Chapter 29 — The Scars of the Future
The next day rose over New York with that pale light that only comes after battles.
The UAP Academy seemed intact nonetheless. Students laughed through the hallways. Some were already training in the outdoor zones. Others were still sleeping on benches after entire nights spent manipulating their Fumetsu.
The world kept moving forward.
As if it willingly ignored the monsters lurking behind reality.
Zayn, meanwhile, felt like he had slept with an anvil chained to his arm.
Classes had just ended. Hours of listening to Ginryuu explain Survivor-type categories, muscular reinforcement through Fumetsu circulation, and the risks of cellular collapse among young Celestials.
But Zayn hadn't retained any of it.
His gaze kept drifting back to his left wrist.
The Borealis.
Or rather…
what was left of it.
He walked through the hallways beside Yojuro when the artifact suddenly emitted a strange metallic noise.
Tzzzzk.
Then nothing.
The screen went dark.
The green symbols vanished.
Silence.
Zayn stopped dead.
— "…huh?"
He tapped the bracelet.
No response.
Then he noticed something.
The red marks.
Still there.
The traces left by Error.
Corrupted lines crawling beneath the metallic surface like a digital infection impossible to erase.
Zayn's smile slowly disappeared.
— "Seriously…"
He shook his arm.
— "You're not gonna give up on me now…"
Nothing.
The Borealis remained dead.
Zayn let out a long sigh of despair before dropping his head backward.
— "I'm depressed…"
Yojuro glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
Silent for a few seconds.
Then:
— "I might know someone."
Zayn immediately raised his head.
— "Huh?"
— "A student."
— "He's weird."
— "Passionate about artifacts and technology."
— "Extremely talented too."
Small silence.
— "He might be able to repair your Borealis."
Zayn's eyes instantly lit up.
— "REALLY?!"
— "Yes."
— "THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT BEFORE?!"
— "Because you always dramatize before thinking."
— "That's false."
— "You literally talked to your wrist for ten minutes this morning."
— "…it was an important discussion."
Yojuro sighed.
Then resumed walking.
— "Come on. Dormitory 36."
Zayn immediately followed him.
The duo crossed the academy's long hallways while the sun slowly began disappearing behind the massive glass buildings.
Dormitory 36 was located in an older wing of the campus.
Less luxurious.
But strangely more alive.
Cables sometimes ran beneath the doors. Tiny explosions echoed in the distance. The smell of heated metal lingered in the air.
Then—
CLANG
BOOM
TZZZZZT
Zayn stopped in front of the door.
— "…this sounds like an illegal laboratory."
— "It probably is."
They heard frantic tinkering noises behind the door.
Something heavy crashed onto the floor.
Then a voice:
— "WAIT WAIT WAIT THIS IS GONNA EXPLODE—"
BOOM
A cloud of smoke slipped beneath the door.
Zayn blinked.
— "…you really want us to go in there?"
Yojuro opened the door directly.
And chaos immediately hit them in the face.
Pieces of metal everywhere.
Tools hanging from the walls.
Holographic screens floating in the air.
Technical blueprints spread across the floor.
A mini-drone flew past Zayn's head before crashing into a wall in a shower of sparks.
At the center of the room…
Rex.
He wore a dark mechanic jumpsuit covered in grease and protective goggles pushed up onto his hair. His mechanical gloves crackled with energy as he worked on a massive robotic arm resting on a table.
But that wasn't even the strangest thing.
On the bed behind him…
a boy was casually juggling a metal bolt.
As if all of this was perfectly normal.
The boy raised his head.
Smiled.
— "Hey."
Rex instantly turned around.
Then his eyes lit up.
— "WOW!"
He pointed directly at Yojuro.
— "THAT'S MY YOJURO RIGHT THERE!!"
He quickly removed his engineering goggles.
— "How've you been, man?!"
Then his gaze shifted toward Zayn.
Small silence.
— "And you must be Zayn."
Amused smile.
— "The academy's official victim."
— "HEY!!"
Zayn immediately pointed at Rex.
— "I AM NOT A VICTIM!!"
The boy on the bed burst out laughing.
Rex simply shrugged.
— "Anyway. What are you guys here for?"
Yojuro quickly explained everything.
Error.
The damage.
The Borealis.
The malfunctions.
The red marks.
The more Yojuro spoke…
the more serious Rex became.
Then finally he approached Zayn.
— "Let me see that."
He directly grabbed Zayn's wrist.
The Borealis weakly crackled.
Rex's eyes immediately narrowed.
— "Oooh…"
— "Yeah… that's definitely not normal."
Green holograms appeared around the bracelet.
Lines of code.
Energy analyses.
Then suddenly—
CLACK.
The Borealis detached from Zayn's arm.
Silence immediately fell.
Zayn stared at his own wrist.
Shocked.
Truly shocked.
— "…wow."
He slowly moved his hand.
— "It's been months…"
He looked at his arm as if rediscovering a part of his body.
— "…since my wrist felt this light."
He gently shook his hand.
— "This thing weighs a ton…"
Rex was already examining the artifact from every angle.
— "Mhm…"
— "Error's marks corrupted several internal layers."
— "But the main core is still alive."
Zayn instantly stepped closer.
— "So you can repair it?!"
Rex smiled.
A genius smile.
— "Repair it?"
He placed the Borealis onto his table.
Then cracked his fingers.
— "I'm gonna do better than that."
And suddenly—
The entire dorm room came alive.
Mechanical arms emerged from the ceiling.
Holographic tools appeared.
Light scanners swept across the artifact.
Rex worked at an absurd speed.
His hands seemed to dance.
Screwing.
Programming.
Rewriting.
Modifying.
Like an artist painting a living masterpiece.
The boy on the bed watched the scene while still juggling his bolt.
— "When Rex makes that face…"
— "either it becomes genius…"
Small silence.
— "or it explodes."
— "WHAT?!"
— "I'm joking. I think."
Zayn immediately turned pale.
For several minutes, only the metallic music of tools echoed through the room.
Then finally—
Rex straightened up.
Satisfied smile.
— "Done."
He grabbed the artifact.
And tossed it toward Zayn.
Zayn instinctively caught it.
Then froze.
The new Borealis was magnificent.
The old model had already possessed something mystical.
But this one…
looked like it came directly from the future.
The bracelet was now entirely black metallic, crossed with thin glowing emerald engravings pulsing softly like living circuits. The borders were thicker, more elegant, composed of perfectly interlocked mechanical plates.
At the center…
a massive transparent energy sphere slowly rotated.
Like a miniature galaxy trapped inside glass.
Unknown symbols scrolled along the sides of the bracelet, constantly changing shape.
The main screen emitted an intense green light.
Alive.
The entire thing looked like an impossible fusion between a divine relic and alien technology.
Zayn slowly opened his mouth.
— "Oh…"
Then:
— "OH THIS IS INSANELY COOL!!"
He immediately put it onto his left wrist.
The Borealis automatically adjusted around his arm with a soft mechanical sound.
Tchk.
Green lines instantly spread across his skin.
Then a female voice echoed.
Calm.
Soft.
Digital.
— "System restored."
Zayn's eyes widened.
— "AURORA?!"
— "New update installed."
— "Optimal synchronization with user: Zayn."
Rex crossed his arms proudly.
— "Allow me to introduce my newest model."
Small smile.
— "THE OMNIHAND 307."
Holograms suddenly appeared around Zayn's arm.
Primal models.
Statistics.
Energy analyses.
Floating menus.
Zayn spun around like a child receiving his first treasure.
— "WAAAAH!!"
Rex continued:
— "I added more functionalities."
— "Better energy stability."
— "Increased resistance against corrupted Fumetsu."
— "New analysis system."
— "And most importantly…"
AURORA instantly spoke.
— "New feature: Primal holograms available."
Green translucent creatures suddenly appeared around Zayn.
Citrolle.
Hellspitter.
The lizard primal.
And several other gigantic forms orbiting through the air like living constellations.
The entire room became illuminated by magnificent green reflections.
Zayn was smiling so much he looked physically incapable of stopping.
Then he looked at Rex.
Truly.
— "…thanks, my friend."
Rex shrugged with a proud grin.
Then Yojuro crossed his arms.
Calm gaze.
— "Now…"
Small silence.
He looked at Zayn.
Then Rex.
— "What do we say?"