The air above them shifted. At first, it was light, a strange pressure brushing against their skin. But it grew rapidly. Heavier. Heavier still. It felt as though the sky itself was collapsing inside their heads.
Thud.
Kaien dropped to his knees. Dren followed. Syra followed. Then Nareen. One by one, their knees struck the ground. An unseen force crushed down on them. The atmosphere thickened.
Every breath felt like pulling air through stone. Their lungs refused to fill. Their muscles refused to move. They gasped, but nothing came.
Then—
BOOM!
A golden light erupted high above them, filling the room. The brilliance was blinding, as though the sun itself had exploded indoors. Golden radiance pierced the darkness, flooding every corner.
Then came a wave of power, silent, yet violent. It swept through their minds like invisible lightning. Their bones locked. Their muscles froze. Even their eyelids refused to blink. They weren't merely kneeling anymore. They had become statues.
Madara remained seated on the chair, watching with an overwhelming, commanding presence. Slowly, he raised his left arm, as though time itself had slowed, and rested it gently on the armrest.
"I would've loved to send you all at once against my enemy," he said, his voice smooth as velvet. "But my prey has hidden his signal. That means you'll have to search on your own."
He studied them, not with cruelty, but with the curiosity of a scientist observing an experiment. Their faces twisted with terror. Eyes wide. Foreheads tense. Mouths parted, desperate to scream. Yet they remained completely still. Their bodies were frozen. Their minds were breaking beneath what he had done. Panic thundered inside them.
"You feel helpless," Madara said, scanning each of them. "I can hear it. Your thoughts are loud."
He chuckled softly.
"As I said, you are weak against my prey, and I need him immediately."
He allowed the silence to linger.
"But don't be offended," he added. "I only use Neurocrush on people I have no interest in fighting."
He leaned forward slightly.
"But for you... I need it for something far greater."
NEUROCRUSH.
An ability that appears to be mind control, but isn't. It opens the victim's mind to the belief that they are being controlled, then allows them to search for a way to break free. Eventually, they will. But that is where the true trap begin. The moment they believed they have escaped... Neurocrush tightens its grip.
It quietly rewrote reality itself. Whatever it shows, becomes truth. Whatever they hear, become reality. Every thought they believed was their own... was simply another part of Madara's design.
He pointed toward them.
"I see your will to fight. I admire it. So I offer you something greater than this life."
He leaned forward.
"I offer belief. Neurocrush allows me to rewire fear into confidence... weakness into strength. Every flaw you possess can become your greatest weapon."
He rested an elbow against the armrest. This was different. Instead of allowing them to discover the belief themselves after breaking free... He implanted it directly. It was Madara's faster method. A shortcut. One that would make them twice as strong as the normal Neurocrush process. Strong enough... to stand a chance against Yamato.
His golden eyes swept across them.
"Nareen... you will receive an endless supply of my energy. As much as you require... you shall have."
They couldn't move. But every word branded itself into their minds.
"Kaien... inherit my destructive nature. Master it."
A brief pause.
"Dren. Syra. You will receive my adaptation and learning permit. Use it well. You'll face Divine Kings and Vessels. If they protect my prey... Kill them all."
Suddenly, his eyes blazed gold once more. The crushing pressure returned.
"From this moment onward... You will know everything... and still know nothing. Until I obtain what I seek."
He rose slowly. The floor cracked beneath his feet.
"None shall run, even if being overpowered."
His voice was quiet. Yet it rolled like thunder.
"If you do..."
His golden eyes flared brighter.
"You will understand why I stand as the wall between the next war."
His words buried themselves deep inside their minds. Their thoughts screamed. They wanted to fight. To crawl. To resist. Nothing obeyed.
Then—
Click.
As though a switch had been flipped... the pressure vanished.
"Gah!"
Air rushed back into their lungs. One after another, they gasped violently, coughing as oxygen filled their chests. Fingers twitched. Eyes blinked. Shoulders slumped. Their faces held awe. Confusion. And something new. Power.
Kaien spoke first, his voice trembling.
"D-Does this mean... you've accepted us? ...that we're strong enough to follow your command?"
Madara smiled. Softly. Chillingly.
"Yes. You may call me... Madara."
He turned, standing tall as he walked toward the exit.
"But power... must be tested."
A deep rumble shook the building. This time, however... it wasn't fear. It felt like balance returning. The suffocating atmosphere cleared. Outside, the dark sky faded back into a calm blue, as though nothing had ever happened.
Madara stepped out of the castle. The four followed behind him. Then they saw it. Shock. Confusion. Disbelief. The continent had changed. What had once been a vast landmass now resembled an island barely clinging to existence. Massive cracks stretched across the earth. Villages. Towns. Markets.
Entire districts had sunk beneath the sea. Visible trees leaned dangerously, ready to collapse.
Madara stood with his hands behind his back, calmly surveying the devastation.
"This land... is no longer what it was. A mere burst of power pushed an entire continent beneath the sea."
He pointed ahead.
"Dren."
Dren looked up immediately.
"You were the weakest. Let's see what you can do. Raise part of the land from the water."
Dren stepped forward. He planted his feet firmly, bent his knees. Pulled both arms inward, as though gripping invisible chains buried beneath the ocean floor. Then... he pulled.
RRRRRUMBLE!!
The earth shook violently. Deep beneath the sea, enormous fractures burst open. The submerged land slowly rose. Broken earth climbed toward the sky, forming new islands. Dren's entire body trembled. Sweat poured from his face.
Blood streamed from his nose. His knees buckled. A leg snapped. Several ribs cracked. Yet he never screamed. He never stopped. Inside his mind, only one thought echoed endlessly.
I am stronger.
Madara watched him calmly.
"I said part... not the entire continent."
Dren barely managed to stand. Every bone in his body screamed in agony. Yet he continued walking. The others noticed his condition. But Neurocrush had already rewritten their perception. They no longer saw injuries. Only overexertion. To them... this was normal.
Madara gave a small nod. Approval hidden beneath his calm expression.
"Good."
As the land finally settled... something unexpected appeared. Behind the newly risen earth... caves. LOUNGE had never possessed caves before. These were different. Dark. Deep. Unnatural. Massive openings leading into the earth itself.
Madara narrowed his eyes.
"Interesting... An underwater biological fusion."
---
Far away... on ROKYE. The academy.
The sun had only begun to rise. Soft orange light spread across the rooftops and trees. Two students stood at the academy gates, bags resting on their shoulders.
Ichiha and Chella.
Chella stood at the front as the morning breeze brushed against her face. Her hair was now shorter, neatly framing her cheeks. She wore shorts and a fitted shirt that showed her curves. Simple. Comfortable. Ready.
Behind her, Ichiha stood quietly. The sunlight reached his eyes. He raised a hand to shield them. Then he noticed her. His face reddened.
"Chella... Why the change of clothes?"
She laughed.
"We're heading somewhere unknown. And looking like a proper lady might actually be useful."
Ichiha scratched the back of his head.
"I mean... Shorts... a fitted shirt... and that haircut... You look... wow."
He was genuinely stunned by how different she looked. Chella smirked.
"Shut up."
The two laughed together. Whatever awaited them, darkness or light. Peace or danger. Known... or unknown... They were ready. Together.