~~~Cape Hedo~~~
[5:00 am - March 31, 2169]
Itoshi snapped awake, jolting up as the scorched scent of burnt air hit his nose. His body was aching, drained, but his eyes locked onto the scene in front of him.
Ryujin and the man were still holding the seele off. From the hill above, Ayro stood with his massive shadow-forged arm aimed precisely at the beast. Itoshi didn't need to ask—he knew. It was ready.
Ryujin shouted from below.
"Itoshi!! Break the seal!!"
Without hesitation, Itoshi forced himself up. The air around him warped as his flames erupted, engulfing the seele in a sudden wave of fire. The creature roared in agony and rage, thrashing wildly.
It broke free from Ryujin's hold—his strength was fading.
Only the man remained, standing firm, summoning gusts of wind to slow the monster's movement.
"Not yet!"
The seele twisted, resisting, inching closer to Itoshi.
"Not yet!!"
As sweat dripped down his face, the man saw a memory flash in his mind—a person from his past. Someone who once stood with him in the wind. Someone he had vowed to protect.
"Gotta hold on!"
But the seele kept turning.
"Shit!!"
The seele's grotesque hand lunged forward—its claw just four centimeters from Itoshi's head.
Then—
BOOM.
A direct hit.
A thunderous sound rang across the battlefield. Ayro's shot struck the seele dead in the back—a massive clump of compressed earth powered by raw shadow and grit. Silence followed.
The seele didn't move. It stared at Itoshi, still locked eye-to-eye.
Then, a shriek.
The creature let out a soul-rending screech, fell to its knees, and clawed at its own skull as if trying to escape the pain.
Its body broke down rapidly, disintegrating into glowing blue dust. And then—it was gone.
[Few Minutes Before]"Ok, so here's what we do. We've got four elements against us right now. Meson types are Wind, Flame, and Earth. Then we've got that big dude walking slowly — that Größer is a Water type. Perfect timing, right?"Ryujin muttered, barely whispering as he kneeled down.
He paused, taking a breath and looking over the darkening battlefield.
"Thankfully, the Wind, Flame, and Earth Seele are approaching from different directions: left, right, and center. So we'll each take on the ones we're best against."
Itoshi scratched his chin, his eyes darting between the incoming clusters as he completed the puzzle.
"So me, left?"
The hooded stranger followed, his hand tightening on his grandpa's katana.
"Me, right."
Ryujin nodded in agreement, his expression sharpening as he continued.
"Exactly. I'll take the center — the flame ones. Meanwhile, Ayro, you stay up here and absorb as much sand as possible."
"Ok, I get what you mean,"
Ayro replied, already shifting his stance to ground himself.
"The three of us are going to clear a path. We hold them off and carve out an opening while Ayro gathers enough material. Once he's ready, we aim everything at that Größer. If we take it down, the other Seele will scatter."Ryujin continued.
"Got it!"
The man, Ayro, and Itoshi shouted in unison.
[Present]
The battlefield was still.
Then—
"YESSS!! HE'S DOWN!"
Itoshi roared, punching the air with a weary fist.
"Take that, you ugly bitch!!"
The man added, his voice cracking with exertion.
Laughter erupted from them both, a raw, manic sound that echoed across the salt-crusted earth. They were exhausted, bruised, and filthy—but they were alive.
Ryujin cracked a small smile, watching the two celebrate amidst the steam and wreckage of the fallen Größer. On the hill, Ayro finally let his guard down and dropped to a sitting position, smiling through his heavy, panting breaths.
The stranger looked over at the squad, the adrenaline-fueled grin still on his face.
"Okay... gotta admit, that was good."
Ryujin and Itoshi grinned back at him, the tension of the last few hours finally evaporating into the morning air. The man walked up to Ryujin, his posture no longer guarded or aggressive.
"Well, I guess we'll make your dream come true, huh, Ryujin?"
The last of the Seele scattered in fear, retreating like shadows fleeing from a candle into the deep woods.
Ryujin stood upright, his uniform battered and torn, but his presence as commanding as ever.
"Yeah."
The man extended his hand, the moonlight giving way to a different kind of glow.
"My name is... Kirashi Kiraghie."
Ryujin took the hand without a second's hesitation, their palms meeting in a firm, calloused grip.
"Pleasure working with you, Kiraghie."
Their hands locked in a firm shake—just as the first light of March 31 broke over the horizon, washing the bloodied battlefield in a sudden, brilliant gold.
~~~Cape Hedo Cafe~~~
[6:00am]
Kara had just woken up. Still half-asleep, she yawned and stretched as she made her way downstairs, the morning light barely beginning to filter through the café windows.
