Part 1
I reopened my eyes in deafening silence.
I was lying down, arms spread wide, legs limply abandoned. I was floating, or falling. Hard to tell. There was no logic to gravity here. My body was nothing but suspended weight, with no bearings, no center.
Above me, a black sky. A single, oversized moon pierced the heavy fog and wandering clouds that danced slowly, like spectres. The air was thick, saturated with a metallic odor, a pungent smell of dried blood.
Under my fingers, the ground was warm, spongy. Neither earth nor rock. A strange carpet, soft as flesh. Red. It was all red.
Not a bright red. A dense, coagulated, almost living red. A sea frozen in silence. The horizon didn't exist, it stretched on forever, drowned in the same scarlet fog.
And yet, strangely enough... I felt good. Much too well.
A strange, floating, almost euphoric well-being.
Am I dead?
The silence suddenly broke.
A sound of footsteps. Slow. Regular. As if someone were stepping on a gigantic puddle.
I turned my head. There he was.
Onizuki.
At first a silhouette in the distance, distorted by the mist. He advanced slowly, but with each step he seemed to leap closer, as if space itself were giving way to him. His eyes shone faintly, with a glint, and planted themselves in mine with intensity.
Like the first time, it had my shape. An ethereal, unreal version. A floating, luminous projection, a spectral self that walked without touching the ground.
- You have chosen the path of the shadow," he said, his voice like a vibration in the hollow of my skull.
No words in the air. Only imposed thoughts. Words scratching at the back of my eyes.
- Am I dead?" I asked, in a tone too familiar for the situation.
- No. But you came close. Your body absorbed more aether than you could hold. You almost collapsed.
I wanted to move. I couldn't move. The red ground held me back. It thickened. It held me. Like a hungry beast taking its time.
- You've opened a door," continued Onizuki. And now you must cross the threshold.
It's too late to back out.
He stopped a meter away from me. His presence warmed me. A strange, reassuring warmth, but one that vibrated with a colossal, contained energy.
- Expansion begins here," he murmured.
He held out his hand.
And the red world began to beat.
Slowly.
Like an ancient heart.
The ground became more fluid, more unstable. Eddies appeared on the surface, as if matter itself had become a white-hot, quivering red oil.
A shiver ran across the horizon.
Waves were rising.
Distant, but immense.
Slowly advancing. The closer they got, the faster they grew.
Onizuki smiled.
A calm, almost benevolent smile.
- Now discover your full potential...or be consumed.
I had no time to speak.
The first wave struck.
Not my body. Not really. But something buried. A tearing sensation. As if the burning aether was digging into me to lay it all bare. My breath caught. My throat tore with a silent scream.
Everything faded away for a moment.
Then images. Flashes.
Unknown faces.
Fights.
Blood.
Screaming. Mine? Theirs?
A falling body. Another laughing.
I saw myself... but different. Older? Stronger? No, more broken.
A black flame in the hollow of my palm. Lightning snaking across my skin.
Then nothing.
I gasped, cowering. The red ground vibrated like a drum.
Onizuki was still there. Still. Observing.
- You just caught a glimpse. Fragments. What was. What could be.
His words now resonated within me like distorted echoes.
- Is it... is it real?" I stammered.
He tilted his head.
- Everything here is real. Or nothing is. This isn't the world. This is you.
A space shaped by your aether, your memory, your fears. Your threshold.
He knelt down. His eyes, two liquid mirrors, reflected mine with an almost unbearable intensity.
A tremor shook the ground. A new wave was coming. Vaster. Darker.
- There's still one thing left to face," said Onizuki. Your greatest weakness.
I understood too late.
The wave took shape.
But it was no longer just a wave.
Mrs Anyathel... The person I'd just killed with my own hands.
A double, twisted, screaming, eyes wild, face bathed in darkness. Her shadow. Her reflection. My failure.
And she was coming for me.
Onizuki faded.
I froze.
I couldn't move. My arms, my legs, my whole being seemed engulfed in that red, throbbing ground.
And in front of me... her.
It wasn't Madame Anyathel anymore. Not really.
Her face twisted into a frozen grimace, oscillating between a sneer and a mute howl. Her eyes, once bulging and empty, were now two black sockets, oozing streaks of liquid shadow.
His body flickered like a flame in the wind, in irregular spasms. Its arms, too long, stretched out towards me, claws open, nails crunching against the air itself.
And from his half-open mouth escaped a rattle, a broken breath that bore my name.
- Leo...
My blood ran cold.
No. It wasn't her. It was only a reflection. A projection. A weakness. My weakness.
But my body wouldn't hear it that way. Every fiber trembled under the weight of my guilt.
She leapt.
Her shadow grew disproportionately large, engulfing me.
No!" I screamed.
But my scream was lost in the thick air, swallowed by the sticky mist.
My arms struggled in vain. The red ground held me down, sinking me, swallowing me.
I was suffocating.
It came at me, distorted silhouette, gaping mouth, invisible fangs ready to tear me apart.
And in her eyes - those wells of shadow - I saw something else.
I saw myself.
I see my gestures, my words, my choices.
