It was Friday once more, a full week since the chaos at the circus.
Nicholas stood near the exit of his school, hesitating. He wasn't sure why, but something about stepping outside filled him with unease. Once the highlight of his week, Fridays had turned into a day he dreaded—a day that seemed to attract nothing but misfortune.
He raised a hand to his face and gave himself a light slap.
"Get it together, Darklight. A step out of school isn't going to kill you. Your luck isn't that bad…"
Taking a deep breath, he took that first step outside, his eyes closed as if bracing for impact. He half-expected a car to come crashing toward him, or some bizarre, life-threatening event to unfold right there in the open.
But nothing happened.
When he opened his eyes, the world was... normal. The sky was clear, the streets bustling with life, and no impending disaster loomed on the horizon.
Nicholas exhaled, relief washing over him. "See? Nothing to worry about," he muttered under his breath.
As he began his walk home, he let his thoughts wander, replaying the past week's events.
***
At the start of the week, Nicholas dreaded going back to school. He was certain someone would question him about what had happened at the circus. Thankfully, his fears proved unfounded—no one asked him anything.
Still, it annoyed him how invisible he was at school. It wasn't like he craved attention, but a little recognition wouldn't have hurt. Then again, what was he expecting? He hadn't even been listed as a victim in the news reports.
In the end, he did get attention—but from the last people he wanted it from.
Haru and Dick, as always, stuck to him like glue, pestering him about how he seemed to know a disaster was coming.
"Seriously, Nicky-chan… If I'd known all those pretty ladies would be gone, I would've collected more footage…" Dick lamented in a tone that was far too serious for Nicholas's liking.
Nicholas gave him a flat look. "You do know that's seriously fucked up, right? It's important to me that you know that."
Dick merely shrugged, his expression unrepentant. "At the very least, it makes the footage even more valuable."
"There's a fine line between dark humor and fucked up, you know that right?"
Dick's comments didn't surprise him. But what did surprise him was Haru's silence. Usually, Haru would be right there adding his ridiculous commentary. This time, though, he simply stood by, listening to their exchange with an unreadable expression hidden behind his ever-present, colorful sunglasses.
It was unsettling.
Nicholas turned to him with a skeptical look. "You haven't said a single word. You're acting way too suspicious."
Haru laughed, throwing his head back dramatically. "I'm the suspicious one, Nicky-chan? I can't help but feel like you're hiding something from us."
Nicholas tensed up as the other students in class turned their attention toward them. He stayed silent, hoping Haru would drop it, but Haru didn't.
"I bet you thought we forgot about that bet!" Haru declared, his voice loud enough to echo through the classroom.
Nicholas frowned, confused. "What are you even talking about?"
"The bet, Nicky-chan!" Haru grinned mischievously. "Remember? The English test? The one where the winner got to make the loser do one thing? You lost, and I told you to play that eighteen-plus~ dating sim~!"
The room went completely silent. Nicholas could feel the judgmental stares of his classmates drilling into him.
"Oi! What are you even talking about!?" Nicholas barked, his face already heating up.
"Oh, you know exactly what I'm talking about." Haru's grin widened. "You agreed, fair and square to a bet. Remember how I beat your score on our English exam?"
Nicholas opened his mouth to deny it but stopped short. He did remember now. Somehow, Haru had managed to score higher than him, which had never happened before. So Nicholas had agreed to the terms of the bet without thinking.
"Damn it…" Nicholas muttered, burying his face in his desk. "Must you ruin what little reputation I have left?"
The class erupted into laughter, and Nicholas sighed deeply. He wasn't even sure he had a reputation anymore.
"I'll get to it when I get to it…" he grumbled, burying his head further into his desk.
***
The week passed without incident, and honestly, that worried Nicholas more than he cared to admit. He could feel it—a storm brewing just out of sight. Something big was bound to happen.
"Huh... now that I think about it, it's Friday the 13th," he muttered to himself with a grim chuckle. "Just my luck. Hopefully, nothing horrifying happens…" The thought of having to fight an Awakened serial killer crossed his mind, and he shook his head. Nope, don't even manifest that thought.
