Groans…
Aika's eyes slowly opened, her vision blurry and unfocused as the ceiling barely came into view, her body feeling heavy as she lay there for a moment without moving. She looked awful—dark bags under her eyes, her face pale, like she hadn't slept in days—and the moment her mind caught up, it hit her again.
Rose…
Her chest tightened painfully.
Her best friend… the one person she could always turn to, always rely on… gone.
And she… she was barely holding it together.
Aika slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes as she let out a weak yawn, stretching slightly, her arms trembling before she let them fall. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, her body feeling off, heavier than it should've been, like something inside her wasn't right—but she ignored it.
She had to.
She got dressed in her uniform slowly, her movements automatic, like she wasn't really thinking, just going through it. When she finished, she walked to the door and opened it—
and stopped.
The hallway was wrong.
All the lights were red, the main lights completely off, leaving only the dim emergency glow flickering across the walls. The shadows stretched longer than they should've, twisting across the floor, making everything feel… off.
Then—
Thump.
The ground shook slightly beneath her feet.
Aika froze.
"…Arnik…?" she called out softly, her voice small.
"Kai…?"
No answer.
Another thump.
Closer.
Her breathing slowed as her chest tightened, but she stepped out anyway, walking down the hallway carefully, her body tense, her hands shaking just enough to notice.
The sound echoed again.
Thump.
She kept going.
The automatic door ahead flickered before slowly opening with a loud, dragging screech, the sound echoing down the empty hall as she stepped inside—
and stopped.
Pitch black.
She couldn't see anything.
Not even her own hands.
Her breath caught in her throat as panic crept in, and she instinctively stepped back—
SHTTT—CLANG.
The door slammed shut behind her.
"AH—!"
She spun around instantly, her heart racing as panic fully set in.
"ARNIK!! KAI—M-Markus!!"
Nothing answered her.
Her voice echoed back.
Alone.
Her legs gave out and she dropped to her knees, her hands hitting the ground as her breathing broke.
"Arnik…" she cried, her voice shaking, on the edge of breaking. "Arnik…"
Silence.
Then—
A voice.
Deep.
Heavy.
It echoed through the darkness, not from one place—but everywhere.
"…What nears…"
Aika froze completely, her body locking as her breath hitched.
"W-what…?" she whispered, trembling. "What nears…?"
The answer came.
"DEATH."
The darkness shattered.
Not slowly.
All at once.
The world around her changed instantly, and she wasn't in the room anymore.
She stood—
on a battlefield.
Endless.
Bodies everywhere.
Stacked.
Piled.
Mountains of them.
Humans.
Demi-wolves.
Demi-cats.
All dead.
Blood covered everything, soaking the ground, thick and dark, stretching farther than she could see.
The smell hit her—
and she gagged hard, her stomach turning as she staggered back, her entire body shaking violently.
"No… no…" she whispered, backing away. "This isn't real… this isn't real…"
She turned and ran.
Her feet slipped in the blood as she pushed forward, her breathing breaking into panic, each step unsteady as the ground beneath her shifted and dragged at her boots, her vision shaking as she tried to force herself to keep moving, to get away from whatever this was, from whatever she was seeing. Her foot caught on something and she went down hard, her body slamming into the ground as her hands shot out to catch herself, sinking into something wet and warm.
Aika froze.
Her fingers pressed into it, the sensation wrong, too thick, too heavy, and slowly she lifted her hands, her breath catching as she saw the blood coating her skin, dripping between her fingers in slow strands that stretched before breaking apart. It clung to her, soaked into her sleeves, smeared across her palms, and for a moment she just stared, her mind refusing to catch up with what she was feeling.
Then her eyes shifted.
And she saw him.
Kai.
Or what was left of him.
His body lay twisted a short distance away, the outer layer of his face torn back to reveal the mechanical structure beneath, one side of his skull exposed and damaged, lifeless. His lower half was completely gone, nothing left past his torso, the ground around him stained dark where he had fallen.
