===Charī Kasutoro===

I stumbled out of the theater, shaking my head. The electronic mask clung to my face, the band tight around my shagging hair.

For the five days that I'd been here, I had played a game each day. For three of them, I had been the only survivor. I walked over to the register, grabbing the card I had won: the Seven of Diamonds. Smiling, I added it to my growing collection.

As I grabbed it, I once again caught sight of my forearms, which were littered with scars—a permanent reminder of what I had endured during my second game.

I was about to finally take off the mask I had to wear for tonight's game, when something rumbled in the distance. My ears perked, picking up on the sound, and I dropped my arms. The rumble grew into a roar; it became apparent it was from an engine.

'But... All cars aren't working! Unless...'

I shifted out my feet, walking to the edge of the sidewalk. At that moment, a car flashed by me. I yelped, tumbling backwards onto the ground, a sense of deja vu gripping my mind from when that same occurrence happened the day I arrived at the Borderlands.

'What?' I gawked at the car as it shrunk against the horizon. Dusting off my shorts, I got up and chased after it.

Soon, a light emerged in the distance. 'A light? Is that a venue? But... Why do I hear music coming from there as well?'

The car was lost as it turned and drove, but the hazy light and noise provided a beacon. I was out of breath by the time I was halfway there, but pushed my body the rest of the way. The music was lively; not a concert-level deafening, but the volume you'd expect at a party or dance. I slowed down, taking in the noise. It seemed overwhelming at first, but I soon rejoiced in the prospect of human interaction again—five days in quiet solitude had been quite unbearable.

The chatter now became apparent as well: whooping, splashing, and laughing. Laughing—in a land of death and suffering. How could these people live so joyously when they have to wager their lives every few nights?

The gate came into view, and, after a slight hesitation, I entered. Heads turned towards me.

"Um... Funny little place you guys have here."

"Oh, it's just a teen." Someone nearby said. With that, the attention I had briefly garnered evaporated. However, someone approached me.

"Hi, you just made yourself into the New Beach Order, or the Beach for short. Do you want to join us?"

"Honestly... I'm not sure. I feel a bit overwhelmed."

She smiled. "It's okay, how about I take you over to Erina?"

"Erina?"

"She's the leader of this place, makes sure everyone's doing okay and that things get done."

"Okay, I can talk to her."

"Just hold on a second while I get something real quick." She walked away, and I sat on the concrete ground while I waited. In front of me, crowds of people played in the pool and lingered around it, talking, drinking, and even dancing. She eventually returned with a glass of juice and a small roll. "Here's some berry juice and bread. Feel free to eat while we walk. You must be hungry and thirsty."

I followed her, but didn't yet touch my food. The juice seemed innocent enough; it was a saturated sunset red hue with a few clinking ice cubes and even a paper umbrella. Finally, a woman lounging in a sun bed came into view, surrounded by a few other people. Among them was Niko.

"THREE NEW CARDS!" A woman shouted, grabbing onto a DJ and ruffling his hair.

"Hey! Hey! Gabura, chill out!" He shouted, fighting her grasp.

"What's wrong, Chihaya? Is the Beach executive who's collected nearly a dozen cards afraid of a little water?" With that, she grabbed his waist, and, keeping her grip, dove into the pool.

Chihaya screamed, before bobbing back up, his hair slick and clothing soaked, spitting out a mouthful of water. "Gabura, I'm literally fully fucking dressed right now!"

He took a nearby beach ball in both hands and, swinging his arms fully back, chucked it at Gabura's face.

She ducked, and swam over to the pool edge, grabbing a huge blue water gun. "Oh, you're so dead for doing that!"

"Hey, Erina. This dude wandered in, and he's curious about this place. Are you willing to give him the rundown?"

Erina took off her sunglasses; she had been wearing them even though the sun had long set. "I'd be more than happy too. Thank you, Hashira."

"Cool, see you later." She waved goodbye, and I caught sight of a white ribbon tied to her wrist. I turned, and saw that everyone had either a red ribbon or a white ribbon worn like a bracelet. They each said either management, security, food, maintenance, mechanical, or resources.

