"What the heck is this!"
The sky tore open with a deafening roar.
A blazing meteor crashed into the university grounds, shaking the earth as if the world itself had cracked. Flames erupted outward in a violent wave, devouring everything in their path—trees ignited, stone pathways split, and buildings crumbled under the sheer force. Students screamed in terror, their voices overlapping in chaos as they ran blindly for the exits. Smoke thickened the air, choking every breath, while collapsing walls sent clouds of dust and fire swirling into the panic.
Amidst the destruction, Elvin crouched behind a fractured pillar, gripping Oryn tightly. The Oryn trembled uncontrollably, his lips parted but no words came out—fear had stolen his voice. His body felt lifeless, as if he could collapse at any second.
At this rate, he'll die.
Elvin clenched his jaw, his thoughts racing. If the plan fails… he will be the only one who I can rely then.
Without another second to waste, Elvin grabbed Oryn's arm and dragged him forward, forcing him to move. They stumbled through the chaos, dodging falling debris and bursts of flame. The main gate came into view—half-shattered, barely standing—but it was their only chance.
"Move!" Elvin shouted, though he wasn't sure if Oryn could even hear him.
They pushed past the gate, escaping the worst of the destruction. Outside, the air was still thick with ash, but it was survivable. Elvin didn't stop. He kept running, half-carrying Oryn, his mind locked onto a single thought:
Now… I just need to reach the elders.
A sharp crack echoed behind him.
Before he could react, a massive chunk of burning debris crashed down in front of them, forcing him to halt. Sparks burst into the air. Another piece fell to his side. Then another.
Elvin's breath hitched.
Flames rose around them, closing in from all directions. The heat intensified, wrapping around him like a cage. There was no clear path forward anymore—only fire.
"…Elvin."
A voice cut through the chaos.
His body stiffened.
Slowly, he turned his head back.
Through the wavering heat and smoke, figures emerged—guards, their silhouettes steady despite the inferno. They surrounded him in a tightening circle, blocking every escape.
And at the centre of them stood Draves.
Calm. Unshaken.
His sword was already drawn, its tip pointed directly at Elvin.
For a moment, everything else faded—the fire, the screams, the destruction.
Only the confrontation remained.
✧✧✧
"Enough."
Draves' voice cut through the roaring inferno—sharp, absolute. It wasn't loud, yet it silenced everything around them for a fleeting second.
The flames surged higher, curling like living beasts around the shattered ground. The guards instinctively turned their heads toward the spreading fire, their aromor reflecting the orange glow—then, almost in unison, their gazes snapped back to Elvin.
And slowly… deliberately…
Draves raised his sword and pointed it straight at him.
"Enough of your playing."
Elvin blinked.
"…What?"
The word slipped out, fragile, uncertain. His brows drew together, confusion flickering across his face as if he genuinely didn't understand what was happening. His grip on Oryn loosened slightly.
Draves' eyes narrowed—not with pure anger, but something far more complicated.
"Don't deny it." His voice dropped, heavier now. "Stop acting like a fool."
For a moment, his expression betrayed him.
It wasn't just accusation.
It wasn't just certainty.
It was something in between—like he knew the truth, yet a part of him refused to accept it. Like he was staring at someone he trusted… and forcing himself to see a stranger.
Elvin said nothing.
The silence stretched.
The fire crackled. The world burned. And still—he said nothing.
Draves' grip on his sword tightened.
"You were the one who stole the files… regarding the graduates who became the Angelic Soldiers."
A pause.
"It seems my suspicion was correct." His voice hardened again, but it wavered at the edges. " The elders seem to be trying to protect you and place all the blame on Kira."
The words lingered in the heat.
Then, quieter—
"…Why?"
It almost didn't sound like him anymore.
"Why did you do that…?"
For the first time, there was no command in his voice. No authority. Just something raw… almost broken.
Elvin's head remained lowered.
Then slowly—
He raised his face.
A smile spread across his lips.
Not of relief. Not of nervousness but was of pleasure.
"So, what?"
His eyes… they didn't match the situation. They shimmered with something disturbingly light—almost amused, as if all of this, the fire, the accusations, the destruction… was entertaining to him.
The boy standing there looked like Elvin.
But the feeling he gave off—
Was entirely different.
Like something had cracked open inside him.
Like he had been waiting for this moment.
The corners of his smile stretched further.
And then—
He broke.
A low laugh escaped him at first, uneven, almost breathless. Then it grew—louder, sharper, echoing against the burning ruins.
"Ahh… so you figured it out…"
His shoulders trembled—not from fear, but from something far more unstable.
"Yes… I did it."
His voice twisted, rising unpredictably.
"I stole them. I knew about the Angelic Soldiers—every single one of them!"
His eyes widened, gleaming wildly.
"And... and it is all because of you... YOU!"
Elvin's laughter slowly faded—but the smile never left his face.
"It was because of you."
His voice dropped, quieter now… but heavier. The kind of quiet that presses into the air.
Then—he laughed again. Short. Bitter.
"You know how long I trained… in that university?"
His fingers curled slightly, as if remembering every strike, every fall.
"For you to acknowledge me… for you to keep your eyes on me… for you to make me your student."
Each word came sharper than the last, like something he had buried for too long.
He paused.
Then slowly, he raised his hand to his face, covering his mouth as a muffled laugh slipped through his fingers. His shoulders trembled—not entirely from humour.
