Yami was lying down, his breathing weak. Whispers echoed around him.
He opened his eyes.
The light pierced through his pupils like a blade.
"My eyes…" he muttered, turning his face away.
"Greetings, Yami."
He forced his vision to focus. A man in a suit was standing beside the bed.
"How do you know my name?" His voice came out rougher than he expected. "And why am I still alive?"
The man did not answer immediately.
"Do you remember what happened?"
Yami stayed silent for a second.
Parking lot.
"…I died."
"Almost."
Yami tried to sit up. A wave of dizziness hit him.
"Is this a hospital?"
"Something close to that."
The man made a small gesture toward the door.
"Get up. Important conversations should not happen in inappropriate places."
Yami stared at him for a few seconds
.
"If this is some kind of weird cult, I swear—"
"If it were, you would already be dead."
Yami started thinking.
He took a deep breath.
"I don't really have anywhere to go anyway."
Yami began to remember…
"That bastard Herry."
He gritted his teeth and stood up.
In the office, the man sat down calmly.
"What happened to you has a name."
Yami crossed his arms.
"Is it a disease?"
"No. It's awakening."
He let out a dry laugh.
"Is this a joke?"
"You didn't die because something responded within you."
Yami fell silent.
"You gained power. But at a price."
Yami raised one of his eyebrows.
The man tilted his head slightly.
"Do you feel any changes?"
Yami blinked a few times.
"My vision got worse. The light feels like it burns."
"That is a side effect."
"So I traded my eyesight for a cheap trick?"
"You traded death for a chance."
The air seemed heavier.
The man continued:
"There are Portals."
"Portals?"
"They open. And what comes out of them does not belong to this world."
Yami narrowed his eyes.
"You're telling me there are monsters out there."
"I'm telling you that if no one enters them, they will come out."
"Yeah? And who's going to kill them?"
The man looked directly at him.
"The Awakened."
Silence returned.
"You want me to fight."
"You will fight."
Yami took a step back.
"I don't take orders from anyone."
"You already have before."
The sentence hit like a punch.
Yami did not respond.
"You have one week."
"For what?"
"To understand what awakened inside you. The Portal will open in Some days."
"And if I refuse?"
"You will truly die next time."
Silence.
"I offer you money. A new identity. A better life."
Yami walked toward the door.
"A better life might be a good choice…" he muttered.
"Teachers will train you."
Yami stopped and looked back.
"I understand."
He opened the door.
The light invaded his eyes again.
A flash.
"The new awakened."
"What are you doing here?"
said Yami, shielding his eyes with his arm.
"I'm going to train you," said a man, holding Yami's arm and guiding him down the hallway.
"Awakened are rare. Some days is not enough to master flows or refine abilities. Maybe you'll only serve as support, but that doesn't matter now."
"Come. Your companions are over there."
said the man, opening the doors.
Suddenly—
The sunlight hit his eyes again.
A flash.
The sunlight struck Yami's eyes.
A glare made him squeeze his eyelids shut, feeling the warmth of the day invade the courtyard.
When he managed to see again, he saw four people training. The sound of weapons echoed between the walls, mixed with each one's heavy breathing. They looked at him, but none of them spoke. The silence was strange, almost too heavy for a training ground.
Until one of them broke it.
"You're the new awakened?" said the young man, sharpening his sword, the steel gleaming in the sunlight.
"Yeah… I guess so."
"What bad luck you have, you know? At least can you control the basics of your powers? If you can't, you better go back home."
Yami felt a weight in his chest. His expression changed. He became more serious, his hands trembling at his sides.
"Hey, stop provoking our new teammate. Don't mind him, he jokes like that." said a young woman, smiling as if trying to ease the tension.
The teacher suddenly clapped his hands, cutting off the conversation.
"Today our training will be different. Simulated battle. Now."
"Now? But I don't even know what powers I have."
"You'll learn now. Kaen, do you want to go against Yami?"
"I'm fine with that."
"Take your positions. Now."
Kaen and Yami stood facing each other.
The courtyard sank into heavy silence when Kaen took the first step.
He held the sword firmly, spinning it naturally, as if the steel were an extension of himself. The sun shone on the blade, and Yami felt his eyes burn from the reflection.
"Are you ready?" Kaen asked.
Yami swallowed hard. He didn't even know what his power was. Kaen didn't wait. He advanced quickly. The first strike came from the side. Yami tried to step back, but he wasn't fast enough. The sword cut his shirt, only the fabric, but the scare was real.
Kaen continued, giving no space. Another strike came, from top to bottom. Yami stepped back again.
"You don't know how to fight." said Kaen, with a sharp look.
He stepped forward, and in a blink, appeared in front of Yami. He feinted to the right. Yami fell for it. The real strike came from the left, grazing his shoulder.
The difference was clear: Kaen knew what he was doing. Yami was just trying not to fall. His breathing grew heavy, the sun blinded him, and every movement was an effort.
Then Kaen advanced to finish it. A direct thrust to the chest. Yami saw the sword coming and suddenly… everything slowed down.
Lines began to appear on the ground. The lines were black, crossing the space between him and Kaen. The sword came in a straight line. Yami suddenly moved following those lines.
Kaen froze. The lines bound him. Yami kicked Kaen's feet, knocking him down. He advanced quickly, attempting a strike to the neck. Kaen used his hands against the ground for support and kicked Yami's chin, throwing him away.
Yami struggled to breathe. The lines began to fragment, slowly disappearing. Kaen didn't waste time. He advanced again, faster than before. A brutal sequence of strikes forced Yami to retreat nonstop.
The lines disappeared completely. Yami blinked, and everything was gone. Only the sword remained. Only Kaen. Only danger.
He hesitated for a second. It was enough. Kaen spun his body and struck a blow that threw Yami to the ground. Before he could react, the tip of the sword was at his neck.
The wind passed through the courtyard. Yami breathed heavily, staring at the vast, clear sky.
"You are weak," said Kaen.
The word echoed louder than the strike.
Weak.
He hated that feeling.
The teacher watched the fight carefully.
"Enough." The teacher interrupted the fight, eating an onigiri.
Kaen stepped away to the corner, cleaning the blade with a cloth as if nothing had happened. The girl who had defended Yami approached first.
"What were those lines? Are you a spider making webs?" she said with a smile. "I'm joking. But you didn't give up. That's what I call determination."
She extended her hand.
"My name is Momo, the leader of this bunch of unemployed people."
"My name is Yami."
She pulled Yami to his feet.
"So… can you do anything else besides creating those lines?"
"How would I know?"
Kaen finally turned around.
"You better train."
He began walking away but stopped for a moment.
"Otherwise, you won't reach my level. Next time, I won't go easy."
Yami became serious. And looked at him with disdain.
Yami turned to the teacher.
"And that onigiri."
"Yes? What is it?"
"Do you have any more?"
"Take one." said the teacher, throwing the onigiri.
Later… The sun was setting.
The sound of crickets could already be heard in the distance.
"From what I understood, your name is Momo. Yours is Emiko, Ayane, and Kaen, right?"
"Yes, that's correct. It only took you two hours to remember."
"I'm bad at remembering names."
Yami began to train.
Starting to try to control the lines.
Yami closed his eyes, concentrating on the lines.
And then…
The world went dark.
When he opened his eyes, he was in an absolute void.
No ground. No sky. No sound.
In front of him, a silhouette rested on a throne.
It supported its face with one hand, as if bored.
Its fingers snapped.
And before Yami could say anything—
The darkness swallowed him.