Code stood at the entrance to the corridor, the darkness seeming to swallow him whole. The air was heavy with an unsettling silence, and the shadows appeared to writhe like living things on the walls. He took a deep breath, his heart racing with anticipation, as he stepped into the void.
His determination burned brighter with every step, fueled by the conviction that he would find the girl, no matter what horrors lay ahead. "Tip toe, Tip toe" Code's footsteps echoed off the walls, the sound waves dying away into the darkness like whispers in a tomb.
His eyes strained to pierce the gloom, his pupils dilating in a futile attempt to capture any glimmer of light. Maybe the girl was there, scared and alone, her presence a beacon of hope in the oppressive darkness. Code's imagination ran wild with possibilities, each one more terrifying than the last.
He walked on, his footsteps growing more deliberate, his senses heightened as he strained to detect any sign of life. But there was nothing. No sound, no movement, no hint of warmth. The corridor seemed to stretch on forever, a labyrinth of darkness with no escape.
Code's frustration grew, and he decided to shout, hoping against hope that the girl might respond. "Hey!" His voice boomed through the corridor, the echoes fading away into the silence like a dying breath. "Is there someone there?" he asked, his voice laced with desperation.
But there was only silence. No response, no whisper, no hint of life. Code's voice grew hoarse from shouting, his throat parched and dry. He finally fell silent, his chest heaving with exertion.
"Arrrgh," he sighed, shaking his head in despair. "Maybe she isn't here," he muttered, turning to leave.
And that's when he saw it. The exit was gone. The wall was solid, unbroken, and unyielding. Code's heart sank, his mind reeling with the implications. He was trapped. The darkness seemed to close in around him, suffocating him with its crushing weight.
Code's breathing grew ragged, his chest heaving with anxiety as he struggled to comprehend the situation. "Is it a demon?" he asked himself, his voice barely above a whisper, as he scanned the darkness for any sign of movement.
He turned back to face the direction he had been walking, and that's when the sensation hit him - a creeping sense of dread that seemed to seep into his bones. It was the same feeling he had experienced on his first mission, the one where his team was wiped out.
Code's eyes widened in terror as he stared into the darkness, his gaze fixed on something that seemed to twist and writhe like a living thing. The air seemed to thicken, growing heavier with an unseen presence, and Code's skin crawled with goosebumps.
Even in the darkness, he could sense that the shadows afar were denser, more menacing, as if they were alive and watching him. His heart racing with fear, Code's head spun, and memories began to flood his mind like a dam breaking.
He tried to steady himself, but his head throbbed with a fierce pain, as if his very brain was being squeezed by an invisible hand. The darkness seemed to coalesce, growing more substantial, and Code felt the cold seeping into his bones like a chill wind.
Then, without warning, the dark figure afar began to move, its presence unfolding like a living, breathing entity. The silhouette drew closer, its steps slow and deliberate, each one echoing through Code's mind like a death knell.
Code's eyes were fixed on the figure, his gaze frozen in horror as it drew nearer with every passing second. He wanted to run, to flee from the terror that was approaching, but his legs felt like lead, heavy and unresponsive.
The figure loomed before him, its presence suffocating, and Code could feel the cold, anti-tenzen aura emanating from it like a miasma of death. Its breath seemed to carry the stench of decay, and Code's stomach churned with revulsion.
The figure stood before Code, its presence seeming to fill the entire corridor, and then, without warning, it vanished. The darkness seemed to recoil, the shadows retreating like a living thing, leaving Code shaken and trembling in its wake.
"Code!"
The voice sliced through the air, jolting Code back to reality. His eyes widened in terror as he turned toward the sound. The exit was now visible, and Nara stood at the end of it, frantically waving his arms. "Are you there, Code?" he screamed.
Code's gaze lingered on Nara's worried face before he managed a faint reply, "Yeah." As he stepped out of the dark corridor, the light seemed blinding. His mind reeled, struggling to process what had just happened. The encounter felt like a twisted dream, yet the fear lingered, refusing to dissipate.
'Who was that?' The question echoed in his mind like a mantra. Code's face still bore the etched lines of terror as he emerged into the light.
Nara's concerned voice cut through Code's thoughts. "Code, what were you doing in there?" His tone was laced with worry.
Code hesitated, unsure how to explain the inexplicable. "Nothing," he replied quickly, forcing a weak smile.
Nara's expression remained skeptical. "Ya sure?" Code nodded curtly. "Yeah."
