The moonlight reflected throughout the room, adding an eerie touch to the already strange atmosphere. Nero stared at the floor, his red eyes shining like stars in the sky, while Lux gripped his hammer.
I just killed two people, a horrible, atrocious act that must be punished, but... I feel nothing. It's as if I don't care, as if someone's life were just routine... What kind of person am I?... I'm a good person for wanting a better future, and a bad person for the atrocities I'm willing to commit for that future... I guess I'm just a survivor.
Kōri slowly raised her gaze and smiled slightly at the sight of the beautiful moon. Lux clicked his tongue and said mockingly, "I prefer the sun... the things that can lurk in the dark are frightening."
Nero approached Lux and Kōri. After observing the girl's body for a moment, he suggested to Lux:
"Grab the butcher's machete on the ground. That hammer is useful, but with your strength, the machete is better... besides, before we go... why don't we read that journal first?
Lux offered the diary to Nero, who took it with one hand. The amber-eyed boy bent down and grabbed the machete, tucking his hammer into his belt. He swung the weapon with ease, slicing through the air and anything else he imagined. Its hardness, weight, and reach were perfect for him and his large frame. He smiled and then whispered:
"I think this will come in handy..."
Kōri watched Nero, clearly doubtful of what he was about to say.
"Hey, strange red-eyed gentleman... where did you get a gun? If you're here, it's because you're poor, or desperately looking for work, or want protection, or out of mere curiosity... or because you're a sadist... you don't come across as a bad person, or at least you don't let yourself be seen as a bad person... but where did you get that gun? The minimum price for these is 20 Lokgs and bullets are 5 or 6 Lokgs... forgive me if I'm asking too much, I don't mean to be rude or intrusive."
Nero took a breath and smiled as he looked at the SA revolver in his left hand.
"Well, Miss Kōri, this revolver... wait, what do you mean, 'strange red-eyed gentleman'?!... uff... excuse me, this revolver is the last gift from my father and mother. They left it to me to protect my little sister... even though it only had three bullets... and yes, you're a busybody, Kōri Ukiuq."
"Don't blaspheme my name, I'm not a busybody... but, what's your sister's name? I'm interested in meeting her, because her little brother is a bit odd... besides, if you're orphans, you should have raised her. It's just curiosity."
She laughed for a moment. Then, she moved lightly around the room, but suddenly said in a strange voice.
"Do you have any hobbies?... sports, exercise, books? I want to get to know you better, to see if you'll be useful to me or if I'll have to kill you... should we go with Axel? We've already finished the first test..."
Kōri looked up and then gave a small, crooked smile.
"Are you addicted to anything? Drugs, alcohol, women, or whatever, so I can make fun of you even more. Besides, I've met people with sex addictions, so I wouldn't want you around if you have that addiction. I don't want to get raped." She turned to look at Nero and pointed a finger at him. "And especially not you. You're a little... you know, ugly... Just kidding, just kidding, don't get mad... How are you so good at killing? That's scary."
Nero stepped back, stunned and somewhat uncomfortable.
You son of a bitch! ugly?! This woman is a professional busybody! Besides, what the hell is wrong with her? First she asks about my sister and my hobbies, and then suddenly she starts talking about rape... she seems to love gossip almost as much as I do... although her last question is quite good: how do you kill so meticulously, quickly, and coldly? How do I know how to fire a gun if I've never fired one in my entire life, or Nero's life?... everything points to me being a murderer in my past life, although that doesn't make sense. Why would a murderer study psychology?...
Suddenly, Lux started snapping his fingers, drawing everyone's attention.
"Don't get lost in conversations that have nothing to do with our problem... and you," he pointed a finger at Kōri, "stop being so nosy."
"Don't blaspheme my name, I'm not nosy... but..."
"Shut up... Nero, read the damn book, I want to get out of this room already... there are so many bugs... disgusting, and stinky, is that a centipede?!"
Nero watched the ridiculous reaction of a 17-year-old boy, strong, tall, and more muscular than him, upon seeing a tiny centipede. He couldn't help but chuckle a little, though after a few seconds he became serious again.
Lux stuck close to Nero, the machete slicing through the wooden floorboards. Kōri stayed far away, but also close, in a place where she could see everything that was happening.
Nero tucked his revolver into his clothing, right next to his knife. Then, he grabbed the journal with his left hand and opened it to the first page with his right.
Nero blinked for a moment, his mind translating all that "Unma" into English. Then, he began to read:
"September 27, 1424."
Three years ago... Nero thought, then read the next paragraph.
"Today was a really tiring day... those damn Monarch bastards sent us to clean the abandoned observatory!... ugh... it really was a damn exhausting day... even 'Leaf of Hope' got his arm injured by a flame from a Sinner of Path of Wrath or Path of Warmth, I have no idea and I don't care... the good thing is that by one of its 'miracles' he managed to heal."