I see her again, that hand I held out, trembling.
I see her eyes again, surprised. Her sagging body.
Her smile before succumbing.
The shock of her breath.
I killed her.
Not by mistake.
Not by accident.
Because I chose to.
Because I had to.
And yet... this weight.
It crushed my ribs, broke my neck.
His arms encircled me, icy, ghostly.
His breath against my ear, hoarse:
- Murderer...
I wanted to scream, to flee, to disappear.
But the ground still held me.
And his words - my own thoughts - chained me.
- You killed me...By your hand...Forever...
My breath hitched.
My heart pounded so hard I felt nauseous.
I closed my eyes, unable to bear the look any longer.
But even in the darkness, I could see her.
I could see her falling again. Again and again. Again and again.
An infinite loop. A sentence.
I sobbed.
Weak.
Wretched.
Then... a spark.
At the bottom of the abyss, a faint voice.
My own.
Almost extinct.
But there.
- I had to do it.
A whisper at first.
-I had to do it.
Firmer.
I opened my eyes.
She was still there, squeezing me, smothering me.
But I looked at her at last.
- I had to do it," I said, this time out loud.
Her face quivered.
- I had to!" I repeated, louder.
So... I activated it.
The power I'd stolen from him.
I made it mine.
I gathered the flow of aether, every fragment of that unstable energy, circulated it through my veins, burning like liquid fire.
Then I threw it out of me.
A field erupted around my body - a wave of black-gold electricity, crackling, pulsing.
She roared.
Her arm around my throat cracked.
A crack, a splinter.
I breathed at last. Blood pounded at my temples.
Without waiting, I channeled that power again.
I wasn't reproducing his spheres.
No.
I was forging something else.
Something more instinctive, sharper: arrows.
Lines of black and golden aether, vibrating with ferocious will.
Before me, the silhouette of Mrs Anyathel, that thing of blood and shadow, still loomed, even more gigantic, misshapen, distorted by my own fear.
But I was no longer afraid.
I loaded my arrows. My breath was short.
My muscles trembled, but I held on.
Then I fired.
Everything I had. Everything I was.
Each arrow split the air with a shrill whistle, tracing golden flashes in the darkness.
They struck the creature in a flurry, piercing it from side to side.
She screamed.
Its howl was no longer that of a monster.
It was mine.
My guilt.
My fear.
But this time, I answered her.
- I HAD TO!" I screamed, my breath ragged and my heart pounding.
Then it shattered.
In a final burst of mingled light and shadow, the creature exploded in a shower of black aether fragments, immediately sucked into the red void.
Silence fell again.
Total silence. Profound.
As if the world itself were holding its breath.
I fell to my knees. The aether still pulsed faintly around me, fraying into golden and black filaments.
I looked up.
There was nothing left.
Only this infinite red void.
And me.
Alone.
I ran a hand over my face, clammy with sweat and tears.
I breathed. Once. Two breaths. Three.
Each breath brought me a little closer to myself.
But deep down... the weight remained.
Less crushing. But present.
A shard embedded in my memory.
- I had to do it... I breathed again.
No longer to convince the creature.
But to convince me.
Only then did a familiar vibration resound.
A blast of energy.
I raised my head.
Onizuki.
He stood there, a few steps away, arms crossed, his eyes shining with unfathomable brilliance.
- You've crossed the threshold," he said softly.
I didn't answer.
My lips trembled too much. My mind was a field of ruins.
A third wave arrived, devastating this red world. I stared forward with empty eyes.
It hit me full force. Then total darkness...
Part 2
I awoke to a gentle glow of sunlight, stretched out on a bed. This time, it wasn't a hospital bed. It was mine.
Yuna, Naël... Are they all right? Worry suddenly gripped me. I got up immediately, determined to go and see them.
As I descended the stairs, voices came from the living room. My parents were away on a business trip and wouldn't be back until after the vacations.
I concentrated the aether in my eyes, activating my foresight. I could have used my new power, but that would have made too much noise.
I walked slowly, each step measured. The closer I got, the clearer the voices became.
- We shouldn't have let her do it, it sounds too suspicious," said one voice.
I recognized Nael.
- If she hadn't been there, we'd have been in big trouble. It was the best solution for us.
- Yes, but why would she do that for us? We don't even know her. She's probably Anyathel's subordinate.
- Yes, surely.
Anyathel's subordinate? Who were they talking about?
I entered the living room. Nael smiled at me, relieved to see me awake. Yuna gave me an apologetic look.
- Ah, you're awake at last!" exclaimed Naël.
- How are you, Léo?" asked Yuna.
- I'm feeling better... Sorry, Yuna.
- Why's that?" she asked.
- I burned you when I attacked Anyathel.
- Oh, that... Don't worry," she said with a comforting smile. The encounter with Onizuki healed my wounds.
- So you've met him too.
- Yes, I have. Thanks for saving me, Leo.
I smiled back, still sorry I'd had to hurt him. Then I turned my gaze to Nael.
- And how are you?
- Don't worry about me, nothing can happen to me!
