Kaiju Heart Ch 24: A desperate Plan, Your Mine Now

Pain.

It seared through me, radiating from the wound across my belly-the pale blue glow of my exposed core flickering weakly like a dying flame. I couldn't tear my eyes away from it. That wound wasn't just flesh deep. It was deeper than that-into my very essence. The core, my core, the center of my power, was damaged.

Years-centuries-of careful cultivation, shaping that core, building it into the vessel of my strength. And now, because of these damned humans, it was cracked, bleeding energy with every breath I took. Each beat of its light sent a wave of agony coursing through me.

"Damn humans," | growled through gritted teeth, my voice shaking the ground around me. I wanted to roar, to obliterate the city entirely, but even that would take energy I couldn't spare.

As I lay there, my claws digging into the rubble to steady myself, I felt something—a faint, irritating sensation against my skin. Movement.

I shifted my gaze downward, squinting through the haze of pain. There, scrambling against the scales of my stomach, was him.

At first, his name eluded me. Did it even matter? He was just another human, another fragile insect that had dared to defy me. But then it clicked-the one who had interfered again and again. The one who had aided the little woman who had dared to challenge me.

"Bradley," | muttered, my voice a low, guttural snarl. It tasted sour in my mouth, saying his name aloud. This pathetic, insignificant creature had been a thorn in my side from the start. And now, when I was most vulnerable, here he was again.

Fury surged through me, pushing back the pain. My massive fingers reached down, closing around his tiny, struggling form. His resistance was laughable. He was so small, so weak. I could crush him with a twitch of my hand.

But I didn't. Not yet.

I held him in my palm, bringing him closer to my face. He wriggled and yelled, but his words were lost in the thunder of my own thoughts.

"This is all your fault," | growled, my voice shaking him as if he were caught

in a storm. "You and your kind... you've ruined everything. And now I owe you nothing."

The anger boiled over, and I lifted him higher, dangling him over my open maw. My mouth burned with heat, blue flames licking at my fangs as I prepared to swallow him whole.

I could taste his fear. It was intoxicating. One snap of my jaws, one swallow, and he would be gone. No more interference. No more pathetic human defiance.

But just as I was about to let go, a deafening boom shattered my thoughts.

Explosions.

All around me, fire and smoke erupted, searing into my already wounded flesh. My body jolted, thrown backward by the force. Pain ripped through me as I hit the ground, my exposed core flaring like a dying star.

I screamed, the sound tearing through the ruins and shaking the air itself. My claws dug into the earth as more explosions rocked my body. These attacks... normally, they'd be little more than an annoyance. But now? They tore into me, exploiting my vulnerability.

"Damn humans!" I roared again, struggling to rise. My vision blurred with rage and pain as the world around me seemed to close in, the humans' attacks relentless.

And yet, even as the flames and smoke enveloped me, my grip on Bradley remained firm. This one, at least, wouldn't escape me. Not yet.

***

The heat was unbearable.

As I dangled above her open mouth, staring into that abyss of blue flames, the reality of it all hit me like a freight train. I was about to die. No escape. No miracle. Just me, falling into the maw of a monster that had wiped out everything around her.

And Kaguya? I glanced down, desperate for a glimpse of her somewhere—anywhere. But she was gone. Probably dead. No human could survive a fall like that, not from the height she'd been thrown.

A lump formed in my throat as my mind spiraled. Memories of her. Memories of everything. And then my mom.

Mom...

She used to make me pancakes on Saturdays. She used to yell at me for forgetting to call her. She used to smile that soft, forgiving smile, even when I screwed up.

And now I'd never see her again.

The thought broke something in me. I closed my eyes, letting the tears slip out, and whispered, "Mom, I—I'm sorry."

The roar that followed shattered everything.

It wasn't just sound. It was a wave of pure force, so loud it felt like it was tearing my skull apart. My ears popped violently, and a sharp, stabbing pain shot through my head. I opened my eyes in panic, just in time to see the Kaiju lurch backward, her scream reverberating through the city ruins like an earthquake.

