The safe zone was like a long-held breath that was finally released.
The warm light started to be drained from the room and, while fading into the stone, was left the dull glow of the distant symbols.
The temperature of the air went down. The pressure was back. Somewhere the door, claws were scraping closer—lots of them—covered with the whispers that were mixed into one impatient sound.
Hoshino Rei just appeared next to me, without even asking me.
That was enough to tell me more than words.
"Three heartbeats," she whispered. "Then they rush."
"Can you hear that?" I inquired.
"My light vibrates when it is wanting me to be dead," she answered plainly. "It's basically screaming."
Good. Honest. Useful.
I clenched my teeth and allowed the shadow to rise. It detached from the floor, stretching up behind me, thick as wet ink. I could feel its focus sharpen, pulling at memories like hooks provoking flesh.
Later, I cautioned it. Not now.
It did so—reluctantly.
The first Watcher burst through the door with an ear-piercing scrape, its teeth chattering so fast that their sound blurred into one. Two more appeared, then a fourth that walked on the ceiling like a spider, its limbs bending backwards.
Four.
Rei did not hesitate.
A light shone in her hands, which took the shape of a spear that hummed like a taught wire. She moved forward, accurately and mercilessly, stabbing the point into the first Watcher's chest. The impact caused a loud sound and a bright flash of sparks, making a clean hole through its body.
The Watcher let out a scream and at the same time continued to move.
"Doesn't kill them," I yelled.
"I know!" Rei shouted, pulling out the spear just as the creature was unbalancing. "It destabilizes!"
The shadow shot out of me in response. I made a low cut, cutting off the Watcher's legs. It fell over, struggling, its mouth grinding against the stone.
Rei turned with grace, her spear breaking up into three beams of light that radiated like knives being thrown.
They inflicted wounds on the second Watcher's extremities, immobilizing it at the moment it was making a lunge.
The creature that was crawling on the ceiling fell down.
It was a feeling that was like a pressure surge and a scraping behind my eyes. I sidestepped just as the razor-sharp claws of the beast ripped through the very spot where my neck had been moments before. A cloud of dust and pieces of stone flew into the air.
"Above!" Rei yelled.
But it was too late.
The Watcher jumped down with a heavy landing and pressed me into the ground. A wave of sharp pain ran through my ribs.
Four rows of sharp teeth came down very close to my face but were just a few inches away.
The monster of darkness 'let out a loud roar'.
The shadow was flowing upwards, wrapping around the Watcher's head like a tight hood of suffocation.
There came a series of violent convulsions from the shapeshifter, while its claws were swiping at the invisible air and the darkness was gradually consuming them at the same rate.
Right then the price was paid with lightning speed.
A past incident flooded back to my memory—streets that were soaked in rain, a never-ending phone vibrating in my pocket, and a message that I did not get to open in time.
I caught my breath sharply.
"Don't let it go!" Rei commanded me, urgently, while at the same time, piercing the Watcher with her spear at its throat. A wave of light followed, and the creature was Overloaded and exploded into a puff of smoke and shadow.
The last Watcher was uncertain of its fate.
Clever.
With a cautious step, it tried to move backwards towards the exit but its teeth were clicking nervously.
"Don't let it go," Rei ordered. "It will call for reinforcements."
I made my legs move against the pain. The dark being crept forward, its thickness fading until it became a fine point of blackness that pierced the Watcher's body from the back and fastened it to the wall.
The creature twisted and hissed in desperate whispers.
"Together... dangerous..."
Rei's look intertwined with mine.
"Finish it."
Without hesitation I did.
The shadow took the Watcher inside its belly.
The light with us was only the sound of our breathing.
Rei rested on her spear, her shoulders were tense. The light was like a dim flicker, the source was exhausted. I cleaned the blood from my mouth with the backside of my hand and leaned on the wall to support myself.
The words were written in fire between us.
COOPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT SUCCESSFUL
SYNC RATE: 6%
Rei's face expressed disapproval. "Sync rate?"
I was not able to provide an explanation before another thread appeared.
TRIAL MECHANIC UNLOCKED: PAIR RESONANCE
DESCRIPTION:Some of the candidates show opposite Burdens. When aligned the effectiveness goes up. When misaligned the backlash rises.
"That sounds... unhealthy," Rei commented.
