The word still lingered in Rein's mind. Found you.
Rein couldn't move. Stella couldn't breathe. Zen couldn't make up his mind whether to scream, faint, or throw his shoe at the stranger.
Chaos loomed behind Rein like an eclipse come to life – the air around him seeming to warp and distort, the shadows writhing on the ground like snakes hunting their next meal.
No one else in the crowd dared make a sound. No one dared blink either.
Zen whispered urgently, "Rein... bro... don't freak out or anything, but HE'S SO CLOSE I CAN BREATHE HIS SHAMPOO."
Chaos didn't react. He simply moved slightly closer to Rein's ear, his movements calm and collected and frighteningly gentle.
Chaos didn't react. He simply moved slightly closer to Rein's ear, his movements calm and collected and frighteningly gentle.
"Your shadow... seems restless," Chaos continued softly. "It reminds me. Even if you do not."
Rein's heart stopped. His shadow danced wildly at his feet as if it wanted to come alive and slither over to Chaos.
Stella stepped forward, her eyes blazing with anger.
"Hands off."
Chaos finally looked at her – not surprised, not shocked, simply... curious.
"You have a strong Astral pulse," Chaos said. "Dual-Vein."
Zen's hand shot up. "H-hey, hey, hey – NO analysing her, you freak! She's Rein's future wife –"
Stella hit Zen without taking her eyes off Chaos.
Chaos blinked once. "Humans are loud."
The Rift above them began to pulse with an otherworldly power. Dark lightning danced in the sky, curling around Chaos like new serpents returning to their master.
Rein could hardly get the words out. "W-what do you want from me?"
Chaos's expression changed – softening into a look Rein could only describe as... fond.
"I've come to collect what's mine," Chaos said softly, his hand rising toward Rein's chest.
The ground cracked beneath Rein's feet.
The shadows held their collective breath.
BOOM.
The world did not just shake; it detonated.
The entire school grounds were engulfed in a blinding shockwave. Benches, lights, decorations, and even the concert speakers were ripped apart into shrapnel. Dust shot into the air like a volcanic explosion. The ground cracked open, buildings cracked apart, and the night was consumed by madness.
And Rein.
Rein took the full impact.
He ran through a barrier, rolled over shattered ground, and crashed into a beam. His ears rang. His ribs howled. His entire body ached as if he'd been folded in half by a giant.
"AGH— agh— agh— ow— ow— OW—" Rein whined, his eyes welling up with tears. "Th-that hurts... so much..."
He crawled behind what was left of a broken pillar, shaking uncontrollably, trying to breathe, trying to hide, trying to think.
Somewhere behind him, metal creaked, and debris crumbled.
Zen and Stella were hidden somewhere beneath the wreckage.
Rein's heart was racing. "Stella—Zen—please be okay—"
He peeked out.
And stopped dead.
Chaos floated above the ground as if he'd never been affected by gravity. Dust swirled around him in lazy spirals, as if the debris itself was afraid to touch him. His white hair swirled about him like a mist. His eyes.
His eyes glowed crimson.
He spotted Rein right away.
"Where," Chaos whispered, "do you think you're going to hide, Vessel?"
Rein jumped. "S-stay away—!"
Chaos took a step forward, his movement echoing through the air. Shadows followed him like loyal pets.
"You can barely stand. You can barely breathe," he said, his voice almost filled with disappointment. "Your Astral Energy... pathetic. You're a Sole Vein. One of the weakest kinds."
Rein shook so hard he almost fell to his knees.
Chaos held out his hand towards him.
"Come with me. I can make you more. Better. Stronger."
A faint, knowing smile played on his lips.
"Don't struggle. I won't kill you."
Rein's mind was reeling.
Because behind those gentle words... Behind that crimson glow... Chaos could sense it.
Chaos was telling the truth. Chaos really didn't want to kill him.
No, Chaos wanted something far, far worse.
A chunk of rubble exploded outward.
FWAM!
Zen burst out of the dust cloud, coughing, bleeding, and obviously enraged. His uniform was ripped, one arm hanging limp, but in his good arm.
An Astral Energy blade burst to life, crackling like lightning on his palm.
Right next to him, Stella stumbled out, her hands on his shoulder, her hands glowing as she tried to heal him on the fly.
