Chapter 27: Real Rain

Under the dark veil of thundering clouds. On the top of a roof, untouched by the apocalypse, a young man stood alone.

Waving his hands like and idiot and shouting commands that he didn’t understand. He has been at it for last two hours, by now his voice had become hoarse and his throat dry.

“Screw It!”

Ishiki slumped down against the safety railing, chest heaving with exhaustion and frustration. “There has to be something I’m missing.”

For two solid hours he has been trying to call upon the skill [Ghost Blade], but everything he did ended in naught.

With a resigned sigh, he called up his status screen. The familiar platinum window materialized before him.

He navigated past his basic stats—strength, agility, all those numbers that meant he was slightly less pathetic than before, and then focused on the Skill Cards section.

[Ghost Blade (Epic)]

He concentrated on it.

A new window bloomed into existence, expanding with more information.

=====================

Skill – [Ghost Blade]

Rank – [Epic]

Skill Description – [The wielder may shroud their presence, becoming difficult to detect by both mundane and supernatural senses. Additionally, any weapon touched by the wielder gains unnatural sharpness]

Skill Level – 0

Progress – 0/5

[Use Ghost Blade to kill 5 enemies to level up]

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Ishiki studied the screen for a long moment, reading and rereading the description that somehow managed to explain everything and nothing simultaneously.

’So it’s not actually a blade. It’s the ability to turn any weapon into something sharper. And hide myself while doing it.’

He processed that slowly. ’That’s… actually useful. If I can figure out how to activate it.’

“Why didn’t I open this two hours ago?”

The level system caught his attention. Five kills to reach level one. That meant the skill would grow stronger with use, which made sense but also made his stomach turn slightly.

’Five kills? Whom am i supposed to kill, there is a chance this thing only considers killing human.’

He scowled, that is a later problem. The first thing was, on what weapon would he use this skill on? He didn’t even have a proper weapon to start with.

He looked at the sky thinking and then something hit him. He looked at the system and navigated downward, past his stats and protocols and skills, until he found three sections at the bottom he’d barely glanced at before.

{Vestiges}

{Relics}

{Shop}

Vestiges— He remembered that the bladeless tachi and the obsidian spear were called Vestige by the system when he first received them and then they disappeared.

He hesitantly focused on the {Vestiges} option, and a new screen popped up showing two entries.

Vestiges-[Aether Blade(Epic)], [Black Tether(Rare)]

His eyes gleamed, and as he was about to select either one to examine them—

CRACK!

Thunder split the sky like the world breaking in half.

Ishiki jerked his head up, startled by the sudden sound. The winds slowed down and the clouds that had been gathering all evening finally fulfilled their promise.

Cold drops of water began falling.

One… two… three…

Tip… tip… tip…

Soon the irregular drops started to play a symphony as they hit the concrete.

As a few drops met his skin, a shiver ran down his whole body. The thin hair on his body suddenly raised up.

Ishiki himself stood up without thinking. Eyes wide and face turned towards the sky. His first instinct was panic—his phone would get wet, before remembering with bitter amusement that he didn’t have a phone anymore. He didn’t have anything worth protecting from water actually.

So he just… stood there.

Drops of water fell all over him, soaking through his clothes, plastering his hair to his forehead, running down his face like tears. The sensation was… alien.

Cold, Clean and pure.

“This is actual rain,” he whispered to no one. “This is water that comes from the sky.”

The absurdity of it hit him all at once. He had lived sixteen years without ever feeling natural rainfall on his skin. That artificial misting systems and recycled water had been his only experience of something humans had known for millennia.

And then he laughed.

Not a chuckle or a snort. Uncontrolled laughter that echoed across the empty roof and mixed with the sound of rain hammering against concrete.

He laughed like a madman, arms spread wide, face turned upward, letting the storm do its thing.

For a moment he forgot about the world, his thoughts narrowed to the fact that he, was experiencing real rain.

“Who would have thought,” He blurted out. “That I would experience something like this instead of dying in a factory somewhere.”

***

BANG BANG BANG.

Fists hammered against his door with enough force to make the hinges rattle.

Ishiki jerked awake, his dreams evaporating instantly. He was in his room. On the sofa. Still wearing yesterday’s damp clothes. Had he even moved after coming down from the roof?

BANG BANG BANG.

“I’m coming!” he shouted.

He stumbled to the door and yanked it open—

There at his doorstep. Kaori stood, radiating pure killing intent.

She wore a light armor—reinforced padding over vital areas, straps securing a bunch of knives to her thigh, a short sword at her hip. And judging by the expression on her face, she was approximately three seconds away from murdering him.

“Huh?” Ishiki blinked stupidly. “What is it?”

Then as his sleepiness ran away as soon as he realized. Wasn’t he supposed to join the hunting party in morning.

’Crap! what time is it?’

He slowly glanced behind and through the window. Full daylight streamed through. Not even close to dawn.

’Oh, shit!’

He tried to slam the door close, but Kaori’s hand shot fast and grabbed his collar. “You forgot. Your dumbass actually forgot?”

“Wait, wait. I can explain —”

She pulled him closer and shot a deadly glare at him. “You have exactly three minutes to get dressed and meet us at the gate. Three minutes. Understood.”

He nodded.

She released him and turned on her heel, already walking away. “If you’re not there, we leave without you. And you can explain everything later, if you are not dead that is.”

Ishiki paled.

Then she was gone, disappearing down the hallway.

He stood frozen for half a second, then exploded into motion.

He stripped off the damp clothes, threw on the first clean things he could find. Pants that were slightly too big, a shirt, both salvaged from who-knows-where.

’This is a disaster. This is a complete disaster.’

He shoved his feet into boots that barely fit and ran.

Down the stairs. Through the dormitory building’s entrance. Across the garden where early morning survivors were preparing breakfast and gave him curious looks as he sprinted past.

The main gate came into view.

Five figures stood waiting—no, six including Kaori. They were armed and ready. All of them turning to watch him approach with expressions ranging irritation to open contempt.

Ishiki slowed to a stop in front of them, doubled over, gasping for air, completely unprepared for whatever came next.

“Introductions later.” Kaori turned to the gate guards. “Open it.”

The massive metal gate began grinding open, revealing the ruins beyond. Ishiki straightened, trying to catch his breath.

The hunting party members stared at him—strangers whose names he didn’t know.

And somewhere in those ruins ahead, Xenons waited.

The was going to be even longer than the night.

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