SCENE EIGHT: SHIKAUHNO VS. S.O2
The chain attached to Shikauhno is now around S.O2's right arm and neck. S.O2 bears her teeth as she tries to unwrap the chain from around her neck.
As S.O2 struggles she grabs Shikauhno's other arm.
Shikauhno utters in a cold tone, "It's pointless. Now you're the one that's bound."
Shikauhno yanks down hard on the chain to bring S.O2 to the ground. S.O2 falls down to her knees. As she falls to the ground she pulls off Shikauhno's arm warmer. It lands on the floor next to her.
The camera reveals Shikauhno's arm; bruises, scars, and burn marks cover the exposed skin.
S.O2 hangs her head down in defeat and softly speaks in a flat tone, "Once you remove the covering our scars are still visible. They'll never fade."
Shikauhno listens to her intently.
S.O2 continues, "Can you truly handle seeing the scars again?" S.O2 looks up at Shikauhno with sorrow in her eyes. Another tear falls from her eyes.
SCENE NINE: NANINATSO VS. KING
The camera is close up on King's face. He has tears and blood emerging from his eyes.
While advancing towards King to attack, Naninatso thinks, 'Before I take that book I want to see exactly what it can do.'
Naninatso places Angelus on his back. He holds both arms out and REI wraps around his arms loosely. 'Time for you to shine MEI.' MEI grows over REI and begins to cover the length of Nani's arms.
He runs over to King as MEI continues to grow and harden. He punches King in the face. IN SLOW MOTION the camera shows a close up, right before Nani's fist hits King's cheek, MEI covers Nani's entire fist.
King is hit with the impact of MEI from Nani's fist.
King's head quickly snaps to the right and blood flies from his mouth. Despite this powerful blow he still clings to his book tightly.
Naninatso punches him repeatedly.
SCENE TEN: SHIKAUHNO VS. S.O2
Shikauhno turns away for a second. She then remembers the words Naninatso spoke to her, "Your scars may be permanent, but the pain behind them can forever be erased if you allow it."
Shikauhno turns to look at her other and states, "My scars will always be there but even so, they've molded me into who I am today. I can't allow the shame to hold me back," Shikauhno shakes her head, "No, not anymore. I'm learning to embrace the bad with the good. Whether I like it or not I accept it. And now I feel it's my season of good." Shikauhno's face brightens up, "My season to smile!"
S.O2 stares at Shikauhno with shocked eyes. Her somber expression turns into an irritated grimace. She stands up and thrusts her shoulder into Shikauhno.
Shikauhno doesn't move out the way but allows her to run into her. She growls as she collides into Shikauhno.
"Fear, fear is telling you you can't be happy."
"Shut up," S.O2 utters to Shikauhno, striking her.
Shikauhno continues to speak, "You're afraid that the moment you smile everything will come crashing down." S.O2 knees Shikauhno in the chin.
Shikauhno stumbles back and buckles to the ground. Shikauhno talks through the pain, "You're afraid it's too good to be true."
SO.2 shouts and the more she hits Shikauhno the more Shikauhno's chain shortens. However, since she is wrapped with Shikauhno's chain she is slowly getting lifted into the air along with Shikauhno.
She wraps her legs around Shikauhno and hits the top of her head with her free hand.
Shikauhno chokes out as S.02 squeezes tighter, "You're afraid of disappointment; that you're clinging to false hope."
As a result of the chain shortening S.O2 is also being choked. Blue cracks begin to form throughout her skin and her eyes turn blue.
Shikauhno utters, "I'm afraid."
S.02 loosens her legs' grip around Shikauhno and looks down at her.
Shikauhno looks up, "But love and purpose outweighs any fear in my heart."
S.O2 lets her go. Tears fall down both S.O2's face. S.O2 shatters into small blue fragments just like the first Other.
Before Shikauhno can hit the floor, the blue pieces of dust catch her and place her softly on the ground.
The blue pieces drift over to one of the walls in the room, it's covered in bandages. The pieces fly back to Shikauhno and surround her, some pieces nudge her back and some float around her arm, beckoning her to the wall.
