Chapter Text
In all honesty, Ren Amamiya didn't think he would have ever come to the Metropolitan area, let alone Shibuya. Having lived in Sakai all his life, he figured that the soonest he'd ever set foot in that city would be because he was attending one of the colleges there. With how well his grades were back at home, it wouldn't be a surprise that his parents would have pushed him to at least try to aim for Todai University.
Yet he was sitting in a railway car, heading through the subway passages that ran beneath the big populace that was Japan's capital. He hugged the duffle bag close to his chest with one arm while the other was resting beside him. He had paused a video he had been watching to pass the trip's long passage when he heard the announcement blare softly in the near-quiet cab, alerting him that his destination was a few stops away.
He switched to the GPS that showed how much further he had to get to his destination, his new home for the year. The directions stated that after this upcoming stop, it was a matter of changing lines, and then it'll be a walk before he reached his new guardian's home.
Ren let out a defeated sigh, letting the hand plop back beside him as he glanced over his shoulder at his reflection in the window behind him. The past month still seemed so surreal. It was like being stuck in a bad dream.
For the coming year, he would have to live far away from everything he had known and try to acclimate to this new place without getting into trouble. That was the deal he made when given the option to do probation or stay in juvenile detention. People who knew him were greatly surprised by the news of his probation and, even more so, kept their distance to avoid being associated with him. He had lost many friends, people he had hoped to at least be his connection to home when only his mother and father believed he did nothing wrong.
This situation began all because he got involved in a fight between a distressed woman and a man trying to force her into a car.
The announcement of the arrival to Shibuya pulled him from his deep thoughts, jerking him upright as he hoisted the duffle bag over his shoulder. He joined the crowd of students, workers, and all sorts of people exiting the subway. He climbed the steps into the underground plaza and glanced down at his phone to recheck the directions. That's when he noticed a strange app on his phone that seemed to rest where the GPS was supposed to be. It was like a design of red and black eyes.
"I never downloaded this," he mused, pressing down on the app to drag it into the trash bin icon. It popped out of existence, becoming nothing as he noticed the time. It was already a few minutes after 1500, and he was supposed to be at Yogenjaya by 1600. He rushed up the station's stairs, heading towards where the famous Shibuya crosswalk resided. He waited with everyone else for the light to change, rechecking his phone as he noticed that the app had returned.
The eye symbol seemed to pulsate in a rhythm and overtook his phone screen. The teenager glared down at it, tapping with his thumb, but it didn't seem to react to his gestures. Ren started noticing something strange happening around him as the symbol grew on the phone screen. It took a couple of seconds, but everything around him slowed to a complete stop. It was like time had frozen around him. He looked around frantically, trying to see if it was just some sort of trick or a flash mob.
Alas, no one seemed to falter in their frozen step, and he was stuck looking around for an answer. Carefully traversing through the frozen block-sized crosswalk, he tried to find if anyone was moving. As he got to the middle of the crosswalk, no one was moving but himself. Still, he turned in his place, hoping for something to end this growing anxiety and dread.
Then he froze, staring beyond the numerous frozen people, where he saw something slowly rising behind them. It was akin to fire, with how it moved, but it was burning a bright blue hue. It then started to twist and warp while no air was bellowing around them before taking the shape of something humanoid. Then the flames spread out behind it like wings.
You are not ready for the road that lies ahead...
Ren glanced over his shoulder, having heard a voice behind him, but no one seemed to have moved to say anything. The voice sounded familiar, almost like his own.
For the game you will soon face, there is another you must play beforehand...
"Game? What game?" Ren inquired carefully, his stance guarded as he noticed the blaze-covered entity coming towards him. It was phasing through the frozen populace, though no one was being harmed or turned ablaze. Soon, it stood before him, flickering its flames about.
If you wish to be ready for what lies ahead of you... if you want to win this losing game that awaits you...
The entity reached out with its right hand towards Ren.
Accept this contract and gain the privilege to partake in this game.
"The privilege?" Ren scoffed at the word. It sounded more like he had no choice in the matter. The teen was ready to decline when the ground beneath him shook, and something exploded above them. He looked up at a glowing hole in the sky, colored a green hue. It began to stretch out like a fissure that would crack the earth. The wind started to pick up, making him reach up to keep his glasses on. He glared at the being before him. The inferno seemed unbothered by the air bellowing around them.
Everything was screaming that this was wrong. This had to be a nightmare. Ren had to be asleep on the train and might have missed his stop. He shook his head and tried to wake himself up, but nothing happened. The area around them was slowly becoming chaotic, threatened by the growing hole in the sky.
"Looks like I don't have a choice," he muttered in annoyance.
He huffed before reaching out towards the blue fire-covered hand and clasping it tightly.
...The contract has been sealed.
Those words echoed around him the minute he took the hand as he watched the flames start to move and crawl up from the joined hands. He watched as the individual before him slowly grew more akin to his height.
The world will not be as it should be. It's filled with distortion, and "ruin" can no longer be avoided.
The voice continued, almost like incanting a spell, as Ren could feel the fire licking across his school jacket. What caught his attention was the person beneath the flames... was him.
Those who oppose fate and desire change... From time to time, they were referred to as Tricksters...
His copycat stood there, eyes closed as the blue flames flowed down his legs. Their hands were still held together, even more tightly from his end, as the man who wore his face slowly opened his eyes. Instead of the silver-colored orbs that were his own, they were almost a bright golden yellow that pierced into his soul.
For one to become a Trickster... one must first learn from another...
Ren could barely see past the flames coating him almost completely, leaving his head to watch the smirk grow on his copycat's face, who then adjusted their glasses. Had he been tricked? What was going on? What was the voice even saying to him? He grunted, making a last-ditch effort to free himself as himself being lifted into the air.
The last thing he could remember was the voice saying those words, along with strange images flowing through his head like a fast-moving reel.
What's going on here?
Warn them!
Go...