She froze at the bottom step.
The four boys were sitting on the floor, all wide-eyed and completely drained. Their bodies slouched, their faces pale, they just... stared at each other. Like war veterans who had seen too much.
"Eep!! What the hell happened!?"
Ayro slowly turned his head toward her, raising a shaky thumb.
"Everything is under control..."
"Coffee... Kara..."
Itoshi muttered, his voice barely audible.
Kirashi looked up at Kara, blinking slowly as if his brain were trying to process a new color.
"It's... a woman," he noted weakly.
Kara raised a brow, her concern starting to outweigh her confusion.
"Seriously?! Everyone—what happened?"
She paused, pointing a finger at the newcomer.
"And who is he!?"
Kirashi Kiraghie.
First name: Kirashi.
Age: 17. Lived alone in Cape Hedo for 9 years.
He had short black hair with green highlights at the tips, and striking red eyes with green irises. He looked like someone who'd fought a few bears and won.
"Ah... He's Kirashi,"
Ryujin said weakly, not even bothering to lift his head from his chest.
Kara's voice shook, slightly nervous but mostly worried for her brother and his team.
"Ah... I see... W-Well... you guys want breakfast?"
The four turned to her slowly, eyes still wide, their heads nodding in a synchronized, zombie-like rhythm.
"Absolutely."
Kara sighed and she smiled.
"Okay, okay..."
She went to the kitchen and scavenged what the helicopter crew had left behind. It wasn't much—just some eggs, bacon, and coffee rations—but it would do. Soon enough, she handed them each a plate and a hot drink.
"Here you go, everyone. Sorry, this is all I could find. Hope it's enough!"
"Thank you... time to dig in..."
The four said in unison, their voices sounding like they were coming from the bottom of a well.
As they began to eat with a primal intensity, Kirashi turned toward Ryujin, his mouth half-full.
"Who is she?"
"Itoshi's sister,"
Ryujin replied between bites.
Kirashi blinked as he slowly turned his head to Itoshi, a sudden spark of life returning to his eyes.
"Yo, Itoshi... are you looking for a brother?"
Itoshi, still dazed and staring at a piece of bacon as if it held the secrets of the universe, didn't respond. He just stared at the floor, processing his entire existence.
"I think that's a no,"
Ayro barged in, his eyes still half-closed from sleep.
Kirashi lay back on the cold floor, his back pressed against the wood as a low grunt of frustration escaped him.
"ARRGHHH!!"
[Few Moments Later]
Kara came downstairs again, this time with a bit more energy, having swapped her sleepwear for something more practical. She walked over and sat with the four boys at the table, leaning her chin on her hand.
"So... what exactly happened?"
Itoshi responded in a low, weak voice, his words slurring together as he teetered on the edge of consciousness.
"Seeles... A hundred.. tired... woman..."
Kara blinked at him, her expression a mix of confusion and genuine concern.
"R-Ryujin-san? Ayro-san?"
"Sleep,"
Ayro muttered, his head bobbing precariously.
Ryujin didn't even respond. He was just sitting there, eyes open and fixed on a spot on the wall, but his soul was clearly somewhere else entirely.
"Maybe... maybe you guys should get some rest..."
Kara said, sweating slightly at the sight of the human wreckage before her.
Kirashi weakly raised a finger and pointed at himself, desperate for an ounce of attention.
"Aren't you gonna ask me?"
Kara turned to Kirashi, one brow raised in quiet question.
"I don't even know who you are."
Kirashi's eyes flooded with tears, though not from sadness—Kara's bluntness hit him like a physical slap he wasn't prepared for.
"Mean...!"
"Alright, seriously—get some rest, all of you,"
Kara commanded, standing up.
"Okay..."
All four murmured in a haunting, low-energy unison.
To Kara's surprise, they didn't even bother getting up to find a bed. All four just slowly tipped over like falling dominoes, flopped onto the hard floor, and passed out instantly.
"S-Seriously?"
Kara whispered. She sighed and gently stepped over their collapsed bodies, navigating the minefield of limbs to head outside for some air.
The cool sea breeze hit her face as she opened the front door, and she smiled for a moment, watching the waves crash gently onto the shore under the morning sun.
But when she stepped around to the back of the café, her smile faded instantly. The entire area around the building was scorched—blackened grass, deep ash stains, and the jagged fragments of the night's chaos still lingered in the dirt.
"S-Seems like I missed out on a major event..."
She stood there for a long beat, taking a deep, stabilizing breath before letting out a scream that surely should have woken the dead.
"Why didn't you guys wake me up!?"
