The Bleeding Effect

"The Bleeding Effect" is the sixth chapter of the manga Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun written by Minoji Kurata.
==Summary==
;Yokohama, Japan, 2019
The cousins Kō Risa and Mari enjoy some drinks of refreshment at a café. Mari mentions that she had stopped by Risa's house to find her, but she was not there and it was therefore lucky that they had crossed paths instead. Mari asks about how the treatments are going, and for some details on what exactly they are. Risa describes the incredible experience of being within the Animus, but Mari is not convinced she even needs treatments to change herself, as the Risa she has always known was still the kind person that was always there for her in the past.
A Japanese gentleman has clearly been overhearing their conversation, as Kiyoshi Takakura steps up to their table. He states that there is no substance to the Animus treatments at all, and promises to explain more if Risa will meet him privately at a shop at 5pm the next day. He drops a small card with the address onto the table, and before he leaves, he whispers to Risa that he is an Assassin like her, and that the war with the Templars still rages on.
Risa and Mari are taken aback by the bold interruption to their conversation, with Mari concerned that Kiyoshi clearly looks like a yakuza hitman and that going to meet with him would be extremely dangerous. Risa gives it some thought, and whilst she is curious what Kiyoshi meant about her treatment, she is far more interested to learn what he knows of the Assassins and Templars. Mari declares that she will go along with her then, and that if it is dangerous she will drag Risa out of there herself.
The next day, the two cousins arrive at the location as was requested. Mari states that she has brought along some crime prevention tools just as a precaution in case they need them. Upon entering the building, they are greeted by a female attendant who takes them to a private room, where Kiyoshi waits inside. He ushers the cousins in, and requests they sit at his table.
Kiyoshi does not delay, and immediately informs Risa that her doctor, Kaori Kagami, is a member of the Templar Order. Risa replies that the Assassins and Templars are ancient orders, but Kiyoshi reiterates that they both still exist, and are still very real. He continues to explain that Doctor Kagami is using Risa to obtain information about a treasure, and truly does not care for her wellbeing. The proof he says, is in the way Kagami insists on such lengthy Animus sessions. Kiyoshi advises that prolonged use of an Animus can lead to visual and auditory hallucinations, known as the Bleeding Effect. Over time, the condition can get worse to the point that the user may no longer be able to tell their ancestor's life apart from their own, losing all sense of time and self. It is especially dangerous for younger users.
He continues to explain that if she resumes the treatment for the long term, she may end up completely brain dead, at which point the Templars would no longer be able to help her, nor herself. Whilst the Assassins are not strictly interested in the treasure, they simply do not want it to fall into the wrong hands amongst the Templars. He in turn requests that Risa help the Brotherhood, by sticking to finding the treasure as soon as possible for her own safety. He fears that whatever the treasure is, it may give the Templars control over all humanity, but concedes that it might already be too late for that anyway.
Risa stands up and declares that she does not know what this supposed treasure is, and furthermore that she prefers to trust a recognised doctor to know what is in her best interests. She therefore intends to continue the treatments, as there is a still a chance for her to change her violent tendencies. She also wants to see what becomes of Shao Jun, and how her story concludes. Kiyoshi pleads for her to listen to his warnings, but Risa says that he cannot stop her unless he kills her, and she walks out the room slamming the door behind her.
Mari asks Kiyoshi what they should do now. He explains that the Bleeding Effect could get a lot worse, and may lead to Risa ultimately losing control and hurting those close to them. He remembers to himself the case of Layla Hassan lashing out at Victoria Bibeau and killing her with the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus, as well as Desmond Miles killing Lucy Stillman with his Hidden Blade. Kiyoshi recommends that Mari stay out of the whole affair for her own safety, but she is insistent on wanting to help Risa. She recounts of how her father used to beat and abuse her as a child, and that the only person that stood up to her father in her defence had been Risa. In that regard, she simply wants to be here for Risa in kind in her time of need. Right in that moment an elderly woman on a wheelchair enters the room and both Kiyoshi and Mari turn towards her. She warns Mari that there is no turning back after she becomes involved, but Mari is insistent on helping.
Back out on the streets of Yokohama, Risa is lost in thought. On the one hand, she is glad she left the conversation to keep herself safe. On the other hand, she wonders if it was wise to leave the possible truth back there. As she turns around to head back for Mari, she immediately spots a soldier from the Ming military coming towards her on the street, amongst the crowd of civilians. Remembering she is not in the Animus, she freezes in place, but the muscle memory of Shao Jun courses through her body as she adopts a combat stance.
Shao Jun's memories flash through Risa's mind, and she collapses onto the pavement in realisation that none of it is real, and no one else can see the guard. She finally concedes to herself that this must be the Bleeding Effect, as it now dawns on her that she may already be losing her mind.
==Characters in order of appearance==
*Kō Risa
*Mari
*Kiyoshi Takakura
*Kaori Kagami
*Shao Jun
*Layla Hassan 
*Victoria Bibeau 
*Desmond Miles 
*Lucy Stillman 
==References==
*Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun
Category:Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun