The forest had gone completely still after the battle, not with the peaceful silence of nature resting at night, but with the suffocating stillness that followed overwhelming destruction. Trees leaned at broken angles throughout the clearing while smoke and rain drifted together through shattered branches and torn earth, making the battlefield resemble the aftermath of a natural disaster rather than a fight between two boys. At the center of the devastation lay Shoto Kazami, half-buried beneath dirt, broken stone, and splintered wood exactly where Hikaru's final attack had thrown him. The massive boulder behind him had nearly split apart from the impact, jagged fractures spreading across its surface like wounds carved directly into the stone itself.
Rainwater slowly gathered beside Shoto's fingers while small ripples spread outward every time his hand twitched weakly against the mud. His breathing came unevenly, every breath scraping painfully out of his chest as though his lungs had to fight the rest of his body simply to keep functioning. Several feet away, the Zamroak Sword rested abandoned in the dirt, its black surface completely lifeless beneath the rain. No shadows drifted around it anymore, no violent aura pulsed from the blade, and no hum echoed through the air like before. The darkness that once clung to Shoto like living armor had vanished entirely, burned away beneath exhaustion, pain, and defeat.
Blood slid slowly down the side of Shoto's face before disappearing into the mud beneath him while his vision flickered in and out of focus beneath the storm. Static crawled endlessly across his eyesight like white noise consuming the edges of reality itself, causing sounds to reach him strangely distorted and delayed. Fragments of voices echoed faintly inside his head while memories mixed together until he could no longer tell what was real anymore. Mizumi's laugh drifted softly through the darkness, warm and familiar despite how distant it felt now, followed shortly afterward by Ayato's calm voice and Hikaru's promise from years ago beneath the cherry blossom tree. Shoto coughed weakly, the sound wet and hollow while his fingers twitched again against the earth. He tried forcing himself to move, but his body refused to respond no matter how hard he struggled. Every nerve felt disconnected, and every breath hurt worse than the last.
Then the sky changed.
A deep mechanical hum suddenly echoed overhead, unnatural and heavy enough to make the entire forest recoil beneath its presence. The vibration spread through the ground beneath Shoto's body, through the roots of the trees, through the fractured stone surrounding him, until even the rainwater beside his hand began trembling violently. Leaves shook loose from the branches overhead while birds exploded from the treetops in panicked flocks, fleeing desperately from whatever was descending toward the forest.
A burning streak suddenly tore violently across the sky, screaming as it ripped through Earth's atmosphere with terrifying speed. The air compressed instantly beneath its descent before the object slammed into the clearing less than fifty meters away, detonating the earth in a controlled eruption of heat and force. Trees bent violently outward from the shockwave while dirt and shattered roots exploded skyward. The impact carved a massive crater into the forest floor as steam hissed endlessly from molten earth and scorched stone.
At the center of the crater rested a scorched pod whose surface still glowed faintly red along the seams while heat slowly bled away from blackened metal plating. Hydraulic locks released with a sharp metallic hiss before the hatch slowly opened outward. A figure stepped out from within the smoke and lingering firelight, his white hair drifting softly despite the destruction surrounding him while his boots pressed calmly into the dirt without hesitation as though gravity itself obeyed him rather than the other way around. He wore a pristine white jacket vest that stood in violent contrast against the ruined battlefield, impossibly clean despite the smoke, rain, and debris surrounding him. One of his eyes glowed crimson beneath the darkness while the other was pitch black, not dark in the normal sense but empty in a way that seemed to consume the light around it entirely.
Shaniran.
His gaze swept calmly across the clearing while studying the devastation with detached precision, as though he were cataloging damage rather than witnessing the aftermath of a brutal battle. Eventually, his attention settled completely on Shoto.
Without urgency, Shaniran began walking toward him while his footsteps made almost no sound despite the broken stone and debris scattered across the clearing. Once he reached him, Shaniran crouched beside Shoto's broken body and quietly studied him with the same cold focus someone might use while examining a damaged weapon rather than an injured person.
"So this is him," Shaniran murmured quietly while staring down at Shoto.
Shoto's eyelids twitched weakly before a faint sound escaped him. "…Who…?" The word barely formed, his breath scraping painfully into sound as though speaking itself had become difficult.
Shaniran tilted his head slightly while continuing to observe him. "You're worse than I expected," he said flatly without cruelty or sympathy in his voice. He sounded as though he were simply stating a fact.
Shoto tried forcing himself to move, but agony immediately exploded through his ribs and spine hard enough to rip a strangled gasp from his throat. His vision blurred violently while the static consuming his sight roared louder.
"…Don't…" Shoto whispered weakly. "…come closer…"
Shaniran ignored him entirely. He reached downward before gripping Shoto's chin between two fingers, lifting his face carefully from the mud while studying him more closely. Crimson met dull gray while rain dripped steadily from Shaniran's white hair.
"You look pathetic," Shaniran said calmly.
Shoto's breathing stuttered weakly while his fingers clenched into the dirt beneath him. "W-who… are you…?"
Shaniran released him without answering immediately, allowing Shoto's head to fall back against the ground. "Ayato sent me," he finally said. "That's all you need to know."
The name hit harder than any physical attack could have.
