"Worst part is, she didn't even know what the mankai would do to her," Rin sighed, "Her team was down, and she was the only one who could still fight. So she went mankai, and then, she ended up...Like she is..."
There was a loud thud before them, and the priests came back in, carrying the mikoshi. An altar, hooked up with all sorts of medical equipment was being prepared, as the sentinels, lesser heroes, who fought stardusts on the outside of the barrier, lay down wreaths of purple roses. They had been Sonoko's flower, when she was a hero.
The priests set the mikoshi down on the altar, and for several minutes, they arranged the equipment, hooking it to frail, useless limbs. Then, they carried the mikoshi away, leaving Sonoko on display to the crowd. She was still, and wearing nothing but a pink hospital gown. Her face, save for the one eye she could see out of, and her mouth was covered in bandages.
A sentinel held a cup to her lips and fed her ceremonial tea, despite the fact that she could not taste it. Then, the sentinel joined the rest of her army, and the priests fell to their knees.
Rin shuddered at the display. She was desperate to avoid ending up like Sonoko, but she knew that at some point, she would have to use mankai. She would have to roll the dice, and lose the use of part of her body, at random, like her fellow heroes. What would it be for her? Her legs? Her ears? Her memories, even? She dreaded the thought.
