"THAT'S ENOUGH! SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!"
"Heh, or what? Are you gonna strike me? Don't forget that I'm still a teacher after a-"
"I don't give a crap if you're the damn prime minister! I won't let anyone talk trash about MY mom! Especially not an asshole like you!"
"S-Sakamoto sto-!"
"PISS OFF!"
"Oh, really...? Heh heh, alright then, fine. I'll leave myself wide open. Throw a punch. Hit me. Do whatever you want. After all... It's not gonna change the fact that daddy probably left cuz' mommy didn't know how to suck... HAHA!"
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!"
CRACK!
"ARGHHH!"
A quiet gasp emitted from a certain blonde wearing a school uniform as they suddenly woke up. They looked around, seeing people sitting down and some holding onto bars, which made him remember that he was on a train.
"*Sigh* I really need to stop daydreamin' on the train..." He shook his head before looking back at his phone."
This individual was Ryuji Sakamoto, a 2nd year at Shujin Academy who was currently on his way back home from school.
Ryuji was taking the same train he always used on his route back home. It seemed like he had fallen asleep at some point, which was strange since if he could recall, he didn't show any signs of being tired the entire day.
"What? Are you for real? A mental shutdown?"
His attention shifted toward two schoolgirls cheerfully chatting away near the train gates.
"It's the truth!" One of the girls who had a ponytail defended.
"To a person though? That's gotta be a joke!" The other girl with long hair refuted, "You really love all that occult stuff, don't you?" She joked, causing both girls to giggle.
'Those two seem real chummy.' He mentally observed with interest, 'Well, at least they're not alone... Unlike me...'
"Don't come near us ever again, Sakamoto..."
The blonde quickly shook his head with a grimace at the memory. The hurt and angry look on their faces was the last thing he wanted to remember right now.
"We will be arriving at Shibuya shortly! This is the last stop before..."
The announcement surprised the blonde teenager since he remembered falling asleep a few minutes after he boarded the train.
"Damn. Did I really sleep that long...?" He rhetorically asked as he checked his phone.
The train then began to stop, bringing him out of his own train of thought.
'Well, guess there's no use in worryin' about that now.' He concluded in his head as he moved to get off.
Outside, the teen could now be seen browsing through his phone as he strolled through the streets of Shibuya, paying no attention to the people that passed him by.
He stopped for a second to look upward and noticed that he had reached the Scramble Crossing, which meant he was on the right track, although he made no motion to leave.
A regular habit Ryuji had was stopping in the middle of the Shibuya Scramble Crossing just to admire the view, a tradition that he picked up ever since he was a toddler.
As he gazed, the sound of a notification from his phone brought his attention back to the device. However... "Huh?"
What greeted him on the screen of his device was an odd and unfamiliar black and red logo featuring an eye with a star in the middle, which eventually took up the entire screen.
"... I don't remember downloadin' this." He stated with furrowed eyebrows as he tried to tap on his device, only for the screen to show no reaction whatsoever.
"... The hell? What's wrong with my damn screen?" He asked in frustration. It wasn't like the phone he had was old either, so why was his screen frozen? Did it have something to do with this weird app?
Before the blonde could ask any more questions, a sudden feeling made him stop, and for whatever reason, he looked to his left to see where that feeling came from, only to blink in surprise when he noticed the people passing by him had suddenly stopped moving.
"Eh...?" He uttered with a raised eyebrow. He brought his gaze forward only to see that the civilians ahead of him were also not moving. It's almost like they were... Frozen in place...
The blonde vigorously rubbed his eyes before checking if what he was seeing was real, and lo and behold, everything remained the same.
"... Wuh... I-Is this some kinda dream or sumthin'...?" He asked in immense confusion, "Am I even awake right now...?"
His confusion only grew as he looked around to see that every single person in the vicinity was frozen, some in the middle of an activity like talking on the phone, riding a bicycle, and crossing the street among many more.
Although, as he looked around, the teen's eyes suddenly widened when his eyes landed on a particular sight ahead of the Shibuya Crossing.
In the distance of the Scramble Crossing was a blue flame that raged on for him to witness.
"Did... D-Did someone start a fire...?" He whispered in disbelief, wondering where in the world that fire had come from.
How did someone start a fire if everyone around him was supposedly stuck in place? Or was this some kind of convoluted prank? Even then, he couldn't think of anyone he knew who could fool him like this.
Suddenly, the flame began to grow in size, and for some reason, Ryuji couldn't help but stare at it in intrigue. It's almost like as if... It was calling to him.
Then, the flame began to morph into what looked like the shape of a... Mysterious figure riding a... Pirate ship...?
A reflection of the mysterious sight could be seen in the blonde's pupils as he stared at it, his eyes displaying an indecipherable emotion.
All of a sudden, a face resembling that of a skull wearing an eyepatch emerged from the upper part of the flame, only for it to swiftly be replaced by the sight of what looked like Ryuji himself, albeit with yellow pupils, grinning madly with the fire burning behind him.
The vision caused the blonde to jolt back with a gasp, however, to his surprise, everyone around him was moving again as if they hadn't been stuck in place a few seconds earlier.
"W-Wait wha?!" He exclaimed in a mixture of shock and confusion.
He frantically looked around, more confused than he's ever been in his entire life. "But... W-Weren't they all just...?"
He stayed in place for a few more seconds before bringing a hand to his forehead, "Man, I need to work on my sleeping schedule... I'm startin' to hallucinate shit..." He stated with a groan.
Ryuji then noticed that the red and black logo on his phone had shrunk in size and was no longer covering his screen. He scoffed and wordlessly dragged the app to his trash, permanently uninstalling it before he resumed his journey to his house.
The front door to a particular home was opened as Ryuji stepped in.
"I'm home!" He announced as he closed the door behind him.
"Hey there, son! Welcome back!" A mature feminine voice greeted the teen from their spot on the couch whilst watching TV.
"Evenin', ma." Ryuji greeted as he took off his shoes and threw them in the closet near the door.
"Good evening to you, too." The woman, Mayumi Sakamoto, responded to her child with a smile, "Did you have a good day at school today?" She asked.
