Akira continued his explanation, though his focus shifted heavily toward the royals. The way he spoke now was different, measured, restrained. Even he, for all his arrogance, sounded afraid.
"The royals are the peak of our world," Akira said. "All of our power combined wouldn't even faze them, maybe a scratch at best." His jaw tightened. "The King of Fire is the strongest, followed by Water, then Earth, and finally Air. I don't know who the current holders are, but their presence is unmistakable." He shuddered slightly before finishing, "If by some unlucky miracle you come across them… pray they let you run."
Keisuke sat completely still. It was clear he understood the weight of Akira's words, the seriousness buried beneath the warning. Yuma, however, felt none of that dread. To him, it all sounded like a scary story you'd tell kids to keep them in line.
He scoffed, waving off Akira's warning entirely.
"Yeah, okay," Yuma muttered. "So why are you considered stronger than us?"
Akira's eyes snapped toward him. The glare alone was sharp enough to cut. The blatant disregard for his warning clearly pissed him off, but Yuma's ego didn't help either.
"Because my element was composed from the world-shaking war," Akira replied. "Descendants are born from two royals clashing." A grin crept across his face, proud, almost predatory.
Yuma clenched his jaw, irritation flaring. His ego took a hit, but his curiosity burned hotter.
"And Enders?" he asked. "What are they made from?"
"The silent war," Akira answered calmly. "Most previous wars started when a Descendant thought they could take on a royal." His grin widened. "So Enders are, plainly put, a mixture of Descendant and Royal energy."
He looked directly at Yuma, smugness oozing from his expression. It served no purpose other than to piss him off further.
Keisuke, meanwhile, remained quiet, still processing the sheer power Akira had just described. Yuma glanced over at him, irritation momentarily replaced with concern.
"Hey," Yuma said sharply. "You alright?"
Keisuke blinked, snapping out of his daze before looking at him.
"Sorry," he said. "I was asking Carina about the royals."
Yuma frowned. "Carina?"
"Oh," Keisuke said casually. "That's the Crystal Ikon. My Ikon."
It almost slipped past Yuma, but then Serpheria's words echoed faintly in his memory. Other Ikons. Others like her. His gaze immediately shifted to Akira, silently demanding an answer.
Akira met his stare.
"Share yours first," Akira said, nodding pointedly.
"Serpheria."
Akira's eyes narrowed, disbelief flickering across his face for just a moment.
That was all Yuma needed.
A grin spread across his face, real, genuine pride blooming for the first time since this whole mess started. For once, he had something over Akira.
"How did you acquire the Frost Fire Ikon?" Akira asked slowly. "She's notoriously known for ignoring everyone. Unless you were-"
"I guess you could say I'm special like that," Yuma cut in, grinning wider. "Better than you."
"I wouldn't want an Ender," Akira replied flatly.
The words hit harder than Yuma expected.
Just like that, his momentary pride shattered. Every ounce of confidence he'd built evaporated instantly. Grinding his teeth, Yuma nodded toward Akira.
"Your turn."
Akira ignored him.
Instead, he hopped up onto the table beside Keisuke, sitting casually as if nothing had happened. Yuma stared at him, annoyed beyond belief. He really was a prick; he'd demanded Yuma share his Ikon's name, yet refused to do the same.
Before Yuma could voice his frustration, the temperature beside him dropped.
Sharp. Sudden. Unnatural.
A cold presence settled at his side.
Yuma turned his head and froze.
A white-haired man sat beside him, facing forward. From Yuma's angle, only his sharp side profile was visible. The man's jaw was sculpted, his lashes long and pale, eyebrows defined and angled with precision. His skin was flawless and icy white, untouched by blemish or warmth.
His eyes, pale blue, seemed to glow faintly despite the dim lighting of the lab. His nose had a well-defined bridge with a slightly upturned tip, giving him an almost inhuman perfection.
Yuma stared, dazed for a split second.
Then instinct kicked in.
He jumped back violently, heart racing, fear spiking as adrenaline surged through his veins.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Yuma shouted.
The man responded with nothing more than a sidelong glance, completely unbothered.
Keisuke, however, was not.
He yelped and toppled backward onto the desk, scrambling before sitting upright again. "What-what the hell?" he started, turning toward Yuma.
Then he noticed the man.
Keisuke squinted, confusion spreading across his face. Both he and Yuma stared at the stranger, frozen in disbelief.
Only Akira remained unmoved.
He sat there just as calm as the man himself.
In more ways than one, they felt eerily alike.
As silence stretched across the room yet again, Yuma turned sharply to Akira.
"That's my Ikon," Akira said plainly. "He can manifest himself in the real world."
The nonchalance in his voice made Yuma's skin crawl.
The man finally turned his attention to them and spoke. His voice was deep, monotonous, and cold, matching his presence perfectly.
"My name is Chieno."
That was it.
No flourish. No explanation.
Yuma glared at him, irritation bubbling, but he held his tongue. Something about Chieno's presence demanded respect, an instinctual understanding that this was not someone he could mouth off to.
After all, Chieno wasn't human.
Unsure who to direct his thoughts to, Yuma's gaze lingered on Chieno longer. His eyes traced the Ikon's physique, lean, muscular, and tall. Much taller than Akira. The resemblance between the two became undeniable now: not just in demeanor, but physically as well.
"I've got questions," Yuma blurted out suddenly. "For both of you."
Both Akira and Chieno turned their attention toward him, curiosity flickering in their eyes. an unspoken permission.
And for the first time since stepping into that lab, Yuma realized something terrifying.
He was standing in the middle of something far bigger than himself.