☆Alice
Our new companion, Yumeno Shu, was a chatterbox. He kept going on and on about wanting to become a detective while his sister Hikari wanted to be an idol. The almost creepy way he talked about it made him come off like a siscon. Still, I was glad to have found someone else I could trust… Otherwise, why would he have saved my life?
The same couldn't be said for Joshua: ever since we met Shu, he hadn't let go of his rifle. He claimed he kept it ready in case the hybrids attacked, but I knew that wasn't the whole story.
"How much farther to the station?" Harugaki asked.
"Not far. I remember it took me about ten minutes to get here. We just need to keep following the main road," Shu replied.
We passed yet another junction and drew closer to the station. Shiori-chi was heading for the pillar too — we'd meet up for sure! I could feel it!
I yawned from fatigue; I'd only slept a few hours, not nearly enough. Normally, when I didn't go to school I slept until lunchtime.
Just then a fly flew into my mouth and I started coughing to spit it out.
Harugaki laughed. "Don't you know you should put your hand over your mouth when you yawn, Alice-chan?"
"What's so funny?" I punched him in the shoulder, but he yelped. I'd forgotten about my strength — I couldn't just throw punches at people anymore… I could really hurt someone if I lost control.
"Sorry, I can't control all my strength, hehe." I offered him a hand and helped him back up.
Shu grew serious. "What's a fly doing down here?"
"Why? Is it so strange there are flies?" I asked.
"The problem is that there shouldn't be any living things here besides us and the hybrids. That means these flies are being controlled by a hybrid or by a contestant," Joshua mused, scanning the area with his rifle at the ready.
"Lower your weapon, we're not your enemies," said a harsh voice with a foreign accent.
Joshua turned and aimed at the man who'd spoken, but the man already had his hands up in surrender. He was tall and sturdy, with an ugly scar over his left eye.
"Erik Weiss!" Harugaki exclaimed.
"How long have you been following us?" Joshua demanded.
"For a while. My partner and I heard a scream and ran to the pond, but when we got there you were already fighting the Terrorist. We fell behind and split up, trailing you secretly." He turned his gaze away and called up. "Come out, Hans!" His voice aimed upward, and his circus companion — if you could call him that — dropped down.
"Sorry for following you, but we couldn't trust anyone at first; we know someone's actively participating in the game. We followed you a bit and listened to your conversations; we're interested in the escape route at the pillar too."
Joshua quickly trained the rifle on the newcomer. "You could've kept following us. Why reveal yourselves now?"
"We need to take the train too to get to the pillar. We thought it better to show ourselves now. Had we met you on the train, I doubt you'd have believed us," Erik said.
"Even if you've shown yourselves, why should I believe you're on our side?"
They looked at each other, then Hans dropped a pair of knives on the ground; Erik let a revolver clatter out of his hand.
"These are our weapons. If it makes you feel safer, you can hold onto them," Hans shrugged. "As for my ability, it's Inversion. I can make anyone I touch walk on the ceiling or the floor as I wish. As you can see, it's not an offensive power."
Hans stepped forward and brushed against me. I felt my feet lift from the ground and then rise higher and higher. There was no ceiling! Then I came back down and almost threw up.
"Yeah, I felt like that the first few times too," Hans laughed, helping me to my feet.
"You said ceiling… So that means up there—"
"There's no way out from above. I climbed as far as I could, but there isn't even a crack."
Makes sense — they wouldn't give someone a power like that and then leave a top exit.
"My ability's the Swarm," Erik said. "I control two kinds of insects: flies for scouting and tailing targets, and wasps for attacking." I stared at his hands and noticed they were full of holes. Gross! His arms looked like a hive. Insects going in and out of his body like it was their nest. His right arm looked like the wasps' nest, the left the flies'.
"And why did you shove one of your disgusting little critters straight into my mouth?" I was red with anger.
He smiled. "It was the most entertaining way to get your attention. A circus performer's job is to make people entertained."
"Fair enough, you're right, hahah," Harugaki laughed.
"Wasn't the punch earlier enough?" I threatened him with another fist, this time near his face.
