My Test (2)

Luckily, I was quick enough to dodge the sudden lethal blow with a low side flip and readied my sword, the tip reflecting a dull gleam. The Loch Ness Monster once again opened its wide mouth, revealing the four rows of teeth all crooked and sharp, the type built for severing even metal. Then, a white misty light materialized inside its mouth with tiny particles conjoining in the middle.

"Huh? What is it do--"

"Asu-nee, get out of the way!" Nikki shot, but I simply watched the monster complete its move in disbelief, my senses in utter disarray.

Though I could feel my reflexes kicking in, my frenzied mind was so clogged up that it really seemed like my feet were glued solid to the ground, causing me to stubbornly and idly stand there rooted even if my entire being was alerting of red flags. The monster finally launched its mighty attack in my direction.

"Ahhhh--!!!"

A thick, white laser-like beam shot my way. Sure, I was getting good at physical combat, but since this felt torn right out of an RPG game, I was scared out of my hair. The laser accelerated at such speed like a rapid bullet, giving me no time at all to repel the attack.

It hit me head on.

I flew a few meters above the ground until I eventually collided with a nearby dead tree, scattering a few bark scraps in the air. My back struck it hard which sent an electrifying sensation through my entire spinal cord, causing a temporary paralyzing effect.

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(...!!!)

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"Unnhhh..."

I was barely able to get up - let alone lift even a finger. My muscles were numb and my bones taut as if incapacitated. Along with a faint ringing in my ears, I was able to make out everyone in the sphere shouting my name in a fret except of Raizo. I didn't hear his voice mixed in.

The shock of the impact had me down for a few minutes - my breath was caught in between my throat, causing me to cough hard a bit. Nonetheless, I knew I had to get up at some point.

(Come on Asuna... I can't give up now, not when the exit's so close...!)

Mustering up all the last ounce of strength I could manage, I slowly got on my wobbly feet, but soon fell straight down with a sharp pain in my right leg. When I looked to examine the cause, I saw blood trickling down from the kneecap and it was weirdly twisted like some rope. I almost passed out only by having that single look at it.

The Loch Ness Monster, of course, wasn't planning to wait for me to recover as it slowly wriggled its way towards me. I managed to support myself with my sword that was sturdily planked in the moist ground. The monster once again opened its wide mouth, preparing for a second beam of attack.

(Oh no, no, no! Not again...!)

I was in no state of dodging the same attack this time, unless I somehow use my sword as a deflector or something, but time wasn't on my side AGAIN. Just as it launched the white beam again...

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I Instinctively closed my eyes out of fear, awaiting a second collision. But the anticipated pain didn't come.

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(W-What...?)

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My entire body cradled back and forth. A soothing breeze trickled my face, a sort of awareness quite alien to the previous situation. I slowly parted my eyelids to see--

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......

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"RAIZO!?!?"

My jaw literally dropped from the unexpected shock to which Raizo simply chuckled in return.

"W-W-What are you doing here?! How did you get here?! W-When--"

Before I could finish my barrage of stuttered up questions, Raizo clasped my mouth shut with his hands in a hurry after putting me on the ground.

"I knew you needed help defeating that thing, so, I came all this way to lend you a little strength." He smiled warmly.

"...Thanks. I would be lying if I said I didn't need it."

Raizo ended up landing to hide behind a small pack of bushes. Perhaps from the relief of me being out of the danger zone for a while, my mind wandered off. It was a brief respite though; I presently remembered I was hurt, and the clink of thought brought back the familiar pain once more.

"Urrgghhh..."

I lightly clutched my leg with my shaky hands, trying my best to stop the bleeding. It wasn't long until Raizo also noticed my state before eye-balling the monster's location from the bushes one more time. For a second, I thought I saw an unfamiliar emotion flicker in his mismatched eyes, but it quickly vanished as he crouched right in front of me, worry now overtaking his face.

"Oh no! You're hurt bad!"

Raizo gave it some thought before gently touching the injured area. I flinched in pain out of reflex.

"S-Sorry...!"

"*wince* It's okay..." I managed to let out a faint reply.

Nodding once as if convincing himself, Raizo then stood up, and in the blink of an eye, dark light enveloped his entire body like a velvet cloth. My eyes swelled in wonder at this uncommon display. The intense light gave away our position to the Loch Ness Monster - it growled once before starting to slither our way. At the same time, Raizo's appearance also changed. The once casual looking Raizo was now a grim-looking reaper.

The gold embroidery on his long, black coat shone in the night's darkness, bringing out the shades of his gold and red colored eyes which were as serious as ever. A black hood was covering Raizo's dull red hair, including a bit of his forehead. I could also see a Roman number engraved on it.

(XIII...? Does that mean anything...?)

The moment he completed his transformation, for a split second, there was an undefined source of light which revealed his entire expression. It really felt as if I was looking at a still picture come to life. Raizo slowly twisted his sleek body to face me. He didn't look like the Raizo I knew at all. His eyes held a remote light, and he wasn't smiling in the slightest. The entire air around him seemed frozen and stern, as if the slightest mistake could overturn the whole situation on us. It just got harder and harder to comprehend him being the previous Raizo I was familiar with...

He then took me in his arms and leapt sideways. Before I had any reaction time, a white beam just hit the spot we were hiding seconds back.

(He... saw that coming?! How fast!)

I took notice of Raizo's expressionless face as I looked his way, his sharp eyes piercing the darkness under his hood.

"Umm.... Raizo...?"

