Darkness was the only way of how the small world works, let alone the real world to say the very least; as a matter of fact, the small world is indeed the real world and vice versa too nonetheless. The jet black void was all that could be seen but not heard, felt, tasted, or smelled; yet, it can be also sensed as well anyways, devoid of even a modicum of light bearing any hue whatsoever to permeate through its entirety. For a moment, it had seemed that all was completely lost, its mere fate already sealed and set in stone to say the least before the very beginning; nothing else was going to even change that in the slightest.
Suddenly without warning, yet as if on cue, a small click rapidly resounded throughout the very darkness itself, subtle enough to get its very point across. As the echo’s reverb quickly departed from the blackened ocean, so, too, did the uncertainty of nothingness alone; light had filled the entire area instantly. Concrete had made up the entire space, uniformed in structure and stricture hand in hand as they had threatened closing in on their own collective target. Here the source of illumination hung in the balance, inching away from the ceiling as electricity had unleashed its collection of photons all throughout. In the confines of the stony loneliness was a small rectangle of glass resting about within the wall, adjacent to the wood table and the matching chairs.
At this present moment, there were at least two individuals found out and about with their attire, demeanor, and masculinity already in full display yet they were contrasting against each other instantaneously. One bore a brightly clear skinned complexion with eyes of cobalt and short spiky star platinum hair, wearing a midnight combo of a jacket, pants, and shoes sitting in a chair with both of his legs crossed up. The other stood darker and taller, bearing chocolatey orbs and shorter locks of jet–black with a silver beard; the only articles of clothing found were a suit and tie combo in light copper and a white undershirt.
“The bureau’s having a hard time trying to figure out all this information for processing; it’s obvious the agency would’ve tried harder to do the same: the one thing that bothers me is that you saw all of this happen before your very eyes, am I correct…?” the first voice came from the latter, gruff to a fault yet neutral all the while.
It was at this point the sitter answered calm yet timidly as well, “yes, and for that, I am sorry about the trouble I’d seen recently; if there’s any consolation, then I’ll be willing to state that what I’d witness wasn’t the first time I'd faced down death, let alone bounce back from it: I was a premature birth, weighing in at 5.125 pounds – left in intensive care for an entire week…”
“I don’t need to hear your entire life's story; besides, as far as they’re concerned, you’re not in trouble: you’re a witness, plain and simple…” the first man said to the shorter counterpart almost immediately, both eyes glancing at a silver device on the table before the former pressed a button, “for obvious reasons, please state your name, birthday, and hometown…”
“I’m Koichi Hirose, born on March 28, 1984 in Morioh, a town district from Sendai, Japan…” the listener introduced himself instantaneously.
Afterwards, the dark correspondent wasted no time in speaking to the titular tenant, “so you want to tell me what this is about…”
“Not much at all; considering what I’ve seen lately, I was a fool to believe that this wouldn’t be possible in the slightest: killers, scammers, and all sorts of troublemakers aren’t just bound to here…” the bright man said softly as he stared at the flooring underneath their feet, lost in thoughts at once, “still, there’s only one question: how do people disappear…?”
“You mean missing persons…?” the taller counterpart replied in an instant, only for Koichi to shake his head at once.
Nevertheless, the bright man said, “not that kind of disappearance, I mean watching someone fade out of existence, like they do in these movies and TV shows as well as those video games people put out…”
“Kid, if it weren’t for the turn of events recently, then we would’ve sent you off to the mental ward for that…” the dark man interjected with little warning whatsoever, his tone loosening up a bit in the process for Koichi to hear, “at this rate, there’s even been camera footage collected from the internet regarding it all the while…”
“It’s kind of funny, officer: had Japan made camera phones back when I was growing up, all those dead girls would’ve been found sooner; I should’ve been staying dead back then, but now I have to suffer through yet another nightmare after all these years…!” the bright man muttered, struggling to stay in control of himself in front of the elder afore.
The dark correspondent watched a few tears fall from Koichi's face before replying, “relax, you’re safe and sound; no one’s after you… we’re just trying to make sense of what happened today…”
“Even so, you weren’t there in person when I’d gone through all of this: serial killers on the loose, a con artist stealing luggage, and now this…!” the bright man screeched all of the sudden, catching the elder officer off–guard at that point in time, “the worst part is that I couldn’t save anyone or anything this time, not a one! Every time I end up in danger, I either had to save myself alongside my friends and family or be saved by them and even complete strangers: even though I’ve been loved, I’d always considered myself as a weakling, hiding behind them and running from danger; I even remember the time a grown man save me from certain death! I’d thought that after all these years, I would’ve been able to put this all behind me and stand on my own two feet: at the very least, I’d make something positive of my life by helping people wherever I went, with or without sponsors; now, it seems that the nightmare has come back in full force, taking more from me than I could’ve protect or give!”
“Slow down…!” the dark man warned sternly.
Heeding the elder's words, Koichi took a deep breath and sigh before speaking again, “I’m sorry, it’s just that I’ve been shaken up lately over how unbelievable it is: although that violent crimes are nothing new in America, they’ve never stopped me from coming here to make a difference: what I wasn’t prepared for was who would be involved in this, let alone what kind of individuals. I suppose it should be time I should go on ahead and take it slow anyway; after all, it’s a long story and I’m sure at this rate I wouldn’t be allowed to leave until I tell you everything: I just hope nothing else goes wrong afterwards, especially with how messed up today has been for me…”
“It won’t though I should say that after this, I’m gonna have to leave anyway; I’m getting way too old for this anyway…” the dark man said to his shorter counterpart with a tired grumble, taking another look at their collective surroundings, “you may start when you’re ready, Koichi; just be mindful that honesty is the best policy with the Bureau…”
“Yes sir…” the eponymous adult had sighed.
Light in and of itself was capable of traveling to and from anywhere throughout the whole wide world rather almost instantaneously; in addition, it also was accompanied by warmth as well. Because of this, it had unveiled a whole slew of colors coming in many different hues and shades whatsoever, each of them painting the overall landscape in an attempt to provide it some identity. Given the very situation at hand, it was best to assume for the most part that the day was just about to begin; after all, such imagery would be best captured by the observance of the wary one.
