Arc 1, Chapter 3: A Necessary Sacrifice

The relief flooded through Raijin like a tidal wave as he recognized Ayuna's face, her eyes wide with fear but alive. Without hesitation, he reached out to help her out from the rubble, his muscles straining with exertion as he pulled her free.

"Raijin..." Ayuna's voice was barely a whisper, her body trembling with shock and exhaustion. "I... I thought I was going to die..."

Raijin's heart ached at the sight of Ayuna's distress, but he knew they didn't have time to dwell on it. "We need to f-find Sapenta," he said urgently, casting a worried glance at the unstable wreckage surrounding them. "Those things could find us at any moment."

Ayuna nodded weakly, allowing Raijin to support her as they staggered to their feet.

As they struggled onward, Raijin's mind raced with worry for Sapenta. He couldn't shake the fear that he might still be trapped somewhere in the rubble, injured and alone. Or, even worse, that he might be facing one of those monsters. Raijin knew Sapenta was strong but, if Niko wasn't able to escape unscathed and he was stronger than Sapenta, then...With every step, his anxiety mounted, driving him forward with a desperate urgency.

With Ayuna leaning on him for support, Raijin pressed on and entered the side of the school which had not yet collapsed. Sapenta had to be inside as he was nowhere outside. He had to be.

Raijin and Ayuna walked through the debris-strewn hallway, his senses on high alert for any sign of danger. The weight of uncertainty hung heavy in the air as they moved cautiously forward, each step fraught with tension and apprehension.

As they rounded a corner, Raijin's heart skipped a beat at the sight that greeted them. There, amidst the rubble, lay Sapenta. He was not in a good position.

He had a large cut on his belly and some of his fingers were also missing. What shocked Raijin the most however, was the thing lying dead next to him. It was a grey skinned monster. The same one that Raijin had first seen in the bathroom. Somehow, Sapenta had ran into it and killed it. It was missing an eye. At the cost of his index and middle finger though. But then again, he was lucky to still be alive.

Raijin and Ayuna who was still leaning on him, walked towards Sapenta. He was unconscious.

Gently, Raijin knelt down beside Sapenta, and with Ayuna's little help, as she was still weak and in pain, Raijin carefully lifted Sapenta into his arms. It felt awkward to do that, and Raijin almost dropped Sapenta due to how heavy he was. He wasn't obese, but he did have muscle on him.

They began to make their way out of the rubble-strewn hallway. Their progress was slow and painstaking, each step weighed down by the burden of their injured friend. 

As they emerged from the wreckage and into the relative safety of the outside, Raijin's heart soared with relief. They had made it out alive, together.

But, Raijin knew the peace wouldn't last for long. They needed to call the cops. But, what would the cops do in this situation?

His mind went back to what Yoru had told him. She was a "Monster Hunter". If it had been any other day, Raijin would've called her insane. Frankly, he still wanted to. He wanted to think that this entire day was just a bad dream. He would've even hoped that he would be diagnosed as schizophrenic or something so that he could at least chalk this day up to his hallucinations. 

But, Raijin knew this was no hallucination. There was no way.

"R-Raijin," A weak voice came from Raijin's side.

It was Ayuna.

She looked at him as if to tell him to get moving already as he was lost in thought. Raijin shook his head and just as he went to take a step forward,

*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEECH*

Raijin quickly turned to look behind him as he heard the screech, but he reacted too slowly. He felt a sharp pain in his back. It felt as if a sword had pierced his skin. A very thin, long and sharp sword. He then felt the pain worsen as whatever had stabbed him was pulled out.

"GAH!", Raijin let out a gasp of pain as he stumbled and fell down. He cocked his head behind him and his eyes widened. There, he saw the same grey-skinned monster. 

'W-what is this thing doing here? Hadn't Sapenta killed it?' Raijin thought desperately. He knew that he had seen it lying down and not even breathing. He also knew that this was the same one as one of it's eyes was missing. Raijin assumed that Sapenta had removed it. How was this thing still alive?

Raijin saw what had stabbed his back. It was one of the monster's long nails. Raijin could feel blood begin to leak out from his wound. It felt painful. Without a doubt, it was the worst pain Raijin had ever felt in his life. He looked back to his left side and saw Ayuna also staring at the monster with wide, fearful eyes. He then looked in front of hm and saw Sapenta still unconscious.

