The hymn continued.
Softer.
Weaker.
Yet still present.
"We bloom beneath the silver gaze..."
"We bloom beneath the endless smile..."
The field had become hell.
Fire devoured grass.
Fire devoured flesh.
Fire devoured worshippers.
Yet the congregation remained.
The Small Blooming Human Carcasses staggered through the inferno.
Burning.
Blackened.
Dying.
Still singing.
Still praising.
Still offering themselves.
One by one it collapsed.
One by one with final breath.
Toward salvation.
Toward sacrifice.
Silver moonlight descended.
The hymn intensified.
And the Nightmare healed.
Slowly.
Painfully.
The shattered heart twitched beneath the translucent flesh.
Veins spread.
Tissue formed.
Then burned away.
The surrounding flames continued.
Devouring the Nightmares body as it recover.
New flesh emerged.
Only to be burned.
Again.
And again.
The Nightmare stood trapped between two forces.
Recovery and fire.
Neither side winning.
Neither side losing.
The result was agony.
The Nightmare screamed.
A long.
Unending.
Horrifying scream.
The burning worshippers answered.
"We bloom beneath the silver light..."
"We bloom beneath the endless cries..."
The field became a choir of suffering.
A choir feeding their child.
A choir dying for their child.
And the child accepted every sacrifice.
───
Inside the school.
Kai tightened the bandage around Raze's shoulder.
Blood soaked through immediately.
Raze hissed.
"That hurts."
"Good."
Kai tightened it further.
"It means you're alive."
"Asshole."
Kai grinned.
Then the grin disappeared.
The silence lingered.
Both they knew the truth.
The Nightmare wasn't dead.
Far from it.
Outside.
The screeching continued.
The singing continued.
The Nightmare: Evangeline stood alive.
Raze leaned against the wall.
Pale.
Exhausted.
Bleeding.
"You destroyed it's heart."
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"I did."
"It should've died."
"I know."
"It didn't."
Kai remained silent.
Raze stared toward the burning field.
The moonlight illuminated the windows.
Silver.
Cold.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then Kai stood.
Raze immediately frowned.
"No."
Kai paused.
"No what?"
"No."
Raze pointed outside.
"Whatever stupid idea you're thinking."
"Stop now."
Kai looked away.
Raze cursed.
"You cannot be serious."
"I am."
"Kai."
"We don't have much time."
"KAI."
The shout echoed.
For once.
Kai didn't smile.
Didn't joke.
Didn't make a sarcastic remark.
Kai's voice became calm.
Dangerously calm.
"That monster is recovering as we speak."
Raze froze.
Kai continued.
"If that thing matures."
"If it reaches adulthood."
"We die eventually."
Silence.
Only silence.
Raze looked away.
Because he knew.
Kai was right.
Yet—
"No."
Raze repeated.
Kai laughed softly.
"Raze you don't have to fight."
"No, stop."
"I will."
"No."
"KAI."
"I'll fight alone."
The words struck harder than any attack.
Raze stared.
Speechless.
For a moment.
Then anger appeared.
Pure anger.
"You idiot!"
"I am."
"You will die!"
"Probably."
"You get corrupted!"
Kai shrugged.
"You're right."
Raze's fist clenched, with eyes tears flow and replied weakly.
"Then don't go."
Kai looked toward the burning field.
Toward the Nightmare.
Toward the moon.
Toward the Nightmare waiting outside.
Then smiled.
The same reckless smile.
The same smile that appeared before something stupid happened.
"Someone has to fight."
Raze lowered his head.
Unable to answer.
Unable to stop him.
Unable to follow.
Not with his right shoulder damaged.
Not in his current condition.
Kai picked up a dagger.
Nothing more.
The first partner Kai with.
Completely inadequate.
Kai walked toward the shattered wall.
Step.
By.
Step.
Raze's voice emerged.
Quiet.
Almost desperate.
"Kai!"
Kai stopped.
"I'll kill you, if you survive."
Kai smirked.
"No promises."
Then Kai walked outside.
───
The Nightmare waited.
Its body burned.
Its flesh cracked.
Its wounds slowly healed.
Its shattered heart pulsed irregularly.
THUMP.
...
THUMP.
...
THUMP.
The singing continued.
The dying congregation increases.
The moon nourished the Nightmare.
The fire tortured it.
The result was horrifying.
Neither healed nor dying.
The Nightmare turned.
Stitched eyes opened with crimson glow.
Staring directly at Kai.
Kai raised a hand.
Holding something.
A bottle.
Gasoline.
The Nightmare froze.
Kai smiled.
"Hey."
The Nightmare growled.
"You actually enjoy surrounded by fire?"
"You're more stupid than me."
Silence.
Kai shook the bottle.
Liquid alcohol inside.
"I happen to have one more extra bottle."
"Want some?"
The Nightmare roared.
