Shigure Amon—the mysterious man with power like heavenly fire—turned to Misaki.
His gaze softened, yet still held its usual severity.
That girl—the one who had saved me from the mechanical monster RA-01, and the first to open the door that brought me closer to the name ASTRAL—now stood there, a calm presence amidst the chaos.
"Misaki," Shigure said quietly, his voice deep, echoing as if from a great abyss. "Even though you've left the organization... if ASTRAL ever needs you, I hope you won't turn your back."
Misaki raised an eyebrow slightly.
A smirk formed on her lips, her sharp eyes glinting mischievously.
"Yeah, yeah. You're making it sound all sentimental now." She flicked her hair back over her shoulder with a breeze-like grace. "But... looks like you still care about me, huh?"
Shigure paused, then muttered something—whether it was denial or evasion, I couldn't quite tell.
"You're imagining things."
He turned to me then, his voice regaining its usual edge.
"Let's go, Shinrai."
"Huh!? Wait—go where!?" I stepped back instinctively. "I'm not even fully recovered yet! My house is wrecked, and my brain's still scrambled!"
Shigure let out a small, cryptic smile—like some RPG villain hiding a major plot twist.
"I was going to save the surprise... but I'll just say it now."
He folded his arms, tilted his head, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes.
"We're heading to a place... roughly 8,900 to 9,100 kilometers northwest of Japan. A land dubbed 'the realm of fire and ice'—currently the cleanest, most peaceful place on Earth. But also one of the most dangerous, if you look beneath the surface."
My jaw dropped, eyes wide.
"Wait… you don't mean—"
Shigure nodded, as if he knew what I was about to say.
"Iceland."
My heart thudded.
"The main base of ASTRAL... is there?"
"Exactly." Shigure slid his hands into the pockets of his black coat. "A paradise on Earth. Where auroras dance with volcanoes, where light meets the gates of hell. And also the place where... the strongest individuals on the planet are silently watching humanity's every move."
The room went silent.
I swallowed hard.
Why did it feel like I was about to step into a completely different world?
"Waaaahh!! Ice... Island?! Boss, I wanna go too!!" Renji shouted like a kid who just found out he's going to a theme park. He jumped up, eyes shining like high-beam headlights, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me like a rag doll.
"Onii-chan!! I want to go too!!" My little sister—Hiyori—clung tightly to my shirt hem, her big, teary eyes looking up as if she'd cry at any moment. "I want to see real snow, the aurora, volcanoes... and the secret base too!"
I folded my arms and tried to strike a "mature older brother" pose, nodding as if standing in front of some government office.
"Hmph, you two think this is a vacation or something? This is my first mission. It's not a game."
"Smart thinking, Shinrai-kun," Shigure chimed in beside me, his voice calm but cold. "This is actually your first test. Before the commander and the other captains can officially acknowledge you, you'll have to pass an initial evaluation at the base."
Cold sweat broke out across my back.
"Wait… then that means…" I glanced at the wall clock—now cracked in one corner—and jolted. "It's already nighttime… I still have school tomorrow morning!"
"Oh..." Shigure tilted his head, frowning slightly. "I forgot. You humans still care about going to class?"
"OF COURSE!!" I snapped.
"Fine." He scratched the back of his head, showing a rare hint of sheepishness. "Take the night to rest. We'll leave in the morning. I'll have someone repair your home—replace all the furniture, clean everything top to bottom. And don't worry—it's all covered by ASTRAL. Think of it as... a welcome fund for new members."
He smirked—like everything was already scripted and locked into place.
"Rest easy, Shinrai. Because from now on... you're no longer just an ordinary person."
I went quiet for a moment. My mind spun with a tangle of emotions—confusion, anxiety, nervousness... and maybe a tiny bit of excitement.
Even though I had nearly recovered from my encounter with RA-01, now I was being whisked away to Iceland—a land at the edge of the world—to join a secretive organization with unimaginable power. Thinking about leaving home, school, and my sister… I exhaled quietly.
"I guess I've got no choice," I thought.
A journey into the unknown. A turning point without any clear destination.
Let's call it… a little escape. Even if it's just an excuse.
"How long are we going to be there?" I turned to ask Amon as we began leaving the living room, still thick with the scent of battle's aftermath.
