Chapter 10: Awakening

It’s said that when people are pushed to the very edge. They either crumble under the pressure, or dig deep within themselves and find something they had no idea they even had. It's more than fight or flight, it transcends all logic and reasoning that someone would inexplicably break through and surpass their limits on willpower alone. But many will attest that it's a matter of being in the moment, where all your problems fade away and all that matters is the here and now, and when you don't let the haze of consciousness cloud your judgement, when you let pure instinct take over, you’ll find that limits and boundaries are merely suggestions and anything is possible. Take what is yours, and hold nothing back.

Chapter 10

“the mansion should be just up ahead, are you ready?” said Aki

“I was born ready” said Alice

Aki wasn't sure about that. He was hesitant to bring her in from the very beginning, after countless reports of children and adults going missing there’s no telling how many souls this house had gathered, and on top of that there was no guarantee they’d be enough to take it out. This would give them trouble even if the whole team was together, but short-staffed, shorthanded with the only backup available being a trainee, it filled his chest with anxiety. He was already hesitant to bring her in, but when he saw the house in person he completely regretted it.

They finally arrived and Aki took one look at the house and he knew it would be a huge risk, the immense cosmic pressure emanating from the mansion was unbearably ominous. He knew there was no guarantee he'd get out of this alive. And if Kaiji and Alice were both gone, it would spell the end for their cause. But even if it wasn't that, he still couldn’t bring himself to risk the life of his little sister.

“On second thought, I want you to stay here.”

“what!? After bringing me all the way here, you want me to just sit around outside? No way! Kaiji's in there and I wanna help!”

“Listen to me, this is a lot more dangerous than I thought, your still not sufficiently trained, if you were in there I'd have to worry about you as well as myself"

“I can take care of myself, you know!”

“I know you can, but you being there would pull my focus, if push comes to shove, I’ll call you through this” he handed her one of his walkie-talkies

“wait here for now, and when I give you the signal you come in after me, use the tracking ability Haru taught you to find where I am.”

“wouldn’t it be smarter to use it on Kaiji now?”

“no, you can only use it once per day and this house is too convoluted for all three of us to be lost in it. The rescuers can’t afford to need rescuing, that's the #1 rule remember?”

“Yes I remember... I’ll wait here.”

“Alright, anything happens call me, but don't go in unless I tell you”

“aye aye captain” she saluted him with a sarcastic smile

Aki then ran in through the front door.

“I mean really, why call me out here just to have me be the lookout. I was so pumped to finally get some practice in! what a waste of time!” She crossed her arms and crossed her legs on the rock Kaiji was sleeping behind not two hours ago. She looked at the house with envy

“I mean, how many chances am I gonna get to fight in a haunted mansion?”

She looked through the windows and saw nothing but “guests” roaming the halls in a calm yet disheveled manner. There was absolutely nothing of note. Except for the attic. There was a significant amount of movement, but she just figured it was Aki already getting into a fight

“well, he sure didn't waste any time starting a fight”

but it wasn't like any other fight, she saw him getting slammed and tossed around, it looked like he was losing.

“oh my gods, he’s really taking a pounding, is he gonna be alright, maybe I should check up on him.” But as she reached for the walkie-talkie and moved it up to her mouth to speak into it, she noticed Aki wasn't using his phantom weapons… in fact… he wasn't using any weapons at all. Because that wasn't Aki… it was Kaiji

“Aki, I have eyes on Kaiji, he’s getting the crap beaten out of him in the attic! You have to make your way there A.S.A.P.”

but when she let go of the button all she got back was static.

“Hello? Aki! Do you read me?”

but still no response. It was as if something was jamming the frequency, of course, there was. The house exists in a pocket dimension, there was no way radio waves would be able to move in and out of that place and Aki knew that. He never had any intention of calling her in for help. If he was going to die, he would do so alone. He wouldn't drag anyone down with him. Especially not on a suicide mission like this. This was a last-ditch effort to save Kaiji, but there was absolutely no guarantee and minimal chance of succeeding.

