"This thing is so fucking tight!" Gokuro whined, ripping off the catsuit before slipping into his usual clothing again. "That's more like it!" He said.

Keiko had trouble zipping up the back of her suit and asked her brother to do it for her. Kenriki saw this and was baffled by what he saw, her fair complexion and hourglass-shaped body proved to be an eye-catcher. She circled to face the mirror, examining her whole body before holding her flat stomach. Kenriki noticed this and speculated, "She must be into a lot of fitness just to get into that shape. She's got the body of a supermodel that even adults would kill for. I wonder what she thinks of herself, she must feel proud for achieving that!"

Keiko looked at herself in the mirror and let out a loud sigh as she slouched with an irritated look, "Ugh, my metabolism is so fast! I feel like I'm too skinny, I just wanna eat a lot and get fat!" She spoke up with a gesture of putting food in her mouth, surprising the boy as he struggled to get into his suit. Not expecting her to be someone who didn't care her great body nor any wants to stay what she is right now. It was something good to see. He finished preparing himself and asked the twins to do one last double-check on their bags before they left on the white boat, Keiko looked at her bag and asked for a flashlight.

"There's probably one by the storage room, I'll go get it while you guys wait at the boat." He said, putting on his bag as he walked towards the hallway. Kenriki heard footsteps beside the walls, thinking it was only a made or butler but was startled when Haruto appeared right in front of him as he turned to enter the hallway.

"Haruto! What do you think you're doing out of bed?" Kenriki interrogated with his stiff hands around his friend's shoulders. "I'm getting you back into that room and you're going to stay there."

But Haruto shoved both his arms away, a minute of silence was upon them before the boy spoke up, "I'm coming with you!" he demanded, "I'm not gonna let you guys go there without me."

Kenriki was baffled, earlier his friend was so scared that it almost looked like he shit his pants from the sound of the incident being mentioned and now he was right in front of him, demanding him to take him to a dangerous place that they don't have any idea what they might expect. " You're insane..." He mumbled, walking past him as he went into another room where the storage was.

Haruto followed him into the darkroom before banging on the wooden door and asking, "Why?! Why can't I go?" He screamed, only to find Kenriki unbothered as he continued to look for the supplies that they needed. "Kenriki, answer me... Why?!" He asked again and this time Kenriki responded.

"Haruto..." He mumbled in a calm tone, "It's dangerous out there..."

Haruto's eyes widened and his voice grew louder, "Of course I know it's dangerous! But we need to do this together! I can—" But before he could continue, his speech was cut off when Kenriki slammed his fist on top of the box.

"You're not thinking straight!" He screamed back. "Haruto... You’re mind is not well. That's why it's too dangerous to tag you along, you need to stay here!" He explained before zipping up the bag. Kenriki stared at him for a minute, he could see his friend's creasing face that was mixed with the look of someone confused and hurt, he ignored it and bumped him on the shoulder as he exited the darkroom and stepped again into the hallway.

"Stubborn kid, he doesn't know how dangerous his condition is..." He thought to himself, clenching his fist as he took a few steps away from the wooden door he exited. "Dad, this is why you died. Because you were stubborn, just like Haruto!" Kenriki didn't notice that his face had become stern and his teeth were clenching themselves tightly.

He arrived at the living room to see that the twins had already left the building and guessed that they were probably in the boat by now. He took one last look around before he placed his hand on his pocket and noticed that something was missing. He searched for the other compartments on his suit and bag but found nothing, he looked around the couches for his important tool before Haruto stepped in and spoke.

"Are you looking for this?" Haruto said as he showed the big knife in his right hand. Kenriki saw this and gave an irritated look at his friend.

"Haruto... Give it to me. Now..." He spoke, his low voice was threatening as he held his hand out.

Haruto looked at him and placed his hand with a knife down before speaking, "No." he replied simply but seriously.

Kenriki inhaled deeply and stared at his friend dagger-eyed. "Are you going to make this hard, Haruto? I already told you that you have—"

"I don't!" Haruto screamed, his voice echoed throughout the entire room. Kenriki's eyes widened and thought about what his friend was talking about.

