"Run!" I yelled at Brian, my voice cracking in panic.

I readied my makeshift scythe for a swing as I quickly unwound the net I’d wrapped around my left arm.

The monster managed to take a step forward only for the messily unwinding net to entangle it. Its legs caught in the various layers of webbing, and it tripped forward, crashing to the ground. As it did, I grabbed my weapon with both hands and swung down. The head of the ice axe smashed straight into a piece of carapace and then through it into flesh. I felt the squish of meat being punctured through the broom pole, and I suppressed a shudder.

The thing let out an undulating hiss of pain, spitting gray slime over the ground as it tried to stand, only for its legs to get further enwrapped in the net. It still managed to slide itself forward, only for the excess netting to catch its back legs as well. Between the smooth tile of the ground and its tangled limbs, it couldn’t seem to get to its feet. I pulled up on my scythe, drawing it out from the monster and sending an arc of black ichor onto the wall and ceiling.

I looked to my side to see Brian and Lily running down a side corridor. Lily had Brian's hand in hers, pulling him along as they sprinted away.

Well, that was a relief. At least Lily and Brian had a chance. My life wasn’t worth much, but if I could buy them some time, I could rest easy knowing that I had finally done something meaningful.

Then I swung down again.

The ice axe punctured through the thing's body half a dozen times before the creature finally started tearing through the net with its claws. I pulled my scythe back, fear sending a shock of lightning through me.

Suddenly, I realized the ice axe wasn’t piercing deep enough to reach anything vital in its body. I had to aim for the head if I wanted to kill the thing before it got free.

As I took a step back, readying myself for another strike, the lamprey-wolf twisted violently, gnashing its many rows of teeth. In one swift move, its scythe-like tail slashed, snatching the scythe out of my hands and sending it skidding away across the floor.

Panic bubbled up inside me as the blow sent me stumbling black, before I quickly regained my balance. My weapon, my only means of defense, was now out of reach. The Anathema seemed to revel in its momentary victory, emitting a sinister chittering sound. My eyes darted to the sheathed chef’s knife in my hoodie pocket.

If I could just…

My hand, slick with sweat, fumbled over the hilt, the knife refusing to free itself.

Just as I managed to free the knife from its sheath, there was a ripping sound as the monster tore itself free from the netting. It leapt at me, bowling straight into me and slamming me into the ground. A gasp of air escaped my lungs even as my head was thrown back by the whiplash into the tile. Pain exploded through my head and back, dyeing my sight red. I blinked the color away, but when my vision cleared, the thing was standing over me, its head hovering above my chest.

The monster's head reared back, teeth chomping eagerly in anticipation of its meal. Time seemed to slow as the realization hit me: this was it. The end.

My life flashed before my eyes in vivid detail, highlighting the pain and misery of my fifteen years. It felt as if I were reliving every single moment in rapid succession. I saw my father's stern face, ever-disappointed, casting me away as if I were a cursed monster. I remembered the children at school, their laughter echoing in my ears as they pointed at my gaunt face, red eye, and whispered behind my back.

Katie, who had treated me as nothing more than a personal servant, her friends’ taunts. All those moments of hunger, abuse, and relentless pain at home. An existence where I was made to feel unworthy of even the most basic human kindness, where every interaction was a reminder of my worthlessness.

And then there was Lily, the bubbly girl who had shown me a hint of kindness, even if it was for a short moment. Her warm voice, that unexpected smile, the way she held Brian's hand with fierce determination and tenderness. That brief connection I had felt earlier, a tiny glimmer of hope in the storm of my life. It was all too short-lived.

Would she remember me? A pang of regret hit me. We had only just started getting to know each other, and now it was ending this way. It was typical, really. The day life finally cut me a second of slack, it would all come to an end.

As the creature reared its head back, preparing for the final strike, a part of me was almost relieved. Maybe now, the pain would stop.

But in the distance, over the beast's ominous chittering, there was another sound. A sound that didn't belong. The sudden sound of running footsteps.

With a sudden, blinding speed, Lily darted out from a side corridor and lunged at the monster, ice axe gleaming in her hand. With pinpoint accuracy, she drove the ice axe straight into the lamprey-wolf's neck. The Anathema convulsed violently, then reared its tail swung up from behind it.

I knew it was going to try and lash out at Lily right then and there.

I screamed.

I realized numbly that I still had my knife in hand, somehow.

I jumped off of the ground, summoning every ounce of strength left in my emaciated body. The knife felt like an extension of my hand, and I jammed it up and into the soft underbelly of the creature's head, hoping against hope that I could reach its brain.

