Hanashi 18 - Picky Bastard!

Without warning, Kenzo's red eyes begin to glow, and Remiel stares into them, feeling paralyzed. He thinks, ‘What is happening? I can't let this continue or else…’ Kenzo chuckles humorously and speaks in an unknown dialect. Suddenly, Hideo feels a chill run down his spine, and Atsuko looks at him with concern, asking, "Are you okay, Hideo? Is something wrong?” Hideo's face twists in concentration as he closes his eyes. Suddenly, he says, "There is a man who has come to save you from the outside world, but Kenzo is trying to stop him." He opens his eyes and glances at Atsuko. Atsuko's expression shifts from upset to deeply annoyed. "Is there anything we can do to stop Kenzo?" she asks. Hideo nods, then shuts his eyes again. He reappears in the same room as Kenzo and uses a powerful gust of wind to destroy the camera Kenzo was using to see Remiel. Once the camera is destroyed, Remiel gasps for air and coughs, being free of Kenzo's control.

Kenzo's expression turns dark as he glances towards a faint and transparent shadow of Hideo, who suddenly fades away. "This betrayal is against our kind. What has gotten into that fool?" he growls. Kenzo stands up and creates a portal that would take him directly to Atsuko and Hideo. However, before he could even step into it, the portal suddenly disappears. He tries to create another one, but to no avail. Someone is keeping him away. Atsuko turns to Hideo with a look of uncertainty. "Are you sure about helping me? You're going against your nature..." she whispers. Hideo nods resolutely. "I am certain. I must do this. I've done enough in the past, and it has left my hands stained in blood. So I now want to clean my hands. Even if I meet my demise, it will be worth it....” Kenzo is intently observing both Atsuko and Hideo through his crystal ball while simmering with anger. He and Hideo had diligently planned this day together, years ago. However, everything they had worked so hard for now seems to be disintegrating before Kenzo's eyes. He's clueless about how things ended up so bleak, no matter how hard he thinks about it. All he wants is for things to go his way. 

Meanwhile, Remiel successfully manages to enter a specific code and gains access to the Somnus control panel. However, before doing any serious damage, he calls Seiko, who picks up immediately. "Hello, how are things going?" Seiko asks. "Things are okay. What are you doing?" Seiko exclaims happily, "Things are fine on my end. I had a quick chat with Jun and told him that things are going to be okay." "Good. Good." Remiel says, sounding glad that Seiko and Jun are fine. "I already got into the Somnus main control panel. Now I'm only waiting for Atsuko and Hideo to finish up."

"Huh?? The two are together?" Seiko asks. "Yeah. They are. Seems like Kenzo got betrayed..." 

"Sounds about right." Seiko sighs in relief. She truly is glad that things seem to be no longer spiraling out of control.

****

As Jun watches Atsuko sleeping, he notices that her body is burning with a high fever. While he was talking with Seiko about the present situation, he couldn't help but worry about Atsuko's well-being. Seiko is waiting for the right moment to pull Jun out of eternal sleep, while Remiel is on standby to attend to Atsuko. The only thing left is for both Jun and Atsuko to reach the white door, which is the only way to escape this dream world. As Jun stands up from Atsuko's side, he senses a familiar presence lurking around. He steps out of the room, heading towards the stairs, only to find Kenzo standing at the bottom. The tension between them is tangible, and Jun can see that Kenzo's red eyes have turned into the color of a dark void. Kenzo's gaze is sharp and piercing, and he greets Jun with a sly smile, "Long time no see, old friend. You look just like I do..." Jun can tell that Kenzo is unhappy to see him as a full Daten-shi. He knows that humans aren't supposed to have the power to change, and Kenzo doesn't approve of it. Despite the distance between them, Jun glares at Kenzo with deep-seated hatred, "Aren't you having enough fun already? Terrorizing a helpless girl is something that your kind has always been good at." Without warning, Kenzo snaps his fingers, and the scenery around them changes in an instant. They are no longer in Jun's home, but in his false home which was in the city of Okinawa. "You've ruined everything, Jun. If only Mr. Alistair killed you a long time ago!" Kenzo snaps, rushing up the stairs at a quick speed. Before he can even grab Jun by his neck, Jun dodges, stepping back a few meters away from Kenzo. "Picky bastard. You won't be happy until you get your way." Jun glares and gets in a fighting stance. He points a finger at Kenzo, "Come at me. Kill me here and now!" Kenzo doesn't hesitate to try and do exactly that. He charges at Jun and strikes a punch into Jun's chest. Jun takes a step back, wincing in pain as he quickly recovers. Instead of resorting to physical attacks, he snaps his fingers, and a bright white light emanates from his palm. The light swiftly transforms into a sharp sword and strikes Kenzo, who barely dodges the attack, but still gains a deep cut across his chest. The pain is intense, and Kenzo feels strange. 

Suddenly, a presence appears behind Jun, and it takes the form of a white silhouette. Jun can't hear it speak, but Kenzo can. The white shadow delivers a cryptic message, "Time is slipping and so are you. Your fate is already sealed and has been for a long time now. You will die soon and it's for the greater good. Darkness will cease and light will prevail.” The message leaves Kenzo in a trance, and he doesn't acknowledge Jun. Jun raises a brow at Kenzo's sudden behavior and wonders what just happened. Kenzo is about to say something and even make a remark, but great fear overcomes him, and he grimaces and growls at Jun. He stares at him for a moment before disappearing. The scenery that Kenzo had altered earlier returns to its original state, and Jun feels an inexplicable weight on his heart, soul, and mind. He yearns for peace and truth, and nothing else. For a while now, Kenzo had been in control. He always got what he wanted, using his spiritual luminescence to gain power. As a Daten-shi, his goal was to cause chaos and feed off the energy of mere humans, treating them as puppets until they broke and became nothing but empty shells. 

Upon returning to his throne room, Kenzo succumbs to a fit of rage and anguish, thrashing around in pain from the cut on his chest. Tears of anger and hatred stream down his face as he cries out in frustration. But soon, his tears turn to manic laughter, and he revels in his newfound power, "No one is going to win. No one is going to overpower me. Everyone is a mere insect. And I'm the spider who has trapped them in my web!" As he laughs, something strange happens. The wound on his chest starts to heal, and he begins shape-shifting into something else entirely? Jun is exhausted both physically and emotionally, and he can feel his mental fortitude dwindling. He enters the room where Atsuko is sound asleep and takes hold of her hand, hoping to find comfort in her presence. As he lies beside her, he feels himself gradually succumbing to sleep.

All Jun wants is a normal, uneventful life. He longs for the life that was taken from him, and he wants Atsuko to have the same. They have been through so much pain and suffering, and they deserve a life of peace. Meanwhile, within the liminal ballroom space, Atsuko clutches her chest in agony and falls to the ground. "What's the matter, Atsuko?" Hideo asks in deep worry, but he is wondering the same thing for himself. Atsuko's face contorts in pain, and her eyes well up with tears. She knows all too well what is happening to her, and what she is feeling is all too familiar. As she kneels on the ground, she places her hand over her heart, trying to quell the searing pain. Hideo, realizing what is happening, reaches out to touch her shoulder, and he is immediately hit with a rush of memories from his past. He reveals to her and himself the memories of when he was once human.