Heat washed over her face. Smoke stung her eyes, making tears involuntarily fall. With each breath her throat and lungs burned. And yet, her arms would not let go of the two small bodies she was hugging into her chest.
"Mama…"
Feeling their trembling forms, she unconsciously tightened her hold over her two precious daughters, relieved upon the knowledge that they were safe.
Even so…
The fires raged.
Smoke choked the air.
Ash fell from the skies like rain.
And the sounds of despairing humans and wailing beasts filled her ears…
Even so…
She couldn't take her eyes off of him.
Awe colored her features, even as she felt herself suffer in this hell. She stared into his impassive amber eyes, and felt her worldview shift yet again.
10 years.
That was how long ago it was when the world first changed.
When the dungeons first appeared, the world then knew that they were not alone. When the first dungeon break happened, the world realised that it was not companions that they had found.
The world and its inhabitants discovered that as the dungeons progressed and existed longer, the stronger the monsters that lived inside them became, until such a time that they grew too strong for the dungeon that they inhabited to contain them.
That was when people realised that for all that the dungeon represented danger and opportunity, it was also a prison made to contain the enemies that humanity had found. Humans who had evolved to manipulate the energy of the monsters found inside the [GATE]s, who called themselves [HUNTER]s, ventured into the dungeons in order to prevent the monsters inside from breaking out and wrecking havoc among the cities of the world.
For years, that was how the world turned. Hunters would hunt inside the Gates, slaying monsters and bringing back the rich resources that the dungeons seemed to infinitely contain.
Society advanced as new sources of energy were found, new laws of physics were written and rewritten. Material Sciences benefited from the new metals, ceramics, minerals and plant matter that were brought back from the dungeons, leading to new and better options when compared to what the world had access to before.
Perhaps this new-found prosperity had caused the world to grow complacent, as people eventually forgot, or ignored a simple fact:
[GATE]s did not follow any rules.
2 years after the first gate appeared, a Gate appeared 10,000 meters above ground in the American West Coast. It had gone unnoticed for so long that when the government finally found it, it had been on the verge of a dungeon break and would release its imprisoned contents in mere days.
Emergency missions and requests were sent to all S-rank hunters who would care to listen and have been promised by the American Government with hefty rewards.
Over 100 S-rank Hunters answered the call.
…Only 5 ever returned home.
On that day, when the raid was scheduled to be conducted, the entire world was forced to pay attention.
It was then that they – she – knew and saw the destruction that fire could bring.
Fire shot out of the Gate, behaving less like fire and more like a beam of plasma, and destroyed the coasts of California.
She watched from the television, as a news station covered what could have been a successful raid, as dragons filled the sky. They laid havoc everywhere they could with their breaths.
4 days after the Dungeon Break, the entire state of California and parts of Oregon have been burned in flames that could not be extinguished with normal water. The entire world watched as the Hunters of America and the various S-ranks battled the Dance of Dragons over ruined cities.
She and the people around her then knew the dangers that S-rank Gates posed to the world.
As the last dragon fell, the world breathed out in relief and learned how to hope.
On the 5th day, they learned what overwhelming despair really was.
Once more, Dragon Breath rained down from the Gate that had still not closed, laying waste to whatever the Dance of Dragons had not destroyed. That single breath – stronger, faster and deadlier, killed the majority of Hunters that were still alive and who were helping with the clean up.
She saw IT appear out of the Gate from her TV. Even though she was on the other side of the world, just IT's image pushed her into the edge of despair and madness.
The Red Dragon of Despair.
Evil Dragon of Fear.
Humanity's Greatest Calamity.
[KAMISH]
By its lonesome, it had destroyed whatever remained of California, Oregon, Nevada, Washington and damaged some parts of Montana, Idaho, Utah and Arizona. Canadian states near the border have also been torched by [KAMISH]'s unrelenting flames.
In the end, over a hundred S-rank Hunters, Humanity's strongest warriors, battled the Dragon, and by the end of the battle, only 5 remaining S-ranks dealt him the final blow.
And now, just as it was 8 years ago, that story was happening again.
