After a long day with Haruka,Kaito headed home.By the time he reached for his apartment building,the sky had surrenderred to night.The building itself was old.The elevator was dead,as it often was,forcing him to climb the stairs.
He stopped in front of a door marked 3B,he reached for his keys and unlocked the door steeping inside,slipping of his boots off by habit lining them perfectly against the wall.
"You are late."
The voice came from the kitchen,calm and unmistakably his sister's "Mira".The furniture was perfectly matched and clean.The dining table had already been set,steam rising gently from the prepared meal.
"I had work,"Kaito replied,shrugging out his jacket and hanging it by the door.
His sister steep into view,wiping her hands on a towel.She was shorter than him,dark hair tied back.She looked at him over in a single glance,her eyes pausing long enough on the faint bruising near his jaw and the stiffness in his shoulders.
"Sit,"she ordered.
Kaito obeyed,lowering himself into the chair followed by a quite exhale.
"Doesn't seem like normal food to me."
"This again."
"The last time you made dinner it ended up turning into stone"he said, stiring the Miso soup on his plate.
She gave him a look. "I swear i didn't use my powers this time."
Mira's Core Trait is an interesting one. She has the ability to rearrange matter, meaning she can alter or create non living substances at will. But she cannot affect living beings, and change required complete understanding of molecular structure involved that servers as knowledge is her restriction.
Kaito didn't ague ,he began eating while his sister watched without making it obvious, counting each bite ,making sure he didn't rush or stop too early.
They finished dinner afterwards, his sister began clearing the table while he stood to help.
"Shower" she said. "You smell like concrete dust."
Kaito smiled for a bit. He did as he is told, retreating to the bathroom.
He stood onfront a mirrior reflecting his image."Tomorrow i will have to prove to Takihana that am not a useless zero grader."
******
The mission order came less than twenty six hours later.
Kaito read it twice, then third time, not because he didn't understand it, but because part of him didn't expect to something like this.
Investigate and Eliminate Corrupted entity
Location: Shinjuku industrial sector
Threat classification: Unstable Corrupted Core spirit manifestation
Unit size: Seven
Six names followed.
First was Rankino Ichigawa-Squad leader
Second to forth was Shin Ogawa, Mizuno Kai and Emi Tsurugi, they serves as they the team's frontline.
Haruka's was Fifth as she is the team's only healer. Sixth,Ryo Kanzaki the navigator.
Then lastly Kaito the supporter.
He stared at the detail longer than necessary.
The industrial sector had been abondoned years ago after materials uneathered there were exhasted. Rumours say the place is hunted by "Corrupted Core Spirits"
After a person passes on,it is believed they are either sent to heaven or hell,from what people are experiencing in this world,those who have lived a miserable life un up becoming a Corrupted core spirits due to concepts like regret, anger, revenge or similar ones.
Most of them were considered to be weak, but unfortunately for Kaito they were superior in all kinds of ways.
The team assembled after checking their weapons and comms.
"Hey, which one of you is Kaito Sakurama?.A brood shouldered man asked without lifting his eyes from the paper he was holding.
"That would be me."he responded, raising his hand up too high.
"Just dont get in our way, your job here is to sit and watch "the groups started to laugh, making Kaito uncomfortable.
"But sir i am assembled as the squad's-"the man cut clean before Kaito could finsh what he was about to say.
"I am Rankino Ichigawa the squad leader, i order you follow got that?!"
"Enough with all of this ,why are you all like this. Is it because his a zero grader.
"His right, Haruka. "Kaito responded, giving Haruka a fake smile.
Rankino Ichigawa, Kaito hasn't meet him before but he heard a lot about the guy until his ears bleed.
The guy is an eleventh rank officer from division two, possessing the ability to enforce physical obedience around a 50 meter radius.
The team's goal is to eliminate the treat that has been lurking around Ome-kaido's industrial area.
Kaito stood at the back of the formation with Haruka, hands in pockets, eyes forward listening to one of Haruka's lectures about standing up for himself.
Long before Kaito join the CWS he learned that zero graders survived by staying quite ,opening his mouth will just draw attention from the cruel side of the world.
"You are unbelievably stupid "she sighed.
"From what i see in the map this is where we carry on our mission sir."one of the man from the group suggested.
"Strange I don't see anything here, tip was a bust I guess." Rankino said as he turned around in a 360 degree angle.
From the looks of it, at the moment the team though nothing was here, not until Haruka instinctively formed a barrier that shielded the team from what seemed like an ambush.
"Nice one healer!!"one of the men shouted.
"Alright you can leave the rest to us."Rankiro ordered.
He and other three of the men just out of the barrier as soon as Haruka opened it, closing the moment they darted.
