Chapter 2: The Illusion Test
'Filth. Dirt. Scum...'
Name it. Ashnight had been used to it since the very day he was born in that hellhole. Though he might not remember the specifics of his childhood life, his present one was pretty enough to make him careless about terms.
After all, they were not entirely wrong. In fact, they were true.
He stared at his not-so-fleshy palms as they reached to open the glass door. Truly, they were scums, malnourished filth, infested dirt. There was no point arguing facts.
But that was to him only. He gestured back with his brows to see Mr. Red Brows sizing up Edgy Mr. White for his sake, actually. Though it was not like he was fawning over Mr. Red Brows. Matter of fact, Ashnight hated the unnecessary noise.
"You don't get to call them scums. Unlike us, they are victims of circumstances. We are the true scums living at their expense." Rael slammed the fucking smiling freak backwards, but Moraine just let it off with a laugh, then a mocking clap.
"I see you have chosen to be the all-righteous philanthropist. So what next?" Moraine shrugged. "You gonna donate all of Daddy's money to them, downsiders?"
Then he leaned towards the fuming Rael. "That is, if your family's petty wealth is gonna do much change in the first place."
Rael went silent. Then, unexpectedly to Moraine, who was already poised in expectation of a jab, he retreated from him towards where his baggage was.
"Oh, struck a nerve?" Moraine smiled, but that was only to himself as Rael shoved past him with a low murmur.
"He won a slot here. If you refer to him as filth, then it is right to say all of us right here are filth also. Listen, Moraine." Moraine gulped when he noticed the angry glare hidden in Rael's crimson eyes.
"You do not get to talk trash about people just because your family treats you like one. I am guessing why they sent you here. They believe you are valueless." Then he walked away.
"If I were you, I would be more focused on proving them wrong than slacking off with words."
Moraine just stood frozen. Then, after a while, he sighed with a smile before placing his glasses back on.
"That was quite a speech there. Want an applause?"
"Forget it. You are hopeless."
Ashnight watched the exchange for a while, and all he saw were two rich kids who would actually be good friends. After all, most great bromances always start with shared trauma.
"Hey, why the hell are you frozen? Open the frickin door." Rael's voice blasted him out of his reverie. He also saw that even Mr. White—sorry, Mr. Moraine—was not so far behind.
He let out a puff of breath, steeling himself before pushing the door open. But his hands halted as a painful scream tore from the compartment inside.
"Aaaargh! Aaargh!"
Instinctively, Rael's hands jerked to his sheathed katana. Even Moraine—got the name right—made a fist. But Ashnight...
Well, there was nothing to be alarmed about. That was not exactly a scream of joy, but it was not also that of someone dying. He had heard a lot of those, you know, to know the difference. This...
"Aargh!"
This was just the scream of someone undergoing a torturous ordeal.
His hands pushed the door further.
"Hey, wait. We open it on the count of three..." Rael's words died. This downsider had taken action into his own hands, swinging the door open in its entirety.
"Told you they were irrational, these downsiders." Moraine placed his elbows on Rael's shoulders as they both stared at the space beyond the door.
"Don't get all buddy with me." Rael shoved his elbows.
Though Ashnight could not see the source of the scream, the interior of this facility was kind of a disappointing marvel.
Just white padded roofing, wooden floorboards, and metallic gray walls. Though it was quite big, perhaps about a football field.
He stepped into the room cautiously. There were dangling bright lights above, and with each of his very steps, he could hear the echolocation, which was now three as Moraine and Rael were now carefully tiptoeing behind him.
Seems he was the test subject. He ducked his head left and right, but he did not perceive any danger nor anybody in this room.
"Did we all get the wrong location or what? This place is fucking lifeless." Moraine sighed, dropping back his luggage onto the wooden floorboards, giving a loud echolocation.
"Thanks. Really, thanks, motherfucker." Rael nodded sarcastically at Moraine, who shrugged.
"You are welcome."
Ashnight, being the oddball, could not help himself.Since he could not be in the conversation,Maybe he should direct his focus elsewhere.
The space in front of him seemed a bit distorted, like it was a little bit squishy, almost like he was seeing through a liquid wall at the image of the other side, not to mention the way it bent light.
Being a kid who had lived most of his life in the darkness, his senses were a bit more heightened.
