Xizu grabbed her daughters by the hand as the glass shattered.

  Chaos.

  Servinae had mixed reactions, ranging from excitement to terror. While a few fled, the majority crowded around the creature. They eagerly mobbed the area, pushing fiercely into one another as they reached up and tried to touch the creature.

  The Caused pushed hard as the thick glass cracked under the pressure. It struggled for a second before it managed to squeeze its skull through. The haphazard breach gave it a long gash that stretched along its face, black blood spilling onto the Servinae below as it let out a horrid screech.

  Mera struggled against the crowd as she was dragged along and forcibly pressed against the glass wall. She wrestled against the thoughtless Servinae, her eyes switching between the sea of arms and the horrid visage of the Caused as it thrashed around.

  CRRRK!

  Like a crack of lightning, the glass splintered in arcs as the creature managed to push its shoulder through the glass.

  THUD!

  Nearby, another Caused slammed its head into the glass wall.

  CRACK!

  Another drove its arm into the reinforced glass, shattering it further with each brutal strike—cracks splintering outward like lightning—only for its limb to be swarmed by the frenzied crowd of Servinae.

  As the crowds of Servinae grew thicker and thicker, the little space Mera had collapsed. The pressure mounted with every passing second—bodies crushing in, limbs jostling, breath hot against her skin. Mera began to panic, her lungs failing to gasp for air as her lungs compressed under the weight of the mob. Wild with deranged excitement, the Servinae had pinned her to the glass wall, unintentionally choking her as they gathered like suicidal flies around a honeytrap.

  Her vision blurred, her senses flickering in and out. Each pained gasp was weaker and weaker than the last. Pain flared against her neck as the arm of a Servinae haphazardly shoved harder against her, pressing her spine into the cold, unmoving wall behind.

  And not far, Serfet was also struggling amidst the chaos, barely managing to stay on his feet as the Servinae crashed in around him. Their messy, deranged curiosity disoriented him as the first Caused finally burst through the glass wall with a deafening crash.

  It let out a vile screech as Servinae swarmed the monster, digging their hands eagerly into the monster’s skin. Their manic fascination only deepened as the fell beast howled in agony. Its face split open as a set of jaws collapsed onto the nearest Servinae, crushing their skull instantly.

  Blood spattered across the crowd as it then swung its arm in a wide arc, sending a wave of Servinae flying. The Servinae screamed like overexcited children, giggling and shrieking even as they bled out—only to be trampled underfoot by others, equally consumed by rabid curiosity as they hurled themselves toward the monster.

  Mera’s vision was growing darker and darker as she struggled to coalesce Kyyr around her hands. Crystalline masses slowly formed around her fingertips as claws emerged.

  Sorry…

  She drove her claws into the Servinae that was pressing into her. He was a large man in a pristine suit, his eyes wide, filled with deranged obsession. Even as blood streamed down his side, he didn’t stop. Pushing the other Servinae back as he himself was pushed back by another Servinae.

  Mera dragged her claws down the side of his ribs, finally twisting her hand deep into his gut. Only then did his brain finally realize he was dying as he laughed and laughed before crumpling, his muscles slack, finally releasing Mera.

  She took a deep breath, channeling every bit of strength and Kyyr she had into a violent shove that threw the other nearby Servinae off her. Then with animalistic strength, she jumped up, landing on the heads and shoulders of more deranged Servinae.

  She looked around, By the Symbols… She felt her guts churn as she watched a horde of Servinae parading the dismembered body of the still-living Caused. But their excitement and carnage didn’t end as another Caused erupted through the window, replacing the last; it collapsed onto the crowd below, its mass flattening several Servinae with a sickening crunch. Still, more came—howling, clawing, laughing—rushing the fresh monster with rabid fascination.

  She noxiously watched the disgusting crowd, looking for any sign of her companions.

  KRUMMMMMBL!!!

  Roaring thunder echoed from beyond the esoteric storm as Inverted Rain began to pour through the apertures, streaking upward through shattered glass and pooling in the ceiling.

  “MERA! OVER HERE!” Serfet cut through the chaos. She spotted him flailing his arm above the writhing sea of Servinae.

