A New Form

Sherry Birkin.

A model student. Kindhearted. Beautiful. Smart. Graceful. Compassionate. Friendly. Optimistic. Responsible. She has every single trait possible for a girl to have to be regarded as a Disney Princess. Even her nickname among the students was Princess Birkin.

Everyone wanted to befriend her, follow her little trails, and even confess their true love to her. She was under such a bright spotlight, so bright it was akin to a beacon for almost all of the mutants alike who couldn't feel normal around others even though Sherry wasn't one of them.

But, she has a secret. One secret that shattered their illusion of who Sherry Birkin was.

"It's almost gone."

Muttered Sherry as she walked downstairs, holding tight the books on her chest while rubbing her forearms that were covered by her long-sleeved pink cardigan. Her mind wandered on to that night when she almost lost her mind. The wind blew lightly through one of the windows allowing her sleeves and long white skirt to flutter, showing the scaly marks around her forearms which were barely visible by now.

She hastily covered it and looked around. Noticing that the corridor was empty, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is this what they feel?"

Sherry didn't know what her classmates felt about their power as she was born and brought up in a normal family house. She tried to blend in with the others, but for her, the others were too extraordinary. She wasn't scared but was awed by the wonders and mysteries of the mutant's power.

However, when she got into the same situation as them, all she felt was anxiety and fear. To what extent she was capable of controlling her new self? She doesn't know.

Everything was new to her. Her hearing, vision, strength, everything was enhanced. However, once she turned, she lost control of her mind and became bloodthirsty. But everything was under control, thanks to Professor Jean Grey and Scott Summer's intervention, and the issue was regarded simply as a mutant cell awakening.

She shook her head, "now is not the time to worry about this. I must be strong until he returns."

Her mind started wandering again, to a figure of a boy younger than her. He was a bit smaller, but somehow he stood tall like a tree in the summer, so that she could hide under the shade. For a moment, she thought everything would be okay, as long as he was here.

"Hihi... You lost again! I win!"

Sherry heard the giggling of a little girl from outside the window. The garden should've been empty by now as all of the students and teachers should be in their classes. She peeked through the window and saw a girl along with a huge bird and a butterfly playing tag gleefully.

Her face was new to her. Sherry wondered if the girl was a new student that Professor X picked up, but she recalled that none of the teachers had gone on a 'house visit' this time around. So, where did the girl come from?

"Uwaah...!"

The little yelp snapped Sherry out of her thought. The little girl fell and was currently underneath the huge bird which was currently flapping both of its wings in joy.

'Caught you! You damn little witch!' Somehow Sherry felt that was what the huge bird, covered in dust, dirt, and grass was trying to convey.

"Hey. Get off!" yelled Sherry while waving her hands toward the huge bird, trying to shoo it away.

As if understanding human speech, the bird flew away, or something like that in Sherry's eyes. Its wings were just too small to support all its body's weight. And, as if knowing what Sherry was thinking, it stopped and looked down, scrapping the dirt with its foot.

'I'm not fat, I'm just fluffy,' conveyed the bird.

Sherry was speechless and turned her head to the little girl. She already stood up and even cleaned herself before hiding behind the small butterfly that barely covered her face. By the look of it, she seemed okay and unharmed at all. Sherry also noticed a thin membrane that covered the little girl's body. It seemed to be protecting her.

'Is that her power?' wondered Sherry, before asking, "Are you okay? What are you doing in here, alone?"

The little girl was startled, but still she tried to answer the question, thinking it was rude to not answer, "Eve… Eve's not alone."

Eve's eyes wandered toward the butterfly and the bird. Sherry laughed helplessly. At least she knew her name now.

"Big Sis… Who are you?"

"Oh! My bad. I'm Sherry. I'm a student of this school."

"What is school? Can you eat it?"

Hearing the word eat, the depressed bird turned around with its tongue out and droll dripping from its beak.

Sherry chuckled at the answer. If anyone could see her expression, they would've been mesmerized and captivated by her.

"No, School is where we study, make friends, and enjoy our youth. School is where we are now, where we are standing. Everything here is part of the school," Answered Sherry with a big smile.

"Mm? But my big brother said this is Garden."

'Big brother? Was there a schedule for a family visit?'

Just to make sure Eve wasn't lost or separated from her family, she held her hand out, asking for Eve to follow her. "You must be bored and miss your brother, let me take you there."

"Yes! Very!"

Clueless, both of the girls felt a strange feeling. These feelings were telling them two different things, the opposite of each other. Don't take that hand. Take that hand. Don't let it out! Let it out! Get away. Chase it.

<<RUN! >>

"SHERRY! Get away from Eve!"

I yelled at the top of my lungs. I jumped from the second floor. I could feel my sweat was being carried by the wind. Sherry heard my voice and turned her head toward me. She pulled her hand away from Eve. I could see her surprised expression. Thank god, I still made it in time.

Yet, why was it that I still felt something was wrong? 

"Got'cha."

Muttered Eve, with an empty expression, as she grabbed Sherry's hand.

I fucked up.

BOOM!!

It was as if the space between them shattered, sending a shockwave that blew everything in the garden. Plants, concrete, and earth were gouged out of their place. Fences were shattered into pieces, so sharp it pierced my skin like a shotgun's shrapnel.

Dust rose as high as the building behind me. The ground was shaking, alarming the students and the teachers inside their classes. The windows and doors that were directly facing the garden were also shattered and blown away.

I was blown away by the force of the shockwave mid-air and slammed my back on the brick wall before falling to the ground.

"Kuhaakk!"

