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Mizuha skidded around another corner, slamming a fist into a security drone that attempted to block her path. Sparks flew, and the drone crumpled to the floor. Then she went to another corridor, trying to bait her pursuers by misdirecting them with the destroyed drones. Her run felt like an endless nightmare. She had been running for what felt like hours, though she knew it had only been minutes. Her breaths were shallow, her heart racing. Her mind was a chaotic mess of flashing thoughts and half-formed plans, but on the surface, her cold expression never faltered.
She was being cornered.
Mizuha cursed under her breath. The walls around her seemed to pulse with life, and the more she tried to break free, the tighter the noose became. She felt being funneled toward a single, inevitable conclusion.
And then, like a predator closing in on its prey, the voices of the soldiers and the sound of their footsteps echoed down the metallic halls.
“Cut her off!” one of her pursuers shouted. “Don’t let her get any farther!”
Mizuha’s muscles tensed and continued her sprint. She was only thankful that her body wasn’t a normal human body as this type of activity would have already strained her small body. This also mystifies her as she never remembered making any alteration to the appearance of her body in the game. She was confident that she could remember if she did, as she knew that her OCD would not allow her to forget. For now, she took it off her mind and focused on her current predicament.
Suddenly, a loud announcement echoed across the hallway she was running.
“All units be advised: The target is highly dangerous and must be approached with extreme caution. Maintain distance and continue pursuit without engaging in close or direct confrontation. Current firearms are confirmed to be ineffective against the target, even if lethal force is authorized. Should close-quarter confrontation occur, fireteams are ordered to retreat and establish distance immediately. Prioritize safety and avoid unnecessary risk. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary.”
She ignored the announcement that was obviously referring to her as she continued with her assessment of this place. Mizuha already judged that from the structure and the pattern of design, she was not in a building. After considering the undeniable-possibility-but-still-need-true-confirmation that she was somehow spirited in a world of her favorite game, she has a top candidate in her mind for where she is right now.
A massive ship.
So, she assumed that the only safe and possible way to escape this place was either a ship or an escape pod. But she also started considering the matter of being able to drive the ship. As she never once invested back in the game in steering a ship, she would only hire others to drive the ship for her, or when she was hired, her employers would always be the ones to provide her with a transport service. Doubt started to fester in her mind whether she could even manage to capitalize on her escape.
No matter how fast she moved, no matter how well she mapped out her escape route, her pursuers were always just behind her or at another corner. It was as if they knew exactly where she was going. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the ship itself was working against her. The doors she thought would lead to escape routes ended in dead ends. The paths she mapped out twisted and looped back around on themselves.
Her disordered mental state started to kick in once again.
Her OCD was a double-edged sword—it grounded her and kept her mind sharp, but in moments like this, it threatened to overwhelm her. Her obsession to overcorrect everything to make sure that her plan would succeed was now slipping into the swirling chaos of her mind. With every turn, her gut told her that she was sinking deeper into a trap. The dread gnawed at her, but she couldn’t stop moving. If she did, it was over. The footsteps behind her grew louder and closer. Her hands trembled.
Her PTSD wasn’t helping either. The memories of past trauma clawed at the edges of her consciousness, but she forced them down. She couldn't afford to lose control now. Not here.
She stopped for a moment in gritted teeth, then counted to calm herself and take herself out of her intrusive thoughts.
One, two, three, four, five… six, seven, eight, nine, ten… stay calm… She repeated the numbers under her breath that only she could hear, trying to drown out the panic that was threatening to overtake her. The counting, her ritual, kept her grounded. It was the only thing that kept the chaos at bay.
After a few seconds of deep breathing, she continued. She dodged and hid from another drone, veering into a side room and climbing up a ventilation shaft. Her heart raced, adrenaline coursing through her veins, but her expression remained calm and calculated.
But those few seconds did not go unnoticed by someone who was already watching her every move.
“Checkmate.”
-----
Mizuha continued running, but the nagging feeling of doom weighed her down. But it was getting harder. And then, she found herself standing in a large, empty hall. Her sharp eyes immediately scanned the area. The walls were lined with tanks and containers, similar to the one she had escaped from. Her stomach twisted as she realized that she may have been guided here all along. She had been herded here like an animal.