  Relief flashed across her face briefly, her body instinctively moving; she awkwardly surfed on the heads and shoulders of the Servinae as she fought her over to Serfet. Finally, she grasped his hand and pulled him free from the swarm.

  With both of them finally free, they maneuvered over the sea of writhing bodies until they reached the apparent edge of it all.

  “Wh-Where’s Aria?” Serfet said, catching his breath.

  “She was with Vice-Captain Lisk’Ha…” Mera said, her eyes scanning the mob as they got crushed under the emerging forms of more and more Caused.

  “They must’ve been pushed towards the main atrium.” Serfet, said looking around.

  “Serfet! Ms. Mera!” Xizu called out from behind.

  “Big sis!”

  They ran up to Xizu, their bodies swallowed by the arcade’s artificial gloom.

  Serfet pulled her into a quick hug. “Where are Holly and Alice?”

  “I told them to run to the emergency exit in back and wait for me.” She explained, her eyes suddenly flashing with concern, “Where’s Aria!?”

  “She was with Lisk’Ha—we think they got pushed back towards the main atrium.” Serfet explained.

  “Are you s—”

  SKREEEEE!!!

  A horrid shriek erupted from behind them as a Caused had fully breached the sea of Servinae, standing tall over a mountain of corpses as it set its eyes on the arcade.

  “We need to find Mr. Gira!” Mera shouted

  “Sis—Mera and I will search for Gira! Go meet up with Holly and Alice! We’ll try to rendezvous with you at Atrium!”

  Xizu nodded, her expression painted with worry, before they all rushed deeper into the arcade’s darkness.

  Behind them, Caused batted aside the few remaining Servinae that were still hurling themselves in a suicidal frenzy. Another Caused emerged from behind it, rushing past as it disappeared into the dark. Then another and another and another and—

  Gira was offering a hand to Vidrago but suddenly stopped, his instincts flaring as he took in the scent of the abyss, his eyes flashing with Kyyr as he stared into the darkness beyond.

  “Vidrago… it was fun hanging out.” Gira muttered as the sound of screaming entwined with the screeches of the abyss filled his ears. “Berserkrios. Do you smell that?”

  Yes… Abyssal Spawn. He growled.

  Gira’s gaze shifted to the flickering glow of the arcade ahead, neon colors pulsing across his face. Servinae racing the unmoving Gira. “Do we have enough Kyyr to fully transform?”

  Berserkrios laughed. Are you for real? No… especially not after that punch…

  Vidrago snapped out of his trance, his head turning towards the unknown chaos.

  “Would you be mad if I went towards the screams?” Gira mumbled as he stepped past Vidrago.

  I’d be more pissed if we didn’t. Berserkrios replied with a smile.

  Gira smirked, “Thank you for all the fun, Mr. Vidrago! It would be nice to hang out again.” he said, a somber warmth in his tone.

  Vidrago turned, caught off guard, words failing to escape his lips.

  “Promise I’ll play with you again.” Gira added, flashing a gentle smile—barely visible in the flickering lights of the arcade.

  Again… us? Vidrago thought, watching as Gira’s small frame shuddered—then burst into alabaster growths, blooming like ghostly roses in the moonlight.

  Berserkrios became one with Gira as they took on their new Nascent Form as the Pale Coarseblood took shape.

  Unlike his crimson form as Savagrios, Berserkrios was more animalistic in nature. His body was composed of an off-white, bony material that looked like old shale. His muzzle was elongated and ended in a tapered, predatory point. His head was comprised of his human skull that had been pushed forward and split in half, decorating each side of his snout with the bony ridges of a fossilized Gira. And because of his Coarseblood nature, cracks had already begun to form around his jaws, cracking and spreading like lightning across his visage, giving the faint impression of eyes.

  Within his jaws there were two distinct rows of teeth: an outer row rugged and jagged, and an inner row of smaller, sharper teeth. His auricular organs were also less subdued than those of Savagrios; they were tall and sharp and jutted forward aggressively. Berserkrios’s massive frame was slim but well-armored, his movements causing the bone plating along his arms to audibly crack and grind together. From his spine protruded four bladed plates, swept backward like pale shark-like dorsal fins.

