Shinji jolted awake.
The clinical whiteness of the ceiling burned into his eyes, accompanied by the sharp, lingering scent of antiseptic. He was back in the Heavenfield infirmary. Beside him, Lio was slumped in a chair, nodding off, but he snapped awake the moment Shinji stirred. A small, relieved smile tugged at Lio's lips, as if a mountain of worry had finally been lifted.
Reflexively, Shinji sat up and checked his body. He looked at his stomach—no wounds. His left arm—perfectly intact. As he touched his face, a chaotic storm of memories surged through his mind: black smoke, a scorched battlefield, and the looming shadow of Kronos. It all felt terrifyingly real, yet as hazy as a fever dream.
He turned to Lio, his voice trembling.
"Lio... where is Ragna?"
Lio didn't answer. He lowered his head and silently pointed behind them. A soldier stood there, clutching a severed arm wrapped in heavy cloth, deeply stained with dark, dried blood.
The memories of the Najarin Forest rushed back like a cold blade to the heart. Shinji froze. Ragna was dead.
Akidou walked over from across the room, his voice as casual as ever.
"Oh, you're up, Shinji. I heard everything—you've got some serious guts."
Shinji looked back at Lio.
"What happened? Did we... did we pass?"
Lio clenched his fists and stood up abruptly. Without a word, he pulled his hat low and walked out of the room, leaving a heavy, suffocating silence behind him.
"Don't sweat it,"
Akidou said, patting Shinji's shoulder.
"We passed, Shinji. Rest up, then come find us."
With that, Akidou left too. Shinji sat alone, his mind a void, unable to distinguish between what was real and what was a nightmare.
Earlier... in the Forest
Brutal let out a mangled roar. Despite being riddled with wounds, the monster lunged at Shinji one last time. Shinji stood his ground, his eyes cold and hollow—eyes that no longer belonged to a human.
Another team of candidates stumbled upon the scene, drawn by the noise. Seeing the carnage, they immediately drew their weapons.
"Hey! Do you need help? That thing looks dangerous!"
Shinji didn't even look at them. His arm elongated, warping into a dark crimson whip of flesh. With a sudden, casual flick—
SPLASH!
The three newcomers were crushed instantly. Blood sprayed across the dirt.
"Shut up."
the entity in Shinji's body muttered.
As Brutal closed in, Shinji's arm retracted, shifting into a massive, jagged mace. But just as the blow was about to land, Brutal's body froze. In the blink of an eye, the monster was sliced into countless invisible ribbons, vanishing as if it had never existed.
Shinji tilted his head slightly.
"So, he ran away?"
Suddenly, the golden wall of light around the forest began to dissolve. An announcement boomed through the trees:
"All candidates, attention. Evacuate the forest immediately."
The red flesh receded from Shinji's skin. His body returned to normal, his eyes closed, and he collapsed into the dirt.
The Rescue
An elite squad of soldiers moved through the clearing, led by a man wearing a mask with two long blades strapped to his waist. He stopped where Shinji and Brutal had fought. Even for a veteran, the sight of the shattered earth and scattered remains made him frown.
"Commander Susanoo,"
a soldier reported.
"The perimeter is clear. No further anomalies detected."
Susanoo pulled out his silver watch.
"Odin, this is Susanoo. There's nothing left here but a few corpses."
Then, his gaze caught something. A young boy lying unconscious among the rubble. Susanoo walked over and placed two fingers on the boy's neck.
"Wait. One of the kids is still breathing."
Present Day – Heavenfield Infirmary
Shinji sat in a daze. The room had grown quiet; the other candidates had all been discharged, leaving him alone with the smell of medicine.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the hallway.
A woman stepped into the room. Her attire was bizarre—a long black robe that swept the floor and a large golden hat that obscured half her face. Long orange hair draped over one side, hiding an eye.
She stopped in front of Shinji, tilting her head like a curious bird. Her voice was low and melodic.
"How very strange... you don't have a single scratch on you, do you?"
Shinji startled, looking up at her. As she moved closer, the air in the room felt heavy, as if her presence alone was weighing him down.
"Ah... yeah... I guess so..."
Shinji stammered.
She stood directly over him and placed a hand on his chest. Shinji went rigid.
"It's so peculiar. Your body... it smells just like him."
Shinji swallowed hard, his heart hammering against her palm.
"Like... who?"
Her fingers began to slide down his chest—slowly, deliberately. Panic flared in Shinji's gut, and he reached up to push her hand away. But before he could, a snake slithered out from the sleeve of her black robe, its tongue flickering inches from his nose.
Shinji froze. He didn't dare breathe.
The woman let out a soft, chilling laugh, her voice filled with an unsettling pleasure.
"You smell wonderful... His scent is all over you."