The atmosphere kept getting warmer. The portal began to fade away. The dark creatures lunged toward Vincy, drawn to his blazing aura like moths to flame.
With fire flickering from his hands, Vincy surged forward, incinerating the creatures in his path as he moved to protect Taro from any incoming attacks.
He unleashed a storm of flames, firing in every direction with fury, creating a ring of fire around himself. The creatures vanished one by one, until the whole wave was gone.
Vincy collapsed flat on the grass; arms stretched out wide as he lay catching his breath. He waited for Taro to regain consciousness, remembering how his friend had taken on those monsters with just fists... no weapons, no powers, only pure courage and determination.
A few minutes later, Taro opened his eyes and spotted Vincy beside him.
"Yo, Taro!" Vincy waved. "I hope you had a comfortable sleep!"
Taro was thrilled to see his friend alive after what had happened. With a surprised expression, he noticed that Vincy's hair had changed... from brown to red. Curious, he watched as Vincy demonstrated his newfound ability: control over the fire element. Taro was amazed, but puzzled at how quickly Vincy had gained such power.
Suddenly, police sirens grew louder. Without wasting a second, Both of them ran off, disappearing from the scene before anyone could see them.
That night at Abodo's house, Taro was making soup with a variety of vegetables. Cooking was second nature to him, thanks to his mother. While eating, Taro noticed Vincy scarfing down food at an unbelievable speed. Three bowls in five minutes. Before, it would take Vincy ten minutes to finish just one.
Taro, curious, wrote a question on his notepad. Vincy didn't want to mention about Zara, so he simply said:
"Just as your wizard changed you, someone changed me. No need to worry, pal!"
That was enough for Taro. He dropped the subject.
After dinner, Taro remembered that school was starting the next day, and realized Vincy had no clue. He scribbled a note to warn him. Vincy reacted like he'd seen a monster.
"School?!" Vincy shouted. "The holiday ended so fast, no fair! I'm not even ready!"
Vincy dashed home to prepare. Taro also got ready for the next day; backpack packed, uniform pressed, and shoes by the door.
September 5, 2008 – Friday.
The next morning, Taro knocked on Vincy's door. However, there was no response. He knocked again and again. Still nothing. Finally, after a few attempts, Vincy opened the door, yawning, still in his pajamas. Taro knew instantly that Vincy had stayed up all night playing video games. Without delay, Taro helped Vincy get ready and made him a cup of coffee at his house. Soon after, they rushed to the bus station.
They arrived at school thirteen minutes before the bell rang.
"Aw man..." Vincy sighed, "I don't hate anything more than school!"
You've said that since kindergarten, Vincy, Taro thought, smiling.
Walking through the hallway, they spotted some bullies. At the center was Max, a towering brute, picking on a classmate, Ema Kenjiro. She was a yellow-haired girl with glasses and had been in Taro and Vincy's class since preparatory school. Taro barely spoke to her, but Vincy knew her better.
Vincy's fists clenched. He was about to use his powers, but Taro stopped him just in time. They had to keep their abilities a secret. Instead, Taro came up with a better plan, to protect Ema and maybe teach Max a lesson.
Max had Ema lifted against the lockers, holding her glasses out of reach.
"What's wrong? Can't see without these?" Max sneered.
Ema stared at him coldly, arms crossed with an unimpressed expression.
Taro stepped in, grabbed Max's arm harshly, and snatched the glasses from his hand.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Max yelled. "Trying to play the hero?!"
He threw a punch at Taro, but Taro dodged and kicked him back hard, knocking him across the hallway.
The other bullies froze. Max was their strongest, muscular, tall, and unbeatable. Yet Taro just floored him. Taro realized that his body was lighter and stronger. Fighting those dark creatures had made him tougher. He was gaining power with every battle.
"Don't just stand there!" Max barked. "Get him, you idiots!"
They charged, but no one could land a hit. Taro weaved between punches and countered with ease. He took them all down.
He could handle himself, as he had trained in karate and knighthood as a kid. Though his body had weakened before, this new form restored everything. Suddenly, Max grabbed Ema as a hostage. He thought that would stop Taro. Unfortunately, that was according to the plan.
Taro raised two fingers in a V-shape... a sign for Vincy's approach.
Vincy leapt forward and kicked Max from behind, sending him flying down the hallway.
"Man..." Vincy groaned, "you got all the fun parts here!"
They bumped their fists together, showing how their friendship is united. Taro had planned this from the start. He had written everything to Vincy ahead of time, every move and every signal.
Ema joined them, thanking them for helping her:
"Thanks for the help. May I know your names?"
"Come on... it's us, Ema. The old T.V. team," Vincy said.
"Whoa! You guys really changed. Impressive!" Ema responded in surprise.
"Oh yeah!" Vincy winked. "We're not the same Vincy and Taro as before!"
The bell rang. Marking the beginning of the first period of this session.
"Let's head to our class," Ema smiled, "can't be late on day one."
Far behind, a mysterious girl with a pink ponytail hair watched them, then disappeared into another hallway.
After school, students began heading home. Taro and Vincy walked together. Taro carried both their backpacks. Vincy yawned with uncaring expression, as lazy as ever.
"All the periods were waaay too boring!" he complained.
How would he know? Taro thought. He slept through most of them. I'll let him use my notebook, but he really needs to become more independent...
Just then, Ema called out their names.
"Hey guys, want to walk together?"
"Sure... I guess," Vincy said, "your house is near mine anyway."
"By the way," Ema added, "did you watch the news yesterday?"
"Yeah, it was insane!" Vincy responded.
"Those monsters sure were scary, right?" Ema reacted.
"No doubt!" Vincy agreed. "But they were as weak as a wet tissue!"
"Mhm..." Ema nodded slowly, "And how do you know they were weak, Vincy?"
"Because I–" Vincy stopped, the moment when Taro tugged his sleeve quietly.
Vincy nearly spilled everything. Quickly, he backtracked:
"I just figured they looked weak... nothing special, haha..."
"Oh, you silly!" Ema laughed. "They were dangerous. Bullets don't even hurt them."
"You might be right..." Vincy said, scratching his chin. "But how did you know?"
"It was shown on TV. This wasn't the first time, but it's never been this bad. Something similar happened months ago," she answered.
Taro listened silently. Everything felt too random, no pattern, no explanation, just a labyrinth of mysteries and random events, and that's what worried him most...
...he felt something worse was coming!