"Forgive me, Alice-chan!"
"Tsk. Anyway, once we're out of here, forget 'Alice-chan.' You've all gotten way too familiar since we've been in here."
Joshua smiled. "Alright, we'd never want to make you angry, especially now that you're so strong."
"Sometimes I could use one of your decoys, Jin." Saying his name felt oddly hard. I hadn't been close to him before all this. I'd just thought of him as a mediocre loser. "I can't go around actually punching people anymore, or I'll end up killing someone."
"Be honest — you just want to punch my face," he protested.
We all laughed, then I turned to the two newcomers.
"I've decided — you're in our group, but woe to you if you bring one of those beasts near me. And keep your arms to yourself. As for your weapons, you can take them back; you'll need them."
Shu and Jin agreed, but Joshua seemed opposed. Still, he didn't say anything.
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We arrived at the station: the distance had been truly enormous. Far below us lay the place where all the underground rivers converged — a vast lake infested with hybrids. They growled up at us, their heads just above the water, but they couldn't reach our platform. Maybe the terrorist's power had been used on this type of hybrid, and as a side effect, aside from their mutation, they could no longer leave the water. It was the same kind of hybrid that had devoured Maya‑chi.
"The bridge! It's turning this way!" Shu shouted. The bridge was slowly rotating toward us, already halfway across. "All we can do now is wait — ten more minutes."
"Well, well… Look at all these fine youngsters, just in time to catch the train!"
From behind the station emerged the huge, bearded policeman I had seen back at the gathering. He carried a massive sword at his waist. Following him was the blond-haired foreign boy with a long axe slung over his shoulder. He was the same one who'd stood beside the girl who had smiled at me — the same girl who had been cruelly killed by the Terrorist.
Once more, the memories came flooding back. Maya‑chi, as she was pulled under, drowning before my eyes. Then that bastard Fukuyama — torn apart by the very hybrids he had tried to control. I could still picture his arm, lying at my feet like some gruesome warning.
I remembered the terrified expression of that woman, just before she vanished forever into that black hole. And finally, the girl whose name I never even knew, but I knew she had helped Shiori‑chi… and given her life facing an enemy she had no chance of defeating.
"Nice to meet you — I'm Oomochi Saru. As a member of the authorities, it's my duty to protect kids like you!" the man announced, dropping to one knee as he introduced himself. But his eyes never left me… that lecherous old fool was sneaking glances under my skirt with the corner of his eye. Thank goodness I was wearing shorts, but the gesture made my skin crawl.
"Gross!" I snapped, stepping back. "Don't you ever try that again, or I'll kill you, pervert!"
"Ahaha, I apologize for being so rude," laughed that old bastard.
"You've really got some nerve, grandpa," Joshua said, aiming his rifle at him. He had noticed the same thing. "We don't have time for guys like you. Stay away, or I'll put a hole in your face."
"Oh, come on, I was just joking. I didn't attack you," he said.
He bowed again in apology, this time closing his eyes, then stepped aside and invited the blond boy to introduce himself. "Come on, don't be shy. We all have to reach the other side, and for that we have to travel together on the same train. Let's try to be friends — no one wants to hurt you."
"Nice to meet you, my name is Gideon Apollion. Please, have any of you seen my girlfriend? She's tall, brown-haired, always with a smile on her face. Please, has anyone seen her? Her name is Mia…"
I looked down and held back tears; my heart ached too much, and it would hurt even more to see him cry. In any case, he would soon find out with BeBe's announcement — it wouldn't be long before we learned who had lost their lives so far in this stupid game.
"We haven't seen her!" I said quickly, before any of my companions could tell the truth. Joshua looked at me, then nodded in agreement and turned away.
"I see, then maybe she's further ahead. It seems we're all heading toward that pillar," Gideon said, trying to keep his spirits up.
"We're looking for two people too — a super cute blonde girl and another girl with short black hair and a big red bow on her head. She's adorable as well! Have you seen them?"
"The only person I met was a crazy girl who tried to shoot me with a machine gun the moment she saw me," said Gideon.
