Adralach Lake was the largest in all of Harthland—no, in all of Anima.
It stretched for miles and miles, from the heart of the nation all the way to the base of the Grey Mount, atop which stood the grand Cordis Cathedral.
The Grey Mount sat in the very center of Anima, touching the borders of every surrounding region. It had once been the base of the Aegir, and now, it served as the stronghold of the General.
Yuu stared across the water, toward the distant shore. The soft waves lapped at the foot of the mountain, cloaked in a shroud of mist. Even the summit was hidden, swallowed by clouds.It was like the mountain itself refused to be seen.
Farther south lay Sira, the capital of Harthland—home to Governor Raxis, who ruled over the region with an iron grip.
Behind Yuu stood the small cabin they had been ordered to stay in, a punishment for the incident in Litt.
Since that day, Shinya hadn't said a single word to him.
"Yuu, wanna come over here with us for a bit?" Keiji called out.
"No. I'd only be a bother to Shinya."
"Don't say that," Keiji replied softly. "Shinya doesn't hate you. We're all comrades—we've got each other's backs, remember?"
"Yeah, sure," Yuu muttered, tossing a stone into the lake.
"She'll come around soon. Just give it a bit of time," Keiji added, standing up and heading back to the others.
Keiji was his best friend. Of course he'd say that just to make him feel better.Still, the words helped—just a little.
Several minutes passed.
Then came a voice he recognized: "Yuu."
He turned around, eyes wide.
"Yuu… Let's forget about all that," Shinya said. "Honestly, I was just pissed off about the punishment. But thinking about it now... maybe this break was exactly what we needed. Come on. Join us."
She held out her hand.
"Because of me, the Kingdom knows about our Esper program now. That's not something I can undo," Yuu said, turning his gaze back to the lake.
"It was bound to happen eventually. Libertas has spent years making small moves from the shadows. You gave us the push we needed to finally step into the light. Even now, our allies in the other regions are starting to move. Things are going to change."
"Really...? You mean it?" he asked, eyes filled with disbelief.
"Absolutely," she said, lighting a cigarette. But before she could take a puff, Yuu stood up and hugged her—making the cigarette fall from her fingers.
"Yuu—wha...!?"
"I just felt like it," he said with a thankful smile.
"Don't do that so suddenly, geez," she said, flustered.
"So it's okay if I do it again... if I ask first?"
She didn't answer. She just stuck out her tongue playfully.
And just like that, the weight Yuu had been carrying for days began to lift. Somewhere in the background of their reunion, he could feel the gentle support of his friends.
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That evening, after dinner, Toru was once again putting on a show. Completely drunk!
"Just because you can drink doesn't mean you have to get wasted every single time, idiot," Mira scolded him.
At that moment, Shinya received a call and quietly stepped outside. Several minutes passed, but she didn't return.
"I'll go check on her," Yuu said, standing up.
Keiji grabbed his arm. "Don't do anything stupid."
"Yeah yeah, relax."
Mira followed behind. "I'll keep an eye on him," she said in her usual calm voice.
The air outside was warm, summer was in full swing.
Yuu glanced around, quickly spotting Shinya a short distance away, still talking on the communicator.
"It's so hot…"
"Want me to cool it down a little?" Mira asked with a teasing smile.
"If it's not too much trouble…"
Without so much as lifting a finger, the air around them grew cooler—just enough to be pleasant.
"How's that?"
"Much better."
He continued watching Shinya. Mira leaned in behind him, whispering softly in his ear: "Looks like you and Shinya got a lot closer today~"
"Wh-what are you talking about?!" Yuu stammered, caught completely off guard. His face turned bright red.
He should've expected it. Mira loved teasing people. Unfortunately, no one ever managed to tease her back.
"Maybe, right this very moment, your Shinya is giving bedroom eyes to some tall, handsome guy~"
Yuu's face turned even redder. "Don't be ridiculous, Mira. It's probably someone from Libertas."
"Who knows~? Hitoshi's still young... maybe they're secretly together?"
"That's enough!!" Yuu snapped, storming off toward Shinya. He could hear Mira barely stifling a mischievous giggle behind him.
Shinya hadn't noticed him approaching—she was too focused, listening intently. The voice blaring from her communicator was unmistakable Kyorano's, only he can shout like that.
Yuu stepped closer, trying to listen in.
"Raxis and the Lightstorm are tearing through every village and town nearby," Kyorano's voice thundered. "He's questioning everyone about your little brat, executing any who refuse to talk, and has unleashed soldiers and Espers across the entire region. In just three days, hundreds of innocent people have already been publicly executed."
Yuu's mind froze.
He didn't want to believe it. He couldn't believe it!That monster, Raxis, was committing massacre after massacre… all to find him!
A white-hot rage surged through his chest.
He didn't hear what Shinya said next. His thoughts were drowning in fury. But Kyorano's voice broke through again, loud and clear: "According to our spies, he's heading back toward Sira. He should be somewhere near you now, along the main road—"
That was all Yuu needed.
He turned on his heel and bolted, running full speed through the trees that concealed their little lakeside cabin. The main road wasn't far!
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When Shinya came back inside, she immediately noticed Yuu was gone. "Where's Yuu?" she asked.
Mira answered without hesitation. "We went out looking for you, then I told him you were busy having a little fun with Hitoshi and left you two alone."
Shinya's face went pale. "That wasn't Hitoshi," she said in a barely audible voice. "How long were you back there?" she shouted.
"Calm down, calm down. About ten minutes, I think," Mira replied calmly.
"He heard. He heard what Raxis is doing and knows he's close to us. We have to go get him, or he'll get himself killed!"