The pieces of shrapnel didn't do anything much except graze my skin, but I felt sharp pain around my left shoulder. With my left right hand, I felt my shoulder and found one of the bigger pieces of wood pierced through my shoulder. I gritted my teeth and pulled it out and threw it away.

"Sherry! Eve!"

The dust hadn't settled yet, and it blocked my vision. I closed my eyes and used Sonar Sense. The sudden enhancement of my hearing allowed me to pick up signals and formed a frame of everything around me in black and white. It also allowed me to hear the voices of curious students and wary teachers who started to get out of the classrooms to find out what exactly caused the shaking.

I ignored them and looked for Eve and Sherry. The former looked fine and unaffected by the shockwave as the only thing that was blown away was the ground around her. But Sherry, she was far from fine.

"Kuuuh! Aaaaarrrrgh!"

Sherry was holding her head as if in pain, she barely holding her ground as her feet were shaking from the turmoil inside her body.

"Sherry!" I yelled.

I stood up only to fall again, planting my face on the hard surface of the stone floor. I looked down to find my left leg was busted, completely broken. No wonder I felt a numbing pain on that side. 

"Tch...!"

I bit my lip and forced myself to crawl. I had to go there. I needed to get to her side. I want...

"Kk...KAaaahhhh!!"

Sherry's voice started to distort. Her muscles bulged and deflated over and over. Scale appeared and started to take over, replacing her skin, leaving only her hand. Her nails started to grow and sharpened like a claw. Her hair grew longer and turned white. Her back started to swell, and something resembling a limb burst through her back. It was one, but not long after the second one burst out, then the third, and it stopped with the fourth.

This scene reminded me of William Birkin's state during his evolution into the monster he was. No way. I should've seen it. From a mile away. I shouldn't have left Eve alone. I shouldn't have brought her here.

Meanwhile, Eve who stood not far away from Sherry, fell like a doll before she was caught by Pon, the bird. It seemed to be unharmed as well. The Limbo butterfly protected both of them, that seemed to be the reason why she was unaffected earlier. I was relieved and disgusted at myself at the same time. I shouldn't have blamed this one Eve. This was all my fault.

Sherry's transformation was over when the limbs that came out of her back turned into a steel pole, almost similar to Peter Parker's Iron Spider costume in Endgame.

"Sherry?"

I called out to her, hoping to gain even a little bit of attention. It seemed she regained her mind as she responded to my voice.

"Ed...ward?"

I strained to catch her voice as it was so small, I could hardly hear her. Her hands that were covering her face slowly moved, showing her radiant face. The skin around her face wasn't covered with scale. Her lips were red resembling the color of blood. When she opened her eyes, her pupil glowed in golden and formed a slit.

No... no no no no... this is bad. This shouldn't happen. Shit! Fuck! What do I do?

My right arm was getting hotter and hotter. It was the Oni Gauntlet, urging me to take action. What fucking action?

It forced summoned the Flintlock onto my right hand, somehow telling me to take aim and end it before the worst happened. Slowly, I aimed the Flintlock toward the girl who had been more than a sister to me. It sucks.

Bam!

I slammed my head on the stone pavement.

Bam!

I slammed a few times more followed by all kinds of profanities. Blood gushed out of my forehead and covered my face. The pain deactivated Sonar Sense and my vision returned. All I could see was the dust that slowly settling.

"Regina!"

[Overriding Oni Gauntlet's mechanism. Force shutdown.]

The gauntlet and the Flintlock turned into light particles and scattered with the wind. I could feel my chest was boiling in anger.

"I am the one in charge!" I yelled. "Regina, override Oni Gauntlet's command and program. You can shut it down, there must be a way to take complete control over it."

[Yes, Sir.] answered Regina without hesitation. She also felt a need to take over the Gauntlet's instead of letting it decide what is what.

[Accessing Oni Gauntlet's central database.]

<Warning: Further intrusion isn't recommended.>

[Shutting down security system.]

<Access granted>

[Terminating Oni Gauntlet's connection with the Oni Gods.]

<25% >

<50% >

<75% >

<100%. Termination Completed.>

[Full control has been granted.]

<Congratulations! You've gained a new skill, Ultimate Oni Form.>

<With the soul of Genma's as a fuel, you can turn into complete Oni state.>

<Duration: Depends on the quality and quantity of stored Genma's soul.>

<Cooldown: No cooldown>

<The Oni Gods are watching your decision, curiously.>

<The Oni Gods urge you to take action against the imminent danger.>

<The Oni Gods...>

"Shut the fuck up! If you can only watch, then just watch. The Genmas' fate is mine to decide. You losers who've failed once don't get a say in this."

I forced myself to stand one more time, I took out a sniper rifle and used it as a support. I held my hand forward and used Telekinetic to disperse the dust, showing Sherry's new figure.

Our eyes met and my heart skipped a beat. It was fear.

"Edward..."

From other's point of view, my current state was pitiful. Leg's broken, a hole in my shoulder, and blood all over my face. At least, I still looked handsome. Is that a tooth falling out of my mouth?

"Who did it to you?" worries, plastered all over her face.

Sherry moved a step toward me, and my instinct suddenly flared up, causing me to flinch, and reflexively took a step back. She noticed my fear.

Sherry took a step back and jumped away. She jumped to the second floor and used her new extra limb to propel her onto the roof. Her figure couldn't be seen anymore.

That direction was our room. She probably going to hole herself in the bedroom.

"I flinched... Haha... what a lame bastard you are, Edward."

I heard voices behind me. It seemed the students and the teachers started crowding this area. I used telekinetics picked up Eve and escaped from the now-destroyed garden. It would take a while until everything calmed down.

At least I was glad Sherry didn't lose her mind.