Taishiro's smile was small and controlled.
"Well then. Welcome to the Illuminati, Yuuma."
Yuuma said nothing.
His eyes were empty. Not shocked. Not angry. Just hollow. He tried to move, but his legs shook beneath him. Standing felt wrong, like gravity had doubled overnight.
"You have not recovered from last night," Taishiro said calmly. "But that is how Illuminators are made."
He stepped closer.
"Stand up."
Yuuma obeyed. Not because he trusted him. Because his body still remembered how to follow orders.
Pain crawled up his fractured arm as he forced himself upright. His vision blurred, but he did not complain.
"Follow me."
The elevator doors closed behind them with a heavy thud.
They went down. Far down...
When the doors opened, cold air washed over Yuuma. Thick. Suffocating. The light behind them vanished, swallowed by darkness.
Yuuma hesitated.
"Taishiro sama…" his voice cracked. "I cannot see. Where are we?"
There was a pause.
"I know," Taishiro replied.
Then, softly,
"I am sorry...."
The push came instantly.
Yuuma stumbled forward, arms flailing as the darkness swallowed him.
"ARGHH. TAISHIRO SAMA. WHAT ARE YOU DOI—"
The first blow shattered his scream.
A stick slammed into his fractured arm. Pain detonated through his body. The sound of bone shifting made his stomach twist.
He screamed.
Another strike hit his spine. Air burst from his lungs. His knees buckled as agony ripped through his back.
Then another hit. And another.
He could not see them. Only feel them.
A blow smashed into his jaw. His head snapped sideways. Blood flooded his mouth, warm and metallic. His ears rang violently.
He tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
Tears streamed down his face. Not because of the pain.
Because he understood.
This was not training.
This was abandonment.
Another strike landed. Then another...
Yuuma curled into himself, useless arms shaking as the beating continued. Every hit carved the truth deeper.
He was never meant to belong.
His breathing became shallow and broken. Each breath felt borrowed.
Then it happened.
One final blow.
Clean. Precise.
It struck the base of his neck.
His body went limp instantly.
His knees gave out.
White light burst behind his eyes as the world fractured. Sounds faded into distant echoes. His thoughts dissolved into noise.
Yuuma collapsed.
His body hit the cold floor without resistance.
A thin trail of blood stretched behind him across the darkness, quiet and accusing, as everything finally went black...