Mayumi Sakamoto was a mature and beautiful woman in her early 40s, sporting a short haircut that was black, unlike her son's blonde hair, and had a hairpin in said hair.
She was currently donning her normal house attire consisting of a gray long-sleeved shirt and blue sweatpants and was covered under a blanket as she sat on the couch.
"... Nothin' too interesting to talk about." Ryuji vaguely responded as he made his way toward the staircase leading to his room.
"Oh... Well, do you want me to get dinner started soon?" Mayumi asked, causing him to stop in place.
"Nah, it's fine. I already ate some ramen on the way." He answered before he began to climb the stairs.
"Okay... Then, if you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know, okay, honey?" She called out to him from the couch.
"Yeah, I know. Love you, ma!" The teen responded from the top floor.
"Love you too, baby!" She replied before she turned back to her show with a sigh, "I know I'm doing everything I can, but I just wish I knew exactly how to help him..."
Meanwhile, with Ryuji, the blonde finally stepped into his room and closed the door behind him, sighing.
While his room wasn't the messiest one out there, it was still pretty disorganized, judging by the books lying on the floor as opposed to the ones on the shelf, the two dumbells on the ground, and the PlayStation console that was lying down instead of being propped up on a stand, not to mention the single table in his room with a drink and a bag of chips standing on it.
"Another day, another night of feelin' like shit after school..." He commented as he threw his bag to the floor.
After taking a quick shower and changing into his sleep attire, which consisted of a red singlet and his boxers, the blonde almost immediately flopped onto his bed, covering himself and lying his head on the pillows.
'Ain't no way I'm gonna study at a time like this... So might as well kill some time until my eyes start to get heavy...' The teen thought as he pulled out his phone.
However, he blinked in surprise when he was greeted with a familiar sight once he turned it on. "What the...?"
It was that same odd logo with an eye that Ryuji had seen back at the crosswalk, which was now displayed along with his list of apps.
"I coulda sworn I deleted this freaky' lookin' app...!" He whispered in confusion. He knew for sure he didn't re-download it, so how did this app manage to sneak its way back
However, he didn't dwell on it for too long as he did exactly what he did last time and dragged the app toward his trash. "Off you go." He commented as he watched it uninstall.
With that taken care of, the teen opened up the YouTube app on his phone and began his ritual of scrolling away on his phone or watching random videos until he fell asleep.
Whether it be a video about a game or comic he was into or a video with two guys somehow creating a pool from scratch, he gazed at whatever video popped up in his recommended, until eventually, before he knew it, the teen's eyelids started to get heavy, and the feeling of sleep slowly consumed his body, allowing him to finally rest...
.
.
.
A gasp was emitted from the blonde teenager as he was suddenly woken up by the sound of a chain.
A single chain dangled over his head and a toilet that looked like it belonged in a prison cell could be seen, along with walls covered with blue padding.
Ryuji looked around in absolute puzzlement, trying to figure out how he had suddenly been transported to an unfamiliar area instead of his bedroom.
"... Wuh...?" He let out in confusion as he groggily sat up, only for his eyes to widen as he realized that not only had his room changed, but his clothes too, as he was now wearing a black and white striped outfit that resembled a vintage prisoner outfit, and his arms were now in iron cuffs, which strangely didn't restrict his hands from moving.
As if on instinct, the blonde quickly whipped his head to his right and was shocked to see that there were iron bars concealed by chains in front of him.
"A-Am I in a... Jail cell...?" Sakamoto quietly asked in a mixture of confusion and slight fear. Looking down, he could also see that his left leg had also been chained to a large ball, which didn't help his confusion at all.
"It would seem that he has finally woken up."
The sound of a soft voice caught the teen's attention and he looked toward the cell once again only to find no one there.
"Hmph. It's about time!" Another voice, this one sounding a bit more snappy, spoke.
The sound of footsteps filled the vicinity, and suddenly, two beings, who strongly resembled that of two little girls, appeared in front of the cell, standing on the left and right side respectively.
The one on Ryuji's left with her platinum blonde hair braided was wearing an eyepatch with the letter 'V' on her left eye, a blue hat with the letters 'OYOO' printed on it, a brassard on her left arm, and an outfit that resembled that of a warden. The one on the right with her hair in two buns wore a similar eyepatch on her right eye, and her attire matched that of the other girl's, except the letters on her hat were 'XMRN'.
Ryuji could tell that they were twins, and they were staring at him pretty menacingly as they suddenly huddled up to one another, well, the one on his left just looked calm, whereas the one on his right was smirking at him, but he couldn't help but ask himself.
Who the hell brought their kids into a prison... And why were they dressed as prison wardens...?
Last time he checked, Halloween wasn't for another 5 months.
The blonde suddenly found it in himself to stand up and walk up to the bars, staring down at the children who were staring right back at him.
"... Uh... Are you kids lost or somethin'?" He asked with curiosity only to jump back in shock when the girl on the right swiftly slammed a baton on the bars.
"Who the hell are you calling a kid, inmate?!" She asked in an annoyed tone, "You better watch how you talk to us if you want things to go smoothly from now on!"
The one next to her let out an unimpressed sigh, "Calm yourself, Caroline. This reaction was to be expected, especially since this is the prisoner's first time seeing us." She softly scolded her sister.
"Fine." The one identified as Caroline begrudgingly relented, "It's time for him to see the inmate, anyway."
"Wait. Him...?" Ryuji repeated with furrowed eyebrows, "Who're you talking about...?"
The twins didn't give him an answer. Instead, they simply turned around enough to reveal something in the center of the room, which made Ryuji grab at the iron bars and look ahead with wide eyes.
In the center of the prison was what Ryuji could only describe as a creepy ass-looking old man with the longest nose he's ever seen in a suit sitting behind a desk.
As if things couldn't get any weirder, the man let out a chuckle before sitting up and looking Ryuji right in the eye, revealing himself to be wearing an impossibly wide grin.
"Buccaneer... Welcome to my Velvet Room." The mysterious man greeted in a surprisingly deep voice, which totally threw Ryuji off.
