Chapter 72: A Magician’s Trick
The city pulsed with life – loud, bright, and endless.
Skyscrapers pierced the sky like steel spears, their glass windows catching the sun like mirrors of ambition. Neon signs flickered even in daylight, advertising ramen shops, tech stores, and arcades stacked one above the other in chaotic harmony.
Below, the streets moved like arteries – cars weaving through traffic lights, crosswalks flooding with footsteps the instant the signal blinked green. The sound of engines, distant music, and conversation blended into a symphony of motion.
The scent of grilled yakitori drifted from the stalls, warm and smoky. Children laughed in school uniforms. A train rumbled overhead on its elevated tracks. Somewhere nearby, a street performer played soft jazz on a saxophone – unnoticed, but essential.
But for all its noise and colour, the city had shadows too.
Alleyways curled behind buildings like secrets. Rooftops loomed above everything, often silent, often watched. And far above, digital billboards played silently, unaware of the people who walked below them – carrying heavy hearts of chasing big dreams.
Among the people in the city...
STEP. STEP. STEP. STEP.
It was Yami, dressed in black from his hoodie to his jeans, who walked through the city with his hands in his pockets.
He walked past the food stalls that hissed with the scent of grilled yakitori. The aroma curled around him, but he paid it no mind. He also passed a couple wrapped in a warm embrace, their smiles easy, their voices soft.
"I love you, darling," the woman said, her hand resting on her partner's chest.