[Night – Fallen's Room]
Fallen lay on his bed, one arm draped over his eyes as the ceiling fan spun slowly above. The silence of the night was only broken by the faint ticking of his wall clock. The city beyond his window was calm—but inside his chest, a storm brewed.
"I really love you, Misaki..." he whispered.
The words slipped out so softly, like a secret meant only for the walls to hear.
And then—stab.
A sharp, sudden pain shot through his chest.
He clutched at his shirt, gasping softly.
Fallen (inner voice):
Why does it always hurt... every time I say her name?
A bitter laugh escaped his lips.
"Haha… this love. It's torture."
His heart felt like it was being torn in two—one half pulled toward the warmth of her smile, and the other shackled by the darkness he couldn't escape.
Moments later, exhaustion claimed him, and he drifted into a restless sleep.
---
[Next Morning – Rooftop Training Ground]
Wind howled atop the abandoned building, where steel beams stood exposed and the sky stretched endlessly in every direction.
Fallen stood at the edge of the rooftop, his hair dancing in the breeze. He wore his usual black hoodie, now worn and battle-scarred. Behind him, a figure appeared—unseen at first, like a shadow emerging from mist.
"No.2," Fallen muttered.
"Yo, Fallen."
Without warning—whoosh!
No.2 flashed forward, a punch already flying toward Fallen's jaw.
Fallen barely dodged, stumbling back. "What the hell?! Are you crazy?! That was sudden!"
No.2 sighed, cracking his neck. "You're not good enough. You came here for training, right? Then stop whining."
"Yeah, yeah…"
No.2 stepped back, raising his arms. "Let's start by controlling that precious rage of yours."
He smirked. "Come. Attack me."
Fallen didn't hesitate.
He sprinted forward and unleashed a flurry of punches—fast, wild, desperate.
But No.2 dodged everything. Effortlessly. Like he had seen it all before. Like he was dancing with air.
Fallen growled in frustration.
"Pathetic," No.2 scoffed. "Can't even touch me. Should I go touch Misaki instead?"
His grin turned cruel.
Fallen froze.
"What… did you just say?"
No.2's voice turned venomous. "You know her, right? Pink-haired, soft skin… bet she screams real sweet."
"Say that again and I'll kill you," Fallen hissed, fists trembling.
"Try it, failure," No.2 growled, eyes narrowing. "Come on. Touch me—if you can, son of a bitch."
Fallen's breathing turned ragged. His eyes widened.
Fallen (inner voice):
Misaki… you're all I have left. And he just… threatened you…
Unforgivable.
A fire exploded inside him.
His vision turned red.
---
RAGE MODE: ACTIVATED
"YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Fallen roared as energy surged through him. He bolted forward—faster, stronger, angrier.
He struck.
Fists landed.
No.2 was thrown into a wall—crash!
Fallen followed up—punch after punch, kick after kick. Concrete cracked. Steel bars bent. Walls shattered.
No.2 bounced across the rooftop like a ragdoll, blood spraying as Fallen's rage overwhelmed him.
Then—clang!
Fallen grabbed a twisted metal rod from the wreckage. Eyes wild, he sprinted at No.2, the rod aimed straight at his skull.
But just before impact—BOOM!
No.2's foot slammed into Fallen's chest, pinning him to the ground. The rod froze—mere inches from No.2's eye.
He didn't even blink.
"That's all you've got?" No.2 muttered coldly.
He looked at the trembling rod in Fallen's hands.
"You're in rage mode, yet you still hesitated. Interesting... means you're not fully mindless anymore."
He stepped off Fallen's chest.
"Second awakening," he said. "Not bad."
Fallen tried to stand—but before he could react, SNAP!
No.2 grabbed his arm and twisted.
Fallen screamed as the bone broke cleanly.
But in seconds—it regenerated.
No.2 chuckled. "Fast healing. Very good."
He stepped back.
"Now let's have some fun. Let's see just how much you can take before your regeneration gives out."
And then—he attacked.
A blur of violence.
Each strike was surgical—targeting joints, tendons, nerves. Bones snapped. Skin tore. Blood sprayed across the rooftop.
The air grew heavy with metallic scent. Dust mixed with blood. The rooftop transformed into a hellish arena.
Like two demons clashing—
But only one was truly in control.
Fallen collapsed—body trembling, unable to rise.
No.2 stood over him, breathing lightly.
"Aah… so this is your limit?" he said, voice flat.
He turned away casually. "I'll come back later. Off to Hell—need to train the other brats."
He stepped forward.
And then—FLASH!
A shadow zipped behind him.
Slash!
Fallen appeared—his hand slicing like a blade across No.2's back.
No.2's shoulder tore open.
His entire arm—flew off.
It hit the ground with a thud.
No.2's eyes widened.
He didn't scream.
Didn't stagger.
He calmly picked up his severed arm.
And with a sudden movement—stab!
He rammed it through Fallen's chest.
Straight into his heart.
Fallen gasped.
Blood filled his mouth. He dropped to his knees.
No.2 stood silently, watching him.
"Not bad," he said softly. "Big improvement."
"But it's still not you. It's just rage doing the work."
He turned, walking away again, arm reattaching slowly through dark regeneration energy.
"I'm heading to Hell," he muttered. "Let's see if the next batch of kids has more spark."
---
[Suddenly – A Heavy Rumble]
The building shook.
Cracks snaked across the rooftop floor.
No.2 stopped mid-step.
The wind grew heavy. The air itself began to vibrate.
Then—CRACK!
The walls split open.
From above, from below—a rain of demons began to fall.
Twisted beasts, wings of bone, eyes glowing like fire.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
No.2 turned back toward the bloodied Fallen, still kneeling, still gasping.
"You really do attract chaos, don't you?" he said, a crooked grin on his face.
Fallen's head lifted slowly. His eyes—still glowing red, still alive.
No.2 laughed.
"Let's see if you can survive the lesson now."
---
To Be Continued.