His eyelids slowly parted. His dark body, dotted with stars, knelt beneath a broken crown. His right hand held his Great Sword, which channeled a barrier that prevented thousands of tons of debris from collapsing on top of them.
In front of his eyes was a small girl with white twin tails, on her knees, her face covered in horror and tears.
As the dust settled, she finally looked at him with wide and blurry eyes.
He looked into her red eyes and spoke with a deep and scarred voice,
"I can feel the burn of hatred in your heart, child."
"Tell me… What is it that you seek?"
"...Revenge," she replied with a shaky breath.
His free hand slowly clenched into a fist before it loosened again. He extended it towards her and opened his hand.
She briefly paused before reaching out her right hand.
And as she placed her palm on his, the memory shattered.
Everything went static.
Zen's eyes snapped open, his breathing uneven. He sat up, palming his face, his body covered in sweat even in a room with a controlled temperature.
Shiori was sitting on the chair by his bed.
"Nightmare?"
Zen clutched his heavy head.
"No. I… can't explain. I'm okay, though."
"Have I gotten permission to leave yet?"
Shiori nodded.
"You're stable now. Though I recommend resting for another two days."
"It's getting tiring down here. I want to head back to my dorm and take a shower."
"Besides…" He took a deep breath and exhaled through his mouth.
"There's someone I need to pay a visit to."
Shiori stood up.
"Very well. I will get lunch for you before you leave."
"Also, Instructor Sayuri Harukaze wanted to speak with you once you woke up. Shall I inform her?"
Zen pushed the blanket off and swung his legs to sit at the edge of the bed.
"Go ahead."
His eyes landed on his gear housing unit and the spare academy uniform neatly folded on the couch. "Finn's doing?"
"Yes," Shiori replied with a subtle smile.
"He had a feeling you wouldn't like to stay here any further. He knows you well."
Zen returned her smile just as subtly.
"He sure does. I'll get changed."
Shiori approached and opened the door. "I will go inform her."
She stepped out, letting the door swing closed.
Zen watched her leave and sat there for another moment before getting up. He took a step towards the couch.
Pain hit his head like a sonic boom, making his ears ring. He groaned, eyes closed, swaying and clutching his head.
When he opened his eyes, everything around him was no longer the same.
The sky was red, and the houses around were in ruins and burning. Screams echoed everywhere as people ran for their lives.
He looked around with wide eyes until they landed on the large building behind him. It was leaning towards him. It was… falling. "Why… can't I… move?!"
He shut his eyes, bracing for impact. But as seconds went by… nothing. His eyes opened again, and he was back, just as abruptly as it started. He took a step back and sat down on the bed. He could move again. He could hear his heart pounding. His own breathing felt too loud.
"Was that…" He looked at his bandaged left hand. His right hand moved to peel the bandage just enough to take a peek.
The lines in his arm had a faint purple mixed with their respective colors. And they were glowing brighter than usual.
He sat there and waited for the pain in his head to fade. It did after a few minutes. He wrapped the bandage back in its place, for now, sealing the cracks. His heart rate slowly returned to normal. So did his posture. But he didn't move to get changed.
The door pushed open soon after. Madoka entered. "Preparing to leave already? Thought it would take you more than just four days to heal up."
Zen gave her a side eye.
"You want me to stay bedridden for another few days?"
She stopped in front of the bed, hands on her hips.
"As long as it keeps you out of more trouble."
He remained quiet, eyes shifting to the polished floor.
Madoka raised an eyebrow at his lack of response.
"I was joking, obviously."
He palmed his face. Still no response.
She tilted her head, studying the part of his face still visible to her.
The door swung open again. Sayuri entered.
Madoka shifted to a more formal posture.
Sayuri stopped beside Madoka, arms crossed, eyes on Zen.
"How are you feeling?"
"...Slightly dizzy. Shouldn't be a problem," he replied and swiftly shifted his face to his usual self. "Any investigation reports?"
Sayuri and Madoka briefly exchanged a knowing look.
"Not finalized yet," Sayuri said. "And I don't have time to explain theories, so I'll get to the point. Shiori will be staying here as your caretaker."
Zen sighed. "Why do we need to burden her further? Just because she can tolerate healing me doesn't mean it's completely safe for her."