Aika's breath broke into a scream before she even realized it, her body jerking backward as she scrambled away from him, her hands slipping in the blood as she pushed herself back, her entire body shaking violently as panic took over completely.
"No—NO—!"
Her voice cracked as she kept moving, desperate to get away, her chest tightening as her breathing turned uneven, her thoughts collapsing into nothing but fear as she kept backing up—
Until she hit something solid.
Her body stopped instantly.
She froze where she sat, her breath caught in her throat, her hands trembling at her sides as she slowly turned her head.
Markus.
He was pinned in place, jagged spikes of stone driven up through the ground and through his arms, holding him there, forcing his body upright. His head hung low at first, his hair covering his face, his body completely still.
Then it lifted.
Slowly.
Blood ran from his eyes, thick and steady, trailing down his face as he looked toward her.
"…Markus…?" she whispered, her voice barely holding together.
He met her gaze, and something about the way he looked at her made her chest tighten harder than before, something hollow, something wrong, like the person she knew wasn't there anymore.
"Help… me…"
The words came out strained, barely formed, and Aika screamed again, louder this time, her voice tearing out of her as everything around her began to shake.
The ground cracked beneath her, splitting open in jagged lines as the battlefield shifted, the air growing heavier with every second, pressing down on her chest, making it harder to breathe, harder to move, like the world itself was crushing in around her.
She looked up.
And saw him.
A massive figure stood above everything, towering over the battlefield, his presence overwhelming, the sheer weight of his power pressing down on everything beneath him. The space around him felt distorted, like it couldn't hold him properly, like he didn't belong there.
He held someone in one hand.
By the throat.
Aika's eyes widened as she recognized him.
Arnik.
His body hung there, broken, barely holding together, one arm completely gone, one leg missing, his chest torn open, blood running down from him in slow, steady drops. His head tilted slightly, his body barely moving, like whatever was left of him was barely conscious.
The figure holding him smiled, calm and unbothered, like none of it mattered.
"The legends…" he said slowly, his voice carrying across everything.
"…are false."
Aika couldn't move.
Her body locked in place as she stared, her breath shallow, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing.
Lionel.
Not human.
Not demon.
Something worse.
Something that felt completely beyond anything she understood.
"YOU FAILED, HERO… EVERYONE… EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT IS DEAD>>"
The words slammed into her, her body locking up completely as her breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide as she stared up at him, unable to move, unable to even think.
Arnik's head shifted slightly, barely, his body hanging there like it was already gone.
"Aika…" his voice was weak, broken, barely there. "…run…"
Her eyes widened, her lips parting—
Before she could say anything—
Before she could move—
It happened.
His body was torn apart.
Ripped in half like it was nothing, blood spraying into the air as what remained of him dropped lifelessly, pieces hitting the ground with a wet sound that echoed louder than anything else.
Aika didn't move.
Didn't scream.
She just stared.
Frozen.
Terrified.
Her body wouldn't listen to her, her mind refusing to accept what she had just seen.
Lionel slowly turned his head toward her, his eyes locking onto her like she was the only thing left in the world.
"…Begon…"
The word hit her.
Not like sound.
Like force.
Everything around her vanished.
The ground disappeared beneath her feet and she dropped instantly, her body falling with nothing to catch her, nothing to hold onto, her arms reaching out but grasping at nothing.
She was falling.
Falling through empty space, her body spinning slowly as she tried to orient herself, her breathing breaking apart as panic hit again.
Then—
She saw it.
Earth.
Below her.
Cracked.
Breaking.
She reached out toward it—
"No…"
It collapsed.
The entire planet folded inward, crushing into itself before exploding outward in a massive wave of magic, a blinding shockwave tearing through space and racing toward her—
And everything went white.
—
Aika gasped as her body hit the ground.
Soft.
Too soft.
She pushed herself up slowly, her hands pressing into something gentle, her breath still shaking as she looked around.
Flowers.
Everywhere.
An endless field stretching out in every direction, swaying softly in a calm breeze that didn't make sense.
