...
I slowly open my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.
The dull throbbing in my head returns with a vengeance.
"Nnngh..." I groan, my voice rough.
My arm—the one that was cut—still burns, but the cold, dead feeling is gone.
Replaced by a strange, tingling warmth.
I try to push myself up, but my body feels heavy, sluggish.
Everything spins.
A voice breaks through the fog in my head.
"She's stirring."
It's female. Young, but with an edge.
I try to turn my head towards the sound.
"Vital signs appear stable, despite the trauma. Resilience noted." The voice continues, like it's discussing a specimen.
"The infusion of Divine Ki appears to have stabilized her system, neutralizing the corruption."
I blink, trying to clear my blurry vision. Trauma? Divine Ki? What is she talking about?
I manage to turn my head just enough to see her.
A young woman with large, luminous, intensely blue eyes with defined irises and a glassy sheen.
Two small, sparkling blue lines glow faintly on her face—one vertical line above the bridge of her nose, and one horizontal line on her left cheekbone near the temple. Her long, vibrant green hair flows straight past her waist.
She wears a simple, revealing white dress with thin delicate straps and a deeply plunging neckline, exposing her upper chest cleavage.
A thin black belt cinches the waist, and the short, slightly flared skirt reveals her legs. On her wrists, sleek, form-fitting black forearm guards glow with green accents.
She sits beside the bed, her hands resting on a small, glowing device that hums softly.
I've never seen her before, but she's so beautiful...
I try to speak, but my throat is dry.
She reaches out with a small metal container, pressing it gently to my lips.
"Hydrate,"
"Your system requires it for optimal recovery."
I take a small sip. The water is cool and refreshing. I take another, and another...
Ah... My throat feels better.
"Who... are you?" I manage to whisper.
"Kotori,"
"Member of the System Breakers," Kotori replies, securing the container back to her belt.
"You are currently underground in our base of operations, located beneath Kitakyushu City, near the site of your incapacitation."
Kitakyushu City? System Breakers?
"Incapacitation?"
"Yes. Your Ki output spiked erratically, followed by a sudden, severe drop. Had our commander not intervened, your current state would be…terminal."
My Ki? Terminal?
"Our commander?" I ask, my voice still weak.
"Haruka,"
"She found you lying on the ground in one of the cameras and sent Kaito and me to retrieve you."
I try to recall what happened, but my memories are hazy and fragmented. The figure… The cold… The void…
"The void…" I mutter.
Kotori's blue eyes narrow slightly.
"The void?"
"Elaborate."
I shake my head, trying to clear the lingering fog.
"I… I don't know," I whisper, a shiver running through me.
"I was… disappearing. And then… light. Azure light."
Kotori's gaze remains fixed on me, unblinking.
My stomach rumbles loudly.
"Huh...?" I feel my face flush.
Kotori tilts her head.
"Energy levels indicate significant depletion. Hunger is a logical physiological response."
She rises smoothly from her seat.
"I will get you sustenance."
Kotori exits the room without another word.
I'm left alone in the room, trying to make sense of everything.
Kotori... System Breakers... Haruka...
My head is still pounding, but the pain is less intense now.
I slowly sit up, pushing myself with both hands against the soft mattress.
"...This is..."
I notice a bandage wrapped around my left arm, leaving only my hand uncovered.
I slowly poke it with my right hand. It's tightly wrapped, but the underlying warmth of my skin is there. The corruption… It's gone.
Completely.
How?
I glance down at the back of my left hand and freeze.
There's a mark there.
At the center, a dark hexagon.
From it, four arms push out in a cross, but each arm is two lines instead of one, running close together like veins or tracks. The top and bottom arms just stop, clean cuts. But the left and right ones hesitate before they end.
Near the tips, they bend sharply, like they were reaching for something and got interrupted mid-thought.
Staring at it, I turn my hand slowly.
No glow. No warmth. Just matte black pressed into my skin like a birthmark.
I press my right thumb against the hexagon.
Smooth. No raised edges. No pain.
Pressing down does nothing. The surface is dead quiet, but the quiet feels deliberate. Like it's choosing not to answer yet.
And yet, staring at it, the suffocating void rises around me. The warm azure light reaching in, pulling me back.
I try to scratch it off, but it doesn't move.
(What did that light do to me?)
The walls blur at the edges.
I blink hard—once, twice, but the room keeps sliding sideways.
The question loops, louder each time, until my skull feels too small to hold it.
...
I let out a slow breath, then push myself off the bed. My legs wobble beneath me, threatening to fold, but I force them steady.
I need to find Lenah. She'll know what this mark is. What to do.
But first… I need to find my way out of here.
I look around the room. It's sparsely furnished: the bed, a small table, and a single door.
My bare feet press into the cold, hard floor as I drag myself to the door.