Axel ascended the stairs, each creak of wood drowned by his humming and the faint fizzling sound of coke.
Axel kicked the door open, dim blue light spilling out, washing over him accompanied by the faint humming of a monitor.
The door opened to reveal a rectangular dark room faint crack from a small slit on a window opposite the door, letting in daylight.
Flicking on the switch next to the door, a soft white light illuminated the room revealing a twin bed next to the window, a shelf with soft glowing blue light lined with anime merch, a desk sprawled with papers, pens, two large monitors and an empty can to the right.
Axel dropped the package on his bed and collapsed on his reclining chair and sipped his drink, spinning around, his eyes roaming around the glowing shelf, revealing various anime props ranging from swords, headbands, a weird looking fruit among many others.
His eyes stopped at a spot, empty, waiting to be filled, "time to fill that up," he muttered with a grin and pulled the package close.
Axel effortlessly slid his nail over the sealing and pulled, years of repeating it had made him a master at unpackaging, yet as he tried to lift the flap, his brows scrunched.
it didn't budge, the master had failed.
He narrowed his eyes, the package was still sealed, "that usually works," He muttered, He slid his nail slowly this time, pushing harder, yet there was no change.
Axel scoffed, "if it's like that, let's call in the big guns," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a jackknife.
He twirled it around his fingers, then his gaze stopped on the package, he grinned and click! the blade flicked out.
Let's see you resist this, he thought, the knife gliding along the sealing.
The cover instantly propped up with a hiss, causing his lips to curl upward.
Then the faint smell of chemicals permeating the room from the package.
"Ah, that's the stuff," He remarked and pulled the flap up, revealing what was beneath.
Inside lay a katana, a black sheath with ancient design, a faint sci-fi glow added along its edge.
The glow should have ruined the ancient feel, but it somehow made it stand out more.
The hilt looked like a spoked wheel with ten spokes, etched with strange markings. To evoke realism, no doubt, Axel concluded, nodding.
Axel smiled, "Good stuff." He carefully lifted the katana with both hands, a satisfactory smile on his face.
For a second it almost fell as he stumbled forward, it was heavier than the usual sword merch.
The handle was long enough for both his hands, blue and white material wrapped the handle in a traditional ito maki pattern, winding the entire length creating a unique alternating diamond pattern.
Axel's fingers curled around the handle, a grin finding its way to his face as he stayed in a sword drawing posture for a second.
Then he slowly pulled, a silver blade sliding out, glinting against the blue light.
Axel looked at the blade with awe, the shiny silver blade reflecting his black pupils, he narrowed his eyes.
Merchs weren't usually this reflective, they were usually made from plastic or something like that, nothing able to give this much of a realistic reflection.
He slid his hand on the flat side of the blade, its surface was cold, metallic, his eyes narrowing.
"It feels too real," he mumbled, then his eyes widened as the thought crept into his head, what if it was real.
But that can't be, can it.
No use speculating, he stood up and picked a can from a bin next to the table.
He set it upright on the table and stepped back, holding the sword straight out, its sharp edge against the surface of the can.
He exhaled and swung, but he felt nothing, no resistance, no sound, the blade just passed.
"Huh" he frowned, "I missed…"
Axel reached towards the can, but he froze as the top half of the can slid cleanly off, a clattering sound produced as it hit the floor.
He stared wide eyed at the katana, it's real, he looked back at the can, the cut was perfect, yet he had felt no resistance, he held the sword away from his body, taking extra care this time.
He turned around picking up the sheath, and he slowly put it in, scared it might end up tearing the sheath.
Axel slouched on his chair, hand over his mouth, what the hell is this, I ordered a prop, not a real f*cking katana, something isn't right, he spun the chair around turning his computer on, I have a bad feeling about this.
His fingers danced furiously on the keyboard, the search bar displaying: 'Utsurokami no Tsurugi props.'
Results flooded the screen, cheap replicas, fan builds, nothing like what he had.
Axel switched browsers to a private, premium database, one used for more… abnormal research. Access cost him $1500 a month, complete with KYC verification.
But if any place could produce results, it was definitely here.
Scroll..Click…Scroll again. Similar swords appeared, but none matched what he was looking for. The hilt colors varied, inscriptions differed, but most importantly none were real.
He sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. "Well… this is new," he muttered, forcing a weak chuckle.
Then he searched again: 'Real anime weapons.'
No results of worth popped up. Then, a prompt: Would you like us to research this further?
He typed yes.
A pricing list appeared. Without hesitation, Axel clicked extensive research. His phone pinged instantly. Please wait a few minutes to hours.
