Chapter Text
One moment, the Slyth was directly in front of Kore, the next, it was all black.
He cursed, feeling its evil presence slink away, deeper into the dark cloud that enveloped the area. In a flurry of movement, he surged forward, slinging his arms wildly around in hopes of catching it, but the only thing he managed to get his claws on was a short, familiar genie.
“Hnnk!” Rooster grunted. “..Kore, is that you?”
Kore’s eyes widened, and his grip quickly slackened. “What’re you doing?” He took a step back, though still keeping his hands on Roosters shoulders. “I..I” He glanced around, squinting hopelessly in the dark. His voice dropped, the familiar feeling of panic beginning to crawl up his spine. “Where’s the demon?”
“I don’t know, I can’t see anything.” Rooster answered. He sounded not a foot away from Kore, and yet all Kore could see was blackness.
Just as Kore tried to step away, he felt Rooster grab his hand and begin dragging them both out of the darkness.
The two stumbled out of the black cloud, and once Kore got his bearings back, he found that he was met face to face with Rooster.
Kore paused, a realization washing over him, before he said aloud, “It’s a shapeshifter.”
“Oh,” Rooster said from beside Kore. “that makes sense..” He watched as Kore took a few, nervous steps back, eyes almost bewildered. “I am Rooster..” He continued, looking up at his friend, eyebrows furrowed.
“No,” Answered the other Rooster, taking a step forward to stand just beside the other, his voice a perfect echo. “I’m Rooster.”
“Oh, no..” The first Rooster said, sputtering for a moment. “Okay, uh.. Ask me something only I would know!”
“Yeah, exactly!” The second said, nodding.
Kore looked between the two, worry clear in his eyes. “What are you most afraid of?”
“Dark, scary spaces!” The second called out.
“What?” The first Rooster turned to face the other, his eyebrows furrowed. “I was gonna say that too!”
“Oh, sure you were!”
“Yeah! Well, we, we..” The Rooster stammered, tripping over his words. Kore eyed him suspiciously.
“Redo! Redo, uhm, okay.. let me think..” the Rooster continued, closing his eyes and pressing his fingers to his temple. After a moment, he suddenly snapped his finger. “Wait, wait, hold on. I know..I know what your greatest fear is!”
The other Rooster suddenly looked at Kore, frowning, eyebrows raised, and his voice came out almost desperate sounding. “Being nothing!” He called out. “After, I mean.. After you finish your mission. You said, uh, you didn’t know what would happen next..”
Kore’s shoulders dropped, and he stopped dead in his tracks.
“Hey!” The first Rooster said, stammering again, but he couldn’t find anything proper to say.
The second Rooster didn’t break his eye contact with Kore, continuing on. “But.. you know what you want now? That..” He paused, as if he couldn’t bear to continue on. “You.. you didn’t use me. Didn’t sell me when you first got the chance.”
The first Rooster stared at the other in shock, his breathing rapid and labored. “No—I mean, Kore,” He turned to his friend, but the words barely left his mouth before he was being slapped.
He fell to the floor with the thud. Kore towered above him, snarling, though there was hardly any real anger in it mostly just… hesitation.
Kore placed one hand on his meteor glaive, near the head to steady it as he slowly aimed it vaguely at the Rooster on the ground.
Rooster swallows nervously. “Uhm, I..”
“He doesn’t have anything else to say!” The other Rooster said, staying a few feet behind Kore. “That’s because he can’t, because he isn’t me, Kore!”
Kore hesitated still—but having some confidence installed in him—raised his weapon.
“Kore..” The Rooster on the ground started, his voice weak, clearly exhausted from the fight. Or he could’ve been just acting, Kore couldn’t tell.
“Don’t listen to it, Kore!” The other Rooster called.
“Kore,” The first continued, “thank you for-”
“Kore, that isn’t me! Don’t listen to it!”
The first Rooster scrunched up his nose, fed up. “Shut up! Kore, I’m just trying to—”
“No you! Kore—”
“Kore!”
Kore's eyes suddenly closed tight, and before he could think about it, with one fluid movement he swung his meteor glaive, aiming to crack the first Roosters skull open. Instead it just created a long, wide gash in his neck.
The Rooster fell down, writhing, choking and sputtering on his own blood. It didn’t last long as his body quickly stilled and his gargling breaths stopped.
Kore panted, staring down at the slowly growing puddle of blood at his feet. So many thoughts were going through his head at once it was overwhelming, but one rang out loud and clear; if he had gotten this wrong, he wouldn’t live to see the next sunrise.
All thoughts were quieted though as a sudden crack reached his ears, followed by wet, disgusting crunching.
Kore was frozen in place, as a horrible, horrible realization came over him.
The Slyth’s breath was cold next to his face, and its words slithered in his ear.
“You chose wrong.”