Screams Beneath Shadows

As dusk settled, a voice pierced the silence, halting Kai in his tracks. He had thought he'd never hear that voice again. Memories of the past flooded his mind, a torrent of emotions rendering him momentarily immobile. Despite his shock, instinct took over; he imagined an attack emanating from the direction of the voice and swung at the air, connecting with nothing. He leapt back, eyes darting, scanning his surroundings for any sign of the unseen speaker.

"Who are you?" Kai asked in anger.

"Have you already forgotten me, that's hurtful" The voice said. 

Kai strained to pinpoint the origin of the voice, its elusive nature reminiscent of echoes bouncing off cave walls, obscuring its source. The sounds seemed to dance around him, coming from everywhere yet nowhere, thwarting his every attempt to locate their origin.

"You can't trick me, the voice you use is the voice of someone who is already dead" Kai said slightly smirking as if he had crushed the hope of whoever this was trying to impersonate his friend. 

"Speaking of death, I got a present for you" The voice said ignoring Kai's remarks.

Suddenly, Kai sensed a faint presence, one that stirred a sense of familiarity within him. As he turned toward it, his gaze fell upon a scene that stole his breath away. A woman, with hair as golden as the sun, was bound and crucified against a stone, her form marred by crimson stains. Kai's eyes widened, a lump forming in his throat as recognition dawned upon him, the sight of the woman piercing through his heart with a sharpness no blade could match.

"Nika!" Kai said to run towards her, but he was interrupted by a sudden blow to the face. 

Kai hit the ground hard, the impact of the punch sending him sprawling; it was swift, laden with force. Yet, he rose, driven by a desperate need to reach Nika. Ignoring the pain, Kai sprinted with all his might, when suddenly, a volley of slender shadow blades sliced through the air towards him. They slashed across his skin, leaving trails of pain in their wake, but Kai pressed on, driven by an indomitable will, his own safety forgotten in the face of his urgency to reach her.

As Kai neared, a shadowy figure materialized beside Nika, their face shrouded in darkness, unrecognizable. Kai's muscles tensed, a surge of realization coursing through him—this was the orchestrator of their nightmare. With resolve hardening in his heart, Kai's determination transformed into action. Ignoring the throbbing pain that screamed for attention across his battered body, he charged with renewed vigor toward the figure, intent on confronting the source of their anguish.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" Kai yelled. 

Just as Kai was poised to land his strike, the only thing he could register was a hand—a blur in his vision—swiftly closing in on his face. He had no time to react, no moment to brace for the impact. In an instant, the figure grasped Kai's face with an iron grip and hurled him towards the ground with devastating force. The air was knocked out of him, leaving him gasping for breath, overwhelmed by the sudden and brutal assault.

"It was so fast" Kai thought as he was about to look at the person but he was held forcefully to look at Nika. 

"You see Kai, I don't like weak people but I completely hate people with no potential, and Nika right here is weak and has reached all of her potential. Therefore she isn't worthy of our friendship" The person said, still forcing Kai to look at Nika. 

Hearing the assailant's movements, Kai's mind was suddenly flooded with the echo of a conversation he once had with an old friend. It was as though the voice of his friend was right there beside him, whispering in his ear, despite the impossibility of such a presence. This jarring juxtaposition of memory and reality momentarily disoriented him, casting a sliver of doubt on the solitude of his struggle.

"Akashi?" Kai asked, struggling. 

As Kai's gaze finally met his adversary, the shadows receded to unveil Akashi's face. There, stretched across his features, was a smile so wide and unsettling it seemed out of place, as if they were merely old friends stumbling upon each other at a high school reunion. The stark contrast between the warmth of his smile and the coldness of their confrontation sent a shiver down Kai's spine, blurring the lines between past camaraderie and present enmity.

"So you do remember me," Akashi said. 

Terror filled Kai's body as he knew how psychotic Akashi was and how strong. 

"Akashi, please let her go," Kai said pleading.

The fleeting glimpse of warmth vanished from Akashi's face as his eyes shifted towards Nika. A momentary scowl marked the transition, a dark cloud passing over his features. But just as quickly, his lips curled into a smile again, this time with a chilling edge. It was clear he was concocting a plan, something that gleamed with menace in the newfound gleam of his eye. This sinister turn of his smile suggested that whatever he had in mind for Nika, it was far from benevolent.

"ok , I will let her go, but if you truly want her to join our ground of friends we'll have to release her limit" He raised his hand with a sadistic look.

Shadows began to coalesce in Akashi's hand, swirling into a dark mass that seemed to pulse with malevolent energy. Kai, witnessing this ominous gathering, mustered every ounce of strength to intervene, to thwart Akashi's nefarious intent. Yet, for all his determination, he found himself rendered powerless, an invisible force holding him at bay. The shadow, now a sinister tendril, stretched out towards Nika, enveloping her in its chilling embrace. The moment it touched her, her screams pierced the air, a haunting testament to the shadow's torment.

"Akashi leave her be please" Kai pleaded powerless.

As Akashi's manipulation of the shadows intensified, so too did the pitch and fervor of Nika's screams. They filled the air, a harrowing echo of her agony. Amidst her torment, Nika's eyes found Kai's, their gazes locking across the distance that separated them. Despite the chaos, a silent plea was communicated between them. With great effort, she reached out her hand towards him, an act of desperation and hope. It was a gesture that spoke volumes, transcending the paralyzing darkness that sought to consume her.

"Kai, forgive me" She whispered as the shadow engulfed her completely, turning her into a shadow.