Demi moved to Masako’s side, tilting her head to her fallen master, steeling herself for what was to come, and as if on cue Masako opened her eyes again, gasping to life. Her arms stretching out, her body twitching and convulsing, until Demi snatched a hand into hers. She held her unblinking eyes on Masako to keep her calm and focused.

  “Oh, Demi, is that you?” Her breaths were quick and desperate. She collected herself, realizing that her time was coming. “You must act quickly and activate your Limit Barrier.”

  Demi stared at her with a shake of her head, incredulous at the thought of her master being defeated by a Corrupted. It couldn’t be. While she knew it would come to an end, she never thought it would be like this. It was all too soon. Was she even ready? She had to be.

  “Demi!” Masako cried with urgency. “Do it now.”

  Demi cursed herself for letting her thoughts wander, something Masako had helped her overcome. She still struggled with that, and was often conflicted, even if she had improved so much with Masako’s help, so what would she do now? Focus!

  She nodded and gulped, holding her eyes on her mentor, the woman that had trained her, watched over her, saved her. She fought back the tears. Don’t let her see that you’re sad. Be strong, she’s the one dying, not you. Not yet… “I’m sorry, and… thank you.”

  She smiled and held her master’s hand tightly. “Are you ready?”

  Masako nodded.

  Demi summoned her Switch and engaged her Limit Barrier.

  Masako sucked in air and gasped as she felt an implosion of dark energy hit her in the chest with a resounding punch as it moved through her. All the packed and pent-up and purged energy of all the Corrupteds she had slain and absorbed surged through her, overtaking her, hitting her and enthralling her heart and being and essence into a desperation that overtook her being in a swift motion of dark power. The Corruption filled her jerking, convulsing body in a smooth and easy motion as she was transformed to a terrible being that she could do nothing to stop.

  A silent and terrible scream escaped her lips, or so she thought. The cry of agony and anguish hit her and she hollered with all she had, tears streaming down her cheeks as she imagined the faces of her daughters, her husband, and her life. Had she made the right choices? Did she do the right things? Was she a proper mother? A loving wife? Oh god, she hoped so. She was lifted to her knees by invisible strings, her back bowed, arms at her side, body stiff and tense as she convulsed. Her eyes bathed in black as she was suddenly and savagely overtaken by the Wicked in her.

  A rushing, sucking noise hit her as the darkness took over, slowly grasping her, moving up her body, wrapping and latching like an octopus, holding steady, strong, gripping, and moving her into action. She didn’t want to give into this dark desire, something she often fought. This time, though, she had no will to fight, no barrier to put up, and it savagely took her.

  Things looked different, darker, and delicious. A massive blast of dark energy burst from Masako’s body, shooting in all directions, and bathing the area in blinding black. Then, the energy came back and hit her, transforming her body to a blackened and charred form, and Masako cried out as she was turned. Her body and eyes became darkness with little red lines moving up and down her shadowy form like lightning bolts. Tiny pulsating red veins that had a life of their own. Her smile was sinister with sharp teeth, and eerie eyes. It was hard to look at it, but Demi stood strong in the face of the Wicked form of her master.

  She had two dark wings extending from her back, one like that of a bat, the other like a dark angel wing. Beady little red dots appeared in the dark abyss of her eyes that regarded Demi. One dark horn jutted out from the side of her head, twisted in a gnarled fashion.

  The Wicked narrowed its eyes on Demi with a wide smile of dark and sharp teeth. Then it attacked, wanting to devour and destroy her. It cackled and advanced with a snarling anger and hiss of its lips, wanting very much to satiate its hunger and eat this supernaturally charged being that was Demi fighting her, resisting her, and would be absorbed by her. A delicious delicacy it would be. It wanted to drain and take and destroy and devour. And this tempting treat in front of it would just be the start.

  Demi’s figure became bright and clear and lovely, like a perfect rose waiting to be plucked, begging to be taken, sucked dry, devoured. The Wicked attacked this being, because it was so much more than all the others it had taken, until it felt a stabbing motion, a draining of the darkness, of the yearning and unquenchable satiation that pumped like the blood in its body when she was living. When she came too, she blinked her eyes, the rain falling lighter now, or were those tears? And who had come upon her but a woman with a recognizable face that she had seen time and time again, helped train, taken under her wing, saved, and even loved. She couldn’t remember, the darkness had seemingly wiped so much, yet the face… she knew this face.

  The girl was crying, but why? She lifted a light hand and touched the face, feeling the wetness between forefinger and thumb as she massaged the girl’s cheek in a delicate manner. She felt as if she had been brought back, yet weak was her form, slowly fading and pulling from her, dragging her down to a darkness that took her while at the same time feeling like she was being lifted to the sky.

  Then it all came rushing back in a flood, like the pulsating energy of a Corrupted after she had slain it. “Demi?” Her breaths were raspy, her voice hoarse, her throat dry, her energy completely gone. “What happened?” And then her eyes went wide, her heart raced at the realization of what had happened. That beast, that werewolf Corrupted she had fought that had wounded her, and then… a transformation of her own. “No, please no. God, my children.”

