Part 24

Everything happened too quickly.

One moment, Kumo, their friend who had been lost to them for so long, stood defiant in its monstrous Final Form. The next, the world around them seemed to collapse in chaos. The air thickened, swirling with an eerie mist that pressed down on Eucalyptus, Shaya, and Zephyr. Eucalyptus could hardly breathe as her mind caught up to the terrifying truth—Kumo had used its Final Form, the one thing they all feared. The one thing that meant Kumo was going to die. There would be no time for goodbyes. No time to hold on to the person they had lost so long ago.

Kumo's Final Form towered above them, a colossal dog, its body covered in deep, raw scars that seemed to pulse with anger. The dog’s breath filled the room with a thick mist, a suffocating presence that crushed everything around them. It was rage incarnate—silent, focused, and terrifying. Kumo’s monstrous eyes, however, didn’t look at Asael, the source of its suffering, the monster that created it. No—Kumo’s eyes, those same eyes that Eucalyptus had once looked into as a friend, were fixed on her.

And even in the chaos, Eucalyptus wasn’t afraid. She had never feared Kumo, not even when everyone else had turned against it. Her lips quivered, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, she smiled. A pure, heartbreaking smile. Kumo was still there. Somewhere inside that monster, the friend she loved was still fighting, still holding on. And Kumo, for the first time in what seemed like years, saw that smile. The only thing it had ever wanted.

But the moment was shattered.

Kumo turned its rage toward Asael, its creator, the one who had manipulated it, broken it, ruined it. Asael’s eyes widened as they realized the mistake they had made. They tried to summon their power, their own Final Form bursting into existence—a giant raccoon, monstrous in its own right, with two glowing Crosses for eyes and an immense tail that whipped through the air, creating a horrifying windstorm. But even that monstrous power couldn’t compare to Kumo. Asael had created a force stronger than anything in Orstyma, and now that creation had turned against them.

The battle that followed was chaos incarnate. Kumo lunged with all its might, its massive jaws snapping at Asael, while the raccoon fought back with wild ferocity. Claws met teeth, blood sprayed across the room, and the ground beneath them cracked with the sheer force of their clash. Eucalyptus, Shaya, and Zephyr could do nothing but watch in horror. The room itself collapsed under the weight of their power, debris and bodies littering the ground. The noise was deafening, but even through it all, one thing remained constant—Kumo’s fury, a fury that had been building for years, unleashed in a single moment of righteous vengeance.

Finally, with one last, devastating blow, Kumo overpowered Asael. The raccoon’s form shattered, dissolving into nothingness as Asael’s body crumpled to the floor, bloodied and broken but still somehow alive. Kumo’s Final Form dissipated as well, the massive dog shrinking back into the form they recognized, but it was standing over Asael, its hand gripping Asael’s throat with a cold, unshakable strength. Kumo’s expression had changed. The rage was gone, replaced by something colder, sharper. It wasn’t anger anymore. It was judgment.

Asael, for the first time, looked terrified. Their eyes darted between Kumo and the others, desperation creeping into their voice as they whispered, “Kumo… I created you. You can’t kill me. I’m your creator…”

Kumo didn’t flinch, didn’t move, as Asael’s trembling hand reached for its face. “No,” Kumo said, its voice hollow. “I won’t kill you.”

For a moment, Asael’s terror faded into a hopeful, twisted smile. But then Kumo’s gaze shifted. Not to Asael, but to Shaya, who stood beside them, silent and cold, a gun in her hand, pointed directly at Asael’s head.

“I loved you,” Shaya whispered, her voice void of warmth. “But the Asael I loved died long ago. The day we turned 14.” She stepped closer, her eyes never leaving Asael’s face, which now looked like a desperate shadow of the once proud leader. Asael swallowed hard, their body trembling beneath Kumo’s grip.

“We loved each other, didn’t we?” Asael’s voice wavered, trying to claw back any semblance of control. “I still love you, Shaya…”

“Liar,” Shaya’s voice cut through the room like a shard of ice, chilling Kumo to its core. “You deserve worse than death. I’m only sorry I can’t give you that.”

Asael’s smile faltered, their eyes narrowing. “You’re weak,” they spat. “You won’t pull the trigger. You always hated me, Shaya.”

And it was too much. The weight of years of betrayal, of manipulation, of heartbreak—all of it crashed down on Shaya. And she pulled the trigger.

The gunshot rang out like a final, crushing note in a long, tragic symphony. Asael’s body went limp, their head slumping back as blood pooled around them. Kumo released its grip and stood up, its form trembling, destroyed in a way that couldn’t be healed.

Shaya exhaled, her breath shaky. “Thank you…” she started to say, but before she could finish, Kumo bolted.

“Kumo!” Eucalyptus shouted, watching in horror as particles began to shimmer around Kumo’s body. The realization hit her like a dagger to the heart. Kumo was Asael’s creation. Without Asael, Kumo couldn’t exist. It was fading, dissolving into the air like it had never been there at all.

“KUMO!” Eucalyptus screamed again, her voice breaking as she ran toward it. “Tell me what to do! Please!” She was running, faster, faster, but Kumo didn’t stop. It turned to her, its eyes soft, filled with a kind of peace that tore Eucalyptus apart. And then, Kumo smiled. A small, gentle smile. The only smile it had left. It waved a hand, slowly, saying goodbye.

“KUMO!!!” Eucalyptus screamed, the desperation in her voice clawing at her throat as she fell to her knees. She reached for it, but by the time she got there, Kumo was gone.

All that remained was a scarf, lying in the spot where Kumo had stood. Eucalyptus collapsed, her body shaking as uncontrollable sobs wracked her frame. She held the scarf tightly, clutching it like it was the last piece of Kumo she would ever have. Her sobs were so deep, so raw, that she couldn’t breathe. The world spun around her, and she thought, for a moment, that she might pass out from the pain.

Zephyr knelt beside her, his hand gently resting on her shoulder, while Shaya stood nearby, silent, her eyes hollow.

It was over.

Asael was dead. Kumo was gone. The Cross was destroyed. But all Eucalyptus could feel was the emptiness inside her, the hollow ache where her heart had been. She had saved the future, but lost the one thing she could never replace.

And now, all that was left was the silence.

Thank you for reading <3