The lamprey-wolf thrashed in pain as Lily kept the ice axe embedded in its neck, and I twisted my knife, driving it deeper and deeper. Over and over, I stabbed, raw emotion surging through me with every thrust. It was more than just the desire to survive – it was all those years of pain, fear, and humiliation pouring out in a blind rage against the monster.

Suddenly, a firm hand grabbed my wrist, stopping my frenzied assault. I looked up, the fog of battle lifting to reveal Lily, her face pale and covered in sweat but still alive. Her eyes filled with a mixture of horror and relief, and unshed tears.

"Maito, stop… It's over," she whispered urgently, her voice breaking with emotion.

I let go of the knife, the world blurring around me. Panting heavily, I fell to my knees, the rush of adrenaline leaving my body in waves. I felt Lily's comforting presence beside me, her arm wrapping around my shoulders, pulling me into a gentle embrace.

"Why... why did you come back?!" My voice trembled, tears spilling down my cheeks, a mixture of relief, gratitude, and sheer exhaustion. "You would have put yourself at risk!"

She pulled back slightly, looking deep into my eyes, her own filled with tears. "Like I told you earlier, Maito. You matter. You're not alone anymore, and I mean every word of it."

I choked back a sob, but then, it all came pouring out. My tears streamed down my face uncontrollably, washing away years of bottled-up pain. The weight I'd been carrying seemed to be breaking apart bit by bit. Every tear was a release, a purging of anguish.

Lily just held me tighter, letting me cry it out, giving me the comfort I had been denied for so long. She didn’t try to hush me or tell me it was going to be okay or any platitudes. She simply held me, letting me feel the warmth of another human being, the palpable proof that I wasn’t alone. Years of pent-up emotions, the years of neglect, isolation, and mistreatment. Tears streamed down my face as I clung to Lily. She held me tight, letting me release everything I had bottled up inside in the span of a minute.

After what felt like an eternity, I pulled back, wiping away the moisture from my face.

I took a shaky breath, trying to gather my scattered thoughts. "God dammit. Sorry," I managed, my voice hoarse from crying. "This… this isn’t the time for this."

"No need to apologize," she said, smiling faintly. "We've got to look out for each other. Especially now."

A sudden thought struck me as I wiped the tears out of my face. "Where's Brian?"

"He's safe," Lily reassured me, pointing to a small ‘alley’ where Brian was staring out from now, his wide eyes fixed on the dead monster. The relief on his face when he saw us was palpable.

Brian, the younger child, seemed a little shell-shocked by the ordeal. He came over hesitantly and sat beside us, silently offering his support as I reached for the knife and resheathed it.

The air was thick with emotion, but we didn’t have the luxury of time. More Anathema could come at any moment. We needed to get to the shelter quickly.

"Come on," Lily said, getting up and offering me a hand.

I took it, noting her strong grip. Brian stood up too, his small hand grasping mine as we began to walk back toward the shelter. I regained my bearings, and picked up my ice axe as we set off toward the direction of the shelter. But for some reason, a strange sense of being watched crept over me as we rounded a corner.

The corridor was dim, and the only light coming from the red emergency lights mounted at intervals on the ceiling. The soft glow painted eerie shadows on the mall's stores and mannequins. I tried to shake off the feeling, but it persisted, nagging at the back of my mind.

I glanced at the storefront windows, their surfaces reflecting the red light and our passing figures. And then I saw it — a shifting mass, a blotch of darkness, roughly the size of a small animal like a rabbit, watching us from one of the reflections. I blinked, and suddenly it was gone.

"I saw something," I whispered to Lily, suddenly on edge.

"What?" she asked, her voice tense, ready to react.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"In the reflection... something was watching us."

Lily looked around, her eyes scanning the area, and then sighed, "We need to move. If it's another Anathema, we're sitting ducks out here."

"I agree," I replied, though my voice wavered a bit. The weight of the encounter, combined with this new eerie sense of being watched, was taking a toll on me.

As we hurriedly made our way back, my senses heightened. Every rustle of paper, every soft footstep echoing in the vast corridor, seemed to amplify. The feeling of being watched persisted, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

And then - I realized that we were going to make it. Somehow, it had been less than twenty minutes since the first rifts formed. It all seemed like so much longer: scavenging in the store, our escape, the fight, and then my small breakdown. We went through the hallway just before the one leading to the shelter’s doors, and I briefly took in its details as the material of the hall changed to something shiny and metallic. Signs covered the walls, each pointing in the direction we were going and proclaiming it as leading to the shelter. There was a door halfway down leading to a stairwell, and opposite of it was another door that simply said "Security Personnel Only." We passed by them, heading to the end without stopping.

We took the final turn to the shelter, and what I saw made me stop dead in my tracks.

I looked down the hallway at the shelter doors, and all the relief in me turned to horror.

This is a nightmare, I thought to myself. There’s no way.

