"Execute him!" Kamoshida commanded, a bloodthirsty grin stretching his lips. The soldier holding Sakamoto nodded and swung his blade down--
"That's enough, motherfucker."
The blade stopped, a mere inch away from Sakamoto's paling face. Kamoshida slowly turned his head, looking over his shoulder to Akira in shock, along with everyone else in the cell.
"What was that...?" Kamoshida asked, frustration present in his voice. Akira didn't reply, his glasses fogged, keeping his emotions hidden. Kamoshida shook with fury as tension grew in the air. The soldier released his grip on Sakamoto, dropping him to the ground. He gasped violently for air, coughing with such strength that his body shook each time. Kamoshida didn't like to be ignored, striding over to Akira with an expression of anger, annoyance, and bloodlust.
"You desire to be killed that much...? Fine!" Kamoshida growled. He looked over at the right soldier who promptly smacked Akira across the face with their shield.
His glasses flew off, revealing the boy's surprisingly long eyelashes and faint bags under his eyes, his body quickly going numb. The soldiers grabbed him by the arms once again, retraining him just as his sensations returned—his head hanging limp. Sakamoto struggled to stand, a split second of worry filling him, but sagged to the ground once more. The soldier raised its sword up and flung it down. But before it could even come within 5 inches of Akira's head, he opened his eyes and powerful gusts of wind suddenly picked up blinding everyone. Kamoshida covered his eyes with his arms, blinking in surprise as the wind died down. Lowering his arms, he looked at Akira—who stood alone, free from restraint.
Upon his face was something that appeared to be a birdlike domino mask—white in nature with a black frame around the eye holes, almost representing eyelashes. Akira, feeling something light upon his face, gingerly felt the mask. He hesitated for a moment, fear overtaking him. But at the thought of saving Sakamoto, he tried prying it off, a ripping sensation shooting through. It felt hot, like wax, and demanded to be ripped off.
Akira flinched, unable to take the pain. He was scared to reveal who he was, to reveal his inner thoughts... But, again, the thought of saving Sakamoto pushed him forward. Fighting against the masks' resistance, he finally yanked off the entire thing and screamed in agony. Blood soaked his forehead and streaked down, his eyes covered by his bangs as he trembled from the pain. The blood dripped to the ground, dripping to a sinister tune as his confident smirk returned to his lips. Facing Kamoshida, he let his anger run free—a single thought running through his mind.
Persona.
Almost as if it were triggered by it, the blood dissolved into blue flames, eventually engulfing his entire body. Kamoshida couldn't help but slowly back up in fear, the demonic expression that flashed before him as Akira's body was engulfed seemed to laugh at him. A chilling laugh echoed within the cell, slowly distorting with layers.
"Bow to my power!" the voice of Akira laughed, sending chills the Kamoshida and Sakamoto as the menacing lullaby of chains rattled, the fire eventually forming into a being above him. The strange being that emerged from the flames flapped it's black and red wings, revealing the new Akira that had formed—clothed in a new get up of a black ankle-length tailcoat, a high-necked waistcoat with gold accents, black jogger-style pants, brown-black winkle pickers, and a pair of red gloves. The strange being above him grin as its claw-like hands touch his top hat, its dark body creating that sense of mystery and danger. It was tied by the chains but Akira didn't hesitate to release it. Once free, it blew back everyone, earning a shriek from Kamoshida who crawled away.
Sakamoto stared at the once awkward boy, speechless at what had occurred. He opened his mouth to say something, but was promptly shut when Akira locked eyes with him. He flashed a devilishly alluring smile, sending a shiver down Sakamoto's spine.
I am the pillager of twilight—'Arsene'!
Akira glanced at the strange being beside him, unfrightened by its appearance. In fact, it was almost comforting—like staring back at a relative that you actually liked.
I am the rebel's soul that resides within you.
If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis.
Akira glanced back over to Sakamoto, taking note of his beaten form.
"The rebel's soul within me, huh? My old man did always say I was a little shit," Akira began, his eyes narrowing in hatred and shame. If only he wasn't so weak, the poor guy before him wouldn't be so bruised. Glancing back over at Arsene, he smirked. "Since you offered your services so nicely, I suppose just this one I'll ask something to lend me its power."
Hmph, very well...
"Who the hell are you...?!" Kamoshida asked, trying to regain his authority from earlier, catching Akira's attention. He had somehow mustered up the courage to stand once more, sweat rolling down his jaw in fear. Seeing this, Akira smirked and glared down at the grown man.
