Yamikuro and his friends headed out just as the sun was slipping behind the rooftops, painting the streets in faint orange.
Nobody said much at first. They didn't need to. Each of them was carrying their own reasons, their own baggage.
Kaminari broke the silence first.
"We have to do this," he muttered, his voice rougher than usual. Yamikuro had heard him sound confident plenty of times before, but this wasn't that. This was something closer to a vow.
Isabella walked a little closer to him, nodding once.
"We can't let someone who used his daughter walk around freely."
Her words hung heavy in the air. None of them argued, but it wasn't like any of them could.
That was when Yamikuro felt as if they were being watched.
And he wasn't wrong.
A man stood balanced on the roof above them, his cloak hanging loosely at his side. His thick curly hair spilled out from beneath a bandana, and his short beard made him look older than he probably was.
His narrow eyes were fixed on the group like he was counting pieces on a board. Nobody liked where this was going.
"One... Two.. Three... Four... Five."
He spoke as if he had all the time in the world, but his gaze sharpened with each number. When he reached six, his eyes lingered on Yamikuro.
The next moment, he dropped down in front of them without a sound.
They stopped in their tracks. Even Kaminari flinched a little.
That was the man they had encountered in the diner. Kaminari had already forgotten his name, but his appearance was unmistakable.
A strong scent of cigarettes flew over the group's head.
The man didn't posture or threaten. He just studied them with that same serious expression.
"The six of you kids are planning on taking down Lucian by yourselves?"
His voice was deeper than the group imagined.
Yamikuro stepped forward before anyone else could answer.
"We are." His voice came out steadier than he expected.
For a second, Yamikuro thought he might laugh at him. Instead, his posture seemed more relaxed and less stiff.
"I'm Urashin Kari," he said, locking eyes with Yamikuro. His gaze didn't waver. "...And you can't possibly think of defeating him by being as weak as you are."
Yamikuro knew that better than anyone; after all, he wasn't strong enough to protect the students. He was especially weak emotionally, standing frozen before Elara Daichi, who pointed a gun at his face.
Yamikuro's fingers curled into a fist; everything he once stood for was gone. He didn't know if he could even trust himself. That's why he wanted to get over this quickly and kill Lucian Daichi.
"We're going... I'm sorry, Urashin." Yamikuro stared him in the eyes.
Urashin didn't react; it was almost as if he expected an answer like that. However, he took another look at everyone behind Yamikuro once again.
"Fine then. I'll show you just how weak you are." Urashin lightly stretched his shoulders.
Yamikuro took a confident step forward, almost like he didn't think the situation through. Others noticed Yamikuro wasn't acting like himself. The death and betrayal hit Yamikuro harder than anyone else.
The gravel beneath Urashin dusted into the air, almost like a force pushed it away from itself. Urashin disappeared, leaving behind a slight afterimage.
Yamikuro didn't catch that it was an afterimage and not Urashin himself, nor did anyone else, except for Rye, who had just been observing Yamikuro and Urashin.
If Rye wanted to, he could've intervened and possibly allowed the group to get past Urashin.
Once Yamikuro caught onto the fact that it was an afterimage, with Urashin disappearing a second prior, he froze. Not just from the pain, but because it reminded him, again, of how powerless he was when Elara aimed that gun at him. His chest burned with more than just Urashin's punch.
"Gahh!" Yamikuro groaned suddenly.
Urashin appeared behind Yamikuro, facing the group, his expression remaining the same.
Yamikuro fell to the ground, holding his stomach.
No one caught what Urashin did; he seemed to be using the same technique Rye had been using, by disappearing and reappearing to attack. Although Rye didn't leave behind an afterimage and his actions were instant.
Yamikuro struggled to breathe, his breaths being short and coming in bursts.
Isabella took a step forward, but Urashin slightly raised his arm to stop her.
"He's fine, it's only a temporary reaction to my punch."
"How did you do that just now?" Cedar asked out of intrigue.
"Shintai... It's a physical-based attack, allowing people to use this incredible speed to get a surprise attack on their opponents, though I'm not that skilled with it. But you can imagine the gap between you and Lucian, who has specialized in physical attacks."
For someone so full of mystery and possible danger, he seemed to take on a mentor role in that moment. Kaminari, being already broken, lashed out from the confusion.
"What do you want from us?!" Kaminari swung his hand, "Who are you?!"
"I want you to take down Lucian and his gang."
His straightforward words cut through everyone's minds. Urashin was clearly more powerful than all of them combined, so why did he want their help?