I found myself walking forward as if in a trance. The hallway wasn’t long, no more than a few dozen steps until it stopped at a large set of thick double doors made of metal. Next to them was a glass screen for a device of some sort, but I didn’t bother examining it too closely. My eyes were glued to the doors.

"Fuck," I whispered to myself, my voice slowly growing in desperation. "No fucking way!"

"Maito, wait—" Lily started.

I sprinted to the doors, letting go of Brian’s hand and the knife as I slammed my fists against them.

"No!" I cried out, my lower lip wobbling. "You assholes! You can’t do this!"

My fists bounced off impotently, never even touching the metal of the doors. Instead, they hit the translucent barrier just in front of them. I pressed my palms against it, looking it over unbelievingly, but the pale, green light covered both doors in an unyielding shield of shimmering energy that hummed against my skin.

I stared at the emergency shield, knowing that with it engaged, the shelter was completely locked down from opening.

Every drill we’d done at school, they made a point of saying the emergency shield was impenetrable, and would only come down with the deactivation code.

Which was why nobody was supposed to turn the shield on manually, especially when the shelters were specifically designed to be able to let stragglers in without endangering anyone. The entrances were like airlocks, two sets of reinforced doors with a room between them. That way, if people arrived after the Usurpation began and the entrance shut, the first set of doors could be opened to let people in. Then they would close, and the interior ones would open to let people inside.

But now that the shield was enabled, nobody would be getting in or out.

I stiffened, looking behind me. Brain was a few steps behind where I’d collapsed in front of the door. His eyes were wide and confused as he clutched his bat to his chest. He was shaking as he stared at me. I cursed at myself silently, standing up and wiping the wetness from my cheeks.

"Hey, come here," I said, gesturing. He ran up, throwing his arms around me in a tight, trembling hug.

"Why aren’t they opening the door?" he asked me. "What’s that glowy thing?"

"They… must have had an emergency," I told him, ruffling his hair. "It means they’re safe, but we’re going to need to find somewhere else to hide."

"But I don’t want to be out here anymore!" he cried, pulling away to look at me. "I want Mommy and Daddy!"

I felt myself start choking up, and Lily gently stepped in, kneeling in front of Brian. "Hey, we'll find them soon, okay?" Her voice was soothing, but there was a hard edge of anxiety in her eyes. "Right now, we need to stick together and find another safe place quickly and get away from the bad monsters. Can you be brave for us?"

Brian swallowed hard, nodding. "Okay," he whispered, his small fingers clutching the fabric of Lily's shirt.

I took a moment, my hands on my knees, trying to steady my breathing. The weight of the situation was starting to truly sink in. We were trapped outside the shelter, likely surrounded by Anathema. In a situation that was becoming more dangerous by the minute.

"We need to move, Maito," Lily said, gently helping me regain my composure. "We’re sitting ducks with our backs against the wall like this."

I sighed. She was right, but the feeling of having my hope crushed still lingered in my chest. Still… it wasn’t over yet.

Brian was relying on me, and if I did nothing and gave in to despair here, we would all die. There was no other option but to keep moving forward.

I nodded. "Yeah… I nodded. "Yeah… Let’s… let’s take a minute to regroup first and make a plan."

Lily nodded in agreement. "Let's circle back a bit. I think I saw a security break room we could probably hide out in for a minute."

Just as we were getting ready to set out, something strange happened. The surroundings around us seemed to warp momentarily, a dizzying sensation that made my knees buckle.

[Hey you! Listen! Please calm yourself, Maito Shiroki, and slow down for a minute.]

I looked around, trying to pinpoint the source, but the voice wasn’t coming from any particular direction. It was inside my head.

I could feel my breathing pick up as I wondered if I had finally lost my mind.

[Good. Don’t panic. You're not going crazy. When Lily asks, please do not inform her of my presence until I can properly explain.]

The voice inside my head was both startling and oddly comforting. It was a young boy's voice that sounded youthful and sincere.

"Maito?" Lily asked, looking at me with concern. "Is everything okay?"

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. Should I tell her about the voice? Would she think I was crazy? I was just starting to really think I could trust her, but I wasn’t sure how she would react to something like this. But then, I remembered the voice’s warning and decided to keep quiet for now.

"I… I'm fine," I said shakily, trying to shake off the overwhelming feeling of unease in my mind. "I just think I'm really stressed out right now."

Lily didn't look convinced, but she didn't press the issue. Instead, she took a deep breath and gestured for us to start moving again. We followed her as she led us towards the break room, the three of us keeping our eyes peeled for any sign of the Anathema lurking nearby.

