The colorful lights projected by the stage lights danced across the air as the stage performers broke apart from their ending formation. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause as they waved about make-shift light sticks and banners. I also took part in the uproar and applauded as well.
The three sparkling figures greeted and waved at the cheering crowd, interacting with a select few at the front rows. I was at the far back of the crowd so it would be a miracle if they were to notice me.
The idol performer dawning baby blue hair then looked in my direction and affixed her gaze with mine
Cold and sharp eyes pierced through my very soul as she glared daggers towards me. She then quickly shifted her focus elsewhere and reverted back to her cheery disposition. She held onto her microphone and addressed her audience.
"Thank you everyone for coming to our concert! That was the last song of our set so sadly, we'll be ending our stage very soon. With that being said, thank you so much for all of your support, dream on Ghetto-goers!"
Then pops of confetti can be heard as the streaks of color fluttered in the air, marking the end of their performance. The idols went backstage and the crowd now fell into a state of murmur as they dispersed from the stage area.
I pondered, was that girl who I think she was? I wasn't exactly sure, but that was none of my business and so, I digressed.
Now where to?
...
I decided I wanted to check if there was a bakery down here.
Rox was probably already on his way, so I shouldn't stray too far. With nothing else better to do, I proceeded to explore the neary vicinity of the Grim Ghetto.
━─━────༺༻────━─━
It didn't take long for me to arrive at the main plaza of the Grim Ghetto, it wasn't that far of a walk from where I watched cosmIX perform. I looked around in search of a bakery of any kind, I was desperately craving for a chocolate cornet, or two.
I roamed around the quiet plaza, it almost seemed peaceful here. A few vendors were scattered about selling their own goods, and that's when I laid my eyes on one in particular.
⌈ Lucas' Confectionaries ⌋
Bingo.
I made my way to the stall and looked at their menu. Fortunately, they were selling chocolate cornets and even some coffee.
"Two chocolate cornets please, thank you."
The vendor nodded and place two chocolate cornets in a paper bag. It didn't smell as fresh as Uncle Daichi's, but who was I to complain?
I sat down on one of the seats and proceeded to eat. I also asked for a cup of water, I hadn't realized just how thirsty I was until the creaminess of the chocolate cornet flooded my taste buds.
Suddenly, someone sat a seat away from me and spoke towards the vendor.
"One cappuccino."
It was the girl who I had bumped into earlier at the Tenebra District. She was still wearing the same attire as before, but she was now wearing a pair of glasses.
I analyzed her figure and slowly came to a realization, I still wasn't a hundred percent sure but I could always just ask her for confirmation, I just recognized her appearance far too well. I then grabbed her attention.
"Excuse me, are you perhaps, Soowon of cosmIX?"
The girl slightly shook in surprise upon hearing my question. She looked over at me, and a face of frustration glared towards me.
"What the fuck? It's you again? My goodness the audacity of some stalkers nowadays."
"N-No I didn't follow you! And if I did then I really didn't mean to, I'm just quite lost. It's just that I'm a really huge fan!"
"Yeah yeah that's what they all say until they start trying to harass the shit outta me."
"I promise I mean you no harm! It's just I want to ask you some questions–"
"Mhm, that totally does not sound suspicious as fuck, at all."
Soowon averted her gaze from me and took off her beanie, her pristine blue hair cascaded like a river as she adjusted her posture.
"But I guess since you actually recognized me and seem so persistent, I can spare you a few questions, but if you say or do anything weird I'm booking it." Soowon's droopy eyes were accentuated by her furrowed eyebrows.
"Ah right uh, why is your group performing down here in the Grim Ghetto of all places?"
"What do you mean? We've never performed outside the Tenebra District before. Wait a minute don't tell me, are you an outsider?"
"Uh, I guess?"
"Ah no wonder you seem so fucking dense, you probably don't even know anything about the situation down here."
"In truth, I really don't, I've only heard so little about the Tenebra District back at the surface."
"Wow, of course mhm. Let's not stay here for too long, walk with meee–uhhh–errr–"
"Shinyu, my name is Shinyu."
"Yeah right Shit-flu mhm nice to meet you. Let's walk and talk over there."
"Nice to meet you too, I suppose."