Kaito could tell she was giving in her best effort to keep them safe.
"K-kaito.." she could barely speak the moment she needed to. "I-I.... will protect you no matter what.".
Around the period of "The Next Evolution of Earth the planet" after the strange mineral brought this strange energy the officials so call it core energy. What seemed like mini formations of the mineral that brought this mysterious energy spread across the planet, everywhere ocean ,forest ,streets and more .After sometime of experiment and stuff the government decided to replace fossil fuels as this newly strange formations where a million times stronger than fossil fuels.
So later on technology evolved in unthinkable ways, newly formed weapons got introduced ,most by most literally almost everything tech-like is powered by this minerals that stand by the name core crystals . This so called core crystals are divided into many different colors .The brighter the color the more valuable it is. Finding a darker colored one will bring riches to your back account.
Kaito had thought a lot about buying a weapon to make his job easier but due to his financial status he couldn't even afford a yellow colored sword .From what he could tell Rankiro was wielding a dark green one ,which made sense that they were able to defeat an army of corrupted core spirits without sweating.
As the team was about to leave all of a sudden one of them stiffened.
"That's not right ,he said ,allowing panic to creep in his expression .There's a distortion forming ahead.
Something hovered ahead of them. As if its a vertical wound in space ,its's edges folding inward like a breathing thing. Kaito felt fear the moment he laid eyes on it, he knew that this was not something meant to be approached.
Rankiro's jaw tightened."Corrupted gate ,"he said ."There must have been to many Corrupted Core Spirits for this to appear."
"There are hundreds of signatures on the other side .Thousands, maybe.I cant tell." said a man with glowing read eyes staring directly at the gate ,as the team's navigator he has the ability to see far away distances by reading core energy.
"What do we do now sir ."one of them asked.
"We get in. he said without looking back at the team.
"Are you insane we die the minute we step foot in there "Kaito yelled.
"Treat me with a little respect zero grader ,and I am not insane."Rankiro's voice was calm for this kind of situation. "If that gate fully anchors, this entire area becomes a sealed corrupted zone."
Upon hearing that ,Kaito was able to see Rankiro was right. But the other side of him also refused to believed that.
Crossing a Corrupted Gate did not feel like teleportation.
The moment Kaito steeped through, the moment he set his foot on the other side pressure slammed it down like his foot belonged there, The air around there was heavy. The world inverted, colors draining into muted grays, the ground beneath him seemed organic and wrong. This didn't felt like another dimension .It was more like a collapsed spiritual otherworld, formed when too many Corrupted Core Spirits accumulated in one area.
"Ryo, update?." Rankiro asked.
Ryo, the man with red glowing eyes staggered, gripping his head. This place...it's screaming, "he said hoarsely. "Every direction feels hostile."
Rankiro steadied himself first, eyes scanning the horizon. "Get close don't wanna separate in a place like this. "he ordered" Healer girl, do your thing."
"I-i am on it." Haruka swallowed, summoning her Restoration field ,spreading around the group. "Kaito ,don't got to far please." she said quietly.
As far as Kaito could tell ,Haruka is scared. Without saying a word he held her hand and nodded.
This place has been rumored that the lower you get the stronger the treat get. Kaito thought and wondered why they even set foot on the corrupted lands, there are even for more dangerous corrupted core spirits than the ones he encountered.
"Incoming Six o'clock!!"one of them shouted pointing at the direction ahead of them.
Dust racing like tsunami followed with distorted breaking sounds of what seemed like cries of a thousand people.
"What the hell is that!!" Kaito effortlessly asked.
"No time for that, Retreat!" Rankiro shouted.
The team ran back from where they came from, gladly they didn't advance too far from the corrupted gate they made it but on of them is missing. Is he inside?
"I can't move!" one of the guys with a weird haircut tripped over and fell, he screamed, clawing at the ground. "Please! Someone help me!"
Rankiro hesistated for a second."Daichi close the gate now.
Haruka's voice broke."Rankiro,we cant-!"
Regardless for what Rankiro had to say Kaito, didnt have to watch another man being abandoned like that, he rushed inside to save him. He reached for the man, hauling him upright with sheer physical force. "I wont leave you."
"What are you waiting for close the gate your fool!!" Rankiro shouted.
Daichi's hands began to glow with faint blue aura ,placing his hands at both edges of the corrupted gated struggling to close it for a minimum amount of time.
Just as the gate was about to close, witnessing the gate closing and out of fear ,the man shoved Kaito backward with everything he had ,darting towards the gate making it to the other side ,just before the gate closes.
Kaito fell ,tumbling down a fractured slope .Haruka screamed his name, fighting against Rankiro's core trait that's blocking her from moving.
Closes.
"Noooo!!!"Haruka screamed.