Chapter Text
The music resounding in K’s ears felt so far away.
She had composed it, hadn’t she? Some discordant song full of pain, in bits and pieces. It wasn’t something she had created after coming to the place she now belonged, that was easy enough to hear. Though time managed to blur together, K knew it had been a while since her last upload. The routines of her life before had faded away faster than expected, and the songs that seemed to cry out fell silent as well.
The sound was heavy. It felt ill-fitting. Not for what they were here to do.
Though, in stark opposition to K’s own comfort, people did seem to thrive with cacophony. She had voiced some hesitation about this whole arrangement to begin with, but had been quickly shushed with a warm smile and a “it’ll be fun!” from Amia. Which, to be fair, had silenced K’s doubts pretty quickly.
Either way, K was never the best at this social aspect. Yuki seemed to thrive in any role that she was placed in, and Amia was charismatic beyond anything K had ever seen. She was always the one lagging behind, clumsy, still feeling like a newbie in the world that was now her home.
The only thing that gave her comfort was that Amia had asked her to be there. Even if Amia wasn’t her leader, K would still have followed their request without a second thought.
Despite the oppressive sound and heavy atmosphere, it was meant to be another ritual. She just had to follow orders as well as she could. Even if each routine was taxing, following someone else’s words was a little easier for K. It silenced the voice inside of her that still wavered, that traitorous little flicker of unease. She just had to wait for Amia.
Yuki had already stepped out onto the other side of the stage, bathed in the harsh colors of the lights. With the windows covered up, not even moonlight made it inside the warehouse, and the packed crowd was only sparsely illuminated.
K hesitated.
She had the words to say, in theory. It wasn’t exactly a script to follow. Amia had told her to speak from the heart, to convey to the crowd the same feelings that had torn their way from her throat so long ago. People would sense fake words. K wanted to reach their hearts and save them - not as the selfish, desperate way she had wanted to become someone’s savior with her songs, but as part of the family she was now with. As a member of the Nightcodes.
K took a step forward, the lacy black dress she wore suddenly painted with vibrant color. She fidgeted with her hair for a second, not used to both the fake rose hair accessory or the long braid she had been styled in. It always felt like everything bothered her senses when she was nervous.
Yuki glanced over at K before raising a gloved hand to tell another member to lower the music. It was still too loud for K, honestly, but it dropped to a level where they would be audible.
Even if Yuki had been doing this longer than K, K was always amazed by how professional she was at events. They wore practically the same outfits, adorned with matching roses, yet Yuki had an aura to her that commanded attention. Though the only thing between them was the short length of the stage and the small altar in the center, K felt miles apart.
Though, it wasn’t as if Yuki was cold. She was just as close to Amia as K was, and there was a warmth to her that seemed picture perfect, a fire gentle enough to hold in your hand. It always felt as if Yuki had the right words to say, a gentle guiding hand pulling you along. She was the solid rock of the three of them.
A picture-perfect smile on her face, Yuki lifted her head high.
“To all of you who have come here!” Her voice resounded. She was a born public speaker. K watched in rapt admiration. “You took the first step to reach this place. Whether it was curiosity, a dare, or even just seeking company, it doesn’t matter why you came. What matters is that you’re here.”
A look at K. K took a sharp breath.
“If you are here, that means -” The word caught in her throat, K flinched, but only for a moment. Yuki’s confidence filled her with enough energy to push out the right words. “That means that we reached you. Something deep in your heart resounded with our quest. Even…even if you don’t know it, a part of you wants what we want.”
“That flyer asked you one question,” Yuki continued. “‘Do you believe in life without suffering?’ And if you are here, then that’s a clear answer.”
The sound of the crowd could be heard even through the music. Yuki raised her hand again.
“Confusion and doubt may cloud you.” Her cadence was confident, cutting through the murmurs like an arrow reaching its target. “The world we live in thrives off of ignorance. They wish to keep you in the dark. They want you to be cursed , to suffer in the darkness with no hope of salvation.”
“You can be saved.” The memory of K’s own initiation came unbidden, and filled her words with reverent emotion. “If you take our hand, we can save you.”
K had been saved. That was a fact of life, something she knew intrinsically. It was that knowledge that led her through each day, and became the path she was meant to follow. It was easy, knowing that.