"Velvet... Room...?" Ryuji slowly repeated before he suddenly shook the bars, "What the actual 'eff is going on here?! Who the hell are you people?!"
"Quiet down, inmate! You're in the presence of our master, so show some respect!" The girl known as Caroline scolded.
"Master...?" The teen repeated in disbelief before he looked at the mysterious elder suspiciously, "I swear to God if you're some kind of creep who goes around kidnapping and brainwashing little girls then I'll-!"
The smacking of a baton on the cells interrupted his threatening speech.
"How dare you threaten our master!" Caroline angrily reprimanded, "If you disrespect him one more time, I won't hesitate to knock some sense into your empty sku-!"
"Now now, Caroline. I understand your behavior but I do believe that is enough." The mysterious man interrupted her.
The girl seemed surprised that he stopped her outburst, but she begrudgingly relented nonetheless. "Yes, Master."
"The you in reality is currently fast asleep." The other girl informed the clueless teen, "You are only experiencing this as a dream."
"A dream...?" Ryuji repeated, his confusion showing no signs of slowing down, "Wha...?"
The mysterious elder chuckled once again, grabbing Ryuji's attention.
"Welcome." He greeted once again, "I am delighted to make your acquaintance."
"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a "contract" may enter." The man explained.
"M-Mind and matter... A-A contract...?" Ryuji repeated in absolute puzzlement, "What the hell are you talkin' about...?! Who the hell even are you?!"
"I am Igor, the master of this place." The individual now known as Igor finally revealed his name, "Remember it well."
"The master...?"
"I summoned you here to speak of important matters." Igor revealed, "It involves your life as well."
This caused Ryuji to blink in confusion. "W-What...? My... Life...?"
"Still, this is a surprise..." Igor stated as he looked around the room, seemingly dodging the question, "The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such."
"Don't try and change the subject, dammit!" Ryuji irritatedly lashed out.
"I do believe you should give our master the chance to explain himself rather than lashing out like a wild animal." The calmer girl advised.
"You truly are a "prisoner" of fate. In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you."
"Wait, what...?" The teenager slightly raised his eyebrows at the last few words Igor spoke, "Hold on... Did you just say "ruin"? What the hell does that mean...?"
"I speak of the end to everything." Igor grimly answered, shocking Ryuji, "However, there is a means to oppose such a fate..."
"You must be "rehabilitated." Rehabilitated toward freedom..." He explained, "That is your only means to avoid ruin."
"Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?"
"I... I-I'm completely lost here, man..." Ryuji truthfully stated in a quiet voice as a single bead of sweat ran down his face. Truth be told, the blonde was more confused than he's ever been in his entire life.
First, he wakes up in a room completely different from his bedroom, only to find out that it's actually a prison cell. Second, he finds two little girls dressed as wardens guarding his cell. Third, he suddenly meets some creepy old man who not only looks like Jim Carrey doing a bad Pinocchio cosplay for an SNL skit but is also apparently the master of this place, and finally, this guy is suddenly talking about the possible end of the world! It was all too much to take in!
However, Igor simply chuckled at his confusion.
"Do not fret, Buccaneer. In due time, you shall eventually understand what it is that I speak of." He assured the teen. "For now, allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation."
"Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others." He suddenly spoke when the girls turned to face Ryuji. "To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here." He mentioned the name of the twins, revealing the identity of the warden of Ryuji's left.
"Wardens...?" Ryuji repeated with narrowed eyes, "... Them...?" He asked with a hint of skepticism.
"Hmph. No matter how hard you find it to believe, the undeniable truth is that we're the wardens here, inmate!" Caroline stated in response to his disbelief.
"The duty of wardens is to protect inmates. We are also your collaborators." The girl known as Justine revealed, "... That is if you remain obedient."
"I shall explain the roles of these two at another occasion." Igor cut in before Ryuji could voice his confusion further, "Now then, it seems the night is waning... It is almost time."
The long-nosed then snapped his fingers, which seemed to have suddenly caused what sounded like an alarm to blare in Ryuji's cell.
"What the hell...? What was that you just did?!" Ryuji asked in surprise.
"Time's up!" Caroline stated, gaining his attention, "Now hurry up and go back to sleep!"
"The hell do you mean "go back to sleep?!" He asked in response, "I'm not even in my own house!"
"Did you already forget what I mentioned about your current state earlier, inmate?" Justine questioned calmly.
"Huh? Whaddya me-?!"
The blonde cut himself off as his eyes widened in realization.
"Wait... So you're sayin' that none of this is for real...? And that I'm about to wake up from it or sum shit?" He questioned.
But then does that mean that none of this is real and he's just having a really intense lucid dream or something?
"Precisely, Buccaneer." Igor chimed in, "Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually." He reassured as if he were bidding farewell.
"But... T-There's still so much shit I gotta ask about!" The blonde tried to argue as he grabbed at his bars of confinement, "What was all that crap about our world fallin' into ruin! How the hell does this shit have anything to do with...?! M-Me..." He started to slur as he felt his vision slowly darken and his grip on the bars slowly weaken.
Before he knew it, the feeling of sleep had fully taken over Ryuji before he could even feel the impact of his body falling to the ground.
.
.
.
Sunday, April 10th, 20XX
A groan can be heard as Ryuji Sakamoto finally awoke from his slumber, letting out a yawn as he stretched.
He could see that it was morning now judging from the sunlight outside his balcony gate, and he glanced down to see that he was dressed in his sleepwear, rather than that... Prison outfit.
Ryuji checked the time on his phone, noting that it was around 9 AM. Around this time, his mom was usually awake and already cooking him some breakfast, which he definitely didn't plan to miss out on. So, he decided to get up in order to freshen himself up for the rest of the day, but not before uttering a simple statement to himself.
"What a weird ass, dream."
At the train station, a few people could be seen standing at one of the railway platforms, awaiting the arrival of their particular train. However, they were all shocked to be greeted by the site of their train speeding right past them, with the force even pushing one of them back.
The train hastily sped past multiple designated platforms as the passengers who were aboard were in a frenzy, some trying to brace themselves by holding on to something while others were panicking and trying to figure out what was going on.
