Outside, thunder roared like a beast trying to break through the sky.
Inside the medical chamber, the merged red-and-blue magic circle pulsed faintly over the boy's chest, casting shifting colors across their stunned faces.
Rafiki blinked, snapped out of his trance first, and whispered the words still trembling in his throat:
"…What was that?"
He wasn't asking anyone in particular. He was asking the world.
Ishita exhaled shakily and rubbed the back of his neck.
"We don't know either…" he muttered, eyes still locked on the swirling crystal.
Then he glanced at Kubota, then Rafiki.
"…But I guess now we understand why it was sealed away in the first place, right?"
Kubota swallowed. Rafiki nodded. The three shared a silent agreement-whatever the boy carried… it wasn't meant to be touched lightly.
Rafiki straightened, expression sharpening.
"I suppose it's best to seal it again. Properly this time."
He placed a hand over the merged circle, eyes narrowing with resolve.
"And as a safety measure… I'll cast my ancient magic seal over it. That way it'll never spiral out of control."
A heavy beat of silence followed- thick, questioning.
Then Ishita suddenly jolted upright, eyebrows shooting to his forehead.
"Ancient. Magic!?" he shouted.
He pointed at Rafiki as if accusing him of murder.
"Since when the hell are you learning that!?"
Kubota sighed and rubbed his temple.
"That magic you asked permission for," he said to Rafiki, "the one requiring access to the central archive in the capital… I approved it."
Ishita froze.
"…You—you knew about it too??"
He turned on Kubota dramatically.
"THEN WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME ANYTHING!?"
Kubota hesitated, glancing at Rafiki like a man cornered.
"Well… Rafiki told me to keep it a secret so…"
That was the last straw.
"I'm not a stranger!!" Ishita shouted-not from anger, but from pure, childish jealousy echoing through the room like thunder.
Rafiki… smirked.
A slow, teasing, infuriating smirk.
"Oh, right," he said, crossing his arms casually.
"I forgot you even existed."
That did it.
Veins popped over Ishita's forehead as he clenched his fists, pupils shrinking with murderous intent.
"YOU—!! I swear I'm going to smash that arrogant-"
He took one step toward Rafiki-
-and that was when Kubota snapped.
"ENOUGH!!!"
His voice cracked like a whip, shaking both men to a stop.
"This isn't the time for your stupid rivalry!" Kubota's voice boomed through the chamber, his frustration spilling over.
"You—Rafiki! Cast that seal before anything else awakens!"
"And you—ISHITA! Help him recover his mana! He depleted nearly all of it, creating that spell!"
Both Rafiki and Ishita blinked, stunned.
And like scolded children, they straightened in unison.
"…Yes, sir," they muttered together, suddenly obedient.
Rafiki stepped toward the boy, every footstep echoing like a drumbeat in the storm outside.
With trembling fingers, he placed his hand upon the child's chest.
A faint glow bloomed in his eyes—blue at first, then deepening into a fierce crimson.
But his breath shook.
His hand shook.
His heart… shook.
He hesitated.
He wasn't sure if he could do it.
Not this magic.
Not this ancient seal.
Ishita noticed immediately.
He stepped to Rafiki's side without a word, placing a steady hand on his shoulder.
"Hey," Ishita murmured softly, eyes firm but warm.
"I'm here. So go ahead… I've got you."
Rafiki drew in a slow breath—then nodded.
He raised his second hand and began chanting.
The room trembled.
The air thickened.
Mana surged like a violent tide, swirling around him in a vortex of red and gold. The walls cracked, the windows rattled, and with each word Rafiki spoke, the very atmosphere screamed.
"H—he's burning through his mana too fast!" Ishita yelled, already channeling his own energy into Rafiki, forcing mana into him like pouring water into a collapsing vessel.
Kubota acted instantly.
He slammed his palm onto the floor.
"Heavenly Barrier—Arise!"
A dome of shimmering gold surged outward, shielding them from the storm of magical pressure threatening to crush them all.
The old seal around the boy glowed violently—then shattered like glass.
Rafiki gasped for air, falling to one knee, drenched in sweat.
"Not… over yet…" he whispered.
Ishita and Kubota exchanged quick glances and nodded, bracing themselves.
Rafiki lifted his hands again to cast the ancient seal—
—but the spell fizzled out.
The magic circle dissolved.
All three froze.
"What?" Kubota breathed.
Rafiki tried again.
Nothing.
A third time.
Still nothing.
Ishita's frustration exploded.
"What the HELL is happening!? Did your willpower run dry or something?!"
Rafiki shook his head slowly.
"No… this isn't me."
He looked at Ishita.
"Let's try again. But this time… give it everything."
Even though Ishita wanted to punch him, he nodded fiercely.
"…Fine. Don't die."
They placed their hands over the boy.
Mana erupted—monstrous, blinding, ripping through the space like a living beast.
The floor cracked.
The barrier groaned.
The air turned dense enough to choke on.
The mana inside the room spiraled into a massive storm—
—then suddenly veered.
Straight into the child.
"W—wait, wait—IT'S BEING ABSORBED!" Ishita shouted, panic rising.
Rafiki's eyes widened as he saw it.
All their magic—all their power—was being devoured by the boy's body like water sinking into dry land.
The child's hair shifted, strand by strand…
turning pitch black.
Then—
His consciousness flickered awake.
Not his body.
His mind.
Inside the Void
The boy opened his eyes into a world of absolute emptiness.
A black void.
No floor, no sky, no sound.
Just nothing.
"…Where am I?" he whispered.
A voice—cold, mechanical, emotionless—echoed through the darkness.
"System initializing."
He spun around, fear gripping him.
"W-who are you!?" he called into the void.
No answer.
A screen materialized before him, bright as sunlight, floating in the darkness.
"Permission required.
Allow system modification?
YES — NO"
He didn't understand.
He was scared.
But something inside him whispered…
Yes.
He raised a trembling hand.
"...Yes."
The moment he touched it, the void exploded in white light.
Back in the Room
The boy's body began to glow—soft at first, then blinding, radiant, beautiful.
Rafiki, Ishita, and Kubota froze, staring in awe, unable to move even if they wanted to.
A calm, mechanical voice echoed through the room, though only the boy could hear it.
"System initialization complete."
"Stabilizing specimen vitals."
"Stabilization complete."
"Modifying vitals according to world rules and laws."
"Modification successful."
"Neutralizing excess mana."
"Neutralization complete. Excess mana stored as energy reserve."
"Entering self-hibernation until conditions are met."
"Process complete."
The chaos began to fade.
The lights disappeared.
The magic pressure dissolved.
The room fell still—eerily still.
The boy lowered gently back onto the bed…
like nothing had happened.
He opened his eyes—silent, calm, unfathomable.
Rafiki whispered, voice trembling:
"…What are you?"
But the boy didn't answer.
Instead—
Rafiki collapsed.
Ishita's knees buckled next.
Kubota's barrier shattered, sending him falling to the floor as well.
All three hit the ground, unconscious—drained beyond exhaustion.
And the child?
He simply blinked.
Quiet.
Awake.
Unchanged…
yet no longer the same.