She turned just as the doors behind her slammed shut with a heavy, metallic thud, sealing her inside.
Trapped.
Before she could make a move, the boy—Ubel—appeared from the wall itself, as if he had been part of them. His form shimmered and solidified as he stepped out from the very walls. He appeared calm, his eyes locked on her, unreadable, as if he had all the time in the world.
She had to analyze. She had to think.
Mizuha tensed, her eyes darting to the only exit, but she knew it was hopeless. The doors were sealed, and she was alone with him. Her mind worked quickly. The boy—he was the one in control. The soldiers, the drones, the droids—they had all been following his orders.
“Let’s talk. No more running.” Ubel’s voice was even, though his eyes betrayed a certain curiosity.
So he wanted to talk. Her mind whirled as she pieced the information together, her instinct for survival kicking in. She couldn’t trust him. But there was no way out. She had no choice but to hear him out this time.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Ubel said softly, his voice carrying a strange gentleness.
But why had he come here alone, in person?
He could have just spoken to her through a drone, through a microphone. This had to be deliberate.
Maybe to ease her?
Mizuha's mind raced, calculating her next move. She was now slowly getting used to her new body. She could attack him—she was fast and probably stronger than him—but there was no guarantee that this boy was as helpless as she thought would be. Even her gut was telling her not to do it and this boy is dangerous. But still, she cannot deny the fact that he was here, in person, meant something else.
She stood still, weighing her options.
“Who are you?” Ubel’s voice cut through the silence, soft yet probing. “Where are you from? What do you do?”
Mizuha hesitated. She wasn’t going to give him the truth, not yet.
“I’m Ebony,” she repeated, her voice steady. “I was… a mercenary.”
Ubel raised an eyebrow, she thought that the boy could somehow sense lies.
“A mercenary, huh? But what were your last memories before you woke up in that tank?”
Mizuha’s heart skipped a beat, but her face remained cold and expressionless.
“Why are you asking these questions, I should be the one asking you that.”
The boy shrugged.
“Because, originally, you were just a cargo in my ship. I didn’t even know I was transporting a human being.” the boy replied. “My questions are for me to know whether you are a security risk and depending on your answers, I may free you or… put you back in your tank.”
“You saw what I can do,” she said, her voice calm, though the pounding in her chest grew louder. “What makes you think that I will let you do that?”
The boy seemingly was studying her reaction and expression for a long moment, his gaze unwavering.
“Because… first you are on a ship in deep space.” The boy answered her taunt. “Second, this hall you are standing right now is currently outside the ship. My men will cut this bulkhead off from the ship, making you float endlessly in deep space where no one will find you. And you will spend your eternity here. In the cold void.”
“You’re lying.” Mizuha’s breath hitched. She tightened her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She wasn’t going to crack. “Because you are here with me.”
“What makes you think, that you are talking to a real body?” the boy chuckled. “And you’re the only one who’s lying here. So let us restart our exchange. Oh, we could also make this a little game. It’s not fair and fun if I am the only one who’s asking.”
“Fair point.” Mizuha’s eyes narrowed, her body still tense. She also wanted to know her current location and exact situation. She thought that she would not lose anything from a dialogue. Hopefully, maybe, she could also negotiate or use the boy. But she remained cautious. Because even if he lies, she could still find some specks of truth on why and what he lied.
“Tell me about yourself. Who are you?” Ubel asked.
The memories started to surface again, memories she had spent years suppressing. She remembered the man who had attacked her recently, the betrayal, the helplessness. Her breathing quickened, and she fought to push the memories back down.
I can’t let my guard down again.
I can’t let someone hurt me again.
She blinked a few times to hide her discomfort.
“I did not lie earlier, I just told you half of it. My name is Ebony’Irony.” She told her full in-game name. “Now my turn.”
The boy nodded, letting her ask her question.
“Who are you?”
“My full name is Audubel Bladd Ulricht, you can call me Ubel.” The boy answered. “My turn, what are your last memories before you woke up?”
