"WHO IS SHE?! WHAT THE HELL IS SHE?!" Kentaro's mind screamed as his feet pounded against the floor, each step a desperate attempt at escape. Leaving Tenka behind shredded his conscience, but the circumstances left him no choice. His only hope was to find help, to escape the college and bring back salvation.
"Tenka... please survive this," he whispered, his voice breaking as he shoved the door open and plunged into the hallway, the sound of his heart thundering in his ears.
The silver-gray corridor stretched before him like an endless nightmare. Kentaro's lungs burned, muscles screaming in protest as he sprinted forward. The silver-haired girl's presence loomed behind him, a predator stalking its prey, her ghostly image haunting every corner of his mind, driving him to never, ever look back.
Seconds stretched into an eternity of terror as Kentaro finally spotted salvation, the double doors leading to the lockers just feet away. "COME ON!" He roared, summoning the last reserves of his strength as his trembling legs threatened to buckle beneath him. His fingers, slick with sweat, grasped the cool metal handle, yanking with desperate force.
Nothing.
"WHAT?! OPEN, GODDAMN IT!" The scream tore from his throat, primal and raw. His muscles strained as he pulled harder, veins bulging at his temples. The door remained immovable, a cruel sentinel refusing his escape, as if the building itself conspired to trap him.
"Why? WHY?! WHY?!" Each word punctuated by another futile yank, each failure driving the knife of desperation deeper. Every wasted second was another moment Tenka faced that... Person... Alone. Panic clawed at his chest as his eyes darted wildly, finally locking onto a window. His body moved on instinct, a cornered animal seeking any escape.
"AAAAHHHHH!" The battle cry tore from his lungs as he charged, pain no longer a consideration. Survival was all that mattered. Every ounce of his being channeled into this final, desperate act.
He charged with everything he had, muscles coiled, teeth gritted.
Running.
Running.
Running...
But the distance never closed.
"Why can't I MOVE NOW?!" The words erupted from him in confused terror as he realized he remained fixed in place, legs pumping but going nowhere, like a nightmare where escape was always just beyond reach. A flicker of light caught his peripheral vision from the corridor behind him. As Kentaro whirled to face it, an all-consuming brilliance slammed into him, swallowing his world in blinding white.
"W-where am I...?" Kentaro's voice emerged as a ragged whisper, his vision still swimming from the aftereffects of the blinding light. He blinked rapidly, desperately trying to pierce through the veil of white that consumed his sight, squinting until the world slowly materialised before him.
And when reality finally crystallised, when he realised where he was, his heart plummeted like a stone through still water.
"Y-y-you're joking... No way..." The words escaped as barely a breath, horror spreading through his chest like ice water. His eyes widened to painful proportions as he frantically scanned his surroundings. He was back in the classroom, but this time, this impossible time, even Tenka stood frozen in place, a statue caught between moments.
"TENKA!" Kentaro's voice cracked with desperation as he lunged toward her, but before he could reach her, a sensation like death's own fingers trailed up his spine, paralysing him mid-stride. The air behind him seemed to thicken, charged with a presence that made every primal instinct in his body scream danger.
"My, my, my, that's a strange face to wear." The voice caressed his ears, sweet, almost seductive in its melodic quality. Yet beneath the honeyed tones, Kentaro sensed something predatory, something ancient and malicious that made his stomach twist.
He turned, each degree of movement requiring monumental effort, and saw her standing at the bottom of the steps.
The silver-haired girl. But unlike everything else in this frozen tableau, she moved freely, radiating an otherworldly pinkish aura that seemed to bend the very light around her slender form.
Kentaro's throat constricted, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly. What words could possibly make sense of this reality-bending nightmare? The silver-haired girl blinked languidly, raising one delicate hand before snapping her fingers. The sound cracked through the silent classroom like a gunshot, and Kentaro watched, transfixed with horror and awe, as her clothes began to shimmer brilliantly before melting away from her porcelain skin, transforming and reforming into a white dress that evoked images of a bride. Yet this was no ordinary wedding gown; gleaming silver armor encased her chest, elbows, and knees, turning the angelic into something more warrior-like, more dangerous.
"W-w-what the hell are you?!" Kentaro finally forced the words past his constricted throat. His heart hammered against his ribcage so violently he feared it might burst.
The girl's lips curled into a small, knowing smirk. "Me..." She stepped closer, each graceful movement sending waves of dread through Kentaro's body. With every step she took, his heartbeat accelerated, the sensation of impending doom growing more overwhelming until he could barely breathe.
