"There's been another break-in..."
I was only gone for an hour.
A quick trip to the supermarket to pick up this week's dinner.
Then my neighbor, Mai, called.
It wasn't unusual for rowdy college students to grow a pair and break into off-campus homes. All it really took was a dare, or a little alcohol in their system.
But, this was the fourth break-in this week. And this year has been hard enough.
They never steal anything. Just break my door... to prove they can.
My name is HiroHito Yamashita, and this is my first semester at UT.
I'm not like the other freshman. For one, I'm twenty years old and basically a known shut-in.
I only leave my dorm to shop for basic necessities. Nothing extravagant, just enough to get by.
But, I'm not struggling for cash or anything.
It's a punishment. One I imposed on myself.
Last year, I lost everyone I loved.
That's putting it nicely.
I killed... everyone I loved.
Because of it, I inherited five hundred million yen. A whopping three point four million dollars. The only stipulation?
I had to go to college.
They failed to mentioned the nightmares.
I don't remember the last time I got a full nights sleep. Now, I have to deal with drunk teenagers on top of it.
I approached the front door. My doorknob still dangling from it's broken lock.
The silence spoke louder than any sound. It always did.
Whoever said being alone was peaceful...
They've never been truly alone.
It was just empty.
I shut the door behind me and tossed two grocery bags onto the counter. The soft hum of the fridge responded.
Marble counters. Wooden cabinets. Polished hardwood floors that still gleamed.
On the outside, the place looked perfect. Luxurious.
But, it all came at a cost.
The cost of their lives.
This apartment. The inheritance. All bought from a tragedy I caused.
I didn't bother turning on the lights. The sunset still seeped through the blinds, casting long shadows across the floor.
This was my life. Moving on autopilot; unpacking a frozen dinner, the canned crap.
Even microwave stuff I could barely stomach.
I grabbed the cereal box... but froze.
I saw it again... the hole in the wall. Still there. Still unfixed.
I looked away, focusing on the cabinet. On anything but that hole. Anything but the rage simmering behind my knuckles.
That hole was made out of pure desperation.
Mom's smile. Dad's voice. Tenshi's laughter.
The memories slammed into me without warning. Just like that night.
They always did when things were quiet.
That night was different though. It was Tenshi's birthday.
I swallowed hard, fighting the stinging wetness behind my eyes,
Why me.
Why was I the one who lived?
Then... the floor glowed.
At first, I thought It was the tears. A weird reflection of the sunset.
But as the light focused, circles and symbols took shape.
A giant pattern form. Glowing. Red.
It looked ancient, etching itself into the kitchen tiles.
What the...
I stepped back but circle reacted. Sudden pressure pinned me in place. As if gravity had flipped.
Writing in a language I couldn't read, appeared within the circle. Symbols, etched themselves into the pattern, each feeding the light. Making it brighter. Stronger.
Beside me,
the trashcan screamed.
Not rattled. Not tipped.
Literally shrieked.
I spun around just in time to watch the lid fly open.
It's metal body morphed... melting itself into jagged shrapnel.
First the arms. Like a monster made of sharp daggers.
Something... cursed.
Eyes materialized from it's sides, squinting. Mocking.
Am I hallucinating? What the hell is this!?
One of it's limbs lashed out as it hopped towards me.
I ducked, grabbing the nearest thing I could; my frying pan, and swung.
*CLANG!*
The hit vibrated throughout my bones.
But, nothing... It didn't flinch.
Another strike came, faster this time; aimed for my eyes.
It tore through the air as it moved, striking just inches from my face.
My pan blocked the attacked, the force pushing my foot backwards.
Right into the center of the glowing circle.
I'm losing to a trashcan.
Then...
I was falling.
No. I was being dragged.
Red light engulfed the circle. The humming turned into a roar, getting louder and louder.
My body refused to move, clamped to the circle's center.
Until...
the floor vanished. And the deafening shriek of my trashcan along with it.
No sound.
Just red, blinding light.
Suddenly, my feet slammed into something solid. Stone.
A freezing breeze ran up my spine; every hair stood up.
I landed hard, the light fading as my ears rang.
I blinked. Once. Then twice.
Where... am I?
