As soon as Axel got into the apartment, He flung his bag into a corner, not bothering about its fate afterwards.
He jumped onto a couch, his body sinking in as he leaned back.
What a drag. He kneaded his forehead and sighed.
"Three months, huh? That's… something."
Rising, he shrugged off his varsity jacket and wandered into the kitchen.
Heading straight for a mini fridge at the extreme end.
He took a cold drink and gulped, letting out a satisfied sigh.
His eyes landed on a rectangular package by the stairs, neatly wrapped in tape.
"Oh, right. That came in today."
His finger trailed along the sharp edge of the package.
A grin tugged at his lips.
Not your usual delivery, he tucked the package under his armpit.
He smirked. "Might as well use this break properly."
He hummed softly as he climbed the stairs, each creak of wood drowned by humming and the faint fizzling sound of the drink.
Axel kicked the door open, dim blue light spilling out. Reveal a dark room, a blade of light from a faint crack in the window tore through the darkness.
Flicking on a switch, soft white light illuminated the room revealing a twin bed next to the window, a shelf, a desk sprawled with stationery, and two large monitors.
Axel dropped the package on his bed and collapsed on his reclining chair.
Spinning the chair around, his eyes locked on to a glowing shelf, displaying anime merchandise, from a head band, a sword, and a fruit.
His lips curled upward.
"There it is," He whispered, his eyes stopping at an empty spot.
Waiting to be filled.
"You've waited long enough." He grinned, cracked his knuckles and pulled the package close.
Axel slid his nail over the sealing and pulled with confidence earned from years of unsealing packages.
Yet as he tried to lift the flap, his brows knitted.
The flap did not budge, the master had failed.
He narrowed his eyes, "Impossible."
Axel slid his nail slowly this time, pushing harder, ensuring his nail dug in.
Yet at the end there was no change.
He scoffed, "if it's like that," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a jackknife.
He twirled it around his fingers, then his gaze stopped on the package.
He bared his teeth and…
Click! the blade flicked out.
"Let's see you handle the big guns."
With practiced and precise movement, he slid the blade along the seal.
The cover propped up with a hiss the next second.
Then the faint smell of chemicals permeating the room from the package.
"Ah, that's the stuff," He remarked and pulled the cover up.
Inside lay a katana in a black sheath, etched with an 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 was a ten spoked wheel, etched with strange markings. To evoke realism, no doubt.
He carefully lifted it with both hands, a satisfactory smile on his face.
The handle was long enough for both his hands, blue and white material wrapped in a traditional ito maki pattern, winding the entire length.
Axel's fingers slowly curled around the handle, a grin finding its way to his face as he stayed in that posture for a second.
Feeling like a samurai.
Soaking in the moment.
Then he slowly pulled, a silver blade revealing itself, glinting against the light.
Axel looked at the blade with awe, the shiny silver blade reflecting his black pupils, almost like a mirror. His eyes narrowed
Merchs weren't usually this reflective.
They were usually made from plastic or ceramic. Nothing able to give this much of a realistic reflection.
He slid his hand on the flat side of the blade, its surface was chilly, smooth, metallic.
"It feels too real," he mumbled, eyes narrowing to a slit.
Could it be real?
But that can't be, can it.
No use speculating.
He picked a can from a bin next to the table.
Setting it upright on the table, he stepped back.
Holding the sword straight out, its sharp edge against the surface of the can.
He exhaled in anticipation.
And swung.
There was no resistance, no sound, the blade just sailed past the can.
"Huh" he frowned, "I missed…"
Axel reached towards the can, but he froze.
The top half of the can slid cleanly off, a clattering sound resounding as it hit the floor.
His eyes widened as he stared at the can, the cut was perfect, too clean.
His eyes flickered back to the katana.
It's real.
He carefully reached for the sheath and slowly slid the katana back in.
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 turned to his computer, Let's see what the internet says.
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, expensive, yet worth it—used for more abnormal research.
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 forced an awkward chuckle.
Then he searched again: 'Real anime weapons.'
No results of worth popped up. Rather a prompt popped up: Would you like us to research this?
He quickly selected 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, the nightmare from that afternoon flashing before his eyes.
He took a deep breath, and hit play.
Moving away from the monitor, he lifted the sheathed katana.
"Hey big bro, been a while since I texted, hasn't it," a bubbly voice came from the monitor.
"Did you miss me, of course you did. I'm the only excitement your boring life has, unless…"
She narrowed her eyes, "you finally got a girlfriend."
"Of course, it's not like I want to know," she pursed her lips, looked sideways, chin lifted up.
Axel unsheathed the katana again, unable to hold back his curiosity.
"Mom says I am just wasting my time," the voice continued, "but…well that's something I have a lot of."
"Anyways, I came up with a way that might explain what happened that day, what went wrong with the portal" she said, her tone much more serious.
Axel twitched as he heard her words.
The image of those glowing red eyes flashed through his mind.
He leapt back as the sword slipped out of his hands flying towards the shelf.
The blade tore through the frame and glasses effortlessly, like it wasn't even there.
Why bring that up, he thought with a grim expression on his face as he stared at the cleaved shelf.
"But mum won't allow me to leave the mansion, she's a real bummer you know, of course you would." The voice continued, tone switching again.
Axel's lips curved upward slightly as he walked towards the shelf.
Maybe that's for the best.
"So, I thought who else is as smart as me and would get my ideas." She looked up.
"No one of course, but my beloved brother is this close," she giggled.
"And it concerns you as much as me, maybe more considering what you saw. So I sent you my theory, I do hope you take a look at it."
Her final words lowered to a whisper. "Promise me, promise me you will, big bro. You can take your time to reply, it's not like I have anything else to do, unless I die of boredom. Of course if that happens, we all know who I'll be haunting hehe."
Then silence.
Axel stood still, staring blankly at the cleaved halves of the shelf.
She never gives up does she? A sad smile flashed across his lips.
He looked back at the screen, the video had ended. Ophelia's smiling face lingered on the screen, bright, alive, frozen in time.
If only that didn't happen, he thought, standing still, gaze lingering on her.
He finally clicked away from the video. A PDF attachment blinked beneath it. He hovered his mouse, pausing for a second, then clicked to archive it.
"It's better this way," he muttered and closed his eyes.
Nothing good will result from finding out more about whatever that was.
Ophelia's face flashing in his mind, he sighed and opened his eyes. Let's leave it that way, as a past mistake.
For a few minutes, silence ruled the room.
Then…beep.
Axel blinked at the screen. security footage.
A bald man in a black suit stood at his door. Adjusting his tie, scanning around.
A soft knock echoed through the apartment.
Due to so many unusual events happening at once, an uneasy feeling crawled up Axel's stomach as he saw the man.
He looked closely at the monitor.
At that moment the man turned to look at the camera, he smiled and waved.
"Calm down," Axel whispered to himself, "I am just overthinking things."
The day I get a real katana is the day a man in a dark suit knocks on my door.
Just a coincidence or…
He gulped hard and went towards the door but he paused.
"Just in case." He turned back and grabbed the jackknife.
But he stopped again.
Then he went back in, "This has more reach."
He picked up the katana.
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.
The man had no tattoos. No scars. Perfect posture and grooming. 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.
"Hello." The man snapped his finger.
"Oh sorry." Axel chuckled awkwardly.
Seems normal.
"I understand you got a package from Omnicart this morning, yes?" The man asked.
"Yeah…" Axel's voice trailed off, eyes narrowing.
"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.
Right hand shoving Axel backward. The other went to his waist.
Axel's eyes widened as a metallic glint appeared, a gun.