Darkside Destroyer

The envelope felt heavier than its paper and ink indicated, a physical manifestation of Tetsu's unsettling decision.

He gazed at the bleak, sans-serif address that was printed on the message inside, a place that seemed purposefully hidden.

He used the map app on his phone to find the address. In sharp contrast to the bright neon and busy streets he typically visited with Haruto and Mio, it led to the city's industrial outskirts, a neighborhood of massive, run-down warehouses and abandoned factories. The icy hope that glowed inside him was tempered by a feeling of dread that settled in his stomach.

Tetsu found himself standing in front of a massive corrugated iron building amid the empty streets and the late night sky. Its edges were gnawed by rust, and its broken windows gazed out like empty eyes. The smell of decay and wet concrete hung heavy in the air.

This hardly resembled the headquarters of some secret agency that might be able to solve the murders of his friends.

Doubt gnawed at him:

Is this a prank?

Had he erred horribly?

Was this some cruel, complex prank?

He was about to turn away when someone stepped out of a loading bay's shadows. His broad shoulders strained the material of a simple, dark jacket, and his body was shaped like a fortress.

His eyes were piercing and evaluating as they focused on Tetsu, and his face was expressionless. He exuded a quiet authority, a command that was unassailable.

The man's voice was a low rumble without any inflection, "Ishizawa Tetsu?"

With a knot of anxiety tightening in his throat, Tetsu nodded.

In response, the man nodded curtly and pointed to a barely perceptible seam in the wall of the warehouse.

"Follow me."

Tetsu reluctantly followed as the bodyguard-like figure smoothly slid open a piece of the corrugated iron, exposing a narrow, dark opening that plunged sharply into the ground instead of the anticipated cavernous interior.

A flight of rough concrete steps descended into what looked like a tunnel under cover.

The air changed instantly, cooling and smelling slightly of ozone.

Tetsu swallowed his fear and followed the man down the cramped hallway. The tunnel wound through the ground and was surprisingly long.

The only illumination was provided by carefully positioned, dim bulbs that created long, flowing shadows on the rough-hewn walls.

As they went lower, the outside world appeared to disappear more and more, to be replaced by an increasing sense of loneliness and the unknown.

At last, the tunnel opened into a modern, underground elevator rather than a straight path.

Silently, its polished metal doors opened to reveal a roomy interior with glowing panels and a faint, barely perceptible hum.

The doors opened again after a short descent, bringing them into a vast, open basement that defied the rusty, deserted exterior.

There was no forgotten space here.

The room was a stunning demonstration of cutting-edge technology, and the low hum of machinery filled the air. The walls were lined with sleek computer workstations, their screens showing holographic projections and intricate data streams. Uniformed people moved purposefully, their fingers gliding over keyboards, their voices focused but quiet. It felt like entering a scene from a science fiction film.

Tetsu's mouth fell open.

His initial fear gave way to a confused curiosity as he stared in wide-eyed awe. This was much more than he could have ever envisioned.

A woman with short, well-groomed black hair and keen, perceptive eyes came up to him as he stood there, momentarily stunned.

The black, emblem was displayed on the chest of her black vest. "Agatsuma Mizuki" was prominently displayed on a plastic ID badge that was fastened to her collar.

He realizes that the bodyguard, who had just led him inside, wore the same emblem.

The emblem was printed with a stylized wolf's head that contrasted sharply with the dark fabric in silver. It had angular, sharp features, almost as if carved from obsidian, and narrowed, piercing eyes that gave off a faint glow. The wolf appeared ready to attack because its maw was slightly open and showed a small glimpse of its bare teeth. The impression of speed and stealth was conveyed by faint, almost ethereal lines that fanned out behind the head, resembling the wind or possibly the ripple of invisible energy. It was the epitome of the "Darkside Destroyer" moniker, representing predatory elegance and unflinching determination.

"You must be Ishizawa," she said in a cool, collected tone with a touch of warmth.

"Welcome to the Darkside Destroyer. Follow me, please. You are anticipated by Commander Matsuzaka."

Tetsu gave a stupid nod, still attempting to comprehend the technological wonder that surrounded him. He followed Mizuki through the busy basement, noting the intense concentration on the faces of those who worked there.

As a silent testament to their common loyalty to this enigmatic "Darkside Destroyer" group, they all wore the same black uniform bearing the distinctive emblem.

Mizuki walked him over to a plain door and used her ID badge to open it.

Although it was less obviously technological, the room beyond exuded a sense of subdued authority. The room was dominated by a long, solid metal bench, and a man with a quiet intensity sat at one end of it.

