Ryu's breath pooled like a heavy stone in his chest. Amidst the pitch blackness, the shadows of the figures on the table emerged as trembling silhouettes. None of their faces were visible. Only shapeless, menacing shadows… Each as if plucked from a nightmare formed in the darkest recesses of his imagination.
The first figure, leaning over the edge of the table with the agility of a snake, spoke. His voice was silky smooth yet venomous:
"Look, a child has stolen the Black Panther's watch?"
Something inside Ryu snapped as the words echoed through the silence of the room. His knees trembled, but he clenched his teeth to keep from falling to the floor. His eyes strayed to the silhouette of a lion at the other end of the table. Lion stood motionless, but its presence overshadowed everyone else in the room. Snake's stinging words were met with an even heavier silence.
Ryu swallowed to loosen the knot in his throat, but this only made him more aware of the suffocating air. The entire room felt like a weight was pressing down on him. He tried to step back, but a pair of eyes—no, not eyes, but fiery silhouettes—virtually pinned him to the ground.
"He's scared," another figure said, his tone stern and sharp. Eagle's silhouette… The sharp outlines of its wings were barely visible in the shadows. "What is this boy doing here? The Black Panther's watch… How could such a powerful object have fallen into the hands of someone like this?"
Before Ryu had the courage to break his silence, another figure spoke up. This time, the voice was calmer, but with an underlying amusement. Cat's silhouette seemed to lean against the edge of the table.
"Perhaps you're more eager to blow his brains out than listen to the answer, Eagle," she said sarcastically. "But if you ask me, it would be more entertaining to learn how a child achieved such greatness."
Eagle's shadow leaned forward. Ryu instinctively drew back, but this did not stop the silhouettes from laughing derisively.
"Waste of time," said Eagle, slamming his fist on the table. "He stole that watch. There's no need to look for further explanations!"
"You wouldn't make such reckless decisions in Lion's presence, Eagle," Cat said, a slight hint of humor creeping into her voice.
As all the figures fell silent, Lion's silhouette slowly lifted its head. Ryu could feel its shadowed eyes—eyes burning like two flames… The room seemed suddenly colder. When Lion spoke, his voice was deep and menacing:
"This boy… will tell you how he obtained the Black Panther's watch. But if he lies while telling…" There was a momentary pause. "Then I will let Eagle do what he wishes."
Ryu felt a cold sweat break out from under him. He swallowed, but his mouth was dry.
"I… I didn't steal it," he said, his voice trembling. "I found it in a forest. It had fallen to the ground… Covered in dirt. I thought it was something ordinary. But… when my blood touched it, I found myself here."
Silence… A deeper, more suffocating silence… The figures looked at each other.
Snake leaned over and whispered mockingly:
"Ah, look! A watch sealed in blood... Falling into the hands of an innocent child. How... convincing."
Eagle roared and took a step forward.
"Enough! This boy plays us for fools. Let's kill him right here and that's it!" "Are you defying Lion, Eagle?" Cat said in a voice that carried a dangerous tone of humor. Lion held up a hand to silence everyone. All the figures went instantly silent. His voice was deeper and more menacing.
"One last question, child: was the Black Panther's watch really awakened by your blood?"
Ryu narrowed his eyes, staring into Lion's shining eyes. "Yes," he said, his voice firmer this time. "I don't understand what happened. But that's why I'm here."
For a moment, Lion was silent. Then he spoke:
"We won't release him. But we will let him live. If I see a single lie or betrayal..."
These words echoed in Ryu's mind. He made a silent vow: I will survive. And I will get out of here. No matter what it takes.
Ryu took a deep breath. The fear within him was still immense, but he had seen an opportunity to survive. Now it was time to seize it. His heart was pounding, but his mind was sharp and clear. Being a cowardly child was no longer allowing him to think clearly. Between life and death, he struggled to control himself to maintain composure and rationality.
Eagle's shadow moved toward Ryu in a sudden movement. For a moment, he felt a tight tension in the air. Ryu held his breath, tensing his body. This was his last chance. If this opportunity were missed, nothing would save him.
"Enough!" Eagle's voice was harsh, like the shattering of stone. "This boy is lying! Let me finish him off right now!"
Ryu's eyes were focused like a hunting light in the darkness. A calculation was calculating in his mind. This wasn't just a moment to escape. Beyond survival, he had to change the established order at this table. But there was still uncertainty about what he could do. Every step meant he was getting closer to death.
At that moment, Lion's silhouette pierced the chamber's profound silence and stopped Eagle with a wave of his hand. His eyes, clearly visible even from the dark corners of the room; they held a depth of his own power.
"Silence, Eagle!" he roared. His voice echoed off the chamber's stone walls, each word hitting like a slap. Ryu's breath caught in that moment. The dark fear within him was intensified by the force of the words.
