Splash.
I still remember that day.
"Hey, big brother."
"Mm?"
It was during our first visit to the beach.
A fairly unknown remote spot where I coincidentally found. A beach full of white sand, a sky full of singing seagulls, it was a definite tourist attraction if ever discovered. At that time, I probably just wanted to show her a unique view, after all, we've never seen the sea before.
"I have been thinking about this one thing..."
"What is it?"
It was moments before her departure. It was also the first time I ever rebelled against my family. Could you imagine how furious the Magi were when they found out that I have sneaked their precious genius out without any permission?
Hmhm~
But I did it.
I did it because I wanted her to feel free at least once. I simply cannot imagine the psyche of a young girl who has been cooped up within a castle amidst the snowstorm for her entire life. I can do it as I have lived a long life, but what about her? She needs to see the world. That's what I believed and wished for.
In any case, what was so wrong about being free for even a short time?
"You see... In a situation where morality conflicts with your own interest... what will you do?"
"Hm? What's with this obvious question? Of course I'd─"
Of course I'd save you.
Only you.
There is no one else.
...
...
...
Her smile that day was truly worth it.
~ Ephemeral Dream ~
"Now, I announce the commencement of the second class trial! Let us all have a wonderful time, pupupu~"
When I came to my senses, I was already in the familiar courtroom, hearing the oh-so familiar voice. The nauseous feeling of being spatially transported was still there, but I can feel my body adapting to the experience.
I put strength in my trembling knees, I move my arm to support myself against the wall, slowly moving myself to one of the fifteen stands that were encircling the room's center. Looking around, most of the other Hunter examinees were doing the same thing, with their faces green and their mouths covered.
"You have fifteen minutes! You hear me? Fifteen minutes!"
My mind... it's worn out just like my body. All the constant activities must have took a toll on my mind. Thinking about it, I have not properly rested since disembarking the airship.
"What are you all doing~? Someone's going to die again, yanno'? Why don't you all go to your positions and end this farce quickly... At this rate, I'll miss the live broadcast of my favorite anime...!"
In a way, the irritating bear is right. We do not have any time to play around with. I still have something I must do with this worthless life of mine, therefore, I cannot help but feel desperate.
"Let's begin."
Taking the lead, the words that I held back uncontrollably left my mouth. I ignored the smirking bear, my line of sight moved to the four companions I met, and at the same time, a helpless smile formed on Fenric's face. Was he feeling as desperate and as clueless as I am?
"Yes, let's begin." He nodded towards me and gestured for the others to move up the platforms. "As you have all guessed, we do not have any evidence pointing to any one of you. Hence, as the sole person who is confirmed to be innocent, I'd like to act as the intermediary of this trial."
"I concur." As swiftly as he finished, I agreed. Having him as the mediator of this trial would play to our advantage. And I doubt anyone will refuse him, the one who holds the detective role.
"It can't be helped. I also agree."
"Go ahead."
"Fine, whatever. Let's just get this done with."
It seems like everyone's agree. Let's─ Hmm? What is he...
"Fenric?"
"Set."
Set?
"Set."
What?
"...Ignite."
─!
"Ignite!"
With those four words, the world changed.
~ Ephemeral Dream ~
"Yes, let's begin."
I understand what you want to me do, Kurapika, however, I have something else planned for you.
"As you have all guessed, we do not have any evidence pointing to any one of you. Hence, as the sole person who is confirmed to be innocent, I'd like to act as the intermediary of this trial."
Now that you're all off-balance, how can I not take this chance? The trial transportation added by the game was a fluke, but the added effect sure is generous. It's perfect for an ambusher like me to exploit.
"I concur."
"It can't be helped. I also agree."
"Go ahead."
"Fine, whatever. Let's just get this done with."
"Set." The keyword was spoken, consequently, something within me was triggered. At that moment, Mystery declared its presence, finally unveiling itself before the masses.
"...Fenric?"
"Set." The sudden tinge of pain, the numbing sensation, and the increase in temperature in my body answered the ever-brilliant artificial miracle.
'Truly...' The memories of my childhood came flooding in. '...I can never abandon magic.' With this reward, the struggles I went through were worth it. Every time I bring forth magic, I can feel my heart's desires being fulfilled. Those efforts that I have paid was really being rewarded... with a miracle.
It was certainly a tiny happiness I can enjoy amidst the chaotic world. I cannot remember how it started, but the simple concept of 'magic' amazed me, making me excited like a child. It was no wonder why I followed the path of a Magus till the end. Not just to protect myself and my loved ones, but also to witness a miracle, artificial or not.