She could practically see herself, standing there, a fragile girl who’s school uniform had grown small on her and yet too loose from neglected hunger. Frail and gaunt, exhaustion lining her every feature, the K who inscribed her pain into songs looked nothing like the K on the stage. She would hate the sound, hate the crowds, hate even the sparse light. She would throw K and Yuki’s words away like they were barbed, hurt by even the idea of salvation. There had to be people in the crowd that felt the same, and a pang of sympathy gave K pause.
Still. With the setting sun behind her savior, pink hair framed by a halo of light, and an outstretched hand, K had been changed, reborn into who she was now. She would never return to being that girl again. There was a strange, unidentifiable feeling that rose up in her chest at that thought - freedom , she guessed. That’s what all the other members told her she would feel, once she understood the gravity of being a Nightcode member.
“We can save you,” she repeated.
The crowd chattered to themselves, a buzz of commotion that became a low drone to K’s ears. The sound of devices humming to themselves that accompanied the feelings of neglected hunger and exhaustion, a pitch black room…that feeling rose up again, and K bit at her lip. Was it really the feeling of being free? It must be, for that darkness had been traded for a brighter future. K had given up all of herself, piece by piece, until she gave up her name itself. She had never had ties to sever. It was freedom.
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t heard the whispers. There were murmured, unsavory things said about the Nightcodes. Maybe the idea of stepping into the light was just too unbelievable for some people. The rumors meant little to K, anyway. Her hands were no longer around her own throat, now linked with someone else’s. That was all she needed.
Yuki cleared her throat, once, twice.
“Disbelief comes so easily when you hear promises like that, doesn’t it?” There was a sharpness to the words, despite them being delivered in Yuki’s warm tone. “Proof that this world grinds your hopes and trust into the dirt.”
K looked over at Yuki, the temperature drop making her mouth fall open slightly. Yuki stared out into the crowd, and the low drone filled K’s ears once more - and then the moment passed. Sound flooded back into the world, and Yuki was already continuing. K resumed her stance looking over the crowd, stiffening.
“ - people talk about messiahs and figures that transcend this world. Yet none of them appear to walk the earth like us, do they? Beliefs dangled on a string to lead you, to feed you faith in order for you to continue in this world.”
“They hide the truth.” K whispered it unwittingly, before blinking back to reality. Right, she had been told this exact speech, and had clung to every word. “They hide the truth,” she repeated, raising her voice. “The fact that there’s more to this world than working and struggling and - and writhing and hurting and trying, trying again for that unattainable ideal!”
Her voice was shaking again. Back then, as that frail girl in a school uniform, she had dreamed of saving people. It was a stupid, foolish wish, one that had rotted from the inside out until it became a curse. She could never have been someone’s god in the way that Amia was, the way the Nightcodes were. Not while she was trapped in a world of suffering, one girl who bled while trying to bandage others.
Now was different. K exhaled.
“We can say that our Idol is different,” Yuki says, “but that would just be as hard to swallow as our promise. Instead, we give you proof.”
“The one loved by the Idol, blessed with the power to transform us.” K looked past the crowd. The figure standing at the edge, flanked by other members guarding the entrance, shed the cloak covering them. “Your voices, your pain, your hearts, they will all be heard. Your prayers can be answered.”
The lights turned, pointing down at the figure as they raised their head high. Cloak now bundled in the hands of another member, Amia stood in their full glory.
As they strided down the room, the crowd parted naturally. It wasn’t cockiness, the way they simply expected people to make way for them. It was certainty , the very knowledge of who they were. A different sort of confidence than K could even imagine.
Red coated them, shining in the brightly colored lights, yet still vivid as that crimson hue. Rose blossoming on their chest as a kiss from the Idol themselves, the dress fluttered as Amia walked. With a corset like a ribcage and tulle like a torn-apart nervous system, it had burned itself into K’s memory from the moment she first saw it.
With that light that faded into the darkness, when K was at Amia’s feet and drowning in the depths of despair, that red was the only thing she could see in her hazed vision. That red, Amia’s smile…
Now, Amia smiled to the crowd. Maybe the crowd was spellbound, or perhaps that was just K. Amia simply had a quality that stopped K in her tracks.
“Amia,” declared Yuki. “Beloved by the Idol, their body in this world. The living proof that what we say is true.”
