Lost In Fatal Existence

The wind carried a scent unfamiliar to Ryuta. It wasn't the crisp air they had known before. This world—no, this country—had changed.

The land stretched before them, vast and eerily untouched. Once familiar roads had twisted into paths they didn't recognize. Buildings that should have been ruins now stood tall, their designs intricate and surreal. Even the sky seemed different, a shade too deep, like ink slowly dissolving in water.

They walked through what was once known as Velmora, now reshaped into something else. The name lingered in their minds, a relic of the past that no longer fit the world they stood in.

Parker kicked at a stone, his expression thoughtful. "I just don't get it."

Zhen, walking beside him, let out a slow breath. "Balance was lost."

"Then restored, somehow," Merlin added, eyes scanning the distant structures. "But by who?"

Roy's steps were heavy, his mind elsewhere. He had barely spoken since the fight. Ryuta glanced at him but said nothing. Some answers weighed more than questions.

Alexia ran her fingers along the stone of a nearby building. The surface pulsed—almost alive. She pulled her hand back. "It wasn't just remade. It was rewritten."

Merlin nodded. "Tarot cards chose us for a reason."

That was what led them here. The scattered truths they had gathered. Parker, Zhen, Alexia, Merlin—all chosen by something beyond them. The Sun, Temperance, The Empress, The Hierophant. Yet Ryuta and Roy… nothing.

Parker grinned. "Guess that makes me the bright one."

"Bright, but reckless," Zhen murmured.

"What does that make you? Careful?" Parker shot back.

Zhen didn't reply. He simply walked ahead, his movements measured.

Ryuta's fingers curled into a fist. "What does it mean?" The words slipped out, half a thought, half frustration. "The cards choosing people, but not others. The world shaping itself like this."

Merlin adjusted his coat. "A construct requires a creator."

Alexia's gaze darkened. "But not all creators are kind."

Roy finally spoke, his voice quieter than the rest. "Then we're just pieces on someone's board."

The silence stretched. Only their footsteps filled the air.

Then Merlin continued. "That wasn't the only thing we found out." His eyes flicked toward Roy, then back to the rest. "The two we fought—"

"They were waiting." Roy's voice was firmer this time. "Not hunting. Watching."

Parker frowned. "Why?"

No one answered. The question lingered.

Zhen exhaled. "It doesn't matter if we don't move forward."

Ryuta met his gaze. Something in the air had shifted. Not just in the world, but between them. A ticking clock, unheard yet ever present.

And time was running out.

---

They continued their trek, passing through streets that pulsed with an eerie life. Shadows flickered where none should have existed, and whispers drifted from unseen corners. The closer they moved to the heart of the city, the more the architecture felt... wrong. Windows too small, doorways arched in unnatural curves, alleys that twisted impossibly.

Parker's steps slowed. "Anyone else feel like we're being watched?"

Roy scanned their surroundings, his jaw clenched. "We are."

Alexia turned sharply. "By what?"

Merlin exhaled. "By the world itself."

A chill passed through them. The city was alive, not in a natural way, but in a way that suggested awareness.

Ryuta's mind raced. He thought back to the fight, to the two figures who had confronted Roy and Merlin. A harbinger of chaos. A tarot wielder twisted by an unseen force. If they were watching, then surely, they were not alone.

Parker broke the silence. "Do we go deeper?"

Zhen looked up at the sky, as if seeking guidance. "We already have."

They walked in silence, the city shifting around them. The deeper they went, the more the air thickened, pressing against their skin like unseen hands. The buildings loomed, no longer just structures but something more. Something watching.

A distant chime echoed. Once. Twice. A sound unnatural, neither metallic nor organic.

Merlin stiffened. "Did you hear that?"

Alexia nodded, her hand instinctively resting on her weapon. "Something's here."

Parker shivered. "I don't like this."

Roy took a step forward, voice steady. "We keep moving. We need to understand what's happening."

Another chime. Closer this time.

Ryuta clenched his fists. A ticking clock.

And it was counting down.

Then, a voice—low, amused.

"You're late."

The group froze. The source of the voice remained unseen, but its presence weighed down on them.

Zhen took a slow step forward. "Who are you?"

Laughter. Not quite mocking, but far from friendly. "The ones who watch. The ones who move the pieces."

Roy's grip tightened. "Then show yourself."

The laughter faded into silence, replaced by the rhythmic sound of something tapping against stone.

One step. Two steps.

From the shadows emerged two figures, their forms obscured by the unnatural dimness of the city's ever-shifting light. One grinned wide, his eyes gleaming with amusement. The other held a deck of cards, shuffling them lazily.

The air grew heavier.

The ticking clock did not stop. It only grew louder.

Then, the grinning man spoke again, voice dripping with mirth.

"Shall we play?"

And the world shuddered.