"Your fucking worst nightmare," Akira growled, his voice oozing with sinistry. Agitated with his tone, Kamoshida looked at his mangled guards and pointed at the boy before him.
"Guards! Start by killing that one!" he commanded. The two soldiers stood and burst into monstrous-like entities eventually forming as some kind of floating pumpkins holding a lamp, a blue cloak covering their invisible bodies. "You'll learn the true strength of my—"
Before Kamoshida could even finish his statement, Akira flicked his wrist with a grin, a goop of black and red toxin swallowing the enemies whole, shortly disappearing into the Earth. The sound of chains laughing taunted at Kamoshida, causing him to look up to which he saw that it was Arsene that had ended his men's lives.
"You were sayin', bitch?" Akira cooed, tauntingly flicking his bangs out of his eyes, Arsene mimicking the action. From a third person standpoint, it almost looked like a puppet and its puppeteer. In reality, however, it was Arsene gaining more and more respect and faith for his master—loving each maniacal laugh, sinister smirk, and straight sass that escaped the once shy and awkward boy. He was letting all those feelings he kept inside of himself free at last. Akira felt complete, no longer chained down by the rules of society—by the rules of his father.
"You little...!" Kamoshida growled as he stomped up to him, his hand raised to attack.
"What, you want a piece of this too?!" Akira laughed, opening his arms and making himself more vulnerable, his eyes glowing red with power. But then suddenly, Sakamoto stood and as fast as he could, rammed into the king. Kamoshida collided with the ground with a loud thud.
"Ha! You like that you son of a bitch!?" Sakamoto taunted. Akira blinked, his eyes returning to its usual dark color—almost as if he had been snapped out of a spell. Looking around, Akira found hi his glasses that had been smacked away earlier and grabbed them.
"Sakamoto-san, grab the key to the cell!" Akira instructed as he dashed out the cell, also grabbing their bags from the barrels.
"Y-You mean this!?" Sakamoto asked, picking up a key holder that had a several old-fashioned keys dangling from it. Akira turned around, spotting the key holder in Sakamoto's hand.
"Yeah, hurry it up!" Akira demanded as he turned back around, looking from side to side to see if any enemies were heading their way. With all the commotion they had made, they were bound to encounter more soldiers.
"Alright, alright!" Sakamoto replied with slight annoyance. He dashed out of the cell and quickly slammed the cell door shut with Kamoshida still inside. He quickly understood why Akira told him to grab the keys and examined the keyhole. Picking the key that matched the hole to him, he managed to lock the door.
"Ok, it's locked!" Sakamoto let out a sigh of relief, knowing now that the bastard was stuck on the other side.
"Damn you!" Kamoshida yelled as he stood, staggering. It seemed like Sakamoto did a number on him—much more than he thought he did. Once Akira assumed that they were safe for now, he let down his guard and turned to face his companion... Who looked at him in awe and suspicion.
"What was that just now!? And... your clothes!" Sakamoto pointed out.
"Clothes...?" Akira repeated, raising a brow. Looking down at his hands, he finally noticed his change of appearance. "Huh? When did they change?!" Almost as if they were teasing him, he reverted back to his normal look.
"Whoa! It went back to normal...?" Sakamoto exclaimed, noticing Akira's face. Perhaps it was the dim lighting, but to Sakamoto, Akira's face glimmered—his cheekbones and jawline appearing much softer than before, his dark eyes much sweeter with the alluring shade that kissed beneath his lower eyelids thanks to the faint bags. It was a bit surprising/alarming to Sakamoto that the guy before him had such a pretty face... How did he not notice it before?
"Aw, that sucks... I didn't really get a good look at myself" Akira muttered as he slipped on his glasses, the glimmer Sakamoto once saw now gone. So that's what it was.
What kind of magical bullshit is that?!
Kamoshida suddenly banged on the cell bars, causing the two to jump in surprise.
"You bastards! You think you can get away with doing this to me?!" he yelled.
"God, this's effin' nuts!" Sakamoto growled, running his hands through his short hair. "Anyways, let's scram! You lead the way!" Akira didn't question it and shoved Sakamoto's bag onto him before running down the path, Sakamoto following closely after. As they went, he chucked the keys into the river of water—an action that vexed the imprisoned Kamoshida.