Nevertheless, my current goal does not align with yours. I am here to save someone, thus making you all my enemies, therefore...
Please die.
"...Ignite."
'What I wish for is fire, a never-ending fire.'
'What I see is a landscape, a landscape being stained in black, under the setting sun.'
As the distorted reality collide against the norm, a miracle will be produced.
"Ignite!"
~ Ephemeral Dream ~
They see fire.
They see white.
They see black.
Right before them, the world that they knew faded into a monotone symphony. Those vivid colors vanished, and a dull combination of black and white shrouded everything in their lackluster selves. It was akin to a featureless show.
The mastermind saw the spells taking place. He saw his victims, the unsuspecting Hunter examinees, struggling against the spatial transportation's aftereffects. Even though the sharper ones have instinctively perceived the changes in the air...
──They were still too slow.
The world as they know, the courtroom owned by the laughing bear, was transformed into a blazing inferno. A chain of combustion reactions occurred directly on some of the examinees' faces. They did not even have the time to react as they were instantly swallowed by a cloud of explosion.
The air above the room burst free. A scenery that should not exist replaced the occupied trial. Barbed trees, thorn grasses, melancholic flowers, and many strange things started growing. Soon, the entire room was covered in them. Lastly, a milky river was formed on the walls surrounding them.
The examinees watched on in horror and utter confusion. They rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were having a nightmare. Those who were injured by the clouds of explosion crouched down, holding their burnt faces in pure agony.
Amidst the screams, bizarre and eldritch elements were added to the newly grown plants. Crying faces appeared on the flowers. They began to sing an eerie song which soon turned into a devil's orchestra. The barbed trees danced. They flung their spikes everywhere, examinees who were near them fell down on the ground and tried their best to escape from the certain deaths. The thorn grasses rose. They bounced up and down. It was as if they were children who could not wait to receive their Birthday presents.
"Sunt pueri pueri, pueri puerilia tractant."
The milky river moved. The water which was once motionless flowed normally. At times, strange eyes and symbols could be seen within the unknown depth. They were beckoning for the examinees, offering them enticing deals and asking them to lose themselves to their primal instincts. It was akin to a devil's temptation.
"What is this..." Kurapika, who barely maintained his calm in this surreal situation, finally reacted. He was the only one who witnessed Fenric's action. "Am I dreaming...? Hallucination?" He bit his lips. Warm blood flowed out and dripped onto his tabard.
"Why do I smell something else that's not burnt meat...?" Gon, who was near Kurapika, murmured. His keen senses worked perfectly in spite of the stinging smells of blood. His instincts told him that something was wrong.
"Gon..." A scent of sulfur drifted to Kurapika's nose. "Sulfur?" He smelt it as well. "Sulfur... Sulfur... Sulfur... Sulfur dust─?!" The Kurta widened his eyes. "This is bad...! Everyone, get out of─"
"AARGHHH!"
A piercing scream was heard.
Thud. The sound of someone collapsing followed.
The sudden scream sent the examinees into silence. There, on one of the fifteen stands, was a body. An arrow was protruding out of the man's back and blood were spurting out of a the body's chest. An expression of shock and disbelief was still present on the Bodoro, the Martial Artist's face. The aged master must have been caught off guard. It was all thanks to these bizarre plants.
"..." The examinees quickly took note of the situation. They turned their heads to the only man who wielded a weapon related to archery. 'It is him.' It was just as they though. Pokkle had his bow drawn, and the bow's end was pointing towards former 191st Hunter examinee.
Unfortunately, the tragedy has yet to end.
Buzz buzz. An irritating buzzing came from the room's south. "...Go." A large quantity of bees came out of Ponzu's hat and rushed towards her target. Similar to Pokkle, her blank face was one without any hostility, she was simply doing the task given by her 'master'.
"You, what are you doing?!" Goz yelled, watching the swarm of bees flying towards him. He pulled out his weapon. Each swing of the spear took down several bees. However... what can a spear do against an army of bugs?
"Ugh!" Soon, swellings formed on the warrior's body. "Aah... Aaahhh!" Eyes, cheeks, neck, arms, legs, chest, back, there were purple lumps on every corner of his body. "Stop, stop it!" An unbearable pain passed through him. "──!" Every single twitch would send pain coursing through his veins. He simply could not bear it.
Before anyone could snap out of their shock and rush to help him, an arrow found itself between the warrior's eyebrows. And thus, the 371st examinee swiftly followed the footsteps of his predecessor and collapse onto his stand.