"I, on the other hand, met the guy dressed like a prisoner. We exchanged dirty looks, then he pointed his rifle at me, but none of his shots could break my armor." Oomochi-san punched his chest with a strength that seemed to match mine but remained impassive. "My ability is Armor — I can strengthen my body to surpass even the hardness of diamond. That guy wasn't cut out for close combat, and his long-range shots had no effect on me. He ran away immediately."
"You're one tough old man, aren't you?" Hans laughed.
"Though I may look old, I have many surprises in store for those who underestimate me!"
"The train has arrived," Erik announced, bringing the introductions to an end.
Everyone headed to the first car and boarded. I was the only one who kept looking back, hoping to see Shiori-chi…
But Shiori-chi never came...
"Don't worry, you'll see—they're probably already on the other side. They'll have at least a four-hour head start," Gideon told me. "Both your friends and… Mia…"
I smiled, forcing hope not to give way to despair. Then we boarded the first car with everyone else.
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☆Shiori
I ran as hard as I could, though I'd never been good at sports. I'd gotten lost and wandered the maze for what felt like minutes. When I finally reached the station, the train had just pulled away right before my eyes.
"No way… this can't be happening. Do I have to wait here until it comes back? I have to get to the pillar and find a way out of here — I have to, for all my friends and for Tsukima‑san, who stayed behind to protect me."
I couldn't just dash onto the bridge; I'd be crushed when it swung back around — and it was already starting to rotate.
"What can I do? What can I do? By the time it's made the full circle they could all be dead! And if I stay here I could be killed by the hybrids… or by someone else."
I remembered trying to teach Alice‑chan how to play chess. No matter how much I told her to protect her pieces, she always pushed her pawns forward alone, without cover. Somehow the tables had turned. I'd won so many games I'd lost count, but Alice‑chan had managed to win once — just when I thought I had the match in hand. Maybe she'd found someone to team up with now, someone she could trust, while I'd just been cut off from the only friend I'd made in here. Now I was the isolated pawn. "You'll get two wins soon, Alice‑chan…"
"Sorry…"
A sweet little voice behind me snapped me out of my thoughts. A girl with messy blond hair was staring at me. She looked defenseless.
"The train… already left…" She sounded like she'd been waiting for the train too — she'd missed it just like I had. Now we were both stuck here.
Just in case, I drew my stun gun and aimed it at her. She dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands.
"What's your weapon and your ability?" I demanded immediately.
"I‑I‑I… I…," she stammered, whimpering.
"What's your name?" Maybe that would make her feel safer.
She lowered her hands and looked up with beautiful green eyes. "My name is Hikari — Yumeno Hikari." I could already imagine Alice‑chan bouncing on her. She loved cute girls to fuss over.
"Show me your weapon and tell me your ability. Otherwise I can't trust you."
"I—I don't have my weapon anymore. I dropped it when that girl tried to kill me. I ran away without thinking about it."
"Who attacked you? The Terrorist?" My thoughts flew to Tsukima‑san. If Saya had attacked this girl and stolen her weapon, that would mean she'd already killed Tsukima‑san. Or could this have happened before we met the Terrorist? Impossible — if she'd had another weapon, she would've used it to kill us.
"No, it wasn't the Terrorist — I saw her on TV. She was a blonde girl with a rose in her hair."
I breathed a sigh of relief. There was still a chance Tsukima-san had managed to escape. I decided to trust her. I put down my weapon and held out my hand.
"My name is Kage Shiori."
She shook it and stood up smiling.
"Nice to meet you, Shiori-chan. I'm Yumeno Hikari, but you can just call me just Hikari!"
"Hikari-chan, are you trying to get to the pillar too?"
"Yes, since it seems to be the only point of reference. I hope to find my onii-chan down there." She smiled.
"I hope to meet my friends at the pillar too, and maybe find a way out." We both looked at the train moving away and the bridge rotating. "But it looks like we're stuck here. I think we should find some green space and wait."
"I might be able to do something to cross, but I'm really scared of the hybrids in the water," she said shyly.