Shoto's body tensed weakly while his fingers dug further into the mud. "…Then just…" His voice cracked painfully beneath the exhaustion consuming him. "…finish it…"
For the first time since arriving, Shaniran's expression shifted slightly, though not into anger or amusement. Instead, curiosity briefly flickered across his face before vanishing again.
"No," he answered softly while rain continued falling around the clearing.
The word lingered heavily between them while Shaniran slowly stood upright, his gaze remaining fixed on Shoto's broken body. Before either of them could speak again, heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from the edge of the forest. Metal scraped loudly against shattered stone while a massive armored figure emerged from the smoke-filled clearing. Thick industrial plating covered the man from head to toe while a careless grin stretched across his face as he looked between Shaniran and Shoto.
"So you found him," the armored man said casually. "Wow. That makes our job way faster."
He cracked his neck loudly before stepping closer toward them. "Alright," he continued while gesturing toward the pod behind them. "Let's head back to the moon, shall we?"
Without waiting for approval, the armored man bent downward and grabbed Shoto roughly before throwing his limp body over his shoulder like cargo. Blood dripped steadily from Shoto's face while his head hung lifelessly beside the armor plating.
Shaniran's eyes narrowed slightly, but instead of reacting immediately, he slowly looked upward toward the sky above the forest. The clouds overhead shifted strangely while subtle distortions rippled through them as though something unseen had recently passed overhead.
"…Was something else happening while we were in space?" Shaniran asked quietly without taking his eyes off the sky.
The armored man paused before scoffing dismissively. "What the hell are you talking about?" he muttered while glancing upward carelessly. "There wasn't anything going on besides that disgusting winter storm months ago."
He turned back toward the pod while adjusting Shoto's unconscious body over his shoulder. "Come on already. Get back to your—"
Shaniran's hand suddenly moved.
A small metallic object slipped into his palm before he calmly pulled the pin free and tossed it toward the armored man. The grenade bounced once against the armor plating covering his chest before falling toward the ground beside his feet.
The man looked downward.
His eyes widened instantly.
"…Wait—"
The explosion erupted violently through the clearing in a blinding flash of heat and pressure while metal screamed apart and armor buckled inward beneath the blast. Dirt and shattered debris exploded skyward while flames consumed the center of the impact zone entirely.
Shoto's body was thrown free from the armored man's grasp before crashing several feet away into the mud.
Shaniran was already moving.
He sprinted through the smoke without hesitation before scooping Shoto carefully into his arms, holding him with surprising gentleness despite the destruction raging around them. Flames flickered along the edges of the crater while Shaniran turned and ran directly toward the pod without ever looking back at the burning wreckage behind him.
Twisted pieces of smoking armor lay scattered across the clearing while rain hissed against the flames consuming them.
The pod hatch slid open instantly as Shaniran reached it. Steam spilled outward while the interior lights flickered softly against the darkness surrounding them. Without hesitation, Shaniran carefully lowered Shoto inside before positioning him securely against the pod's inner frame. Blood and rain smeared across the clean metal floor while Shoto's body sagged lifelessly against the restraints.
Shaniran reached calmly into his pocket before removing a small matte-black sphere that rolled across his palm. He flicked it gently into the pod where it clicked softly before unfolding instead of exploding. Segments separated apart while pale light spilled outward in soft waves. A low harmonic pulse filled the pod as translucent energy wrapped itself around Shoto's broken body. Torn flesh slowly stitched itself back together while cracked ribs shifted painfully into place beneath his skin. Bruises faded visibly while blood evaporated into mist.
Shoto's breathing slowly steadied.
Color gradually returned to his face.
Shaniran watched silently for several moments before sealing the hatch shut once more while runes and streams of glowing data flashed briefly across the pod's surface. "…I should probably grab the guy who did that to him," Shaniran muttered quietly while leaning back against the pod. "The hell was his name again?"
Then he stopped moving entirely.
Heavy footsteps echoed once more through the clearing.
The armored man emerged from the smoke again, though now his plating was cracked and blackened from the explosion while fury burned visibly within his eyes.
"The hell was that about, shithead?!" he roared furiously.
Shaniran stared at him silently for a moment before unexpectedly smiling. "Being on Ayato's side was honestly Kyoya's idea," Shaniran said calmly. "But I've got a different reason for being here than the rest of you."
Before the armored man could react, Shaniran suddenly snapped his wrist and another grenade flew through the air. The object struck the ground before detonating instantly, but instead of fire, pale clay erupted violently outward from the blast before hardening within seconds. A massive dome formed around Shaniran and the pod, sealing them entirely inside while the impact thundered through the forest hard enough to shake the trees.
Outside the dome, the armored man burst into loud laughter before his amusement twisted instantly into rage.
"You little bastard!"
Inside the dome, Shaniran ignored him completely while staring toward the pod's external display where glowing text scrolled rapidly downward.
Healing Progress:
92%…
95%…
97%…
His eyes widened slightly.
"…98%?"
The clay dome suddenly shuddered violently before splitting apart as a gigantic armored hand tore directly through the hardened wall as though it were wet sand. Chunks of clay collapsed inward while the armored man forced his way inside, smoke rising from the damaged plating covering his body.
"Give me the kid!" he roared furiously.
Shaniran smiled again, though this time the expression stretched slightly wider across his face while he slowly turned toward the armored man and slid both hands casually into his pockets.
"Guess I'll have to beat it into you," Shaniran said quietly while the air inside the dome suddenly became unbearably heavy.