Chapter 16

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Give me the stones.

Enjoy reading.

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I was lying on the bed, half wrapped in bandages. By the bed, there was a chair where a sleeping Akame was sitting, which made me smile a little. Taking care of you... What a cool thing it is after all. In the opposite corner of the room, there was another bed where an equally bandaged Esdes was sleeping. The room was dark, and from a visible piece of the window, moonlight was shining in.

It felt strange... Some kind of emptiness inside. I didn't notice it at first, but then... I realised something was wrong. But without realising what it was, I dismissed the feeling, promising myself to figure it out later.

After lying there for a couple of minutes without feeling hungry, I decided to get up. The bed creaked at my slightest movement, waking Akame instantly.

She instantly noticed me standing up, then silently clamped her mouth shut, and forcefully put me back down, pointing at Esdes.

I nodded, then slowly began to burn the bandages, rising again and pointing to the door. Akame stared at the whole skin in place of the burned bandages for a couple of seconds, then handed over a stack of my clothes from somewhere behind the bed.

Once I was dressed, I glanced at the still-sleeping Esdes, then headed out the door. And instantly found myself clenched in Akame's arms.

- I was so worried..." I heard her quiet voice. - You should have seen yourself when Esdes dragged you in.....

- Calm down..." I smiled and stroked Akame's head. - I promised I wouldn't die.

- Fool. - Akame's fist lightly entered my shoulder, her face pressed into my chest.

- Akame. - I said softly, lifting her head by the chin. - Look at that completely grey hair. Now imagine what I had to go through to turn grey like that? And you think that after this, my life can be cut short by a couple of wounds?

Understanding began to appear in the girl's eyes. Then it changed to pity, and then... Wait, why can't I feel her emotions?

A hunch, instantly created anxiety in me. I instantly tried to feel at least someone with my empathy, but... to no avail. I was already openly panicking when suddenly... An even worse hunch came to me.

I twisted out of Akame's embrace, put out my hand, and then tried to create a simple fireball in it. Key word, attempted. I stared in shock at my empty hand, where not even the slightest flame appeared.

Power... that guy said I got a new power... THIS IS WHAT THE FUCK!?!???

- Kaneki? What's wrong? - Akame asked worriedly, looking at my outstretched hand.

- The fire... isn't there anymore. - I said hoarsely.

***

I opened my eyes and looked up at the scarlet sky with pure black clouds, then lowered my gaze to the canonical Kaneki, who hadn't changed his demeanour or posture. After that experiment with fire, or rather with its complete absence, I told Akame that I was tired, and I went to my inner world, laying down on the bed.

- As I expected, you came to me at once. - Said a mocking voice behind me.

I turned around, and what appeared before me was... a meat throne. A throne made of corpses. There were three girls on the back. One was similar to Mein, but with a more... mature face. The second was a similarly short girl with lilac hair. The third was an older, black-haired girl, wearing a black striped T-shirt and jeans.

A bearded man frozen on all fours acted as a seat. They were all splattered with blood, except for the black-haired girl, and they all had scarlet pupils, exactly like the eyes of the seated man.

What stood out, however, were the eyes of the two girls who acted as handrails. To my right, staring unblinkingly in my direction, were the blue eyes, no less bloodshot, of a girl with dark purple hair. Her clothes, as well as those of the girl opposite, resembled some nobleman's attire, similar to those for various royal balls.

So, on the left hand rail, there was a girl... though I would even say a girl, with the same pink hair as part of the back, and her pink, dead eyes were also watching me without blinking.

And on top of all this abomination, smirking, sat the very same Yuichiro.

- Who's that? - I asked coldly.

- Huh? These? - He looked round at the living corpses. There's no other way to put it. - Hehehe, these are the ones whose deaths I'm most satisfied with. Even though one of them hasn't died yet... And sadly, I doubt it will be because of that asshole-man who took her under his wing after I died. Or rather... Almost died. - the guy grinned again.

- Who are you? No, not that, what are you?