From the depths of Lake Shinji, Snake and Serpent monsters rose and killed whoever they could reach, and she, Tsubakihara Mira and her two daughters, Tsubakihara Nina and Tsubakihara Yuna, just happened to be there visiting some relatives.
Relatives that just may no longer exist, she thought morbidly.
Mira ran with her 6 year old daughters in her arms, and whether by luck or fate, she had managed to last until the very end and witnessed the rebirth of a creature out of myth.
Eight-headed and Eight-tailed, its sinuous movements shook the earth. Their hisses were like screams coming from the abyss.
White scales glimmered like jewels beneath the evening skies. And red eyes, impossibly intelligent in their shine, looked upon all with equal disdain.
Pink mist drifted down from partially closed jaws filled with innumerable fangs and dissolved all that it came into contact with – whether that thing was stone… or human.
Lightning and Thunder rained down from the skies, setting whatever they hit ablaze, as though it were Divine Judgement.
It towered over mountains, and the thought of fighting it was as natural as the thought of fighting a storm:
Impossible.
[YAMATA NO OROCHI] has arrived.
Mira recognized all the events that happened as a recreation of an ancient myth, and the ones that followed as the new written chapter of a book that was thought to be finished.
Lightning rained down and was reflected back to the Serpent God. Poison Mist and Acid Rain were dispelled by an even greater force, and the Serpent God itself was overpowered.
Winds whipped into a frenzy tore through scales as though they were the sharpest blades.
The earth ruptured into mountains beneath the Great Serpent as it and its nemesis laid waste to the city of Matsue in their battle.
To Mira, it truly seemed as though the world had entered the end of times.
It was impossible for anyone caught in the middle of this disaster to survive, but she did. She, her daughters, and the various other people scattered around her watching a Legend be born, did.
They survived.
They were alive.
Mira knew that there was only one reason why they still survived.
Hair darker than the shadowed skies from up above, danced in the winds that blew through the city.
A face fairer and purer than anything she could imagine, gazed with impossibly golden pupils with unmatched impassivity as multiple Japanese Hunters and Guilds attacked the Mythical Serpent of Legend.
Mira watched breathless – clutching Nina and Yuna tighter, making them squirm in discomfort.
Nonetheless…
– No one could have looked away from that Young Man floating in the sky.
Feathers.
Pure white, like snow… innumerable feathers rained down from the sky.
White wings, twelve in number, erupted from his back and stretched for hundred of meters, as though they wanted to reach towards the horizon.
She felt her breath hitch. She didn't know why. Her heart skipped a beat, and something in the back of her mind told her to run.
To kneel.
To worship.
Mira imagined that she was not the only one who felt this way when that young man stretched out his hand and plunged the world into darkness as he gathered the entirety of the world's light into his palm.
Yamata no Orochi hissed – or did it roar? She did not know – as it faced that young man. Pink mist gathered in all eight of its jaws.
Swirling, compressing, pink became darker and darker as mist condensed and became liquid.
It truly was a scene out of Legends.
One was the Eight-headed, Eight-tailed, Horned Serpent of Land and Seas.
The other was the Twelve Winged Lord of the Light and Skies.
Though the Shimane Prefecture undoubtedly suffered a great misfortune with the loss of countless lives and billions worth of property damage, that may even take decades to recover, an unbidden thought echoed throughout all spectators' minds.
Ah, how magnificent.
Dark, corrosive poison shot out in eight separate beams of annihilation. It was clear that the Great Serpent intended to erase this unexpected foe before it.
Regardless –
Golden pupils reflected the image of the attack in their still, mirror-like pools. Calmly, steadily, the young man clenched his other four fingers, leaving just a single finger outstretched and guided the light into that singular point.
Mira heard him exhale a gentle sigh, the sound reaching and echoing in her ears through means unknown to her.
And in her eyes, reflected a world separated in two.
"神光崩界 (Shinkō Hōkai)"
– Light cleaved the Darkness.
==============================================================
Japanese Hunter Association - Survivor Testimonies
Subject: Post-Battle Report - Shimano Prefecture Incident
Date: June 15-18, 2009
Compiled by: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Fire and Disaster Management Agency
Classification: Public Release - Emotional Recovery Initiative
1. Civilian – Tsubakihara Mira, 24
"After the fighting stopped, there was this… silence. Not peace. Just silence – like the world didn't know what to do next.
