The night slowly draped over the city streets, the cold air carrying the scent of old rain mixed with the metallic and concrete smells of the urban landscape. The footsteps of Gensu and Nirobi echoed through the empty hospital corridors, their sound bouncing along the hallways as if the entire building was watching them.
They walked in silence, each absorbed in inspecting the vast structure of the General Hospital, the massive emergency wing looming ahead
After a moment of quiet, Nirobi broke the silence:
"You know… the path I took in life wasn't easy. I grew up without parents, learning to rely on myself at a very young age. Everything my younger sister had, I had to take… the world was truly dark for me. No one cared, no one listened, no one stopped the pain. That's how I lived… until Thalen appeared. He saved me from that world."
His voice was calm, yet heavy with the weight of years of suffering. His eyes never left the long corridor ahead, as if every corner could hide something.
Gensu listened silently, keeping his past locked away. He didn't share a word, knowing the time wasn't right, and that this place wasn't safe for opening up to anyone yet.
Nirobi gestured toward a narrow side corridor:
"I learned to rely on myself… sometimes, fighting your past is harder than facing any living enemy."
Gensu regarded him with reflective eyes, a mix of respect and caution, and continued walking silently.
After a few minutes, Nirobi paused, resting his hand on the edge of a doorframe, and gave a half-smile:
"Alright… to finish this mission faster, we should split up, Gensu."
Gensu nodded slowly, his heart pounding fiercely, a creeping sense of loneliness seeping into him. He understood the reason. Each would cover a different wing of the hospital, but it also meant facing the unknown alone.
Gensu advanced down the narrow corridor leading to the emergency wing. Each faint light cast shifting shadows across the walls, the mechanical hums of monitoring devices echoing unsettlingly, forcing him to raise his voice slightly to stay focused.
Then, he noticed movement at the far end of the corridor—a small shadow behind a partially open door. His heart skipped a beat, a surge of danger running through him as if the very building itself was warning him.
Suddenly, the ordinary Yami emerged into the corridor. A grotesque creature with pale, sickly skin and glowing red eyes, its strength far surpassing that of a normal human. It moved with purpose; every step echoed ominously, the air around it heavy, as though darkness itself gathered around it.
Gensu clenched his fist, a mixture of anger and anticipation burning in his chest. He moved lightly, every muscle in his body ready for any attack.
The Yami lunged suddenly, its elongated arm striking with astonishing speed. Gensu dodged to the side, feeling the rush of air roar past him as energy surged through his veins. This was the first time he faced a living creature outside of training, and everything felt sharper, more real, more dangerous.
The second attack came even faster. Gensu leapt upward, brushing against a side door briefly, yet managed to regain his balance. His breathing quickened, every movement measured, each step calculated in the narrow corridor.
"I won't let you hurt anyone here!" Gensu shouted, releasing a controlled burst of Inner Explosion. A small wave of energy surged toward the Yami, which blocked the strike with its hand. The energy expanded outward and exploded, yet it wasn't enough to bring the creature down completely.
The Yami screamed, attacking again. Every motion carried incredible force, each strike reverberating through the corridor like rolling thunder.
Gensu focused, feeling the power course through his body. Every training session, every lesson he had absorbed recently, converged into this moment. He poured all his strength into a single strike, aimed precisely at the heart of the creature, accounting for every move, every retreat, every opening.
Finally, after a brutal clash, Gensu defeated the Yami. He breathed deeply, his entire body trembling from exhaustion, yet he stood firm. His heart raced, sweat dripping down his face.
He looked around—the corridor was calm again, the dim lights casting elongated shadows on the floor. He decided to continue searching for Nirobi.
But he had no idea what awaited him.