"Spark... warm... it burns in my heart that never throbs."
"Giving me life more than... Life itself."
"A hero. Am I?"
"Yes. I am. I hold this world in the palm of my hands—when no one can."
"Evil. Horrible. Power? Greed..."
"It's warm."
"No one... no one will take it away. Only me."
"Etch and stretch yourself thin."
"Until you're nothing but duty. Until there's no breath left to burn."
~~~June 7, 2169~~~
[Hara Sanshin Hospital]
"Can't you agree... Ayro-san?"
Ryo muttered, eyes locked onto the man in front of him with a sinister smile creeping across his lips.
Ayro's crimson eyes followed the man's every motion. Each twitch. Each breath.
The shattered pieces of his comm device slipped slowly from his palm, clinking onto the floor.
Ryo stood.
Calmly. Casually.
He raised his right hand and spread his fingers wide—aimed directly at Ayro, who remained seated, arms crossed, gaze fixed ahead.
"A hero caught a villain... committing evil deeds."
He paused. Sparks crackled in his open palm.
"And a hero must stop the villain."
Ayro's eyes snapped to meet his.
Ryo smiled wider—almost too wide. His eyes gleamed, stretched open with unnatural calm.
Outside the Hara Sanshin Hospital—
A blast tore through the air.
Glass shattered. Pressure ruptured the silence.
Windows exploded outward as a violent shockwave rocked the hospital walls.
"What the hell happened?!"
One man muttered, eyes wide.
"There was a sudden explosion—inside the hospital!"
Another replied, pointing toward the rising smoke as they all turned to watch the building slowly burn.
"Look!"
A citizen pointed across the road, toward the opposite building.
There—one of the windows had been blown out, and black smoke poured from it, dark and heavy against the skyline.
Moments later, firefighters arrived at the scene, hoses ready, sirens wailing behind them.
Police officers quickly secured the area, shouting over the panic as they set up barricades and cleared the crowd.
The entire road was temporarily shut down.
The flame had spread too far, too fast.
The news of the burning hospital was quickly broadcasted across local television and radio stations in the area.
Within minutes, the entire city began to stir—
And among those who caught the first reports was the other half of Squad Segment 663.
The moment the broadcast hit, they rushed toward Ayro.
"Hah?! The hospital's on fire?!"
Itoshi shouted, leaning forward from the back seat, voice frantic as he hovered over Ryujin.
"Ryujin-san! We gotta hurry! Kara is—!"
Ryujin's face was twisted, jaw clenched tight.
He gritted his teeth and slammed a fist against his knee.
Ryujin thought to himself.
"Ayro... what the hell happened?!"
He didn't say it aloud—but the thought echoed hard in his head.
Ryujin then turned toward their driver.
"Bjorne-san!"
"I'll floor it!"
Bjorne replied without hesitation.
The hum of their electric vehicle rose sharply, the sound cutting through the traffic-filled streets of Fukuoka like a blade.
The vehicle surged forward, weaving through the chaos.
They were racing toward smoke.
Toward flame.
Toward something none of them fully understood yet.
-BANG!
The brave firefighters pushed into the burning hospital, moving fast—too fast to think, but never too fast to save.
They scanned every room, especially those closest to the heart of the flame.
"I'll take this one!"
"Okay! Hurry!!"
Five of them converged on the hallway leading to the explosion's origin.
Thick smoke clung to the walls like mist.
The door ahead was warped from heat, the only thing keeping the fire from swallowing the corridor.
"This is it—this is where it came from!"
"Alright, get ready! Prepare your masks—it might've been nitrogen!"
In one motion, the team strapped on their oxygen masks. Their captain stepped forward.
"Ready!" he shouted.
"One... two!"
Clicks.
The door blasted open.
Heat slammed into them—raw and unfiltered.
Flames licked through the gap instantly, but their captain pushed through, cutting into the fire like a man who'd done this a hundred times before.
He was fearless. Experienced.
But what he saw in that room didn't burn him.
It froze him.
