Rei stood alone as the darkness unraveled.
The space collapsed in on itself, shadows peeling away like burned paper until the ruined mall returned. Broken storefronts, fallen signage and dust drifting through the air.
Silence.
His chest felt heavier than before, not in pain but in pressure. Like something had settled inside him.
"What… just happened?"
His voice felt distant.
Nearby, the Nullborne bodies lay motionless, drained of life. Not dead in a normal sense, more like emptied.
A faint chuckle rippled through his mind.
"You survived."
Vaelion's voice carried a lazy amusement.
"You didn't even have to understand how."
Rei clenched his jaw.
"You used me."
"No."
The Prince corrected him calmly.
"You failed to act. I simply refused to let my vessel be killed."
Rei looked down at his trembling hands.
"...Vessel?"
Rei paused wondering what he meant.
Then Vaelion cut through the silence.
"You hide behind your confusion."
"Behind your fear."
"Behind the idea that you don't know what you are."
A faint, knowing edge crept into his voice.
"But the truth is simpler."
His presence leaned closer in his thoughts.
"You're afraid of what happens when you stop lying to yourself."
Before Rei could respond.
The air warped around him. The environment flickered.
A system recall signal activated.
The ruined city began dissolving into fractured light.
Back in the simulation chamber the pods slowly unlocked, students exiting one after the other.
Rei was the last to emerge.
He stepped out, blinking under the harsh lights, his eyes drifted towards his classmates. Most of them looked shaken, pale and silent. Some gripping their arms or staring at the floor as if the ground could split open.
Off to the side, Enma leaned against a pod with a relaxed posture. Tōma stood beside Setsuna, both quieter than usual. Ayame paced once, then immediately turned when she noticed Rei.
She ran up to him with a wide grin.
"You sure took your time."
She said lightly.
"Let's be honest, we were barely inside for ten minutes."
Rei gave a faint, uncertain nod.
Mugen stepped forward, holding a document, his expression disappointed.
A tired sigh left him.
"Out of twenty-six recruits,"
He said flatly.
"Only five passed."
A ripple of tension spread through the room.
"Over half of you lack immediate control over your manifestations."
Mugen continued.
"Some of you froze. Some panicked."
His gaze shifted to Rei.
"Mizunagi Rei."
Rei stiffened.
"I see you manifested an entirely different concept from before."
Mugen said calmly.
"But you still lack control."
For a moment, his eyes lingered on Rei, assessing him.
Then he turned back to the rest.
"Report to Classroom C-145 at 14:00."
He paused.
"You're dismissed."
As the students slowly began to disperse, Rei felt it again.
That faint pressure behind his thoughts.
Somewhere deep within, the Prince watched in amusement.
---
Mugen stood in the dim control room filled with monitors and floating holographic screens.
Dozens of live feeds displayed different data streams. Heart rates, output levels, and neural activity."
Dr Kuroda Isamu leaned against a console, smiling faintly.
"Looks like I won the bet."
He said smugly.
"Lunch is on you."
Mugen didn't respond. His attention remained fixed on the main holographic display.
Five profiles hovered at the center.
Enma. Ayame. Tōma. Setsuna. Rei.
Isamu stepped closer, eyes scanning the data.
"These five are impressive for teenagers."
He muttered.
"Four of them peaked at output level 10."
Mugen's gaze shifted to a single profile.
Rei.
"...But him."
Mugen said quietly.
Isamu's expression sharpened.
"Output level 12.
He replied.
"But unstable. His neural fluctuations are abnormal."
He tilted his head slightly.
"It's almost like something is actively interfering with his mind."
Mugen exhaled.
"This boy is a time bomb waiting to explode."
He paused.
"And yet the Major General insists on keeping him alive."
Isamu shrugged lightly.
"He has potential. Killing him now would be a waste."
A faint smirk touched his lips.
"Maybe she sees something we don't."
Mugen stared at Rei's profile photo, eyes narrowing.
"...Maybe."
He muttered.
---
Meanwhile, Rei walked down the hallway, Vaelion's words echoing faintly in the back of his mind.
How long will you hide behind your own delusion?
Ayame walked beside him, repeatedly poking his shoulder.
"Rei, why aren't you listening to me?"
She pouted.
"The training hall has a gym on the third floor. We should go. Please. I don't want to go alone."
Behind them, Tōma and Setsuna followed at a relaxed pace.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea."
Setsuna said calmly.
"Maybe Mister Unstable here can finally learn how to manifest properly."
Tōma smiled lightly.
"I second that. Having power without knowing how to use it is just a waste."
Rei glanced back at them, sighing internally.
Why are these people even following me? I didn't ask for this…
Ayame suddenly shoved him forward.
"You heard them. Majority rules. Let's go!"
Before he could react, she hopped onto his back.
The sudden weight sent them both crashing to the floor.
"Rei… really."
Ayame teased, still sitting on him.
"You need to train your body too."
Rei groaned from the floor.
"...I didn't ask for this."
---
The elevator doors slid open on the third floor.
The training gym stretched wide before them, reinforced floors, mirrored walls, suspended drones, weight stations, and open sparring rings marked by glowing boundary lines. The air smelled faintly of metal and disinfectant.
A few students were already inside, some stretching, others quietly testing their abilities in controlled bursts.
Ayame hopped off Rei's back and spun around excitedly.
"Okay, this place is actually sick."
Tōma scanned the room with interest.
"This is where most students learn control and train before field deployment."
Setsuna folded her arms, eyes drifting towards Rei.
"So, Mizunagi. Are you going to keep being a liability or are you going to train?"
Rei clicked his tongue softly.
"...I said I'd come, didn't I?"
They moved towards an open practice zone, a circular platform surrounded by faint holographic barriers.
A terminal lit up as they stepped in.
TRAINING MODE: ACTIVE
OUTPUT LIMITER: ENABLED
Tōma stepped forward first, raising a hand.
A subtle distortion rippled in the air, a thin controlled surge of energy forming around his palm like a compressed current.
"Manifestation isn't about force."
He said calmly.
"It's about precision."
The energy dispersed cleanly.
Setsuna followed, closing her eyes. For a moment, the temperature around her seemed to shift, pressure tightening space bending slightly then stabilized.
Ayame clapped lightly.
"Show off."
Then she turned to Rei, smirking.
"Your turn."
Rei hesitated, stepping into the center.
The others watched closely.
He exhaled and focused.
Just a little… focus.
A faint distortion formed around him, subtle at the first.
Then it flickered.
The air around him trembled like something unseen was pressing outwards.
The floor beneath his feet creaked.
Warning lights blinked on the terminal.
OUTPUT SPIKE DETECTED
STABILITY: LOW
Rei gritted his teeth.
"Stop… stop!
The pressure vanished abruptly, leaving behind a faint chill.
He staggered back, breathing heavier than he expected.
Silence hung in the air.
Ayame broke it first, softer this time.
"...Okay. That was still kinda cool."
Tōma nodded.
"You're not lacking power. You're lacking balance."
Setsuna smirked faintly.
"Which means you're dangerous to yourself."
Rei looked away.
"Yeah. I know."
But even as he said it, a part of him wondered.
If I ever lose control… what happens to the people standing this close to me?