Riku Sakamaki, a high school student, wakes up in a world where the sky glows purple. He has been transported to this strange place with no idea how or why. The first person he meets is a silver-haired girl named Vestia Zeta, an agent of a secret organization with the codename V.7. She wears key-shaped accessories and has access to data from the virtual world. Cool and mysterious on the outside, she also has a sarcastic, sometimes clumsy side that makes her oddly charming.
"[cold]You'll die her
Vestia Zeta: Heir of the Black Key - Awakening of the Black Key — Beyond Fear
The underground sector of Ortolink Headquarters knew neither day nor night. Pale violet crystal lamps running along the walls continued to dimly illuminate the white corridors. The air was cold, and a low mechanical hum from somewhere beat a steady rhythm, like the heartbeat of a living creature.
Sakamaki Riku sat in the corner of an isolation chamber enclosed by gray metal.
He hugged his knees, pressing his back against the wall. There was nothing in his line of sight. Just a gray wall. No windows. The door was locked from the outside, designed so it could not be opened from within.
(*Thirteen days since the transfer.*)
Riku absently counted the days since he had fallen into this other world. Unfamiliar land. Unknown sky. A world glowing purple. And then, he had met her—the silver-haired agent, Vestia Zeta.
She was now in a bed in the medical ward.
She had not woken up.
The back of Riku's right hand pulsed faintly.
The black key's crest. It was not visible now. But beneath the skin, something burned with heat, swelling and contracting as if breathing.
(*It's my fault.*)
When they were attacked by a swarm of Noise in the underground passage, Riku had failed to control the Black Key's power. The light had erupted, collapsing the ceiling. Vestia had shielded him, taking a deep wound in his place. A laceration to the abdomen. A severe injury reaching her internal organs. Crystal suturing had saved her life, but her consciousness had not returned.
(*If only I hadn't opened the power at that moment—*)
Riku clenched his right hand tightly. His nails bit into his palm. Pain shot through him. But it did nothing to distract him.
A small scraping sound.
Before he knew it, Riku was digging his fingers into the wall. His nails scraped against the metal wall. White scratches ran across it. Faint red marks remained. His fingertips had split. Blood was seeping out.
"...Damn it."
His voice trembled.
His own existence felt like a blight.
As long as he had this power, he would keep hurting the people around him. Not just Vestia. Many more.
Even within Ortolink, opinions were divided. There was a faction that wanted increased surveillance on Riku, and a faction that wanted continued isolation. Some even raised their voices saying, "The dangerous element should be eliminated." With the mole incident, trust between agents had hit rock bottom. No one knew who suspected whom anymore.
Riku was alone.
Visitation was prohibited in principle. Unauthorized movement was not permitted. He had no way of knowing what was happening outside this room.
(*Is Vestia... still alive?*)
Every time he thought about it, the depths of his chest went cold.
A particularly strong heat surged on the back of his right hand.
Riku pressed down on his right hand with his left. The pulsing heat thrashed, trying to escape between his fingers. The black crest flickered and vanished. Flickered and vanished. Riku stifled a groan at the sensation, which resembled pain.
(*Stop it. Not now... stop.*)
His heart pounded like a frantic bell. His breathing grew shallow. Cold sweat ran down his back.
Again. He could hear Decibel's voice.
"I can hear it. The sound of your heart. It's terribly erratic."
It was not a hallucination.
"...Where are you?"
Riku raised his head. No one was in the room. The voice traveled along the walls, vibrating the air, seeping directly into the inside of Riku's skull.
"Not 'where.' I am inside you. Your fear is inviting me here."
"Shut up...!"
"I won't. Sound never lies. Your weakness is clearly audible to me. I'd love to let that silver-haired girl hear your trembling breath."
Riku lost the words to respond.
"She's listening to my song in her dreams right now. She looks so comfortable. I'm whispering to her that it's your fault. That she's dying because of you. That way, her consciousness will sink deeper, and deeper."
"Stop it!!"
Riku stood up and punched the empty wall.
A dull thud. His fist throbbed. But the voice did not stop.
"Anger is also a fine sound. But what do you intend to do? You can't even leave this room."
Riku pressed his fist against the wall, breathing raggedly.
That's right. He couldn't get out.
There was no exit. This isolation chamber was designed to contain the Heir of the Black Key. Escape was impossible.
(*I can't do anything.*)
That thought came back again.
The voice blaming himself. Decibel's mockery. Vestia's quiet sleeping face.
All of it mixed together into a mess.
There was a hard sensation in his pocket.
A communication terminal.
It was Vestia's personal device that Kisaragi Ren had secretly slipped to him. Her voice memos were saved on it. On that tearful night, Riku had listened to it and resolved to stand up.
(*I should listen to it again.*)
Riku pulled out the communication terminal with trembling fingers. He touched the screen. Light flickered on. A tiny operation sound, thin as a hair. The memo file opened.
*"...An idiot, a coward, and yet, you still step forward."*
Vestia's voice played softly.
(*A coward, and yet—*)
Long ago, Riku had been caught in a fire. Near his family home. As the building burned and smoke filled the air, Riku had pulled his friend's hand and fled. He was terrified. His legs shook. But he never let go of his friend's hand.
That memory slowly spread through his chest.
Because he was afraid, he moved.
Because he was afraid, he didn't run.
(*That's the kind of person I am.*)
Riku placed the communication terminal against his chest.
"Thank you, Vestia. When I hear your voice, I can stand, just a little."
At that moment, a deafening roar tore through the room.
The wall shattered.
The shockwave struck his body, sending Riku tumbling across the floor. Debris and dust swirled. His vision went white. His ears rang. He couldn't breathe.
