The cold looked into Nero's bones as the beautiful moon watched him with grace. Before him stood about eighteen gentlemen and ladies, nineteen if you counted him.
Strangely, two stood out the most.
A young man, slightly taller than Nero, with blonde hair and amber-yellow eyes, and with somewhat loose clothing. He wore an almost mocking smile, but couldn't hide the fear or panic in his eyes.
Beside him stood a beautiful lady of almost otherworldly beauty, with eyes as blue as the sky and silver-white hair. She wore a calm, cold expression, completely detached from her surroundings. Plus, she was wearing pants, a fact that surprised Nero, since it had been a long time since he saw a woman without a dress.
Nero moved through the crowd until he reached the two of them, observing them for a while before leaning against the wall.
On his back was his revolver, which he had checked some time ago and discovered only held three bullets. He also carried a knife in his left pocket.
He may have been a novice in the criminal world, but he wasn't naive.
"Hey..."
A soft, elegant, feminine voice cut through the air like shards of ice. The amber-eyed boy and Nero turned to face the beautiful woman beside them.
"Don't you have any manners? The gentlemen should greet each other, introduce yourselves, and ask my name, 'cause I'm a young lady," the white-haired woman ordered.
Nero sighed briefly.
"Nero Alexue, I'm 22 years old."
The blond-haired boy smiled and said, "I'm Lux Stella, 17 years old, nice to meet you."
The white-haired woman looked at them both and said, a hint of coldness in her expression, "Kōri Ukiuq, 21 years old... don't get too attached to each other. Remember, we came here for a test, so we could become enemies."
"Or allies," Lux replied optimistically.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Nero asked, "Do you have any weapons?"
Lux nodded, his amber eyes gleaming in the night's darkness.
"I have a hammer. And you?"
"Just a knife..."
Kōri glanced at a man in front of her, her gaze drifting to his pockets. With almost superhuman speed, she pulled something out without anyone noticing.
Without a word, she slipped the knife back into her pocket.
"I have two knives."
Nero smiled.
How quick. And this little gentleman seems quite strong... They could be good allies or bad enemies. In the meantime, I'll stay out of it...
Suddenly, footsteps began to sound in the distance. They were calm, polite, and elegant, as if the person were in no hurry.
It was Axel, who stopped at the alley's entrance, the moon making his figure appear taller and more imposing. He looked at each of the 19 and offered an almost mischievous smile.
"Well... it seems everyone's here," he chuckled. "I'll be quick. We have to go to the abandoned observatory... where we'll have a little game. It'll be fun!... Follow my lead."
Axel turned around and started walking to the left, leading the 19 recruits.
Lux, Kōri, and Nero walked side by side, bringing up the rear of the newly formed, disorganized line. Kōri and Nero were almost eerily silent, while Lux remained smiling, though trembling slightly.
"Are you nervous?" Nero asked, looking at Lux with a raised eyebrow.
Lux's yellow eyes fixed on Nero. Then, he smiled slightly.
"Of course I am. I've never heard of this 'abandoned observatory,' or whatever it is... do you know what it is?"
Nero opened his mouth, but then closed it. In his new memories, there wasn't a trace of information about that observatory. Kōri, whose hands were tucked into her pockets, clutching her knives, looked at them and replied calmly, "It was a place where people could see the stars, but the Monarchs decided to abandon it, deeming it useless. That was about ten or eleven years ago; my mind isn't clear enough about it."
Lux nodded, turning his head forward. Suddenly, his hands began to tremble, and he stopped walking. Nero looked where he was looking and saw a tangle of graves and withered or dead flowers.
"And I forgot to mention that it's next to the cemetery," Kōri shrugged, continuing to walk.
Nero nudged Lux on the shoulder to encourage him to keep going, a gesture the boy accepted.
The cemetery in Vickmolt's East Zone... apparently it's located in the urban district... how interesting... literally people live next to the dead... Nero snorted ironically.
The minutes passed quickly. The 19 recruits and Axel made their way through the cemetery. Some of the cadets were talking, others whispering, and the rest simply waited in silence. But suddenly, everyone fell silent before the enormous figure in front of them.
It was a massive stone structure, which over time had become covered in moss and plants. At the top was a wooden roof with a glass dome, pointing directly at the stars. It was enormous, truly enormous—no, the biggest thing Nero had seen since his transmigration.
Although they were already a bit far from the cemetery, there were still graves surrounding the observatory, giving it a more sinister feel.