With the entire sphere rotating on its own axis at a set speed while revolving as well on a different speed, a brand new morning had now started to come about. The spacious blue sky was crystal clear enough to see the golden sun shining brightly about over the silent scope as a flock of birds from various sizes and shades soared across so serenely. Within a rather large dream drop distance was but a civilization already defined in such various materials used to build them from the ground up, most of them all being the ones suitably fittest for the likes of even three little pigs. The calm gentle breeze was surfing onward and about throughout the dirt roads and dusty trails, cutting across the otherwise barren landscape as it got to and from the deserts surrounding them all. In amongst the very background were but a widget series of monoliths each raging with growth and erosion in the process of their trying times as the sun hovered over all of them. Given the handsome size of this town in question, it was likely that there would at least be an utter abundance of many individuals from various demographics whatsoever: age, gender, finances, and social standing being rather nothing short from the standardized metallurgy of life.
Out of all the places within this otherwise small area in particular, there was one that stood out amongst the others no less: it was a tall home at first glance, made completely of timber and steel. The hip roof upon itself sloped down on all four of its very corners, providing a standard if diminutive shelter for each and every one of them rather ever so presently for the most part. There were a few shapely yet wholesome windows that while sharing the same geometric structure came in different sizes; of course, they were either closed off or obscured by blinds. Only a singular door had remained there to be a finishing touch as a gateway to this simplistic residence, bearing a fruity color reminiscent of an orange along with its texture and nothing more.
Anyways, one of the rays of sunlight managed to pierce through the looking glass within the frame, illuminating a rather small area of it with some distinctiveness. In that very location thereof, it had instantaneously stopped itself against a singular wall; as a result, its color was sparkling about in a faint hue of lavender. Within that small space that lit up in the process, there had remained a rectangular panel with a thick circular dial standing out within the middle of that space.
Whatever peace and tranquility made up the darkened area was eviscerated by an electronic staccato in a steady pattern; in addition, a teal backlight appeared from the very same darkness, etched with some alphanumeric text in jet–black all the same no less.
It was but a matter of time until the new batch of colored photons were being covered up initially, only for them to return with factorial reinforcements as they grew brighter enough to be whitened instantaneously, bearing the text, ‘AYANA’.
“もしもし⋯？” its owner had spoken up, timid and tired to a fault yet willing to answer all the while no less, “綾那、今晩は… お元気か？ 杜王町で天気はどうか⋯？”
“はい、そうですが、昨日からまだ雨下している⋯！” the speaker in question sighed, a feminine voice reverberating about despite the electronic filters in action.
After the shuffling of fabric, the corporeal tenant replied, “残念だね。僕は日本で台風の季節はアメリカで暴風雨ん季節より約一ヶ月早い事を忘れた。良く考えてみて、父母どうか？”
“まあまあ⋯” Ayana answered almost instantaneously, leaving the listener in a state of hesitation at once so to speak, “父は病気がちだったで、母は負傷したが、まだ生きている。仗助と億泰は元気になるまで家の周りを助けているで、岸辺露伴は手形を支払うために資金を集めている。”
“僕は手伝ってもいいか？” the corporeal tenant had asked the feminine speaker immediately in turn.
She’d said, “はい、康ちゃん。”
“僕はもう男の子じゃない、姉さん！” the lonely listener had sputtered about, struggling to regain control over respiration and emotions as well, “僕は今３６歳で、名前はまだ広瀬康一！ごめんね。僕は給料日後の週末までにお金を送る。どうもありがとうまた会いましょう。さようなら。”
“はっ⋯さようなら。” Ayana had chirped, right before a hard click entered the corporeal tenant’s ears; at long last, the light had faded to black and the latter was left alone, just like much earlier ago.
It was at this point in time the singular inhabitant was free to return whatever had been done before the speaker's digital visit: at the very least, slumber was the most viable option given the darkened environment in question so to speak of; of course, the sunlight had betrayed all of that, compelling the former to heave, “ようし⋯行こう！”
It wasn’t long until a singular turn of the dial bathed the space in light, instantaneously chasing away the darkness as it become identified within all due time. The ceiling had served as the foundation of such an illumination was suspended by about a few yards from the very flooring as it’d provided guidance quickly. The partitions that had currently held up the general composition were already dabbed in a salubrious coating of goldenrod wallpaper studded with shine. The flooring itself was already basked in a tufted and orientated carpeting, rich with but a down–to–earth shade of auburn, something to provide some warmth. The thin ray of sunlight that had already invaded the room was nearly blocked off by some jaded curtains facing into the direction of the dial’s present location. A large bed had rested nearby the window frame, donned with a vermilion comforter with white sheets and pillowcase all slightly out of place thanks to earlier. A tall dresser stood close by a short nightstand, both of them sharing a matching beige scheme, the latter had a slender lamp and a clock standing on the top. In addition, there had remained a pair of doors that were standing adjacent from the bedside with a share of wooden knobs with all the red lacquer and texture.
Finally, there was the corporeal tenant, Koichi himself, dressed in thin clothes matching his otherwise unkempt hair: additionally, he’d possessed small dark circles underneath his eyes yet still clung to the life drawn from him right here and now; despite, he was filled with a burning yet controlled resolve, ready to face the outside world and the lifeforms dwelling about as well.
Standing up straightaway, the man in white released his grip off of the chronometer and walked towards the dresser in a few seconds. At once, he'd opened it to pull out a few articles of clothing without any hesitation, all of which were black; this was but a beginning. Laying them all aside up on the bed, Koichi had placed each of the three within his grasp afore venturing outside with underclothing.
With the door shut behind her completely, the man in white turned to the right side and found another door open ajar; in no time to be wasted whatsoever, the hallway separating between the two of them was not of much concern for walking distance: unlike the room, it was a bit small in geometry. The slow yet steady change in temperature was already being suddenly felt by his feet as it’d currently showed off only instantaneously that its very flooring was composed completely of merely ceramic tiles in a floral arrangement reminiscent of its organic source materials sprouted from earth. Instead of a cool color shade from before, its walls were adorned with a hot orange paint, burning brightly like an open flame yet cold to the touch no less; however, the ceiling was colored in pastel white, bearing a single bulb where running electricity brought the area up to snuff now. Its accommodations thereof were all firmly gathered within Koichi’s line of eyesight: a toilet, a sink, a mirror, a cabinet, a hamper, a closet, and a tub with curtains being the very things that provided such relief in those eyes; after all, the fact he still was up and running gave him a clear motivation.
At this moment alone, the man in white now made it possibly sure enough prevent any unwanted intrusions by locking the door right away already. He went onto the closet door, pulling out a red towel and a teal washcloth from there in due time at once before turning his attention to the bathtub. Already made aware of the current attire upon Koichi’s body, they were completely stripped off of him at once, leaving his skin completely bare.
