Day 5 – Trial of the Abyss
The Frozen Lake of Usurrei Keji
A biting cold wind howled across the barren, snow-covered landscape, cutting through every crack in their clothing. The sky above was a dull, frozen gray, casting a sickly light over the Kageshiki trainees who stood in tense formation. The air was thick with the freezing chill of the lake before them, their breaths misting in the frigid air.
The instructor's voice rang out, sharp and cutting through the silence.
"Yesterday, 18 trainees perished in the Shinjuku Forest. That leaves only 112 of you alive."
A collective wave of gasps rippled through the line. Ishigo clenched his jaw, fingers stiff with cold. His eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. The number didn't bother him—it was just the nature of their world.
"In every training session, at least five trainees die," Reika muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible, but her words struck like daggers. The icy wind swallowed them, leaving behind only the bite of her truth.
"Pathetic," Daigo scoffed, his grin never wavering, despite the heaviness of the moment. His hands were buried deep in his pockets, but the gleam in his eyes spoke volumes. "I wonder when it'll be my turn."
Ishigo shivered—not from the cold—but from Daigo's words. His voice was too casual. Too detached. Like he welcomed the pain.
The instructor's gaze swept over them, his voice dropping to a low, cold tone. "Today's trial will take place in Usurrei Keji Lake. This lake is not ordinary. Beneath its surface lies a nest of Beshiki Bans—humanoid, fish-like monsters that hunt in packs. Your task: survive underwater for three hours. We will provide a breathing pill that lasts two."
A murmur spread through the trainees, but the instructor's eyes bore into them, unyielding. "What about the third hour?" someone called out from the crowd.
The instructor smirked, a cruel edge to his lips. "That depends on you."
The steel cover over the lake groaned as it was slowly pulled open. A vast, endless abyss of ice-cold water revealed itself, stretching far into the distance. Sunlight glinted off the dark, still surface, making it seem like a portal to another, more terrifying world. The water's surface shimmered with an unnatural gleam, like something sinister lurked beneath.
The trainees were handed a small, thin katana—barely fitting for the task ahead.
"These creatures are weak," the instructor said, his eyes scanning over the crowd, his tone as dismissive as ever. "A thousand times weaker than an actual Shikiban. But don't underestimate them. They kill in numbers."
Reika, her gaze steady as a stone, grabbed the pill from the instructor's hand. She placed it in her mouth without a second thought. The moment it dissolved, a strange, fishy aftertaste filled her mouth. She almost gagged.
"Ugh, why does it taste like fish?!" Daigo grimaced, but the anger in his voice was more for show than anything else. "Oi, do you think we're actual fish?!"
The instructors ignored him. They always did.
"Calm down, Daigo," Ishigo whispered, though his voice was edged with something colder—something darker. He wasn't sure if he was trying to calm Daigo or himself.
"Tch, they'll pay for this later," Daigo muttered, but his eyes glittered with excitement. He lived for the chaos, didn't he?
Without another word, Reika dashed forward, her katana gleaming in the harsh light, and leaped into the water without hesitation.
The freezing cold hit her like a slap, shock waves of ice jarring through her body, but she didn't flinch. The darkness swallowed her whole, leaving no trace of the surface world behind. Silence pressed in from every direction. The water felt like a tomb.
"She's insane," someone whispered, their voice trembling with fear.
One by one, the other trainees followed, plunging into the depths of the abyss. Ishigo hesitated for only a moment, eyes scanning the vast expanse of water. Then Daigo grabbed him by the wrist, yanking him toward the edge.
"Alright, bro. Time to jump," Daigo said with that trademark smirk on his lips, as if this was all just a game to him.
"Wait—" Ishigo barely had time to protest before Daigo dragged him into the icy water.
Beneath the Abyss
The moment they were submerged, the water hit Ishigo like a hammer, its freezing tendrils crawling into his bones. His breath caught in his throat, but the pill worked. He could breathe, though every inhale sent a chill deeper into his lungs.
Reika was already swimming ahead, cutting through the water with practiced ease. The abyss stretched out like a vast, endless void, its depths full of shadows that danced on the periphery of his vision.
Then—movement.
A shape darted ahead. One of the trainees, barely visible in the murk, swam forward with desperation written on his face. But before he could react, something from the deep exploded into view—a grotesque creature with a body like a twisted fish, its face human-like, but with jagged, piranha-like teeth that snapped in the dark.
The thing lunged, its teeth sinking into the trainee's flesh in a single, brutal strike. Blood burst into the water in a spray of red.
"No!" Reika gasped, but her eyes never left the monster. Its soulless eyes fixed on her, and in that moment, it smiled. A sickening, inhuman grin that sent a shiver down her spine.
"Come at me," Reika whispered, her voice lost in the water's depths, but her katana was steady in her hand.
The Beshiki Ban charged, but Reika was faster. She darted to the side, slashing upward with her katana. The blade connected with its arm, severing it with a single stroke. Dark, murky blood swirled around her, turning the water into a nightmare.
"Not today," she muttered under her breath, as more of the creatures emerged from the shadows, surrounding her. Their grins twisted in the dark.
"Tch." Reika exhaled, her grip tightening on her katana. "Guess I'll have to kill them all."
Daigo's Bloodbath
Meanwhile, Daigo was having a laugh.
A Beshiki Ban lunged at him, but with a sickening crunch, he slammed its skull into another monster. The force cracked both skulls in a violent, wet explosion.
"These bastards are weak as hell!" Daigo roared, his wild grin a mask of joy.
Another monster rushed him, but with a twist of his body, Daigo slashed clean through its throat, sending a spray of black blood into the water.
"Where do you think you're going?" Daigo shouted, his eyes gleaming with insanity. He grabbed another creature by its hair, yanking it back.
SHINK
The sound of the katana cutting through bone was chilling. The monster's head rolled off its body, blood leaking from its severed neck.
"Hah! This is fun!" Daigo's laugh echoed through the water, taunting the creatures.
But then—something changed.
A deep, monstrous growl shook the very foundation of the lake. The water trembled with the force of it.
"What the hell?" Ishigo froze, his body tense as he looked around. Something was coming.
The Final Trial Begins
From the depths, a shadow stirred. It rose like a nightmare given form—massive, monstrous, and full of rage. Its glowing eyes locked onto them, and its gaping mouth filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth. It was like a nightmare come alive.
The other Beshiki Bans fled in terror, but the creature was relentless.
Daigo's grin faltered. "Oh... this one's different."
Ishigo's eyes widened in fear. "How the hell do we fight that?!
The creature's roar shook the water, and its tail lashed out, creating a shockwave that sent Ishigo and the others reeling.
A trainee wasn't so lucky—his body was torn apart in an instant, limbs shredded by the creature's monstrous maw.
"Damn it!" Daigo growled, his excitement shifting into a dangerous fervor.
The beast lunged at him. He didn't even flinch. Instead, he grinned, his grip tightening around his katana.
"Come on, then."
The creature swallowed him whole.
Silence.
Ishigo's heart stopped. "Daigo!"
But then—
BOOM
The water exploded as the beast's stomach erupted from the inside. A blood-drenched figure emerged from the chaos, drenched in crimson.
It was Daigo, his face twisted in pure, unhinged joy.
"Hah! Tastes like shit!" Daigo spat, still grinning like a madman. He gripped his katana tightly.
The beast screamed, its roar reverberating through the water.
Daigo charged.
Reika, Ishigo, and the remaining trainees followed.
The final trial had truly begun.