Chapter 19: Watchman's Whispers
The crumbling arena was a hollow shell, its air thick with glowing ash that swirled like fireflies, catching the frantic pulse of a neon 9♠ sign overhead. The light was unnaturally dim, as if the fading daylight outside refused to penetrate the ruins. Kirito's palms burned with nervous heat, his heart a staccato beat against his ribs, the ash stinging his eyes with a sharp, familiar bite. His phone was a cold weight in his pocket, its black screen a false comfort against the oppressive silence.
"Spades are physical, but a nine's psychological. This is no fistfight—it's a mind trap," he thought, his sarcasm a shaky shield against the dread coiling in his gut.
[SYSTEM: HOST STATUS.]
[STRENGTH: 8. AGILITY: 15. STAMINA: 7. SYSTEM POINTS (SP): 1035.]
Usagi stood close, her boots scuffing the cracked concrete, her scar pulsing faintly under the neon's glow, her machete gripped tightly. Arisu clutched his sketchpad, his charcoal-smudged fingers trembling, his eyes darting as if seeking patterns in the shadows. Kuina lagged slightly, her cigarette's ember a defiant spark, her grin tight but steady, a low hum escaping her lips—a cryptic tune that grounded the group.
A deep, resonating hum vibrated through the air, and the Watchman Echo appeared, its shimmering robes flickering like a glitching hologram. Its silver eyes gleamed, cold and mournful, its voice a whisper that burrowed into their minds.
"You resist the odds. You resist the rig. But can you resist the whispers of your own mind? 9 of Spades: Mind Game."
[SYSTEM: WATCHMAN ECHO DETECTED. GAME: 9♠ MIND GAME. RISK ASSESSMENT: EXTREME.]
"Don't listen," Kuina murmured, her hand trembling as she raised her cigarette, the smoke curling like a shield.
The Watchman's voice sharpened, lacing itself with Kirito's deepest regrets. "You failed your friend, Kirito. You froze. They died."
A sharp pain lanced through Kirito's chest, his knees buckling as the arena dissolved into a rainy street, the memory of a lost friend vivid and raw. His breath hitched, the illusion gripping him like a vice.
[SYSTEM: ILLUSION TRAP ENGAGED. QUERY: ACTIVATE 'METEOR ECHO' (ALLY PULL) (COST: 50 SP)?]
"Pull them out. Break the trap," Kirito commanded, his fingers slamming his phone's screen.
[SYSTEM: METEOR ECHO ACTIVE. ALLY PULL DEPLOYED. TOTAL SP: 985.]
He lunged sideways, his body a blur as he grabbed Usagi, who stared blankly at the ground, and Arisu, who clutched his head, his face twisted in agony. The physical jolt snapped the illusion's hold, the rainy street fading to cracked concrete.
"It's not real!" Kirito gasped, sweat beading on his brow, his voice ragged. "It's guilt, a projection! Focus on what's here!"
The Watchman laughed, the sound like shattering glass, echoing inside their skulls. "Your bonds are weak. Your logic fails under pressure."
It targeted Arisu, its voice a venomous hiss. "Chota. You brought him here. You killed him."
Arisu staggered, his sketchpad slipping, his eyes unfocused as guilt paralyzed him.
[SYSTEM: DOUBT INJECTION. ARISU STATUS: PARALYZED (EMOTIONAL). WATCHMAN'S TAUNT: 'LOST IN YOUR HEAD, HERO? YOUR FRIENDS ARE YOUR WEAKNESS.']
"Enough, you loud shadow!" Kuina shouted, her voice cutting through the echoes, her loyalty a fierce anchor. She gripped Arisu's shoulder, her fingers firm. "He's wrong, Arisu. You've saved us more times than you've failed anyone. He's just a broken record of regret. Focus on us."
Her warmth was a pivot, a spark of human connection that steadied Arisu. His eyes cleared, his voice shaky but resolute. "It's a riddle… not about lies, but truth. The 9 of Spades is nine regrets. We beat it by becoming one."
He grabbed Kuina's hand, then Kirito's. Kirito seized Usagi's, completing the circle, their hands trembling but unyielding. The Watchman's robes flared, its whispers silenced, the neon 9♠ flickering out.
[SYSTEM: 9♠ VICTORY. BONDS OVER BETRAYAL. VISAS EXTENDED: +9 DAYS. SP GAIN: +100 SP. TOTAL: 1085.]
The illusion shattered, leaving only the cold debris. They stood, hands still linked, their breaths syncing in the quiet.
The wasteland stretched around them, the night's darkness a relief after the Watchman's mind games. The stars glimmered faintly, soothing their skin as they collapsed against a slab of concrete. Kuina's cigarette glowed, her exhale a slow plume that curled upward. Kirito checked his phone, the SP total a hollow comfort against the lingering unease.
[SYSTEM: CURRENT STATUS: STRENGTH: 8, AGILITY: 15, STAMINA: 7. SKILLS: DICE REROLL (50 SP), LIE DETECTOR (0 SP), AGILITY LEAP (50 SP), METEOR ECHO (50 SP), STAMINA BURST (50 SP), FULL FORK (100 SP). SP: 1085.]
"He almost broke you, Arisu," Usagi murmured, her voice soft with concern, her machete resting across her knees.
Kuina scoffed, her warmth returning. "Just a loud shadow, Usagi. He feeds on our doubts. Shut him out, he's nothing but bad lighting and worse vibes."
Her flippant tone sparked a small smile, easing the tension. Arisu's fear lingered, but he squeezed Usagi's hand, his voice steady. "He uses our fears. We counter with our bonds. We trust what's real—us."
Kirito tossed them each a piece of hardtack from his pack, the dry crunch a mundane anchor grounding them. "Eat up. Can't outsmart shadows on an empty stomach."
The dawn's glow warmed their faces, the ruins a silent witness to their resolve. Kirito's phone projected a map of the Watchman's patterns, its glow faint in the morning light.
[SYSTEM: PUZZLE INITIATED. COST: 0 SP. OBJECTIVE: ANTICIPATE WATCHMAN'S ESCALATION.]
"If it's a pattern," Kirito said, pointing to the map, "the next game's a 10 of Spades. Physical endurance, but designed to split us."
Usagi nodded, her scar pulsing faintly. "I can handle physical. Just tell me where to run."
Arisu's eyes were grim but focused. "The vortex traps will be worse. We need to stay together."
[SYSTEM: PUZZLE COMPLETE. WATCHMAN'S TACTICS MAPPED. SP GAIN: +50 SP. TOTAL: 1135.]
Kuina crushed her cigarette butt, her grin bold. "We'll outshine his shadows. No game breaks us."
Kirito's quip sealed their resolve. "Let's hack fate before it hacks us. Next stop, 10 of Spades."
Their footsteps crunched toward a distant structure, its neon pulse a growing threat, their unity a shield against the coming storm.
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