"There were many Sinners and non-Sinners, they were mad and corrupted by a strange 'Evil Goddess'... what I do for my goals... I hate this shitty job, being a Filius Dei is awful, at least it helps me achieve my goals."
"Sinner? Evil Goddess?" Kōri whispered, confused.
"Praise be the light... I have no idea what that is... Nero, do you know what that is?" Lux asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sinner... maybe that's the name given to those with strange powers, like Merlin the Wizard and Axel. Besides, what's a Path? Is it some way of classifying someone's power?... but that doesn't answer my main question: who wrote this journal? Well, I'll only find out if I keep reading.
After thinking a bit more, Nero shook his head and continued reading.
"Hunged Man had to perform a sacrificial ritual to kill one of the cult leaders, which left him badly wounded in body, soul, and mind... Thunder Hunt killed another cult leader, but apparently was left with a mild poison. While Leaf of Hope healed him, I took care of the leader; apparently, his name was Reveli, or maybe it was a nickname, I don't know and I don't care."
"The cult was called the Brotherhood of the Echo, and that damned Reveli not only withstood a Thunder Hunt blast, but he escaped me... ME! That bastard... when I find him, I'll kill him. I decided we'll camp here until they send someone to get us out."
"Well, that's all for today, so I'll see you tomorrow."
Kōri brought a hand to her mouth, silently questioning herself, while Lux stared at the ground, his yellow eyes twinkling in the moonlight. An idea formed in his mind, and he couldn't find an excuse not to voice it.
"Whose diary is that? And why is it right here?... and... what happened to this Reveli guy?"
Nero narrowed his eyes almost imperceptibly. He gripped the diary with a slight force as he turned to Lux.
"Good question, but I don't know, but I think we should keep seeing what's hidden in here."
Nero tried to turn to the second page, blinking once. When he opened his eyes, the diary was gone.
What the hell?... tsk... Kōri and her nimble hands. Why did she pick up the book?
He raised an eyebrow and turned to Kōri.
"Why did you take the book?"
Kōri frowned deeply, her gaze falling to her hands, where there was no book.
Nero turned to Lux and looked at his hands, where the book was also missing.
Wait... if neither of them has it...
He glanced at Lux's expression and realized he was frozen, staring at something, and that something was behind him.
Suddenly, a male voice echoed through the room, as a cold hand landed on Nero's shoulder.
"It's rude to take things that aren't yours... you know?"
That breath...
That smell...
That voice...
That's... Axel...
Nero didn't dare move an inch, as he could feel the cold, furious metal of a revolver against his back. Lux and Kōri didn't move either, not because they were being threatened directly with a gun, but because of the sinister and strange presence emanating from Axel.
"Relax, I didn't come to kill you... I just don't like it when you go through my things like that."
After saying these words, he leaned close to Nero's ear and whispered, "Consider this as a gift."
Axel gently tugged his revolver away from Nero's back. After a few seconds of silence, he began to walk with exasperating slowness. In his left hand was his gold revolver, adorned with strange silver pieces, giving him a playful, almost childlike appearance, like a clown.
But Nero knew it, and could almost feel it intensely... the strangest and most dangerous things are always right in front of you.
After this internal reflection, Nero settled down to observe Axel's every move with almost obsessive attention. Two completely different feelings coexisted within him: curiosity and fear. Fear of that supernatural presence that emanated from Axel simply by existing, and at the same time, a curiosity, a question, a doubt, lingered in his heart.
Why?... this is wrong... this... what's happening?
Nero blinked several times, confused and filled with doubt.
What the hell?... I mean, why?... this is very strange. W-when I fell asleep in that park, was it from exhaustion, or did something external cause it? Since that day, my mind has been strange... and many "coincidences" have happened... I ran into Axel in an alley near where I woke up, was that just a coincidence?... Someone threw a manuscript at my head... someone threw a manuscript at my head! That damn book mentioned "Error," who the hell is "Error"?... Maybe it's a... maybe it's... m-ma-maybe...
Thousands upon tens of thousands of enormous, yellow eyes with torn pupils appeared on Nero's body and clothes, turning him into an amalgam of open, viscous eyes, but there was something mysterious and even more terrifying than the eyes themselves... no one could see them, not even Nero himself.
He could only feel them, he could only tremble, he couldn't think.
After a second that felt like an entire day to Nero, everything returned to normal.
I-I'd better investigate at home... I don't want to think about that guy... No! Concentrate, Nero!
Lux turned to Nero with a small, hesitant smile, as if nothing had happened, because, of course, nothing had happened to him.
"Nero, don't just stand there, Axel is waiting for us."
