Shike's Awakening

--Sky's Perspective--

The fighting with the Rubeki continued as we showed them no mercy. Relatively calm students were caked in their friend's blood and swiping away at the species, some even got up close and personal with the Rubeki and stabbed them to death with peeling knives. It wasn't about killing them or avenging our friends, it was about making them suffer.

The anger we were all feeling surpassed our one true duty, I could even say that I felt myself falling into the same rage, but watching my dad refreshed me.

A man who was consistently killing Rubeki with no demoralizing tactics other than just a simple swipe of a saber and an instant kill, he was standing tall and brave. He knew the students at MTG and most likely HTG after Mom's departure were dead or on the way, and he didn't care. He knew his job, so I have to follow in his footsteps. I couldn't wear the Asterio name proudly if I ignored him.

With Illya and Shike right behind me, I felt brave enough to kill the Rubeki with the same confidence my dad did. Various animals of all kinds, such as goats, rams, cows, giraffes, lions, falcons, hawks, and anything I could imagine, they were all running at the students and being steadily killed. The battlefield was loud with screams of rage, rather than screams of sorrow. The Rubeki... they're flourishing here!

I never considered it before, but the negative emotions are giving them strength, that's why my dad is fighting so calmly! He's had his experience in Rubeki Territory, just like Mom, Illya, and I have. That's why he can be so calm!

Shike and I doubled up and we hit the Rubeki with our two abilities. I slashed and cut, then kicked out of my direction, and Shike redirected the kinetic energy to smash the Rubeki's skulls and turn them into a puff of smoke. He was full of energy, just as I was, so we could continue our journey in fighting them.

The Rubeki weren't physical beings, so they couldn't destroy the landscape. Everything remained fine unless it had intervention between one of the students, which occasionally happened. The ground was being thrown up to look like newfound mountains in MTG, some grassy patches no longer existed, and dirt patches became the norm.

I filled my duty by killing as many Rubeki as possible. I even tried to mimic Mom's capabilities and her attacks, but I couldn't even imagine doing that yet. She was too powerful for me to match... and not to mention my dad.

In fact, I don't think I would ever match their power. Dad only had one arm and was clearing out Rubeki like it was nothing. If it were only Dad here, he could wipe out everything without breaking a sweat.

That only amplifies the threat of Providence ten-fold. A lady even Mom and Dad feared is one I shouldn't joke around about. I thought I became stronger, but they were still leagues ahead of me, leaving me in the dust. While killing as many Rubeki as humanely possible, I thought to myself that I needed that boost. Something to push me in the right direction and to become stronger...

Just as I was lost in that thought, a large Rubeki, which looked like a Griffin, slammed its claws into my chest and sent me all the way back to the fountain, right next to Belle and Alexia. I healed without a problem, but the impact alone frightened me.

"Sky! Are you okay?!" Alexia asked me, running over to me. I nodded my head and stood back up again.

"I need to become stronger," I said out loud. My injuries healed and I ran back into the fight, only to see Shike bounce off of the floor with a hit and travel near my position when I was hit.

"Shike, you alright?!" I yelled out to him. He sat back up and looked at the ground wide-eyed. I watched all over his tattered clothing and dulled weaponry... but he didn't look injured at all.

"Sky... where am I? What is this? Why are Belle and Alexia here...? How do I get out of here...?" Shike asked me.

"Shike? What are you talking about? Does he have amnesia?" Belle asked me... but I shook my head.

He knew Belle and Alexia... what was he trying to say?

"Sky... Illya... she's coming." He muttered. I turned around to see Illya run up next to him.

"Shike, I can heal you, are you okay?!" She asked, priming the strands in her left hand to heal him. Shike swatted her hand away and drew his weapon against her.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" I yelled out to Shike. I stepped between Illya and him just in case he turned even more delusional than he was already being.

"Don't you use those goddamn strands on me, Demon!" Shike yelled out again, getting ready to swing his weapon.

"I don't think I know what you're talking about. What do you mean, Demon?" Illya asked him with a calm tone. So long as we keep this calm, he shouldn't attack... we also had bigger problems at hand right now.

"We can talk about this later! Let's finish this fight and we can do this, peacefully!" I shouted out to Shike, but he shook his head.

"You... do you think we're meant to live?! Do you really think we're all going to survive this, Sky?! I was born to die! I wasn't given a purpose in my life! She created me... and she's going to kill me... all to make you stronger." Shike mumbled.

Before I could even react to Illya's quick movements, she put her hands over his mouth and slammed him to the ground, breaking the walls of the fountain and pushing water everywhere. However, Shike countered the kinetic energy he experienced and shot it back at Illya, launching her probably over a mile in the distance.

"What the hell was that?! What's going on?!" I asked in disbelief. Why were they fighting now, of all times? And why did Illya fight back...

Was Boo right?

"Shike, you need to explain to me very clearly... what's going on right now?!" I yelled at him again, but he shook his head while holding his temples.

"Belle, Alexia, keep your mouths shut no matter what. Sky, heal them." Shike demanded from me. He wasn't answering my questions... but I had no problem listening as they were fairly injured.

"When you get healed, prepare for a transition like no other. But, as I said, keep your mouths shut." Shike demanded from them. The stern look in his eye spoke to me... but why was he doing this?