The noon sun rested high above the Luminary Kingdom, casting a pale light over the hidden grounds of Squadra Diciotto. From the outside, nothing about the place seemed unusual. It was quiet, almost peaceful, like a facility forgotten by time. But inside, everything moved with purpose, with control, with something far more calculated than ordinary discipline.
Near the outer area, where a few scattered trees gave shade from the heat, Raizen sat cross-legged on the ground, surrounded by a few members and a couple of wandering children who had somehow grown comfortable being near them. He held a stick with a small marshmallow at the tip, slowly roasting it over a controlled flame he had set up himself.
"You're going to burn it again," Turbo said, watching from the side while chewing loudly on something.
Raizen smiled without looking. "No, no… this is timing. You just don't understand art."
Turbo snorted. "That's not art, that's food."
Raizen turned the stick carefully, the marshmallow slowly turning golden. "Exactly. Food is art."
One of the kids leaned closer, eyes shining. "Can I have it?"
Raizen looked at the marshmallow, then at the child, then sighed dramatically. "…I guess I have no choice."
He handed it over.
Turbo raised an eyebrow. "You didn't even eat it."
Raizen shrugged lightly. "It tastes better when someone else enjoys it."
Turbo stared at him for a second, then shook his head. "…You're weird."
Raizen chuckled softly. "You're just jealous."
The others laughed quietly, the tension around them almost nonexistent. It was strange, considering where they were. Members of a group known for experiments and dangerous ambitions, yet here they were acting like ordinary people passing time.
Turbo leaned back, stretching slightly. "…Still don't get it though."
Raizen glanced at him. "What?"
Turbo scratched his head. "Why you act like this. You're part of this place too, you know."
Raizen looked up at the sky again, his smile softer now. "…I know."
"…Then?"
Raizen didn't answer immediately. Instead, he watched the child happily eating the marshmallow, laughing without worry.
"…Because not everything here has to feel cold," he said quietly.
Turbo frowned slightly but didn't push further. "…Still weird."
Raizen laughed again, this time louder. "Yeah, yeah, I get it."
But for a brief second...
His eyes shifted again.
Toward the main facility.
And this time
His smile faded just a little.
Inside the scientist residential building, the atmosphere was completely different.
Cold.
Silent.
Controlled.
Reiju stood alone in the center of the lab, surrounded by glowing instruments and layered diagrams that covered nearly every visible surface. The air hummed faintly with energy, not chaotic like before, but precise. Everything here had a purpose, even the smallest movement.
He held a small device in his hand, watching the faint pulse of energy inside it.
"…Still imperfect."
He placed it down carefully, adjusting something on a nearby console. His movements were sharp, efficient, every action calculated without hesitation.
"…Energy is not meant to remain stable."
His voice echoed softly through the empty room.
"…It evolves through pressure… through breaking… through reconstruction."
He walked slowly across the lab, his eyes scanning the notes pinned across the walls.
"…Humans resist this."
His hand reached out, tracing a line across one of the diagrams.
"…They fear losing themselves."
He stopped.
"…But what is the self… if it cannot change?"
The question lingered in the air, unanswered except by the quiet hum of machinery.
Reiju turned slightly, his reflection faintly visible in the glass of one of the containers.
"…Weakness," he muttered.
He walked toward a larger structure in the center of the room the Energy Extraction Chamber. It stood tall, metallic, with tubes and conduits running along its sides like veins. Inside, the faint residue of previous experiments lingered, flickering unpredictably.
"…You resist… and you break."
He placed his hand against the surface.
"…But when you break correctly…"
His voice lowered.
"…You become something greater."
For a moment, silence returned.
Then-
He laughed.
Not loudly.
But enough to fill the room.
"…They call it madness."
He stepped back, adjusting his gloves again.
"…I call it truth."
His gaze shifted toward the direction of Reishin, far beyond what he could physically see.
"…Shougo…"
His tone sharpened slightly.
"…You always rejected this."
He tilted his head.
"…Let's see if you still do."
Back outside, the light began to shift as afternoon slowly moved toward evening.
Turbo had now somehow managed to get himself stuck trying to lift a crate that was clearly too heavy, his face slightly red as he struggled.
"…Why… is this thing… so heavy…"
Raizen walked over casually, watching him for a moment before placing a hand on the crate.
"…You're lifting it wrong."
Turbo glared. "Then you do it."
Raizen smiled.
"…Okay."
He adjusted his grip slightly-
Then lifted it with far less effort than expected.
Turbo blinked. "…What."
Raizen set it down gently. "Balance."
Turbo stared at him. "…You're annoying."
Raizen laughed again. "You say that a lot."
As the sun began to set, the atmosphere shifted once more.
The laughter grew quieter.
The shadows grew longer.
And from the distance, deep within the facility-
The machines began to hum louder.
Night came slowly, wrapping the area in silence.
Inside the lab, Reiju stood alone once again, the faint glow of the chamber reflecting against his mask.
"…Tomorrow," he said softly.
His hand rested against the cold surface of the machine.
"…We begin again."
Outside, Raizen sat quietly now, no longer laughing, his gaze fixed toward the same building as before.
"…Something's coming," he murmured.
Turbo glanced at him. "…What?"
Raizen didn't answer immediately.
Then...
"…A storm."
And somewhere far away
Moving faster than anything could follow
Shougo was already on his way.