The iron odor of blood. Ice caressed her spine as the great north wind himself descended upon her. Lost, so small amid the darkness that surrounded her threatening to consume her. She heard the sound of thousands of voices as the darkness seemed to spin around her caught in a massive whirlpool of twilight. The voices the sound of humans crying out in agony the sound of despair and agony all of them craving for the sweet release of nothingness for an end to their suffering. The darkness called back to them whispering sweet lullabies into the ears of the dammed. The red fire found the pathways of synapses and nerves leading upwards to the brain. Pain, pain on a scale unimaginable beyond any name of which pain was given. The only action she could perform was wanting it stop, needing it to stop. In response somewhere far away from as if separated by some kind of large unfathomable ocean a roar that cut through the darkness and made the world shake around her as she slipped further into the dark floating away.

Home.... What was home to Masako? Was it the small house hidden among the fields of rice and the quiet forest away from the bustle of urban centers where the sound of a gentle feminine voice that made her feel warm and safe? Was it the fancy highrise apartment building that Her father and her dwelled within inside with the big TV and the bedroom that felt too big and too empty at times? Was it her grandparents house and the smell of home cooked meals and smiling faces that only seemed to care on a level she was not normally accustomed to? Was it her friends that she had once known scattered about the country distant faces and memories happy and sad, always sad at the end the goodbyes were always the hardest. No, none of these were home they all had been taken away from her before she could feel comfortable enough to call it such. Having a home meant that it could be taken away and she was not ready to have something else taken away... But maybe having a home right now would of felt nice the warmth and the sense of security. There was none of that just empty nothingness as she drifted through the void and everything felt cold almost cold enough to make her cry. Slowly though a light broke through the darkness, a light that embraced her and took her away from the void if at least temporarily. Voices, broke through the silence as reality came back into focus.

She was still standing and her right hand was outstretched and bunched together into an angry fist. The pain raced through her body as she realized her fingernails had been digging hard into her palm. Her breathing was heavy as if she had just run an entire marathon but how could that have been she did not move. It was then that she realized the silence. The only sound was her breath as if everyone else, everything else was looking at something of great excitement or horror. She looked away from her hand remebering quickly about the creature prepared to fight again and it was at that moment that she was taken aback. 

It looked right out of a war movie, remnants of dark oozing shadow was cast about haphazardly in large splashes and poodles like the soulless ichor of a long dead god. At the center of it all was the creature held aloft by the thing that had come forth from inside. The creature which only moments before had been threateningly hissing and roaring its challenge at the group was now lifted by the shattered remnants of its mask limp and utterly lifeless. The other monster the one that she had seemingly brought forth from nowhere held its still twitching frame the blade in its other hand dripping in a black ooze like substance, the discarded limbs of the creature thrown about like chew toys to a great beast. It held on as the creature twitched in its death spasms for the last time before disintegrating into nothingness. Particles of white drifting into the sky as it went.

Masako felt a pang of relief sweep through her body as it vanished. Her "friend" turned to face her and let out a terrible roar into the sky that cut through the air. Masako looked at the creature and felt almost safe as crazy as it sounded amidst the dread. And as suddenly as the creature appeared it vanished into darkness vanishing into the void. She took two steps forward chasing after it before collapsing to her knees. Her body felt heavy, made of lead and iron even keeping her eyes open felt taxing. Seconds later she collapsed entirely the sweet embrace of unconsciousness took her into its arms and caressed her gently brushing her hair. Leaving the others too look in awe and maybe re found terror having seen power released from the girl on a scale unseen by mortal man for at least ten years hence. What it all meant was still uncertain. And all that could be said truly about that night atop the roof was that all their lives had changed that night if it was for the better that was yet to be seen.