Madoka crossed her arms. "She had the freedom to decline. She chose to stay, actually. And she's also going to be paid for her service."
"You don't have a say in this anymore, Zen," Sayuri added.
"After everything that happened, we can't take any more chances."
"Besides, the Elite Operatives Initiative will take place once the tournaments are over. Good healers are getting rarer to find nowadays, and an S-rank healer like Shiori can play a very important role in a team."
"And, what cover story are we using for the people who already hate me for my social connections with some of the most elite students of the academy?"
"That you have a rare chronic condition which requires a specific kind of healer. Simply the truth," she replied.
He didn't argue further.
"Understood."
Sayuri nodded. "Good. I'll be off now."
She paused one last time at the door right as she opened it.
"And remember—for someone literally keeping you alive, treat her with the respect she deserves."
"You know I will," he replied.
Sayuri left.
Madoka turned to Zen.
"…You haven't recovered fully, have you?"
"I'm fine."
"You're lying."
"Perhaps I am. I'll explain later."
Madoka stared at him for a moment, then sighed.
"Fine."
At the training ground gear hangers, academy engineers were busy repairing all the gears damaged in the chaos four days ago.
Alex stood leaning against the wall, out of their earshot.
"How is this even possible?"
"It's like my childhood fantasies of controlling multiple elements," Max said, standing beside Alex.
"Me too!" Viara chimed in with a small laugh.
"But as I grew up, reality made it clear. It almost feels weird thinking someone can do that."
Max tilted his head, eyes on the floor.
"Who could this person be?"
Viara looked at Cassie with a nervous smile.
Cassie shrugged.
"I can only wonder."
"You're not the only one who finds it hard to grasp," Kyoya said as he approached.
"Even my own friends think I've lost my mind. But I'm not the only one who saw it."
"How are you doing, by the way?" Cassie asked softly.
"Not good, honestly," Kyoya replied, clutching his head.
"I might forfeit the tournament. The past few days have been a lot to process."
"Four of our guards died in the incident. We held a small funeral at the hospital before their bodies were taken away back to Ignisar."
Viara's eyes shifted to the ground. Just the thought of it made her skin shiver.
Max's grip tightened behind his back.
"Man…"
Cassie remained silent for a moment—then crossed her arms, face turning serious. "I'll make sure they are remembered as heroes by our people. A memorial is the least we can do for their sacrifice."
Kyoya gave her an exhausted smile and a single nod.
"Thanks."
Cassie nodded back.
Saya arrived, holding a tablet in her right hand. "Your gears should be repaired in three days. After the citywide chaos, the tournament is at least ten days away."
Alex straightened up.
"Sounds good."
Cassie gestured at the empty training fields.
"Can I speak to you for a second?"
Saya nodded.
"Sure."
She followed behind Cassie.
Viara watched them leave and turned to the others.
"Have any of you had lunch yet? Or maybe we can grab some drinks to lighten the mood?"
Cassie and Saya walked towards a tree at a leisurely pace.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Saya asked.
"About those two we fought in the courtyard," Cassie replied.
"Who were they? And what were they looking for in room 407?"
Saya thought for a second, choosing her words carefully.
"Have you heard of The Rebellion?"
"The terrorist organization that wants to overthrow the WML? Are you saying those two were from The Rebellion?"
"Yeah…"
"And, what did they want from our academy?"
"We don't know, actually. Room four-o-seven is a research lab—well, it was before they blew it up. It had two administrator consoles. They used a console to sneak in custom malware that quietly mapped the system without triggering any alarms. They even managed to extract some data, but the logs were wiped so we don't know what they could've possibly stolen."
Cassie blinked.
"That's really bad."
"It is," Saya said, expression tight. "If we knew what was stolen, we could've taken countermeasures. We can't even react accordingly at this moment."
Once they both stopped under the tree, Saya turned to Cassie. "Now that you know someone out there is targeting you and your cousins, are you going to head back to Ignisar?"
"No," Cassie replied without hesitation.
"I'm not letting anything ruin my dreams without putting up a fight."
"And what about the Solheim family? They aren't worried about your safety?"
