The train moved steadily through the countryside, its wheels producing a rhythmic metallic hum that seemed almost hypnotic.
Yuma sat beside the window, his forehead resting lightly against the cool glass as the scenery blurred past.
For the first hour of the journey, he had barely spoken.
The train had already left the crowded urban districts behind. Tall buildings had gradually disappeared, replaced by rolling hills, distant farms, clusters of houses, and stretches of green forest that seemed to continue endlessly toward the horizon.
Every so often, another train passed on the opposite track.
Its cars flashed by in a matter of seconds before disappearing behind them.
Yuma barely noticed.
His attention remained fixed on the scenery outside.
His backpack rested between his feet.
Inside were several changes of clothes, toiletries, a notebook, and a few personal belongings he had quickly gathered before leaving the house.
He had expected to feel excited.
After all, Osaka wasn't somewhere he had visited before.
More importantly, he was finally going to learn something connected to his father.
Cybernetic Protocol.
The technique Alumna had told him about.
The technique that had supposedly been born in Osaka.
The technique that his father had mastered.
Yet despite all that...
Yuma couldn't stop thinking about one person.
He stared at the reflection of his own face in the window.
His expression looked more serious than usual.
Then, almost without realizing it, a name escaped his lips.
"...Serena."
Alumna, seated across the aisle, immediately looked up from the documents he had been reading.
He lowered the papers slightly.
"Something on your mind?"
Yuma turned toward him.
For a moment, he hesitated.
Then he sighed.
"...Why couldn't Serena come with us?"
Alumna didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he folded his documents and placed them neatly inside his bag.
The older man leaned back against his seat.
"Because this particular training isn't meant for her."
Yuma frowned.
"Why?"
"Because what you're about to learn..."
Alumna paused.
"...belongs to your father's Cybernetic Protocol."
Yuma looked confused.
"I don't understand."
Alumna glanced toward the window.
"Your father's technique isn't something that can simply be taught to another person."
"It is connected to his spiritual lineage."
"His method of channeling."
"His understanding of purification."
"And most importantly..."
He looked directly at Yuma.
"...His blood."
Yuma's eyes widened slightly.
"So..."
"Only I can learn it?"
Alumna nodded.
"Only you."
The answer was strangely heavy.
Yuma looked down at his hands.
He didn't know exactly how to feel about that.
Part of him was excited.
Another part felt uncomfortable.
Serena had spent years wanting to become a Geist.
She had fought countless battles.
She had trained relentlessly.
And now...
They were being separated for their respective training.
Yuma finally asked the question that had been bothering him.
"...Does that mean Serena is going to be left behind?"
Alumna immediately shook his head.
"No."
Yuma looked up.
"She isn't being left behind."
A faint smile appeared on Alumna's face.
"Quite the opposite."
Yuma blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"Serena is about to receive training that most Geists could only dream of."
"She's going to train under Tamayo."
Yuma tilted his head.
"...Tamayo?"
Alumna nodded.
"Tamayo Yuuki."
"Serena's older sister."
Yuma tried remembering the name.
"I don't think I've met her."
"You haven't."
"She has spent most of her time away from the main household."
Yuma leaned back.
"Why?"
"Because she's been guarding the White Fox Temple."
Yuma's expression changed.
"The temple?"
Alumna nodded.
"The Yuuki family's sacred temple."
"The place where much of their oldest knowledge is preserved."
Yuma stared at him.
"So she's a priestess?"
Alumna chuckled.
"Not exactly."
He folded his arms.
"Tamayo is a Geist."
"An exceptionally talented one."
Yuma waited.
Alumna's expression became slightly more serious.
"She's also one of the Protosaints."
Yuma blinked.
"...Protosaints?"
He had never heard the word before.
"What does that mean?"
Alumna smiled.
"Ah."
He leaned back comfortably in his seat.
"You don't know."
"No."
"Then sit properly."
