The dim glow of a neon-lit alley flickered against the cold pavement, the air thick with the scent of blood, smoke, and something far worse fear.
Yara stood before a shattered mirror in an abandoned building, her dull, dead eyes reflecting back at her. Her once long hair was now reduced to sharp, choppy layers, mirroring the ruthlessness she had grown into. With precision, she adjusted the black gloves she had taken from the corpse of a fallen soldier fitting snugly over her fingers. The uniform she now wore was stripped from the lifeless body of an elite enforcer, a sleek, tactical suit that blended into the shadows, completed with a monochrome tie and reinforced straps.
This was no longer Yara.
This was Nightmare Zero.
A title whispered in fear across the dystopian cityscape, a reputation built from carnage and silent, calculated executions.
The Hunt is just beginning.
The world she walked through was one of chaos a fusion of countless realities. The futuristic neon skyline clashed with the war-torn remnants of a past era. Rusted tanks lay abandoned in the streets, their cannons still reeking of gunpowder. Airships hovered above like predators, scanning the ruins for survivors. Somewhere in the distance, the wail of a siren cut through the smog-covered sky.
And yet.. the wars continued.
As she moved through the streets, hushed whispers followed her. Mercenaries, soldiers, assassins all of them had heard the rumors. The woman who never missed a shot. The phantom who left no survivors. The nightmare who had no mercy.
A group of heavily armed men surrounded an alley ahead. Their rifles gleamed under the artificial light, their voices tense.
"They say she's moving through here."
"No way. That's just some urban legend."
"then why the fuck is there a whole squad missing?"
Yara didn't hesitate. She struck.
Crack!
A single suppressed shot. A bullet pierced the skull of the nearest soldier, dropping him instantly. Before the others could react, she moved like a shadow, sliding between them with inhuman speed. A knife tore through a throat, a wrist twisted until it snapped, a bullet driven point-blank into a skull.
By the time the last man screamed, she had already buried a blade in his heart. His mouth opened but no sound came out.
Nightmare Zero did not allow witnesses.
She continued forward, but something shifted.
The scent of blood was overwhelming, even by her standards. Yara turned a corner, eyes narrowing at another mountain of corpses before her.
And there, sitting atop them, was him.
Renji Sato.
The same man in a tattered tracksuit, his clothes drenched in blood, his fingers lazily wiping a nosebleed away. His face was void of emotion. his tired eyes staring at her with something that wasn't quite caution but wasn't quite indifference either.
"You again.." he muttered, exhaling as if exhausted. "Didn't think I'd run into you this soon."
Yara's grip on her rifle tightened.
Her cold, lifeless gaze met his, her finger already moving toward the trigger.
"Relax.." he sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. "I'm not looking for a fight again."
Silence.
Her eyes didn't waver.
Renji chuckled dryly. "Well if you don't believe me.. you can always shoot. But honestly?" His head tilted toward the corpses beneath him. "I've had enough fun for today."
Still, Yara said nothing.
The air between them was suffocating, two killing machines standing in the wreckage of a ruined world.
Renji slowly raised his hands a small smirk tugging at his lips. "Tell you what. You wanna kill me? Fine. But at least hear me out first."
Her rifle didn't lower.
But she didn't pull the trigger either.
For now.
A Battle Against the Narrator's Pawn
Before Renji could say another word, the ground beneath them rumbled.
A deep, guttural growl echoed through the ruined city, a distortion in the air forming above them. The temperature dropped. The air became dense.
It had arrived.
A twisted abomination descended from the sky one of the Narrator's pawns.
Its form was a grotesque fusion of steel, flesh, and ink. Eyes scattered across its body, blinking erratically. Mechanical arms twitched, jagged blades protruding from their joints. Its face was not its own it was a mask, a porcelain-white expression that never changed.
And behind that mask?
Nothing.
A hollow existence.
A creature crafted solely to serve Anonymous X.
The Narrator's First Puppet.
It let out a guttural screech.
Then it attacked.
BOOM!
A massive claw tore through the street, splitting the pavement apart. Renji barely dodged, flipping backward with inhuman agility. Yara. however she didn't move.
She didn't need to.
Her rifle was already locked onto its skull.
BANG!
A perfect shot. A bullet tore through its mask. sending cracks rippling through the porcelain.
But the puppet didn't die.
It didn't even flinch.
It moved faster than anything before it, its jagged arms twisting unnaturally as it lunged at her.
Yara pivoted. dodging by mere inches. Her sniper rifle flipped in her hands, shifting into a close-range combat mode. A hidden blade snapped out, gleaming under the neon haze.
Renji from behind. clicked his tongue. "Well.. shit."
Then, he joined the fight.
Steel clashed against steel.
Bullets shredded through the air.
The city crumbled around them.
And above, unseen and unheard.The Narrator watched.
Grinning.
Enjoying the chaos.
As the dust settled, a familiar, mocking voice cut through the battlefield.
"Well well… such an exhilarating amazing performance!"
The air distorted.
A massive screen flickered to life above them, displaying the twisted grin of Anonymous X.
"You've certainly exceeded expectations. Yara or should i now call you Nightmare Zero? And you.. Renji Sato… I must say. you have your own brand of charm."
Renji rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah. Get to the point. would ya?"
The Narrator chuckled. "Oh.. but this is the point. You're all dancing to the same song. Fighting, killing, surviving all for what?"
The screen flickered. The Narrator's smile widened.
"You're still nothing but Fictional characters."
Silence.
Then-
A snap of fingers.
And just like that-
The Puppet… regenerated.
Yara's eyes narrowed.
Renji clicked his tongue.
The battle wasn't over.
Not even close.
And as the city burned, as the puppet rose again, as the Narrator's laughter echoed through the night…
The Nightmare continued.