The Line

“Cubas!", Akashi and I shouted at the same time, and I quickly got up, standing in front of Rio.

“So, it is her who had the photograph all along... I did sense a small source of supernatural energy within the city...", he thought aloud.

“Cubas!", Akashi shouted even louder, jumping toward Cubas and striking him with both arms.

A huge cloud of smoke arose, even obscuring the cityscape. One could sense Akashi's bloodthirst, now recovered from his injuries and motivated by revenge.

“Well, Mr. Vampire... What happened to little Toshiki? He was expecting us, was he not?", Cubas said, further provoking Akashi's wrath.

Akashi simply screamed as he tried to attack the dry corpse savagely. I could see them fighting again, airborne. Cubas floated like he refused to be bound by gravity, while Akashi flew with grace and a certain degree of refinement, perhaps due to his long experience in vampirism.

Each one of their punches and kicks caused a crash that shook the very air around us, yet Cubas seemed to remain completely unshaken by every strike, deflecting them with a single arm or willingly taking them without any visible damage.

Beside me, Rio's eyes widened as she witnessed such power. However, as swiftly as her surprise subsided, she seemed to concentrate, as if studying what was happening before her eyes.

I remained standing on the ground, thinking only of protecting her. Until Akashi signaled for me to join the fight, I would remain where I was: guarding my greatest weakness.

Around us, trees began to fall. More clouds of dirt and dust rose high into the sky. The impact of each blow echoed under the treetops and shook the ground beneath.

“Akito?", Rio turned to me, as if waiting for some kind of direction.

“Dee... Wait inside the temple", I urged, guiding her through the hole in the wall that had formed during the fight against Toshiki.

“Sure, Aki... But... Are you going to fight? Against that?", she asked, clasping her hands to her chest, visibly concerned.

“Don't worry, Dee. I'll be fine. Only you have the key to hurting me", I told her, turning my back and following the fight with my eyes.

I ran in the general direction of the confrontation, trying to identify something, anything amid the dust and chaos. Suddenly, I felt a gust of wind passing through me. It was Cubas, floating a few inches off the ground, moving extraordinarily fast.

Milliseconds later, Akashi passed by, running at an equally unbelievable speed. As if by reflex, I grabbed one of his hands, letting my body go with him.

Now moving as fast as the two of them, I tried to strike a blow against the Dry Corpse. I managed to throw a punch in his direction.

Just as it seemed I was about to hit him, however, my hand seemed to strike an iron bar. A bolt of pain ran through my entire arm, it even felt as if I had broken my hand, although my regeneration quickly resolved it.

I stood still, and Akashi must have noticed that I had come to a halt, as he also slowed down to be by my side. Braz Cubas had disappeared into the forest.

“Damn it! This guy... He's untouchable", I complained loudly.

“Akito... You are my only hope. Maybe your body can rebuild itself faster than he can reject it. That way, maybe you can touch him. Thus, strike him", Akashi explained his logic.

“But... He decapitated me with his bare hands!", I argued.

“That was a blow delivered by him. Maybe with a blow of your own initiative, you can touch him. Remember, without the magic field of rejection, he's just a corpse. Human, and fragile", the vampire reminded me.

“Okay... Let's try again, then?", I proposed.

“Sure. Hold on!”, he gave me one of his arms, and I quickly intertwined my own arm with his.

Then, Akashi jumped incredibly high into the sky, leaving the treetops far down below, and spun in the air, hurling me directly at Cubas' position.

I extended my right fist, as if I were some kind of superhero. And flew down towards the trees. 

Quickly, the white dot that was Braz Cubas became his form, then sillouette, and I finally saw saw his eyes. Wide open, in clear shock. 

However, as soon as he saw me coming, Cubas dodged my torpedo-punch.

I hit the ground headfirst and rolled on the dirt. For a moment, I thought the force was so great that I would be buried under the earth. I quickly got up from the pile of mud that had formed beneath me, next to a large crater left where my body had passed.

Of course, I would have preferred to have landed the blow.

However, Cubas' dodge was interesting information.

It was the first blow he had dodged in the entire battle.

I saw in Akashi's eyes that he had noticed it too.

The conclusion to be drawn was obvious: Cubas was afraid of me. He also knew that I might be able to hit him.

I faced him with a smile on my face, ready to take him on again. He turned his back and started running, and both Akashi and I ran after him.

Braz Cubas turned his face, and only his face, toward us... And smiled.

Suddenly, the villain vanished from sight.

I stopped running, as did Akashi.

I looked to one side, then the other.

Suddenly, I understood, and I broke out in a cold sweat. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. It was obvious. Cubas was after Rio.

I ran toward the temple where I had asked her to stay put, bursting through the front door.

Inside the temple, it was dark. Even darker than the night outside. The windows were all closed, and no lights were on. Light timidly crept in through the half-open door and the holes torn open during the fight.

The wind howled, and a deafening silence reigned for the first time since the fighting had begun.

Every little sound in the house made me overreact. Akashi had also entered, and we searched the entire first floor. Apparently, Cubas was extremely skilled at hiding his presence. I soon feared the worst, as I couldn't find Rio either.