His piercing blue eyes seemed to contain a wealth of unspoken knowledge, and his silver hair was short and neatly cropped. Although he wore the same black uniform as the others, there were minor details in the trim that suggested he was a higher ranking official.

Mizuki stood next to him, calm and focused.

"Oh, Ishizawa."

The man said, "Please, take a seat," in a deep, resonant voice that carried a note of exhausted authority.

"My name is Matsuzaka Arata, and I am the commander of this organization."

He pointed to the woman at his side.

"And this is Mizuki, my assistant."

With a peculiar mixture of anxiety and excitement, Tetsu took a seat on the bench.

There was no trace of malice in Arata's direct, evaluating gaze.

With a slight softening of his tone, Arata began.

"I understand you have… experienced a great loss recently. We are aware of the circumstances surrounding your friends Mio and Haruto's deaths."

"And we think we might be as knowledgeable as the official reports indicate."

Tetsu's breath caught.

"You do?"

The hope that had smoldered inside him blazed with ferocity.

"Yes"

Arata remarked, bending forward a little.

"Ishizawa, the reality we live in is much more expansive than the world you see."

"Unbeknownst to the general public, Japan and the rest of the world have been dealing with what we refer to as "Anomalies" for decades."

He stopped to give Tetsu time to process this shocking realization.

"Anomalies can take countless forms," Arata added, his tone becoming more solemn. Intangible forces that defy conventional understanding, diseases that twist the very fabric of biology, objects with impossible properties or uncraftable materials, or monstrous entities that defy the laws of nature can all be examples."

"The definition of an anomaly is not restricted."

With his head spinning, Tetsu gazed at him.

Monsters?

It sounded more like a nightmare than the real world.

Arata's voice hardened with a hint of anger as she said

"While our organization, the Darkside Destroyer, works tirelessly to contain and neutralize these Anomalies, another group has emerged, one with far more sinister intentions:

"The Earth Extraterrestrial Research Force, or EERF."

"As their deceptive name implies, the EERF does not aim to comprehend or safeguard. For their own unidentified purposes, they aim to take advantage of these anomalies, turn them into weapons, and sow discord and chaos. We think—and the evidence is growing—that your friends' deaths may have been indirectly responsible by the EERF."

Tetsu's blood froze.

"EERF?"

"They are responsible? How?

With a sharp voice, Mizuki interrupted, "They might have realized something they shouldn't have."

"They might have seen an anomaly during an EERF operation. Anyone who threatens the EERF's confidentiality will be brutally silenced."

Arata grimly nodded in agreement.

"And for that reason, Ishizawa, we contacted you. We think you can assist us in retaliating against the EERF and the Anomalies.

But first, you must comprehend the origin of these threats in order to understand why they exist."

He motioned to Mizuki, who turned on a holographic projector on a table close by.

A bright blue and green sphere of a celestial body appeared in three dimensions.

"A catastrophic astrological event led to the destruction of a planet we have designated 'Veridia' in 1971."

Arata said, his voice becoming more scholarly.

After shimmering, the holographic planet violently broke into innumerable fragments.

"By using long-range astronomical observations, our scientists were able to determine that Veridia was home to life. The complex creatures that lived beneath the planet's surface platform were not merely simple organisms."

With the shattered holographic image still in the air, he went on

"About six months after Veridia was destroyed, the first known Anomaly appeared on Earth, in Antarctica."

"We had never seen anything like it before. After that first appearance, anomalies started to appear more frequently all over the world."

Then Mizuki projected images of swirling, unidentifiable energy fields, objects that defied the known laws of physics, and hideous, otherworldly creatures.

A knot of disbelief and fear tightened in Tetsu's stomach as he stared.

"A conclusion was reached in the early 1980s after years of scientific and astrological research, including the meticulous examination of captured Anomalies."

Arata explained.

"The life forms we found on Veridia prior to its destruction are strikingly similar to the biological and energetic signatures of these anomalies. We think they are pieces, echoes, of that vanished world that have somehow made their way into ours through methods we have yet to completely comprehend."

"And a small, select portion of the human population began to manifest extraordinary abilities after Veridia's destruction," Mizuki continued in a serious tone.

"We refer to this as Kinesis."

Kinesis?

Tetsu thought over Mizuki's explaination.

She projected pictures of people using their minds to move objects, control fire, and display extraordinary strength and speed.

Arata went on.

"Every Kinesis user has special supernatural powers. These abilities manifest on their own, frequently in response to intense stress or emotional turmoil. They may be a defense mechanism or a natural reaction to the growing number of anomalies."

