The silence fell again.
Not the silence of the city, nor that of the night.
A heavy, dense silence, as if the air itself were waiting for something from me.
Yora's aura still vibrated around us—indigo and bluish, stable yet overwhelming. It wasn't trying to crush me. It was observing. Measuring.
— What type are you? he had asked.
I breathed slowly, feeling tension crawl beneath my skin. This wasn't the first time I had felt this pressure. Since the fire, it had been there. Lurking. Unstable. As if something inside me refused to stay still.
— What does… "type" even mean? I finally asked.
Yora didn't answer right away. He simply raised his hand.
And the aura vanished.
Not dispersed. Withdrawn. As if it had never existed.
The sense of emptiness was immediate.
— Giken never manifests the same way, Yora resumed. — Some project it. — Others use it to reinforce their bodies. — And some shape it, transform it… or endure it.
He raised his hand.
Before I could step back, he pressed two fingers against my chest.
— Yora—!
He injected his energy.
The pain was instant.
It wasn't a burn. Nor a shock.
It was like something inside me was being forced open.
My heart started racing. The world tilted. My vision blurred, doubled. A crushing pressure tore through my body, from my chest to my skull. It felt like my bones were vibrating, like my nerves were screaming.
I dropped to my knees, a muffled cry stuck in my throat.
— Ngh…!
The ground suddenly felt far too close. Too real.
Yora pulled his fingers back and calmly stepped away. He sat on an abandoned car wreck as if nothing had happened.
— Awakening is always painful, he said evenly. — But this method speeds up the discovery of your type.
I was breathing with difficulty. Every breath ripped through my chest. My head spun. It felt like my body no longer fully belonged to me.
— If you survive this stage, he continued, you'll save time. And in your case… time is a luxury.
I clenched my teeth.
Little by little, the pain stabilized. It didn't disappear, but it stopped crushing me. My hands were trembling. So were my legs. Still, I managed to stand.
Yora straightened immediately.
— Simply possessing this power makes you a target, Teïkō. — For organizations. Assassins. Monsters. — And for things far worse.
He spread his feet slightly.
— That's why you need to learn to control it. Now.
His aura exploded.
Blue. Dense. Compact. It wrapped around his body like a second skin, crushing the space around him. The air vibrated violently.
— Attack.
My vision was still blurry. The vacant lot seemed to ripple. But I took my stance anyway, instinctively.
I charged.
I struck with all my strength.
My fist passed through empty air.
— Wh—?!
In a fraction of a second, Yora was behind me.
Impossible.
No human could move that fast.
I turned and struck again. And again. Every blow missed. With every blink, he was somewhere else. In front of me. To the left. Behind me.
— Too slow, he commented calmly.
Panic rose.
I tried a kick.
Yora caught it effortlessly.
His fingers clamped around my ankle like a vise. Then he slammed me into the ground. I rolled several meters away, the air knocked from my lungs.
— How do you feel? he asked.
I struggled back up.
— …I'm fine.
He vanished.
Then reappeared in front of me.
A reverse kick.
Pain exploded in my abdomen. I was launched into the rusty fence with a metallic crash. The impact stole my breath.
— How do you feel? he repeated, still impassive.
I tried to answer. No sound came out.
Something changed.
A strange aura began forming around me. Unstable. Chaotic. Then it gradually turned blue.
The world slowed.
The wind seemed to freeze. Dust particles hung motionless in the air. My heart beat slowly. Too slowly.
And suddenly—
I was behind Yora.
Even I didn't understand how.
He smiled.
Then he ducked in a lightning-fast motion.
My kick passed over his head.
The shockwave that followed was monstrous.
The ground cracked slightly. The air exploded. The car wreck Yora had been sitting on earlier nearly toppled from the impact.
I landed heavily.
My vision darkened all at once.
My legs gave out.
I collapsed before I could even touch Yora.
Total exhaustion.
Darkness swallowed me.
Yora caught me before my head hit the ground.
He stared at me for a few seconds, thoughtful.
— …I see.
He understood now.
But when he leaned closer, his voice remained calm.
— You're like me, he murmured. — A hybrid.
He placed a hand on my shoulder.
— Scout… for speed. — Forger… for energy weapon creation.
He straightened, his gaze turning toward the city.
— That will be enough… for now.
In the shadows, something had just awakened.
And the world didn't know it yet.
---
When Teïkō regained consciousness, the first thing he felt wasn't pain…
nor the ground.
It was moving.
A steady sway, almost soothing.
— …Hm…?
He cracked his eyes open.
His vision was blurry, but one thing was certain: he was high up. And he definitely wasn't lying down.
— Gentle wake-up, a voice above him commented.
Teïkō took a few seconds to understand.
— …Why… is the ground… upside down…?
— Because you're on my back.
Silence.
Teïkō blinked. Then reality hit him all at once.
— WHAT?!
He jolted upright, nearly slipping off.
— Easy, easy, Yora said without slowing down. After such intense training, your body needs rest. Personally, I thought getting some ice cream would be an excellent idea.
— …Ice cream…? Teïkō repeated, still half out of it.
He thought for a second.
— …Yeah. Ice cream sounds good.
Then something felt off.
A strange sensation.
A draft.
Teïkō looked down.
His brain took a fraction of a second to process the information.
Then—
— ...…
He stared.
He stared again.
— …YORA.
— Yes?
— …Why… why am I wearing PINK UNDERWEAR WITH CAT FACES ON IT?!
Yora replied with absolutely criminal calm.
— Your sports underwear was torn during your movement. It was no longer usable. That was the only clean spare I had at home.
— …AT YOUR PLACE?!
— Don't shout. You'll attract attention.
Too late.
A little girl walking by, holding her mother's hand, stopped dead. She pointed at Teïkō, eyes sparkling.
— MOM LOOK! THE BIG BROTHER IS WEARING CAT UNDERWEAR!
— HEY—!
Teïkō turned bright red instantly.
— PUT ME DOWN! RIGHT NOW!
He awkwardly smacked Yora's shoulder.
— LOOK AT THE SITUATION YOU PUT ME IN!
— Hmm, Yora said thoughtfully. Indeed, it is embarrassing.
He calmly picked up the ice cream cones from a nearby stand.
— Here. Chocolate-vanilla. You need sugar.
— THIS IS NOT THE TIME!
They walked off while Teïkō sulked, arms crossed, still on the old man's back.
A silence settled in.
Then Yora spoke, more serious.
— Teïkō.
— …Hm…? the boy replied, still sulking.
— Moving at that speed forces your body to consume an enormous amount of calories. If you don't compensate, you risk severe physical damage. Internal tears. Neural fatigue. Muscular collapse.
Teïkō blinked.
— …I see…
— Don't forget it.
They kept walking.
After a few steps, Teïkō asked the question burning on his lips.
— What happens now…?
Yora smiled slightly.
— Well…
He paused.
— We find a way to get you back into school.
Teïkō lifted his head, surprised.
— …Huh?
— You can't learn to survive in this world by staying outside of it, Yora concluded. And besides…
He glanced back at him with an amused look.
— A boy with your potential shouldn't be skipping classes.
Teïkō groaned.
— …I just hope I can change underwear first.
Yora burst out laughing.
The world had just changed.
And Teïkō had no idea what awaited him when school started again.
But one thing was certain.
Nothing would ever be normal again.