Eagle took a step back, but his anger remained. Still clenching his teeth in anger, he turned his gaze to Lion. "Lion, this child doesn't deserve to live here. You can't trust him!"
Lion turned his head and gave Eagle a cold, almost stony stare. The threat in his eyes froze the air in the room. "And you don't deserve to command me," he said. His words hung in the air like a sharp blade. "If you question me one more time, I will finish you first."
Eagle remained silent, his teeth clenched. But the boiling liquid within him only intensified the tension in the room. Ryu had to seize this moment. His mind tried to calculate what would happen in just a second.
A moment of silence reigned. But Ryu's eyes focused on the clock on the corner of the table. A sensation like an electric shock began to surge through his palms. He should have taken the clock, but he knew everything: This was a huge gamble. If he failed, he wouldn't stand a chance.
"Now or never," he thought, his eyes fixated on the intricate symbols on the clock. Gathering all his courage, he sprang into action, swiftly moving toward the table to grasp the clock.
The figures in the room were momentarily stunned. None had expected this move. But then, Lion's silhouette shot out a handful of flashes of light, its voice echoing menacingly throughout the room: "Stop!"
Time seemed to slow. Ryu quickly grasped the clock and held it in his palm, the Lion's beam of light approaching him like an arrow. At that moment, he felt blood begin to drip from his palm onto the clock's edges. He gripped the clock tightly and closed his eyes in fear. But in that moment, the power within him exploded.
It took a second for the energy within the clock to pierce the darkness of the room. At first, the mist enveloping him felt familiar. But then, the mist quickly darkened, transforming into a tornado, engulfing Ryu. Lion and the other figures were unexpectedly thrown back. Everything on the table scattered to the floor, and a terrifying roar rang through the room.
As Lion's silhouette regained his balance and rose to his feet, his anger intensified by the second. His face darkened like a dark cloud. "Find that boy!" he cried. His voice shook the stone walls of the room, cracking them. "Find him and bring him to me!"
The figures in the room were silent for a moment. Each one looked as if he would obey Lion's command. But at that moment, the tension in the entire room was shattered by the sudden disappearance of the whirlwind that had swirled around Ryu. Ryu was no longer there.
Cat's silhouette murmured with a low laugh. "I have no doubt that this boy will continue to amaze us..." With a catlike voice, she watched him flee.
.
.
.
Ryu opened his eyes slowly. His eyelids fluttered open, heavy and weary, but the darkness around him felt like a void trying to draw him in. "Where am I?" he spoke hoarsely. Everything was blurry, everything indistinct. His body moved awkwardly, with an airy coldness. He had been transported back to his hut. In the cramped space of the hut, his body struggled to sit up. He had no time to think; before he realized how bad everything had become, the feeling of drunkenness in his head was growing even stronger. It was as if his mind was being dragged deeper into darkness, becoming increasingly fuzzy with every movement.
As he stepped into the hut, his stomach churned along with the dizziness in his head. He leaned quickly against the cold stones of the ground, a strange hissing sound escaping his mouth. Vomiting had violently seized his body, each vomit a pain, but there was also an emptiness within him. It was so powerful that it shattered the momentary tranquility. He placed his hands on the ground, but no matter how hard he tried to resist, he struggled to control his body. His mind was being dragged into a profound darkness. There was an emptiness within him, an awakening. Something was shifting.
It was as if he had been stripped of the entire world, the influence of time and space. The buzzing in his mind grew louder with each passing second in the cramped corner of the hut. But there was something else behind the dizziness. The feeling of drunkenness in his head was growing heavier. He took a deep breath, and as he opened his eyes again, everything inside the hut seemed to be getting closer, yet also farther away. The sounds blurred. Everything became blurry.
Finally, he slowly made his way to the door. As he lifted his foot, the entire world shook for a moment. He slowly pushed the hut door open. Outside, amidst the streets, he emerged into the abandoned area of an old settlement. Among the crumbling structures, dilapidated buildings, and blackened dumpsters, Ryu's footsteps practically echoed. But something was changing. Something was changing.
Despite the dense darkness, a transformation began at that moment. The moon emerged from behind the darkening clouds. And in an instant, that light swept over Ryu. The light was so bright that his eyes were suddenly dazzled. He took a step back, but the light followed. Suddenly, the narrow streets in front of the hut began to illuminate with the moonlight. His eyes narrowed in the light, but he noticed something.
A broken piece of mirror lay right in front of him. The glare from the mirror widened Ryu's eyes. He stared at his reflection. Everything became clear. As the moonlight danced around the broken mirror, Ryu's reflection began to take shape in a way he had never seen before.
His pupils turned yellow.