"And you. Ishizawa."

He said, his sharp blue eyes meeting Tetsu's.

"Are one of these people."

"Me?"

As Tetsu tried to make sense of this unbelievable information, he replied.

"So, why isn't the public aware of any of this?" With hardly more than a whisper, Tetsu inquired.

Arata affirmed.

"We kept them confidential."

"Mass panic and the breakdown of society would surely result from the general awareness of anomalies and kinesis. Imagine the chaos and the fear. Consequently, this information has been rigorously restricted to the non-powerful segments of the population."

"We work covertly, defending the world against dangers they are unaware of."

Next, Mizuki used the holographic projector to show a digital map of Japan. The screen pulsed with a number of blinking red dots, concentrated in particular urban areas.

She pointed to the map and said, "As you can see, anomaly activity is primarily concentrated in major cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagoya. These four cities are the hotspots for anomalies, though they do occur in other cities occasionally. Although our resources are mostly concentrated there, assistance is sent to other areas when required."

Arata continued, "A lot of nations have established their own Anti-Anomaly Organizations after realizing the growing threat posed by anomalies."

"One such organization is the Darkside Destroyer, which operates independently within Japan."

"Because of our fundamentally different approaches, we frequently collaborate with but occasionally clash with the non-government-affiliated EERF."

His eyes were serious as he leaned forward once more.

"You have been selected, Ishizawa."

"You have the ability to fight back against the forces that may have taken your friends, against the EERF, and against the Anomalies. We can provide you with instruction, comprehension, and a goal."

"We can provide you with a method to give their passing significance."

"But in the end, it's your decision."

"If you say no, you will live as a regular person who is no longer connected to our world, and all memories of this conversation will be completely erased."

The commander's words weighed heavily on the room.

Tetsu glanced at the holographic map, where the red dots that were blinking stood in for invisible threats that lurked beneath the surface of the familiar world.

He reflected on Haruto and Mio, whose colorful lives had been destroyed by a force he had yet to fully understand. Even though the grief was still intense, it was now entwined with a fierce need for justice, answers, and a sense of purpose that was both terrifying and thrilling.

The low hum of the nearby technology was the only sound to break the long silence in the room. With the decision weighing heavily on his mind, Tetsu inhaled deeply. The hidden tunnel, the abandoned warehouse, and the astounding discoveries were all very different from the routine life he had led only a few days prior.

But he had been let down by the ordinary. It had made it possible to take his friends.

"What must I do?"

With a newfound resolve, Tetsu asked in a voice that was hardly more than a whisper.

He was prepared to enter the shadows for the sake of Haruto and Mio's memories.

In the technologically advanced room hung the weight of Tetsu's unasked question. With a thoughtful expression on his face, Arata turned back to Tetsu after exchanging a quick, knowing look with his assistant, Mizuki.

"Let me introduce another member of our organization before we go deeper into what your tasks are, Ishizawa," Arata said, pointing to the room's entrance.

A young man was leaning nonchalantly against the door frame when it silently slid open.

His dark, intense eyes were a stark contrast to his striking brown hair, which fell across his forehead in a slightly tousled fashion.

He appeared to fit his uniform, which was the same shade of black as the others, effortlessly. His posture exuded a calm assurance and a sense of restrained strength that was instantly apparent.

Commander Arata declared, "This is Katsuragi Reiji." "He is a highly skilled and experienced destroyer."

"Destroyer?" "What's that?" Tetsu asked.

Arata hurriedly answered, "A term for any Darkside Destroyer's combatant."

Reiji pushed himself off the doorframe and entered the room, his eyes moving over Tetsu with a sharp, evaluating gaze that reflected the Commander's previous examination but felt somehow more intimate.

A slight, nearly imperceptible smile grazed the corner of his mouth.

"Yo," Reiji said in a low, smooth drawl with a tinge of humor. "So, you're the newbie that Arata has been discussing."

Under Reiji's intense stare, Tetsu felt a flush creep up his neck. "Newbie?"

"That's putting it mildly," Reiji said with a quiet laugh and sparkling dark eyes.

"Katsuragi!"

With a sharp edge to her voice, Mizuki interrupted.

"To you, that is Commander Matsuzaka."

With a flash of pretended innocence in his eyes, Reiji turned.

"Oh no!"

"Commander Matsuzaka, I apologize. Please pardon my impudence."

Arata waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't worry, Mizuki. I'm not bothered."

Reiji turned back to Tetsu and smiled.

"You see? "Kid, welcome to the deep end."

Arata gently cleared his throat.