One particular individual rushed to the door containing the train engineer, trying to shout inside the room for answers. Inside the room, however, the engineer of the train seemed to be stuck on accelerating, and black ooze seemed to be leaking from his mouth in an eerie display, only for him to raise his head and reveal that his eyes were without pupils as if his soul had left his body.
"We're experiencing technical difficulties in the lower line."
Some individuals on another platform looked ahead in confusion at the announcement.
A certain guard on the platform spoke into his phone as he also tried to look into the tunnel, "I don't have a visual yet... OH FU-!"
He quickly dived out of the way as the train came bursting through the rails, forcing many onlookers to jump back in fear as the various connected vehicles jumbled up on the tracks.
.
.
.
"That was direct footage from the accident." A female news reporter stated on television, "According to police, the engineer's life was not in danger, despite his injuries." She revealed as two certain people were watching the broadcast, one being an elderly man in a dark blue suit while the other was a young woman with ashen-brown hair in a dark suit.
"After questioning, even he could not explain his high speed when approaching the station. No further comments were made. Police are still looking for a plausible motive."
"It's less of an operating accident and more of a crime of the company and the government." The elderly man suddenly stated, "Site inspectors apparently reported all of this six months ago. The deterioration of the tracks and the ATC. Seems the railway company and the Ministry of Transport both turned a blind eye to the truth." He spoke as his subordinate simply listened.
"There's no way they can hide. This will go all the way to the top."
.
.
.
The ashen-brown-haired woman from earlier could be seen walking down a staircase with her bag in hand, seeming to be pensive.
Inside her head, she was still thinking about the newscast she had watched with her boss, along with the theory it had birthed in her mind. There couldn't possibly be any doubt that that train accident wasn't connected to all the other incidents of a sudden change in people without a motive. They were all just too similar! But still, she felt like it wouldn't hurt to gain another person's input on the matter, which is why she was satisfied to see a certain someone near the end of the staircase.
"Did you ask for me? Is it a case?" The individual curiously asked with a polite smile.
He had brown shaggy neck-length hair along with reddish-brown eyes and wore a tan peacoat with black buttons, a striped black and white tie, black pants, a pair of black gloves on each hand, and black loafers. He seemed to be quite young and was holding a metal briefcase.
"Not quite." The woman responded without looking at him, "I wanted your opinion on something."
"Sure. Your judgment is quite often correct, though." He commented before he gained a hopeful glint in his eyes, "Can we discuss this over sushi, perhaps? You are making a student work late, after all."
"Conveyor belt only." She responded as she walked past him, causing him to let out an "Aw" of disappointment.
"You always say that..." He complained as he walked after her.
"God..."
"Hm. What's up?" Ryuji looked up from the dishes he was washing to ask.
"Oh, no, sorry, 'hun." Mayumi apologized from the couch, "I was just reading an article on my phone that surprised me."
"Huh. Is it interestin'?" He asked out of curiosity.
"I think tragic would be a much more fitting word." She replied as she showed Ryuji the article, inviting him to come and check for himself.
He did just that, taking the phone from his mom's hand and glancing at the article's title, which caused him to widen his eyes in shock.
It was a news article about the train accident that had happened earlier, and this was Ryuji's first time seeing it. Apparently, the accident had left a few people injured and about 80 people dead.
"Holy shit..." The blonde whispered in disbelief, "Wait a sec... T-This happened at the same station I use to go to school...!"
"I know." His mom confirmed, "That was the first thing that caught my eye about it."
"Man..." Ryuji uttered with a sad look. He couldn't help but feel sorry for all those people who were injured or killed in the accident. They probably boarded their train thinking it'd be a normal day, without even realizing it'd be their last on Earth.
His mom noticed the sympathetic look on his face and couldn't help but gain one of her own.
"Do you want me to drive you to school tomorrow instead of taking the train?" She offered, bringing Ryuji out of his sad mood.
"I dunno... I think I'd probably be fine if I just took the train earlier than usual, 'cuz that accident'll definitely mess up the schedule tomorrow." He responded, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Are you sure...?" Mayumi questioned with uncertainty, "I feel like it would be much safer if I just drive you myself."
"*Sigh* Ma, it's fine." Ryuji assured, "I know you're all worried but I'm sure all this is gonna do is delay the trains a bit, nuthin' else. Ain't nuthin' bad gonna happen to me at all. Trust!" He said.
His mother seemed hesitant to agree with him but conceded nonetheless.
"Alright then... " She reluctantly nodded, "You know I just want to make sure you're safe."
"Of course I do, that's why your my ma." He replied before shooting her a grateful grin, "And I appreciate it!" He informed before letting out a yawn.
"Looks like somebody's falling asleep." Mayumi teased with a knowing smirk.
"Ehh, I am a lil' tired." The blonde revealed as his eyes started to look a bit droopy, "But I've gotta finish washin' these dishes first."
"Oh no. I think you've done enough washing for tonight." She stated as she moved to take his place at the sink, "You go on and get some sleep."
"For real? Are ya sure...?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course I am." His mom affirmed, "Besides, tomorrow is still a school day and you need to wake up early tomorrow to catch the train. So go and rest up, hun." She instructed with a smile.
"Well, okay then." He conceded with another yawn, already moving to the stairs, "Thanks, ma!"
"Sleep well, honey!" She responded back as he climbed up the stairs before starting to wash the remaining dishes herself.
As for Ryuji, the blonde plopped down on his bed once again, pulling out his phone in order to indulge in his usual bedtime routine, although...
"What the... Are you 'effin kiddin' me?!"
Once again, the same red and black app that kept popping up on his phone had returned once again, and Ryuji was starting to get irritated by it.
"God... This better not be some kinda new virus I put on my phone by accident..." He grumbled as he dragged the app to his trash for hopefully the last time. "And stay out."
With that out of the way, he began his routine of browsing away on his phone until the sensation of sleep hit him.
It would probably take a while, but at least it gave him a bit of peace until he had to go there tomorrow morning. Sometimes he wishes he didn't have to go back there at all, but he had no choice. That's why he loved Sundays because he could just spend most of the day with his mom.
