part? I can keep killing myself and become reborn, a new species, just like you!" Aoto spun around and put his hands on his face, his touch much more gentle than the other times. "The difference? You're a finite creature. Compared to you, I'm practically Invincible."
Aoto jumped up, the demon took advantage of his airborne form and dashed in at hyper speeds, grappling his shirt and slamming its armored skull against Aoto's nose, connecting with a sickening crunch. The demon grinned, thinking it had won already, but such cockiness only fit one person. Aoto stomped on its leg, offsetting its balance, sending a powerful shockwave through it. Even though he stomped on the demon's leg the shockwave still traveled from the ground. Aoto then followed up by hitting it in its chest upwards and then brought the creature down by chopping it on the neck.
This was the moment that his adaptation began to peak, his chest was banging like a drum, one that was playing a rhythm of vitality! Aoto's pupils spiraled, almost to the point of everything around him voiding. He could only focus on 2 things, The rising energy building in his fust as it began to pulse and glow, and the face of the frail zombie he was going to cave in.
The area was void like in Aoto's eyes, a level of serenity he'd never achieved before, It was what most called 'The Zone'. A state of hyperfocus that kept him running like a machine on a car battery. His mind only acknowledged the zombie and himself, after all, that's who'd been beating on him. "Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. It's just you, me, and the sun.." Aoto intently took a breath, his palm tightening harder into a fist as then began to whiten. He was one swing from freedom, from liberation.
And he refused to let it slip. He couldn't let it slip. He raised his hand up in the air, and used all of the energy he had been collecting from the sun, Aoto felt his muscles tense as his veins were burning, like lava had been injected into his arm. His eyes began to bleed orange as the sclera of his eyes began bleeding black as veins began to form on the side of his head.
The punch crashed down like a comet made meteor. The sound from the punch was like a cracking through the air as the wind danced in an impenetrable typhoon, ringing throughout the majority of the north. A noise like that wouldn't be heard unless you were close…or unless you were Carla Tsosie of course.
A flash of light beamed brightly behind them, blinding Himari and Higa using the rear view for only a mere moment! Himari squinted tight, the car swerving as she drifted sideways. She was just protecting herself from the sun's vile attack. That was the sun, right?
"The hell was that?!" Higa was stunned from the sudden blinding light, his eyes panning toward the setting sun as he raised an eyebrow in dubiety "Did we just get flashbanged? I wasn't aware other survivors had been here, I figured it was the sun—blinded me like a nuke though." Higa quipped while rubbing his recovering eyes.
Carla stared bewitchingly into the light, as though she didn't care for such side effects. No, she was more…used to it? Counting the rays of light that emitted from the sun during the time she was put away, yearning for a little time for outside air, her senses had been attuned to that type of environment. She could hear it, a voice, it was little, but it was unmistakably Aoto's.
"T-that way! Himari turn back, it's hi–" Carla reached over to take Himari's shoulder, but her hand was quickly slapped away by Higa's as he sneered.
"Ah yes, let's just run straight to something dangerous. Risking all of our lives because of your delusional grieving." Higa had said stuck his tongue out, taunting the girl as he waved his hand dismissively. Carla looked to Himari for any signs at all for belief, but there was no such expression on her face, there wasn't even an expression.
"What if Aoto's there?" Carla punched his shoulder, her expression stern as she retorted. Carla darted her gaze over to Himari again, but there was still a lack of response. Butterflies tapped against the window, gathering slowly as Carla would peep a twitch her nose…was she–
"Even if, and that's a big if, he was there I wouldn't jeopardize my safety for that maniac, what's more, do you really think he could've caused something like that? A blinding light of that size?" Higa ran his palm down his face, watching as the butterflies tapped against the window and rolling it down. The butterflies fluttered into the car, but before they even reached Himari she shot up, scaring the butterflies a little!
Carla and Higa jumped at the sudden jolt as Himari opened the doors and began to look around, Carla was right. Himari was trying to sniff Aoto out! In the same way her hearing was elevated, so was her nose! Though it wasn't manual whiffs she'd been getting, Himari had gotten wind of him by nothing but chance. Carla let out a genuine sigh of relief, a hand flying to her chest before she turned to Higa with what looked to be a smug expression.
