Darkness.
That was all Takeshi could feel. No sound. No wind. No sand.
Just… nothing.
---
Then, light.
Soft at first, like a sunrise behind his eyelids. Warm, gentle. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
He wasn't in the desert anymore.
---
Takeshi sat up.
He was lying on a white floor that stretched in every direction. The sky above him wasn't a sky—it was just... blank. Pale. Quiet.
And right in front of him stood a man.
---
He wore white robes that moved like smoke. His face was covered by a mask with no mouth, just two empty eyes. He didn't speak. He just stared.
---
Takeshi's voice came out hoarse. "Where... am I?"
---
The man stepped closer. He moved slow, like he had all the time in the world.
"This is the space between," he said at last. His voice echoed without sound, like it was inside Takeshi's head. "Where power sleeps. Where truths hide."
---
Takeshi tried to stand, but his legs shook. "What happened to Asami? To the Beast?"
---
The man didn't answer that. Instead, he raised a hand.
A glowing symbol appeared in the air—a circle with a crack running through it. It pulsed with light, like it was alive.
---
"That is your Drift," the man said. "But it is broken. Just like you."
---
Takeshi frowned. "What does that mean?"
---
"You weren't supposed to awaken it," the man said. "Not yet. You're too early. And now… you've drawn their eyes."
---
Takeshi took a step back. "Whose eyes?"
---
The masked figure tilted his head.
"The Watchers."
---
Takeshi didn't know what that meant, but it made his skin crawl. The air suddenly felt heavier.
---
"I don't understand," Takeshi whispered.
The man in white turned away. "You will. But you must survive first."
Then he stopped and looked back.
"You have seven nights left. After that, the real hunt begins."
---
The floor beneath Takeshi cracked. Light burst from under him, swallowing his legs, then his chest—
---
"WAKE UP."
---
His eyes flew open.
---
Takeshi gasped, sitting up in his bed, drenched in sweat. His heart was hammering like crazy. His room was dark, the only sound was the ticking of the clock.
It was… morning?
---
He stared at his hands. They were glowing faintly. The Drift was still there.
---
But that wasn't what scared him the most.
It was the words still ringing in his mind:
You have seven nights left.
---
End of Chapter 11.