Axel turned to the 19 recruits with a smile as terrifying as death itself. After a few seconds, he pointed at the large, rotten wooden door with a finger and said, laughing, "What are you waiting for? Are you scared or what?"
Without another word, he opened the rotten wooden door, which screamed as if it were being torn apart. Axel stepped into the darkness without looking back.
The group of 19 people froze for a moment, but they had to react quickly to Axel's movement.
Nero and Kōri reacted quickly and cautiously, both with their hands in their pockets, gripping their weapons, while Lux lagged slightly behind them as if hiding.
This is one of the entrances... but where's the exit? Nero thought, pressing his lips together, his left hand ready to draw his revolver in case of any altercation, while his right hand touched the knife he had taken from the kitchen.
Nero, Lux, and Kōri entered side by side. The darkness inside made it impossible to see anything: not the broken wooden spiral staircase, nor the filth and dampness that hung in the air, nor even the rats and other vermin that swarmed around them.
Suddenly, the wooden door slammed shut with a low but brutal crash. They were all plunged into darkness until one of the recruits, a girl with brown hair, asked anxiously, "S-Sir Axel, where are you?"
Nero stepped back for a moment, his eyes adjusting to the darkness.
Then, a light flickered in the gloom. It was Axel, who, with a smile and a torch, pointed toward the spiral staircase.
"I'll make one thing clear... only three come out of here."
Nero's gaze shifted to Kōri, then he beckoned her closer. He then pulled Lux toward him, careful not to get lost.
Axel looked up for a long moment, passed the torch to one of the recruits, and ordered, "I want to see you all up on the top floor. Don't speak too loudly, don't make a mess, just wait for me calmly, and if I find out that any of you try to escape out of fear... I'll hang your head in the center of the urban district, right where your families could see you."
A chill ran through Nero's body like an electric shock.
I can't die today... Rose needs me, and I still want to find out why the hell I transmigrated.
The cadet with the torch ignored the others, walked briskly to the spiral staircase, and began to climb it. Each step he took creaked throughout the room, making a sound similar to a knife scraping iron.
"Ugh... how awful..." murmured Kōri, who was standing next to Nero.
Nero didn't wait any longer and started following the man with the torch, a gesture that was imitated by the others. Lux and Kōri stayed near the front, alongside Nero, while the other recruits lagged behind, whispering or letting the silence swallow them whole. Every sound and every creature made Nero's heart skip a beat, but it was too late to be afraid... nobody wants their head to end up in the middle of East Zone.
Minutes passed and nothing seemed to change, until they came across a door next to the stairs, but since there were more stairs to climb, they decided to continue.
One, two, and three doors, how many doors are there in this damned place? What's inside?... Nero thought after about 10 minutes of climbing stairs, dodging centipedes, spiders, and scorpions.
Suddenly, a clear moonlight caressed the face of each of the recruits. They all looked up, only to find themselves staring into the observatory's lens.
Quickly and with a touch of excitement, they all moved forward until they reached the last room, a chamber bathed in moonlight with two doors: one red and riddled with holes on the left, and another blue, broken and stained, on the right.
"Stay with me..." Nero murmured to Kōri and Lux.
"What a big place," one of the cadets said. His serious expression and black hair gave him an air of elegance and strength, considering how thin he was. "Should we wait for Lord Axel?"
"It's not necessary..."
Axel's voice echoed from the darkness. He stood before the 19 recruits, but the thick gloom prevented them from seeing him.
Where did this guy come from?... Shit, I'm nervous. Of course, he came through one of the entrances to this place... although, following that logic, there are more rooms like this. Nero flashed a crooked smile.
"I don't have time to waste, so... everyone form six groups of three. Three teams will enter through the red door, and the other three through the blue one. When there are only three people left in the same room, return to this place, and wait for my instructions".
The 19 recruits froze for a moment, but quickly formed their groups.
Nero, Kōri, and Lux remained in a corner, silently watching the others.
After a few minutes, all the groups formed, though everyone noticed a girl failed to join a group: a charming blonde with green eyes that seemed sharp, but held a certain charm and innocence.
"Mr. Axel," she said, trying not to stutter. "What will happen to me?"
Axel blinked rapidly several times. Then, he smiled and emerged from the deep darkness, his hands clasped behind his back, saying, "You're very lucky, miss. I'd normally fill anyone with bullets. Very lucky, you're already part of the gang... you can go, and say hello to your brother."
The girl smiled charmingly.
