Current Ranks
1st-Dominic Walker- 150 points
2nd-David Smith- 95 points
3rd-Kira Aamon- 90 points
4th-Lucy Walker- 87 points
5th-Edward Nio- 85 points
6th-Sarah Williams- 85 points
"And there you go, folks! David has jumped from 35 points to second place in an instant"!
"And let's turn our focus to Kira Aamon! The unexpected surprise who has been dominating the leaderboard with little to no effort"!
Her brown hair came to her shoulders, her blue eyes dim and tired as she sat out beneath the sun.
She hadn't slept in a few days, eye bags under her eyes and her fingers trembled, she was hugging her knees as fallen bodies surrounded her.
"I don't want to die but I-I don't want to live either".
She stared at her hands, shaking as she tried to hold her breath, her lungs started to burn and clog up, her throat became stuffy.
"It's just, what would it feel like to fall, effortlessly, I'm tired of them using me like I'm a tool".
She let go, the back of her throat opened up.
Carbon dioxide is a waste product of cellular respiration from breaking down glucose, if it builds up in the body, it could cause the blood in the body to become more acidic.
Plants are able to separate oxygen from carbon dioxide using photosynthesis, her short hair allowed access to the sun, separating a single molecule of oxygen from carbon dioxide and exuding it from the back of her throat.
Using the special organ in the back of her throat, she is able to turn waste carbon dioxide straight into pure poisonous carbon monoxide.
"I wonder what it would feel like if everything ended quietly in my sleep, I think about disappearing".
She held herself, a cold shiver went down her spine as she kept breathing in and out.
Then a thud.
Another person that came after her points dropped to the ground.
"Another one"?
She looked over her shoulder as a load of golden coins dropped out of her pockets, the shine glimmering in the sunlight.
She stood up, her legs shaking as she bent over his body, poking her finger against his lifeless body, his golden coins dropping out of his pocket.
"I'm sorry, I can't help it, I don't want to die either".
Kira's face turned pale.
"They all had lives of their own, all it took was an instant and I killed them".
She turned his head around and closed his eyes with her hands, grabbing the golden coins from his pocket.
"I wonder what their parents would think about this, they'll surely be sad".
"She seems to have a range of 5 meters before the gas completely disperses into thin air".
"From her monologue, she seems that she's mentally hurt too, this might be my only chance".
He jumped down from the tree branch as he walked out into the open field, he held his breath as he ruffled his long brown jacket.
A soft smile spread across his face as he met face to face with Kira, not getting too close but close enough for her to make out his face.
His dim violet eyes peered into her as his fingers ran through his black hair.
"Hi, my name is Hoshimi Shirogane, I'm from Kyoto, so I wonder who must you be"?
Her dead eyes stared blankly at him, her voice raspy and cold.
"Are you here to come steal my coins"?
His eyes lit up with a sudden burst of passion.
"Of course not, I barely have any coins myself, I'm not really trying to win either".
"You're not? Aren't you scared"?
She looked up at him.
"Scared of death"?
[She's scared of her power, I should make her believe that her mana isn't a curse but a blessing instead]
"I'll find a way to make it through, somehow".
He smiled with his bottom teeth.
"Anyways, what's your name"?
"Me"?
She looked around the forest.
"I'm Kira Aamon, I'm also from Kyoto just like you".
Names are important, the main thing to express that a person is unique is their name, without it, a person blends into the background.
The more you know about a person, the harder it is for you to kill them.
The most important thing for Shirogane is not to anger her and try to befriend her.
"You seem sad, what's wrong"?
He took a single step forward.
"I just want to run away from everything, I just want everything to end".
[Something definitely happened to her parents, it's very likely, the government is always like this, I need to gain her sympathy]
"I can understand that feeling, I was ripped away from my parents to the point I can barely remember their faces".
Her eyes widened suddenly, her irises dilated as a single tear went down her face.
"I saw my father die right in front of me, I remember the sensation of the warmth leaving his eyes".
She gripped the grass underneath her.
"I'm so tired of everything, I don't want to die either".
[I need to be that someone, that someone that she can reside in so she can be of use to me]
"You aren't scared of death, you're scared of being forgotten".
"It's cruel, it's so cruel damn it".
Her shoulders quivered, her cheeks started to flush.
"It is, isn't it? But we still have to move on, this is the path that the primordial witches have taken for us".
She crossed her arms.
"The primordial witches? Why should I believe in these characters who never even tried to save their offspring".
People can't change in a few days, all you can do to even try to slightly shake them is to sympathize.
[I should calm her down and pretend like I care]
"Life is heartbreaking, but it can't be helped, even if the others treat us like livestock, we're still human at the very end".
His eyes empty and unmoving.
Kira looked at him, something flickering in her eyes.
"Do you think I'm a monster"?
Shirogane slightly hesitated.
[It doesn't matter what I think, all I need her is to rely on me]
"I think. Shirogane whispered as he lowered his voice, "that you're not a monster, the humans are just scared of what you can achieve, you shouldn't carry that weight alone".
"You're different from everyone else". She muttered, "Everyone else usually aims to kill me, they don't care about me at all, they only care for my power".
[Her power will be very important in the future, she'll be a key to my graduation]
"I'm not like everyone else". He smiled as he bent over, looking at her eye to eye.
"And I don't think you're like them either".
"Everyone around me dies, just from me existing, I'm a parasite to this world, do you know how disgusting that is? It's like my very existence is a weapon, you know how fucked up that feels"?
"All of us witches, our very lives are sabotaged the moment we were born, but we live through it because we have hope".
[Hope is just a farce, just a belief that things will get better by doing nothing, without effort, nothing can be achieved]
"Hope is strong, I'll try my best to help you, I'll keep the world out if you want me to".
[I feel like shit using this poor girl, but I can't afford to get killed if I got found out to be useless]
"You aren't a monster, Kira, monsters enjoy killing but you". He stepped closer to her, the toxic gas dissipated faster than he could close the gap.
"You are different, that curse of yours, that ability to control mana. Promise me that you'll turn it into a blessing".
She looked up at him with tired eyes yet she smiled, her blue eyes shining in the sunlight.
[I need her to get stronger for my sake]
Crack.
The ground itself shook as Hoshimi's eyes widened.
"Well then, I guess it's time for me to go, I apologize but I still have to make this out alive, see you on the other side, Kira".
She smiled as she stood up and waved him goodbye.
"See you later".
She stared at his broad back as he disappeared into the thick forest.
He grabbed onto the branch of the tree and pulled up on it, jumping to the top with little to no effort.
He sat down as his eyes surveyed through the thick forest, as he leaned against the bark.
[It's very difficult for me to care for someone, especially for someone I just met, I know what it feels like for someone to bring you hope when you are down, I just feel like an asshole for manipulating such a broken girl. Sympathy isn't something I can just willingly hand out, it must be earned by them. This entire system of witches is stupid and corrupt, I will change it from the inside out]
She sat by herself, as she smiled staring straight into the sun, hugging her knees tightly.
"He called me by my name". Her cheeks slightly flushed as she giggled under her breath".
A buzz
The drones flew above her, watching her every moment.
Reina crossed her legs, watching from the other side of the camera as a smirk appeared across her face.
Her eyes staring calmly through the screen as a blue light shone on her face.
"Seems like you're quite the playboy aren't you, Hoshimi".
Current Ranks
1st-Dominic Walker- 150 points
2nd-David Smith- 95 points
3rd-Kira Aamon- 90 points
4th-Lucy Walker- 87 points
5th-Edward Nio- 85 points
6th-Sarah Williams- 85 points
"And there you go, folks! Surprisingly, an unknown from the Smiths has jumped from 35 points to second place in an instant! Isn't that exciting!? I wonder what David has to offer next!"
"And let's turn our focus to Kira Aamon! The unexpected surprise who has been dominating the leaderboard with little to no effort!"
Kira sat beneath the shade of a large oak tree, her back against the rough bark. Her brown hair fell to her shoulders, unwashed and tangled. Her blue eyes were dim, tired, ringed with dark circles.
She hadn't slept in days.
Bodies lay scattered around her in the grass, students who had come for her points and lost consciousness instead. She wasn't killing them. Just... putting them to sleep. Slowly grabbing the coins and putting them into her pockets.
"I'm sorry, I don't- I don't want to die either," she whispered to herself.
She stared at her hands. They were shaking.
"But it's not like.. I just wish I never existed."
The back of her throat ached. That special organ, was raw from overuse. She'd been releasing gas almost constantly since the exam began. It was the only way to keep people away.
[I don't want to live. I wonder what it would feel like to fall endlessly. Into an abyss]
Another student stumbled into her range. His legs gave out, and he crumpled to the grass with a soft thud. Kira flinched.
"Sorry," she murmured, though he couldn't hear her. "I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me for existing."
She crawled over to him, careful not to breathe too close to his face. His pulse was gone. She took his golden coins and added them to her pouch.
Ninety three points now. Third place.
*Why does that even matter?*
She returned to her spot beneath the tree and pulled her knees to her chest.
The forest was quiet here. Distant explosions and shouts echoed from other parts of the exam zone, but around her, there was only silence and fallen bodies.
[I can't stand loud noises]
"What's the point?" she asked the empty air. "Even if I pass, they'll just use me. Like some tool."
