"It's cold... So cold..."
"It's them.. Them again!.."
"It's.. Not It's not your fault.."
"Those beast! Those ugly beast!!"
Itoshi's mind was consumed by a burning hatred for the Seele's. The shock of what he'd just witnessed blurred his thoughts—another person dear to him had died right before his eyes.
Kara stood frozen, stunned by how quickly everything had spiraled out of control.
"Y-You're kidding me..."
From the skies, quick response team arrived to take down the seeles. A single attack helicopter came to Yomitan High, with a logo on the side. United World Defense Society. "U.W.D.S."
Soldiers came out from the helicopter tried to fight the monster using the conventional fire arms.
"Go Go Go!"
Their Captain ordered as they all came into position.
"Fire!"
With no hesitation, the men in arms fired at the beast.
Hundreds of bullets flew from the casings to the seele, but it was all useless.
A soldiers voice echoed through the chaos "Sir Flame bullets don't work on it, We need more Fire Power!"
Through his comms, a soldier's voice crackled urgently. The soldiers had drawn the Seelie's attention, and now the monstrous creature shifted its focus onto them.
The Seelie lunged, striking with terrifying force as the soldiers called desperately for backup.
Meanwhile, Kara saw an opening—a chance for her and Itoshi to escape.
"Koya!"
Kara froze as she turned her eyes onto Itoshi,
Itoshi was consumed by a raging storm of anger and hatred.
"First you took them" he shouted, eyes blazing, as he gripped his fist "now you took my only friend! Curse you, you dull creatures!!"
"W-Wait.."
Kara whispered to herself.
With a roar, Itoshi unleashed his fire power, flames erupting around him as he charged at the Seelie.
[Prominent Rhythm]
The Seelie, having fought off the soldiers, now locked its attention on Itoshi—who burned with a large, steady, but subtle Blue Flame that flickered across his body.
In the creature's eyes, all it could see was the fire raging within Itoshi.
The soldiers exchanged glances, realizing what they had been searching for: a Fire Power.
Itoshi gathered his strength and unleashed a concentrated blast of flame aimed directly at the colossal Seelie.
With a flash, the creature dodged the attack in the blink of an eye, now fully focused on Itoshi as it growled.
It charged forward with a massive punch.
Despite the massive size difference, Itoshi managed to block the blow. The force of the hit shook him, but their power levels were nearly equal.
The Colossal Seele and Itoshi exchanged blows, shaking the air around him. Blue flame and wind battered the School.
Kara watched as everything unfolded, trembling and sweating.
"Koya.."
After a sudden loud bang and a screech from the beast. Itoshi summoned his strength, he grabbed the Seelie by its chest.
The creature's eyes widened in fear as it stared at him for one last moment.
"Disperse" Itoshi murmured.
Flames engulfed the Seelie in a blazing inferno. It screeched in agony as its body burned.
The soldiers and Kara stood stunned—none had ever seen such precise control over fire before.
Itoshi's body crumpled to the ground.
Kara snapped back to reality and rushed to his side, trying desperately to keep him conscious as his vision faded.
~~~Post Yomitan Incident~~~
It had been nine centuries since the first gift of elemental power was bestowed upon humanity. Over time, four main elements became known, alongside many modified or entirely new powers.
In a dimly lit room, seven shadowed silhouettes gathered before a large screen, which replayed footage of Itoshi's battle at Yomitan High.
Silhouette 1: So he calls it Prominent Rhythm, huh.
Silhouette 2: So young... and what a beauty. We should take him with us!
Silhouette 3: That's right! Having him in our organization would bring us great profit.
Silhouette 4: No way! What will everyone say? What will the people say!? He's a Flame User!
Silhouette 5: Exactly! Our image would be destroyed if the public knew we harbor a fire wielder.
Silhouette 3: Idiot, forget the image! Bringing him in means millions.
Silhouette 6: Calm down. We need to think carefully. What we witnessed could be either our greatest asset or our biggest mistake. This requires discussion.
Silhouette 1: I say we get him.
Silhouette 5: Outrageous! The people won't trust us if they find out about him. And how do you expect to convince a delinquent like that? He single-handedly beat five students!
Silhouette 7: It's simple. To acquire something 'special,' you need to use something equally 'special.'
~~~Okinawa~~~
February 28, 2169. The day Hishiki was mercilessly killed by a Kolossal-class Seelie. The day the Return began.
March 1, 2169.
Itoshi woke up in his old, dirty room. Kara lay asleep on the floor beside him. His head felt heavy, and his memory was a blank.
"What the hell happened? My head hurts..."
Itoshi softly muttered, clutching his forehead with his fist.
Kara: You're finally awake!
Suddenly, Itoshi bolted upright.
Itoshi: Hishiki! We have to save him! He was taken by a Seelie!
