CHAPTER 12: Devoured by the Abyss

Maika collapsed onto her hands, one clutching tightly at her head as the pain inside her intensified. Her body trembled uncontrollably, reacting to something unseen as she lay on the cold stone floor.

“Wh-what’s… happening to me…?” Her breath hitched as she heard a scream—ragged and desperate.

Renwick's voice echoed through the chamber as he struggled beneath the creature's weight. The small Greed, its dark, decayed body resembling a walking corpse, clung to him. His hand pressed desperately against its face as it pinned him down with a clawed hand, inching closer to his face. Blood seeped from the wounds on his leg where its claws had torn into his flesh.

“Get—off me!” Renwick gritted his teeth, trying to push the creature away, but its strength was overwhelming.

Maika got up quickly as her gaze darted to a spear lying nearby, and with a flick of her hand, she levitated it into her grasp. Blue sparks crackled around her fingertips as she lunged forward. "Aaah!"

Thwack!

The spear pierced the creature’s shoulder, sending a spray of blackened blood into the air. The creature screeched and twisted violently, its dark, fog-like form rippling as it recoiled. But before it could escape, Maika lunged forward, slamming it to the ground and pinning it beneath her. The creature squirmed and thrashed, but her grip held firm. Her green eyes blazed brightly, and from the other side of the glass, the Warden tilted his head with a faint smile.

“…Amazing,” he muttered.

Renwick, meanwhile, crawled back, holding his bleeding leg as he tried to stop the flow with his coat. His breath came in shallow gasps, but he managed to stay conscious.

Maika struggled to hold the creature still. Her hand gripped its shoulder, forcing it down as it writhed and hissed beneath her. Sparks of blue light crackled around her other hand as she prepared to unleash a sharp burst of Dark Lance—a spell that could form a spear of dark sapphire energy capable of piercing through any barrier.

But just as she was about to strike—

“Maika… help…”

Her eyes widened.

The creature’s voice had shifted—it sounded like Etsuko.

“E-Etsuko…?” Maika’s breath hitched as she stared down, heart pounding in her chest.

The Greed’s dark form wavered, shifting before her eyes. The black fog rippled, and beneath it, a familiar face emerged—Etsuko, her crystal-blue eyes filled with tears. Blood trickled from her mouth and shoulder where the spear had struck her.

“Maika… I’m scared… help me… I don’t like it here…” Etsuko sobbed, her voice trembling with fear and sorrow.

Maika’s heart clenched painfully. Her grip on the spear loosened as tears welled up in her eyes.

"H-How...?" she murmured, confusion etched across her face as she stared at Etsuko, still alive. Pulling the spear from Etsuko's shoulder, she let it clatter to the ground. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms tightly around her friend, holding her in a trembling embrace.

Etsuko clung to her desperately, wrapping her arms tightly around Maika's back as she sobbed.

“I don’t like it here either… I’m scared too…” Maika whispered through her tears, her shoulders shaking as she held Etsuko tightly.

Renwick watched the scene unfold, his breathing heavy. Despite the pain in his leg, he pushed himself up slowly, his expression a mixture of shock and exhaustion.

Etsuko pulled back slightly, her hands never letting go of Maika’s. Her tear-streaked face trembled as she whispered, “How… am I still alive? I feel… different…”

Maika’s breath hitched as she looked her friend up and down, noticing the pale hue of her skin and the faint fog still clinging to her body.

Etsuko’s eyes flickered with pain as she shook her head. “I feel… hollow… like I lost something. I can’t remember everything. There were… two friends I loved so much, but… I lost them. All that’s left is hatred and pain…” She clutched her head, her fingers digging into her scalp. “No… this isn’t real—it’s all in my head! Stop—stop—STOP!”

“ Etsuko..! ” Maika grabbed her shoulders, her voice desperate.

But Etsuko’s eyes flickered with dark shadows as her gaze fell to Maika’s arm—

Before Maika could react, Etsuko lunged forward, her teeth sinking into Maika’s arm with a monstrous snarl. Pain shot through her body as blood splattered across the cold stone floor. Maika screamed as her limb was torn away, falling to the ground with a sickening thud.

"GO AWAY—!" Renwick shouted, seizing his spear and slamming the creature away from her.

Etsuko's form twisted violently, caught between half-human and half-monster. Her body flickered between her true self and the Greed's corrupted shape. Shadows coiled around her like chains, shrouding her features in fog as she trembled, agony etched in every movement.

“M-Maika… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…” Etsuko gasped, her eyes wide with horror as she stared at Maika’s bleeding arm. Her voice broke into sobs as she crawled toward her, the shadows pulling her back like chains. “Do you still… love me…? Even like this…?”

Maika clutched her shoulder tightly, her breath ragged from both the pain and shock. Her heart pounded as flashbacks rushed through her mind—their days exchanging letters, laughing in secret, and supporting each other through their fears.

She remembered the day she wrote, "Thank you for always being there for me. You helped me become stronger."

And Etsuko's reply: "I know you're going far ahead, but please don't forget me. You're the only friend who truly knows me, you know?"

Tears blurred Maika’s vision. She wanted to save her—she wanted to believe her friend was still inside that broken body.

Etsuko lunged forward, claws slashing through the air with lethal speed. Maika ducked, her breath ragged as she spun to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike. Sparks flew as Etsuko’s claws scraped against the stone floor, leaving deep gouges in their wake.

Renwick charged in, thrusting his spear, but Etsuko twisted mid-air, kicking the weapon aside and knocking him back. The force sent him crashing against the wall, gasping for air as pain shot through his ribs.

“Stay back!” Maika shouted, stepping in front of Renwick. Blue energy crackled around her hand as she formed a shield of sapphire light just in time to block Etsuko’s next attack. Claws clashed against the barrier, sending shockwaves through the air as the translucent shield trembled beneath the relentless blows.

Etsuko’s shriek echoed through the chamber as she struck again and again, faster and stronger. The shield cracked, fractures spreading like spiderwebs across its surface. Maika gritted her teeth as she struggled to hold the barrier in place.

"Maika—!" Renwick shouted, scrambling to his feet. "End this!"

The shield shattered.

Before Etsuko could strike again, Maika screamed, dashing forward. Her hand glowed with blue energy as the air around her rippled with power—the force of the Sapphire Heart manifesting in her palm. The raw energy pulsed with both light and sorrow, illuminating the chamber with a blinding glow.

"I’m sorry... I’m sorry!"

Maika plunged her fingers into Etsuko’s chest, gripping the core within—the Abysmal Bead, pulsing with dark energy. Fog swirled around Maika like a shadowed wind, twisting and spiraling inward as if she were devouring it. Etsuko gasped, her eyes slowly softening in relief as Maika tore the core free, sending her stumbling backward. Shadows burst outward, writhing like serpents before dissolving into mist.

And in that final moment—

Maika heard her whisper:

"It was a journey... Maika... Thank you..."

The darkness faded.

Etsuko’s body dissolved into fragments of light, vanishing into thin air as the last traces of her presence disappeared.

Silence fell over the chamber.

Maika sat frozen, her chest heaving as tears streamed down her face. Blood still dripped from her missing arm, but she barely noticed anymore. Her green eyes, once bright with defiance, now held the weight of sorrow too heavy to bear.

Renwick approached her slowly, unsure of what to say. He placed a hand on her shoulder, but she didn’t respond.

She simply sat there, staring at the empty space where her friend had vanished—

—and wept.