Darkness encompassed all around me, embracing me from every direction and a whisper called out to me.

"Now, it's time for me."

I didn't do anything to stop whatever it is that's coming, I'm so tired, my body's aching and my mind are exhausted. In the abyss, a door appeared in front of me. I hesitated at first, but I hardened my heart again and buried my doubt. I opened the door and walked through it. I was shocked to find myself back in my old living room, well part of it, it seems the room has some spot where it faded to black. Almost all part of the room is an incomplete jigsaw puzzle.

A tear dripped down my cheek, finally, a sense of relief washed over me and I could relax again. Like being hypnotized, I drifted toward a familiar smell, pancakes. Hot and steamy, puffy and drenched in maple syrup, served on the dinner table. I pulled up a chair and took a seat then grabbed the fork and knife beside the plate. The soft sensation as I lay the blade onto it, and it was heavenly. With the fork, I escorted a piece of the fluffiness near my lips and took a bite out of it.

My eyes widened slightly as I found the taste surprising. Suddenly, someone sat right next to me, I turned my head and it was myself. Not the woman, not the cold eyes young man, just me before everything, my normal me. Yet, for an unknown reason, seeing myself here is not that out of place, I know this place is not the real world, obviously.

"How does it taste?"

"Hm...bland, tasteless." I rested my gaze on the piece of pancake held on the tip of my fork.

"Well, what do you expect? You haven't been here for a long time."

"Been home, you mean. Yeah, you're right. I truly missed this place."

"So are you planning to go back anytime soon?"

I glanced at the door behind me, the fading has begun, the door is slowly phasing out of existence. Anytime soon, I won't have the chance to go back. Well, it's not like I have the option to go back to, it's death, either way, the difference is sooner or slightly later.

But… is this how I wanted it to end?

"Can I finish that?" The young said with a smile.

"What?" I looked at him, confused by his question.

"The pancake, I mean. You are leaving, right?"

I laughed lightly, then looked at him with a smile of my own, "You know me too well. Sure, you can have it."

"Of course, I know you, we're literally the same person." He raised his fist at me, and I replied with a bump against his with my own knuckle.

"See you soon," I said to him as I stood up and walked toward the door.

"Maybe later than sooner," He mumbled as he enjoyed the bland pancake.

I opened the door and revealed a black wall. I touched it, and it felt like latex, stretchable and rubbery. After taking a deep breath, I wedged my hand into it and pushed myself through the latex wall, it deformed and hugged every part of my body like a thick liquid. I heard my name being called out.

"Andre! Wake up!!" I recognize the voice.

It's Aki.

******

10 minutes earlier.

Dust and debris hovered down onto the floor, blocking any sight and vision of the melted hole that was created by the repulsor cannon. The gang members behind the cannon looked at each other and laughed. However, their victory was only an illusion created by false relief.

What came out of the smoke was neither man nor beast, but something in between. Her skin and hair are blackened as night, hunched on fours, teeth and nails sharpened, a new arm sprouted out of her stumped, made of tars and charcoal. Black fur covered her skin while her eyes are darker than the black abyss. What more striking are the two long protracted thin horns on her forehead.

She growled at the enemy and they were frozen in fear even before they heard it. Her appearance was terrifying enough to scare and confused her enemy. She pouched on one of the men, and he screamed as she bit a piece of his neck off him. The man's scream was enough to wake up the other from their trance of horror. The remainder enemies backed away toward a safe distance and started firing their weapons. Once more the walkway is littered with energy blasts, but the woman, no, the beast was too fast. She moved in unholy speed, attaching herself onto the wall and ceiling. Growling and with her unrestricted strength, she tore the enemy combatants, piece by piece. Arms and legs flew everywhere, some were organic while others were made of metal and wires.

Blood and oil decorated the walls and ceiling, it was a mess. It was a sight to be feared and only seen in horror movies, red thick substance showered her fur and face, and dripped onto the floor.

However, one of the enemies managed to reach the cannon that managed to summoned this unholy beast, but he was foolish to even try to use it once more, the beast leaped across the walkway and plunged her two horns onto his chest. The man screamed his dire pain out as she lifted him up in the air using only her horns.

“Let me go!” The man wailed his fist against the back of the woman's head, but that only managed to make her angrier.