The woman named Gabura had put away the water gun and swam to the edge of the pool, resting her arms on the ground. "Hey, Niko," she yelled, her body gently bobbing in the water. "Didn't you say you saw a guy like this in your Six of Diamonds?"

I turned to him, and he paled. "Yup, that's me!" I shouted, proudly pulling out that card.

Chihaya had gotten out of the pool and was now sitting next to Niko. "Wait." He whispered. "The same guy who killed a child?"

Erina frowned for a moment as she looked at the others, but smiled again when she turned to face me. "We are an organization made to collect all the cards: The New Beach Order, or just Beach, for short."

"I don't get why people kill each other." Gabura said, walking out of the pool and drying off her hair. "Especially a child."

"Hey! That was like five days ago, and we were literally the same age! Don't have to keep bringing him up."

"He'll say the kid volunteered to jump but really he just manipulated him." Niko said. "But in the end," he said, facing me, "I guess I can't blame you too much. I don't think you're evil, you probably were just scared. But that aside, how are you holding up?"

"Eh, pretty well. Last night's game seemed a bit directed towards me though."

"Why?" Gabura asked. "What game was it?"

"Ace of Hearts. It kept bringing up stabbing people in the back, and murdering fellow participants, like if the term 'guilt trip' was a game."

"I hope I don't have to go through a game like that, anytime soon at least." She replied. "I hope the same for everyone else, here at the Beach."

"Well this place sounds interesting." I decided. "Mind if I join?"

"Sure." Erina said, sipping her drink. "The more the merrier."

"He'll need to be tested too, right?" Gabura asked.

"Tested?"

"That's true. Why don't you participate in the next game with these guys? This is so we can determine your specialty and skills, and decide if you're worthy of being in any sort of council."

"Council?" In an instant, the Borderlands seemed infinitely more complex; the tsunami of new information made my head spin.

"Yes, there are six." She said. "Management and Security Council make up the executives. There's four others, but you can find out for yourself. I don't want to give you such an overwhelming information dump when you just arrive."

"Alright." I said. "So, are there any rules? Or is this place just anarchy?"

"There are three. One, everyone wears a swimsuit. Or a very simple outfit. This is to prevent concealment of weapons. If you're in the Security Council, you're exempt from this rule, as you're allowed to carry weapons."

"Not the biggest fan of that one, but okay."

"The second is that everyone must hand over any cards they have, but anything else is allowed other than that. Do whatever you wish whilst here."

"Sounds fair."

"Finally, you may leave the Beach anytime you wish. However, if you do something grave, such as attempting to steal the cards, valuable Beach property, or attacking another member, you will be permanently exiled from the Beach."

I nodded. "So... How did this place come to be?"

Chihaya smiled. "Be prepared, Erina loves telling this story."

Erina chuckled. "Yes. It's a very simple story. One day, after a game, I found the burnt ruins of an old hotel. They called themselves the Beach, and were trying to collect every card for they thought it would send all of them home. However, something must've happened to them, since now they've all disappeared. I asked a lot of people if they ever heard of an extinct faction called the Beach, but no one ever did. The group must've died off a long, long time ago.

"And so, I set out to create my own Beach, inspired by the old Beach. It was slow at first, but we've been going almost five weeks now, and I think things are going pretty smoothly."

"Ah. So, collecting every card will send us home?"

Erina smiled. "That's what we believe."

"Speaking of which," Chihaya said, "what cards do you have?"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the stack. "Six of Diamonds, Two of Hearts, Six of Spades, Ace of Hearts, and Seven of Diamonds."

"Wait. Two of Hearts?" Gabura said, pacing over to where I held out my cards. "That's new!"

"This night just got even better!" Chihaya yelled.

"Four new cards, all in one night." Erina said. "We haven't had such great luck in weeks!"

"How many cards left do you guys need? Is there some sort of record you guys keep?"

"Oh yes." Chihaya said. "I'll take you to The Wall–a mural of every card. It's right in the lobby, c'mon."

Chihaya led the way around the pool and into the lobby, with Erina, Gabura, and Niko following behind me. He opened the door for me, and I entered, my feet setting on top of the soft, velvet carpeting.