H̶̢̧̨̥͖͖̓̾̑ư̸̮͇̖̟͈͖̙̤̺̆̒̑̀͋̚͝͠m̶̖̂̈́͐̈́͝͝a̵͇̗͇̿̐̇̒̈́̅̋̽̚̕ǹ̵̢͎͕̝͇̖͚,̵̛̝̻̩̪̱̻̞̯̀ ̸̛̦̃͆͗͛̽̾͗̾͝y̸͈̺̞͒̄͌̆̂̀̔͝ǫ̶͈͉̫̤̩̜͔̭̆͐̃̒͠ͅư̵̻̹͇̪̥̰̜̻̔̓̃̓̋́̒̄͑͜͜ ̶̨̧̠̝̖͍͕̣̃̈͒̉̌͜͝͠d̶̛̹͓̣̥̝͓͚͎̈́͐͘̚̕a̶͖͈̺̰̖͇̓͛́̓̌͋͜͝r̸͇͓͚̻̔͝e̶͕͈͛̀̔̍̈́͆͐̑͝͠ ̷͕̥͓̬̱͓̖̼̈́̌͊̒̃̓ͅf̶̳̙͎̒͑́͋͝ǫ̵̛͇̺͉̝̑̉̽l̸̩̬̾̎͂̅͛̆̚͠l̸̞̭̳̱̞͈̣͋̈́́͠͠o̶̰̺̻̿̈́̂ͅw̸̧̢͈͕̙̞̞͔̪̃̔̂̄̓̔̈́̀̽͑ ̵̧̛̜͚̱̼̱͊̈́͌̅ͅm̷̡̟̬̜̯̮͔͔̔̈ȩ̵͊̓͌̋̌̍̅̂̕͠ ̶̨̺̞͙̥̜̜̱̭̞̽̒̓͂̋͝ḧ̴̛̤̮̣̯̿͒̎͠ͅě̶̘͍̥̜͔͇̖̤̩́͐̀͠r̷̢̙̟̩̫̆̑͆̾͛̕ê̶̛͉̞͐́̂́̑̾̚?̸̛͍̹̲̼̦͑͌̕͜
H̶̛̘͙̱̮̳͕̯͋̆̓̓̃̓͗̚͠ợ̴̢̧̢̠̱̳̯̈́w̵̓̂̆͜ ̸̣͎̰͇͕̗͓̟͙̮͋̓̍̆̇̀̕͘ḍ̵̢͕͘è̷̮̖̼̲̲͚̦̣̾͊̏̑̾̈́̊̉̚s̷̡̖̭̒̓̈́͐̒͊p̷̧̳̬͚̀͊̔̓̏̑͜e̵͖̰̮̹̻̖͙͈̩͗̿͆̽͜ṙ̴͔͓͕̲͗͗̾̈a̵̙̳̠̤͚͓̝̻͌̔t̷̫̫̪͉͚̄̓̇͌̀̏͌͜ę̵̗̺͉͓̍̿͒ ̶̢̦̖̖̇̿̾o̴̻̤̪̞̔̍f̸̲̼͑͂͝ ̸͖̲̬̹̰͑̀̋̔̌͋y̸̧͍̹͔̠̫͊ͅó̶̹͉̝̤͇̙̙͜ư̷̡͕̘͈͓͛́̀̾̂̆͘ͅ ̷̧̾̓̄͝͝ţ̴̓͛̑̓̔̈́͛͝ö̴̦́̔̑ ̷̟̟̻͉̞̦̞̲̓̾̋̆̽̍̕d̶͔̱̥͚̿̅̌̐̂̒̎ḯ̶̠̱͖̗̮̹̺̗͗̄͐̿̑e̸̠̗̺̬̞͊̇ ̴̢̝̟̱̮͙̃͑e̴͙͐̾͗̆͜͝a̶̬̺͑͂̒̓r̴̗̹͓͗̈́̅̋l̵̛̦̖̻͈̝̥̩̜͙̣̀̃̀̎̅̈̈́̀̄y̸̱̞̪͉͒̑͐́̊̅̀̑̉̚ͅ
Kai lit the cloth.
Flames erupted.
Fire illuminated.
For one brief moment.
Human and Nightmare stared at each other.
Then—
Kai threw the bottle, it spun through moonlight.
Beautiful.
Deadly.
CRASH!
The explosion erupted directly against the Nightmare's chest.
WHOOSH.
Flames consumed it.
The Nightmare screamed.
The hymn trembled.
The burning congregation sang louder.
"We bloom beneath the silver gaze..."
"We bloom beneath the endless smile..."
The fire intensified.
The Nightmare charged.
Kai charged toward too.
The distance vanished instantly.
A burning arm descended.
Kai rolled.
BOOM!
The ground exploded.
Heat blasted across Kai's back.
Kai lunged.
Stabbed forward.
SHLK!
The blade pierced the burning flesh.
The Nightmare shrieked.
Yet to shallow.
A petal-arm slammed sideways.
Kai crossed his arms to defend.
CRACK!
Bone cracked, pain erupted.
Kai flew across the field.
Grass.
Ash.
Blood.
Everything blurred.
Kai crashed through burnt corpses.
The Nightmare followed immediately.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
Only hatred.
Pure hatred.
Kai barely stood.
The arm descended again.
BOOM!
Earth shattered.
Kai dodged.
Another strike.
BOOM!
Another.
BOOM!
Dodged.
Again.
And Again.
Every attack close enough to kill.
Every attack forcing Kai further back.
My lungs burned.
My vision blurred.
My shoulder screamed.
Yet Kai continued moving.
Continued surviving.
The Nightmare was weakening.
But so was Kai.
The flames burned the Nightmare.
The moon healed it.
The hymn empowered it.
The fire crippled it.
An endless struggle.
An endless stalemate.
And in the middle—
Kai.
A single human.
Fighting a Nightmare beneath the smiling moon.
The congregation continued singing.
Bodies collapsed.
Offering themselves.
Healing their child.
The Nightmare tried to recovered another piece of its heart.
Failed.
Kai's expression darkened.
Too fast.
It was recovering too fast.
Yet not fast enough.
Not yet.
Not while the fire continued.
Not while the congregation burned.
Not while I remained standing.
The Nightmare roared.
Kai raised the dagger.
Both charged.
And the field exploded into violence once more.
The battle continued.
Far from over.
Far from decided.
Time Remaining Until Maturation: 01:41:13
To be continue...