Ah well, he probably wouldn't fall asleep for another 20 minutes, so he might as well enjoy his last few minutes of freedom.
Monday, April 11th, 20XX
It was currently a rainy day in Tokyo and a certain blonde-haired teen wasn't too happy about it.
"Gah! Knew I should've brought a darn umbrella..." He berated himself with slight irritation as he walked, making sure to cover his phone.
The teen was currently journeying toward his high school, having gotten off the train earlier and now moving on foot. Thankfully the rain wasn't so bad that one couldn't walk out in the open because of it, but he'd still prefer not to get wet on his way to school.
'Still, it's not like the rain's that bad, though. Plus I'm gettin' pretty close to the school anyway...' He mentally reminded himself.
After a few more minutes, the blonde spotted the familiar alleyway he used as a shortcut every day, much to his satisfaction, and entered the familiar pathway.
However, just as Ryuji exited the pathway and made a turn, he spotted a silver car at the curb, and the individual in the driver's seat was someone he recognized, causing him to scowl. His scorn slowly transformed into shock when he noticed a certain female was sitting in the passenger's seat with a conflicted expression, and he knew who that was...
'No!'
As if on impulse, the blonde tried to run to the car, only for it to suddenly speed off, making his effort useless and causing him to angrily stomp his foot.
"Dammit!" He cursed in frustration as he watched them drive off, "Screw that pervy teacher!" He uttered, unaware of a certain app on his phone screen inputting the last words he spoke.
Out of all the girls he could've been preying on, why did she have to become his next target?! The fact that this was a girl he knew personally made it even worse! If only there was some way he could actually help he-!
"Pervy teacher...?"
The sound of a smooth masculine voice brought Ryuji out of his thoughts, and he looked behind him to see a certain dark-haired individual wearing glasses and a school uniform staring at him.
'Who the hell is he...?' He mentally asked himself. He could tell by looking at the guy's uniform that he attended the same school as him, but this was his first time ever seeing around. Although he was slowly starting to get annoyed by the way the guy looked at him. Doesn't this weirdo know it's rude to stare at people?
Having enough, the blonde walked over to the spectacled teen, much to his surprise, and tried to stand as tall as his leg would allow him to.
"... What do you want?" Ryuji firmly questioned, "You plannin' on rattin' me out to Kamoshida?"
The four-eyed brunette blinked at him in confusion before responding with, "Kamowhonow?"
"Huh?" The blonde uttered with puzzlement, not expecting that response, "... In that car just now. It was Kamoshida." He gestured toward the long-gone car with his thumb.
"You mean the guy in the tracksuit?" The spectacled teen asked.
"Yeah." Ryuji confirmed before scoffing in pure disdain at the direction the car had gone, "He does whatever the hell he wants. Bastard thinks he's some kind of king of a castle..." He sneered.
Hit!
"... Which castle?" The dark-haired teen asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Wuh... I-I wasn't being serious. That's just a sayin'...!" Ryuji hurriedly explained himself, "You tryin' to be funny or sumthin'?"
"Not at all." The individual responded in a normal tone, which made Ryuji unable to tell if he was even being serious or not.
Although from the way this guy was talking, it seemed like he really didn't know who Kamoshida was, even though he was supposed to be a Shujin student.
"... Hold up. You really don't know Kamoshida?" He questioned in confusion, earning a shake of the head, "Are you for real? You're from Shujin, right?"
"Yeah. Do you go to Shujin too?"
"Well duh." Ryuji looked at him as if he were dumb, gesturing toward his blazer and checkered pants, "No other high school's got a uniform like this."
"Right. My bad." The other teen apologized, pushing up his glasses.
Analyzing the boy before him, the blonde noticed the button on his blazer with the number 2 on it, which he was also on his own blazer.
"A second year, huh...? We're the same grade then." The blonde stated before squinting his eyes, "Never seen you before though."
"Well, this is my first day here." The spectacled teen simply responded.
"Eh... Whaddya mean?" Ryuji questioned with a raised eyebrow before the gears in his head started turning and his eyes widened in realization, "Oh! Wait, are you that new transfer student I've been hearing about?"
"I didn't know I was already popular, but yeah. I just transferred here." The transfer student confirmed.
"... Huh. Then no wonder you don't know him." The blonde commented in understanding, "... But uh... Now that I'm lookin' at you up close, this ain't exactly how I was expecting you to look. No offense, though."
"Hm. I don't mind." He shrugged, "Although if we stand around and talk any longer we're probably gonna be late."
"Oh, yeah! Don't wanna be late on your first day!" Sakamoto voiced his agreement, turning around, "C'mon, let's go."
Before the two could start walking, however, both teens brought a hand to their heads as they began to feel them ache.
"Uuugh, my head hurts..." Ryuji groaned as he seemed to recover from the sudden headache, "Dammit... I wanna go home already..." He whined.
Unfortunately for him, he couldn't ditch school, so he sucked it up and resumed his journey to his school.
"You comin'?" He asked over his shoulder.
"Y-Yeah..." The new student replied a bit shakily, still recovering from the sudden pain.
.
.
.
"... There was a terrible subway accident that day. You remember it, don't you?" Sae asked the roughed-up blonde opposite her.
"Yeah... My mom showed me an article about it the same day..." Ryuji confirmed quietly, still a bit weak.
"So then I'm assuming you know of the uproar that the public calls the "psychotic breakdown incidents." She added.
"... Yeah, I think I do..." He responded with squinted eyes as if he were trying to remember.
"You say that like it's none of your business..." She raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.
"It was all over the news, and one of the victims included a teacher at your high school. I've no doubt that you heard of it." She explained, "On that day... were you still an "ordinary" student?"
"... The hell's that supposed to mean...?" He asked in perplexity, causing her to sigh.
"... Let me change the question. You've been a student of Shujin Academy for about a year, correct?" She earned a nod, "An ordinary prep school that could be found in any city... That's what it should've been."
"What happened around that time?" She questioned, "Tell me everything. Truthfully."
The blonde slightly bowed his head and let out a sigh.
"You got it, prosecutor..."
.
.
.
