Murderous rage.

That hostile stare was all Kiyo saw as he gazed into the many eyes of the monstrous flesh creature crouched in front of him. His body shook relentlessly, unable to move an inch in its wake. The urge to call for help, to escape the woods and save himself consumed his mind. But he couldn’t.

One look back was all it took; Daisuke was the only person he truly had. And there he lay, passed out and bleeding on the coarse gravel. Kiyo couldn’t abandon him.

“GRRRAAAAAWWWLL!” The beast roared, rearing all its fangs as blood spewed between the random assortment of ragged bones. Rows upon rows of teeth flashed to spite fear within the enemy, an instinctual behavior.

Kiyo stomped his feet firmly into the ground, gravel interwoven between his toes, and mouth seething in a bitter rage as he peeked back at his friend.

“AAAGGHHH!” Kiyo yelled back, teeth gnashing in the wind.

But what did he have to defend himself?

Fists raised, a dreadful pain flared up in Kiyo’s squeamish body. The obscene intensity depleted his energy, left swaying side to side as he tried to retain balance amidst the trembling ripples of agony that dug deep beneath his skin.

The creature circled Kiyo, preparing to attack the boy as it searched for an opening. Its massive slender talons raked through the dirt, vass torn out by the roots with every tremendous step. Jaw unhinged, its fangs scraped at the air as its slippery toxic tongue slithered in and out of the gaps between them.

Kiyo shuffled around Daisuke’s flaccid unconscious body, a weak effort at best to keep his haphazard attention locked on the beast. Every slight movement only aggravated the searing misery within that radiated through Kiyo’s pores. A visible heat wave emanated that turned his pale skin a light-feigned orange-red.

Stop it, stop it, stop it. Kiyo repeated over and over again in his head.

Within the chaos, he contrived a plan, a last-ditch effort attempt to perform something only heard of in warriors' stories. Hands balled into fists, Kiyo raised them above his formidable chest toward the Sun. His silky robe clung to his delicate pale skin, body in a frantic state as his condition worsened. Darkness snuck in around the very edges of his eyelids, and the internal lull to rest his frayed mind peaked. But he couldn’t. Not now.

Just hit it!

Kiyo’s rage masked his face as he centered his concentration on his right fist. With his stance taken for the battle about to take place, the beast followed suit as it arched its back and prepared to pounce. Its grotesque body was ready for Kiyo’s slender hands to strike, assured the boy was too weak to incite any real damage. This single jab at the monster's resilient flesh would be Kiyo’s last.

But this time was different.

In all his focus, Kiyo’s dire fever navigated from his body into his right arm. His veins were set aglow, embraced in a lively animated neon green. The dark crimson blood in his arm mixed with the new injection of radiance that was cluttered in his chest. A chemical reaction that left his right-hand sweltering, skin barely able to contain the tremendous heat. The power.

“aaaAAAGGGHH!” Kiyo screamed out, mind enveloped by the hectic moment.

The endless rage within Kiyo was only fueled by flashes of his life at home. Quick glimpses of his sessions with his father, the utter torture he endured daily. All the energy released in that second of fury transitioned into his bare-knuckle fist.

Kiyo’s body temperature skyrocketed, visible steam rising around him, his hand taking the brute force of it all. The pain was immeasurable, but he ignored it in the moment. With Daisuke’s life on the line, all else became a blur. Mind dead set on the beast.

He rushed forward, cocked his fist back, and wailed it into the teratoma. His entire life force thrown into that one punch.

BANG! 

Eyes gleaming an infectious yellow and hand ablaze, he remained valiant as his knuckles broke past the outer bone layer on the fleshy monster. The teratoma, unprepared for the swing, was launched back into the air the instant Kiyo’s fist buried itself within the teratoma’s flesh. Its countless eyes dilated as the blow rippled across its body, globs of flesh caught up in the impact that overwhelmed the beast.

Crrraack! Snap! Blersh!

Decimated by the unexpected vigor of the puny prey, the beast crashed to the ground against a cluster of trees thirty feet away. As the dust settled, Kiyo fell to his knees, his entire body drained of all energy. Gaze locked onto the crumpled monster left sizzling from the strike, Kiyo let a hint of joy crease his lips. He was beyond surprised at his success. He hit it.

It’s over. We can go—er!

Relief fell short as a numbness jolted up his right arm. One glance at it was enough to make Kiyo recoil. Stomach turned in knots, Kiyo watched his right-hand bubble all over. The once pale composure was charred a crispy black on the outside. Layers cracked open as blood filled in the gaps and spilled out onto the gravel.

Clutching his arm against his chest, Kiyo wrapped it in his red waistband. Tingles of pain rode down his arm as his nerves kicked back to life, unable to contain it as his hand shook fiercely.

Disheveled breaths heaved out of his lungs, mouth dry and scaly. Kiyo slumped forward and threw up an overwhelming mix of sensations that rushed through his body. His robust strength during the fight corroded in on itself in the aftermath. Now left sickly, Kiyo gasped for air, for an end to the misery that consumed his flesh.

But it wasn’t over.

Whoosh—slerch!

On all fours, an unforeseen slash seized Kiyo and slung him into a dead wood tree. His legs took the hit as he bounced off of the tree and spiraled in the air. Plummeting down ten feet past it, he landed on top of his right arm.

“Aaaarggh!”

Kiyo glanced back at Daisuke to see the teratoma back up as if unphased by the puncture. But all there was to show for his efforts was a small scrape on the lower chest of the creature, no damage done. He failed.

“Wait . . .” Kiyo groaned as he started to crawl towards Daisuke. But he was useless, all his energy eradicated in that one punch.

All he could do was watch and wait for his turn. His body battered and left in disarray.

The teratoma lifted Daisuke into the air and lowered him head-first into its mouth. Teeth cranking apart to reveal the atrocious bowels within. A vile stench of vinegar wafted out in the air. Tongue slithering up to Daisuke’s body, Kiyo reached out as he lay impaired on the ground. Left to watch in suffering, nerves writhing in agony.

“STOP!” Kiyo screamed at the top of his lungs as he clawed at the earth.