Unwritten Mythos

Climb on stage

Enko calmly unwrapped a piece of gum and placed it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. His eyes locked with Mei's as he spoke, "The final answer... is what you gave me."

"So, that's it," he continued. "As long as we deal with you, no more monsters will appear."

Mei clasped her hands together, a bemused smile playing on her lips. "Are you certain?"

Enko shrugged, his expression unchanging. "Not entirely. But what if we're right?"

"And what if you're wrong?" Mei's voice lowered, her eyes gleaming with a cold amusement.

"Better than doing nothing." Enko leaned forward slightly, the weight of the bomb strapped to his chest hanging between them like an unspoken challenge. He was betting everything—his life and his cause—on this one moment.

Mei closed her eyes briefly, contemplating the game unfolding before her. "So what's your plan? To die with me here?"

Enko leaned back, his voice steady. "That is one possibility. But I told you, I'm here to talk. My terms are simple: call your monsters here, or kill them yourself. Then, you'll receive a life sentence. If you refuse..." He gestured to the bombs strapped to his body. "We both die here."

"You don't need to question my resolve. I'm not here to convince you of anything." His voice was firm, unyielding.

Mei tapped her fingers lightly on the table, her eyes scanning his face. "In some ways, we're alike, you and I. You have conviction. I can admire that. But I've played this game before. I once bet everything—my hopes, my life, my future—on fate, and I lost."

Her gaze sharpened, fixing on Enko with deadly certainty. "This time, you're the one who's going to lose. Because, unlike you, I stand in the position of destiny."

A sudden rumble echoed beneath the floorboards, and Enko's eyes widened as the ground beneath him shook. Mei's lips curled into a sinister smile. "You're a little late," she whispered.

Before Enko could react, a figure erupted from the floor, throwing up a wall of metal between him and Mei. It was Lam, his body gleaming with metallic strength.

"Lord Aurora, I apologize for the delay," Lam said, his voice calm but resolute.

Mei calmly reached for a mask and placed it over her face. "No need to apologize," she replied, her voice now hidden behind the mask's veneer. "If they want to play, then we'll give them a proper game."

Boom!

A shot rang out from a nearby rooftop, aimed straight at Mei. But in an instant, a single thread danced through the air, severing the bullet in half before it could reach her. Mei's gaze shifted toward the building, eyes filled with dark amusement.

"The show's just beginning," she said with a teasing smile. "Did you really think you'd end it so quickly? How dull."

More bullets came from every direction, but Lam reacted swiftly. His body morphed into carbon fiber, forming an impenetrable shield around Mei. "My Lord, let me handle this."

Mei's smile grew. "No need."

With a flick of her fingers, invisible threads shot out from her hands, carrying her puppets toward the surrounding buildings. In an instant, the snipers fell, their throats slashed by unseen blades before they could fire another shot. The puppets quickly gathered their weapons, pointing them toward a single location.

Enko, having regrouped with a middle-aged man, watched from a distance. Mei's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Now would be the time to say... cheese."