No blood.
No death.
No sound.
Just quiet.
Too quiet.
Aika slowly stood, her body still trembling, her chest tight as she turned—
And saw him.
A man in white robes stood a short distance away, his back turned to her, calmly picking flowers like nothing else existed.
"…my child…" he spoke softly, his voice calm, steady. "…why are you crying…"
Aika's voice broke as she stepped forward.
"Everything is gone… I saw it… I saw all of it…"
He didn't turn yet.
Didn't react.
"You saw what is coming… Aika Nemizora…"
She froze instantly.
Her eyes widened.
"…how… how do you know my name…"
Her voice shook.
"W-who are you…?"
He answered simply.
"I am who I am…"
Then slowly—
He turned.
Aika's breath caught as she saw him fully now, a young man with white hair, a soft white beard, and bright blue eyes that felt like they were looking straight through her.
He pointed at her.
"Aika…"
Her body stiffened.
"Time is running out…"
Before she could react—
He moved.
Suddenly he was right in front of her, his presence overwhelming but calm, his hand lifting—
And resting gently on her head.
The moment he touched her—
Everything stopped.
The pain.
The fear.
The weight crushing her chest.
Gone.
Her body relaxed for the first time, her breathing slowing, her mind quieting as a warmth spread through her.
"…support the hero…" he said softly. "…no matter what…"
And just like that—
It ended.
Aika's eyes snapped open.
She gasped, sitting upright as her body jolted, her chest rising and falling fast, her hands shaking as she tried to catch her breath, the feeling already fading—
Leaving her alone again.
She screamed.
She screamed with everything she had, her voice tearing out of her chest as her body shook, her hands gripping the sheets as if she was still falling, still trapped in it.
The door slammed open.
Arnik rushed in instantly, ready for a fight, his eyes glowing, electricity snapping violently around his hands as he scanned the room.
"Aika—what happened? Were you hu—"
She moved before he could finish.
She grabbed him.
Pulled him into a tight hug, burying her face into his chest as she sobbed uncontrollably, her body shaking as she held onto him like she would fall apart if she let go.
Arnik froze.
"…Aika…?" he said, caught off guard, his body stiff as his arms slowly lifted, unsure where to place them.
His face flushed slightly.
"WHAT THE LIVING HELL IS HAPPENING—"
More footsteps.
Markus came in next, fast, alert, his eyes scanning the room before landing on them.
Kai followed behind him, quieter, his presence steady, his expression unreadable.
Aika slowly pulled back, her breathing still uneven as she looked at them, her head tilting slightly, like she was trying to make sure they were real.
"…guys…"
Her voice was soft.
Shaky.
After a few moments, after she managed to calm herself just enough, she told them everything.
Every detail.
The battlefield.
The bodies.
Kai.
Markus.
Arnik.
Lionel.
The world ending.
The man in white.
Everything.
The room went quiet when she finished.
Arnik looked at her, his expression serious now, his mind racing.
"…what could it mean…?" he asked, his voice lower than before.
Markus leaned back slightly, his arms crossing as he looked off to the side, his jaw tightening.
"It's a nightmare…" he said flatly. "We've all been having them…"
He paused.
"…since…"
He didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
Kai exhaled quietly.
"…It's not just a nightmare," he said, his voice calm, almost too calm. "It's a vision."
The door opened again.
Andrew Handerfall stepped in.
His presence filled the room immediately.
He listened.
Didn't interrupt.
And when Aika finished, his expression didn't change—but his eyes sharpened.
"And by how you explained it…" Andrew said slowly, "…it means Lionel has a plan."
Aika's chest tightened again.
"…and it's nearing completion."
Kai turned slightly, his gaze shifting toward Andrew.
"If that's the case…" he said quietly, "…what could it be?"
Andrew was silent for a moment.
Then he spoke.
"I have no idea."
The room felt heavier.
"But…"
His eyes moved across all of them.
"I believe what this dream is telling us…"
He stepped forward slightly.
"…He is about to become unstoppable."