Rye didn't say anything, but raised an eyebrow with his tombstone-like teeth being visible.
Rye's silence wasn't empty; it was calculating, as if he was weighing Urashin against something only he understood.
"...You want us to defeat Lucian?" Isabella asked.
Deia felt anxious hearing those words; she was the least confident out of everyone in this group.
"This group is quite interesting. You have Isabella, one of the last survivors of the Emberveil clan, Cedar from the Geiya clan, Kaminari from the Indy family, and Yamikuro from the Asaki family..." Urashin said until his eyes met with Deia and Rye in the back, "I'm not familiar with you two."
Urashin seemed to know about them and their past. For someone encountering them practically for the first time, he knew too much.
Everyone went silent. Urashin had probably expected Deia and Rye to introduce themselves, but they didn't. Deia's eyes were glued away from Urashin's presence, while Rye observed him.
"...How much do you know about Lucian's gang?" Urashin unexpectedly asked, breaking the awkward silence.
The group didn't know how to respond at first, and they kept looking at each other. But Isabella was the one to speak up.
"We don't know anything."
When Isabella said that, courage, along with intrigue, flowed through Cedar as well.
"Lucian has a gang? But why would a world leader need something like that?"
"Lucian Daichi lives two lives, one as a proud world leader, and the other as a criminal." Urashin started, and his voice carried hate.
"Two lives...?" Deia asked aloud.
"Lucian's motives are complicated, but the safest bet would be to guess he wanted money, considering he charges people for dirty jobs. With his gang made of Graceless, he murders Resonants, captures them, and much more. The stuff he can't do as a world leader."
"The hell...?" Kaminari added, thinking about what Lucian could've done.
But an idea struck Kaminari; he remembered his encounter with Yamikuro, where together they fought Lucian and a guy whose name he had forgotten.
The man was using red powers, meaning he was a Resonant.
Lucian appeared next to Jacinto, and they stood against the wounded Kaminari and Yamikuro, whose power was useless.
"Who are you?" Lucian asked.
Jacinto smirked.
"Resonant filth like that deserves to die for opposing the government."
Lucian was amused. "Fine then, work alongside me for now."
Why would someone like Lucian have worked with a Resonant, considering how much he hated them? That was the question Kaminari was stuck on.
"Is everything okay?" Isabella tapped on Kaminari's head, noticing him completely zoned out.
It was rare for Kaminari to do that; his mind typically hopped from one thought to another without stopping on one.
"There was a Resonant that worked with Lucian to fight me and Yamikuro," Kaminari said, his voice quieter now.
Urashin brushed a hand over his short beard. "Jacinto Benne. I've crossed him more times than I wanted. He works under Lucian, though no one really understands why. His powers are still unclear, but he's dangerous."
Kaminari muttered the name again like he was testing the weight of it.
Urashin's posture stiffened as if preparing himself. "Jacinto is one of several. Lucian doesn't move alone."
He looked at each of them in turn. "Rude Kuroda. Born into a noble family, strong enough to stand beside Lucian himself. Don't mistake his loyalty for weakness. He believes in Lucian's vision."
Cedar adjusted his glasses. "A noble siding with him… that makes no sense."
"It made sense to Rude," Urashin replied flatly before moving on. "Thorne Veyra. A swordsman. His bloodline has been kept hidden, but there are whispers of a tie to Emberveil."
Isabella's eyes widened, her fingers tightening, trying to hold onto a sword she didn't have on her.
Urashin caught it, but didn't slow down. "Arden Valec, she's both clever and slippery. Lucian trusts her for a reason none of us have figured out. And then there's Silas Corven. His body can withstand bullets and worse. If Lucian is lethal, Silas is relentless."
The silence that followed was heavier than before. Deia shifted uncomfortably, while Rye's gaze sharpened at the mention of Silas.
Urashin studied them, then folded his arms. "That's what you're walking into. Now tell me. Do you still plan on facing Lucian?"
Nobody spoke at first. The weight of the names hung over them like chains.
Finally, Isabella said, "You wouldn't tell us this much unless you had a reason."
Urashin nodded once. "I do. I want Lucian and his gang destroyed. Which means you will need training. My subordinates can give you what you lack. In one month, you take the fight to him."
The group stared at him with suspicion, curiosity, and fear.
It was Yamikuro who finally broke the silence, his voice steady despite the ache in his body. "And if we refuse?"
Urashin's eyes narrowed, unreadable. "Then you will die the moment you face him."