Fragment 7. It's Started

As I jumped from my seat, I felt someone watching me and turned toward them. But it seemed I had made the wrong decision.

A man who appeared out of nowhere wore a black cloak and a fedora hat that hid part of his face. In contrast to his dark clothing, his skin and hair were white.

His lips stretched into a smile, revealing his teeth. Until now, I had always avoided him by pretending I couldn’t see him. But after making eye contact, I knew I could no longer escape the same way.

Holding his hat, he introduced himself.

“It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Loren. I’ve been searching for you, Miss Brimming-with-Incredible-Energy.”

I didn’t understand what energy he was talking about. But whatever it was, he is clearly up to no good.

“You possess an immense power that will draw people with bad intentions.”

Suddenly, I remembered my grandfather’s words. Although I still didn’t know what power he meant, this man must be one of the evil people Grandpa warned me about.

I ran toward the opposite direction from the strange man and headed to the next carriage. I ran as fast as I could. Even so, I couldn’t escape from the mysterious guy who walked casually while chasing me.

No matter how many carriages I passed, I never reached the end. My stamina hit its limit and I stopped running.

It seemed I was trapped.

I didn’t know how, but I must have been running in a loop. Bending over with my hands on my knees, I gasped for air. Meanwhile, the man chasing me didn’t seem tired at all. Well, he had only been walking since the beginning yet still caught up to me. Somehow, this was definitely his doing.

He didn’t take advantage of my exhaustion and waited for me to catch my breath. His generosity almost made me want to thank him.

After resting, I faced the mysterious man properly.

“What do you want from me?”

“Wow. So scary. Miss, don’t be so fierce or men won't like you.”

“None of your business! You are no better. Girls don't like guys who are too pushy. I'm sure you don't have anyone who truly loves you."

The smile disappeared from the man’s face. It seemed my words hit the mark. Sweat trickled down my temple. Even though I provoked him myself, I was the one terrified now. Gulping, I braced myself for whatever he might do.

“You’re right. I no longer have someone who truly loved me.”

Hearing him turn melodramatic all of a sudden made me feel slightly guilty. But his next words scared me more than anything else.

“But I will get her back. If I obtain the vessel inside you, she will return to me. So hand it over!”

He extended his right hand toward me and something black flowed out from it. Not liquid, solid, nor gas. It looked like black wind swirling forward. And when it touched me, it felt as if I were being pulled in.

“What's this?!”

I panicked as I was dragged by something I couldn’t touch. I planted my feet firmly and tried to resist, but the pull was so strong that I almost fell forward several times. That thing kept pulling me—no, pulling something from within me forcefully.

My grip slipped and I was launched toward the man. Fortunately, I managed to grab onto a pole. But the pull only grew stronger. The pole I clung to snapped, and I fell right into the man’s grasp.

“Gahk!”

I couldn’t breathe as his hand squeezed my throat. I struggled, but the man didn’t budge. Raising his free right hand, he thrust it into my chest.

A searing pain pierced through me. But when I looked down, I saw no blood. Even so, his hand had indeed passed through my chest. Around his arm was a hollow black circle where it phased through my body.

The pain returned, sharper this time, as something writhed inside me. My breath hitched as if my heart were being crushed. And when I felt my heart being pulled from its place, my consciousness gradually faded.

Someone... please help me.

The moment my consciousness slipped away, the place exploded. White mist filled the area. Two human silhouettes stood facing each other several meters apart.

When the fog dissipated, the mysterious man narrowed his eyes beneath his hat.  He felt annoyed because his target was harder to capture than expected.

Standing where Haruno had been, a girl with icy blue hair and glacial blue eyes revealed herself. Aside from the color of her eyes and hair, her physique was identical to Haruno’s. The other major difference was the aura she emitted—an icy presence that made anyone shiver.

Loren clicked his tongue. He didn’t like how things had turned out. But his target was this close. He had no intention of letting her go. He sent his shadow once more toward his prey.

On the other side, the blue-haired Haruno raised her hand. A cone of ice shot through the shadow and flew toward its caster. Loren dodged at the last second. Even so, his cheek tore and droplets of blood fell.

“Tsk!”

Loren spread both arms wide, unleashing dozens of shadows like cassette ribbons that lashed violently. Anything struck by those ribbons was crushed or dented.

Seeing the whips approach didn’t make the ice Haruno panic. Mirroring Loren’s movement by spreading her arms, ice cones sprouted from the floor, walls, and ceiling, shooting toward her enemy. Any ribbon pierced by the ice instantly went limp and stopped moving.

Realizing the enemy’s advance was nearing rapidly, Loren thrust both hands forward to create a barrier of black shadow. His teeth clenched as he struggled to withstand the advancing ice cones pushing him back.

He was forced all the way to the end of the carriage. When he thought he would be crushed, the assault suddenly stopped. Believing the attack was over, he withdrew the shadow shielding him—only for an ice spear to fly toward him and pierce his chest.

Loren’s body was flung back and nailed into the wall. Blood dripped from his mouth as he coughed. Wincing, he glared at the person responsible for his condition.

“Damn you. I didn’t know The Medium was this strong. I admit defeat for now, but next time I’ll bring you with me!!”

After shouting his ultimatum, Loren turned into smoke and vanished. With his disappearance, the barrier he erected dissipated. The scenery outside the window returned to normal, the damage inside the train vanished, and the people returned.

Haruno (Ice), who suddenly appeared among the crowd, became the center of attention of the passengers. They were shocked and cautious, especially with how coldly she gazed at everyone around her.

Haruno and the crowd stared at each other. The train screeched as it arrived at the next station. When it fully stopped, the doors opened. At that moment, Haruno spread her arms again and ice cones began sprouting from the ground.

But before they grew beyond five centimeters, a man ran into the train and tackled Haruno. His hand struck Haruno on the head. However, he wasn’t hitting a girl he just met at random. He slapped a slip of paper onto Haruno’s forehead, and moments later she swayed.

As Haruno collapsed, the man caught her. Carrying Haruno in his arms, he exited the train without saying a word. Everyone who witnessed the scene was speechless. They could only watch a salaryman carrying a high school girl walk out of the station. Their eyes followed the two until they disappeared from sight.