"It's a waiting game, then," he muttered, finishing the last of his now-lukewarm drink. Maybe I should contact Omnicart…
Before he could act, the system pinged, a new notification popped up.
"That's fast."
He clicked the mail. A thumbnail of a teenage girl appeared, smiling, flashing a peace sign.
Ophelia.
His chest tightened, he remembered the nightmare. His fingers brushed his shoulder unconsciously, he hit play, and moved away then he lifted the katana and unsheathed it as the video began.
"Axel, how are you doing?" A bubbly voice came from the monitor, " I hope you are doing well, that's all I can do...but since the mail is delivered every time, I guess you are, I'd appreciate a response though," she pursed her lips.
"Mom says I am just wasting my time," the voice paused, "but…well that's something I have a lot of." She muttered in a lower tone, looking down.
"Anyways, I came up with a way that might explain what happened that day, what went wrong with the portal" she said, her voice quieter.
Axel twitched as he heard her words, the sword slipping out of his hands as he swung it, passing effortlessly through the shelf, like it didn't exist.
Why bring that up, he thought with a grim expression on his face as he slowly walked towards the shelf.
"But mum won't allow me leave the mansion, she's a real bummer you know." The voice continued.
Axel's lips curved upward slightly as he picked up the merch on the floor, maybe that's for the best.
"So, I thought who else is as smart as me and would get my ideas." She paused.
"No one of course...but my beloved brother is this close," she chuckled. "And it concerns you as much as me, maybe more considering what you saw," she added.
"So I sent you my theory, I do hope you take a look at it." She paused, eyes darting around, "And work on it, please."
Her final words lowered to a whisper. "Promise me, promise your little sister. I'll be looking forward to seeing you."
Then silence.
Axel stood still, staring at the cleaved halves of the shelf, hanging loosely from their attachments.
She's still going on about that, huh? He rubbed his shoulder. The image of glowing red eyes burned through his mind.
He looked back at the screen, the video had ended. Ophelia's smiling face lingered on the screen, bright, alive, frozen in time.
He smiled, she really is a happy and optimistic girl, unlike me.
If only that didn't happen he thought his gaze fixed on her, for a few seconds he just stood still, staring.
He clicked away from the video. A PDF attachment blinked beneath it. He hovered his mouse, pausing for a second, then clicked to archive it without opening.
"It's better this way," he muttered and closed his eyes, nothing good will result from finding out more about whatever that was, it was my past mistake to think I could and look what it cost me, Ophelia's face flashing in his mind, he sighed and opened his eyes, but now let's leave it that way, as a past mistake.
For a few minutes, silence ruled the room. Only the faint hum of the monitor remained.
Then…beep.
Axel blinked at the screen. The security app.
A bald man in a black suit stood at his door. Adjusting his tie, glancing around.
A soft knock echoed through the apartment.
Axel's eyes narrowed, an uneasy feeling gnawing at him perhaps due to multiple unusual events happening at once, first the katana, now this.
He looked closely at the monitor, then the man turned to look at the camera, he smiled and waved.
"Calm down," Axel whispered to himself, glancing at the katana. "I might just be overthinking things."
Still as he walked toward the door, he paused. "Just in case," he muttered, grabbing the jackknife.
But he stopped, looking back at the monitor.
Then he went back in, "This has more reach."
He picked up the katana.
Maybe… something will happen, just in case.
Each step down the stairs echoed against his heartbeat.
At the door, he took a deep breath, blade gripped tight. He opened it a crack.
"Hi," the man said in a boisterous voice, "are you Axel?"
Axel studied him warily. The door hid the katana behind it. No tattoos. No scars. Perfect posture. Immaculate suit, except for a faint bulge at his waist.
The man was perfect, he looked more like a bodyguard, his fit body towering over Axel, his posture and manners perfect, except for his thick beard although that was also well kept.
"Hello." The man snapped his finger.
"Oh sorry." Axel chuckled awkwardly, I was overthinking it for sure, he thought, his grip loosening around the katana.
"I understand you got a package from Omnicart this morning, yes?" The man asked.
"Yeah." Axel's eyes narrowed.
"The Utsurokami no Tsurugi from utsuro no ken anime?"
Axel's brow furrowed, his hand gripping the katana tightly now, how does he know that, suspicion rising like a flame.
"I am a fan of the anime myself." The man chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Don't mind my looks, it's just the job description." He continued.
"Yeah, right… who are you? Is there an issue?"
"Me?" The man smiled, a thin, vicious curve. "No one important. Just…"
He didn't complete it, instead he dove forward, his right hand shoving Axel backward, the other went to his waist.
Axel's eyes widened as the metallic glint appeared, a gun.
Sh*t. I knew it.