A day later.
Mari and Mela arrive in Citrobal, inside the massive crater carved out by Skai and Tlen's battle.
"Wow… there's nothing around…" Mari mutters, scanning the wasteland.
"Skai…" Mela whispers, her voice heavy with grief.
The skies open up and rain starts crashing down. The two walk in silence, Mela's eyes catch something buried in the mud, a torn scrap of Skai's clothing, stained with blood.
"Mari…" Her tone cracks as she lifts it in trembling hands.
Mari steps closer, her expression softening. She wraps an arm around Mela gently,
"I'm sorry. I know how close you were…"
The rain beats harder, drowning out their words. Mela wipes her cheek with the back of her hand, straightens, and exhales.
"I'll have to inform everyone." She says, trying to keep herself composed.
Mari nods silently, giving her space. Mela closes her eyes and reaches into the brain link.
"Hello? Everyone, boss. I have unfortunate news… We were ambushed yesterday by what we're assuming are Sangre De Reyes Students. Somehow one of the higher ups found out about our location. Prince has gotten hit by an ability we don't know. We aren't sure if he'll make it. Skai has been killed in battle."
…
In an undisclosed location, Jovi sits upright in his bed the moment the words reach him.
"Skai…?" His voice is low, almost fragile.
He buries his face in one hand. Slowly, he forces himself out of bed, each step unsteady, and walks to the window.
"Did you really die, Skai?" he mutters to himself, staring through the rain-smeared glass.
His hand presses against the glass. He starts speaking into the link, voice firm despite the grief.
"Mela… bring everyone together. I want to hold a funeral for Skai. Mari, I need you to come right now. The situation has gotten out of control. We need a sit-down talk."
…
In Mari's shadow dimension, Tanya sits tied to a chair. Zodiak lingers nearby, waiting for Mari and Mela's return.
"Fuck you, bitch!" Tanya spits, the spit landing on Jane.
Jane's jaw tightens. She clenches her fist, ready to strike, but Zodiak's hand lands on her shoulder.
"Don't let her rile you up, Jane."
She clicks her tongue, muttering under her breath, and steps back.
Zodiak looms over Tanya, his presence heavy.
"Speak, or we will kill your friends. What did you do to Prince?"
Tanya's eyes dart past him. She sees Prince lying in a bed nearby, unmoving. A cruel smile spreads across her lips.
"I used an ability on him. He dies when the timer hits zero. Only I can remove the timer, but what good would that do for me?"
Zodiak grabs a fistful of her hair, jerking her head back so she's forced to meet his eyes.
"You're going to remove it, or we're going to kill your friends." His tone is sharp,
Tanya laughs in his face. "Kill my friends? Honey, It looks like my friends killed one of yours first."
His eyes widen, his arm shoots up, ready to strike, but suddenly Jane steps in this time, voice calm.
"Zodiak, you hypocrite."
He stops mid-swing, after a moment, he releases Tanya and backs away annoyed,
"You're going to remove the timer, one way or another." He says coldly, before he turns and walks away.
…
Tlen wakes up to the sound of laughter outside in a tent. He rubs his eyes, groggy, and steps into the cool night air.
"Oh? Tlen, you're finally up!" Hazu grins, holding a drumstick in one hand. He's seated by a fire with Ari and Monita, roasted chicken sizzling on a spit.
"Hm? Oh, yeah…" Tlen mutters, his voice flat.
"Come on, sit!" Hazu pats the spot beside him. Tlen sits himself down, eyes flicking to the fire.
"Where are we?" he asks, scanning the forest surrounding them.
"We're almost by Chuq City, a couple of hours from the school," Ari answers, poking the fire with a stick.
Tlen nods slowly. His voice lowers. "Where is Tanya?"
Hazu freezes mid-bite. Ari answers, "She got captured… she's probably… never mind."
Monita speaks up softly and hesitantly, "Are we going back for her?"
Ari shakes his head. "No chance. This mission is out of our league. We'll bring the info back to the school and let them handle it."
Hazu nods. "I'm with Ari. We're outmatched here, besides, none of us are in a condition to fight."
Tlen lowers his gaze, silent for a long moment. "If it wasn't for her, we would have died."
"That's true," Ari admits, "but if she weren't that hostile to begin with, maybe we could've avoided conflict."
"Hostile?"
"Yeah, she slapped around the helpless dude in the wheelchair, angering them," Hazu adds.
Tlen nods faintly. "I see… I hope she's okay…"
…
Far away, Saint, Viola, and Shinsei approach a cabin on the outskirts of Ciel, Entoria.
"This is it, boss. According to our information, Nas should be inside," Shinsei whispers from the bushes.
Saint stares ahead, his expression unreadable. "I'm going in."