"May the wind bless you, Mr. Axel!... Thank you so much, because of you I'll stop prostituting myself."
"True, very true."
The girl smiled one last time at Mr. Axel. Then, she turned toward the stairs and began to descend... however... a bullet pierced her head, causing her to explode in a bomb of brains and blood. The young woman's body tumbled down the stairs, breaking bones and driving wood into her newly lifeless frame.
The place was filled with a heavy, almost unnatural silence, while the 19—I mean, 18—recruits wore expressions of utter terror.
Nero's eyes widened at the sight of the woman's blood, his mouth watering, as he could only think:
Shit... I'm screwed...
Lux frowned and backed away until he hit the wall, while Kōri watched silently, though she didn't leave Lux and Nero's side.
Axel sighed deeply, toying with the gold revolver adorned with silver stars in his hand. Then, he turned to the terrified group, his face etched with profound confusion. After a few seconds, he scoffed: "What's wrong? Do you consider this... cruel? That's nothing!... Well, no, I had every right to kill her... didn't I say only three of you would make it out of here alive? Besides, I said I don't have time for the fog to swallow me up."
When he saw that none of them reacted the way he wanted, he pointed to Nero, Lux, and Kōri, and two other groups, before looking at the red door.
"You go to the red door, the rest of you to the blue one, and hurry if you don't want a bullet in your head... and, also, inside you have to count to 60 and then kill each other... no rules, do or use whatever you want, but be quick."
Nero reacted quickly, grabbed Lux and Kōri, and then Lux kicked the red door. It shattered into several large pieces, and then the other two groups entered as well.
When the nine entered, they saw a sign with a shaky, ravaged Unma, along with a centipede corpse stuck in a hole, that read "Ritual Zone to the Goddess."
Upon reading this, Nero instinctively looked behind him, but something surprised and frightened him at the same time.
The door that Lux had once broken was completely intact, as if he hadn't kicked it...
Was it Axel? No, impossible... this was a god or some strange deity... Nero pursed his lips for a long moment.
One of the recruits, a girl with a deep cut on her cheek, stepped back for a moment, blinked twice, and finally said worriedly, "Wait... wasn't this where they found malevolent rituals to an evil goddess? It was in the newspaper!"
Another recruit, a boy with eyes as green as leaves in spring, replied sternly.
"Yes, I remember now... even the monarchs sent a group of the Fillius Dei... Praise be Zephyr! How terrifying..."
What is a Filius Dei?... oh, right... it's the police and military of the West and North Zone.
"From bad to worse... we should hide and wait, this isn't a game," Kōri muttered in a way only Lux and Nero could hear.
I can't just pull out my revolver and... shoot everyone and then stab them to death. I'll only use it when necessary... bullets are 5 Lokgs!... I'll have to do what Kōri says.
Nero, Lux, and Kōri slipped away from the other groups of recruits. They found a corridor of doors and decided to enter the first one, which was strangely perfect and immaculate, as if it had just been made in the carpentry shop.
Upon entering, a smell of rotten blood wafted from the room, making Nero's mouth water.
In the center of the dresser, pressed against the floor in an almost unnatural way, was a circle filled with blood. To its left was a metal gurney, with black ropes tightly tied to its legs, and to its right, a simple porcelain toilet and sink of the same material.
The whole place screamed torture chamber...
Kōri closed the door, and the three of them hid in a corner near the bed, where if they opened the door, no one would notice them.
The three huddled together in the corner, Nero feeling Kōri's soft, cold body to his left, and at the same time, Lux's enormous body to his right, filling him with a horrible feeling of cold and extreme heaviness.
"Why are you so cold, Kōri?" he asked softly.
"That's none of your business, sir..." she sighed, raising her gaze slightly. Then, she said in a voice so low that Nero barely heard her, "It runs in the family... you could say..."
Lux breathed heavily, closed his eyes, and murmured softly, "oh, for my god, may the Light be my guide..."
This boy... he looks so innocent. What could have led him to this horrible place? He probably has no parents, or even family... he seems as miserable as I am, if not more so.
"Hey... shouldn't we start counting? I don't want to get Axel's ire." Lux shifted uncomfortably.
"What for? Everyone else is doing it, and it would be a waste of time." Kōri tilted her head slowly.
Then, something strange and inexplicable made Nero look down. Beneath him was a wooden board that didn't match the others; it looked as if it had been cut and reattached without being glued. After a moment of hesitation, he whispered to his companions and then, with difficulty, peeled the wooden board off.
