Arcadia Zero

Chapter Two: Arcadia Rising

Chapter Two: Arcadia Rising

A woman stepped out onto the rooftop, where she intended to meet her partner. But her partner...wasn't what you would expect. She and this man were not friends or lovers. They were not partners in life. Rather, they were partners in death. A tall, slim man clad in a flowing black trenchcoat arrived to greet her. Faux fur lined the ends of his coat. He had glossy, pitch-black hair, black as the night, and his eyes were the color of seafoam. They almost seemed to glow in the city's pseudo-darkness.

The woman blushed upon meeting him. While the two had met online, and she had no clue what he looked like, she certainly didn't expect him to appear so...bewitching. "You...you must be Isaiah," she stuttered. The raven-haired man spoke in a nearly angelic voice. "Yes, indeed I am. Greetings, Nakura-chan. I am Isaiah Akane. So, you've decided? Are you certain you wish to die...alongside me?"

Nakura nodded slowly. "Yes. I hate what my life's become. I can't take it anymore. I don't want to live here anymore. I found the website on the Dark Web...I didn't expect to meet someone like you there. What about you, Isaiah? Are you going to die with me?"

A sudden silence fell over the two of them. Isaiah's face twisted into a wicked grin, revealing pointed teeth. The clouds of the night sky dissipated, bathing him in rays of moonlight. His once-dark red eyes illuminated with a bright crimson glow. "Of course not." Nakura gasped. Fear rose up in her. "Wha...what do you mean? What are you? Are you...the Grim Reaper?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear," Isaiah replied. "I am but a mere Esper. And you, Nakura-chan...are my new play toy for tonight." He took a few steps toward the woman, his eyes shining like the Devil's. "E-Esper?!" Nakura stammered. She looked around the rooftop in a panic. "S-someone, help me!" Isaiah snickered. "What are you so afraid of? You wanted to die, right? Then you shouldn't be afraid of little old me. No one will come to help you. Up here, no one can hear you scream. Won't you humor me by screaming? I want to hear you scream at the top of your lungs. You humans are so much fun to play with. Now, would you kindly...OBEY!"

His fiery red irises flashed, and Nakura fell into a trance. The light faded from the woman's eyes, leaving her an empty, soulless husk, a puppet controlled by Isaiah Akane. "What a foolish woman. Who would seek a suicide partner on the internet? I don't understand you humans at all. But don't worry, Nakura-chan. I will fulfill your wish to die. I want you to go to the edge of this roof...and jump off."

"Yes...Master," Nakura replied. She shuffled foward, her arms dangling from her sides, as if she were a puppet on strings. Entranced by Isaiah's hypnotism, she would never escape from his clutches. She approached the roof's edge, and with a snap of the man's fingers, she leapt from her perch. The last he heard of her was an echoing scream, followed by a hollow thump and a splatter of blood. Satisfied with his new toy, Isaiah gazed up to the moon. "Honestly, what drives people into taking their own lives? It's pathetic...and fascinating. It's why I love humans...I love them so much!" He burst into laughter, his wicked cackles filling the night sky.

I did not want to go on patrol that morning. I really didn't. But I had to, or else I'd get a stern talking-to and a pay dock courtesy of Detective Jarvis. I rolled out of bed and put on my dress-like uniform, stuffed breakfast into my mouth, and went racing out the door before I had to listen to Jarvis's yelling echoing across Houston. Rintarou Natsuki arrived to meet me in the parking lot of my apartment complex. It had been a few days since Jarvis declared Rintarou and I partners, so there was a lot of paperwork and legal red tape involved. It took a while, but now, we were officially working together. Not like I was really thrilled about it. "Looks like it's our first day as partners," I grumbled. "This is all your fault, Rintarou. If you didn't have to throw a fit the other day, I wouldn't be dealing with this."