As Nara began walking down the hallway, Code followed, his eyes drifting back to the corridor. "Was it an illusion?" he wondered, his heart still racing.
Nara's voice brought him back to reality. "Honestly, we've been looking all over for you." Code hastened his pace to catch up, his mind still trapped in the darkness he'd just escaped.
***************************************
As Code and Nara walked out of the hallway, a loud laugh echoed through the station. Code's eyes widened in surprise at the scene before him. "Whoa!"
Ken, surrounded by a group of passengers, was signing autographs with a flourish. Alpha stood beside him, applauding enthusiastically. "I am Ken, the greatest Mortal on the surface of the earth!" Ken declared, his eyes gleaming.
Hina rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Oi, Ken, would you stop screaming?"
Ken ignored her, continuing to sign autographs. Code watched, amused, as Ken worked the crowd.
When Hina noticed Code, her expression lit up. "Oi, Code! Where were you?" She asked, eyeing him curiously.
Code chuckled and shrugged. "Just taking care of some business," he said with a grin.
Hina raised an eyebrow. "Arrrgh... okay."
Code's gaze swept the area, searching for the woman who had asked him to find her daughter. Not seeing her, he turned to Hina. "Hey, did you guys see a lady looking for her daughter?"
Hina thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Nope. Nara, did you see anyone?" Nara didn't look up from his task. "No."
Code's brow furrowed as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Where could she be? Or was she..." Ken's thunderous laughter burst through the air, shattering Code's concentration and pulling him back to reality.
As Ken approached, his grin seemed to have a life of its own, stretching across his face like a misplaced crescent moon. Alpha trailed behind, eyes wide with wonder, as if trying to figure out how Ken's face hadn't cracked yet. Code raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching into a bemused smile as Ken sized him up.
Hina intervened with a discreet throat-clearing, her eyes darting between the two like a referee about to blow the whistle. "Ken, meet Code. Code, meet Ken," she said, her voice a soothing balm to the impending awkwardness.
Ken's grin grew wider, and he lunged forward, grabbing Code's hand in a grip that could crush walnuts. "Yo, I'm Hyoma Ken, the universe's strongest sorcerer!" he declared, his voice booming down the hallway like a megaphone.
Code's eyes went wide as he tried to extract his hand from Ken's vise-like grip. "C-Code Weber," he stuttered, his smile plastered on his face like a poorly applied sticker.
As Ken's laughter continued to shatter glass eardrums, Code thought to himself, "This guy..." He opted to play it cool, smiling back at Ken while internally screaming, "Someone, please, for the love of all things sane, save my hand!"
As Ken finally released Code's hand, it felt like a reprieve from the apocalypse. Code's hand throbbed in relief, and he raised his head, only to meet Alpha's piercing gaze. Her eyes seemed to say, "You're the human equivalence of garbage." Code's face contorted in confusion and surprise, and he attempted a smile, but Alpha's disdain only intensified.
After what felt like an eternity, Alpha snorted, "Hmph," and flung herself at Ken, his kuro-kaze clanking wildly. Code blinked, still reeling from the encounter. "What's her deal?" he asked Hina, nodding toward Alpha.
Hina's expression turned dark. "That's just Alpha being Alpha. She looks at everyone like they're beneath her, except Ken, for reasons beyond me." Hina's eyes rolled heavenward. "Good grief, she's so infuriating!"
Code chuckled inwardly, thinking, "She's just a kid." Hina reassured him, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it." However, Code wasn't so sure about that.
As the station emptied, the trio breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, that was a workout!" Nara exclaimed, stretching his arms and yawning. Hina nodded enthusiastically. "I'm exhausted. A hot bath sounds divine."
As they approached the exit, a flustered security officer rushed toward them with two men in black suits and 5th-grade sorcerer badges. The officer's worried expression turned to surprise upon seeing the trio. "A-are, wh-what...," he stammered.
Hina began to explain, but Alpha cut her off. "We handled it. No big deal." She said it like a fact, without humility.
Nara rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Yeah, no big deal for her majesty." Alpha added, "Those demons didn't stand a chance."
The security officer smiled discreetly, mouthing "thank you" as he led the sorcerers away. As they reached the waiting area, they were met with dozens of demon corpses.
One sorcerer exclaimed, "Wow! This is insane! How did kids manage this?" The other sorcerer turned to look for the trio, but they had vanished.
***
Thanks for reading, everyone.