Volume One | Chapter - Revelation Part Three

At first, Sachika thought she was hallucinating, but when she started calling out to Hibiki she soon realised what had just happened moments was in fact real.

She scurried over to Hibiki lifting her friend upon her legs, as she looked on in horror the scene before her.

Just a foot away from them laid Hibiki's arm and of her torso. Sachika looks down at her friend to only realise that Hibiki had third degree burns stretching out from the torn crisped flesh.

Placing a hand upon Hibiki's chest, Sachika felt for a pulse and was relieved to feel one only if it was very faint.

Before them, the Nebula-controlled Familiar walked towards them. Her chest had vapour venting out of it where they fired the plasma beam towards Sachika and Hibiki.

Looking up Sachika froze unable to move all she could think about was Hibiki putting herself in harm's way for her sake. She trembled slightly as she watched her opponent draw their arm backwards in a striking position.

Sachika closed her eyes waiting for the inevitable when she suddenly heard someone shouting.

"Sachi!" Chi-Sun shouted as she threw four daggers at the enemy all the blades impaling themselves into the arm of the Nebula-controlled Familiar.

Sachika opened her eyes looking up at Chi-Sun as the latter slid across the floor to their side, "Chi-Sun what are you doing here?" she spoke weakly.

"The Mistress told me what happened so I came as soon as I could" Chi-Sun replied as she tended to Hibiki's injuries.

"Sachi, you need to chase after that one it's going to the infirmary..." she was cut short by Sachika.

"B-But what about the others?" Sachika asked.

"Don't worry about them Ashina and the other high ranking third-year students will take care of them..." Chi-Sun gently pulled Hibiki out of Sachika's arms so she could treat her properly "...the Mistress wants you to go to the infirmary"

Nodding reluctantly Sachika stood up looking down at her two friends for a moment, she took a step or two away before stopping to turn back around. "Take care of Hibiki, okay?" Sachika quietly spoke.

Chi-Sun just nodded as she watched Sachika run towards the infirmary of the academy whilst she continued to tend to Hibiki's wounds until help arrived.

***

A few moments ago Aiko had just woken up, she was breathing heavily as her chest ached.

The top of her corset was undone where wires were once attached to her. She grabbed her head with both hands as a throbbing headache started to appear.

Looking out towards the window she could see the flash of purple and pink as she heard the sounds of plasma beams being fired.

"What the hell has happened since I've been out," she asked herself.

As she tried to start up, she fell under the weight as her legs were numb for not being used for hours.

Wincing in pain Aiko breathed in heavily after a few seconds with all her strength she picked herself back up, this time Aiko was more steady upon her feet.

Suddenly there was rapping on the door to her room, Aiko slowly walked over to open it. She was surprised to find that it was her friends Uli and Bethany.

Without saying anything Uli instantly hugged Aiko while Bethany smiled feeling relieved that her friend was okay.

Once Aiko and Uli finished their embrace, the former looked between her two friends seeing a hint of worry on her faces.

"What's wrong? And what's happening out there?" Aiko sheepishly still rather groggy from the medicine and painkillers she was getting whilst asleep.

"The Nebula is attacking the academy all the first years are heading to the shelter right now" Bethany answered Aiko's question.

Uli spoke up, "We need to get out of here"

Both Aiko and Bethany nodded in agreement the trio quickly exited the room, but Uli instantly stopped startling both Aiko and Bethany.

"What is it, Uli?" Bethany asked when Uli didn't respond she too looked in the direction of where Uli had her eyes laid upon.

Before the girls stood a girl clad in metallic grey digital armour, the orange energy shining brightly within the dark corridor. The three of them had no idea what was standing before them before they could even do anything a shining purple bloom started to appear at the centre of the figure.

All of a sudden a plasma beam emitted from the purple bloom heading straight for them, fortunately, the trio were able to move quickly to avoid any direct hits however they weren't quick enough to avoid the explosion.

The explosion knocked them down to the ground winding them. Aiko's vision was blurred as she looked around, she could make her friends on the other side of the corridor both of them unconscious.

Before even realising it, the girl that fired the plasma beam at them was standing before Aiko.

She froze in fear of what was going to happen.

It wasn't long when Aiko felt a sharp agonizing pain in her chest looking down she could see a metallic grey and sunset orange blade through her chest as blood spurted out.

The Nebula controlled Familiar lifted Aiko up by her blade then threw her across the floor.

"You bitch!" Sachika shouted as she used Quadruple Tachyon on her enemy, however, her opponent easily avoided the ability dodging it out of the way.

"Aiko!" Bethany called out as she looked on in shock. Sachika flinched upon hearing Aiko's name she turned around to look in the direction of the other students only to see both Uli and Bethany trying to get a reaction out of Aiko to no avail.

Without warning Sachika's chest started to hurt as if something was sucking the life out of her very slowly, her vision started to go black around the edges.

No! Why is this happening to me, first Hibiki and now Aiko, Sachika hands started to flex controllably, her eyes pulsing with a blueish hue as a dozen strands of her hair started to turn blue? Images of both Hibiki and Aiko's lifeless bodies were filling up inside her head.

She grabbed her head intensely, "No! Stop it!" Sachika screamed out.

Both Uli and Bethany were startled looking towards Sachika they could see the second year students appearance start to change it something similar to the enemy Familiar except Sachika had blue energy currents across her Essence Form.

The Essence Form in theory to many scientists was a work in progress but the thesis dictated that Essence Armament could be improved to conjure itself across the entirety of the Familiars body, exponentially heightening their physical abilities.

***

Why do I feel so cold? Aiko thought to herself as she looked around all she could see was nothing but a black abyss.

She thought back to the last thing she remembers, the Familiar girl stabbing her in the chest. Aiko placing her hands on her chest tried to feel for a stab wound, but she couldn't find anything.

"I guess I'm dead then" she sheepishly accepted her outcome without resisting.

Aiko just floated in the empty abyss all by herself, as she thought about the many things she wanted to do in her life.

She was startled when some anonymous arms draped around her, lurching backwards in fear she soon notices that this woman closely resembled the other from her previous vision. However, unlike the first, this woman emanated an azure radiance including her eyes.

"Who are you suppose to be?" Aiko asked anxiously.

When the woman didn't respond Aiko gulped fearing for the worst. The woman stretched out her hand in front a few seconds had gone by when a small electric ball of energy was conjured in the vicinity of her hand.

Aiko just looked on, as in her eyes the scene before her something of pure spectacle and beauty.

It wasn't until Aiko felt a shifting sensation in her spine that she started to regret falling prey to such a supernatural skill.

When she heard the cracking of bones and the feeling flesh tearing over her spine, Aiko then started to scream out in pain.

Her body fidgeted and squirmed as the woman before Aiko continued to perform whatever unknown ability she was using. Once finished the woman released her hold on Aiko, the latter falling upon an invisible surface as fresh tears came from her eyes upon experiencing such a traumatic experience.

As Aiko laid there in her academy uniform blood seeped unto the invisible flooring. The woman turned away as she hovered off into the distance eventually vanishing in thin air.

Little did Aiko know that back in reality, both Uli and Bethany looked on in horror as they witnessed Aiko's body transformation as they watched blood and cringe-worthy noises could be heard and seen.

Unable to do anything to help either Aiko or Sachika, who was fighting the enemy Familiar, the two friends felt more useless now than they ever did in the past.

The two friends were unable to use their Essence abilities due to not having a partner until that happened both Uli and Bethany were useless in their current predicament.

All they could do was hope that somehow all four of them could make it out of this alive.