"The lower district," I said. I should let Somuchi know I'm heading there. I pulled out my communicator and dialed her frequency.
"Hey, Somu. I'm heading to the lower district to search for the Orion followers," I said, my voice steady but carrying an edge—an urgency I couldn't quite mask.
"Got a lead?" she asked, her tone sharp with curiosity.
"Yeah," I replied, scanning the area as I stood near the entrance to the district. "Actually met my uncle here. Turns out, he knew something." I didn't mention how unsettling the encounter had been. Maybe it was just the silence that felt off, but I didn't think it was necessary to bring up.
"Your uncle?" Her voice had a skeptical undertone, mixed with disbelief.
"Yep," I answered, letting out a laugh to ease the tension. "At least I've got a family member with me now. I was thinking he could join us after the mission, you know?"
There was a pause on the other end. "If you trust him, then why not? If he's family, he can't be all bad," she chuckled.
I laughed. "I'll keep you posted if I find anything."
"Okay, be safe, Akame. If you find something, don't make any moves until I get there."
"Yeah, yeah. I know the drill. Bye." I turned off the communicator and stepped into the lower district.
The atmosphere here was a far cry from the bustling city above. The streets were eerily quiet, and the neon lights flickered weakly, like their colors had long since faded. Was this what my uncle meant by "shadows"?
I walked deeper into the maze of dark alleys, the air thick with the scent of oil and damp concrete. Every step I took seemed to echo, amplifying the stillness. I needed to stay sharp.
I was about to turn down another corner when a loud thud rang through the air. Whipping around, I spotted a kid—maybe eight or nine—racing toward me, laughing like he had no care in the world.
"Hey!" I called out, but he didn't hear me. He darted ahead, zigzagging through the street like he was in a race. "Hey, kid! Where do you think you're going?"
I hesitated, unsure why I cared. But I couldn't just let him run around here. This place was dangerous. I set off after him, my boots pounding against the cracked pavement. The kid was fast, weaving through the shadows, and I had to pick up my pace to catch up.
The kid dashed into a narrow alleyway that felt too quiet, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. A bad feeling tugged at my gut, but I followed him anyway, not wanting to leave him to get lost—or worse, fall into the wrong hands.
As we reached the end of the alley, I saw the kid grinning, eyeing a door that seemed far too suspicious. I hesitated, my instincts screaming at me to turn back, but something made me press forward. I had to make sure he wasn't walking straight into danger.
"Hey!" I hissed, grabbing his arm before he could open the door. "What the hell are you doing in there?"
He wriggled free, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "You should come too. This place is awesome."
I was about to grab him again, but something caught my eye. A faded emblem on the wall—Orion's insignia. A chill ran through me.
Somuchi had shown me that symbol before. She said if I ever saw it, I was looking at an Orion base.
"This is an Orion base…" I muttered, my mind racing. I pulled the kid back into the shadows. "Come on."
He gave me a puzzled look, but I didn't have time to explain. We needed to get out of here. The building was crawling with Orion followers. We couldn't afford to be seen.
I pulled him deeper into the building, staying low and quiet. I could hear soft whispers and the faint clinking of armor as figures moved past. My heart pounded in my chest as I pressed against the wall, holding my breath.
"Stay quiet," I muttered, tightening my grip on the kid's arm. "If you make a sound, I swear—"
He didn't respond, but he seemed strangely unfazed. My nerves were starting to fray. We were too far in now, and getting out without being noticed wouldn't be easy.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed down the hallway, making my pulse spike. Shadows seemed to close in around us as I frantically scanned the area. There had to be an exit.
A man appeared at the end of the hallway, his gaze landing on me and the kid. I reacted instantly, stepping in front of the boy, fists raised.
The kid spoke up. "What's happening—?"
"Just stay behind me!" I snapped, cutting him off.
The man gave a grim chuckle. "It would've been fine if it was just a Guardian. But a kid? I wasn't planning on killing a kid today."
My eyebrow furrowed, anger rising. "You won't be killing anyone. If anyone's dying, it's you."
He smirked. "Oh yeah? Let's see."
Before I could react, he shot a beam of light at the ceiling. It exploded in a blinding flash, sending shards of concrete raining down. A giant fist slammed into my side before I could register what was happening. "Gah!" I hit the wall hard, pain shooting through me.
I glanced over at the kid, still hidden in the corner, but the big guy was already closing in on me. I pushed myself to my feet, dashing toward him, ready to land a punch.
A light beam shot at me, and I barely managed to dodge. It grazed my arm. "AH!" I screamed as the burning pain seared through my flesh.
"What happened to killing me? All that talk, huh?" He laughed, enjoying the fight.
