ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵃˢᵏ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ˢᵉᵖᵉʳᵃᵗᵉᵈ ᵘˢ | ᶜʰⁱˢʰⁱʸᵃ ᶠᵃⁿᶠⁱᶜᵗⁱᵒⁿ

Chapter 14 - A Cold Welcome

TW: Violence

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I stare around the room, trying to calm the chaos in my mind.
Chishiya's words are like a jagged shard lodged deep inside me.

„And I can assure you, you'll regret it more than you can imagine."

The way he said it makes my skin crawl. It wasn't a simple threat.  But could it really be serious? He couldn't mean it, could he? He's just trying to mess with me.

The thought doesn't comfort me as much as I wish it would.

There's something in the way he speaks, in the way his eyes narrow with every passing word, that makes me wonder if maybe this time, he's not bluffing.

I can't stay here any longer. This room feels suffocating, like the walls are closing in around me.

I need to escape. I need to move, to get away from the gnawing feeling in my gut that something terrible is waiting just around the corner.

The door is still open, so I step out, quietly at first, before moving down the narrow hallway.
The quiet hum of the building is broken only by the occasional soft footsteps, distant and muffled. The Beach is a place of constant tension, and even though I'm now stuck here, wearing their cursed bracelet, I feel the eyes of everyone on me.

It's no surprise, they all know what I am. They all know I'm not one of them. An enemy who's now been captured, forced to be a part of this sickening game.

My fingers twitch at the bracelet around my wrist, wishing I could rip it off.

The thought of being bound by this symbol of submission, of weakness, is enough to make me want to scream. But I keep walking, my shoes clicking softly against the floor as I continue my way through the hallways.

I know this building well enough from my missions.
I've been here before, seen the inside of these walls, learned every hallway, every corner.
But even in familiar surroundings, everything feels different now. I'm not here as an observer, as an outsider anymore.

Now, I'm part of the system.

I've been absorbed into it, swallowed whole. And still, I can't find Chishiya. He left the room just before me. He has to be somewhere, doesn't he? I don't know what I expect to find when I see him again—maybe an explanation, maybe more of that indifferent amusement of his that always drives me insane.

I don't know.

But for now, I don't find him. The hallways remain eerily quiet.

I pass door after door, some cracked open just a little, others shut tight, as if daring me to peek inside. But I don't. I can't afford to get lost in this place. I need to keep moving, keep my mind sharp, keep my eyes open. But before I can think about what comes next, I hear footsteps. Heavy, deliberate, the kind that makes the air grow thick with expectation.

My heart skips a beat, my body tensing instinctively.

I know those steps. The unmistakable rhythm of Niragi's walk.

I freeze.

From around the corner, he steps into view, black shirt tight across his chest, his face twisted into a grin that sets my teeth on edge.
His hair is messy, falling over his forehead in that typical, careless way. And, of course, his weapon is at his side.

I don't know if it's more terrifying that I recognize him instantly or that he looks so relaxed, so unbothered by my presence.

It's as if he has all the time in the world to toy with me.

"Ah, Leah, right?" His voice is mocking, light, like he's talking to an old friend, and the way he says my name sends a shiver down my spine. There's no friendliness in it.

"No. 16, for you," I say, my voice cold, trying to keep the tremor of fear from creeping into my words.

His grin widens, but there's no humor in it.
"I was really happy when I heard you were part of The Beach."

I glare at him. "You don't seriously believe that."

Niragi steps closer, his shoes clicking louder against the floor.

He doesn't even flinch at my defiant tone. Instead, he leans in, his voice dropping lower, like he's about to share a secret only meant for me.
"I always knew you'd be useful. And not just for The Beach..."

A chill runs through me, my pulse quickening as I try to step back, to put some distance between us, but he's faster.

In the blink of an eye, his hand shoots out, gripping my wrist with bruising strength.

He yanks me forward, and before I can react, I'm slammed against the cold, unforgiving wall of the hallway.

My breath hitches in my throat as I try to wriggle free. Panic claws at me, sharp and insistent. I need to get away.

I need to fight back.

But my dagger's gone.

My fingers clench into fists as I twist and kick, trying to hit him, trying to make him let go.

But Niragi's grip is iron, his laugh low and sickening as he pulls me harder into him.

I scream, kicking, punching, thrashing as much as I can, but there's no one around.

No one to hear me.

The hallway is empty, the air too still, suffocating.

My heart races in my chest as I realize how alone I am.

And then, finally, I hear it.

Footsteps again.

Faster this time, closer

. A figure appears around the corner, and for a moment, I think I might be saved. But when I see who it is, my stomach drops.

Chishiya.

He doesn't stop.

He doesn't even flinch.

He just stands there, watching me struggle against Niragi's grip with that same detached, unreadable expression on his face.

His eyes meet mine briefly, and I see nothing in them—no sympathy, no recognition, not even curiosity. Just indifference.

And then, with a small, dismissive glance, he turns away, continuing down the hallway without a word.

I can't believe it.

I want to scream at him, demand that he do something, anything.

But I can't.

Ican't even form the words.

My throat feels tight, my body heavy with the weight of defeat.

Niragi laughs again, the sound dark and mocking, as he pushes me toward a hotel room.

The door slams behind us, the sound echoing in my ears. The room is small, dimly lit, and it feels like a prison.

I'm trapped.

Trapped in a place where no one cares, where even Chishiya, the one I thought would at least show some mercy, has turned his back on me.

That's what he meant.

I don't know what's worse. 

The pain from Niragi's grip or the crushing realization that I'm completely, utterly alone.