I woke up with a start, looking around. "What the..." The world that used to be Aether's room had disappeared. Now I was surrounded by trees and bushes. I sat up, trying to figure out where I was. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. I looked down at it, horrified. "What... the hell is that?" I went to yank it out but froze. I suddenly became immobile. I fell to the ground, my hands breaking my fall. The floor in front of me became a blur, my stomach churning. I felt a presence next to me, getting closer. I went to turn around to see who it was but was stopped by my aching stomach. I felt the figure kneel beside me. "...Good," they said 'Who's there!' I tried to say, but couldn't speak. I felt something sharp stick into my arm. My arm grew numb and I fell to the ground. My eyelids grew heavy as I started to drift off to sleep. 'No... no... I can't... not now.' I thought.
The next thing I knew, I was out cold. I didn't know how long I was out, but it must've been a while. I could hear a faint voice in my mind. 'Who is that?' I thought. I heard it again, but this time I could just make out what it was. "Alana! Wake up!" I woke up again to someone shaking me, slowly opening my eyes I saw Aether.
"Thank god... I thought I lost you for a second there," He said with a smile. I tried to smile back, but couldn't. "It's alright, I've got you now." He tried to move me to pick me up. As he did so, I felt a chill go down my spine. I saw that figure again, walking towards him with a knife. I started to freak out, trying to gain the strength to tell him. But my body was too weak. 'Behind you! Aether look behind you!' I thought, trying so hard to tell him.
"Alana? What're you doing? You alright-" He turned around, catching the figure's arm before the knife hit him, sending them back. I sighed with relief. "Looks like I have to deal with a pest..." Aether looked back at me with a warm smile.
"This'll only take a moment," He said, pulling out a katana that appeared in the air. He placed me down on the ground gently.
I decided to rest easy, knowing he could take the figure. But, could he? I was too tired to care.
AETHER'S POV
I summoned my katana, gripping it tightly in the air and bringing it in front of me. I looked back at Alana, who was passed out.
"Now... let's get this over with so I can take her home, shall we?" The figure before suddenly pulled out a small ball. I was confused.
"Huh? Want me to play catch with you or something?" The figure threw the ball up. It was like the whole world was in slow motion, watching the ball fly through the air. Suddenly, the ball dropped, landing on the ground. The figure rushed at me. "Crap!" I jumped out of the way. "Lucky..." I said. "Wait!" I realized they were going for Alana. I caught up to the figure and clashed swords with them in a swift motion. We both jumped back, staring at each other before rushing at each other again. "Who the hell are you?!" I said, but they didn't answer.
We fought and fought before I finally landed a hit on their side. They jumped back, holding the cut. I glared at them.
"I'll give you two choices. Leave now, and I'll spare your life..." I pointed the katana at them, "Do I make myself clear?" The figure stared at me before backing away, retreating into the forest. I sighed. "Finally! I thought that was never gonna end!" I sighed in relief. "Oh crap! Alana." I ran to her side, picking her up. "Damn, she doesn't look too good..." I stood up with her in my arms, taking her back to the base.
ALANA'S POV
I woke up with sweat rolling down my face. I looked down at my hands. "Why... why does this always happen?" I heard the door open a crack. "...Hey, can I come in?" I nodded. Aether walked in with a cup of water. "Here." I took the cup and set it aside. "What happened?" I managed to say in between all my coughs. He smiled. "It's alright. I dealt with them. You don't need to worry about it." I smiled slightly. "Idiot, that's not what I-" I heard footsteps towards the front door. Aether's expression changed which shocked me a bit. "One second." He stood up and left the room.
I sat there in complete silence for a while before hearing faint mumbling. I got up to see what they were talking about. "Is she ok?" I heard a familiar voice.
"Yeah, she's awake now. What do you need Riggs?" Aether said. Ah, so Riggs is here. I went to go see him but stopped in my tracks.
"You do realize that she has her initiation tomorrow... right?" Riggs said. "I know..." Aether stood there with a worried expression.
"I don't want her to do it. She isn't like us! Sure, she can fight and all, but she won't get through this like that." Riggs sighed.
"I know. I don't want her to do it either, but unfortunately, she has to." He walked away. "I'm sorry Aether, really, I am." The door shut. I froze on the spot, holding my hand to stop it from shaking. Aether walked by me but stopped.
"So... you heard that then," He said. I sighed. "Yeah." He turned around to look at me, a small tear fell from his eye. "Please, be careful Alana."