“I don’t remember anything. There are fragments but it may take some time for those to return as everything still feels scrambled.” She told the half-truth, leaving out her memories as Mizuha. “You mentioned that I am a cargo that is meant to be sold to a client, I will not ask where or even why. The reason for the client is most probably unknown to you. So instead, I will ask, who is this client?”
“He is a scientist and member of Bazov Cyvern Academy on Bvasid City, Umbriel- Uranus. His full name is Doctor Vezocrennix Elzaeimer.” Ubel continued, his voice soft but firm. “One of our detours. For my question, are you a High Terran Family member?”
“No.” she gave him a straight answer. “My question is, where are you heading to? Your destination.”
Ubel blinked and frowned.
“That question would not help you and your situation; it is not even related to you-”
“Answer me. That is what we have agreed.” She strongly insisted, interrupting the boy. Ubel could only sigh and answer her.
“We are heading to Jupiter for our final client.” Ubel shrugged. “I told you, it’s a waste of questions. Well, more for me then. For my next question, where did you live before this?”
“Nowhere special,” Mizuha said, her voice clipped. “Just… a small town. I can’t tell you the name. It’s not that I will not say it, it’s just that my mind currently can’t even remember it. All I know is that I came from somewhere that was formerly a mining station.”
She told the background of her character as Ebony’Irony, who was the daughter of a poor miner on an industrial planet. But Mizuha’s thoughts spiraled, the calm mask she wore barely holding in place. That question alone triggered something inside her mind again. The swirl of thoughts became overwhelming, her mind fighting itself, desperately trying to maintain control.
“Where did you get me as a carg-I mean, where did you accept the contract to transport me?” she asked.
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“From Banedog’s Backyard, a station far from our location now,” Ubel replied, which she could feel to be one of his full honest answers. Although she didn’t know where it was. She started to regret not remembering the background and the world of her favorite game instead of just accepting contracts blindly. Then she thought she saw Ubel’s lips curved into a thin smile. She didn’t have time to look into it as the next question completely stopped her. “Work, friends... what did you leave behind in your place?”
Her stomach twisted as the images of her past clawed their way to the surface, memories she had tried so hard to bury. Her voice remained cool, distant.
“I worked odd jobs. Whatever was needed. I didn’t leave anything important behind. I-I-I… yeah... nothing”
“You’re lying,” Ubel said bluntly, cutting through her facade. “I can see it in your eyes.”
Mizuha’s pulse quickened, and her OCD tugged at her, whispering that everything was spiraling out of her control.
One, two, three, four... she repeated silently in her mind, trying to drown out the noise in her head. But the more she repeated the numbers, the more chaos swirled in her mind. The boy was getting too close to the truth.
She couldn’t trust him—she couldn’t trust anyone.
Remember what happened last time... her mind hissed.
You were complacent, and look where that got you. The panic attacks from her PTSD mixed with the endless counting in her head, making it feel like her brain was ripping itself apart. She breathed deeply, she didn’t realize it now but she had completely fallen into Ubel’s trap.
“I saw that you are all well-armed for a civilian ship. And from your words, you are people who are up to no good. What kind of people are you?” Mizuha remembered the outlaws and criminals that she used to hunt for bounty. If this was the game world that she was playing, criminals would have already known her name. She tried to use this question also to divert the boy’s attention.0
“Currently, we are contractors that transport goods that are not technically… legal. I don’t know who you are but you can also call us smugglers if that comforts you.” Ubel then turned serious and uttered his question. “If we decided that letting you go free is far more profitable than sending you to the client. Do you have people that you know that we could contact with—a family perhaps?”
The memories came back in, this time much stronger. The darkness. The man who had attacked her before. The glass tank. The suffocation. The chaos in her mind wrapped around her like a vice, and she struggled to maintain her composure.
Don’t break. Don’t break.
Ubel’s voice brought her back, but the questions that followed only intensified the chaos in her mind.
“Why are you not answering?”
“I don’t know…”
“What do you fear?”
“I don’t know… I don’t know!”
Each question hit her like a hammer, shattering her mental walls, and making the thoughts spin faster.
