Chapter Text
Isagi blinked his eyes open and immediately winced as bright fluorescent light blinded him. A momentary blankness lingered over him before he was startled by a loud shout. Looking around he saw other members of Blue Lock coming into consciousness while a few were already on their feet. There were members of the U-20 as well as Ego and Anri. To Isagi’s shock it looked like there were members of Bastard München, PXG, Manshine, and Barcha. And Noel Noa! Despite the terrifying situation the little fanboy in Isagi screamed in delight at seeing his hero in the flesh. Like the rest of the players, it seemed like no one was injured thankfully but mostly angry, fearful, and upset.
All of them were seated in individual navy-blue velvet accent style chairs with gold-finish legs. The room itself was spacious with 20 feet tall white walls, gold accent cutouts, and shining white marble floors. The seats were all facing a massive black screen. It all felt like something that Ego would renovate Blue Lock to if he stopped snubbing the sponsors.
Ego. Isagi felt anxiety whirling in chest as he tried to recall how he and the rest of them had gotten here. The last thing he remembered was the flashes of cameras, the screaming of the crowds, and his fellow Blue Lock members gazing in excitement at him as the world came to know of the boy who would lead his team to victory.
Just as the din of 40 or so voices was reaching a new peak, the black screen blinked on and the room silenced itself as the image of a beautiful woman sitting on a chair appeared. She was clearly Japanese if her half-moon eyes, fair skin, and pink lips were to be believed. Isagi had a fleeting thought that she looked a little like Mira from Alice in Wonderland had her shoulder-length brown hair been black but he ignored it.
The woman on the screen smiled and her eyes crinkled at the edges. “Hello everyone. It appears that introductions are in order. You all can address me as Reika with the kanji - 羚 and 力. All you here, well, are here for my entertainment!” She pitched with a twinkling laugh. “You are going to watch a story. A story of a legend in the making and I will bear witness to my little toys.”
Isagi was speechless. The members around him were also speechless as they stared at this madwoman smiling back at them as if she had told them that the weather was beautiful. People exchanged fearful glances and some enough some of them geared up and asked questions as more and more joined in.
The sound was beginning to ricochet off the walls before a sharp cold voice cut through the clamor. “What do you hope to achieve with this?” Ego said, his voice absolutely frigid.
Reika huffed and pouted. “Like I said before , you are going to watch a story!! One of the greatest football players the world has ever bore witness too. I fancy myself an artist - mind you,” she said with an elegant twirl of her wrist, “and you know Art should be something that liberates your soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further. Or something. Anyway, I am here to create art through people!”
Surprisingly it was Hiori who spoke up. “So how does this involve us? What does this have to do with…football? Or the player you were talking about?” Everyone tensed up at the question. Did she mean to torture them or through them into a survival game to find the one player that survived? What about the rest of them? They rose to their feet and started screaming at the woman. Many started banging the walls and curses and shouts flew from every corner of the room.
Reika beamed. “That’s exactly it! If liberating my soul means setting my desires free, then I want his potential to be realized! And-oh stop that for goodness sake.” She rolled her eyes and the click of a button echoed through the room before Isagi felt his muscles tense then relax. Without his permission his body sat softly in his chair as everyone else was forced to return to their seats. Horror clawed its way up his throat and his heart pounded. This-this creature just forced his and everyone’s body to move with their permission. He could see the realization and weight of the situation dawn on everyone’s faces as they were forced to listen to it.
“As I was saying, I am going to show you the protagonist of the world. It involves all of you because you all know. Or will know him. You’ll fight with him and against him. You will devour or be devoured by him. My muse, masterpiece, and oeuvre. The savior - Isagi Yoichi.”
Heads whipped around to stare at him as ice flooded his veins. Isagi nearly flinched his way off the seat as every eye in the room pinned on him. Not that he noticed them anyway as he stared into the mad eyes of the woman looking back at him.
“
What?
”