Paying me no attention, Raizo was still holding me while he shook his right hand to reveal an enormous scythe - the weapon way longer than him which, for a moment, reflected a glare of the moon, almost blinding me. It looked like it weighed a ton! He then let go and gently put me on the brittle ground. After making sure I was okay, Raizo darted for the monster until he was only a few feet away from this abominable creature. The whole area was dead quiet as the Loch Ness monster and Raizo eyed each other warily. A light, clinging noise hummed the moment Raizo readied his enormous scythe while glazing his right foot back, finalizing his 'fight' pose.

I really wished I was able to help, but all I could do at this point was watch their show unfold like some handicapped partner.

Just as I was going to ask Raizo if I could do anything to help no matter how trivial, he jerked forward with blazing speed and raised the scythe high above his head. In a second, Raizo was hovering above the monster's head, his long, dainty coat flitting in the wind. The moment he swung his big scythe, the monster also shot the beam, displaying like some sort of final scene.

The two forces collided fiercely, thundering a loud, clashing sound. The whole area was enshrouded by a blinding white light that even I had to shield my eyes. The sphere also cracked and broke by the concentrated energy in the air. I could faintly make out Raizo's silhouette in the midst of the light, struggling to repel the Loch Ness Monster's attack.

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He then did it. Raizo successfully deflected the attack by swinging his scythe sideways with all his might. With that action, the beam travelled in a wide arc like a disc before hitting the Loch Ness Monster instead. It moaned in pain as it fell back in the water, delicately floating on it. Raizo then landed on the ground not far from the monster. Executing it like a norm, he pointed the scythe in the creature's direction. Just as he did, a trail of yellow-ish light began to form from the monster and was being absorbed in Raizo's scythe.

"W-What are you doing?!" I asked from behind in a concerned tone.

He glanced back at me with a pensive expression as he replied, "Taking its soul."

I couldn't say a peep in return to his short statement, perhaps since I was already bewildered by his sudden change in personality. But his lack of words, still direct, continued to have me at a loss for words. Raizo sounded too serious, and his eyes were as cold as ever while continuing his task without so much as thinking twice.

Within no time at all, the Loch Ness Monster's body disappeared as if swept clean.

(He... took its soul... without hesitation... Is he really......?)

After completing his reaper task, Raizo came strolling towards me. As he crouched down, he gently took hold of my leg, closed his eyes and touched it with his finger, causing the wound to close up right in front of me without so much as even leaving behind a scar.

When Raizo finished, he motioned with his chin, "Try getting up."

I did as I was told. Like magic, the pain had disappeared - I was able to stand, walk and everything. My leg was totally back to normal! Is all the effective stuff like this really a given with otherworldly powers that my siblings possess? If so, maybe I'd actually consider it...

"Thanks Raizo!" My relief turned to happiness.

He smiled in return.

(Wow... I never thought HE could smile...)

"Umm... Can I ask you something? If you don't mind..."

"What?" Raizo asked plainly.

"You... are still 'that' Raizo I know, right?"

I was even scared to talk to him now! And I was right to be. For the faintest of second, something foreign flashed through Raizo's gleaming eyes, causing him to keep them shut as he stood frozen. He then chuckled in amusement as he dropped down his hood and popped a tiny candy in his mouth, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Of course, silly. I am still the same old Raizo. Sorry if that all was unpleasant. It's only... since my reaper form is like another me. I can't really explain it well or go into the 'how' details, but it just happens, y'know? And it takes a while for me flip that serious switch, so... try not to talk to me much when I'm a reaper, okay? I may say stuff that's unbecoming of me ahahaha..."

Though I still had a few questions left, in the end I gave a shallow nod in return as I couldn't bring myself to say any more. Raizo's explanation, as always, sounded pretty vague... Witnessing that familiarity caused a bit of my doubts to ease though. While we were in the middle of happily reuniting, the sphere mysteriously emerged next to me once again.

"Raizo! How DARE you help this human, let alone, turn into a reaper without my consent?! Do you know how many rules you've broken?! I can't believe either of you rascals! Now I will never let her join this club, you hear me?!" It was the grumpy Sadashige sensei.

"Hey! Whose fault do you think that is? You're the one I can't believe here! You put Asuna in terrible danger just for your own amusement?! I can't believe we even have such a sadistic man to lead us! We ARE putting her in our group, whether you like it or not!"

Raizo retorted back angrily, causing an air of silence to settle drearily. I-- no, we were all taken aback by his sudden eruption.

"Raizo, I think you should calm down a bit." Mizore prompted softly while I put a hand on Raizo's shoulder quivering faintly, snapping him back to his senses. He looked away in fury with a 'Give me time to clear my head' to which I agreed. I don't know why he exploded this much; Sadashige sensei is always sneering and belittling like this after all...

A while later, Yuichi was the one to break the tense atmosphere. "...Though Raizo's words were harsh, they were true. ...I also agree with him in letting Asuna join our team. ...That also goes for everyone. ...So, if you will..."

Sadashige sensei exhibited an annoyed groan before loudly snapping his left fingers. Just as he did, a portal-like animation opened in the water, sucking the middle lake in like a whirl hole.

"Let's go Asuna." Raizo took my hand as we walked over to the water portal.

(Huh?! I-In there?!)

"Raizo... Are you sure it's safe?"

"Trust me, it is."

Sensing that confident air about him, I couldn't help but comply. There was still something bugging me however, but I couldn't bring myself to ask Raizo further. Not now when he was already in a bad mood...