  She tried to get up but couldn’t. She was damaged, drained, done. Her hand moved to a wound that had been stifled for a time while in that terrible form she couldn’t quite recall, but was now returning, flowing, and she was fading, the warmth subsiding.

  “My children,” she whispered whimsically as she gazed up at the sky to a point that perhaps existed for her, part of her wishing and willing that she could float above to the heavens, even though deep within her she knew she’d be dragged below. Oh god, the uncertainty of death coming upon her was quite the visceral hit.

  Still… “My dear children, and my husband,” she managed to breath out, her heart beating with futile effort as she gasped and shook and sobbed with helplessness as the end finally came. “T-tell them I love them.”

  The girl whom she had called Demi held her, cradled her, leaned into her, and sobbed. Masako somehow found the strength to brush Demi’s hair tenderly like a mother to her daughter, brushing her cheek as she did, then smiled one last time. “I’m sorry, Demi. So very sorry.” A tear streamed down her cheek and plopped onto Demi’s lap. And then her eyes lost their life, staring unblinking as the final fire of light faded from them, the last ember extinguished, her soul fading to the empty abyss of who knew what or where as she was dead. And no one knew what happened after death, even those that believed in an afterlife.

  Demi leaned into the woman, hugging her tightly, her shoulders quivering, her body shaking, and her arms wrapped tight, too tight. She rocked back and forth as she didn’t want to let go, but she had to. When the body finally faded, dissipating into nothingness, she blinked her wet eyes, shaking her head, reaching for her master, reaching for nothing. And then something changed.

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  It hit her so hard, and she felt like her body had been lifted into the air, her back arching to the breaking point. Her bones felt like they were breaking apart, her skin felt as if it was burning or melting or being ripped off, and her body felt as if it was going to implode and burst into flames. And then a sudden, rushing energy filled her as a powerful pulse moved over her, into her, giving her the thing she had been training so long and hard for. An explosive burst of energy that did in fact implode, ripping her apart in a sort of transformative way, like beaming from one spot to another on a science-fiction show. She had been beamed to another existence, to a new power, and body that was still her, but not her.

  As the experience ended, and she came to, she realized the Switch Guardianship was now hers. Her new life would begin, and while she thought on how she would never see Masako again and knew that tears changed nothing, she sobbed like the time she felt helpless as a little girl.

  After a moment of mourning, she gathered her strength, wiped her tears, and felt the power pulsating through her veins. It hummed in resonance with the beating of her heart. A new sight, feel, and sense about things came over her as she stood and clenched her spear, it too disappearing like her beloved master until it needed to be summoned to dispatch Corrupted, which she would do plenty of.

  It was her Switch now.

  She smiled bitterly as she felt an urge to rid the city of all Corrupted so no one would ever be harmed nor feel pain again, even though she knew this was a childish thought and was not possible. Still, she liked to dream sometimes.

  Even though she wasn’t the religious type and knew religion wouldn’t save the city, she still said a silent prayer in homage to her master. She sat in that silent moment, bowing her head, a gesture of respect for Masako, and then turned and made her leave for there was much work to do—and many Corrupted to dispatch.

  Richard had found himself in an alleyway, leaning against a wall, helpless and shocked. He was glad it was still raining, because no one would see him curl up and cry like he cried when he was a little boy. He heaved sobs of sorrow, feeling it all in that moment as he knew he wouldn’t be able to feel it around the girls. Wiping a hand over his face, he shuddered, and his glasses fell to the damp ground as he convulsed with the pain of the loss. He felt as if he was going to pass out for a moment as the world spun, then vomited. He heaved a few times, throwing up chunks of food and bile until he eventually held himself up with his hand placed against the ground. He had to be strong, to keep to his word, and to let them know the truth that their mother was gone, but not let them know the reason why. How was he going to do that, to keep her word, to be that strong and solid—and all without her? He couldn’t do it. Christ, he couldn’t.

  He steadied himself after a moment, gathering his courage, and grabbed his glasses, replacing them on his face and adjusting them with a shaky hand as he swallowed. Then he clawed his way to his feet, turned, and shuffled his way home as he was sure they would still be up—waiting, wondering, and worried.

  When Richard came through the door, his two daughters jumped from the couch, wanting to know what happened, worry wrapped up in their swollen red eyes and tiny faces. They looked like they had been sitting in silence, still wet, thoughts twirling in terror and anticipation and confusion. The poor girls.

  Richard smiled, feeling confused, but he steeled himself as he had had his time to mourn. Now he would help them do the same. He met their wide eyes, ones mixed with anxiety and hope, but mostly fear as they probably had seen something they shouldn’t have. He smiled as warmly as he could, kneeling to level with them. He wanted to break down and cry, but held himself. He gave a steadying breath and told them their mother had an accident and that she wouldn’t be coming around anymore. That she was gone, for good. It was so hard to say, and even harder to keep himself together. But he had to be strong for them.