He stood there, unmoving—his breath caught in his throat.
"Sir! Are you alright?!"
"We're ready to douse it—are there survivors?!"
A long pause.
Then finally, the captain answered.
"...Yeah... two."
The others peeked inside.
They were gobsmacked by what they saw.
In the center of the room—engulfed in slow-burning flame—sat Ayro and Ryo.
Still in their seats.
Still unmoving.
Ryo's smile remained etched on his face, wide and calm.
Ayro sat across from him, head bowed, eyes closed. His arms were crossed. His legs too. Like he was simply... thinking.
As if the fire never touched them.
Then—
Ryo scoffed. A low breath through his nose, followed by a crooked smirk.
"Heh?.. Not too bad."
The flames danced around him. The room cracked. But neither of them moved...
Broken glass. A dark room.
Sirens blared in the distance. Her head was fuzzy—too fuzzy.
And everything was quiet.
*Cough cough*
A young woman's voice echoed through the room—hollow, faint. Kara.
The room was cold. The only light that reached it was the sunlight pouring through the shattered window above.
"Wha... what happened?"
Kara muttered weakly.
She was lying on the icy floor, limbs heavy.
Slowly, she pushed herself up, groaning as she held her head.
"What the..."
Then it hit her.
She remembered.
[Earlier]
Behind the curtain, they listened. Kara, Tomori, and Jayu sat in silence as the voices of Ayro and Ryo drifted from the other side of the hospital room.
Tomori's curled brows had vanished. Her expression was calm now—almost eerily so.
Kara blinked and looked toward her, but Tomori didn't meet her gaze. Instead, she turned to Jayu, still clutching Kara's hand tightly as they sat on the bed.
Tomori's thoughts were already moving ahead.
"Okay... I could get them away if things get bad..." she told herself.
Her left hand was gently building up wind, hidden under the sheets, controlled and quiet.
Then came Ryo's voice.
"Ayro-san..."
"These gifts... have been bestowed to our species for... over a millennia already."
He paused.
"Have you ever asked?.. Why?.. Did we need it?.."
Ayro didn't respond.
Tomori leaned in slightly. The wind in her palm swirled—silent, invisible, but growing steadily with each passing second.
As the pressure built, a sudden thought crossed her mind.
"I'm still wounded..."
Her breath caught.
"If I use too much... it might get worse."
She hesitated.
But then she looked toward Kara and Jayu, still sitting beside her—so close, so vulnerable.
"N-No!"
She told herself.
"I have to protect Kara-chan and Jayu-chan! No matter what!"
And so, the wind surged.
Even if her body wasn't ready... her will was.
"If the gods 'gifted' us these powers..."
Ryo continued behind the curtain,
"I'm pretty sure... they knew nothing good would get out from it."
He chuckled darkly.
"War... chaos... discrimination... heck, even those Seele's..."
Then, his tone shifted. The smile left his voice.
"The Crow."
A pause.
"All of those shits... what a fucking pain to think of. It's like they've put all of this just to try to make this world more interesting!"
"Yet you're a hero."
Ayro replied, calmly.
There was silence. Then Ryo scoffed.
"There are some people in this world..."
He said as he slowly stood up,
"That deserve life... but most of them... don't. Like that Crow."
"Flames are honest, Ayro-san. They never pretend to save what should've burned."
His grin returned.
"Wouldn't you agree?.. Ayro-san?"
Tomori flinched. The wind in her hand suddenly pulsed—no longer a breeze, but a gale. She turned sharply to Kara.
"Kara! Jayu-chan!"
She shouted.
BOOM!
White. Red. Blue.
Before it all turned to black.
That was all Kara saw.
Tomori rushed to her, yanking the intravenous tube out of her own arm without hesitation. The sterile white walls of the hospital warped into a blazing inferno—the crimson red flame of Ryo, swallowing everything in its path.
Glass shattered. Pressure cracked the air.
That crimson red burst open into the clear blue sky—just before Tomori swept both Kara and Jayu into her arms. She held them tight, body trembling, breath sharp.