The silver haired occupant soon stepped inside rather slowly and carefully, quickly closing the curtains alongside as well so as to shut out the cold air before it’d even have the slight chance of following after him. He’d soon taken his precious time as to study what was now directly right up in front: the nozzle was guided directly overhead as it’d hung from the walls with the mixer tap and its three handles had rested beneath.
Calmly, Koichi started to place his hand on one handle in the middle before arranging the others nearby; before long, a heightened pitch whine was followed by a deluge of water splashing upon the bright skin. As the cheeks upon the face became like fresh pearls, the silver haired observer had soon looked around to discover a singular white bar of soap and started to expose the very item to the running downpour now. Soon, it was wrapped around the teal washcloth and scoured vigorously ‘til some thin line of foam came about in an instant; as a result, a brief sigh of relief escaped from his very lips based on the viewing.
Afterwards, only the lukewarm water returned to the most dominate and sole source of sound for Koichi to hear; of course, this alone would not even last. With a washcloth in hand, the silver haired occupant touched his ears and dug into them with ease, using a single fingertip to do so before pulling out. Now its fabric and foam interfaced with the his face, scrubbing the pores cleanly and intently until it’d lower itself to the neckline briefly so to speak. Koichi started to cover himself with soap underneath the cheekbones and around the arms, soon slathering spume across every part of the skin over them. Quickly, the muscular yet otherwise lipid formation was drenched by the same substance the silver haired occupant latching on his torso and abdomen. More bubbles even formed as he’d scrubbed her legs and feet from top to bottom in the process, making sure to clear out the most clandestine of crevices.
When Koichi became completely covered in the hot white foam, he’d moved towards the stream and reverted back to his original form at once as the suds simply slithered down into the drain. Afterwards, the silver haired occupant had then turned the nozzle off completely, quickly ceasing the concentrated inundation from making such contact with his bright skin in only a few seconds. Clad in only liquid moisture and gaseous steam all throughout the way, he’d now opened the very curtains back up simply to step out of the tub carefully as to avoid a sudden fall to gravity.
Koichi strutted along towards the sink and found a red toothbrush along with some toothpaste resting on the side, carefully opening up the cap to place it on the corner: the tube was lifted off into his grasp, squirting out a deep green semisolid before returning to its previous location; afterwards, the bristles were raised up to his teeth, finally making first contact. The silver haired occupant now felt his toothbrush running into the very mouth as it scoured over the enamel at once in such acute angles, repeatedly circulating onward and about as he’d guided the item to every part of his very own teeth within before pulling out from there in due time no less, watching the fibers becoming stained with a bit of claret clinging onward. The faucet within his line of eyesight was turned on almost instantaneously, giving him a cleared opportunity to spit out the contents that accumulated inside since long before; as the water had ran itself down into the drain, he’d rinsed away the remaining residuals from the red toothbrush neatly before turning it off with but a sigh of relief from his respiration at once.
Now Koichi quickly turned her attention towards the hamper, already made aware of the fresh new clothes stacked on top of them he’d taken along earlier ago. First, the silver haired occupant began putting the blue boxers upon her legs after drying himself off with a brown towel; soon, he dressed himself in a gold shirt. Even though that he was neither in a towel nor in the altogether, the ceramic flooring underneath him instantly gave off a reminder to put on some socks at once. Sure enough, it was now time for Koichi to go leave the bathroom at once, feeling refreshed and renewed by the very experience thereof he’d partaken in recently.
The silver haired occupant had retraced his steps towards the bedroom and took some time to concentrate on what had already remained inside of there at once. While it may seemed nothing much had changed at all, the angling of the sunlight, however, was a different story, reduced to a small strip barely touching the dial. He’d quickly noticed rather instantaneously how the covers upon the bed were left a bit slightly out of sync but otherwise remained in alignment for the most part.
Nevertheless, just as what was done before only so long ago, Koichi instantly quickly donned the clothing in his view at once, covering up his abdomen and the thighs in the process. Tilting the silver haired occupant’s head downward, he’d quickly found a singular pair of some jet–black shoes resting on about among the tiny line of footwear underneath the bed.
After getting himself all dressed up, he was also ready to go: of all the places he’d went to, his feet stopped at a larger room, its color sparkling about in a faint hue of beige with a hint of plum. Beyond the small space that was lit up in the process, there had remained an entire area already exposed to darkness, despite the ceiling fan above spinning about with its wooden panels at once. In what had seemed to be devoid of life, the whole place was decorated with a set of furniture: a green chair lying in the middle while accompanied by a pair of couches sharing the same corner. Locked up in front, a lone rectangular machine was cloaked in blackness with its thinner screen already without sights, sounds, or substances whatsoever for it wasn’t even in use at all no less. Edging right underneath was a brown dresser holding up more items than the adjacent wall itself: a quadrangular device in red and a series of pictures with a lone candle colored in midnight sky. Nonetheless, there were a few other windows to the outside world beyond the single area where telecommunications had been faintly codominant despite being hidden by the platinum blinds.
Koichi took aim at a small flat device slathered in black save for a few buttons and picked it up; afterwards, he’d rested his thumb onto a red circle, causing a green light to appear afore his eyes: this light grew from a singular dot matrix to an amalgamation of bits and pixels making a picture. It was a small yet incomplete illustration of some landmass with all the jet–black outlines etched within them as they’d carved up pieces of gray: aside from the various yellow squiggles traveling to and from in many directions, much of the areas were colored in green while some are in gold. The silver haired occupant also took note of white letters spelling out ‘Today’s Severe Weather Threat’ above five boxes with their respective texts outlined in colors: ‘MARGINAL’ in green; ‘SLIGHT’ in yellow; ‘ENHANCED’ in orange; ‘MODERATE’ in red; and ‘HIGH’ in magenta.
He barely had anytime whatsoever to make sense of it when the map in question had transitioned into a picture of dark clouds traveling across the blue sky: standing in front of it was a bald man also dressed in black with a white undershirt, save for a pair of glasses and a stripey blue necktie; in addition, the subject in question was older and taller compared to the former so to speak of.
