Final Try

The night sets in as the sun falls, everyone doing their tasks goes into their tents, Toki has been regaining his spear form before Ayuri approaches him.

“Everyone's going to sleep, let's go as well”, she said with a bright smile.

He waves his spear one last time before stopping and rubbing his forehead.

“You're right, we should rest up.”

They both made their way towards the tent. Shina was standing at the one towards their right, her eyes glaring at Toki as they approached.

She pats his shoulder, using her power to force it down roughly. “Don’t try anything.”

“I wouldn't have the guts to try anyway,” he sighs.

Ayuri makes a soft smile. “Of course you wouldn't; sleeping with someone isn't your thing. You never even had anyone in your room.”

“Don't make me sound like I don't have experience with women,” he furrows his brow.

Ayuri giggles, enjoying her teasing. “But you don't.”

He sighs as he enters the tent, Ayuri following close before she closes the tent, smiling at Shina.

She entered her own tent, locking it up. She didn't plan to sleep anyway. She just let the hours tick by, the occasional laugh or giggle coming from the tent next to her.

A sound of footsteps lightly echoes around the campsite. The moonlight's rays cast an eerie glow around her sides, her frame mimicking a shadow in front of the sleeping Hatake. Her red eyes glow in the dark lighting, waiting to take her chance.

= I have to do this. I will take his power and sleep, run away in the morning and go consume that other camp. I will use the power of the goddess to win like promised.

She takes a step closer, her eyes staring down. There wasn’t hesitation but a pang of guilt; her memories of every victim still eat her from the inside, their souls cry out for freedom. It grows even worse knowing she's about to feed the void another soul.

= Shina, continue your choice.

Her orb manifests; it pulses with a hungry aura around her palm, urging her to just let it feast upon him.

Shina sighed, her eyes closing before her hand slowly touched the side of Hatake’s leg, with the orb jolting him awake.

He pushes himself up, ready to fight, his eyes landing onto Shina standing above him. “Huh, Shina, what's wrong?”

The feeling of the dissipating body didn't call out to him; it didn't even feel like he was dying. Unaware of the fate coming, his lower leg was already gone, preventing any escape. His eyes widened at why he couldn't stand up anymore.

“What's wrong with my legs!” he screams out. The whole campsite must have heard him, as in the next moment all the tents opened up at the sudden scream.

= Guess I have to run before it's too late. I don't have a choice now. I should have predicted he would scream at least. I got sloppy because of hesitation.

She runs out of the tent, Toki and Ayuri looking at her from their tent, instantly realising the situation. He grabs his spear, chasing after Shina, while Ayuri runs over to the tent.

The grass fields envelop their running forms as they run towards the forest.

“Shina, stop running!” He shouts out, anger within him. There was a line she passed this moment.

She glances back, the spear in hand. A tremendous anger was emitting from his body.

“I promised Hiwo I would win at all costs; I won’t let you stop me. The goddess is the only way we will win.”

Toki ignores her words, still chasing after her. “Hiwo, Hatake, all the others you've taken. Do you not feel anything? Is that goddess all you care about?”

“You, a non-believer, wouldn't understand,” she spoke firmly, stopping at the forest's entrance.

It's about time he finally disappeared; their intervention trying to save him must have made it faster.

Toki stops at the forest entrance, realising the situation created. “This isn't about believing or not. It's about you. When will you stop playing god by deciding who lives and dies with a goddess and realise we're all at the same level?”

“I'm not playing god; I killed them for her. I did this for her. Everything I did was for her. Even if I lose myself, it's for her. Only she will save us.”

Toki looks down his eyes, burrowing, “There is no us in this; only one of us can survive.”

“We’re a group; we only need to get rid of the others,” she protested.

Toki shakes his head, his eyes glaring towards the sky. “Those above us, your goddess, told me something before we started that you should have known.”

Shina scoffed, slight anger cracking her usual demeanour. “And you never told me. That proves how much is between us.”

She lowers herself, her feet squeezing the ground before she jumps off, rapidly ascending into the air. She stares down at the campsite with a solemn expression before a bullet grazes her cheek.

What is that?

Zooming in from the shot, she notices floating guns staring at her from the campsite and a man in a brown suit and top hat, from what she could tell.

No matter

She flies away towards the centre of the forest; her flight speed was set to her running speed. Her supply of magic, however, was infinite due to the number of people she absorbed.

I wanted to give you a chance. I thought you and I could at least be friends.

A rough voice spoke inside her mind, the familiar voice of Hatake filling her with bittersweetness. It repeated itself, over and over.

I wanted to give you a chance.

.

Shina closed her eyes, taking deep breaths in and out, her mind trying to calm itself down.

The fact that he spoke to me just after absorption, if this is the way it's heading. Trying to get rid of a whole group of people might just make me deranged or calm.

Her negativity was valid. Losing her sanity before a huge battle was going to be less than ideal, and even worse in the middle of one. The thoughts, however, lingered on Toki's ominous words.

Was what Toki said true? Is it merely mind games? It was a random spot to tell me.

Her mind goes quiet before she lets out a sigh.

I will make my own decision later.

Shina, under the night sky, the feeble moonlight baking her way forward, guided her towards the edge of the forest after an hour and a half of constant walking.

She comes to an eventual stop, glaring down, a presence seeming to block her way moving forward. She was already in the green fields, so it was safe to assume she made it.

It's pretty late; they should all be asleep, and I should get my time of rest as well then.

She jumps up, using her new ability to fly towards a sturdy-looking branch in the high trees. She presses down using her strength to affirm her suspicion.

Lying down on the branch, she could see the other campsite. It was quiet for the first time in a while. She wasn’t surrounded by anyone or held by anything.

Considering there are so many, I will have to get up pretty early in the morning, hoping they aren't all awake.

Her eyes close, letting her exhaustion from today's events sink in. The branch supporting her sleeping form on top, allowing her to prepare for tomorrow's attack.