The night fell as the world slept. I was wide awake, trying to figure out how I was going to win this 'Trial of death'. I sighed, turning to my side and looking at the wall. "Help... I just need help." I slowly drifted off to sleep
"Ding ding ding! Wake up, sleepyhead!" I awoke to Aether standing over me.
"Dude, back up," I said with a glare. "Sorry, sorry." He backed away as I sat up, getting out of bed. I looked around. 'Wait... where am I again? Oh... right. I'm here.' "Oi. Earth to Alana." Aether waved a hand over my face, before going to poke my face. I snapped back into reality and grabbed his wrist. "Not a chance," I said, leaving him in the room. "...Heh?" He said with confusion.
I walked into the kitchen, made some toast, and gave it to Aether. He stared at it. "What about you?" He said. "I'm not hungry," I said quite bluntly. He sighed. "Alana, can we talk?" I looked over at him. His voice was calm, but I could tell he was worried. "Sure, what's up?" He finished his toast and drank some water, before speaking. "I don't want you to do it." His words sent a chill down my spine. "What...?" I said, he looked into my eyes. "I said, I don't want you doing the trial."
I had never seen him like this before. I would be lying if I wasn't slightly intimidated. "No. I'm doing it," I said. He sighed.
"Alana, listen to me-" I cut him off.
"No, you listen. I've come too far to give up now. I've trained my whole life and know how to fight, I'll be fine." Aether turned around, then back at me.
"You aren't listening to me! Regular fighting won't cut it! Didn't you hear me and Riggs!?" Aether started to raise his voice, I stood my ground.
"I'll be fine. I've fought my whole life. This isn't any different from what I've already done!" I said. "You don't understand!" Aether grabbed my shoulders, to which I jumped a bit.
"You can't win! Do you hear me?! They'll eat you alive, Alana. You won't survive a second in there!" I froze. Aether's eyes were full of tears, some of them rolling down his face. I could feel my eyes starting to water. "Aether..." I sighed.
"Please... please don't do this to me," Aether said, loosening his grip on my shoulders. "I'm sorry. But I need to," I said, walking out the door.
Aether fell to the ground, defeated.
I walked down the hallway and then passed by Takashi. "Good morning," He said with a smile. "Heading to school, are we?" I nodded.
"Alright then. Have a good day." I left without a word, walking through the forest towards the town. My blood boiled, but there was also a sense of sadness in me. 'Did I feel bad for Aether? Was I going to regret joining this organization? What do I have to gain from any of this?' Questions flooded into my head, but I ignored them. I arrived at the gate of the school, but suddenly realized I was in casual clothes. 'Crap!' I thought to myself. A teacher tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around, seeing her holding an accountability slip. "Ah, crap..." I said quietly.
I sat down in my class and sighed. "Today's gonna be an eventful day... isn't it?" I said to myself. Dakota sat beside me. "What's up bestie? You look pale." I turned to her. "I'm fine. Don't worry," I said with a slight smile. "Alright, only if you're sure?" I nodded. I spaced out in class, wondering what was going to happen in the initiation. The rest of the day I spent thinking about the situation I had put myself in. 'Was any of this a good idea? Did I need to join this organization? Why aren't I weirded out by the fact that they're all superhuman?' I started to get a headache from all these questions. After school, I said goodbye to everyone and left for the base. My palms were sweaty. I had never felt like this before, well, not for a while anyway.
I arrived at the base and walked to the lounge. It was around the evening by the time I got to the base. Riggs walked out of his room and walked to me. "So, you're doing this?" I nodded. "Alright, come with me then."
We arrived at an arena. The seats were full of people I'd never met before. Riggs took me to a room with other people in it. "What's going on?" I said. Riggs sighed. "You're not the only recruit." There were at least thirty people in the room. Some with battle scars, guns, and so on. Riggs left me and shut the door. I sat on a bench in the corner. A girl came over to me. "Hello!" she smiled brightly. I waved. "Sorry to bother you. It's just you seemed lonely," She said. I looked down at the ground. "I'm Saturn, nice to meet you!" she held out a hand. I shook it. "Alana." She smiled. "Nice to meet you!" We talked for a bit before a bell rang.
