I find myself quite far from Albus, even though I kept pushing and pushing... I’m nowhere near him. My blood is all over the ground with the damage getting progressively worse.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

My eyes linger towards my hands as I realize they are both shaking as blood continues to drip down off of them.

I didn’t think it would take such a fight to push me this hard... To the point of having to figure out what my power can possibly do. And it isn’t even just one power, it is both of them.

Regardless I don’t have a lot of time left to make this work the way it should, yet I need to somehow. There’s no way around it anymore... Not with this situation.

The scales continue to crack apart while I stand there trying to think of a solution.

Yet, nothing is coming to mind as I sit here slowly dying. I’ve become numb to the pain itself at this point, but the girls are the priority here.

All while King Albus remains in the distance, watching and waiting for me to make a move.

Almost like he knows exactly what is going through my head right now and that is probably the most infuriating part about this all.

Rokuro...

I know.

My response comes out harsher than I intended.

Rika goes quiet for a moment.

Damnit. I’m just irritated by this whole damn situation and it isn’t her fault. She’s just trying to help me and I’m snapping at her because I can’t figure this out.

The pain surges throughout my arm once again.

CRACK!!!!

More scales break apart as even more blood splatters onto the stone beneath me.

The dragon power immediately tries to repair the damage and the crystal power immediately gets in the way.

Neither side is letting up... Both just want to be the one on top.

I would’ve thought that Rika could help a bit better with this since she has been the main person to assist with my dragon power. Everything has always been from her until recently... So why can’t she just step in this time?

But then a realization hits me. Everything has always been my problem, or rather... Maybe I have always been the problem?

Even with all this power I’m still nowhere near where I need to be. Even after going from talentless to awakening, to fighting in the towers, and even meeting a monarch.

All just to tell me I’m still not there yet, not in the f*cking slightest. I am still just a nobody who isn’t capable of stopping a god-damned thing.

My fists tighten.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The blood continues falling from my hands.

A strange feeling begins building in my chest... One that feels incredibly familiar.

This could only be one thing and it is one that I just got under control after such a brutal fight with the guard. I’m really just not able to do this shit right now.

The feeling only grows stronger as I can hear my heartbeat beginning to pick up speed.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

Rokuro... Are you okay?

Rika’s voice immediately becomes concerned.

Bloodlust is making its way back into the situation at hand when I need it to stay the hell away from me. I can’t afford to lose control when I’m already losing with the powers.

I can feel everything is starting to mix together.

The red around my vision slowly begins to return but this time it isn’t the exact same thing as before. A glimmer of purple also seems to be in the corner of my vision too.

King Albus notices immediately, but he still continues to keep a serious look on his face.

At least he isn’t giving me that damn smile like he kept doing over and over again.

’There it is.’ King Albus thinks to himself.

My eye twitches.

Of course he is probably thinking about something with me and this power of mine once again. He’s been antagonizing me from the beginning about it.

Almost like he wants me to push myself to the breaking point, but what does he gain from that?

Wait... I’d kill him before ever getting any of the answers I need.

"The thing you’ve been trying so hard to suppress is back!" He shouts.

The pressure around him hasn’t changed very much. But it is still enough to give everyone here a problem.

Meanwhile the red glow from my dragon power starts becoming brighter.

The purple and black flames begin to merge along with the glow of the red from my dragon power.

The pain gets worse.

Yet at the same time... I can feel myself getting stronger.

Why am I suddenly getting stronger? I didn’t even really try to do anything with the two of them. What the hell?

Rokuro, stop.

Rika’s voice immediately becomes serious.

You know exactly where this leads.

Do I? I’m pretty damn confused right now and honestly I don’t think it is a bad thing to let this happen right now. I need all the help I can get from them.

The problem is...

King Albus slowly begins walking towards me while I’m starting to wonder if I have any other choice.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

The sound of my heartbeat continues getting louder... almost loud enough to drown everything else out completely at this point.

I don’t know what you’re even talking about Rika but I’m trusting whatever process is happening right now, especially if it means I can win this fight.

BOOOOM!!!!!

A shockwave explodes out from my body as everything around me begins to push back the pressure of King Albus. The pain is still clearly there from the scales breaking apart but something is different.

I look down at my hands to see that they are completely covered in black and purple scales mixed with a red glow that is bleeding out from the cracks.

In that moment I can also feel another wing form from my back and the horns are back on my head.

RoKuRo!!!

Rika’s voice becomes quite distorted and kind of hard to understand now.

This is the day I become a monster.