“Good morning on this first alert weather day…” the individual onscreen had greeted, his name popping up in a flash: ‘Andrew Freiden’, “severe thunderstorms possible: it’s not one of those days but it’s likely; we don’t think there’s gonna be widespread severe weather but certainly a day to pay close attention, especially if you have plans towards the late afternoon or evening. Mainly after six – could start a little bit sooner out west of town: strong wind gusts and downpours are a pretty decent bit in a few of these thunderstorms; but then again, that first alert weather day and you can see it highlighted on the seven day on the side of the screen that… that red highlight there for today is to alert you that it’s a first alert weather day. Look at how warm it is out there, mid seventies basically – Mechanicsville 74, 72 Mineral, and it feels like the mid to upper seventies on the JES WeatherNet computers; it is sticky out there so your hourly forecast has most of the day… totally fine, it’s gonna be really humid, not that comfortable outside today but, uh, rain free: ninety–one for the high. So one in the afternoon, eighty–eight, I don’t even have a rain chance at all at one and it’s at relatively low, twenty percent rain chance at four but shortly after four the rain chance starts to ramp up and then the Richmond Metro the rain chance at 7oclock is about sixty percent. Here’s the hour–by–hour forecast again: a lot of the day’s gonna be dry, lots of sun to start, partly sunny midday and then clouds build in over the afternoon; here’s 3oclock – I think a lot of after, uh… um, not afterschool activities but sort of afternoon activities are gonna be okay, but watch the radar at 5oclock from Fredericksburg out to Farmville. The forecast is for those thunderstorms to be popping: they roll into the Richmond Metro area; that 7 to 9oclock timeframe could have some strong to severe storms and then that pushes east to town as we roll through about 11oclock at night. So tonight’s forecast kinda highlighting that rain and thunderstorm chance from 6 to 11: I think a lot of folks are gonna get non–severe, just plain old rain and thunderstorms out of this, but it could slow you down and, of course, you want to take precautions if you have evening plans today; then, it turns partly cloudy, we drop down to 73, the rain chance after midnight’s quite low. Tomorrow, it’s gonna be really humid again; this is two very humid days: 93 for tomorrow, sticky out there, an isolated storm or possibility – I think we’ll catch a few that’ll pop up into the afternoon tomorrow but not many, thirty percent rain chance for tomorrow. A quick note about a potential tropical system forming in the Gulf here: not even yet officially a tropical depression but basically acting like one and it’s on its way and I, I think a 5oclock observation from the hurricane center will have this officially as a tropical depression; look at that slow movement, it’s gonna be hammering the coastline of Louisiana really hard over the next few days.”
“恐ろしいで、これはアメリカである事になっている⋯！” Koichi shivered, pressing the same button before another picture appeared abaft the aforementioned adult; even after becoming found back again with the darkness, the former had now been treated to the same staccato from much earlier ago after quickly returning the item back to the soft surface almost instantaneously.
The shorter man in black returned to the point of origin, finding the cellphone from before still on the bed as it’d now bore the text, ‘JOTARO’.
“お早う御座います⋯承太郎様！” he’d greeted the titular caller almost in an instant so to speak of.
It wasn’t long until another masculine yet gruffer voice said in turn, “おい、康一君⋯週末になるには早すぎる事を知ってが、ヴァージニア州の中でここに滞在についてよろしいだか⋯？”
“済まない、承太郎様…” Koichi answered Jotaro instantaneously, looking at the ray of sunlight growing brighter about, “僕は知る限り、リッチモンドの中で労力がまだ終わらないで、スタンド使いの兆候はまだまったくありません。”
“露伴はおそらく以前にスーパーマーケットでテロリスト攻撃があったと述べた事を言った。” the rough caller had said to the younger counterpart almost immediately, earning a shiver from the latter.
Despite this, Koichi said, “それなら、なぜニュースにならないのですか？僕はアメリカがテロリストによって攻撃されました事を伺ったが、なぜスーパーマーケットですか？”
“知りませんが、何かが正しくないよ。” Jotaro replied in turn as the light within the room spread from thereon out so to speak of no less, “アイスクリームと関係があったが、方法や理由が分からない。テロリストは通常、政府の建物や金融街のような場所を打ちますが、スーパーマーケットはそんな場所じゃない。”
“同意したで、因みに、爺君が亡くなってごめんなさい。” the young speaker had told the elder caller hesitantly while looking around for anything else whatsoever.
Jotaro hissed slightly at what Koichi had said but kept calm nevertheless, “鋼入りのダンは死んだ祖父を攻撃している事に対してもっと残念なはず⋯！”
“だれ⋯なんでもない。” the younger man attempted to ask before stopping himself instantaneously, “いい日を！”
“Okay…” the grown caller replied afore hanging up.
Like before, Koichi was back again with the soundless dark, devoid of any meaningful substance whatsoever so to speak of: as arbitrary as it were, the day was just only the beginning for him and it was only a matter of time to be spent as of now; besides, the morning had already shone itself to be up and running based on his observations in the now and then for what it was worth.
Time had passed on through space alongside with the inhabitants whom were drifting aimlessly as the stars amongst the never–ending blackness floated on, each of them to prompt any wayward traveler to harken back to the memories of life when the richest beverage kept their spirits up until their next destination and from the mouth of madness. Of course, time itself was the only thing that remained constant in the ever–changing plane of existence where many variables had come in all shapes and size, coexisting alongside either in unions or divisions thereof as they transcended boundaries without incident to say the least; then again, almost all of them succumbed to the folding sooner or later. This interval however would prove to be a special case since that there were those who have found themselves still standing rather than stumbling and falling to the depths of their failure nonetheless; however, not all of them were doing so as the whole wide world turned on its own axis: out of many of those in question, there were indeed a plenty.
Although everything felt easy like a Sunday morning, it was still a day in which where many individuals were found living, working, and even shopping at this moment in time; of the places in question, one was no different. There were at least about several buildings standing onto ground zero with merely only a few floors for most of them as each of them were built up with standard sets of the sturdiest materials known to and by the entire world. While it may not seem much, one could find many places inside where people could engage in a wild excursion of recreation inside many of them should one look hard enough to do so as long as their conduct was their utmost. Open fields of concrete and asphalt were found to be etched around them as they were mostly occupied by various automobiles of all sorts of varieties: makes, models, shapes, sizes, colors, and conditions so to speak of now. Everything else was surrounded by a vastly large sea of the brilliant green with each of its fibers currently in such various combinations already fashioning a bewildering camouflage for the most observant lifeform already airborne. A calm gentle breeze had traversed all throughout the entire area within them whilst the clashing textures inside the very landscape had remained loud and proud of its structured foundations with the colors of various shades thereof.
In this particular case, the silver haired observer was found to be standing on the sidewalk in front of one of the buildings, staring at the various windows found plastered within, along a staircase inside. He could see a handful of people traversing in and out of there in various attires and fashions, each individual already keeping whatever businesses and/or pleasures to themselves, whether alone or joined. Considering that Koichi was already in a solid state society, he was free from the dangers hidden and otherwise by virtue of being in the public eye, even though its members could care less about his very welfare.
