The Search

Having walked through the streets in the rain again for a long time, Amora allowed herself a moment of pause where she stood still and let the rain land on her hoodie and hair. The sky above was darkened by all of the storm clouds.

She felt the presence of someone behind her and quickly turned to face them.

"I apologize if I frightened you." Darkness said, looking away from Amora.

"You didn't." She replied, holding out her hand to feel the rain.

"You must hate me. I know my explanation didn't make up for all the time you lost with your parents, but... I do hope you may find it within yourself to forgive me someday."

"As I said, help me kill him and I will." She replied coldly, looking away once more.

"Allow me to take the darkness off of you. It's reached your eye and will only spread more the more you use it."

"I can utilize it. There's no need to remove it. You never did it when I begged you to before, so you needn't worry about it now." 

Amora began walking once more, with Darkness following her closely behind.

"Once I get his ability to revive people, I will bring my parents back," Amora explained. "If only he can bring them back, then I will force him to, and then kill him."

"I will assist in any way that I can, Amora." He replied, knowing he had no other choice, nor could he dissuade her. "Where are you going?"

"The only place I can imagine him being."

"You think you know where he went?"

"Yes, he's like wounded prey, I can smell him."

Silence fell between them.

Amora and Darkness traveled to a small section of the city called Borebrook, a place that received less funding than other parts of the city. They remained plump full of graffitied abandoned buildings, the homeless, and a few smaller businesses.

Amora knew she was getting closer with each step, but it was becoming more and more difficult to follow the scent of Shogeki.

"It appears he started moving around this part randomly, possibly in circles around the area, his scent overlaps and changes constantly," Amora said, looking around.

"He's bound to be in one of these buildings. We just need to find him and work together. You bested him last time, I have no doubt we could this time as well."

"Then let's speed this up and split up, but don't stray too far, or else I won't be able to help you," Amora replied, stepping away from Darkness.

He watched her go for a moment before beginning his search of the closer abandoned buildings while Amora searched the farther ones.

The first couple of buildings Darkness searched were completely empty except for the occasional homeless person seeking shelter.

Darkness entered the last building and climbed the stairs slowly, finally making it to the final floor. He looked around, noting that there was no sign that anyone had been there for quite a while.

He sighed and turned to go back down the stairs when a kick sent him flying out a broken window and to the ground below, where he landed with a plop! 

His body had liquified for a moment before solidifying in a human shape once again; he quickly looked up, and his arm formed into his signature dark blade as Shogeki himself fell from the top of the building and landed square on his feet, a blade in his left hand and a serious look on his face.

"My business is with Amora. If you're going to be an issue, I'll kill you right now." He spoke, his voice more serious than ever before.

"I will stand by her, even if it brings upon my death." Darkness replied, knowing that he was no match for Shogeki, but could hold him off until Amora arrived.

"Then you will die both painfully and pathetically, just as you've lived."

Darkness took a small breath in, convinced it could be one of his last. He had no idea how long it would take Amora to find him and Shogeki over here.

He tried pinging her using the darkness within and on her, but it felt... empty. Perhaps he was right, his power was vanishing over time. The darkness that he'd been living off of, which was the same supply he was created with, had slowly been drying up, and he could find no way to replenish it as his power slowly ran out day by day, especially after he used it to change an entire timeline.

He wasn't sure what would happen to him when he ran out, but he assumed it would be something like death for humans. Perhaps the thing inside him would be freed... perhaps she'd finally escape from her living hell.

Darkness looked up at Shogeki, and let out a small sigh.