Myzen shot two dark red orbs of essence from his hand hitting Kaito in each of his knees. He collapsed to the ground in pain.
Myzen walked over slowly and crouched beside him then leaned in close.
"Why kid? Why'd you even show yourself? You knew they would come for you. Why not stay hidden you damn idiot… You left them... they cried for you… The old man. The children. Every single one of them. Every single one of them called your name right to the end and you never came… you abandoned them." He whispered.
It wasn't in a way a villain would kick the good guy while he's down, no… It was as if Myzen was genuinely upset. Disappointed.
A raw ache spreaded through Kaito's chest like wildfire. His hands pressed into the ground, beginning to tremble.
"Shut up…" He whispered out
"They begged for you. Begged. But…. you never came. Why Kaito? Why did you leave them?" Myzen continued, his voice slowly growing louder with each sentence.
Kaito's breathing hitched. A suffocating wave of rage and helplessness crashed over him, pinning him to the ground. Images began to form in his mind—Farro's kind face twisted in pain, the children's innocent smiles… taken away.
His vision blurred as tears began to overtake his eyes.
His hands dug into the arena floor, nails scraping against the stone until he bled.
"They needed me… and I wasn't there." He thought to himself.
Tears began rolling down his face.
He couldn't stand.
He couldn't fight.
No matter what he tried to do…
He was too weak...
Myzen raised his hand, gathering a huge dense orb of dark red essence. It grew larger and more chaotic with every second. His eyes seemed to be overcome with guilt and sadness slightly as he muttered his words out.
"Goodbye, Kaito the human… please forgive me."
He blasted Kaito away from point blank range.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!
A thick cloud of smoke and dust billowed out. The ground and the nearby surrounding area was destroyed.
Elara's heart pounded as she watched the destruction from a distance. The dust cloud obscured everything, leaving the crew frozen in fear, unable to see what had become of Kaito.
Myzen stood at the edge of the blast.
"I'm sorry… kid. I had no choice."
He turned and began to walk away thinking the match was over… until he heard it.
Thud-thud... thud-thud...
It was the sound of a heartbeat, but not his.
Thud-thud... thud-thud thud-thud thud-thud.
It was Kaito's.
Thud-thud thud-thud thud-thud thud-thud THUD-THUD THUD-THUD THUD-THUD
THUD-THUD THUD-THUD THUD-THUD THUD-THUD THUD-THUD THUD-THUD
The dust cleared up and there stood Kaito.
His clothes were shredded, his arms and legs covered in gashes and bruises… but he didn't fall.
Blood dripped down the side of his face. The crew and viewers watching from homes, bars, ships, and more watched in shock. Myzen's sorry expression wavered as it morphed into disbelief.
Kaito's head hung low, his hair covering his eyes. He wheezed subtly with every breath he took. He looked completely done for. Yet his presence felt... different.
"Hehehe…"
He chuckled, but it was low and filled with a strange calm that sent chills through the viewers watching.
Elara looks on in shock as she recognizes the energy emitting from Kaito.
"This essence… it's the same as before in the training room." She thought to herself.
Kaito took a step forward as blood dripped from his wounds.
Even the crew stared in stunned silence, caught between shock and fear. This wasn't the same Kaito they knew. Something darker had awakened within him.
Then, everyone heard it.
It was Kaito's voice.
Yet… it wasn't only his.
There was a second voice, one of a woman, that layered his subtly.
He, no… they began to hum.
Myzen watched in shock, his voice finally leaving his throat.
"Wh-who the hell are you? What the hell are you!?"
But they didn't respond, instead their humming turned into singing.
"Ring around the rosie…"
"Pocket full of posies…"
"Ashes, ashes..."
They finally lifted their head revealing their face. Their eyes, once full of life and warmth, now looked demented and pure evil. A deranged smile stretched across their face as they finished the lyrics.
"...we all fall down."