Chapter 76 – The Deep Bond, and An Impossibility.

Chapter 76 – The Deep Bond, and An Impossibility. Announcement

This is the final day of the marathon! Thank you all so much! There are two chapters today, then we'll be back to our normal schedule!

"No, Kana. No, I don't want to be human anymore. I want to be whole." Akagi declared with her face filled with tears. It was an unexpected statemen and caught Kana off guard.

"What does that mean?" Kana took out a rag from her pocket and wiped Akagi's tears. "Why do you want to give up your humanity? Isn't it good that you still care about us? About me?"

"Kana," Akagi placed her hand on her sister's head. "Ever since I can remember. There's always been a hole inside me. I've always felt like I was missing something, something important." Akagi was still crying. "It's like there was a void in my heart. A void that nothing, not you, not Yumi could fill."

"A void?" Kana asked.

"I always thought it was just part of who I was. That I was destined to always have this empty feeling inside of me." Akagi looked her sister in the eyes. "But when I saw you collapsed in the mall. For the briefest of moments, the seal around my soul flickered, bent, and broke. In that instant, part of my real self was released. And for the first time in my life, that void, Kana, that void filled. Just a little bit." Akagi continued to cry. "And you have no idea just how good that felt. After all these years, I found out just what I was missing, where it was, and how to get it. For the first time, I could be whole, I could truly be me, and I could be rid of this empty feeling inside." Akagi cupped Kana's cheek. "But.... even though I know how.... even though I know where... I-I-I can't do it. I can't do it, Kana."

Kana had never seen her sister cry like this, and she'd never heard any mention of this feeling of emptiness inside her sister's heart. She'd always known Akagi struggled with her issues, but this was much more than she'd ever expected. Though, she figured this might explain some of her problems. Akagi was always cold, distant and irritable. She often had a hard time dealing with people. But ever since the mall, she'd seemed happier.

"If I give in... If I give in and let myself free. Then while I would fill that void, that would most likely mean I lose you and everyone else I care about." Akagi continued. "That power, Kana, it's intoxicating, it's like a drug. And it wants me to destroy, to burn, to kill. If I let myself free, then I'd most likely be overwhelmed by it, and there would be nothing left but the monster you saw in your vision. A version of me who cares for nothing else but death and destruction." Akagi whipped the tears from her eyes. "And that's not acceptable. I refuse to allow myself to be controlled, even by my own power."

"Can't you find a way to control it?" Kana asked. "Is there no way you can figure out how to let yourself out and keep your sense of self?" She wanted her sister to find a way to be happier without turning into a monster.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Akagi chuckled. "But I fear that I don't have much time left." Akagi turned to look at her soul. "Each day, the barrier weakens, and while my will is strong." She shook her head. "Even I cannot resist such temptation forever." She gave a dry laugh. "The call to violence and destruction... its too... tempting." Her voice briefly distorted.

"So, that means I'm just going to lose you! That you're destined to become a monster that destroys the world?!?" Kana exclaimed. "That's not fair! You don't deserve that!"

"Destroying the world was probably what I was intended to do from the start, Kana," Akagi said. "Mizumi said the barrier was never intended to last. It's a miracle that I've held myself back this long. I fear that if something like what happened to you happens again, that might just be it." Akagi sighed. "I wanted to explain all this to you now while I have the chance. You needed to know the truth, and well, here it is. Your so-called sister is actually some kind of world-destroying Demon who's struggling to hold herself back from doing just that."

"I think that goes beyond just normal love, Kana." Akagi sighed.

"If eating my soul would genuinely bring you happiness, then so be it." Kana's face was serious. "I don't exactly want that to happen, but I would if I must."

{I owe you a debt I can never hope to pay, even if you don't see it that way.} Kana kept this thought to herself.

"You really are my sister, aren't you?" Akagi chuckled. "Who else but crazies like us could stand inside a place like this, discuss destroying the world, and then talk about me eating your soul."

"If there was any doubt in your mind, I hope that cleared it up." Kana chuckled as Akagi hugged her again.

"Thank you, Kana. Thank you for accepting me and for always being there for me. If it wasn't for you. I would have already..." Akagi understood just why she'd stayed sane all these years. It wasn't just some iron will or desire to stay in control.

{It's because I didn't want to hurt Kana. That's why I've held on, isn't it?} Akagi separated from Kana and looked her in the eye. {No, it's not just Kana.} Akagi's mind instantly went to Yumi. {For some reason, the thought of Yumi crying because I lost myself... It pains me... It pains me even more than if it were Kana.} Akagi laughed. {I never expected someone to mean more to me than Kana. I didn't even think that was possible. But I guess I've been lying to myself all this time. Yumi really is the most important person in this world to me, isn't she? I might not be capable of loving Yumi, but I can't deny that I feel something more than just a friendship. Perhaps she really does mean as much to me as I do to her? Perhaps we really do both need each other, even more than I ever imagined?} Akagi resolved to answer the question of what Yumi meant to her. As she thought this, a word that she'd never heard before appeared in her mind, it flowed out from her soul and directly into her mind, just as other information had.

"[A Bonded Soul.]" Akagi said the word that came to her mind and was assaulted by an influx of information on the term.

"Onee-chan. What does that mean? A Bonded Soul?" Kana asked, which took Akagi off guard.

"Kana!" Akagi gripped her sister's shoulders. "How do you know that word!" Akagi herself had just learned it, so Kana couldn't possibly have heard it before.

"???" Kana tilted her head. "You just said it didn't you? [A Bonded Soul.]" Kana repeated the word which caused both sisters to freeze.

"Kana, how can you speak Demon?" Akagi stared at her sister in complete shock, and Kana had no answer for her. The two stood in complete shock as they now had another question to answer.Ne/w novel chapters are published at novelhall.com