"Alright, everyone! Are you all ready for the annual initiation?!" Everyone screamed and cheered. "Today we have forty-five recruits!" The gates in front of us opened as we walked through them into the arena. The crowd cheered. I looked through the crowd, Mizuna catching my eye. "Go, Alana!" I could faintly hear her cheering me on, which made me more confident. I saw Aether in the crowd and my heart sank. 'Why did I have to be like that to him?' He caught me staring, and his expression changed to a smile. I could tell he was hurting, but I couldn't back out now. "We'll be dividing everyone into groups. One group will fight, and the other group will watch. Once that group is done, the next will go. Eventually, we will end up with four people left. Those four people will face off in a fight to the death!" Those words echoed in my head. The crowd cheered, and some of the recruits yelled. "What?! We were never told this!" some of them said, others were silent with a cold stare. They weren't told anything... but I was.
I looked back at Aether in horror. He warned me, he said that this would happen, but I didn't listen. "Alright! Let's get this thing started!" my group consisted of 23 people, who were watching first. Some recruits chickened out, others fought their hardest, almost killing the other opponent. None of them showed any mercy, and I'd have to be the same if I was to survive. 'Was this worth it?' Something told me it was. 'How did I get here?' I looked down at my hands, which were stained with the blood of my enemies. My eyes widened and my breathing quickened. I could hear faint gunshots as I held my head. "Go away... please." I cried in pain, my memory flashing back to those dark times. Blood flew left and right.
"Alana? Are you ok?" I could hear the faint mumbles of people. 'Were they talking to me?' I wasn't sure and I didn't want to be. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder and was pulled into a warm embrace. "It's ok... don't cry. I know things like these can be scary at times." I snapped back into reality, feeling Saturn's hand stroke the back of my head as she held me. I stood there in silence before sighing, burying my face into her shoulder. She smiled. "There, do you feel better?" I looked up at her and smiled slightly. "Yeah... thanks," I responded with a shaky voice. Her smile was as bright as the sun. "No problem!" She let me go.
Saturn smiled down at me. "The first group is almost done... you ready?" I would've been lying if I said I was. I looked out at the gate that was now closed, watching everyone dying before me. "I don't... I don't know," I said. Somehow, I knew I was starting to regret the idea of joining Bloodborne. But I couldn't back out now. I was so close... but to what?
"Alright! Here are our next lovely recruits. Saturn and Netsuke!" I gasped and looked at Saturn. She smiled at me. "I'll be fine! Don't worry about me," She said with a reassuring smile. There was something about her that just made me so happy. It was like her smiles weren't fake. They seemed so genuine, something I hadn't seen in a very long time. The gates opened as she walked out with her opponent. I locked eyes with her once more before the gates closed in front of me. I held the bars with my hands and looked through them.
"Alright! When you're ready!" I held my breath. The bell rang as Netsuke lunged at her, to which she dodged. I let out a sigh of relief. Why did I care about her so much? Was I changing? No... it wasn't me at all, it was her.
The fight went on for a bit before her opponent fell to the ground, defeated. I smiled at her. She looked back at me and smiled back. The gates closed and she embraced me once more. "I'm so glad you're ok..." I mumbled. "Hm?" She asked. I let her go. "Uh, nothing. You did great... I suppose," I said. She just laughed.
"You're funny, but thanks," She responded. A few minutes went by and our group depleted one by one. I had my share of fights, although I never got to fight anyone as they just chickened out in the end. I was relieved, but also angered that I wasn't able to show off what I could do.
"Is everyone ready for the Semi-Finals?!" The crowd cheered as Takashi snickered underneath his mask. I glared up at him. "I don't think I like you anymore Takashi..." I said to myself. The gates opened as Saturn went back out again. "I'll be careful!" She said and walked through. I watched as she stood in the middle of the ring. "Now everyone! We have made a few changes to this year's initiation. We're bringing out the big guns!" The gate before her opened and revealed something that made my eyes widen. "Saturn get out of there!!" Someone next to me yelled. She gasped and jumped back as the beast lunged at her. The beast stood on all fours, at least 2 meters tall with chains bounding its neck. My heartbeat quickened. My mind flashed to what Aether said to me.
"You can't win! Do you hear me?! They'll eat you alive, Alana. You won't survive a second in there!" I now realized what he meant. "SATURN GET OUT OF THERE!" As I said that she looked back at me. It was like everything slowed down in a slow motion. She grinned at me. My eyes widened. "Saturn... SATURN NO-" My voice was cut off as the beast grabbed her leg. Blood splattered everywhere as it threw her to the other side of the arena. My blood boiled. "No... not again." My mind raced. 'Was I about to lose someone else? Someone that I cared about?' Suddenly, my mind flashed to 4 years ago.