"Everything in here is," I advised her.
She watched my shadow then her own germinating spear. "How complimentary?"
I pondered about lying.
The shadow quivered.
"Your light makes unstable," I uttered very slowly. "Mine gets rid of. You are the one creating. I am the one who ends."
Rei made a noise with her tongue and said, "That is obvious. I scorch the tracks; you erase them."
A faint horn was heard from afar—it was nearer than before.
The figures on the walls changed, turning into arrows that pointed towards the innermost part of the building.
OBJECTIVE UPDATED:Move on.
Rei sighed, "Naturally,", "No time to rest."
We again walked as one, but this time with no doubts holding us back.
The following hallway was broader and its raw floor was strewn with rocks and ash—indicators of past tries.
Defeats.
The atmosphere was thick here, as if it was charging with something like electric current.
"Come up with anything," suddenly, jumped out Rei.
I turned to her. "What?"
"Anything authentic," she answered. "If we are going to die, I would rather the last thing to know about you be your shadow."
"Kuro Ayanagi," I told her. "You have heard that already."
She refused. "Not the moniker. The cause."
I was in doubt.
The shadow pulled, impatient.
"I did not come here bold," I eventually said. "I was weary. Of being unnoticed."
Rei responded with a single nod. "Just."
She did not present her reason, up to this point.
We got to a place where the corridor branched out into three directions. A faint glowing symbol was above each way.
Left: an eye that is not whole.
Middle: a fire that is chained.
Right: a mirror that is broken.
Rei made a face and said, "I hate puzzles."
"I do not like them either," I replied. "But we are liked by them."
The shadow was pointing to the cracked mirror.
Rei's spear ignited and shot towards the chained fire.
We exchanged looks.
"Split?" she inquired.
I signaled with my hand that I disagreed. "The very thing that this place desires."
A horn blast echoed again—this time it was even closer.
"Then pick," Rei instructed. "Fast."
I released the air in my lungs slowly.
"Mirror," I opted. "In the event that it reveals to us something, it is better to confront it together."
Rei took only a second to think—then she agreed.
We went on the right path.
The passage got narrower, and the walls became smoother and more reflective. Our projections were bent and rearranged along the walls, made longer and distorted.
My shadow broke into many smaller shapes that were all moving just a little bit different.
Rei was first to show it. "This is terrible."
"Me as well."
The last corridor opened into a black stone chamber that had been polished to perfection. In the middle was a long and skinny figure that was entirely made up of the mirror image—no recognizable traits, no matter, just a moving surface that revealed different parts of us at different times.
It uttered words that were the same as ours.
"KURO AYANAGI."
"HOSHINO REI."
Then some writing came up.
MIRROR TRIAL INITIATED CONDITION:One must lie. One must tell the truth.
Rei's face showed that she is upset. "That is disgusting."
The mirror want me to speak first, so it turned to me.
"STATE YOUR GREATEST FEAR."
The fear that has been waiting for this moment, came out eagerly.
I was sure of the answer.
Rei's gaze was very intense as she looked at me. "Don't."
"I have to," I said in a low voice.
The mirror moved a little closer.
"I fear," I said, and my voice was strong, "that one day I will opt for my own survival over the person who trusts me."
The room went into a trembling state.
The mirror went to Rei.
"STATE YOUR GREATEST FEAR."
She was looking at it with a blank expression for quite a while.
Then she gave a big grin.
"I'm afraid of the dark," she said in a very light tone.
The mirror was screaming.
The white light spread far and wide as the figure in the mirror broke into shards that got vaporized in the air before falling down.
The text lit up loudly.
TRIAL COMPLETE RESULT: Truth accepted. Lie detected.
Rei was shaken and she supported herself with her spear, then when the light went out to an extreme she knelt down and started gasping.
I was quick to catch her before she lost her balance.
"What did it cost?" was my question.
Her response was a faint laugh, "One year, perhaps even longer."
The darkness flickered at the seams, bringing forth the past.
Another signal was given.
PAIR RESONANCE INCREASED: 12%
The horn blew again—this time almost near the chamber.
Rei strenuously pushed herself back up and looked into my eyes.
"We're in it now," she said.
I signaled with my hand, with the shadow creeping up behind me.
"United," I confirmed. "For the time being."
The void responded by tightening its grasp.
And the fall continued.