(Hiro POV)
"Who are they..?"
I uttered, frozen in fear.
The silhouettes all descended from the building at once, landing on the concrete without sound. From within the shadow of the building, I could feel sharp, precise Manta bouncing off air and striking me constantly. Not endless in size, but calculated, reserved. Not sweet like Sora, but cold and unfeeling.
Sora stepped forward, keeping me behind her she spoke up.
"You guys. Leave this one alone.. please." Her voice was in a pleading tone which confused me.
Does she know these people? I asked myself. It was evident I was about to get my answer as one by one, they each stepped out of the shadows.
The first one was the smallest, I couldn't fully make out what she looked like through the dark night, but she appeared to have dyed green hair and eyes. She was just below my shoulder in height, wearing oversized cyberpunk style clothes with a yellow design and white trainers with green laces. Her golden earrings with a fox design, glistening in the moonlight.
Then came the next one. Taller, but still shorter than me. He was wearing a black mask that covered half his face, had yellow eyes that flickered faintly, and had black hair highlighted with a whitish-grey colour. He wore a black and white suit with a bowtie and a top hat, coupled with polished formal shoes.
The next one was huge, towering over both me and Sora, I felt like a little boy in front of him. And it wasn't just his body that was huge, it was his presence too. It was as if I was gazing up at an unreachable peak, an immovable object. He had fairly pale skin and short dark hair, his eyes a clear white which implied he was blind and a scar going diagonally across his cheek and mouth, all the way down to the bottom of his neck. He wore a large black Haori. Despite it covering his body you could visibly see his wide shoulders piercing through, as well as his strong body.
Finally, there was the last one.. It was that presence I felt earlier. Only it was closer, intoxicating but in a bad way. He was exactly my height seemingly sharing my stature as well. His hair was white just like Sora, and his eyes burnt a bright crimson with power. He had a perfectly symmetrical face and even proportions, wearing a white hoodie and trousers. He stood before me, coldly meeting my gaze, his presence a display of pure dominance.
I was absolutely petrified, but Sora spoke as if she was familiar with the group.
"Would you guys please listen?!" She was furious. "Every time I try have something to myself, you guys ruin it. You can't keep treating me like we're still in Project Deity!"
"Sora. You have to understand, we're worried for you. You'd been gone for the whole night 2 days ago, then you disappeared for the whole of today. And we find you here with some boy?" Said the green haired girl in a high pitched voice, her tone gentle and explanative.
"It doesn't matter! You trust me. All of you should trust me with my decisions. I'm not a kid anymore!" She grabbed my hand protectively, getting between me and the white-haired boy.
"This isn't up for discussion. We're leaving Sora. You know how Haru gets when you're around-"
The Tall one interjected.
"Who are you..?" It was the white-haired boy, questioning me. His presence was so commanding I forgot who I actually was for a moment. His tone quiet but strangely clear at the same time.
"Hiro.. Takamura." I said, nearly choking on my words.
He looked me up and down with disdain, but he appeared to be calculating almost. He pointed to me.
"Fight me."
My heart sunk.
I'd barely learnt how to fly, now I'm supposed to face what seems to be the strongest person I've ever met. I'm not ready. Not for him. Anyone but him or this would be the day I die.
Sora stretched her arms out protectively, "No Haru, you're not doing this.." she said firmly, her voice trembled at the edges. Not from fear, but from raw emotion.
Haru. So that was his name..
He stayed unmoving, his eyes never leaving or faltering like prey under a microscope.
"Why not sis? After all, you said to trust your decisions," his voice was calm, his gaze never leaving mine, "so trust mine. If he's worth the time of my sister.. he'll survive a spar."
"A spar?" I whispered.
Sora turned to me immediately, grabbing my shoulders. "Hiro. Please don't do this. You don't have anything to prove to me. Or anyone. Especially not them."
But my mind was spinning. I could only imagine what Sora would think of me if I backed down, a coward unable to protect anyone. I couldn't swallow my pride. I'd be worthless to her.
And worse.. to myself.
I swallowed hard before speaking again, "I'll do it." I said, my eyes filled with conviction.
Sora's eyes widened, "Hiro no-"
"I'm not doing it for anyone else," I lied, "Just me.."
The group backed away, the Tall one—whose name I didn't know—pulled Sora to the side, comforting her. The green haired girl sighed with boredom as though she knew what the outcome of the battle would be. The masked man had his eyes on us the entire time, analysing everything leading up to our eventual clash.
Standing in the middle of the street, separated by a few meters of concrete was Haru and I.
He didn't move or flinch, and his expression was unreadable. He spoke to me in a calm tone, lacking any emotion.
"Come then.."
His words invigorated me
I activated my trigger, my body now enveloped with a radiant aura I looked to Haru, my expression tinged with resolve. The area surrounding me was sweltering with the heat of my power, my entire body, humming with energy.
Haru was unbothered, which aggravated me.
I charged, dashing at blinding speeds, I attempted to strike him with a right hook across his face, but as my fist was about to connect. He vanished. Appearing at my side, he sent me flying dozens of meters away with a kick. As my rocky landing came to a halt I coughed out blood.
Holy shit! What the heck was that? Did he hit me?
My vision was cloudy, I couldn't make out what was in front of me clearly. All directions seemed to blend in and distort as I tried to get onto my feet. I stumbled a bit. Allowing myself time to gather my senses, I saw him, literally in front of me. He grabbed my neck and chucked me into the air dismissively. I was ascending into the sky at astounding speed, leaving 2 sonic booms in my wake.
What the..
He was there again, above me, his eyes burning even brighter now as I felt the energy being sapped from my very being. When I looked up, I saw him draining me of my Manta with some ability..
"Wow. Your Manta reserves are literally bottomless. What type of anomaly are you?" He said with a grin.
But I couldn't hear him, I was losing consciousness.
"Oh, you're dying. I better wrap this up then."
As he let out those words, I felt myself being sucked back down to the ground at speed.
"Any last words?" He uttered.
I wasn't focusing on his words. I was trapped under a sea of pain, drowning even. As we fell to the ground, I felt a wave of embarrassment washing over me. Then there was something else. Fading out of consciousness, I saw a wall in front of me. I was covered in chains, being held back from something. I was formless, without body or shape, merely consciousness constrained at the bottom of an empty abyss. That wall was the only constant in my shifting mind. I was trapped. I didn't know where but somewhere I was trapped. A sudden realisation widened my metaphorical eyes as I began to reminisce, to that day.
Not again..
But it wasn't that thing.. A warm sensation covered me. My chains began to melt away and I felt my freedom being restored. The wall in front of me shattered. Then came a voice..
"Hello, Hiro." It was so calming, it instantly put me at ease. It was the complete opposite to that entity from before..
Who. Are you..? I called out through my soul.
"Do not fret. Hiro Takamura. Please. My time with you is limited.. but do not worry father. I shall leave you with a gift before you depart.."
Father..? Questions raced through my mind. So many questions. The realm around me began to saturate with white light, and I was left with questions unanswered..