[Oakland High, Havok, Piasu, Ryomania, May 6th, Tuesday, 12:55 AM, 2025]
The wind howled in the distance as my consciousness returned. I didn't open my eyes yet, but I slowly pushed myself up.
My body was covered in bruises—and what felt like blood.
My shirt felt torn and there were bubble-sized holes in my pants too.
My head was aching terribly, I felt the rising sun on my forehead as a bead of sweat rolled down onto the tip of my nose.
A few hours must've passed.
James Karawei: "What the— No... no way!"
I opened my eyes to find the entire schoolyard shattered, reduced to rubble by the power of the man hovering 10 meters above me, humming a tune. My smirk faded into disbelief.
I felt strange seeing everything, the corpses of students and teachers alike. Everything was very quiet, except for the wind.
And Keito humming.
I was starting to feel even angrier.
I rose to my feet, brushing off dirt and debris. My legs felt like jelly, but I forced myself to stand.
Around me, the school was now in ruins, the roses had overtaken every last piece of rubble. There were giant holes everywhere.
And the entire left-hand side of the school caved inwards, toppling the building.
The odor coming from the corpses was potent, it surely woke me up.
Up ahead I even saw Sakura's corpse...
She was missing both her head and her left arm.
The air reeked of copper and roses—sweet and rotten, like a funeral parlor drenched in syrup.
The smell—let alone the sight made me almost puke right there and then.
Jack laid on the ground a few feet away from me, unconscious, just beyond where Cathy stirred, slowly coming back to life.
To my right, Jasmine Olson was still alive—barely—her arm missing but her spirit unbroken. She was bleeding heavily from it, the lower half of her now torn bee shirt was covering it.
She kept grinning. They must've been fighting while I was still knocked out.
Jasmine Olson: "You're awake?! Good! D-don't worry, Jamie! There'll be a time for funerals later. We've got to keep fighting back. He destroyed our school. Who cares about the authorities? They're not coming. We're on our own now—consequences be damned! Will you help me Jamie~?"
Her remaining hand trembled, the gun slick with sweat and blood. Every breath looked like it carved fire through her ribs—yet somehow, she still wore that stupid, unshakable grin.
I reached out, my hand resting on her shoulder. I wanted to speak, to say something—anything—but the words wouldn't come out.
My throat felt tight, my chest heavy. After taking a deep breath I answered.
James Karawei: "Jasmine... you're insane. You're missing an arm, and you're still grinning like this is some kind of game!"
Jasmine Olson: "Oh, come on, Jamie! When life gives you lemons, you shoot the lemon-giving bastard in the face! Now, are you gonna help me or what?"
I looked up at Keito, he was lounging on his little rose platform, eyes closed, presumably sleeping.
It was now stained with blood. A few stray intestines were hanging off of the side.
Nobody but me seemed to notice.
I took the gun from her without a second thought, unloading it at the man above me. The bullets popped against a giant bubble that was around him, this one was more resistant than the other smaller bubbles, each bullet bouncing off of it.
Keito got up from the platform and peered down at us from the edge of it.
Keito Nakamura: "It's not nice to interrupt a man while he's asleep James. I was getting worried. Waiting for you to wake up, so I can stop playing with these foolish kids."
He jumped off the platform as the vines fell down with him.
Keito halted his fall, creating another bubble from the rose on his right hand. It burst with a shockwave, knocking us all backwards a few feet.
I managed to grab onto Jasmine as my back hit some rubble, sending a shock of pain through my spine that made my back arch.
James Karawei: "AH! You—"
I shot at him again from shock. The gun was empty, so I chucked it at him.
It bounced off of his bubble shield.
Keito Nakamura: "Woah there! You must be feeling a little frustrated, huh? You should calm down."
He held his hands below his waist, clasped together.
I rose immediately, actual fury bubbling inside me for the first time in years.
Before I could move, Jasmine charged at him, swinging a broken metal pipe she had yanked from the wreckage of the downstairs bathroom. Which she had tucked on her back.
Jasmine Olson: "JUST LEAVE US ALONE!" She yelled as she swung wildly at him.
She attacked with everything she had—but it was futile.
The bubble around Keito vanished and he kicked her in the shin, effortlessly disarming her mid-swing.
James Karawei: "Jasmine! Keito— What the heck is wrong with you? Why have you done any of this?"
My voice remained eerily calm despite the fire now burning inside me. My heart pounded, my chest tight.
I looked around at the destruction he had wrought.
Keito Nakamura, the so-called "White Rose," had killed over 263 students, 54 teachers, the school principal and injured countless others in a matter of a few hours.
Likely with more than one attack...
Nobody was coming to help after all.
I could still smell the blood, the scent of death lingering in the air. The last few screaming students must've gotten strangled by vines.
James Karawei: "What. Do. You. Want?" I stepped towards him and Jasmine, who laid there on the ground, utterly exhausted.
Keito Nakamura: "You, my dear boy, or this girl... Jasmine, was it? She's intriguing. The Boss wants either one of you."
James Karawei: "But why? Why me? Why her?"
I pointed at Jasmine, now unconscious.
Keito chuckled and stretched out his hands, a bunch of roses grew from his arms and vines came from them that encased Jasmine in some sort of prison made of the same white thorny vines.
She was alive, for now. But for how long?
James Karawei: "Why? Are you going to torture us and kill us? Who's The Boss? Why—"
My voice faltered as pain surged in my chest. I sank to my knees, gasping for air. I was exhausted after everything.