He said this even though he had a bandage around his arm. I imagined he'd had enough reflexes to block the badly aimed blow.
- I've got to tell you what happened yesterday during your insomnia," he continued:
You and Yuna were lying side by side, right next to Anyathel's body. The floor was covered in pools of blood.
I was doing everything I could to wake you up.
Yuna moved first, her eyes opening slowly, she was weak, but alive.
You, on the other hand, showed no sign of life.
And that's when she appeared. The lady at the front desk, out of nowhere, as if she'd always been there, but had never been noticed.
She saw the scene, and her face didn't change, as if she'd been expecting it.
She looked at me, her gaze hard:
"We've got to run, right now," she ordered.
"I'll take responsibility for what happened here," she added, without hesitation.
We were panicked, but we knew there was no other choice.
So we left. We went to your house, where there was no one.
That night, you and Yuna slept. I stayed on my guard, ready for anything.
- Ah, okay... you think she was Anyathel's subordinate?
- Maybe," replied Yuna. But it's not certain. For all we know, she knew Anyathel's plans and just waited for us to beat her. We can't rule out every possibility.
- Yeah, that's fishy...
Here's a thought. You two stay here. I'll try to gather some information.
- I'll do that.
- Okay.
Nael put on his jacket and hurried out.
Part 3
Yuna and I were left alone in the living room.
There was silence for a moment, heavy with all we'd just been through.
Then, naturally, we started talking about the meeting.
We'd both been through the Expansion phase... and I think we needed to talk about it.
I told her what I'd seen. She listened attentively.
It was different for her. She'd just had a chat with Onizuki.
- Now... I feel my power as if it were inscribed in my DNA," I said.
- After waking up, I had the same feeling... It's strange... but
And I saw that you'd invoked an electric field. Did you get a new bracelet?
- No. It's part of my power," I replied, shaking my head. I can copy the elements... well, not the ones linked to the Shadow, that I can feel.
- It's incredible...
You've got physiological precognition, foresight... and now this. Why not call it... "Arkaël"?
Her reflex was to reach into her bag for her notebook.
Then she realized she didn't have it, and gave an embarrassed little laugh.
- You've always been inspired by names," I said, smiling.
And what are your new abilities?
- I can detect element carriers. And estimate their power.
But... I need to tell you what I've learned about Anyathel.
She recounted her research into the flow of aether.
Then she spoke of what she knew of Anyathel's plans, and of the history of Rê-Dérouté.
She told me she'd tried to talk to Onizuki about it during their interview, but he'd always replied in the same indecipherable way.
She confided that she'd also tried to find out more from Onizuki... but he'd remained impassive.
- So, in the end, it's just a hypothesis. Or maybe she lied to you in preparation for something else.
- Maybe... But she had the power of clairvoyance. It's freaking me out," she admits.
I'm not sure what we've gotten ourselves into.
I nodded slowly.
- Anyway, we had no choice. You said it yourself: if we'd refused these powers, we'd be dead. So I don't really want to think about it.
- Yeah... you're right.
I could see that this story was still troubling her.
So I tried to reassure her.
I gave her a smile.
- But don't worry. I'll be there to protect you, if anything goes wrong. Well... me and Nael, obviously.
Just then, the door opened.
Naël had just returned.
- You didn't miss me too much! he said with a smirk.
I sat up straight on the sofa.
- What did you find?" I asked.
His eyes darkened a little.
- Everything's fine... for now. I went to the library. There were investigators everywhere.
I heard Anyathel's body had been moved... they found it lying in front of the police station.
- What?" Yuna gasped in shock.
Nael nodded.
- Yes, he did. And apparently, the lady at the front desk was seen on the surveillance cameras. Now she's officially wanted.
But... she's disappeared. No trace left. As if she'd vanished into thin air.
A shiver ran through me.
- She had it all planned..." I murmured.
- It looks like it," confirmed Naël.
And the worst thing is... nobody can figure out how she managed to cover her tracks. Even the specialized agents are at a loss.
Yuna crossed her arms, worried.
- So we're safe... for now. But she could reappear at any time.
- Exactly," added Naël. That's why we have to stay on our guard.
I nodded slowly.
A moment of silence passed between us.
The mood was heavy.
- Well..." sighed Naël, forcing a smile. We're not going to let this get us down. We survived this. We can hold out again.
I smile weakly.
- Yeah, we can. And this time, we'll be ready.
With that, we headed outside.
The sun bathed the quiet streets in soft morning light, casting a golden glow over the strangely peaceful streets of Champs-Fort.
Everything seemed... too quiet. As if the town itself were trying to erase all traces of what it had seen.
But we won't forget.
Nobody knew.
No one would know.
We alone carried the memory of that night.
We had crossed the Shadow.
Faced fear, doubt, death.
And even if the scars weren't all visible... they were there.
The world moved on, unaware that, in the shadows, we had come so close to the end.
Tonight, we went to Yuna's for dinner.
Accompanied by all our friends and acquaintances, a farewell party.
Because tomorrow...
the trio of Infernals will leave Champs-Fort.
---
End of Volume 1
(TO BE CONTINUED...)