'What is this? These plants... Is this hell? Or is this an illusion?' The flowers' singing was sending him over the edge. The trees and grasses were draining away his sanity. However, his could not ignore the two obvious enemies in front of him. '...In any case, I'll have to take down these two first...!' Kurapika promptly armed himself and closed his distance.
"Die." It seemed that Killua fully agreed with the blonde man's thought. As Kurapika reached the halfway point, the Zoldyck assassin has already arrived behind the bowman. His hand were extended towards Pokkle's neck while his fingernails grew to become incredibly sharp.
Slap. "Wha─!" His nails were parried. Click, click, click. The clicking sound bothered him. Sadly, he did not get the chance to see his attacker's face as he was slammed into the opposite wall with an intense kick.
"Killua!" Gon shouted. Only rage was present in his countenance. Was it the singing? Were they influencing his reasoning? His mind went blank and all he could think of was to avenge his friend. "You!" A fishing rod was swung, and the tough float collided against the clicking man's head.
Sweep. "Huh?!" The counterattack failed. Someone had interfered. Looking down, Gon could see a playing card stuck in the ground. His hook and float were lying close to it. 'The card struck the fishing rod and the severed the line?!'
"Gon, stand down!" Leorio roared and dashed towards the card thrower, Hisoka. 'Gon lost his weapon and Killua most likely fainted. It's me and Kurapika against those four now.' With the loss of his fishing rod, Gon's battle capability was dropped by several degrees, therefore, it was now all up to him and Kurapika to deal with the four. "Gon, go help Killua!" He was not underestimating Gon, he was simply worried about the motionless Killua.
Buzz buzz. Unfortunately, his heroic charge was interrupted by a swarm of bees. "Fucking bees!" Leorio's eyes shook. He stopped his reckless assault and quickly backed off. A few steps more and he would've fallen victim to the bees' paralyzing poison.
Looking to his side, he saw Kurapika being beaten down by the clicking man, Gittarackur. The pinhead's offensive was masterfully executed. The blonde man had zero chance to fight back. In fact, he was barely defending against the onslaught of kicks.
"Kurapika!" Looking more clearly, an arrow was embedded in the Kurta's right knee. 'At this rate... he'll die...!' His heart was beating rapidly. He hasn't felt like this since the death of his good friend. 'We need help, someone...!' He clenched his fist and glared at the smirking clown. And then, something clicked in his head.
'That's right, Fenric...!' He had forgotten about their companion due to the adrenaline rush. The white-haired doctor was undeniably the strongest among them thanks to his knowledge on Nen. He would certainly be able to defeat the four with his Nen ability.
"Fenric, I─!" But before he could speak, he suddenly felt extreme dizziness washing over him. His body lost its strength in no time, and his legs gave in. Not longer after, he fell onto the floor, his eyes gazing at the vaporizing spray held between Ponzu's hands. '...Slee... Sleeping gas...?'
Ultimately, he fell asleep.
~ Ephemeral Dream ~
Real world.
The current state of Zevil Island was as peaceful as ever. Despite being shrouded by mist, the island's original inhabitants did not seem to be disturbed at all. Birds were chirping while their young were fed, within the forest, groups of fawns were joyfully following their family, and the fishes in the streams were swimming with vigor.
In the middle of this mist-shrouded island was Fenric.
"It's finally ending." The Edelweiss Candidate was sitting on a riverbank. He seemed to be contemplating about something. "I'll have the puppets take care of those two... Hm?" His closed eyes opened. "As expected of Killua. That kick from Illumi and the sleeping gas didn't actually knock him out..." He rubbed his forehead and sighed. "I'll let my avatar deal with him then. And there's also Gon..."
Crack.
The sound of branch breaking rang out amidst the tranquil environment. A silhouette walked out from behind the tree line. It seemed that they did not care much about covertness as they openly swaggered towards the man who was meditating at the riverbank.
'And the last boss appears.' Fenric felt a headache forming. His face was pale from the aura and prana exhaustion. A sort of fever was also present as his body temperature rise with the activation of Magecraft. The illusion and ignition spell have already drained him of his energy and now he must face someone who he simply wishes to flee from.
'Nen ability and the illusion have taken most of my reserves. I am not combat capable so I should run away... Ah, at least Killua's finally fainted.' He got onto his feet and turned towards the silhouette. "How may I help you?" He said in a friendly yet neutral tone.
"You see, I'm just curious why I can't find anyone even after so many hours of searching." The last boss, Hisoka, answered. "And so, I found you." Formless bloodlust flooded out. The oppressive aura he was giving off would have sent any ordinary man gazing into the abyss.