- Heh, Yuichiro Hakua. Well, or more familiar to you, the First. Come on, stop playing the crazy jerk, it's time to get serious. - In a flash, all the fun was gone from his voice, and the throne just disappeared. - You're right, all your magic is gone. However... in its place was simply unimaginable vitality, regeneration, not artificial, magical, by the way, but natural biological. Three times the regeneration of a Ghoul. Also, physical strength increased a couple of dozen times. Olfaction, hearing, kagune... all this, terribly progressed, because of the fact that the reserve, along with empathy and fire magic, just disappeared into non-existence. But! They didn't disappear into nothingness, they just turned into raw energy that began to amplify your body in a multifaceted way. Reaction, speed... in general, you began to look more like a predator than a human. Ghouls are predators, based on your memories. - Yuichiro shrugged.

- Memories? - I asked, puzzled, trying to digest what I'd heard.

- You haven't remembered yet? - Yuichiro raised an eyebrow in surprise. - Then you'll remember in a couple of days, when the energy has completely finished its movement. By the way, anticipating your question. Your magic was disembodied because of the deadly situation you found yourself in. It has never happened to any of us, except you... Then, your body needed raw energy... and it found it. Except that tearing off even a small piece of the magic system would have given you a painful shock, so your carcass decided to eat it all at once. The human body, huh? Such an ingenious little thing! Now, the progression is still underway, so in a few more days, your abilities will increase even more. And believe me, no matter what you think, you're much stronger than before. Still, boosting your body with the energy gained from fire magic... doesn't go without a trace. You'll find a few new things soon enough. - Yuichiro smirked.

- What about you? What are you doing in my inner world? - I asked, slowly realising that things weren't so bad.

- I was killed. I won't say who, because I don't know who. So, I was killed... my soul went to merge with the original... but only in the interworld, while I would fly to the original, the soul would simply dissolve in the energy of chaos, because there was no protection in the form of a body. And that's when you got in my way. Well, a little to the side, but I managed to turn round. And as a result, I'm forced to rot in your inner world. Not only can't I absorb your soul, but half of mine was destroyed by Chaos. So don't worry, I'll be with you for a couple of years at the most. - Yuichiro said, but he didn't smile anymore.

- Hm, okay... in that case, I'll be going. - I hummed, and then I broke out into the real world.

***

I opened my eyes, squinting against the morning light. When I woke up, I found Akame still sleeping beside me, as well as Esdes in the bed.

However, this time, I was still able to rise without a creak, after which, I slipped silently out the door. Since last night, I had laid down without undressing, as I was in a great hurry to get to my inner world, and therefore, escaping from the room was quite easy.

After thinking about it, I went to the well outside to wash my face and check my abilities. After that, I could go to the others.

The first surprises started while washing up. I decided to activate the kakugan first... when suddenly, instead of one, both eyes turned black and the pupils flashed scarlet. So the right kakugan is part of the upgrade? Interesting...

The vision has improved by an order of magnitude, maybe two. At least, I could see that bug in black goat hair on the mountain a kilometre away. Next... it was even better. The kagune became incredibly durable, and I couldn't scratch it against sharp, protruding rocks. But...the process of testing the kagune.....

At first, everything was normal. Only then... I felt that I could create more kagune, despite the eight tentacles already loose. And... I gave it a try.

Looking at the metamorphosis that took place in a few seconds, several images popped into my head. On my body, came a black armour composed of very tightly compressed RC cells. My right arm, completely wrapped in armour, lengthened slightly, and took the shape of a three-toed paw, with, I must admit, very sharp claws. The left arm was in armour only up to the wrist. The armour from the arms, passed into plate armour on the shoulder blades and sides, as well as a continuous band of armour along the spine, combining to form a closed armour on the back. On the chest, things were somewhat different. The ribs were covered with whole plates, but the chest and stomach were covered with a bunch of small plates, and judging by the feeling, with much greater strength. They looked more like scales than armour. From the ribs, the armour wrapped tightly around the legs, growing into similar scales only at the knees. The feet... were covered in a completely different RC structure - cells. In the process of testing, it turned out that now I could walk on vertical surfaces, and head down, I stood on a branch quite normally.

