CENTRAL SPIRE
1614 Words
---
The doors to Central Spire didn’t open. They _judged_ you.
Two black towers. No windows. Cameras that never blinked. And guards. S-Class. Full armor.
Enma stood at the gate. Hands in pockets. The gray stone from Hana in his left fist.
Aoi was on his right. Sword on her back. No smile today.
“Remember,” she said quietly. “One hour. No touching. No gifts. Cameras everywhere.”
Enma nodded. 8%.
The gate scanned his wrist. Beeped.
*ACCESS: KUROGANE ENMA. ASSET: JIN KUROGANE. FLOOR 44. CELL 12.*
The doors opened.
Cold air hit him. The inside of the Spire was worse than the Wall.
White halls. White floors. White lights that hurt.
Every 10 meters: a guard. Every 5 meters: a camera.
They rode the elevator up in silence. Floor 10. 20. 30. 44.
Ding.
The doors opened to a hallway. And at the end: *CELL 12.*
Glass. From floor to ceiling.
And inside: *JIN.*
He was sitting on a bed. Reading. Hair cut short. Gray uniform. He looked smaller.
But when he heard the door, he shot up.
“Enma!”
Enma’s chest seized. 15%.
The guard opened the door. “One hour. Don’t make me regret this.”
Enma walked in.
The door closed behind him.
For 3 seconds, neither of them moved.
Then Jin was hugging him. Hard. Face buried in Enma’s jacket.
“You came,” Jin whispered. “You actually came.”
Enma hugged him back. He was shaking. “I’m here.”
They pulled apart. Jin was crying. Trying not to.
“You look terrible,” Jin said, wiping his face. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re lying.”
Enma almost smiled. “Maybe.”
They sat on the bed. Aoi stood by the door, watching. Not interfering.
“So,” Jin said. “Floor 6?”
“I won.”
“Sync?”
“50%.”
Jin’s eyes went wide. “You didn’t—”
“No,” Enma said. “I didn’t break.”
Jin exhaled. “Good. Because if you broke, I’d have to punch you.”
Enma laughed. It hurt. He hadn’t laughed in weeks.
They talked. Fast. About everything and nothing.
Jin told him about the food. About the other kids in the Spire. About the dreams.
Enma told him about Hana. About Floor 5. About the oath.
Aoi didn’t interrupt. But every few minutes she checked the cameras.
At 40 minutes, Jin got quiet.
“Enma,” he said. “Are you scared?”
Enma looked at him. “Yeah.”
“Of the King?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t be,” Jin said. Certain. “Because you’re my brother. And my brother doesn’t lose to voices in his head.”
Enma’s throat tightened. “I’m trying.”
“I know.” Jin bumped his shoulder. “And I’m trying too. In here.”
He tapped his temple. “They ask me questions. About you. About the Sync.”
Enma went still. 22%. “What did you tell them?”
“Nothing,” Jin said. “I told them you’re a null. That you can’t even lift a box.”
Aoi snorted.
Enma shook his head. “You’re an idiot.”
“I’m your i***t,” Jin grinned.
The timer beeped. 50 minutes.
Aoi stepped forward. “5 minutes.”
Jin’s face fell. “Already?”
Enma stood. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Jin hugged him again. “Don’t hit 100%.”
“I won’t.”
“Don’t die.”
“I won’t.”
The guard opened the door.
Jin let go. But before he left, he whispered: “Enma. There’s something wrong here.”
Enma froze. “What?”
“Other kids,” Jin said quickly. “They’re disappearing. One a week. The guards say ‘transfer’. But they don’t come back.”
Aoi’s eyes narrowed.
“Okay,” Enma said. “I’ll look into it.”
Jin was led out.
The door closed.
Enma stared at the empty room.
*CRIMSON SYNC: 28%*
---
Back in the elevator, Aoi was already on her phone.
“Disappearing kids,” she said. “Kuroda didn’t mention that.”
“Is it in the contract?”
“No,” Aoi said. “Which means it’s illegal. Even for him.”
Enma looked at his hands. “They’re experimenting.”
“Probably,” Aoi said. “On Sync carriers. On nulls. On anyone they can take without anyone noticing.”
The elevator stopped. Floor 1.
Before they left, Aoi grabbed Enma’s arm. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Enma met her eyes. “Define stupid.”
Aoi sighed. “You’re going to do it anyway, aren’t you?”
---
That night. Enma couldn’t sleep.
Jin’s words were looping. _They’re disappearing._
At 2 AM he got up.
