Chapter 8: Cast by Default

July 17th, 1325 – 03:25 PM – First Jump

“…it happened barely an hour ago. A quick strike and with no time to react. Explosions were heard in the I.A. Party’s auditorium. Firefighters and emergency crews rushed to the scene, trying to rescue people trapped under the rubble. The situation looks grim…”

“We should go help! It had to be the terrorists—those bastards on the blacklist must be behind it.”

When I saw the images on the holodisplay, my instincts kicked in like always. I wanted to run there, dive into the collapsed building, and save as many people as I could. But there were two reasons holding me back…

“Robin, wait… I know, I want to do something too. Watching those images—it hurts. But rushing in without thinking could make things worse. If we’re here and they haven’t called us, maybe it’s because it’s not our role this time. There are too many lives at stake to act on impulse alone.”

The first reason was named Ien—always the voice of reason, always reminding me not to act without weighing the consequences.

“Listen to Ien. If the blacklist is involved… then we can’t afford to act blindly. What kind of fighting experience do you have? Have you mastered [Spatial Sensitivity]? If you face an enemy without even understanding the basics of time-stones… you’ll put your life—and others’—at risk.”

And then Kuroha gave me the second reason. One that, on its own, was enough to show me how foolish I was being. But… even if I can’t fight…

“Even if it’s just helping with the rescue, or treating the wounded. There must be a way…”

“They already know your face. And you’re exposing yourself while your stone is still recharging. Unfortunately, your ability isn’t meant for active combat. All you’ve got is your physical strength. Don’t forget your life matters too.”

I didn’t know how to answer her.

Kuroha turned off the holodisplay and approached me, serious-faced, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t do anything stupid. We’ve been through this already. It sucks at first, especially if you’re someone who genuinely wants to help and knows they could. But it’s childish to think we can do it all. There are people trained for this kind of job—and they’ll probably do it better.”

Living in the moment… without regrets. That’s been my life philosophy since I was sixteen. But this… felt like betraying myself.. If you had superpowers, wouldn’t you want to use them to do the right thing? Isn’t it immoral to ignore things when you can help?

“Stop drowning in your thoughts. Here, something cold from the fridge,” Kuroha said, handing me a can.

“They’re not gonna charge us for it? Hotels usually want a kidney for anything in the minibar…”

“Relax. The company covers our indulgences. After all, we are the heroes of the story. And if you don’t like it, feel free to go buy something at the corner store.”

I’m not sure if this counts as work or vacation, but free food and a stocked fridge is a luxury no one should complain about. Aaah… nothing beats a cold drink on a hot day. Maybe… maybe I just need to distract myself. And we do have all this gear to set up.

The hotel staff had delivered a bunch of military-looking luggage. Huge cases, actually. How did they get them in without breaking the door? Everything happened fast, considering the relocation only happened this morning. Yeah… something to keep me busy and not think about that girl who unsubscribed me from life.

July 17th, 1325 – 06:21 PM – First Jump

“Are you girls ready yet?” I asked while they were changing in the bathroom. “I’m starving.”

“We’re coming!” Ien shouted from inside. “We just need to—oh my god, Kuroha! How did you get that thing!?"

“Come on, you’ll look amazing in it. Don’t be shy. It’ll really bring out that model figure of yours.”

“No! Don’t touch me there! Hya…! Stop! No… ah—be more careful… that spot’s sensitive!”

“Relax, relax. I won’t hurt you. I just want… all your beautiful places to get the appreciation they deserve.”

“Okay, that’s enough. Two more seconds and I’ll have to start touching myself,” I muttered suggestively, barely resisting my baser instincts.

I decided to head down to the restaurant before my body betrayed me.

“God… what are they even thinking? I mean, yeah, hot… but what the hell are they thinking? They send my imagination flying and then leave me no way to vent,” I sighed while walking toward the elevator. “Why won’t they let me in? I’m a girl now too, aren’t I? Ugh… and it’s been so long since I could touch Ien… I need my Ien dose.”

Everything was in silence. We had the whole floor to ourselves, so it felt like a private hotel. The hallway was long, lined with classic-style lamps that looked straight out of the 1940s—though they lit up automatically with every step. I’d only seen this kind of thing in cartoons.

Beautiful… except for the smell. That old, musty stench—like wet wood or a closet sealed shut for centuries. I didn’t remember this hotel from my previous life… Var… Varfonte? Varf… Varfoti? Similar to that.

My footsteps echoed. A deep echo that bounced from end to end. I hadn’t noticed it before, but now it was impossible to ignore. They really could’ve soundproofed this place better. I once visited a building with my grandfather that he’d helped remodel. Offices where sound seemed to vanish completely… well, maybe I’m exaggerating, but I swear nothing escaped those walls.

He designed it with his engineering team. Explained to me they used some kind of special foam inside the walls without compromising the structure. Where was that again? Oh yeah… Rossanetti Station, in the service offices. This district really brings back memories.

It used to be full of small businesses. That it’s now the city’s red-light district… one of those surprises life throws at you. Though the central plaza’s still there. That’s where the Banania Center used to be—a place where you could find anything (including pirated stuff). I bought my first game console there… and my first RPG. Pirated, of course. Initial Fantasy 7. A game that made me cry… and turned me pretty dark.