At the end of the lobby, against two huge pillars that extended several floors, atop an elevated stone podium, was The Wall.

I frowned. "Hmm, so none of you guys have encountered a Face Card yet?"

"Nope, none at all." Gabura said, shaking her head.

"...It is possible that we may need the Face Cards." Erina said. "But they have never been seen before. We will just have to wait until we have all the numbered cards first".

"Wow, that's a lot of cards. But you guys only need seventeen more."

"Thirteen, including all the ones from today." Erina said.

"Three-fourths of the way there." Chihaya said, smiling, sliding his hands into his pocket.

"Progress has been good this week." Erina said. "We got one new card two days ago, which was the Nine of Clubs of all cards. Then four days ago, we made a deal with a curious young man in a white and red hoodie, where he traded a Five of Clubs and Seven of Diamonds for one of our cars."

"WHAT?" I screamed, causing some heads in the lobby to turn towards me. "You guys have working cars?"

Erina nodded. "Yes, we do have some cars. Most of our members in the Mechanics Council know a thing or two about cars, they were able to fix them right up!"

I was in awe, circling my head at the domed ceiling and glistening chandelier. "Wait, you guys have running water too?" I asked, as I caught sight of a bathroom.

Chihaya opened his mouth to speak, but didn't get a chance as I immediately sprinted in, turning on the tap. Clear, cool water ran, and I splashed it over my hands. I ran back out laughing. "This place is so cool? How do you guys do it? How do you guys have power and water and food?"

"Generators. Rainwater and plumbing. Hunting and cultivation." Erina answered. "There's a lot of details about this place, you can discover more the next day."

Chihaya chuckled. "Man's never seen such luxuries before in his life."

"And you'll go into games with a balanced team of specialists, so your chances of survival are higher." Erina stated. "However," she nodded towards Niko, "some Borderlands veterans are fully capable of going into a game alone without a team some days, and that way, we can clear even more games at once. Tomorrow we'll put you into a test game to see how you fare."

"Oh, I get it."

"I see you still haven't touched your drink or bread."

I paused. "Um... Yeah..."

She smiled. "Well, good job. That was your first test—to see how careful you are around people you don't know."

I beamed. "Really? So, this really is safe, right?"

Gabura nodded. "Yeah! Niko is head of the Food Council, everything is a hundred percent not poisoned, trust me!"

With that, I took a sip of the juice. Sweet flavors of wild berry mixed together in my mouth. "Hey, this is pretty good!"

Niko smiled. "Thanks!"

Erina opened her mouth again, but a man approached her and tapped her shoulder. She turned around, and promptly excused herself. "Excuse me for one second, I must speak with someone." She turned and followed that man.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Ryota, Erina's right hand man. Also part of the Management Council." Chihaya answered.

Erina came back a while later, her face slightly sunken. "Unfortunately, I've received word that one of the teams didn't make it back from their game."

Niko sighed. "Who got offed?"

"The artist and politician."

"Right... Saionji." Chihaya muttered. "He will be missed. At least his contributions wouldn't have gone to waste."

"Damn. I liked his paintings." Niko said. "Could do so much with so little color, truly an artist."

"Indeed. We still have some of his paintings hanging, though. Let that be a reminder of his craft and passion." Erina said, taking a brief moment of silence.

"Anyways..." Chihaya said, picking up the conversation again. "I'd really think you'd be a nice addition. I don't think we ever caught your name, though?"

"Charī. Charī Kasutoro."

Chihaya offered my hand, and I returned a hearty handshake. Niko sighed, extending his hand as well. "Yeah mate, welcome to the team. Let's put this bad blood behind us, cool?"

"Sounds good to me!"

"Miss Erina? There was something I forgot to mention." Ryota walked back, slowly injecting himself into the group, something metallic in hand. "One of the game venues tonight was a jeweler. It was a bloodbath, but I recall you saying you were looking for a nice necklace to wear. Well..."

He held out his hand, showing off the necklace he had clutched. Laces of silver were interwoven, surrounding a rectangular cut of blood red diamond, glistening like a star in the night sky. Beads of gold lined the chain; the entire adornment was flawless.

