The house stands at the end of a forgotten cul-de-sac, a two-story wooden structure that looks like it has been decaying for decades. The garden is a graveyard of shriveled stems; every single flower is dead, their petals turned to grey dust.
Akos stands before the gate, his clothes stained with dried blood and city grime. "I hope this is the place," he mutters, checking the number. "House 45."
He enters the garden. The silence is terrifying, a heavy stillness that feels unnatural. He reaches the front door and grips the heavy brass knocker shaped like a lion's head. He strikes it once. Silence. He strikes it a second time, waiting. Just as he prepares to knock again, the door creaks open.
Vanessa stands there, a half-eaten slice of pizza hanging from her mouth. She blinks at the figure in front of her. Akos has his face partially obscured by the bundle of grey, crystalline vines he's carrying.
Vanessa: (Muffled by pizza) "Ehh? Who are you? A bit early for Valentine's Day, isn't it? I know I'm popular, but this is a bit much." She flashes a playful, arrogant smirk.
Without a word, Akos thrusts the bundle of "nest material" into her arms, uncovering his face.
Vanessa: "Ehhh?!"
Akos brushes past her and enters the house. As he walks by, he casually plucks the slice of pizza from her mouth and takes a bite. Before she can protest, he takes off the white cowboy hat and drops it onto her head, pulling it down over her eyes.
Akos: (Shedding his jacket) "Is there any hot water?"
Vanessa: (Pushing the hat up, fuming) "What?! Do you think I'm your wife? You think you can just walk in here like some salaryman coming home from a long day at the office and demand a bath?"
Akos: (Coolly) "You've been watching too many romantic movies. You're losing touch with reality."
Vanessa: "And there you go again... back to the old Akos. Cold and blunt."
Akos: "Even in a fake world, I remain the same."
He reaches into the large pocket of his trousers and pulls out Nora. The kitten stretches, letting out a tiny yawn before Akos sets her down. He walks over to the worn-out sofa and collapses onto it, closing his eyes for a brief second of peace.
Vanessa: (Crossing her arms) "Unbelievable. You're really just going to sit there in your filthy clothes? Fine. Just go take a shower, you're getting blood on the cushions."
Akos: "If I knew where the bathroom was, I wouldn't be waiting for you to tell me."
Vanessa: "It's to the right! Honestly, if it were a dog, it would have bitten you by now, you blind fool."
Akos stands up without a word and disappears into the bathroom. Vanessa watches the door slam shut, letting out a long, frustrated sigh.
Vanessa: "What a complete idiot."
She looks down at the coffee table where Akos left his gear. She carefully picks up the Dragon Slave Shotgun and the Katana, her eyes lingering on the weapons before she carries them down to the basement to inspect the material he brought back.
After a while, Akos descends the stairs to the basement, expecting a dark cellar. Instead, he stops dead in his tracks. "W... T... F..." he mutters under his breath.
The basement isn't a storage room; it's a massive, high-tech bunker and garage. A heavy industrial truck is parked in the center, surrounded by rows of modified motorcycles and sports cars. But it's the back wall that freezes his blood: racks of heavy weaponry, including a tank cannon and what look like tactical missiles.
Vanessa: "Ehh? You look a bit shell-shocked. Close your mouth before a fly hitches a ride."
Akos: "Why is there a tank cannon in a residential basement? Why are there missiles? Are you people trying to start a third world war?"
Vanessa: "Stop screaming and just come down here."
Akos walks further into the bunker and spots Jin, Ronika, and Riko sitting around a crate, intensely focused on a game of Uno.
Jin: "Oyo! Welcome back." Riko & Ronika: (Silent, not even looking up from their cards, completely ignoring Akos's existence).
Akos sighs and spots Yuzana sitting on a sofa, happily munching on a pizza. Without saying a word, Akos walks over, snatches the entire box out of Yuzana's hands, and collapses onto the couch next to him, stretching out his legs.
Yuzana: "Hey! What are you doing? That's my dinner!"
Akos doesn't answer. He takes a bite of a slice and looks at Vanessa with cold, tired eyes. "Now, talk. I want an explanation. What exactly are these Devils?"
Vanessa leans against a workbench, her expression turning serious.
Vanessa: "Fine. Listen well. Devils are actually humans who committed grave sins in life. After death, they fall to Hell and transform. But here is the catch: they manifest in our world through human negativity. Anger, grief, hatred—it all feeds them. They grow in cursed places, like that hotel I sent you to."
Akos: "You sent me to a meat grinder. My whole body is screaming. I can't even feel my legs right now."
Vanessa: "It looks like you made an impression, though." She picks up a remote and clicks on the wall-mounted monitors.
The news is in a frenzy. Aerial footage shows the bloody flood in the streets. A traumatized police officer is being interviewed: "The building just exploded... like a bomb! Then these... things... flew out of the sky! No one will believe me!"
Vanessa: "The public doesn't know the truth yet. The government and the Private High: Ninjitsu Education—your school—are already spinning a lie. They're claiming it was a secret weapon test. Since the school operates like a sovereign country within Japan, they can get away with it."
Akos bursts into a jagged, cynical laugh. "I love it. The bigger the lie, the better."
Vanessa: "It's not funny, Akos. This is going to spark a war between your school and the Public High: Supernatural. Tensions are at a breaking point. By the way... do you still have the Devils End inside you?"
Akos looks at her, his gaze vacant. "No. I'm not a vessel for him anymore. He left on his own."
Vanessa: "Do you plan on fighting him again?"
Akos: "He's looking for someone strong. And I'm looking for someone strong. We'll find each other."