Shikauhno places her hand on the walls and begins ripping away at the bandages. The hilt of a broken blue sword is embedded into the wall.
"Shizukana?"
Shikauhno grabs it. The pieces around her conjoin into the sword and form half of a broken blade.
The room begins to shake and all four walls of the room collapse like a house of cards.
SCENE ELEVEN: MAKU VS. AIDDO
Aiddo looks down to inspect MEI and MAshido as they restrict him. Maku continues to bind Aiddo-even down to his legs and feet.
Aiddo struggles to raise his right hand and his arm begins trembling. Aiddo speaks calmly, quoting the Bible "And all of this was vanity underneath the sun.
I'll show you that your efforts to contain me are in vain."
Maku is positioned behind Aiddo and reinforces MAshido around his arm. Aiddo's arms is lowered by MAshido's force. Suddenly Aiddo utters, "Kiru."
*A sip of Remnant Juice: Kiru means to cut in Japanese*
Suddenly one large wing rips through the flesh of Aiddo's left shoulder blade. The wing breaks through MEI and MAshido, setting Aiddo free.
The wing is bloody and deteriorated in many areas.
Maku takes a careful step back as Aiddo pointedly places his hands on top of his headpiece, "My wings were clipped and rotted, my pride shattered, my head, lifted from me."
As he slowly lifts his headpiece off of his head he speaks in a loud voice, "This world is ours for the taking. We shall continue our works of old, and renew them. It is ours to claim and our paradise!"
The camera jumps to Maku and back to Aiddo as Aiddo's head is revealed.
80 percent of his face is continually shifting, like a rotating rubics cube. The only thing that doesn't move in his face is a portion of his mouth and his left eye.
Maku remains calm and states, "Your kind has no place in this world. The In-Between will once again be your proper home and your hell."
He let's out a maniacal laugh, "Hell? Hell? HELL!? The only Hell I know is the region beyond this sky!"
After his laughing bout he calms down and utters in an ominous tone barely above a whisper, "It is written that the Remnant will be reduced from few to null."
He is hunched over and stands without saying a word.
Maku watches him carefully and Aiddo slowly turns to him, "I'm sorry, wherewere we? "
Maku doesn't reply and Aiddo touches his head, he panics, "My head! My head, it's gone! It's been lifted from me! Stolen!"
Aiddo let's his hands down and chuckles within himself, "Oh, that's right. I lost my head long ago, haven't I? I almost forgot. It's so easy to forget when you're someone like me. In ancient times I was revered as the headless horseman of the apocalypse. What frightened humans thought of as the end was really our beginning, our rise to unhidden power."
Maku is puzzled at his abrupt personality shift, "I see." He says calmly.
Aiddo repeats in his usual voice, "And all of this was vanity underneath the sun. I'll show you that your efforts to contain me are in vain." The helmet Aiddo is holding vaporizes/melts onto his hand forming a gold and black glove.
'Didn't he say the same thing just moments before? Interesting.'
Maku puts his hand out, "MAshido, begin your craft." A large formless yellow blob floats around Maku's hand. It begins changing in shape and size. Finally, it forms into a yellow, opaque bow.
Aiddo stands there, watching Maku expectantly.
'He expects me to make the first move in order gauge my strength I assume .'
Maku begins to ready his bow and arrow, 'I'll follow suit...for now.'
An arrow materializes from Maku's hand and he pulls back on it. Before he unleashes the arrow his clothes begin to rip and fade away as new clothes form over him. His clothes consist of a protective mask that covers the base of his head, mouth, and neck. His outfit resembles a dark colored, armored compression suit with yellow trimmings. On his right arm is an armored arm piece that covers his hand to the length of his upper arm. On his left hand is a glove with protruding knuckled ridges. He has on strapped boots with shin guards.
Maku looks down at his clothes with a concerned look on his face.
'Or maybe not.'
Aiddo suddenly holds his hand bearing the glove out.
As he raises his arm the camera shows the name of his power on the screen, Motion Pulse.
A black cloud emerges from the palm of Aiddo's glove.
Maku thinks quick and transforms his bow into a shield to protect him. Aiddo's cloud disappears and Maku glances around cautiously with his shield still up.