He rushed toward the door.
"Koya.." she cried, grabbing his legs, stopping him. "Hishiki-san...
"What?! We need to take him back! Hurry!"
Itoshi argued.
As Kara's voice trembled, she struggled to deliver her message.
"Hishiki-san..."
Itoshi: What? Tell me!!
"He's no longer with us..."
Was all that came out of her mouth.
Those few words were enough to put Itoshi's face twisted in horror.
Itoshi: You're lying!
Kara: The Seelie took him by the neck...
Itoshi was furious and he muttered "Where did it go?! I'll take it down myself!"
Kara: No... stay here. It's already dead... You defeated it...
Itoshi: What?!
A sharp knock echoed from outside. Still overwhelmed by everything, Itoshi stormed toward the front door, his steps heavy with frustration and grief.
He swung the door open to reveal a man in a crisp suit, a rapier sheathed at his waist. Behind him stood five soldiers, their posture disciplined and alert.
Itoshi's eyes immediately caught the insignia on the left shoulders of the soldiers' uniforms: W.E.S.C.U.
Itoshi: What do you want?! We're in the middle of something, dumbass!
Man in suit: Oh, young man, no need to be so hostile. We just want to...
The man paused, he looked to the ground then back to Itoshi.
"Talk.."
Suddenly, an invisible force slammed Itoshi backward into the house.
Kara: Koya!!
The man swiftly grabbed Kara, wrapping his arm around her neck and pressing the tip of his rapier toward Itoshi.
"What the hell was that?!" Itoshi thought to himself before he locked in once more.
Itoshi: You fucking bastard.
Man in suit: My masters want to see you. Come with me, and there will be no trouble.
Itoshi: Are you deranged? How the hell do you expect me to just come with you after all this?
The man sighed before he replied.
"Kids these days... Hold her."
He passed Kara off to one of the soldiers. The suited man charged at Itoshi, intent on knocking him out.
Itoshi grabbed a butterknife from the kitchen and blocked the attack.
The man smirked with Itoshi's way of thinking, And he ended up complimenting him.
"Nice reflexes, kid."
"Tsk. Is that all you got?"
Itoshi shot back.
The man struck with a flurry of blows aiming for Itoshi's head, but Itoshi blocked every strike. Suddenly, a mysterious force slammed into Itoshi's stomach.
"What the hell was that?! He's so fast, I can't even see him move!"
Itoshi thought to himself.
Itoshi dropped to his knees, coughing up blood.
"KOYAA!!!" Kara screamed, tears streaming down her face.
The soldier holding Kara got annoyed, and he ended up gripping Kara even more.
"Shut up, woman."
Itoshi and The Mans battle came to a pause.
"You know, it would've been easier if you didn't resist."
The man stood in pride, shadow looming over Itoshi.
Itoshi then smiled as he thought to himself "Ah... I get it now."
Itoshi lunged at the man, throwing a flurry of punches. Many found their mark, but the man remained unfazed, his expression unreadable.
Without warning, the man drove a brutal punch into Itoshi's stomach, winding him once more.
But Itoshi refused to back down. Gritting his teeth, he launched another assault. They exchanged a rapid series of blows, each strike generating powerful gusts of wind that whipped through the house.
Furniture rattled and lifted, swirling violently in the air, while the doors slammed shut, sealed tight by the force of their battle.
Itoshi broke away, dashing backward as the heavy door thudded closed behind him, trapping them inside.
Man in suit: "Tired now, kid?"
Itoshi wiped the blood from his lips, with a confidence smile etched on his face.
"Knew it. You're gifted with wind."
Man in suit: "Very impressive. No wonder you were labeled a 'Special Lost Subject.' Well then, allow me to formally introduce myself."
"All that commotion, and now you decide to introduce yourself?!"
The man's eyes gleamed with enthusiasm and curiosity as he studied Itoshi's abilities.
The wind allowed the curtains and the furniture's around them as the man introduced himself.
"I'm Hawthorne. I dedicate my life to the World Elemental Special Control Unit — W.E.S.C.U. I'm here to retrieve a special subject lost ten years ago. A flame user with deep blue hair... I didn't expect it to have grown this long."
"Blah, blah. Don't care. Your wind's almost out."
Shot back.
Hawthorne chuckled. Suddenly, the room was swallowed in darkness as the curtains, loosened by the wind.
"Saw something in a magazine a few days ago... never thought it'd be useful."
Itoshi muttered in the dark.
Hawthorne gasped.
"What—Shit!"
In the darkness, Itoshi lunged forward and stabbed Hawthorne in the abdomen.
"If an intruder breaks in, darkness is your friend. You know your house better than anyone else."
He confidently whispered.
Hawthorne: Damn... I let my guard down. He used my wind to close the curtains and door. But... why couldn't I sense him?!
To be Continued