Kari turned toward the apologizing girl, using her as a distraction from the tingling sensation she was experiencing on her skin. She wasn't sure if her phone was being normal or not, and currently lacked the courage to quiet her curiosity. Then she caught sight of Aryn's face and how he excused himself rather quickly.<em>I wonder if he caught on to what may be happening. . .</em>she thought slowly to herself as she forced her face to stay blank. If there was something about to happen, she needed Aryn by her side. They had agreed to back each other up, beating around the topic of what was happening to them but had solidified their alliance to protect the students of the dorm. She hoped he'd return soon, her stomach still knotting and twisting.<br/><br/>Seeing the new girl before her begin to bow profusely again, Kari waved her hand dismissively at her, speaking softly in a reassuring way to calm the confused girl. "There's no need for such formalities," she would start out softly. "No this isn't the school, it’s much larger. This is just one of the many new dorms. But you being new to the area, well. . . it's understandable that you would get confused." Giving the girl a charming smile, Kari slowly pushed some of her chin-length black hair back in a fashion that would surely attract the attention of any guy gawking her. It was rare that she did such a feminine thing, but she was trying to sooth the uneasyness within the girl before her, and in her own stomach.<br/><br/><em>Sacrifice yourself for the others.</em><br/><br/>The words echoed through Kari's mind. It was a philosophy she had adopted back when she was a yankee, in weekly fights over territorial matters or defending fellow members. Her sense of team spirit was stronger than it should have been, but that's what happens when you live a hardened lifestyle. Kari had been hospitalized for some of the fights she had been in, as did her teammates. Even a few had been killed during some of the more aggressive times. Kari herself had been, but that was something she would never speak of, or of what she had seen. The only sign that such a thing had happened was a scar hidden upon her body somewhere, from the accident that eventually forced her into a more 'domestic' lifestyle and led to her transfer to Gekkoukan.<br/><br/>Seeing Aryn coming back out of the building, realizing how much time had passed while she was absorbed in thought, Kari tussled her hair a bit before glancing at him. Seeing the boken in his hand, it was suddenly clear in her mind as to what he was referencing too and she slowly nodded as her hand went into her pocket, her fingers slowly touching the plastic and metal of her phone. "I completely forgot about that, Aryn-kun. Thank you though; we should practice our skills for Kendo Club. We will start as soon as we are done checking out the dorm." Kari glanced over everyone in their group before slowly gripping her phone and withdrawing it from her pocket. Using her thumb to flip it open, she slowly peered her eyes down at it, hesitantly breaking her eye contact with Aryn as she glanced at the screen. As she looked up to tell Aryn, it was too late. . .<br/><br/>The surrounding area had already begun to shift. The moon was becoming visible in the sky and was the color of blood. Kari felt every hair stand up on her body as the ground underneath them suddenly shifted and blood began to pool and ooze out of any crevice it could. Turning around madly, Kari immediately took up her defensive stance as she heard faint whispering in the back of her mind. Glancing around quickly, Kari balled her fists up together before glancing down at her phone; the timer had just reached 00:00. Her hair was a bit fluffy from standing up at the roots, and she quickly shot Aryn a glance. "Everyone huddle up!" She yelled authoritatively as she began to back everyone up into each other. Kari and Aryn had to protect everyone, they knew what was coming and could fight.<br/><br/>Knowing that she had been unable to really inflict any damage to the creatures she'd fought off last night, Kari didn't let it break her resolve. She had survived fighting them off for twelve hours the day before, and could do it again. Stepping out of her flip flops, she got a good grip on the blood covered pavement underneath her and sweat was visible on her brow. She couldn't help the feeling of terror crawling over her skin, but she knew she would overcome it. An intense feeling of heat was spreading from her belly and chest, and soon her brows were furrowed in anger as she yelled into the dark, watching the shadows of the buildings dance and sway as if to taunt her.