Chapitre 5: The Awakening
The silence that followed the battle was deafening. The forest, once alive with the sounds of rustling leaves, distant animal calls, and the clash of steel, now felt like a tomb. Orin stood frozen, staring at the carnage he had created, his mind too numb to process the horror of what he had done. Sonny, Vince, and Vice—his family—lay lifeless before him, their bodies broken, their eyes vacant.
The smell of blood clung to the air, thick and metallic, mixing with the earthy scent of the forest floor. The Monari's carcass, still smoking from the fierce battle, lay off to the side, but it was barely a shadow compared to the sight of the bodies. The bodies of the people who had raised him, trained him, and loved him.
The people he had killed.
Orin's legs trembled beneath him, his body weak and trembling from the exertion, the pain, and the overwhelming guilt that gnawed at his insides. His hands, still stained with the blood of those he cared about, shook uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry," Orin whispered, though he doubted the words meant anything now. He had failed them. Failed them in the worst possible way.
Lisa's soft breathing barely registered in his ears. She lay a short distance away, still barely alive but unconscious, her chest rising and falling in shallow gasps. Her blood soaked the ground beneath her, but Orin couldn't find the strength to move. He couldn't look at her, couldn't face her. How could he, after what he had done?
Forcing his legs to work, Orin stumbled toward Lisa. Every step felt like an eternity, and each movement sent sharp jolts of pain shooting through his body. His chest was tight, and it wasn't from the deep gashes left by the Monari's claws. It was the weight of his own actions, the realization that he had become the very monster he feared.
When he reached Lisa, he knelt down beside her, his hands shaking as he brushed her hair from her face. Her skin was pale, and her lips were tinged with blue. He could see the life slipping away from her, even as her chest continued to rise and fall in weak, shallow breaths.
"Lisa," Orin whispered, his voice barely audible. "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean…"
She didn't stir. Her body was still, her breathing shallow, and Orin felt his heart break again. The sight of her, the last of the Fangs, fighting for her life—he couldn't save her. He couldn't save any of them.
The sharp pain in his chest intensified, and Orin clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. He could feel the beast inside him, lurking just beneath the surface, ready to break free again. But this time, Orin forced it back. He couldn't let it out. Not now. Not again.
He had to bury them. He couldn't leave them here, broken and exposed to the elements. He owed them that much.
The task of digging graves for his family felt like a punishment. Each shovelful of dirt he moved felt heavier than the last, as if the earth itself was condemning him for what he had done. His hands were blistered and raw, his arms trembling from exhaustion, but he kept going. He couldn't stop. Not until the task was finished.
Sonny, Vince, and Vice lay in a row, their bodies carefully placed in the makeshift graves he had dug for them. He covered them with the earth, one handful at a time, his vision blurring with unshed tears. When it was done, he stood over the graves for a long moment, the weight of the silence pressing down on him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered again, though he knew it didn't matter. Nothing he said would bring them back. Nothing could undo what he had done.
The sun had begun to set, casting long shadows over the forest, and the temperature dropped as the light faded. Orin stared at the graves for what felt like an eternity, his mind numb and his body aching with exhaustion. He had nothing left. No purpose. No future.
Then, something caught his eye. In the dirt near Sonny's grave, a small, crumpled piece of parchment lay partially exposed. Orin's heart skipped a beat as he bent down to pick it up, his fingers trembling as he unfolded it.
It was a letter, written in Sonny's unmistakable scrawl. The words blurred before Orin's eyes as he read, his throat tightening with every sentence.
Orin,
If you're reading this, it means something has happened to us, and you're on your own now. I didn't want it to come to this, but life rarely goes the way we plan. The world is a dangerous place, and even though we tried to protect you from it, you're going to have to face it now.
I've arranged for you to go to Hachi Academy, a place where people like you—people with power—can learn to control their abilities. You have so much potential, Orin, and I've always known that. The Academy will help you grow stronger, help you understand what you're capable of. They can protect you in ways we never could.
You might not understand this right now, but the world is bigger than just us. There are forces at play that even I don't fully understand. The Monari-Kai, the Academy, the Blood Hunters… they're all connected somehow. And I think you're the key to something important.
Go to the Academy. Trust yourself, and don't be afraid to use the power you have. You're stronger than you know.
Take care of yourself, kid.
Sonny
Orin's hands shook as he read the letter, his eyes tracing over Sonny's final words again and again. Hachi Academy. Sonny had wanted him to go there, to train, to become stronger. To control the power that had destroyed everything.
Orin's chest tightened with a mix of emotions—grief, anger, guilt, and something else he couldn't quite identify. Sonny had believed in him, even after everything. He had seen something in Orin that Orin couldn't see in himself.
But how could he go to the Academy now? How could he face anyone, knowing what he had done? How could he trust himself not to lose control again?
The sun had set fully by now, and the moon hung low in the sky, casting a cold light over the forest. Orin stood there, the letter clutched in his hand, unsure of what to do. He had no direction, no purpose, no family.
A soft rustle in the underbrush broke the silence, and Orin's head snapped up, his heart racing. He scanned the darkness, his senses heightened, but saw nothing. Just the faintest movement of the leaves, the subtle shifting of shadows.
But something was there. Watching him.
His heart pounded in his chest as he slowly stepped away from the graves, his eyes narrowing as he tried to focus on the source of the sound. The rustling stopped, and for a moment, there was only silence.
Then, out of the darkness, a figure emerged.
It was a cat. A sleek, black cat, its fur shimmering in the moonlight. Its eyes, glowing softly in the dark, were fixed on Orin, unblinking and calm. It stepped forward with a grace that seemed almost unnatural, its movements fluid and deliberate.
Orin's breath caught in his throat as the cat padded closer, stopping a few feet away from him. Its eyes seemed to bore into him, as if it were searching for something—something deep inside him.
For a long moment, Orin and the cat stared at each other in silence, the night around them still and quiet. Then, without warning, the cat turned and disappeared back into the shadows, leaving Orin standing alone in the moonlit clearing.
He didn't move. He couldn't. The strange encounter had left him with more questions than answers, but the one thing that became clear was that the cat was no ordinary creature.
*What are you?*
Orin didn't know. But the cat had been watching him—waiting for something. And deep down, Orin knew it wasn't the last time he'd see it.
With a deep breath, Orin folded the letter and tucked it into his coat. Sonny had given him a path, and though Orin didn't believe he deserved it, he knew he had no other choice. Hachi Academy was his only hope. His only chance to learn what he truly was, and maybe, just maybe, to find redemption for the lives he had taken.
As Orin gathered his things and prepared to leave the forest behind, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. He glanced over his shoulder, half-expecting to see the black cat again, but the clearing was empty.
With one last look at the graves, Orin turned and started walking. His destination was clear now. Hachi Academy lay ahead, and with it, the answers he so desperately needed.
But as he walked through the darkened forest, Orin couldn't shake the feeling that something was following him, just out of sight, waiting for the right moment to reveal itself again.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone