The Box: Fate
Chapter 35 — The Phantom Memory
The laughter of the Akatsuki group echoed through the forest but as the sun began to dip behind the jagged peaks of the northern mountains Zanaki fell silent He slowed his pace trailing behind the rest of the sixteen The grin on his face slowly vanished replaced by a look of deep unsettling confusion
It wasn't a joke Zanaki thought his hand unconsciously touching the area over his heart where the Dragon Sovereign card was fused I wasn't lying about the girl But why does the memory feel like it's covered in glass?
He closed his eyes and for a split second the Void Sight of his draconic blood flickered He saw her again—the girl in the hotel She was sitting across from him her hair flowing like liquid silk but her face... every time he tried to focus on her features they dissolved into white static
Who was she? he whispered to himself
He remembered his phone buzzing He remembered the link appearing on his screen But as he dug deeper into his memory a terrifying realization hit him
I didn't find that link on a website Zanaki realized his breath hitching The message didn't come from a known contact It came from a Unknown Number—a string of digits that didn't exist in any country code And the notification... it didn't just pop up It felt like the phone vibrated inside my brain
He looked at his hands which were now capable of summoning a Storm Dragon
Why did I share it? he muttered his brow furrowing I'm a joker sure I'm a nerd yeah But I would never send a suspicious unverified link to the only friends I had in the world It was like... someone else moved my thumb Someone else hit Send to the Akatsuki group
A cold sweat broke out on his forehead Was their arrival in this world truly an accident? Or were they hand-picked? If the sixteen of them were the only ones who entered through that specific link then the Akatsuki group wasn't just a random chat—it was a target list
Zanaki! You're lagging again! Axel Hatanaki shouted from up ahead waving his glowing fist Stop dreaming about your imaginary girlfriend and get over here!
Zanaki snapped out of his trance forcing a quick smile back onto his face He ran to catch up but the weight in his chest was no longer just the Dragon heat It was a dark lingering doubt
As they reached the crest of the final hill before the Border City of Liya Kataki stopped He didn't look at the city He turned his blindfolded head toward Zanaki
Your heart rate is erratic Zanaki Kataki said his voice low enough that only the two of them could hear The dragon is restless Or is it the memory of the world we left behind?
Zanaki looked at the silver runes on Kataki blindfold. Kataki... do you remember exactly how you clicked that link? Do you remember the seconds before the light swallowed your room?
Kataki stayed silent for a long moment I remember the smell of ozone And I remember a voice... one that wasn't yours
Before Zanaki could ask more a sharp whistle cut through the air A black arrow trailing purple smoke thudded into the ground inches from Zanaki's foot
From the shadows of the city gate a figure draped in a tattered cloak emerged His skin was gray and his eyes were stitched shut with silver thread
The variables are thinking too much the figure hissed a Demon Spy sent by the Architect It is time to stop thinking... and start dying
The sixteen players instantly drew their weapons The mystery of the Box would have to wait The hunt had found them again