'Heavy!… What the heck? Is someone sitting on my chest?'
Ren woke with a gasp.
His lungs dragged at the air, chest tight—like something invisible was pressing down. He rubbed at it instinctively, fingers shaky.
The room was dim. Familiar.
He was in his room.
He sat up slowly, eyes trying to focus. The air was thick with damp, clinging faintly to his skin.
"What happened?"
Then—
A breath. Not his own. It brushed past his ear like someone had leaned in from behind.
Ren twisted around instantly.
No one.
No one was in the room. Just him—and the quiet.
'Weird. I definitely felt someone breathe on my neck.'
Then—
He felt it again. Or heard it?
The soft clink of porcelain.
Coffee being poured.
A slow, deliberate stir of a spoon in a ceramic cup.
"Huh?"
His eyes swept the room again. Empty.
Absolutely empty.
"Am I hearing things? Did I hit my head too hard when I fell?"
He was alone. So why was he hearing things?
No—
More like he was feeling them.
He ran a hand through his hair, blinking. His fingers came back wet. Not sweat—moisture. Condensation.
He stared at his palm, dazed.
Slurrrrp.
The sound came again—someone drinking. But this time, it felt distant. Displaced. Not inside the room, but beyond it—like it had seeped in through the walls, carried on something unseen.
The balcony?
The kitchen?
He slowly peeled the sheets back and planted his feet on the floor.
He glanced at the digital clock on his bedside table.
08:09 a.m.
Then his eyes caught a folded slip of paper beside it.
He reached for it—his movements slow, mechanical.
It was from Marie.
"Hey Ren,
Hope you're feeling better.
You collapsed last night—I didn't know what was wrong. Thankfully, Aika came in a few minutes later. She said you were fine. Just sleeping. Told me not to worry.
I'm not convinced. I don't trust anything that girl says with a straight face.
I wanted to stay, but Sami insisted too. Said it was normal. That your body just needed rest.
I've already left for work, but message me the moment you wake up. Please.
—Marie"
Ren exhaled sharply and rubbed at his temples, trying to push the haze away. He swung his legs off the bed and stood—only to collapse almost immediately.
"Woah… what the—?"
His body felt unanchored, like gravity had been turned down just for him. Not weightless exactly, but buoyant, like his muscles were floating just beneath the skin. Even the air brushing past him felt strong enough to tip him.
He tried again.
This time he rose slowly, bracing himself.
But the moment he shifted forward, his body surged ahead of him—fast, fluid, almost too responsive. His legs moved with barely a thought, as if they were anticipating every step before he made it.
The room tilted. Then steadied.
Things felt closer, slower. And he felt light. So light.
He wobbled once, found his footing, then took a few cautious strides.
Every step felt effortless—like his body was adjusting mid-motion.
Balancing. Optimizing.
His joints, muscles, and nerves felt like they were in constant, quiet conversation.
"Yo… is this normal?"
He paused, touching the wall as if to ground himself.
'Have I achieved attunement?'
He let out a small laugh under his breath.
The world moved differently now. The lines of the furniture were sharper, the weight of the air more defined.
He felt buoyant. So light it was almost unreal.
Slrrrp.
That sound again.
Coffee. Close now.
He walked out of his room, moving toward the balcony.
The sliding glass door was slightly ajar, letting in the faint scent of morning air, smoke—and something else, something more human than the water-thick world around him.
He stepped out.
And there, framed against the soft, rising light of dawn, was Aika.
She sat on the tiled floor, back against the balcony wall. A mug of coffee in one hand, a cigarette lazily burning in the other. Steam rose from her cup. Smoke curled around her pale face, half-shadowed by her jet-black bob.
She wore only an oversized white shirt, unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up past the elbows. Her bra was black. Her underwear was simple.
The shirt hung loose, almost elegant in its careless drape.
She didn't flinch when she noticed him.
Didn't even turn her head.
Just took another sip. Then, without looking at him—
"You're awake," she said, voice calm, gravel-soft from the smoke.
Ren plopped down beside her, the cool tile pressing through his sweatpants as he leaned his head back against the wall.
"Yeah… what happened yesterday?"
Aika took a long drag from her cigarette.
"What do you mean? You passed out."