Well and in conclusion, RC mask that could freely flow into the second layer of shoulder pads and back, literally in a second. From the spinal canal of the armour, at the base of the neck, came several sections of scales protecting the neck itself, as well as forming the mask itself, which was shaped like, curved vertically, the beak of a raven.

But also, the spinal canal transitioned into a long, split spiked tail, reminiscent of Kaneki's canon tail. This attribute... was unparalleled. Great strength, speed, manoeuvrability... And the fact that, if desired, each of my spikes on the tail could grow up to a metre freely wriggling... In general, fire with empathy, were immediately forgotten. But even that didn't prove to be everything. After removing the kakuja form (and that was it, in case anyone didn't realise), I found that my usual kagune had become very hot. Experimenting, I came to the conclusion that I could heat my tentacles to about +120 degrees, but I was unable to blow even the slightest flame out of them.

Next, came the speed tests. Speed without the kagune, was... about one-eighth of my Fiore speed. With the rinkaku dissolved, the speed increased to about twice that, which was already one fifth, or somewhere in that range. And with the kakuja, I was up to one fourth, which was about 35-40 metres per second.

Anyway, off to Raid I went, completely happy and content with my life. Yes, the loss of magic had hit my combat abilities pretty hard, but the drastic evolution... made up for that loss more than enough. The only downside is that all the magic rituals are gone as well. I'll feel the same pain as everyone else... although on the other hand, the enhanced body... well, we'll see.

In the main hall, there was Lubbock, Myne and Shelly... well, and the sitting cat-Chelsea. I could smell a familiar scent coming from her, which gave her away.

- Hey, guys. - I waved as I entered the room.

- Kaneki? Are you okay? Why aren't you in..." Maine started to get concerned, but I interrupted her.

- The Ghoul's regeneration had done its job. Speaking of which, whose... who fed me? - I suddenly remembered this fact.

Everyone turned dark, which made me suspicious. Or did they just take it that way?

- You don't want to know. - Shelly said quietly.

- Who. Me. Fed? - With a pause, I repeated my question.

- Leone. - I heard Chelsea's voice. - She has the strongest regeneration, thanks to the teig, so she donated a couple of pieces of meat from her hand.

I felt sick to my stomach, realising I'd been fed on my own mate.

- Where is she? - I asked quietly.

- In her room, napping. Don't worry, she's fully recovered. In three days, that is," Chelsea answered me again.

- Three days? - I frowned.

- We found you and Esdes four days ago. - Lubbock explained to me. - By the way, can you tell me why the fuck you told her our location? Najenda wanted to kill her there, but we talked her out of it until you woke up.

- Mmm. When you and I split up, I met Esdes on that peak. Then some bloke came along... and teleported us to a desert island. We ended up staying there for 24 hours, sharing revelations with each other. By the way, Lubbock! What about my proposal?

- I-" The boy hesitated abruptly. - I'm in.

- What are you talking about? - Mein squinted sharply.

- I'll talk to you and Shelly separately when we're alone. - I grinned, glancing at Chelsea.

- Battle buddies, too. - The girl grinned. - and you don't trust me with any little secrets.

- Chelsea, you and I will need to talk too... but that will come later. - I shrugged my shoulders, calculating the options of events.

Because with this person, things could be worse, because of her ability to disguise herself, so it's impossible to scare her into following me. So it's either a deal or death. And I think it's gonna be the latter.

- So... Let's say that Esdes agreed to leave the empire. - I said. And I didn't lie! I didn't say she agreed to join the Night Raid!

- That's... inconceivable..." Myne mumbled dumbfoundedly.

- Mm-hmm. Now, Lubbock, Myne and Shelly, could we go for a walk... say, through the woods? - I asked, making an opaque allusion to that very conversation.

***

2 days later...

