Dead.

It was one thing to choose to kill.

But whether one had the capability to do so was the real deal.

Amanise forced down her clouding rage, trying to think.

In the battle of strength. She would explode along with her organs if a single blow came in contact with her body.

So she had to use her wit.

To kill it whether she remained alive or dead.

Ofcourse she wasn't leaning on to death but worst comes to worst. She had to be realistic.

Even though she was resolute in killing the monster infront of her. It was undeniable that her hands were shaking along with her legs. Her mind was in shambles.

From exhaustion, pain and fear.

'Yes. I'm afraid but I still choose to fight back despite that. That's all that matters.'

Amanise toke a deep breath. Calming her mind until there was only silence and pain.

Opening her eyes, she stared back at the Monster coldly.

"Let's dance."

The Monster's eyes glowed with a malevolent hunger. When it moved.

It was that of a predatory grace, each step a firm promise of doom.

It lunged at her with a speed that bellied its size.

Move!

Amanise barely manage to dodge, the Monster's claws slicing through the air where she stood moments before. She stumbled backwards, her heart racing.

Her mind calm.

She had to find a way to outsmart the Monster. For that she had to use her surroundings to her advantage.

She darted down a narrow alley with a speed induced by a desperate-fueled adrenaline, the monster hot on her heels. The walls closed in around her, but she used the tight space to her benefit.

Shutting down her claustrophobic tendencies alongside the screaming pain from her leg.

Fuck you Hamlin.

She had no doubt that if she managed to survive this. She would be hospitalised for months because of how she brutally used her wounded leg.

She could feel the warm blood soaking and trickling down from the bandages.

She wove her way into the tight space, dodging with a nimbleness born from desperation. She could feel the Monster's breath on her neck, its growls reverberating through her bones.

But she didn't stop.

She couldn't afford to.

Frightened but assured by the sounds of crashing buildings. She only hoped there weren't humans in it. The only blood in her hands that she wanted was the one of that bitch behind her.

As she rounded a corner, she spotted a pile of debris: a broken cart, discarded wooden crates and a shattered glass.

Her eyes lit up, an idea sparked in her mind.

Bingo!

She grabbed a large shard of glass clutching it tightly in her free hand. Ignoring the pain as it cut the flesh of her palm.

She then turned to the Nightmare infront of her, her back against the wall.

Her eyes widened when she noticed an Orange glow centred at the left of the Monster's large frame.

The Orange glow was concentrated there. Flowing in and out, circulating it's whole body like an energy. But intangible. She wondered what would happen if she struck there in the core.

Will it die?

Her mind was luring into a hazy trance.

Look away.

She blinked. In control of her mind, again.

What the hell was that?!

The Monster snarled, its eyes locking onto her. It lunged again, and this time, Amanise was ready. She sidestepped at the last moment, slashing at the Monster's eyes with the glass shard in a jagged cut.

The Monster howled in pain, its momentum carrying it into the wall. Amanise seized the opportunity, plunging her dagger into its chest.

Where it glowed Orange the most.

If she was right which she hope she was! That will be the heart.

It was only Fate that she began to see it when she needed to struck a blow!

So it had to be it!

The Monster roared, thrashing wildly. She held on, her grip on the dagger unyielding.

Die Bitch!

The Monster's roars echoed through the alley, a guttural rasp that sent shivers down her spine.

"No!" it hissed.

"You cannot..escape your.. Fate! I will eat you and become one of the Rulers of the Void and destroy you lots!! And then Father will look at me!!

Don't. Get. In. My. Way!!!!"

Their fight was brutal. Amanise dodged its claws, her adrenaline-fueled strength surprising even herself. She slashed at its hide, her knife sinking deep.

She could feel the creature's life force ebbing away, but it wasn't enough. With a final, desperate effort, she twisted the blade, driving it deeper into the Monster's flesh.

The Nightmare let out one last, ear-piercing scream before collapsing to the ground.

Amanise fell with it, her body exhausted and battered. She lay there, gasping for breath, her vision swimming.

She had done it.

She had killed it!