The air in the room shifted.
"We move."
His voice hardened.
"We act now."
A pause.
Then—
"We take the fight to Lionel."
Arnik stood there, silent for a moment, his mind racing.
…Is he actually serious…?
Kai's jaw tightened.
His hand clenched.
Then he moved.
He stepped forward and grabbed Andrew by the collar, pulling him in close, his voice snapping as everything he'd been holding in finally came out.
"You are actually insane…" Kai said through gritted teeth. "WE JUST LOST ROSE… HELL, WE ALMOST LOST THE ENTIRE PLANET… WE ARE BARELY SURVIVING!!"
The room tensed instantly.
Arnik took a step forward—
Markus didn't move.
Andrew didn't react.
He simply reached up, gripping Kai's wrist firmly, stopping him without effort.
"Lionel's forces are weak…" Andrew said calmly.
Kai's grip tightened.
"…OURS ARE WEAKER."
Kai's expression shifted slightly.
Andrew didn't stop.
"…true…"
He let go of Kai's wrist.
"…but Saturn's aren't."
Kai's hand loosened.
Slowly.
He released Andrew and stepped back, his breathing still heavy, his mind trying to process it.
Arnik spoke up.
"…Saturn…" he said, his voice unsure. "They've refused every request we've sent… we've gotten… what… two warships? That's it… not a single soldier…"
His jaw tightened.
"…and the moment Lionel took Earth… Saturn changed…"
Andrew nodded slightly.
"Indeed."
He looked at all of them now.
"Angel Squad…"
His voice sharpened.
"Report to the bridge."
A pause.
"We have matters to attend to."
They straightened instinctively.
"Sir… yes sir."Soon Angel Squad arrived at the bridge… or what was left of them. The room was dim. Vayne stood near the center, composed as always, Andrew beside him with his arms crossed, Crowne leaning lazily against a console, Takashima reviewing data, and Blitz standing with her arms folded, her expression sharp but tired. Miu was absent… still unable to face any of this after losing her student.
Aika, Kai, and Markus stepped in.
All of them were off.
It showed.
Aika's eyes were distant, like she hadn't fully come back from whatever she saw. Kai stood still, too still, his expression empty, controlled in a way that didn't feel natural. Markus looked restless, his shoulders tight, like he was holding something back that was ready to snap at any moment.
But Arnik…
Arnik calm and composed.
Like nothing was wrong.
"Angel Squad reporting in… sir."
Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose.
"…Gosh, Arnik acting all formal all of a sudden is somehow getting on my nerves…"
Vayne let out a quiet chuckle. "The boy's acting chivalrous."
Crowne scoffed, pushing himself off the console. "Enough with the formalities, let's get on with it."
"Right," Takashima said, stepping forward. "It would be best to proceed with the meeting."
Blitz crossed her arms. "About time."
Takashima adjusted the display, pulling up a damaged projection of Mercury's current state. Entire sections flickered in and out, marked unstable or completely offline.
"Ahem… as you all know, Mercury is on its last leg. We have exhausted our fleet."
The room went quieter.
"The demon users that infiltrated from the inside… decommissioned three major sectors. Our best conjurers are rebuilding them as we speak, but…" he paused, glancing at the data.
"…with our magic crystal weakened, our connection to the mana realm is stretched thinner than ever. We simply do not have the capacity to conjure more ships at the rate we need."
Aika's hands tightened slightly at her sides.
Kai didn't react.
Markus's jaw clenched.
Takashima continued.
"So… as of right now…"
He looked at all of them.
"…we cannot stop Lionel again."
A pause.
"…It's impossible."
The words settled heavy in the room.
Aika looked down, her expression tightening.
Markus let out a quiet breath through his nose, his hand flexing slightly.
Kai's eyes didn't move, but something in his posture shifted just enough to show he heard it.
Arnik stayed still.
Then Takashima spoke again.
"That leaves Saturn…"
He brought up the final display.
"Our last chance… for humanity."
