Jayden's eyes flickered open, his body suspended mid-air by Yuna's telekinesis. "Huh? What is this?" he muttered, his voice groggy but laced with confusion.
Yuna froze at the sound. "You're awake?" she gasped. "The others have been unconscious this whole time, but you—" her voice faltered, trembling. "You took the worst hit and woke up the fastest. Why...why is that?"
Jayden blinked, his mind still catching up. "A true gentle—" he stopped mid-sentence, the memory of his sister crashing into him like a tidal wave. His breath hitched. "Lyra? Where is she?" His tone sharpened, his voice rising. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?"
Yuna flinched at the command in his voice, her composure breaking. "Jayden, I'm...I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I didn't mean for it to happen. My powers—they went out of control. I didn't know..."
"JUST SHUT UP!" Jayden roared, breaking free from her telepathic hold. He landed on the ground with a thud, his aura flaring with raw, unstable energy. "I don't want your excuses. You stopped me from saving her. I'll kill you for that—if it's the last thing I do!"
His right arm began to glow, tattoos flickering to life as his rage surged. Yuna's lips parted, a mix of fear and guilt paralyzing her, but before either could move, a blur of motion interrupted them.
Just then Hajime appeared between them in an instant, his presence commanding as always. "Well, kid," he said, a big, bright grin plastered across his face. "Good job getting them to safety while I beat that guy's sorry ass!"
Jayden's rage didn't waver. "Did you kill it?" he demanded.
Hajime shrugged, flexing his hand as burn marks faded from his skin. "Nah. It got away. But next time? It's mine." He grinned, testing his arm. "Ahh, my arm's better now. Gotta love a good recovery. That move always does a number on me."
As Hajime marveled at his hand, Nerith stepped out of the shadows and approached Yuna. Crouching to meet her eye, he said firmly, "Stop letting them think you're less than them. You were trained by me." In a swift motion, he picked Yuna up and dashed away, leaving Jayden seething.
Hajime's smile faltered as he noticed Seraphine's unconscious body nearby. When he tried to pick her up, a sudden shock of electricity crackled between them, stopping him in his tracks. His face turned serious, the grin vanishing. "Well, damn," he muttered, grabbing her carefully. Without another word, he turned to Jayden.
"Don't blame others for what fate had in store for you," Hajime said before blasting away, leaving Jayden alone with his rage.
"What? the audacity of that bastard!" Jayden screamed, tears streaming down his face. "I'll kill him. I'll kill him and her both! And most importantly that so-called phantom king" he said, his voice going grim.
Both elders arrived moments later, The valorian elder running to Elijah trying to wake him up and the stoneclad elder left to stare at Jayden, his face grave. "Jayden," he began, but froze as he felt the ominous aura surrounding the boy. A massive skull-like form loomed over Jayden, his dull, lifeless eyes reflecting a deep, hollow hatred.
"You weren't there," Jayden spat, his voice trembling with fury. "You weren't there to save us! You left us to fend for ourselves, and it led to innocent bloodshed!"
The elder's already broken fists clenched, blood dripping from his palms. "I know, young man. And I'm sorry."
Jayden snarled, his rage unrelenting. "Sorry? I was a gentleman, a proper gentleman at that, and it meant nothing in the end."
The elder's expression darkened. "We were set up, Jayden." The Elunaran elders orchestrated this from the beginning."
As the elder explained what was done to them from birth, Jayden's fury only grew. The tattoos on his arms glowed brighter, the seal unraveling completely. A gust of wind erupted around him, throwing the elder back. Jayden stared at his glowing arms, a newfound power coursing through him.
"I don't need the Stoneclad. I don't need anyone," Jayden declared. "You can take your explanations and go to hell. I'll destroy Elunara and anyone who gets in my way" With a leap, he disappeared into the distance, leaving the elder trembling. And with that it was the Stoneclad elder and the Valorian elder discussing among each other "if you ever need help bringing home Jayden you can turn to the Valorians" he said with the stoneclad accepting and thanking him and with that the valorian elder flew away with Elijah resting on his back.
Cut to Elunara
Seraphine woke to the sight of Hajime staring down at her. "You sure took your sweet time resting," he remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
She bolted upright, fists crackling weakly with electricity. "Who are you?" she demanded.
