Cards Of The Silent King-Chapter 50: Vortelius Speaks

The Grey District was holding its breath. The air was still. There was no wind. There was no sound of traffic. Even the rats had hidden. Kaito stood at the end of the abandoned street. The pavement was cracked. The buildings leaned inward. At the center of the road, the air was tearing. It was not a small shimmer. It was not a heat haze. It was a wound. The space was ripped open. It was ten feet tall. It was five feet wide. The edges jagged like broken glass. Darkness poured out of it. It was not shadow. It was absence. Kaito stood still. His hands were in his pockets. His heart beat slowly. He did not run. He did not hide.

Kuro said: "This is too big."

Kaito said: "I know."

Kuro said: "You cannot close this alone."

Kaito said: "I have to."

Kaito stepped forward. The cards in his jacket vibrated. They were hot. They were afraid. Yuki Onna’s card was ice cold. Fenrir’s card was growling. He stopped ten feet from the tear. The darkness pulsed. It breathed. The sound was like wind in a tunnel. A voice came from the darkness. It did not sound like a monster. It sounded like a man. It was polite. It was formal. It was calm.

The voice said: "You are the keeper."

Kaito did not answer. He reached into his jacket. He pulled out the Ace of Spades.

The voice said: "That card is small. You are small."

Kaito said: "It is enough."

The voice said: "Is it. I have eaten cities with less."

Kaito felt the words in his chest. They were not sound. They were pressure. They pushed against his ribs. He stood firm. He did not step back.

Kaito said: "Who are you."

The voice said: "I am Vortelius. You know the name. The snow woman told you."

Kaito tightened his grip on the card. Yuki Onna had warned him. She had been afraid. He did not show fear.

Kaito said: "Why are you here."

Vortelius said: "I am hungry. This place is full. It is ripe."

Kaito said: "It is not food."

Vortelius said: "Everything is food. Stone. Flesh. Memory. Time. It all tastes the same in the end."

The darkness shifted. Something moved behind the tear. It was massive. It filled the space behind the rip. Kaito could not see it. He could feel it. It was like standing in front of a mountain that wanted to eat him.

Kuro said: "Do not engage. Close it."

Kaito said: "I am trying."

Kaito slammed the card onto the ground. The Ace of Spades glowed black. Shadows erupted from the paper. They rushed toward the tear. They tried to stitch the air together. The darkness pushed back. The shadows hissed. They evaporated.

Vortelius said: "You are trying to shut the door. I am already inside."

Kaito said: "You are not."

Kaito pulled another card. The Queen of Ice. He placed it beside the Ace. The temperature dropped. Frost spread across the pavement. It crawled toward the tear. The ice cracked. The heat from the darkness was immense. It was not fire. It was void.

Vortelius said: "What are you."

Kaito said: "I am the wall."

Vortelius said: "Walls break. I have broken many walls."

Kaito said: "Not this one."

Kaito pushed his will into the cards. He felt the strain. His nose began to bleed. The blood dripped onto his chin. He did not wipe it away.

Kuro said: "Kaito. Your bond is straining."

Kaito said: "Hold it."

Kuro said: "I am trying. He is too strong."

Vortelius said: "You are interesting. Most humans scream. You stand. You speak little. Why."

Kaito said: "Words are waste."

Vortelius said: "Perhaps. But they are also connection. I want to know you. Before I eat you."

Kaito said: "You will not."

Kaito called the third card. The King of Fangs. Fenrir materialized. The wolf was massive. He howled. The sound shook the buildings.

Fenrir said: "Pack leader. Step back."

Kaito said: "No. Push."

Fenrir lunged. He bit at the darkness. The shadows swallowed his jaws. He growled. He pulled. The tear shrank. It went from ten feet to eight.

Vortelius said: "The wolf is strong. You are wise to keep him."

Kaito said: "He is not a pet."

Vortelius said: "No. He is a tool. Like the cards. Like the silence."

The tear shrank to six feet. The pressure increased. Kaito’s knees buckled. He forced them straight.

Vortelius said: "You are protecting them. The sleepers. The dreamers."

Kaito said: "Yes."

Vortelius said: "They do not know you. They do not thank you."

Kaito said: "They do not need to."

Vortelius said: "That is noble. It is also foolish. Nobility does not stop hunger."

