Target Locked
Chapter 25
BOOM.
Dust swallowed everything.
The explosion rolled outward, covering nearly the entire coliseum-an arena the size of a football field-burying stone, screams, and hope beneath a choking gray cloud.
There was no visual.
No monster.
Nothing.
Panic detonated.
The children ran.
Both the so-called promising ones and the ordinary ones fled in blind terror-but their horror deepened when they realized the truth.
They were slow.
Too slow.
There was no exit.
Walls rose endlessly. Gates were sealed. The arena had become a bowl meant only for slaughter.
Eidolon stood frozen, sweat pouring down his spine.
I could die right now...
No warning.
No last words.
No one would even know how.
His breathing spiraled out of control-sharp, frantic gasps tearing through his chest. His body locked up, muscles clenched so tight they burned. His vision blurred, the world warping at the edges.
His legs shook violently.
Shit... why is this happening to me?
I-I just want to live a happy life...
Is that too much to ask for-
Something moved.
Bright.
Fast.
Cutting through the dust straight toward him.
"What is-?!"
SINNN-
A sharp, artificial chime rang out.
Like the sound a game makes when you tap a button.
A red, glowing arrow flashed into existence directly in front of Eidolon's face.
At the same time-
A green arrow appeared ten steps to his right, pulsing urgently.
"Wha... what is that?"
Time slowed.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
Dust hung motionless in the air. Screams stretched into distant echoes. Eidolon's thoughts sharpened with terrifying clarity.
There's no way the black guys are doing this...
No one else can see the green arrow...
Wait-
The red arrow flickered.
It shifted.
Why is it in front of m-
BOOM.
A sonic blast tore through the air.
Something massive-unstoppable-barreled toward him like a freight train given claws and hunger.
Instinct took over.
Eidolon moved.
He lunged toward the green arrow's position.
SHHHRAAAAK-
The sound of something slicing through the air too fast to be seen.
It passed through where his body had been a heartbeat earlier.
The shockwave slammed into his back, throwing him forward.
He hit the ground hard.
Silence.
Then-
"...Did I...?"
Eidolon laughed shakily, disbelief spilling out.
"Did I just dodge that monster...?"
A breathless, broken laugh escaped him.
"Haha... hahahaha..."
I did it.
I have powers.
I can survive-
His vision dipped.
Something dark stained the sand.
Something familiar.
"No..."
Eidolon's eyes widened.
There-
A few feet away-
His left hand lay severed on the blood-soaked ground, fingers twitching once... then still.
Blood poured from the ragged stump at his wrist, soaking into the sand beneath him.
Pain hit.
Late.
All at once.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Eidolon screamed.
The game had begun.
And it had already taken its first piece.
--