"REIN! RUN! TAKE STELLA AND RUN! SHE CAN HEAL YOU!"
He didn't bother to wait for Rein to respond.
He ran straight towards Chaos.
"ZEN—STOP! YOU'RE HURT, YOU CAN'T—"
But Zen was already flying towards Chaos.
Rein stumbled forward, his heart pounding in his chest. "ZEN, YOU WON'T WIN IF YOU FIGHT! RUN!! PLEASE!!"
Chaos didn't even turn to look.
He just watched Zen rushing towards him like someone watching a child running towards a hurricane.
Stella continued to heal Zen as quickly as she could, her breathing ragged, her tears falling onto the rumble.
But Zen shouted back, "IF HE WANTS REIN, HE'S GOING THROUGH ME!"
SNAP.
Something black and metal flashed.
SHHK!
Chaos's blade sliced right through Zen's chest.
For a moment, Zen just... froze.
His eyes widened.
His breathing stopped.
His energy blade's glow faded.
Chaos didn't even bother to look amazed.
"Pathetic," he said, still calmly. "A Tri-Vein user... yet that's all you amount to? How disappointing."
Stella's legs buckled beneath her. She fell to her knees like her bones had melted, her hands shaking uncontrollably.
"Z–Zen...?" Her voice cracked, then shattered.
"ZEN!!! NOOO—PLEASE!!" she cried, her tears falling so quickly she couldn't see.
Time stopped in Rein's world.
All sound, all air, all thought came to a screeching halt.
His eyes blurred. His throat burned. His tears came before he knew he was crying.
"NO—NO NO NO—ZEN—NOT YET—PLEASE—" Rein stuttered out, his voice barely audible. "I STILL NEED YOU—DON'T—DON'T GO—"
And with that, Zen's body collapsed onto the ground.
Blood began to pool beneath him, dark, horrifyingly quickly.
Stella reached out, her hands shaking so hard her healing light flickered.
"ZEN—HOLD ON—PLEASE—I CAN HEAL THIS—I CAN HEAL ANYTHING—DON'T—DON'T GIVE UP—NOT YET—PLEASE—" She poured all of her last remaining Astral energy into him...
But the wound was just too deep.
And she knew she was reaching her limits, her breathing sharp, ragged, her hands' glow weakening rapidly.
"Not yet..." she whispered, voice breaking as she struggled to keep the light alive. "Please... Zen... don't leave us... not like this...."
Rein could only watch in horror.
His best friend is bleeding out. Stella is breaking apart trying to save him. Chaos stood above them as the world belonged to him.
Rein's voice tore out of him, raw, broken, desperate: "ZEEEEEN!!!"
For a moment, nothing happened.
Zen's body lay there, still, pale, barely clinging to consciousness.
Then, Something shifted. A pulse. A spark. Zen's fingers twitched... and curled into a fist.
His eyes snapped open, empty, wild, burning with a final, impossible surge of will. Chaos didn't even turn. He assumed Zen was finished.
Big mistake.
BASH
Zen vanished.
A displacement so fast that the human eye couldn't even catch the silhouette, just the shockwave left in his wake.
Chaos's expression flickered for the first time. "What—" Zen appeared right in front of him, blood dripping down his chin, breath wheezing like every inhale might be his last. His hand clutched the very sword still lodged in his chest.
With a guttural roar that sounded more like a dying star than a human.
SCHHHK!
Zen ripped the blade free from his own body. And in the same motion, DROVE IT STRAIGHT INTO CHAOS'S SIDE.
Chaos staggered. Actually staggered. Not from pain, more from shock. No one expected a dying Tri-Vein student to strike him.
Zen's vision blurred. His knees buckled. His whole body trembled violently.
His strength was gone... everything spent.
He fell forward, using the sword still embedded in Chaos as support, his forehead on Chaos' shoulder, just holding himself upright.
His voice was a whisper, ragged and spent:
"Rein... hngh ...beat this... asshole... okay?"
He grinned. Weak, tired, but genuine.
And Zen fell.
His body hit the ground with a soft, heartbreaking thud.
Chaos breathed out slowly, annoyed by the injury, annoyed by the audacity... And he pulled the sword out as if it were an inconvenience.