Blitz spoke up, letting out a dry laugh. "Great… but the problem is… right after Mars fell, Saturn almost completely cut contact with us… and stopped all aid." She shook her head, a smirk forming. "Not like they helped much anyway."
She let out a short laugh. "Saturn is full of rich, disgusting bastards… every single one of them selfish."
Arnik's hand tightened slightly at his side. "There are over five billion humans on Saturn… the largest human settlement after Earth became overcrowded… surely, Blitz… they can't all be like that."
Blitz's eyes narrowed, her expression sharpening as she looked at him. "Kid… I've been there." She paused for a moment. "It's wealthy. Strong. More than enough resources to help us ten times over…"
Her tone shifted.
"…but what doesn't sit right with me… is how they just cut us off."
Takashima nodded slightly, stepping in. "That's something I've been looking into as well. Saturn didn't just stop aid… they didn't even contact us directly." He gestured to the display. "All we received was an automated AI log."
A brief silence followed.
"Which means…" he continued, "…either they didn't want to speak to us…"
"…or they couldn't."
The room felt heavier.
Blitz crossed her arms tighter. "…Something's wrong over there."
Andrew stepped forward slightly.
"Exactly."
His gaze moved across the group.
"So…"
He paused.
"I will be sending Angel Squad—accompanied by Crowne and Vayne—to Saturn to investigate this situation."
The words settled.
Then—
Andrew's eyes shifted.
Landing on Aika.
He didn't say anything for a moment, just studying her, taking in her posture, her expression, the way she was barely holding herself together.
"…With the exception of Aika."
Aika suddenly looked up, her voice breaking as she spoke. "But why—"
Andrew didn't hesitate.
"Why?" he said, his tone sharp. "You're really asking me that…? Aika… look at you." His eyes didn't soften. "You've barely eaten. It's been a month."
Aika flinched slightly.
"Don't think I haven't noticed," he continued, his voice firm. "You are not fit for this… and if it keeps going like this, I might actually pull you from Angel Squad."
Arnik turned toward her.
Really looked at her.
And he saw it.
Everything she was carrying.
Satsujin… taking her father's form… deceiving her… breaking something deep inside her. Rose… gone. The dreams… the way they wouldn't stop.
Aika's hands trembled at her sides.
He's right… I'm useless… I'm useless…
She turned—
And ran.
Tears already forming as she pushed past them, her footsteps echoing out of the bridge.
"Aika—" Arnik reached out, but he was too late.
She was gone.
"…Aika…" he muttered, his hand slowly lowering.
Then his expression changed.
His jaw tightened.
He turned—
And walked straight toward Andrew.
Closing the distance until they were inches apart.
Andrew looked down at him, unimpressed. "What? Got an objection?"
"…Actually," Arnik said quietly.
"I do."
Andrew's eyes met his.
And for a moment—
Something in Arnik's gaze made his chest tighten.
Bloodlust.
Raw.
Unfiltered.
WAMM!!
Arnik's fist slammed into Andrew's face.
The impact caved his cheek in around the strike, the sound cracking through the room like a sonic boom as Andrew's body was launched across the bridge, crashing into the table and sending it skidding.
He hadn't even reacted.
Arnik stood there, breathing hard.
He hadn't used his mutation.
Not even a little.
Takashima and Blitz moved instantly, both of them grabbing Arnik, locking onto his arms, trying to restrain him.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Blitz snapped.
But it didn't matter.
He was too strong.
They couldn't hold him.
Markus and Kai stood there—
Stunned.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them expected that.
Arnik struggled forward anyway, his voice rising, raw, furious.
"DON'T GIVE HER THAT—DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO HER LIKE THAT!!"
They pulled harder—
He still pushed forward.
"SHE GAVE EVERYTHING!!" Arnik shouted, his voice breaking under the weight of it. "SHE FOUGHT—SHE FOUGHT SO HARD!!"
His body trembled.
"She saved thousands—NO—MILLIONS OF PEOPLE!! WITH HER POWER!!"
His fists clenched.