"What do you mean? What could you do?" Maybe not all was lost. Maybe we could still make it to the other side. I wanted to trust Hikari-chan, I wanted to trust everyone.
"My power is called Freeze. I can freeze anything. Maybe I could freeze the water, and together we could slide across the ice to the other side. But I'm afraid of the hybrids — I'm scared they'll jump on us and kill us."
"Hikari-chan, that's perfect!" I exclaimed, full of joy. I'd already found a way to get across. "You can freeze the water, and I can create a shield to fend off the hybrids! Together we can do it!"
She was still hesitant, but I took her hand and ran towards the stairs. We went down, and I urged her to freeze the water. "Come on, if we get to the other side, we might find my friends and your brother — maybe even the exit! If we stay here, the hybrids will attack us."
"But I…" A terrifying roar interrupted Hikari-chan's sentence.
"What was that?"
I looked up, and a rain of blood fell at my feet. My heart started pounding wildly.
"Hikari-chan, if we stay here another minute, we'll die! Please, we have to run!"
In a split second, dozens of hybrids rushed at us from the stairs; others jumped down directly. But none of them noticed us — they all plunged into the water and swam away. They were fleeing!
"It looks like something scared them. Maybe it's someone on our side," said hopeful Hikari-chan.
"Hikari-chan, please, let's run away. I'm too scared!"
I was terrified.
The person who appeared at the top of the stairs was a girl completely covered in blood. She looked about the same age as me and Alice-chan. If I'm not mistaken, she was the one close to the wealthy lady at the gathering. But something was wrong — her eyes were empty and dark. She gave me chills.
I turned to Hikari-chan and saw the same expression on her face.
The girl looked at us, then started laughing. Two small black spheres formed in her hands. I had no idea what they were, and I didn't want to find out.
The girl threw the spheres into the water and they expanded, starting to suck in everything around them. Hikari-chan and I clung to the stair railing, then the two black spheres exploded, soaking our clothes with water and the hybrids' blood.
The girl was still laughing, her neck twisted in a horrifying way, when Hikari-chan hugged me from behind and pushed me into the water. My feet didn't sink; they touched the ice and slid. With one hand, Hikari-chan held me tightly in front of her, while with the other she froze the water behind her with great force, creating a stronger push and more speed. The result was amazing: the ice formed behind us and then melted immediately, propelling us swiftly away from the shore. It felt like we were surfing!
I didn't see the girl behind us anymore — she had no way to chase us. I probably wouldn't see her again for a long time. Maybe forever!
"Look, Shiori-chan, we're catching up to the train!" Hikari-chan exclaimed happily.
"We don't know if there's anyone on board — they could be enemies. At this rate, we'll arrive before the train and won't meet the passengers. Our goal for now is to reach the pillar!"
"Shiori-chan, watch out!"
Thanks to Hikari-chan's warning, I managed to turn around just in time to see a hybrid, its mouth wide enough to swallow my entire head, leap out of the water. I immediately created an invisible shield and slammed it in the mutant's face, pushing it back.
"Sorry, Hikari-chan. From now on, I'll be more careful."
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PLAYER ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ ABILITY ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ STATUS
The Boxer ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Boxer⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive💚
The Strategist ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Reflection ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Cool Boy ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Electric Shock ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Seer ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Decoy⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Detective ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Fireball⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Idol ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Freeze⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Maiden ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Summon⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Deceased ☠︎︎
The Soldier ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Unkown ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Thug ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Target⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Deceased☠︎︎
The Thief ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Sight⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Deceased☠︎︎
The Juggler ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Inversion⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Tamer ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Swarm⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Gentleman ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Unkown ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Eagle ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Levitation⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Deceased☠︎︎
The Pauper ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Unkown ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Model ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Unkown ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Lady ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Tornado⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Deceased ☠︎︎
The Servant ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Black Hole⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Terrorist ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Tentacle⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Deceased☠︎︎
The Cutthroat ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Unkown ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Policeman ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Armor⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Huntress ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Unkown ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Queen ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Crows⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚
The Butler ⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Warp⋅⋆⛓⋅⋆ Alive 💚