The mana particles continued to flow into Vanessa's chest, spreading across her body in slow, deliberate waves. Kajin's furrowed brows deepened as he watched the mana disperse through her, his concentration unwavering. "Good... The process is going well," he murmured to himself, his voice barely above a whisper. But as the mana continued its work, Vanessa's hand trembled faintly, her lips twitching as if trying to form words. Kajin's eyes widened, a mix of shock and hope flooding his expression. "She's waking up!" he thought, his heart pounding as he maintained the flow of mana. "I can't stop now. I have to make sure she has enough."
Kajin held her tighter, his arms firm yet gentle, and leaned forward until their temples touched. The warmth of her skin against his sent a quiet reassurance through him. As the Dinomagic continued, Vanessa's hand moved again, this time more deliberately. Kajin's breath hitched as he watched, stunned, as her fingers weakly reached toward his face. Her fingertips brushed his cheek, sending a shiver through him, before her entire palm rested against it. Kajin's tense expression softened, relief and sorrow washing over him in equal measure. Vanessa's hand began to caress his cheek, her touch faint but tender.
"Kajin..." she called softly, her voice fragile and barely audible. Kajin bit his lower lip, his eyes squeezing shut as strands of his hair fell across his face. "Thank you..." Vanessa continued, her weak smile breaking through as tears slipped from beneath the bandages covering her eyes. "For saving me..." Her voice trailed off, her hand lightly squeezing his cheek as if to anchor him to the moment.
Kajin's composure cracked. Tears welled in his eyes, his body trembling as he struggled to hold back his emotions. He pulled Vanessa closer, his grip tightening as if afraid she might slip away. "Vanessa... I'm sorry..." he choked out, his voice breaking under the weight of his guilt and relief.
As the final traces of mana entered her body, Kajin pulled Vanessa into a tight embrace, his tears flowing freely as his body trembled. He buried his face in her shoulder, his arms squeezing her as if afraid she might vanish. Vanessa, though weak, squeezed him back as tightly as she could, her own tears streaming down her cheeks. "Kajin... I always knew you would save me," she declared, her voice soft but filled with conviction. She leaned back slightly, her hands gently cupping his face to look at him directly. Kajin's eyes, now pale and white, continued to shed tears, his hands gripping her arms tightly, as if anchoring himself to her.
"And guess what..." she added, her voice trembling but warm. "You came, Kajin," she continued, her thumbs brushing away his tears. "You saved me..." she finished, a radiant smile breaking through her tears. Kajin's voice was steady but filled with emotion as he replied, "I will never let you go, Vanessa." His trembling began to subside as Vanessa's touch soothed him. "You are going to be free for the rest of your life," he assured her, his voice firm. "I promise you!"
Hearing this, Vanessa chuckled softly, her laughter mingling with her tears of joy. Kajin held her face gently, his hands trembling slightly, and leaned in until their temples touched. "Vanessa... I..." he began, his voice faltering. Vanessa placed a finger on his lips, silencing him. "I know..." she assured him, her voice steady and warm. "I know, Kajin..." She slid her hand down to his chest, feeling the rapid, steady beat of his heart beneath her palm. Kajin smiled faintly, using his sleeve to wipe away his tears, and placed his hand over hers, closing his eyes as he let his body slowly calm down.
After a moment, Vanessa removed her hand and looked at Kajin, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you," she whispered. Kajin smiled back at her before slowly standing up. He glanced around the dim cell, his gaze lingering for a moment, before taking Vanessa's hand and helping her to her feet. She swayed slightly, barely able to stand on her own, so Kajin draped her arm over his shoulders, supporting her weight. Together, they walked slowly out of the cell, their steps unsteady but determined.
Ruya scanned the area with the scope of his sniper, his gaze calm but focused, breath steady. "Kajin, where are you?" Wondered he. "What's taking you so long?" Cracknut sat perched on top of his head, tiny claws twitching nervously, when suddenly he noticed something moving fast through the buildings, destroying everything on its path. Grabbing Ruya's hair and pulling it sharply. "Ouch! Cracknut what do you—" Just before he could finish, Ruya stopped seeing something approaching them at tremendous high speed, kicking up a cloud of debris. "W-What's... That?!" Muttered Ruya, his face shocked, confused and scared, fingers tightening on the rifle. He immediately turned to look at Liam, who was counting the dead bodies, lips moving silently. "Liam!" He called, voice edged with urgency. "Something's approaching us fast!" He declared. "87, 88, 89-" Liam who was still counting the bodies turned to look at Ruya, blinking. "Huh?! What did you say?" He asked confused. Ruya positioning his sniper towards the incoming target took aim to get a closer look, the scope's crosshairs trembling slightly. Liam approached and as he saw with his eyes his expression hardened, becoming alert, shoulders squaring. "Shit..." He cursed, with frustration. As Ruya zoomed closer his eyes widened in horror, breath catching. "No..."