She grabbed his ankles and pulled it down with so much force that the horn in the man's chest, slide through and severed his shoulders away from his upper body, The dismembered boy laid on the ground with a look of horror frozen in the man’s face.

The walkway was littered again with firepower, but this time, it was from the walkway across the large gap, on the other side of the building just a few floors high. The woman leaped out from the railing and started to climb up. The rains of fire followed the woman, she makes her way to the other side, that when she saw fear in the women's and men's eyes.

“What in the hell is that?!”

“Run!” A few of them have given up on the battle and ran while others that were either brave or foolish enough to stay, tried to fight it.

With a single swing of her claws, she was able to cut through ten men and women with ease. Bodies separated from their lower half dropped to the floor with a terrifying expression still frozen on their faces. Some of them that are still alive stumbled back and fell onto their butts, while the other finally have the sense to run away. However, it was too late, they have woken the beast that is void of human emotions, especially sympathy. All it cared about was destruction and destruction. So it ran after them on four, tearing and dismembering people along the way until it arrived at the penthouse floor.

One of them thrown something at the beast, it caught the flying object with its inhuman hand. The thing swelled in her hand before it released a massive force and heat that rivaled the sun. The wall and ceiling were melted into puddles in seconds, the woman who had thrown the explosive object took a peek around the corner, and she immediately fell into deep despair as the explosion was only able to slightly burn her enemy hand before regenerating back.

“W-What?”

“No..N-No...I’m sor-”

The beast’s gaze makes its way to the woman, and she immediately fell onto her knees and sobbed furiously before her head exploded into tiny pieces. The beast had rushed to her in a blink of a second before crushing her head in its blackened hand, the headless body dropped limply against the floor. With no target around, it remained stasis until it heard something broke on the other side of the door that leads to the penthouse. It turned its focus at the door and charged forward. Crashing and breaking the door from its hinges, revealing two people, one of the women it recognizes, and another with a full skull tattooed on her face with pink, neon, punk-rock hair, it did not recognize.

The tattooed woman was holding a gun and aiming it at the other. With fear in her eyes, she moved the sight toward the beast and that proved to be her greatest mistake as the beast charged toward her with unrelenting rage. She emptied out her repulser handgun onto the monster, but it was pointless as the beast opened its maw and severe her hand that was holding a gun from her shoulder.

She screamed while laying on the floor with her arm just a couple of feet away from her. Blood squirted out from her shoulder as she turned and dragged her body against the floor, hoping somehow that it managed to reduce the terrible pain. The beast turned its sight on the other woman, her eyes widened, but she was brave enough to lift her hand forward, in an effort to call out to the woman inside the beast, wishing that it recognize her.

However, that kind of thinking is naive, even for a fool, the beast rushed toward her and readied to strike, but the woman stood still and heavied her feet against the floor. She showed no fear because she has hope that the woman she knew is still inside that monstrous form.

"Andre! Wake up!!"

The monstrous hand trembled as it stood still along with the rest of its body. A few inches away, between Aki’s face and its claws. The beast gritted its teeth as it tried to reach the woman and clawed her face, but someone from inside the beast managed to stop it.

Well, would you look at that, she is indeed correct about one thing.

…

..

.

The black veins retracted back while my skin tone around my face returned, my golden eyes restored and I took a step back while heaved the air out of my lungs. I couldn't believe it, but, I managed to push it back even for a moment. However, when I turned my sight at Aki, I finally realized that my claws are inches away from Aki’s face, and with widened eyes, I quickly lowered it down then reached for the broken sword on my back. I felt the corruption fighting back my own will, I know I don't have much time left, so I need to make this quick.

“Everything is clear downstairs, you just need to make your way back home alone.”

“How about you? I can't just leave you here.”

“This is it for me. The corruption, haha, You wouldn't understand even if I explain it to you.”

“I don't understand, but...let me help you.”

“There’s nothing you can help me with, besides you already did enough. I just wish that I met you sooner.”

I unsheathed the blade and aimed its broken edge against my heart, my grip tightened around the hilt. At that moment, that one last breath, I felt peace, I felt like I was heading home, I closed my eyes and muted the noises around me before I pulled it back and readied to impale myself with it.