I was still holding my daughters when the rescue team found us. They fell asleep, thankfully. I was so relieved when they finally came for us when I looked up, and there, I saw him standing on a broken rooftop. His wings were folded. He wasn't glowing or floating or anything. He was just… standing.
He looked like a kid who'd been outside too long. His clothes were torn, his face was pale, and he didn't move for a long time.
When I found out he was thirteen, I didn't cry. I just sat down and held my girls tighter. Because I didn't know what kind of world we were living in anymore."
2. Emergency Responder – Captain Ryohei Sato, Matsue Fire Department
"We were pulling people out of the rubble. No one was talking. Just coughing, crying, breathing.
I saw him walking through the wreckage. Not flying, walking. His wings dragged behind him like they weighed a ton even when they were disintegrating into thin air.
He stopped near a collapsed building and just stared at it. I don't know what he saw, but he didn't move for a long time.
When the report came in that he was thirteen, I felt sick. Not because of him — no, because of what he must've seen."
3. Hunter – Ayumi Takahara, B-Rank, Phantom Guild
"I was helping with triage; burn victims, poison exposure, crushed limbs.
He passed by once. He didn't say anything. He just looked at the stretchers. His eyes didn't linger on anyone in particular, but they weren't empty.
He looked like someone who'd been awake for days. Not just tired — hollow.
When I learned his age, I didn't believe it. Then I remembered his face and that lost expression, and I did. I believed he was just a kid."
4. Civilian – Kenji Morimoto, 67
"I was sitting on the curb with my granddaughter. She was asking where her father and mother were.
I didn't have an answer.
He walked past us. Didn't even look at us, but the wind shifted when he passed us by. It was like the air was following him.
He stopped at a pile of rubble and picked something up. It could've been a piece of cloth, maybe. He held it for a while, then he let it go.
Thirteen. That's how old they said he was. The young man who saved our lives was the same age as my granddaughter…
I don't know how to process that."
5. Medical Volunteer – Dr. Haruka Nishimura
"I saw him from the shelter entrance. He was standing outside when it rained. He wasn't moving. Just letting it fall on him.
His wings were still out, back then. They looked… wrong. Not like they were broken, but heavy – burdened.
He didn't come inside, nor did he speak to anyone. He looked at everyone in the shelter, like he was looking for someone. When he did not seem to find what he was looking for, he just turned and walked away.
I didn't know his age then. But I remember thinking, 'He looks like a child who's seen too much.' And I guess I was right."
6. Hunter – Daichi Fujimoto, A-Rank, Crossing Field Guild
"After the battle, I went looking for survivors. I found him standing in the middle of a crater.
He wasn't doing anything there, he was just standing. His hands were at his sides and his eyes were open, but I don't think he was seeing anything. He looked like the world had lost all its meaning.
I didn't approach. I didn't say anything. Because what was I going to say? That everything was going to be alright? He wouldn't believe that when I myself didn't believe that things would be okay.
When I heard he was thirteen, I thought about that moment and I wished I'd said something."
7. Civilian – Yuna Tsubakihara, 6
(Softly) "He was standing in the rain. Mama said not to talk to him, but I waved. He didn't wave back.
He looked sad. Like when I lost my bunny. I hope he finds what he lost soon."
8. Emergency Responder – Sergeant Kaoru Ishida, JSDF
"We were setting up tents for the displaced. He walked through the camp once. No one stopped him.
People stared. Some whispered. But he didn't react.
He looked at the sky for a long time. Then he left.
Thirteen. That's what the report said. I still don't know what to do with that."
9. Civilian – Haruto Endo, 41
"I saw him after the battle, sitting on a bench that wasn't broken. Just sitting there, deep in thought.
His wings were gone. His hands were dirty. He looked like any other kid out there today.
No one sat near him, though. No one spoke to him either 'cause they were scared or too out of it.
When I found out his age, I thought, 'Of course.' Because only a kid would sit looking that lost after saving a city."
10. Hunter – Misaki Kuroda, S-Rank, Osaka Guild
"I saw him leave. No fanfare. No escort. Just walked into the forest.