"What do you mean you don't—"

"I'm not afraid of the monster, or the military, or the grocery store, or those memories that haunted me while I was still in that clinic." He tried his best to explain calmly, restraining himself from screaming to make it seem that his emotions weren't controlling him. "Look, I don't know what happened, but now I'm not afraid, and I'm not gonna let you guys go without me." Haruto came closer to his friend and looked straight in the eye.

Kenriki stared back at him for a moment before letting out a conflicted sigh, "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, "I won't be able to help you if you get in trouble." He said with his hands on his waist.

"I promise! I'll help you guys!" Haruto said, eagerly agreeing like a child who was given the responsibility of a pet. But Kenriki could see the glee and responsibility in his friend's eyes and he nodded.

"Get yourself ready, your suit is over there." He said, pointing at the couch that had an extra black catsuit.

Haruto turned to see that he wasn't bluffing, "My suit..? But I thought you were—"

"Yes, I didn't want you to join us, but some part of me still wanted anyway so I asked Sir Andres for one of your sizes. Put it on and let's go!" He explained, grabbing a bag underneath the table full of supplies before throwing it at his friend who just finished putting the suit on.

"You ready?" Kenriki asked with a smile. Haruto nodded and they went to the boat to find the twins and a few of the helpers checking on the boat one last time before untying its rope. Keiko turned to see both Haruto and Kenriki walking down the dirt path and ran up to them.

Keiko took one good look at Haruto before turning to Kenriki and speaking, "Is he gonna be okay?" She asked to which Kenriki replied casually that he will. She nodded and they boarded the boat and started their journey towards the island. Haruto sat next to Gokuro at the back seat while Keiko and Kenriki were at the front, the whirring engines weren't loud enough so they discussed what to do when they reach the island. Gokuro had his hand next to his cheek as he watched the windy sea that was making his bandana dance in the air. Haruto looked at him and opened his mouth but no words came out, he looked down and clasped both his hands together before he felt his companion's hand on his shoulder, he turned to look at him who was still looking at the horizon, but smiled when he knew Gokuro acknowledged him.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The group had finally arrived at the shore and safely parked the boat to keep it hidden from the military and if they needed a quick escape. Their feet fell on the wet rocks as they huddled up and began discussing their tactics. Kenriki went over the basics of the plan again before turning to Haruto to ask him about something.

"Do you have a sword back at home?" He inquired. "We should’ve gotten it when we were looking for Ms. Goodman. We'll make a quick stop at your house to check for survivors." Kenriki said. Haruto nodded as the group nodded back and smiled.

The forest was thick and cool, sunlight was breaching the trees, and the sounds of nature were still apparent in these woods. A clear sign that this part of the island hasn't been invaded yet. They carefully snuck through the vast trees and large rocks, even though Keiko suggested that they walk faster, Kenriki explained, and went for the safer option. It wasn't long until one of the helpers stopped the group in their tracks and kneeled to investigate the ground, Kenriki came forward, asking what it was before turning to see a series of footprints on the mud, it wasn't just any footprints, but it belonged to those who were wearing heavy military boots, and not just that, there were leftovers of canned food, a backpack, and a flashlight. All clear signs that the military has been through here.

"Where do you think they went to?" The guy asked as he moved his hand closer to check on the dirt before Kenriki swiftly grabbed his arm tightly. "Irk—!" The man jolted in pain.

Kenriki took a closer at the track and examined the footprints carefully. He looked back at the trail that extended towards the outskirts of the forest where the city was. He thought for a while before he spoke.

"These tracks are still fresh, the military must've scouted these woods to search for survivors, be alert for any walking figures, and don't hesitate to silence them if they spot you." He explained to the group before noticing that the guy that he was holding was in sweating in sheer pain and let go of his hand. "Oh sorry 'bout that."

