Battle Academia (The original one)

Chapter 36: Tear of the Goddess

He screamed when he saw the thick, dried liquid between his fingers. Stray strands of dark hair were blocking his vision, but he could still make out the chaos taking place in front of his eyes. A constellation of wet, yellow leaves and tufts of hair was trapped between his knees and the cold soil. But he stayed there. Still.

He observed his hands for a few more seconds. His corrupted arm seemed unscathed but the other one was filled with grazes and scratches. Dirt and mud was stuck underneath his fingernails. Hesitantly he took a sniff of his hand. The metallic smell of blood, mixed with that of the wet soil made him nauseous. Terrified, Kayn stood up and started to manically wipe his palms on the fabric of what was left of his Battle Club uniform. The corruption had reached his chest. An iron-like material was covering half of it. He let out soft, unintelligible sounds.

Where am I? He felt as if he had just woken up yet his entire body felt limp from exhaustion. His upper body was exposed. His feet were bare. The only piece of clothing he was wearing was a worn out pair of pants. Torn in random spots.

The cold winter breeze felt like sandpaper against his back. Instinctively, he crossed his arms, trying to hug his shoulders. All he felt under the tips of his fingers was skin and metal alike.

His torso was almost entirely covered in that same substance that stained his hands. He didn't want to think about what it was. He licked his fingertips before he furiously rubbed the stain. He was using so much strength he could flay his own skin. But it wouldn't come off. No matter how hard he tried.

All he could do was hope that the blood was his own. He searched his body for a wound but there was nothing.

Disappointed he sat down with his back against a tree trunk. What had happened to him? He had blacked out. He wracked his brain trying to recall his most recent memory. It was after Battle Club. He was walking with Zoe to the dormitory. She was crying. He felt a sting in his heart as he remembered the tears in her oddly coloured eyes. She had tried to hit him. He grabbed her. He hurt her. He buried his face in his palms.

"The Aspect is smarter than you Kayn", Rhaast had said. And for the first time he had responded to him. And this.. This was the beginning.

"You're already losing ground", Varus had said. It can't be.. Kayn thought. He didn't want to even examine the possibility of Rhaast taking over his body last night.

It can't be.. He chanted the phrase like a mantra in his mind.

He took a glance at his surroundings. He was circled by nothing but trees. A few meters to his left, a silver blade was shimmering as it reflected the golden sun rays. Kayn immediately recognized it as his scythe.

He no longer had the strength to stand up. He crawled towards his weapon. The eye on it was glowing red like a neon sign. As if it was taunting him. He carefully wrapped his fingers around it.

"Poor Kayn. All those plans for naught", Rhaast said. His voice sounded louder than ever before.

"What did you do?!", Kayn demanded to know. He probably looked like a madman talking to himself if anyone happened to watch but at this point appearances were the last thing that mattered.

"Destruction, wrath, fury! As it was meant to be!", Rhaast broke out in disturbing laughter.

Kayn felt chills as he saw the hair in his arms stand up. He started to walk decisively once he regained some of his composure. He was trying not to step on anything sharp since he wore no shoes. The more steps he took the more trees would surround him. He felt completely lost but he wouldn't give up. Not just yet.

"Promise me you'll beat him", Zoe's image flashed before his eyes. He felt miserable. He'd let her down. He wasn't sure what had happened last night but it surely wasn't good. Aside from the howling wind and the dried leaves that were crashed under his weight there was deafening silence.

After walking for what seemed like an eternity he reached the road. He could see a gas station but it was too far away. He let his body fall on top of the cold asphalt as his eyes closed, giving in to exhaustion.

Zoe was walking alongside Kayn. They took their typical route to their Clubroom. When they finally reached their destination Kayn stopped at his tracks. Zoe spread her neck to meet his gaze. The only thing he did was to give her a coy smile. For some reason she didn't know, her heart began to flutter when their arms grazed eachother. The heat on her face rose spontaneously. Kayn's yellow eyes glimmered under the sunlight. She had never noticed how unique they were before.

The boy with the braid leant towards her. Their faces were inches away from eachother when Kayn's eyes suddenly became red. The corners of his lips turned upwards to form an unsettling smile.

Zoe jerked away from him as fast as she could. Kayn's limp body fell on the ground in a sitting position. She couldn't see his face. A dark cloud of smoke was oozing from him. Without a warning, the boy she once knew let out a gut-wrenching scream as he transformed into a heinous beast. Horns had grown out of his head. His entire body seemed to be covered in a metal material that resembled some sort of armor. His claws became bigger.

Rhaast.., Zoe thought. Her hands were shaking upon her mouth.

Rhaast wore Kayn's body like a meatsuit as he slowly stood up. He couldn't move fast. But he was trying to get to her. Zoe could sense his bloodlust. And she.. Her whole body was trembling. She wanted to make a move. She wanted to shout out his name. But she couldn't. She was frozen and rooted in place.

Rhaast dragged Kayn's feet lazily.

"Don't be scared little one". His voice was a mixture of Kayn's voice with something else. Something she couldn't identify.

She bit her tongue in an effort to get herself together but it was futile.

Rhaast was coming closer and closer. Scythe hanging over his shoulder and all. His irises were bright red. Surrounded by black. He was ready to attack her when his body started to shake violently.

"Help me", Kayn pleaded as he extended his arm towards her.

Zoe woke up with a bad feeling spreading across her chest. She had just had another nightmare. Only this time, it was different. And it felt more real. More than ever before. Her heartbeat was echoing in her ears. It scared her.

She lifted her hand to stroke her long, luscious hair when she saw the burn that Kayn's claws had done just a few hours ago. The sight made her stomach coil. It seemed irritated.

She took a peak at the clock on her nightstand. It was way too early. The sun was just beginning to come out she noticed.

She sat up on her bed and rubbed her eyes with her tiny fists. A blurry image from her dream broke her chain of thought.

"Help me".

Without a second thought she opened up a portal on her bedroom wall.

Take me to Kayn, she wished with all of her heart. She took a deep breath as she jumped into oblivion.