One morning, the Haven was unusually loud.
Mostly because Kentarō was yelling again.
"DAMN IT! WE NEED FOOD!" Kentarō slammed both hands on the table dramatically. "I'M HUNGRY AS CRAP AND ALL WE GET IS WHAT?? SOME BOAR MEAT THAT TASTES LIKE AEGIS'S SHIELD?!"
Ryosen slowly placed his fork down.
"…Now how exactly do you know what his shield tastes like?"
Kyuuketsuki immediately looked down to hide her laughter.
Aegis crossed his arms.
"…I don't even want the answer."
Katsu tugged lightly on Shichiro's sleeve from beside him.
"Yeah, Shi. We should get food."
He yawned.
"I'm heading to the city. Who's coming?"
Then suddenly.
Rokuro appeared crouched beside Katsu.
"I could go."
Silence.
Nobody moved.
Nobody blinked.
Shichiro narrowed his eyes.
"…I GOT IT."
He pointed accusingly.
"HE WAS UNDER THE TABLE."
Rokuro stared at him for a moment.
Then threw his head back dramatically.
"DANG IT, YOU GOT ME!!"
Kentarō immediately slammed the table.
"THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY!"
Ryosen sighed.
"…What's the score now? Eight points to Shichiro?"
Katsu stood up, grabbing his coat.
"Anyway. Let's go."
He pointed lazily at Rokuro.
"We need food before Kentarō starts eating furniture."
"Already considered it," Kentarō muttered.
LATER, THE CITY
The city was crowded.
Far more crowded than usual.
Posters covered the walls.
Warnings.
Missing persons.
Wanted criminals.
And most commonly.
HEART EXTRACTION CASES INCREASING
Rokuro glanced around quietly.
"…It's hotter than usual."
Katsu laughed.
"No, you are NOT using ice powers because you're warm."
Rokuro frowned slightly.
"…Why?"
Katsu shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Because ever since legendary hearts started disappearing last year, everyone's hunting them now."
Rokuro looked toward him.
"…They can steal hearts now?"
Katsu rolled his eyes.
"Bellerophon's methods are outdated."
A pause.
"The tech nowadays is worse."
He looked toward the busy streets.
"As long as the wielder dies, the heart can be extracted."
Silence.
Rokuro's expression darkened slightly.
"…That's insane."
CRASH.
A body slammed against the side of a nearby building.
People screamed and scattered instantly.
A man crawled desperately across the pavement, bleeding heavily.
"PLEASE!"
Footsteps echoed slowly behind him.
Calm.
Measured.
A second man stepped out from the alleyway.
Elegant.
Clean black suit.
Silver watch.
Red eyes.
Everything about him looked perfectly composed.
Almost too composed.
The injured man trembled violently.
"N-No…"
The suited man looked down at him coldly.
"Your destiny ends here."
Katsu instantly stopped time.
The city froze.
The screaming stopped.
Dust hung motionless in the air.
Katsu casually walked forward before releasing time again.
Rokuro appeared beside him immediately after.
Katsu pointed lazily at the suited man.
"What exactly do you think you're doing?"
Rokuro's eyes narrowed.
"And what do you mean by destiny?"
The man slowly turned toward them.
For a moment.
the atmosphere shifted.
Not overwhelming like Sokudo.
Not divine like Ryosen.
Just…
cold.
Calculated.
The suited man adjusted his gloves calmly.
"…Interference?"
Katsu stuffed his hands back into his pockets.
"Yeah. Interference."
Rokuro stepped slightly forward.
"You were about to kill him."
The suited man sighed softly.
"You misunderstand."
He glanced down at the trembling victim.
"…He stole a heart."
Silence.
The injured man immediately screamed.
"HE'S LYING!"
The suited man ignored him completely.
"A minor healing heart."
A pause.
"Black market extraction."
He slowly reached into his coat.
Rokuro instantly formed a thin blade of ice beneath his sleeve.
The man noticed immediately.
"…Relax."
He pulled out a silver badge instead.
An eye surrounded by chains was engraved into it.
Katsu frowned.
"…Government?"
"Special Division."
The suited man looked toward the criminal again.
"We handle illegal heart trafficking."
Suddenly.
the injured man bolted.
Katsu sighed tiredly.
"…Seriously?"
CRACK.
The suited man vanished.
Not fast.
Efficient.
One second he stood still.
the next,
he was already behind the fleeing criminal.
The man collapsed instantly.
Unconscious.
Not dead.
The suited man adjusted his sleeve calmly.
"…Messy."
Rokuro narrowed his eyes.
"…You're strong."
For the first time.
the man truly looked at them.
At Rokuro.
At the frost gathering beneath his shoes.
Then at Katsu's unnaturally still shadow.
Recognition flashed briefly in his eyes.
"…Interesting."
Katsu noticed immediately.
"…What?"
The man smiled faintly.
"…Legendary Hearts."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Rokuro stepped forward slightly.
Katsu's expression flattened.
The suited man calmly adjusted his watch.
"…Relax."
A pause.
"If I wanted your hearts…"
His red eyes met theirs directly.
"…you wouldn't have noticed me."
Silence.
Then.
surprisingly.
the man bowed slightly.
"My apologies."
He straightened calmly.
"Kael."
For some reason.
the air suddenly felt colder.