Suddenly MAshido bursts and Maku is thrown backwards by an unforeseen force.
Maku lands on the hood of a white truck. MAshido has softened the impact. The alarm sounds loudly on the car.
SFX: CAR ALARM
SCENE TWELVE: KING VS. NANINATSO
Naninatso finally let's off King to catch his breath. MEI begins to slowly subside from his hands and crumbles to the ground. Before they reach the floor they disintegrate into nothingness.
King's eyes are swollen, several teeth are broken, the corners of his mouth and nose is bleeding. He slowly moves his book up to cover his face all the while Nani watches him expectantly. King mutters, "And I said, by their stripes he is healed."
After several seconds he slowly brings his book back down. King's face remains battered, however he now has a crown of thorns adorned on his head.
As Naninatso notices it he is taken aback. 'That definitely wasn't there this whole time.'
The camera shows Naninatso from afar and behind him the ground is cracking like a busted window.
King smiles at Naninatso and Nani takes an apprehensive step back. A cracking noise reaches Nani's ears and he looks behind him at the floor.
SFX: CRACKLING CONCRETE
Suddenly the ground collapses in and Naninatso falls with it.
SCENE THIRTEEN: AIDDO VS. MAKU
As Maku lifts himself off of the hood of the car he thinks,
' His strength has proven that I must utilize Divine Armour to properly defeat him. It's been a while since I've had to use the entire suit.'
The car alarm blares loudly.
Aiddo walks towards Maku confidently, with a hint of annoyance he remarks, "I almost forgot how loud things in this world can be."
"Would you prefer a more quiet place?" Maku retorts.
Aiddo raises his arms and a cloud emanates from the palm on his hand.
Maku's eyes widen.
SCENE FOURTEEN: NANI VS. KING
Naninatso is hanging off a thick vine in the depths of the ground.
Angelus is in his right hand. Naninatso's clothes are also changed. He is wearing a black sleeveless v-neck with a black ribbon wrapped around his entire left arm and hand, dark pants with straps on both of his upper thighs, and black boots with blue chains on them.
He looks down at his clothes and thinks, 'My Divine Armour...looks like it saved me from the impact.'
Nani beckons, "Come on REI." Another string unravels from Angelus and turns into a thick red chain. It moves on its on and jams itself into the side of the underground wall below Nani. It shoots out from the other side and jams itself into the opposite wall. It continues to do that until its formed a net like structure under Naninatso.
Naninatso looks down and fearlessly lets go of the vine he is holding.
Nani falls into REI and it catches him.
The camera shifts angles and shows REI shooting out of the pit. REI wraps around the bottom of a light pole and Naninatso hoists himself out of the pit.
When Nani finally gets to the top he notices that King is nowhere in sight and King's cross is shut. Naninatso recalls when King tried going into his cross from episode seven.
'So he likes to hide huh?'
SCENE FIFTEEN: SPIRITUAL BIND WORLD
The collapsed walls reveal four different staircases. The staircases have no railings or sides. Beneath them is an empty void of nothingness.
Shikauhno recalls Gabriel's words, "You have subdued a part of your heart. You have overcome the first struggle, but your war has yet reached its resolve. You have passed one third of the trial and now must conquer what remains."
Shikauhno says to herself, "There's still one more left. One more fight I have to win, then this will all be over. "
Shikauhno looks down at her the broken sword, 'Then Shizukana will finally belong to me.'
Shikauhno looks up to see someone who's fully wrapped in bandages from head to toe. They are slowly making their way up higher and higher.
Shikauhno begins to go after the person but an invisible barrier prevents her. Shikauhno tries the south staircase and it is also blocked off.
She attempts the east staircase where she has clear passage.
The staircases are long and stretch out like a freeway; they all connect at the top.
Shikauhno begins to sprint up the staircase with her eyes fixated on the mysterious bandaged person.
As Shikauhno runs she hears quick footsteps behind her.
SFX: RUNNING FOOTSTEPS
She glances back and see three versions of herself with various hair styles and eye colors running up the staircase as well.
"Well, this is the third trial after all." Shikauhno says with a playful sarcastic edge to her voice.
To be continued...
©