Locked Eyes

Fei didn’t even register Inari’s plead to Kiramaru, the sounds of her paws trudging across the stones and water were all she could hear. The pain pulsating across her body was the only thing she could feel, completely zoned out with the simple purpose to hunt.

Just as she had instructed him, his body had suddenly filled with an overwhelming supply of mana. The flickering flames inside his body raged up into a powerful heat that sent the sweat on his face into steam.

He was taken aback by the sudden flash of fire around his body and tensed up; he hadn’t commanded the fire that wrapped around him. The amount of mana had increased so large that it forced itself around his body like a sheet of flames.

His sword reacted to sudden surge of power and began drawing in some of the heat until the entire blade had stolen the majority of the flames. His eyes lit up with a crimson stare and locked on to Fei who continued to charge towards Inari.

With a swift slash through the air, he launched his ‘Midnight Slash’ towards her with haste. The flames pierced through the air towards her and only increased by the second.

‘Hunt! Hunt! HUNT.’ These were the simple thoughts engrained into her mind as she raced forward, unsuspecting of the sinister beam of flames cutting through the air towards her.

Inari fell back with widened eyes as the beastly Fei opened her jaw, the size of her mouth and crushing force would have easily taken her head off with a swift bite. She never made it that far however, an eerie cry released from the back of her throat moments before catching ablaze.

The coal coloured flames right before her eyes wrapped around Fei’s body and concentrated into a void of fire that ate away at her body. As she crumbled down into charred skin and ash, the painful expression filled with suffering locked on to Inari.

She gripped hold of the ground as she pulled herself towards Inari. “You won’t escape her; the mouse can never rest easy…” The last of Fei’s body had crumbled to pieces and reduced to ashes, silencing her for good.

As the last spec of ash faded off, the flames surrounding it calmed down and vanished as well. Inari cowered back so that they would not reach her but it didn’t show any signs of life, without a body to hold on to it vanished completely.

Inari was speechless and couldn't find a word or even sound to appropriately match the feeling she had, not just for her but everyone that had seen Kira’s flames in action. Aside from the raw power that it produced, it seemed somewhat scary. The same feeling a person would get from having their lives saved from a hideous monster.

Kira stumbled in place with a heavily dazed expression, due to the large amount of mana that flowed through him at once he felt the effects hit in that moment. “It’s over, right?” He asked gently.

The stress and anguish on her chest finally relieved itself from her body as she nodded silently and gave off a pearly smile. “Pretty much~”

Inari ran over to him with a concerned look in her eyes. “Are you okay, you’re covered in scratches?” She reached out to feel his wounds and grabbed gently on his arm, as she felt the warmth of his skin she pulled back bashfully.

Kira’s robes had been completely torn up, the tears and claw marks had completely ruined his clothing and made it unrecognisable. Most of his skin was revealed while only a fraction of his shoulder and chest were covered, he had somehow made peasants clothing even poorer.

“The scratches are pretty deep but I should be-” Kira froze up with a tangled expression, for some reason he felt a rising danger about to appear.

A large roar from amongst the tree’s caught their attention, the remaining tiger leapt out with its fangs bared and saliva dripping from the corners of its mouth. The look in its eyes was full of life, like two flames perfectly encapsulated into gems at the centre of its face.

Inari grew nervous as the beast locked its eyes on her; she kept herself from moving even the slightest muscle. Not that running would do her any good, she had seen these things in action and new very well that with only 5 seconds it would be able to catch up to her and end it all with a single motion.

Kira stepped forward between her and the tiger’s path; he glanced at it with rows of sweat running down the side of his face. ‘I don’t know when I got the role as hero but I’m getting pretty sick of it.’ As their eyes locked, the tiger let out another growl and charged in.

Kira reached down to his waist for his sword and watched as the world turned on its side; before he knew it he had toppled over and was brought down to his side. His entire body writhed from the stinging pain that came from using his Flame Body so many times. His vision doubled and began shifting into a blur; the light clatter of stones from the approaching steps snapped him out of it.

The tiger had gotten close enough for its breath to creep against her skin; a powerful odour of blood assaulted her senses. She kept her eyes forward and tried her best not to make eye contact, little by little the overpowering urge forced her pupils until eventually they had shifted all the way in front of her.

Her eyes brushed into view of the tigers and they locked, not even a second later the tiger let off a roar and pounced up on to her. The powerful strength of its paws forced her to the ground with no resistance from her at all.

Kira tried his hardest to lift himself or even his sword from the ground but wasn’t able to, it felt as though gravity was pressing down on him harder than anyone else.

“No- don’t do it!

Its paws spread wide over her wrist and completely covered her arm; the difference in size had become so apparent that it was clear how the events would play out. It continued applying pressure over her wrist until the silent cracks and shattering sounds of her wrist followed shortly by her screams.

It widened its jaw to reveal the massive rows of teeth and gums hanging from the inside of its trap. Strings of drool and blood fell against her cheek as the beast leaned in over her, she could see every contour and detail of the back of its throat.

“!”

(Swoosh)

A sudden burst of air pierced through the sky and pierced through the tiger’s neck, a large spear wedged through its neck and into the ground.

The open jaw and feral expression of the Tiger was left perfectly preserved over her face as the spear lodged through its neck kept it upright.

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