Noticing this, Akira shouted, "Hoy, why'd you throw the keys away?! You could have stuffed it in your bag!"
"I don't give a shit! I ain't down for any of this! Let's just get outta here!" Sakamoto shouted back, clear anger and desperation in his voice. Kamoshida shook the bars violently, causing them to rattle in anger.
"Goddamn thieves!" he swore under his breath as he watched their figures retreat from him. "Guards! After them! Don't let them escape!"
As the two ran, they quickly encountered a locked cell door. Looking around, they found a short, broken bridge above the river that lead to another path—one with a noticeable open door. With an easy jump, the two continued from there and encountered another bridge of sorts. However, this time the "bridge" was 4 metal crates that zigzagged across the a stronger river. The water wasn't what frightened Akira... It was the metal crates that acted as a bridge. They didn't look very stable and far too shiny for his own good.
"Dude, you better not fall... I'm not fetchin' ya if you do!" Sakamoto warned, having similar thoughts.
"Saying stuff like that is only going to make me nervous!" Akira snapped back, sweat rolling down his jaw. Swallowing, the two got over their fears and hopped along the zigzag bridge. Once on the other side, they continued through, entering a new hall filled with empty, locked cells. At the end of the hall was a locked door, earning grunts of fear and annoyance. However, one cell was open, to which the two ran inside without much thought.
"Another cell?" Sakamoto questioned to no one in particular. Akira quickly glanced around, looking for another means of passage. He quickly spotted a hole big enough for them to crawl through, immediately sliding his bag over his back as he kneeled down.
"Through here," Akira pointed, crawling through the hole. Noticing it, Sakamoto also knelt down and began to crawl—his bag snagging on a rock at the entrance.
"Crap! My bag's stuck!" he growled, trying to pull it free.
"You alright back there?" Akira called out, not stopping to check on his companion. Sakamoto managed to pull his bag free, properly adjusting it along his backside. Looking down the hole, he could see Akira's crawling figure ahead of him. For some reason, Akira's pretty face flashed in his mind, causing him to grunt and shake his head.
"Y-Yeah, I got it! Keep going!" he replied, crawling through.
Once the two reached the other side, they were back to running. They didn't know where they were running to, but there was an exit to the castle—and at one point or another, they were going to make it there. Hopefully soon.
"Hey! We gotta hide!" Sakamoto suddenly gasped, grabbing Akira's arm and pulling him down. The two crawled over to a pair of wooden crates, hiding from the sound of running footsteps that made their way closer on the other side of the path. Peeking up from above the crates, Akira could see that there were a good number of soldiers running on the other path, making their way towards whence they came.
"...They're looking for us, right?" Sakamoto whispered, the two standing up once the soldiers ran from their field of vision.
"That or they're going to free their king," Akira pointed out, adjusting his bag that hung from his shoulder.
Sakamoto stomped the ground with his right foot, running his hands through his hair once again, shouting, "I ain't playin' along with this anymore! We gotta find a way outta this goddamn place!"
"I'm sure we're almost to the exit!" Akira reassured. Sakamoto sighed in reply, clearly distressed from everything that happened.
The two continued running, making their way up a flight of spiraling stairs in hopes that it was an exit; only to enter a similar hallway like the one down below. Except this time, they had company.
"H-Hey... Look..." Sakamoto began, his voice trembling, as he pointed at several hanging cages above the river. Looking closely, Akira could see the people with helmets on their heads, covering their faces, crying and moaning out for help. "We really did hear people screamin'... So we ain't the only ones who got captured!"
Akira stared at the figures, some of which stretched out their hands towards them and directed their pleas. Turning away, he continued forward, mumbling "...We can't do anything about them right now. Let's get out of here while we still can." He felt sorry for them, yes, and wanted to rescue them, yes. But he couldn't waste any more time there. Thankfully, Sakamoto didn't protest too much, quietly following behind him.
Continuing onward, the two reached another drawbridge—one much more grand than the previous. Sadly for them, the bridge was up—blocking their vision from the other side of the rushing river.
"Damnit, the bridge's up! Ain't there some way to lower it!?" Sakamoto groaned, his right leg tapping nervously. Akira looked down the path, noticing only a few creates and more cells.
"And there's another dead end down this way..." Akira mumbled, examining the bridge. Walking over to the right side of it, he noticed a rather strange statue with marble eyes. "Maybe it has something to do with this eerie statue?"
