She could feel it. Something forming… no, burning inside of her now. The brambles that wrapped her heart were not there to constrict her heart. They were preparing for this moment this entire time.
They were fuel for the inevitable flame of her vengeance.
< “In your infinite hatred.” >
An ominous voice spoke to her. It did not seem to belong to Agate. A ticking accompanied it. It was the same voice from that other time she passed out after fighting the wolves.
“I knew all along what this thing in my chest was… I’ve missed you well, my beloved hatred.” She grabbed onto her firearm, but she struggled immensely to carry it, let alone aim it upwards at the beast.
However…
“The gun’s too heavy… ngh…! Rockie…? Even now you’re trying to help me?”
The Rock Bug shuffled its head to lift the sniper onto its back. Rockie was going to act as Red’s bipod. It was agonizing for them both, and Red knew that she may even die if she managed to shoot her weapon.
< “Comes forth a bullet born from unending wrath.” >
“I’ve had enough… I’m going to claim myself… my existence…”
The existential spite of the Still Unborn.
The infinite hatred of the Still Unmoved.
The sorrowful wrath of the Still Hungry.
The collective anger of her Rock Bugs.
And finally, Red’s unending vengeance.
Red mist began to form a bullet in the palm of her hand. It was the pure manifestation of absolute wrath – a bullet with only one predefined purpose.
She slotted the cognitive bullet into the open chamber of the rifle and slammed the lever shut, locking it in place. The Still Unloving began to move again, approaching them with the intent to kill.
Red peered through the oversized scope of her rifle.
“WITNESS NOW! I’M GOING TO END THIS WITH A SINGLE SHOT!”
< “A bullet to quell the flames.” >
But she did not aim at the entity itself despite what her instinct told her.
No.
She had learned though combat that while instinct was a valuable tool, it should not define the way she fights.
Because if she did, then she’d only be making the same mistakes as the Still Unloving did. It was a vicious cycle that she needed to escape as soon as possible.
And that was why she followed her own bloody trail colored in blue.
That trail led her to the blue star hidden within the ceiling.
What she needed to kill was not the entity itself.
But the reason that made it what it was.
< “To deliver certain vengeance.” >
“THIS IS FOR EVERTYHING YOU’VE TAKEN AWAY FROM US ALL! TAKE THIS YOU OVERSIZED BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUG!”
The explosion was like a crack of lightning. A deafening thunder reverberated throughout the entire cavern. The bullet, which was larger than her entire hand, was fired straight for the blue star as Hatchling Red and Rockie Grey were thrown aside by the immense recoil.
The blue star exploded as rocks crumbled from above. The ethereal strands that once held the Still Unloving collapsed alongside it. The beast tumbled like puppet without strings. What lay above was truly spectacular. It was a ball of unknown power which cracked as the bullet passed through, then, in the next moment – it exploded like a dying star.
Beautiful blue gas filled the room.
The ceiling was soon smothered by the cosmic dust. Twinkles formed in those vibrant skies like stars were being born. It was a surreal, near incomprehensible sight and she couldn’t help but wonder just what those were.
< “… I, in the end, was responsible for the madness.” >
< “If only we weren’t tethered to such unforgivable laws…” >
< “If only we could change.” >
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< “Then would you have loved me back unconditionally too, O White Dove?” >
Still Unloving | HP: 0
Its body remained slumped in the center of the room; half buried by collapsed debris.
What was once the blue star had transformed into a pale object that emanated a strange low-pitched buzz. The light died down. Nothing was pouring out from the walls anymore. The Still Unborn disappeared without a trace, and the lava ceased alongside the anguish of the Still Unloving.
Hatchling Red was beyond her breaking point. Both she and Rockie Grey were on their death beds as they laid side by side.
She could not even touch it in its final moments to say goodbye.
“… This is it… huh…?”
However, something approached them. She couldn’t see well due to her blurry eyesight, but the pale silhouette was everything she needed to know.
It was the Still Unmoved. She sat down beside Red’s head on her knees and reached for a glowing stone deep within its chest. Once it was plucked, she offered it to Hatchling Red with what seemed to be a thankful smile.
