Cards Of The Silent King-Chapter 38: Jin Makes a Decision

The phone screen lit up. Jin looked at the message. He typed three words. He deleted them. He typed two.

Jin said: "Cannot come."

He sent it. He turned off the screen. He put the phone in his pocket.

His mother called from the kitchen. The water was running. The dishes clattered.

Mother said: "Who was that."

Jin said: "Friend."

Mother said: "You are leaving."

Jin said: "Yes."

He put on his shoes. Black laces. Tight knots. He opened the door. The air was cool. It smelled like rain.

He walked. Not toward the station. Toward the Grey District.

The streetlights flickered. The pavement was cracked. Weeds grew in the gaps. Jin stepped over them. He did not look down. He looked ahead.

He passed the convenience store. The sign buzzed. The light was bright. It stopped at the district line.

The Grey District was darker. The buildings were older. Brick instead of concrete. Windows boarded up.

Jin stopped at the corner. He looked at the map in his head. He had studied it for weeks.

He thought: Here.

He turned left. The alley was narrow. Trash bins lined the wall. The smell was wet cardboard.

He walked to the end. The textile factory stood there. It was abandoned. The windows were broken.

Jin stopped. He looked at the wall.

There were marks. Black scorch lines. They ran vertically. They looked like claws.

Jin thought: Not weather.

He touched the brick. It was warm. The sun had set an hour ago. The heat should be gone.

He moved his hand. The heat followed. It was localized.

Jin thought: Energy.

He stepped inside the factory. The floor was concrete. Dust covered everything. Footprints broke the layer.

They were fresh. Boot prints. Size ten. Deep tread.

Jin thought: Kaito.

He followed the prints. They led to the center of the room. The dust was disturbed. A circle was cleared.

Jin stood in the circle. He closed his eyes. He listened.

The building creaked. The wind whistled through the windows. There was another sound. A hum.

It was low. It vibrated in his teeth.

Jin opened his eyes. He looked at the ceiling. A crack ran through the concrete. It was sealed. A shimmer hung in the air.

He reached out. He did not touch it. He held his hand near.

The air resisted. It pushed back. It felt like static.

Jin said: "Confirmed."

He lowered his hand. He took out a notebook. It was small. Black. He opened it.

He drew a map. He marked the factory. He marked the seal. He marked the heat signature.

He turned the page. He wrote dates. He wrote times. He wrote patterns.

He had been doing this for a month. He had twelve locations mapped. All in the Grey District. All sealed.

Jin thought: He is alone.

He thought: He has been alone for two years.

He put the notebook away. He walked to the exit. The sun was setting. The shadows were long.

He stopped at the door. He looked back at the circle.

He thought: Why.

He thought: Why not tell us.

He thought: He thinks we cannot carry it.

Jin stepped outside. The street was empty. A car passed. The headlights swept over him. He did not move.

He started walking again. He followed the perimeter. He checked the next location.

An alley behind a restaurant. The wall was clean. Too clean. A square patch was newer than the rest.

Jin touched it. It was cold. Ice cold.

Jin thought: Different entity.

He marked it in his head. He did not write it down. Not here.

He walked to the third spot. An old park. The bench was broken. The grass was dead in a circle.

Jin sat on the bench. He watched the path. People walked by. They did not see the dead grass.

They looked at their phones. They looked at each other. They walked past the anomaly.

Jin thought: They do not see.

He thought: Kaito sees.

He thought: Kaito fixes it.

He stood up. He brushed off his pants. He checked his watch. Eight p.m.

He had four hours left before curfew. He had three more spots to check.

He walked faster. His breathing was steady. His legs did not tire.

He reached the fourth spot. A substation. The fence was locked. He climbed it.

The ground inside was scorched. Metal was melted. The smell was ozone.

Jin stood in the center. He looked at the sky. The clouds were moving wrong. They spiraled.

Jin thought: Residual effect.

He dropped down. He landed quietly. He checked the fence. It was secure.

He walked to the fifth spot. A school wall. Locker 17. He could not enter. He noted the exterior vibration.

He could feel it through the brick. A pulse. Slow. Steady.

Jin thought: Active.

He moved away. He did not linger. He did not want to trigger it.

He walked home. The streets were brighter now. The Grey District faded. The buildings became newer.

He reached his block. He stopped at the corner. He looked at his house. The lights were on.

He thought: I know.

He thought: He does not know I know.

He thought: That changes things.

He walked to the door. He unlocked it. He stepped inside.

His mother was in the living room. She was watching TV. The volume was low.

Mother said: "You are back."

Jin said: "Yes."

Mother said: "Did you eat."

Jin said: "Later."

He went to his room. He closed the door. He locked it.

He sat at his desk. He turned on the lamp. The light was warm.

He took out the notebook. He opened it. He looked at the maps.

Twelve locations. Five confirmed today. Seventeen total.

He picked up a pen. He hovered it over the page.

He wrote: Pattern confirmed.

He wrote: Solo operation.

He wrote: Intervention required.

He put the pen down. He looked at the wall. A photo hung there. Him. Kaito. Ryota. At the beach. Two years ago.

Kaito was smiling. It was a small smile. It was real.

Jin thought: He was already fighting then.

He thought: We did not see.

He thought: I will see now.

He closed the notebook. He put it in the drawer. He locked the drawer.

He stood up. He turned off the lamp. The room went dark.

He walked to the window. He looked out. The city was lit. The Grey District was dark.

He placed his hand on the glass. It was cold.

Jin said: "Ready."

He did not say who he was talking to. He did not need to.

He went to bed. He did not sleep immediately. He listened to the house.

The pipes hummed. The floor creاك. The city breathed.

He thought: Tomorrow.

He thought: I will walk the route again.

He thought: I will be closer.

He closed his eyes. Sleep came. It was deep.

Morning would come. School would start. Kaito would sit in class.

Jin would watch him. He would not say anything.

He would wait. He would prepare.

He would join him.

Not yet.

Soon.

The notebook stayed in the drawer. The map was complete.

The decision was made.

Jin slept. The city waited.

The cracks remained.