In any case, the silver haired observer had quickly picked up on a stray sentence made by a random woman faraway from himself, “hey Becca, did you hear about the rumors about what happened at LIDL sometime ago: they say there have been some terrorist attack made there; how scary was that…?”
“Very, Cathy…” the eponymous compeer said to her friend instantaneously with a slight nasal compress, prompting him to follow on carefully at once, “they’ve said that ISIS had been defeated but what if it’s not true: we know for a fact that Trump is a liar and cannot be trusted but this is becoming suspicious; who knows what else they could be lying about…?”
“Agreed… and he still has those fucking Republicans cheering him on like its nothing; I still remember what he’d said when they still had the tape played: what a creep…!” the primordial female replied with bitter vinegar in her tone, unaware of Koichi trailing after them for the most part.
In any case, Cathy was revealed to be brightly skinned, just like the silver haired listener, except she’d possessed freckles over her integuments and short blonde hair: her attire consisted of a baby blue blouse with thin straps, a beige skirt, and bloodstone sneakers as she was carrying a black backpack. As for Becca, she was of a darker complexion yet in the clear with her brown tresses frizzy to a fault as they’d already made it past the neckline: she wore a jaded jacket with purple shorts and brown boots, slinging a sandstone satchel over the right shoulder open to bearing stray sheets of leafy paper inside.
The lonely brunette had wasted no time whatsoever continuing onward with their conversation, “anyways, what was the terrorist doing anyway attacking a supermarket…?”
“Hell, if I’d know: apparently, they say he was taking part of an internet prank where people open tubs of ice cream and lick them before putting them back in the freezer…” the blonde scoffed, her disgust now amplified by a factorial setting within a derivative function, “none of the cameras could even make out his identity yet they say he may have ties to them…”
“噂を聞いたのは承太郎様だけではなかったようだ。” he’d cerebrated about before bumping into Becca abruptly.
This had earned a gasp from the lonely brunette as she and Cathy turned around to face Koichi; although no one was hurt in any shape or form whatsoever, the latter female looked at him with indignation, snarling about with eyes of emerald enmity, “what’s your problem; don’t you have anything better to do, creep?!”
“Sorry, it’s just that I’ve been listening to what you two had been talking about earlier: the terrorist attack…” the silver haired man stuttered as he’d started to keep his distance from the women in front of him almost immediately, “my friends from home were also hearing the rumors too; how do you know about all of this…?”
“It was on the deep web: some guy claiming to be a secret agent said one of the prankster was caught licking ice cream; fucking distasteful…!” the belligerent blonde answered while he’d shivered about from what had been heard so to speak of.
Koichi looked away and said softly, “I agree, though I must know why it wasn’t on the news anyway: normally, I’ve heard of terrorist attacks on American soil recently since over twenty years ago yet this one was censored; anyways, why resort to such a prank…?”
“Copycats… ever since that challenge ended up on the news, people have been doing it like crazy; almost makes me want to throw up too…” the benign brunette blurted out with eyes of gold within herself, not that the silver haired man could even look at.
He’d soon found the strength to speak to the females at once, “I’m Koichi by the way… and I’m sorry for spooking you two; it’s just that I was surprised to hear about this from you two: did anyone else know about it…?”
“Apparently, the site I’d went on had at least thousands of hits; that means something is up yet the media isn’t saying anything at all…” Cathy answered, her frown fading away for the most part for the aforementioned bystander to hear rather clearly, “what do you think: what reason do you think they have to do something about the coverup thereof…?”
“Most likely reputation: I remember that LIDL was first established in 1930, years before the German Reich became official and even then, they’d have held enough power to control many businesses in the country; even without their lingering influences, there’s only so much they can take…” the silver haired observer replied, scratching his head freely with trepidation inside him.
Becca cut back into the conversation, “like what…?”
“All sorts of things: food poisoning, unsafe workplaces, poor relations, even organized crime; wherever there’s trouble, one could surely see the impact on the news…” he said to both women almost immediately while growing some confidence inside, “stuff like this almost never happens in my hometown, at least not with the lives and safety of others being of prime concern.”
“Come to think of it, we haven’t even been able to meet anyway; as a matter of fact, you don’t look like you’re from around here: are you a visitor…?” the brown brunette had quickly asked Koichi instantaneously so to speak of.
It wasn’t long until the silver haired observer had answered without any fear whatsoever completely, “yes, and I’m also a private investigator: I’ve been hired by the Speedwagon Foundation to find and gather intel regarding Bighorn Brightman; my sources believe that he’s actually Hans Davis masquerading as a teacher’s aide here on this campus…”
“Professor Brightman, you mean the chemistry teacher; to be honest, neither of us have ever seen him before if at all, though if that’s the case what would he be doing here of all places…?” Becca said, still retaining awareness of their collectively shared surroundings thereof as the others, “as far as we know, a third of the teachers from Reynolds usually would be found in Goochland…”
“Then, it all makes sense: he must have transferred from here; the only certain way anyone would’ve seen him is if they’re enrolled in his classes…” he’d replied, taking in all of the information recently provided by none other than the brown brunette herself.
The brighter blonde wasted no time in jumping back into the dialogue as well, this time with a scoff, “no duh, I’m not even in his class this semester; I’m still taking a photography class and I need some help for my project: it’s due by the end of the month and I haven’t even started figuring out what to take a picture of.”
“Just take it easy, Cat; it’s almost lunchtime anyway: I’ve saved up enough money for some danishes from my part–time job last week…” Becca had spoken to her titular friend at once, resting the left hand upon the latter’s shoulder almost immediately, “you want to come with us…?”
“Not quite, I still have some work to do; besides, I’m trying to slim down anyway: your cities have more McDonalds and 7–Elevens than there are needed…” Koichi had answered as he’d finally walked away from them without any trouble whatsoever so to speak of.