Sakamoto walked over to Akira and noticed the statue, immediately making a face of disgust. It looked almost like Kamoshida's face. "Ew, is this s'possed to be Kamoshida? What a creepy-ass statue... It really pisses me off."
Akira thought for a moment, staring intensely at the statue's eyes. The rest of the statue was pure stone—so for the eyes to be made of glossy marble... Maybe it had something to do with lowering the bridge? Like in the movies?
Turning to Sakamoto, he suggested, "Let's see if there's anything in those boxes. Maybe a tool or something to help us tinker with this statue."
"Oh, good idea!" Sakamoto replied, almost eagerly. The rushed down to the crates, immediately grabbing hold of one. With their forces combined, they began to pull the lid. However, it didn't move an inch—even when Sakamoto picked up a rock to use as a sort of crowbar. "Come on, come on... Open, damn you!"
"...Hey, you there."
Akira blinked in surprise, looking down at the crate. Did it just talk?
"Blondie! Frizzy Hair! Look over here!"
Akira and Sakamoto looked at each other, slowly turning their gaze to the cell behind them. There, they could see a predominantly black cat with blue eyes and a white muzzle, paws, and tail tip; a yellow bandana tied around its neck while a tool belt tied around its waist. But... was it really a cat? It looked far too cartoonish to be a real cat... Its head was much bigger than the rest of its body, making its blue eyes extremely big.... and adorable.
"What is this thing!?" Sakamoto exclaimed in both fear and shock, the two walking closer to the cell it was trapped in.
"Oh wow, that's a nasty look," the creature suddenly grimace at Sakamoto. Sakamoto raised a brow, unsure of what it was referring to. His body was numb at this point, the throbbing pain from before no longer present. But to those who looked at him, the most noticeable feature of his face was a black eye with small cuts here and there all over.
"...It's cute," Akira muttered under his breath, a light pink dusting his cheeks. The creature shook its head and looked at Akira, waving it's little white paw at them.
"You're not soldiers of this castle, right? Get me out of here!" the creature begged, it's childlike and tomboyish voice causing the blush to deepen on Akira's face. It then looked over and pointed a key holder which hung teasingly beside the lock, just out of the creatures grasp. "Look, the keys right there!"
"We're trying to get the hell out of here...! We don't have time for you!" Sakamoto replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "And, I mean, you obviously look like an enemy too!"
"I highly doubt it. It's locked up in there, so how can it be an enemy?" Akira pointed out, adjusting his glasses in attempt to hide his heated face.
"Exactly! So help me out!" the creature agreed, hoping that the frizzy haired boy would help him.
"Quiet down, alright? We don't want any unwanted attention," Akira gently shushed the creature. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps and voices from afar caught their attention, Sakamoto's blood running cold.
"They're catchin' up already...!" he whispered. Pulling out his phone from his bag, he went to the dial app—only for the screen to flash the words "No Signal" on it. "Shit, there's still no service... And damn! That bastard really did do a number to me! Ugh, how am I gonna explain this?!"
Akira pulled out his phone as well, receiving similar treatment. Putting it away, he looked at Sakamoto—who was busy examining his face, his phone acting as a mirror—and urged, "We need to open these boxes, stat."
"Hey, wait! You two!" the creature suddenly called out, not letting the boys leave its side. "You want to know where the exit is? Let me out and I'll take you there. You don't want to get caught and executed, right!?"
"Wha... Really? Can you really help us?" Akira asked, surprised that a stranger—er, strange creature—would be providing them help. But then again, it was making a request that would essentially help him.
"I never go back on my word!" the creature reassured with a genuine nod.
"This thing sounds like it's all talk..." Sakamoto muttered under his breath, not sure who or what to trust in this hell hole.
"If you guys think you can get out on your own, then be my guest!"
Sakamoto glared at the creature, unappreciative of its attitude. He looked at Akira and asked, "Whadda we do...?"
Akira looked back at the creature, its blue eyes staring right at him. This was a matter of life and death—for all three of them. Was there really any other option? Sighing, his flushed cheeks deepening once again, as he replied, "In a situation like this, we have no choice but to trust th—it."
Sakamoto made a face, a drop of sweat rolling down his jaw. Akira had a point—they were in a place/world that didn't make sense. They were being pursued by soldiers that want their head—and meant it. They really didn't have a choice but to trust it. But he was still very suspicious of the creature. Who could blame him? Everything is not as it seems. Looking back at the creature, Sakamoto growled, "Are you seriously not messin' with us!?"