"You call us aberrants. Refractions. Alberlines. But none of you understand what we really are. We weren't made. We weren't born. We were... Left behind."
"Alberline?" The unfamiliar term tumbled from Kentaro's lips as the girl closed the distance between them, now standing mere inches away. Her proximity made the air itself feel heavy, charged with unknowable power.
"Hmm. Indeed, and the fact that you're not frozen tells me that you're..." She trailed off, her attention shifting as she glided past him toward Tenka's immobile form.
"HEY STOP!" The protective instinct that flared in Kentaro's chest gave him a momentary surge of courage. He lunged forward, but his bravado crumbled as the girl ignored him completely, her slender fingers trailing along Tenka's frozen body with deliberate, sensual slowness, making sure to caress every inch of Tenka's body. All the while, her eyes, those hypnotic, predatory eyes, remained locked on Kentaro's face, gauging his reaction.
"Ohhh, the fun you could have with her now." Her voice lilted teasingly as she slowly peeled back the straps of Tenka's dress, revealing more skin with each passing second.
"S-stop THAT!" Kentaro's voice cracked, betraying the conflict raging inside him, outrage warring with a shameful heat that crept up his neck and into his cheeks.
What's wrong with me? He thought furiously. How can I feel anything but disgust at this moment?
"Aww, see? Look at that. Just from that and you're flustered." She giggled, a sound like silver bells that somehow managed to be both enchanting and mocking. Finally relenting, she descended the steps again, positioning herself right beside Kentaro, close enough that he could feel the unnatural heat radiating from her skin.
"It seems your friends have arrived to take me out," she remarked casually, tilting her head upward while her smile lingered like a secret.
"Friends?" Kentaro stammered, taking an instinctive step back. His mind raced. What friends? I don't understand any of this!
"Hm, don't tell me you don't know. Surely you're part of them..." She tapped her finger thoughtfully against her lower lip, eyes narrowing playfully. "Hmm, what was their name again? Project Broomsticks? Suit Squad 5? No, no, wait..." Her eyes widened with childlike excitement as she thrust her finger skyward, chest puffed out with theatrical confidence. "MECHA MECHA SQUAD!" she declared triumphantly.
"Mecha-Mecha what?!" The absurdity of the name snapped Kentaro momentarily out of his terror.
"Hmm, yes, yes, those tin cans are always doing their best to try and kill me, living their lives for the sake of my death, honestly." For the first time, her perpetual smile faltered, a shadow passing over her delicate features as she looked down.
In that fleeting moment, Kentaro glimpsed something beneath her playful cruelty, a wound, perhaps, or a loneliness so profound it twisted his heart despite everything.
"But why do they want you dea-" The question died on Kentaro's lips as the world exploded.
BOOM
The ceiling burst inward as if it were made of paper, massive chunks of debris raining down amidst a deafening cacophony. The shockwave sent Kentaro flying backwards, his head cracking against the stairs with enough force to make his vision swim.
"OW! OW! THIS IS INSANE!" He cried out, the pain momentarily overwhelming his fear. But as his vision cleared, a new horror materialised above him, a massive section of roof, bus-sized and falling directly toward him with devastating momentum. From his position, sprawled helplessly on the ground, there was no possible escape.
"NO! NO! NO! NO! THIS CAN'T BE! I CAN'T DIE!" The scream tore from his throat as he desperately tried to scramble away, but his legs betrayed him, buckling uselessly beneath his weight.
Time seemed to slow as the massive slab descended. In what Kentaro was certain were his final moments, his thoughts crystallised around a single image, not his life flashing before his eyes, but her face.
"T-Tenka," he whispered, closing his eyes and surrendering to the inevitable.
CRASH
The thunderous impact reverberated through his bones, yet... The crushing weight never came. The pain never followed.
"This is it..." he murmured softly. "I'm dead."
But seconds ticked by, and Kentaro became aware of an unusual sound, something alien and indescribable, humming at the edge of perception. Cautiously, he opened his eyes to a world bathed in pink radiance. A shimmering aurora surrounded him, pulsing with power.
"Is this some sort of shield?" He wondered aloud, turning his head to scan his surroundings.
His gaze locked onto a figure beside him, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Y-YOU SAVED ME!" Kentaro shouted, instinctively scrabbling backwards.
"Tsch, don't get the wrong idea. You were just nearby." The silver-haired girl's tone had shifted, now carrying an edge of irritation, as if she were annoyed at herself for the act of mercy.
Kentaro swallowed hard. This girl had turned his world upside down, had terrified him beyond reason, yet she had saved him. Something in him, some fundamental core of decency that refused to be extinguished, pushed him to acknowledge this.
