Double begins walking into the entrance of the festival, and with each step he takes, excitement grows within him.
As he starts to approach it, the doors to the festival suddenly begin to close shut. He forcefully pulls on the doors, causing his hand to start burning.
Noticing this, Kazu walks up to the door and gently places his hand on it.
"The doors are closed tight? I wonder why that is... I heard festivals were public events where people can enter freely," Kazu says, his expression contorted in confusion.
Suddenly, Double coats his fist in aura and begins to cock his arm back in front of the door. Kazu looks over, his eyes widened by Double''s actions, but Joki ignores it, pretending to pay no attention to Double or Kazu.
"Jyu-Oh-Sei, Dragon shock!" Double yells.
Double punches the door with all his strength, and the door bursts open. Kazu looks confused, not believing the door could be opened by brute strength.
Joki laughs, and begins to walk inside the festival. Double and Kazu quickly follow behind inside and hear beautiful music playing all around.
The musical composition evokes the sensation of stepping into an unfamiliar realm for the first time. Its lively tempo and spirited melody create an upbeat atmosphere, yet beneath this, there is an underlying sense of tranquility that permeates the auditory landscape.
"So aggravating, this music is so annoying," Joki says, continuing to walk forward, a frustrated expression on his face.
"What''s wrong? For me, it''s akin to entering a new home for the first time. Don''t you feel happy being away from all the wrong in the world?" Double asks.
As the three continue to walk through the festival, Double notices a man standing, looking at them from afar.
Suddenly, Double experiences a strange sensation down his spine—an unsettling prickling feeling coursing through him.
''Who...the hell is that? His aura, it gives me a weird feeling,'' Double contemplates.
Double silently observes the man''s gradual approach, thoughts swirling within the recesses of his mind.
As the man steps in front of the three, they experience a feeling they have never felt before. A man who gives off the aura of a spider, the unsettling venomous nature just by being in his mere presence.
"Hello. You made quite an entrance, didn''t you?" the man says, his hands in his pockets, his trench coat covering most of his body.
"Yeah...sorry, I''m just not accustomed to these types of situations," Double states, executing a nervous gulp.
The man engages in a thorough, lingering gaze at Kazu. The reciprocal exchange of stares between Kazu and the man induces a sense of stasis, enveloping Kazu in a palpable aura of apprehension.
"A name would be great sir; you''re making everything awkward," Joki remarks.
Staring intently at the man, Joki observes an exceedingly eerie aura emanating from him. Despite being unable to decipher its nature, Joki remains undeterred by the disconcerting vibe the man exudes.
The man looks away from Kazu and begins to turn his back to the three. He walks forward and uses his finger to signal everyone to come with him.
Kazu sighs in relief, while Double stands frozen. His expression conveys not fear but shock at what he had just witnessed. Double had yet to fully experience any aura with a peculiar feel to it.
"I should introduce the three of you to everything. Come on, and I apologize—I''m not really one for words. Also, my name is Craig," the man says, waiting for the three of them to follow behind.
After hearing his name, Joki takes the first step, walking ahead of Double and Kazu. The three follow behind the man now known as Craig, continuing to look around. They notice many people having fun and exploring the festival, just like them.
"I apologize if it comes off as rude, but something like this doesn''t just normally happen. A festival holding this many people, and considering how easy we got in, it''s like it''s free game. Does that not make you nervous?" Kazu says.
Following behind Craig, Kazu''s brow furrows in evident confusion as he observes him intently.
The peculiar man chuckles faintly, still avoiding eye contact with Kazu. Craig''s walk, along with his manner of speech, emits an unsettling vibe that couldn''t be dismissed. Typically, Kazu might have opted to withdraw, but he had promised Joki that he would place trust in him, necessitating his compliance with Craig''s lead as well.
Alongside that, Kazu couldn''t help but feel a sense of comfort as he observed everyone dancing and enjoying themselves.
"It makes me happy; I feel completely at ease knowing everyone around me is enjoying themselves. Also, you asked if it makes me nervous...doesn''t everything make you nervous, the idea your child or even someone close to you could catch a deadly disease, and even worse honestly. So...maybe I am nervous; who cares?" Craig says, a blank expression on his face, his words turning the rest of the three completely silent.