I sat in the chair next to Esdes' bed. On my lap, Akame was nestled, giving me a sense of peace and tranquility, and giving me the right amount of space to think.

At the moment, there are five in my group. Esdes, Lubbock, Mein, Shelly, and Leone. Speaking of Leone... It was as if the girl had no memory of what she had done, at least her behaviour hadn't changed. That is, at my arrival, I was instantly clenched in an embrace, chirping how happy they were to see me. The girl took the offer to join my group much more seriously. However, as a result, she also agreed. Esdes, as far as I knew, was already waking up, but I was chatting with Leone.

At that moment, the now ex-general stirred, opening her eyes. I lightly pushed Akame, who instantly jumped up to Esdes.

- Kaneki. - Smiled at the girl.

- Hi Esdes. - I smiled. - We got beat up pretty good, didn't we?

- We were weak.

- Maybe. However, it is in such, the most brutal battles for survival, that the fastest development takes place. - I chuckled.

I got two surprised looks, and then I decided to speak of my new power.

- I have evolved. In Ghouls, there are two stages of evolution. At the first, Ghouls have one kagune. Just for the record, it comes in four types: ukaku, koukaku, rinkaku and bikaku. I possess one of the most dangerous kagune in terms of combat against humans, namely the rinkaku. Now, the second stage of evolution is the second kagune. Each Ghoul has a unique kagune, but in general, it's called a kakuja. At this stage of evolution, Ghouls become much stronger, faster, more enduring. The sensitivity of sight, smell, hearing... In general, the Ghoul becomes much stronger and more dangerous than it was before. But... it usually awakens differently than it did with me. The joke is, when I was dying, the clever organism found a way out. It completely destroyed my fire teigu, and the resulting energy, went into my carcass. And as a result, I evolved.

- So you... now you can't use fire, but you've still become even stronger? - Esdes asked.

- That's right. - I nodded.

- And can you... show me your second kagune? What did you call it? Kakuja? - Akame said.

- Kakuja. - I smiled, unfolding my newly acquired kagune in parallel.

Three seconds. It fully appears in three seconds. It's not that long, considering that manoeuvrability isn't cut down when deployed.

- Both eyes. - Akame noticed.

- Mm-hmm. - I smirked. And judging by the girls' faces, coupled with the two black eyes, the smirk looked really creepy.

Speaking of the right eye. It's pretty weird. Although it's supposed to be human, it's now exactly the eye of a Ghoul. What that has to do with it, I don't know. Although, perhaps after strengthening the body, the eye has also changed its structure to the more advanced left eye....

- In this form, I'm even faster, stronger, and more dangerous. The armour doesn't restrict movement, and weighs nothing, allowing me to move and manoeuvre at the same speed. - I said, removing the kakuja. - But enough about me. How are you feeling?

- Her teigu, it speeds up regeneration. So in a couple of days she'll be as good as new. - answered for Esdes, Akame.

- That's great. - I nodded. - Now... Akame, tell me, would you leave the Night Raid with me?

Meanwhile. The basements of the Capital City Palace.

- Wonderful, incredible, unbelievable. - muttered the young, petite blonde.

- Dorothea, your progress is truly impressive. - nodded the Prime Minister standing nearby.

- Of course, I'm a genius at alchemy. - giggled the girl, not taking her eyes off the data in the notebook.

- In such a short period of time, to create creatures that can easily cope with the Teigu carriers... I am satisfied. - nodded satisfied, taking a bite of meat. - What do you think, Budo?

General Budo frowned at what was going on below, involuntarily rubbing the huge burn scar left by that Kaneki Ken.

- They're no match for that white-haired man. - said the general briefly.

- Oh, you're wrong, General Budo. - Dorothea shook her head. - My little ones, not only do they have such powerful weapons, but they are several times faster, stronger and more agile than a human.

- Human? Perhaps... But not that guy. - Budo said again.

Meanwhile, there were 20 people fighting in the arena, with one tentacle coming out of each of their loins.