Stone columns lined an enormous hall. Carved with the same symbols from my kitchen.
The were rune-like, humming softly as they glowed.
The hall stretched wide, lined with bookshelves, maybe hundreds. Thousands.
Stretching further than my eyes could see.
I wasn't alone.
Nine, maybe ten, others stood scattered across the polished stone platform. Around my age, minus the six foot eight giant. Everyone was dazed. Some stood. Others groaned, kneeling.
A golden altar stood in the middle of the platform. Cleared.
Something was off. The air felt... tense.
The others felt it too, their expressions shifting as they stood.
A girl in a school uniform hugged herself, tears welled in her eyes. The giant was a ripped bald man in a black tank top. He was maybe in his early thirties, his fists clenched.
"Where the hell am I," he hissed.
No one answered.
I took a deep breath, slow. Anything to still the ringing in my head.
That's when I noticed it.
Movement.
Shadows hiding behind pillars. Shapes masked between bookshelves.
At first, I thought it was my vision adjusting, or the torch light playing tricks.
Then, I heard it.
The tension snapped as air sliced around us.
Objects hissed by like arrows.
Someone else gasped. "Did you hear that?"
My stomach twisted.
The bald man fell to one knee, grasping his shoulder. Multiple runes etched into his skin like tattoos.
"Run!" he shouted, collapsing against the altar.
No one moved.
How could we?
We didn't know where safety even was.
A golden wisp hissed past, inches from my face. From the pillar's direction.
"They're behind the middle pillars and far bookshelves!" I screamed.
Without warning... everything went black.
Torches lining the hall flickered out. Not dimmed. Not sputtered.
Their light just vanished.
Darkness consumed half the hall. Only the soft glow from runes remained.
Then...
The shadowed advanced.
Figures in robes and armor burst from the shadows, masked and silent.
Clinks of steel leaving sheaths sliced the air.
Their blades were engraved with the glowing runes, a variety of colors.
They moved like predators. Fast, coordinated, mercilessly dimming our numbers.
A girl screamed as a glowing ball dashed towards her, exploding into mist before striking her. It clung to the air around her, not burning, not attacking.
Just... waiting.
With a slight breath, she crumbled across the stone.
Someone ran towards the shadows, a torch pike in their hands. Another fainted.
Why the hell are they attacking us?!
I backed toward one of the columns along the wall, my heart pounding. Panic breaths lingered in the air, visibly dissipating in the cold.
I got to move...
The girl in the school uniform dove for the altar, hiding behind the bald man's unconscious body. A masked figure caught her, pressing his hand against her forehead.
He hesitated. Then, muttered something under his breath. Orange light ignited from his hand.
No sound. No attack. Just soft glowing light.
Magic...
The girl's eyes closed, fainting in his arms.
A chant started, louder than the humming, the wisps; rising above the shouts. A dozen voices shouted a language I still didn't understand, but I could feel it.
Each pause vibrated the air, shifting the floor. Gritting against my teeth.
One soldier turned to me.
Their head tilted slightly, as if surprised I was still standing.
How many of us are left? Did anyone escape?
I readied my fists, placing my feet in a boxing stance I remembered from Rocky.
"Don't..." I started, my head ducking another golden wisp.
He lunged.
Before I could think, my body reacted.
I moved. Throwing a right hook, aimed just above his liver.
My fist connected... with solid metal.
Pain exploded up my arm as my hand folded inwards, blood bursting from my knuckles.
My fingers crunched as I screamed. Vibrations reverberated throughout my body, as trembled to my knees.
His armor... I punched his armor.
The dark silhouette removed their helmet. A male, gravelly voice spoke,
"Damn kid... It was only a precaution. No-one was suppose to get hurt."
The shadowy outline of an arm extended; his metal glove slamming into my gut.
How did I get over here?
My body rested against a bookshelf, darkness flooding my vision. The sound of muffled voices shouted around me.
The man's voice yelled shouted over the others,
"That's the last of them! Make sure they're not hurt."My vision blurred, light engulfing the edges. Torches lit up once again. All at once. Boots pounded nearby, metal scraped against the floor. My head spun. Silhouettes of bodies being lifted... moved.
And suddenly...
My eyes closed.