We went up to the second floor, fearful. A single door had been left open, and I ran to it as if it were my final destination in life.

In the room, through the door, I saw: the open window, and the moonlight highlighting the silhouettes that were there. The curtains danced to the whistling of the wind, and only two figures moved in the room.

Cubas was holding Rio by the neck, keeping her body suspended in the air.

“Akito!", Rio exclaimed, but with difficulty. “Don't worry, I hid the photograph!", As she said this, Cubas tightened his grip on her throat.

“Rio!", I shouted.

“My dear photographed one... You have two options, yes?", Cubas enunciated.

I swallowed hard. Akashi looked at me, as if waiting for permission to attack. Rio was not immortal. One slip, and Cubas would take her life.

“Either you make this lady reveal the location of the photograph... Or I kill her, and I'll keep killing you both... Until I destroy this house completely, and the photograph burns with it", the villain stated.

I couldn't think straight, my mind went blank. The only things that moved were the curtains and Rio's hands, trying to loosen Cubas' grip.

“Don't worry about me, Aki! It's okay! It's more important that you defeat this monster!", she shouted.

“Who are you calling a monster!?", Cubas yelled, squeezing Rio's neck even tighter, almost breaking it. She grunted, trying to keep talking.

“I... I'll be fine...", Rio whispered, her throat practically closed.

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk", Cubas clicked his tongue. “Time's up", he said.

In the next instant, all I could see was Cubas' other hand, already going through Rio's chest. Her blood splattered in my direction, and she failed to breathe. She looked at me with kind, calm, almost pitiful eyes. I looked at her, staring into the deepest part of her eyes, filled with despair. I immediately knew that no hospital would be able to save her. I thought about throwing myself to the ground, on my knees. However, I clenched my teeth before giving in to these impulses.

Rio... Was she going to die? Whose fault was it? Cubas', who was willing to sacrifice anyone in exchange for the camera's immortality? Akashi's, who involved me in the matter of killing Cubas, which had brought us there? Rio's fault, her own, who came to this temple in the middle of nowhere, aware of the dangers it could bring her? Or mine?

Mine.

I, who let her take that picture of me on the beach. I, who had ignored my own philosophy to ask her out on a date. I, who had left home that morning. I, who had called Rio the day before. I, who had so many wonderful conversations with her in such a short period of time. I, who had been happy for just over a day.

The memories came back to me. First, from our school days, the person she was back then. Then, from our meeting. From the mall, to the beach. Then, the phone call. Finally, of our last conversation, already here at the temple. I remembered everything at once. Emotions flowed into me. At that moment, my eyes turned to her.

I could see the sparkle leaving Rio's eyes, and her expression contorting in pain.

I was filled with something that hurt indescribably. Everything Cubas had stolen from me was right before my eyes. Rio was there, but she would be no more. It was Cubas' fault. At that moment, anger took over my being.

Cubas' two hands were busy. Rio's sacrifice could not be in vain.

I ran towards Cubas, who quickly dropped Rio's body. However, he wasn't fast enough. I immediately grabbed his white robes, still impeccably clean, despite all of Rio's blood that must have splattered there. The bastard had rejected even her blood.

I jumped on him, pushing him out the window, and falling alongside him. The acceleration acquired due to the fall might be just enough for me to damage the Dry Corpse.

“You bastard!", I shouted as we fell. I kept one hand around his throat and clenched my other fist, ready to hit him in the face.

The fall seemed to last an eternity, and Cubas' solemn expression irritated me deeply. The more I tried to squeeze his neck, the more I felt his rejection ability affecting me. My palm seemed to be peeling off, such was the power of the corpse. I squeezed harder. My fingers were already torn to the bone, the tips of the knuckles showing. We hit the ground before I could squeeze any harder. My other fist was pushed down by gravity, straight toward Cubas' face, and my own strength accelerated it even more.

A direct hit, right on the chin.

The sound of our bodies hitting the ground reached my ears, mixed with the sound of my hand meeting Cubas' face.

For the first time, I felt that his body was cold. I could feel Cubas' corpse, and he growled, having also felt the impact from my attack. He had turned his face away, as one normally does when struck in the face. I was sure he had felt it. I had finally broken through the barrier of rejection.

In my brief moment of glory, I got distracted. Cubas forced his body to the side, and he managed to escape from under me. We got up at the same time, and he immediately started lashing out at me again.

However, I hadn't yet noticed. Cubas had turned to the side in which Toshiki's grave was, and therefore also the silver shovel.

I looked up, and Akashi was in midair, jumping after us in pursuit.

Cubas threw the silver shovel at Akashi, as if it were a spear, but spinning fast along its axis.

It pierced him from one side to the other, right through his chest, opening a huge gap. His torso became see-through. Akashi roared in pain and fell face down on the ground, unable to withstand the blow. Blood poured from the wound.

I took advantage of Cubas' distraction as he threw the shovel upward and attempted another punch. I felt immense pain in my hand. It had been destroyed by the rejection barrier, but it regenerated immediately. This cycle of healing and destruction repeated itself dozens of times in a few milliseconds. Suddenly, I felt Cubas' cold body again. The blow had connected once more.

