Outside the building, Haru moved through the crowded plaza.
Non-awakened civilians and aberrants flowed past each other in uneasy coexistence—armor brushing against office wear, weapons slung beside shopping bags.
His hand slowly curled into a fist.
His brows drew together.
"I will find a way to find you…"
The words left him rough and unsteady, trembling with anger buried under regret. The blazing sun swallowed the rest, carrying his voice off with the wind.
He turned to leave— "Hey, brat."
The voice was firm. Heavy. Haru glanced back.
Three men stood several steps away.
"…Yes?" Haru said, confusion flickering across his face. The bald man at the front lowered a double-bladed axe onto his shoulder with a dull metallic weight.
"I heard you're the fool who walked into a Void Rift looking for his girl…" He smirked.
One of the men beside him snorted.
"And still didn't awaken."
Mockery dripped from the words.
Haru's expression hardened. The softness from earlier vanished. "What do you want?"
The bald man's smirk shifted—interest creeping in—but something about it felt… wrong. Predatory. "I'll give you a chance."
He stepped closer.
"Be our porter… and you'll be able to enter a Void Rift."
He leaned down until they were nearly eye level, breath slow, confident.
"Sounds good… no?"
Silence stretched between them.
Haru's fingers twitched once at his side.
He thought. Just for a moment—
"…I accept."
His gaze dipped briefly.
The bald man straightened, surprise flashing across his face before it melted into a wider smirk.
"Good." He turned, already losing interest.
"I'll expect you tomorrow."
A card was flicked into Haru's hand.
The three men walked away.
Haru remained where he stood.
Slowly… his eyes dropped to the card.
A name Brutcher Guild. A number. An address.
The paper crinkled faintly in his tightening grip.
—
The convenience store sign flickered overhead.
A figure in a black hoodie pushed the glass door open. Cool air slipped inside with him. He grabbed a pack of noodles and a soda, then set them on the counter.
As the hood came down, the silhouette—at first glance almost feminine from the back—shifted.
"5 yuan," the cashier said.
A hand reached into a purse.
"Here…"
The voice was familiar. It was Haru.
The cashier took the money with a polite nod and waved goodbye as the glass door slid shut behind him.
Haru paused just outside.
Rain hammered the pavement. Small splashes darkened the hem of his pants. He exhaled quietly, then pulled an umbrella from his backpack and stepped into the downpour.
After several minutes of walking through the rain, Haru reached his building.
He closed the umbrella at the stairway entrance, droplets scattering across the concrete, and headed up. The door to his unit clicked shut behind him.
He looked up— and flinched.
His eyes widened.
Floating in the middle of the living room was a shard-like fragment, suspended in the air, wrapped in a slow, breathing dark aura that made the air feel… wrong.. Cold. Eerie.
Haru's hand moved instantly. He pulled out his phone to call the nearest guild—
The screen distorted. Glitching. Unresponsive.
"…What?"
He frowned and moved for the door. It wouldn't budge. Something unseen held it firmly in place. Slowly… Haru turned back toward the Fragmented Shard.
He flipped the lights on.
The shard remained exactly where it was—hovering… slowly rotating… waiting.
Minutes passed. No movement. No hostility.
Haru tilted his head slightly, confusion creeping in.
Carefully, deliberately, he gave the shard a wide berth and moved into the kitchen. The quiet normalcy of boiling water filled the room. Steam rose. Noodles cooked.
Time passed. He ate. Cleaned. Still—
Nothing changed.
The shard floated exactly the same.
Haru stepped in front of it again, fingers resting lightly against his chin, eyes narrowing as he studied it.
Then—
Recognition flickered.
An anime scene surfaced in his memory. A man… an orb… contact… fusion.
Haru inhaled slowly and squared his shoulders. He stepped closer.
Just as he expected—
The shard pulsed faintly. Not hostile. Responsive. His heartbeat quickened.
Power…?
Excitement flickered through his chest.
Slowly—carefully—he raised his right hand toward it.
The shard steadied in the air.
…As if waiting. Closer. Closer—
The dark aura leaned toward his fingers.
When his fingertip hovered an inch away—
The aura slid forward.
It seeped into his skin like cold smoke.
The instant he touched the shard—
It flared. Dark energy exploded outward, shattering across the room before violently rushing back into him. Wind roared through the apartment, knocking loose objects across the floor. The walls trembled. Lights flickered wildly. The shard's glow unraveled into streams of light, pouring into Haru's body—
Then— Silence. Dead. Heavy.
Haru slowly lifted his hand, staring at it.
Waiting. Wondering…
…what would happen next.
.
Haru cleaned the mess left by the merging.
