Part 4: Behind You!
The village remained unnaturally quiet beneath the vast, ink-black night sky.
Far above the empty streets, perched high on the stone ledge of a water tower, a boy stood motionless against the wind. His cold, dark eyes tracked the tiny figures creeping through the shadows below.
The three siblings were already far from Red Bowl, led deeper into the maze of abandoned alleys.
The boy watched them for a silent, lingering moment, his face entirely devoid of emotion.
"...Everything is going as planned," he whispered to the wind.
He turned his back on the street below, his expression remaining perfectly calm and detached. Then, with a single, deliberate step backward, he slipped into the shadows and vanished into the darkness like a phantom.
Down on the cobblestones, the three siblings continued walking. The streets ahead had become entirely empty, swallowing them in an eerie, suffocating hush.
Haruto looked around, a sudden cold sweat pricking his forehead. "Something feels weird."
Kaito nodded slowly, his hand resting on his weapon pouch. "Yeah. It's too quiet."
Ayame didn't answer. Her eyes were fixed on the looming shapes emerging from the gloom ahead. There were too many of them—shadows decoupling from the walls, far exceeding the squad of false police officers walking alongside them.
Ayame's fingers slowly tightened into pale fists.
For a terrifying second, her mind fractured, and a vivid, bloody vision flashed violently before her eyes:
She grabbed Haruto's hand in a panic, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Kaito, run!"
The three siblings sprinted wildly through the narrow alleys. Hunters materialized behind them like wild beasts. More poured from the side streets, and a heavy wall of armored men blocked the road ahead. Ayame pulled both of her brothers along with desperate, frantic strength. "Keep running!"
But there were too many. A Hunter caught up, his iron gauntlet tearing through the dark. Another closed in beside them. Haruto tripped and slammed into the stone.
"KAITO!" Haruto screamed.
Ayame turned, her heart shattering as Hunters swarmed over them. She threw herself forward, clawing and biting to fight them off, but the numerical force was overwhelming. A heavy blow struck her across the face, sending her crashing into the dirt. Haruto and Kaito were violently dragged away into the crowd, screaming her name.
"AYAME!"
She reached desperately toward them, her fingers grasping at empty air as the darkness closed in—
"Ayame!"
Her eyes snapped open, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Haruto was standing right beside her, staring at her in deep concern. She blinked rapidly, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The street was still there. Kaito was still beside them. Nobody had attacked yet.
It had only been her instincts—a terrifying, precognitive nightmare played out in her mind.
Ayame slowly let out a shuddering breath, forcing her face back into a mask of composure. "...Nothing."
Haruto frowned, stepping closer. "What?"
"It's nothing," she repeated softly.
She turned her gaze back toward the approaching group, then at the four officers surrounding them. Her lavender eyes narrowed to razor-sharp points. The Hunters ahead were stepping into the moonlight now. There were dozens of them.
She needed to prove it. She needed to break the illusion before her brothers were taken.
Ayame pointed toward the dark figures blocking the road ahead. "Those people ahead..."
The lead officer looked over, his voice unbothered and smooth. "They're with us. Reinforcements."
Ayame nodded slowly. "Really?"
"Yes."
She stared at the officer for a beat, her expression entirely unreadable. Then, out of nowhere, she tilted her head like an innocent child. "Do they have water?"
The officer paused, looking down at her in confusion. "Water?"
"I'm thirsty," Ayame said, her voice small and delicate.
The officer offered a quick, dismissive nod. "They should. Keep walking."
Ayame smiled—a sweet, radiant smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Okay."
Then, without a single frame of warning, she exploded forward.
Her boots slapped against the wet cobblestones in a sudden sprint.
One step. Two steps. Ten. Eleven. Twelve.
She skidded to a halt. She had placed distance between herself and her brothers, but stayed perfectly positioned so Haruto and Kaito could see her every move clearly.
Ayame whirled around to face the back of the false police squad.
She pointed frantically past them into the dark, empty alley, her face twisting into terror as she screamed at the absolute top of her lungs:
"BEHIND YOU!"