I don't know where he went.
I don't think anyone does."
Final Note – Hunter Association Statement:
*"The individual who fought Yamata no Orochi has not been identified. He did not remain for questioning. He did not seek recognition.
He is thirteen years old.
We do not know his name, but we know what he did and we will not forget. We are grateful for his actions saved countless lives."*
==============================================================
The wind carried the scent of scorched stone and wet ash. Mira stepped carefully over shattered glass and twisted steel, her boots crunching softly in the silence. The city was quiet now — not peaceful, just empty.
After that whole disaster, she just wanted a few moments to herself.
Walking without a destination in mind, she saw him before she was ready to.
The boy.
The one with the White Wings.
He wasn't flying, nor was he glowing. He was just walking, slow and deliberate, through the ruins of what used to be a neighborhood.
His coat was torn.
His hair was matted with soot.
He looked like a shadow.
Mira's breath caught. Her heart stuttered.
She had seen him during the battle — seen how the sky split open, witnessed the Serpent God recoil from lightning, wind and fire. She had clutched her daughters so tightly they whimpered. And even then, she hadn't looked away from him.
Now, standing in the aftermath, she felt something she hadn't expected:
FEAR
Not fear of the monster. Not fear of death.
Fear of him.
It was irrational, she knew that. He had saved them! He had held back the end of her world as she knew it, but her body didn't care. Her body remembered the way the air had bent around him, the way the light had obeyed him, the way the serpent had feared him.
She remembered the world splitting in two.
She took a shaky breath.
He's just a boy, she told herself.
He's just a child.
And yet, her feet wouldn't move.
He stopped near a collapsed building and knelt. Mira watched as he brushed aside debris with trembling hands. He picked up a scrap of cloth — pink, frayed, delicate — and stared at it for a long time.
That was when she saw it.
Not power.
Not danger.
Grief.
Her fear didn't vanish…
But it softened.
She stepped forward.
The boy didn't react until she was close enough to speak. His head turned slightly, golden eyes meeting hers. They weren't glowing. They weren't cold.
They were tired.
"Hi," Mira said, her voice barely above a whisper.
He didn't answer. That was fine.
She sat down beside him, careful not to touch the cloth in his hands.
"I saw you," she said. "During the battle."
He nodded once.
"I was afraid of you," she admitted. "I still am, a little."
He didn't look surprised.
"But I think that's okay," she said. "Fear doesn't mean you're wrong. It just means you're human."
He looked down at the cloth again. His fingers curled around it.
"Why didn't you run?" she asked softly. "You could've. No one would've blamed you."
He was quiet for a long time. Then he said, "I didn't know where she was."
Mira blinked. "Who?"
"My sister," he said. "Suou Yuki."
The name meant nothing to her, but the way he said it — quiet, steady, like it was the only thing holding him together — made her chest ache.
"I thought maybe she was here," he said. "I thought maybe I could reach her before…"
He didn't finish.
Mira felt her throat tighten. "Your parents?"
He nodded. Once. No emotion. Just a fact.
"I'm sorry," she said.
He didn't respond.
They sat in silence. The wind stirred the ash. Somewhere in the distance, a generator hummed.
"You're thirteen," she said.
He nodded again.
"My daughters are six," she said. "They think you're a superhero."
He didn't smile.
"I don't know what you are," she said. "And I know you didn't have to stay, but you did."
He looked at her then – really looked – and for a moment, Mira saw the boy beneath the wings, beneath the power, beneath the silence.
"I didn't want to be alone," he said.
Mira reached out, slowly, and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"You're not," she said.
The boy didn't speak again after Mira placed her hand on his shoulder. He didn't pull away, but he didn't lean into the gesture either. He simply sat there, holding the scrap of cloth, staring at the broken city like it might still offer answers.
Mira didn't press him nor did she ask any more questions. She just sat beside him, letting the silence stretch. It wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't empty either.
Eventually, she stood.
"My daughters are nearby," she said. "In the shelter. Would you… like to meet them?"
He looked up slowly. His eyes were dull, but something flickered behind them — hesitation, maybe. Or fear.
"They've been asking about you," Mira added. "They saw you during the battle. They think you're amazing."