"It's worth a shot, what's more, if he's actually there. We could all be back together again, he could provide us with more information on what's out there." Carla tapped her fingers against the seat as she made her way to the drivers. "Please,you just want to see him again" Higa retorted, pinching his nose as he seemed very much irritated.
"And you don't? Scalebag?" Calra motioned to the spot Himari had been. Her plan was to bring his attention to the fact there was someone entirely unknowing of his antics, slipping up now would guarantee him being all alone for this apocalypse. Nobody would want to constantly be on edge around their 'friend', right? To her dismay, however, Himari was nowhere to be found! Replaced by the subtle flutters of butterflies.
With Himari, her body was stinging, she thought back to her first year, the year she even created the Zombie Protection Club, She wasn't the person she was now. Himari was a somewhat quiet and avoidant girl, she made her way through school under the guidance of her mother. Her and a strange Goddess her family worshiped.
'The Divine Mother' is what they called her, they threw her name around to justify sins and trials, they used her to shield themselves from consequences while claiming they have a direct connection to her, it irked her. If the Mother truly was just as just and loving as they claimed, why didn't she discipline these people? Why let them roam and do what they want? Should a mother really allow their child to walk down a path of degeneration?
It was either she was a cruel goddess, or perhaps powerless to fate. Death and decay plagued the world. And yet if she was real she did nothing to stop or delay it. Were things running smoothly from her point of view?
Himari was running too slow for her liking, she wished–prayed–she could traverse faster through this stupid desert! Her steps left sand puffs on the ground as she leaned forward, making herself a bit more aerodynamic for the sake of sprinting faster. Himari wasn't moving fast enough in her eyes, perhaps to increase speed, or maybe out of desperation, Himari leaped forward! She shut her eyes tight and squeezed her hands into a fist as she prayed for something, anything to get her to Aoto faster to save him before he died.
It was a miracle she found him in the first place, and how he was alive was a mystery, but she couldn't take advantage of this miracle, and bring Aoto back home to his friends! Himari took a deep breath and flung her hands upward toward the sky reaching toward the sun, as though she aimed to grapple onto it and swing over toward her friend.
As she did, however, the butterflies that had followed closely behind her figure had swarmed her, pushing themselves under her soles and catapulting her down the dunes as the landscape blurred in her wake. Himari's eyes widened as she looked down at the constantly rushing ground as she worried about the landing. Though, she wasn't used to the sheer speeds her body was moving at. Her jacket blew off of her body, the heavy pressure tearing at her face and skin as she was caught by the butterflies and sent off once more.
While midair, however, she'd see a stream of butterflies rush by, leaving streaks of black and purple to paint the sky as they climbed onto her face and body..regenerated the skin and flesh?! She was regenerating via the butterflies. The feeling was strange, like fingers digging into her soul and rewriting her very essence, replacing it with butterfly-like dna.
Himari was sent up into the sky, her perspective shifting to a more inverted one. She was completely upside down, but she could see Aoto! Himari saw as he still had his fist in a random zombie's head, but it was slowly beginning to stand up! The sclera of her eyes quickly melted into a sable black as she took a deep breath, Himari held her breath as the butterflies morphed from a slide. The insects clung to her shirt, pulled her skyward once more as she broke off a few butterflies to use them as a platform.
The rest? They were used to create her true wings of course. Her wingspan eclipsed the sun as her hot pink eyes were beaming in the darkness of the shade. She squatted down on the makeshift platform as she placed her hands down against the now hardened butterflies. Her thigh and calf muscles bulged as veins appeared on the side of her head, she was building explosive power for her dash, like a track and field runner using block starts. When Himari felt as though she had built enough strength in her body, she jumped off, being flung out at hyperspeeds in order to make her way over, her pupils spiralling as she raced toward the sand.
Aoto, as expected, was having trouble. When he slammed his fist into the demon's head, the regeneration had worn off and it'd hurt him more than it should've. The black and gold that had been stripped from his eyes as Aoto slowly retreated his arm. It hurt, but I suppose that's normal when you shatter every bone in your hand. Aoto turned around and began to walk away, looking upward toward the sky as he knew exactly what to ask for.
