It was a typical evening in Nagasaki on the 3rd of May, 2169. A gentle spring breeze swept through the slumbering city, weaving between steel towers and neon haze.
The sirens had long fallen silent, their shrill cries replaced by a stillness that spoke of uneasy peace.
One of the two shadowed organizations had taken up the mantle tonight, keeping the Seele at bay.
And so, the citizens drifted into sleep—not in safety, but in the illusion of it—cradled by the hum of the city and the comfort of not needing to know who held the knife in the dark.
Squad 663 reached Shioizaki Park to find chaos in motion.
UWDS field agents were locked in brutal combat with the Seele, their specialized weapons—each tailored to pierce a different elemental type—flaring in precision and desperation.
Gunfire lit the night as the unnatural hum of the Seele grew louder, feeding on the violence.
"It was already this bad!"
"They're the smaller types of Seele... But the chaos is already insane."
With urgency, Ryujin stepped out of the specialized squad truck that the UWDS provided. His breath was steady, and it screamed out his position as the leader of the squad.
"Everyone! This is our usual Seele battle. You all know what to do! Help the Field Men and don't fight by yourself!"
Every squad member sprang into action. They moved in unison, looking for the type of beast they could handle.
They spread out through Shioizaki Park and the surrounding area, searching for any beast that managed to escape the Field Men's grasp.
Itoshi ran westward, where he found the wind-type Seele clashing against the Field Men.
A wide smile etched itself across his face as excitement surged through his veins.
The adrenaline he'd longed for, absent these past few weeks, returned in a rush, making his heart race with a rhythm he'd nearly forgotten.
"There they are! Here I go, baby!"
He dashed past the defense line set by the Field Men, a blur of movement that left them stunned.
Their eyes widened in disbelief as he broke through their carefully established barrier, the unexpectedness of it all sending a ripple through their ranks.
"What the hell?!"
"What is he doing?! It's dangerous!"
"That guy is crazy!"
In quick succession, the feeble orange flame throwers wielded by the Field Men flickered and faltered, only to be replaced by Itoshi's magnificent blue fire—sharp, brilliant, and unstoppable, a stark contrast to the fading embers that once held the line.
The Field Agents stood frozen, awe-struck by the sight of the blue flames—so different, so intense. But their shock ran deeper than just the fire; there was something more, something they hadn't anticipated.
"A blue flame?!"
"What a... beauty..."
"Finally! I can rest!"
"A flame user?!"
Some stood in stunned awe, mesmerized by the brilliance of the blue flames; others, a quiet relief in their eyes, were glad he had come.
Yet, there were those whose faces darkened, uneasy at the sight of Itoshi—an unsettling reminder of the power a flame user could wield.
In a mere ten seconds, the Megalo-class Wind Seele were nothing but vapor, consumed by the fury of Itoshi's flames. He stood tall, pride radiating from him, his power undeniable in the wake of their disappearance.
"I'm getting stronger!"
As Itoshi reveled in the surge of his growing strength, a shout from one of the Field Men pierced through his focus, snapping his attention away from the firestorm he had conjured.
"My flame... It's responding to me faster than ever!"
He thought as he watched his palm, before quickly closing it as he smiled.
"Mr. Flame user! There are more wind users up ahead!"
The Field Men pointed down the road, and he saw the flame Seele fleeing toward the others.
He turned his gaze toward the Field Agent, his eyes briefly meeting theirs.
A single nod, silent but knowing, before the flames roared louder, curling around him and scorching the grass beneath his feet. He ran down the road chasing the Seele.
"Quickly! Take out the flame!!"
The other Field Men took care of the fire Itoshi created to prevent further damage to the area.
A fellow Field Man approached him, concern in his tone, his steps cautious as the tension in the air thickened.
"A flame user?... That's the second flame user to manage to get into this organization..."
"This is a bad idea."
"Stop saying that. Even if he's a flame user, he helped us."
"Blue flame..."
The Field Men had mixed reactions to Itoshi's first contribution to their cause—some eyes gleamed with approval, while others narrowed with doubt.
His presence had left an undeniable mark, but whether it was a blessing or a curse, only time would tell.
Meanwhile, Kirashi turned toward the east, his movements steady, guided by the deep well of his experience with wind power. He knew the land well—the subtle shift in the air, the currents that whispered of where the Earth-type Seele would make their presence known.
"There they are!"
Menschlich and Megalo-class Seele descended upon the small parking lot of the park and the neighboring rice fields, their presence warping the landscape with an eerie stillness.
The once serene spaces now thrummed with the heavy tension of their dominance.
"That's precious food you guys are wasting! You... sha'll disappear!"
With a swift motion, he unleashed the full force of his wind, the gusts slicing through the horde of Seele.
His katana danced in his grip, cutting through the air with precision, each strike a fluid blend of blade and storm as the creatures fell before him.
The Seele struck by his potent wind were instantly reduced to nothing, evaporating in the blink of an eye.
The others that survived, battered but unbroken, were drawn toward him—pulled by the relentless force of his storm, their movements twisted by the very winds that tore through their ranks.
"Seems like I have competition from the defense."
High atop the roof of a nearby house, overlooking the field, she rested. Hoshi, the kunoichi—her eyes sharp and focused—watched Kirashi battle the Seele below.
Her breath came in shallow gasps, each one a struggle as she tried to regain her strength, the chaos of the fight far beneath her offering little comfort.
Without hesitation, she sprang from the roof, her movements swift and silent as she rejoined the battle on the field.
The horde of Seele had their backs turned to her. She inhaled deeply, centering herself, then drew her small dagger, its edge gleaming in the chaos.
In the blink of an eye, she struck—each motion fluid and precise, as her wind swirled around her, cutting down ten Seele with nothing but the blade and her power.
Both Kirashi and Ayro felt it—the strange disturbance in the wind, a shift too deliberate to be natural.
Kirashi, closer to the source, recognized it instantly. The wind carried the unmistakable presence of a person, a force moving with intent, not unlike his own.
"Another wind user, huh? I guess this organization really has a lot of people... Well. I won't let you outshine me."
Kirashi responded to Hoshi's silent strike with a surge of his own wind, a powerful gust that swept through the battlefield, tearing through the Earth-type Seele with ease.
Hoshi, her eyes narrowing, caught a glimpse of his move. For a fleeting moment, all she thought was...
"Tsk... Inefficient."
~~~To be Continued~~~