Chapter 2

I know… My power still shows no sign of awakening. Sometimes I wonder—what if this was all just a dream?
Me, teleported into some unfamiliar world… chasing something I don’t even understand.

All I can do now is wait. Wait and hope. But even that feels uncertain. I’m not even sure if what I’m doing is right.

Maybe it won’t happen. Maybe I’m just stuck like this. Still… I should’ve changed. I should’ve tried. Everyone else is out there, growing stronger—carrying their burdens. And me? I’ve just been sitting at home.

As the train neared the station closest to the school, I looked out the window. I was still surprised. The buildings… they weren’t like before. They used to be smaller, simpler. But now?

“Hey, Rin… has all this really changed while I was inside for two years?”

Rin looked outside too, smiling a little.

“Maybe you don’t believe it, but that’s the way it is.”

Maybe this change wasn’t natural. Maybe the Pillars had something to do with it. Could they really cause this much transformation in just two years? It is not impossible. If they had become that strong, then perhaps they could.

But even if that’s the case… they should’ve hidden their identities better. People like them... would become targets.

This world isn't perfect. There will always be those who want to take advantage of power—those who bring chaos. That’s why strong people need to exist. People who can protect others. Almost like heroes, I guess. It might sound cheesy—but that’s just how the world works now.

As I thought about it more, I realized… my friends didn’t seem that different. At least on the surface. I didn’t know what they looked like in a fight now, or how much they’d changed underneath. But for now, that wasn’t important.

Still, I couldn’t help but ask.

“Rin… what makes you want to be strong?”

She turned to me, surprised by the sudden question. She wasn’t used to me asking serious things like that. But after a short silence, she smiled.

Looking out the window again, she said softly, “Well… if you ask that, then I actually didn’t know either. But you know… someday, after thinking about it for a while, I guess I’ll just follow my sister’s path.”

“I see…”

Her eyes were calm—but focused. It was like she was speaking to something only she could see. Even though Rin never cared much about things like this before… something must’ve changed her.

I have to admit—Rin is amazing. There’s something about her, something natural. Maybe she’s just born with it. Talent. Presence. Strength. So, whatever she chooses to do… she’ll always be different.

Then, my thoughts drifted back to this morning. That moment—when I was still sleeping—something felt strange. Almost too real. “What made me feel that way?”, “Was I just dreaming too much again?”

I don’t usually think about dreams. They come and go, and I forget them. But this one… was different. It felt real. Like something more than just a dream. I couldn’t tell if it was a memory, a vision, or something else entirely.

And for some reason… It won’t leave my mind.

“Uh, by the way, why did you ask that? It’s so rare that you would ask someone like me about that,” Rin said, tilting her head a little.

She looked confused, probably because I was suddenly lost in thought. But I had a feeling she was also thinking about the dream I mentioned earlier.

Honestly, it felt stupid—getting so carried away by something that might’ve just been a dream. Wanting power that I didn’t have, couldn’t reach, and maybe never would.

“Nothing...” I replied.

Rin chuckled softly. “Why? You remembered that dream again?”

I didn’t answer. My silence was enough.

“If that thing bothers you, then just go back to being normal,” she said. “Thinking about it too much won’t help. You’ll just end up falling deeper into it.”

Her voice was calm, like she wasn’t trying to scold or correct me. Just being honest. And that honesty actually made me stop for a moment.

“Never mind. Just do whatever you think is good for now,” she added with a small smile. I knew she meant well—and she was right—but it still felt like too much too fast. I wasn’t sure I could suddenly flip a switch and change everything.

Then Touka lightly patted my shoulder and said, “That’s okay. If you’re still not ready, you don’t have to come back to this path so quickly. The best thing to do right now… is just to chill yourself out.”

I was still silent, but then we suddenly heard passengers on the train shouting in panic. It caught all three of us—me, Rin, and Touka—off guard.

“What’s the matter?” I asked, confused.

Touka’s expression changed quickly, as if he sensed something. “There’s an ambush!!” he quickly warned us.

Before long, several figures were seen flying toward the train with incredible speed. One of them—a huge man—smashed through the train wall effortlessly. But Touka, already prepared, caught the incoming strike with his right hand as if it were nothing.

“Cih, who are they?” he muttered, annoyed.

I knew Touka was strong, but I hadn’t realized his physical power was on this level. It was overwhelming.