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  His chest was comprised of interweaving ribcages that seemed to shuffle with every breath as he rose ominously in the darkness illuminated by eerie blacklight.

  And from behind, completing the monstrous silhouette, swung a massive, chain-like tail composed of interlocking, arrow-shaped segments, ending in a lethal, warped blade.

  Vidrago was transfixed on the new form, his eyes glinting with a wild excitement as his brain was overwhelmed with all the feel-good chemicals his body could produce.

  Berserkrios cracked his neck as shards of bone splintered and cracked as his skull settled forward before he took a deep breath, his interlaced ribs rattling before he suddenly let out a sonorous howl into the arcade before he went on all fours and rushed into the dark, his form illuminated by the blacklight in a ghostly display.

  Vidrago sat on his knees, his back arched slightly forward, his hands clasped together as his heart beat violently within his chest. His eyes remained fixed on the spot where Gira had stood— What is this? he wondered, as a crooked, breathy smile crept across his lips, twisting something too eager into something too pleased.

  Dozens upon dozens of Caused had flooded into the entertainment floor, which had now become a bloodied mess riddled with the trampled bodies of Servinae and the still living remains of other infected that were slowly trying to reform themselves in the sea of corpses.

  The arcade itself was massive, stretching deep into the entrails of the Cetarro Sky Scraper; it was a messy complex of flashing lights, ramps, multiple levels, and the blacklight. Ignoring its simple title as an arcade, it was closer to a maze. And within that maze, Alice and Holly were quietly trying to make their way to the emergency exit on the far end of the arcade.

  “Holly.” Alice whispered, barely audible over the distant buzzing and beeping of the arcade.

  “What?” She answered, trying to follow the confusing exit signs.

  “That howling… it didn’t sound like the other screams.” Alice mumbled, holding tightly onto her sister.

  “Just ignore it….” she said as they turned and—she froze, causing Alice to bump into her back.

  Alice bumped into her back. “Ow—hey, what are you—”

  “SHHH!” Holly hissed sharply, one arm shooting out protectively in front of her sister.

  Alice’s eyes widened as they both stared ahead, shadows shifting beneath the blacklight glow.

  Perched on the edge of one of the arcade's floating game zones was a Caused. Its mouth split open, its spiraling tongues lapping the air as it scanned its surroundings.

  Holly and Alice crouched low, hidden among towering rows of Simulacrum pods designed exclusively for immersive gaming. They pressed themselves against the smooth edge of one pod; they still felt dangerously exposed. Shuffling deeper, they squeezed into the narrow crevasse between two of the hulking machines, their backs pressed to cold metal. They sat there amidst the ambiance of electro synths, beeping echoes, and the painful screeching of monsters in the dark.

  Thud!

  The Caused dropped from above.

  It hit the ground hard—a massive creature so far removed from whatever it had once been that there was no real way of telling if it had started life as beast or a man. Its body was composed of translucent flesh that, under the blacklight revealed writhing black tendrils under every centimeter of its frame.

  Any form of identity it had once dared to have had been consumed by the Abyss, leaving behind a warped, pale, muscly beast. Forced to evolve into a vile thing designed to consume and kill for some unknown purpose.

  Thump—

  Its footsteps reverberated across the hard carpet floor. Its heft alone sent waves of terror down the girls’ spines as it dragged its distorted frame across the arcade floor.

  Holly risked a glance. Reflected faintly on the glossy pod beside her, she saw it.

  It was close.

  It stood upright like a man, jaws stretching open to release a slithering tendril that tasted the air. Slowly, it sniffed—then flinched.

  Retracting its jaws, it dropped on all fours muscles rippling beneath translucent flesh as it turned—locking its gaze toward the narrow crevasse where the girls hid.

  It sensed them.

  Their fickle Kyyr struggling to hide amidst the black.

  Thump…

  Thump…

  Thump!

  THUMP!

  THUMP!

  THUMP!

  THUMP!

  Holly watched in terror as the warped reflection grew closer and closer. Alice saw it too, and the two girls frantically scrambled to squeeze deeper through the tangle of wires and tightly packed pods.