“Stupid Aki, answer me! DAMMIT! What do I do? what do I do?”

she felt useless, forced to sit and watch as the chips fell in front of her while she did nothing. Kaiji was in danger and needed her help, but Aki didn't know where he was and she did, she could help him right now and save him, or wait for Aki to eventually stumble upon his mangled corpse. And if he did, how would he get out? He couldn't defeat the house all by himself. If they were going to pull this off they needed all hands on deck, she thought. So she made an executive decision to maximize their chances of success.

“Welp, so much for sitting and waiting” and then she took off and broke in through the attic window

...

“How’s the girl?” the master spoke to his servant outside of Kairi’s cell

“Master! To what do I owe this pleasure?” the woman servant said

“you know I always like to check on the chef before a meal” he said

“Oh that you do master, how was your meeting with that boy, Kaiji was it? was he all that you had hoped for?” she asked

“hardly, at first I thought he would be a suitable heir but when he got backed into a corner, he showed his true colors, so I disposed of him, Cerberus will make quick work of what’s left of him”

Kairi couldn't believe what she was hearing. She sat there helplessly listening to everything they were saying on the other side of that door. Kaiji was… gone? He lost? He promised they’d get out. but now… There was no one coming to save her, she was alone, helpless, and weak. There was nothing she could do.

The servant then walked in and saw the look of despair on her face.

“oh my, I guess I don't have to update you on the latest details, long story short, phantoms: 1 humans: 0”

“What is wrong with you? Is this just some sick game to you?!”

“Baby, that's all this has ever been. A game of strength, survival of the fittest, where the strongest is always the one on top.”

“That is not what you are, you’re just a parasite feeding off those who can’t defend themselves.”

“You’re hopeless. A pathetic weakling relying on others to get by. You say were parasites but the truth is your just like us, the difference is… we’re not afraid to admit it”

“That's not true!”

“What's not true? You've done nothing to defend yourself since you got here! All you do is drag others down. No wonder your parents abandoned you.”

“no, stop talking! That's not true!”

“you’re nothing but a lamb ready for the slaughter. Your one redeeming quality is that you’ll provide sustenance for a being much greater than yourself”

Kairi started crying as she resigned herself to her fate. It’s true, I am a weakling, I don't have the strength to fight back when I’m losing, all I can do is buckle under the pressure pressing down on me. And then… a rose of disgust bloomed inside of her. How could she be so pathetic? To live like she was nothing, something to be forgotten the moment she left your peripheral. This was not supposed to be this way! She thought to herself. Then, she heard a voice in her head.

“What's the matter? Are you just going to wait to be saved? Best you part with that aspect of yourself. Such is the scream of the other you that dwells within. You've finally woken up from your slumber, you made me wait quite a while. Are you finally ready to show the world what you're capable of? The real you that has been too afraid to be let out. Conforming yourself to what others wanted, sacrificing your own happiness. Those that seek to take advantage of the weak are rewarded for their efforts. This is truly an unjust game is it not? Those that seek to take advantage of the weak are nothing but parasites to be eliminated, don't you agree? There is no turning back. You can never return to ignorance. Are you ready?”

“yes, I’m ready” she said

“Very well, I have heard your resolve, and I'll lend you my strength to serve your purpose, do whatever it takes to seek justice. Nothing can be resolved by restraining yourself. This day marks the graduation from your false self, now break the chains of captivity and spread thy wings of freedom.”

A rage of power surged through the room. As Kairi had finally awakened her hidden power, her eyes turned red like fire. The servant was knocked back onto the ground as she watched Kairi break the chains apart one after another like they were nothing more than papercrafts.

“No way, what is going on?” the servant said

“this power… I can feel it... me. Where did this come from? Where was it hiding?”

a phantom appeared in front of her “It came from within you, I merely brought it out”

She looked at the phantom and saw a mirror image of herself she didn't recognize.