"Go to hell," I grunted through clenched teeth, ignoring the pain. I raised my hand, gathering chaos energy, and shot a massive beam down the hallway.
But the man was faster, countering with his own light beam that matched mine in power. I used the moment to close the distance, landing a solid punch to his midsection.
He staggered back, his face contorting in pain, but he didn't fall. Wiping blood from his lip, he grinned. "Nice shot, but it's going to take more than that."
I clenched my fists, my arm burning with pain. My grip on the chaos energy tightened. I couldn't let him get the upper hand again.
He raised his arm, readying another beam of light, but I was quicker. I launched myself at him, slamming my fist into his stomach. He grunted in surprise, stumbling backward. But I didn't give him time to recover.
I kept up the pressure, firing chaos energy blasts, each one forcing him to retreat. The kid was silent in the corner, watching with wide eyes. I could feel his gaze on me—fear, awe, maybe both.
"You're persistent," the man sneered, wiping sweat from his brow. "But your luck's about to run out."
The ground trembled beneath me. More figures appeared in the shadows—Orion followers, closing in. My energy reserves were almost gone.
"You've got company," the man said with a grimace, stepping back to join his allies. "Time to end this little game."
I glanced at the kid. He was still hidden behind some crates, looking terrified but unharmed. I couldn't let him get caught in this.
"Listen," I said, my voice low. "Stay here. I'll handle this. But you keep your head down." I handed him the communicator. "Tell Somuchi what's going on. She'll know the location."
He nodded quickly, eyes wide. I could see the hesitation in his gaze, but he understood.
I turned back to face the approaching Orion followers. With the odds stacked against me, I knew I couldn't keep this up for long—not alone.
"Alright," I muttered, gathering the last of my energy. "Let's see how many of you I can take down before I have to bail."
The man with the glowing light beams grinned. "I'm curious to see that too."
And then, the real fight began.
My chest heaved as I stood amidst the chaos, sweat dripping down my face, my body aching from the fight. Twenty of the Orion followers were down, but more kept coming. Their light beams and powerful strikes were relentless, and every hit I took made it harder to stay on my feet. I couldn't keep this up for long.
The leader—the one with the glowing light beams—was still smirking, his hand crackling with energy, ready to unleash another blast. The others were closing in too, and I could feel my strength beginning to fade. I didn't know how much longer I could hold out.
And then, just as I was about to charge in again, I heard a sharp swish through the air.
A sword flashed in front of me, slicing off the arm of a follower that was getting ready to punch me. The arm hit the ground with a sickening thud. I barely had time to react before the figure stepped out of the shadows, a dark silhouette against the chaos.
"She's here!"
I turned and saw Somuchi, her dark eyes shimmering with that familiar intensity. She moved effortlessly, like the fight was nothing to her, twirling her sword with precision as if it was an extension of her own body.
"Akame, I thought I told you to get me before you made any moves," she said, her voice sharp but with that edge of concern I'd come to know too well. "And you brought a kid here?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but she wasn't done. Her eyes flicked to the fallen bodies around us, then back to me. "You already took half of them down. Good job."
A brief nod of approval came, but she didn't waste time on praise. She turned to face the remaining Orion followers, her grip on her sword tightening.
"Now handle the rest."
I exhaled sharply, adrenaline surging through me at the sight of her, my confidence soaring. "I'll handle them," I growled, cracking my neck. "But you better keep up."
Somuchi smirked, and before I could even blink, she was already cutting through another follower with a swift, fluid strike.
I unleashed another blast of chaos energy, the beam tearing through the crowd and knocking down ten of the Orion followers in one go. "I'll handle the grunts," I said, my voice steady. "You focus on the one with the light beams."
Somuchi gave me a quick nod, her eyes scanning the chaos as she weaved her way through the remaining enemies. Her movements were fluid, a perfect dance of precision as she made her way to the man firing light beams.
"Got you," she muttered, her voice sharp with intent. She swung her sword, aiming to sever his arm, but the man countered with a blinding flash, sending a beam of light directly at her blade. The sword shattered on impact, leaving Somuchi momentarily exposed.
"Well, guess you didn't want the easy way out," she said, almost wistfully, as though pitying him.
The man, confused, barked, "What does that mean?"
Before he could react, Somuchi dashed beneath him, her body low to the ground. She sprang up with a powerful uppercut, launching him backward. She landed gracefully, then propelled herself forward with a swift kick to his chest, sending him crashing to the floor.
Somuchi looked down at the fallen man, shaking her head. "This would've been less painful if I had my sword," she said, her voice tinged with disappointment.
With a swift motion, she raised her leg high, bringing it down with deadly force. Her foot slammed into his head with a sickening crunch, and the man was out cold, lying motionless on the ground.