  “Hurry!” Holly gasped, her voice cracking.

  A pale hand slammed into the crevasse, claws thrashing wildly as tendrils burst from its fingers, lashing at the space like feelers.

  The Caused retracted its claw, opting to clamber up onto the Simulacrum pods.

  Alice managed to push out from the mangle of wires tumbling out onto the carpet floor that was decorated with little glowing symbols.

  But Holly was still trapped—snared by a coil of tangled wires—as the Caused lunged, carelessly crashing down between the pods with its face slamming into the floor, centimeters from where she lay.

  Holly panicked as the creature thrashed around, one massive arm slamming into her side and crushing her against the cold metal shell of the Simulacrum pod. A sharp crack echoed through her ribs, and blood spilled from her mouth.

  It was too dark. Her ribs screamed with every breath, and she had no idea where she was. She gasped painfully, coughing up warm blood, her body slumping against the cold metal.

  Alice scrambled to her feet. “HOLLY!” she cried out. “SIS, PLEASE DON’T DIE!”

  The Caused shrieked as its neck twisted violently with a sickening crack. Its body began to unfold, joints stretching, limbs bending the wrong way as it reshaped itself.

  Holly’s eyes focused, the sound of her sister hinting at her escape. “Where…” she muttered weakly.

  Alice peered into the dark but couldn’t see a thing. “ALICE!”

  The Caused dragged its skull across one of the nearby pods with a grinding scrape, the impact denting the metal as it slowly rose to its full, monstrous height inside the cramped space.

  Holly, still trembling, reached blindly through the dark—desperately trying her best to crawl away from the grotesque symphony of popping bones and stretching flesh behind her.

  “Holly?” Alice whimpered, her voice trembling as she heard the sound of ripping bone and flesh. She stumbled back, staring into the darkness. “No…NO! NO! NO!” she screamed, garnering the Caused’s attention as it clawed its way in her direction.

  It let out a wet, gurgling scream as its skull erupted from the dark between the pods, its hidden jaw erupting from the dark as it snapped at Alice.

  She scrambled back until she slammed into the next row of Simulacrum pods, staring at the horrid creature with tears in her eyes. She looked around desperately, searching for salvation, but all she saw were rows of Simulacrum pods flickering with neon light, casting warped reflections in every direction.

  In front of her, the Caused twisted unnaturally, crunching grotesquely as it dislocated itself—forcing its massive form through the liminal space between the machines.

  Holly, still within the mangle of wires, managed to pull herself out a couple of rows further down from Alice.

  “Alice!” She cried out weakly, but her sister was paralyzed by grief and terror.

  Holly forced herself upright, her limbs trembling.

  SCREEEE!!!

  A vile screech erupted from her right as another Caused dropped from above, slamming into the arcade floor with a sickening crunch. Holly stumbled to the ground as she now mirrored her sister, staring into the gaping jaws of a Caused.

  “No—!” she choked, coughing as she pushed herself back up.

  The new Caused lunged at her.

  With what little strength she had left, Holly threw herself aside, rolling painfully onto her bruised ribs. She hit the floor hard but didn’t stop.

  “ALICE!” she screamed, reaching out as she scrambled closer.

  But she got no response as she watched the first Caused slowly unfold itself onto the carpet.

  “MOM! SOMEONE!” she cried into the void. “ALICE, RUN!” she cried out as she felt the claws of the first Caused dig into her back. “AAAGH!” she shrieked as the searing pain shot through her lower back.

  Her painful wailing echoed in the dark as the Caused raised her in the air.

  Blood filled her mouth. Holly coughed, her voice faltering as she looked to her sister—still frozen, still staring. “Please… Alice,” she whispered, tears streaming down her face. “Run…”

  She watched as the first Caused slammed head first into her sister—

  KRRRCH.

  The sound of crunching bone erupted before Holly, her body flailing helplessly as the Caused’s tendrils wrapped tighter around her legs. She could barely breathe, barely think—only watch through pain-blurred eyes as the second Caused—

  Collapsed.