"Zen..." Was all Stella was able to say. Her voice cracked, barely a breath.
Rein got to his feet. His violet eyes, always so bright, so restless, so alive, now seemed empty, hollowed out and devoid of everything but his pain. Dust swirled around him as if afraid to touch the aura that was building around him from his burgeoning rage.
And his Vein-Code began to change.
On his left hand, his Sole Vein glowed the usual calm blue. Violently brighter, as if it was struggling to contain something. On his right hand, however, something impossible.
A second Vein-Code burst to life.
Red.
Sharp.
Burning with the unmistakable symbol of a Tri Vein.
Stella was frozen in shock, breath taken from her very chest. "That... that's not possible..." she breathed.
Chaos looked at him with sudden interest. "Oh? Now that's new."
Rein didn't say a word. He simply held up both hands, the one with the Sole Vein Code blazing with a violently bright blue, and the other with the impossible Tri Vein Code blazing with a sharp red. The conflicting energy crackling between the two as if reality itself was struggling to understand what he had become.
And for the first time since he emerged from the rift... Chaos stepped back.
Rein vanished. It wasn't a movement. It wasn't speed. It was as if reality skipped a frame.
One moment, he was standing in the rubble. Next, he was beside Zen, scooping up his limp body. Then, another impossible flicker, he reappeared right in front of Stella, gently lowering Zen next to her.
Without hesitation, Rein pressed his hand over Zen's chest. Chaos Energy, unstable, wild, not meant for healing, bled from his palm, stitching the wound shut just enough to keep Zen alive.
"Stella," Rein said, voice razor-cold, "take care of him."
"But—what about you?" Stella asked, her voice trembling.
He didn't answer. He simply stood and walked forward.
Chaos laughed loudly, mockingly. "Wow. Amazing job, Rein."
Then Chaos extended his arm, revealing the sigil burned into his Vein-Code. A swirling black mark—cold, endless, devouring.
A Void Vein.
"Now," Chaos said with a grin, "let me show you what you're competing against."
Rein didn't even flinch. "I don't care," he growled. "I'll kill you."
Chaotic energy surged from his hands, condensing into a blade—jagged, unstable, vibrating with raw destruction. The ground beneath his feet cracked from the pressure.
Stella's eyes widened. "H-He shaped... a weapon? Out of Chaos...?"
Even Chaos leaned forward, intrigued.
This was no longer the Rein they knew. This was something else entirely.
Rein charged, Chaotic blade forming in his hand with a violent crackle. The ground split beneath each step he took. His eyes, one glowing blue, one burning red, were locked on Chaos.
Chaos didn't even bother taking a stance.
"Speed won't help you in this fight."
SNAP.
The world around him blurred.
Chaos vanished.
A cold breath whispered past Rein's ear an instant before—
CRASH!
Chaos struck Rein's ribs with his knee from behind. Rein tumbled through the broken stone. He slid across the ground. Coughing violently, blood sprayed the dust.
Rein's vision doubled. His breathing caught. His hands shook, but he made the Chaotic blade reform.
Chaos walked towards him with a grin.
"You're trying so hard... and yet you're not even fighting with your own power."
Rein charged forward again, faster and angrier. His body protested with every movement. Chaos remained where he was, unmoving, like the leaves falling around him were the only threat.
One step.
One blink.
Chaos was in front of him. And with one finger, he touched the top of Rein's forehead.
BOOM.
Rein flew backward. He crashed into the ruins of a wall.
Rein's Vein-Codes flashed. The blue code on his left hand was pulsing chaotically. The red Tri-Vein code on his right hand was glowing with molten metal.
Rein's body was not made to handle two. He knew that. Chaos knew that. But he still stood. Staggering.
Chaos beamed with a wide grin. "Yes... break yourself for me."
Rein roared. He swung his blade again. This time, with a burst of Chaotic energy that tore through the entire courtyard.
Chaos dodged to the side.
Then shadows moved. Boots crunched the rubble. Elite Penta Vein Soldiers appeared. Guns were held high. Their faces were pale as they took in the scene before them.
"Ah," Chaos sighed dramatically. "Oh, dear. Rein, looks like our time's up."
