"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Alice asked.
Noah sat calmly at a small table in the middle of the town. He lifted a teacup and took a slow sip.
"Of course," Noah said.
"If they want to capture me, why not invite them openly?"
He picked up a cupcake and took a bite.
Crunch.
Noah froze.
"…Huh?"
He slammed his hand on the table.
BANG.
The table flipped up.
STAB 🗡
STAB 🗡
STAB 🗡
Three knives buried themselves into the wood.
Alice, Emma, and Amy jumped to their feet.
"Where did that come from?!" Emma asked.
Emma closed her eyes.
"Observation Haki."
Her face went pale.
"Above, no everywhere!"
Emma grabbed Alice and shoved her aside.
A storm of knives rushed past where Alice had been standing.
"Nice save," Alice said, breathing hard.
She bent down and picked up a fork from the ground.
"Weapon Manipulation-Demon Sword."
The fork twisted and stretched, until it transformed into a black sword,with an eye opening on its handle.
The eye blinked.
"Emma,where are they attacking from?" Alice asked.
Noah tilted his head.
A blade shot past him.
It grazed his cheek.
Blood ran down slowly.
Noah stood up, his eyes glowed faintly.
"Observation Haki."
Emma looked at him.
"What do you see?"
"…Nothing," Noah replied.
The air suddenly felt cold.
A hand burst out from Noah's shadow and grabbed his leg.
"What—?"
The shadow pulled hard.
"Vector Manipulation: Flying Thunder God."
Nothing happened.
"…Why isn't it working?"
The shadow dragged him lower.
Noah reached out.
Emma grabbed his hand.
"Noah!"
Their fingers slipped.
"Noah!" Emma shouted.
The shadow swallowed him completely.
Pop 🫧
Noah vanished.
□□□□□□□□ ELSEWHERE □□□□□□□□
Noah landed hard.
Stone cracked under his feet.
He stood up slowly.
The world around him was completely dark.
The sky was black, but it moved like water.
The ground looked solid, yet shadows crawled across it.
"…Where am I?" Noah asked.
A voice answered from everywhere.
"You are in my realm."
Noah turned.
A short figure stepped out of the darkness.
She had long black hair and her eyes were purple.
"Who are you?" Noah asked.
"My name is Nyx," she said.
"One of the twelve Primordial beings."
Noah blinked.
"…Nyx?"
He scratched his head.
"I don't know how to pronounce that.So I'll call you Noira."
Nyx chuckled.
"You're funny.Too bad you'll die here."
Noah sighed.
"Everyone keeps saying that."
He reached for his sword.
Steel rang out as he unsheathed it.
Noah rushed forward.
He slashed his sword.
The air split.
Nyx raised one finger.
CRACK.
The sword shattered and fell to the ground.
Noah leaped back, eyes wide.
"…You broke it."
Nyx smiled.
She raised her hand.
Dark power poured out of her body.
The entire dimension shook.
The sky twisted.
The ground cracked.
Noah steadied himself.
"I don't know how the World Government created you guys but they did a good job."
Nyx laughed softly.
"They didn't."
Noah frowned.
"The King of the World cast a spell. A spell that binds us to his will."
"…King?" Noah asked.
The word echoed in the dark space.
Nyx watched him closely.
"You truly don't know anything.That explains why you're so dangerous."
Noah tightened his grip on the broken sword hilt.
"Explain then."
Nyx turned away and began to walk. With every step, shadows followed her like chains.
"Long ago,the world feared beings like us. Just like the Buccaneers and the Lunarians, gods like us existed."
She raised her hand, the darkness shifted.
Images appeared in the air, twelve figures standing in a circle. A above them was a throne with twenty swords around its alter.
"The King of the World, could not destroy us."
The image changed, glowing words burned into the air.
"O̶B̶E̶Y̶."
"So he bound us. His spell forces us to answer his will." Nyx said.
Noah frowned.
"And you obey?"
Nyx stopped.
"…We have to."
The shadows around her pulsed.
"But there are cracks,Moments when we can act freely."
Noah looked around.
"And this place?"
Nyx spread her arms.
"My realm. A space between shadows. Outside normal rules."
Noah exhaled slowly.
"So you dragged me here to kill me."
"Yes," Nyx replied simply.
Noah smirked.
"Bad idea."
Nyx's eyes narrowed.
"You lost your sword and your powers don't work properly here."
She snapped her fingers. Chains of darkness burst from the ground.
They wrapped around Noah's arms and legs.
The chains burned cold.
"Vector Manipulation won't save here, everything here belongs to me."
Noah tries to break the chains, but they didn't break.
"…Annoying," Noah muttered.
Nyx raised her hand. A spear of shadow formed.
"Your resistance is pointless," Nyx said.
Noah lifted his head.
"Is it?"
His eyes glowed faintly.
"Observation Haki."
Noah saw a glimpse of the future.
Nyx noticed his gaze.
"…What are you looking at?"
Noah smiled.
"Just a way out of this place."
Nyx's smiled.
"You can look all you want but you won't leave alive."
Noah closed his eyes.
" Ancient Haki- Will of the first king,"
The chains began to tremble.
Nyx stepped back.
"No...this presence...it feels like hers."
The shadows screamed.
Noah forced one knee to the ground. The chains snapped.
Darkness exploded outward.
Nyx raised her arms, blocking the blast.
When the dust cleared, Noah was gone.
He reappeared behind her and fist her. She blocked the attack.
Nyx slid across the darkness.
She laughed.
"…So you don't need a sword."
Noah rolled his shoulder.
"I prefer one, but these works."
Nyx raised both hands and the sky cracked open. A massive eye appeared above them.
"Primordial Authority-Domain of Night."
Darkness crushed down.Noah dropped to one knee.
The pressure was heavy.
"…This is new," Noah muttered.
Nyx floated above him.
"You cannot leave, this realm answers only to me."
Noah looked up.
"Then I'll rewrite it."
His Haki surged.
The ground cracked beneath him.
Nyx's eyes widened again.
"That presence…just like before"
Noah stood up.
"Forbidden Haki- Will of the goddess."
The massive eye in the sky trembled. Cracks spread through the realm.
Nyx clenched her fists.
"That bitch power is inside him!"
The domain began to collapse.
Nyx staggered.
"You shouldn't exist, How do you have her powers."
Noah stepped toward her.
"I don't know who you're talking about lady.