"You are wrong." Amanise smirked in reply. "I can break whatever fate has in stored for me."

Sounds of something being ripped off brought back her attention.

Alarmed, Amanise blinked forcing herself to see properly.

She opened her eyes, half of her body was inside something.

Struggling to understand she tried to move her legs but couldn't feel anything.

Instead, she saw the flesh of the Monster torn open revealing rolls and rolls of a serrated teeth stained in blood.

Realisation hit her in waves.

While they were still landing. The Monster chomped off half of her body as a last ditch to kill her.

So it ate her.

"Break Free?" It mocked her.

"You are nothing but a fragile weak human. Know. Your. Place."

Amanise looked up watching the Monster's eyes suddenly glowing.

The hollow darkness replaced with a tyrannical crimson.

When she looked downwards she saw the Orange glow morphing into red everywhere.

It was Transforming.

Amanise propelled her half of her remaining body to the dagger into the Monster's body, screaming.

Enraged, she used the shard of glass in her other hand to stab continuously in the same position over and over again.

Blood spurting out.

She seized the opportunity while it was still transforming to kill it.

The dagger was so deep that she could barely hold the hilt. But she could see a light shining out from the hole she formed.

Not taking chances again.

Amanise dugged both of her hands into the hole. Watching her hands hold a ball of clashing energy.

Orange and Crimson.

"What are you doing?! It's too late you can't do anything anymore. Hahaha. Give up!"

As the duo-colored energies were about to destroy one another and unite. She used all the last vestige of her strength to pull it out.

The Monster shrieked. Trying to resist the effects of the transformation to kill her.

But it was too late.

Her spine ripped out from her back as she succeeded in pulling it out.

Blood coating it.

She grabbed it to her chest. Her broken body falling down from the Monster's height.

Tears falling.

"You won ... But at what cost?"

Her battered, barely what is called a human body landed on the ground. Grateful she could feel the pain of her weeping body. She tried to speak to answer back the Monster.

But it was already dead.

And she had a feeling it wasn't the one asking.

Though she knew she couldn't answer even when she wanted to.

She felt her soul leaving her body.

Dammit again!

I didn't even last two days.

Her victory was hollow. But at least even though she died. She brought the monster along with her.

She tried to smile but her body didn't obey her.

Instead it seemed that the alleyways closed in on her, Shadows swallowing her.

Her blurry vision caught herself standing beside her.

It wasn't Soren's body.

It was her original body.

Amanise Grimshaw.

She was wearing a black top hat and flowing dark garments staring down at her with an insidious, terrifying dark gaze.

Her calm, bland features pale under the moonlight. Half of her face altering to that of a skull in the uneven lighting.

Her claws weren't out today. She was wearing black gloves instead.

Sitting in a lotus position, levitating.

Watching her.

'I was hoping that I would see you again. Seems I was right.'

Her monster broke out of character or into she still wasn't sure on what it was actually, smiling at her. It's expression a tad bit crazier.

"Here I'm, Amanise. Are you finally ready to play with me?"

'Will I be alive if I say yes?'

If it was possible, Amanise watched her Monster's smile stretching more and more.

It made her shiver.

Her monster landed on the ground, gracefully.

Gliding like a shadow to the Vermilion Core metres away from her. Grabbing it.

Before appearing infront of her, again.

Now that Amanise was observing it the core was the size of two human heads put together.

She only wondered how she was able to pull it out. Extremely glad she did succeed.

She watched her Monster's mouth stretched in a bizarre manner to accommodate the size before swallowing it a whole.

Then gulping loudly.

The humongous size disappeared in it's frail looking body, no where to be seen.

If Amanise could still control her body her jaws would have fallen off from shock.

Her Monster then blurped.

Rubbing it's tummy fondly.

"That was delicious. Sorry I couldn't save some for you. I didn't want you to choke on your food."

'What about the question I asked?'

She smiled looking down at Amanise.

"Goodnight, My sweet sweet Anna."

She bent down closing Amanise's eyes. Despite her mental struggle.

Then abruptly lifted one of her legs crushing Amanise's skull in one go.

Amanise died again.

This time painless than the last.