As the three stood there in silence, the tension grew thick enough to suffocate. Yuma finally decided to break it with a simple question, his voice edged with irritation.
"Why are you both staring at me…?"
Neither Akira nor Keisuke answered. Keisuke continued to stare like a deer caught in headlights, stiff and unmoving, while Akira remained eerily composed, his sharp eyes silently analyzing Yuma from head to toe as if cataloging every breath he took.
"Hello?" Yuma pressed again, annoyance creeping into his tone.
Keisuke glanced at Akira, clearly expecting him to handle the situation, as if Akira somehow knew better. Akira returned the glance briefly before turning back to Yuma and finally speaking.
"I'd rather we didn't talk here in the front," he said flatly. "Go to the science lab."
The cold authority in his voice made Yuma's blood boil. Without waiting for a response, Akira turned and headed toward the staircase leading to the second floor.
That did it.
Yuma already didn't like Akira, purely based on his assumptions and the way he carried himself, but this only confirmed everything he thought. He opened his mouth, ready to snap back, only to see Keisuke quietly follow after Akira.
Yuma hesitated.
Trust his best friend… or protect his ego?
Grinding his teeth, he chose to trust Keisuke and followed them. After a short climb up the stairs and a walk down the quiet hallway, they reached the empty science lab. Akira waited until Yuma stepped inside before turning and locking the door behind him.
The click echoed.
Yuma stiffened.
A little wary now, he shifted closer to Keisuke, subtly bracing himself in case things went south. His muscles tensed, his instincts screaming caution. But instead of turning aggressive, Akira calmly began unbuttoning his shirt.
Yuma's eyes widened.
"What kind of freaky shit are you planning?" Yuma snapped, glaring at him. His feet squared, hands clenching into fists, fully prepared to beat Akira into a bruised mess if needed.
Then Keisuke followed suit.
That's when fear replaced anger.
Yuma stepped backward instinctively, heart racing as defensive thoughts flooded his mind. There was no way. no way. His best friend was about to go along with whatever Akira was planning.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS DOING?!" Yuma shouted, panic lacing his voice. "ARE YOU GUYS COMING OUT OR SOMETHING?!"
Akira and Keisuke both froze. Slowly, they looked at each other… then back at Yuma, disgust written clearly across their faces.
Perfectly in sync, they spoke at the same time.
"We don't like guys. Freak."
Akira's deep, flat tone harmonized awkwardly with Keisuke's lighter one. Normally, Yuma might've cracked a joke about it, but right now, their actions were screaming anything but normal.
Before Yuma could fire back another remark, Akira fully exposed his torso.
Yuma's breath caught.
Covering Akira's chest and arms was an intricate tattoo, far too detailed to be ordinary. An upturned sword dominated the center, flanked by two massive shapes resembling jagged icebergs. Fracture-like lines spread across his skin, mimicking the way ice cracked after being struck.
Keisuke revealed his own mark next.
Over his heart rested a crystal-shaped shield, glowing faintly. From it, crystalline growths spread outward, frozen mid-expansion. Unlike Akira's, Keisuke's design felt… unfinished. Incomplete.
The room fell silent.
Confused, Yuma slowly relaxed his fists and straightened his posture, eyes darting between the two markings.
"What the hell is this?" he asked. "You guys get matching tattoo themes or something?" His sarcasm spilled freely, masking the unease crawling up his spine.
Akira sighed, visibly annoyed.
"No," he said. "If you weren't a conduit, you wouldn't be able to see these."
Yuma snapped his gaze to Akira, eyes sharp.
Conduit.
The word hit like a trigger.
Just like Serpheria said.
Suspicion flooded him instantly. "How do you know that?" he demanded. "About conduits?"
Akira stared at him blankly, clearly baffled by what he perceived as Yuma's ignorance. Still, he answered.
"Because I am one," he said simply. "So is Keisuke."
Yuma turned to Keisuke.
Keisuke nodded confidently, his usual smile reduced to a thin but genuine line, confirming Akira wasn't lying.
"So you both…" Yuma muttered, "ran into one of those junk weapons..."
Akira shook his head.
Keisuke nodded.
Yuma frowned, silently questioning Akira with his eyes.
"I was born with mine," Akira clarified.
That statement stunned both of them.
Throughout the entire conversation, Keisuke had been backing Akira up, but even he hadn't known that. Now both Keisuke and Yuma stared at Akira in confusion. Keisuke tilted his head slightly.
"How?" he asked. "Aren't you a Descendant?"
Yuma's gaze snapped to Keisuke.
"Descendant?" he echoed.
Keisuke turned to him, shocked. "Your Ikon didn't explain the ranks to you?"
The realization hit Yuma almost immediately.
She had.
He just hadn't been listening.
She must've explained it all while he was too busy panicking, right before he shut her up.
Nervously, Yuma chuckled. "She did… I wasn't paying attention…"
Keisuke's smile widened faintly.
Akira, however, looked disappointed.
To Keisuke, this was just Yuma being Yuma.
To Akira, it looked like an idiot being handed power he didn't deserve.
Before Keisuke could jump in and explain, Akira took control of the conversation.
"There are three ranks of Ikons and conduits," he said. "I belong to the Descendants. You two are Enders." His eyes flicked toward Yuma. "In terms of power, I'm stronger than both of you."
Yuma bristled but stayed quiet.
"There are only eight Descendants, including myself, and fourteen Enders, including you two," Akira continued. "Above us is the Royal Family. The four key elements. They don't follow our rules or systems because they're closer to raw power than any of us." His tone darkened slightly. "We're all descendants of their power."
Yuma climbed onto the windowsill, sitting on the ledge as he processed everything being said. For once, he listened carefully, letting the information sink in.
Keisuke slouched against a table nearby, legs swinging lazily as he listened, mostly for the sake of filling in whatever details Yuma missed.
And for the first time since stepping into that lab, Yuma realized something unsettling.
He wasn't alone anymore.