The tear shrank to four feet. The voice grew quieter. It was not fading. It was concentrating.

Vortelius said: "I will come back. Not through this door. Through another."

Kaito said: "I will be there."

Vortelius said: "I know. That is why I am curious. You are the first variable in centuries."

The tear shrank to two feet. Fenrir roared. The shadows shrieked. The sound was like metal tearing.

Kaito said: "Go."

Fenrir bit down. The shadows snapped. The tear sealed. The darkness vanished. The street was empty. The pavement was cracked. The frost was melting. Kaito fell to one knee. He breathed hard. The cards on the ground flipped over. They were dark. They were exhausted.

Kuro said: "You pushed too hard."

Kaito said: "It is closed."

Kuro said: "For now. He said he would return."

Kaito stood up. He wiped the blood from his chin. His hand shook. He put it in his pocket.

Kaito said: "Let him come."

Kuro said: "You are defiant. That is good. But do not be arrogant."

Kaito said: "I am not."

Kaito picked up the cards. He tucked them into his jacket. They were warm. They were alive. He looked at the spot where the tear had been. The air was normal. The smell of void was gone. Kaito thought: He spoke. He had expected a beast. He had expected a force of nature. He had not expected a conversation. The politeness was worse than rage. Rage was emotion. Polite hunger was function. It meant there was no reasoning. It meant there was no mercy.

Kuro said: "We need to leave. The authorities will come."

Kaito said: "I know."

Kaito turned away. He walked down the street. His steps were heavy. He was tired. He was bruised. He thought about Hana. He thought about Ryota. He thought about the school. Vortelius had said they were food. Kaito thought: They are not. They were people. They were friends. They were the reason he stood.

Kuro said: "You are thinking about them."

Kaito said: "Yes."

Kuro said: "Do not let it weaken you."

Kaito said: "It strengthens me."

Kuro said: "We will see."

They reached the edge of the Grey District. The main road was visible. Cars were passing. People were living. They did not know what had almost happened. Kaito stopped. He looked back. The district was dark.

Kaito said: "He knows my name."

Kuro said: "He knows everything. He is ancient."

Kaito said: "Then I will be louder."

Kuro said: "You speak three words a day."

Kaito said: "I will speak when it matters."

Kuro said: "And when is that."

Kaito said: "Now."

Kaito started walking again. He headed toward his apartment. He needed to sleep. He needed to heal. The night was half over. The sun would rise in four hours. He touched his pocket. The cards were there. He thought about the voice. It was calm. It was certain. Kaito thought: I will break that certainty. He did not say it. He kept it inside. He reached his building. He climbed the stairs. He stopped at the second floor. The step was empty. Hana was not there. He was glad. He unlocked his door. He stepped inside. The room was dark. He did not turn on the light. He lay on the bed.

Kuro said: "Rest."

Kaito said: "I will."

Kaito closed his eyes. He saw the tear. He saw the darkness. He heard the voice. You are the first variable. Kaito slept. He did not dream. The morning came. The sun rose. Kaito woke up. He was sore. He was alive. He stood up. He washed his face. He looked in the mirror. His eyes were dark. They were tired. He put on his jacket. He checked the cards. He opened the door. The day began. The hunger was waiting. Kaito was ready. He walked down the stairs. He walked into the light. The shadow followed. The game had changed. The voice had spoken. Now Kaito would answer. Not with words. With action. He walked toward the school. He walked toward his friends. He walked toward the war. The city was quiet. The cracks were sealed. For now. Kaito kept walking. He did not look back. The silence was heavy. It was his weapon. It was his shield. It was his promise. He would not break. He would not bend. He would stand. The sun warmed his face. The cards hummed in his pocket. Kaito breathed in. He breathed out. He was ready. The day continued. The hunger slept. Kaito watched. He always watched. The street was busy. The people were safe. Kaito walked among them. He was invisible. He was the wall. He was the keeper. He was the silence. And he was enough. For today. He reached the school gates. Ryota was waiting. Hana was there. Jin was watching. Kaito nodded. They smiled. He walked toward them. The war could wait. For one hour. He would be a student. He would be a friend. He would be human. Then the night would come. And he would be the wall again. Kaito stepped into the courtyard. The bell rang. The day began. He was ready.