DOMAIN.
A low hum rolled through the cavern like thunder beneath their feet.
Then, silence.
The kind of silence that made your bones ache. The air held still, like it was waiting to collapse.
Kira and Tengen stopped moving. The shadows warped. The rocky walls didn't move, but space itself folded. A violet shimmer twisted around them, forming a circle that pulsed with oppressive heat.
It wasn't smaller.
It was inescapable.
"Domain."
The Alberline's voice echoed.
In the next instant, weight.
An invisible force hammered them downward. Kira hit the dirt, her elbows buckling. Tengen collapsed beside her, groaning through clenched teeth.
It wasn't just gravity, it felt like a command. A royal decree from something ancient and merciless.
"Kneel."
The pressure doubled.
"W-what the!" Kira gasped, her spine crackling under the force. She could barely raise her head.
A shadow stepped into view.
The Alberline's armored heels touched stone, each step leaving faint purple scorch marks. Her voice burned:
"Why are you here?
What is your connection to the boy?
Was it you who produced the horrid scream disturbing my peace?"
Neither Kira nor Tengen could respond-their jaws locked, air stolen from their lungs.
"ANSWER ME!"
The ground groaned. Their faces smashed into it. A crater formed beneath their heads.
Then, abruptly, the circle vanished.
The barrier flickered out, and they dropped flat, gasping for breath.
Kira jolted upright, eyes wide, heart hammering.
Tengen staggered up slowly, palms scraped, fear still clinging to his spine.
But the Alberline didn't drop her hand.
It hovered.
Waiting.
"WAIT!" Tengen gasped, raising a trembling arm. "P-please… let me explain…"
She paused, but her eyes stayed cold.
"The boy, he's our friend. Like I said, he's saving someone. The one who screamed."
The Alberline's brow furrowed, just slightly. "So you do have a connection to that disturbance… I should erase you both on the spot."
"No-no-no, that seems really unnecessary," Tengen panicked, falling to his knees again.
Behind him, Kira's eyes narrowed.
"Why do you want to know about Kentaro?"
The Alberline turned to her.
Eyes like twin moons in eclipse.
"Because he's quite the fascinating creature."
Kira stepped forward cautiously. "What do you mean?"
The Alberline tilted her head. "What, don't tell me you don't know."
A beat passed.
Tengen looked at Kira. Kira stared at him.
"…What?"
The Alberline smiled faintly. Not warm. Not cruel. Just knowing.
"My, some friends you are. You don't even know. That boy isn't like you."
Kira's fists tightened. "What are you saying?!"
The Alberline's grin dropped. She walked forward, her violet armour humming.
"He isn't human, well, that's putting it simply. It's more like he's closer to me than to you humans…"
Silence.
A pause too long to be comfortable.
"…What does that mean?" Kira whispered.
The Alberline scoffed. "Tsch. What do I look like, a trivia quiz?"
She lifted her hand again, violet energy curling around her fingers.
"Domain."
The world twisted again.
This time, the barrier shrank tighter. A shimmering purple veil boxed them in. Kira slammed her fist against it, no escape.
Tengen stared ahead, paralysed.
Inside the circle now, the Alberline stepped forward, her finger aimed at their hearts. Violet light swirled at her fingertip, flickers of static dancing in the air.
"You've entertained me enough. Now I'll go silence that screaming brat… then wipe out this island. This place bores me."
Kira's throat locked.
Tengen's breath hitched.
And for a moment, the entire mountain held its breath...
*
"AHHHHHHH-DAMN YOUUUUUU!!!"
Kentaro plummeted through the sky like a human missile, air roaring past his ears, his scream trailing behind him. The clouds tore apart in his descent, and the ground rushed toward him like a dare.
If he didn't pull the chute soon, he'd kiss the dirt with the kind of velocity that sent people straight to God, with a face in fragments.
His hands fumbled with the cord, heart pounding, but even in the middle of absolute terror...
He thought of her.
Serica.
Her scream. Her name. Her face.
That tiny light in a sea of chaos.
Eyes narrowing against the wind, he spotted her far below, a dot, barely visible, moving across the ruined landscape. Ice bloomed in her wake like death's own footprint.
With a yell and no time to hesitate, Kentaro yanked the ripcord. The parachute blasted open-
WHOOOMPF!
And his descent slowed.
…For about five seconds.
Then.
CRACK. WHIP. SNAP.
The wind caught him sideways, flipping the chute. He'd pulled it too early, his momentum reignited, and now gravity grabbed him like it had beef. Below, the trees weren't just rushing; they were waiting.
"SHOGOOOOOOO!!" he screamed one last curse at the heavens.
Before crashing straight through the canopy, bouncing off branch after branch like a pinball on max difficulty. Branches smacked his ribs, his shoulder, and the back of his skull.
THUMP.
And then, silence.
He blinked.
Not dead.
No golden-apple-tier pain. Just bruises and ego damage. Slowly, he pushed himself up, leaves tangled in his hair.