“Shut up…” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“What do you loathe so much that you’re willing to run, and hide?”
“Shut up,” she said, her voice trembling slightly.
“What happened that made you like this?”
“Shut up!” she screamed, the words erupting from her as her mind finally snapped. The swirling chaos became unbearable.
“Why are you in denial?”
“Shut up! FUCKING SHUT UP!!”
Panic flickered in her chest, but she quickly tamped it down. Her mind raced, trying to find a way out. But the room was sealed. There was nowhere to run.
No. Don’t let them do this to you again.
Don’t let them trap you.
The memories clawed at her mind, pulling her into a spiral.
The glass tank. The suffocating liquid. The feeling of helplessness. The man.
“You’re just like him…” she whispered under her breath, her voice trembling. “You’re just going to lock me up again.”
Ubel's voice remained calm, but his words were cutting.
“Tell me about the man who hurt you. What did he do to make you so afraid?”
Mizuha’s hands clenched into fists. Her mind swirled with chaos, conflicting voices arguing with each other.
You can’t trust him.
He’s trying to break you.
But what if he’s different?
No, it’s all a lie.
Shut up.
Shut up.
Shut up.
“Do you hate him?” Ubel’s voice cut through her internal battle. “The man who attacked you—do you hate him?”
“Shut up...” Mizuha whispered, gripping her head as the world around her started to blur.
“What do you hate? What do you regret?”
Shut up!
Shut up!
Shut up!
Shut up!
Mizuha was already being dragged into the swirling chaos in her mind that she didn’t realize that her mouth had already stopped uttering her screams. And then, the last question came that cut deeper than the rest.
“Who did you kill?”
Mizuha froze. Her vision darkened, and her breath caught in her throat. Something inside her snapped. At that moment, she moved without thinking. Her body lunged forward as her hand reached out.
Her right and left hands, charged with energy and rage, pierced through his chest in one swift motion. She didn’t even realize what she was doing until it was too late. When she snapped back to reality, her hand was embedded deep in Ubel’s chest. His eyes widened, coughed up blood and his body slumped as she withdrew her arm. He crumpled to the floor.
Time seemed to freeze as she looked at Ubel who was now slumped to the ground. The sight of his bloodied body triggered something deep within her.
The boy was now…
Lifeless.
Motionless.
Silent.
Like her parents.
For a moment, Mizuha stared at her hand, slick with his blood. Her heart pounded in her ears. A voice, cold and merciless, whispered in her mind.
You killed him. Just like you killed your parents. You’re a murderer.
Then, finally, another fragment of her memories came—one of the things she had buried for so long. She saw a broken scene where she was sitting with her plush toy. But then, she could hear arguing. She didn’t know who or what. But the arguing was slowly becoming louder, louder, and louder, so she let go of the plush toy to cover her ears.
Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the floor, screaming in pain and tears. Her mind spiraling out of control. Images flashed before her eyes—her parents, their bodies broken and lifeless.
Her hands shook violently as the voice repeated over and over again, drilling into her skull.
Then for one last time, she screamed, a blood-curdling sound of pure anguish, but the world around her seemed to freeze. Her green eyes glowed brightly like emeralds. Lighting up the dark hall until everything faded into darkness.
Her body slumped forward, unconscious, as the chaos within her mind finally silenced itself.
---
Ubel’s body jerked as life surged back into him. His chest, where the girl’s hands had once impaled him, knitted itself together in a grotesque display of rapid regeneration. He opened his eyes slowly, dark, dimly glowing golden orbs locking onto the unconscious girl lying before him. The blood that had pooled around him was now gone, his chest healed as if nothing had happened. For anyone watching, it would have been a disturbing sight, but to Ubel, it was just another advantage of his.
“Man, nanotechnology is nice. Thank God I didn’t forget to apply this to my character.” Ubel groaned slightly as he pulled himself up from the floor, his body fully regenerating from the damage that the girl had inflicted.