<br/><br/>"What do you want with us!?" She yelled through grit teeth. "Why do you have to choose them!?" Glaring down at her phone, Kari waited for a response but got none. Fighting a string of curses, Kari's attention was suddenly caught by something in the corner of her eye. Her head snapped up to see the shadow beast from her last two encounters approaching their group slowly. The expression on her face screamed that she knew the creature, so anyone looking directly at her would have come to the realization as well. Waving her arm out to the side as if she were holding a sword, Kari braced her stance of about to charge, her eyes on fire with intense hatred. All of the negative emotions that had fueled her the day before were back in full force, driving her onward.<br/><br/><div align="center">(http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs9/i/2006/074/8/4/Shadow_Wolf_by_Birvan.jpg)</div><br/>Leaving the group, Kari darted forward and swung her arm around at the shadow beast whom easily dodged the strike. Screaming out in frustration, Kari continued to punch and kick at it, darting back and forth as she tried to fight it and destroy it. She was blinded by her anger, but also blinded by the fact that this thing had come after<em>her</em>and now was coming after the people she had to protect. When her strikes did connect with the beast, she did no damage just like the time before, and she desperately tried to understand why she couldn't damage it. The cell phone was still in her right hand, and she used it as a weight, similar to brass knuckles, to carry her punch forward faster. She noticed that whenever her right hand connected with the beast that it would flinch or the shadows would ripple on it. Glancing back to Aryn briefly, she noticed that there were other shadow creatures closing in on him and the group from all sides. They were the many handed creatures that wore masks of different colors that the beast had originally saved her from during her first encounter.<br/><br/><div align="center">(http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/429/957562-shadow1_super.jpg)</div><br/>Screaming out for him, she waved her arms to alert him to the threat and left herself open. The shadow beast that had been stalking her took this opportunity to lunge forward, snapping it's jaws at her and pinning her to the blood stained ground. Punching at the beast, Kari screamed out defiantly and hit it so hard in the head that her cell phone shattered in her hand. Using this chance to escape, she rolled away by tucking her knees to her chest and sprawled out against the pavement as she skidded back toward the group in a pool of blood. Her knees were cut up, her hands and feet covered in blood from being knocked down. Surely it was a horrifying sight, being entrapped within a world and seeing someone so easily begin to fight as if they were used to it. Kari's secret was now out to the group, and her bruises were visible still on her left side. Now it should have become apparent to what really happened to her, that is, if anyone was still wasn't panicking.<br/><br/>Opening up her right palm, Kari winced as she felt the pieces of her broken cell phone fall to the ground and noticed some were buried into her palm. Picking them out, Kari paused at the last piece. It was the gold microchip she had found that started it all. Buried over halfway into her palm, Kari simply stared at it as her own blood pooled around it, an echoing voice filling her head and drowning everything else out.<strong>"Thou art I, and I am thou. From the sea of thy soul I come."</strong>Part of her recognized what was being said in her mind, but another part was almost too terrified to move. The sound of her heart beating pounded in her ears, only able to hear her own breathing as everything else seemed to become a haze in the already different. Her whole body shook as the words continued to fill her mind.<strong>"Unsurpassed strength is obtained by those with proud hearts. The time has come, and so has your fate. Which destiny will you choose? To fall? Or become more?”</strong><br/><br/>That’s when Kari felt it. All of the negative emotions within her that had been fueling her enraged fighting suddenly spread throughout all of her body.<em>I-I must. . . </em>she thought to herself slowly.<em>I must defend them; I have to channel all of this into my strength! I must become more in order to protect them!</em>Glaring at the shadow monster before her, Kari ground her teeth together and almost snarled.<em>It’s your fault that they are endangered! It’s your fault this has happened!</em>Kari screamed out within her mind as she glared at the shadows with the masks circling the group and the golden chip in her hand.<em>All your damn fault!</em>she screamed inside her mind, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably as her rage suddenly bubbled and boiled up uncontrollably, screaming inside of her mind. Her eyes were blinded as her will burned with power, consuming her form as her hand clenched the golden chip embedded into her flesh, making her blood leak out even faster onto the already tainted ground.