[A few hours after Base 140 was destroyed]
The base was a terrible sight, a mess of broken rocks and twisted metal where buildings once stood. The air smelled heavy with dust and something sharp, like metal—blood. Dead people, their faces frozen in silent screams, lay everywhere, their bodies torn apart, arms and legs scattered like broken toys. There was no crying, no shouts for help, no screams of pain; just a deep, heavy quiet, as if the ground itself had swallowed all sound. It was a graveyard of shattered lives.
"Check everywhere for survivors!" A man with a serious face, wearing army gear, yelled the order. His voice cut through the strange quiet. A small gun hung at his side, Around him, heavy army trucks were parked everywhere. When he gave the command, his team moved quickly, their eyes searching the wreckage with practiced skill.
[40 minutes later]
"Come on, let's get out of here. No one's alive. I wonder what the hell happened," a female soldier mumbled, kicking a loose rock. The sound seemed too loud in the stillness. She looked at her friend, a tired look on her face. Then, her eyes dropped, seeing a dark, shiny puddle. Her eyes grew wide, a quick feeling of worry crossing her face. "Look at this!" she called out, her voice sharper now, full of new urgency.
Three of her fellow soldiers came closer, their faces changing from tired to confused as they stared at the strange red puddle. "How in hell hasn't the blood clotted?" one of them whispered, a hint of disgust in his voice.
"Radio the second-in-command," the female soldier ordered, her voice steady even though she felt a shiver of fear. "He needs to see this. Now."
Right away, a soldier put his radio to his ear. "Boss, there's something you have to see. It's... weird."
A rough voice crackled back, "I'll be there. Just shout so I know where you are."
Minutes later, the second-in-command arrived, his boots crunching on the broken pieces. The soldiers moved aside without thinking, making a clear path to the dark pool of blood. He looked at the scene, his eyes staying on the strange liquid, and let out a deep sigh. A single name, full of unspoken meaning, left his mouth: "Akira."
His eyes quickly checked his watch, a faint light glowing from it. "3... 2... 1..." he counted, his voice low, almost like a prayer.
Just then, the blood began to move. Tiny bubbles rose to the top, then grew, churning, until it boiled with a strange power. It stopped for a moment, a weird stillness, before shooting upwards, a red fountain that hung in the air, almost touching the second-in-command's face. The soldiers were surprised, but they stayed calm, their training stronger than their shock. The blood then started to come together, pulling into a thick, pulsing ball with amazing speed. From this ball, a neck appeared, then hands, a body, legs—each part forming with scary exactness until a complete, naked figure stood before them. The second-in-command, his face set and determined, stepped forward. The newly formed body swayed, then fell heavily into his arms. "Tell everyone to get ready," he commanded, his voice strong again. "We're going back to our base. And someone, for god's sake, find some clothes for this guy."
The body that had formed was Akira. He had learned the scary skill of demon blood healing almost perfectly. This awful gift let him put himself back together even after being completely destroyed, as long as even one drop of his blood remained.
Akira's lips moved, a weak, quiet whisper coming out. "Did you see Rin, Yuki?"
Yuki, his face showing no emotion, answered, "So you're keeping a demon in your home, Akira? Interesting. She's been taken to our base for care because we think she's... important to you."
A faint, tired smile touched Akira's lips. "Thank you," he mumbled, before darkness took him again, and he fell unconscious.
[Base 105 (Back to Present) - In the Lab]
Lyla sat bent over on one of the clean beds, staring at Akira and Rin, who were both unconscious. Her shoulders drooped, a deep tiredness coming from her. She lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper, heavy with exhaustion. "So many things have been happening lately, and I'm just so tired."
She lifted her head, her eyes narrowing a little as she looked at Akira. "How the hell did you team up with a demon?" she asked, a hint of blame in her voice.
Akira, now awake and sitting on a bed across from Lyla, with Rin resting beside him, met her gaze with a steady, almost challenging look. "Listen, Lyla, I didn't team up with a demon. Her name is Rin, and she's my friend. I'm serious about her," he said, his voice firm, leaving no room for argument.
"You know she's just a child, right?" Lyla shot back, a flash of annoyance in her eyes. Then, shaking her head, she waved a hand. "No, don't worry, I don't really care about your relationship. I just need time to think. We have a lot of problems now. A young, powerful demon is free. There are other strong harbingers who might be here now, and even if they're not, they'll be here soon, and we have no weapon strong enough to beat them. The weapon I have can still try to fight the 9th or 8th commander, but..." Her voice faded, her shoulders dropping again as she bent her head, lost in worried thoughts. The weight of their situation pressed down on her, her face showing clear stress. Akira, seeing her sadness, reached out, his voice soft but firm. "Calm down, Lyla. We have hope, even if it's small."