He opened up his holo and realized that his crew was already outside the hall, ready with their weapons drawn. He touched the floor and let his hand sink into the wall. After connecting himself with the ship, he willed Blitzkrieg’s security system with a mental command. Then the large metal doors of the hall slid open with a hiss, and the Blacklist crew stormed in, weapons drawn and aimed at the unconscious girl as they advance. Each of them is tense and ready for battle. Droids flanked them, their mechanical limbs clicking as they took up positions around the room. The air was thick with anticipation, but Ubel raised a hand, his voice calm.
"All clear," Ubel announced, his voice casual, almost teasing. "Our little black and white mouse is subdued, for now."
"Stand down," Bastille passed around the order to the rest of the crew in his holo. "Target's down."
"Subdued, huh?" Creed stepped forward, rifle in hand still trained and eyeing the unconscious girl warily.
"Yeah, she just fainted." Ubel chuckled as he clarified, shaking his head as he motioned towards one of the droids. "Inject her with a strong paralytic agent. I mean, give her the strongest dose. Just in case."
A mechanical arm extended from one of the droids and delivered the injection into Mizuha’s arm. Her body remained limp, completely unresponsive.
“Couldn’t you just use your great Neuromancy abilities to disable her? She’s-”
“She had no cybernetics in her body, she’s clean of any implants,” Ubel revealed to them.
“What?”
“I told you right? She’s the same as me. I wasn’t just referring to how dangerous she is but also how she is immune to my Neuromancy.”
“I heard about it… don’t Terrans, or more specifically High Families in Terra don’t use cybernetics or implants?” Linus muttered his thoughts.
“I’ll discuss it later with all of you. For now, let’s finish this mess and take a rest.”
The Blacklist crew exchanged glances and relaxed slightly, but remained puzzled by the entire situation. Bastille, still watching from the girl, crossed his arms, a skeptical eyebrow raised.
"By the way, I saw from the holo… You talked her down, boss. Words alone. What’s your secret? What did you do to her?"
Ursa and Eris opened up their visors and started to light up cigarettes.
“You made her cry and faint. Some big bad pirate you are, Ubel.” Eris sneered and teased. “But you should never make girls cry.”
A few of the other crew members snickered, clearly amused by the situation and the tension easing slightly. Mei opened up her visor also and grinned.
"Yeah! So what's your secret, commander? Sweet words? Whispered her to sleep?" she repeated Bastille’s question.
Ubel smirked, his eyes gleaming faintly.
“I noticed something from her when I was watching her movement.”
Creed lowered his weapon slightly, curiosity piqued.
“Noticed what?”
Ubel began to pace, his eyes lingering on the girl’s unconscious form.
She’s dangerous. Faster, sharper than anyone I’ve encountered recently. Her ability to analyze and predict was extraordinary. If she was let alone and I wasn’t making changes in the Blitzkrieg’s structure, she could have mapped out the entire ship in just minutes, based on the layout she had passed and patterns of designs and even droid movements. But… there was something off.”
He paused, locking eyes with the crew.
“She was deliberately avoiding you.”
Ursa furrowed her brow.
“Avoiding us? She was dodging everything—”
“No,” Ubel interrupted. “Not everything. She had no problem tearing through droids, smashing them to pieces. But when it came to the human members of the Blacklist, she hesitated. There were moments where she could’ve killed any one of you. Instead, she took long, risky maneuvers to avoid a confrontation. Even when you had her cornered, she chose escape over lethal force.”
He glanced at the crew, his dim golden eyes glowing faintly under the dim lights of the room. Mei leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, her voice sharp.
"You’re saying she had no problem tearing those droids apart, but with us? She held back?"
“So, what? She’s got a soft spot for humans?” Ursa snorted, clearly unimpressed.
Ubel’s smile deepened.
“Not exactly. It’s not that she doesn’t want to kill. It’s just that when she attempts to kill, she stops. As if there was something in her mind that was restraining her. I even thought it was strange. And that was when I found something interesting…”
“Which is?” Ursa’s eyes narrowed.