He gave Rein a small, mocking bow. "See you next time, Rein Seethoshi."
A jagged rift opened behind him, purple, black, and vibrating like a heartbeat. Chaos stepped back into it, eyes fixed on Rein for a final, chilling second.
And then he was gone.
Rein took a deep breath. Just once.
And then the pain slammed into him, all at once.
His legs buckled. The Tri Vein-Code shock was tearing his body apart from the inside out. Blood dripped from his palms, his nose, the corners of his eyes. His vision swirled into darkness.
And he fell. "REIN!!"
Stella ran across the broken courtyard, leaping over the panicking soldiers. She dropped to her knees beside Rein, hands sending out frantic healing rays. "Rein... Rein, please... Wake up... Stay with me...!"
He didn't respond. His body was still, cold, overused, and drained of all strength.
Stella's voice broke as she pulled Rein closer. "Please... Don't disappear too...!"
Sirens blared through the ruined courtyard, casting a red-and-blue glow over the dust-filled air.
Paramedics surrounded the area, carefully lifting Rein and Zen onto stretchers. Both boys were hooked up to oxygen masks, their vitals unstable but still present. The ambulance doors were wide open, medics moving in and out quickly, calling out readings, making adjustments, and attempting to stabilize the two boys before departure. Stella stood a few meters away, frozen in shock, watching Rein's hand move uselessly on the stretcher.
And then she heard "STELLA!!"
A voice cracked with pure panic.
She turned just as Valkyrie sprinted across the debris, nearly tripping over fallen beams in her desperation. Her eyes were wide, terrified, like she'd been imagining the worst the entire way here.
She rushed to Stella, grabbing her shoulders with both hands.
"Stella—Stella, talk to me! Are you hurt? Are you bleeding?!" Her voice shook as she scanned Stella up and down, fingertips trembling.
Stella didn't react.
Her eyes were glued to Rein, unmoving, pale, while medics worked frantically over him.
"Stella." Valkyrie cupped her cheeks gently, forcing her to look up. "Stella, please. Say something."
Stella's breath hitched.
Everything she'd been holding in crashed at once. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed forward into Valkyrie's arms.
"R-Rein and Zen—they're not waking up—" she cried, voice cracking. "I tried— I healed— I did everything— Zen was bleeding so much— Rein collapsed— I couldn't— I couldn't help them—"
Valkyrie wrapped her arms around her tightly, one hand cradling the back of her head.
"Hey... hey, it's okay. I've got you," she whispered, though her own voice shook. "You're safe. You did everything you could. I'm here now."
Stella sobbed harder, clinging to her sister's jacket.
Behind them, the medics shouted something urgent.
The ambulance engine rumbled, still waiting, still open, and everything was hanging by a thread.
From across the rubble, a voice thundered: "HEY! MEDICS! WE NEED THE WHITE-HAIRED ONE!" Everyone turned.
A Penta Vein soldier, armour scorched, visor cracked, but aura burning, strode toward the ambulances with zero hesitation.
"We're taking him," he barked.
A medic stepped forward, blocking Rein's stretcher with his body. He was clearly enraged.
"He can barely breathe! He's going to die if we move him! Are you crazy?!"
The soldier sneered.
"Do I look like I care? He has priority custody. He's to be turned over to us."
The medic didn't back down.
Then.
A smooth voice cut through the argument like a knife of ice.
"General Matson. You will NOT take that student anywhere."
General Matson turned around, clearly annoyed.
Standing behind the rescue team, wearing a dusty suit, cracked glasses, but an aura that made him seem larger than life, the principal stepped forward.
General Matson laughed.
"And you're who to give ME orders, you old coot?!"
The principal didn't shout. He didn't need to.
"I am Wilson," he said, his eyes glinting.
The air seemed to thicken as Stella, still holding on to Valkyrie, felt General Matson's hand on his gun.
"He's the cause of all this! He's going to rot in a hospital bed!"
The principal took one step forward.
But that was all.
And every single person around General Matson felt something heavy press down on their chest. As if the air itself was showing respect.
"Touch that boy," Wilson continued quietly, "And I personally will file a full Vein-Code violation against you and your entire unit. And trust me, General Matson, your stars won't save you from that."
General Matson's expression faltered.
