Dazai sprinted across the zoo floor, heart pounding, his breath sharp in his throat. The girl had just appeared out of nowhere, stumbling into their path like she'd been dropped from the sky.
"What the hell! Where did that girl come from?" Dazai shouted as he rushed toward her.
Behind him, Jorax's voice cut through the chaos. "Master, hold on! It might not be safe!" She chased after him, worry twisting her face.
Ignoring the warning, Dazai knelt beside the girl and scooped her up off the ground. Her body trembled faintly in his arms, like she'd been running for hours. "Are you okay, girl?" he asked, eyes searching hers.
"You guys should run," the girl whispered, weak but urgent. She stretched a trembling hand up toward Dazai's face.
"What?" Dazai muttered, caught off guard.
Then a new voice echoed through the air, dripping with menace.
"You know, you shouldn't play with someone else's food."
Dazai's head snapped upward. A man loomed above them, crouched casually atop a lion's cage, shadow stretching long and sharp. His presence was heavy, suffocating.
"Who the hell are you?" Dazai demanded, eyes locked on the stranger.
Beside him, Jorax froze, every instinct screaming danger. *The aura coming from him… it feels suffocating.*
The man smirked, cruel and calm. "Why should I tell the dead my name?"
Then, in a blur of motion, he launched forward. Before Dazai could even brace, a vicious kick smashed into his chest, hurling him across the cages with bone-crunching force.
"Master!" Jorax roared, fury igniting in her veins. She charged at the man, fist cocked for a strike.
But he was faster. Effortless. He sidestepped her punch and slammed a heavy blow into her gut. Jorax gasped as the air burst out of her lungs, her body thrown like a ragdoll.
"Y'all are weak as fuck. Oh my God!" the man laughed, clutching his sides as if it were a comedy show. His laughter echoed in the empty zoo, mocking them.
His gaze shifted, locking onto the girl again. "You really pack some speed, runt. But your little chase is ov—"
The words cut off in his throat.
His body suddenly shot backward, crashing across the cages with brute force.
"How!?" he growled, stunned.
When his eyes lifted, what he saw made him grin. Dazai stood before him, body warped—cheetah legs taut with power, one arm bulging thick like a gorilla's, veins glowing faintly under the skin.
"Fucking diabolical," the man chuckled darkly. "You really mutated yourself for this runt?"
Dazai's chest heaved, his animalistic form flexing. "This guy… he's something else. I punched him with the full strength of a gorilla, and he's laughing it off."
The man's smile widened. "My name is Axel Dust. Telling you now doesn't matter. I just thought I should be formal, for someone risking their life for something so stupid."
His tone shifted, cruel and electric. "Let me show you a fraction of my power."
Dazai narrowed his eyes. "What the hell is this guy talki—"
He didn't get to finish.
Axel's figure blurred, vanishing from sight. Then, an uppercut connected with Dazai's chin, the force so violent it sent him rocketing into the air. Blood sprayed from his lips as his body spun helplessly.
"Urghh… I didn't even see him move," Dazai groaned as pain rattled through his skull. He plummeted downward—only for Axel to leap and smash another punch into him mid-fall, slamming him into the ground like a meteor.
"Masterrr!!" Jorax's voice ripped through the zoo, ragged with panic. She staggered to her feet, pain still twisting her gut.
Axel turned his cruel smile on her. "Don't think I forgot about you, princess."
Before she could move, he appeared in front of her, one massive hand closing around her throat. With bone-snapping force, he choke-slammed her into the floor. The impact rattled the ground.
His grip tightened. Jorax clawed at his wrist, eyes wide with terror as her breath cut short.
"You know," Axel hissed, pressing harder, "I like to see the light in the eyes go out."
Dazai's vision blurred. Every muscle in his broken body screamed as he tried to rise. *I need to do something. I need to do something. He's going to kill Jorax. He's going to kill her!*
Tears of frustration burned at his eyes. *Why is it always like this? I'm too weak to save those close to me. Why can't I do anything? Why!!*
A shrill *ring ring* shattered the moment.
Axel blinked. A phone buzzed in his pocket.
"Fuck," he muttered, loosening his grip on Jorax's neck. "Sorry, I have to take this."
He pulled out the phone and answered. "What the hell, dude? I'm busy—huhhhhhh? You can't be serious." His tone dropped into a growl. "So I should just leave? Fuck. You better have a good reason for this."
Hanging up, Axel clicked his tongue. "It seems God has pitied you all." With one last glance, he crouched low and launched into the night sky, vanishing beyond the rooftops.
Jorax collapsed, clutching her throat. Gasping, she crawled to Dazai's side. "Master, master!!"
---
"Jorax!!!" Dazai bolted upright, drenched in sweat, his hand flung out in the dark. His chest heaved, breath ragged.
"I'm right here, Master." Jorax's voice came gently from beside him. Then she smirked faintly. "Oh, and your hand is on my breast."
Dazai's eyes went wide as he glanced down. Heat rushed to his face. "Oh! I'm sorry!" he stammered, yanking his hand away.
Jorax tilted her head. "How the hell did I get back home? Last thing I remembered, Axel was choking you," he muttered, disappointment heavy in his voice.
"He left, Master. But besides that… thank you for protecting me." Her voice softened as she leaned into him, pressing her body close. "I've never had someone fight for me before. It made me happy."
She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight. His body flinched as pain flared through his wounds.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Dazai hissed.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot." Jorax pulled back quickly, guilt in her eyes.
But then a sly smile curved her lips. "You know… what you did back there was so brave. I think you deserve a reward. Meet me at the bathroom by 10, ok?" With a teasing glance, she turned and slipped out of the room.
Dazai stared after her, stunned, his pulse racing. "I guess a reward wouldn't be bad. I was at least able to send him off for a while…" His voice grew grim. "But on a serious note, that guy's a monster. And that was just a fraction of his power. I don't want to imagine him at full strength."
A mocking voice cut him off. "Heard you got your ass beaten."
Dazai groaned and turned. Alexandria leaned casually against his chair, smirk tugging her lips.
"Shut the hell up, Alexandria." He shot her the finger, scowling.
She chuckled. "Don't feel too bad about it, mortal. You had no chance of winning in the first place."
"Why do you say that!?" Dazai snapped, irritation bubbling.
Her expression sharpened. "Because he's just like me. He's my kind of species."
"…Huh? Species?" Dazai blinked, confusion washing over him.
Alexandria's smile turned dark, mysterious. "It seems it's time to tell you where I come from, mortal."