"Ishizawa, Reiji will be crucial in assessing your present capabilities."

Tetsu's lips instantly formed a question.

"Assessing? What are you saying?"

He looked from Reiji to the Commander, curiosity mingled with uneasiness.

"Within the Darkside Destroyer, we operate on a tiered system to categorize the abilities and combat proficiency of our members," Arata explained, his tone becoming more formal.

"It allows us to deploy our resources effectively and understand the strengths each Destroyer brings to the field."

Tetsu was given a document by Commander Arata that briefly discussed the organization's classification system:

· Level 0 (N/A): Non-combatants, mainly staffs and unranked Destroyer.

· Level 1 (D): Basic combatants.

· Level 2 (C): Intermediate combatants.

· Level 3 (B): Advanced operatives.

· Level 4 (A): Elite operatives.

· Level 5-7 (S): National-class individuals.

· Level 8 (Z): World-class individuals.

Then, with a gleam of respect in his eyes, Commander Arata turned to face Reiji.

"Katsuragi Reiji is an excellent illustration of a Level 4 Destroyer."

Tetsu gazed at Reiji with a renewed sense of respect, and his eyes grew wide.

In the context of battling evil forces and covert organizations, the word had a lot of weight. As he took in this information, he saw that the organization's structure and the possible range of power within it were better depicted by the tiered system.

With a nervous sense of anticipation in his voice, he said, "And... what about me?"

"What level am I at?"

With a lighthearted smirk on his lips, Reiji pushed himself completely off the doorframe and took a step closer.

"You haven't even punched in our sandbox yet, novice."

"Right now, you're killing it on Level 0."

The playful tone made Tetsu tense a little.

"Level 0?"

"I'm useless, then?"

Reiji's tone softened a little.

"Not useless, kid," but the amusement was still visible in his eyes.

"Unrealized potential is still potential." Imagine it as the start of an extremely steep ascent. You have the potential, but it must be refined, shaped, and stretched to its limits."

Commander Arata gave a nod of approval.

"Ishizawa, Reiji is correct."

"To find the best training program for you and to understand your current capabilities in a real-world situation, it is necessary to evaluate your innate abilities. Reiji will be taking you for an introductory evaluation because of this."

With a sudden jolt of energy, Reiji clapped his hands together.

"Alright, newbie, enough talky-talky. Let's check out the fireworks you have concealed within.

He pointed to another door, much bigger than the one they had come through, on the opposite side of the room.

"Come with me. There are many surprises in store for us."

Tetsu paused for a second, feeling a mixture of excitement and fear. Although the thought of putting his undiscovered skills to the test was intimidating, the possibility of at last learning more about the world that had captured Haruto and Mio and possibly acquiring the ability to defend himself was a strong incentive.

He got to his feet, looking into Reiji's assured eyes.

"Take the lead."

A glimmer of what appeared to be genuine enthusiasm appeared in Reiji's dark eyes as he smiled. He turned and strode to the big door, which opened on its own and revealed a huge, empty room filled with soft, artificial light. Tetsu had never seen a place like this before.

The air was heavy with a low, almost undetectable hum of energy, and the place was heavily secured and sterile. Massive, vault-like doors and sections of thick, highly-hardened glass that provided glimpses into brightly lit chambers were interspersed with reinforced concrete walls that lined the room.

A noticeable contingent of armed guards, dressed in a tactical-looking dark gray variation of the uniform, stood at attention, their faces alert and serious, while security cameras, like watchful eyes, swiveled silently on their mounts.

The large door hissed shut behind them, sealing Tetsu inside with Reiji and the daunting expanse of the training facility, the first step on his journey into the shadows.

Observing Tetsu's tentative movements, Reiji provided a succinct explanation.

"This is our area of containment. For research purposes, we secure a lot of anomalies here."

He pointed to a reinforced glass window, behind which an amorphous, shimmering blob pulsed with a sickly green light from within.

"Fighting those who aren't so interested in staying around requires an understanding of them."

They came to a stop in front of a particularly sturdy-looking chamber with thicker reinforced glass and barely perceptible energy grids crisscrossing it.

Inside, in a re-created habitat for them to live in, a pack of wolves paced restlessly, their movements smooth and frighteningly swift. Under the harsh fluorescent lights, their fur shimmered faintly in a striking, strange shade of lilac.

Their eyes, which were focused on the figures outside the glass with unmasked animosity, glowed with a malevolent intelligence. They had low, guttural snarls that made Tetsu shudder.

The chamber was a vast, painstakingly designed ecosystem rather than merely a cage.