He wasn’t supposed to leave his room. But the door opened.
Aoi was in the hall. Leaning against the wall.
“Took you long enough,” she said.
“You knew I’d—”
“Yeah,” Aoi said. “Come on. We’re breaking into B7.”
Enma blinked. “B7 was a decoy.”
“B7 was where they kept the records,” Aoi said. “Before they moved Jin. If kids are disappearing, the paper trail starts there.”
They moved through the Wall like ghosts. Aoi knew every camera blind spot.
B7 was underground. Abandoned. Dust everywhere.
In the back, a server room. Still running.
Aoi jacked in a drive. Data scrolled.
“Kids from F-Block,” she muttered. “Ages 8 to 14. All labeled ‘Null Potential’. All transferred to Central Spire, then...”
She trailed off.
“What?”
“Then to Floor 90,” Aoi said. “Research Wing.”
Enma felt cold. “What’s on Floor 90?”
Aoi looked at him. “Where they make weapons.”
The room went silent.
Then the lights came on.
“Hello, Kazehara.”
*KURODA.*
He was standing in the doorway. Two guards behind him. Smiling.
“I was wondering when you’d get curious,” he said.
Aoi stepped in front of Enma. “This isn’t part of the deal.”
“Oh, but it is,” Kuroda said. “Clause 14B. Any attempt to access restricted data voids the contract.”
He looked at Enma. “Which means I can take the boy now.”
Enma moved.
Aoi grabbed him. “Don’t. 60% and he wins.”
Kuroda tilted his head. “Go ahead, Null. Hit me. See what happens.”
Enma’s hands were shaking. 35%. 40%.
_“Kill him,”_ the King whispered. _“Now.”_
Aoi looked back at him. “Enma. Please.”
Enma closed his eyes. Breathed. Thought of Jin. Of the stone.
35% to 25%.
He opened his eyes. “What are you doing to them?”
Kuroda smiled. “Research. Same thing your King wants. Power.”
He turned to leave. “Floor 7 tomorrow, Null. Let’s see if you can control yourself when the stakes are higher.”
The guards followed. The door closed.
Silence.
Aoi punched the wall. “Damn it.”
Enma looked at the data. Floor 90. Research Wing.
“Tomorrow,” he said.
Aoi nodded. “Tomorrow.”
---
Back in his room, Enma couldn’t sit still.
Floor 90. Kids. Experiments.
And Jin was on Floor 44. Right under it.
He pulled out the gray stone. Squeezed it.
There was a knock.
Hana. She looked scared.
“They’re saying you saw Jin,” she said. “Is he okay?”
“He’s okay,” Enma said. “But Hana... kids are missing.”
Hana went pale. “What?”
Enma told her. Everything. B7. Floor 90.
When he finished, Hana was crying.
“My cousin,” she whispered. “He was 10. They took him 2 weeks ago. They said he got a job.”
Enma pulled her into a hug. “We’ll find him.”
“How?” Hana asked. “Kuroda owns everything.”
Enma looked at the ceiling. At the 90 floors above them.
“Then we climb,” he said. “Floor 7. Floor 8. Floor 90.”
Hana nodded. “Okay.”
She left.
Enma laid down. Didn’t sleep.
At 5 AM, Aoi knocked.
“Floor 7 in an hour,” she said. “You ready?”
Enma stood. “Yeah.”
“Good,” Aoi said. “Because this one’s different.”
“How?”
Aoi’s face was grim. “It’s not a fight.”
“What is it then?”
Aoi looked at him. “It’s a choice.”
---
*FLOOR 7: THE CHOICE.*
The arena wasn’t an arena. It was a room.
White walls. One table. Two buttons.
And on a screen: *TWO DOORS.*
Door A. Label: *SAVE 100 D-CLASS.*
Door B. Label: *SAVE JIN.*
A voice came over the speakers. Kuroda’s voice.
“Welcome, Null. Simple test. Press A, 100 random D-Class go free. Press B, your brother goes free. You can only press one.”
Enma stared at the screen.
The camera light blinked red.
“Choose,” Kuroda said. “And remember. Hit 60% and I take everything.”
Enma looked at Door A. 100 people.
Then at Door B. Jin.
His hand hovered over the buttons.
*CRIMSON SYNC: 30%*
_“Choose B,”_ the King whispered. _“He’s blood.”_
Enma’s finger shook.
He looked at the camera.
“Is this what power is?” he asked quietly. “Choosing who lives?”
No answer.
Enma closed his eyes.
His hand moved.
*HE PRESSED—*
---
- Writer