Yuma looked down at himself.
He had been half-slouched against the window.
Alumna pointed at him.
"You're going to want to hear this."
Yuma straightened himself.
"Okay."
Alumna nodded approvingly.
"Good."
He glanced toward the passing scenery before beginning.
"Because this..."
"...is a long story."
The Beginning of the Protosaints
"Before the modern Geist organizations existed..."
Alumna began slowly.
"Before government divisions."
"Before standardized training."
"Before Protocol Weapons."
"There were only individuals."
Yuma listened carefully.
"People who could perceive spiritual entities."
"People who could interact with them."
"And eventually..."
"People who learned how to fight them."
Yuma frowned.
"So the first Geists?"
"Not quite."
Alumna shook his head.
"The earliest practitioners weren't organized."
"They didn't have schools."
"They didn't have formal techniques."
"They didn't even have a common name."
"They were simply people who discovered that the spiritual world could be touched."
Yuma glanced toward the window.
The scenery outside continued rushing past.
"So where did the Protosaints come from?"
Alumna smiled.
"They came later."
"During the earliest recorded period of organized Geist history, there were individuals who demonstrated abilities far beyond what ordinary practitioners could accomplish."
"They weren't merely strong."
"They fundamentally changed how spiritual energy was understood."
Yuma leaned forward.
"How many?"
Alumna's expression became thoughtful.
"Very few."
"Only a handful of people were ever recognized as Protosaints."
"They became the foundation upon which modern Geist techniques were eventually built."
Yuma's eyes widened.
"So they're like..."
"The founders?"
"Some were."
Alumna nodded.
"But the title means more than that."
He paused.
"The word 'Proto' refers to something original."
"Something that comes before."
"And 'Saint'..."
He looked toward Yuma.
"...refers to those who reached a level of spiritual mastery that ordinary Geists could barely comprehend."
Yuma swallowed.
"How strong were they?"
Alumna smiled.
"Strong enough that their techniques are still studied today."
"Some of their methods became the foundation for modern Cybernetic Protocol."
"Others became forbidden techniques."
"And a few..."
His expression darkened slightly.
"...were lost entirely."
Yuma remained silent.
Alumna continued.
"Every Protosaint represented a different philosophy of spiritual combat."
"Some believed spiritual energy should be controlled."
"Others believed it should be harmonized."
"Some believed humans should dominate spirits."
"Others believed humans and spirits could coexist."
"Those philosophies eventually influenced entire bloodlines."
Yuma suddenly remembered Serena.
Her family.
The White Fox Temple.
Kerauna.
Haikirin.
He looked toward Alumna.
"Is Tamayo one of those people?"
Alumna nodded.
"Tamayo is considered one of the modern Protosaints."
Yuma's eyes widened.
"Modern?"
"Yes."
"She isn't one of the original founders."
"But her mastery has reached a level that earned her the title."
Yuma slowly absorbed the information.
"So Serena's sister is..."
"One of the strongest Geists alive."
Alumna smiled.
"That would be an understatement."
Yuma raised an eyebrow.
"How strong is she?"
Alumna looked toward the window.
For a moment, he seemed to consider how much he should reveal.
Then he laughed softly.
"Have you ever seen Serena use Haikirin?"
"No."
"Then you haven't seen what Tamayo can do."
"Even I, a veteran geist myself would have a hard time dealing with Tamayo in battle"
Yuma remembered the stories Serena had told him.
The Yuuki family.
Their ancient techniques.
The White Fox Temple.
The mysterious power of Kerauna.
Now there was Tamayo.
A Protosaint.
Someone who had mastered one of the rarest techniques in the Yuuki bloodline.
Yuma slowly leaned back.
"...Serena is going to train with her."
"Yes."
Yuma smiled.
"Then she's going to become incredibly strong."
Alumna nodded.
"She will."
There was no hesitation in his answer.
"Tamayo won't simply teach her how to fight."
