Endless Trail of Hopelessness

[Madelyn Fūrinji]

Wandering through streets of Karakura at night in the darkness wasn’t something that Madelyn had ever really done, yet in the last few weeks she had been by definition homeless. Stranger on the streets of Karakura, not wishing to pull Lady Keira’s attention away from her experiments. Not able to face that her family may have moved on after her death. No she wandered from one alley to another sometimes stopping and sleeping in the park with only a couple of consistencies. Tears and fighting.

Almost every night in the last two weeks Madelyn had felt the unbelievable joy that came with her Bakkoto’s influence possessing her body. The pleasure that came when her Bakkoto changed her body was the only small pause in the dread that was her afterlife. A hollow attack that was now a nightly occurrence and Madelyn’s fear of pain, of death had been dulled. Now it was something that she looked forward to knowing that when one of the monsters found her she’d either die or transform, either way her suffering would end.

Right now, the young soul who struggled to continue on, who’s sense of self teetered on dissolving sat in yet another one of the unrecognizable alleyways of Karakura. She’d been no different than any standard teenager just a few months ago, she just couldn’t handle the pressure of being homeless with everyone she ever knew taken from her life while being hunted everyday now. Wishing that a Hollow strong enough would just devour her now to stop the suffering. Maybe she’d get lucky, and a Shinigami would find her again who’d do her the favor of ending it swiftly instead.

Wallowing in her own self-pity was the only thing that Madelyn had been doing for the last couple of days with no interaction from anyone or anything else. Somehow though that all came to an end right now in the alleyway when despite not being able to see anything around her with her head down on her forearms Madelyn felt a sensation. Something was watching her, just like that though she got her answer without a heartbeat passing. A low hiss came from nearby, lifting her head up and looked to the sides and saw on her left there was a feline, with a white mask.

A small Hollow house cat of all things was right there only maybe six feet from her starring her down with its upper body low and its back high ready to pounce on her at any moment. "Please just go away." Normally the sort that would have loved a feline especially one that could see her after everyone else just looked through, even that couldn't shake Madelyn free from her dread. She didn't have much choice though as the Hollow lunged at her and sank its teeth down into her left forearm biting into her flesh, causing Madelyn intense pain from a wound she hadn't experience before. Just like that though the pain triggered the very thing that had eliminated any chance of her getting a happy ending.

[Madelyn Fūrinji]

The bite of the small Hollow cat wasn't astronomical in terms of Hollows attacking nor was it something that anyone with a decent amount of experience would dwell on. Madelyn though didn't have either of those aspects, she was just a girl with had built up a little tolerance for pain, yet this feline felt like a canine with its bite. Its physical strength surpassing that of an average house cat dozens of times over, enough that Madelyn shouted in pain and shook her arm yet the Hollow clung on. That's when Madelyn felt it, that sensation once again, the joy splashing throughout her mind like the waves cascading against land. Her eyes turning a bright pink as her reiatsu flares and the Bokkoto inside of her arm begins to alter the weak host it'd inhabited.

This was when the cat released its bite and backed off several feet watching like the hunter as its prey stood up onto her feet. Her left arm bleeding slightly would change altering into something more powerful as pink lines stretch across her arm from her hand up to her left eye. When Madelyn had first changed only her left eye would turn pink like the side of her body and yet now both of them changed. She was unaware of everything that was happening, yet she couldn't control any of it likely even if she knew, the Bakkoto was taking over more and more as time continued to pass her by. Black sections of armor springing up from her arm to cover it as Madelyn turns to stare at the Hollow.

The girl wrapped up in the darkest most harmful emotions and thoughts wasn't present now, almost like someone else completely now stared at the Hollow. Madelyn didn't feel lonely, nor depressed or abandoned. She was happy, something that had become foreign when it had been the emotion strongest to her soul only a month ago. The moment that she'd died everything and changed and now just feeling this same sensation was enough that Madelyn didn't care what it meant. Getting to feel like this was enough, she couldn't keep feeling like she had just a moment ago, no she had wanted to feel happy.

Rushing in on her the cat Hollow would pounce only to have its white mask shattered as one of Madelyn's pitch-black nails rushes forward, extending out essentially growing in length while carrying with it force like a bullet. The Hollow's skull was pierced along with its mask while its body begins to vanish and Madelyn smiles in a depraved, sinister manner. "Oh, done in so soon, poor little kitty." She didn't even have time to linger on it though as she felt the tiny nips of others on her ankles and right shoulder. Turning her head was all she needed to do in order to see more of the Hollow cats biting her yet not possessing the strength needed to get through her reinforced skin. "I love little bites, see if you all can survive my bite though."

The sweetness of Madelyn’s voice didn’t just sound slightly different but felt like it was well, it was no longer a gentleness like from a good natured young soul, but someone seeking pleasure in a positive outlook. The alleyway over the course of the next couple of minutes turned into a war zone, the feline Hollows managing to watch and learn what Madelyn could do with her left arm, either extending or retracting one of the five nails on her head or using the shining sword attached to her forearm like her bone.

Madelyn had no problem aiming at one of the cats although despite the speed her nails could manage it didn’t take long for the felines to pick up on them. To learn just what she could do and how fast her nails could move, enough that they started to dodge. Evading her nails was frustrating yet exciting! Madelyn smiled across her face watching as the cats who couldn’t manage more than one attack now jumped from one wall to the next then the ground and up at her over and over again, biting her body all over as the thrill of combat consumed her more than the Hollows.