Then he saw it.
The parachute.
It had Shogo's face printed across it. A stupid, smug grin.
Underneath:
"I ❤️ TENKA"
Kentaro stared at it, deadpan.
"…That idiot."
Like a father watching his son trip over a soccer ball during the first five seconds of a match.
Disappointment, pure and quiet.
He dusted himself off, spat out a leaf, and turned his head. The air was colder here, much colder.
She was close.
He'd landed just ahead of her, but far enough that the trees still shielded them from seeing each other. He could hear her steps. Each one echoed with a brittle crackle.
Ice.
The temperature dropped with every movement she made. A thin layer of frost spread through the roots at his feet.
Kentaro tensed.
Then.
CRRRAAAACK!
The tree between them turned white, veins of ice crawling through the bark. In seconds, it froze solid.
And Serica stepped through it.
The trunk shattered, exploding into a thousand glittering shards, snow-like particles catching the fading light.
And there she was.
Her eyes.
Kentaro's breath caught in his throat.
*
Kira's breath quickened, her lungs trembling with each inhale.
She could feel it, her impending doom, looming closer with every passing second. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't run. She couldn't fight.
She was helpless.
"If I were only stronger… strong enough to protect Kentaro. Strong enough to protect her, too…"
Her voice broke in her head. She shut her eyes tightly, preparing herself for the inevitable. The world around her slowed, even the rain felt suspended, like time itself was bracing for her death.
"Kira," Tengen muttered beside her, his voice oddly calm. "I know we didn't talk much… but it's been fun while it lasted."
She didn't reply.
"Now it's time for your DEMIIISE!!" the Alberline roared.
BOOM.
The world shattered.
Kira's body was flung backward as if ripped from gravity itself. The barrier burst. Her chance to escape had arrived, too late.
She rolled, skidding across the stone ground until she hit the very edge of the mountain. Her vision swam. Dizzy. Disoriented. The last remnants of her strength gave out.
Her mind was fading.
But just before she lost consciousness…
She heard it.
"Kira, ru-"
Then, nothing.
*
"Well done, Yumi."
"Yes, yes, I hit the right spot! Seems I'm still useful. Heheh."
Back aboard the ship, Haruka, Tenka, Shogo, and Yumi stood in silence, watching the aftermath unfold on the main screen.
They saw Kira and Tengen escaping the danger zone, the Alberline's silhouette frozen in place.
Shogo squinted.
"Yum-Yum… you didn't hit her, right?"
Yumi looked at him like he'd grown a second head.
"How dare you call me Yum-Yum, you defective mole rat. And of course I didn't hit her. Who do you think I am?!"
Shogo raised his hands in surrender, turning back to the screen.
"Right, right. I see… she's stopped moving. The last thing we want is her actually pissed."
Tenka crossed her arms.
"Relax. If she'd been directly hit, our alert system would've triggered. And besides, with her Sublimation Frame active, a glancing shot wouldn't do much anyway."
*
Kira stirred.
Her head rested against something firm but soft. Her body jostled rhythmically, like she was being carried.
Her eyes fluttered open.
They were in the forest. Tengen was running, drenched in sweat, carrying her piggyback-style like his life depended on it.
Kira didn't say a word. She simply looked back over his shoulder.
They weren't that far from the cave… but it was far enough, if the Alberline didn't move.
But.
"YOU! BASTARDS SHALL PAY!!!!"
The voice shook the trees.
The entire cave behind them exploded into icy shrapnel. Trees splintered. Boulders cracked. Tengen didn't look back.
He didn't want to.
Kira did.
And what she saw… froze her blood.
The Alberline.
Her armor shimmered with violent light. Her steps were jagged. Her face twisted in rage, eyes burning cold and sharp. She stalked through the mist, looking for them.
"SHIT SHIT SHIT SHE'S PISSED!!" Tengen yelled.
"Keep running. We'll hide under the trees," Kira muttered, expression flat despite her racing pulse. "And stop shouting."
*
Back aboard the Halcyon, the crew stayed locked to the screen.
"See?" Yumi puffed. "Didn't even scratch her."
Shogo didn't reply. His jaw was clenched.
"What do we do now?" Haruka asked. "We can't let them die."
Tenka bit her lip.
She was pacing now, fingers pressed against her chin.
They couldn't risk exposing themselves, but inaction meant death.
Until.
"I've got i-"
A shrieking siren blared.
The ship's lighting flipped red. A massive danger warning blared across the main screen.
Then, the camera switched feeds.
Everyone froze.
"Oh… my… God… KENTARO!"
Tenka's voice cracked.
There, on the new screen, Kentaro stood.
Frozen. Head to toe. Locked in ice.
And just ahead of him…
Serica.
Her footsteps were silent. Her dress shimmered in blue frost. Her eyes were devoid of warmth.
She didn't even look at him; she simply walked past.
Unbothered.
Unrecognizable.
And the ice beneath her whispered death.