The soldiers behind him shifted... hesitated... Waiting to see what their general would do.
The standoff crackled like a storm seconds before it breaks.
"If that is not enough for your idiotic monkey brain, then perhaps this will."
Principal Wilson calmly rolled up his sleeve.
A hush fell.
Etched across his forearm, glowing faintly under the ruined lights, was a Hex Vein, intricate, terrifyingly stable, and unmistakably authentic.
His eyes shifted, burning with a deep gold-and-silver glow that made even the air tremble.
General Matson didn't move. Didn't flinch. Didn't blink.
On the surface, he looked unimpressed, bored, even.
But deep inside? He knew damn well: One wrong step toward Rein and Principal Wilson could vaporize him before his soldiers even had time to gasp.
"That still doesn't change the fact," Matson said slowly, meeting Wilson's glowing stare, "That he is the cause of this mess."
Wilson opened his mouth, but Stella got there first.
She stepped forward, eyes fierce and cheeks streaked with tears.
"YOU'RE WRONG!" she shouted, voice shaking but loud enough to echo across the debris. "YOU'RE SO, SO WRONG! You saw him, didn't you? The other one! The thing wearing that creepy black suit—that wasn't Rein!"
For a moment, Matson's jaw tightened. He had seen Chaos. And the memory clearly bothered him more than he wanted anyone to notice.
Wilson glanced at Stella, a rare spark of pride in his eyes.
"Indeed," Principal Wilson said, turning back to Matson. "The girl was right. You have witnessed the intruder yourself. You know well that it was not my student."
He rolled his sleeve back down.
"So unless you want to escalate this into a Hex-Vein-level conflict in the middle of an active rescue scene..." Wilson stepped closer, just enough for Matson to feel the pressure of his aura. "You're going to let the boy go to the fucking hospital."
"BOYS, clear out! We're heading back to base, now!" General Matson barked, voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.
But as he passed Principal Wilson, he leaned in, jaw tight. "Listen to me, Principal Wilson. If anything happens to this damn country because of that boy—"
His voice dropped to a low, deadly growl, "—I swear I'll kill him myself. And you won't be able to stop me."
Wilson didn't flinch. Instead, a slow smirk crept across his face, as if he knew something Matson didn't. "Sure, General. Do what you must."
Matson stormed off, and Wilson turned his attention towards Stella, who was frozen in place, still shaking from everything that had happened.
He approached her with gentle steps. "Your name is Stella Yukishiro, right, my child?" Principal Wilson asked, his tone shifting completely from cold and intimidating to warm and almost paternal.
"Y-Yes... it is," Stella whispered, wiping her eyes. "I'm so sorry for my behaviour earlier. I—I just... I had to protect him. I couldn't let anything happen to Rein."
"I know," Wilson said softly. "Don't worry. They're already on their way to the hospital. And I promise you, my wife can heal them in an instant."
Stella lifted her head. "Your... wife?"
Wilson chuckled softly and moved closer. "Let me share a small secret with you, my child."
"What is it?" Stella asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"My wife is a Penta Vein user."
Stella's breathing caught in her throat. "A P-Penta Vein? Those are... extremely rare."
Wilson nodded. "Yes, they are. But once my wife lays a hand on them, they'll be just fine. I give you my word."
"But... they still need treatment before that, right? They can't just skip the process..." Stella whispered, her voice tinged with worry.
"Yes, my child. They'll get the full treatment." He placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "Safety first."
At this moment, Valkyrie stepped forward with an upright posture and a protective aura surrounding her.
"You must be her elder sister," Wilson said with a smile.
"Yes," Valkyrie replied with a slight bow of her head. "I'm Valkyrie Yukishiro. Thank you for taking care of my sister."
"Anytime," Wilson replied with a smile. Then he looked at the sky, which was already dark. "If you don't mind, I can take you home now. It's far too late for young ladies to be out."
Stella looked at him uncertainly. "Are... you sure it's not a bother?"
"Nonsense," Wilson replied with a soft laugh. "I'd be happy to take care of my students. Besides..." He winked at the sisters knowingly. "You two have had a hell of a night."
Stella and Valkyrie shared a glance filled with exhaustion, relief, and worry.