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Yuu was running down the main road as fast as he could, pushing his Esper energy to increase his speed. After twenty minutes of pursuit, he finally reached his target.
"I will have my revenge!" he muttered to himself.
He charged a blazing fireball in his right hand and hurled it at the Governor's carriage.
The carriage exploded. Soldiers and Lightstorm immediately rushed over. The Governor stood unharmed at the center of the blast.
Yuu's and Raxis's eyes met.
"The bait worked—the little fish took the hook," Jingrou laughed.
"Exactly so, hahaha," Yara added.
He still remembered the Lightstorm—their reputation, and how Fred, celebrated for his heroic deeds against the savages, didn't hesitate to throw Yuu into his burning old house.
The soldiers formed a circle around the Espers as Raxis approached.
"Soldiers, stand down. This is a private matter between me and the boy, isn't that right, Yuu?" he said with a grin.
He knew Yuu's name now! Every citizen of Anima knew the name of the boy who stood up against the Kingdom's violence.
"You came all this way either because you want me to reunite you with your parents… or because you've heard about what I'm doing to find you," Raxis taunted.
Yuu said nothing.
He ignited his hands and lunged at the Governor.
He tried to punch him, but Raxis dodged every attack effortlessly—Yuu didn't even graze him.
Raxis continued speaking as he moved gracefully, as if Yuu wasn't even attacking.
"Why does Kyorano send you to face me instead of coming himself? Does he really think you're so useless that I should be the one to get rid of you?"
Yuu was blinded by rage.
He thought everything the Governor said was a lie—just lies.
"Looks like you've lost your tongue," Yara laughed.
"You're right," Raxis agreed. "I'm getting bored too. I expected more from you. I thought you were destined for greatness, but I was wrong."
The Governor opened his palm, and a lightning bolt struck Yuu square in the chest, sending electric shocks through his body.
Raxis kept blasting him with electricity, and Yuu collapsed to the ground screaming.
"What's wrong? Already done?" Raxis mocked.
The lightning stopped, and Yuu barely managed to raise his head.
"Before you die, I want to show you what fear really is. You're about to witness the greatest gift the General gave us: Ethereum!"
A rain of white lightning began pouring down on Raxis.
Within seconds, the old Governor's body started transforming: his snout elongated, yellow fur spread over his form, and his eyes turned blood-red.
He looked like a gigantic anthropomorphic tiger, about two meters tall, with a massive lightning rod implanted on his back. Every bolt of lightning fueled him with new energy.
"Well, what do you think?" Raxis asked. His voice was the only thing left of his human self.
"What kind of monster have you become?" Yuu asked, trembling with fear.
He had never been afraid before.
He was always the one charging headfirst, inspiring courage in others.
Now, he was alone—alone, facing certain death.
"It's time for your pathetic rebellion to end!" Raxis swiped his claws to deliver the final blow. But his arm froze mid-air...
He turned and started firing lightning bolts at an opponent Yuu couldn't see.
"My lord?" Fred said, confused.
"Yuu!" a voice shouted behind him.
Yuu spun around and saw all his friends. Shinya pointed at him, and Keiji ran over.
Then Yuu fainted...
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When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his own bed inside the lakeside house. His friends crowded around him.
"How do you feel?" Keiji asked.
"I'm… I'm better now."
Toru and Mira stood close to the bedside, while Shinya kept her distance. He'd gone off on his own again and put them all at risk once more.
"Is everyone else okay?" he asked.
"Yes." Keiji was the only one to speak. "Shinya distracted the Governor and bought us the time we needed to grab you and get out. We led the Lightstorm on a wild chase along the way."
"You shouldn't have come. Because of me you could all have died," Yuu said, tears welling in his eyes.
The others exchanged looks and nodded. Keiji sighed. "Yuu… there's something we have to tell you. You've been expelled from Libertas."
Yuu froze. Libertas was his home—without them, he had no one. "This can't be…" he began.
"It's no use. Even Kyorano spoke with the others, but nothing could be done. They've already closed their eyes once," Keiji said.
Yuu climbed out of bed and walked outside to stare at the lake again. "I want to be alone for a little while… before I… leave."
The sky was overcast; thunder rumbled in the distance. The wind picked up. Something wicked was coming.
A bolt of lightning struck, tearing through the cabin's roof. Yuu fell to the ground, blinded by the flash. He looked up and saw the Lightstorm — Jingrou carrying an unconscious Toru over his shoulder.
"No!"
"He's the one the Governor wants," Fred said. "Come to Sira' palace if you want to see your friend again."
"Wait!" Yuu shouted — but a storm of lightning fell between them, and the Lightstorm vanished.
His friends rushed toward him, but it was too late. Yuu sank to his knees and let the tears fall.
"They took Toru!" he screamed, pounding the earth with his fists.
"We can't go after him," Shinya began. "We've been ordered to stay here."
"That's right. But I'm no longer part of Libertas — I can go where I want. I'm going to get Toru!" Yuu stood up and sprinted for the main road.
"Shinya," Keiji said. "Toru is not just on our team—he's been our friend for a long time. We're going to save him, even if it means being expelled from Libertas."
Mira nodded in agreement.
"You don't have the strength to defeat Raxis and the Lightstorm. They have the Ethereum," Shinya warned.
"I know. It's almost certain we'll die. You stay here and follow orders."
Keiji and Mira followed Yuu.
"Wait! If you're set on fighting those bastards, I'll have to teach you the Vitalis a little early!" Shinya called out.
"The what?" Mira asked, as if she hadn't heard right.
"I'll explain on the way—just make sure you're not drained," Shinya replied, then grabbed the communicator. "Kyorano, Team Shinya is launching its attack on Sira!"