Part 1: The Gaze of the Void
The previous night, while Takuto and Hana were talking in the living room, Aoi had been standing silently in the shadows at the top of the stairs. She had come out after hearing a noise, but the sight she witnessed left her breathless.
Aoi's eyes shifted in the dark, turning a deep, mystical blue. Her Void Oculus (Demon Eye) allowed her to see things invisible to the naked eye. What she saw emanating from Hana's body was not the aura of a normal girl, but the ferocious, predatory golden mist of a wolf and the metallic scent of fresh blood.
(Aoi's Thoughts): 'How can Hana-neechan emit such intense bloodlust? And that wound... that's not a dog bite. That is a burn caused by high-voltage electrical energy.'
Aoi didn't intervene that night. She retreated to her room, her mind racing with questions.
The next day at school, Aoi sat in class, distracted. Her thoughts were entirely consumed by Hana. As soon as the break bell rang, she headed straight for Hana's classroom. She found Hana alone in a deserted stairwell corner, staring out the window, lost in thought.
"Hana-neechan... can we talk for a moment?" Aoi asked.
Hana turned and offered a sweet, sisterly smile. "Ah, Aoi-chan. What's up?"
Aoi glanced around to ensure they were alone, then activated her Void Oculus. Faint blue sparks swirled within her pupils.
"You can't lie to me, Nee-chan," Aoi said firmly. "When you came home last night... I felt the aura of someone fresh from a battlefield. You have a power too, don't you?"
The smile vanished from Hana's face. Her eyes turned icy, and the air in the stairwell grew heavy and suffocating.
"Aoi-chan... what are you talking about?" Hana asked, her voice dropping an octave.
"You might be able to fool Nii-san (Takuto), but you can't fool my Void Oculus," Aoi countered, refusing to back down. "The wound on your arm was caused by lightning. Nee-chan... you're hiding something big!"
Hana remained silent for a long moment. Her cold gaze pierced through Aoi, the tension vibrating in the air. However, seeing Aoi's unwavering determination and her desire for the truth, Hana finally sighed in defeat and relaxed her stance.
"You really are persistent, Aoi-chan," Hana admitted. "Even my Wolf Eye can't seem to dodge that gaze of yours."
Hana closed her eyes for a second. When she reopened them, her brownish-red irises had transformed into a glowing, predatory gold. It was the aura of a wild beast, yet to Aoi, it felt strangely familiar rather than terrifying.
"Yes... it's exactly as you thought," Hana said. "I'm not a normal girl. Just as I have the Wolf Eye, I fought someone from the Fallen Eclipse last night."
Aoi's eyes widened. The situation was far more serious than she had imagined.
"But Onii-chan must never know," Hana continued, her voice soft but resolute. "He sees me as a little sister he needs to protect. I don't want him to worry. More importantly... anyone who tries to hurt him, I will eliminate them from the shadows."
Hana gently took Aoi's hand. "You love Onii-chan too, don't you, Aoi-chan? Our goals are the same. So... let's keep this a secret between us. Will you help me?"
Aoi thought for a moment before nodding firmly. Her Void Oculus was no longer just a tool for seeing the truth; it was now a tool for guarding a secret. "Alright... I trust you, Nee-chan."
Part 2: The Unspoken Feelings
With the pact sealed, the tension evaporated, replaced by a newfound bond. Hana deactivated her eyes and smiled warmly at Aoi.
"Thanks, Aoi-chan. Onii-chan is too kind for his own good; sometimes he doesn't notice the enemies right next to him. Together, we can protect him better."
Aoi nodded, her face flushing a light pink. She looked out the window and whispered, "Nii-san... even when he's in danger, he always puts others first. When he was treating your wound last night, he looked so incredibly worried."
Hana blinked, a playful glint in her eyes. "That's just how he is. But tell me, Aoi-chan... do you really just think of him as an older brother?"
Aoi froze. she fidgeted with her fingers, struggling to find the right words. "At first... yes. But when Nii-san protects me, when he's just there for me... I feel something strange. It feels deeper than just liking a brother."
She turned away, embarrassed by her own confession. Hana smiled sympathetically. She had suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed it.