We both made our way towards the the disheveled artificial park devoid of greenery at the center of the plaza, gloomy lighting decorated the grim atmosphere as we both conversed.
"How'd you even manage to find out about cosmIX? You're not exactly our target demographic."
"I thought I was though? If I'm not your target audience, then who is?"
"The darkness-dwellers of the Tenebra District of course, which you are definitely not one of. Believe it or not, this beautiful face was born and raised here in the lowest level of the Tenebra District." Soowon remarked as she snickered softly.
"Oh I see, I never would have known, it's just that I really like your group's songs, they really uplift my soul."
"Hmph, as they should. It's good to hear our songs have at least reached out to the heart of one weirdo, no really." Soowon's manner of speech shifted from mockery to sincerity as she continued speaking.
I looked around me, the more that I looked, the more I noticed the poor condition of the buildings down here as well as of the people who occupy them. The situation here was less than ideal, the murkiness was incomparable to that of the extravagance of the Cor District.
I continued the conversation.
"Your songs, I really love the lyricism. Who writes the songs for your group?"
"Ah right, it's me, I write the songs for cosmIX."
"Really? I'll just tell you now, but I really love the messages you convey with all of your songs. Back in the Cor District, when I first started attending Synod Academy, I was extremely lonely. Back then, I didn't think it was a problem, but as the days went by, I realized just how pitiful my existence was. Seeing everyone going about their day pursuing all sorts of things that made them happy, it saddened me a bit, and I just didn't know why."
Soowon's blue eyes as serene as the sea shimmered brilliantly as I felt her gaze rest upon me.
"So when I found your group's music, something just clicked. The stories contained within your songs never failed to cheer me up. it just helped those aimless days feel a little bit more worth living." I reciprocated Soowon's gaze with my own after speaking my mind.
"The songs, they weren't exactly written for you surface-dwellers."
"Well, who then?"
"You dumbass, I obviously wrote it for the residents of the Tenebra District. If you are as inspired by my 'lyricism' as you say you do, then you should know why."
"I don't follow."
"Ugh, you sound so stuck up y'know that? Anyways, you should come with me Shit-flu, I have something to show you."
"It's Shinyu."
"Same thing." Soowon muttered to herself as she took off towards another gloomy corner of the Grim Ghetto. I reluctantly followed.
━─━────༺༻────━─━
We had both arrived at what seemed to be a small community nearing the borders of the Grim Ghetto. The same dreary lighting that was observable throughout the ghetto occupied this area. Soowon pointed her finger towards a particular residence enshrouded in the darkness.
"You see that house over there? I live there, well I mean, I used to live there once upon a time."
I inspected the highlighted building, it looked quite run down and seemingly uninhabited. It definitely wasn't an ideal place of living.
"It looks, old."
"No shit, sherlock."
Soowon then wandered out further around the nearby vicinity. A sour look on her face was barely visible from where I stood.
"I'm not the only one who had to live in such shitty conditions. Everyone who lives here also had to go through the same shit I did, and it'll only get worse for them the longer they choose to live."
Soowon looked back at me with a solemn look on her face.
"I understand more than anyone what it was like to eat dirt, live like dirt, and lose your loved ones, to dirt."
"The Synod?"
Soowon nodded her head.
"So as an 'avid listener' of cosmIX I'm sure you also understand what I want to do."
"To become famous?"
"Ding ding! You win a prize!"
"R-Really?"
"Of course not you dumbass."
Soowon's furrowed eyebrows loosened as she started chuckling to herself. I smiled awkwardly as I scratched my head in embarrassment.
"Y'know Shit-flu, you're not that bad of a guy at all. Sure you sound absolutely annoyin' with your fancy-shmancy words, but I've met much creepier guys than you before that's for sure."
"I uh–am flattered, I suppose."
Soowon looked up as she listened to my remarks, and for the first time ever, I looked above. A never ending web of darkness polluted the musty ceilings of the Grim Ghetto, the infrastructure was no longer in good condition.
"That was what I saw every time I looked up, rather than clear blue skies, it was just darkness that loomed over us. No daylight, no moonlight, just shadows upon shadows."
We locked gazes once more.