Before she can press him further, a crackle of static fills the room. Voices scream through the radio on the workbench.
Radio (Maria, Valentina, Alexandra): "Hey! You idiot! Open the garage door! The rain is turning into a hurricane out here!"
Vanessa: "Ugh... Yuzana, hit the button."
A few seconds later, the heavy blast doors slide open, and three women burst into the bunker, soaking wet and shouting. Seeing Jin, Riko, and Ronika, they immediately rush over and tackle them into hugs, completely ruining the Uno game.
Akos: (Looking at Vanessa) "And who are these three?"
Vanessa: "Sorcerers, just like you. And your friends, apparently."
Akos: "Nah."
Maria spots Akos and charges at him like a heat-seeking missile. She lunges to kiss him, but Akos's hand is faster, planting firmly over her mouth to stop her. Valentina looms over him next. "Akos! Don't you want a hug too?"
Akos glances over at Jin, who is literally suffocating under a group hug. As Valentina leans in, Akos shoves a leftover slice of pizza into her open mouth and leaps over the back of the sofa to make his escape.
Akos stands in the center of the bunker, the fluorescent lights reflecting off his glasses. "Listen to me clearly. I don't want any noise. We need to move fast."
Maria: (Laughing) "Ohhh! It seems the Fake World didn't change your character at all, Akos. You're still the same."
Akos: "Be quiet. I don't even know your name."
Vanessa: "The one with the white hair is Maria. The blonde is Alexandra, and the one with the pink hair is Valentina."
Akos: "Fine. Now listen to the plan carefully."
Maria snatches a slice of pizza from Yuzana's hands and starts eating. "Go ahead, Boss. We're listening."
Akos: "How many are we?"
Vanessa starts counting on her fingers like a child. Akos stares at her. "Are you stupid? Why are you counting with your fingers? For— for—" Even Akos gets confused by her clumsiness.
Ronika: (Coldly) "There are nine of us."
Akos: "Thank you. Now, we have three primary objectives:
Free the Sorcerers trapped in this Fake World.
Destroy every Cursed Script, as Vanessa explained.
Free our own souls from this illusion."
Alexandra: "Ehh? That's not a plan. Those are just basic goals."
Ronika: "If you have some patience, maybe he'll tell us how to do it without you rushing in like a maniac."
Maria: (Cheering loudly) "Let's go, Boss! Show them what the Infinite Eyes can do!"
The entire room goes dead silent. The air feels heavy.
Yuzana: "Wait... Akos has the 'Infinite Eyes'?"
Maria: "Yeah. Don't tell me you haven't remembered what they are in this world yet?"
Ronika: (Calmly) "He has only recovered about 5% of his memory. His soul is still essentially imprisoned."
Akos: "I know what the Infinite Eyes are. I've already used them."
The shock in the room is palpable. If Akos only has 5% of his power and can already manifest that ability, his true potential is terrifying.
Maria: "He used them on us just now! When he stopped me from kissing him, he used the Infinite Eyes to predict my movement and block me!"
Yuzana: "Can someone please explain what this ability actually is? I'm lost."
Ronika goes to snap at him to shut up, but Alexandra beats her to it.
Alexandra: "The Infinite Eyes is an ability born with the user. It allows them to calculate scenarios, battle plans, and enemy abilities in half a fraction of a second. The downside is the damage it does to the brain. It causes massive headaches, makes the user feel drunk, and can even make the brain explode. That's why Akos takes medicine to calm his mind. It's an absolute power localized in the brain."
Yuzana stands there, stunned, slowly letting a small smile spread across his face.
Ronika: "Don't mind her. Alexandra is just a female version of Akos—crazy, reckless, and hides too much."
Akos: "Enough talk. Tomorrow:
Me, Jin, and Maria will go look for Ruka, Ronika's sister.
Yuzana and Vanessa stay here to manage the base.
Ronika and Riko will hunt the Cursed Scripts.
Valentina and Alexandra will go"
Maria: (Interrupting) "Wait! I said I'm coming with you, Akos!"
Akos looks at Jin. Jin just shrugs, looking completely indifferent.
Akos: "Fine. You three will go to free the other Sorcerers. We have to move because the attack on Alpha by Bravo was just the beginning. There is another faction behind them, people with abilities preparing an all-out assault. We need to complete our three goals to be ready. Are you in?"
Valentina: "I'm in."
One by one, they all nod.
Akos: "Good. Get ready. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."
Akos turns and walks out of the basement. Maria immediately drops her pizza and starts running after him, shouting his name.
In a different location, far from the neon lights of Tokyo, lies a room shrouded in absolute darkness. Outside the reinforced glass of an observation deck, two men in shadows peer into the chamber.
First Man: "Are you certain it's a good idea to keep a Sorcerer in a laboratory like this?"
Second Man: "It is the perfect time. For seventy-five years, the United States has tried to find a way to weaponize this energy. Now, a Sorcerer has finally fallen into our hands. It is time for America to show the other nations that we possess the strongest Sorcerers in the world."
Inside the room, a young woman with long black hair hangs from heavy, rusted chains. Her body is battered, her clothes stained with dried blood. She lifts her head slightly, her voice a jagged whisper that carries a terrifying weight.
The Girl: "I promise you... Akos will slaughter every single one of you."
The first man scoffs, adjusting his tie. "I know the CIA has been trying to control Akos for years. He's a variable we haven't accounted for yet."
Second Man: "This is only the beginning. We are on the right track. As long as the KGB, China, or France don't realize what we have here, we won't have any problems."
The two men turn and walk away, their footsteps i echoing down the sterile, metallic hallway.