The Remaining Participants

Late Afternoon

December 10th, 2050

Kanda Summit

Lucia was the first participant to arrive at the location indicated in the map. The sun had already set, but the chromatic clouds were sparse tonight, appearing more like streaks of bronze that split the sky apart.

Coming up from Akihabara, the crowd around Kanda Summit was significantly less dense, but it didn’t seem like the Tennojimas nor the Japanese police blocked off the area entirely. A few civilians still wandered about—a couple out on a stroll, a woman carrying a bag of groceries, a group of friends laughing at something as they came out of a convenience store.

They still don’t know why the Anti-Exalt group targeted the mansion, but as far as the news was concerned, it was done to terrorize the late scientist’s family while the entire nation mourned. A depraved act to be sure, and believable given the group’s hate towards anything related to the ascension, but the timing just didn’t feel right to her.

The location of the second challenge was in the middle of an expansive garden built when Kanda raised up to be one of Tokyo Sky’s highest points. The garden was designed to envelop a shrine erected thirty years ago, meant to be a close connection to heaven. Unlike other circles around the world, Japan put a clear line between its local religions and the ascendance, keeping them separate, but it didn’t stop some people in believing the spiritual significance of the phenomenon.

Lucia walked up the steps that led to a clearing in the middle of the garden, paved with stone tiles and ornate animal patterns. At the center of it was a large tent, about five meters tall. Jirou, the Tennojima family lawyer, stood next to it bundled in his thick grey coat and humongous scarf. A security team wearing blue suits, as well as a few police officers, were also patrolling the area. It was hard not to notice that some of those officers had white wings embroidered at the backs of their uniforms.

As an exalt herself, Lucia felt a bit more comfortable with them around. Their presence could provoke the terrorist group, but that was probably inevitable. At least the police were capable of hitting back.

Which makes one wonder if it was wise to continue the challenge at all. At least with its time constraints.

As if on cue, Thomas sent her a text message.

‘Is the event still on?’

‘Yes,’ she replied, ‘and don’t call it an event. I’m risking my life over here. Speaking of, did you get all the data Daiki Tennojima bequeathed us?’

‘Bequeathed lmao. But yes, we did. It came with a puzzle for the password. Ngl, it made me tear up and miss the old guy.’

‘Huh, that was sweet of him. I keep hearing how strict he was when I visited the institute, but all I have from his visits in America were nice memories. Then again, I was probably too young to remember.’

‘Eh, probably because he wasn’t working when he visited.’

‘True. Anything interesting from the data?’

‘Yes and no. The professor sent a good amount of information our way, but its more like a bridge to collaborate more with Tokyo Sky.’

‘Pretty much what I expected. But here’s the thing, Thomas. All three of the professor’s apprentices are dead. I’m not sure how well that collaboration will go.’

‘Damn, that was them?’

‘Yup.’

‘That sucks…’

‘I know.’

‘Well, good luck with winning his research, I guess. And be careful.’

‘Will do.’

‘Oh, and there’s this extra file called ‘Alter’. We haven’t cracked the password on it yet, but Alex’s been going at it all day. Any clue what that is about?’

‘Nope. Leave it to the professor to mess with Alex like that.’

Lucia looked up and saw another participant, Hidenori, waving at her. Keisuke had also arrived, but he was busy talking with both the police and the security staff.

‘I need to go,’ Lucia typed hurriedly. ‘Let me know what the file is about when you crack it.’

Lucia walked over to Hidenori who looked like he got lost on the way to the site. He wore a dark grey trench coat over a casual suit, and his dyed hair was styled meticulously like he belonged to a boy band. His face on the other hand betrayed lack of sleep and uneasiness. He shivered slightly as he waved a second time. “Hello, Miss Lucia. I, um, I came after all.”

“So you did,” Lucia said. “Didn’t get any sleep?”

“How could I?” Hidenori’s shoulders slumped. “All I could do was check the news and the internet. I was so sure this thing would get cancelled. Postponed at the very least.”

They both looked over at Keisuke as he directed the security team all over the garden. There more than blue suits, actually. Some wore black and bore the symbol of the institute.

“But I guess that’s the Tennojimas for you,” Hidenori continued. “And I do have a gold medallion. By the way, what happened last night after you left?”

Lucia explained how she followed after Issei and Reiji. Hidenori listened carefully, nodding along as if more curious than scared.

They talked for a while, passing the time in gossip and speculation.

“I can’t believe that… that young woman was capable of murder!” Hidenori said in shock. “I never would’ve guessed!”

