The headquarters corridors were still trembling despite the late hour of the night.
Distant explosion sounds echoed through the walls while the ceiling lights shook slightly.
BOOOOOM!
Blue light flashed through the corridor windows for a brief moment.
Then came a purple glow…
And darkness once again.
Haruto walked down the infirmary hallway with heavy steps.
His face looked calm.
But his mind was completely scattered.
Kaito's injuries…
Yuki's seizure…
And those black veins…
Haruto lightly clenched his fists.
"…What's happening to you, Yuki…"
At that moment—
"Haruto."
Haruto stopped.
Two people stood at the other end of the corridor.
One of them was a tall young man with dark hair. His left arm was wrapped in bandages, but he was finally able to stand again.
San.
Beside him stood another hunter with short gray hair and sharp eyes.
He wore a black coat with thin metal plates attached to the shoulders.
His name was Reiji.
Haruto's eyes widened slightly.
"San… you're standing again."
San smirked faintly.
"It took a while."
He placed a hand on his shoulder.
"The attack at Sakura Headquarters was worse than I expected."
Silence fell for a moment.
Then another explosion echoed in the distance.
KRAAAAAASH!
The corridor shook lightly.
Reiji raised an eyebrow.
"Are those idiots really fighting in the training grounds?"
Haruto let out a tired sigh.
"…Yeah."
San tilted his head slightly.
"Kaito?"
"And Shiran."
San's eyes widened a little.
"Ah…"
Reiji let out a short whistle.
"My condolences to the training grounds."
An involuntary small smile appeared on Haruto's face.
But it quickly disappeared.
San noticed immediately.
"…Is this because of Yuki?"
Haruto stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then lowered his head slightly.
"Yes."
A brief silence filled the corridor.
Then San spoke seriously.
"Her seizure…"
Haruto looked up.
San's gaze had hardened.
"…Could it be Bam Syndrome?"
The question instantly made the atmosphere heavier.
Haruto's expression suddenly turned serious.
A flash of lightning from outside briefly illuminated his face.
BOOOOOM!
Haruto closed his eyes.
"…No."
San frowned.
"You're sure?"
Haruto nodded.
"That seizure wasn't like Bam Syndrome."
Reiji listened carefully.
Haruto continued.
"When the black veins appeared, Mitsuni checked all of her vitals."
He paused for a moment.
"Her pulse was unstable… but there wasn't any energy collapse like in Bam Syndrome."
San silently watched him.
Haruto spoke slowly.
"…It was caused by Quiri energy."
The corridor fell silent.
Only the sounds of distant clashes could still be heard.
KRAAAAAASH!
Reiji narrowed his eyes.
"So the Quiri energy overflowed on its own…"
Haruto nodded.
"Most likely."
San leaned against the wall thoughtfully.
"…But that still doesn't make sense."
Haruto looked at him.
San took a deep breath.
"Normal humans can't contain Quiri energy like that."
Another explosion echoed through the headquarters.
BOOOOOOM!
This time purple light passed across the corridor windows.
Reiji glanced toward the glass.
"Shiran might be starting to lose control."
But San's attention remained fixed on Haruto.
"There's something else too."
Haruto's eyebrows tightened slightly.
"What is it?"
San stayed silent briefly.
Then spoke slowly.
"Do you remember the day Yuki first arrived at headquarters?"
Haruto thought for a few seconds.
"…The day she made that drawing?"
San nodded.
Reiji began speaking seriously as well.
"We examined that drawing again."
Haruto's eyes narrowed slightly.
The drawing…
A small child…
A mother and father…
And a boy whose face had been completely colored black.
A bad feeling formed inside Haruto's chest.
San continued.
"Yuki drew herself far away from her family."
Reiji quietly added,
"But the child she painted black…"
Haruto's eyes slowly widened.
"…Wasn't Yuki."
The corridor fell silent.
Haruto couldn't say anything for several seconds.
Lightning flashes illuminated the hallway once again.
CRAAAAACK!
San spoke seriously.
"We think Yuki drew someone else in that picture."
Haruto's breathing slowed slightly.
"…Someone else?"
Reiji nodded.
"And that child is most likely connected to Quiri energy."
Inside Haruto's mind, the pieces suddenly began connecting together.
Yuki's fears…
Her seizures…
Those black veins…
And the nightmares she constantly saw…
Those could all have been side effects of the ritual.
And since this was the first time they had ever found a child who survived the ritual, Haruto had no idea which symptoms connected to what.
BOOOOOOOM!
The entire headquarters shook violently once again.
The corridor lights flickered.
San looked toward the window.
"Incredible…"
Purple energy rose into the night sky.
Haruto stayed silent for a few moments.
Then slowly spoke.
"…If you're right…"
His eyes darkened.
"Yuki has been carrying this all alone this whole time. We never properly talked to her… she never even spoke much about her family."
Reiji answered seriously.
"Yeah."
San lifted his head.
"And the terrifying part is…"
Haruto looked at him.
San's voice became heavier.
"Maybe Yuki didn't just imagine that child."