Midnight closed in.
The once bustling streets simmered down. With one swift motion, his neck popped. He then rubbed his hand over his shoulder as if he had just finished lifting up something heavy. His gaze turned towards her as she stretched her arms up in the air. Her eyes pressed tightly together as she groaned.
She turned to him, a self-satisfied smirk carved on her lips, "Good to see you're holding up well."
V stepped out of the last store they'd visited. A thin plume slipped from his lips, curling into the pale air. He turned towards her,
"Hmm… think it's getting late, should we head back now?" He asked.
Yawn⁓
"Hm… It's probably midnight now, let's head back. I wanna hit the sack as soon as possible," Eve replied as she turned around and ambled down the street. V followed.
A drowsy right turn got them out of 12th street and onto the main road. Her shoulders slack and ready to drop into bed, feet not quite dragging along the pavement but rather shuffling.
V eyed her silhouette ahead of him; the faint sway in her movements pulled a smile out of him.
Today… yeah. Today was fun.
His lips curled wider. So much had happened, too much almost, and some part of him clutched it tight, afraid it might slip away.
He blew on his reddened fingers. They were cold, sure—but his chest wasn't. Not with this warmth running through him.
Until—
"Have you prepared the sacrifice?"
A shiver ran through V's spine as a gruff-sounding voice shot into his eardrums. His step staggered midair. His eyes slowly turned before his head, to his right—
"Tonight's rebirth must be perfect. His Excellency tolerates nothing less."
The gruff man's voice echoed out, yet that wasn't what V focused on. His lower lip quivered, but not from the cold.
"It… It's the same one." His pupils jittered, Chest strained as if something heavy was squashing it. His breath came out in short bursts. His ears rang, silencing the wind as each moment passed. Until the ringing faded.
Chink-chink-chink.
Rattling drag of metal over stone. A single drop that dragged down his cheek finally dripped. His pupils stilled, breath—halted. Finally, his eyes peered into the darkness.
The gruff man yanked the chain that tightly cuffed the child, dragging him deeper into the darkness until their figures were nothing more than shadows.
V's hand trembled as it stretched out towards the shadows, taking a step towards—
"Oi!"V's head jerked back. Eyes darting over his shoulder. Eve flinched back, yet her hand gripped his shoulder.
"Whoa! Easy does it… What's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost of something. "Her brows drew near, eyeing down the sweat on his face.
V's chest puffed, drawing out a long breath. He faced the alleyway again. A tightness crawled up his spine as he stared into the dark.
Another long breath as his fingers clutched onto his heart. He turned towards her.
"S-say Eve… Let's take a detour, shall we?"She looked at him before her eyes fell on his hand, clutched fingers trembling against his shirt. She looked back up, stillness in her eyes.
"Lead the way, champ."
Metal dragged along the ground as the strange man yanked the chain deeper into the alleyway. Suddenly—Clank.
The man jerked back, his eyes darting in quick, Sharp cuts beneath the shadow of his hood. Only an empty can rolled away from the dumpster, clinging to the left wall.
Grime and dirt, the alley reeked—sharp, wet, and unmistakably dead.
The hooded man yanked the chain once more—sharper and impatient.
"C'mon, we don't have much time." The other man, draped in robes, spoke out.
The hooded man glared at the dumpster before turning his back to it. Their steps faded as the seconds passed, allowing V and Eve to catch their breath.
Both of them popped their head out, looking around before standing up. Eve's nose crinkled, covering her nose with the back of her hand.
"As exciting as it is to tail someone, mind if ya filled me in as to why we're tailing them?" Eve glanced at V, who looked straight ahead.
"You didn't see the child with them? The chain?" V glanced at her over his shoulder. Quickly, her head snapped at him.
"Wait, what? What do you mean? I didn't see anything?"Eve closed the distance, putting her hand on his shoulder. Yet his eyes wandered past her, browning, inching together.
She… didn't see? Is it too dark? That's why? With each second that passed, it was as if a knot was forming inside his chest.
"I'm not sure… part of me wants to be wrong, I have to see this through." V turned his back on her and advanced. For a brief moment, Eve stood still. She scratched the back of her head before picking up the pace.
The red door.
The men in robes halted at the end of the alley. Just beyond the street to the left was a door showered by its red light. They advanced.
V ducked behind the trash bin. His head peeked just enough to see as the 2 men scanned around. Eve crouched behind V.
One of the men shot a nod at the other before turning the doorknob. Pushing the door open.
V's eyes flew wide the moment the door crept open. His body staggered as if it were about to let go at any moment. His finger quickly dug into his chest as he bit on his lower lip.
"Fuck! they'll notice—"
Eve grabbed onto him, pressing her hand against his mouth as she held him tightly. Her eyes followed the men going inside.
"Just a bit more, c'mon c'mon…"
The door clicked shut. She quickly lets go.
ACK—
V's knees hit the ground, coughing as if he'd eaten something foul. She rubbed her hand on his back in circles. He glanced at her over his shoulder, and her brows clashed together.
"Breathe… You good?" She asked. "What happened?"
V's head slowly rose, breath tightening in his chest. His gaze snapped back to the door—
At that moment…
The thought slid in—quiet, unwelcome, impossible to ignore.
The air just got so hard to breathe. As if I were standing near rotten flesh.
V's breath steadied, slowly bringing up his finger towards the door.
"It… reeks of blood."Eve glanced at the door once more. With a stern gaze, she turned to him, putting his arm over his shoulder.
"C'mon, we're leaving. You're in no condition to—"
"NO!" He coughed as he yelled with whatever air was left in his lungs. V's head turned towards her, inches away from hers.
"We… can't. I gotta see this through, please." His eyes locked onto hers, unwavering. For a brief while, Eve stared at his eyes in silence. She drew in a breath… then let it spill out, breaking the silence.