“I suppose every participant has their secret,” Lucia said with a shrug.

“Even you, Miss Lucia?”

She laughed. “Maybe.”

Hidenori chuckled softly, then stared in the direction of Akihabara, as if suddenly lost in thought. The electric town was slightly lower in elevation, but its tall buildings soared high enough to reach their eye level. They were lit up in various colors, proudly advertising all sorts of anime and video game characters. There was even a giant hologram of girl in a maid uniform doing a polite bow and gesturing for people to visit their establishment.

“What’s wrong?” Lucia asked. “You interested in the café?”

“What? Oh. Haha, no…” Hidenori sighed. “I was just wondering why I bothered coming here.”

“Maybe you have a secret you’re pursuing as well,” Lucia teased.

“Hardly.” Hidenori rolled his eyes. “I’m actually surprised I’m even allowed to receive what Daiki Tennojima left my father. Though I suppose he didn’t have any other family.”

“What do you mean?” Lucia asked.

“My parents divorced when I was young,” Hidenori explained. “It’s a boring story. Man abandoned his family to pursue his dreams. Wife moved on and took their son with her. All I remember from my father is how he never cared about me. One day I hear he passed away from some accident, and then years later I’m summoned to the Tennojima estate for some inheritance. Not much of a secret, I suppose.”

Lucia didn’t know what to say.

“What about you?” Hidenori asked. “Are you related to a scientist in his employ?”

“Not exactly,” Lucia said. “I’m from Nevada Sky. The Tennojima Research Institute has ties to every ascendant city, and the group I work for is closely aligned with them.”

“A research group, right?”

“Empyrean Technologies.”

“Oh, Empy Tech! I’ve heard of them.” Hidenori crossed his arms. “If I remember right, you make machines powered by aether, right?”

Lucia laughed. “It’s not that impressive. Exalts are the ones powering machines. It’s more supplementary than standalone.”

“Is that right?”

“Aether is a dangerous tool. There are scientists who try and make machines and weapons that use aether independently, but the Osaka Accords made such an act illegal across every nation back in twenty-fifteen. Empy Tech abides by those rules.”

“Huh. That’s a relief to know.”

The Tennojima Research Institute on the other hand… there were plenty of rumors about them. Secret dealings, secret projects. Just the other day, intel came in about an incident at Shibuya Peak. A former employee of the institute was found dead, and the police were investigating weaponized aether of some kind.

Come to think of it, that employee’s name was Shimomura. Lucia wondered if Reiji also had a distant relationship with his father.

Everyone assumed the prize for the game they were playing was Daiki Tennojima’s final research. It was what he stated in his will after all. But if Lucia was a betting woman, she’d bet it was the institute’s skeletons the old scientist meant to reveal.

If Lucia managed to win this prize, then she better find a way to keep herself safe.

Keisuke approached the two of them for some idle conversation, then afterwards Gen’ichi arrived, followed by Souichiro, and finally Ruby and Reiji. The latter two didn’t bother hiding their connection as they walked up the steps chatting with each other.

The night sky fully succumbed to bronze by then and most of the city’s life unfurled to a dazzling neon. Lucia excused herself from the others and approached her two conspirators.

Reiji looked well enough despite last night’s incident, while Ruby appeared to be in a foul mood. They spoke with some of the security team before Reiji took notice of her. He waved and walked in her direction.

“It seems I owe you my life,” Reiji said, followed by a deep, Japanese bow. “You have my gratitude.”

Lucia bowed awkwardly in return. “I was just lucky to be there,” she said. “Or, well, I guess my curiosity made me follow you out of the mansion. I’m not much of a fighter myself to be honest.”

“From what I heard, you punched the moon out of that Kujo chick,” Reiji said. “That’s much better than what I can muster.”

Lucia smiled at that. It might’ve been just for a short time, but she did see Reiji wield a short blade in his hand. He effectively—and efficiently—cut off the aether flow of his enemy. Completely. Precision of that caliber was unheard of. He was either very talented or practiced the art all his life. Which, considering his age, meant he ascended fairly early on.

There is more to this man than meets the eye, Lucia decided.

“How are things around here?” Reiji asked, glancing around the garden. “Any sign of trouble?”

“You mean with the Anti-Exalt people? No, at least not yet. We’re all a bit on edge though.”

“Yet everyone is accounted for.”

“True...” Lucia looked at the other participants. They had broken into groups, casually conversing with each other. “I wonder who even has gold medallions. Not that it matters. Three people are dead and another one is in custody. That leaves six of us. We can all get in with the extra medallions from the non-participants.”