"I understand," Hana said. "In that case, we'll protect Onii-chan's heart together too. I won't let your place by his side disappear, I promise!"
Aoi's face turned bright red at the teasing, but the distance between them had vanished. They returned to class together, laughing and whispering like real sisters. When Takuto saw them at the classroom door, he was stunned.
"Whoa... you two got close all of a sudden?" Takuto asked, bewildered.
Hana winked at him. "Of course, Onii-chan. Girls have their secrets. Right, Aoi-chan?"
"Yes... Nee-chan is actually very kind," Aoi added, blushing.
While Takuto was relieved, a heavy weight remained in his mind. He couldn't focus on his lessons. The timing of Hana's injury and Shina's disappearance felt too connected to be a coincidence. As soon as the bell rang, he rushed to Shina's classroom.
"Excuse me," Takuto asked a student at the door. "Did Kaminari Shina come to school today?"
The student shook his head. "No, she's absent. It's weird because she's never missed a day. Even the teacher was confused."
Takuto thanked him and walked away, his brow furrowed. A high-level Eye User like Shina missing school without notice was a major red flag.
(Takuto's Thoughts): 'Something is wrong. Shina was trying to tell me something. And Hana's burn... it's an electrical injury. It's not a coincidence. I have to find out for myself.'
"Hana... what exactly are you hiding?" he muttered, staring out at the horizon.
Part 3: Shadow's Deliberation
In an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city—a secret base for the Fallen Eclipse—the air was thick with tension. Shina lay on a cot, her chest and arms wrapped in bandages. She looked pale, her electrical aura flickering weakly.
Baltos, owner of the Stone Eye, stood in the corner with his arms crossed. The door creaked open, and a dark figure stepped in. It was Kage, their leader.
"Kaminari Shina..." Kage said, his voice cold. "For a high-level user like you to be defeated this badly... is the target more powerful than we thought?"
"My apologies, Leader," Shina rasped, struggling to sit up. "I was careless. But Himura Hana is no ordinary girl. She possesses the Wolf Eye. Her attacks are brutal, and her aura... it actually made me tremble."
"Wolf Eye?" Baltos narrowed his eyes. "That's a trait of the ancient clans. Since Takuto has the Phoenix Eye, it makes sense his sister would carry a primal power."
"There's more," Shina added. "She has perfect control and used abilities that could block my vision. She fights like a seasoned hunter. If I hadn't used my final move... I wouldn't have made it back."
Kage stood silent, staring into the darkness. A cold smile played on his lips. "Interesting. The Himura bloodline is full of surprises. If we can get both the Phoenix Eye and the Wolf Eye, even the Shadow Syndicate won't be able to stand against us."
Kage turned to Baltos. "See to Shina's recovery. We need to shift our plan. Instead of attacking Takuto directly, we find their weakest link."
Kage's eyes glowed a murky brown as he pulled up Aoi's file on a tablet. "There is one more pair of eyes in that house... the Void Oculus. Let's test the waters with her first."
He turned to another figure standing so still in the shadows she was almost invisible. This was Lyra, and her Phantom Eye could ensnare enemies before they even knew she was there.
"Lyra... I have a job for you," Kage commanded. "Leave the wolf girl for now. This one is more useful to us." He projected a hologram of Aoi. "She has the Void Oculus, but she hasn't mastered it yet. Capture her alive. Her eyes are vital to our next phase."
"As you wish, Leader," Lyra replied in a hollow, ghostly voice. "I will take her like a shadow in the night. She won't even know she's been taken until it's too late."
Lyra's eyes glowed a faint violet, and her body began to fade, dissolving into the air. The hunt for Aoi had begun.
Back at school, the day had ended. Takuto, Ayano, and Kaori were waiting at the gate for Hana and Aoi. Takuto felt a strange chill in the air, a sense of being watched.
"Nii-san! Sorry for the wait!" Aoi called out, running toward them.
Takuto patted her head affectionately, but his eyes scanned the school roofline. "It's okay. Let's head straight home today. No stops."
Hana caught his gaze. She, too, seemed to sense something. She gripped Aoi's hand tightly. As the five of them walked home, Lyra watched them from a distant rooftop, her cold eyes fixed on her target.
[END OF CHAPTER 26]