Abyssal Awakening

Over time, Luke started to realise how Ria hunted.

She was careful with her targets.

It was never random. Always planned, always after careful consideration.

After all, one wrong move meant that they could easily turn against her. She needed to find someone perfect. A person with a strong sense of empathy, those were her best targets.

Those who cared too much about others were ideal. To her, empathy was a string she could use to wrap around their necks. And when the time came, she'll pull it tight till their eyes lost its shine.

Patience was her best friend. If there were no suitable targets, she'll simply wait. Continue her façade while 'somehow surviving each day.'

Strangely, she never went after him. At this point, they were neighbours. Sharing the same corner and making sure not to bump into each other when the ritual began. He didn't move to help her, and she was the same.

Of course, the others didn't know what she was doing, how vicious she could be. They were too busy trying to survive, how would they have the time to observe?

All they saw were cowards who evade the combat. Eventually, they'll die, but that wasn't their focus.

One night, Luke woke up and saw Ria sitting in the dark. There was little light but enough to see silhouettes.

Her eyes, unblinking.

She was observing the new batch while they slept. Fingers tapping, eyes darting.

Luke realised she was calculating her next angle. Which one would be suitable as a target? Which one would she use as a shield? Which one would she kill.

They couldn't be too weak either. If they're too weak, they made a terrible shield for Ria.

While most didn't know what she was doing, some caught on. And during the rituals, they'll aim for her. But she had her own method of survival.

After all, even Luke could tell.

Ria wasn't just someone who survived long. No, she wasn't just a survivor.

She was a killer of the highest quality. Their finest butcher, their prized weapon.

"Tomorrow might be rough. They've brought over some tenacious and cautious kids this time." Ria whispered, not glancing at Luke as she was too busy scouting out her targets.

Ever since the first day, Ria was always like this.

Always giving him tips, warnings and suggestions.

Making sure that when she returned from the ritual, he would be there to sit next to her once more.

"You should be fine. Most of them seemed to have heard something from the other groups." Ria narrowed her eyes, wondering if she should just kill them now.

But no matter how favoured she was, the unbroken rule wasn't something she could go against.

What they wanted to see was a struggle. A battle to the death and grasping at lifelines as blood left the body.

They wanted to see desperation.

They wanted to see the will power for survival.

###

Luke ran.

He ran like usual but today was different.

It felt… safer?

No.

That wasn't accurate. Rather, it was because there's a clear goal.

He turned towards the centre.

Ria was surrounded.

"W-why me?" She flinched at the sight of the knife. Her trembling hands holding her own weapon in front of her, a 'futile' act of self defence.

"Keep acting! We know what you did!" One of the kids who surrounded her shouted.

Hatred in their eyes.

"You killed Min when he trusted you!" Another followed.

Five of them had banded together in order to deal with the butcher of these blood pits.

Others steered clear.

Even if they didn't know what was happening, they knew that the girl had to die no matter what.

So rather than joining in or stopping it, it was better for them to just step aside and watch.

To cover their own back.

Ria understood that no amount of acting was going to change things.

All five of them came determined.

They wanted blood. Her blood.

Her terrified expression faded away. The trembling stopped and she reached down to scoop up a handful of blood.

"Ah~ All that talking and begging has made me pretty thirsty. Feel free to take a drink by the way. Blood is surprisingly tasty once you get used to it." She giggled, lifting her hand up and pouring the 'drink' into her mouth.

Some of the blood spilled out but she licked it clean.

Her eyes turned cold, the smile of a killer.

A demonstration of power and to instil as much fear as she could into them.

She raised her knife in front of her body.

Her movements are calm, controlled…

Experienced.

Two of the kids moved first, they lunged with fury in their eyes.

Ria's gaze darted towards them as she immediately sprayed a mouthful of blood towards their eyes!

She didn't drink the blood at all!

With the two busy shielding their eyes, Ria struck.

She dove into the guard of the first boy, her knife shooting up as it pierced the underside of his jaw.

Stealing his knife while discarding her own, she sunk it deep into his gut and twisted it.

She made sure to hook some of the organs against the guard and gave it a vicious tug!

The other's widened their eyes in horror.