  Little Abgail simply said, “Mommy’s not coming back? But why? Why, Mommy? I don’t understand, daddy. Tell me, please tell me where she is. Let me see her.” Tears trailed down her face as she clutched at his clothing, and he just hugged her.

  Katherine, on the other hand, appeared angry as she demanded answers, stepping back with a shake of her head. “No. It isn’t true. You’re lying.” She spat the words, a simmering of anger and hate and unraveling. Then, she remembered. “There was a monster, and then mom, and then… It can’t be true, so stop lying.”

  Abigail wailed against her father until she eventually passed out from shock. Richard held her in his arms, laying her down on the couch and smiling softly at her as he brushed her tears away and hair to the side. She still had a pulse, thank God. He’d probably have to take her to a doctor.

  “Why won’t you answer me?” Katherine yelled, feeling her body tighten, her fists clench. She wanted to fight, but why him? It wasn’t his fault. But he was lying. Mom wasn’t dead. It just couldn’t be.

  Richard glared at Katherine, telling her that while this was a shock, that she needed to stay calm.

  Calm. How could they—how could he—be calm?! “What are you talking about? Take me to her, now. If you won’t take me, then I’ll go myself. I’ll prove that it was a werewolf, I—”

  “No.” He met her eyes and frowned. “There was no werewolf, no monster. She was hit by a car, okay? I’m sorry, but she’s gone.” He looked at the blood on his clothes and hands, stumbling backward as his vision blurred.

  “Are you seriously going to just stand there and lie to my face?”

  He gulped, totally lost in the situation, not sure what to say as he glanced over at Abigail. He knew that it wasn’t a true story, but he had to stick to it, had to keep to his promise that he would never let his daughters know what their mother had taken on, what she had done, the powers she possessed. He wasn’t even supposed to know.

  “I’m sorry, dear,” Richard said in a flat voice, meeting Katherine’s eyes. “Your mother’s gone.”

  “I-it’s not true,” Katherine said, her eyes wide as she stepped back, a little shake in her head. And she didn’t want it to be true. She didn’t know why he was lying about it. What would it serve him? And she didn’t want her mother to be dead. That wasn’t true either. She didn’t want to accept her father’s blatant lie when she knew he knew something more. It just wasn’t the case that she got hit by a car, yet… part of her thought perhaps what they saw was all imaginative…? No, it was not. A creature had attacked them, and he was lying.

  “Liar!” she spat, feeling the disdain burst in her, a heated hatred building. She wouldn’t accept it, she never would.

  Richard stepped to her with a pleading look. Katherine leaned away with a shake of her head. She felt angry tears form, then as he moved toward her, she dodged out of the way, and jumped to the door, pulling it open and bursting out into the night while saying, “I hate you.”

  She returned to the spot where she thought it had happened, a thudding in her head that ached, and a thumping in her chest that weighed on her like the heavy droplets of rain pelting her body. She shook and felt light as she began to panic.

  It was here, she thought. It had to be here.

  Her vision blurred, and she leaned against the wall to stop from falling on her face. But there was nothing. Just darkness, and her own fear building up again, thinking about that creature, her heart losing itself, and her knowing that it must have killed her wonderful, beautiful mother.

  “No,” she said to herself, trying to keep it together, trying to maintain her breathing, feeling her anxiety explode, and then she couldn’t take it anymore, and she fell to her knees and screamed into the air that no one would hear or see through the thick downpour of rain.

  When she arrived home, drenched and defeated, her father was sitting on the couch, much like they had been when they were waiting for him.

  “Where were you?”

  “You know damn well where I was,” she said, clenching a fist, her anger rising at the audacity of this man. “You know exactly what happened.” She glared at him. “Tell me where her body is, you bastard.”

  “She’s gone, Katherine. There wasn’t enough to…” He gathered himself with a shaking breath as it was so hard to lie and accept that she was, in fact, gone. “I’m sorry,” he said, standing, his voice shaky. “Please, keep it down. Your sister’s asleep.

  “Then tell me what happened?” she said, feeling her anger falter, her soul slip at the sight of the man, realizing this was her father. So, perhaps he’d tell her the truth if she just pleaded with him to give it. It would ease some of her suffering, she thought. She had to know what happened, that she wasn’t crazy. “What really happened to mom?”

  He sat back down, bringing a shaky hand to a sweaty forehead. “I told you, dear,” he said with a sadness in his eyes. “A car hit her and…” He leaned forward, his eyes dropping from Katherine’s as he stared at the ground and lost his voice.

  She gave him a moment, because if their mother was gone, she was gone. But the fact of the matter was he wasn’t willing to tell her the truth of how it had happened.

  “Fine,” she said through gritted teeth. “Keep the truth to yourself.”

  “Honey, please,” he said, meeting her eyes again. “I-it’s complicated.”

  She let out a relived sigh, feeling her eyes get wet as she blinked the tears away, a mixture of betrayal and sadness overcoming her. “Don’t worry about it, dad. It’s fine.” And with that, she stomped off to her room, slamming the door behind her.

  She lay down on her pillow, hugging it as if it was her lifeline, and sobbed into it while the torrential downpour outside drowned away her tears and turmoil.