"I don't plan to inform them," Cassie said, looking up at the sun through the tiny cracks in the dense leaves. "All they know is that the academy was invaded and the three heirs fought bravely against the invaders. That's only a partial truth, but it boosts their confidence in us."
She pointed her right hand towards the light seeping through the cracks and closed it into a fist as if trying to capture it in her palms. "The greatest Warriors in the world face threats a hundred times more dangerous than a group of street thugs trying to kidnap them. If I want to make it there, I can't let something like this hold me back."
Saya blinked, surprised. Then her face broke out into a confident smile.
"Admirable determination."
She extended her right hand. "Well then, I wish you the best of luck in your journey. And if you need help with anything, allow me to lend you a hand."
Cassie paused, taking a moment to regain her posture. She took a step closer and reached out.
"Thank you. I will take all the help I can get."
They shook hands with equally confident grins and a nod of acknowledgement, closing the deal.
The sun had long set. The sky had darkened. A full moon took over the skies, shining its rays on a city that usually didn't sleep but was dimmer tonight.
Most civilians stayed in their homes as armed forces patrolled the streets, hunting the remaining criminals who had fled. An active investigation was also underway at the city sports stadium on the destruction of the field, which was obviously done by two elementals clashing head-on.
The old industrial zone was the quietest, streets and buildings lit only by the moonlight.
But beneath the abandoned warehouse, a mini projector lit the wall with a digital map of the Nexus Pentagon, highlighting certain spots on each island with a red dot.
Kageri sat on a chair, legs crossed, cleaning the blade of her katana.
"Get rid of the useless locations."
Hector's fingers moved on his laptop's keyboard.
"Medical, gear manufacturing, training, archive and personnel facilities…"
"We can rule those out."
A few dots disappeared, leaving only four remaining.
"Two of these are elemental research facilities. The other two study null."
Andreas's eyes narrowed.
"One of them is located at the central hub."
"That one is our best bet," Kageri said.
"But we can't put all our eggs in one basket. All of them run designated human experiments."
"We'll have to check all of them without triggering any alarms."
She turned to Hector.
"Let's have a look at the schematics."
Hector worked on his laptop to find them. "The extraction managed two and a half, unfortunately. Looks like we'll have to… improvise."
In the darkest civilian zone of the city, the moonlight drew almost every pair of eyes. But only a single pair of red eyes had the patience to stare at it for hours and reminisce about the moment that changed the course of her life.
She sat on the railing of the tallest building around, letting the endless stream of wind sing in her ears and caress her white twin-tails.
Her right hand clutched the left side of her waist. It had once again begun to hurt a little. It was never going to stay dormant for more than a day or two.
She closed her eyes, hoping that the moment of quiet would overwhelm the pain, until her senses flared.
Her eyes snapped open. She instantly looked behind.
"What…? When did you…?"
There he was, standing in silence, hands in his pockets, respecting the quiet—no gear on—just his tracksuit with a hooded face.
He took slow steps forward.
"Quite unusual of you to be caught off guard."
She frowned and turned back away.
He stopped beside her and leaned on the railing.
"These are unusual times, I guess."
"What do you want?" she asked, blushing and avoiding eye contact.
"Me? Just here to chat."
She pouted.
"That's my line."
"It was."
Her heart told her to go silent. She did, and a moment of stillness settled where only the flowing cold air didn't obey the rules.
"I think… I finally understand…" He straightened up, resting his hands on the railing. "...why you don't want to give it up even if it's consuming you."
She didn't get the courage to look at him, nor did she get the courage to speak.
His gaze slowly shifted to her.
"You don't have to be embarrassed. I know you didn't mean everything you said."
Still no response.
He didn't push further and looked up at the moon past the faint dark clouds.
She could hear her own heart pound.
"I meant every word, baka."
Thankfully, her heartbeat and her thoughts didn't reach his ears.
She looked up too, mirroring him. Up at the bright full moon beneath which a civilization thrived tonight.
Though, for a moment, she could almost see it. The city that had turned into a sea of concrete and dead bodies. And in front of the moon, two Nulls were tearing through the dark sky as they charged at each other. The version of herself that had claimed a pair of twin swords through her disdain for those who caused unjust genocide, charging at a Null that was about to be her first blood.