The Awakening!
The burning sands of the Desert of Akuma stretched endlessly, swallowing the horizon. Not a village, not a soul in sight—only silence and heat.
Hakari dragged his steps, his voice breaking the stillness.
"Oooof… I'm exhausted. We've walked so much already."
Kage followed close behind, sweat dripping from his brow.
"You're right. If nothing else, we've crossed at least twenty miles. Yet this desert… it refuses to end. I can't shake the feeling that someone—or something—is toying with us."
Hakari's eyes narrowed. "The question isn't who or why. That much is pointless. The real question is when."
Kage blinked in confusion. "When? What do you mean? Are you saying… this was all planned?"
Hakari was about to explain further, but suddenly—
"Get down!" he barked.
Kage flinched, heart racing. "What? What was that? Did we get attacked? I didn't see anything! Hakari, are you losing it? Are you okay?"
Hakari's expression hardened. "As I expected… you can't see it."
"See what? Don't mess with me, Hakari! I'm already tired, at the brink of my sanity—don't tell me you've gone mad too!"
Frustration flashed in Hakari's eyes. "Fine. I'll show you."
He tore open his pack, rummaging frantically. "Where is it? Where is it?! Gods, no—ah! Found it!"
Kage frowned. "A mirror? What are you planning to do with that?"
"You'll see." Hakari's tone was grave as he raised the mirror like a shield. The air thickened instantly, the heat pressing down heavier than before. Both their hearts pounded.
"Here it comes."
A spark of invisible force struck—the mirror flared, bouncing something unseen back into the void. At once, the unbearable heat dissipated, leaving behind only the dry desert air.
Kage staggered, stunned. "What just happened? Something hit that mirror… I'm sure of it. And the heat—it's gone! What is this?!"
Hakari, still drenched in sweat, bent down and picked up a tiny object glinting in the sand. He held it out. "This."
Kage squinted. "A… rock? That's what caused all this? What the fuck is going on?!"
Hakari smirked faintly. "Not an ordinary rock. It works with command."
Kage's eyes widened. "So someone's following us? Trying to kill us?"
"Not kill. Just… hurt." Hakari shook his head. "Whoever it is, they can command rocks. Unusual, isn't it?"
Kage muttered, "So should we be worried or not?"
"Yes… and no." Hakari smiled knowingly. "That person won't attack again."
"Why?"
"Because this mirror isn't ordinary. It doesn't reflect the command itself—but the source. The energy fueling the command gets sent right back to the one using it. If they're a Code Holder… their flow of energy gets disrupted. Their body stops responding."
Kage swallowed. "…So they're dead?"
"No. Just paralyzed. For about a week."
Kage exhaled, relief washing over him. "Then we're good to go."
"Not quite." Hakari's eyes darkened. "Whoever attacked wasn't the true orchestrator. Someone else is behind this… it's not over. Not yet."
Kage groaned, exhausted. "Fine. Let's rest for now. There's a cave up ahead."
Hakari's face lit up. "Yes! Exactly—it's not just a cave. It's what we've been searching for… The Cave of the Code Crystal and the Ancient Stone."
---
Meanwhile, in the Mainland of Koha-Murakami…
Heena stood in the training grounds, her code glowing faintly as she tried to command. Yet each attempt ended in failure—the glow fading as her body faltered.
Akami watched with a stern gaze. "Heena, it's not your fault. Your body is too fragile. It can't withstand the energy you produce. From now on, you'll train your body first. Then your command."
"Yes, Brother." Heena nodded.
Akami tossed her a sword. "Pick it up."
She struggled, arms trembling. "I… I can't. It's too heavy."
"Then use this one." He handed her a lighter blade, as thin as paper.
"Yes. This one… I can handle."
Steel clashed as they sparred. Blow after blow, Heena adjusted her stance, her movements sharpening. She launched forward, feinting an attack. Akami leapt back to defend—but it was a trick. Heena's blade struck his foot.
Akami staggered, injured. She pressed the advantage, charging again. With a sudden throw, her sword spun through the air. For a split second, Akami's eyes followed the blade—enough time for Heena to close in and drive an uppercut into his gut.
His eyes glowed.
A burst of power erupted.
Unknowingly, Akami had triggered his Protection Command.
The world blurred. When the dust cleared—
Heena's body lay burned and broken. Her face scarred, her limbs shattered.
Akami awoke, completely healed. Confusion turned to horror as he saw her body. His legs trembled, eyes wet with tears.
"No… no, no, no! Gods, please, no!" His voice cracked. "I… I did this… I killed my sister!"
His scream echoed. Guards rushed in, stopping in their tracks at the sight.
"My lord…" one stammered.
"Idiot!" another hissed. "Don't you see? It was Lord Akami himself."
Akami clutched Heena's body, sobbing. "Please… save her. Please."
The guards carried her to the palace. The doctors tried—but all they could say was—
"She is dead."
Akami disappeared, wandering to the edge of a mountain, ready to throw himself into the abyss.
But then—
A radiant green light erupted from the palace, so bright it pierced the heavens.
Akami froze, shocked. Then realization struck. "Her code… Heena's code glows green!"
He stumbled back toward the palace, blood dripping from a head wound—but the wound sealed itself, green energy pulsing from within him.
And when he arrived, his heart nearly stopped.
Heena's body floated above the palace, glowing, radiant, divine. Trees bent, rocks shifted, the very earth welcomed her return.
She descended slowly, landing softly upon the ground. Her wounds gone. Her body whole. Her glow fading into silence.
Akami fell to his knees in tears of relief.
The impossible had happened.
The Command "O" had awakened.
"Elsewhere, far away from where the light could reach, something sinister was already at work.
In the depths of the shadows, two figures lingered.
The man on the right suddenly stiffened, his voice breaking the silence.
> "What?! O… has awakened? How do you know?"
The one on the left remained calm, his tone heavy with certainty.
> "Because I know them all… and I felt it."
The first man's face twisted in disbelief.
> "Why is it that this Code is the only one you fear?"
For a moment, silence pressed between them before the second man gave a low, bitter chuckle.
> "Because it is my weakness… after all."
Then his voice sharpened, laced with venom.
> "But it doesn't matter. We only need to erase it—or take it for ourselves."
His lips curled into a cruel smile.
> "Code O… in the hands of a mere child? What a pathetic joke."