There was a leather-bound book titled "Diary in a Perfect Unma," surrounded by a black stone. Nero questioned its meaning, but then remembered that this place didn't seem to follow any human logic.
He tried to open the book, but suddenly, very close to where the three of them stood, they heard atrocious screams, as if someone were being dismembered in the most gruesome way imaginable.
Kōri put a finger to her lips, looking at the other two young people, as she pulled one of the knives from her right pocket.
Lux breathed in and out, reached behind his back, and pulled out a metal-bodied hammer.
Nero put the book down, took out his kitchen knife, and closed his eyes. Then, he inhaled and exhaled several times, and when he opened his eyes again... they were empty, as if all emotion had been drained from them.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
Three slow footsteps echoed throughout the place, each one different: one firm, another delicate, and the last weak, as if someone were limping.
One, two, three seconds... silence settled over the room as the elegant door slowly opened. After a few seconds, a boy whispered, "Rest here... your limp could be dangerous in combat. We'll find the other bastards, but you rest."
A dark-haired girl limped into the room, the knife still lodged in her leg. She smiled, her gaze fixed on the two people outside.
They closed the door, and for a second, just one damned second, she blinked...
Nero slid across the floor with swift, stealthy movements, his fingers gripping the hilt of his knife, leaving small marks on them. His gaze was fixed on her neck, his mind racing.
A throat slit wouldn't kill her instantly... he thought, grabbing the dark-haired woman from behind, his hand clamping over her mouth to stifle any sound.
Now I know... a lateral cut to the carotid arteries...
Nero's knife moved, slicing through the very air around him.
Whack!
Blood gushed out, staining Nero's clothes, skin, and body.
Three minutes until she dies... better another cut straight to the heart.
He pulled the knife from the woman's neck, then plunged it into her heart.
Nero gently laid the girl's body on the wooden floor, pulled the knife from her chest, and took a deep breath, his eyes returning to normal.
He lowered his gaze, observing his hands covered in fresh, sweet blood...
Lux stood up stealthily, walked over to Nero, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you alright?" Lux asked, concerned.
"You shouldn't worry so much about a stranger; that can be dangerous..." Nero ran a hand through his hair, his red eyes shining like stars in the darkness, focused on the girl's lifeless body.
"First time?" Kōri questioned.
"Yes..."
"What you did was terrifying," Lux murmured. "You killed her in seconds. It's a good thing you're my ally."
Nero shook his head, pointed at the door with a trembling finger and whispered in a small voice: "Let's not let our guard down, there are still 2 more to go."
"Hey..." Lux smiled gently. "If we make it out of here alive... I'll treat you to my favorite bar. It's cheap and not too far from the East Zone center. Interested, Kōri?"
"First, we have to survive, young gentleman... though I do appreciate your offer."
Nero reached behind his back and, with a sharp tug, pulled out his revolver. Lux was surprised, but Nero silenced him with a wave of his hand.
He opened the door and glanced around.
One shot... I only need to waste one bullet to take out those two bastards.
"Lux, grab the book on the ground and stay behind me, protecting me... Kōri, stay close and attack if anything happens," Nero ordered in a low voice.
They obeyed, took up positions, and let the silence engulf them.
Nero's SA revolver swung forward, coming within inches of his face. About 20 meters away, Nero could make out a man with almost greenish-blue hair and the same girl with the scar on her cheek... both were covered in blood.
They're murderers... they killed too, what's stopping me from doing the same to them?... although to think that they might be here to feed their families, for protection, or for some cause like mine...
Nero closed his eyes, remembering Rose studying, reading, shopping, laughing; a deep feeling of disgust intensified in his heart, a disgust directed at himself.
Seconds ticked by. Nero kept his gun pointed directly at the heads of the two boys, waiting for the precise moment they aligned their heads so he could fire.
But...
Suddenly, the boy with the almost-green blue hair turned toward Nero. He tried to back away, but a bullet pierced his head.
The girl, realizing what was happening, swiftly slid toward Nero, clutching a large butcher's machete.
Nero instinctively retreated, even considering firing again, but Lux had already thrown his hammer, which crushed the girl's head, knocking her unconscious.
Kōri approached her body and tried to finish her off, but Lux got there first. He grabbed the girl's head and, with tremendous force, twisted it completely around.
"This is so difficult... well, we have to get back to Axel. What a nightmare!"
Nero looked up at the glass dome of the observatory. He gazed at the stars for a while, then thought:
My bad... no one is that innocent...