The blaring of sirens rang through Tenjin's ears like nails scraping against steel. He winced, his grip tightening around the hilt of his sword. The facility was chaos incarnate—red lights flashing in rhythmic urgency, shadows flickering against sterile walls. Yet, Tora marched forward as if the noise didn't exist, his massive frame cutting an imposing figure against the corridor's cold, unyielding backdrop.
Tenjin jogged to keep up, his mind racing. Tora hadn't said a word since they'd entered, but his every step was deliberate.
"How do you even know where to go?" Tenjin asked, half out of curiosity, half just to break the oppressive silence.
Tora didn't respond.
Of course.
The hallway stretched on, its fluorescent lights casting sharp reflections on the polished floor. At its end, the path split left and right. Tora stopped before the intersection, standing motionless for a moment. His head tilted slightly, his gray eyes narrowing as if calculating something.
Then, without a word, he planted his feet firmly and drew back his fist.
"What are you—?" Tenjin began but froze as he watched Tora.
A faint shimmer of mana coated the man's body, concentrating around his arm. The air seemed to warp, rippling with raw energy as he clenched his fist tighter. Tenjin's eyes widened.
Standard physical enhancement magic was common enough, but this? This was something else entirely. It wasn't just raw power—it was a different kind of magic. Every muscle in Tora's body moved with purpose, every ounce of energy directed toward one devastating strike.
The punch connected.
BOOM!
The sound was deafening, a thunderclap in an enclosed space. The 1 meter thick steel wall crumpled under the force, shards of metal flying outward as the dust clouded the air. Tenjin staggered back, coughing, his ears ringing.
When the dust began to settle, he squinted through the haze. His breath caught in his throat.
On the other side of the wall stood..
Riven.
The man was a living nightmare, his tall, lean frame crackling with arcs of blue lightning that danced along his skin. His piercing eyes met Tenjin's, and for a moment, it felt as though the world had stopped spinning.
Tora immediately shifted into a ready stance, his mana flaring faintly as he stared down the opponent. But Tenjin?
Tenjin couldn't move.
His body refused to listen, his legs trembling as his grip on the sword faltered. The memory of their last encounter slammed into him like a freight train—Riven's lightning tearing through his body, the suffocating helplessness as he lay broken and battered.
"Fuck…" Tenjin whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding in his ears. His breathing quickened, his chest heaving as panic gripped him.
Riven smiled.
It wasn't a grin of amusement or triumph. It was a predator's smile, cold and calculated, devoid of any warmth. Without a word, he dashed forward, his movements leaving trails of blue lightning in his wake.
Tora was ready.
Riven's fist crackled with energy as he aimed a devastating blow at Tora's chest. CRACK! The collision sent shockwaves rippling through the corridor, but Tora stood firm, his feet digging into the ground as he caught the strike with his forearm. Sparks flew, the air charged with raw energy.
Tora retaliated with a punch of his own, his fist aiming straight for Riven's ribs. The sheer force of the attack created a shockwave that shattered nearby light fixtures, plunging part of the hallway into flickering darkness.
But Riven wasn't so easily caught. He twisted his body unnaturally, the lightning around him crackling louder as he dodged the blow by mere inches.
"You're stronger than you look."
Tora didn't reply. Instead, he launched himself forward with a speed that belied his massive frame. WHAM! His fist connected with the wall as Riven sidestepped, leaving a crater where he had stood moments before.
Tenjin watched the exchange from the ground, his back pressed against the cold wall. His vision blurred as tears welled in his eyes, the overwhelming fear constricting his chest.
"Move" he whispered to himself
"Get up. Do something!"
But his body didn't respond..
Riven's speed was unparalleled, his movements a blur of light and sound. He darted around Tora, delivering rapid strikes that sizzled with energy. Each hit left burns and cuts on Tora's skin, but the man seemed unfazed.
"Enough" Tora growled, his voice like gravel.
With a burst of power, he slammed his fists into the ground. The resulting shockwave rippled outward, forcing Riven to leap back. Tora surged forward, closing the distance in an instant. His fist aimed for Riven's jaw, but he managed to block in the last moment.
CRUNCH!
The sound of bone snapping echoed through the corridor. Riven's arm twisted unnaturally under the force, but his expression didn't change. Instead, he retaliated with a kick to Tora's torso, sending Tora skidding back.
Blood dripped from Tora's mouth.
"You're fast," he admitted, his tone almost grudging. "But speed means nothing if you can't put me down."
Riven's smile widened.
"Let's test that theory."
He raised both hands, arcs of lightning converging between his palms. The air grew heavy, the static making Tenjin's hair stand on end. A deafening roar followed as a massive bolt of lightning shot toward Tora.
BOOOOOM!
The explosion lit up the corridor, sending debris flying in all directions. When the dust settled, Tora emerged, his body bloodied but still standing.
"You're a tough one huh" Riven said, his voice tinged with admiration.
Tenjin clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. He couldn't just sit there.
He wouldn't.
Taking a shaky breath, he forced himself to his feet. His knees wobbled, but he tightened his grip on his sword.
"Come on…" he muttered, his voice shaking. "Move."
But his body was sluggish, the weight of his fear like a shackle. He watched as Tora charged again, his strikes growing slower, more desperate. Riven was beginning to take control, his speed and precision wearing Tora down with every exchange.
A particularly brutal strike sent Tora crashing into the wall, blood splattering across the floor.
"Get up!" Tenjin yelled, the words directed at both Tora and himself.
Riven turned his head slightly, his cold eyes locking onto Tenjin.
"Still here, are we?"
Tenjin's heart stopped.
For a split second, he felt the devastating blow—lightning tearing through his body, his vision filling with blinding light. The sound of his own scream echoed in his ears, followed by a suffocating silence. His body went numb, the light swallowing everything.Riven had already decapitated Tenjin.
