For one full minute, the world forgot how to breathe.
Ami knelt in the dirt, holding my unconscious body against her chest, trembling so violently her teeth chattered.Sam crouched beside her, hands glowing faintly as she forced out every last drop of healing magic.Yergba hovered like a caged storm, her fists balled so tight blood ran down her palms.Grey and Tey knelt at my sides, scanning, recalibrating, panicking without admitting it.
And Luci—broken, cracked, crawling—dragged herself across the battlefield inch by inch.
Her horns were fractured.Her shadow-beast was evaporating.Every breath she took sounded like it hurt.
Yergba snapped her head toward her."A-Ami—she's trying to ESCAPE—!"
Ami's head shot up, rage burning behind her teary eyes.
"Not after what she did to AKI—!"
Sam tried to stand, wobbling.Grey and Tey raised their guns.Yergba summoned lightning until it danced across her whole body.
Luci looked back at them with one cracked red eye.
And smiled.
"Trying… to capture me…?"She laughed weakly."You idiots… really think I'd let myself die here?"
Ami let out a snarl unlike anything she'd made before.
She stood—still holding my limp body—and her killing intent blasted out like a shockwave.
"You're not leaving until I cut off those horns," she hissed.
Luci leaned back, propping herself up with her trembling arms.
She wasn't scared.
She was… amused.
"Careful, little sword demon… your boyfriend's not breathing normally yet."
Ami froze.
Her arms tightened around me.
Her eyes filled with dread again.
Sam gasped, "A-Ami—his pulse—!"
Grey stood instantly."Tey—readings! NOW!"
Tey's hands flew in panic."His vitals are stabilizing but—holy shit—his cells are still burning power—!"
Ami whispered shakily, "Aki… please wake up… I can't… I can't lose you twice…"
Luci giggled."Cute…"
Yergba exploded.
"SHUT UP!"
She launched at Luci, fist sparking lightning—
—but Luci simply dissolved into smoke.
Fading.
Going intangible.
Disappearing molecule by molecule.
Her voice echoed as her body vanished:
"Ahhh… fuck…"
Last pieces of her frame flickered like a glitch.
"Master is gonna be mad…"
And then—she disappeared completely.
Leaving only silence.
Ami sank back to the ground with me in her arms.
Yergba screamed into her hands.Sam wiped her face with her torn sleeve.Grey shut his eyes, jaw clenched.Tey whispered a shaky prayer to whatever gacha gods existed.
Then—
My fingers twitched.
Ami froze.Her breath caught.
"A-Aki…?"
My eyelids fluttered open.
Everything hurt.Every bone.Every muscle.Every nerve.
It felt like I'd been dipped in fire and then dropped from orbit.
But I was alive.
Barely.
I croaked out the first thing my foggy brain could manage:
"…did I… win…?"
The reaction was nuclear.
Ami burst into tears and crushed me against her."IDIOOOOOOOT—!!!""You scared the actual shit out of me—!!"
Yergba collapsed backward, laughing and crying at the same time.Sam buried her face in her hands.Grey sat down like his legs gave up.Tey literally fist-pumped the air and then fell over.
I blinked at all of them, confused.
"What…what even happened…?"
Ami sniffed, wiping her face violently.
"You almost killed yourself, that's what happened—!!"
Sam smacked my arm."Don't EVER do that again!"
Yergba flicked my forehead."Next time you go god-mode, you're telling us FIRST."
Grey just stared at me."You broke physics."
Tey nodded."You also broke our scanners."
I blinked."…sorry…?"
Ami set me down gently.Then the five of them talked at the same time.
—Luci appeared again——Ami teleported her out——the battle leveled half the yard——Grey and Tey ran out of ammo——Sam shielded me——Yergba overcharged and nearly exploded——I awakened something impossible——my instincts took control——I fought like a monster——I almost destroyed Luci——Ami had to grab my arm to stop the killing blow——my body collapsed——Ami cried for like ten minutes——Luci tried to crawl away——she said something about a "Master"——and then vanished—
I just stared at them.
Blank.
Confused.
In pain.
"…wait… back up—I did WHAT?"
Yergba threw a rock at me.
"You WENT GOD, THAT'S WHAT! YOU TRIED TO ERASE LUCI FROM EXISTENCE!"
Ami swallowed.Her voice cracked.
"You… scared us."
Sam nodded, trembling."You were unconscious. You weren't you."
Grey added softly, "You weren't anything I've ever seen."
Tey whispered, "You were… divine."
My heart thrashed.
That power—that mode—whatever it was—
I didn't remember a single second.
Suddenly—
A new presence entered the yard.
Cold. Heavy.Authoritative.
Footsteps.
Slow. Calm. Confident.
A silhouette stepped through the broken barrier, brushing dust off their uniform.
A boy.Maybe sixteen.Dark hair.Silver eyes.
A strange crest on his sleeve.
A crest shaped like a broken star.
Ami's sword instantly materialized.Yergba readied her fists.Sam stepped in front of me.Grey and Tey aimed.
The boy raised his hand lazily.
"Yo.Relax.If I wanted you dead, you'd already be ash."
Ami snapped, "State your name!"
He gave a bored sigh.
"My name? Seriously?"
He met my eyes.
Silver on brown.
"Same as you, Aki."
He smirked.
"I'm a Keeper."
The air went still.
My breath hitched.
Ami froze.
Yergba stuttered, "W-what…?"
Sam whispered, "Another… Keeper…?"
Grey and Tey exchanged terrified looks.
The boy lifted his hand.
A shimmering gacha seal flickered into existence.
A perfect match to mine—
—but his was cracked, leaking dark energy.
The boy smirked deeper.
"Nice to meet you, Aki.""You're the 'glitched' Keeper."
He pointed a finger at my chest.
"The one they want dead."
My heart stopped.
Sam grabbed my shoulder.
Ami stepped forward.
Yergba snarled.
The boy chuckled and waved them off.
"Relax. I'm not here to kill you."
Then his expression sharpened—eyes cold as steel.
"I'm here to warn you."
He pointed at the spot where Luci vanished.
"That Devourer isn't your real problem."
A sick sense of dread crawled up my spine.
Ami whispered, "Then who…?"
The boy tilted his head.
"Luci's 'Master.'"
His smile widened dangerously.
"And trust me—he already wants your head."
The yard fell silent.
My heartbeat didn't.