— KUBATO —
Kubato's entire body trembled. Fear surged through her, giving her no peace.
Why is this happening?
Papa had promised to protect her… and yet she had been kidnapped.
Not by strangers—but by Konrad. The son of her papa.
The vehicle left the paved road, and the ground grew rough and uneven. Kubato felt every jolt, every stone beneath the wheels.
Please let me go! Papa! Grandpa! Please help me!
The van came to a halt. Kubato rolled back and forth in the rear of the vehicle. She heard the boys getting out, muttering to one another.
Then the back doors opened.
Konrad's face appeared before her. She flinched—but when she saw the uncertainty in his eyes, she pleaded, "Please!" and burst into tears again.
Hands—strangers' hands—dragged her out of the van.
"Papa!" she cried. Konrad stood nearby, motionless.
A small campfire burned beside the vehicle. Shovels lay nearby, next to a deep hole dug into the ground.
Are they going to…?
"GRANDPA!" she screamed, sobbing louder and louder.
"Shut up!" a fat boy shouted.
"Konni!" another yelled. "We need to get this over with!"
"But is this really the right thing to do?" Konrad asked, his voice shaking.
Konrad… Grandpa…!
"Are you insane?" the fat boy snapped.
"There's no turning back! Either we kill her, or the Church will kill us all!"
"But she's just a child!" Konrad protested.
"She's bewitched you!" another boy shouted. "Beastfolk are monsters!"
"I'm not a monster!" Kubato cried, bound to the ground.
"No turning back! For our country!" the fat boy ended the argument and pulled out a knife.
Panic exploded inside Kubato.
They're going to kill me… like Mama.
"No!" she sobbed desperately, turning over and trying to crawl away. Her amulet swung from her neck, heavy and sorrowful.
"It'll be over soon," one boy muttered.
"She's just a child!" Konrad screamed in despair.
"A monster!" other voices answered.
Kubato crawled closer to the campfire. The amulet glinted briefly in the firelight.
Grandpa…
Someone grabbed her and turned her around. The wolf girl froze. Above her stood the fat boy with the knife, surrounded by the others.
One moment.
"Kubato," she saw her grandfather before her eyes, holding out the amulet.
"If you're ever in danger, he will save you. Just call his name."
Really?
"Call out loudly…"
"AKUMU!!!"
Silence.
As if time itself had stopped.
The wind dared not blow.
The fire flickered.
The knife lowered—slowly.
The amulet, swaying before her eyes, shattered.
A thunderous roar echoed—as if the earth itself screamed—and the shock made the fat boy stumble back.
From the broken amulet resting on her chest, darkness erupted—thick and viscous like oil. It was strange. Kubato felt a chilling cold from the darkness… and at the same time, something deeply protective.
A pool of darkness, darker than the deepest night, spread around her.
"What is that?!" the fat boy cried in terror.
"Kill her!" another boy screamed.
The boy lunged forward with the knife.
Kubato whimpered—but a skeletal arm shot out of the darkness and seized the boy's wrist.
The forest exploded with screams.
"Help!" the fat boy cried, but his friends were already fleeing in panic.
A second arm rose from the writhing darkness, bracing itself, dragging the rest upward.
A white skull emerged. Empty, black eye sockets stared ahead. Pale sounds—like the whispering of wind—escaped from between its teeth.
The fat boy screamed, wet himself, and struggled desperately to break free.
Kubato stared in shock. She didn't move.
She simply watched—astonished.
It's protecting me.
Ribs and a spine emerged next, then one skeletal leg, then another, until the grotesque being stood upright before them.
The boy could no longer scream. The skeleton released its grip, and he collapsed unconscious like a sack of meat.
The skull turned toward Kubato, who lay on the ground. She gazed up at it with awe—and gratitude.
The darkness around them writhed violently. Then countless insects, spiders, and crawling creatures surged forth, climbing onto the skeleton piece by piece.
The sight sent shivers through Kubato.
Gradually, organs formed. Muscles wrapped around bone. Then flesh. Then skin.
Black hair sprouted from its head. Pale, taut skin stretched across its body. Black eyes opened.
Before she could notice what grew between his legs, black straps with metal buckles burst from the darkness, wrapping around his naked body, dressing him completely until he stood before her clad in leather bindings.
Kubato's heart pounded. The sight was terrifying—and yet she couldn't look away.
His gaze met hers, and a wide grin spread across his lips.
He struck a pose that reminded her of a superhero.
"I'M FREE!!!" he shouted joyfully into the sky. "After so many years—finally free! Woohoo!!!"
He danced happily. With every movement, the buckles on his straps clattered, producing chaotic sounds.
"Thank you, sweetie," he said, turning to Kubato. "Though you'd be even cuter without all these restraints," he laughed excitedly.
…What?
"Come on, I'll get you out of there." He moved instantly and freed her bonds.
Then he sat down in front of her. His pale face shimmered in the firelight.
"I'm Akumu. Darkness itself. Death itself." He smiled.
"Nice to meet you. And who might you be?"
Without saying a word, the small wolf girl threw herself into his arms—and cried out all her pain.