Then Ryzen cleared his throat. "So… Umatsume, right? You said you found me in the park? She nodded, stepping closer, cautious as though afraid he might bolt. "Yeah. The ground was scorched all around you. Trees cracked, glass embedded in the soil… and then there was you. Lying right in the middle."
Her lips pressed together, as though debating how much to say. "It was a miracle you were even breathing."
As Ryzen froze, the fragmented memory of that explosion burned at the edge of his mind. A crystal. A voice calling his name. Darkness swallowing everything.
His pulse quickened. "And… you didn't see anyone else?" "No." Her reply was too quick. "Just you."
He studied her, uneasy. Either she really didn't see what he saw… or she was hiding something. Umatsume broke the tension with a soft smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"But hey, you're alive. That's what matters, right?" She pulled a chair over and sat across from him, leaning forward slightly. "Ryzen… you really don't remember anything? Not even how the explosion started?"
He hesitated. His instinct screamed to tell her nothing. To bury the memory of the void, the whispering voice, the phantom pain.
But something in her eyes was an unspoken understanding that made him second-guess.
"…Not much," he muttered finally. "Just light. Heat. And then… nothing." he said.
Then Umatsume studied him, her lavender gaze sharp and unreadable. For a moment, Ryzen thought he saw something flicker behind her irises like a storm trapped in glass. Then, just as quickly, it was gone.
"Well," she said, pushing back from the chair, "You should rest. Then the flickering light above them cut out completely.
The room plunged into darkness.
And in that silence, Ryzen heard another voice.
Colder than the demon's voice in the void.
His blood ran cold as his eyes shifted again. Umatsume turned toward the sound startled, as she screamed "What was that?!?" as her glowing eyes widened. Then suddenly, his chest tightened, and a wave of dread washed over him.
"What is this feeling…?", his eyes narrowing. "This presence feels darker than the void." he muttered. As Umatsume also felt an evil presence coming from outside, noticing his change in expression she glanced out the window with a shocked expression on her face. "Ryzen… look!"
Then the room started to tremble as the shockwave passed, the lights flickering wildly. Distant sirens wailed, as civilians screamed and fled the area.
Ryzen expected shouting, running or something. Instead, the streets below were empty of people.
But cars were everywhere. Some were abandoned in the middle of the road, doors still open like their owners had fled in a hurry. Others crashed into light poles or sidewalks, alarms blaring uselessly into the night. Flickering traffic lights cast eerie glows over the ghostly scene.
Umatsume gripped the windowsill, as her lavender eyes narrowing. "That was no normal meteorite…" she murmured.
Then Umatsume says: "Something's wrong."
Ryzen's head pounded, a strange pressure closing in around him.
That voice still echoed in his mind: "You need to stop him!" But who was that? And why?
Ryzen clenched his fists. No way I'm staying put. He turned to Umatsume. "That crash it's near Kozuna's place. We need to go."
Umatsume hesitated and said:
"Are you sure? You're still…"
Ryzen says "I'm fine." He wasn't, but that didn't matter to him at the moment. "Kozuna might be in trouble." Umatsume exhaled, then nodded. "Okay then, let's go!"
As they ran through the streets, the eerie silence pressed in around them.
Rows of cars sat frozen in place, hazard lights blinking. Some had their engines still running, a low hum filling the air. A distant car alarm wailed, then cut off abruptly.
Ryzen's pulse pounded. "Where is everyone…?"
Umatsume shook her head. "I don't know. But this doesn't feel right."
A faint, sickly green glow pulsed in the distance. When they reached the crash site, Ryzen froze. The crater was massive, deep, smoldering, and cracked like the earth itself had been wounded.
But standing in the center was something even worse. A towering humanoid figure, clad in jagged dark armor with glowing green, slowly rose from the impact. The ground cracked beneath its weight.
Then its head turned. Two glowing green eyes locked onto them.
Ryzenfelt his stomach drop. "That's… not a meteorite."
Then the figure sensed the crystals within them and took a step forward, and let out a monstrous growl.
The figure says "I must destroy the crystal holders.", tilting its head slightly.
Ryzen's breath hitched and exclaimed. "Crystal holders?" Umatsume tensed beside him. "Well, that's not good." Before they could question further, A high-pitched screech split the air as green energy erupted.
Then the humanoid entity held up his hand towards them unleashing a devastating green and black energy beam, tearing through the pavement. "Move!" Umatsume shoved Ryzenaside as the blast obliterated the street, sending cars flying and flipping over from the shockwave.
Ryzen hit the ground hard, his body screaming in protest. The enemy was already attacking again, raising its arm for another blast. No time to think just move! A burst of white energy flared around him and suddenly, he vanished.
In an instant, Ryzen reappears behind the entity as he lets out a gut wrenching screech and lands a devastating blow, sending the figure flying across the pavement. The world snapped into focus as his body struggled to keep up with his speed.
Then Umatsume says "What was that?!" as she looks shocked as if she had seen a ghost. Then the entity got back up and turned around, as its glowing green eyes locked onto him and fired a second energy blast.
Then as Ryzen sensed his attack, he threw up his hands as he braced for the impact. Ryzen hit the ground hard, his body screaming in protest. The enemy was already attacking again, raising its arm for another blast.
"No time to think just move!" As he thought to himself.
As burst of white energy flared around him as he felt an immense power of dread wash over him, leaving him vulnerable.