He blinked. Once. Then nodded.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They walked together through the rubble. Mira kept a slow pace, matching his steps. His wings were gone now, folded into whatever space they came from. Without them, he looked even smaller. Just a boy in a torn coat, trailing ashes and dust behind him.
When they reached the shelter, Mira paused at the entrance.
"Yuna, Nina," she called gently.
Two small heads popped out from behind a canvas flap. Identical, wide-eyed, soot-smudged. They ran to her, arms outstretched.
"Mama!"
Mira knelt and hugged them both tightly.
"I want you to meet someone," she said, turning slightly. "This is the boy who protected us."
The boy stood a few feet away, hands at his sides, eyes lowered.
Yuna and Nina stared at him. Then, slowly, they stepped forward.
"You're the one with the wings," Yuna said.
"And the light," Nina added.
He nodded, barely.
"You were really cool," Yuna said.
"Really really cool," Nina echoed.
He looked up. Just a little. His eyes met theirs.
"Thank you," Yuna said.
"For saving Mama," Nina said.
And something broke.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Not in the way that glass shatters, all noise and shards and pain.
Just a quiet shift — a breath caught in his throat, a tremble in his fingers. His eyes widened, then closed.
His shoulders sagged.
Mira saw it happen. She saw the wall crack.
He knelt, slowly, until he was eye-level with the twins.
"You're welcome," he said. His voice was hoarse. Barely audible.
Yuna reached out and touched his sleeve. "Are you okay?"
He didn't answer.
Nina tilted her head. "You look sad."
"I am," he said.
"Did you lose someone?" Yuna asked.
He nodded.
"My parents," he said. "And… I'm still looking for my sister."
"What's her name?" Nina asked.
"Suou Yuki."
The twins looked at each other, then back at him.
"We hope you find her," Yuna said.
"Yeah," Nina added. "She's probably looking for you too."
He blinked again. His lips parted, but no words came out. Mira stepped closer, placing a hand gently on his back.
"She's the same age as them?" she asked.
He nodded.
"That's why you looked at them like that," she said softly.
He didn't deny it.
"I thought you were something else," Mira said. "during the battle. Something inhuman; too powerful, too distant."
He looked at her, eyes rimmed with exhaustion.
"But you're not," she said. "You're just a boy. A boy who didn't run."
He swallowed hard.
"I didn't know where to go," he said. "I thought… if I kept fighting, maybe I'd find her. Maybe I'd see her in the crowd. Maybe…"
He trailed off.
Mira knelt beside him.
"You did more than anyone could've asked," she said. "You saved lives. You gave people hope. And now… you don't have to keep searching alone."
He looked at her – really looked – and for the first time, Mira saw something new in his eyes: not power, not grief, but the faintest flicker of trust.
Yuna and Nina hugged him. One on each side.
He didn't move at first. Then, slowly, he raised his arms and hugged them back.
They sat together for a long time. Mira, the boy, and the twins. No one spoke much. But the silence was different now. Not hollow. Not afraid.
Just quiet.
Healing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The twins had fallen asleep, curled up against his sides like small, soot-smudged birds. Mira watched them breathe, their chests rising and falling in sync, their fingers still loosely clutching his sleeves.
He hadn't moved in a while. Just sat there, eyes half-closed, letting the warmth of their presence settle into him like sunlight through fog.
"I can't believe I forgot to ask you," Mira suddenly chimed from where she sat between Yuna and Nina. Mira leaned forward slightly, her voice soft.
"My name is Tsubakihara Mira. Can you tell me your name?"
The boy looked at her with his tired, golden gaze before he looked down to his crossed knees beneath him. Thinking about it, he had been imposing on their space for the past few minutes now wasn't he? To top it off, he hadn't even remembered to introduce himself!
He blinked, then looked at her. There was a pause — not hesitation, just the quiet discomfort of someone unused to being asked.
"...Ayato," he said. "My name is Suou Ayato."
The boy – no, Ayato – introduced himself with a voice as small as a mosquito.
His voice was casual, and most definitely shy, as though he wasn't sure if the name still belonged to him.
Mira smiled gently. "It's nice to meet you, Ayato."
