Kazuki sat on the cold, hard floor, his back pressed against the rough concrete wall of his cell. The dim light barely illuminated the space, casting long, flickering shadows across his battered form. In his hand, the key ring trembled between his fingers. It felt foreign, heavy with the weight of possibility. His heart raced—each beat pounding harder in his chest, louder in his ears, until the chaotic noise around him became a muffled backdrop.
He could hear the distant sounds of Naito’s chaotic escape: the clanging of metal, shouts from guards, and the echoing footsteps growing fainter as the minutes stretched on. The cacophony grew distant, leaving behind an oppressive silence in his cell. Kazuki’s breathing quickened, his palms sweaty against the cold metal of the key.
Could he do it? Could he really escape? His mind raced with doubt, each thought pulling him in different directions. He had killed—twice now. His soul felt heavy with the weight of it, stained. Could he even live in the world outside anymore? Was there still a place for him there? His heartbeat only quickened as these thoughts swirled, mixing with the adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Finally, Kazuki stood up, his legs weak beneath him but his gaze hardening. He unlocked the cell door with a sharp click, and the rusty hinges groaned as it swung open. A rush of cold, stale air hit him. For a moment, he stood still at the threshold, his eyes staring into the empty corridor that lay ahead, bathed in dim light, the walls etched with grime and decay.
He hesitated, glancing down the right-hand path. He knew it led to the fighting ring, the cafeteria… and where Naito had just gone. The familiar route, but also the dangerous one.
No. Not that way.
With a deep breath, he turned left instead. His feet dragged for a second, but his pace quickened with each step. The narrow hallway stretched out before him, unfamiliar, but somehow liberating in its emptiness. His mind, though storming with unease, forced him forward. There was no turning back now.
As Kazuki left his cell behind, the distant echoes of chaos from Naito's escape faded into nothingness. The cold walls seemed to press in on him as the air thickened with tension.
Back in his cell, the spider finally reached the struggling fly in the corner of the ceiling, sinking its fangs into it. The fly twitched once, then stilled.
Kazuki never looked back.
***
The hallway was dim, with only a few flickering lights casting erratic shadows on the damp, cracked walls. The air was heavy and thick, smelling faintly of concrete and iron. Each step Rika, Eiji, and Endo took echoed through the narrow passage, amplifying the tense silence between them.
Rika could feel her heart racing in her chest, the adrenaline pumping through her veins as the weight of their task hung over them. Kazuki was somewhere beyond this, somewhere in the chaos. She couldn't shake the fear gripping her, but the thought of finding Kazuki drove her forward.
Their footsteps quickened. They had somehow slipped past the initial guards, but that luck was bound to run out. Sure enough, as they turned a corner, three guards stood ahead, their posture rigid, eyes cold and alert.
"Stay calm," Endo muttered under his breath. Rika swallowed hard. Her palms felt slick as she clenched her fists. The tension crackled in the air.
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One of the guards—a tall, broad man with a shaved head—stepped forward, unsheathing a sharp blade. His eyes glowed and his sclera turned black. The other two guards followed, their weapons drawn, one carrying a pair of brass knuckles glowing white, the other raising a small baton crackling with electric energy.
Eiji grinned, his excitement barely contained. "Finally, some action," he muttered. His Aura flared too, a pale green light enveloping his fists as a spiked gauntlet forged out of Aura started to manifest.
Rika’s stomach churned with nerves. She focused her Aura, feeling the warmth building within her solar plexus. The hallway felt like it was closing in, the walls pressing tighter as the fight began.
The guard with the baton lunged first, aiming straight for Eiji. In a flash, Eiji sidestepped the attack, using his Aura-enhanced agility. He countered with a quick jab to the guard's ribs, the force knocking the wind out of him. The crackle of Aura mixed with the sound of bone hitting bone echoed down the hallway. The guard stumbled back, clutching his side, but Eiji was already in motion, landing another hit, this time to the jaw, sending the guard crashing to the floor.
Rika barely had time to react as the guard with the blade charged toward her. The flash of metal glinted under the dim lights, and she dodged, her instincts kicking in. The blade grazed her arm, a sharp pain searing through her skin, but she didn’t stop. With a quick burst of Aura, she shoved the guard back, her strength enhanced just enough to send him stumbling.
Endo, meanwhile, faced off against the third guard. The brass knuckles glowed bright, and every punch thrown by the guard reverberated with power. Endo, however, moved like a dancer, his movements fluid and precise, dodging each hit by mere inches. With a sharp twist, he landed a solid kick to the guard's knee, followed by an Aura-infused elbow strike to the face. Blood splattered, and the guard crumpled to the ground.
Rika’s heart was racing, her breath shallow. The guard she’d pushed back was now on his feet, coming at her again. This time, she didn’t hesitate. She focused her Aura into her fists and met his charge head-on. Their fists clashed, creating a visible shockwave that rattled the walls around them. At the end of there exchange, she had send him flying back into the wall with a sickening thud. The guard groaned once before falling unconscious.
Eiji and Endo stood panting, sweat dripping down their faces. The handful of guards were down, but the victory was short-lived.
From behind them, the sound of footsteps echoed once more—heavy, hurried. More guards.
“Shit,” Endo muttered, wiping blood from his lip. "We don’t have time for this."
More guards flooded the hallway, their eyes filled with fury.
Eiji quickly assessed the situation, his gaze darting between the oncoming guards and Rika. He placed a firm hand on her shoulder, his voice calm but urgent. "Rika, you have to go."
"What?" Rika’s voice wavered. The sight of more guards coming filled her with dread. “But—"
"No time to argue," Endo cut her off. "We’ll hold them off. You need to find Kazuki. He’s why we’re here."
Rika hesitated, her stomach twisting with fear and uncertainty. The idea of leaving them behind, of facing whatever was ahead alone, terrified her. But she knew Endo was right. They couldn’t afford to waste time.
“Go, Rika!” Eiji shouted, his eyes glowed. He cracked his knuckles, his grin returning despite the odds stacked against them.
With a final, reluctant glance at Endo and Eiji, Rika nodded, her throat tight. She turned on her heel and ran down the hallway, the chaos of the battle fading behind her. The echoes of Aura clashing with metal and grunts of exertion chased her, but she forced herself to focus on what lay ahead.
Her legs moved on instinct, heart pounding in her chest as she ran through the dimly lit corridors. The walls seemed to close in, the air growing thicker with every step. Behind her, the sounds of the fight raged on, but she couldn’t afford to look back now.
Kazuki was somewhere ahead. She could feel it.
Her nervousness didn’t stem from the fact that she was alone, that she had left behind Endo and Eiji, or that her dad had felt something, no she instead was worried about what and will she face Kazuki. She knew that the Kazuki she knew had changed, and the Kazuki she will meet might be a complete stranger. The look on Kazuki’s face when he saved her back then came to her mind.