Then she turned to him and exhaled a slow stream of smoke right into his face—clearly on purpose.
Ren coughed, fanning the air, then pushed her head gently away.
"Why are you like this?"
She gave a small shrug, a lazy smirk tugging at her lips.
"Congrats on achieving attunement, by the way. How do you feel?"
Ren didn't answer immediately. He stared ahead, the soft morning light casting everything in blue and silver. Then a quiet smile found its way to his face.
"Weird," he said. "I can't even balance myself properly."
"Get used to your body," she replied, tapping ash into the tray beside her. "Water types have the best bodies when it comes to balance and motion. You're built for flow."
Ren nodded slowly, the smile lingering. His gaze drifted toward the pool, where the water sat utterly still.
He was happy. Just yesterday, he'd been frustrated about not seeing any progress—
and now, it had happened. So soon after.
Just then, the small silver watch on Aika's wrist pinged—sharp and electronic.
She glanced at it, eyes narrowing slightly at the glowing alert on the screen. A simple message. Two choices: a green checkmark and a red X.
She tapped the X with a sigh—
then let out a low, tired groan as her head thudded back against the wall, the tension in her shoulders slackening like a puppet with its strings cut.
Ren turned to her.
"Work?"
She exhaled slowly, lids half-lowered.
"Yeah. But I'm so exhausted I could drop dead right now."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
'When is she ever not tired?'
"What do you even do for work?" he asked.
Aika was quiet for a moment. The breeze lifted strands of her black bob, and her cigarette smoldered down to the filter.
"I kill people," she said simply.
A beat.
"And scary things."
Ren blinked. "Things?"
She turned slightly to face him, legs drawn loosely to her chest.
"Did you think Virans are the only ones out there with powers?"
He furrowed his brow. "There's… more?"
Aika looked away, her voice cooling.
"Unlike us, there are creatures whose Vira has been corrupted. They're neither human nor Viran. They're an entirely different species. We call them Aberrants."
Ren's head was already spinning, but now it began filling with questions.
"Wait—Vira can get corrupted? How does that even happen?"
She paused, as if choosing her words carefully.
"We draw our Vira from the world—pure, raw, elemental. But Aberrants don't. They get their Vira by devouring us."
"Huh?" Ren's stomach turned slightly.
Aika continued, voice steady and low.
"Even though our vessel isn't physical, it can still be taken. When an Aberrant devours a Viran, they absorb our vessel—along with our Vira."
She crushed her cigarette in the ashtray beside her.
"There are a few ways Vira can get corrupted. But it usually starts when a creature consumes a Viran. From that point on, their connection to nature is severed. They can't pull Vira from the world anymore. Instead, they become dependent—addicted—to consuming Virans to survive."
Ren stared at her.
"Shit… that's terrifying. But how come humans don't know about this?"
Aika gave a lazy shrug.
"Some do. Cops. Victims. People connected to victims. Even people in high places. You just didn't know—because you never came across one. And why would you?"
She glanced at him.
"Your mom was a Kyrios. What kind of creature would've dared mess with you? You had the protection of someone who was almost a demigod."
Silence followed. A weight settled between them.
Ren looked down, his expression dimming.
'…Right. Mom.'
His chest ached.
Aika let her voice soften slightly.
"The Viran Authority works hard to cover up any info about Aberrants. It's our job to hunt them down the second they're found. There are Vira scan points all over the city—covert ones. The moment an Aberrant makes a move, they trigger a flag. When that happens, Virans are dispatched to kill them. That's why they hide. They wait until they're absolutely sure they can win."
She pointed lazily out over the balcony, toward the vast stretch of District 4's glittering skyline.
"An Aberrant's strength comes from how many Virans it's consumed. And trust me—there are some very powerful ones out there."
Ren swallowed.
Creatures that feed on Virans? That corrupted their very essence just by eating them?
His throat was dry.
"You need to grow stronger, Ren," Aika said suddenly, her tone shifting from casual to sharp.
"You don't have anyone protecting you anymore."
Her eyes locked on his.
"The world is scary. It's cruel. Not just because of Aberrants—but because of us, too. Because of Virans. This world thrives on power. To survive, you need to be powerful."
She turned to him, her bob shifting slightly to the side.
"If you're weak, you'll die."
A pause.
"Horribly."