"I wanted to write songs that would act as the Tenebra District's shining ray of hope in the dark despair of the chasm beneath the Cor District. I know that sounds corny as shit, but that's really what I want to do. And it just so happens that if I want to do just that, I have to become real famous and make it big."
My eyes glimmered as I listened attentively.
"If you've really been inspired by the true meanings behind my songs, then I'm glad to know I'm on the right track."
A bittersweet expression creeped onto Soowon's facial features as she stood proudly. I reassured myself. Of course I was inspired, the stories that her songs told were what guided me in the midst of the darkness that enveloped my mind during those moments back in time.
Ah, I understand now.
It seems I was no different from the darkness-dwellers of the Tenebra District and the Grim Ghetto.
For all my life, shadows of uncertainty plagued my mind as I tried to move through the motions of daily life. Although the bright neon lights of the Cor District blinded me every single day, I was still huddled up in my own chamber of darkness. A darkness that clouded my judgement, character, and drive, the drive to forge my own path that I knew for sure was the one for me. Yet because I was stuck in that darkness, I never knew if I was acting on my own accord.
It was hard to believe that the person who helped me break out of that darkness was standing in a nonchalant manner right before me. It was the glimmer of light that radiated from her music that helped me light the flames of the Adamari within me ablaze.
And it was very those ardent flames that have aided me, and endangered me. Although my life now is much more hectic than what it was before, only now have I finally opened my eyes. Only after burning away the darkness that terrorized my mind was I able to recognize the true darkness that lurked over the entirety of Eidolo.
Now I knew for sure that what lead me here, was my own self.
"Alright enough about my little sob story, I suppose I have now answered all of your questions." Soowon reverted back to her brash and loud manner of speech as she started walking away from me. However not three steps later–
"Halt."
Soowon froze in place. The wide frame of a familiar figure overshadowed her own. He seemingly came out of nowhere as his face was veiled in darkness.
"Ugh what's your deal old man? Can you like, move outta the fuckin' way?"
"I'm afraid I cannot do that, please excuse yourself."
"Um, excuse me? You can't just tell me what to do–!"
"Silence, do not speak out of turn."
"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about it?"
"...Then perish."
With a loud burst of sound, a cloud of dust enshrouded the area where they both stood as I looked on in horror.
No, this couldn't be...
The dust clouds soon dispersed and revealed the Herald of Chronos standing there ominously as he adjusted his sleeves. Soowon was nowhere to be found.
"Hey what the fuck man?!" The blue afterimages of someone dancing about a sizable crater, it belonged to Soowon. Thankfully she was able to dodge the Herald's attack just now, I sighed in relief. Soowon whipped out a wooden blade seemingly out of nowhere and assumed a defensive stance, I followed in suit.
"Shinyu, do not resist, you are to be apprehended in adherence to the wishes of the [Emanator of Nature]." The deep gravelly voice of the Herald roared out once more. He deployed a drone that whirred about in the air next to him. Soowon and I slowly backed away from the threat devoid of malice and rather eneveloped by an aura of self-defined justice.
"Friend of yours?" Soowon inquired shakingly.
"No, not at all." I quickly responded to her question.
My feet began to tremble, I was getting extremely nervous. Most especially because my Shade still hadn't contact me yet, so I can only assume my Limbo Tether was still incomplete even after all thsi time. I was going to have to fight using my own abilities without the help of an otherworldly being.
But just why was Heinrich here? Wasn't Rox the one who was dealing with him? It couldn't be that he lost right?
"Rox and I agreed to a deal, but it seems that vagrants tend to stick to their dishonest tendecies and choose deception. However something quite remarkable had happened during the exchange of intel–
–A clash of overlapping fates were evident in the Shade of the [Emanator of Flames]."
Confusion soon enveloped my mind, what did he mean by overlapping fates?
"And thus, to my dismay, I wasn't able to decode his true intentions, so I disposed of him."
My heart dropped, this couldn't be real. This had to be some kind of sick joke. Rox is an Emanator right? He couldn't have been defeated so easily, right?
Right?
My entire figure began to quake in fear of the worst.
Zap!
A plasma beam shot across the air towards me, I couldn't react in time and was mere inches from being shot straight in the head.
Zorp!
