Saya, her face set in a determined expression, refused to look away as she held Tysone's hand in a firm, reassuring grip. She didn't want to miss a single moment of the miraculous transformation.
Only three red lines remained, the only evidence of the grievous wounds he had suffered.
Saya, whose hands were clenched on Tysone's arm, suddenly yelped and jerked back. "What the! He's... he's so hot!"
"Is he sick?" Takashi asked.
Saya shook her head. "I don't know! He's really burning up! It's... it's not normal!"
Nothing like this had happened to her when she absorbed the crystal.
Tysone's body temperature rose sharply, and steam seemed to emanate from his skin.
The heat radiating from his body was so intense that it felt almost unbearable for those standing too close.
The temperature reached its peak, and then, like nothing happened, it suddenly dissipated.
Tysone's breathing steadied. The cloudiness in his eyes began to clear, and the dark veins on his skin slowly faded.
The group watched with bated breath as Tysone regained consciousness. He looked around, disoriented.
"Ty, how are you feeling?" Saya asked, her voice trembling with concern.
Tysone blinked a few times, before slowly rising to stand up. That action alone had Saya holding her breath, a slight shiver running down her spine.
For the briefest of moments, she felt fear. Just a tiny inkling of it, before she was reminded who he actually was. It was almost as if she had been standing in front of that powerful zombie all over again.
Tysone glanced down at his torso. His wounds were now just mere scars; they burned slightly, but nothing beyond that. With a frown, he asked. "What happened...?"
Saya, with a burgeoning look of relief, explained. "You were about to turn, Ty. But, I used the crystal on you, and it healed your injuries. Somehow, you're better now. You're better…"
Takashi chimed in, his voice heavy with disbelief. "You were practically dead, man."
Tysone's brow furrowed in confusion as he tried to process what had occurred. "I was... about to turn? I see..." He turned to Saya, a smile touching his face. "Thank you, your quick thinking saved my life."
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she managed to blink them away. "No problem." She muttered, slightly embarrassed. "We have each other's backs, don't we?"
A soft laugh.
"That, we do." Tysone said before he looked at his hand. The same hand that had been holding the halberd only minutes prior.
He felt... different. Powerful. Not the kind of strength a well-trained human could wield. This was something else. Something... more. He couldn't explain it, but he felt it. A new sensation coursed through him, and he knew instinctively that it was an enhancement. Not just physical, but also something that heightened his mental acuity.
He could see farther, hear with more clarity, and his thoughts seemed sharper, more organized. His senses had expanded in a way that was both exhilarating and somewhat overwhelming.
It was beautiful. Unsettling, but beautiful.
Saeko's eyes narrowed. Just like Saya, she noticed something was off.
Tysone's physique hadn't changed much, but it was still different, in a way.
His presence was even more imposing than before. It was something intangible that exuded a certain gravity. It was on a completely different level to what Saya could do.
As Tysone seemingly looked at his own hands, lost in thought. Saeko decided to be a little devil. Her grip on the bokken tightened. She swung, with as much speed as she could muster.
It all happened in a second. The sound of metal clashing rang out in the mall's atrium.
Takashi's eyes widened, his jaw slackening. Rei's expression morphed into one of shock, her mouth hanging open. Saya's eyes bulged.
Even Kotha stood there, stunned.
After all, whether it was Saeko suddenly attacking, or Tysone, arresting the wooden sword's momentum with just a hand, was something to be shocked about.
He hadn't even looked up at Saeko, but it was obvious by the slightly pleased smile on his face, that he had long sensed it coming. Saeko had moved so fast that it was barely a blur, but it was still stopped.
"Interesting." Tysone murmured to himself. He easily pushed the sword away, and Saeko's eyes widened when her arm was forced back. "Thank you for the test, Saeko. It gave me a brief glimpse of what I'm currently capable of..."
Saeko, still shocked at what just happened, quickly regained her composure. She bowed slightly, an exasperated smile on her lips. "Any time, Tysone."
"Um, Tysone?" Takashi inquired, a hint of concern and curiosity in his tone. "What was that? What's happened to you?"