"She'll teach Serena how to understand her own spiritual potential."
Yuma looked down.
He felt relieved.
At least Serena wasn't being left behind.
They were simply walking different paths.
His path led toward Osaka.
Hers led toward the White Fox Temple.
Different training.
Different teachers.
Different techniques.
But ultimately...
The same destination.
Becoming stronger.
Yuma smiled faintly.
"...I guess I shouldn't worry about her."
Alumna smiled.
"No."
Then he added quietly,
"You should probably worry more about yourself."
Yuma's smile disappeared.
"...Why?"
Alumna looked at him.
"Because if you're going to inherit your father's Cybernetic Protocol..."
His expression became serious.
"...you have no idea how difficult the next few weeks are going to be."
Yuma swallowed.
"...How difficult?"
Alumna smiled.
"The kind of difficult that makes you question every decision you've ever made."
Yuma stared at him.
"...You could've just said very difficult."
"I wanted you to understand."
Yuma sighed.
"Great."
Alumna laughed.
The train continued toward Osaka.
Outside the window, the landscape slowly changed again.
Mountains appeared along the horizon.
The afternoon sun illuminated their peaks.
Yuma looked toward them.
Somewhere beyond those mountains...
Was his father's hometown.
The birthplace of his Cybernetic Protocol.
And soon...
He would finally discover what his father had left behind.
Meanwhile, far away from the train...
Serena was beginning a journey of her own.
Neither of them knew exactly what awaited them.
But both were about to discover something important.
Strength wasn't inherited simply because someone carried the right blood.
It had to be understood.
Earned.
And ultimately...
Made their own.
The train continued its journey toward Osaka, its steady rhythm filling the carriage with a low mechanical hum.
Outside the window, the scenery had changed considerably.
The dense clusters of buildings had become increasingly rare, replaced by mountains, forests, and long stretches of countryside. Every so often, Yuma could see a small town nestled between the hills, with houses clustered around narrow roads and railway stations that appeared and disappeared almost as quickly as the train passed them.
Yuma had returned to staring through the glass.
But his mind was no longer focused on Serena.
Instead, it was occupied by a single word.
Protosaint.
He had heard Alumna explain what the title meant.
He understood that Tamayo had earned it through her mastery of Geist techniques.
He understood that Protosaints represented the highest levels of spiritual combat.
But something about the conversation continued bothering him.
There was a detail he hadn't asked about.
Yuma slowly turned his head.
"Alumna-sensei."
Alumna, who had been looking through several documents, glanced toward him.
"Hm?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"You've already asked several questions."
Yuma smiled awkwardly.
"...One more."
Alumna folded the papers together.
"Go ahead."
Yuma hesitated for a moment.
Then he asked,
"Were you ever a Protosaint?"
Alumna's expression changed.
For a brief moment, the older man's usual calm smile disappeared.
Then...
A faint laugh escaped him.
Yuma blinked.
"What's funny?"
Alumna looked toward the window.
"That's a question I haven't heard in a very long time."
"So..."
Yuma leaned forward.
"You were?"
Alumna slowly nodded.
"I was."
Yuma's eyes widened.
"You actually were?"
"Yes."
There was no pride in his voice.
No arrogance.
He simply stated it as a fact.
Yuma stared at him.
"But..."
He glanced at Alumna from head to toe.
"You don't act like someone who used to be one of the strongest Geists in history."
Alumna raised an eyebrow.
"And how exactly is someone who's supposed to be strong supposed to act?"
"I don't know."
Yuma shrugged.
"More intimidating?"
Alumna chuckled.
"Being intimidating has never been part of the requirements."
Yuma laughed quietly.
Then another thought occurred to him.
"Wait."
He suddenly looked more serious.
"If you were a Protosaint..."
"...Who else was one?"
Alumna's smile became slightly more distant.
"Your father."
Yuma froze.
"...My father?"
"Yes."
