↳ CHAPTER FOUR :

THE REBEL WITHIN ↲

TUESDAY, 12 APRIL |AFTER SCHOOL

KAORI CALMLY AND SLOWLY EXITED THE SCHOOL BUILDING. Her mind was still on Kamoshida and to make it worse she also had to go home now and worry about her mother.

Kaori sighed and took out her phone to check the time to see how much time she had until the next train would come. Maybe she still had enough time to grab something to eat, considering that her mother isn't exactly the best cook - if she cooked at all.

She switched on her phone and immediately scrunched her eyebrows up in confusion.

There was this weird new app she hasn't seen before on her phone. It was red and had a black eye in the middle of it. It looked strangely appealing to her, just begging for her to click on it and open it.

Kaori stared at it, her finger hovering over the small icon. How did it get on her phone? More importantly what does it do? What if it's some kind of virus?

Her finger now hovered over the small trash can icon at the bottom of her screen. She could just delete it if she wanted to, no harm done then. But she was curious, how can she not be?

A random app that she hasn't seen before and that mysteriously appeared on her phone? It's just waiting to be opened like a present on Christmas Day.

Kaori sighed, she might pay for it pretty good later on, but for now she just needs to know.

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In the depths of Kamoshida's castle Ren, a weird cat like creature called Morgana and Ryuji, with his newly awoken powers, ran for their lives as a few dozen guards were following or looking for them.

The two teenage boys followed the tiny cat creature, as it seemed to know its way around the castle better than they ever could.

Soon enough, exhausted and panting, the trio arrived at a safe room, through which they could easily escape as Morgana explained to them.

Ren and Ryuji bent over for a second, catching their breaths and panting heavily from all the running. Morgana in the meantime looked out for any nearby guards, who might find them.

The two boys calmed down again, standing up straight and seeming okay for now.

Ryuji opened his mouth to say something, when suddenly all three of them heard a bloodcurdling scream coming from deep within the castle.

They all looked at each other in confusion.

"What the hell was that ?" Ryuji asked.

"It sounded like a scream," Morgana answered, while Ren nodded along agreeing with him.

Suddenly they heard a familiar female voice yell, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE? WHO ARE YOU, YOU- YOU FREAKS?! LET ME GOOO!!!"

Ryuji immediately recognised that voice, "I know that voice, that was Watanabe-chan!"

Ren and Morgana looked at him confused, not knowing who he meant.

Ryuji ignored the other two and continued, "It sounds like she's in trouble we have to help her!"

Ren nodded and agreed with Ryuji, if there is anyone who might need their help they should do so.

Morgana however stopped the two before they could run off to do so, "Hey, you morons! Don't you listen to me?! She could be just another one of his distorted cognitions!"

Ryuji shook his head, "No way, that sounded way to real. It has to be her! Now, let's go you guys!"

The blond boy quickly took off again into the direction they came from to help his former friend as quickly as possible.

Ren sighed and shook his head at Ryuji's ridiculousness, before following his reckless friend to save Watanabe and to make sure that he doesn't die in the process.

Morgana reluctantly followed to two, he was not in the mood to lose either one of the two now, especially the frizzy haired one.

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Meanwhile, Kaori found herself being carried around the gigantic castle by two heavily armed guards holding on to her by her arms.

She didn't exactly know how she ended up in this weird place, all she knew is that after she pressed on to the app she found herself outside the castle.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE? WHO ARE YOU, YOU- YOU FREAKS?! LET ME GOOO!!!" Kaori screamed at the top of her lungs, while she was being dragged around by two heavily armed guards.

But of course they wouldn't budge. She sighed in defeat, she at least hoped that someone heard her, that at any moment now her knight in shining armour would come and safe her.

Kaori unwillingly arrived at some kind of throne room, but before she could have a real look around she was roughly thrown on to the cold hard floor.

She moaned out in pain as she hit the carpet floor.

"We found another intruder, your majesty."

Kaori pushed herself off the floor, only to be knocked down again and this time is held down by some guards.

A person walked up towards her, she presumed it was the king and her assumption proved to be right.