The ornate white stamp K had seen so many times was presented to Amia by another member, and they lifted it, presenting it to the crowd.
“If you believe,” K started, “if you believe in a world without suffering. If you believe in our world. Then that devotion will be rewarded. Amia will grant you the first taste of transformation.”
The crowd shifted. Gingerly, a lone girl stepped forward. Judging by the uniform she was clad in, she was a high schooler. Amia brushed the girl’s hair aside, and for a moment, the two of them simply stared at each other. Then, as they had done many times before, Amia pressed the stamp against the girl’s chest.
The “Voice stamp” was the moniker used by most members, something about it bringing out the innermost voice of people and turning it into a cacophony. Formed from the original gift that the Idol granted to the Nightcodes, it removed a single curse from the one stamped - at least, that was what K was told. It certainly made the pledge feel better, and K could see that the high schooler was feeling the same way. The girl blinked, once, twice, and swayed slightly as there was a small hiss of sound and a faint smoke-like substance flowed into the stamp. Amia removed the stamp, letting the member flanking them hold it as they took the girl’s hands. As if it was a school dance, they began to guide the new pledge around, stepping and twirling at their own pace. It barely made sense, much less matched up to that music that had long faded into the background, but the girl smiled, mirroring Amia’s own.
After a few moments, the girl was released, and she stood awkwardly for a moment before resuming her place in the crowd. K couldn’t exactly see, but it appeared as if she was excitedly chattering to whoever she was with, because others began to move forward.
While they weren’t granted a dance like the first pledge, Amia took the stamp once more and bestowed the stamp upon each person willing to come forward. Each person was held close as the stamp took effect, and Amia’s smile was bright enough to sear its way into their memory. Or, at least, it was for K.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” They laughed. Despite going through the same motions time and time again, Amia always seemed to see the beauty in each recruitment and ritual. “We’re so popular!”
Time passed, and eventually, the crowd seemed like it had settled. Amia reached the stage, placing the Voice stamp down on the small, makeshift altar that sat near the back of the stage. Clasping their hands together, Amia was silent for a moment. Each wish and curse that had joined together, that Amia had taken with the stamp, was offered up to the Idol for them to answer. K clasped her hands too, and waited.
“Now!” Amia clapped their hands together, turning to face their audience. “Those of you who have offered me your hearts, welcome. We’re so happy to have you!”
Those pledges wouldn’t return to their old lives. They may, at first, but there would be a pull in their soul that would end in them returning to the Nightcodes. They believed , now, and K believed in turn that they would come to them, discarding the ties that choked them and entering their new home.
“To the rest of you, I know that our words have reached you. There’s no need to worry anymore. If you return to the world we live in now, and hurt…” Amia’s smile softened. “Then you will know that it doesn’t have to be this way. You can always come back to us.”
The music increased in volume, the spotlights scattering across the room, but one continued its focus on Amia.
“For now, we want you to live! Dance, yell, be free! This is what we want for you!”
The rose on Amia’s chest almost seemed to glow in the light.
“Forget your curses! Forget your pain! And smile!”
Purple roots rippled under Yuki’s skin. K could see white on her own hands.
“Welcome to the Nightcodes!”
A bang of smoke. Rose petals scattered through the air. Music pounded once more.
With the ceremony over, K finally relaxed, dropping her stiff posture. Yuki was already exiting the stage, and the other members were moving to guard it from the pledges.
K lingered a moment more, letting her anxiety leave her. The crowd wasn’t watching, anyway, most likely caught up in the atmosphere. After a moment, she lowered her head, quickly moving off of the stage in a single-minded focus on finding Amia and Yuki. The event had gone well, but the exhaustion of performance left her shaking, and it was this aftermath of aimless wandering and socializing that K had dreaded more than anything. She just had to find Amia.
So, of course, she immediately bumped into someone.
“Ah -” Her energy all but fleeing her, K's words immediately failed, leaving her looking away and back rapidly. It took another moment for her to realize that the person wasn’t moving around her. K fidgeted. “Do - ah. Do you need…something?”
Could she even be heard at this point, now that the focus wasn’t on her? The person didn’t respond. K finally managed to make eye contact, though the person had their hood up, leaving their eyes cast in shadow. The uneasy pause stretched, and K could do little but pick at her dress and study the person in front of her.
