/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45298404 (12/-)
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2 seconds. The world slows down.

Arms? Holding the babies. Can't drop them. One arm is in massive pain, the other numb. Careful—heart beating in my ears, blood pumping powered by pneumatics—; Legs? Functional, too much exhaustion. Adrenaline will do its job—palms sweating, the youkais, animals, and malevolent night spirits in the darkness approaching me, attracted by Mystia's terror song and the babies' cries—danmaku? Impossible; holding two very flammable and fragile babies. Eat this history? Too little time—0.4 seconds until they jump me. Fight…? Hopeless—

The world returns to speed as the menacing lights in the shadows lunge—howling monsters with and red, gleaming eyes.

—FLIGHT!

With eyes wide and clutching the crying newborns, my teeth bared, I explode into velocity, incapable of guiding myself thoroughly in the darkened forest and dodging monsters at the same time, maneuvering between sharp claws and wet, pointy teeth, not a pellet of Danmaku cast in my direction: This is not a duel worth of Spellcard Rules.

For them, this is hunt.

—I grit my teeth in pain. My flight is all unbalanced by the added weight and weariness of my body, so I'm caught off guard by sharp claws slashing open my back, missing centimeters from cutting deep. I spin in the air to regain my balance, desperately dodging everything in the dark—a deafening howl comes from my front as a mouth, agape and hungry, materializes out of the darkness, and I can't stop; they're on my back; I can't dodge, too close!

One split second, a decision made, and, making myself as small as possible—shielding the kids—I burst forth into massive forward momentum, piercing through the beast and coming out the other side with gushes of blood and shadow taken form, drenched in warm and sickening fluids.

This barely puts a dent in the pursuit. It probably made it worse, blood and guts all over my body…

… I'm so tired, so hungry… Everything hurts so much…

Breath heavy, adrenaline saturating my blood and speeding inside a darkened forest sieged by hungry monsters, I can't help but wonder how I ended up in this situation, an aphotic feeling clawing its way up my spine and threatening to freeze my body, tears streaming with the distress… To think I might die without asking Mokou for forgiveness; remembered only by lies, a pariah, not the village's protector, teacher…

Why am I even here? Why am I even doing all this?

This echo in my tired heart has a name, and it's hopelessness.

… Why don't I just stop and let it hap—a little hand touches my chin, eyes go down, tiny eyes hardly open looking back at me in a beautiful red coloration. Fear. It lasts a second…

Broken from the illusion of hopelessness, I clutch them harder, a new fire burning inside as my worn body gets a second wind, ailments ignored as a single thought burns through my mind: who Mystia thinks she is?

It doesn't start big, merely an ember…

Tears well in my eyes, tears of utter rage.

… Calling herself a mother…

The monsters don't stop; my maneuvers getting sharper and bolder as claws and teeth scrap my skin and draw blood, yet it does nothing to stop this newfound strength—searching a way out, any help—

—!! A strong hit to my head—blood pours like crazy on the left side, dizzy—and I drop one of the babies from the skies, “NOOO!!” darkness consuming it as it falls into the mass of predators—still, I can hear its melodic crying!

I immediately spring into action, free hand shooting danmaku on the surroundings of the crying and exploding beasts—does nothing, too many—plunging into the darkness without second thought, harassed by the mindless things all the way through and carving a way downwards with blood and tears—

I finally get close enough to see the second baby… Inside a beast's gaping maw. It closes, swallowing it whole.

Many would see this as the end… Mystia would.

… But what does that birdbrain know about being a mother?!

I land on the beast's face like a meteor, bare feet opening its mouth like curtains—the others were closing on me, my body's shivering—, my both arms free, holding the second baby's plain dress with my teeth… Violently, I sink my arms into the beast's throat, prompting its gag reflex as it struggles and spasms, trying to eat me and the other baby—but I keep strong, a shine in my eyes, that ember now a fire.

Throwing her kids away as if mere trash for things they have no control over!

My hands catch something—

—a true mother—Suzu…—a true father—Anon…—WOULD NEVER GIVE UP!

And I pull the kid off with a visceral sound; it's still crying. Alive. I feel relief. Body still shuddering, I fly away, the mass of mindless monsters cannibalizing the monster I saved the baby from.

I don't even try to watch, focused on my speed forward—

The forest opens to a clearing, and, feeling the woes of tiredness like a striking thunder, I fall from the skies, rolling across the grass and shielding the babies from any damage. The monsters follow close behind…