He nodded, eyes drifting back to the twins.
"They're kind," he murmured.
"They're alive," Mira said. "because of you."
Ayato didn't answer. But his hand moved, just slightly, resting atop Yuna's as she slept.
And for the first time since the battle, he looked like a boy who might still believe in tomorrow.
"We.." Ayato began. His tone, hesitant in sharing something to a stranger, stuttered out of lips.
"We were at the lake when Orochi first appeared."
Mira gasped in shock. Realization set upon her face; Ayato and his family were at ground zero of the Dungeon Break.
"Dad and I, we were at the wharf competing on who could catch the biggest fish. Yuki was with mom, she was helping mom prepare the grill and plates."
Mira stayed silent, and let this young man before her share something that needed to be let out of his chest. She watched his fingers, still withholding their terrible strength, clench slightly – but gently – over her daughter's hand.
"Dad was teasing me about an accident I had earlier this week, and mom and yuki were laughing at jokes dad told… Why did they have to go?"
He was looking at her, but Mira was not sure if he was even seeing her. His eyes were set half-lid, looking hollow and glassy with unshed tears.
"When Orochi," Mira had to hide a wince as she could practically taste the sheer hate in Ayato's voice. "Rose from the center of the lake, those Serpents rose with him."
Mira shivered as she remembered those Monsters.
Just as Ayato said, Orochi was not the only Monster to emerge from the Dungeon Break. Numerous Serpents that possessed the upper body of man rose from the depths of the lake. Mira almost retched from her recollections. She recalled the horror of those Snake-Men tearing through her neighbors – people that she knew and spoke with over the years.
The sheer brutality of those Monsters tearing through people with their claws and fangs; it was not a fate Mira would wish upon anybody.
"Dad shielded Yuki when those Serpents ambushed us while we were running," a tiny hitch in his voice was all Mira could catch as proof of this young man's suppressed sob. "E-even though he was being torn apart limb from limb… he still shouted at me… H-he told me to protect them."
Ah, Mira felt her heart break just a little more. He really is just a child…
"Mom… I had to pull Yuki away after she was trapped by falling debris… I couldn't look at her. I had to pull Yuki even though she was crying…"
Glistening tears traced Ayato's cheeks, dripping from unseeing eyes. Mira cried with him as she realized that he had personally witnessed the deaths of his parents.
"E-even then…! Even then, she told me to protect Yuki!"
His shoulders shook as huge, wet sobs released his pent up grief. Tears continued to run down his face, not even realizing that he had woken up Yuna and Nina, who began to hug him – trying to provide whatever comfort they could even as their eyes too, filled with confused tears.
"B-but! I c-couldn't protect her!! I couldn't protect Yuki! I lost her! I lost Yuki!"
Mira couldn't hold back and held them all in her arms. She pulled Ayato into her chest and allowed it to muffle his wails. She felt his hands clench her shirt and she bit her lips to prevent her own heartbroken sobs from leaving her lips.
She cursed herself.
She cursed her uselessness.
While it was unfair of her to lambast herself, especially after all she had gone through just earlier, she hated that she couldn't even offer a few words of comfort.
Towards this powerful, but oh-so-young boy crying in her chest, she just couldn't bring herself to lie and say that everything was going to be okay.
Nothing was going to be the same after the events that happened in the past three days.
At this moment, all Mira could do was stay and support Ayato as he cried his eyes out.
…
…
…
Mira combed her fingers through smooth, silky black hair, attempting to soothe any lingering grief as she hugged Ayato atop her. Laying on her provided bedding, Yuna and Nina slept at her sides all the while clutching her clothes.
It had been a few minutes since Ayato ceased crying, and she couldn't help but worry at his silence. Though he was breathing steadily, Mira could tell that he hadn't fallen asleep. Just as she was pondering on what to say, she felt him stir and lift his face from her clothed chest and look straight to her eyes.
Yellow pupils that would have glowed like polished gold beneath a sunny, clear blue sky, instead darkened with barely hidden malice. Though his face showed no emotion, Mira shivered as nothing could have hidden the burning hatred in his eyes.
"Mira-san," he said in a cold, empty, toneless voice.
"I HATE SERPENTS."