The beam of strong plasma ricocheted as something had prevented it from hitting me. It was the wooden blade of Soowon that smoked in the area which the plasma beam had collided with. She had already quickly dashed in front of me and was able to block the drone's attack.
"Get a hold of yourself bitch boy! Don't let this old man get to you, he clearly wants you dead–!"
░▒▓█▓▒░
The Herald suddenly appeared in front of the two of us, his right arm preparing to jab Soowon who stood before me. Soowon immediately noticed his fame and braced herself with a wide stance, her wooden blade in hand.
A loud 'thump!' resounded as Heinrich's fist collided with Soowon's wooden blade. Soowon let out a loud grunt as she tried to continue blocking the Herald's attack still exerting a powerful force. Her feet began to shift backward as Heinrich began to overpower her. I snapped out of my trance.
Now wasn't the time for this.
I slid under Soowon and pushed myself upwards with my arms, striking the Herald with my feet engulfed in flames. Heinrich, caught off-guard, was flung upwards and was momentarily suspended in the air.
"Nice one Shit-flu!" Soowon wiped the sweat of her forehead and yelled out. She then quickly dashed towards Heinrich and struck him straight in his chest while he was still vulnerable.
"Hurk!" The hulking figure was flew backwards and crashed onto a surface area not too far from the both us.
The flames of the Adamari danced around my hands now clenched into fists, I don't know if Rox was okay or not, so I was gonna have to pummel the questions out of the Herald myself.
"So, you're a Savant, hm?" Soowon asked me as she stood next to me and readjusted her stance.
"How are you aware of the existence of Savants?"
"You should meet my mentor."
The Herald stood up from where he had collapsed and dusted off his clothing, seemingly exhausted.
"Imbeciles, you have the audacity to–"
My feet combusted as an explosion of flames propelled me towards the herald.
⌜"I wanted to write songs that would act as the Tenebra District's shining ray of hope in the dark despair of the chasm beneath the Cor District."⌟
Whenever I listened to someone speak their mind, I never really understood from where they were coming from. But ever since the flames of the Adamari struck my soul aflame, I've slowly began to understand other people, and most importantly, myself. I don't know why, but I know knew what I wanted to do, I wanted to save others and myself from the darkness that continues to linger within my mind.
So if I wanted to do that, I had to start somewhere. I no longer felt as if I was lost, no... I knew for a fact that I was no longer lost. Because I had decided that I wanted to forge my own path. I feared for my own life as I was quickly shooting towards the Herald of Chronos, in truth, I had no idea what I wanted to do.
But I knew for sure, that this was the choice, my own choice.
I closed my eyes.
{The Adamari has acknowledged the flames that light your heart ablaze.}
░▒▓█▓▒░
I felt my mind pulsate as reality as I perceived it began to warp and re-configurate. I began to sense a multitude of things, from the wide expanse outside of the immediate battlefield, all the way to the slightest vibration in the air. It was almost as if I was seeing everything, and the nothingness that comprised it, assimilating all into one.
Was I perhaps, in a state of Limbo?
[Flame Manipulation, Flare!]
A conflagration of flames weaved around my figure as I spun into a tornado of fire. I used my heightened senses to evade the plasma bullets the drone shot at me. I then inflicted a barrage of kicks against the defenseless frame of the Herald of Chronos. The dancing flames then soon dispersed and revealed me in the air above the Herald, preparing to attack the with a reverse chop kick.
░▒Th▓w█▓ack▒░!
The sound of distorted warping reverberated around my leg as it struck the Herald's head into a concussion, crushing him beneath my feet. Clouds of dust and lingering flames dispersed to reveal Heinrich on the ashen ground. He laid there motionless, eyes closed.
I had defeated the Herald.
[And you also achieved a constant of Limbo! Congrats!]
"Ah!"
I removed my feet that were using the Herald as a stepping stone as I jumped in surprise. I completely forgot about the disembodied voice I would hear in my head whenever I was in a state of Limbo. I used the proper terminology, correct?