"And then…" he muttered, voice cracking with something between anger and disbelief, "…that cursed child, Kira."
The name came out almost like poison.
"You chose him."
His hand dropped, revealing a twisted smile.
"Do you have any idea how hard I worked for you?"
His voice rose, unstable.
"My bones felt like they were breaking… again and again… and still—I kept going."
His eyes snapped back to Draves.
Draves stood firm, his expression stern, unshaken—but there was tension in it now, something deeper beneath the surface.
Elvin tilted his head slightly, studying him.
"…Old man, huh?"
A faint chuckle escaped him.
"You wanted him to call you that, didn't you?"
His smile widened, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"But he didn't."
A pause.
"If I were your student…" his voice lowered, almost eerie now, "I would've called you that. I would even have licked your toes, if you asked me."
The words hung in the air—obsessive, desperate, and hollow.
"…but that never came."
And then he laughs.
At first, it barely sounded like a laugh.
A thin breath slipped past Elvin's lips—soft, uneven… almost like he was trying to hold it back. His shoulders gave a faint tremor, his head still lowered, strands of hair casting shadows over his eyes.
"Hah…"
It was hollow.
Not the kind of sound that comes from joy—but something cracked, something breaking.
Then it came again.
A little louder.
"...hah… hah…"
His lips stretched slowly, unnaturally, as if the smile didn't belong to him. The corners of his mouth twitched, pulling wider while his chest began to rise and fall faster. The sound echoed strangely against the flames, swallowed and then thrown back at him.
And then—
It snapped.
"HAHA—"
The laugh burst out of him, sharp and jagged, tearing through the air like something unchained. His head tilted back slightly, exposing eyes that gleamed with a wild, unstable light. There was no warmth in them—only a chaotic amusement that didn't fit the destruction around him.
"HAHAHAHA—!"
Now it rang out fully.
Loud.
Uncontrolled.
It wasn't smooth or natural—it broke between breaths, rising too high, dropping too low, like his voice couldn't decide what it was supposed to be. Each note of it felt wrong, like it was stitched together from fragments of something human… and something else.
The flames danced in his eyes as he laughed, reflecting like sparks of madness.
His shoulders shook violently now, not from fear—but from the sheer force of it. It was as if the laughter was dragging itself out of him, unstoppable, feeding on the chaos surrounding him.
"Hah… ahh… HAHAHA—!"
It echoed across the ruined grounds, cutting through screams, through fire, through the crackling of collapsing stone.
And the worst part—
It didn't sound like he was losing control.
It sounded like he was finally free.
But just as suddenly—
It stopped.
Silence.
Elvin's gaze drifted away from Draves… toward the guards surrounding them.
For the first time, his expression stilled.
"…'Hard work pays off,' they say."
His voice was calm now. Too calm.
"But the reward… isn't always good."
A faint smile returned, thinner this time.
"You know what they offered me…?"
"Enough."
Draves' voice cut in—firm, commanding.
"You're just an attention seeker."
The words landed.
And for a moment—
Elvin went completely still.
The air itself seemed to tighten.
Slowly… very slowly…
Elvin's eyes narrowed.
The smile faded—not entirely, but enough to reveal something colder beneath.
His gaze shifted again—this time landing on a figure among the guards.
"…Ah."
Recognition flickered.
"Apostle of Life… huh?"
His eyes lingered there for a second… calculating.
Then he turned back to Draves.
The faint smile returned.
"You're going to need her."
The flames crackled louder around them—as if the world itself was bracing for what would come next.
And then he tightens his grip towards his sword, pulling it out with a massive slash towards the place where Draves and others were standing.
"Dodge!"
✧✧✧
Kira's eyes snapped open.
For a moment, there was nothing—just darkness pressing in from all sides. His breath came out uneven, shallow, like his lungs had forgotten how to work.
Then—
Heat.
It crept over his skin, sharp and suffocating.
He inhaled—
—and choked.
Smoke.
Thick, burning smoke filled his lungs, forcing a harsh cough out of him. His chest tightened as he pushed himself up from the cold stone floor, his vision still blurred and unfocused.
"…Where…?"
His voice barely came out.
As his sight steadied, the surroundings began to take shape.
A basement.
Deep beneath the university.
Shelves lined the walls—old records, sealed boxes, forgotten artifacts stacked in careless order. Some had already caught fire, flames crawling hungrily across paper and wood, turning knowledge into ash. The ceiling above was cracked, dust falling in slow streams as distant impacts echoed from above.
The fire was spreading.
Fast.
Kira steadied himself against a pillar, coughing again as the air grew heavier with every second. The heat pressed in, making it harder to breathe, harder to think.
Then—
A footstep echoed and it become louder and louder as if the owner of the sound was coming near and near.
Kira's head lifted.
Through the wavering haze of smoke and rising flames… he saw a figure descending the staircase.
At first, it was just a silhouette.
Then the firelight caught it.
The red clothes that seemed to swallow the glow of the flames rather than reflect it. The fabric moved lightly with each step, untouched by the chaos around it.
In one hand—
A dagger.
The air felt heavier now—not just from the smoke, but from something else. Something that made his body tense without understanding why.
The figure stopped a few steps above him.
For a brief moment, the flames flared higher between them, casting shifting shadows across the walls.
And then stepped forward.