Cards Of The Silent King-Chapter 56: Hunger-Born: Second Generation

The Grey District was silent. The silence was not empty. It was waiting. Kaito stood on the roof of a three-story building. The wind was cold. It cut through his jacket. He did not shiver. He watched the street below.

Kuro said: "Two signatures. Close range."

Kaito said: "Together."

Kuro said: "Yes. They are moving in sync."

Kaito tightened his gloves. His hands were steady. But his heart beat faster. The last encounter had been hard. The entities were learning. He could feel the change in the air. It smelled of ozone and old blood. Two figures emerged from the shadows. They looked like the first Hunter. Plated skin. Long limbs. But they were different. Their eyes glowed red. They did not walk. They slid. They stopped below the building. They looked up. They saw him.

Kuro said: "They know you are there."

Kaito said: "Let them come."

The entities jumped. They cleared three stories in a single leap. They landed on the roof. The concrete cracked. They did not hesitate. They attacked immediately. One went for Kaito. One went for the shadow.

Kaito said: "Kuro."

Kuro said: "I am here."

Kuro erupted from the ground. He met the second entity. Claws clashed against armor. Sparks flew. Kaito faced the first. He drew a card. The King of Fangs.

Kaito said: "Fenrir. Merge."

He pressed the card to his chest. The light flowed into him. The heat was sudden. His muscles tightened. His vision sharpened. The urge to howl rose in his throat. He swallowed it. The entity swung. Kaito caught the fist. He squeezed. The bone cracked. He felt satisfaction. He punched the entity in the chest. It flew back. It hit the ventilation unit. Metal crumpled.

Kuro said: "Good. Now finish it."

Kaito lunged. The entity did not retreat. It opened its mouth. A beam of energy shot out. Kaito twisted. The beam grazed his shoulder. The jacket burned. The skin blistered.

Kaito said: "It learned range."

Kuro said: "They share data."

Kaito ignored the pain. He grabbed the entity by the throat. He slammed it into the roof. He raised his fist. The entity shifted its density. It became soft. Kaito’s fist sank into the flesh. It trapped his hand.

Kaito said: "Let go."

The entity smiled. It was a human smile. It was wrong. It pulled Kaito closer. The second entity broke away from Kuro. It came for Kaito.

Kaito said: "Release."

He pulled his hand free. The flesh tore. He stepped back. He was breathing hard. The merge was draining him. He could not hold it much longer.

Kuro said: "Switch. You cannot beat both with strength."

Kaito said: "NYX."

He pulled the black card. The void card. He pressed it to his other hand. The cold was absolute. It canceled the heat of Fenrir. The two powers fought inside him. It felt like tearing apart.

Kaito said: "Merge."

Darkness exploded from his body. It swallowed the light of Fenrir. The roof went dark. The entities stopped. They could not see. They could not sense heat. They were blind.

NYX said: "I am the dark."

Kaito said: "Hide me."

NYX said: "You are gone."

Kaito moved. He was invisible. He stepped behind the first entity. He placed his hand on its back. The darkness consumed it. It did not scream. It vanished into the void. The card flipped in his pocket. The second entity panicked. It fired beams into the dark. They hit nothing. Kaito appeared behind it. He placed both hands on its shoulders.

Kaito said: "End."

The darkness took it. The roof was empty. The silence returned. Kaito fell to his knees. The merges canceled each other. The cost was double. He vomited. It was bile and blood.

Kuro said: "You pushed too hard."

Kaito said: "They adapted."

Kuro said: "Faster than before."

Kaito wiped his mouth. He stood up. His legs shook. He could not feel his left arm. The numbness was spreading. He had used two high-rank merges in ten minutes. His body was not built for this.

Kaito said: "How many."

Kuro said: "More. They are breeding."

Kaito said: "They do not breed. They are made."

Kuro said: "Then someone is making them faster."

Kaito looked at the spot where the entities vanished. There was no blood. No dust. Only the cards remaining. He picked them up. They were warm. They pulsed like hearts. Kaito thought: They are learning.

In the first week, they wandered. In the second, they hunted. Now they coordinated. They shared tactics. They countered his merges. If this continued, he would run out of stamina before they ran out of ideas.

Kuro said: "We need to leave."

Kaito said: "Yes."

Kaito walked to the edge of the roof. He looked down. The street was empty. No one had heard the fight. The sound was absorbed by the darkness. The city slept. He climbed down the fire escape. His movements were slow. He lacked coordination. The numbness was in his legs now. He reached the ground. He leaned against the wall.