Niko whistled. "That must be worth more than my entire life savings."

Ryota nodded. "Forty million yen."

"Thank you, Ryota. It looks perfect." She took the diamond, her cheeks slightly flushed, and clasped it around her neck.

"So, bloodbath, you say?" Chihaya asked. "Any idea what the game was or its difficulty?"

"The Resource Council scouts said that they observed it was a Nine of Diamonds on the billboard from the parking lot, which flashed on after registration closed. We don't know much else though; it's possible the game may pop up again there since it wasn't beaten."

"Well," Erina said, perking up, "at least now we have a slight sense of what that game may be. Oh, and also," she turned to Ryota. "I've been meaning to ask you—how is Natsuki?"

Ryota sighed. "Her wound is pretty serious, and has developed an infection. However, she is young and strong. She will recover fine."

Erina nodded. "That's good to hear. In the meantime, the deputy will take charge of the Maintenance Council."

"Anyways, it's been a long day." Chihaya said. "Charī, why don't you follow me and I'll take you to a spare room? Generally, the newer people get the first or second floor rooms. The rooms get more luxurious the higher you are."

I nodded. "Okay. Take me away!"

The group dissolved, as I followed Chihaya into my new room. We got into one of the elevators, standing in slight silence only dampened by the faint sound of drifting elevator music, and walked out on the second floor. It was much, much quieter. Compared to the first floor, it was much cozier for sure, seeming more homely than the grand entrance. He walked me to the end of a hall, and through the window I saw that the pool had mostly been emptied. A girl in a swimsuit was herding the few remaining people inside, as a few other people swept the ground, picking up any trash.

Chihaya opened my door with the master key. "Here you are." He said.

I entered my room, taking off my shoes, shocked at the softness of the carpet. "Wow... This is amazing!" There was a bed in the center, the sheets white and inviting. The carpet was a warm gray, and curtains the shade of a soft brown were drawn, lining a vast window to the view outside. There was a couch, which was set across from a television, as well as a table which was in the corner.

I walked into the bathroom, which had gray-blue tiles, a counter, and a spacious shower. "This is... Paradise!" I shouted. "Thank you, Chihaya!"

"You're welcome." He replied. "I reckon this has been a long day for you, so why don't you get some rest, okay? Do some more exploring tomorrow. Also... Are you going to take off that mask?"

"Oh!" I had completely forgotten. "Perhaps later."

He shrugged. "Okay, fair enough. I'll see you around."

I nodded. "Okay, good night, Chihaya."

"Good night, Charī."

After he left the room, I set my drink and bread at the table, and plopped down on my bed, closing my eyes. My figure sunk into the warm bed, and sleep slowly began enveloping my body.

This, I could certainly get used to.

. . .

The Beach's spotlights shone brightly, even after the game lights all flicker out. In a city with no power, it was not an easy place to miss once one was close enough.

In the shadows, four people perched on top of a roof, looking towards the towering hotel. They didn't have any trace of hatred or contempt in their eyes—rather, a sense of curiosity. Calculation. Perhaps, even smugness.

"It appears they accomplished something big tonight." A man spoke, adjusting his glasses.

"Does it matter?" Someone else replied, sharpening a throwing knife. "They're being led on and lied to. Something needs to be done."

A woman with black and white hair stood up. "Eh. They're not our enemies. Not yet, at least. They have hope, but it's a false hope."

The first man got out a pair of binoculars, zooming in as close as it could go. "For now, we just need to focus on our main objective: figure out whatever it is the leader is hiding from everyone. Nothing is ever as it seems in this place, but we're making good progress. If we keep at it, then we'll expose the truth in no time, because we... Are the Maindo faction."

Words: 3203

End of Part 1

===Author's Note===

And there you have it folks, Part 1: Origins, fully complete. I will say, I'm quite happy with how this turned out, especially the later chapters. It was satisfying to read Civil Disobedience, then compare it to Freeze Tag, and see that I've actually managed to improve. In addition, my writing speed was also able to pick up. It took me four months to write the first three games, then only one and a half months to write the latter three games.

Part 1