Ryu awoke to pressure. It was not something he could see or touch, but he felt it nonetheless, weighing down on him in a way that wasn't physical. His breath was steady, his mind sharp, but something was wrong. The world around him refused to settle, shifting in ways that defied logic.

Above him stretched a sky that wasn't a sky at all. It had no sun, no clouds, no single color. One moment it was deep blue, the next a shade like old parchment, and then black as a starless void. It didn't fade between these states—it jumped, like a book being flipped through too quickly. The ground beneath him was solid, yet lacked texture, as though it existed only because he expected it to.

His instincts whispered that he wasn't supposed to be here. Yet here he was.

Then came the footsteps—soft, deliberate.

Ryu turned.

A man stood a few feet away, dressed in gray robes that seemed untouched by the shifting hues of their surroundings. He did not look out of place. He did not look confused. He simply belonged, as if this space had been waiting for him all along. His posture was relaxed, hands clasped behind his back, an expression of mild amusement on his face.

Familiar. Too familiar.

Ryu's muscles tensed. His voice, when he spoke, was even. "You again."

The Other smiled. "Me again."

Ryu didn't react, keeping his breath slow. The conversation had already begun. He was just catching up.

"Where am I?"

The Other's expression didn't change. "Where do you think you are?"

Ryu's gaze flickered across the landscape. It was pointless to guess. This place followed rules, but they weren't ones he understood yet. He wasn't in the city anymore. He wasn't even sure if he was in the same existence anymore.

"You tell me," he said instead.

The Other chuckled, shaking his head. "That would be too easy."

Ryu could tell when someone was trying to lead a conversation. The Other wasn't just being cryptic—he was controlling the flow of information. Every answer was meant to steer Ryu in a specific direction.

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That meant he wanted something.

There was no reason for The Other to be so cryptic otherwise.

Ryu exhaled, flexing his fingers subtly. His body moved fine. He felt real. That meant this place wasn't a dream. It wasn't an illusion, either. It followed the rules of reality just enough to be dangerous.

His voice remained steady. "What do you want?"

The Other tilted his head slightly. "Interesting choice of question. Most people would ask how to leave."

"I assume that's not an option."

"Look how smart you are! But, yes, it isn't. Not yet."

'Bastard.'

Ryu's jaw tensed slightly. Every sentence was a move in a game he didn't know the rules to. Then make your own rules. If the Other wanted to lead the conversation, then Ryu had to take control.

"Then let's cut to the point," he said. "Why am I here?"

For a long moment, the Other studied him. Then, he answered.

"Because this is where you need to be."

'Again with this bullshit!'

Ryu didn't blink. "Says who?"

The Other exhaled softly, as if amused. "Says the you that got you here."

Something about those words twisted in Ryu's mind. A sentence too simple to be meaningless, but too vague to understand.

Of course he could still guess, for example The Other looked exactly like him. Is The Other.. him?

Or something else?

He clenched his jaw. "What does that mean?"

"If you have to ask, you already know the answer."

Ryu hated this. The way the Other spoke in half-truths, in words that meant something and nothing at the same time.

But the worst part was—it worked.

Because instead of dismissing his words outright, Ryu was trying to figure them out. He had no other choice after all.

The Other wasn't giving him answers.

He was forcing Ryu to think the way he wanted him to think.

This was a masterclass in manipulation.

Ryu exhaled, forcing himself to focus. If the Other wanted him off balance, then he had to take back control. He took a step forward.

A small, deliberate movement.

The Other's expression didn't change. He didn't step back, didn't acknowledge the shift. But Ryu watched closely.

No reaction.

That meant he wasn't testing Ryu's fear.

"You said I need to be here," Ryu said. "For what?"

The Other's gaze sharpened. And for the first time, Ryu saw something behind the amusement. Something colder.

"To decide," the Other said simply.

Ryu frowned. "Decide what?"

The Other took a slow breath, then spoke.

"What comes next."

The words settled heavily between them. Ryu felt it was a fact.

The world around them shifted, as if reality itself had just adjusted to the weight of those words.

Ryu's pulse remained steady, but his mind raced. What came next? For him? For the world?

Or was the real question—for who?

He inhaled through his nose. "And if I refuse?"

The Other's smile didn't fade. But this time, it reached his eyes.

"Then something else decides for you."

Ryu's chest rose and fell slowly. No threats. No ultimatums.

Because the Other didn't need them. Surely such a powerful being wouldn't resort to such underhanded methods.

He was only telling Ryu what would happen.

What had always happened.

And for some reason, that was more terrifying than any warning could have been.

A low hum filled the air. The world shifted again, the colors deepening, reality twisting ever so slightly.

The Other's voice was soft but absolute.

"Now... let's begin."

Again.