Kuro said: "Jin is calling."

Kaito said: "Ignore it."

Kuro said: "He is worried."

Kaito said: "He cannot help."

Kuro said: "He knows something is wrong."

Kaito pushed off the wall. He started walking. He had to get home. He had to sleep. He had to recover. Tomorrow was school. He had to be normal. Kaito thought: I am running out of time.

Vortelius was not just eating. He was studying. He was optimizing his weapons. Kaito was a variable. Variables were solved. He had to become unsolvable. He reached his apartment building. The lobby was dark. The elevator was broken. He took the stairs. Each step was heavy. He reached the third floor. He unlocked the door.

Inside, the room was cold. He did not turn on the light. He walked to the desk. He placed the new cards down. They joined the others. The deck was growing. The weight was increasing.

Kaito said: "Water."

Kuro said: "There is none."

Kaito said: "I will get some."

He went to the kitchen. He turned on the tap. He drank from his hands. The water was cold. It helped clear his head. He looked in the mirror above the sink. His eyes were bloodshot. His face was pale. Kaito thought: I look dead.

He dried his face. He walked back to the bedroom. He sat on the edge of the bed. He opened the notebook. He turned to a fresh page. His hand shook. The writing was jagged. He wrote: Second Generation. He wrote: Shared Data. He wrote: Counter-Merge Tactics.

He stopped. He looked at the words. They were not enough. He needed a plan. He needed power. He needed rest. He had none of them.

Kuro said: "Sleep."

Kaito said: "I cannot."

Kuro said: "You will die if you do not."

Kaito said: "They will come tomorrow."

Kuro said: "Then you will fight tomorrow. But not tonight."

Kaito closed the notebook. He lay down. He did not take off his jacket. He did not take off his shoes. He closed his eyes. The room spun. He gripped the sheets.

Kaito said: "Wake me at four."

Kuro said: "Rest until six."

Kaito said: "Four."

Kuro said: "Fine. Four."

The darkness took him. He did not dream. He sank into the void. NYX watched over him. She was in the corners. She was in the shadows. She did not sleep. Kaito woke at four. The alarm did not sound. He woke because the pain woke him. His muscles screamed. His head throbbed. He sat up. The room was dark.

Kuro said: "You are alive."

Kaito said: "Barely."

Kaito stood up. He stretched. His joints popped. He walked to the window. The city was grey. The sun was not up. The streets were empty. He thought about the fight. He thought about the adaptation. He thought about the cost. He could not do two merges every night. He would burn out in a week. Kaito thought: I need Atlas.

Atlas was defense. Atlas was weight. If he used Atlas, he could withstand the attacks. He did not need to dodge. He could stand. He could be the wall.

Kuro said: "You are planning."

Kaito said: "Yes."

Kuro said: "Good. Planning is better than bleeding."

Kaito washed his face. He put on a fresh shirt. He covered the bruises. He checked the cards. They were secure. He picked up his bag. He opened the door. The hallway was quiet. He walked down the stairs. He passed the second floor. The step was empty. Hana was not there. It was too early. He walked out into the morning. The air was cold. The sky was clearing. The grey haze was gone. The city looked normal. It looked safe. Kaito thought: It is not.

He walked toward the school. He saw Jin at the corner. Jin was waiting. He looked at Kaito. He saw the pale face. He saw the stiff walk.

Jin said: "You look bad."

Kaito said: "I am fine."

Jin said: "You are not."

Kaito said: "I am here."

Jin said: "That is enough."

Jin walked beside him. He did not ask questions. He did not offer advice. He just walked. He was a presence. He was a shield of a different kind. Kaito thought: He is right. Being here was enough. For now. He would fight tonight. He would adapt too. He would learn. He would survive.

The school gates appeared. The bell rang. The students flowed in. Kaito joined them. He was invisible. He was safe. He touched his pocket. The cards were there. The hunger was waiting.

Kaito said: "Ready."

Kuro said: "Always."

Kaito stepped into the courtyard. The day began. The night was coming. He would be waiting too. The sun warmed his face. The wind was light. Kaito kept walking. He did not look back. The shadow followed. The wall stood. He was ready.

A/N: Thank you for reading Chapter 56. The child’s observation is key. What does "outside" mean to you? Please add this to your library and leave a review. Your support keeps the story alive!