Cards Of The Silent King-Chapter 58: Legendary-Class: First Test

The air in the Grey District froze. It was not winter. It was pressure. Kaito stood in the center of the intersection. The streetlights had shattered. The darkness was absolute. The only light came from the entity standing at the end of the block. Something stepped from the shadow of a bank. It was twenty feet tall. Its armor was white bone. Its eyes were red suns. It did not roar. It hummed. The sound vibrated in Kaito’s teeth. It was a low frequency that made his bones ache.

Kuro said: "This is Legendary."

Kaito said: "I know."

Kuro said: "One card will not hold it."

Kaito said: "Then two."

Kaito drew two cards. The Queen of Ice. The King of Fangs. He pressed them to his chest. The pain was immediate. It was fire and ice fighting inside his veins. He screamed silently. His skin cracked with frost. His veins bulged with blue energy. His breath came out as steam and smoke.

Yuki-Onna said: "This is reckless."

Fenrir said: "It is necessary."

Kaito said: "Merge."

The light exploded. Kaito changed. His left side was ice. His right side was fur and claw. His human eye was dark. His other eye was yellow. He was a chimera of power. He was barely human. The cost was high. He could feel his lifespan shortening. He ignored it. The entity charged. The ground shook. Kaito met it. He slammed his ice hand into the ground. Spikes erupted. They shattered against the bone armor. The entity swung. Kaito blocked with the wolf arm. The bone cracked. The pain was distant. He was too focused.

Minutes passed. Five. Ten. The street was destroyed. Cars were overturned. Buildings were scarred. Kaito breathed steam. His blood was freezing. His heart was racing. He could not feel his toes. The dual merge was tearing him apart from the inside.

Kuro said: "Your heart rate is critical."

Kaito said: "Keep going."

The entity adapted. It grew heat. The ice melted. It grew spikes. The fur was pierced. It learned. It pushed Kaito back. Kaito slid across the pavement. His shoes burned. He dug his claws in. He stopped. He stood.

Kaito said: "Hold."

Yuki-Onna said: "I am freezing my own blood."

Fenrir said: "I am burning my own soul."

Kaito said: "Ten more minutes."

Kaito pushed forward. He moved slower now. Every step was a decision. Every breath was a battle. The entity swung a fist the size of a boulder. Kaito ducked. He swept the leg. The entity fell. Kaito jumped. He landed on its chest. He drove the ice claw down. The armor held. The claw broke. Kaito did not stop. He used the wolf hand. He punched. Once. Twice. Ten times. The bone cracked. The red eyes flickered. The hum grew louder. It was a self-destruct sequence.

Kaito said: "No."

Kaito grabbed the entity’s throat. He channelled everything. Ice and fire. Void and weight. He poured his own energy into the beast. He overloaded it. The entity shook. The light inside it turned white. Fifteen minutes. Twenty. Kaito could not feel his legs. He stood on will alone. The entity lunged for the kill. Kaito did not dodge. He held on. He was the anchor. He was the wall.

Kaito said: "Break."

The entity shattered. It turned to dust. The dust froze. The wind blew it away. The card appeared. It was white and gold. Legendary. It fell to the ground. It smoked. Kaito fell. He hit the concrete. He did not move. The merge broke. He was human again. He was naked of power. He was broken. He breathed. Each breath was a knife. His vision blurred. The sky spun. He closed his eyes. He wanted to sleep. He knew if he slept, he would not wake.

Footsteps approached. Slow. Steady. Jin stepped into the light. He looked at Kaito. He did not speak. He did not gasp. He took off his jacket. He covered Kaito. The fabric was warm. It smelled like detergent and tea.

Jin said: "Twenty-two minutes."

Kaito said: "Counted."

Jin said: "Too long."

Kaito said: "It is done."

Jin said: "Can you stand."

Kaito said: "No."

Jin said: "Then I will carry you."

Jin lifted him. Kaito was heavy. Jin was strong. They walked through the ruins. The city slept. The hunger waited. But tonight, the wall held. Kaito rested his head on Jin’s shoulder. He was ashamed. He was grateful. He did not say either.

Jin said: "Ryota will worry."

Kaito said: "Do not tell him."

Jin said: "I will not. But he will know."

Kaito said: "Later."

Jin said: "Okay."

They reached the edge of the district. The main road was quiet. A taxi waited. Jin had called it. He put Kaito in the back. He got in beside him. The driver did not ask questions. He drove. The lights passed by. They were streaks of color.

Kaito said: "The card."

Jin said: "I have it."

Kaito said: "Keep it safe."

Jin said: "I will."

Kaito closed his eyes. The exhaustion was total. It was in his marrow. It was in his mind. He had won. He had survived. But the cost was written on his body. He would bear the scars. He would bear the memory. The taxi stopped. Jin paid. He helped Kaito out. They stood before the apartment building. The lobby was dark. The stairs were long. Jin did not complain. He carried Kaito up. One flight. Two. Three.

They reached the door. Jin opened it. He laid Kaito on the bed. He did not turn on the light. He pulled the blanket over Kaito. He placed the card on the desk. Next to the others. It glowed faintly.

Jin said: "Sleep."

Kaito said: "You?"

Jin said: "I will watch."

Kaito said: "Go home."

Jin said: "No."

Kaito did not argue. He was too tired. He drifted. The darkness took him. It was not NYX. It was just rest. He dreamed of ice. He dreamed of fur. He dreamed of a hum that never stopped. He woke at noon. The sun was high. The room was clean. Jin was gone. There was a note on the desk. It said: School covered. Rest.

Kaito sat up. His body screamed. He stood. He walked to the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot. His hair was white at the temples. A patch of it. He touched it. It was real. The cost of the legendary merge.

Kuro said: "You are aging."

Kaito said: "I know."

Kuro said: "It will grow back."

Kaito said: "Maybe."

Kaito washed his face. He put on a fresh shirt. He covered the white patch with his hair. He checked the deck. The new card was there. It was cold. It was powerful. It was worth it. He opened the door. He walked down the stairs. He passed the second floor. The step was empty. Hana was not there. He was glad. He did not want her to see the white hair. He did not want her to ask.

He walked out into the afternoon. The city was bright. The people were happy. They did not know about the twenty-two minutes. They did not know about the legendary beast. They did not know about the price. Kaito thought: It is fine.

He walked toward the school. He was late. He did not care. He was alive. He was standing. He was the wall. He reached the gate. Ryota was there. He looked worried. He looked at Kaito’s hair. He did not say anything. He handed him a coffee. It was cold. Kaito took it. He drank. It tasted like sugar. It tasted like friendship.

Ryota said: "You look different."

Kaito said: "I am the same."

Ryota said: "Okay."

Ryota did not push. He walked beside him. Jin was on the other side. They formed a line. They walked into the school. The bell rang. The day continued. Kaito touched his pocket. The cards were there. The hunger was waiting. But he had won today. He would win tomorrow. He would pay the price. He would keep the secret. The sun warmed his face. The coffee stayed in his stomach. The friends were near. Kaito kept walking. He did not look back. The shadow followed. The light remained. He was ready.

The day began.