"Guh...!"
Beyond the smoke, there was a figure.
Black waves undulated. A swarm of Noise poured through the breach in the wall, crawling across the floor. At its center stood a man.
Long hair of silver-tinged blue. A mechanical monocle covering his left eye. The crimson pupil of his right eye coldly looked down at Riku. A tall frame. The hem of his black coat swayed, overlapping with the waves of Noise.
It was Decibel.
"Well now, Heir of the Black Key. Life in isolation seems to suit you."
Decibel smiled. His voice shook the air. The walls, the ceiling, all vibrated faintly in resonance with his voice. The tuning fork built into his fingertips reflected a faint glint of light.
"So you actually came out... Do you even know where this is?"
"Ortolink's underground mine, isn't it? A shabby crystal excavation site. A convenient prison for hiding you away."
Decibel took a step toward Riku.
"More importantly—your power. The Black Key. It's trembling. You're afraid, aren't you? Afraid of yourself. Afraid that your power will rage out of control."
Riku glared at Decibel from where he lay on the floor.
"So what do you want this time?"
"I'm going to kill her. So I came to see your face one last time."
Riku's chest froze.
"Kill... Vestia?"
"Yes. It's quite simple, really. The medical ward is currently surrounded by my Noise. The walls, the floor—all covered in black mist. If you use the Black Key, the rampaging power might drag her into it. If you don't use it, her life ends there."
"Don't screw with me...!"
Riku tried to stand. But his legs wouldn't cooperate. The one knee he managed to raise trembled violently.
"I'm not screwing with you. I want to see your choice. Can you control your power to keep her alive? Or will you lose control again and kill the person you hold dear?"
Decibel's fingertips traced a small circle in the air, as if conducting something.
The swarm of black Noise crawled across the basement floor, surrounding Riku's feet. Creatures the size of dogs closed in slowly, emitting low sounds like feverish murmuring.
(*Damn it... stand up, my legs.*)
Riku gritted his teeth, pressed a hand against the wall, and forced his body upright.
"I won't... let Vestia die."
"Good eyes. Then go. But remember this: the more you try to save her, the more she dies. Savor that contradiction."
Decibel flicked his fingers, and the black mist of Noise parted. Only the breach in the wall gaped open.
"Now, go. To her, sleeping in the medical ward."
Riku screamed.
"U-aaaaaaaaah!!"
He kicked off the floor.
He dove through the breach in the wall. Debris tore at his shoulder, ripping his clothes, cutting his skin. It hurt. But he didn't stop.
He emerged into the underground passage.
Dim crystal lamps flickered. Emergency lighting. Dust covered the floor. Black haze seeped from cracks in the walls.
Noise.
A swarm blocked the passage.
Dozens of small Noise crawled about. The black haze piled up to the ceiling, writhing as if licking the walls.
"Shit... there's so many."
Riku stopped.
His right hand was hot.
The black crest was surfacing. Streaks of black light ran from his fingertips to his arm. The power was thrashing. It wanted to be used.
(*If I use it, it might go out of control.*)
If it erupted, the underground passage would collapse. The ceiling might fall all the way to the medical ward where Vestia lay.
(*But if I don't use it, I can't move forward.*)
The Noise closed in, inch by inch. Something clicked and clattered. It almost sounded like laughter in the presence of prey.
Riku's legs trembled.
"Vestia... you said I was a coward. That's true. I'm scared. Even now, I'm so damn scared."
He brought his trembling right hand to his chest. Heat spread through his entire body. His heart thrashed, his breathing ragged.
"But even so, I'll step forward. You said that. So I—"
Riku closed his eyes.
He accepted his fear.
He didn't know who he was, or the true meaning of this power. But there was someone he wanted to protect. That fact alone kept his legs moving.
"—I'll use it. With this power of mine."
He opened his eyes.
Riku thrust his trembling right hand forward.
The black crest surfaced, deep and dark.
This was different from the previous rampages.
The light did not explode.
The black crest on his right hand rippled quietly. Like ripples spreading when a stone is dropped into water, the light expanded slowly, steadily.
A faint, black light.
The moment the swarm of Noise touched the light, they vanished without a trace. Like mist clearing. Like snow melting in the morning sun.
The clattering sounds, the moaning of the haze—all of it turned to silence.
The Noise blocking the passage disappeared in an instant.
"...Huh?"
Riku looked at his right hand.
It hadn't rampaged. The underground passage was unharmed. The walls hadn't collapsed. The ceiling was intact. Only the Noise had vanished.
A quiet heat remained deep in his chest. The fear was still there. His limbs still trembled. But the power was stable.
(*Why didn't it erupt this time?*)
He didn't know the answer.
But for now, that was fine.
Riku broke into a run.
To the medical ward. To Vestia.
He rounded a corner and sprinted up the stairs. The crystal lamps' light streamed past in rhythm with his breathing. He was out of breath. His wounds ached. But his legs wouldn't stop.
Then, the air behind him warped.
"Magnificent. Truly magnificent. I never imagined you could control it."
A voice.
Riku spun around. From the shadows beyond the pale light, Decibel emerged. His monocle glowed crimson.
"You're still—"
"Your growth exceeds my calculations. I must admit it. Which is precisely why I will cut you down here, without fail."
Decibel spread both arms wide.
"Let me share my song with you. My song reaches into the darkness of the heart. It resonates with Noise and amplifies fear."
Decibel's mouth opened slightly.
A soundless noise shook the air.
A heavy bass like ringing in the ears. The walls creaked. The floor trembled. A sensation like something gouging directly into the depths of his chest.
Riku's vision warped and twisted.
*—It's your fault.*
*—Bec
Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.