Because of the way the world currently is, there is no cure for medicine unless you had an ability that could deal with sickness; you were going to die unless you had help.
However, this world, that had been drenched in mercilessness, doesn''t follow the principles of earned merit or fair compensation. Instead, it follows a stark and grim pattern where things are not acquired through honest toil but pilfered from the vulnerable.
From the tone of his voice, Double and Kazu could make out that Craig had been someone who experienced it, and because of that realization, Double and Kazu began to not judge him with their stares, but Joki continued to give him a judgmental stare, not believing the words that came out of his mouth.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
The festival had not been approached with any type of violence, and the reasoning was because of the overflow of people and the mystery behind it.
"I believe it''s acceptable to feel concerned about something even while acknowledging the challenges imposed by the world. However, that doesn''t imply that you should..." Joki''s words were abruptly interrupted by a distant noise.
"What the hell was that? We should check it out," Double says.
Preparing to run in the direction of the noise, Double tries to dash in the direction of the noise but is quickly stopped by Joki, who had a smile on his face.
"Let me handle it. You two stick together and don''t go too far ahead without me. I''ll be back," Joki remarks, heading in the direction of the noise.
As Joki walks away, Kazu stops and looks at Craig, who has finally turned around, revealing his face to Kazu and Double.
Previously, Craig would conceal his face, revealing only fragments of it. However, as he gradually unveils himself, it becomes apparent that he is an older man. The telltale signs of aging are evident – his hair, once dark, now carries streaks of white at the front, and his arms exhibit a delicate fragility that speaks of the passage of time.
"Now that I think about it, I couldn''t see you all that well before. Are you okay, sir?" Double asks.
Worry creeps across Double''s face as Craig''s venomous and intimidating aura starts to intensify. Double finds himself stunned; the abrupt escalation of Craig''s aura leaves him unable to process the situation.
Suddenly, as Double instinctively charges his aura, sensing Craig as a threat, Craig swiftly takes his hand and swipes Double away. Kazu, noticing this, grips his sword tightly, concerned for his friend.
"You...where the hell did you send Double?!" Kazu asks.
Anger had been evident in Kazu''s voice, but he remembered to stay calm. Kazu couldn''t fully keep his composure, as Craig''s aura keeps his body shivering.
"He''s in holding; I''ll keep him somewhere and deal with him with my own hands later. Now...as for you..." Craig says.
A disturbing and unsettling smile etches itself on Craig''s face. Kazu feels stranded; Joki had been too far away to call upon, and Double had been taken somewhere unknown.
Kazu always took the easy way out, avoiding full-fledged battles unless absolutely necessary or when he believed there was a viable chance of winning. However, he now finds himself in an unprecedented situation.
Meanwhile, Joki finds himself in front of a restaurant. As he looks, he notices that there is noise coming from inside.
The noise can be made out to be three men and a woman inside the restaurant, although the woman''s voice sounded familiar to Joki.
"No way... it''s that woman from the entrance. I guess I should help; she seems like the only normal one in this place," Joki remarks, entering the restaurant.
Joki''s eyes widen as he notices that his suspicions were right, and Reima had been being beaten, spat on, and kicked around by the three men.
Without any time to think, Joki quickly rushes to Reima''s aid and slices all three of them in the stomach.
"You three will live, but you won''t be in just one shape. Maybe that''ll teach you not to bother a lady... and for no reason at that," Joki remarks.
Joki''s expression turns serious as he sheathes his sword. He then picks up Reima, who is struggling to get off the ground.
"Why are you here?" Reima asks.
Reima begins wiping the dirt from the men''s shoes off of her, breathing heavily while holding her chest. Anxiety had begun to rise, and it was evident in her face.
Confused, Joki looks at Reima. Before he could say anything, shock crossed his face as he noticed that she had been badly beaten. Her arms, though not broken, bore scars; her legs were in immense pain, and her eye was badly damaged.
"Before you say anything, try not to speak too much. I hate doing this because I can only do it so rarely, and it drains the hell out of my energy," Joki says, placing his hand on Reima''s chest.