Keiko and Haruto nodded at each other while Gokuro decided to stay behind the boy, Haruto felt much safer in this position and once again they snuck their way through the forest. It wasn't long when their moment of traveling was interrupted as they heard the sounds of people's terrified screaming nearby, a maid checked out where the sound was coming from and alarmed the group that something was happening below. They ran to see what it was—a wide dirt road next to the forest with soldiers who seemed to be running from something. Frantic and pointing their guns at the opposite direction they were moving, it wasn't long until three military jeeps that were running at full speed were spotted from the distance, but it wasn't just that, something else was trailing behind them, and that's when the group realized, it was the monster.

The monster was running on all fours like a predator chasing its prey, the beast started gaining on the vehicles. One of the jeeps drove faster and ran away from the two remaining ones who were still being pursued by the beast. Soldiers started shooting at them with the backseat's machine guns, storms of bullets came penetrating the monster's stretchy flesh as it absorbed all the bullets they shot until they ran out of ammo. Having already excreted the steel from its body, the monster leaped forward and landed between the two jeepneys. One of the soldiers with a frightened face started lobbing grenades at the beast, creating explosions and exerting smoke that covered the a big portion at the centre of the road as the monster tumbled over while being covered by the smoke. The soldiers stopped the vehicles at the explosion site and started cheering, thinking that they had defeated it. But they were proven wrong quick when a claw came out of the whiff that decapitated the celebrating soldier and sent the jeep crashing into a nearby wall. The other units were horrified, screaming as a red hand grabbed them and pulled them into the dark mist.

Kenriki watched in shock as a split jeepney with bloodied seats was sent flying, crashing into the soldiers below as the men in the last jeep tried to help someone who was struggling to enter the vehicle. But fear overtook them and the driver pushed the soldier that was clinging to the metal door as they started running again and disappeared.

The fazed soldier rubbed his eyes as the smoke that he inhaled dissipated to reveal that the vehicle was gone and he was left in the middle of the path. He was in disbelief, his comrades had left him, and what's worse, he heard a low grumbling accompanied by a hot whiff of breath from behind. He was trembling, his eyes started to tear up as he slowly turned to see that the monster's face was right in front of him. Opening its slimy mouth to reveal the disturbingly morbid set of teeth, its tongue was slithering out from the hole and started wrapping itself around the shocked man.

"Ah-ah-ah! W-w-w-w-wait, stop! Stop—!" Haruto and the others could hear his voice turned into muffle cries before the crunching sounds of flesh and bone filled their ears. It wasn't long until the monster started running again as it gave chase towards the trail of the last jeep, leaving behind a trail of blood with a severed hand in its place. Haruto and the others waited for a while before the thumping noises faded away. Kenriki huddled the group and talked about the next phase of their plan.

"Alright, listen up. That thing is gonna keep chasing those soldiers out of the city, we'll use this opportunity to hunt for survivors, and prepare a trap to subdue it so Keiko can finish it off." He said, instructing Gokuro and the helpers to head towards the city to begin looking for supplies for their makeshift trap while Keiko and Haruto would go searching for survivors in his neighborhood. "Finally, when we get rid of the soldiers in this area, we'll lead the beast straight into the trap and you guys will do the rest. Got it?" They nodded in response.

Back at the shore, Sayozane parked her jet ski beside the hidden boat. She dropped onto the wet rocks and grabbed her bag. The place felt quiet to her as she snuck into the forest but was immediately replaced when the sounds of birds appeared when she entered the forest, she continued to walk past the trees and brushes before she suddenly heard a click behind her and a voice of a man that told her to stop. She froze, her eyes widened as she realized the danger she was in.

"Well, well, missy. What do we have here?" Sayozane heard as her eyes teared up when someone's hand latched itself on her right shoulder.

The sun was setting, Haruto and Keiko arrived at the street of his residence, they turned around, the boy was devastated as he saw what was left of his hometown. Flames raged from the buildings, streets and cars engulfed, and no one else could be seen anywhere. The sight of it all began to eat away at all the hope that Haruto had, his heart ached at the thought that it wasn't going to be the same anymore, structures can be rebuilt, but the lives that the beast or the military took, were never coming back.