"Sato! Take Private Alana and plant this bomb in their base... blow them to hell." As the General ordered, Sato and I went to their base.
"Would you look at that kid? It's like we're in a spy movie," Sato said with a cheesy grin. "Say what?" I said. "Don't tell me you've never seen a spy movie before?" I shook my head. "Damn, you lived under a rock didn't ya?" I glared but laughed. "Whatever." Suddenly, we could hear footsteps coming toward us. "Crap, this way," Sato said and dragged me into a crouch position. Something rolled towards us.
"A grenade?" I said. "ALANA LOOK OUT!!" Suddenly the grenade went off. I got blasted back onto a wall. Smoke festered as it covered the area around me with rubble. My ears bled as I looked around. "S-Sato...?" I spotted her body lying across the ground. I crawled to her. "Sato...?" I gasped, seeing her mortally wounded body laid out on the ground.
"SATO!!" I screamed and cried. "NOT LIKE THIS! PLEASE!!" My eyes welled up with tears as I watched her bleed. I held her hand as my lip quivered in anger and sadness. She squeezed my hand slightly and opened her eyes. "H-hey kid..." I smiled as tears rolled down my face. "Hey... you scared me," I said with a laugh. She laughed along with me, but I could tell it hurt. "You'll be ok right?" I said to her. Suddenly, her face went serious, and I knew she wouldn't be ok.
"Listen, kid... I won't be here to-" She coughed, and I squeezed her hand.
"Don't speak, you'll make it worse," I said to her, but she shushed me.
"No... you need to listen. Alana, something's going on in the world that humanity doesn't know about. And it's going to kill us all." I was taken aback by her words. "What do you mean?" My ears twitched as I heard footsteps and voices.
"Alana, I don't have much time. Listen, you need to get out of here," She said.
"Wh-what...?" I was shocked. What did she mean?
"Alana, find your destiny, release humanity of the burden it has been carrying for so long... please... save us all..." Sato spoke clear, a single tear running down her face. I'd never seen her cry before. "Sato, what do you mean?" I stuttered as she laid out in front of me. I suddenly heard the footsteps getting closer.
"Alana, they're here. Get out of here!" I gasped. "No! I'm not leaving you!" I yelled. "Alana!" I sat up straight., cringing at her sharp words. "Go... I love you so much..." She said with a smile. My hands shook. That smile... the smile I've missed dearly.
I gripped the bars of the gate until my palms turned white. "Sato... Saturn..." I said. "SATURN LOOK OUT!" The gate blew up. Dust particles filled the arena.
"What's going on!?" Takashi said. Aether stood up. "What's going on...?" The dust cleared and before the eyes of the audience was me. Saturn was on the ground behind me as my hand emitted a bolt of purple lightning.
"Leave... LEAVE HER ALONE!" I lunged at the beast with a yell, attacking it with bolts of red and purple lightning. The beast jumped back and forth, attacking me with all its might before falling to the ground. I let out a sigh before wincing in pain as I fell to the ground. My hand throbbed as I held it. "Alana!" Aether yelled. He got up but was forced back down. "Let me up!" He yelled.
I cried in pain. "What's happening to me!?" I said. I couldn't think straight. The pain was so excruciating. It was like my hand was being melted layer by layer.
"Release the rest," Takashi said bluntly. "Excuse me...?" Riggs exclaimed.
"You want me to do what?"
"I said, release the rest. Did you not hear me the first time?!" He glared at Riggs. Riggs backed off. "Yes sir." Saturn stood up and hobbled over to me.
"H-hey, are you ok?" She asked. I stared at my hand as my skin went black. Tears streamed from my face. Suddenly, in front of me, the gate opened. Four black and white dire wolves emerged, as well as two griffins.
"TAKASHI WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Aether yelled. "QUIET AETHER!" Takashi snapped. Aether stood at the railing, watching me. "Get out of there... please."
I looked in front of me as I saw the beasts emerge. I gasped. "More...?" Saturn stood in front of me with a chewed-up leg. "Stay behind me. I'll protect you," She said. As I looked at the back of her, I saw Sato's reflection in her. "Saturn..." Takashi gave the orders and the beasts lunged at her with speed. I snapped back into reality and jumped up to protect her. "NO!" I yelled. Suddenly, everything went dark. It was cold and damp, but I felt warmth around my arms, then my head. I could hear the mumbles of a familiar voice.
"Alana...please wake up."