Tysone paused, his gaze introspective for a moment before a smile tugged at his lips. "I'm not entirely sure, but I do know that I'm stronger. Much, much stronger."
He'd like to test it out, if possible. But the rest of the group wasn't in good condition. If they came across something that even the current him couldn't handle...
No, it was much better to get back to the base as fast as possible.
However...
"He must've turned into one of 'them!'" The lanky survivor's voice rang out, breaking the silence and drawing attention to himself. "I mean, look at him! There's no way he's human!" His face, pale from fear, contorted into a mix of anger and disgust. "We have to do something! He'll turn on us at any moment!"
Clearly, seeing Tysone suddenly being well and healthy—when he was a breath away from death—had spooked the man. Reasonably so, though reasonable didn't translate to right.
Everyone else in the group, including Tysone, watched the man rant and rave. Their expressions were a mixture of annoyance, amusement, and in the case of a few, thinly veiled hostility. The lanky survivor, either oblivious to the subtle shift in the atmosphere or simply too far gone in his own panic, continued to shout and gesture wildly, his voice growing louder and shriller with each passing moment.
Tysone, his face a mask of calm, simply observed the man, an enigmatic half-smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Are you done yet?"
This only served to further agitate the man. "Done? DONE? You're a monster! You'll kill us all! We need to get rid of you! We—"
Tysone's smile vanished. In the next instant, he dashed. A gust of wind blew past everyone.
"AGH!" The man screamed, a look of utter terror on his face. He stood, stock-still, as Tysone's face was suddenly inches away from his.
A hand wrapped around his neck and left him up.
"I'll give you a warning." Tysone said, without any particular intonation. "If you continue to speak, you will not live to see the next hour."
The man trembled, his legs giving out. It was only because of Tysone's grip on his neck that he remained upright.
"I'm a reasonable person, so I'll give you another chance to redeem yourself." Tysone continued, his voice calm, almost gentle. "You have two options: you can apologize for your outburst, or you can continue to talk. The choice is yours. However, I'm not a forgiving person. There won't be any chances beyond this one."
The man, now thoroughly intimidated, could only manage a weak nod, his eyes wide with terror.
If there had been any others who shared the man's sentiments, they kept it to themselves.
Asami Nakaoka, her eyes wide, swallowed thickly. "That was..."
"Impressive." One of the survivors muttered, a hint of awe in his tone.
Tysone released the man and let him drop to the floor unceremoniously. "It's time to go." He said, turning to his own group. "We don't know what else is hiding out there, and... this electric silence is unnatural."
Smoke could be fainly seen billowing out of a powered off kiosk.
The only sound that could be heard was the rain and the survivors' breathing. That was... unnerving, to say the least.
Takashi nodded, before he approached Tysone. Being so close to his leader, at that moment, felt more intimidating than usual, to the point that it triggered his fight or flight instincts. He shook his head. "What about the others?" He asked, gesturing at the group of survivors, who were watching them with frightened expressions.
Tysone considered for a moment, glancing at the survivors and then back at the group. He spoke in a quiet tone. "We can't leave them here. And we need more people anyway; we might as well take them with us."
Though, it was unknown whether they'd survive the journey back to the base.
Then again, that also could be a test for them, to see how many of them were worthy.
"Let's move."
With that, Tysone led his group, Asami, and the survivors out of the mall. Well, not all of them; some decided to stay, preferring the ephemeral safety of the mall, or perhaps they thought that better help would eventually arrive.
The lanky survivor was among them.
Tysone didn't try to convince them otherwise, despite Asami best attempts.
He simply told them that this would be the only chance they'd get, before leaving.
By the time they made it out of the mall, the relentless rain hit them, washing away the blood.
Tysone looked up, and frowned.
An aurora.
An aurora had appeared in the skies. It was beautiful. The colors were vibrant and almost otherworldly. It was a mesmerizing sight, and it was difficult to tear his eyes away from it. Even the thick clouds that should've otherwise hid the phenomenon now took part in it, gaining the bright green hues of the aurora as well.
However, Tysone couldn't help but feel uneasy. A sudden, almost irrational fear gripped him. Something in the pit of his stomach twisted, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.
Author's Note:
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at [email protected]/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.