Chapter 8
Shoji pushed himself up from the grimy alley floor, his stomach still aching despite the faint warmth of his healing flames. The adrenaline from his fight with Kaito Volt had faded, leaving behind a weary exhaustion. He knew he couldn't stay in one place for long; the announcement of his kill had likely alerted other players to his presence.
He cautiously made his way out of the alley and onto a wider street, his senses on high alert. The abandoned city stretched before him, a silent labyrinth of crumbling buildings and shadowed corners.
Suddenly, he found himself face-to-face with another participant. It was a girl, around his age, with striking brown eyes and a distinctive three-layered hairstyle. A flicker of recognition sparked in Shoji's mind – he had seen her briefly in the white room. This was one of the others Luminary had gathered.
The girl, whose name he now vaguely recalled as Kuromi, seemed just as surprised by the sudden encounter. Her eyes widened slightly, and before Shoji could say a word, her hands flashed, and a palpable force slammed into him. It was like being hit by an invisible wall, a sudden, crushing pressure that sent him flying backwards through the air. He slammed hard against the brick wall of a nearby building, the impact knocking the wind out of him and sending a jolt of pain through his still-healing shoulder.
Shoji gasped for air, the impact against the wall sending a fresh wave of pain through his body. He slid to the ground, his vision momentarily blurred. Kuromi, her initial surprise replaced by a look of genuine alarm, rushed towards him, her expression filled with remorse.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, reaching out a hand to help him up. "You just… startled me."
"What the hell was that?" Shoji wheezed, accepting her hand and slowly pulling himself to his feet. "I almost got flattened!" He looked up at her, his eyes meeting her concerned gaze, and a sudden, unexpected wave of… something… washed over him. He felt his cheeks flush slightly.
"Are you okay?" Kuromi asked, her brow furrowed with worry. "Your face is all red."
"N-no, no, it's okay," Shoji stammered, trying to shake off the unexpected fluster. "I'm just… exhausted from a battle I just had."
"A battle?" Kuromi's eyes widened. "Already? This game is intense." She offered a small, apologetic smile. "My name is Kuromi. Luminary… he gave me the power of repulsor force."
"Shoji," he replied, still feeling a bit awkward. "Shoji Hisao. I… I control flames."
He hesitated for a moment, then took a leap of faith. "Kuromi… would you maybe be allies with me? It's… well, safer to have someone watching your back, right?"
Kuromi's face brightened. "Yes," she said decisively. "That would be much better. I was feeling a little lost on my own. It's good to have a team."
A small smile touched Shoji's lips. An alliance. Maybe surviving this crazy game wouldn't be so impossible after all.
Six miles away from Shoji's location, amidst the crumbling remnants of a once-bustling district, Nyx Umbra and Reyn Ashwood continued their uneasy alliance.
"We'll need more than just the two of us if we want to survive this," Nyx rumbled, his red eyes scanning the deserted streets. "Strength in numbers, as the weak often say."
"Actually," Reyn replied, a thoughtful expression on his face, "I already have someone in mind who could join us. He's… resourceful."
As Reyn spoke, a figure emerged from the shadows of a collapsed building. He was a man in his late twenties or early thirties, dressed in a simple white sweater and dark pants. His most striking feature was his eyes – a startling, pitch black, devoid of any visible pupil or iris. He moved with a quiet, almost unnerving grace.
"This is who I was talking about," Reyn said, gesturing towards the newcomer. "This is Kage. He… doesn't have any specific powers like ours, but he is incredibly skilled in hand-to-hand combat. And… he's mute. Can't speak, but he understands everything we say."
Nyx's red eyes narrowed, assessing Kage intently. He could sense a raw, honed strength radiating from the silent man, a quiet confidence that spoke volumes. Despite the lack of flashy powers, there was an aura of danger about him.
After a moment of silent scrutiny, Nyx nodded slowly. "He has the look of someone who knows how to break bones. Alright, kid. If your silent friend can fight, then he can join our little… fellowship. But he pulls his weight. Weakness will not be tolerated."
Kage simply nodded in response, his black eyes meeting Nyx's gaze steadily, conveying a silent understanding.
"Excellent," Reyn said, a hint of relief in his voice. "With the three of us, we'll be a force to be reckoned with."
Nyx smirked, a hint of his usual cruelty returning. "Let's hope so, shadow brat. Because in this game, one weak link can drag us all down."
The scene shifted abruptly, leaving Nyx, Reyn, and the silent Kage standing amidst the ruins. The focus narrowed, panning across the desolate landscape until it settled on a lone figure standing atop a crumbling rooftop a short distance away.
The figure was dressed in a dark, well-tailored suit, an incongruous sight amidst the decay. In his hand, he held a gleaming katana, its polished surface reflecting the dim light. He stood with a quiet intensity, his gaze sweeping across the abandoned city.
There was something undeniably familiar about his silhouette, the set of his shoulders, the way he held himself. As the camera angle shifted, revealing his face, the realization hit with a jolt.
It was Masato Shige. Shoji's best friend from Kanto, the one with the military haircut and glasses. But the glasses were gone, and his usual mild expression was replaced by a sharp, almost predatory focus. He looked… different.
Masato sheathed his katana with a soft hiss, his eyes narrowing as if sensing something in the distance. What was he doing here? How had he ended up in this deadly game? And what abilities did he now possess?
The familiar face in this unfamiliar and dangerous setting raised a multitude of questions, hinting at the interconnectedness of the players in Luminary's brutal game.