James Karawei: "Why did you turn everything upside down... my life... you—You aren't thinking straight. I refuse to believe this! That glow in your eyes isn't yours, is it?!"
For a moment, Keito's eyes flickered with shock. The red glow in his irises deepened, a haze settling over his face. Then, it disappeared as quickly as it came.
Keito Nakamura: "Ha... kill you? Never."
He grinned and stepped forwards, putting his hands in his pockets.
Keito Nakamura: "The Boss doesn't want to kill you—he wants to remake you. Like he did to me. He needs you, I don't know what for but I know it's important."
He knelt beside the prison, looking at Jasmine with twisted interest.
Keito Nakamura: "My dear boy, you're not like the others. A lot of people aren't these days..." He glanced over at me, smirking.
James Karawei: "You definitely aren't! You're the craziest person I've met so far! And I've seen some crazy people..."
Keito scoffed and took his arms out of his pockets, coming closer to me.
We were now face to face, the only reason I hadn't punched him was because I felt weak.
And I was scared of what he'd do to Jasmine.
Keito Nakamura: "Oh how childish. I mean come on James, your sister, she volunteered for this. Why won't you?"
He stood, gesturing grandly with his hands. Not even letting me process that I have a sister... The thought went past me anyway.
I was seeing red.
Keito Nakamura: "You see, everyone is born with great potential. A holiness... It exists, James. So many things you don't know about the world exist. But you will. Soon enough. I'm here to help you, to... awaken you."
I took a step back, still reeling. This man was insane—there was no question about it now. But somehow, I couldn't tear myself away from his words.
James Karawei: "What are you talking about—holiness? You're a maniac! You've killed my classmates! The teachers, everyone! You've destroyed everything!"
Keito pulled a vial from his pocket, filled with a swirling, rainbow-colored liquid. He twirled it in his fingers, then held it up for me to see.
Keito Nakamura: "This serum, made by The Syndicate, activates the potential of a person—not their genetics. I don't know its origins. I was told it's ancient... But I wouldn't worry about that. You don't need to know too much to become like me James."
James Karawei: "Why would I want to become like you? You monster!"
He chuckled, uncrossing his arms and stretching them outward.
Keito Nakamura: "I am not a monster, but an Ultra-Human, James. One of the chosen few to have their powers awakened. I possess a holiness—An ability that comes from the soul, not just the body. I too was once like you James, but I awakened my ability naturally... But you wouldn't understand, would you? No. You're just a foolish boy. The Boss gave me this, and with it, you can be awakened! You can be purified without suffering, cleansed without the bloodshed! A Masterpiece!"
James Karawei: "There's already been a bloodbath here. I don't want it. I don't care. Leave us alone!"
The anger I felt swirled inside me, and I wasn't the only one feeling it. Cathy, still unconscious, was beginning to stir.
She had been listening.
And now? She was fully awake.
Cathy Ariston: "YOU DAMN BASTARD, I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
Cathy rushed forwards from a pile of rubble, with a burst of speed, tackling Keito from behind. In the struggle, she shattered the vial, its contents spilling onto her skin.
Keito regained his balance, kicking her away with such force that sent her flying back. But something was different.
James Karawei: "CATHY!! NO!"
I reached out, but it was too late. As she soared through the air, a violet aura suddenly fizzled in out of nowhere and surrounded her body, a shimmering forcefield that clung to her like a second skin.
Her veins burned violet—like her blood had been replaced with the strange liquid. The pieces of rubble underneath her were suddenly repelled away at great speeds, almost hitting Keito in the head.
He narrowly ducked as his tophat was knocked over, he looked shocked. She began hovering, her feet were no longer touching the ground.
Her eyes widened.
Cathy Ariston: "What the hell is this?! What did you do?! Bastard!"
She struggled against the force that kept her aloft, spinning to face Keito. Her eyes burned with a cold, unrelenting fury.
She didn't look injured anymore, nor dizzy, and a new strange energy was coursing through her.
Keito Nakamura: "No... this wasn't supposed to happen! This wasn't meant for YOU! What are you... No... you have a Divinity?"
He stumbled backward, clutching his head as the glow in his eyes intensified. Something was controlling him.
Keito Nakamura: "No... what have I done? This wasn't supposed to happen! I'm sorry—Boss!"
Cathy, now floating above the ground, seemed to have gained a little control of her new power.
She spun, hovering defiantly before Keito, her rage palpable.
The veins pulsing on her skin seemed to dissipate, looking normal again.
Keito Nakamura: "How foolish of me! Instead of awakening James... I've triggered something far greater. Cathy Ariston... You, my dear, have something way different than a Holiness! You are now officially awakened... Haha..."
He laughed, a twisted, perverse sound. I could barely hear it over the sound of wind rushing past us as Cathy hovered in front of him, ready to tear him apart.
Keito Nakamura: "You're the Divinity Of Gravity! How perfect!~"
Cathy Ariston: "Divinity? That doesn't matter me right now! I'm damn pissed, and I do NOT want to be 'The Queen of Gravity' or whatever the hell this is! You'd better fix this, soap bar, or I swear I'll make you regret it! You'll pay us back every single drop of blood!"
With newfound rage and power, Cathy launched herself at him, her body moving with the force of a hurricane.
She was ready to kill him.
And for the first time in a long while, I felt it too—pure, unrelenting anger. The kind of anger that burned through my chest and turned my entire being into a weapon.
This definitely was an awakening, for both of us.