They had expected this but even so…

Ria didn't stop moving.

With the first one down, she aimed for the second. He had already wiped the blood away and opened one eye. His knife aiming for Ria's chest.

She stepped to the side, avoiding the stab while also missing her own.

But she had more weapons than just her knife.

She bit down hard against his shoulder, teeth sinking to flesh. Latching herself onto his back and stabbing repeatedly while he frantically pulled at her hair.

It was no use.

He died under repeated brutal stabbings.

Standing up with messy hair and a bloodstained outfit with crimson splattered across her face, she grinned maniacally at the rest.

An act that Luke saw through.

He saw the sweat around her face, the slight twitch of her smile. Barely noticeable but it was there.

She was nervous.

The first two kills were achieved through trickery and had the benefit of a surprise attack.

But the last three were now completely on guard, not daring to approach her lightly.

And in terms of pure physical power… Ria was weaker than them.

So the first thing she needed to do, was to make sure she wasn't surrounded!

She burst into action. Turning to the side, she rushed towards the weakest looking one.

"Get her!"

The other two chased but Ria will reach him before they'll reach her!

"Min spoke about you. Said that you needed to be protected like me. A weakling." Ria whispered as the kid gritted his teeth.

Out of rage, he swung with a wide arc, leaving his body open.

A fatal mistake.

Ria jumped, her shoulder blocking his arm so that he couldn't swing.

Opening her mouth, she sunk her teeth into his throat and twisted her head!

"ARG-!!!" He tried to scream but blood sealed up his throat.

Unfortunately, she couldn't finish off her target as the others caught up.

Jumping off, she threw her knife behind her in order to slow the others down.

One checked up on the wounded kid while the other continued to chase after Ria.

"Come on, you almost got me. Try a bit harder, just a little more. Then Min can sleep peacefully in the afterlife~" She taunted, grabbing a girl by the collar before swinging her body around and using her as a shield.

The boy widened his eyes in horror but he couldn't stop his swing in time.

His dagger stabbed into the girl's chest, her pupils constricting as tears streaked down her face.

"So close~" Ria smirked from behind the girl as her blade stabbed into the boy's guts.

But to her shock, he simply accepted it and grabbed her wrist, refusing to let go.

Wincing from how much force he was using, she glanced up and saw the shadow of a knife.

'Ah… He's going to stab me.' She thought to herself.

Was this the end?

Could she finally stop this performance?

This feeling that fills her chest…

How…

Liberating.

But something stirred in the corner.

A small worry.

Nothing major yet… it was akin to a black splatter of paint on a white canvas.

What about Luke? The boy who sat next to her spot.

She was like him at the start. Perhaps that's why she wanted to help.

If she was to die here, would he become just like her? A butcher of these pits. Or would he become part of the blood pools…

For some reason… Just the thought of that made her blood run cold. She didn't want the same to happen to him, she didn't want another butcher to be born.

She didn't want the victims of this blasted ritual to produce more products!

She couldn't change the fact that she had become their prized weapon, their favourite butcher. But what she could do was prevent more from being made.

Her rebellion against the cult would be to ensure that she is the last!

Ria raised her arm.

"ARGH!!!" The blade stabbed through her flesh but she was alive.

She felt her own blood splatter on her face but she was alive.

She felt the shock of being stabbed ripple through her mind.

But she was alive.

She held on but the boy kept pushing. The knife tip getting closer and closer to her face.

Ria was losing this contest of power but she still wanted to live.

"RIA!!!"

A shout. A tone she wasn't used to. The boy who spoke softly and whimpered like a rabbit had shouted her name.

He crashed into the boy from the side, pushing him off before running over to Ria.

"Are you okay?!"

Ria blinked her eyes.

The boy was concerned for her. Even after seeing everything she did to survive, he was concerned for her.

He observed her like no other, noticing the emotions she buried deep down. He worried about her safety even though he saw her kill the people around her.

"Pft…" Ria couldn't help but laugh.

"What a weirdo…" She muttered.

A smile appeared on her face. Not the kind she put on when looking for prey, not the kind she put on to act weak.

But a genuine smile.

Even a killer like her had someone who would worry about her safety.