The echo of Shun Asamaru's boots resounded through the hollow corridors of Veyl Academy. Dust drifted in the trembling air, and every creak of the broken beams above was like a reminder of absence, the students, the younger warriors, even the chatter of daily life. All gone.
His long coat whispered behind him with each step, the faint glow of the Echo-inscribed blade at his hip marking him as one who had walked through countless battles. Only his right eye, sharp and unyielding, scanned the halls. The other remained hidden beneath a faintly glowing seal-mark that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat beneath the bandage.
"As expected… no one's here," Shun muttered, his voice flat yet edged with unease.
He paused, his gaze falling to the distant cafeteria doors where muffled thunder echoed. He tilted his head slightly, whispering under his breath.
"That light… it must have been the cause. Everyone vanished. Kaen… where are you?"
The silence answered him until it didn't.