Needless to say, the silver haired observer walked off into one of the buildings, passing through both sets of the same jet–black doors within seconds as he’d been quickly acquainted with the pristine conditions and population density. Both the walls and the ceiling were both painted in a clearly snow white, the same color as the very lights deeply embedded into the latter as they’d already guided all sorts of travelers hither and yonder throughout the finite premises. The very flooring underneath Koichi’s footwear was but a thick layer of carpeting composed with the interwoven fabrics dyed in the finest amalgamation of viridescent colors reminiscent as grass blades scattered amongst the world. Of course, these dimensions in question weren’t universal or uniform whatsoever, something in which the man in black learned about far too well since he’d quickly seen the very heart of the area for what it is: a perfect square overall. Many individuals congregating about were either sitting upon plastic chairs in wooden tables or standing upon the ligneous surface; whatever fashions they had were much like that of the very two women he’d followed not too earlier. Koichi can see a small fraction of people already found to be on two opposite sides of the square: on one side, there were those entering and/or exiting a cafe; the other had bystanders up close to rectangular machines with food and drink. There was a television screen hanging from the rightmost wall mere feet away from the railings above, displaying a man speaking freely amongst a tiny abundance of text here and there even though they were drowned out by many. The man in black also took note of other furniture found outside of the open space also occupied by people as they’d rested nearby the windowsills without even touching the surface, softer and denser compared to what he’d discovered.
Almost immediately, he’d spotted an open chair in the cold distance, free to claimed by anyone ready, willing, and able to be sedentary without bias or fear altogether: of course, it had to be only him alone since no one else was there in the vicinity to make such a claim so to speak of.
As soon as Koichi took his seat, he’d heard a familiar sound from before, prompting him to reach into his pocket to find the same cellphone with a name so instantaneously recognizable to its owner’s baby blue eyes, it was opened up at once for the caller to be answered, “もしもし⋯！”
“おい、康一君⋯嵐が来ているので、俺は今岸に向かっている⋯” Jotaro’s voice had easily entered the younger listener’s ear almost immediately for only the latter to hear rather clearly, “大丈夫ですか⋯？”
“はい、大丈夫ですが、ブライトマンについてはまだ何も言われていません。” Koichi replied to the gruffer speaker instantaneously.
It didn’t take long for Jotaro to sigh anyway, “やれやれだぜ⋯見る、康一君⋯数時間前に俺のＥメールを受け取った か？ブライトマンは、また寧ろディヴィスは、ここに彼のスケジュールを持っています。実際のところ、彼の学生は解雇していたので、彼は今すぐ教室を離れるはずだ。今はジョージアディスホールでブライトマンを見つける事ために君のチャンスだが、まだできる間に速く動いて。彼は俺達が直面した他の悪役のようではないかも知れないが、まだ何かが可笑しい。此奴ブライトマンの人は俺達がおよそ昨年いつかにニューヨーク市で出会ったソリッド・スネークかも知れません！”
“ソリッド・スネーク⋯ソリッド・スネーク⋯核戦から何度も世界を救ったソリッド・スネーク？！” the younger listener stammered about, struggling to keep his voice down even after what his elder peer had said earlier, “だとしたら、彼はレイノルズでここに何をしているのですか？僕は前回聞いた時、彼が２０１６年に亡くなった。”
“俺も知らないが、およそ想定されりた死亡の１０年前に他の人達と一緒にワームホールから彼と侵略者達が街に襲った大虐殺を見た事が覚えたで、どのように起こったかは言うまでもありません。” Jotaro had said to Koichi as the latter began to review the presently corporeal surroundings once more before arising back up on both feet.
The younger listener had stretched himself out a bit afore replying to the gruff listener, “いずれにしても貴方が言ったように僕は今出かけるべきので、今のところこれはさようならだと思いる。”
After taking in yet another deep breath, Koichi found the strength to depart from the chair and from the premises of the building in due time, placing the cellphone back into his pocket as well. It wasn’t much of a challenge to the man in black when it’d came to exiting the quadrangular area, his eyes instantaneously focused onto the other one the women had went into much earlier. To think that Koichi would be found out into the open world again wasn’t what had surprised him but rather the explanation Jotaro had given out over the very phone sealing the deal overall.
In any case, the silver haired observer found himself passing through both sets of the same deep silver doors within seconds, quickly acquainted with the pristine conditions and population density like before, albeit with some certain differences. As such, the walls and the ceiling were both painted in a clearly snow white alongside with the very lights deeply embedded, its color scheme more sterile compared to the other building he’d walked into moments ago, given the environmental state. The very flooring underneath Koichi’s footwear now took the form of thinly combined ceramic materials, most of which were painted in the darkest shades of gray while long rectangles of ruby and sapphire were slathered amongst them horizontally. Like before, the man in black could see individuals congregating about, many of which were sectioned off by glass panels which had served as barrier for the most part from what he’d seen; speaking of which, Cathy and Becca were also thereon. He could also see a stairway barely cluttered with various pedestrians up and down his line of eyesight, something in which he’d have no problem in even partaking whatsoever considering the very reasons alone, known and unknown, so to speak.
“Hey, MIBTS International; over here…!” Koichi heard another corporeal voice within an instant, masculine as him and the caller from before yet more suave and uncouth, “yeah, that’s right: I’m talking to you…!”
“Eh…?” the silver haired observer gasped as he’d directed his attention to the source of the exclamation thereof: another sharp dressed man in black from top to bottom with hair matching the attire; aside from their cold blue eyes also being their commonalities, the other differences the former found were thick cheekbones, bushy brows, lightly tanned skin, and a tall stature.
Before Koichi could muster up the strength to give a proper reply, the raven–haired onlooker was quick on the draw anyway, “wasn’t expecting the president of their fan club to be making an appearance now, let alone someone of my age no less…”
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you’re talking about…” the silver haired individual had said to the other man in black almost immediately so to speak of, “who are you…?”
“Duh, the world famous spy, Sterling Archer; who were you honestly expecting, Jason Fitzgerald…?” the raven–haired onlooker had answered Koichi in a near and dear instant no less overall.
This had left the silver haired individual cross with claret across the visage constrained about all the while; nevertheless, he was able to control himself in talking to his taller counterpart anyway, “I don’t see how people would confuse you with him; I don’t even know the guy or you for that matter…”
“Of course not, you look like the kind of guy who cries in a basement after prom night went wrong…” Archer responded to Koichi instantaneously, walking up to the latter to ruffle up the strands of hair standing upon ends, “at least you look way younger and shorter than Woodhouse, God rest his soul, now that I think about it, especially with that anime hair of yours…”
“Kindly, leave my hair alone, sir…!” the silver haired individual spat out, pushing his towering correspondent’s hand straightaway indignantly.
As Koichi had started to walk away from Archer with a huff, the latter began to follow the former without hesitation while speaking idly, “so, what brings you here to Reynolds, champ…?”
“お前は馬鹿野郎ですか？！” the silver haired individual ruminated, firmly aware of his rangy counterpart’s presence abaft himself prior to turning around, “gee, that sounds like something I’d oughta be saying to you, Archer…”
“What part of ‘world famous spy’ did you not understand; I mean, hello, how could you miss that…?” the eponymous adult replied as they’d both found themselves walking up the same stairwell all on their lonesome.