"If you don't hurry, they'll catch you," the creature merely replied. It knew that it had won this battle. Trying to fight with the blonde boy was just a waste of energy.
"F-Fine..." Sakamoto mumbled, looking away.
"Smart move," Akira commented with a thumbs up, approving Sakamoto's decision. Then again, he would have just let the creature free all on his own even if Sakamoto said no. Grabbing the keys, Akira swiftly unlocked the cell door and opened it wide.
The creature walked out of the cell and began to stretch, moaning "Ahhh... Freedom tastes so great...!"
"It'll taste even better once we're out of here..." Akira pointed out, placing a hand on his hip. He did his deal—now time for the creature to stick to its word and help them out.
"Yeah, so where's the exit, you monster cat!?" Sakamoto snapped.
"Don't call me a cat! I am Morgana!" the creature snapped back.
"Morgana, huh? Nice name," Akira complimented, earning a proud smile in return.
"Shuddup—both of ya! Let's hurry it up! You wanna get locked up again!?" Sakamoto shouted, causing Morgana to jump.
"A-All right, sheesh!" Morgana sighed. "Follow me, and stay quiet!"
Morgana made his way back over over to the drawbridge, the two following closely after. Once they reached the strange statue of Kamoshida, Morgana stopped and stared at it patiently.
There was an anxious pause as Sakamoto and Akira stared at Morgana, waiting for him to do something. After a moment, Sakamoto finally asked, "What're you doin'?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm lowering the bridge," Morgana replied simply.
"So it had to do with the statue after all..." Akira hummed, pinching his chin in thought. Just what was the trick?
"You, Frizzy Hair. It seems you pick up faster than our Blondie over here," Morgana began, catching Akira's attention as Sakamoto growled in surprise and annoyance at the name of 'Blondie'. "Try checking around the mouth of this statue, okay?"
"Uh... Oh! Of course! The jaw can be pulled down!" Akira exclaimed, putting it all together. Without any hesitation, he grabbed the statue's lower jaw and pulled down, the statue now appearing mutated. The eyes glowed a bright yellow, causing Akira to gasp in surprise as the drawbridge lowered.
Taken aback by the statue that stared at him with its glowing eyes, he muttered under his breath, "Yikes, that's... several layers of a creepy onion. What a weird design."
"Whoa!" Sakamoto gasped. "H-How were we supposed to know to do that!?"
Morgana snorted, crossing his arms over his fuzzy body. "Hmph, amateur. Come on, let's get going!"
The two heeded his words and continued onward... But it was futile. By the time they entered the next corridor, another hulking guard came straight towards them.
"Shit! Oh, shit, it's them!" Sakamoto screamed, falling backwards and on to his butt. Akira stepped forward, determined to protect Sakamoto, his clothes once again transformed. But Morgana seemed to have other plans, jumping over Sakamoto and in front of Akira without a second of hesitation.
"You amateur! Stay still. Come, Zorro!" Morgana huffed at Sakamoto. Light blinded the duo as a large black figure wielding a rapier emerged above Morgana, similar to that of Akira first summoning Arsene. He glanced at Akira with interest, gesturing him forward to fight. "Hey you. You could fight, right? Let's go."
"Y-You got one of those things to!?" Sakamoto exclaimed in awe and fear. Just like the previous soldiers, this one burst into a monstrous-like entities eventually forming as some kind of pixie, wearing a rather scandalous blue outfit which matched its blue wings.
"Hmph! We will promptly shut it up!" Morgana huffed with a look of confidence, pulling out a cutlass from one of his small pouches that hanged from his belt. The fairies roared with bloodlust, their voices distorted to make them sound much more intimidating than they actually appeared, their scrawny arms flexing downward as if they were intimidating gorillas. With eyes gleaming red and their breathing as heavy as a bull, Akira could tell that these enemies were going to be a bit different than the ones he fought by himself earlier.
"Damn Shadows... they've taken up intercept positions!" Morgana growled cautiously, pointing his cutlass at the two. "I'll back you up, so fight like your life depends on it! Let's go!"
Akira nodded in reply, a grin stretching his face as he summoned Arsene to his side. Extending his hand over to the enemy, Arsene flying towards it with its claws out. The enemy dodged the attack and flew upward, Arsene promptly chasing after. It looked almost like a dance between two figure skaters, knowing the rhythm of the other.
