Far away from the Upbringers' Citadel, in a place untouched by the warmth and light of the outside world…
A man sat silently.
Sevran Axiom.
His fingers slowly tapped against the armrest of his seat.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The room around him was completely silent. Before him floated several holographic screens, each displaying fragments of information from the recent battle at the Upbringers' Citadel.
Destroyed structures. Students. The battle against Maris.
And finally…
Royoshi Kairo.
Sevran's expression slowly darkened.
"Looks like Maris is out of my control now."
For a few moments…
Silence.
Then—
Crack.
The armrest beneath his hand cracked slightly.
"That damn little brat…"
His eyes remained fixed on Royoshi's image.
A cold smile slowly appeared on Sevran's face.
"So…"
"This won't be enough for him, is it?"
Sevran leaned back in his seat.
"Interesting."
He raised one hand. A dark pulse of Corrupted Shuryoku spread through the room.
"Lucian."
For a moment…
Nothing happened.
The room remained completely silent.
Then—
A faint sound echoed through the darkness.
Footsteps.
Slowly, a figure emerged from the shadows. His presence alone seemed to make the air around him feel heavier.
He stopped several meters away from Sevran.
"Lucian."
Sevran's voice echoed throughout the dark room.
Lucian slowly raised his head.
"Yes."
Sevran leaned forward slightly.
"Prepare yourself."
Lucian remained silent.
"You'll be facing the Upbringers' Citadel soon."
Sevran's eyes narrowed.
"And Royoshi Kairo."
Lucian remained silent for a few moments.
"So it's finally time."
"Yes," Sevran replied.
"Consider it done."
Sevran's fingers slowly tapped against the armrest once again.
"Maris is no longer under my control."
"I am counting on you."
His eyes moved toward one of the holographic screens.
Royoshi's image remained displayed before him.
"And this little brat…"
A cold smile appeared on Sevran's face.
"Capture him."
Lucian quietly looked toward the image and lowered his head slightly.
"Understood."
Sevran smiled.
After the Maris Incident, Lucian had already begun preparing himself. But now, his preparations would become far more serious.
Because this time… he wasn't preparing for just another mission.
Something much greater was approaching.
And the Upbringers' Citadel—
Was directly in its path.
Meanwhile…
Far away from Sevran's dark chamber,
The Upbringers' Citadel remained peaceful.
Students continued walking through the corridors. Conversations filled the academy. Reconstruction drones continued working across the Citadel.
No one knew that something was already approaching. Something far greater than the Maris Incident.
Royoshi continued running through the quiet corridors of the Citadel.
Eventually, he reached the empty passageway between two older academy buildings.
He slowed down.
"…I think I'm clear now."
A faint blue light flickered before him. Particles of Shuryoku slowly gathered in the air.
Ishara watched from a distance, hidden around the corner of the building.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…?"
Royoshi was standing completely alone.
At least that's what it looked like.
Then, the particles of Shuryoku began gathering together. A holographic figure slowly materialized before Royoshi.
Rikishu.
Royoshi crossed his arms.
"What's so urgent?"
Rikishu's expression remained serious.
"Royoshi."
His tone immediately made Royoshi stop smiling.
"Something is coming."
Royoshi blinked.
"Something?"
Rikishu looked toward the distant Citadel walls.
"A serious threat."
He paused.
"A threat greater than Maris."
Royoshi's expression changed.
"…Seriously?"
Rikishu nodded.
"His name is Lucian."
Royoshi remained silent.
Meanwhile, behind the corner, Ishara's eyes narrowed. She couldn't see the holographic figure. There was nothing there. Yet, she could clearly sense something.
A Shuryoku presence near Royoshi.
Her expression slowly changed.
"…"
The presence felt strangely familiar.
It felt similar to Royoshi's Shuryoku, but it clearly wasn't his.
She could hear every single word.
Rikishu remained silent for a few moments.
Then, he looked directly at Royoshi.
"Lucian is far more dangerous than Maris."
Royoshi's expression became serious.
"How dangerous?"
Rikishu's expression didn't change.
"Enough for me to be concerned."
Royoshi blinked.
"…That's not exactly reassuring."
Rikishu ignored his comment.
"You need to train."
Royoshi immediately stared at him.
"…This soon?"
Rikishu folded his arms.
"Yes."
Royoshi let out a long sigh.
"I just finished fighting Maris."
"I know."
"And now another guy is coming after us?"
"Yes."
Royoshi stared at the ground.
"…Great."
Rikishu's expression softened slightly.
"You can rest properly after everything gets sorted out."
Royoshi looked back at him.
"But right now…"
Rikishu looked toward the Citadel.
"You need to become stronger."
His expression became serious once again.
"Strong enough to protect your family."
"Your friends."
"And everyone important to you."
Royoshi remained silent.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke.
Then Royoshi slowly nodded.
"…Alright."
Rikishu gave a small nod.
"Meet me at the training grounds at 7 PM."
Royoshi sighed.
"Alright…"
Rikishu turned slightly.
Then—
"Don't be late like usual."
Royoshi's eyes widened.
"Hey!"
"I'm not that lethargic!"
Rikishu looked back at him.
"We'll see."
"HEY!"
A faint smile appeared on Rikishu's face.
Then, the holographic figure slowly began disappearing. The particles of Shuryoku scattered into the air.
Within seconds, Rikishu was gone.
Royoshi stood silently in the empty passageway.
"…"
He sighed.
"Why does everyone keep saying I'm lazy!?"
Meanwhile, hidden behind the corner of the building, Ishara remained completely silent.
She had heard everything. Lucian. A threat greater than Maris. Training.
But there was something else bothering her.
Royoshi had been talking to someone. Someone she couldn't see.
Yet, she could feel their Shuryoku.
Her eyes slowly narrowed.
"…Who was that?"
Royoshi slowly began walking out of the passageway. He stretched his arms as he walked.
"Guess I should go visit Maris before training…"
Then, he stopped. Someone was standing to his right.
Royoshi slowly turned his head.
"…"
His eyes widened.
Her eyes widened.
Several thoughts immediately rushed through his mind.
Did she hear me? Did she see Rikishu? How long has she been standing there?!
Royoshi awkwardly smiled.
"Uh… Ishara…"
"What are you doing here?"
Ishara remained silent. She had heard everything. She knew Royoshi had been speaking to someone. But she decided to play along.
"Um… I-I was just going to visit Maris."
Royoshi blinked.
Ishara continued.
"I was looking for you, and suddenly you appeared in front of me."
She paused.
"You disappeared from the hallway earlier."
Royoshi stared at her.
"…"
Something about her explanation felt strange.
But before he could think about it further, his eyes widened more.
"WAIT!"
Ishara blinked.
"What?"
"MARIS!"
Royoshi immediately pointed toward the Citadel.
"I totally forgot."
Ishara stared at him.
Didn't Royoshi just mention it two minutes ago…?
"…"
"Let's go!"
Royoshi immediately began running toward the Citadel.
"HEY!"
Ishara quickly started chasing him.
"WAIT FOR ME, ROYOSHI!!!"
Royoshi continued running.
Meanwhile,
Ishara's thoughts returned to what she had just heard. A threat greater than Maris. Lucian. Her expression slowly became serious.
What exactly is coming?