As we walked, the voice spoke up again. [Now, allow me to introduce myself. Very well. I am an entity created by the alien race you know as the "Zenith." As for what I am, the closest equivalent humans have is that of a highly advanced artificial intelligence. Although the proper explanation is much more complicated, you may think of me as an AI formed by both magic and unrivaled technology. I was created in order to assist humanity in their fight against the Anathema. Humans have taken to calling us "Familiars."]

Recognition dawned on me. MGs always did seem to have weird little mascot animals that got advertised with them. Even the few Magical Girl shows I’d seen had featured weird but cute looking creatures who ended up giving the girl their power.

[Just direct your thoughts toward my presence, if you wish to talk to me. I can hear you even if we’re not in the same room.]

"So… you're a Familiar created by the Zenith to help stop the Anathema?" I thought toward the presence silently.

[Yes, that is correct. Our mission is to help those we deem worthy of assistance in the fight against the Anathema. And right now, you and your companions are in grave danger. I can offer you a far greater chance of surviving if you allow me to.]

I blinked. I still wasn't sure if I was going crazy or not, but I couldn't deny the feeling of desperation that was starting to set in. If this Familiar could really help us, then I had to take the chance.

We started back down the hallway with the stairwell and room with the security-only sign. Lily went ahead, knife and ice axe in hand nervously, while I kept an eye out for any unexpected movements from behind. Brian stayed close to me, his little hand holding mine tightly.

[Allow me to inform you that I've also scanned the area for any potential threats. You should be secure for now, but stay vigilant] The Familiar’s voice echoed in my head again.

I nodded, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. It was comforting to know that we had someone, or something, keeping watch over us. Although, it was a bit creepy.

I directed my thoughts to the Familiar again. "What kind of assistance can you offer?"

[First, allow me to inform you that I am capable of projecting an image of my default form to any individual that I desire. When I manifest myself in front of you, only you will be able to perceive me. I can also serve as a scout. Second, I possess a considerable amount of knowledge regarding the Anathema, including their weaknesses and their preferred methods of attack. Finally, I am able to manipulate both magic and technology, and can provide a significant boost to your combat abilities should you choose to let me.]

I considered this for a moment. It sounded too good to be true, but then again, we were in a pretty dire situation.

Lily opened the door at the security break room, leading into a room illuminated in the red emergency lights like the rest of the mall. There were vending machines, a couch, and a small coffee table with chairs around it. There was another doorway leading into a room filled with monitors and a third leading to what looked like a small bathroom.

I closed the door behind us as we entered, and Brian let go of my hand to run over to the couch. With that done, I let out a sigh. It wasn’t much, but somehow the lock and barricade made me feel better.

"What's the catch?" I thought toward the familiar. "Why are you here to help me in particular?"

[Please remain calm and stoic as you typically are, and bear with me as I manifest before you.]

There was a brief moment of silence, and then suddenly, the shadow I recognized as the one I had spotted in the glass panes earlier appeared in front of me on the table.

The space around it warped, before something I'd best describe as a stuffed animal popped into existence. A golden, floppy-eared rabbit with wings stared at me with red eyes. It had feathers with a color gradient of orange and red flames that reminded me of a phoenix, and three flaming plumed tails unfurled from its back. The creature was huge, easily the size of a small dog, and a flaming plume sprang from its forehead, like a fiery horn. I noticed that instead of pupils, it had a Taiji symbol embedded in a wheel that reminded me of the sun. Everything about it was overemphasized and artificially perfect, exactly like a stuffed animal was. The rabbit’s head suddenly moved, tilting slightly as it continued to stare.

"Maito? What’s wrong?" Lily asked, noticing my fixation on the Familiar.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "Nothing. Just… thinking."

Lily didn't push any further, instead turning her attention to Brian as he clambered up onto the couch. "Hey, buddy, let's find something for you to snack on," she said, walking over to the coffee table.

I turned back to the Familiar, who was still perched on the table as I sat down in front of it, folding my hands intently. "Okay, you've shown yourself. Now, what's the catch?"

[Thank you. As I mentioned earlier, we Familiars were created to assist humanity in their fight against the Anathema. As for why I have appeared before you in particular, I must inform you that I have been monitoring your progress for some time now. Congratulations, Maito Shiroki. Your recent actions in this Usurpation have not gone unnoticed, and I wish to inform you that The Zenith have recognized you as being a capable fit to become a Magical Guardian to defend humanity.]

I blinked, completely failing to understand what was happening. I went over the words in my head again but couldn’t seem to process them.

'Wait, back up. What?' I thought to myself.

The rabbit’s head tilted to the other side, and continued.

[I will skip the rest of the introduction and get straight to my one and only question.]

The rabbit’s sun-like eyes began to glow with a burning, orange light, and I felt my heart leap in my chest.

[Would you like to make a contract?]