{Mhm! You soul has fully resonated with your subconscious desires, permanently forging the Limbo Tether bridging your subconscious to the mirror world.}
I listened to the voice in my head banter as I tuned in to my surroundings and everything that comprised it, this state of my mind was truly mesmerizing. I almost felt as if I was viewing reality from a whole new perspective. Now that I thought about it though, it sounded as if my Shade was more lively than the one in my dream—
{That's because you were talking to your Shade within your subconscious, you can't talk to it right now since you're y'know, wide and awake, in your consciousness...}
Oh go figure, why did the Shade perceivable by my conscious have to be so loud—
{Hey! I can her you loud and clear y'know!}
My bad.
I looked behind me and spoke. "Soowon, are you okay?—"
I shuddered in place, I spun my entire figure backwards and frantically looked around, Soowon was nowhere to be seen, not even my heightened vision can see her. I focused my senses, I had to look for any sign of her, breathing, a heartbeat perhaps?
I listened closely.
...
{Shinyu, beh░▒▓░ind—░▒▓█▓▒░}
The voice of my Shade drowned in static as ear-splitting tinnitus began to attack me seemingly out of nowhere. Did my Limbo Tether weaken again? No, I could still feel the connection between me and my Shade. Someone or something was disrupting my mind right now and was causing this loss of communication. Wait, behind?
I heard two heartbeats behind me,
One that was steady, and one was that beating rapidly.
I reared myself backwards once again and scanned my surroundings. The first thing I noticed was the Herald of Chronos still unconscious on the floor.
Then I looked up.
What I saw next was Heinrich holding Soowon hostage.
But... this couldn't be, how was Heinrich standing over there now?
I sporadically looked at the Herald that stood below me.
Static began to envelop his figure as it distorted and warped about, until it had completely crumbled away.
What the?—Just how? What was going on?
"Let go of me you asshole!—"
[Chrono Manipulation, Clockwork.]
"How agitating."
Soowon's words were cut off as she froze in place. Heinrich let of of the once struggling and flicked open his pocket watch. He stared at it for a good while then met his gaze with mine, cold eyes persisting through the darkness.
"This charade has gone on for long enough, it has gotten late. It's about time you surrendered yourself."
I just didn't understand, how were there two Heinrichs? And how did the one we beat just now just dissipate like that?
The Herald of Chronos spoke once more.
"You may have fully resonated with the flames of the Adamari, but you still stand no chance against the power of The Original Endeavor. You're still weak."
I gritted my teeth, how was I this powerless? Was there really nothing I can do even after fully entering Limbo?
░▒▓█▓▒░
Before I could react, the Herald had suddenly appeared in front of me and rested his pointer and index finger onto my forehead.
"Rest yourself, and relinquish your dream to The Original Endeavor."
My vision began to blur. No, this can't be...I was still able to fight, no, I still had to fight! Rox was in danger, Sowoon was in danger.
I was in danger.
My eyes became heavy as I tried to resist against the overstimulation flooding my heightened senses. I collapsed onto my knees and tried to ward away the drowsiness threatening to knock me out. My blurry vision could only make out the boots of the Herald of Chronos and the darkness in the background. Then suddenly, a fuzzy figure emerged from the shadows behind the Herald.
"I figured this would happen." The bleary voice sounded extremely familiar, I knew exactly who it was even though I couldn't see him clearly
"[Ema░nator of ▒░mes], what brings ░▒ here?"
"Could a░k ya the s░▒░ne thing."
The two voices were gradually becoming even more inaudible as I laid still on the ground, desperately tying to maintain consciousness.
"░e had a de░▒al."
"And I d░▒▓vered."
"Th▓░t is false. Y░▒ only spouted lies."
"That's 'cause I w░▒ misinformed, and ▒░, I have a proposal."
"Do elab░▒▓ate."
"I'll p▓█vide you with 'intel' regarding that ░▒▓, as you may al▓▒░y know, he truly isn't of ░▒ ▓█▓▒░. And as an exchange, you lea░▒ve us all alone. Shinyu, Sowoon, and myself."
Silence befell between the two.
"I'm afraid tha░▒ cannot do."
"Eh? h▓░w come?"
"I sugg░▒ for a comprom▓█, if you want me to ░▒▓ept your deal."
"And that is?"
"Surrender yourself to the ░▒▓, and along with it, renounce your o░░n dream to The ▓█▓inal End░▒or."
"...Alright a░▒▓fine."
My eyes closed as my thoughts began to fade away.
"You h░▒ve a deal."