"Hmph, I knew you were an amateur," Morgana sighed with a cocky tone, shaking his head with a grin. "This is how you fight!" Pointing his sword at the enemy, he called out his Persona's name, causing a gush of green wind to crash into the enemy, a shrill scream of pain escaping as it fell to the ground, badly injured.
"Whoa," Akira gasped, squatting down. Pinching his chin, he quickly managed to put two and two together.
Everything has a weaknesses... So by tackling the enemy with said weakness, it gives them a better advantage during combat. So that's why he managed to defeat those enemies back at the cell so fast. Smirking, Akira stood up and snapped his fingers; Arsene immediately plummeting to the ground, its sharp claws stabbing various points of the fairy. With one last cry of pain, the fairy burst into black and red bits, ending the threat.
"Not bad. Your Persona's pretty powerful," Morgana complimented, putting his cutlass away. Akira looked down at the creature and grinned in gratitude. Although, there was a hint of cockiness, earning a strange shiver from Morgana...
"Persona...?" Sakamoto repeated, walking over to the two, now having regained his courage to stand. "Y'mean that thing that comes outta you guys all dramatic like?"
"Yes. You saw how Frizzy Hair here ripped off his mask when he summoned it, right?" Morgana began. "Well, everybody wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing that..."
But before Morgana could finish his explanation, Akira's clothing returned to the normal uniform he was wearing before. Sakamoto blinked in surprise, muttering, "Huh...? He turned back to normal..."
"It looks like you don't have full control over your power yet," Morgana hummed, inspecting Akira's body. "The transformation shouldn't normally dissolve like that. After all—"
"That's enough!" Ryuji groaned in frustration, interrupting. "This crap doesn't make any sense!"
"Can't you just sit still and listen for once, Blondie!?" Morgana snapped, growling in annoyance.
"Don't call me Blondie! My name's Ryuji..."
Ryuji Sakamoto... Akira took a mental note of Ryuji's name, nodding to himself before interrupting the two, "Hate to be the party pooper, but we're not exactly in the best place to sit around and goof like this."
"You're right," Morgana sighed, a tad embarrassed/ashamed for losing his cool and arguing with with Ryuji. "Let's hurry, then. It's not that much further to the exit!"
Ryuji and Akira nodded, following Morgana up a slight of stairs and down some corridors. Continuing down the way, Ryuji asked them to stop, staring into the bars of one of the cells. A boy in a red sports uniform was sprawled on the floor inside. He appeared to be breathing, but unconscious—numerous bruises and marks on his exposed skin.
"I feel like I've seen what this dude's wearin' before..." Ryuji muttered, rubbing the back of his head trying to recall. It was on the tip of his tongue...
"Dude, now's not the time to sight see," Akira pointed out, adjusting his glasses as he glanced at the boy in the uniform.
"Yeah! Come on, let's go!" Morgana urged, jogging in place.
"Hold on, damnit!" Ryuji snapped, squatting down to try and get a look of the boy's face. But the boy was laying on his front, his head turned to the side. "Just... Who are these guys?"
"Do you really think you have time to worry about other people right now!?" Morgana snapped, annoyed and cautious. "Besides, they're—"
Suddenly, the bridge before them lowered with a thud, blowing dust which blocked their vision. Once it cleared, an armored soldier clamored towards them. Morgana groaned, clearly upset with Ryuji's naivete.
"Let's get this over with," Akira huffed as his clothes changed.
"I'm glad you stick to your guns," Morgana complimented, grinning with interest. The soldier transformed once again into a fairy. Though this time, it was a bit smaller than the other—the runt of the liter.
"Ha, how cute. And here I thought it was gonna be a big baddie," Akira cooed teasingly. With a smirk, Arsene dramatically ascending behind Akira as he whispered: "You're finished."
With the snap of a finger, Arsene flew towards the fairy and cleaved it right in half with its sharp claws, not even giving Morgana a chance to summon his own persona. Akira snickered as he playfully flicked his bangs out of eyes.
"Nice moves... For an amateur," Morgana praised, his interest growing. Akira looked at him and blinked in slight confusion, wondering if the last bit was necessary.
"Thanks?" he replied, his clothes returning back to normal. "Anyways, let's scram before more show up. Sakamoto-san."