"Could be three days. Maybe four." He shrugged, giving me a sidelong glance and a faint smile. "Just take it easy, Shinrai-kun."
We all went our separate ways to rest.
Renji returned to the school dorm, grumbling nonstop about missing out on his "legendary midnight snack" thanks to the chaos. As for me, I collapsed onto my bed, staring at the ceiling, my chest heavy with the knowledge that tomorrow, my life would enter an entirely new chapter.
The next morning, sunlight peeked through the curtains, casting golden rays across a house still in ruins. But to my surprise—Shigure kept his word.
A team of technicians in uniform arrived at dawn, each with a silver six-pointed star on their sleeve. Without needing instruction, they split into groups—carefully measuring, clearing debris, repairing cracks, and redoing broken walls. Doors were replaced. The shattered windows from last night were upgraded with impact-resistant glass. The whole house felt like it was being "healed."
I stood on the porch, leaning on the railing, watching it all unfold with a strange, unplaceable feeling.
This was the house my parents had left behind. The home where my sister and I had grown up together, weathering the hardest years after the family broke apart. Every brick, every creak of the floor, every clink of the front door—it was part of me.
Seeing those workers—so diligent, silent, respectful—I couldn't help but feel moved. A piece of my past was being stitched back together... thanks to a man named Shigure Amon.
"Thank you, Shigure-san," I said, more serious than usual.
He crossed his arms, tilted his head slightly, and gave a faint smirk.
"No need to thank me. We're about to be partners, after all." He lowered his voice, half-joking, "Hehe."
Then suddenly, he turned dramatically, waving a hand like he was off to war:
"Alright, let's move out! First mission—off to Iceland!"
I looked back at the house one last time and saw Hiyori waving from the window, smiling brightly—her eyes shimmering with a mix of pride and sadness.
I clenched my fists, took a deep breath, and nodded firmly:
"OK."
Shigure and I finally boarded a flight out of Haneda Airport, heading northwest—toward Iceland, the land where fire meets ice.
The flight lasted nearly thirteen hours, carrying us through the long night of Asia, above frosty, star-lit skies, and into the Atlantic sunrise. I tried to sleep, but every time I closed my eyes, memories of my old life—our house, Hiyori, school, even random fragments—rushed back in waves, leaving me restless.
Through the small plane window, as the faint light of the North broke through, I saw a breathtaking panorama stretch across the horizon.
Far below, snowy mountain ranges sparkled under the pale morning sun. Quaint houses with red, blue, and yellow sloped roofs—distinctly Nordic—huddled together among snowy fields and winding roads that looked like veins cutting through frozen land.
I rubbed my eyes, stunned.
"I can't believe I'm really here…"
It felt like floating inside a dream. The cold crept through my fingers even though we were still sealed inside the cabin. I grimaced as the air pressure shifted.
"Ugh… I hate this ear-popping feeling during descent." I grumbled, massaging my temples.
Finally, after nearly half a day crossing the ocean, our plane touched down on a misty runway at Keflavík International Airport, about 50 km southwest of Reykjavik. Shigure and I stepped out into the freezing air, the wind slicing across our cheeks like knives.
The moment we left the terminal, a blast of icy wind hit me square in the face. I shivered and pulled my collar higher.
"Shigure-san… is ASTRAL's base located in Reykjavik?" I asked, teeth chattering.
He gave a thin smile, pulling a dark scarf from his bag and wrapping it around his neck.
"Nope. Do you really think a secret base would sit in the middle of a capital city?" His eyes sparkled like something was hidden beneath layers of ice.
"This place is just a stopover. Peaceful enough to avoid suspicion. Convenient enough to rest and observe."
"So… where exactly is it?" I asked, now feeling a hint of nervous anticipation.
"For now, just relax," Shigure replied, surprisingly laid-back.
"Eat, rest, walk around town—I'll take you there when the time is right."
I blinked in disbelief.
"This really does feel like a vacation..."
I sighed, rubbing my hands together, thinking of Hiyori.
"Should've just brought my sister along... she'd love it."
Shigure glanced over, smirking.
"If she knew you were about to visit the most secret power center on Earth, she definitely would've tagged along. Didn't she try to?"
I chuckled—despite the wind howling through my hair.
Then, I looked up at the Arctic sky—vast, white, silent yet grand—and thought to myself:
"It's begun. My journey... into a whole different world."