Koichi had turned himself around and answered, “nothing, it’s just that most spies, if not all, wouldn’t announce it to anyone and everyone they meet, especially if they happen to be in a non–English speaking country…”
“Oh, please, you sound like my mother of all people…” the raven–haired onlooker scoffed as he’d attempted to follow his shorter correspondent without a care, “as a matter of… of… of…”
Archer was soon overwrought with terrifying resolve as his very visage, once clear as day, soon shifted to a pale green as visions betrayed him at once: dizzying about, he’d begun to see many shades of gray as well as the lights shining about were swirling about to no end in sight, circular like wheels but lacking in direction whatsoever. In spite of the changing courses, the raven–haired onlooker still maintained some control to run back downstairs and further, keeping himself from letting loose an assortment of lukewarm hues from his angular maw as a chunky salsa now gathered about within as he’d struggled to look for an opened wastebasket almost instantaneously. Choking about, Archer had soon felt compelled to hideaway his own nausea, quickly pushing and pulling himself away from the public eyes near and far as even Koichi was capable of drawing out the foregone conclusion, the very prognosis alone leaving the latter’s mind infected by all the erstwhile nausea from patient zero.
“おっと、彼とは⋯？” the silver haired individual had simply thought to himself as he’d kept on going the up and up straightaway; although he was freed from the potential influences his taller counterpart, the recent stardust memories thereof left the former bereft of irritation in and of itself so to speak of.
In any case, Koichi was left to his own devices, ready to explore whatever had been left to his remaining imagination even with reality already within his constraints therein. The simple reminder sent by the likes of Jotaro himself already left the silver haired individual filled with resolve, especially considering the latter’s current location overall.
While being mindful of whichever personnel he’d passed by, it didn’t take long for him hear some distant noise from afar belonging to another organic voice: much like the caller talking to him on the phone, it was gruff and masculine but with a lower pitch compared to the likes of Archer himself, “it’s amazing that a teenager such as yourself could build all of this no less…”
“その声は、承太郎様の死んだ祖父の事を彷彿する⋯でも、なぜ年下な聞こえるのですか？” Koichi cerebrated as he’d followed the source of it all within an instant, keeping his pace steady and quiet altogether, “ブライトマンはもう近くすでにだろうか？”
“At this rate, it still hasn’t been tested yet; I’ve been trapped in this world for so long, there’s no telling what may had befallen my friends back on the White Base: for all that I know, they may as well have lost thanks to that bastard Red Comet…!” another voice entered the younger listener’s ears, albeit much more so compared to the former for the lack of a better word therein.
This left Koichi with a rather confused gaze as he’d still ruminated about, “ホワイトベース⋯赤い彗星⋯これらはすべてガンダム言及ですが、それは何かと何の関係があるのでしょうか？！彼らが実際の宇宙世紀から事を信じるほど愚かとか凝った人は誰もいません！”
“It seems to me you’re not alone in this world either, kid: even after everything that’s happened, I can’t even imagine how things like this keep going…” the elder male replied to his youthful correspondent immediately, sighing softly all the while no less, “I could barely show my face around here without others asking me about that other guy, Hans Davis. Apparently, it seems that it’s been a few years since his passing and people have still been wondering why I look like him all of the sudden: it seems that either cloning has advanced to the point where life and death have become cheapened altogether or we’ve been summoned straight out of some television screen as part of some dark ritual.”
“儀式⋯どんな儀式⋯彼らは世界で何について話しているのですか⋯？” the silver haired listener thought to himself as he'd continued to approach them silently in the process to avoid attracting their attention.
Of course, this move to secrecy didn’t last for the likes of Koichi as the brief chirp dinged into his very ears instantaneously; it’d belonged to a nearby elevator from behind himself as its doors shifted wide open, bearing a familiar face from long ago: the raven–haired observer stepped out with a fresh smile, greeting the former at once, “hey there, sonny; sorry for what had happened!”
“うわぁ⋯！” the silver haired observer yelped as Archer had suddenly reappeared from abaft the former with barely a warning whatsoever so to speak, bumping his shoulder against a wall in the process, “dammit…!”
“What the Hell?!” the elder male barked at once.
Now stuck in the open atmosphere with all the bright lights and sharp sounds, Koichi was now in full view of the distant voices’ identities: a pair of light skinned brunets alike in fair dignity at the first glance, despite their significant differences between themselves when contrasted by the likes of him and his taller counterpart. The lonely elder was rough around the edges thanks to his beard despite being yet another person with only sapphire orbs, distorted by the silver chariots requiem within as they’d matched some of the streaks in his hair; the attire consisted of a snow white shirt with a blood red tie clipped on, beige pants, and jet–black shoes. The younger correspondent was several inches away from the gruff man but still taller than their silver haired observer, both eyes matching the former’s slightly bouffant hair and shoes thereof; aside from being dressed in denim, a yellow undershirt was also discovered by virtue of already being exposed to the very world.
It didn’t take long for the teenager to go up to Koichi in an instant whom was lying on the floor weakened and vulnerable but still active nevertheless with a question, “are you alright, sir…?”
“It’s nothing really…” the silver haired observer hissed in an attempt to suppress the pain within his body so to speak of, “who are you anyway…”
“I’m Amuro Ray, an inventor; I’ve been going to this community college in the hopes of searching some help on my way back home: this is Professor Brightman, a chemistry teacher…” the aforementioned brunet introduced himself to Koichi almost instantaneously with an outstretched hand.
Accepting the gesture, the silver haired individual replied immediately, “I knew who he is already because I’ve been asking some students about him earlier; by the way, I’m Koichi Hirose, a private investigator currently working on behalf of the Speedwagon Foundation: I was on a secret assignment before a certain someone blew my cover wide open…”
“Hey, don’t look at me, lil gramps…” Archer shot back at the titular traveler defensively, watching as the latter got back on both feet, “I was here for the same thing, thanks to mother: she’d said that some man cloned from the world famous secret agent Solid Snake is here in the state of Virginia posing as some college professor at Reynolds, no relation to Burt regretfully.”
“What secret agent… what does this have to do with Mr. Brightman…?” the lone juvenile had asked the twosome afore themselves instantaneously.
It didn’t take long for the eponymous eyewitness to interject indignantly, “nothing at all, I’m afraid: as far as I see it, I’m nothing like the guy at all; I have assignments to grade in a half–hour from now and a device to load up in the truck by the end of the workday, at least before the storm comes…!”