But it was someone she never expected.

At the sight of the person Kaori's eyes widened in horror, surprise and confusion. As an immediate reaction, she stammered out, "Wh-What?! Kamoshida?! And what the hell are you wearing? What the hell is going on in here?"

There he stood in his weird and stupid pink robe, next to him a very skimpy dressed Ann with cat ears.

"So, I presume that you also belong to those slow-witted thieves?"

Kaori stayed silent. She was still confused, she didn't really know how to answer, even if she wanted to.

"Why so quiet now? I thought you can't keep your mouth shut?" He mocked her. The fake-Ann laughed.

Suddenly there was a commotion going on behind them. Kaori turned her head to see two masked men and - a cat? running into the room.

"Watanabe!" One of them yelled.

Kaori recognised that voice, that was Ryuji, which mean that the one next to him was Ren, but it still didn't explain the cat though.

"Sakamoto?!" She yelled back more confused than ever.

The trio wanted to run further towards the small brunette, but were stopped by a bunch of guards surrounding them and blocking their path.

Kaori turned her attention back towards Kamoshida, who continued his little speech.

"Little Watanabe, always snooping around in other peoples businesses. Why don't you just keep your nose to yourself? It would have saved you and everyone around you a world full of troubles. You know a lot of people got hurt because of you."

Kaori looked down in shame, she never meant anyone to get hurt.

"You're lucky, it went the way it did. It could have gone a lot worse."

She was at the brink of tears, was he right? Was it really a mistake to write that article? Everyone hated her now, for one reason or another. In the end she couldn't help anyone.

"Don't listen to him!"

Kaori lifted her head slowly at the sound of the familiar voice. She turned her head to look at the source of the sentence, only to find the two boys and cat beaten on the floor.

Her eyes widened in horror, and unexpectedly her yellow eyes found the grey ones of Ren on the floor.

"Don't let him treat you like this! Your better than this -and him!" He spoke and he was right.

Kaori turned back towards Kamoshida, who still got a kick out of her misery and was laughing away with the shadow Ann.

"You're wrong."

He stopped laughing and looked at her again, confused by the sudden talking.

"You're wrong. I did the right thing. I only wanted to help people, the people you've hurt, you bastard! You're not a king, you'll never be a king, your just a fool!"

Kaori had a determined look on her face, glaring at the man in front of her.

He only glared back at her, "Guards! Execute her! Execute them all!"

The guards behind Kaori let her go and threw her roughly on to the floor again.
The king and his princess retreated and guards came surrounding Kaori and the other three from all sides.

A slightly panic arose inside of Kaori, it seems that she can't escape this situation. So, this is how it ends, huh?

All of the sudden though, a sharp pain rang through Kaori's head.

She screamed out in pain, holding her head in her hands and laying on the floor, squirming from the pain.

"My, my, you made me wait quite a while..." A disembodied female voice spoke to Kaori, while she struggled.

"So, you finally found a root of your pain..."

"This is no place to die, my dear. Let us forge a contract, your name has already been disgraced, why not cut yourself loose from the chains of expectations and fly free?"

"Allow me to be your wings of rebellion that lead you to fly, let me help you dethrone the false king!"

"Lend me your power...", Kaori mumbled in a daze, pain still overcoming her.

The female voice let out a chuckle.

"Very well. I am thou, thou art I. Let's seal our contract in blood and throw the foolish king into the fires of hell!"

A strong gust of wind pushed back all of the guards and from blue flames a elegant black mask covered with red roses on the edges, formed itself on to Kaori's face.

With a bit of a struggle she tore of the mask and screamed out in pain again. Blood dripping down her face she was being engulfed by blue flames.

The boys stared at her in surprise for a moment, before using the moment of distraction to attack the enemies.

The flames disappeared, and Kaori in a brand new outfit appeared.

Behind her, a red haired woman, dressed in a blood red dress. She was blindfolded and had a long snake draped over her shoulders. She had goat horns and a crown composed of roses and thorns on her head.

Kaori smirked, "Give'em hell, Lilith !"

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