"Hold on, we can't just leave these guys here...!" Ryuji tried to argue.
"You really don't get it, do you?" Morgana sighed, his cat ears twitching in annoyance. "There's no time to explain! Listen, I'm going. If you don't wanna follow, then be my guest!"
And with that, Morgana ran down the path, leaving the boys behind. Akira could see the look of conflict on his companions face. It was something he deeply respected and 100% understood. But how can they help the people they saw in here if they don't escape in one piece? Ryuji looked over at Akira for advice—but his face said it all.
'Do you wanna die here with that guy or leave with me?'
Ryuji clicked his tongue and sighed before standing up. "Dammit... Fine, I'm coming!"
As he began to run down the path as well, Akira following. The two rushed after Morgana and quickly caught up to him. He wasn't too far ahead, luckily. Maybe he was waiting for them?
"We're almost there—keep up with me, will you?!" Morgana barked, not stopping to look at them from over his shoulder.
"Shut up! You had a head start!" Ryuji snapped back.
...Maybe waiting for them was a bit of a stretch. Nevertheless, the trio ran into a hallway with two doorway entrances after running through the grand room the two boys had entered when they first arrived there.
"We're here!" Morgana huffs, skidding to a stop next to a door on his left.
"Finally! We're saved...!" Ryuji sighed. He looked around for a moment before rushing over to a door a little ways down. When he tried to turn the knob, it refused to open.
Akira watched Ryuji grunt and groan as he tried to open the door before adjusting his glasses, pointing at the door besides him and Morgana with his thumb. "Uh... I think we're going through this door."
Morgana rolled his eyes as he pushed the door open, Akira following him inside. They could hear Ryuji gasp, uttering, "Huh? H-Hey, wait up!"
Inside the room, the first thing that stood out to Akira was the lack of lighting. With no windows, they couldn't even tell what time it was outside. Other than that, it was pretty bland—just a few bookshelves, some filled with books while others were empty.
"Where are we supposed to get out from here!? There aren't even any windows!" Ryuji asked Morgana, unable to see that much with the dimmed atmosphere.
"Ugh, amateur... This is the most basics of basics," Morgana sighed in defeat. Ryuji growled at him, baring his teeth like a wild animal, not intimidating the small cat at all. Looking around, Akira spotted a metal square gate. An air duct.
"...We go through the ventilation shaft," Akira pointed out, nudging Ryuji towards the draft's direction.
"That's right! As I thought, you're a natural at this," Morgana praised, purring with approval. "It leads all the way outside."
"I see... Then we just gotta get that metallic mesh off!" Ryuji hummed. He quickly climbed up a bookcase to the vent, standing on his knees. Akira took note of this, making sure to army crawl when going through.
Ryuji began prying off the metal covering. "And a one, and a—WHOA!" In a few moments, it clunks to the ground, followed by Ryuji.
"You alright?" Akira asked, a bead of sweat rolling down his jaw.
"Oww..." Ryuji groaned. He suddenly gasped, jumping up to his feet. "Crap! The enemy didn't hear us, did they?!"
Akira looked over his shoulder towards the door, mumbling, "All the more reason to crawl through."
Ryuji didn't seem to hear him, whimpering softly, "Seriously, we're finally gettin' outta here...!"
"You should wait on celebrating until you actually get out," Morgana pointed out. "Now, get going."
Akira nodded and made his way up the bookshelf to the vent, bumping his head when he made it to the top. Ryuji, on the other hand, was a bit hesitant as he stared cautiously at the small cat-like creature.
"But... what about you?" he asked.
"There's something that I still have to do. We're going our separate ways," Morgana announced. Akira blinked and looked down at the two down below. He could see the seriousness behind Morgana's eyes, his determination to follow through his resolve. Ryuji looked over at him, unsure of what to do.
Akira paused for a moment before smiling in gratitude, showing a thumbs up. "Thanks for your help, Morgana. Don't get caught again, y'hear?"
"Heh, you better be careful too," Morgana chuckle, looking away bashfully for some reason. "See ya!"
Ryuji nodded farewell to Morgana and made his way back up. Akira gestured for Ryuji to go first, to which he obliged with no question. Once they got outside, Ryuji was going to need to act like the tour guide to get them somewhere safe—something a transfer student like Akira couldn't do. As the duo left, he could've sworn he heard the cat say something, but his thoughts were too occupied with escaping this strange place to translate its words.