8 - The Call of the Storm

Mary ran as fast as she could to the now destroyed school and along the way, she came across two giant Enigmas that resembled gorillas as each of them were carrying someone, up in their shoulder and therefore, Mary hid to avoid their sight.

"Let go of me!" said a woman's voice, sounding feisty.

"Yeah! What she said!" said another voice, sounding like a man's voice.

Mary, recognising their voices, peaked out and was shocked to see that it was her friends, Yuno and Charao as the two were shown as they struggled to break free from the gorilla enigmas grip. Mary got out her phone and tried contacting Zukafu but unfortunately, he didn't pick up and therefore, Mary sent a message to him, telling him, "Get to the school, now! Enigma attack!"

After sending him the message, Mary went after for her friends, but the gorilla enigmas had already vanished.

Mary then continued her route to the school as she likely believed that her friends would be in the same place as where the Enigmas are at. Upon arriving, Mary was shocked to see more than an army of Enigmas, each appearing as different animals.

"MARY!" said a familiar but also distorted voice, "I have been expecting you." Mary looked up and saw what appeared to be Ema but clothesless and parts of her body appearing with their structure burst out, heavily sharpened as she lept off from what remained of the school and down in front of the other Enigmas. She cheerfully asked "How is my bestie?!"

Mary responded, "You're not my friend!" in an angry tone.

Ema, sounding hurt from Mary's words, says with a twisted voice, "But- But, We're friends! You said it your-" but then suddenly, the Enigma began losing control as it flailed its upper body around and then Ema said in a frightened and pleading manner, "Mary! Please help me!" but then, Ema's body begins flailing its body again until it returns to the distorted Ema, saying to the other Ema, "Silence! Weak wrench..." and upon realising that it cannot trick Mary, it says "Ah screw it! How's it hanging Mary!?"

Mary ignored the question and commanded the Enigma, "Let Ema go!"

The Enigma moved its finger in a left right motion, saying that it wasn't going to do so as it says, "I don't think so!" It then saw the gorilla Enigmas with Yuno and Charao and said to them, "Well look who finally showed up! Bring them to me!"

The gorilla Enigmas did what they were told while Yuno and Charao continued to struggle breaking free.

Mary then said "Don't you dare do anything to them!"

"HAH!" screamed the Enigma, "Not a chance! They along with you are the key to bring the Storm Warrior to me!"

Yuno then said puzzled, "The Storm Warrior?"

"So it was true!" said the Enigma, "That idiot had your memories wiped... tch, unbelievable!" showing annoyance as it clenched its fists.

Mary asked "What purpose do you have with the Storm Warrior?"

The Enigma responded, "That's classified, human!"

"Actually, it's okay for them to know." said an unknown feminine voice. The Enigma gasped as it looked up above to see a woman adult as she descended. They then say, "For you see, I intend to bring Takehaya to me."

Mary asked "Who are you?"

The woman scoffs heavily and says "You serious? Even after being told the story?"

Mary's eyes widened as she realised who she was standing in front of. She said, "You're... Raimei!"

Raimei responded, "I was... Once... But now I have something far greater! Greater than my own father could even imagine! I became THIS!" as she referred to herself in a prideful manner. "I... AM... ENIGMA!"

Suddenly, dark energy emerged from Raimei's back and their thin purple energy running through her upper body and onto her hands. She then said "Witness, POWER!" as she then pointed her hand at Mary and sent out a blast of black energy as it travelled at the speed of a bullet.

The blast was about to hit Mary until she was saved by Zukafu who grabbed and pulled her out of harms way.

Mary looked up and said with relief "Zukafu! Thank-" but she stopped upon seeing Zukafu's pale face. "Zukafu?" Mary asked. Zukafu's hold on Mary loosened as his eyes were focused on Raimei.

"Rai-mei?" said Zukafu, at a loss from who he was seeing.

"Miss me?" asked Raimei. She then giggled deviously.

"Raimei..." said Zukafu, continuing to struggle speaking, "I thought-"

"What? You thought I'd become one of these?!" said Raimei as she pointed at the Enigmas as reference. She continued "I had to fight my way for years after being trapped in that dimension! But in doing so, I realised that I could be powerful, powerful enough to defeat even the Reincarnation of Izanami!"

"Raimei, you don't have to be like this!" said Zukafu, attempting to convince Raimei of abandoning the Enigma.

"Oh but I will Takehaya!" said Raimei, her voice sounding hurt, "You betrayed me that day when you prevented those people from saving me from that THING!"

"I didn't mean to!" said Zukafu while Mary now believed the story that Tatsuya had told him. "I was only trying to help!"

"Who? Me or the Enigmas?" asked Raimei rhetorically.

"You, I swear!" said Zukafu.

"LIES!" said Raimei. "You left me to suffer alone in their world for too long... and it only seems right that you share my pain!"

Zukafu tries to tell Raimei to stop, saying "Raimei, NO-" but Raimei then went in for the attack as she charged forward and hitting Zukafu with her fist with him narrowly avoiding her attack, but this left him open for a secret attack from Raimei as she used her dark energy on her leg to kick Zukafu, causing him to collide with the schools trees.

"Zukafu!" shouted Mary as she ran to him.

Raimei knelt down, giving her leg some time to recover.