“If that’s the case, what is it anyway: what does it do; why’s it here on campus…?” the silver haired individual asked them, quickly pointing towards the big black boxy contraption behind themselves immediately at once, “this doesn’t look like something they’d have the budget for in any year…”
“It’s my personal project: I’ve been able to collect some old materials from some junkyards and clean them before putting them all to good use; I’ve been trying to find my way back home ever since I’d ended up here in America and these Back to the Future tapes were of no help at all…” Amuro answered already at a loss for small things.
The raven–haired observer wasted no time contorting his face into a grimace prior to replying, “don’t trash the entire trilogy, wannabe; that show did a good job predicting lots of things: hoverboards, jetpacks, and the Cubs winning…!”
“They also got a lot of things wrong altogether as well: DMC failing, Princess Diana, hovercars, a legal system without lawyers; I could go on for hours…” the elder teacher had spat back in return, speedily snarling at Archer almost instantaneously so to speak of, “nevertheless, I have a long night ahead of me so I need to stay prepped up in one piece, especially with the weather…”
“What weather?!” the raven–haired observer scoffed.
It wasn’t long until all of the lights and sounds were starting to emanate from the dark device, shining bright with loud pitches hither and yon as electricity illuminated about without warning. Only then did it start to rise from the cold floor it was set upon, reaching up to Koichi’s waistline without even touching him or any of the other men but going no further altogether so to speak of. Then, the complex contraption started to spin around to no end in sight, spreading the strands of hot plasma from the growing sphere of influence as debris began to be drawn to it all the while. At this rate alone, the centrifugal force was sprouting about in an instant, drawing in more objects heavier and denser compared to loose leaves of paper and the writing utensils used upon.
The lone juvenile backed away, pulling out a rectangular item as he’d muttered in an instant, “oh, no… get away from it while I shut it down… no, it’s not… it’s not shutting down…! EVERYONE GET OUT…!”
“ECHOES ACT THREE…!” cried the silver haired observer, a small figure of humanoid form appearing from him colored in gunmetal and emerald: the veiny muscles served as proof of said entity’s gender due to multiple protrusions, many in a straight line betwixt the stripy golden eyes; nonetheless, modesty was no issue, bearing clothing with a ‘3’ in the midst, “THREE FREEZE!”
“Command acquired…” the inorganic individual said as a gust of wind sent the four males further away from the suspended device, no doubt belonging to the former’s handiwork which radiated with a goldenrod aura while staring it down stoically so to speak of.
Raising both hands together before clasping them, Echoes touched the ground before resolving to deliver a volley of punches towards the heavy object; although making sure to avoid whatever item being pulled in, three people left in awe of what had been seen and heard, especially Archer himself whom said, “damn, this looks like it came straight out of a comic book or something…!”
“This shouldn’t have happened: none of the inventions I’d made activated without any my input, let alone my knowledge…!” Amuro cried out as the inorganic humanoid was sent hurtling back towards them at breakneck speed in an instant, “what the Hell is going on here?!”
“I don’t know but we should leave now…!” Brightman warned, struggling to stand up before being pulled in by the swirling current almost immediately.
Suddenly, the contraption sank right back into the floor, this time making a deep impression as it was firmly stuck within instantaneously: although it wasn’t swirling around anymore, the sparks were still flying about as its lights and sounds remained active all the same; this was more than enough for the others to go and keep their distances as a precautionary measure nevertheless.
It wasn’t long until a more immersive imprint expanded itself around the dark device, bearing its own crater as it’d struggled to move about; in the meantime, Koichi struggled to find his phone straightaway, wasting no second, if at all, to dial some numbers, only for his grip to be subverted as it was soon directly over it completely.
This had left the silver haired observer speechless, save for one little word underneath his breath, “shit…!”
Without warning, an ominous cluster of twinkling glitter appeared before themselves, exploding in a giant growing globe as a rocket’s red glaring at the bombs bursting in the air over the crater;soon, it’d expanded, starting to disintegrate everything that made contact with afore their eyes for a while before stopping itself in place to change colors and then some with little warning no less.
Out of the literal blue, an amalgamated animal already stood directly near an arch of running water: though predominately serpentine, a bright antler and horn both sharing a grayscale head, a yellow leonine paw and eagle talon emerged from both sides of the darkly maroon body where two mismatched wings rested abaft, and a jet–black mane with white beard and brows appeared.
“I, I want it, I want it real… run away with me now…” the inhabitant sang as a pink handled sponge was found within the very talon in full view; of course, this didn’t last as eyes of crimson again yellow slowly opened up, initially with bliss before contorted into shock as the very visage became snow white, “KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH…!”
“Ew, my eyes; they burn…!” the raven–haired observer shrieked as he’d shut them away in turn, unaware of the creature’s instantaneous embarrassment as its presence was shrouded in a static shock of meshed waves before settling down on a swirl of emerald splash with the occasional glimmer thereof.
The danger alone refused to subside as the winds howled from the otherwise flat vortex alone, the force therein now starting to pull in more objects asides the likes of pens, papers, and pencils: in what had seemed to be some sort of a cruel sick joke played by none other than fate itself, all of the males were caught in its path in an instant.
Of the quartet in question, the lone professor was the first to go since he was the most closest to the emerald circle; despite latching onto the white tiles therein, he’d found himself launched in there, screaming wildly with a reverberation of anguish, “EEAUUGH…!”
“NO…!” Koichi had cried in disbelief, “WHY?!”
“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE…!” Archer screamed as well now that it was his turn to join Brightman into the vortex, despite being further away from the remaining rest so to speak.
Needless to say, the young teenager had to act fast in order to keep his place alongside the likes of the silver haired onlooker now: thinking quickly, he’d pulled out a claw hammer and dug deeply right into the flooring almost immediately, his feet all in midair; despite this, the sweat within his palms betrayed such determination, sliding him away from the ground, “NOOOO…!”
“OH MY GOD… I’M GONNA DIE…!” Koichi shrieked as it was finally down to him alone, the airstreams from within now gripping his corporeal form even as he’d struggled to keep the distance between himself and the circle; suddenly, it’d disappeared without a trace, save for some broken pieces littered about within the crater, “what the…?”
Hurricane force winds soon blew the sole silvery survivor away even more further than where the others were before finally receding, sending him up against a different wall like a rag doll; afterwards, he’d struggled to stare at the section up in front before finding himself seeing nothing but darkness all throughout despite his valiant struggles therein.