The night was clear. The stars shone brightly, as if mocking the pain of those who still breathed in that world. The sky... was far too beautiful to be part of a game. Yet there was Revild, standing at the top of a building, his gaze lost up above.
The wind blew softly, making his hair sway. The gentle glow of the stars illuminated the edges of the surrounding buildings, creating shadows that danced with the wind.
Revild remained silent. But in his mind, a vivid memory emerged with the force of something uncontrollable flooding his brain.
The hospital room. He was outside, standing by a window. Inside, Haruto lay on the bed. His skin still had color, but his eyes... his eyes were different. Slightly golden. A strange glow, but not noticeable enough for the nurses. But Revild couldn't take his eyes off it.
Beside him, Kinetsa and their mother were watching too. Their mother was trembling, holding them both tightly. Revild could feel the grip on his arm. He could hear her trembling breath.
Then one of the doctors came out of the room. Pale face, tired eyes, sweaty.
— What's wrong with him? — Revild asked. His voice came out low but sharp.
The doctor swallowed hard and shook his head.
— We're still trying to find out... — he murmured.
The words felt like something tearing him apart from the inside. Revild's mother collapsed, hugging him and Kinetsa as if they were about to disappear.
Revild didn't cry at that moment. He just looked at Haruto through the window again. His brother looked back at him. Even sick, he smiled.
That smile was burned into his memory. But even with Haruto's smile, Revild could still see the tears in his brother's eyes.
Back to the present, a single tear rolled down Revild's face. He didn't bother to hide it. The wind dried it before it could hit the ground.
Soft footsteps broke the silence.
Alya.
She approached slowly. She didn't want to startle him, but she wasn't there by accident. She stopped a few steps away, also looking at the sky. Her hair swayed gently, and her expression was different. No irony, no teasing smiles. Just a doubt trapped in her mind.
— What are you doing here alone? — she asked.
Revild didn't answer. He didn't turn around. His gaze was glued to the sky, as if trying to pull an answer from it.
— Why... why is the sky so beautiful like this? This is all just a game, right? — She tried to force a smile. She couldn't.
The image of that strange woman — that figure she had seen earlier, that woman with a twisted smile and cruel gaze — came to her mind. Alya bit her lower lip. A strange urge took over her. But the images of Koloris disturbed her thoughts.
— I just... I just wanted to go home — she whispered.
The wind blew once more.
— A game and a two-billion reward. Did you really think this was going to be fun? No one's that stupid to offer all that money out of charity.
Revild clenched his fists. The silence returned, but his voice was so cold as the tears dried in the breeze.
Revild remained standing, motionless.
Then, slowly, he turned. He descended the building carefully, passing through the rubble of broken walls. It wasn't a destroyed city, but it wasn't intact either. Small details around — cracked walls, loose wires, fallen signs — gave the scene a strange look. Something between real and broken. Like a poorly assembled dream.
He walked slowly through the empty streets until he reached a smaller building, whose entrance was partially broken. A chunk of the wall was open, as if someone had crashed through during some earlier battle.
He entered. Short steps. The sound of his shoes echoed in the silence.
Inside, the faint lights from nearby buildings passed through the gaps in the broken windows. It was a simple place, but the smell of dust filled the air.
Revild stood still in the middle of that empty hall. He just stood there, listening to the sound of his own heart.
The silence brought back memories. The battle against Koloris. The appearance of a power that seemed to freeze time. But above all, it brought a strange sensation. Something he still couldn't explain.
This is not just a game.
It wasn't just about real blood, or real pain.
It was the sky.
It was the silence.
The feeling that everything there had a greater purpose — a purpose no one had explained yet.
That's when he felt the wind change.
It wasn't just the natural wind anymore. It was as if the very air around him had grown heavier, thicker. Almost dirty.
A low chuckle.
Revild closed his eyes for a second.
— Show yourself — he murmured.
The chuckle grew louder. The sound of boots stepping on cracked ground.
Koloris.
She appeared in the corner of the hall, almost like emerging from shadow, but walking like someone parading down a red carpet. Her messy hair fell over her shoulder, and the blades she carried glimmered faintly with the reflection of the external light. A twisted, almost provocative smile curled across her face.
— Relax... — she said, licking one of the blades. — I'm not here to fight. Not yet.
Revild clenched his fists. The instinct screamed to advance, to crush her, to wipe that smile off her face.
But he held himself back.
— And what about it? — he said, his blue eyes glowing intensely, his cold voice sharp, ready for the attack.
Koloris tilted her head slightly to the side, playing with the blade, brushing it along her own neck, that grotesque smile still plastered on her face.
— You must be wondering... why does feeling the resurrection pulsing through your body feel so good, huh? — Her smile widened. — But... do you know what it demands in return?
That sentence was spoken in such a soft tone as she ran the blade along her tongue.
Revild didn't answer. But his throat felt dry.
Koloris took a step forward, slowly licking the blade's edge. The starlight reflected in her eyes.
And that was when the night seemed to grow even quieter.