Lyla's head shot up, her eyes, cloudy with worry, searching his. "What is it?" she asked, a small spark of hope lighting up inside her.
"A weapon," Akira said, his gaze steady. "A dual-blade katana."
Lyla's eyes grew wide, a sudden shock of memory. She remembered Nova's quiet stories about the dual-blade katana, a weapon of huge, almost legendary power. "Where did you find it?" she asked, her voice eager.
"I didn't find it, actually," Akira explained, a faint smile on his lips. "It's for Rin. Rin's family line can use the dual-blade katana, even if not perfectly."
Curiosity, sharp and strong, filled Lyla's eyes. She turned to Rin. "Rin, if I may ask, is there another weapon like this in your world?"
Rin, her young face serious, answered without delay. "Yes, there is."
Lyla's gaze became sharper. "And the blade is with your brother, the 3rd Harbinger?" she asked, a hint of doubt in her voice.
Rin corrected her with a slight frown. "Actually, he is the Second Harbinger, but yes, the other blade is with him."
Akira, who had been listening closely, looked at Lyla. "You've been saying 'harbinger.' What does it mean?" he asked, a line forming between his eyebrows.
Lyla threw her hands up in frustration. "I don't have time to explain! Just think of it as a rank, like the commanders, but much more dangerous." She stood up, clapping her hands together, a small sign of relief, as if shaking off some of the stress. She waited a moment, then turned to Rin, a hopeful look in her eyes. "I hope you can use it."
Akira answered for Rin, a touch of sadness in his voice. "That's the only problem; she can't use the katana."
Lyla's relief disappeared, replaced by a wave of anger. She dropped back onto the bed, her voice getting louder in frustration. "I don't get it! If it's your family's weapon, then why can't you just *fucking* pick up that katana and swing it?!" Her voice broke with real anger, her hands waving wildly.
Akira raised his voice a little, trying to stop her outburst, his tone calm but firm. "Lyla! There's a reason why she can't, and it's because of the huge power in this special katana!"
Right away, a heavy quiet fell over the lab, broken only by the soft hum of machines. Lyla's anger faded, replaced by a quiet interest. "Special?" she repeated, her voice softer now.
Rin, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke for herself, her voice clear and steady. "You see, there are two dual-blade katanas. One has burning red energy, and the other has deep dark energy. I was given the dark energy one, while the red one is with my brother. No one has ever been able to use the dark energy dual katana with more than 10 percent of its power. The most anyone has ever used is 5 percent, and that person died fighting my brother because he foolishly tried to take the Second Harbinger spot for himself. My brother won because he pushed himself past his limits, able to use more than 55 percent of the sword's power. His enemy, surprisingly, didn't even want to kill him. And yes, my brother uses the red energy dual-blade katana."
Lyla's forehead wrinkled in deep thought, trying to understand the huge meaning of what Rin said. Then, her eyes snapped to Rin, a new question forming. "Wait! Are you telling me someone who uses just 5 percent of a sword already gets the rank of Second Harbinger? So what if he had used 50 percent?" Her voice was full of disbelief, almost shock.
Rin smirked, a playful glint in her eyes. "Our planet, our sun, even the universe might be destroyed." She then chuckled, a light, airy sound. "Just kidding, though I don't know what would really happen, because even the 5 percent wasn't used perfectly."
"So what are you guys going to do to use this blade?" Lyla asked, her interest growing.
"Well, we're thinking of giving it to one of those humans who have spiritual beings inside them," Akira thought aloud, his gaze far away. "since no spiritual being has ever used a weapon because their spiritual bodies stop them from touching things physically."
Lyla's face broke into a wide, happy smile. "I think I know who to call! Come on, stand up, let's go see someone!" Her tiredness seemed to disappear, replaced by a new sense of purpose.
...
[Base 115]
The desert land. The base was a lonely, empty place, completely destroyed.
Caspian and his army had just arrived, their cars kicking up clouds of sand. Their eyes saw a single figure, a girl, her back to them, outlined against the harsh desert sun. Caspian, his gut telling him something was wrong, immediately grabbed his radio. "All bases," he announced, his voice urgent, filled with a chilling seriousness. "There's an emergency!"
To be continued....