A twig snapped.
Kira's head shot up. Her throat tightened instinctively, ready to release gas—
A boy stepped out from between two trees.
He was maybe seventeen, with black hair that fell across his forehead and violet eyes that seemed almost purple in the dappled sunlight.
He wore a long brown jacket over dark clothes, and his hands were in his pockets. He wasn't holding a weapon.
He stopped about ten feet away, far enough that her gas wouldn't reach him if she released it.
Kira's head snapped up. Her lungs expanded instinctively, the skin at the base of her neck already beginning to part—
"Please don't."
The voice was flat. Calm. Familiar.
"Hi," he said. His voice was calm. Warm, even. "My name's Hoshimi Shirogane. I'm from Kyoto, at least I was born there."
Kira stared at him. "Are you here to steal my coins?"
"No. Of course not." He smiled, not a smirk or a grin, just a small, genuine smile, but it certainly was one that didn't reach his eyes. "I barely have any coins myself. I'm not really trying to win."
Lie.
"Then what are you doing out here?"
Hoshimi tilted his head, considering the question. Around them, bodies lay scattered across the grass like fallen leaves. Students she'd put to sleep. Students who'd come for her points and found only darkness.
"I was hiding," he said finally. "In a tree. About fifty meters that way." He gestured vaguely with his chin. "You've been talking to yourself for the past hour."
Kira's face went red. Her hands curled into fists against her knees.
"You were listening?"
"Yes."
"That's—that's creepy."
He shrugged. "I was gathering information, I was trying not to die." He tilted his head. "What about you? What's your name?"
[Her father is the one of the Leviathan higher ups, there's no way she won't be useful one way or another]
"...Kira," she said finally. "Kira Aamon. I'm from Kyoto too."
"Same city? It's a rather small world isn't it?" He took a step closer. "You look tired, Kira."
"I haven't slept."
"Yeah, I can tell." He sat down on the grass a few feet away from her, close enough to talk, far enough to be safe. "Me neither, honestly."
Kira blinked. "You're... just going to sit there?"
"Unless you want me to leave."
She didn't say anything. But she didn't tell him to go, either.
They sat in silence for a moment. Birds chirped somewhere overhead. The wind rustled the leaves.
"Why are you really here?" Kira asked quietly.
Hoshimi pulled a few blades of grass, absently braiding them together. "I saw you from the trees. You looked like you could use someone to talk to."
"That's it?"
"That's it." He glanced at her. "Unless you'd rather be alone."
Kira hugged her knees tighter. Her eyes stung. "I saw my dad die. Right in front of me. The government killed him because he was a witch. My mom, they took her away. I don't even know where she is."
"I'm sorry."
Lie.
"It's whatever." Her voice cracked. "I'm just tired of everything, I just, I just want to run away."
Hoshimi nodded slowly. He didn't try to hug her or offer empty platitudes. He just sat there, braiding grass, letting her talk.
"I can understand that."
Lie.
"This stupid stupid world is so cruel."
Her shoulders quivered, her face started to go pale, seemingly drained of blood.
"It is, isn't it? But we still have to move on, this is the path that the primordial witches have taken for us".
She crossed her arms.
"The primordial witches? Why should I believe in these characters who never even tried to save their offspring".
"Life is heartbreaking, but it can't be helped, even if the others treat us like livestock, we're still human at the very end, we can at least try to be like them".
His eyes were empty and unmoving, staring straight into her very soul.
Lie.
Kira looked at him, something flickering in her eyes.
"Do you think I'm a monster"?
Shirogane hesitated slightly, swallowing his words before he spoke.
"I think. Shirogane whispered as he lowered his voice, "that you're not a monster, Humans are just scared of what you can achieve, you shouldn't carry that weight alone".
Lie.
"You seem so different from everyone". She muttered, "Everyone else couldn't bother with who I am, no one cares about me, the only reason they could ever want me is because of this stupid power."
"I'm not like everyone else". He smiled as he bent over, looking at her eye to eye.
Lie.
"Everyone around me dies, just from me existing, I'm a parasite to this world, do you know how disgusting that is? It's like my very existence is a weapon, you know how fucked up that feels"?
"You aren't a monster, Kira, monsters enjoy killing but you". He stepped closer to her, the toxic gas dissipated faster than he could close the gap.
"You are different, that curse of yours, that ability to control mana. It isn't really a curse if you think about it, it's part of you, your identity, whether or not it is a curse depends on how you use it, and the way you use it can turn that terrible curse into a blessing".
"My dad used to read to me," Kira continued, her voice softening. "When I was little. Before everything. He'd do different voices for all the characters."
[I don't remember anything about him]
He stared at his fingers.