The first thing Tenjin noticed was the silence.No sirens. No explosions. No clash of fists or crackle of lightning. Just… silence.
He opened his eyes. Everything around him was white. Not just white walls, or a white room—no, it was as if the concept of color itself had been erased, leaving behind an infinite void of nothing but pure light. He squinted, lifting a hand to shield his face. But there was no sun. No source of illumination. Just endless, all-encompassing whiteness.
"This… feels different" Tenjin muttered, his voice echoing oddly in the emptiness. "Last time, everything was black."
Then, a voice broke the silence—high-pitched and cheeky, like an energetic child who just got caught sneaking a cookie.
"Of course, you idiot! This is the White Room!"
Tenjin froze. He turned his head, trying to find the source of the voice, but there was nothing. Just white.
"Who… the hell?" he began, but the voice cut him off.
"Wow, you really are slow. Do I have to explain everything to you? It's so boring explaining everything…"
Tenjin frowned. "Hey, hold on—"
"Don't interrupt me!" the voice snapped, then softened again. "Anyway, welcome to the White Room! You're lucky I'm nice enough to talk to you at all."
Tenjin blinked. His body felt… normal. Intact. He flexed his fingers, then cautiously stood up.
"Okay.." he said slowly, glancing around the endless void. "What are you? Or… who are you? I guess that's the better question."
The voice giggled. "Oh, come on. You should know this, idiot. I'm Yang! Duh!"
Tenjin raised an eyebrow. "Yang?"
"Yeah, Yang! As in Yin and Yang! Seriously, you need to keep up. Were you dropped on your head as a kid or something?"
"I… don't remember" Tenjin muttered, his brow furrowing. The voice's words didn't make any sense, and its tone—high-pitched and smug—wasn't helping. "You… sound like a little kid."
"Wha—how dare you! I am not a kid!" Yang's voice huffed indignantly. "I'm an ancient, transcendent being of cosmic balance, thank you very much! Show some respect!"
Tenjin rolled his eyes. "Great. Stuck in a weird void with an annoying kid-voice god. My luck keeps getting better."
"Hey! I heard that!" Yang snapped. "Fine, I'll explain why you're here, but only because I have a proposal for you."
"A proposal?" Tenjin repeated, narrowing his eyes. "What kind of proposal?"
"You're dead."
Tenjin blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Yup! Dead as a doornail! Kaput! Currently residing in the White Room because you bear the power of Yin and Yang. Pretty cool, huh?"
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Tenjin's voice rose, frustration bubbling to the surface. "Dead? Yin and Yang? None of this makes any sense!"
"Well, it's complicated," Yang admitted. "Let's just say you're special, okay? Really, really special."
Tenjin pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're going to have to be a little more specific than that."
Yang sighed dramatically. "Fine. You're special because you have the power of ying and yang, buuut you weren't supposed to have mana!"
Tenjin blinked. "What do you mean, wasn't supposed to have mana?
"Because of your whole Yin and Yang thing, you're not supposed to be born with it. But, thanks to… circumstances I can't tell you about yet, you ended up with mana anyway. And now it's merging with your Yin-Yang power, which is… very bad."
Tenjin stared blankly. "Okay, I'm going to need a lot more explanation here."
"Look, it's simple," Yang said, her tone exasperated. "Every time you died, you were killed by magic and your power swallowed a part of the magical attribute that killed you and merged with it. At this rate, your soul is going to be completely destroyed in a few days as such things cannot exist in this universe."
"Wait, what?" Tenjin's voice cracked. "Destroyed? As in, gone forever?"
"Yup!" Yang said brightly. "Poof! Gone! Bye-bye Tenjin!"
"What the fuck?" Tenjin yelled. "So I'm just going to die again? That's it? But this time for real?"
Yang's tone turned surprisingly somber. "Well… yeah. Unless… you accept my proposal."
"I'll cure you," Yang said, her voice chipper again. "But in exchange, you'll owe me five years of your time."
"Five years?" Tenjin repeated. "What does that even mean?"
"Don't worry about the details!" Yang said evasively. "All you need to know is that it's better than dying. So, what do you say?"
Tenjin hesitated. "I mean… I don't really have a choice, do I? I'm dead anyway, so… sure. Fine. If it works, I'll give you five years."
Yang giggled, her laughter taking on an unnerving edge. "Hehehe… good! This is going to be fun!"
Tenjin's stomach dropped. "Why do I suddenly feel like I've made a terrible decision?"
"Oh, don't be such a baby," Yang said cheerfully. "Now, I'm going to remove every last bit of mana from your body and completely destroy your mana-core."
"The what?" Tenjin asked confused.
"This is going to hurt a lot" Yang said, completely ignoring him. "And since we're playing with magic here, it'll probably feel a lot longer than it actually is due to some time shenanigans... But you can take it!"
"The fuck, nah, I'm out" Tenjin said, trying to back away. But his body wouldn't move. He was frozen in place.
A beam of light descended from the white void, stopping just inches in front of him. It was blinding, impossibly bright, and somehow warm and cold at the same time. It touched him, and—
Pain.
It was like nothing Tenjin had ever felt before. His entire body convulsed as if every nerve ending had been lit on fire. He screamed, his voice raw and broken, as the light tore through him. His mana-core—whatever that was—felt like it was being ripped apart molecule by molecule, each fragment dragged out with excruciating slowness.
And then it was over.
Tenjin on the ground, his body drenched in sweat. He could still feel the echoes of the pain, a phantom ache in every corner of his being.
"See? Told you you'd survive!" Yang said, her voice maddeningly cheerful. "You're welcome!"
Tenjin groaned, his head spinning.
"What… the fuck… was that?"