'We're so dead'

With fear coursing through his veins, Raijin knew they were in grave danger. His mind raced, trying to come up with a plan, but panic threatened to overwhelm him. He couldn't afford to freeze up now, not with Ayuna, Sapenta, and himself at risk.

Summoning every ounce of strength he had left, Raijin pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the searing pain in his back. He had to get his friends and get out of here. Quickly, before one of them died.

Raijin rose despite the agony coursing through his body. Every movement sent jolts of pain shooting through him, but he pushed the discomfort aside. Only one objective was on his mind: Survive and protect his friends.

"Stay close," Raijin instructed Ayuna, his voice strained but resolute. "We need to find a way out of here."

Ayuna nodded, her expression a mixture of fear and determination mirroring Raijin's own.

Raijin. now completely standing up, looked at the monster. It was just staring at Raijin and Ayuna, as if waiting to see what they would do. 

Raijin racked his brain to try and find a solution out of this predicament he and his friends had gotten stuck in when,

"Raijin. I have an idea." Ayuna spoke up. Raijin was surprised that she had actually used her brain, but he thought it was a given. If they weren't smart now, then they would all die.

Raijin's attention snapped back to Ayuna, his eyes widening slightly in surprise at her sudden proposal. Despite the pain and chaos surrounding them, he felt a glimmer of hope flicker to life within him. If Ayuna had an idea, then maybe, just maybe, they stood a chance of getting out of this alive.

"What is it?" Raijin asked, his voice tinged with urgency as he turned to face Ayuna, his gaze intense.

Ayuna took a deep breath, steadying herself before she spoke. "We need to lure that thing away from here, buy ourselves some time to escape," she said, her voice firm and resolute despite her obvious fear.

"Y-yeah that much is obvious, but how do we do that? That's the thing I'm confused about," Raijin replied. He had obviously thought about distracting the monster and they would run away, but how were they supposed to do that?

"Well, I have an idea, but you won't like it, I think."

"Anything that doesn't involve any of us dying is a good plan!"

Ayuna nodded. She then pointed behind the monster. Raijin followed her finger and his eyes widened at what she was suggesting. But, Raijin knew that it was the best solution.

Ayuna was pointing at the school fire alarm, which was now exposed due to the wall being collapsed. Raijin's aim was amazing. If he had a rock, he could certainly hit it. The only thing was that someone was there.

Okaro Niko. He was just standing there, holding his hand. Raijin assumed he had gotten an injury.

Raijin didn't see any reason why he should feel sorry or bad if the monster killed Niko. Ever since "THAT INCIDENT", Niko had bullied him non-stop. Niko had almost killed him on multiple occasions. Niko had sent his lackeys to beat up Sapenta. Even Ayuna wasn't safe from him as he would constantly harass her before a teacher came and stopped him.

Niko was a despicable being. Raijin would feel no remorse if he was dead. Raijin looked back at the monster who was still looking at them. Or, more accurately, looking at Raijin. Why was it looking at him with something akin to... respect? 

Raijin was beyond confused, but he took this opportunity and bent down, picking up a stone.

Raijin's hand tightened around the stone, his heart pounding with a mixture of fear and determination. He glanced at Ayuna, her eyes reflecting the same emotions that churned within him. With a silent nod between them, they both understood the gravity of their plan.

Without a moment's hesitation, Raijin drew his arm back and hurled the stone with all the strength he could muster. It soared through the air, guided by his aim, and struck the fire alarm with a resounding clang.

The shrill wail of the fire alarm pierced the air, echoing through the abandoned halls of the school. Raijin's heart raced as he watched the monster's attention snap towards the source of the noise.

For a moment, there was a tense silence as the monster turned its gaze towards the fire alarm, its eyes narrowing with curiosity. Then, with a guttural growl, the monster rushed towards the sound. 

Raijin and Ayuna didn't waste a single moment and they each picked up one of Sapenta's arms and put it over their shoulders. They then began to quickly walk away from the area. As they left the area, Raijin could hear Niko screaming and calling out for help.

While Ayuna seemed unbothered, Raijin knew.

He would be haunted by those screams forever.