Back in the past, Ryuji and the new transfer student could be seen making their way toward their school, both making a left into a certain alleyway where they had to venture through. Ryuji was taking the lead since he was the one that often took this route, while the spectacled teen simply followed.
Eventually, both teens reached a corner that would undoubtedly lead them to their destination at long last, however, as soon as they both stepped out of the path to the entrance to their school, they were greeted with a sight that greatly shocked both of them.
"Wha-?!" Ryuji exclaimed with wide eyes.
In front of them where the Shujin Academy should've been instead stood a giant gold-colored building that strongly resembled that of a castle, and not only that, but it seemed like the sky had somehow turned dark purple instead of blue!
"Is this really the school?" The transfer student asked in flabbergastment, "I don't remember it looking anything like this..."
"I-It shouldn't... But then again, it's not like we came the wrong way though..." The blonde responded as he looked back at the alleyway they came from, "Yeah, this should be right... What's goin' on here...?"
This looked like some shit you'd see in a movie set in the medieval era, not in the 2000s!
"... Maybe we could head inside and ask somebody." The spectacled teen suggested.
"Yeah... That's probably a better idea than just standin' around and gawkin' like idiots." Sakamoto agreed, "C'mon. Let's head in."
And so, the two teenagers climbed up the bridge that led into the castle and headed straight inside the entrance.
.
.
.
"What in the actual eff...?"
The interior that they were expecting to look like a school was instead in the style of a typical medieval-themed hallway with a fancy red carpet, a bright and stylish chandelier, and a large red curtain.
"Okay... I officially have no idea what's going on anymore." The transfer student remarked with raised eyebrows.
"No kiddin'..." Ryuji agreed in exasperation, "This SHOULD be the school, yet I don't see a single classroom anywhere."
"Do you think we made a wrong turn or something?"
"No way! I know this place like the back of my hand!"
"Then why don't we check the map on our phone just to make sure?"
"... Yeah, I guess it wouldn't hurt to check." Ryuji agreed and pulled out his phone, "Wuh- Out of service??"
"No luck here either." The transfer student showed his own phone screen that displayed the no signal sign, causing the blonde to groan in annoyance.
"Where the hell did we end up?!" He asked in frustration, "I could've sworn I saw the sign for the school! Didn't you see it too?" He questioned, earning a nod.
Suddenly, the sound of metallic footsteps filled both of the teens' ears, and they looked to the left to be greeted by what looked like an individual wearing armor that resembled that of a knight and holding a classic sword and a shield, which startled Ryuji.
"W-What the?!"
"... Is that a knight costume...?" The spectacled transfer student questioned slowly.
"Geez... You scared the shit outta me!" Ryuji complained before calming down a little to inspect whoever it was standing before him, "So who're you? You a student?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"If that is a student, then that's a pretty impressive costume they're wearing." The transfer student commented.
The 'knight' said nothing in response and rather stayed silent.
"C'mon, don't just stand there. Say somethin'." Ryuji egged them, crossing his arms.
They continued to offer no response.
"... Okay, is this some kinda prank I dunno about? Am I being punked?" The blonde asked in a mixture of confusion and irritation, "Lemme guess, at any minute now Ashton Kutcher's gonna show up and tell me I just got punked on live TV!"
However, it was not a famous actor that entered the premises, but rather another individual dressed in the same manner as the 'knight'.
"Wuh... H-Hey, what's goin' on?" Ryuji asked with slowly widening eyes, taking a step back.
"A-Are these guys school staff...?" The dark-haired teen asked with slight fear in his voice.
"Dude, I don't know!"
The knights walked up to the anxious teens, clearly not caring about personal space.
"W-Woah! Time out, man!" Ryuji hastily signaled a time-out with his hands, only for his eyes to the swords both knights wielded.
Now that he looked at them, they looked pretty friggin' sharp for props. You probably wouldn't be able to tell that they're fake just by looking at them. With the way they shined, it's almost as if they were real.
... Wait...
"Crap! These guys're for real!" The blonde exclaimed in panic, turning to the fellow teen, "C'mon, we gotta run!"
"R-Run...?"
"Stop standin' around and run, dammit!"
Unfortunately, before the two teens could make a dash for it in the opposite direction, two more knights intercepted their path.
"M-More of them?!" The transfer student cried out.
"Ugh, what's with these guys?!" Ryuji vented his frustration.
Suddenly, one of the knights roughly struck the dark-haired transfer student with their shield, causing him to cry out in pain as he fell to his knees.
"H-Hey?! What was that for you-GAH!!" The blonde cried out in pain as he was also hit from behind, "Oww... Y-You're gonna break my bones, dammit!"
The knights started to surround the two teenagers, which didn't help the blonde's anxiety at all.
"The hell you think you're- Aagh!"
Without warning, one of the knights smacked Ryuji right on the head, causing his vision to instantly blacken as he fell into unconsciousness.
.
.
.
Hey...
.
.
.
Get up...
.
.
.
"Come on, wake up! Please!"
A groan could be heard as the blonde teen known as Ryuji Sakamoto finally woke up.
He held his head as he slowly opened his eyes, still feeling a bit groggy, only for him to slightly jolt back in surprise.
"Calm down, it's just me!"
At the sound of a familiar voice, the blonde felt his vision finally clear up, which allowed him to identify a familiar pair of glasses and dark hair.
"Oh... It's just you." Ryuji noted with a sigh of relief, calming down.
"Yeah." The spectacled transfer student affirmed, "You doing okay?"
"... Well my head still feels like shit, but apart from that, I think I'm fine." The blonde answered, "What about you?"
"I'm okay. Those knights didn't hit me as hard." He replied, "If anything, it's a miracle my glasses are still intact." He joked, pushing them up.
"..."
"Sorry. Bad joke."
Sakamoto simply shook his head and took his time to analyze his new surroundings which seemed to be a cell judging from the metal bars confining them, although he didn't really know how to feel about the chains hanging from the walls. Overall, he was in a dungeon straight out of a medieval story.
"Is this some kinda dungeon...?"
"Looks like it." The transfer student responded, "After they knocked you out, they brought us here and then locked us up."