"Why don't we negotiate? I know you're strong and I'd like to live a long life." Fenric took a step backwards and braced himself. "If I am not your target then you'd let me go. And if I was your target, I will obediently hand over the card and move away from this place."
"Aahhh, no, no, no, that's not what I want." The clown shook his head. His voice slowly went into one of a deranged murderer's. "I don't care about number badges anymore..." A deck of playing cards appeared in his hand. "..What I want... is you!"
All of a sudden, several cards cladded in malicious aura were readied to be thrown. Each of them gleamed with savagery. At this point, they could not be considered mere thrown projectiles as each of them held the destructive power of a bullet.
"Crazy...!" Expecting the situation to worsen, Fenric immediately used his trump card. 'I specially modified these so I hope you'll enjoy them to the fullest!' He reached down into his satchel bag and grabbed onto a string of objects. Without further ado, he pulled the pin and hurled the bundle of six high explosive grenades at Hisoka.
"Huh─" The clown, too, did not expect such a swift development.
'As if I'd stay and fight you.' Despite his exhaustion, the white-haired Magus went into the state of self-hypnosis once more. 'Ugh.' He calmy manipulated the weather around him as blood dripped down his nose. It was more of a continuation of his spell rather than beginning a new one hence it did not cost him as much prana. However, it was still a large-scale spell. Anything more than that and he'd black out.
He did not waste a single second either. He retrieved the 9mm handgun and fired rapidly at Hisoka, not wanting to give the man a chance to dodge the grenades. God knows what the pervert could do with his genius-level intellect.
BOOM! A giant fireball was produced as a result of the consecutive detonation. The playing cards comparable to bullets were knocked off course. They too were soon swallowed by the explosion's flames.
Driven by his instincts, Hisoka swiftly deployed his aura and protected himself. But even then, the damage caused by the grenades produced numerous burns on his body whilst he himself were momentarily dazed by the attack.
Before long, the giant fireball vanished, leaving only clouds of smoke behind. The once tranquil riverbank was covered in scorch marks. Further to the left, dead fishes could be seen floating on the tiny stream. It was truly a cruel sight.
Truth be told, Hisoka should have died from the point blank discharge. Could you imagine someone surviving six magical high explosive grenades when he's not even ten centimeters away from the explosion's center? Nevertheless, the genius Nen user did actually survive such an attack. And he did not even lose a single limb.
The thickened mist weakened. The form of Fenric has long since vanished. He had disappeared into nothingness, leaving nothing for Hisoka to chase after. What was left at this tiny stream was only one thing: silence.
"...Ha─ Good, good, good! You surprised me, I'll be sure to return the favor!" There was no hint of anger from the clown's voice. All that could be felt was a trace of excitement and a massive amount of bloodlust. Nevertheless, he was already too late in tracking down the white-haired man. No respond would ever answer him now.
~ Ephemeral Dream ~
Candidate: Fenric von Leiqritus
Race: Human
Title: Dawn Gazer
Rank: Fifth Rank
STR: 3.8
VIT: 3.9
AGI: 5.1 (+1)
INT: 9.9 (+3)
Equipment: [Silver Flash], [Violet Sunset], [Severed Glare]
Skills: -
Skill points: 2
Attribute points: 0
(Skills: 2 slots, skills won't be deleted but their levels will be lost when removed, 2 slots are gained per rank up.
Inventory: 2 slots, unstackable, cannot exceed the size of 1 cubic meter per slot, impossible to be stolen, 2 slots are gained per rank up.
Equipment: 3 slots per rank. 3 slots are gained per rank up.)
(For Inventory, 1 cubic meter means the total size. This means that his rifle, which is longer than 1 meter, will be bent by space when stored. This means that he can keep objects that exceed 1 meter within his Inventory as long as their figures do not go beyond 1 cubic meter.)
(It hasn't even been a month so there isn't much growth except the one he got when he first activated Nen. The growth was around 0.4~0.5 per attribute. Of course, these attributes does not include when using Nen's reinforcement. Fenric also cannot use the Reinforcement spell on his body due to strange influence from Edelweiss. His body itself is already considered to be in a 'semi-perfect' state.)
Author's Note:
Sunt pueri pueri, pueri puerilia tractant means Children are children, (therefore), children do childish things.
What Fenric did with the game (the game's setting) will be completely revealed in the next chapter. I just want to rush this tiny arc because I seriously can't think of myself finishing an entire Danganronpa-ish arc~