The blood stains had been wiped off.
[I killed him after all]
"Yeah? What kind of books?"
"Anything. Fantasy, mostly. He loved those old epics. The ones with knights and dragons and stuff."
Lie.
Hoshimi smiled. "My stepmom made me read a ton of those. Said they'd teach me about honor or whatever. I think she just wanted me to shut up for a few hours."
Kira almost laughed. Almost. "Do you... do you actually like reading?"
"I mean, some of it's okay." He pulled out a worn paperback from his jacket pocket, the edges were soft, the spine cracked. "My mother wanted to portray the image of being philosophically intelligent but she'd never read any of the books she bought. So we had quite a few books lying around. Camus, mostly. Philosophy stuff."
Kira's eyes widened. "Really? You must be really smart then, I used to be the top of my class, but most of it was just cramming things into my brain rather than being naturally smart."
"Come on." Hoshimi got closer to her. "Everyone is smart in their own ways, intelligence comes in different forms." He leaned back on his hands, looking up at the sky. "What other stuff do you read? Besides fantasy."
"Um." She thought about it. "Mystery, sometimes. And poetry."
"Poetry? Like what?"
"Mary Oliver. She writes about nature a lot. Animals, mostly. It's really good!" Kira felt her cheeks flush. "Most of her poems are about paying attention to small things. The quiet occurences in nature."
Hoshimi tilted his head. "I've never heard of her."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while. Kira's chest didn't feel as tight anymore. Her throat wasn't burning.
"You know," Hoshimi said eventually, "you don't have to use your ability all the time."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you've been releasing gas nonstop since the exam started, right? Your throat must be killing you."
She looked away. "If I stop, people will come for my coins."
"Probably. But you could also just... run. Or hide. You don't have to kill everyone who gets close."
"But..."
He pointed at her hand, which was trembling. "You're exhausted, Kira. You can't keep this up forever."
"So what am I supposed to do?"
Hoshimi thought for a moment. Then he stood up and walked closer, slowly, carefully, until he was sitting right beside her, their shoulders almost touching.
"For now?" He pulled out a granola bar from his jacket and offered it to her. "Take a break."
Kira stared at the granola bar like it was a foreign object.
"I'm not going to steal your points," he said. "I promise."
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because I'm sitting here, instead of fighting for my life like everyone else." He unwrapped his own bar and took a bite. "Also, I'm a terrible liar. My stepmom says I have a tell."
Lie.
Kira hesitated. Then, slowly, she took the granola bar.
"It's okay to be scared," Hoshimi said quietly. "It's okay to be tired. It's okay to want to give up." He looked at her. "But you're not a monster, Kira. You're just a person with a scary ability. And that's not the same thing."
Kira bit her lip. The tears spilled over, tracing hot paths down her cheeks. She didn't bother wiping them away.
Hoshimi didn't try to hug her. Didn't pat her back or tell her it would be okay. He just sat there beside her, munching on his granola bar, letting her cry.
After a while, her sobs quieted.
"I like horror novels too," Kira said quietly, sniffling. "The really atmospheric ones. Where the house is basically a character."
"Oh yeah? Like *The Haunting of Hill House*?"
Her head snapped toward him. "You've read that?"
"Not really, I don't really like horror novels, I don't really get scared from a bunch of text."
Kira laughed. A real laugh, surprised out of her.
"You're weird," she said.
"So are you."
"Thank you," she said quietly.
"For what?"
"For sitting with me. I haven't talked to another person since…" She paused. "Since the people that used me like a tool."
Hoshimi shrugged. "You looked down, I couldn't help myself."
Lie.
Crack.
Hoshimi's eyes widened.
"We can't stay here forever can we?"
She tucked the book into her jacket pocket. "Yea, I should probably keep moving. My rank is going to drop if I just sit here."
He stood up and brushed off his pants. "Try to drink some water, okay? Your throat sounds rough."
"You sound like my mom."
"Is that a bad thing?"
Kira smiled, small, fragile, but real. "No. Not really. That's a good thing."
Hoshimi waved as he walked back toward the trees. "See you later Kira."
"You too."
She watched him disappear into the forest. Then she opened her water bottle and took a long drink. Her throat felt better already.
She giggled like a child.
"He called me by my name."
Her face flushed.
A buzz.
The drone hovered above her, its camera lens glinting in the sunlight.
Reina watched from the monitor, her legs crossed, her chin resting on her hand. A smirk played at the corner of her lips.
"Seems like you're quite the charmer, Hoshimi."
She took a sip of her coffee and kept watching.
"Miss Reina, please don't put your legs on the table."
"SHUT UP, I'LL DO WHATEVER I WANT!"