“Yeah, about that…”

Lucia raised an eyebrow at Reiji.

“We could definitely get in at six people,” he said, “but something—”

“Can we please get the ball rolling here?” A sarcastic voice yelled from near the tent. The two of them looked over and saw one of the participants making a fuss with the lawyer. Souichiro Miura. Tonight he wore a winter hoodie with tiger stripes and unusually large wings embroidered on the back.

“It’s still a bit early,” Souichiro continued, “but you all know what’s at stake here. Those radicalized freaks who attacked the mansion are obviously targeting the Tennojima family. It’s all over the news! I’m smart enough to leave when I did, but as you can see…” The man raised his arms and made his aether glow brightly. “I’m one of the chosen ones!”

Audible gasps echoed around the garden.

“The hell is he doing?” Reiji muttered under his breath.

“Souichiro, please…” the lawyer said, looking rather pale. “We did our best to secure the area, but you could attract unnecessary attention!”

“You know what, you’re right,” Souichiro said, “I’m already a target just by having these wings imprinted on my clothes.” And then he made his aether glow even brighter. “But now that I’m feeling this power course through me, I might actually be making the opposite effect here! I’m probably intimidating those who see my majestic brilliance!”

“Seize this at once!” Keisuke pleaded. “If you truly know what’s at stake, then you wouldn’t be attracting people to our location!”

“Relax, gramps.” Souichiro controlled his aether to form light on both his hands, made it swell across his arms and into his shoulders, finally settling on his back where the light sprouted to appear like fragmented wings. A mockery of the myth. “I’m doing the opposite here! You know why early humans gathered around the campfire at night? It made for warmth and a good show, but it also scared all the animals away.”

The police and security began to make a move, while a pulse, like the low hum of a beast about to pounce, echoed far to Lucia’s left. Ruby looked absolutely furious at the display.

But the first to close in on Souichiro was the person already standing near him, Gen’ichi. The big man in the long white coat loomed over Souichiro, his silhouette bathed in the latter’s glow. He grabbed the young man’s arm and uttered in a deep growl, “you will stop this. Now.”

The two stared at each other for some time, but eventually Souichiro’s brilliance dampened as he pushed the bigger man away and yanked his arm back. “Get your hands off me,” he said, “trying to do good around here and this is what I get!”

“You’re escalating the situation,” Gen’ichi replied calmly.

Souichiro snorted, then spat to the side. “The hell are you doing here, anyway? Didn’t you get the consolation prize? Oh, wait. Right, right. You get the other consolation prize.” He turned to face Keisuke. “How about it, gramps? Want to rejoin the competition? We’re actually missing another person.”

Keisuke shied away from the call. “I… pass…”

“Oh, yeah?” Souichiro looked around the garden. “Where’s miss all frills anyway? The police hadn’t said anything on the news, but from what I hear, she was the one who did those apprentices in! They really pissed me off last night, so I kinda want to shake her hand. Don’t we still need her for this competition? If anything, she can be a good guard dog against that Anti-Exalt crowd.”

“Don’t you have a shred of decency in you?” Gen’ichi said. “Daiki just died and now his apprentices are dead too.”

Souichiro shrugged. “Yeah, well they can all sing and dance together in the afterlife.”

That did not sit well with the people gathered. Murmurs echoed around the garden, while Reiji went over to speak with Ruby.

“Come to think of it though,” Souichiro continued, “Wouldn’t this be partially your fault, Gen’ichi? Not the murders, but the attack on the mansion.”

“What are you talking about?” Gen’ichi asked.

“Aren’t you former military or something?” Souichiro said. “See, I did a bit of digging on my competition here, and Gen’ichi you were in charge of protecting Tokyo Sky, correct? It’s how you knew of Daiki Tennojima.”

“What does that have to—”

“All those years ago, you were responsible for all the safety measures set around the city, not just from outsiders but from the exalts living here as well. You restricted us of using our abilities to its full potential.”

“You’re demonstrating right now why that is necessary.”

“You were also in charge of eliminating the Anti-Exalt freaks who started massive riots back in the day.” Souichiro clapped mockingly. “But. My old man used to complain all the time how you were lenient on their punishment. See where that got us today?”

Gen’ichi was silent for a while, his eyes intense. “You’re saying that’s the reason I’m responsible?”

Souichiro shrugged. “Partly responsible. Either that, or you sympathize with their cause. You’re an ungifted human, after all. Maybe that’s why they remain a threat to this day, while we gifted exalts have to regulate what we can do.” He gasped theatrically. “You weren’t actually colluding with the radical freaks, were you?”

