For a moment after Veyron finished speaking, the room stayed frozen.
Then Yuki stood up.
She smiled.
Not a small one. Not a careful one. A wide, reckless smile that carried exhaustion, anger, and something dangerously close to excitement.
"You know what?" she said. "Fuck it. Let's do it. Let's start as soon as possible."
Veyron blinked. "Wait—what?"
He raised his hands instinctively. "We need a plan. Roles. Powers. I don't even know what everyone can do properly yet. How are we
just—"
But the room was already moving. Chairs scraped back. Footsteps echoed. People grabbed jackets, weapons, bags. Shin was already heading for the exit. Nyra followed. Axel wasn't even there to begin with. Goro had vanished again. Within seconds, the bunker was empty. Only Veyron, Akari, and Reina were left standing there.
"…What?" Veyron muttered.
Then footsteps came rushing back. Yuki burst in, pointing toward the exit.
"What are you standing around for? You three—out. Now." She didn't wait for a response.
"First we train," she shouted while walking backward. "The farm outside the city. The training range I told you about. If you want to talk plans, you do it after you learn how to survive."
Reina went first, still processing everything.
Akari followed, barely able to hide her excitement.
Veyron hesitated only a second—then ran after them.
————————————————————
They regrouped behind an old concrete building in a forgotten parking lot. Cracked asphalt. Faded lines. Maybe three cars total, all abandoned. Cameras were either broken or never existed.
It was 10:15 AM.
Veyron arrived last.
Just as he reached the entrance, a white van rolled out from behind the building.
The side door slid open. Everyone was already inside. Shin sat in the driver's seat, hands steady on the wheel. Yuki and Reina were up front beside him. Akari and Nyra sat in the back—an open cargo space converted with benches.
"VEYRON!" someone shouted.
He jogged forward and grabbed the back door handle—
And froze.
Goro wasn't there.
Axel wasn't there either.
Before he could say a word, glowing threads wrapped gently around his torso and yanked him inside.
"Sorry!" Nyra said quickly. "Didn't want you standing out there."
She used all sixteen light-threads—four from each hand, four from each foot—careful, precise. The van doors slammed shut. The engine roared. They were gone.
As the van sped forward, Nyra leaned closer and whispered, "They'll talk later. First, sleep. Everyone needs it."
Akari was already out cold. Yuki's head tilted forward in the front seat. Reina followed moments later. Shin kept driving. He was the only one who'd slept enough. Nyra yawned, rubbing her eyes. She almost nodded off, until she noticed something.
A thin red line. Veyron's forearm. One of her threads had nicked him during the pull. Same arm. Same place General Alaric had crushed before. Nyra straightened instantly.
"Ah—shit."
Veyron didn't react.
He was already asleep.
Carefully, she pulled out a small med-kit from her bag. She sprayed antiseptic over the cut. Veyron flinched faintly but didn't wake.
She cleaned it. Patched it. Wrapped it gently.
When she finished, exhaustion hit her all at once.
Nyra leaned sideways—accidentally resting against Veyron's shoulder.
She didn't move away.
Akari slept across the opposite bench, butterflies flickering faintly around her dreams.
The van drove on.
————————————————————
High above.
Birds circled beneath a pale sky, wings cutting through morning air. Below them stretched farmland—green and gold. A large barn filled with cows. Endless rows of wheat swaying gently.
Behind the farm's only house stood a shooting range.
Red and blue circular targets lined the side of a hill, embedded into stone. The hill itself rose like a natural wall, thick and solid, scarred from years of impact.
The birds veered aside as a white van approached.
It slowed. Turned. Passed through iron gates.
The van parked beneath an open garage with a small roof—just enough to hide it from above.
The farmhouse stood quiet.
A large wooden sign hung near the entrance.
Old Yagami's Place
The van engine shut off.
A sharp knock echoed against metal. Bang. Bang.
Shin's voice cut through the fog. "Wake up."
The van door slid open. Air rushed in.
Veyron jerked—and immediately fell.
Nyra fell with him.
They hit the floor of the van in a tangled mess, half-asleep, limbs everywhere.
For a split second, neither of them moved.
Then awareness slammed in.
Nyra had fallen on top of him during sleep—flat on her stomach. Her head rested just under his chest, right at his stomach. One arm draped across him. Her face was buried in his shirt, slightly damp from sleep.
Veyron blinked once.
Twice.
Nyra blinked too.
They locked eyes.
Both of them shot upright at the exact same time.
"S-SORRY—"
"I—SORRY—"
They scrambled apart, faces burning.
Nyra covered her mouth, mortified. "I—I didn't mean to— I fell asleep and—"
"It's fine! I mean—it's not fine—it's okay—it's—" Veyron stopped, exhaled hard. "It's fine."
That's when he noticed the bandage on his forearm.
"…Wait. I'm patched up?"
Nyra's blush softened into concern. "I cut you earlier. By accident. One of my threads. You were asleep so I fixed it."
"Oh," he said quietly. "Thanks."
From the bench, Akari burst out laughing.
"Oh my god," she grinned, "you two looked like you were married blushing couple."
"AKARI!" both of them snapped at once.
She only laughed harder. Shin had already turned away, keys in hand, heading toward the farmhouse. Inside the house, the air felt warmer. Lived-in. Real. Nyra entered first, stepping inside instinctively like she belonged there. Veyron followed close behind her. Then Akari and Reina. Yuki wasn't with them.
"She's checking the cows," Shin muttered.
"Wants to make sure everything looks normal."
Nyra didn't waste time. She moved straight into the kitchen, rolling up her sleeves.
"I'll make lunch," she said. "Everyone looks dead."
Akari and Reina headed upstairs. The house had two bathrooms—Akari claimed one immediately, Reina the other.
That left Veyron and Shin downstairs.
Silence sat between them for a moment.
Then Shin spoke.
"You saw the sign."
"Old Yagami's Place," Veyron nodded. "I figured it meant something."
Shin leaned against the counter. "It's what people around here used to call my father. Old Yagami."
He didn't smile.
"Hiroshi Yagami," Shin continued. "No powers. Just a farmer. People around here respected him."
Veyron listened.
"He disappeared one night," Shin said. "Days later, I found his body. Behind the hill."
Veyron's throat tightened.
"It was mauled," Shin said flatly. "Barely recognizable. That's when I knew—something killed him. Not an accident. Not animals."
Veyron didn't interrupt.
"I never knew my mother," Shin added. "She died in a car accident when I was three."
Silence.
"I'm the last Yagami," Shin finished.
Veyron swallowed. "Wow… that's—"
"Fucked up," Shin cut in immediately, eyes narrowing. "I can read minds, smart guy. Save the sympathy fuel for training."
"…Got it," Veyron said quietly.
Shin nodded once and walked off toward one of the rooms. "I'm sleeping."
————————————————————
Lunch was ready not long after.
Nyra laid everything out neatly, like routine helped her stay calm. Everyone gathered—except Shin who's sleeping. Yuki finally came back inside, dust on her boots, satisfied. They ate. For a moment, it almost felt normal. Then Yuki cleared her throat.
"It's 2:36 PM now," she said. "First—"
"First," Veyron cut in, voice steady, "you tell me where Goro and Axel are. And why they're not here."
Yuki smiled. Too easily.
"Oh, that's easy," she said, eyes shining a little too brightly. "They've, um—"
"They went for the external hard drives," Veyron said flatly. "Didn't they."
The room went dead silent. Yuki froze.
No one spoke.
Then, slowly, she tilted her head up and down.
Yes.