Looking up at the sky, Nicholas noticed the grey clouds stretching endlessly above. The city seemed unusually melancholic as if the entire place was holding its breath. He furrowed his brows and pulled out his phone, absentmindedly checking the time.
15:40.
"It isn't late… and it's summer, no less," he muttered, slipping the phone back toward his pocket. But before it could disappear into his pants, he felt a peculiar weight lift from his hand.
"Huh?" Nicholas looked down at his now-empty hand. His phone was gone. He froze, glancing around in confusion, then down at the ground. Maybe he'd dropped it? But he didn't hear it hit the pavement, and it wasn't anywhere near his feet. He patted his pockets just to be sure, but they were just as empty.
"What's going on—" Nicholas's voice trailed off when a faint snicker reached his ears.
He turned sharply, his eyes locking on a figure just a few feet away. The person who had brushed past him earlier stood there, hooded, holding his phone. They weren't even trying to hide it.
"Hey!" Nicholas barked, his voice sharp with anger. He ran straight after the thief.
The hooded figure tilted their head slightly, a look of horror appeared on their face, then bolted.
"Oh, you bastard!" Nicholas shouted. "If there's one thing you shouldn't have taken, it's my phone!"
Who the hell did this person think they were, stealing his stuff—or anyone's for that matter? Nicholas pumped his legs harder, adrenaline surging as rage flared inside him. His phone wasn't just a phone; it was a lifeline to everything. No way was he letting some random thief get away with it.
The chase twisted through alleyways, Nicholas ducking under low-hanging pipes and vaulting over trash cans as he stayed on the thief's trail. The hooded figure was fast, but Nicholas was relentless, his focus laser-sharp.
The thief darted into the subway, weaving through a sparse crowd and leaping over the turnstiles. Nicholas followed without hesitation. His sneakers squealed against the tile as he closed the gap, but just as he thought he had the thief cornered near a platform, the figure leaped onto the tracks and crossed to the other side.
"Seriously?!" Nicholas growled, his breath ragged. He backtracked, pushing through the crowd to get up the stairs, his frustration mounting. The chase spilled into a mall next, the thief dodging through clothing racks and weaving between startled shoppers. Nicholas kept up, his endurance tested as he hopped over a bench, nearly colliding with a mannequin.
Finally, the chase led to rooftops. Nicholas climbed a fire escape two steps at a time, emerging onto the top of a building just in time to see the thief sprinting along the edge. The wind tugged at his hoodie, the city sprawling out below. Nicholas grinned despite himself.
'Damn, this guy is persistent,' Nicholas thought, his lips curling upward as adrenaline and excitement mixed. That's probably what he's thinking about me, too. No way was he giving up—not even if it meant breaking a bone or two.
Now they were back on the sidewalk, the streets unusually empty. Nicholas felt a surge of determination as he finally closed the distance. The thief looked at him with panic in their eyes. Nicholas could almost reach out and grab his phone—
Bzzt-
The thief disappeared in a blink, reappearing a good twenty meters away.
Nicholas stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw slack.
"Te-Teleportation?!" he shouted, throwing his arms up in disbelief. "Seriously?! Isn't this a bit too much tomfoolery, Fate?!"
Despite the setback, he hadn't lost hope. He'd managed to sneak a small portion of dark mist onto his phone at the end there. As long as he focused on keeping it manifested, he could track the thief no matter where they went.
"That's something, at least…" Nicholas muttered, slowing to catch his breath. He bent over, hands on his knees, his lungs burning. "But I've been chasing this bastard for over an hour now…" He gagged slightly. "Ugh—feel like I'm gonna hurl."
Straightening up, Nicholas noticed a familiar face across the street—his good pal, Philip.
"Yo! P.P!" Nicholas called, waving him over.
Philip stopped mid-step, his expression a mix of startled and flustered. He reluctantly crossed the street to where Nicholas was standing, looking slightly annoyed.