For the first time since the commotion began, the sisters felt a glimmer of hope.
Principal Wilson walked the two sisters toward a sleek black sedan parked just outside the school gates. The engine was already running, its low hum accompanying the night air.
"Please, get in," he said, opening the back door for Stella and Valkyrie.
Stella entered the vehicle, still shaking, and Valkyrie followed, sitting closest to the door as usual. Wilson got into the driver's seat, readjusting the rearview mirror to keep both Valkyrie and Stella in view.
Streetlights cast a golden glow inside the vehicle as the car moved out onto the road.
For a time, there was no talking. Stella's thoughts swirled with Rein's blood loss, Zen's collapse, and Chaos's appearance out of that rift... again.
It was Wilson who broke the silence.
"You have a lot of feeling for him, don't you?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the road.
Stella blushed. "I... yeah. I do. Rein... he's not as bad as everyone says he is."
Her voice cracked. "They treated him so badly today. And still, he saved them."
Valkyrie placed a reassuring hand on Stella's knee.
Wilson sighed. "That boy... Rein. He's been carrying a heavy burden for a long time."
Stella leaned forward, her heart aching. "You... know him?"
"I know his past. All of it."
The atmosphere in the vehicle turned icy.
"When the council found out who he was," Wilson continued, "they wanted to bar him from every academy in the city. Some of them even wanted to press charges."
Stella took a sharp breath. "Charges?! For what?! He didn't do anything!"
"Correct," Wilson said. "But fear makes powerful men fools. They see what he could be, not what he is."
The car turned onto a dimly lit road, its headlights piercing through the darkness.
"And I was the one," he said, "who let him into this school."
Stella gazed at him in the mirror, her eyes wide.
"I fought the council on my own. I signed the clearance and took responsibility for him." His expression was softer. "And since he arrived, I have watched over him from afar. Not because I was afraid of him... but because I wanted him to have a chance at a normal life."
Stella's feelings pulled at her. "Y-You knew all this was going to happen?"
"I knew he'd be misunderstood," Wilson said. "But I also knew someone like you would cross his path."
"M-Me?" she said, her voice small.
Wilson's eyes warmed in the mirror. "Somebody who'd see the person, not the power."
Stella's blush grew even hotter, but Valkyrie interrupted her before she turned into a puddle of goo.
"Principal Wilson," Valkyrie said. "You knew his past. Was any of what happened today really Rein's fault?"
Wilson shook his head.
"Not a single bit. Rein reacted just as anyone in his shoes would. He protected people." His expression turned cold. "General Matson just sees threats. Never children."
Stella's hands clenched into fists. "He was so mean to him!"
"Matson lives in a world that's always on fire," Wilson sighed. "But do not worry about Rein. Not while he's under the care of this school. Not while I am principal."
The sisters' relief was palpable.
"But Rein isn't the only student I protect," he said, a small laugh escaping his lips.
Stella blinked her eyes. "What?"
The principal chuckled. "Ah, yes... Zen Kirisawa. That boy is a walking disaster wrapped in good intentions."
Even Valkyrie couldn't help but smile. "Ha! I can't count the number of times he's come to my office with bandages," Wilson said, still chuckling. "One time, he fell down the stairs because he was 'testing a new breathing technique.' Another time, he tried sparring with a wooden dummy and lost."
Stella wiped her eyes with a small laugh. "That... that sounds exactly like him."
"Clumsy, careless, allergic to self-preservation," Wilson said fondly. "But loyal beyond measure. Today wasn't the first time he ran into danger without thinking."
Stella nodded. "And Rein always ends up protecting him..."
"Yes, well, they balance each other," Wilson said warmly. "Chaos and caution... and they'll need each other for what's coming."
The city lights seemed to brighten as they came closer to the Yukishiro home. Wilson slowed to a gentle stop. "Here we are."
Stella hesitated, her hand on the door. "Principal Wilson... thank you. Truly."
He met her gaze in the mirror. "Protect each other, my child. The world can be cruel, but none of you have to face it alone."
Valkyrie bowed her head. "We're grateful."
The sisters stepped out into the quiet night air. The car drove off into the distance.
Stella looked up at the stars, hope and fear swirling in her chest.
Rein... please be okay.