Chapter 4 Annihilation Maker part1

Asahi stepped out of the elevator into the penthouse suite that served as his home. The apartment was expansive, taking up the entire top floor of one of the most exclusive buildings in the city. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking panoramic view of the city skyline.

As he walked through the living room, his footsteps echoed on the polished marble floors. The space was tastefully decorated with modern art pieces and sleek furniture, a testament to both wealth and refined taste.

"Home sweet home," Asahi muttered, tossing his school bag onto a designer couch.

He made his way to the kitchen, a state-of-the-art space that would make professional chefs envious. Opening the massive refrigerator, he was greeted by an array of gourmet ingredients and prepared meal.

"Let's see," he mused, scanning the contents. "Wagyu beef, fresh sashimi, or maybe some truffle risotto? Decisions, decisions."

After heating up a plate of exquisitely prepared salmon with quinoa salad, Asahi settled at the dining table, his notebook open beside him. As he ate, he jotted down his thoughts about his first day at Kuoh Academy:

- Issei: Friendly, bit of a goofball. Seems well-liked. Potential ally.

- Sona: Student council president. Smart, cautious. Potential rival?

- Rias: Popular girl. Interested in me for some reason. Keep an eye on her.

He tapped his pen against his chin, thinking. Running for student council would be his first major move. He'd need to start campaigning soon, build a network of supporters...

Suddenly, Asahi paused, frowning. Something felt... off. He looked around his luxurious apartment, then back at his notebook filled with plans and schemes.

"What am I doing?" he said aloud. "This is just some kind of rom-com high school anime. I'm acting like I'm plotting world domination or something."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Get a grip, Asahi. It's just high school. Focus on making friends, getting good grades, and maybe joining a club or two. No need to overthink everything."

With that, he closed his notebook and stood up, stretching. and then turn back to sleep.

........................................................................

Asahi stared at his ceiling, the clock on his nightstand blinking 11:45 PM. Sleep? Yeah, that wasn't happening. His brain was going a million miles an hour, thinking about his day at Kuoh Academy and all the plans he had for this new world.

"Ugh, this sucks," he groaned, sitting up and running a hand through his messy black hair. "Maybe a walk will help. Clear my head and all that jazz."

Slipping on some shoes and a jacket, Asahi headed out into the cool night air. The streets were empty, quiet except for the occasional car in the distance or leaves rustling in the breeze.

As he walked, Asahi's mind drifted to his big dreams. "Okay, so tech stocks are always good," he muttered to himself. "But maybe I should think bigger. Quantum computers? Biotech stuff? Man, I sound like such a nerd right now."

He chuckled, imagining what his new school puppy would say if they could hear him. "Issei would probably die laughing if he knew I was out here talking to myself about stocks."

Thinking about Issei and his group made Asahi smirk. They'd been so easy to win over. A few jokes here, some compliments there, and bam – instant popularity. 

"High school is like... playing chess with half the pieces missing," Asahi mused. "So predictable."

Lost in thought, Asahi didn't realize how far he'd wandered until a weird feeling hit him. The air felt... heavy, somehow. Creepy.

Looking around, Asahi realized he was in the industrial part of town. Lots of old warehouses and empty lots. The streetlights were few and far between, making weird shadows everywhere.

"Okay, this is some serious horror movie crap," Asahi muttered, trying to laugh off the growing fear in his gut. "Next thing you know, some creepy doll's gonna start singing or something."

As if on cue, a chilling laugh echoed through the night. Asahi froze, his heart pounding so hard he could feel it in his throat.

"Well, well," a voice purred from the shadows, sounding all kinds of wrong. "What do we have here? A little human out for a midnight snack run?"

A figure stepped into the dim light of a nearby streetlamp. Asahi's eyes went wide, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. The... thing in front of him looked human-ish, but so, so wrong. Its eyes glowed red, and when it smiled, Asahi saw fangs. Like, legit vampire-movie fangs.

"W-what the actual Fuck?" Asahi choked out, his brain trying and failing to make sense of what he was seeing.

The creature's grin got wider, showing off more of those scary teeth. "Oh, such language from such a young human. Didn't your mommy teach you manners?"

Asahi took a step back, his mind racing as fast as racing cars. This wasn't possible. Things like this didn't exist. And yet...

"You're not human," Asahi said, proud that his voice only shook a little. "What are you?"

The creature laughed, and Asahi felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water down his back. "Oh, clever little morsel, aren't you? I am what your kind would call a devil. A stray devil, to be precise. And you, my delicious friend, are going to be my midnight snack."

Devil. Stray devil. The words bounced around in Asahi's head like a pinball machine gone crazy. If devils were real, what else was? Angels? Gods? Everything Asahi thought he knew about the world was falling apart.

But he couldn't freak out now. He had to survive first. Questions could wait.

"Look," Asahi said, trying to sound calm as he backed away slowly, "I'm sure we can work something out here. I'm not looking for trouble."

The devil's eyes gleamed with cruel amusement. "Work something out? Oh, you humans are always so funny. The only thing we're working out is how I'm going to eat you. Slowly, I think. It's been a while since I've had such a tasty-looking meal."

With speed that Asahi's eyes could barely follow, the devil lunged at him. Asahi managed to dodge, but felt a sharp pain as the devil's claws grazed his arm.

"Shit, shit, shit," Asahi cursed, turning to run. His mind raced, searching for a way out. A weapon, a hiding place, anything. But there was nothing. Just more shadows and creepy old buildings.

As he ran, dodging between warehouses and jumping over old crates, Asahi could hear the devil laughing behind him. It was playing with him, like a cat with a mouse.

"You can run, little human," the devil called out, its voice seeming to come from everywhere at once, "but you can't hide. I can smell your fear. It's delicious!"

Asahi's lungs felt like they were on fire, and his legs were screaming at him to stop. But he pushed on, running on pure "oh crap I don't want to die" energy. This couldn't be how it ended. Not when he had so many plans, so much he wanted to do.

Suddenly, he felt something grab his ankle. Asahi crashed to the ground, scraping his hands and face on the rough concrete. He rolled over to see a creepy tendril of darkness wrapped around his leg, pulling him back towards the grinning devil.

"End of the line, little morsel," the devil said, licking its lips. "Any last words? Maybe a prayer to your absent God?"

As the devil reached for him, claws out, something inside Asahi snapped. It felt like a dam breaking in his mind, releasing a flood of... something. Power, maybe? It was like nothing he'd ever felt before. Time seemed to slow down, and a weird voice echoed in his head:

[Danger detected. Host's life at risk. Initiating emergency activation of Sacred Gear: Annihilation Maker.]