Gen’ichi snapped. He raised his fist and went for a wide swing at the taunting man. Souichiro laughed as he dodged away. Aether gathered at his palm in a form of retaliation, but not before a spark of fire flashed between them.

Lucia looked over at Reiji and saw that he failed at stopping the Tennojima heir.

“Enough of this,” Ruby shouted as she made her way towards the tent area. “You will refrain from causing an uproar or I will have you kicked out of my grandfather’s challenge and will!”

Souichiro’s laugh echoed across the garden. “Whoa, whoa! It seems I angered the lioness herself! I just want to make sure the competition goes smoothly here.”

“And yet you’re accomplishing anything but that,” Ruby stated.

Souichiro held both arms up to yield. “I may have been carried away. But I’m on your side in this equation, miss. We’re both exalted here.”

“You have zero sympathy from me,” Ruby countered.

“I see.” Souichiro turned towards the lawyer. “But, just to double check, lawyer man, she can’t actually kick me out of the competition, can she? Even if she’s the heir, Daiki Tennojima’s will is absolute.”

Jirou suddenly jumped at the call. He nervously looked between Souichiro and Ruby. “I-I, um—” he cleared his throat. “I’m afraid he has the right to participate, Ruby. As he says, it is written in the will.”

Souichiro bowed at the lawyer, much to Ruby’s chagrin.

“Now, now, everyone.” Hidenori suddenly stepped forward, clapping his hands once. “I think we’ve had enough tension to last the rest of the night. And the challenge hasn’t even started. If you don’t mind me saying, ladies and gentlemen, I believe it’s nearly time.”

Lucia looked at her watch. They had about five minutes before six.

“Alright then,” Jirou said, moving away from Ruby and Souichiro as fast as he could. “Perhaps we can begin our preparation for the second challenge. Everyone, please have your medallions ready for inspection. Those with silver medallions have the right to win a golden medallion from any non-participant box that has one.”

Reiji ran back to Lucia looking very apologetic.

“That was quite the show, wasn’t it?” Lucia said. “Souichiro will definitely be a problem for us going forward.”

“Problem is an understatement,” the man replied.

“Did you have your golden medallion yet?” she asked.

“Kiyotaka—Ruby’s security team handed it over to me earlier,” Reiji said while tapping the pocket of his coat. “But this is where I need to apologize to you. Well, it’s more on Ruby to apologize, but I digress.”

“What’s going on?”

Reiji’s expression darkened. “The thing is, one of Ruby’s security team—Issei, actually. Remember him from last night?”

“Of course.”

“He was in charge of one of the gold medallions, and… well, he got jumped not too long ago, along with his team. It’s why we got here later than everyone else. We had to check on them.”

Lucia felt blood drain from her face. “Are they okay?”

“They were sent to the hospital,” Reiji said in a low voice. “It doesn’t look good, but they’re alive. As for the medallion in Issei’s custody…”

“It’s gone,” Lucia whispered.

Reiji nodded solemnly. “If you do the math, even if one gold medallion goes missing, you’re still guaranteed one since there’s only six of us left. But I guess I’m sorry you still lost the medallion promised to you.” He scratched his head. “I feel especially bad since you saved my life and everything.”

“No, it’s fine…” Lucia said. “Was it the Anti-Exalt group who did it? Why would they care about the medallion?”

“It’s likely it’s them, but we don’t know yet,” Rejii replied. “I have my suspicions, but… I suppose I’ll save that for later.”

What did that mean? Reiji had that look in his eyes again, similar to when they first found the bodies back at the mansion. It was as if he was lost in thought while still keenly aware of his surroundings.

Eventually, the participants were all gathered around the tent to present their medallions.

Ruby, Hidenori and of course Souichiro naturally had a gold medallion each. Lucia waved the silver medallion she got as consolation, while Gen’ichi didn’t bother showing his from last night and merely grunted at the call.

Reiji showed the gold medallion that was originally Ayane’s, while Carlos’s medallion was simply unaccounted for.

That meant the two non-participant boxes had to be golden medallions to round out the seven pieces. And to nobody’s surprise, it was unveiled that they indeed have them.

But what happened next was a genuine shock. Instead of simply handing over the medallions to Lucia and Gen’ichi, the lawyer still had Ayane as a potential candidate for winning the lottery, as per the rules they set up prior to the incident the night before.

And of course, as luck would have it, Lucia was the person who didn’t win.