"I need..i need the power like this all of the time..I want to evolve, to become new.." Aoto started, his heavy breathes separating his sentences as he went to reach for his chest. Aoto's head felt as though it was exploding with pain, like a drill jamming into his brain at the worst time possible. He opened his mouth to finish his request, tilting head as it seemed like a meteor was headed his way.
'What on earth was that?' Aoto thought, covering his eyes from the sun beating down on him. Whatever it was, it seemed to block the light, creating a sort of solar eclipse of sorts. It hurt his eyes, though he looked for only a moment. While he was desperately trying to find a way to stop the meteor, Aoto had turned around, attempting to find a spot where the meteor would land.
However, the zombie he figured he'd beaten, the one whose face he caved in with all of the might he could harness in his body, was missing. It wasn't in the crater he left. Aoto jumped, quickly turning his head to try and find the creature before his face was palmed and he was held up into the air. His head being gripped with all of the might that zombie could muster.
It's face was cracked, showing nothing but a skeleton where it's skin used to be. A bright green gem pulsed in its socket, the rest of its skull being vacant of any other visible spectacles. Aoto's vision was swimming, his hands clawing at the creature's hand as he made an effort to breathe.
Its grip tightened on Aoto's head as he could practically hear his skull fracturing. He was finished, he'd likely die here. Aoto flung his food out, kicking the creature in the chest! It was like hitting a rock, his leg recoiling as the sharp pain had spread from his toes up to his shoulder.
Yeah, there was no way he'd escape this time. Aoto began to tremble, his thought momentarily swimming back to the feeling of hands running through his scalp. Aoto was sitting obediently in a chair, a casual hand stroking his head as an indecipherable voice conversed with a group casually. Like the sun, the face of the individual was too bright for him to see. Though, much like the sun, their warmth enveloped his body in a maternal embrace.
Was This Motherly Love?
Aoto shut his eye's his head occasionally leaning into the palm of the individual when it felf as though they aimed to pull away. Was his life flashing before his eyes? His eyes squinted each time he attempted to gaze upward, it seemed as if their light had simply been too bright.
"He clings to you like a dog, doesn't he? How'd you wrap this yoyo so tightly around that finger of yours?" A voice from the group rang out, followed by a few more, feminine laughs. In any other case, Aoto would've physically bounced back, but it seemed as though he couldn't, not that he'd wanted to. The unidentified person giggled, a hand going up to their face as they did.
"How rude you all are! He's a good kid, is it so wrong for all of us to crave a bit of affection every once in a while" the figure defended, their fingers curling through Aoto's chestnut colored hair. They turned around, their hands pulling away from the tangles that were around their fingers and leaving lingering curls in his hair. "Listen, it's not as though I'm the wisest out there, but I can relay a few words to you before you leave. Words I've heard from another." They cooed, their hands falling to his cheeks as their thumb brushed against the edges of his eyes. Aoto was unable to see due to the light blasting the back of their head, but the one thing he could see was the smile, tender and sweet.
"Leave..? What are you.." Aoto didn't even get to finish before hearing a deafening crash, following up with strong winds pushing his hair to the side. The person hushed him, finishing their statement quickly. " 'always remember: No matter where you go or which corner of the cosmos you may be, you will always be able to find a safe haven by my side.' Interesting, right? Hunters are always interesting people." The individual giggled, once more, their hands pulling at his cheeks as Aoto began to tear up.
"Aoto..when you leave here and you need to make a choice for the good of your own or another. Make one you won't regret, alright hun?" The voice began to fade as the winds picked up causing Aoto to close his eyes as he reached for the silhouette where the individual had been. He didn't want to let go yet, they couldn't leave!
When he finally got ahold of something, he had gripped it tight in an embrace, a small hiccup coming from it. "Ma…?" Aoto mumbled, his head buried into whatever the soft sensation he felt was. He felt a hand rub his back as a sniffle barely escaped his lips, his eyes opening to see the open dune again.
"Guess that mean's you're alright, right?" The hands that were rubbing his back had gripped him tight, butterflies dancing around her as Himari hugged Aoto back. She used her free hand to caress the back of his head as she comforted him, she was almost too late. " it's not too late is it?"