Broken items thrown in the bin. other stuff back in place. Floor wiped. Air slowly settling.
When he finally stopped, he flexed his fingers… then his hand… then his shoulders.
Nothing. No change.
Later, he sank onto his bed as the wind howled outside the window.
—
That same night, far away—
Six figures stood at the edge of a Void Rift deep within a dense forest.
Two men. Four women.
Two of the women carried staffs—one classified as an Archmage, the other an Archweaver. The rest bore swords, marking them as Archblades.
They were unmistakably Japanese.
"I can't wait to take down the boss," one of the female Archblades said, eyes sharp with excitement.
"Calm down… Akari," the Archweaver replied.
"Let her be, Rin," the Archmage said lightly.
The Archmage was Yuri — S-rank.
The fierce Archblade was Akari — S-rank.
Beside them stood Mei — A-rank Archblade.
Rin — A-rank Archweaver.
And at the rear, Yuma and Akaji — both B-rank Archblades.
Without hesitation, they entered the Void Rift.
Formation came naturally:
Yuma and Akaji at the back.
Rin and Mei in the middle.
Akari and Yuri leading.
Inside, the Void Rift resembled a cavernous stone hut—dark rock walls veined with faintly glowing crystals, becoming the light source.
The first wave came quickly.
Monsters grotesque enough to make civilians vomit.
They didn't last long.
Yuri erased the wave almost instantly.
Akari clicked her tongue, visibly annoyed.
Yuri only smiled and walked forward.
Their bickering carried the ease of siblings—though they weren't.
Deeper.
More waves.
Mutated dogs lunged from the shadows.
Each fell just as quickly.
Then—
A massive stone gate loomed ahead.
The Quinacity leaking from beyond it was heavier. Denser.
Boss room.
They pushed the gate open—
—and tentacles lashed out instantly.
Akari moved first. Her blade flashed.
Several tentacles dropped in clean slices.
Dust and smoke filled the air from shattered stone. The team waved it aside.
the boss room lit up with blue torches on the wall.
Akari smirked.
"My, my… what a disrespectful way to greet guests," —Yuri said pleasantly.
The boss revealed itself.
An impossibly thin waist.
Its lower half was a mass of writhing tentacles, rooted into the back of a massive mutated hound as if puppeteering it. Long blade-like arms. Three heads twisting unnaturally.
From its pressure alone—
A-rank Void Rift.
Behind them, Yuma and Akaji coughed through the dust.
Then—
Akari lunged forward.
Air cracked in her wake.
The rest of the group didn't move.
"She doesn't need help, does she?" Rin asked softly.
Mei only watched… and yawned.
Akaji sat on a rock, casually guarding the rear while Yuma observed.
Impact thundered across the chamber.
Tentacles slashed.
Akari launched into the air, narrowly evading the follow-up strike.
"You're annoying…"
Her voice dropped—cold. Her eyes narrowed. focusing.
Midair, after severing one blade-arm—
Flame ignited. A massive torrent of fire erupted from her strike, blasting straight into the creature's chest. The explosion tore through wall and ground alike.
Then— Silence.
Only drifting embers remained.
Akari landed lightly, flicked blood from her sword, and slid it back into the scabbard as she walked away.
Behind her—
The monster stood frozen for a single second.
A gaping hole burned through its chest. Its core reduced to ash. The massive body collapsed.
Dead.
"Short-tempered as always," Mei muttered, yawning again.
They moved efficiently, mining the exposed crystals and stuffing them into a large bag.
The space began to destabilize.
"the rift is about to collapse soon," Yuri warned.
They exited quickly—
Akari stepping out last just as the Void Rift sealed behind her.
"We got a lot of crystals…" Yuma grinned.
"More money," Akaji added. Rin looked excited. Yuri simply nodded.
Akari clicked her tongue, clearly dissatisfied.
"That thing didn't even entertain me."
They began walking out of the forest.
Above them—
The full moon watched in silence.
—
Morning.
Light slipped gently through Haru's window.
It rested softly on Yue's portrait.
Thin trails of incense smoke curled upward.
Haru's eyes drifted toward her. Sunlight brushed across his face, catching in one eye. His long black hair slid along his forearm as he reached for his coffee mug. Steam ghosted across his skin.
. . .
Bathroom.
Soap foam slid slowly down his upper body. revealing his lean, sinewy frame.
His hair was tied back—still loose, still slightly messy.
—
Fabric rustled as he slipped into his jacket.
At the doorway— He paused.
His gaze returned to Yue's portrait, quietly tracing her smile.
The lock clicked behind him.
He stepped into the daylight—
Carrying nothing but his determination to find her.