Then—darkness.
Tomori turned her back to the incoming glass window of the building across the road. Her body tensed, arms wrapped tightly around the two she refused to lose.
The glass exploded behind her—
And all three of them tumbled onto the carpeted floor inside.
.....
As Kara regained her senses, panic surged through her again. The room was dim, quiet—dust still hanging in the air. She stumbled to her feet and ran.
"Jayu-chan!"
She called out.
Her eyes scanned the room until they found her—collapsed nearby, unconscious... but breathing. Still alive.
Relief only lasted a moment. Kara quickly turned, eyes wide.
Tomori.
She scrambled across the floor, searching—until she found her, crumpled near the broken glass.
Kara checked her frantically, hands trembling as they hovered over her arms, her chest, her legs.
Once again, even before she could fully heal... Tomori was bleeding.
Kara gently held the back of Tomori's head and lifted her, resting the girl against her chest.
"Tomori-san!"
She cried out.
Tomori groaned softly. Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first, then slowly found Kara.
Kara's tears were falling now—freely, silently.
"Kara-san..."
Tomori whispered.
"Thank you!"
Kara sobbed.
Tomori gave a faint smile, her voice weak and barely audible.
"Kara-san... my back hurts..."
Kara flinched, panic rising once more.
"Yes! I'll heal you!"
She gently laid Tomori back down onto the soft carpet, her hands moving fast as she searched the room for clean fabric—anything to cover the wounds.
She found torn curtains, a piece of medical cloth, anything she could grab.
Kara rushed back to Tomori, hands shaking as she knelt beside her.
She tore off what little fabric she had gathered and began patching up Tomori's right hand—where the tube had ripped clean out, leaving the skin raw and bleeding.
Next, she gently turned Tomori to the side and spotted another wound—the back of her left shoulder had been sliced open, likely from the shattered glass when they crashed through the window.
Kara bit her lip, eyes burning, and pressed the fabric down with trembling care.
But then—
Tomori's breathing shifted.
"Kara-chan..."
She murmured again.
Something warm hit her cheek.
Blood.
Tomori blinked. Blood had dripped onto her face.
Kara froze, hand pressed to her own scalp. She lifted it slowly... and stared.
It was her own blood.
Confusion rippled through her chest. Then fear.
In the silence and confusion of the dark hotel room, chaos still burned outside. Sirens wailed. Smoke trailed into the skies of Fukuoka as Kirashi, Ryujin, and Itoshi finally arrived at the scene.
The vehicle screeched to a halt—barely stopping before the safety perimeter.
Inside the SUV, Ryujin gave a single, sharp order.
"Itoshi. Stay. Put."
He didn't wait for a reply. He slammed the door behind him and took off in a sprint.
Kirashi paused for a second, then glanced back at Itoshi.
"You should listen to him."
His voice was calm, but cold.
And then he was gone.
Itoshi sat frozen, watching the two disappear into the smoke and panic.
He leaned back in his seat, fists clenched on his lap. Slowly, his teeth found his thumbnail. His hands trembled. Sweat rolled down the side of his face.
Outside, Ryujin tried to push past the emergency line—but after a tense exchange, he was quickly let through.
Kirashi followed behind him, his boots splashing through puddles of melted glass and soot.
Itoshi saw it all from the window.
His breath hitched.
"K-Kara..."
He whispered softly to himself.
Itoshi placed his palms onto the cushioned seat beneath him. His fingers curled slowly, then tighter—until his grip was digging into the fabric.
His lips pressed together. Jaw clenched. His breath grew heavier, trembling with every second.
"Damn it!"
He shouted, voice cracking as he covered his face with both hands.
From the driver's seat, Bjorne sat in silence.
He didn't turn around. He didn't speak.
There was nothing he could say—not to ease that kind of fear.
So he simply sat there, hands still on the wheel, listening to Itoshi's frustrated cries echo quietly inside the SUV.
~~~To Be Continued~~~