"Fine," She let V go, making him skip back a few steps before he gained his footing back. Her hand reached deep inside her hip pouch as she walked behind him.
"Can't have you passing out cuz of the smell," She tore a piece of cloth, wrapping it around his nose. As the knot tightened, her hand left a harsh imprint on his back.
"Let's go," V glanced at her over his shoulder with a slight nod.
As V stepped towards the door, his spine shivered as if insects were crawling on his back, but he advanced. A dry gulp as his hand placed firmly on the doorknob. Turning it.
"It's open?" Eve asked.
The door creaked open, revealing a set of stairs leading down. Stone stairs with closed-in walls, lighting the pathway were small red lanterns dangling across the ceiling.
V ducked his head in, shutting the door behind them. Eve glanced over her shoulder, shooting a silent nod at him before descending. V stuck close.
The stairs went deeper and deeper, and the end of it blurred by the strong red light. Only the sound of dust kicking from their steps accompanied them.
But—Something seeped into the silence the more they descended.
A loud cheer.
They reached another door at the end of the stairs. V planted his step forward, a bright red light flashed him from beneath/ His eyes twitched shut. But his shoulders sank as his eyes crept open—then widened.
The hall yawned open beneath him—vast and cavernous, its ceiling swallowed by shadow. Rows of bodies encircled the pit at its heart, packed shoulder to shoulder in uneven rings, all facing inward.
Four colossal pillars rose from the floor at the center, each wide enough that five men could lie end to end across its base. They stood like sentinels, supporting a darkness too high to see.
Smaller pillars ringed the hall, lanterns bolted to their sides, their flames casting a dull, wavering red across the crowd.
The light revealed wood-darkened walls, soaked with age and grime, and a floor almost entirely lost beneath boots and bare feet. The air felt heavy—thick with heat, sweat, and the low murmur of hundreds of voices.
One glance was enough. This wasn't a gathering of dozens. This was a mass—easily three hundred people or more—pressed together in a place built to watch something.
V's jaw slackened. The floor trembled beneath his boots, a low vibration rolling up through his legs—the crowd below shifting in a single, restless current around the pit.
A hand yanked him back from behind. He staggered—then Eve clamped her palm over his mouth.
"Quiet. Don't go near the railing," she whispered.
"Look."
Her hand slipped away as he scanned the mezzanine. Figures in heavy, dark robes drifted along the walkway, their hoods bowed toward the arena. One of them paused by the railing. His head twitched—as if he'd caught a glint at the edge of his vision— then stilled.
The man's gaze lingered over their side of the hall…
And finally dipped toward the stage below.
V and Eve pressed themselves flat against the wall beside the entrance, lungs burning until they dared to breathe again.
Eve leaned out just enough to peek. The robed man's face was hidden behind a mask— a chipped, sickly-yellow thing, its surface cracked and stained, eyes nothing but hollow slits fixed on the spectacle beneath.
She looked again. More of them. Masks of bone-white, rust-red, filth-yellow—all turned toward the pit.
And two masked figures broke away from the line.
Walking straight toward them.
Eve's eyes narrowed. "Two incoming. Stick to the wall."
They pressed flat beside the doorway. Footsteps clicked across the stone—slow, deliberate— until a masked figure stepped into view. His gaze slid sideways, the black slit of his eyehole drifting toward Eve.
She moved before he could breathe. Her arm snapped around his throat, forearm wedged under his jaw. Muscles tightened. His breath rasped wet and sharp against her sleeve as he clawed at her wrist.
He thrashed— then weakened. His hands slipped. His knees sagged. Eve held until his weight hung dead against her, then lowered him to the floor and exhaled through her teeth.
"How's your sid— "
She turned—and stopped.
V stood over the second robed man, fist still raised, the body sprawled on the ground, head lolling to one side. He shot her a shaky thumbs-up.
Eve pinched the bridge of her nose."Unbelievable."
She knelt, pried the mask free, and studied its cracked yellow surface.
"We're borrowing this."Her voice was flat, eyes cold. "You won't miss it."
Moments later, they slipped into the stairwell and joined the mass below. Robes brushed their sea of bodies. Every face hidden, every head bowed toward the pit.
"This mask stinks," V muttered behind his visor.
"Just put up with it." Eve pulled her hood lower. "Blend in.'
They kept moving—deeper—until the crowd thickened around them. Then the murmurs died.
The air froze.
Light vanished. Darkness swallowed the hall— and not a single person screamed.
A heartbeat later, white beams crashed on, spearing the stage below. V flinched toward the light. A long figure stood at the center— robes white, sleeves heavy, arms spreading as if to gather the crowd into his chest.
"I welcome you, my disciples." The hood hid his face in shadow. Only his hands showed—pale, bloodless, fingers stiff as bone.
"Now," he said softly, turning toward the four kneeling figures at his feet,
"What you have awaited."
Chains gleamed around wrists. Ankles. Throats. Blindfolds of metal sealed their eyes shut.
A child sobbed. A teenage girl twisted against her shackles, wrists bruised raw. An old man bowed forward as if the weight of his life had already left him. Another man crawled, mouth shaking, voice breaking apart on the stone.
"I don't want to die!" he screamed. "M-Mama, where are you?!" the child sobbed.
The crowd did not answer. Not a breath. Not a whisper.
A shrill tone drilled into V's skull. His hands flew to his ears, but his legs wouldn't move — as if the floor had hardened around his bones. His breath came shallow. Memories pressed in — cries he had heard before.
He reached out without knowing why — and Eve's hand clamped down on his shoulder, nails biting through the fabric. She shook her head once.
He swallowed and turned back to the stage.
The man in white raised his hand above the kneeling figure's head.
"Let us begin," he whispered. "The ritual."