Endless Darkness

The moment I opened my eyes, there was nothingness, emptiness, endless darkness. It was hard to tell if I had opened my eyes in such a scene. Although there was no wind blowing, my skin could clearly feel a penetrating cold. Where exactly was this place? No one could give a clear answer, perhaps the existence of this place itself was an unknown. Why did I appear here?

I don't know...

Does it even make sense to not know the answer to this question?

Finally, something appeared before my eyes that I could see clearly: it was my own body. I seemed to be the only light source in this world. Why was I alone in this darkness?

I tried to move, but found myself bound by the darkness. Then, at some point, suddenly, a faint light appeared before Ryuseki's eyes.

A pair of black hands appeared before me and slowly reached out towards Ryuseki. Were these hands salvation or slaughter? Ryuseki didn't know, but as they got closer, he realized something was dripping from them, like blood. Red blood flowed from black hands, what was this for?

Fear began to grip my chest. Ryuseki's gaze was fixed on the blood. Just as he was lost in thought, the black hands suddenly stabbed towards his chest like sharp steel knives.

"Help me!"

The first thing Ryuseki did upon reacting was to cry out for help. Although Ryuseki usually didn't ask others for help, his body couldn't move at all. Facing the threat of death, the only thing he could do was call for help.

There was no response. My cries were in vain.

Then, my heart suddenly trembled violently, and I broke out in a cold sweat. I didn't know what to do because my body wouldn't obey me at all. Even without a response, I could only desperately shout for help.

"Help me! Lin Yingbin! Ryuu Mufei!"

Ryuseki shouted with all his might, constantly trying to break free by twisting his body. It was all in vain; he couldn't do anything. This oppressive feeling, this binding sensation, this feeling of helplessness where everything you try to do is futile and without end... It felt like my soul was being stripped from my body!

Twitching, the bound Ryuseki felt an electric current surge through his entire body. The sensation started from his heart and quickly spread throughout his body. With every beat of his heart, it invaded his entire body, each heartbeat causing his muscles to tremble and contract, every nerve to become agitated, every cell to quiver. Was this fear?

However, he did not give up his will to survive because of this. He kept calling out the names of his friends, and gradually another emotion arose.

"What's going on?"

This other emotion was anger, different from fear. This anger stemmed from hatred for his own powerlessness. This emotion of anger seemed to stir something, and then, in the next instant, everything disappeared.

Both emotions, fear and anger, vanished. The light in Ryuseki's eyes began to fade, his gaze becoming lifeless. He stared blankly at the black hands.

The black hands stopped and pointed towards something nearby. Ryuseki looked in the direction they pointed.

Then, a scene appeared in the place that had been completely dark. However, the scene was not pleasant. After seeing it, Ryuseki almost collapsed.

It was the corpses of Lin Yingbin and Ryuu Mufei. Their blood was flowing beside their bodies. The mangled state of their bodies made Ryuseki's scalp tingle!

Ryuseki's mouth hung open in shock at the sight before him. As he was stunned, the black hands then moved to take his life.

Ryuseki could only let out a muffled "Ah... ah..." sound. His dilated pupils were filled with pain.

As the large black hands were about to reach him, Ryuseki began to call out their names.

"Lin Yingbin!? Ryuu Mufei!?" He tried to wake them with his shouts, but there was no reaction at all.

Ryuseki's whole body began to tremble, and gradually, the owner of those hands appeared. However, the darkness here prevented Ryuseki from seeing the person's face clearly, only that his silhouette looked familiar.

Then, the person grinned.

"You... you killed them?" Ryuseki's anger flared, his trembling pupils fixed on the person before him. He knew his death was imminent, but he wanted to see clearly who was killing him before he died.

"That's right!"

The person's voice was very cold. It was unclear whether it was the cold environment or his voice, but just hearing it made one feel like they were falling into an icy abyss.

"Who... exactly are you?"

The intense fear and anger that arose in his heart invaded every cell of his body.

"Heh heh! You'll know soon enough!" The person approached Ryuseki step by step in a cold voice.

Ryuseki stared at his face with wide, terrified eyes. Slowly, Ryuseki saw his face clearly and immediately cried out, as he could not accept the reality before him at all.

"How... how... how is this possible!!!"

That person, that person was none other than Ryuseki's older brother, Kouhi! It was Kouhi, something Ryuseki had never expected. Looking at Kouhi's face, the fear and anger that had been balanced in Ryuseki's heart became unbalanced. The fear deepened and took over the part that had been anger.

"No... it can't be... you're..." Ryuseki's unfinished words drifted out softly.

Kouhi thrust his steel-knife-like sharp palm into Ryuseki's chest. His expression showed no hesitation, appearing completely devoid of human emotion, like a cold-blooded killing machine, leaving only a chilling impression.

Snap... The black hand pierced Ryuseki's chest without resistance.

"No!!!" Ryuseki roared with all his might one last time, and then everything turned white!