Hajime doubled over in laughter. "That's supposed to be lightning? Pathetic!" He wiped a tear from his eye. "Here, let me show you how it's done." With a flick of his wrist, electricity crackled around his fist, bright and fierce.
"Lightning comes from your heart, not your hands," Hajime explained. "Feel your pulse. Adjust your movements to its flow."
Seraphine scowled. "Don't act like you're better than me. Neither of us will ever compare to the deity they keep talking about."
Hajime froze, scratching the back of his neck. "Wait, they're still talking about that? All I did was break a stupid meteor!"
Seraphine's jaw dropped as she realized who he was. Long silver hair tied in a lazy bun, tear-like scars under his eyes, the perpetual smirk he matched the descriptions perfectly. She fell to her knees. "You're him. I—I'm so sorry for disrespecting you!"
Hajime waved her off, laughing. "Didn't you call me 'silly' a minute ago? Stand up already. We need to talk."
Seraphine obeyed, her body trembling.
"I've got a proposition for you," Hajime said, leaning in with a grin. "You're going to be my successor."
Seraphine gawked. "Me? I can't even summon proper lightning! How could I—"
"Holy shit, stop yelling," Hajime snapped, his patience wearing thin. "Listen, here are my conditions:
"Don't die. Every other successor I've had has, and I'm not cleaning up another mess.
Don't whine about stuff you can fix yourself, i don't have time for that
Perfect everything I teach you. Got it? I'm not gonna be here to help you all the time
Seraphine hesitated, her mind racing. But she nodded. "I...I accept."
Hajime grinned. "Good. Now, go get checked out. I'll see you next week. And trust me, your peaceful life is over." With a flash, he disappeared, leaving Seraphine alone to process her decision.
She sat down, her head spinning. "Ah, shit. I fucked up," she muttered.
Cut to Phantom ghosts
As they landed, Nerith placed Yuna gently on her feet, the moonlight casting long shadows against the manor's stone walls. He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair.
"Alright, I gave you time to gather your thoughts. Now talk to me," he said, his voice both firm and expectant.
Yuna hesitated, her hands trembling as she clutched her cloak. "I... I killed her," she whispered. "In cold blood. There's no way for redemption."
Nerith crouched to her eye level, frowning. "Killed who?" He paused, shaking his head. "No, wait—don't answer that yet. Just start from the beginning."
She took a shaky breath. "I—there were these... tattoos on my body, and suddenly I had telekinesis. It overwhelmed me. I lost control, and the boulders I was holding with my earth magic..." Her voice broke. "One hit Jayden. He was trying to save his sister, and I—" She choked on the words, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Nerith's expression darkened as he muttered under his breath, "I told that old fool this would happen." Placing a hand on her shoulder, he softened his tone. "Listen, kid. This isn't your fault. It's mine. If I'd brought you to Hajime sooner, maybe you'd have learned to control it."
Yuna looked up, confusion mingling with her despair. "What do you mean? My power?"
Nerith sighed. "Your true power. That telekinesis—that's yours. I only taught you earth magic because I couldn't teach you how to handle what's really inside you. Only the saint could."
As if summoned by those words, Hajime materialized in a blur of electricity, standing with his usual air of nonchalance. "Hey, Nerith. Mind if I borrow Yuna for a bit?" Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed Yuna and vanished.
The world blurred around her as Hajime whisked her away at dizzying speed. They stopped in a forest clearing, the stillness stark after the chaotic rush. Yuna staggered, clutching her stomach. "What the—ugh! Warn me next time," she groaned, leaning against a tree.
Hajime smirked. "Noted. Now listen up. I don't care if you think you're guilty or not. That's irrelevant. What matters is what you do now." He crouched to meet her eyes. "Do you think you did something wrong?"
Yuna hesitated, then looked down at her feet and replied. "Y-yes."
"Good," Hajime said, standing. "That means you're not hopeless. Let me help you make it right." He extended a hand, crackling faintly with electricity.
For a moment, Yuna stared at it, doubt flickering across her face. But finally, she took it
With that Hajime smiled and said "there's no way out of it now. I better see you at Elunara next week".
In an instant, they were back at the manor. Yuna looked down at her right hand, where a faint trace of electricity lingered, a small but undeniable reminder of their encounter.