[11:40am]
Ryujin slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before sitting up. The smell of food drifted in from the kitchen. He looked over and saw Kara cooking.
Kara noticed him as he slowly came about, and she greeted him with a smile.
"Oh! Good morning, boss!"
Ryujin greeted back, face calm.
"Good morning... And don't call me boss—Ryujin is enough."
He stretched and walked outside. The sky was bright and clear. He looked up and muttered to himself:
"It's already noon, though..."
Inside, Itoshi stirred awake, holding his head.
"Tsk... my head hurts."
Kara as usual, greeted him with a smile.
"Oh! Koya! Good morning!!"
"Morning... What're you making?"
Kara paused as the food in the pan sizzled.
"Lunch!"
With his mind still drifting, Itoshi replied bluntly.
"Then... it's afternoon."
Kara was caught off guard and slightly annoyed.
"Y-Yeah! Good afternoon, I mean!"
Suddenly, Ayro stood up with stiff, mechanical movement, startling Kara.
"Eep!!"
Itoshi turned to Ayro, greeting him aswell.
"Oh... Afternoon, Ayro."
"Afternoon."
He walked outside without another word, joining Ryujin, who was still standing under the sun.
Itoshi looked at Kirashi, who was still out cold, smiling in his sleep, drooling like a baby.
"Man, you're already slacking off..."
He stretched, rubbed his eyes, and went off to find some water.
Meanwhile, Kirashi continued to nap peacefully—smiling like he'd just saved the world... and earned a vacation.
[12:11pm]
Kirashi suddenly woke up, sitting up straight with a small gasp, his eyes darting around the room as if expecting an ambush.
Ryujin took a slow sip of his coffee, watching the newcomer from across the table.
"Ah... someone finally decided to wake up."
Ayro and Itoshi turned their heads in unison, their expressions much more human now that they'd had a few hours of sleep.
"Good afternoon," they greeted him.
Kara soon followed, waving a spatula from the kitchen area.
"Oh! Kirashi-san, come join us—come eat!"
Kirashi blinked a few times. The warmth in the room, the casual chatter, the presence of people—it all felt unfamiliar, almost alien. He hesitated, his hands hovering over the chair. "S-Sure..."
"Oh? What's wrong?"
Kara asked, her tone low and soft as she noticed his hesitation.
"It's... it's nothing,"
Kirashi nervously answered.
"Come on. Join us,"
Ryujin invited, gesturing to the empty seat.
Kirashi stood up and quietly made his way to the seat beside Ayro, moving with a cautious grace that spoke of years spent in the wild.
"It feels strange..."
Ayro raised a brow, his head facing forward but his eyes cutting to the side.
"Strange?"
Kirashi looked down, his hands clasped together on the table.
"Just... it's been a while since I ate with anyone else."
"I see," Ayro replied simply.
Kara placed a plate in front of him with a cheerful smile.
"Here you go! Have a taste!"
Kirashi took a bite, chewing slowly. His eyes widened slightly, the flavors hitting him all at once.
"It's... good."
"I'm glad you like it!"
Kara beamed.
"Nine years, right?"
Ryujin asked, leaning back.
"Yeah... nine years alone,"
Kirashi confirmed.
"How did you survive? You look about our age. If it's been nine years, you must've been just a kid,"
Itoshi asked as he waved a piece of bread in his hand.
Kirashi took a deep breath, the steam from his food rising between them.
"I was. I lived with someone—he was like a father to me. He had the same power as I do: wind."
He paused, staring into his plate.
"Twelve years ago... my parents got caught up in some mess with the U.W.D.S. They were blamed for something they didn't do."
"What was it?"
Itoshi asked.
"Honestly? I don't know. But they were innocent."
"What happened then?"
Kara asked, her voice filled with empathy.
"That man found me. He said he saw something in me. He taught me how to survive here in Hedo. How to fight the Seele... how to live on my own. One day, he left. Before he did, he told me to protect his home. To protect it until I felt—deep down—that it was time to go."
"What did you even eat out here?"
Itoshi asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Birds—if I got lucky, ducks. If not, fish. Every day."
"Oh..."
Itoshi muttered, suddenly feeling very grateful for his bread.
Kirashi glanced down at his plate, then looked up, his emerald eyes storming with a sudden, sharp determination.
"I want to find him... I want to thank him. And I want to let him know that I'm okay."
There was a long pause as the gravity of his words settled over the table. Then, one by one, everyone smiled. Ayro reached out and gave Kirashi a light, grounding pat on the back.
Ryujin's voice cut through the silence, deep and commanding.
"Then let's go find him."
~~~To be Continued~~~