"... Then it looks like this ain't no dream..." Ryuji commented grimly, "Ugh, what's goin' on?!"
Feeling frustrated, the blonde tan over to the bars and banged on them, "Hey, let us outta here! I know there's someone out there!"
Realizing his demands were falling on deaf ears, the blonde gave the bars one last bang of annoyance and walked back to his fellow inmate.
"At this rate it seems like the only chance we have of getting out of here is to figure out a way to escape." The dark-haired teen stated, "Maybe we should look for something that can help."
"Yeah, good idea." The blonde teen agreed, "Think you see anything here that-?"
AAAAHHHH!!
The sudden sounds of painful screaming startled the two Shujin students.
"W-Wha?!"
"T-The hell was that just now?" Sakamoto asked in fear, running towards the bars with the transfer student doing the same.
"T-That sounded like somebody screaming..." He replied shakily.
No... P-Please don't... G-GAAAHHH!!!
"W-Whoa... Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa...!" The blonde felt his anxiety levels rising as he backed away from the bars, "Y-You're shittin' me, right? None of this is for real!"
"I don't think this is a joke... And even if it was, it's definitely not a funny one!" The other teen stated.
"Crap...! There's no way in hell I'm stayin' here!" Sakamoto panicked, "C'mon! We gotta find a way outta here! Start looki-!"
"Wait! Do you hear something?"
The blonde quieted down to listen to what noise it was filling the area, only for him to curse quietly when he realized it was metallic footsteps, which meant...
"Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon." The knight up front spoke as he and several others walked up to the teens' cell.
"Your charge is "unlawful entry". Thus, you will be sentenced to death."
The information caused both of the teens to recoil.
"WHAT?!"
"F-FOR REAL!"
"B-But that's bullshit! It's not like we came here on purpose!" Ryuji tried to argue.
"Do you think I care? No one's allowed to do as they please in my castle!" A familiar voice rang out.
Then, a tall and muscular figure with unkempt black hair and yellow eyes wearing a gold crown atop his head and a long red heart printed cape suddenly walked up to the cell, with the knights making way for him to pass.
Both Ryuji and the transfer student widened their eyes in shock as they recognized the figure.
"Kamoshida...?"
"You're the man I saw in that car earlier!"
"I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it'd be you, Sakamoto..." Kamoshida commented before smirking, "Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven't learned your lesson at all, huh?"
His eyes then darted toward the dark-haired transfer student next to Ryuji.
"And you brought a friend this time.. because you can't do anything for yourself." He mocked.
"What...?" The transfer student whispered while Ryuji grabbed at the bars in anger.
"Cut the bullshit! This ain't funny, you asshole!" The blonde demanded.
"Is that how you speak to a king?!" Kamoshida questioned in offense, "It seems like you don't understand the position you're in at all..."
"Not only did you sneak into my castle, you committed the crime of insulting me-the king!" He listed their apparent charges before grinning maniacally, "The punishment for that is death."
"It's time for an execution! Take him out!"
At his orders, the knights opened the cell, causing the teens to slowly back away in nervousness.
"S-Stop it..." Ryuji shakily uttered.
They ignored his protest and proceeded to enter the dungeon.
"G-Goddammit..." The blonde clenched his fists in a mixture of fear and anger.
Then, in a sudden show of courage, Ryuji mustered up as much strength as he could before he ran and shoulder tackled one of the knights blocking him, knocking them to the floor.
"Woah!"
"I ain't down for this shit! C'mon we're outta here!" The blonde shouted at the spectacled teen.
Unfortunately, another knight nearby walked up to Ryuji and slammed the handle of their sword into his gut, causing him to cry out as he fell to his knees in pain.
This caused the transfer student to try and stop the knight, grabbing onto them in a fruitless effort.
"H-Hey! Stop that!"
"J-Just go! Get outta here!" Ryuji dissuaded him, "These guys are serious!"
"Oh? Running away, are we?" Kamoshida looked in the direction of the transfer student, "What a heartless friend you are."
"He ain't a friend..." The blonde corrected before urging the transfer student, "C'mon! Hurry up and go!"
"But... I can't just leave you here!" The transfer student argued.
"What's the matter? Too scared to run away?" Kamoshida mockingly questioned, "Hmph, pathetic scum isn't worth my time." He insulted before snapping his fingers.
Then, two knights suddenly grabbed the transfer student by his shoulders, keeping him firmly despite how hard he struggled.
"Hey! L-Let go of me!"
Kamoshida then walked toward Sakamoto, who was glaring up at him from his position on the floor.
"Normally, I would have you executed right away... But that wouldn't be any fun, would it? I mean after all, you and I have history together, Sakamoto..." Kamoshida stated with an evil smirk, "Besides, you did bring a guest with you instead of coming yourself..."
"So, you can stay there and watch as I pummel your friend, simply because he sided with trash like you." He grinned maniacally as he walked toward the transfer student.
The dark-haired teen tried his hardest to move, but the grip of the guards were just too strong.
Finally reaching his target, the so-called king wasted no time in beating him down, hitting him with various blows, one of them even knocking his glasses off his face to the floor.
Ryuji could only watch helplessly as the teen who had come to this place with him cried out in pain due to he onslaught, "N-No... Stop...!"
Eventually, the dark-haired teen was floored with a firm smack to the head, as if it were a game of volleyball.
He could only groan in pain and stare up at his attacker in anger as he spit on his head as a show of disrespect.
"... Hmph. Just as I thought. You're nothing more than a useless pebble." He mocked as one of the knights picked the teen up and roughly threw him to the side, "A commoner like you isn't worth beating."
"I'll have you killed right now."
"Leave him alone! This is between you and me, asshole!"
The king turned around to see that Ryuji was now back on his feet, and walked toward him, getting all up in his furious face.
"Hm...? I thought I already told you, Sakamoto. You and I still have unfinished business..." He explained, "So be a good little peasant... And wait your turn!" He demanded before kicking Ryuji right in the gut, sending him to the floor.
"Hold him there..." Kamoshida commanded, turning back to the transfer student, "After his friend, it's the peasant's turn to die."
