Dusk arrived devoid of color.
The light didn't decrease—it became thinner, like something which was stretched too far and about to break. Lengthier, heavier shadows took possession of the ground and were making their presence more and more felt as they were afraid to let go.
That was the period of my life.
BLACK LOTUS was stealthily moving.
Shouting was heard. No braggadocia. Even Sasha was not showing off at all, the fire within her being kept at a low simmer. Taro was cracking his neck and the gentle sound of the armor he was wearing could barely be heard. The eyes of Rei were half-closed as the light was reached in all the directions like invisible threads being cast.
Akino was in charge.
The Dragon was observing everything.
And I was following the path that nobody else was willing to take—ten steps ahead, my shadow merging with every crack and corner.
The choke point that the Dragon had chosen for the ambush was superb.
In the old commercial street, the buildings were leaning toward each other like those sharing a secret. The rubble reduced the road to a funnel just wide enough for three people to walk shoulder to shoulder. Above them, the broken walkways and the broken windows made it impossible to live and made it a kill zone for the enemy.
The territory was very conducive for combat if you were on my side and Player A was on the other.
My shadow advanced, mapping out the area ahead.
Three blobs of heat.
It was IRON VEIN.
They were being careful. Too careful. Their shields were up. Heavy boots were making the sound of cracking ice, stepping intentionally and thus trying to show strength not fear.
I sent a signal back—three short taps on the ground.
Dragon's signal.
Akino raised his fist.
BLACK LOTUS was in the process of becoming invisible.
---
IRON VEIN went into the funnel.
That is the moment Rei switched on the light.
There was a sudden flash—so bright, so directional, and so far advanced that it completely penetrated their front line. Two men fell back, hands rushing to their eyes.
Before they managed to regain their balance, Taro came down from above.
He came down like the very force of gravity.
Concrete was shattered. One of the IRON VEIN fighters was killed by the blow, his armor crumpled inward with a horrifying crack. The fate of the second one was no better as he was hurled against the wall and his head Buried in a stone skull.
The others were quick to respond.
And the credit has to be given where it is supposed to be.
A shield hit Taro's side and thrust him back. A piece of metal shot up from the ground, straight for Akino's throat—
And then it broke while still in the air.
Akino went right through it.
His sword took one action.
One adversary got killed into two parts.
Sasha opened and let loose hell.
Fire was rampant in the narrow street, controlled but very harmful. IRON VEIN shrieked as fire consumed its cover and flesh. One of them tried to break through, catching the fire, being desperate.
Chiemi's shout was heard amid the noise. "Left—beware of the left!"
Too late.
One sword went through the fire, cutting toward Sasha's ribs.
My shadow was faster and grabbed it.
It got hold of the assailant's arm.
I yanked.
He howled as the shoulder got dislocated, the bone ripping out with a wet noise. Getting out of the shadows, I hit his face with my knee.
He fell down.
He did not rise up again.
---
IRON VEIN gave in within thirty seconds or less.
Unbelievably fast.
Unbelievably easy.
At that moment, the system beeped.
[WARNING: THIRD-PARTY INTERVENTION DETECTED]
I experienced it instantly.
There was commotion on the top.
And the bottom.
And at the back.
"GRAVE CHOIR," I under my breath.
They were perfect with their timing.
The bodies that came down from the rooftops were like puppets with their strings cut, silent landings behind us. White masks. Blades with signs engraved on them that were hard to see.
They walked slowly, at the same time, but did not hurry.
They were singing.
With low voices; softly; but it was the wrong kind of singing.
Rei became unsteady. "The vibration of their voices—it's messing with my light!"
Chiemi was shocked when her healing aura went out.
Dragon mumbled a curse. "Debuffing zone. Make your distance!"
Again, it was too late.
One of the GRAVE CHOIR people leaped at Akino—swiftly, smoothly, supernaturally. Akino countered, but the force of the blow sent him back a whole step.
A whole step.
That is not acceptable.
GRAVE CHOIR was already there.
Taro bellowed and darted, clubbing one out of the way, but another one got through and plunged the knife deep into his thigh.
The flames of Sasha flickered, the fire being suffocated till it turned into smoke.
The choir's voices got louder.
My silhouette howled.
Not out of fear.
But out of rage.
---
I set it free.
Not the whole thing.
Only a little bit.
The blackness that was surrounding my feet spread wide, swallowing the ground below, climbing up the walls, and blocking the weak light completely. GRAVE CHOIR was taken aback—only for a split second.
Shadows detest singing.
They mute noises.
I passed through them like a spirit breaking away from the dark. One of the GRAVE CHOIR singers turned—
Too late.
I thrust my hand into his heart.
Not a hit.
An arrest.
My shadow flowed into him.
He shook.
Cried.
Then became quiet just like his own darkness that was killing his heart from within.
The singing dropped.
Akino seized the moment immediately.
He advanced with the sword flashing once and again, cutting down two more before they could form again. Sasha revived her flames with pure will, burning through the debuff.
GRAVE CHOIR attempted to pull back.
Attempted.
The Dragon was already there.
"Now," he said calmly.
Chiemi slapped her hands on the floor, sending a wave—not a healing one, but a disrupting one. GRAVE CHOIR lost their balance.
Taro delivered the coup de grâce.
No elegance.
Just savagery.
When it was over, the street was strewn with corpses.
Not all IRON VEIN.
Not all GRAVE CHOIR.
The blood went deep into the fissures.
---
Quiet descended gradually.
This one was heavier.
More definitive.
The system beeped again.
[EXPANSION SUCCESSFUL]
BLACK LOTUS – TERRITORY INCREASED
THREAT LEVEL: RISING
No party.
No calm.
Akino cleaned his sword and turned to me.
"You were aware," he stated.
"Indeed."
"That they would strike back."
"Indeed."
"That it would cost us."
I looked into his eyes. "Indeed."
For a long moment, everyone held their breath.
Then Akino nodded.
"We can no longer afford to hesitate," he stated. "Not any longer."
Sasha chuckled quietly, the flames rising with even greater brightness. "It seems we already passed the point of no return."
Rei's glance was directed towards the corpses as he remained speechless. "Are we… still human beings?"
Silence was the only response.
I was looking at my shadow, which was still faintly wriggling, yet it was darker than before.
Human?
That term seemed very much remote.
Unimportant.
Area had grown.
Something else alongwith.
Something that was personally within me.
And with BLACK LOTUS moving ahead to take charge of our possession, I realized the truth very fearfully:
This planet was not changing us into beasts.
It was just uncovering who was always ready to be one, the most wicked among us, first.