“who… what are you?” she said

“I am you, and you are me, we are two sides of the same coin, I am the personification of your true self. And there is power in accepting oneself for who they truly are. You hid me away to suit society’s needs, but where is society now? What good does satisfying them do you now?”

“you’re right. I’m done putting on a façade. It's time I fend for myself and stopped relying solely on others.”

“In that case, use this” the phantom handed her a black scythe “reap what you have sown; enact your justice.”

She grabbed the scythe and when the servant saw the look Kairi had on her eye she questioned whether she was staring at the devil itself. “Master…” was the last thing she said before Kairi cut her down.

When Aki found her she was panting, surrounded by the hollowed vessels of the phantoms that tried to get in her way. At first, he wasn't sure whether she was human or not.

Meanwhile, back at the attic Kaiji was facing off against Cerberus and losing. After getting tossed around multiple times his back was against the wall. He kept thinking about how his injuries were getting in the way of him going all out. But then he would remember that none of that mattered because even in peak performance, he still wouldn’t be strong enough without a weapon. In that train of thought, Cerberus swiped at him, knocking him on his back.

“what’s with you Kaiji? it’s like you’re not even trying” Aurora said

“It's no use, he’s just too strong, and I’ve taken too much damage. There’s no way I can beat him”

He wasn't thinking straight, and it was inhibiting his ability to fight back. He thought he needed a weapon to fight demons. Therefore, he needed a weapon to fight demons.

He saw as the tri-headed mangy mutt prepared to charge at him, but he did nothing. Unable to muster up the energy to even stand, he resigned himself to his fate.

As the monster drew closer and closer, his death felt less like a hypothetical and more of a reality.

“no! Kaijiiiiiiii!” said aurora

but just before the hell beast could reach him Alice came crashing through the window kicked the monster aside knocking it out

“oh my god, do you WANT to die???”

“Alice? Boy am I glad to see you! What are you doing here?”

“Aki said you needed some help, so he called me in for backup”

“You know Aki? Wait, are you a part of Aki’s team?”

“yeah.. something like that. But forget that, what the hell were you thinking going into this house all by yourself?!”

“The reason I’m in here is because of that stupid rumor going around at school, I came to snuff out the spirit taking advantage of would-be ghost hunters, but I had no idea it would be this intense!”

“Well it’s now or never, unless we tear this house down, none of us are getting out of here.”

“well in that case we better start with Fido here or the master’s just gonna sic him on us again. I don't have any weapons so I'll distract him while you cut it with our sword.”

“Wait, but you have spiritual energy, right? why don't you just punch him?”

“… you can do that?”

“Kaiji… are you serious?!”

The dog started coming too and it was madder than ever. Its faces turned red hot out of the rage.

“Okay, a quick crash course on spirit energy, it’s because of it that you can interact with the spirits as if they were physical objects, you can control the amount of spiritual energy you release at any given time. When you punch it, just let it all out.”

“how do I let it all out?”

“Just give it some oomph! You know? Put your back into it!”

“Okay then, I get it now, let’s do this!”

they both stared down the ravenous rampaging animal. Before it was too much for Kaiji to handle by himself. But now that Alice was there, maybe they could actually pull it off.

One thing that is extremely important in fighting... is perception. Underestimating or overestimating your opponent could turn the tide of battle in a matter of moments. When it comes to a fight where two individuals are taking each other to their very limits. The limits aren’t just physical. Mentality is crucial in determining who will be the victor. What a fighter is thinking after dishing out blow after blow and their opponent showing no sign of slowing down, can influence the outcome of a fight just as much as a well-placed uppercut. That demoralizing feeling debilitates a fighter's determination and their ability to push themselves; if they let it get to them that is. The makings of a true warrior, the fighter who will always end out on top, is the fighter with the most power, and the most determination to see it through to the end.

Kaiji lost a considerable amount of confidence when he lost his swords, his determination took a big hit when he failed to touch the master. But now that Alice was at his side, he caught his second wind and was ready to throw down.