Nero nodded slowly as he began to follow the small group of Axel, Kōri, and Lux.
Nero's gaze was still disoriented, but his mind compelled his body to keep walking.
Upon reaching the main hall, they were confronted by three more people: a brown-haired lady with a cold gaze who carried a blood-soaked knife; a crimson-haired boy with his hands bare; and finally, a strong, thin, black-haired boy who watched Axel with a cold expression.
"Well done, you damned pawns! Now for the second stage of the test... by the way, Amber Eyes, where did you get that weapon if no one brought it?"
Lux tilted his head, confused.
"I don't know, I just found it after killing a girl who had this."
Axel raised an eyebrow and then whispered, "Looks like the observatory is creating things... again."
Again... what does this mean? Maybe this sanctuary of evil is a... I should shut up, and stop investigating things I shouldn't know.
"Well," Axel clicked his tongue, "kind eyes, sorry, amber eyes and the one with the bloody knife, kill each other..."
Axel pointed at Kōri and the crimson-haired boy and then demanded:
"Hey! You two too... and the last ones as well, there are only two rules: the fights aren't in teams and there are no rules... wait, that contradicts what I just said... damn it... you understand me, right?"
Axel sat on the ground, eyes wide open, and let out a long sigh. After a few seconds, he lifted his head, still with his eyes closed, and said in an almost rhythmic voice:
"Battles, battles, individual battles... one by one, kill each other..."
Then, he snapped his finger and pulled out a Lokg with the number one on its upper face and a kind of drawing of all of Vickmolt on the lower.
"How will be my luck today?"
Afterward, he tossed the Lokg into the air with his thumb, a smile spreading across his face. It spun and spun, about four times, and just as it was about to touch the ground, Axel caught it with a flick of his left hand.
He opened his hand and saw the image of all of Vickmolt on the Lokg.
"Ugh... cross, damn... looks like something's going to happen to me today..." Axel whispered in a tone so low that even Nero, with his sharp hearing, couldn't hear.
Nero looked at the black-haired boy with his knife raised. His mind quickly considered using his revolver, something he only agreed to do if the boy's death was certain or if he was in immediate danger.
They stood together, each facing their enemy, watched intently by Axel. Seeing that they were ready, Axel snapped his fingers and said,
"We start in 30 seconds... starting now."
Axel calmly began counting...
"1."
"2."
"3."
Suddenly, he stopped and put a hand to his face, clearly deep in thought. After a few seconds, he finally said, "Can any of you see... this?"
He held out his hand, and nothing happened, of course, nothing that Nero could see.
The black-haired boy in front of Nero raised an eyebrow slightly, though Axel noticed it immediately.
"Rank, and Path?" said the blond man with blue eyes, pulling out his diary from his pocket.
The boy hesitated for a moment before saying, "R-Rank 11... Path of Silence."
Axel chuckled briefly.
"Oh... a Shadow of Rank 11. Judging by your face, I can tell you're an inexperienced Sinner... how amusing!"
Nero grimaced, inwardly fuming.
Damn, fuck, shit... I'm going to fight a "Sinner." What the hell is a Sinner, a Rank, and a Path?... This is all so strange and dangerous.
He breathed heavily, his hands trembling slightly. His mind filled with fearful, almost cowardly thoughts, though he suppressed them to focus.
Shadow of Rank 11, Path of Silence... before I try to investigate what a Sinner is, I first need to get out of this situation. Shadow... Rank 11... surely has shadow or darkness powers, so I must always stay where the moonlight is strongest, but this is just a hypothesis, so I can't be overconfident... besides, Axel said he was inexperienced... I have a chance!
After a few more seconds, Axel made a strange gesture to the black-haired boy.
But suddenly, Lux threw his machete straight at the girl's head, and it did its job.
Everyone turned to Lux, their faces showing surprise.
Axel pointed his gold-plated revolver, with its silver accents, directly at Lux's head. After a disturbingly awkward moment, Axel said,
"Why did you do it? Are you brave enough to try and break my rules, or just plain stupid enough not to understand them?"
Lux shook his head, somewhat shy and embarrassed.
"No, Mr. Axel, you said we had to kill each other in 30 seconds... and I was counting."
Nero smiled inwardly.
Astute... very astute Lux...
Axel lowered his weapon with a small, crooked smile on his face. Then, in a voice that was both bitter and gratified, he said, "Well done, you won fair and square... though I can't help feeling a little humiliated... you beat me, yellow-eyed boy, what's your name?"
"Lux, you can still call me Amber Eyes, but to be honest, I don't mind," Lux said, settling into a corner, ready to watch the others' battles.
Axel nodded and then turned to Nero.
"They're coming here," he ordered, his tone somewhat thoughtful.