"T-thank you..." His voice trembled but grew stronger with each word. "Whoever these people are that are trying to kill you, they're wrong. And please don't group me with them. If you're willing to save me... Then surely you must be a good person, deep down."
The words hung between them, fragile and earnest. Kentaro watched as the girl's eyes widened, a brief, unguarded moment where something like genuine emotion flickered across her face before being ruthlessly suppressed.
"Like I said, don't get the wrong idea," she replied, but her gaze dropped, her expression momentarily revealing a pain so profound it seemed to emanate from her very soul, something she either couldn't articulate or refused to acknowledge.
"A-are you okay? Please, I don't want to hurt you," Kentaro ventured, feeling an inexplicable need to reach her, to understand what drove the conflict he saw beneath her dangerous exterior. But as the final syllable left his lips, she extended her hand, and light, brilliant, and impossible began to swirl around her fingers. It coalesced and materialised into a revolver that looked as if it had been plucked from an old Western, yet glowed with otherworldly energy.
"Tsch, don't bother trying to be nice now that your friends are here."
"That's insane..." Kentaro breathed, the wonder in his voice quickly transforming to alarm as he realised her intent.
Before she could act, mechanical sounds erupted from all directions, accompanied by authoritative shouts:
"SOLDIERS! SURROUND THE TARGET NOW!"
"YESSIR!" Came the unified response.
Kentaro barely registered the newcomers before a sharp kick sent him tumbling sideways across the floor.
"OW!" he cried out, rolling to a stop several feet away. Adrenaline coursing through him, he scrambled to his feet, the physical pain overwhelmed by the spectacle unfolding before him.
The silver-haired girl, he would soon learn, stood with both hands raised, defending herself against a barrage from the mysterious attackers. They wore black suits with ominous red visors, wielding weapons that resembled rifles yet seemed too advanced, too alien to be conventional firearms. Most disturbingly, despite the clear muzzle flashes, their weapons made no sound, creating an eerie disconnect between sight and sound.
"Maybe it's her barrier?" Kentaro wondered, unable to comprehend why everything remained so unnaturally quiet.
Something inside him rebelled against the scene, this lone girl, dangerous as she might be, surrounded by faceless assailants. He pushed himself forward, a strange, protective impulse overriding his fear.
"P-please, let me help," he called out, the words surprising even himself. But it was true, seeing her face transform from the playful, almost happy expression to one of pain and sadness as she defended herself struck something deep within him.
At his words, her head snapped toward him. In an instant, faster than Kentaro's eyes could track, she vanished, reappearing directly behind him.
"NGH!" Kentaro gasped as his legs were swept from under him, sending him crashing to the floor.
"What a fool. Don't think you're special because you're one of them disguised as us."
"What?!" Confusion clouded Kentaro's mind as he tried to process her accusation.
But understanding would have to wait. The silver-haired girl already had her weapon trained on him, the barrel a perfect circle of darkness promising oblivion.
"This is it... I'm going to die by her hands." The thought crystallized in Kentaro's mind as he stared down the barrel of the gun. From the corner of his eye, he could see the masked soldiers firing relentlessly at the pink dome surrounding them, their silent weapons unable to penetrate the barrier.
"You asked for my name, and before you're gone, I think I'll be nice enough to give you that much," she said, her voice oddly gentle for someone about to execute him.
"Y-your name," Kentaro echoed, his voice barely a whisper.
"It's Rin... Just Rin."
"Thank you for that, Rin." Despite everything, the fear, the confusion, the imminent threat of death, Kentaro felt an inexplicable connection forming. "But please, think about this. Just let me help you. I don't care what you've done or haven't done, I want to save you."
Something in his words pierced through Rin's carefully constructed defenses. Her eyes widened again, this time lingering in that vulnerable state.
"You want to save me...?" The question contained a universe of loneliness, of disbelief.
"Yes, of course." Kentaro's voice gained strength as he cautiously sat up, passion fueling his words. "No one, I mean no one, deserves this, being hunted like an animal. It's not fair."
"I see. Well then, if that's the case, sav-" She paused mid-word, shaking her head as if dispelling an unwanted thought. Her expression hardened once more, the momentary connection severed.
"Enough of your trickery. Begone, Kentaro Takamiya."
"WAIT! STOP!" Kentaro's desperate cry echoed through the frozen classroom as his eyes widened in terror. But it was too late.
The last sound Kentaro registered was the soft click of the glowing revolver.
Then-
Darkness consumed his world.