“I tested her,” Ubel continued. “I made deliberate noises and changed the environment subtly to see how she reacted. Her heightened sensitivity to every change told me she wasn’t just a trained fighter—she was suffering from a disorder. Something beyond mere instincts. I suspect a mix of severe obsessive-compulsive tendencies and a post-traumatic stress condition. Ah, you probably don’t know about that, I believe it was called in this game as... Panic-Induced Cognitive Overload Disorder and Hyper-Tactile Stress Syndrome… ish?” His tone was thoughtful but doubtful of the words that he had uttered. "I’ll check the BLACNET later about the correct words. Anyways, she’s terrified of losing control, and every little thing that disrupts her world makes her panic. She’s trying to stay in control, stay sane.”
“So you used her mind against her.” Creed frowned, the humor draining from his expression.
“I’ve heard something like it before. A variant of cyberpsychosis.” Linus chimed in.
“To be honest commander, that’s… a bit creepy.” Eris whistled.
“Yeah. Man, you’re starting to give me the creeps too, commander.” Marus shifted uncomfortably as he agreed with Eris.
“I realized I could use that against her,” Ubel ignored her and continued, his voice softer now, more calculated. “I think she may have a very painful trauma that occurred in the past. Something that is related to her family, or parents. I don’t want to disclose more than that as I intended to do something about it later. And the moment she struck me, I let her think she killed me. The sight of blood, the reality of having taken a life—it triggered her worst fear. That’s why she collapsed.”
The hall fell into a stunned silence. Even other Blacklist crew who were listening on the sides, who had been the most skeptical, now seemed unnerved. The rest of the crew shifted uncomfortably, glancing between Ubel and the unconscious girl. Some of them even shared uneasy looks.
Under their combat suits, they felt a chill run down their spines. They’d seen Ubel in many moods—his teasing, his recklessness—but this? This was different. Something about the way Ubel’s eyes, glowing faintly with that dark golden hue as he described the situation was... unsettling.
“Why do you look at me like that?” Ubel raised his eyebrows as he felt their strong disturbed gaze at him. He reasoned with them. “People of her type would never trust anyone. So it was the only way to subdue her without killing her.”
Mei finally broke the silence, her voice blunt.
"You decided not to kill her… You’re playing with fire, commander."
"Fire keeps us warm," Ubel replied lightly, brushing off the comment. He signaled Bastille to carry the girl to the medical bay. "Now, she’s more than just some cargo, though. She’s dangerous, sure. But she’s also valuable. We’re not locking her in another containment cell. She’s more valuable to be alive."
"So this meant that she now caught your interest?” Ursa tilted her head, already predicting Ubel’s line of thoughts which he answered with a grin as if he found a new toy.
“Yes!”
“Why do I feel like this is a ‘weirdo who found another weirdo’ in a bar, joke? Either way, you’re sure she’s out for good?” Ursa’s voice was cold, but there was an edge of curiosity.
“For now. But we need to keep her in a secure place. Take her to the medical bay, not containment. She’s too valuable to be treated like a regular prisoner.” Ubel nodded. “That is rich, coming from a band of pirates whose members threatened to rape me back when you all found me.”
He reminded them with a smirk about their first encounter.
“What? The main fireteam under Munda did that to you?” Eris laughed.
“Well, most of the members that were with him at that time swing that way, including Munda.” Mei thought deeply as she tried to remember their former number-one fireteam.
“And don’t worry about her. I will let the droids take care of her with my presence.” Ubel let out a soft laugh. “Besides, she’s more afraid of what she might do than what we’ll do to her."
Something darker lingered in his gaze as he looked down at their unconscious prisoner.
Bastille stepped forward, hefting Mizuha’s limp body over his shoulder with ease. As he carried her toward the door, Ubel walked beside them, his gaze fixed on the girl’s pale face. She looked fragile, like a doll. He could still feel the faint impression of her hand passing through his chest, the moment she thought she’d killed him.
As they moved through the halls, the quiet tension of the crew hung heavy in the air. Ubel glanced down at the girl. He reached out and gently patted her head, almost... tenderly.
She was a fascinating enigma—an opponent with strength and skill, yet bound by mental scars. He could feel the depth of her pain, her fear. There was a darkness within her, one that matched his own. And that intrigued him.
Then he whispered some words softly with amusement.
"Sleep well for now. And welcome to Pitch Black Void… Empress."