And then I was falling.

Her grip on me loosened as her massive hand jerked away. I plummeted, gravity yanking me down with brutal force. My stomach twisted, and the air was ripped from my lungs as I tumbled through the air.

"Ahhh—!" My scream was cut off as I slammed into something hard. Her scales.

The impact was like hitting solid steel. Pain exploded through my side, and I felt something crack—maybe a rib, maybe more. I couldn't tell. I bounced off, rolling uncontrollably, trying to grab onto anything, but her smooth, black scales offered no grip.

I covered my head instinctively, trying to shield myself as I kept falling, slamming into her again and again. Each hit was worse than the last, the sharp edges of her scales tearing into my clothes, bruising, battering.

Then came the worst one.

I didn't see it coming—just a blur of black—and then crack.

Something smashed into the side of my head, and the world went white. Pain, sharp and blinding, radiated through my skull, and everything spun.

I couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. The last thing I felt was my body flipping, weightless and helpless, before the blackness swallowed me whole.

***

The explosions were relentless.

Each blast sent a ripple of searing pain through my back, the shockwaves rattling my very core. My arms trembled under my weight as I crawled forward, dragging my injured body through the shattered remains of this human city.

Smoke and fire blurred my vision, and the acrid stench of burning metal and flesh filled my nostrils.

I couldn't fall. Not now. If I lost consciousness, it would be the end of me.

Every movement was agony, my once-powerful limbs now struggling to obey. My hips, massive and unyielding, crushed the ruins of smaller buildings in my path, but the narrow streets made it nearly impossible to maneuver. I growled low, frustrated by the fragility of this human-made world. Even in my weakened state, their structures could not contain me.

Then, I saw him.

The human.

The little thing l'd spared too many times. Bradley. He lay crumpled on the broken ground below, motionless, unconscious. For a moment, my rage flared. If not for him, this wouldn't have happened. He and that tiny woman had interfered too many times.

But then, an idea.

I stilled, ignoring the fiery agony of the bombardment on my back. My glowing eyes locked onto his small, fragile form.

A human body-so breakable, so limited-and yet, it might just save me.

"This will have to do," I muttered under my breath, my voice a low rumble.

I crawled toward him, my massive hands crushing debris beneath my palms as I moved. Every inch closer made the plan solidity in my mind, though I hated it. I hated needing him. I hated the weakness in my body that forced me to stoop so low.

Once I reached him, I loomed over his tiny form, my shadow casting him in darkness. His chest barely rose and fell

-alive, but just barely. I hesitated, my clawed index finger hovering above him.

I had to be careful.

"Humans," I growled. "So delicate. So pitifully weak."

With slow, precise movements, I lowered my nail to his chest. The sharp tip pressed against his flesh, and I felt the faint resistance of his body. I pushed just enough to pierce his skin, the tiniest trickle of blood welling up around the point.

It wasn't enough to kill him. It couldn't be.

The explosions roared again behind me, the searing heat scorching my back. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to stay focused. One of my claws sliced into my own finger, and l ignored the sting, letting my blood well up.

"This has to work," I whispered to myself, though I didn't know if I believed it.

I pressed the bleeding tip of my finger against the human's chest, letting my blood mingle with his. It pooled, glowing faintly, the light pulsing with the remnants of my power. My whole body felt heavier, the drain immediate.

I closed my eyes, blocking out the chaos around me.

I could feel it now, the connection forming. My life force flowing into his, binding us in a way I had never thought possible. The glowing from my wound grew brighter, and my limbs trembled as exhaustion clawed at my mind.

"Don't die on me, little one," I muttered. "You're mine now."

The light consumed me entirely, flooding my vision with blinding white. The world around me faded—the burning city, the explosions, the pain. Everything disappeared into darkness.

As I drifted into the depths of my own mind, a single thought lingered.

"I hope this will work."

Then, the shadows claimed me, and I fell into a deep, restless sleep.