  Suddenly, the world tilted. The ground rushed up to meet her—

  Then stopped.

  Between ragged breaths and fading vision, she had been caught in a hard but warm embrace. A strange cold drained from her waist where the tendrils had once gripped her, and as her head lolled, she turned weakly toward the figure holding her.

  A pale beast, monstrous and gleaming under the blacklight, cradled her gently in its jagged arms.

  She should have screamed.

  But she didn’t.

  She knew.

  Despite the new form, she instantly knew who it was. Mr. Gira…

  The Caused were still very much alive, but their heads had been ripped from their bodies, leaving the monsters to blindly flail around.

  Gira growled as he scooped the paralyzed Alice in his other arm. Her wide, glassy eyes lost in the vision of pale armor and black blood.

  He held Holly close, his bone-white growths tightening gently around her wounds, stemming the bleeding. She shivered but didn’t resist.

  Gira tilted his head back, inhaling deeply through his Kyyr receptors until he found the familiar scent of a particularly tall woman.

  Xizu had been cautiously making her way through the arcade as more and more Caused entered the darkness. She had passed at least a dozen by this point, their numbers making her wonder what the situation below might even be like.

  Her Kyyr flared as she sensed something in the dark, but she didn’t cower. As she felt a familiar, quiet Kyyr approach her. Before she knew it, an alabaster beast towered before her.

  Her heart leapt, but that joy was immediately snuffed out when she saw what he held in his arms. Xizu covered her mouth to stifle the scream rising in her throat, tears forming in her eyes as she rushed over to Gira.

  The Pale Coarseblood cracked his jaw. “She’s bleeding…” he said, his voice coarse and gravely like metal scraping against stone.

  Xizu steadied herself, biting down hard on her lip to hold back the sobs building in her throat. Channeling her Kyyr ability, she summoned a compact first aid kit and a sleek silver box, both materializing with a shimmer of light.

  Her fingers trembled as she fumbled with the box’s latch—until it suddenly clicked open and whirred to life.

  A small medical mechanoid unfolded from within, its eye lens flickering as it immediately scanned its surroundings. Without hesitation, it snatched up the first aid kit and fluttered over to Holly.

  Berserkrios uncoiled his constructs, carefully loosening his grasp to allow the small mechanoid to use its tools and kit. Using the supplied cloth and salves, it cleaned and dressed the wound in seconds.

  Then, without a sound, it zipped back to Xizu’s side.

  “Patient needs blood,” it stated flatly.

  Xizu nodded frantically, pulling back her sleeve. The mechanoid pulled out a small vial from the first aid kit. Dipping its little paws in the substance, it then suddenly flicked the tips of its paws to reveal needles. It scanned Xizu’s arm with precision, inserted one of the needle tips, and gently guided her closer. A soft hiss followed as it established the transfusion line between her and Holly.

  “Please remain seated for 15 minutes,” it instructed before gliding over to Holly again. With one of its remaining arms, it extracted a warming pack from the kit and placed it gently against her side.

  Alice had passed out, her trauma from the pool room still lingering in the back of her mind with uneasy ease.

  Berserkrios cracked his jaw. “I will protect you,” he growled, placing both girls carefully beside Xizu. His voice, despite its coarse edge, soothed Xizu’s nerves as she looked down at her daughters.

  Xizu felt tears roll down her eyes as she tenderly caressed her daughters. “Thank you…” she whispered.

  Berserkrios gave a solemn nod, his bone plating rustling as he knelt. One clawed hand pressed to the floor, and with a surge of Kyyr, he summoned a protective shell of constructs—arching plates of pale bone rising around them, forming a jagged, bony pyre to shelter the girls.

  Like a dragon atop its precious hoard, Gira climbed the structure, his body coiling with draconic grace. His tail slithered along the curve of the shell, curling protectively as he perched above them.

  Thunder rumbled in the distance, a low, crawling sound that merged with the animalistic wails of the Caused echoing through the arcade’s depths. But Gira did not move. His form regal and unwavering.

  He would wait.

  He would guard.

  Until the blood had finished flowing.

  -L. Osric (really feeling that L in my name rn)