Despite his age, the Elder fought with the precision of a trained warrior. His blade sliced through the Hollow One's extended limb, causing it to shriek in pain. But where the severed appendage fell, crimson energy pooled, then reshaped itself into a writhing tentacle that lashed at Takuma's legs.
"Elder!" Arashi shouted as the old man was knocked off balance. Takuma's knee hit the stone floor with a crack that made Arashi wince in sympathy.
The Hollow One surged forward, one massive hand closing around Takuma's throat. The Elder's sword clattered to the ground as he was lifted off his feet, gasping for air. His aura flickered wildly, like a flame in a strong wind. The creature's touch seemed to distort his very being, sending ripples through the energy field surrounding him.
Time slowed again for Arashi. The dagger in his hand hummed with power, responding to his fear and rage. Words formed in his mind, not the simple Verse he'd spoken before, but something more complex, more dangerous. They rose from some place deeper than memory, a knowledge that seemed woven into his very cells.
"Raziel veketer, elyon ba'shachar," he intoned, the silver light around the dagger spreading up his arm like living mercury. The words tasted of starlight and ancient knowledge, each syllable vibrating with power. "Kadosh tiferet, sha'ar ha'emet!"
The power that surged through him was unlike anything he'd experienced. The world became crystalline in its clarity, every mote of dust, every flicker of energy visible to his heightened perceptions. He could see the complex patterns of reality itself, the warp and weft of existence stretched around them like an infinite tapestry. The Hollow One turned its eyeless face toward him, its grip on Takuma loosening slightly as it sensed the new threat.
With speed that surprised even himself, Arashi crossed the distance between them. The dagger, now trailing silver fire that left afterimages in the air, plunged into the creature's torso. Unlike the previous Hollow Ones, this one didn't immediately dissolve. Instead, it released Takuma and wrapped both hands around Arashi's wrist, trying to extract the blade. Its touch was like ice, burning cold against his skin.
"Arashi!" Takuma gasped, struggling to rise. Blood trickled from his mouth, and his aura had dimmed considerably. "Don't let it... touch your skin!"
The warning came too late. As Arashi tried to wrench the dagger free, the Hollow One's flesh seemed to melt, the crimson energy flowing up his arm like living mercury. Where it touched, pain followed, not physical, but a deep spiritual agony that tore at something fundamental within him. It was like having his soul flayed, layer by layer, each one revealing memories that couldn't possibly be his.
Scenes flashed through his mind: a great celestial library burning, its crystalline shelves collapsing as knowledge older than time itself was consumed; six-winged figures falling through endless sky, their radiance dimming with each moment of descent; a chorus of voices raised in terrible harmony, the sound of which could unmake stars. He wasn't just seeing these things, he was remembering them, experiencing them anew with the immediacy of personal memory.
With a cry of pain and defiance, Arashi channeled every scrap of power he could muster into the dagger. The silver light exploded outward, blasting through the Hollow One's body and reducing it to ash in an instant. The backlash of energy shattered the Chamber's small window and sent cracks racing across the stone walls.
But the effort cost him. As the creature dissolved, Arashi collapsed to his knees, blood trickling from his nose and ears. The taste of copper filled his mouth, metallic and warm. The world around him wavered, auras fading in and out of his perception like stars obscured by passing clouds. His limbs felt leaden, disconnected from his will.
"Arashi," Elder Takuma said, kneeling beside him. The old man's voice seemed to come from far away. "We must complete the awakening properly, or the backlash could, "
His words were cut off by a scream from outside, a voice Arashi recognized instantly, a voice that had laughed with him under festival lanterns, had whispered secrets in the village orchard, had just hours ago warned him not to do anything stupid.
"Kira," he whispered, forcing himself to his feet despite the Elder's restraining hand. The name acted like a talisman, clearing his vision and steadying his limbs through sheer force of will.
Moving to the shattered doorway, he looked out to see chaos. The village was in flames, buildings collapsing as Hollow Ones moved through the streets. Bodies lay where they had fallen, some he recognized despite his blurring vision. Captain Hiro lay sprawled near the well, his sword still clutched in his hand. Old Wei was curled protectively around one of the village children, both still.
And there, not twenty yards away, Kira was backed against a wall, desperately fending off a Hollow One with what looked like a kitchen knife. Her free hand clutched the charm Takuma had given her, but its protection was clearly failing. Her face was smudged with ash, a cut bleeding freely on her cheek, but her eyes blazed with the same determination Arashi had seen all their lives, the stubborn refusal to yield that had gotten them both into and out of countless scrapes.
Something snapped within Arashi. All the fear, confusion, and rage of the past hours crystallized into a single, overwhelming imperative: protect. Not just Kira, but all that remained of Meirōmura, the village that had raised him, the people who had accepted him despite his differences. They had given him a home when he had none, and now their home was being destroyed because of him.
He stepped out of the Echo Chamber, the dagger blazing in his hand. Pain still radiated through his body, but he pushed it aside, focusing only on the distance between himself and Kira. Elder Takuma called out behind him, but his voice seemed distant, irrelevant. Arashi fixed his gaze on the Hollow One threatening Kira and broke into a run.