It was a terrible phase… They laughed at me when I showed up to school with white-dyed hair and a black cape. But now I’ve got a way more interesting life than your average 19-year-old. Look at me, Stephan! Dare to steal my girlfriend again! Now I’ve got special abilities! Ha. Ha ha… ha…

Ugh, God… I’m so hungry. Why haven’t I reached the elevator yet? I’ve been monologuing long enough to have circled the world. Why haven’t I run into anyone? Why is this hallway so empty? The silence is just… too heavy.

Uh… huh… I’m running, right? Of course I’m running toward the elevator. But for some reason, I’m not making any progress. I’m running… and the hallway isn’t ending. What the hell is going on?

“What the fuck…?” I said out loud, pushing myself to run harder.

The hallway wouldn’t end, and the lamps kept lighting up one after another. Flick. Flick. The sound reminded me of a flame crackling.

“Damn it, damn it… What the hell is happening?”

I stopped. I had to catch my breath and look both ways.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Hah… hah… This… this has to be the work of the blacklist. But… how did they even know where we are?”

The elevator was still there, and at the other end, the wall that marked the hallway’s end too. I looked at the nearest room: 1196? That was impossible. The eleventh floor had, at most, ten rooms on each side. It was the floor with the biggest suites. There was no way there could be that many. I could barely see maybe thirty doors… and not even clearly. The darkness beyond the lamps was absolute. Only the very ends were lit—where the light didn’t shut off automatically.

“Ien!”

Shit. The girls might be in danger. I started running again. I had to get to 1109—our room. With every step, a lamp lit up, and with it, the numbers 1190… 1186… 1182… 1174… 1168…

Damn it, this is never-ending.

“Ien! Kuroha!” I shouted, no response.

1158…

1150…

Faster.

1144…

1138…

Come on, come on!

1126…

1120…

1116…

“Finally, 1109! IEN! KUROHA!” I pounded on the door without thinking, completely forgetting about the fingerprint reader.

I yanked the handle several times until, on instinct, I finally ran my finger over the scanner. The door opened, and I nearly fell inside.

“Ien! Kuroha! Are you okay?!”

“Robin… what’s gotten into you?”

“Loud little kitten, what’s the commotion?”

They were both standing by the dresser, alert and startled by my sudden entrance. As if I'd scared her half to death, Ien had a hand on her chest. Kuroha, quicker to react, had drawn a revolver… which had come out of nowhere. That wasn’t there before. Has she always carried it?

They were both dressed to kill—literally looked like they were headed to some kind of high-society event, wearing bold, low-cut evening dresses. My brain short-circuited. We were going out to dinner, not to a damn gala—that’s all I could think.

“We’re under attack… the hotel—” My throat was burning after all the screaming and running like hell was chasing me. “The hallway… it wouldn’t end. The rooms… they were endless.”

“Slow down. I’ll get you some water,” said Ien, walking toward the fridge. “Kuroha, check the windows. Robin, close the door.”

I obeyed without much thought. As I shut the door, I heard Kuroha from the window.

“It won’t open. Ien, check your side.”

“I’ll try the one in the bathroom,” said Ien, setting the glass down on the table before heading off.

None of the windows would open, and the view was the same from all of them—starry sky and the brightly lit streets of Rossanetti… but completely empty. Not a soul in sight. Parked cars, sure, but nothing moving. It looked like a postcard. It’s six in the evening—bars should already be full of office workers unwinding after work.

“What is going on? Robin, what did you see?”

I told them everything—how I ran from Room 1196 all the way here. I was drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Furthermore, I chugged an entire bottle of water before I could continue.

“Stand back! Fuuu… HAYAA!” Ien shouted as she threw a full-force kick at the window.

But the window didn’t budge. Instead, it repelled her so hard she went flying backwards.

“Uwaaah! Owww…”

It was a hard hit, but thankfully, she wasn’t hurt. I rushed over to help her up.

“That was a hell of a kick, Ien.”

“It’s solid as hell. What is this? A time-stone? Or some kind of weird tech?”

“If it is a stone, maybe it’s a [Topological] type.”

“Do we know this ability? I mean, someone’s gotta know who’s using it.”

“The company holds twelve stones, including yours. And if five are missing… guess who has them.” Kuroha walked over to Ien, then looked at me. “Kitten, unfortunately, we only have basic intel on the other eight. I’d say thanks to the hospital attack, we managed to narrow down one of them… the one that slows time and… ah…”

“The drone psycho,” Ien finished.

“Seriously? That few? Makes me question the company’s efficiency.”

“Direct encounters are rare. What happened at New Hope was an exception. I’d even say it was a desperate move from the blacklist.”

“Still… it’s very little.”

“There’s one more stone we know quite well, but…”

“It has nothing to do with this!” Ien cut Kuroha off—way too abruptly.

“This is clearly a [Topological] type stone. Wholly new…”

“O-okay…” I didn’t want to push further. “We need to do something. We could try a nerve expansion to locate an exit… or the culprit.”

