CHAPTER 9: RAVEN

“Help me…”

“Serah?”

A faint voice echoed in Kira’s mind. She spun around, racing back across the battlefield. Snow followed, silver eyes narrowing in confusion. They crossed fields of corpses, reaching the Olympus camp, where a horrific sight awaited. Serah, drenched in blood, impaled by spikes pinning her to the ground. Behind her, a cloaked figure blended into the darkness.

“Puppets of war, playing human games. One bears darkness, one bears light, defying fate together,” a shrill voice hissed. Gremlin—a low-tier Mythical Beast with long ears and sharp teeth, capable of human speech—cackled before continuing. “Master finds you amusing. Master wants to test you.” It scampered back to the cloaked figure.

“Serah, are you okay!? Answer me!” Kira shouted, sparks crackling at her fingertips. Snow reached into her coat, aiming SHAD0W at the mysterious cloak.

“Brown-eyed doll, hands stained with blood. It feels remorse, drowning in guilt. Master, a fitting specimen,” the Gremlin screeched cryptic words. The cloaked figure raised a hand, revealing an object—half white, half red. “That… How do you have the Philosopher’s Stone!?” Kira yelled, but silence met her from the shadowy figure. The stone pulsed with strange purple energy, hovering briefly before surging into Serah. She screamed in agony, her eyes dimming. A ring of fire enveloped her, burning like a summoning ritual. From the flames, Serah emerged transformed—brown eyes now a bleak gray, clawed hands twitching like a bird’s, her body adorned with white feathers. Branwen—the Mythical Beast of Tragedy and Sorrow—wailed, heralding its birth. “Painful! Joyful! Fight!” the Gremlin danced and shrieked as the cloaked figure vanished into the night.

The Beast screeched, lunging at Kira with razor-sharp claws. “Kira!!” Snow fired SHAD0W, bullets exploding in rapid succession. Branwen howled in pain, black tears streaming down its face. “What are you doing? Don’t just stand there!” Snow snapped at Kira, who stood frozen. She didn’t know what to do, couldn’t face reality—the specter of loss gripped her again.

“Tch,” Snow unleashed another barrage, but the Beast dodged. It leapt into the air, unfurling hidden wings, and fired a beam of light from its mouth. Snow dove aside, her arm’s synthetic skin charred but healing via N9NE LIVES. Branwen roared, shifting its focus to Kira, hurling razor feathers at the motionless target. The ground erupted from the attack’s force, dust swirling, revealing a silhouette with outstretched arms shielding another.

“I’ve got a question,” Snow said, standing in front of Kira, feathers embedded deep in her back. “Do you want to put an end to all of this?” She frowned, pressing her. Kira nodded faintly, dazed.

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“Then fight! Where’s the Reaper in you!?” Snow slapped her teammate hard.

The slap snapped Kira’s head aside, jolting her awake. A flash lit her eyes, time seeming to freeze. Strange voices echoed in her mind.

“You won’t face that Beast because you think it’s your friend?” Kira faltered, speechless, as a gentler voice added, “But she’s not your friend anymore. She’s been warped by another Philosopher’s Stone.” An angry voice cut in, “That traitor killed us, turned us into weapons, made us turn on each other!!” More unfamiliar voices clamored in her head, then fell silent. The first voice returned, slow and deliberate:

“The path you choose is paved with blood and fire. You’ll face mighty foes and those you love. The Reaper’s road leads only to ruin. If you want to end this age of slaughter, we’ll guide and protect you—but know this: once you step onto this path, there’s no turning back. You’ll drown in suffering forever.”

“Will you walk that road?” the voices asked in unison.

Kira took a deep breath, staring at Snow’s frozen, furious face. She glanced at Serah—now a tormented Beast—her expression steeped in pain and regret. She thought of Iris, Joshua, and farewells to past friends. She’d made her choice.

“Let’s walk it. What’s there to fear?”

“Then fear no more. Reaper, don’t look back—step forward!”

Time resumed around Kira. She yanked Snow aside, hurling ice spears at the Beast. The white raven flapped its wings, countering with a volley of feathers. The projectiles collided, white smoke rising as a rain of crystalline shards—shattered ice—mingled with curling feathers, drifting slowly under the moon’s glow. Branwen opened its mouth, gathering energy to strike, when a series of small explosions erupted. It clutched its face, shrieking, wobbling midair before crashing down. Snow lowered her gun, wounds on her back sealing shut.

“Thanks, Snow White,” Kira smiled warmly.

“Call me Snow,” she replied. “We’re in this together, remember? I won’t let you suffer alone.”

The burden haunting Kira’s mind lifted. An enemy from hours ago was now ready to plunge into the inferno with the Reaper. “Then help me free Serah.”

Snow nodded. As the Beast staggered up, Kira charged, commanding the earth to seize its legs. Snow fired at a wing, severing it, then joined her teammate. The raven flailed, slashing at Kira with its claws. She shrank into a mouse to dodge, while Snow leapt in, grabbing a claw with one hand and jamming her gun into its mouth with the other, firing relentlessly. As the raven struggled, Kira reverted to her original form, clasping her hands before Branwen’s chest. A fiery pillar pierced its core, and the Beast collapsed.

“Target neutralized, confirmed,” Snow said after scanning the corpse. Kira slumped to the ground, exhaling in relief. This might’ve been the wildest day of her war-torn years—two defeats in a day, a current ally who’d been an enemy hours before, and now teaming up to free an old friend. Snow stood beside her, the chaotic data in her mind partly resolved. Fighting the Reaper had answered some questions—not as foe, but as an ally.

“Philosopher’s Stone—white half heals, red half grants immortality,” the Gremlin hissed from the shadows. “Death faces death; only one can remain.”

Before Kira and Snow could grasp its meaning, white sparks emerged, enveloping Branwen’s corpse, restoring its body. Then they turned red, merging into the Beast.

Its wings spread wide on the ground, the white raven soared upward, eyes glaring down at its foes.

The Reaper’s wildest day wasn’t over yet.