I woke up feeling nothing at all.
It was not the threatening kind that haunted the tunnels outside, but rather, it was a very gentle, suppressed kind of quiet—as if the universe had momentarily decided to spare me.
The chamber was tiny and round, the walls smooth and light-colored, decorated with subtle signs that softly throbbed like a tranquil heart.
In the middle, there was a small pool of pristine water that emitted a very faint light. The temperature of the air was higher here. More accommodating.
A zone of safety.
My whole body felt like it was in a state of suffering halfway through. My thigh was in a state of intense pain, every pulse reminding me of the time I was cut open and that it was not long ago.
My ribs were hurting when I inhaled too much. However, in comparison to the tunnel, it was like being set free.
I carefully got up.
The shadow was glued to the ground under me, oddly motionless.
This was the first time ever in the whole process of descent from the top that the shadow did not extend outwards or go on searching.
It was simply looking at me.
Words were formed in the atmosphere, in a manner that was peaceful and slow.
STATUS OF CANDIDATE: STABLE
TRIAL PAUSED: SAFE ZONE ACTIVE
I let my breath go.
"Stable," I said under my breath. "That is very generous."
I looked at the pool without paying much attention. The water was breathtakingly clear, showing me as I was—clothes stained with blood, skin that was not very white, and eyes that were not as sharp as they used to be.
I hardly recognized myself.
The shadow that was behind my reflection was moving at the same speed as my reflection and so I did not notice it.
It was still looking at me.
A new text line showed up.
NAMING PROTOCOL AVAILABLE
At that moment I was rooted to the spot.
Naming.
There was a heavy connotation of the word that was totally unexpected.
Until now, I was among the possible ones, a candidate. A thing being chosen, not recognized.
A name meant a person. Acknowledgment.
Validation that I was not just another entity to be nourished by this place and then thrown away.
I gulped.
A name was not a gift.
It was an obligation.
"What if I don't?" I posed the question to the deserted room.
Very lightly, the symbols on the wall shone.
UNNAMED ENTITIES ARE EVALUATED AS TEMPORARY
Temporary.
Disposable.
I gazed at my reflection in the mirror. The shadow that kept all the things I wanted buried with it. The pain, the fear, the anger that had been my lifeline, they were all there.
I shut my eyes tightly.
One name popped up—gentle, dear.
One that my mom used to say when she thought I was sleeping.
One that I hadn't heard in a long time.
"Kuro," I said very softly.
The shadow moved a bit.
"Kuro... Ayanagi."
The water in the pool flickered. The whole place seemed to listen to the moment.
NAME REGISTERED
WELCOME, KURO AYANAGI
Something heavy but not painful settled inside my heart. It was like the universe had finally recognized me and had decided to hang on for a long time.
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
"Well," I said, "now you know who your target is."
The protected area shook a little.
Someone was walking around outside the door.
I immediately became tense, my shadow coming up like a creature behind me.
Human footsteps.
Careful. Controlled.
Then a person appeared in the doorway.
She looked like she was about my age, maybe a little younger.
Black hair was tied up in a messy bun, some strands sticking to her face which was probably sweaty.
Her clothes had been ripped and burnt in some areas, and she was holding a spear made of light that was pale and flickering—unstable but very dangerous.
She didn't take her eyes off me.
She was looking at me with a sharp, suspicious, and tired gaze.
"Don't move," she ordered. "I don't know what you are yet."
Very slowly, I lifted my hands.
"Human," I answered. "Still, at least that is how it was last time I checked."
Her eyes were immediately on my shadow.
The spear was still aimed at me.
"Your name," she insisted.
Well, the protocol worked both ways.
"Kuro Ayanagi," I replied. "And you?"
The silence was palpable and compressing.
"Hoshino Rei."
The secure area vibrated gently around us, recognizing the communication.
Something screamed outside.
Rei's grip on her weapon got tighter.
"That noise wasn't there five minutes ago," she said in a low voice.
"It travels with sound," I answered. "And with weakness."
Her instinctive reaction was to narrow her eyes.
"You give me the impression that you are quite the pro."
I reacted with a smile that was devoid of humor. "I managed to live long enough to get a moniker."
That made her think for a moment.
Step by step—very slowly—she dived the spear down a little.
"I have seen the catacombs," said Rei. "The corpses. Or rather their remains." She began to stare at me again. "Were you the one to do it?"
"Only partially," was my short reply as I pointed to the shadow accompanying me with my eyes.
Rei made a sound that resembled a snort. "It's no surprise. There's a different curse for each person in this place."
"How about yours?" I was curious to know.
The spear's point danced in an erratic fashion.
"Power that becomes shorter the more I use it," she said in an unemotional tone. "A flame that consumes itself."
A weakness.
Naturally, it was one.
The runes on the walls suddenly flared up, even brighter than before.
Words started to appear, and they were clear and very harsh at the same time.
CANDIDATE KURO AYANAGI
CANDIDATE HOSHINO REI
COOPERATION DETECTED
WARNING: BETRAYAL CARRIES PERMANENT CONSEQUENCES
Rei gave a quick laugh that was sharp and lacking humor.
"Well," she spoke, "that is somewhat comforting."
The light of the safe zone got weaker.
The break was coming to an end.
From the other side of the door, noises could be heard—lots of footsteps, voices overlapping, and claws scraping against stone.
Rei pointed her spear upwards again.
I let the shadow totally rise behind me. It was tall and definitely mine.
"Seems like," I said in a low voice, "we will soon know if this place encourages collaboration."
Rei's glance turned to ice.
"Or punishes trust."
The safe zone disappeared.
And so did the descent.