66 A Calm Moment

Night Sixty Four

Age 1991

The Viscount roared as its body shifted into more snow and it avoided the attacks from Hero, Irene, Kitsune, and Light. Ken watched with wide eyes as the beast slashed its claw forward cutting them all down in one swift motion and spilling their blood out onto the snow as it let out a loud roar.

Ken's eyes were wide with shock as she watched.

A pair of arms wrapped around her suddenly pulling her into a hug.

"Is this what you're afraid of..." A low voice said letting out a small giggle. Ken turned her head up and felt her breath hitch when she Viper was holding onto her.

"V... Viper-"

"You're scared of turning into one aren't you. You're scared that you could become a monster. It doesn't matter how many there are, when the monster is able to cheat, or is just so strong. You know it's only a matter of time before it happens." Viper chuckled.

"Stop it..."

"Who do you think you'll kill first?"

"Stop... It..."

"My money is on that handsome boy. What's his name? Hero Law? Or maybe that manly girl Irene. Or perhaps that Fox boy Kitsune."

"I said stop it!" Ken screamed as a black aura exploded off of her. It didn't seem to do anything though simply phasing through Viper's body.

Viper simply grinned as she leaned down closer to Ken and her embrace began to get tighter causing Ken to hiss out. "You should just close your eyes and give up... Become a part of me." Viper said as her jaws snapped around Ken's neck. "Let me devour you!"

Then suddenly everything changed.

Ken was no longer in the cave where she fought the Bestia Macht. Rather she was standing in the red lake of her mind.

"And I'm back here... Great. Wait did I die in my sleep!"

"No. Don't be an idiot." The red lake shook as the giant lab coat began to pull himself out of the massive lake of red liquid. "You were having a nightmare and your body was beginning to lose control so I pulled you back here."

"Well why would you do something stupid like that-"

Ken watched as a white gooey tentacle fired out of the lab coat monster who lived inside her head, wrapping around her and squeezing down much like Viper had making her let out a yell. She tried to make another sound, make any noise but she was unable to speak, unable to even move. The tentacle slowly slithered up her body wrapping around her throat for a moment.

"What did I tell you." Labby said in an echoing voice that soared out. "You are a Seraphin. A weapon for war, and now people know what you are. Humans are vile and gross, and will shun those that are not the same as them, and that will bring stress, and stress will bring pain, and pain will make your thinking flawed..."

Ken gasped out as the tentacle threw her roughly to the ground and the coughed out able to breath again. She glared up at the lab coat, her silver eyes glaring at it in rage. "What the actual hell is your problem!"

"You know what my problem is."

Ken scowled but knew that he was right.

'Most, are battle-hungry-mad-warriors... They say it takes a few years but all Seraphin's slowly snap, and will only care about battle, in order to grow...' Those words echoed around her mind as she remembered what that shy girl had said. She had seen the proof in Viper. What being a Seraphin does to someone.

"Whatever..." Ken hissed out turning her back on the lab coat. "I don't have to take this from you. I maybe some kind of weapon now, but I'll do the most human thing I can, and find love. I'm not going to just become some mindless beast who wants to devour others. I'll have someone I care about, and they'll care about me, and if I do ever snap they'll be there to pull me back from the edge."

"Do you even have any proof that, something like that can happen?" Labby asked in a mocking tone only to stop when he saw the grin on Ken's face.

"As a matter of fact I do." Ken announced folding her arms. "Last mission Hero began to lose control and started to turn into a fallen one. But Irene was there to slap some sense into him and drag him back. I know it's possible."

"You're a fool."

"A cute fool. It'll be easy for someone like me to find a good looking person." Ken brought her hand up and slashed it down as the world began to break away. "Oh and next time I'm having a nightmare mind your own business!"

Ken set up in bed letting out several large gasps as she slowly settled her rapid breathing. She looked around the dark room spotting the sleeping bodies of Kitsune, Light, Irene, and Hero, all four of them sleeping in their own comfortable beds back in the Squad Six recruit dorm room. Thankfully none of them seemed to have heard her, or her panicked wake-up. Ken was silent as she felt her rapid heartbeat begin to slow down...

Ken let out a small sigh as she reached up gripping her hand which was shaking violently. "Why... Why can't I stop shaking." She questioned as she slowly laid back down.

"Bad dreams huh?"

Ken nearly let out a yelp when she heard the voice. She jumped up out of bed and looked up to see Hero was no longer laying in bed. He was stretching slightly as he flashed her a smile.

"Hero?"

"Hey. I'm gonna take a walk." Hero said casually. "Help clear my head."

Ken stared at the weird boy for a moment as she laid back down. "Sure... You do that. And for the record no I wasn't having a bad dream."

"Okay." Hero said walking over to the door to their room. "So... Who's Viper?"

'What!?"

"Shh." Hero hissed out making Ken flinch.

"S... Sorry..." Ken said looking down. "A... Anyways... It's not important who she is?"

"You started spouting off about love and edges?" Hero said flatly. He got a small grin on his face as he leaned forward. "Let me guess. She's your girlfriend? Or maybe an Ex lover? You didn't sound happy talking-" Hero quickly ducked down avoiding a pillow that was thrown at him by a very angry Ken who glared at him. "Touched a nerve?"