Stumbling out of the cell, Vanessa's legs buckled beneath her, sending her crashing to her knees. "Are you okay?" asked Kajin as he crouched beside her, his hands hovering over her trembling form. "I'm okay..." Vanessa replied weakly, her head dropping to her numb legs. "It's just that I can't really feel my legs..." she admitted, fingers digging into the cold stone floor for support.
Kajin gave a terse nod before turning, presenting his back to her. "Hop on, we don't have much time," he urged, his voice tight with urgency. A faint blush colored Vanessa's pale cheeks as she smiled slightly. With shaky hands, she slowly pulled herself onto his back, her breath hitching as her body protested the movement.
The moment her weight settled against him, Kajin stood in one fluid motion. "I've got to find the others now," he muttered under his breath. But before he could take a single step, the ground trembled violently beneath them.
"Huh?!" Kajin's head snapped up, eyes scanning the shuddering corridor. "What's going on?" Vanessa asked, her arms tightening around his shoulders.
"I don't know... Something is moving... fast..." Kajin's voice dropped to a growl as his muscles coiled, every sense on high alert. "We have to get out of here!"
He broke into a sprint, Vanessa clinging desperately to his back as debris rained around them. The shaking intensified - cracks spiderwebbed across the ceiling before exploding outward in a shower of rubble. Kajin skidded to a halt, eyes wide with disbelief as a familiar voice rang out.
"KAJIN!!!"
Rhyver's manic scream preceded his earth-shattering impact, the force of his landing sending shockwaves through the corridor. Dust swirled around his crouched form as he threw his head back with crazed laughter, eyes glowing with unnatural light. "ITS BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME!" His lips twisted into a grotesque parody of a smile, all teeth and hunger. "KAJIN!"
A suffocating wave of bloodlust crashed over them, making Kajin's skin prickle. His arms trembled where they supported Vanessa's weight. "This is... absurd..." The thought barely formed as he took in Rhyver's feral stance. "That is not Rhyver, this is... A hungry beast."
Vanessa peeked over Kajin's shoulder, her breath catching at the sight. "Rhyver..." The name left her lips like a prayer.
Straightening with unnatural grace, Rhyver giggled, a sound that belonged to no sane man. "Ever since I saw you Kajin, I wanted to fight you... But your daddy wouldn't allow me..." His fingers twitched at his sides, claws elongating. "That must have been a rare act of mercy coming from him, don't you think?"
The laughter that followed was jagged, broken, as Rhyver pressed a hand to his face like he could physically contain his madness. Kajin remained frozen, every muscle taut.
"I wouldn't be so happy if I were in your place," Kajin forced out through gritted teeth. "My «daddy» wouldn't be very delighted seeing you not obeying his orders."
Rhyver's hand dropped away, revealing eyes gone completely wild. "I don't give a fuck about the king's orders! Either way I was going to die holding myself back from fighting." His chest heaved. "I was holding myself for decades!" Spittle flew from his lips with the force of his declaration before his expression twisted back into that terrible smile. "But now... I can finally enjoy myself... Even for a moment!"
Kajin's mind raced even as his body prepared for the inevitable. "I'm done for... I've given most of my energy to Vanessa, plus down here, I cannot fight properly, it's too tight and we risk killing the enslaved." His eyes darted to the crumbling ceiling. "I got to take this fight to the surface, even if it means battling the Special Mage Force..."
Rhyver's giggles grew louder as he took a step forward, then another, his movements jerky with pent-up energy.
"NOW, I'M TIRED OF TALKING! LET'S GET THIS FIGHT STARTED ALREADY!!!"
The scream still hung in the air as Rhyver launched himself forward, moving faster than Kajin's eyes could track. One moment he was meters away - the next, his hot breath fanned Kajin's face.
"Fuck!"
The curse left Kajin's lips a split-second before Rhyver's hand closed around his head. There was no time to react, no time to even release Vanessa properly before his skull met stone with a sickening crack. The wall cratered around the impact point as dust and debris filled the air.