"I'm fine," Ren said gently. "Just… confused."
Watson stood behind him, not saying much.
Mr. Halden, one of the teachers, stepped forward as well. His hands were behind his back, his voice calm but firm.
"Mr. Ridai, may I ask what your plan is with these boys?"
Yato gave a respectful nod.
"I would like to take the Calder boy with me to a safe place," he said. "Nothing dangerous. I just need to understand what happened here. His condition might be linked to the appearance of that creature."
Mr. Halden adjusted his glasses.
"With respect, he is still a student. We cannot let him leave without parental permission."
"I understand," Yato said. "One of my officers is already contacting his family."
As if on cue, Hira Risaki approached from the side, holding a small communicator.
"We reached their mother," she said. "She was surprised but calm. She's given permission for Ren to go. She said she trusts the Academy's judgment."
Mr. Halden nodded slowly.
"Very well. If the family agrees, then it's allowed."
Mira looked up at Ren, clearly still unsure.
"You'll come back, right?" she asked. "It's not something scary?"
Ren placed a hand on her head.
"I'll be back soon," he said. "I just need to know why this is happening to me."
Watson put a hand on Ren's shoulder. "I'm going with him. Just in case he gets lost."
Mira gave a small smile but still looked nervous.
Yato turned to his team.
"We're ready. Let's go."
Then Yato raised a small device from his pocket and pressed it. A nearby car sleek, black, and marked with a golden crest pulled up silently beside them.
The crowd slowly made way as the car door opened.
Ren gave his sister one last look, then stepped inside.
Watson followed him.
The car pulled away from the street, heading toward answers none of them could yet see.
Ren looked at the door as it opened.
His hands still shook a little.
He took one last glance at the cracked street, then stepped inside.
Watson followed.
Yato sat in the front seat.
As the door closed and the car began to move, Ren leaned back and whispered to himself.
"Why me…"
Then...
The car was quiet inside. No one said anything for a while.
Ren sat by the window, watching the city pass by. The buildings, the lights, the people. They all looked the same. But nothing felt normal anymore.
Watson sat beside him, arms crossed, glancing at Ren every now and then.
"You okay?" he finally asked.
Ren nodded, but his voice was quiet. "I don't know. I feel… weird."
Watson let out a small breath. "Yeah. You passed out in front of a monster and woke up glowing. I'd feel weird too."
Yato turned his head slightly from the front seat.
"That wasn't just any monster," he said. "What you saw back there was something ancient. Something that shouldn't exist in this world anymore."
Then Yato thought about something and said..."So many years ago in Northern Mythology this type of creatures seen. Our scientist doing reaserch on that and gathering knowledge about that. They believe that in this universe so many things still unknown."
Ren looked up. "Hmm...then why was it there?"
"That's what we're trying to find out," Yato replied. "And somehow, you are connected to it. When the creature appeared, something inside you reacted. Like your awakening happened That's not a normal thing because in some cases we seen that people's awaked in deep emotions, emergency situations and some are artificial awakeners but in your case what happens is still mystery and i think you had some deep connection with this creature."
Ren frowned. "So what does that mean? Am I cursed or something?"
Yato shook his head. "No. But whatever woke up inside you... it's not normal. That's why we're taking you to a place where we can check everything properly. Quiet, safe, away from all the chaos."
Watson raised an eyebrow. "Is this place far?"
"Not too far," Yato said. "Just outside the main city. It's one of our secured zones."
Ren leaned his head back again.
He wanted to believe it would all make sense soon. But his chest still felt heavy, and there was a strange feeling in his gut. Like something was waiting. Watching.
He didn't say anything after that. None of them did.
The rest of the ride was silent. Just the soft hum of the car and the distant sounds of the city fading behind them.
★★★
About thirty minutes later, the car finally slowed down and stopped in front of a large metal gate.
Guards were already waiting. They saluted Yato as the car passed through.
Inside, the place looked like a research base. Clean walls, white floors, a few people walking around in uniforms. Everything felt quiet and controlled.
Yato stepped out first and opened the door for the boys.
"Come on," he said. "Let's not waste time."
Ren and Watson got out and followed him down a long hallway.
"Where are we?" Ren asked.
"A facility made for situations like this," Yato replied. "Not public. Only a few people know it exists. You'll be safe here."
They reached a room with glass walls and a soft blue light glowing from the corners. Inside was a chair and a few machines.
"This is just a check-up," Yato said. "We'll run a scan and see what's changed inside you since the incident."
Ren paused at the doorway.
"What if I don't want to know? And also what is this? Why are you checking me physically? What it's shows?"
Yato gave him a look, calm but serious.
"Then whatever's inside you will keep growing, and one day it might hurt you… or someone else. It's better to face it now. This are the machines that we used for the physical checkup. When someone is awakened, their body is changed. Not from outside but from inside. Like in your spine, heart and brain changes seen. And they confirmed that you are awakened or not. If you are awakened than what type of magic is yours. We have all most all types of magics data now from our magicians. If your one is something unique than it's a unique to you and also us like new magic discovery."
"Ohh! I understood what's you trying to do. I am co-operate with that."...Ren slowly nodded and stepped inside.
Watson followed, staying close.
Yato spoke to someone through a small device on the wall.
"We're ready. Begin the scan."
The machines around Ren lit up, and soft pulses of light passed over his body.
He sat there, still, trying to stay calm.
But deep down, he already knew.
Something inside him had changed.
And nothing would be the same again.