The answer came so naturally that Yuma initially wondered if he had heard correctly.
"My father was a Protosaint?"
Alumna nodded.
"Your father was one of the most exceptional Protosaints of his generation."
Yuma's expression slowly changed.
He had spent most of his life knowing almost nothing about his father.
He knew his name.
He knew he had been a Geist.
He knew that his father had possessed a Cybernetic Protocol powerful enough for Alumna to consider it worth passing down.
But Protosaint?
That was something entirely different.
Yuma lowered his voice.
"...So my father and you..."
"We were both Protosaints."
Alumna paused.
Then he added,
"Along with Reige."
Yuma nearly jumped out of his seat.
"Reige?!"
Several passengers nearby glanced toward them.
Yuma immediately lowered his voice.
"Wait, wait, wait."
He leaned closer.
"Serena's father was a Protosaint too?"
Alumna laughed.
"Yes."
"All three of you?"
"All three of us."
Yuma stared at him in disbelief.
"But Reige is Serena's father!"
"I am aware."
"And he's..."
"An extremely capable Geist."
Yuma looked completely overwhelmed.
"Why did nobody tell me this?"
Alumna shrugged.
"You never asked."
"I didn't know I was supposed to ask!"
"That's usually how questions work."
Yuma sighed.
Alumna smiled.
"For a while, the three of us were considered among the strongest active Geists of our generation."
Yuma looked toward the passing countryside.
"So..."
"...You, my father, and Reige..."
"...were Protosaints together?"
"Yes."
"What was that like?"
Alumna leaned back in his seat.
His eyes became distant.
For the first time since they had boarded the train, his expression carried something Yuma rarely saw.
Nostalgia.
"It was different back then."
Yuma listened.
"People call it the Golden Era of the Geist."
"The Golden Era?"
Alumna nodded.
"That was what the older generations called it."
"More than a hundred years of Geist history had passed since the modern organization was established."
"Techniques had become refined."
"Training systems had become standardized."
"Protocol Weapons had reached incredible levels of development."
"And the number of highly skilled Geists had increased."
He smiled faintly.
"But strangely enough..."
"...it was also a much quieter time."
Yuma looked confused.
"Quieter?"
"Poltergeist ambushes were less frequent."
"Entire regions could go months without reporting a serious incident."
"Compared to today..."
Alumna's expression became more serious.
"...the rate was remarkably low."
Yuma frowned.
"Why?"
"We never found a definitive answer."
"Some believed the spiritual ecosystem had stabilized."
"Others believed the number of hostile entities had simply declined."
"Some researchers even believed that something was preventing Poltergeists from entering the human world."
Yuma looked intrigued.
"So the Geist organization wasn't constantly fighting?"
"Oh, we still fought."
Alumna smiled.
"There were plenty of incidents."
"Some were extremely dangerous."
"But the scale..."
He shook his head.
"It wasn't anything like what you and Serena have experienced."
Yuma became quiet.
The recent battles immediately came to mind.
The mall.
The school.
The Malwisp.
And most recently...
The Calamity-Class Poltergeist.
Yuma swallowed.
"Then what happened?"
Alumna's smile disappeared.
"Your father disappeared."
Yuma's expression stiffened.
The train continued moving.
The sound of the wheels suddenly seemed much louder.
Alumna looked toward the window.
"Decode Alpha."
He spoke the name quietly.
"He was one of the greatest Geists of his generation."
"His disappearance changed everything."
Yuma's hands slowly tightened around his knees.
"What happened after he disappeared?"
"The Golden Era began to crumble."
"Poltergeist activity gradually increased."
"Ambushes became more common."
"Entire districts began reporting spiritual disturbances."
"Veteran Geists were being deployed more frequently."
"And eventually..."
Alumna paused.
"...Reige was promoted."
"To what?"
"The head of the Geist organization."
Yuma stared at him.
"Reige became the head?"
"Yes."