The blonde quickly tried to get back up, only for the knights near him to roughly shove him to the wall, keeping him in place.
"L-Let me go, dammit!"
"N-No..." The transfer student weakly pleaded, "S-Stop... Please..."
Kamoshida simply let out a loud evil laugh at his pathetic nature.
Helplessly watching from his position, Ryuji grit his teeth, feeling angry at not just Kamoshida, but also himself...
'Dammit... Is this really how I'm gonna go out...? Am I gonna lose again?' He cursed, 'Not only can I not run anymore... But the track team is gone too 'cuz of this asshole!'
'And now this random guy I met is gonna die just because I dragged him into this, and I'll be killed next... Then ma will have to find out that I'm...'
He shut his eyes tightly, tears threatening to spill out.
'Dammit! Why am I so god damn WORTHLESS?!'
Suddenly, before the blonde could berate himself any further, he opened his eyes as everything around him slowed down once again, and a mysterious butterfly flew around him as it spoke.
"This is truly an unjust game... Your chances of winning are almost none." The butterfly spoke as Ryuji's eyes followed its movement "But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you..."
Suddenly, time seemed to resume and the butterfly disappeared without a trace, leaving Ryuji dumbfounded.
"... What?"
"What's wrong...? Are you simply going to be a spectator...?" A much deeper voice voice suddenly rang out in Ryuji's head.
"What the...? W-Who's there?!" He asked nobody in particular.
"Are you going to do nothing as they execute him just to save yourself?" The voice asked, "You know what will happen to him if you do not act..."
"Have you decided to give up? Are you going to let him defeat you again?!"
Images of that fateful day he lost everything flashed in Ryuji's head and he quickly shook it in disagreement.
"N-No... OF COURSE NOT!" He passionately answered.
One of the knights lifted the struggling transfer student by the neck with their blade raised, ready to end his life on the orders of their king.
"Hmhm... As you wish... You made me wait for quite awhile..."
Suddenly, Ryuji loudly gasped as a sharp pain filled his head. His head started to feel like it was being split open, and he cried out as he began to thrash.
"You seek power, yes? Then let us form a pact." The voice offered as the teen writhed in pain, tears falling from his eyes.
"Since your name has already been disgraced why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc? That is what your other self sorely desires. I am thou, thou art I...!"
The blonde raised his head and let out a gut-wrenching scream as the pain reached its peak before dropping his head once again.
"There is no turning back. From this day forward, the skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!" It stated, causing the blonde to raise his head back up, revealing the determined fury in his eyes.
"Execute him!" The king boisterously commanded, ready to see some bloodshed.
"That's enough!"
The king faltered in flabbergastment for a second before turning back to face the blonde who had dared to oppose him.
"What was that...?" He slowly asked as if he had just been offended.
The knight that was about to murder the transfer student followed their king's direction and dropped him, allowing him to finally catch his breath.
"You desire to be killed that much, Sakamoto...?" Kamoshida questioned, "Fi-!"
"... Stop looking down on me with that stupid smile on your face..."
The king blinked in shock for a moment, trying to register what it was he just heard from his mouth.
"What did you-?"
"I said...!" The blonde started before he swiftly raised his head and pointed a finger at Kamoshida, staring at him with pure rage on his face.
"STOP LOOKING DOWN ON ME WITH THAT STUPID SMILE ON YOUR FACE!!"
Suddenly, a powerful gust of energy burst out from Sakamoto, nearly blowing away everyone in the room and forcing them to shield their eyes for several seconds.
When it finally cleared, the king slowly removed his arm to see the blonde himself shakily standing on two feet as he heavily panted before raising his head, revealing a mysterious mask that resembled that of a skull on his face.
The teen realized there was something different about his face and felt around it only to realize that there was a certain metallic object on his face. With a gasp, he began to pull his hardest on the mask which felt like it had been super-glued to his face, causing him to struggle.
Finally, in a horrific display, the blonde let out a painful scream as he forcefully yanked the skull mask off, causing blood to trickle down the upper part of his face.
Ryuji slowly raised his head to reveal that his eyes were now bright yellow, and he wore a wide and toothy shark-like grin before a blue brilliant flame suddenly ignited around him, magically making the blood from earlier magically disappear, and a deep laughter could be heard as the flames began to envelop him.
The inexplicable spectacle caused Kamoshida and his knights to slightly step back in fear.
The shape of the fire then shifted into that of a human, and a face resembling a skull briefly formed in the fire before eventually, Ryuji himself, dressed in an outfit different from his school uniform, emerged from the fire which transformed into a figure with a skull-like face and an eyepatch resembling that of a pirate, wearing a prosthetic limb, along with a cannon for an arm, and a captain's hat with a skull and crossbones design.
They wore a blue shirt covered by a grey harness that ends in a pair of cutlasses just below the neck, a pair of black pants with gold trim, white boots, and a long flowing red cape, and were also a large boat that resembled a pirate ship.
Ryuji chuckled menacingly as he stared at his previous attackers, as a way to tell them they were now screwed.
Suddenly, he whipped his arm in the direction of Kamoshida and his goons, which prompted the figure behind him to shoot multiple cannonballs from his arm, hitting a few of the knights and putting holes in them.
Kamoshida, who had fallen to the floor out of fear, whimpered as he tried to crawl away.
"... Wha... W-What is this...?" The battered transfer student asked in disbelief as he gazed at the fellow student who had suddenly turned the tables on their executioner.
As for Ryuji, the blonde continued to grin madly as he relished in the great surge of power bestowed upon in him, the chains clanking around him and the massive pirate figure behind him drowned out as a single thought came to his mind.
It's payback time...!
FUCK ME, THAT'S A LOT OF WORDS! Now first and foremost, I just want to say that I apologize for taking so damn long to release this chapter, I honestly wanted to do it sooner but there was so much stuff going on in my life and it had kinda demotivated me from writing. But now, everything is sorted out and I've got my mojo back! Anyways, now that I've finished this chapter and finally reached Ryuji's awakening, I'm very excited to wrote the rest of these chapters and show you what I have planned for this story! Let me know your thoughts on this chapter, and as always, I will see you next time!RinOta, out!