“Tch… W-What about… Rockie…?”
The Still Unmoved didn’t know what Red meant. It only lowered its hand to place the object into her mouth. She took it gladly. Red could easily recover all her health with this now.
… Only I have to survive… Only I need to get out of here alive…
But…
Red snapped her jaws shut.
The crystal shattered.
But to the surprise of the Still Unmoved, Red did not devour it whole. It was split in half. Her body was enveloped with a faint light. It was not enough to completely amend her wounds. Blood did not stop gushing from where bone protruded out.
This was still enough for Red to wiggle herself closer to Rockie. With her twisted, mangled fingers, she fed her friend with the other half, weakly slotting it into its open mouth.
“… Get healed, Rockie… D-Did you forget…”
Hatchling Red’s vision began to wane, her labored breaths preventing her from speaking properly.
She could no longer fight the darkness that invaded her eyelids.
“… I’m… keeping you… till you’re stronger… so I can…”
Red placed a hand over her friend… her only friend in this desolate, lonely place.
“… Eat you later… you dumb… stupid… rock… bug…”
And before the darkness consumed her, she uttered with her last remaining breath.
“… Thank you… I’ve returned the favour… so don’t die… please… don’t… die…”
Hatchling Red | HP: 1
Her world faded to black. She could not even close her eyelids as she fell into an eternal sleep for all she knew. But unlike all of her previous sleeps, this was by far the most warm she had ever been.
And she still did not know why she was like this. It would’ve been easier to give in and look after herself. But Red…
… to go against instinct… I want to be human… I don’t know what it means to be one, but I hope one day someone can tell me that what I did today was the right thing.
I… want to make lots of friends.
So please…
… let me live…
… I don’t want to be alone in this darkness anymore.
* * *
< There are no current Antagonists detected >
< 0 Nemesis Tokens Gained >
< Bond level with Rockie Grey has risen immensely >
< Skipping the [Friend] Bond level and replacing with [Companion] >
* * *
A ticking played in her eternal void as she was cast away into perpetual nothingness. Visions of the past began to grip Red as she remembered her life as the Vengeful Red-Hooded Assassin.
Places of warmth filled her mind as she was mentally taken to a place she remembered as home. It was a time that dated before her emergence as the Vengeful Red-Hooded Assassin. She remembered those sunny days in the forest. How she would bring gifts to her bed-ridden grandmother.
It was as though she was viewing her distant, obscured past through distorted lens. She watched it play out as if it were no more than a fairytale. She was smaller back then, with the body of a young woman but a heart that could do no harm. The forest was once her friend as even the animals would present her gifts whenever she skipped through its forests.
However, there was one creature of the forest that despised her for reasons she still did not know.
And that same creature was the reason why she was born as the Vengeful Red-Hooded Assassin.
< The hunt for the White Wolf must go on >
The voice from beyond the void spoke to her as the ticking intensified moments before everything disappeared all at once.
* * *
< 1 Sanity Token has been deducted >
//////// < WARNING > ////////
< Lowering Sanity increases the likelihood of Instability or worse >
< When Sanity reaches 0… >
< Sanity Scale >
< 10 >
* * *
LEVEL : 28 AFFINITY : Amalgamation
< Hatchling Red >
???
ATTRIBUTE : Identity < CORRUPTED > NAME : ??? HP : 16,500 ^3/Min
MP : 1,500^3/Min
AGI : 32 RESIST : 50 AGE : 0 ATT : 550(+35)
MAG ATT : 170
O : 25 D : 0 ORIGIN : Original ATT DEF : 350(+50)
MAG DEF : 150
S : 13 E : 6
< ACTIVE SKILLS >
(O) Huntress’ Slash II [1/10]
(O) Punch [4/10]
(S) Friends! I [3/10]
(E) Appraise Object [6/10]
< PASSIVE SKILLS >
(O) Bladeworks
(O) Critical Eye
(S) Bonds!
(E) Boosted Appraisal
< ABILITIES >
Blessing of the Star Child | Unrealized | Vengeful Colors | Aspect of Amalgamation | Fairytale Huntress