"After your father disappeared, the organization needed someone capable of holding everything together."
"Reige accepted."
"But becoming the head meant giving up something."
Yuma waited.
"He relinquished his title as a Protosaint."
Yuma looked confused.
"Why?"
"Because the title demanded a different life."
Alumna folded his hands.
"A Protosaint wasn't simply an honor."
"It carried responsibilities."
"Special missions."
"Research."
"Training."
"Political obligations within the organization."
"Reige couldn't balance those responsibilities with leading the entire organization."
"So he stepped away."
Yuma looked down.
"And you?"
Alumna smiled.
"I followed him."
"You stopped being a Protosaint too?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Alumna looked at him.
"Because someone had to."
Yuma blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"Reige was taking responsibility for the organization."
"Someone needed to help him."
Alumna smiled faintly.
"So I stepped away from the Protosaint title and remained an active Geist."
Yuma stared at him.
"So you're still technically a Geist?"
"Of course."
Alumna gave him an amused look.
"Did you think I retired?"
"Honestly..."
Yuma looked at him.
"...sometimes."
Alumna laughed.
"I may be older than you."
"But I'm not dead yet."
Yuma smiled.
Then another thought came to him.
"So if you stopped being a Protosaint..."
"...Does that mean Protosaints aren't necessarily the strongest Geists anymore?"
Alumna's expression became serious.
"No."
Yuma blinked.
Alumna leaned forward.
"Don't misunderstand what I'm telling you."
"The Protosaint title may have been relinquished."
"But the skill doesn't disappear."
Yuma listened carefully.
"The people who earned that title reached the highest pinnacle of Geist combat."
"Even after stepping away..."
"Their techniques remain."
"Their knowledge remains."
"And their experience remains."
Alumna's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Never underestimate a Protosaint."
Yuma nodded slowly.
"Even if they don't have the title anymore?"
"Especially then."
Yuma frowned.
"Why?"
"Because a title doesn't determine someone's strength."
Alumna tapped his chest.
"The person does."
Yuma remembered Tamayo.
She hadn't simply been given the title.
She had earned it through her mastery.
The same was true of his father.
And apparently...
Alumna.
And Reige.
Yuma looked toward Alumna again.
"Then..."
He hesitated.
"Do you think I could become one?"
Alumna smiled.
For several seconds, he didn't answer.
Instead, he looked out the window.
The mountains were getting closer.
Osaka was approaching.
Then he turned back toward Yuma.
"I hope you do."
Yuma's eyes widened slightly.
"Really?"
"Yes."
Alumna's smile became genuine.
"Someday..."
"I hope I can see your name among the Protosaints."
Yuma looked down at his hands.
He couldn't imagine it.
Not yet.
He was still learning the basics.
He had only recently begun training as a Geist.
He had been thrown into battles that he barely understood.
And now he was being told that one day...
He might stand alongside people like his father.
Like Alumna.
Like Reige.
Like Tamayo.
The idea seemed impossible.
Yet...
Something inside him wanted to believe it.
Yuma slowly smiled.
"...Then I'll try."
Alumna chuckled.
"That's all I wanted to hear."
The train continued toward Osaka.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
The silence between them was no longer uncomfortable.
Yuma returned his gaze to the window.
The mountains grew larger.
The afternoon sunlight stretched across the landscape.
Somewhere ahead waited his father's hometown.
The place where his father's Cybernetic Protocol had been born.
The place where Yuma would begin learning the technique that had once made his father a Protosaint.
And now Yuma understood something he hadn't realized before.
He wasn't simply traveling to Osaka to learn a technique.
He was following the footsteps of someone he had spent his entire life knowing almost nothing about.
His father had once stood at the highest level a Geist could reach.
Alumna had stood beside him.
Reige had stood beside them.
And now...
Yuma was being given the opportunity to walk that same road.
Whether he was capable of reaching the end remained unknown.
But for the first time...
He wanted to find out.