"Man, I've told you not to call me that in public," Philip said, scratching the back of his head.
Nicholas smirked mischievously. "Why not? It's just your initials."
Philip sighed. His full name, Philip Philips, made him the unfortunate victim of the nickname P.P.
"So? You haven't been answering your phone. What's up? And don't say 'the sky,'" Philip quipped.
The thought hadn't crossed Nicholas's mind until Philip mentioned it, but he brushed it aside. "Well, you see... I would have answered, had my phone not been stolen," Nicholas explained, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
Philip slapped a hand over his mouth, stifling a laugh.
Nicholas deadpanned. "Oi, scumbag. Stop laughing. I've been chasing after the thief for over an hour, and I know where they're headed."
Philip tilted his head in confusion. "Isn't your dad, like… semi-rich? Can't he just buy you a new one without a problem?"
Nicholas groaned. "First of all, semi-rich? Seriously? What does that even mean? Second, all my memories with you and Rose are on that phone, dude. All of them! You never bother to take pictures, and Rose's mom won't let her keep pictures of boys on her phone."
Philip nodded with a faux-serious expression. "Ah, I see. And what's the real reason?"
Nicholas blinked, flustered. "Also, uh… an important school presentation is on that phone. I need it to finalize my grade."
Philip hissed through his teeth. "Yikes. I'm in the same situation myself. That is a big deal."
"Right?" Nicholas said, nodding emphatically.
"So… what do you want me to do?" Philip asked, crossing his arms.
Nicholas perked up, glad for his friend's support. "Call my dad and tell him I'll be crashing at your place tonight. If he asks why I didn't call him, just say my phone battery ran out." It wasn't exactly a lie—Nicholas was notorious for last-minute sleepovers at Philip's place, often forgetting to inform his dad.
Philip raised an eyebrow. "Sleepover? You don't think you'll make it back before nightfall?"
Nicholas shook his head. "Let's just say I have a feeling this issue is going to stretch into tomorrow. Also, it'd be nice if you can take this as well." He handed Philip his backpack.
Philip sighed in resignation. "Alright, but you'll owe me after this." He said as he took Nicholas's backpack from him.
Nicholas grinned. "Hah? 'I'll owe you'? Look at this guy talking big. After this, we're even for all the times I've saved your sorry ass."
They exchanged a low five before parting ways.
As Nicholas continued his pursuit, a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. It felt good to know he could depend on someone when it truly mattered.
That moment of reassurance quickly faded, however, as he realized where the chase was leading him. The smile dropped from his face, replaced by a grim frown as his surroundings grew more chaotic and ominous. The streets became narrower, the buildings more decrepit, and graffiti scrawled on every wall. Shadows seemed to stretch unnaturally long under the overcast sky.
"A Villain District…" he muttered under his breath. A chill ran down his spine as he recognized the area—a special zone within the massive expanse of Fusionight City, notorious for being a designated "rage room" for Villains. No laws applied here, at least not the kind enforced by the rest of society. Anything went, and anyone who wasn't a Villain was either insane or suicidal for setting foot inside.
"To think that bastard ran here…" Nicholas clenched his fists. He thought about stopping, letting this slide, and chalking up the loss as bad luck. But then his presentation flashed in his mind—hours of effort poured into a project that could determine his grade. Not to mention all the personal memories stored on his phone.
Nicholas groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "I worked too hard on that damn presentation to back off now, dammit!"
His teeth clenched as he summoned the mask over his face, the dark mist swirling around his features before solidifying into the cold round mask that Unknown wore. It felt heavier than usual, but the familiar weight also brought him some small sense of reassurance.
"Villain Zone… here I come," he muttered, his voice grim but steady. He forced a wry grin despite his nerves. "Hopefully, you won't have to throw me a 'newcomer party.'"
With that uneasy attempt at humor, he took his first cautious step into the district, the tension in the air almost suffocating. Every instinct screamed at him to turn back, but he pressed forward.
If he was going to walk into the lion's den, he wasn't going to do it halfheartedly.