The rain had turned to sleet now, needle-sharp hail slicing through the trees as Kira and Tengen sprinted across the forest clearing, the towering hill of Dominance's lair looming above like the mouth of a god.
They ran in silence.
No apologies. No plans. Just guilt pressing on their backs heavier than the storm.
Another blast erupted from the hillside.
BOOM.
A shockwave rolled across the jungle, sending birds scattering and knocking loose rocks and branches down the slope. Flaming debris tumbled toward them, jagged chunks of stone spinning like blades. Kira didn't flinch. She weaved through them with pure instinct, body low, feet barely touching the ground. Tengen struggled, slipping twice, his breath hitching in his throat.
Another roar ripped through the sky.
It wasn't human.
It wasn't anything close.
It sounded like the earth itself was screaming.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Tengen's steps slowed.
Then stopped completely.
His knees locked, boots planted in thick mud. His breath came short and fast, shoulders rising and falling like he'd just run a marathon underwater. His hands shook at his sides.
"Wh-What even is she… Kira?" he asked, his voice fragile, cracking mid-sentence.
Kira skidded to a stop several paces ahead, already halfway up the base of the hill. She turned back, saw him frozen, drenched in rain and fear. For a second, she wanted to scream at him again. But the memory of Serica's scream, the anguish in it, made her clench her fists instead.
She exhaled.
Short. Sharp.
"She's a girl," Kira said. "Just a girl. With more power than sense. And right now, she's pissed."
Tengen blinked.
Kira's tone was flat. Not mocking. Not belittling. Just honest. She turned and kept running.
Tengen stared at her back for a moment longer, every nerve in his body screaming at him to turn around. But then he looked up. The top of the hill was barely visible through the smoke and clouds, a place no sane person would go.
He whispered.
"Sis… If I make it out of this… I swear I'll get you back."
He wiped his eyes, his breath steadied, and he followed.
"Okay, kids, calm down!"
"There are protocols in place for emergencies like this!"
Mr. Tachibana stood near the centre of the lobby, waving his arms like a frantic traffic director as thirty-plus students crowded together in various states of panic. Some were still in swimsuits, towels around their shoulders. Others had sunscreen half-smeared across their backs, sand stuck between their toes. The resort's marble floors were slick from wet footprints and scattered luggage.
A staff member attempted to guide students into their assigned seating groups, but no one was paying attention.
Mika elbowed through a few girls in floaties and made it to Rei and Sumire, both of whom looked just as rattled.
"Hey… where's Ken and Seri?" she asked, scanning the room.
Rei looked left. Sumire looked right. Nothing. No trace of Kentaro or Serica anywhere in the panicked crowd.
They exchanged a look.
"…WHERE ARE THEY?!"
"They're not here!"
"Were they even with us when the explosion happened?!"
They pushed their way to Mr. Tachibana, who immediately frowned as Mika explained.
"Kentaro and Serica? Missing?"
"Understood. I'll speak with the staff immediately."
His face grew grave. He walked away, heading straight for one of the emergency response workers speaking into a headset.
The girls huddled together, arms crossed, eyes scanning the lobby like hawks.
Somewhere out there, two of their classmates were missing.
And none of the adults had answers yet.
*
Kira and Tengen found themselves going up the hill, their feet slipping occasionally on the slick moss-covered stone. Tengen had mostly gotten himself together; his breathing was steadier now, and strangely, he took the lead, his eyes set on the mouth of the cave ahead, his shoulders tense but determined.
Their hearts were racing. Not from the sprint. Not entirely.
It was that pressure again, the same feeling as earlier, but heavier now, more suffocating. Like the air itself didn't want them here.
The cave entrance was wide, unnaturally so, as if something had torn it open from the inside.
Kira placed a hand against the rock wall as they stepped in and flinched.
"It's cold…" she muttered. "Not just a regular cold. This is… Alberline-level cold."
The further they walked, the more they noticed it. The walls were glassy, not from ice, but frozen impact burns. Patches of red were crystallized, as if blood had frozen mid-air, locked in place by something unnatural.
Tengen stopped for a moment, his hands curling into fists at his side. His eyes were fixed ahead at the soft purple light pulsing deeper within.
"Is that her?" he whispered.
Kira didn't answer right away. Her breath was visible now.
"I don't know," she said finally. "But if it is…get ready. We might not be able to talk our way out."
After Kira spoke, silence fell.
Too silent.
The kind of silence that pressed against the chest and made it hard to breathe, like the whole world had held its breath at once.
Neither Kira nor Tengen dared move. Neither spoke. The storm outside raged, but here… it was like time had stopped.
Then, a voice shattered the stillness.
"It seems you've brought another one this time. Where is the boy?"
The voice came from deeper within the cave. Low, venomous, female. Each word carried the chill of a blade drawn slowly.
Kira's heart started pounding again. She'd faced an Alberline before, but with full combat gear. But now? She was unarmed. No tech. No support. And the one in front of her was angry.
She felt naked. Exposed. Like one wrong step would end her life.
Beside her, Tengen took a shaky step forward.
"Y-yeah, the other guy… he's busy saving someone, hehe…" he laughed nervously, voice breaking near the end.
A footstep echoed forward. One step, but the ground cracked. A circular crater formed under her boot, just from standing still.
Tengen backed up immediately, hands raised like he was surrendering to a god.
"Umm-by the way-I'm really sorry about last time. Didn't mean to offend you, seriously."
Kira's gaze flicked over to him, sharp.
"Tengen. What the hell did you do last time?"
He chuckled, his laugh dry. "Heh… long story. Let's just say I made mistakes, and I definitely got payback for it."
Her eyes widened. "Don't tell me you were behind the earlier explosion. Is that why I found you and Kentaro at the bottom of the hill?"
He didn't answer. Just shrugged helplessly.
"The boy's name is Kentaro… It seems he even has a name."
The voice was closer now. Kira and Tengen turned slowly, toward the source.
And then.
She emerged.
The cave lit up with an eerie glow as she stepped into view.
Dominance.
Her presence struck like a thunderclap in their bones. She was tall, impossibly elegant, and wrapped in obsidian-black armour that curved like it had been forged from shadows themselves. Along the lines of her plating shimmered deep violet accents, pulsing softly like veins of liquid starlight.
Her chest-plate bore a jagged emblem, a fractured star that glowed dimly in sync with her breath. The collar of her armour flared around her neck like the edge of a broken crown, regal and dangerous all at once.
And her hair, waves of black melting into dark violet tips, swayed despite the still air.
Her violet eyes glowed brighter than the storm outside. But they weren't just fierce.
They were… hurting.
There was something hollow in her expression, like a dam holding back years of grief. Her stare was sharp, full of rage, but it trembled at the edges with a kind of sadness only those abandoned too long could carry.
She was terrifying.
And utterly beautiful.
Dominance stopped, her gaze fixed on them both, not with curiosity, but with disappointment. Like they had already failed some silent test.
"You're wasting time."
Then her hand slowly reached behind her back, and the air dropped ten degrees.
Something was coming.
Something violent.