“No!” Aki embraced me and blocked the sword with her body.

“What?”

“HALF AND HALF!”

“Half?”

"If you can't handle the burden, give half of it to me. If the pain is overwhelming, give half of it to me. If despair gets you down, give half of it to me. If you can't do it alone, give half of it to me! I'm here! And I'm not letting you go!"

"Why me?" I laughed as my sight rested on her.

"I...I don't know why."

"You don't know? Then why go to such lengths just for me?"

"I could ask you the same question. Why do you save me? Why not take the second option, It's much easier to abandon than rescuing me. I thought you wanted me to stay away."

“I don't know myself...Maybe, I thought saving you could at least redeem some of the bad things I’ve done before I leave this world.”

“Don't you dare take the easy way out! If you want to redeem yourself then live! Live, I’ll tell you!” She slammed her clenched hand against my chest.

“I can’t…” I looked at the corruption all over my body, I knew that there is no way out, but what am I feeling right now? “It’s too late.”

“It is never too late! Fight it!” Such reckless and ignorant words, how could she said that. Doesn't she know the gravity of this situation, there is no cure, there is no other option...option…another option, I snickered.

“Do you think you can laugh at me!? Do you think you’ve won?! I’m the leader of the Skullhead, the biggest gang on the station! I-I won't let you have the last laugh.” The tattooed woman leaned against the wall, blood dripped out from her torn shoulder, even though she looks like about to pass out, she took out a trigger and held it tightly with her other hand.

The tattooed woman squeezed it the trigger before I could turn around and save Aki from whatever about to come. The wall around us exploded and exposed the content of the room to the vacuum space. In a few seconds, everything was thrown out in every direction toward the dark cold space. I tried to reach for Aki’s hand, but I couldn't make it, we were spinning out of control, I lost my sword before it happened, but after everything finally settle down, she was out of my reach.

Floated in the middle of the empty space, not knowing which way is up and which is down. I could see the station underneath us, too far to see any details, but still, I saw the moving lights on the streets. Aki and my sword floated away in different directions. Her face was pale as she tried to hold her breath, but eventually, she couldn’t hold it in. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to breathe, her chest spasmed while her body felt the icy cold of space.

“No! Not her!”

‘She’s going to die anyway, just reach for the sword, before the corruption takes over.’

“No!”

Out of nowhere, Daisie floated before me, ‘Just give up, Andre...No one blames you for her death or...mine.’

“I have had it with you! I did not kill you, you kill yourself. God forbid, I try to help you, I try to reach you, I try to save you, but you wouldn't let me. Yes, I killed those people and many more, I know what I have done, and I admit it, I know my sins. However, your death was not one of my sins! You hurt Agnes, and you're about to hurt a thousand more, so I had to do it.” The moment I said those words, the weight in my heart was lifted a bit.

“So it was my fault? Is that what you want to believe?”

“Yes, now. Go! Away!” Glowing cracks started to appear all over my body, underneath the corruption was something warm.

Daisie’s image dissipated into thin air, and I saw Aki once more. Her body hovered, unmoving and lifeless while her skin was pale as the driven snow. The corruption broke off me like a shell shattering into tiny pieces and revealed a glowing being made from warmth light. A pair of wings sprouted out of my back as bright as the sun, and yet, the light was soothing to the touch. Even a new arm has sprouted from my stump made from light and dark. Harmonize together and yet, the corruption is still there but just tame for now.

I had full control over my body once more.

With newfound power, I flew toward Aki in breakneck speed then grabbed hold of her hand before pulling her into an embrace. An insect drove me to lay my lips against her, it felt cold, but it doesn't stay that way, somehow I managed to pour my power into her and revitalize her body. From her arms to her legs, her skin color returned back, lively but she was not conscious. Her heart restarted again, It started to pump blood throughout her body, and I felt the beat in her chest within my arm as I pulled away from the kiss.

My eyebrows furrowed as I aimed my sight at the station below us, I need to bring her there, or it would be pointless giving her life. My wings flapped slightly and caused me to finally noticed them. It was white, the feather looks soft, and dreamlike because of the glimmering light hugging it. I shook my head and hugged Aki tightly before I shot myself toward the station with a single flap of my wings.