[Opening Panel]
A morgue drawer slides open.
The rogue Válkrith's body from last chapter.
Except now—
It's in pieces.
Clean slices.
Organs partially liquified from internal pressure damage.
A forensic Válkrith examiner speaks:
"No feeding marks."
"Cause of death: catastrophic atmospheric shear."
Another responds quietly:
"…He's doing it again."
[Narration Box]
When something kills without hunger—
It isn't survival.
It's purpose.
[Street Scene — Daytime]
News spreads quietly.
Not public news.
Underworld news.
Low-tier Válkrith gather in abandoned subway tunnels.
Whispers.
"They say he doesn't drink essence."
"They say he doesn't talk."
"They say you don't hear wind when he's near."
"…You just stop breathing."
A younger Válkrith scoffs.
"Urban myth."
An older one shakes his head.
"I saw the sky bend."
[Cut — Human Perspective]
A human detective stands at another alley scene.
Another corpse.
This one worse.
Skin shredded in hundreds of microscopic cuts.
Blood splashed across walls in unnatural angles.
The detective mutters:
"No weapon marks."
"Forensics says pressure trauma."
His partner:
"What does that even mean?"
The detective looks up at the sky.
Wind brushes his coat slightly.
"…It means the air did this."
[Cut — Ryuto Walking Alone]
He passes a group of Válkrith.
They fall silent instantly.
No one makes eye contact.
One whispers:
"…Still Storm."
That's the first time we hear it.
He doesn't react outwardly.
But inside—
The air tightens slightly.
He understands.
They've started naming him.
[Internal Reflection — Mechanic Explanation]
Ryuto has been testing something.
After last night's fight—
His control radius increased slightly.
From one meter—
To roughly one and a half.
Small difference.
Massive consequence.
Pressure builds exponentially.
But so does strain.
If he compresses too much—
His own blood vessels rupture.
That's his first clear limitation.
He is not immune to pressure feedback.
His body must adapt gradually.
That's the leveling rule.
Growth through tolerance expansion.
[Mid-Chapter Conflict — Minor Threat]
A desperate Válkrith jumps him in a train station.
Fast.
Panicked.
"Stop killing our kind!"
The attack is sloppy.
Fear-driven.
Ryuto doesn't move much.
He slightly increases air density around the attacker's joints.
Friction spikes.
The attacker stumbles.
Ryuto compresses air at kneecap level.
Release.
The joint implodes inward.
Bone fragments tear through skin.
Screaming.
Crowd panics.
Ryuto steps forward.
Calm.
He doesn't kill him.
Instead—
He increases localized pressure around the attacker's lungs just enough to induce collapse.
Partial pneumothorax.
Air leaks into chest cavity.
Breathing fails.
He lets him live.
Why?
Testing control.
He's learning precision.
[Aftermath]
As the attacker gasps weakly—
He whispers:
"You don't feel like us."
Ryuto finally speaks.
"…I know."
[Ashen Crown — Distant View]
In the chamber—
One elder listens to reports.
"He has been named."
Another asks:
"What name?"
The response:
"…The Still Storm."
Silence.
Then—
"…Prepare an Observer."
But not yet.
[Final Page — Rooftop Night Again]
Ryuto standing above city lights.
Wind circling vertically.
Not violent.
Controlled.
He spreads his fingers slightly.
The rain above him halts mid-fall.
Held in suspended pressure.
He studies it.
Then releases.
Rain crashes downward.
He whispers:
"…There's more."
The sigil glows faintly brighter than last chapter.
20% visible now.
Something inside him is unlocking.
But he doesn't know what.
Yet.
Black page.
AERION
End Chapter 2.