Asuka darted through the streets of Aboa, her black cloak whipping behind her. Each step was sharp, urgent - driven by a single thought:
"Where did Amelia go?"
Her usual outfit - white shirt, brown pants, boots, and arm braces - clung to her like second skin, her sword bouncing lightly at her waist. She clutched the crumpled note in her hand. All signs pointed to the market.
But before she got there, she ran into a group of dozens of people circling around an area in the street. Too short to see over the crowd, she pushed her way through earning herself a few words of annoyance. She ignored these complaints and made her way to the front of the crowd.
In the center of the crowd stood an older woman, back turned, clutching something limp in her arms. But what froze Asuka's breath wasn't the woman. It was the dark pool of blood soaking into the cobblestones beneath her feet.
"Hey, madam, are you hurt? You should-" Asuka reached out and spun the woman around.
The world dropped away.
The woman held an arm. Ripped from the shoulder.
A cold feeling crept into Asuka's soul. She looked back up at the woman and looked into her cold and indifferent eyes. And maybe something else. Regret?
"Asuka, you sense that right?"
Annie's words pulled Asuka from her thoughts and she realized the air had slight traces of contra in it. They were also in a path headed towards the forest surrounding Aboa. Even more telling was the trail of blood following with it. She looked back at the woman whose face remain as it was.
"Where is she?"
Asuka's voice was stale. Colder than usual.
"What does it matter?" the woman replied.
"She's probably long dea-"
Asuka didn't let her finish.
She grabbed the woman by her blood soaked poncho and slammed her into the street. Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
Shouts erupted, but just as quickly faded, smothered by the crushing pressure pouring from Asuka. The air turned heavy. Her presence, suffocating.
Asuka did not speak. She merely stared into the lady's soul overwhelming it with unfathomable power. Margaret tried to resist, but her mind clouded, and her body betrayed her. Trembling, tears welled in her eyes as she crumpled beneath Asuka's gaze.
"S-straight ahead. Into...t-the forest. C-cave," Margaret squeaked.
Asuka immediately let go of her and she boomed into the forest. The audience of people covered their faces to shield their eyes from the dust kicked up by Asuka. Margaret looked into the direction Asuka dashed in with an expressionless face.
"I wonder if we'll finally be freed from that demon. Or maybe I've just aided in the destruction of this town."
She then gripped her poncho and her expression faltered for only just a moment.
"I really hope you can forgive me Ellie. I...I really hope..."
~
Asuka was doing everything in her ability to control her emotions. Leaping from branch to branch, her face trying and failing to hide her anger. Her worry. Her anguish. Her hatred.
That arm in the hands of that woman still imprinted on her mind.
"No. Relax Asuka. That wasn't her. It can't have been. There's just no way," the girl thought to herself.
Then in another flash, the dream she had so long ago with her hand piercing her through her chest.
All the muscles in her body tensed and her fists clenched with enough force to draw blood from her skin. Annie then spoke up in her mind.
"Asuka, you need to settle your mind. Even if that arm does belong to Amelia, the blood trail is still fresh. There's a chance that she hasn't bled out yet. Maybe we can still save her."
Annie's words did relax her nerves a bit. But didn't slow down even a little bit. Her mind now laser focused on one goal.
"I must save her."
~
The cave yawned open like the mouth of some ancient beast, jagged and black. The air was thick with dread. A place meant to drive men mad.
But Asuka felt no fear. Only purpose.
"No matter what, I'll save you, Amelia."
Without even stopping to analyze her situation, Asuka entered the deep cave.
Above and in front of her, many rocky protrusions extending from the ceiling and floor. The lack of light inside of the cave made the stalactites and stalagmites look oddly human. Every time she looked up, she imagined seeing Amelia corpse hanging from the ceiling of the cave. Each time, she drifted closer to the edge of her sanity.
She kept making her way through the cave reaching a large semicircle shaped depression at least fifty meters in depth. Pouring anima into her legs, she jump down near the center of the depression where there stood a rocky platform with a smaller cave.
"There," thought the girl, unable to hide the look of ire on her face. She felt the contra in the cave concentrated inside the smaller cave. She also felt the anima of her friend inside. Asuka leapt up to confront the demon but then the concentrated body of contra suddenly dashed towards where she would be on the platform.
"It's coming!"
Asuka quickly unsheathed her blade and soon as she reached the top of the platform. Steel met flesh. Her sword struck the demon's arm, but the force behind the blow sent her flying. With no footing, she crashed into the stone floor below, a crater blooming beneath her on impact.
She gritted her teeth and shot back to her feet just in time to dodge the next blow.
It lunged again, relentless. Blow after blow, Asuka deflected each one with deadly precision. Her body moved on instinct. Her focus, razor-sharp. Her face remained unchanged even as the demons blows increased in power and ferocity.
The demon did not take kindly to the seemingly impassive girl. It let out a roar of rage trying to intimidate the girl, but this only worked in allowing the girl an opening to slice it across the chest leaving a deep cut. It's roar turned into a wail of pain as blood squirted out of his chest.
Asuka was about to retaliate again but something black zoomed through the air and slammed into her arm with the force of a mountain. Her arm creaked and for the first time her expression changed and she cringed in pain and she was sent across the depression.
She sprang to her feet, ready to defend herself only to see the demon hadn't moved. It was still standing in the same place crouched over and shivering with it's hands covering its head muttering words under its breath.
"...you bitch... I'll kill you... I'll rip off every limb... tear out your insides while you scream..."
It shrieked - a sound not meant for human ears - as its arms split open, bone cracking, flesh slithering, reforming. A new pair burst from its sides, twitching like newborn limbs.
And on its skull, something sharp and jagged pushed outward - a fourth horn, black and glistening.
"It's evolving?"