Keiko glanced at Haruto and understood how he felt, her hand gently landed on his shoulder as the boy looked at him with teary eyes. She comforted him, assuring him that they will end this nightmare together. Haruto nodded in response, pulling himself together as they continued to walk on the street.

"So Haruto, how long have you been training?" She asked, looking around the abandoned houses in the process.

"Ever since I was 5 years old. My dad was the only one who trained me and the tournament back at the temple was my very first one." He answered.

"I see, you're father must be very skilled and very proud to have someone like you." She complimented, giving him a warm smile that he appreciated.

"Yeah, I'm sure he is... wherever he is anyway..." He thought to himself.

It wasn't long until they finally reached Haruto's house, but they were stunned when they noticed that everything was still intact, there wasn't anything peculiar around it nor was there any damage. Slowly, they opened the creaking metal gate and entered into the cold dimly lit yard. None of the lights were turned on and the windows were closed shut. Haruto and Keiko approached the door to find it unlocked, someone must've entered the house. Inside, the room could barely be noticed, the light switch provided no light.

"Someone must've cut off the power," Haruto whispered, trying his best to talk in the lowest volume. Keiko nodded in response as if she understood what her companion was thinking.

Haruto felt a looming sensation that someone was with them inside the house, he couldn't tell where or who they were but it was clear just from the unlocked door and the unwashed plates on the sink. With every creaking step they took towards the other room, the more it felt like something was getting closer to them. Keiko glanced around in fear that something might jump out of the darkness in an instant but she readied herself for what they might encounter. It wasn't long until a loud sound of shattering glass broke the tension of the silence, Haruto and Keiko face the source of the noise, their faces ripe with fear as footsteps from an unknown individual came closer. Keiko pulled Haruto behind her and raised her hands in the air, just as she was about to run towards the corner to attack who was coming, a voice spoke out.

"Hello?" The voice sounded like an old woman, "Haruto? Is that you?" She continued.

The voice came closer as the person revealed itself to be Ms. Goodman who was relieved to the boy, running up to him and hugging him tightly.

"Where have you been?! I was so worried!" She said as she leaned back and stared the boy in the face, "I've been looking everywhere for you! Are you okay, are you hurt?" She asked, holding his face between her hands as she glanced at Keiko. "Who is this little lady?"

"Oh, this is Keiko, lola. She's a good friend of mine who helped me get to safety." He answered.

"Well, this place is the only place that is safe young man! You best hope I don't tell your father that you've been running around there." She scolded the boy.

"Excuse me, ma'am. But the truth is, it's not safe here but we know of a place that we can stay until this is all over." Keiko offered to the worried woman.

"Lola..." Haruto said as Ms. Goodman looked back at him, this time she looked as if she was willing to believe what he was going to say, "It's not safe for us here anymore, we should go to Sayozane's home. We'll be safe there from... all that's happening here!" He explained. Ms. Goodman took one last look and caressed the child's face.

"Okay Haruto, let's go." She said gently.

Haruto stood up and asked to be excused as he ran towards his room, Cujo—who was lying down but sprang up when he saw his master, ran towards Haruto, and danced around him. The boy was overjoyed to see that his best friend was safe, at least he now had two members of the family to save.

Haruto looked up to see the door to his room, it was as quiet as ever, and what he needed was in this room. He entered, the darkness of his place reminded him of the times that he slept, and watched the stars outside his bedroom window. Dreaming of the things he could do when he grew up just like his father. It made him sad to think that he was going to leave it behind for now. Underneath the clean bed he crouched to the floor and inserted his arm beneath the space of the wood and the floor, his hand held on to a plastic handle and he pulled it out to reveal a wide rectangular box with an engraved symbol on the center. He opened it and saw a sword in its black sheath that had golden markings all the way to its tip. It laid still on top of foamy paper before Haruto picked it up and removed the black cover. When he pointed the pale silver katana upwards, a gleam of light refracted onto his cheek, with a swing, it made a sound like sharp metal cutting through the wind. This was what he needed.

A weapon to protect humanity.