He rises without hesitation, walking straight toward the entrance.
Shinsei's eyes widen. He and Viola scramble after him. "Are you sure? He may not be weakened anymore… it's been a while since the auction."
Saint stops, his tone flat. "I'm sure. You stay here."
"Yes, sir," Shinsei answers, a bead of sweat slipping down his face.
Viola looks to him nervously. "Are we sure Nas is alone, Shinsei?" She asks, worried with innocent eyes.
"He should be. Nas has been under the radar since the Jovi and Prince fight. Only a few people actually know where he is right now," Shinsei replies as they watch Saint kick the cabin door open.
…
Inside, Nas jolts upright at the sound.
'Someone found me?!'
He tries to stand, but his injuries force him back down. Gritting his teeth, he crawls toward a desk, grabs a bottle of pills, and swallows them all at once.
The bedroom door bursts open. Saint steps inside, half his face hidden by shadow.
"You're that kid!? From the auction!" Nas growls, stumbling to his feet.
He tries to activate his technique. "Rule Style: Deat-"
Saint lunges, slamming a hand over his mouth and pinning him against the wall.
"Quiet for a sec."
Nas struggles, muffled shouts spilling out, but Saint's grip only tightens. His eyes glow red, locked onto him.
"You hurt a lot of people… You hurt my… brother." Saint's voice is hurt, in rage.
Nas's eyes widen.
"You're not gonna get away with it. Not this time."
Another door in the bedroom creaks open. They both snap their heads toward it.
A little girl walks in, balancing a tray with two drinks.
"Mr. Nas?" she says innocently.
Saint freezes. 'A little girl?!'
He lets go, stepping back.
"Don't worry, honey. This is my friend," Nas says, gasping for air as he walks over and takes a drink from the tray.
The girl looks up at them, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"What is this?" Saint snaps in frustration.
Nas hands the cup back to her. "This is my daughter, Juna."
Saint's expression falters. "Daughter?"
Nas crouches down, sending her back out of the room. "Adopted. Nobody knows. Not even the higher ups."
He collapses back onto the bed, smirking faintly. 'He's a good kid. He won't do anything as long as Juna is here.'
Saint stands frozen, torn. His rage disperses beneath his confusion.
"You're here for revenge… I respect that. I don't like you Psychomaners, but I appreciate a good fight," Nas says.
"What are you saying?" Saint's voice is sharp.
"If I was at full strength, you would've died the moment you stepped inside. But you have potential. That's why I have a proposal that works for us both."
"And that is?"
"You let me recover. I won't try to kill you right away. You train, however long you want, and when you're ready, we settle this."
Saint frowns. "And how do I know you're not lying?"
Nas chuckles. "You don't. I just want what we both want. I want a good fight, a good death. You want revenge. Or we can make a pact, but I'm assuming you already have one active."
Saint's eyes widen. 'How does he know?'
"How long would it take for you to fully recover?"
"At least a year. That attack your friend hit me with would've killed me, if I hadn't used a rule to survive."
"What rule?"
"No mana for a year. I'm powerless and aging rapidly as I am right now. I'm dying."
Saint scoffs, turns, and heads toward the exit.
"I accept your deal. Get better quick, Nas." He says, mockingly.
Nas glares at his back. 'I'm gonna fucking kill you for humiliating me, kid.'
…
Saint steps out of the cabin, his jacket slung over his shoulder. Shinsei and Viola rush up.
"How did it go, boss?" Shinsei asks.
"Today is not the day," Saint mutters.
"I see…" Shinsei nods, Viola lunges and hugs Saint's arm tightly.
"What now?" Shinsei asks.
Saint pulls a note from his pocket, reading one of his verses out loud.
"The compass shall lose its needle in four corners of the world.
Three broken clocks will resume their ticking at your approach.
They will descend with you where no stars shine.
Even betrayal will forget their names."
He hands the note to Shinsei.
"These are the recruits you were talking about," Saint says while Shinsei studies it.
"I see… the three broken clocks are people. And they'll see you as their boss."
"Wowww… that's cool, Saint," Viola says excitedly, still clinging to him.
"We'll travel the world, gather those allies, and move from there," Saint replies calmly.
"Yay!!" Viola cheers.
"As you wish, boss," Shinsei says.
"Let's move."
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Later, running through the woods, Saint suddenly stops. A voice rings in his head, Mela's.
"Hello? Everyone, boss. I have unfortunate news… We were ambushed yesterday by what we're assuming are Sangre De Reyes students. Somehow one of the higher ups found out about our location. Prince has gotten hit by an ability we don't know. We aren't sure if he'll make it. Skai has been killed in battle."
She doesn't realize the group brain link is still connected to Saint.
His eyes widen in rage,
…