He was sure of it. There was a frickin weird wall in front of them. Maybe it would not hurt telling these two fellas.
"Aargh!"
The frenzied scream tore again, disorienting the three cohorts but actually enough for Ashnight to deduce his theory was absolutely correct.
"What the fuck! A barrier seal?" Moraine let down his glasses.
Finally, somebody with real brainwork.
"A sealing barrier...."
Rael could have continued, but the violent slam of the door beside him threw him off balance. And Moraine, who was least close to the door, was actually the first to sense the moving presence around.
But before he could act, he felt something cold against his neck. He gulped and stared to see Rael still in the same position as he was, but the slum kid...
He was damn folding his hands together while gritting like he was stopping something invisible from reaching him.
'Damn,I got outclassed..'
But Rael sure was not mirroring Moraine's thoughts. With his feet,he leapt his sheathed katana upwards enough for him to grab, then with a lightning-fast precision delivered a pommel jab at whatever invisible figure was behind him.
The figure winced, then staggered back, dissipating the pressure from Rael's neck.
Rael dusted off his shoulder while he gave a sly wink at the surprised Moraine. Then he heard another thud other than his. He looked up to see Ashnight slamming his backpack against an invisible figure he guessed was having a painful rest on the ground.
'Guess Moraine was the pathetic one here...'
He sliced his sheathed katana left, stopping an iridescent attack from reaching him, then he grabbed whatever round pole this unseen opponent of his had—not before a little kick on his opponent's abdomen.
Then he swung the pole at Moraine.
'Well, it is up to him if he catches it or not. Even he could not see the trajectory..'
But contrary to his expectations, Moraine's hands folded around it abruptly with a grit.
"Oh." Rael stood shocked as he watched Moraine swiftly drive the invisible pole into the skull of whatever was behind him, then with a judo throw slammed it on the ground before placing the pole on its neck.
All in a second...
Maybe after all these years, Moraine had finally gotten better.
"Who the fuck are you guys?"
Rael ignored Moraine's frenzied interrogations and drifted his eyes to the continuous thud behind him. Ashnight was still hell-bent on slamming the hell out of his opponent with that rough backpack of his.
"Hey, you're still conscious, right?" Moraine reduced the pressure of his palms.
And Ashnight could have damn well continued the thrashing, since this unseen opponent of his was not planning on staying down also. Maybe because his backpack was a bit light. He glanced at Rael's backpack a few meters away. That glorious backpack had more rugged edges.
Would be enough to take this fella through a trip in the dark with just one hit.
Ashnight gritted as he reached towards the backpack but was halted when a clap—more like recurrent ones—sounded right before him. Alarmed, he retreated backwards. All of them did.
Slowly, the illusion faded. The seemingly empty white room dissolved into one filled with four other teens staring straight at them, one of which was connected to some weird device. But that was not his concern.
His concern was on the man before them, who had a thin mustache and black long hair. His pale face held a smile as his firm hands slammed against each other.
This figure, clothed in a matching rough jacket and trousers, had to be the one who had cast the illusion.
"Ugh." Something sounded beneath him. He looked down lamely to see a brown-haired fella with a bloodied mouth that had soiled his white attire.
"Sorry." He removed his backpack from the figure's stomach, who sat up massaging his temple.
Ashnight looked behind to see similar scenes happening with Rael and Moraine, except theirs were a bit knocked out.
Moraine gave his a nice slap before placing back his glasses on, then walked forward to where he was.
"Stop staring, freak."
He sighed tiredly before forcing himself up, thanks to Rael who stretched out his palms.
"You good?"
"I've seen worse."
He ruffled his hair. Then flatly, he stared at the man still clapping before them.
Moraine, obviously taking the leader role, placed both of his hands in the pocket of his three-piece suit.
"So, old man, you're the one in charge here, ain't you?"
The man's blue eyes studied the trio, then back at his cohorts, all who were not in encouraging states. Then a slight smile stretched across his mouth.
"Nice instincts you kids have there. To you, I might be a stranger. The name is Gerald, Gerald Northman." The man turned his back at them.
"Nephilim assigned by The Balance to mold you kids into death machines. And fortunately, I am being paid quite enough, which means I possess a damn high motivation as of present." Then he narrowed his azure eyes.
"So I apologize beforehand should my motivation cause a little bit overexertion on your part."