Nero hesitated for a moment, but finally approached Axel with trembling steps. Axel grabbed him by his clothes and whispered in his ear, "Wage a battle of attrition, kid. I filled your revolver with Silver-light bullets; they're good against shadows, specters, demons, and corrupted beings... you'll win... and you will because I'm sure you will."
After these words, Axel released Nero, pushed him, and snapped his fingers to draw everyone's attention. Then, he sneered, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"The fights begin."
What...?
Suddenly, Nero's body was thrown against the wall of the room, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Pieces of stone, wood, and dirt rained down, staining the red-eyed man's face and clothes.
He slowly got to his feet, one hand resting on his chest, which was injured and dented.
What was that?... Was that guy with Sinner abilities?!
Nero looked up at the moon's reflection in the glass, filling the room with a somber light.
He smiled slightly and skimmed across the floor to move away from the shadows, standing directly in the moonlight.
"Where are you, little shadow?" Nero whispered, looking around, his revolver clutched in his right hand, while his left hand remained free.
If he's a rank 11, shadow, from Path of Silence, he must have powers to be a shadow!... shadow concealment, shadow absorption, or even shadow enhancement... the last one is probably the most likely. The blow he gave me wasn't normal... damn, my chest still hurts.
"Wage a battle of attrition," Nero muttered to himself.
Suddenly, a bullet as dark as shadows hurtled toward Nero, but fortunately, he was able to dodge it due to its slow trajectory.
That was close...
Nero rolled across the ground until he was at a vertical angle to the largest shadow he'd been standing in, and quickly deduced where the bullet had come from.
Left...
But he quickly fired slightly to the right, knowing the enemy wasn't stupid enough to stay put in his shadow.
The silver-light bullet flew into the darkness, and when it struck, it not only wounded the Rank 11 shadow's abdomen but also illuminated much of that darkness.
There's a reason it has "Light" in its name...
The blood of the Rank 11 Shadow spread across the ground in imperfect circles. At the same time, Nero observed the Rank 11 Sinner with thoughtful eyes, while the Sinner returned his gaze with the same expression.
"Praise be to Zephyr. What is your name, sir?" the shadowy-looking boy whispered, his black hair perfectly complementing the dark circles under his eyes.
Nero considered saying his name aloud, but ultimately agreed inwardly, though he never let his guard down... he wasn't going to forget that he could die from another direct hit...
"Nero... and yours?"
"Alvos... I'm sorry for... you know... hitting you," Alvos murmured sincerely. "Although I'm surprised... you withstood my shadow-enhanced attack."
I knew it! I knew you had shadow enhancement... wait... is he apologizing?... tsk... don't get distracted, he's your enemy and you're his enemy...
Nero's eyes drifted to the shadow's abdomen. A Silver-Light bullet was lodged deep and painfully in it. But the wound didn't seem to bother him, as it had been healed by shadows.
A large jet of blood spurted from the wound, expelling the bullet.
"By the way..." Alvos said somewhat awkwardly, "that black thing I shot at you wasn't a bullet... it was... a piece of wood..."
Nero smiled through gritted teeth.
That man in front of me is, or seems to be, a good person... perhaps a better person than myself...
"Hey, Nero, right?... Why are you doing this? I mean, there are thousands and thousands of jobs out there, there's no reason to be here..." Alvos ran a hand through his hair, a sad smile forming on his face. "Although I must admit that I can't scold a gentleman or a lady for trying to have a better life, no matter what it takes... that would make me a hypocrite, wouldn't it?"
Nero tightened his grip on the handle of his revolver.
For a moment his gaze sharpened, darkened, but almost instantly he snapped out of his trance.
"Me?... well, to be honest, I'm fighting for two things," Nero said, sitting down on the ground, the moon highlighting his star-like red eyes. "For my sister and for... something, something strange that I think is called curiosity... I want to know what Sinners are, their powers... you know, curious things."
Alvos brought a hand to his mouth, lost in thought.
"I, like you, am fighting for my little brother... although, to be honest," Alvos lowered his gaze, "I don't like having Sinner powers... if I could travel to the past, I wouldn't have given in to my curiosity... please don't do the same as me."
Alvos squeezed his eyes shut, lowered his head, and sighed.
"Hey," Nero whispered, making Alvos lift his head and open his eyes. "I'm sorry, but only the most cunning wins here."
Suddenly, Nero fired a Silver-Light bullet straight into Alvos's head. The attack was so sudden that Alvos couldn't dodge it, resulting in his death.
Nero slowly stood up, watching the floor fill with blood and debris, a faint smile on his face.
But then, Axel's voice echoed throughout the room.
"Incredible! Incredible! You just killed a Sinner, you being a non-Sinner, but that's nothing... congratulations, you passed the test... welcome to my gang."