One corner was dominated by a rocky, raised den that resembled a natural wolf-den with shadowed nooks and a plush bed of fake moss. Light shimmered on the water as a clear stream, fed by a hidden filtration system, wound its way through the center and gathered into a shallow pond lined with gravel.

The high ceiling was adorned with carefully positioned, twisted relics of old trees, their branches serving as perches for invisible cameras and sensors. The floor was covered with patches of hard, man-made undergrowth, punctuated by smooth, strewn stones and the odd, surprisingly lifelike, rodent-like automaton that scampered just out of reach, providing the wolves with enrichment. Despite being recycled, the air had a subtle earthy smell that was intended to mimic the scent of a forest floor following a light rain. Lights that were subtly moved overhead created dappled shadows that moved across the landscape as though clouds were passing by, simulating the natural cycle of day and night.

With a note of dry humor in his voice, Reiji declared.

"This charming bunch is designated E-021. Codename: Carulean Canis."

"E-021, Carulean Canis?"

Tetsu looked at the strangely colored wolves and asked.

"What is meant by that?"

"Classification code and name," Reiji said nonchalantly.

"E stands for Entity-Type Anomalies, which are, well, monster-like. Living things that have moved to the side."

"We don't have to repeatedly recite complicated numerical IDs because codenames are just a more straightforward way to refer to them."

Then he went into detail, marking off categories with his gloved fingers.

"For non-biological entities with peculiar characteristics, we have 'N' for Nonentity-Type. 'A' stands for "Abstract-Type," which includes any illogical condition, phenomenon, or thing that doesn't have a physical form."

"Last but not least is 'U' for Unclassified-Type, which stands for anything that doesn't neatly fit into the other boxes."

"This fluffy bunch over here?"

Without a doubt, he finishes.

"Of course Entity-type."

Then Reiji indicated "Level 1" on a computer screen outside the wolves' enclosure.

"See that?"

Reiji uttered those words.

"Level 1. Similar to our Destroyer ranking system, anomalies are given a global threat level."

"Level 1 threats are regarded as being manageable through standard protocols."

"However, don't be fooled by their attractive fur. These guys are quicker and more nimble than the average wolf, and let's just say you don't want to get bitten by one of these guys."

Tetsu swallowed hard, his gaze lingering on the snarling wolves.

Level 1.

The fact that these creatures were far superior to anything he had ever seen, even at the lowest level, was a sobering thought.

Reiji clapped Tetsu on the shoulder and said, "All right, enough with the wildlife tour." Before they attempt to lick the glass once more, let's move on.

They exited the containment area and entered a radically different area through another heavy security door.

There were rows and rows of reinforced-glass containers of various sizes in this enormous storage space. Numerous items, each identified by a similar alphanumeric code, were tucked away inside on padded platforms or suspended in glistening energy fields.

They came to a row of smaller containers.

From a nearby dispenser, Reiji and Tetsu put on a pair of thin, protective gloves. Reiji paused in front of a container containing a plain-looking black pen.

With caution, he removed it.

Reiji held up the pen and said, "This humble writing instrument is N-133."

"An Anomaly of the Nonentity Type, Level 1."

Tetsu's eyebrow went up.

"A pen?"

"Yes."

Reiji said, grinning a little.

"This tiny beauty has limitless writing abilities. Ink never runs out. It's helpful for taking notes, but it irritates people who try to sell you refills."

He put the pen back in its box and began speaking.

"Although they are uncommon, some anomalies, like this one, can have useful applications. Most of them are dangerous or just plain strange. Consider a mirror that displays the final image you will ever see, or a teapot that boils ice."

"Another headache is abstract types."

"Imagine an area where shadows have their own life or where gravity sporadically reverses. It is nearly impossible to contain."

"Nonentity-Types can also include structural variation, which is, well, messed-up buildings or entire areas. You can't just pick up a haunted house and move it, can you? For the most part, we just try to keep people away."

"Since they are typically quite remote, you will need to go on a field trip if you wish to see one of those."

He stopped, a contemplative expression on his face.

"The true brainteasers are Unclassified-Types."

"We'll put those off for another time. For now, enough examples. It's time to find out what kind of kinesis you have."

After exiting the storage area, they came to a larger, open room with padded walls and a variety of training tools that appeared more traditional.

A sleek cylindrical machine with a glowing handpad stood in the middle.

Reiji pointed to the machine.

"All right, novice."

"We'll get a baseline reading on your Kinesis from this machine. It will determine your power level and type simply by placing your palm on the pad."

He turned to Tetsu.

"Are you ready?"