A heavy jacket covered a faded hoodie, and as much as K was once one for baggy clothes in the same way, she wondered how the heat of the venue wasn’t sweltering in it. The rest seemed a bit more normal, sweatpants and sneakers and nothing else of note. Orange hair peaked out from under the hood, a shock of color that stood out even in the lights.
“Um,” K started again.
“All that junk about being saved.” They cut K off, eyes darting to the floor as their words spilled out. “Everything you guys said.”
“It’s real,” K answered. The person frowned.
“Didn’t ask. Just wanna know, about…” They looked as if they were struggling to find the right words. “You said transform .”
There was the faintest glow of white beneath K’s skin. She nodded.
“It’s more than what we said,” she admitted, softly. “It’s becoming more than human.”
Eyes widened under the hood. Their body almost stuttered, like they were about to step back but thought better of it, or were frozen in place.
“Isn’t that,” and despite it being a question, there was certainty in the words, “a demon?”
The shadows seemed to grow longer as a light passed over them both. K nodded silently. The person opened their mouth again, but no words came out. There was an emotion there K couldn’t understand.
“It’s a good thing,” she said, simply. “Your demon, joining with it, the plan the Idol has for you…you’ll understand it all.”
“Huh.” That was all they said, and the pause stretched once more. And then, “Didn’t you go to Kamiyama High? That girl with the stupidly long hair who vanished. You look like her.”
For some reason, that was what made K freeze. The scripture she was taught left her.
“I’m - I’m not her.” Anymore, was the word unspoken.
There was a short laugh, disbelief heavy in it. “Huh.”
The hand that K had felt herself outstretch through her words, the idea of saving someone, was ripped away once more. K stumbled to find her footing.
“You will understand,” she repeated.
The music and the crowd’s noise became stifling. It seemed like a commotion had been building while K had focused on that one person, and she looked past them to see if she could spot the source.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Someone was pounding on the shutters. Confusion crossed K’s face. Why hadn’t the members guarding the entrance taken care of that?
“K, move! To the front!”
That was Yuki’s voice cutting through the air. Conversation dropped, K pushed through the crowd, holding her dress so that it wouldn’t snag. Somehow, she could feel the person’s gaze on her the whole way.
Bang . Bang.
No, that couldn’t simply be someone pounding on it. It was too loud, too insistent.
There was a pocket in both her and Yuki’s dresses, large enough to hold their stamps. It had seemed like a silly addition at the time, but Yuki had reminded K of the possibility of an attack. The world was so resistant to change.
K pulled it out, the carnation design on the front somehow failing to give her comfort like it usually did.
Bang .
Yuki was in view. The crowd chattered anxiously.
And then the shutter was forced up. Light flooded into the warehouse, and a second crowd met K’s eyes.
That white uniform, the teal armband. K swallowed harshly. So they were fighting back.
An unknown gun pointing into the crowd, the woman heading the force stepped forward, her brown hair heralded with light. It was a twisted mimicry of K’s precious memory.
“This is SEKAI!” rang her call. “Under suspicion of the raid on the SEKAI research lab, we are detaining the leadership of the Nightcode Genesis Movement!”
Yuki glared. K met the woman’s eyes with gathered courage. This was their place to belong. This was their way of changing the world. People who fought for the wrong side could never understand.
“Eh, is that so?” Amia laughed, though it was a sound without any humor.
“We will use force if necessary,” the woman replied. She clutched some sort of bag tight in her other hand, as if it was a lifeline.
Amia’s smile dropped.
“You really have no idea about what’s going to happen to you, do you?”
“We are shutting your movement down.” Her grip tightened on her weapon. “This stops today.”
A man with bright blond hair and almost a cape attached to his uniform took one side of the woman, while a girl who looked barely graduated with her hair in long pigtails took the other.
Amia simply clapped.
“Well then! You can have the first taste of our evolution!”
The world dissolved into chaos around Akito Shinonome.
Of course, of course. The one fucking time he sneaks out to see if he could understand what was going on, this would happen. Just his luck.
Demons, salvation, new worlds, transformation, all of it.
The other heart he felt in his chest still refused to go away, though it hadn’t spoken up again.
All of it, all of it -
His sister stared back from the entrance.
Fuck.