"After everything she's been through… after what people did to her… YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO SAY THAT?!"
Andrew coughed, pushing himself up slowly, blood running from his nose as he steadied himself. His head rang for a second—just long enough for the thought to cross his mind.
… Was he trying to kill me…
He spat to the side.
"I'm trying to protect her…" Andrew said, his voice lower now, but firm. "She's nearing her breaking point."
Arnik's eyes burned.
"And you think taking this away from her will help?!"
His voice cracked.
"Aika has struggled her entire life to find meaning!!" he shouted. "This whole spirit-forsaken war—HER REASON… is to protect others!!"
The room went tense.
Even Takashima and Blitz eased slightly.
Arnik's words—
They hit.
Vayne stepped in, his voice calm, but sharp.
"He's right."
All eyes turned.
"You don't understand," Vayne continued. "You're taking away the one thing she has left."
Arnik stepped forward again, his eyes still burning.
"HER reason…" he said, his voice low, shaking. "Her reason for living…"
His hands clenched tighter.
"Aika…" he muttered. "She's been by our side… as long as I can remember… she's always been there for me…"
His voice softened—
Just slightly.
"And I know her… nothing makes her happier… than helping people."
Crowne let out a sharp laugh, cutting through the moment.
"Wow," he said mockingly. "You sound like a controlling boyfriend. Telling everyone how she feels."
The air shifted.
Tension snapped tight.
Then—
Andrew moved.
He appeared in front of Arnik instantly.
Too fast to react.
SLAM!!
His hand drove into Arnik's face, grabbing and forcing him across the room, dragging him with pure strength before slamming him into the wall hard enough to shake the entire bridge.
Alarms blared.
The walls rattled.
Andrew leaned in close, gripping him tightly.
"IF YOU EVER…" his voice dropped, cold, dangerous, "…DO THAT AGAIN…"
His grip tightened.
"…I will make you regret it."
He let go.
Arnik dropped to one knee, catching himself, breathing hard as the impact settled through his body.
Even Crowne—
Flinched.
Just slightly.
Andrew's voice dropped.
Not louder—
Heavier.
"If you want to drive your friend's sanity into the ground… if you want her to live the rest of her life…" he paused, his expression tightening like he had seen it before—"…a fucking shell of herself… unable to sleep… unable to have a single day of peace again…"
He stepped closer.
"…then be my guest."
His eyes locked onto Arnik.
"You're her captain."
Silence filled the room.
Then—
"…Fine."
Andrew straightened, his tone turning colder.
"She's on this mission."
Arnik's head lifted slightly.
Andrew's eyes burned.
"But hear me clearly…"
"If you fail to pull her out of the despair she's dragged herself into…"
A step forward.
"…then I will personally take control of Angel Squad myself."
The air tightened.
"Now get the fuck out of my sight."
Arnik didn't move at first.
Then slowly—
He stood.
Markus stepped in, grabbing his arm and pulling him up.
"Come on…"
Andrew's voice snapped again.
"GET OUT."
They left.
No one spoke.
The door shut behind them.
Silence.
Andrew exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face.
"…Damn it…"
Crowne leaned back, a wide, almost unhinged grin spreading across his face.
"You really know how to put on a fucking show."
Andrew didn't look at him.
"That wasn't a show."
His voice was flat.
"I'm serious."
He lowered his hand.
"If he can't handle something this simple…"
A pause.
"…then we might as well all just drop dead now."
Crowne let out a short laugh.
"Oh, I know…"
He pushed off the console, stepping closer, his eyes sharp.
"But you were still bluffing."
Andrew finally glanced at him.
Crowne smirked.
"You were stirring that fire in the boy… pushing him exactly where you want him."
A small chuckle.
"Trying to drag that leadership out of him…"
He tilted his head.
"You really do know how to be the world's worst fucking father."
Andrew didn't react.
"If me becoming the bad guy…" he said quietly, "…is what it takes to unlock Arnik's potential…"
He turned away.
"…then so be it."