Ken folded her arms letting out a loud sigh. "It isn't important who Viper is. I don't love her, and I don't think I ever did. She was nothing more than a beast trying to devour me, with me trying to do the same to her. When I was younger I might have thought it was love, but now I know that me being anywhere near her was just accelerating my growth as a beast."

Hero let out a small hum for a moment as he nodded his head and opened the door. "So she is an Ex-" He quickly stepped out and closed the door behind him avoiding Ken who picked up her entire bed and threw it at him. There was a loud crash on the other side as everyone in the room no doubt woke up from her attempted attack. "Well she's gonna kill me later..." Hero chuckled.

"Who is?"

Hero jumped letting out a loud yelp as he turned finding Captain Katrina of Squad Six standing in the hallway in a white night gown holding a cup of tea in her hands.

"Oh Katrina-"

"That's Captain Katrina to you Recruit." The blue haired woman said giving him a large frown as she placed a hand on her hip.

"R... Right... Sorry K- Captain Katrina." Hero said giving a salute. "Uh... If you don't mind me asking Captain? Why are you here?"

Katrina held up the cup of tea as she gave a half shrug. "I was heading down to simply get a cup of tea as it helps me sleep. I've been up quite late doing paper work you see."

"No kidding... It's like four A.M?" Hero said. "I'm only up because Ken had a mini nightmare and woke me up. Or maybe it was a good dream? I think it was about an Ex lover named Viper or something-"

"Viper!" Katrina said alarmed.

"You know who that is?"

The Captain frowned for a moment. "No." She lied. "Never heard of her."

"How'd you know it was a girl?"

"...I thought you were an idiot?"

"No that's Kitsune."

"You're not Kitsune?"

"...N... No..."

"Oh... Which one are you again?"

Hero let out a sigh as his eye twitched. "Hero Law..."

"Oh right. So why are you out here?"

"I just wanted to take a walk." Hero shrugged. "Clear my head a bit."

For a moment a small smile crossed onto Katrina's face as she turned. "Good. Walk with me. Now."

"U... Uh right." The two walked down the hallway heading in a random direction. "S... So Captain Katrina..."

"Yes?"

"You do know who Viper is right?" He asked.

"I suppose I do." Katrina said nodding. "Dawson and I had to face her a few days ago. She nearly killed Dawson."

Hero's eyes went wide for a moment. "She beat Dawson! Geez... How strong was Ken's friend?"

"I wouldn't say their friends..." Katrina muttered. "That crazy girl was babbling on about devouring Ken, and making Ken a part of her. But that isn't even the worse part... There was another guy there even stronger than her... One on one I'm confident I could take them out, but sadly at that point Dawson had been to injured. Thankfully Viper was also hurt at that point so they retreated... Still if that's the kind of power they have I shudder when I think of what their leader must be like. Of course that isn't the only reason I'm up so late."

"It isn't?" Hero asked turning to look at the woman as she led them both down a set of stairs.

"No..." Katrina said sipping her tea. "I also had to write off and make several explanations for why five Recruits who don't even have badges went on a high ranking mission, and also had to write about why I thought all five of you should have stayed in my Squad, after you all failed horribly allowing a Equation to be destroyed. And how is your arm by the way? I heard it was injured."

Hero looked down for a moment as he let out a small hiss. "S... Sorry... And my arm is better. I can use my power again now so that's good, but it's still a bit sore. Wish I could heal fast like Ken."

"You shouldn't apologize for being weak. Rather you should apologize for staying weak." Katrina said as a sliding door opened and her and Hero walked into a dark room. "I assume that you recruits will be training hard. Harder than ever to make up for this failure."

"Y... Yes Captain Katrina!" Hero said saluting again.

"I also heard your Cursed Power changed?" Katrina asked cocking her head to the side as she reached for a light switch that was in the dark room.

"That's right." Hero nodded. "The Equation within my right arm had been split in half sometime, in the past, and placed into a sword. When I ate the sword it began to fuse the Equations together breaking it down and reforming it. When it rebuilt it gained a new power. Honestly I doubt I could break my Equation and remake it again so I'm likely stuck with this new power. Originally my ability was to produce heat, and sound. Now however my arms power can turn into various weapons powered by my emotions that produce heat and sound. I only have two weapons right now, but I bet with some real training I could unlock more weapons and power ups."

"Interesting." Katrina said hitting the switch and lighting the room up. As the lights came on it showed that him and her were now standing within the Squad Six training room. Katrina threw the tea cup away causing it to shatter against the wall as she cracked her knuckles and a wave of blue kinetic energy began to morph around her. "Then why don't you show me, and come at me with everything you got."

"Y... You want me to fight you!" Hero said alarmed.

Katrina's smirk came back as the floor underneath her began to shatter. "I hope you aren't scared."

Hero flinched back for a moment but gave a small smirk of his own. "Well... Honestly... I doubt I can really win but..." Hero pulled back his sleeve and undid the bandages around his right arm as it shifted and glowed morphing into his demonic, and angelic clawed arm. "I won't hold back!"

The day everyone awoke to see a heavily beat up Hero, unconscious laying with his head in the lap of Katrina who was reading a book.