The injuries Reima had sustained disappear, and the pain slowly fades away. Joki had performed some sort of healing technique or rewind to tend to Reima.
In disbelief, Reima looks at herself and then around, realizing that Joki had come alone.
"You came alone... didn''t you?" Reima remarks, looking down with a frustrated expression on her face.
Confused, Joki looks around, wondering if he had fallen into some kind of trap, Reima''s words not registering in his brain.
"If you came here alone, then that only means that the two you were with are alone. Don''t you remember when I told you not to leave them unattended?" Reima asked.
Reima begins staring into the eyes of Joki, as a concerned expression came across her face. Joki''s eyes widen in response.
The realization slowly kicks in, and Joki stands frozen. In his mind, the man seemed suspicious, and although he had no idea who the man was, the idea that he could be a possible threat to Double and Kazu never sinks in.
"If it''s Double and Kazu, I don''t think the situation could be terrible. I trust those two, but it''ll probably be safe to go check on them. Besides, I don''t think he would cause a mess with all these people around," Joki remarked, closing the doors to the restaurant.
"About that...this festival, these people..." Reima exclaimed.
Clutching her arm anxiously, a bead of perspiration trickling down Reima''s forehead. She realized she had to reveal a truth she had been horrified to disclose.
Meanwhile, Kazu and Craig stared off with each other; the feeling of being trapped enveloped Kazu. Even though he was unfazed by Craig himself, the aura Craig presented was like no other he had seen before, causing Kazu to feel an inescapable anxiety.
"Everyone around right now, including myself, it would be too much of a hassle to attack me head-on with all of those factors in mind. I''ll use that to get away from this guy and find Joki," Kazu said, pulling out his sword.
Wasting no time, Kazu throws his sword. As he does, Craig grabs Kazu''s arm, but he realizes he''s too late as Kazu has already teleported away.
Kazu begins running into the crowd, attempting to shake off Craig. When multiple people are close together, discerning individual identities solely through sensing someone''s aura becomes nearly impossible. It requires a gamble, and given the density of people, locating the desired individual will most likely fail.
However, Kazu didn''t take into account what Craig had been planning all along.
Suddenly, the crowd of people completely disappears. The auras that Kazu felt are all gone, and everyone vanishes without a trace, leaving only Kazu and Craig.
"What type of sick game are you playing? Where did all these people go? Would you really go about harming these people just to catch one person?" Kazu asks.
Kazu''s face twists in confusion, a perplexed expression etched across his features. His hand trembles with fear as he awaits an answer to his question, still being enveloped in the unsettling aura Craig possesses.
Suddenly, Craig appears in front of Kazu. The two had been face to face, and Craig''s smile had widened.
"All this planning, and all this talking, but by just looking at you, I can tell that you are nothing more than a fucking coward," Craig remarks.
A subtle laugh escapes from Craig''s mouth. Kazu notices this and hesitantly takes steps back as Craig continues to laugh.
Kazu quickly grabs his sword and attempts to swing at Craig. Craig quickly dodges it and jumps out of the way. Kazu''s arm, still not fully recovered, makes his attack weaker and more predictable.
"Your aura interests me, though. There''s something I need from you," Craig says, hovering above the air and staring down at Kazu.
''Damn it Joki, this is on you. I tried to warn you guys to be cautious!'' Kazu thinks to himself.
"I knew you''d be here, and the aura you give off is exactly how I thought it would be. With that little group you''ve found, you''ve evolved. If I take your body, your father would most certainly..." Craig says.
"My father?" Kazu asks.
Kazu stands frozen, his entire demeanor shifting as the weight of the man''s words settles upon him. The air around him seems to thicken, suffocating him with a chilling intensity. His eyes widen, capturing the raw shock that courses through his veins, and his previously animated features now contort into a mask of disbelief.
Laughter, the only thing Kazu could hear currently is laughter. Not even a moment to process the fact he had just been compared to his absent father.
"To put it simply, I need a vessel. Finding someone with an aura like you and your father would be... well, it would be impossible. You caught my eye the second you were walking with those other two. You are what I need to get close to that bastard, and I guess since you''re completely trapped, my name isn''t Craig; it''s Kairoji," the man now known as Kairoji says, showing a wicked smile on his face.