Splash—!
Ryuga's body plunged into the river, sending ripples across its surface. The coldness and chillness of the water tightened his muscles, the shock snapping him out of his stupor.
He immediately bobbed his head above the surface and glared up at his adversaries.
Up on the road, the silver batch and their goons stared down at him. Because of the fog and their masks, Ryuga couldn't see their expressions, yet he felt the silver batch smirking at him.
'This fellow hits way too hard… It's a good thing the river was here. If I'd gone into the alleys instead, they would have killed me for sure.'
The thought sent a shiver down his spine, colder than the river water itself.
'But I'm not out of danger yet… maybe this guy has weapons. A knife, maybe even a gun. If they really want to kill me, they must have prepared thoroughly. Or maybe not… since I'm just an empty-handed student. There's a slight chance they didn't prepare enough.'
Under the crushing pressure of imminent death, Ryuga's brain was working overtime, scrambling to find anything that could keep him alive.
The water was icy, and he wouldn't survive the night in it; hypothermia would kill him. But getting out of the water was no better. The cultists would jump him immediately. He was trapped in a bind.
'Well, there is one thing I could do…'
He turned his body and swam toward the opposite side. Just as his fingers brushed the pavement, a foot came crashing down, stomping his head and shoving him underwater.
"Brlggg! Brlggg!"
He screamed into the river, thrashing his limbs wildly as he fought for air. In panic, he backstroked away and retreated to the middle of the river.
"Haaahhhh… Haaaaahhhhh… Haaaahhhhh… Fuck, I knew it. I fucking knew it!"
They were here to kill him. And they came thoroughly prepared.
Ryuga had felt stares from all sides, but only the ones behind him had revealed themselves. Meaning there were still more hiding, waiting for the moment he tried to escape or fight back so they could swarm him and finish the job.
'I can really die today…'
There was still a possibility that more of them might still be lurking. These cultists had woven a web, one so deceptive, threatening, and suffocating that Ryuga couldn't see a way out.
'Just how big is their operation… What are they trying to achieve?'
Well, these questions didn't need to be answered. At least not for now. Whether he would live to see the next day was a mystery of its own, he didn't need to dwell on other ones.
'Still, even though I'm on the brink of death, I don't feel much… Yes, I'm disappointed I'll be leaving my siblings alone. But at the end of the day, they're adults. They can make their own decisions and live their lives. They don't really need me… well, truthfully, nobody needs me. If I'm gone… They might cry for a few days or maybe, worst case, for years, but eventually their lives will go back on track.
'The same goes the other way around… human lives are fragile. So are the bonds we form through them. They're brittle like a sheet of glass. They look strong, but even the slightest tremor can shatter them into countless pieces.
'Haaahhh… Why am I getting philosophical in my last moments? Am I getting enlightened or something? Not gonna lie, Quite a dogshit enlightenment I'm having. If I'm dying, at least let me die with some peace… knowing my life mattered or would matter to at least one person. But no… good old Ryuga has to face the cold, harsh truth to the very end.'
He snickered to himself… and on his face, floating above the river, a slow smile crept up. Then without a second thought, he dove straight into the water. Deeper and deeper, until what greeted him was utter, total darkness.
"grrhhhhh… grrrrrhhhhhh… grrrrrrhhhhh"
Water flooded his lungs, forcing him to gasp for breath. His brain snapped into high alert, stinging with unbearable pain, urging his body to rise, to escape, to survive… but he still persisted.
"grrrrhhhhhhhhh…"
His eyes grew heavier and heavier until a sickening lethargy washed over him. He couldn't open them anymore. The darkness expanded and swallowed him whole.
A few seconds later, his unconscious body floated back up, upside down.
The cultists stood there, staring at the drifting body for minutes before exchanging glances. Their focus eventually settled on the silver batch, clearly waiting for a command.
The one in question didn't blink, didn't move. They simply stared at Ryuga's 'dead body'. Whatever ran through their mind was known only to them.
"He seemed like a tough nut to crack, yet he killed himself? Something doesn't feel right. He hasn't even faced true despair, torment, pain, torture, hopelessness… just how pathetically weak was his mental fortitude? Hmmmm… what are the chances this madman just gambled with his life? What if? This fellow dove down just to catch us off guard. Hmmmm… what are the chances, exactly? Certainly not zero…"
Driven by curiosity, the silver batch walked down toward the river. The body floated in the middle, still too far to reach. They couldn't simply stretch out their hand and touch it.
"Oh well, if he's acting then whatever… but I suppose I can reward him a little."
With that, the silver batch drew a knife. Aiming at the floating body, they pulled their arm back, gathered momentum, and hurled the knife with force.
Whisss—!
The blade tore through the air, embedding itself in Ryuga's back. Dark red blood oozed out, slowly dripping into the river.
"The knife clearly struck deep, yet he didn't let out even a single decibel. Maybe the boy's truly dead. Hmmm… but if he isn't…"
The silver batch fell into contemplation once more. For some reason, they seemed averse to entering the water themselves. Which meant they couldn't confirm the body's condition.
"Tch. Lucky bastard… if not for this water, you would have died now."
With a sour expression, the silver batch turned and faced the other cultists. A tilt of the head to the right signaled them to move on. The others obliged without question.
The moment they all left, the fog that blanketed the area withdrew, and the abandoned-looking place shifted back into a vibrant palette of life.
People wandered the streets. Houses and buildings lit up. The deathly silence shattered into murmurs, whispers, and casual chatter.
The district and its people were once again lively and lovely.
Well, all except one…
Ryuga.