“That kind of technique isn’t used lightly. It takes an enormous amount of energy, and the enemy can sense the nerves and trace them back to the origin—though not precisely.”

“I made a hell of a scene just getting here. And we are locked down on this floor for a reason. Not exactly subtle.”

“If that’s true, then why haven’t they attacked yet? Kuroha, what do you think?”

“Could be the attacker isn’t a fighter and is waiting for us to wear ourselves out. Or it’s a trap to keep us confined. Both are viable. In fact… considering how taxing a nerve expansion is, that might be undoubtedly what they want.”

“Makes sense. It’s three against one—they’re disadvantaged.”

“How do you know it's only one?” Kuroha asked, eyes fixed on me.

“Good… good point. But I still don’t think just sitting here waiting for something to happen is a great idea.”

Yes. A statement full of very good… omens.

“I want to check the endless hallway for myself first.”

“I’ll check the rooms nearby. We might find something useful.”

“Robin, you take the opposite hallway. I’m curious to see how the loop behaves when you reach Room 1101.”

Exactly. Another comment full of very… good… omens.

“Girls, I bet neither of you watch horror movies,” I stopped them before they could go, grabbing them by the wrist. “Splitting up is a terrible idea! We don't know what's behind those doors either.”

“So, what—should we sit here and wait for them to find us and kill us? I get that you’re scared, but staying still won’t change anything.”

“It’s not fear—it’s common sense. If we split up, we lose combat strength. At least let’s go together.”

“And that could be precisely what they want. Maybe they want us to move as a group… so they can trap us all at once.”

“But at least we’d stand a chance to fight. We’ll be killed if they ambush us individually.

For some reason, they didn’t want to listen to me. Both of them were far too skeptical about my idea. Frustrating doesn’t even begin to cover it.

“I think it’s your lack of experience that makes you think that way,” said Kuroha, her tone almost condescending. “Look, having special abilities doesn’t make us invincible. The risk is the same for everyone.”

“Yeah… you see, Robin,” added Ien. “Having sharper reflexes or super strength doesn’t protect you from a grenade, a bullet, or an ambush. A hidden mine or a hail of bullets and boom! Game over.”

They were really starting to get on my nerves. Fine, I am new to this, I know—but still…

“If there’s a stone bearer out there, there’s no reason they’d fight us one-on-one,” Kuroha continued. “Some abilities work better when used by a team—their team.”

“But…” I ran out of arguments and they noticed right away.

“Robin, if you really want us to stick together, then you and I can go. Kuroha can check the rooms. I’ll activate my [Pathfinder] if anything happens.”

“Ien… aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Huh? Embarrassed about what?”

“Still calling… your ability Pathfinder. Seriously, doesn’t that make you… cringe just a little? How old are you again?”

“WHAT?! It’s not cringe! It’s an awesome name! It’s an ability that leads me to victory! It’s perfect!”

There it was… the legendary Ien pout. I love it when she puffs out her cheeks like that. She’s so damn cute.

Oh, and Kuroha poked them with her finger~ ♡

“I thought everyone named their abilities. I was thinking of calling mine Scion of the Loop.”

“Nope. That’s just an Ien thing,” Kuroha laughed, a mischievous glint in her eye. “She’s an otaku. I believe she enjoys my country more than her own.

“Not true! I… well… it’s my business, okay?! And besides, Scion of the Loop sounds amazing. I love it. Robin, you should totally use it.”

“Ha ha. You’re adorable, Ien.”

Such a strange moment. Like the tension had suddenly evaporated. I’m glad they can stay this calm…

There wasn’t much more to say. In the end, we went with a two-group split: Ien and I would check the elevator, and Kuroha would handle the rooms leading to 1101.

“Kuroha, try using nerve expansion before entering any room.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m not about to let… them catch me off guard.”

We split up. Walked in opposite directions. Ien and I headed into the hallway, the lights turning on with every step. That same feeling—that the corridor had no end—was still there.

We just kept moving, checking the room numbers, seeing how far we could go, and… after a while… we reached the elevator.

“…Wait, what?”

“Uh… Robin, are you sure you didn’t imagine it? I mean, the elevator’s right here, next to 1120.”

Was it all in my head… or was it part of someone’s power? Crossed my mind… but—

“Impossible! I swear I was at 1196! It was a long hallway with a sound that kept bouncing around. This isn’t—!”

My rant was cut short by a sound coming from the elevator. A soft chime—it had just arrived.

“Someone’s coming.”

Ien tensed up, and so did I.

The elevator stopped, and the doors slid open with that all-too-familiar metallic hiss. So ordinary, it sent a chill down my spine.

A figure stepped into the threshold. A smile drawn in ellipses dots and a diamond-shaped eye, both glowing bright blood-red on a black mask.

It had the body of a woman I knew…

“Ien… it’s her. The woman who killed me.”

“You will die…” whispered a voice from behind the mask, hatred dripping from every word.

This nightmare night was far from over.

A tiny sphere shot toward the elevator, accompanied by a buzzing sound that shattered my spirit.

July 17th, 1325 – 08:16 PM – First Jump

One hour and thirty minutes until Robin’s death.