Cubas flew away, hitting a nearby cherry tree. Petals fell, surrounding his body.

Akashi, in turn, tried to get up, but couldn't, still bleeding profusely. I was faced with a choice: help Akashi up, or keep on attacking Cubas.

I was angry. Every fiber of my being told me to go after the Dry Corpse. That damn corpse that had taken Rio from me. Despite that... Despite that, there was another friend who might not survive if I didn't help him.

At that moment, I saw a line. An imaginary line separating me from Cubas. I could see it clearly. The whole world had been painted black. Only Akashi, Cubas, and the line separating us remained. I felt that if I crossed it, there would be no turning back.

I ran towards Akashi Asami, but I didn't take my eyes off Cubas.

The Dry Corpse adjusted his hat, which had been knocked askew after hitting the tree. Still staring at me, he turned his back and disappeared into the sea of trees.

I clicked my tongue in frustration.

“Akito! No! Go after him! Don't miss your chance!", the vampire shouted at me.

“As if! I'm not going to lose two people today... Not today!", I exclaimed as I went to grab the shovel, which was still piercing his chest, with both hands.

“Are you ready?", I asked.

“Hurry up!", he yelled at me.

I pulled with all my remaining strength and ripped the shovel out of the vampire's chest.

“AAAAAAAAARGH", he roared.

“See, it wasn't so bad", I sneered, getting my revenge for the first time he killed me, all the way back at the beach.

I immediately gave him one of my hands to support him so he could get up, which he did, keeping one hand on his chest, as if still injured.

“Damn corpse...", he muttered.

“Where is he?", I asked, hoping that Akashi's keen vampiric senses could answer me.

"He ran away. He's too far already...", he replied.

“Damn it!", I shouted, kicking a loose stone on the ground. “!", My breath caught in my throat, and I recalled Rio was still upstairs. “Rio!", I shouted for her, praying for a response.

The morning sun was beginning to rise, and Akashi also entered the temple to protect himself.

“Rio! Rio! Rio!", I repeated as I climbed the stairs.

When I entered the room where she had been left again, I was met with a terrifying sight. Rio was lying on the bed where she had fallen, her chest pierced, and she was still agonizing, her eyes open, staring at me.

“Aki…”, she whispered.

“Don't talk!", I immediately ran to her, and held one of her hands.

“Are you... okay... Did you... get him?", she asked, still whispering softly.

“No... He almost killed Akashi and got away", I admitted.

“What a shame...", she said, closing her eyes and letting her head sink onto the blood-soaked sheet.

“Rio! No!", I shouted, holding her hand even tighter.

“Kid...", Akashi spoke to me through the door. “There’s a way to save her", he said.

“Do it! Do it, no matter what!", I yelled. “Just do something, Akashi!", I repeated.

“The solution... is to make her one of us. One of me. A vampire", he said, still hiding behind the door to avoid the sun's rays.

I gasped in shock. I turned my eyes to Rio. Then I turned them to Akashi. Rio's words echoed in my head. I couldn't let our final conversation be about Cubas. However, she would become a vampire. A creature of the night, feeding on human blood. Inherently desiring human death, just like Akashi. Until that moment, I had ignored the possibility that the vampire, too, was nothing more than a serial killer. In a way, my existence balanced his. Together, we could exist in mutualism. However, this mutualism would only last until Cubas' death. And then what? Would he go back to killing in order to survive? And Rio? Would she be forced, because of my selfishness, to suffer through the same fate?

I was crushed by the power to determine the future of a person. Not just any person, but a person I cared deeply about.

I felt like Atlas, carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.

I looked at Akashi with a frown.

"I knew you wouldn't like it. But there's no other way. In Toshiki's case, it was impossible. He would remain insane and become even more powerful. In her case, she will still be herself“, he explained. ”You're the one who knew her, kid. You're the only one here who can decide if she would want this. The decision is yours", he then stated.

"Mine...?", I asked myself.

I didn't know Rio. I didn't know her at all. After all, I had met her for the first time in years only two days ago. Then we exchanged a single phone call. Two, if you count that fiasco from earlier.

And yet, the decision to keep her alive as a vampire or let her die because of me... There was no good side to this decision. I was forced to choose the lesser evil. However, I couldn't say which of the two was the lesser evil.

“... Do it...", I whispered, my breathing shaky and labored.

“You're the boss", Akashi said.

I closed the curtains in the room so he could approach Rio's unconscious body. If he wasn't quick, she would likely die soon.

Despite this, he approached slowly. Almost shyly, his eyes filled with compassion. My breathing remained rapid and gasping. I couldn't believe what was about to happen. He crossed the room, while the first timid rays of sunlight leaked through the movements of the curtains.

He crouched down beside the bed, and together we adjusted Rio's body to a position that would be more comfortable for her. The vampire knelt, as if showing respect, both for her and for me, for having made the difficult decision. The rest of the moment passed in the blink of an eye.

Akashi Asami bit down on Rio's neck.