Then things got worse. More of them burst through the carriage wall, and before we could react, one of the blasts sent both me and Rin flying off the train. It was around 60-meter drop.

Luckily, Rin managed to grab me midair and cushion the fall, but I noticed her leg had twisted badly, bleeding from the impact.

“Rin?! Are you okay?”

“Chill, this is nothing,” she said with a grin, forcing herself to stand.

Even while injured, Rin stood firm and faced the enemies surrounding us. I knew I was a burden in this situation. There were five of them. If we tried to escape, only Rin would make it.

“Huh, an ambush? What do you guys want?” she asked, clearly annoyed.

She couldn’t go all-out because I was here. Two of them looked really strong, and the other three had the stance of seasoned fighters.

“It’s fine. If you won’t talk… guess I’ll have to force ya’ll to do so,” Rin said, her voice sharp.

She formed a katana out of pure energy—likely her own life force—and charged. But just as she lunged, the huge guy from before tackled her midair and slammed her into the wall.

My heart dropped. It felt like that nightmare from years ago all over again—someone important to me getting hurt while I stood powerless.

I crouched nearby, hidden behind rubble, trembling. I wanted to help… but what could I even do?

Thankfully, they didn’t care about me—for now.

Then Rin’s voice echoed faintly. “So that’s it? You’re strong… but is that all?”

Despite the brutal hit, she got up again. Her regeneration was insane—enough to patch the worst of the damage quickly. With one massive leap that cracked the ground beneath her, she closed in and slashed down one of the enemies cleanly.

Her blade shone bright as the body collapsed.

“Alright… who’s next?”

Rin is undeniably strong—but both of us knew the truth. Against those two big guys, she couldn’t rely on brute force alone. Rin had speed on her side, overwhelming speed—but not enough weight behind her hits to bring down monsters like them in a single blow.

“It seems… she can’t be captured alive,” one of the men muttered coldly.

“But that’s not what the master told us to do,” the other responded with a frown.

They were clearly getting agitated. It wasn’t just that they hadn’t won yet—it was that Rin’s wounds had already closed, like nothing happened. Regeneration at that level wasn’t normal.

“Master? Who the heck do you serve?” Rin asked sharply, her katana pulsing in her grip.

They didn’t answer. Just stared back, silent as stone.

Rin narrowed her eyes. She wouldn’t let that silence last.

Meanwhile, back on the train, Touka was unharmed—of course. None of them had managed to scratch him. But even though he stood in the wreckage like nothing happened, his gaze was sharp, scanning the horizon. He saw the gap in the side of the train. He knew Rin and I had fallen.

“Tch… Rin, Hideki…” he muttered.

He clenched his fists. He knew Rin could handle herself—but the situation was getting worse by the second.

And me? I was still crouched behind a broken chunk of concrete, heart pounding, watching Rin stand alone against killers far more dangerous than I could ever handle. My hands trembled—but I couldn’t look away.

This wasn’t just about power anymore. Something bigger was moving behind the scenes. And whoever that "master" was... they wanted us alive.

People kept running in panic, which actually helped Aoba and Touka. With most civilians already fleeing, they didn’t need to hold back as much. The massive guy who had charged at Touka earlier was no match—Touka easily overpowered him, buffing his arm with a spell and launching him out of the train with a single crushing blow.

The remaining enemies weren’t giving up. A few of them—maybe four or five—slipped through the chaos and circled around to strike Touka from behind, taking advantage of the confusion.

“Basic Spell: Air Bullets.”

A magic circle formed without chanting. Touka just spoke the spell’s name, then channeled his mana. Multiple bullets of condensed wind shot out, fast and precise. It wasn’t strong enough to kill, but enough to disable or wound. He had to hold back—there were still passengers behind him, and using a large-scale spell wasn’t an option yet.

“Technique Development: Refraction.”

Aoba’s voice was calm as she activated her ability. Her presence disappeared like bending light. Even the enemies couldn’t register her, not even Touka himself. With a blade formed from her Flow Technique, she moved like a ghost and sliced down the ambushers trying to hit Touka from behind. He didn’t see her—but he trusted her to cover his back.

The Air Bullets landed, wounding a few—but not fatally. Touka wanted them alive. He needed answers. But these guys weren’t amateurs—they knew how to fight Sorcerers like him. One of them managed to block the spell and retaliate almost instantly. They weren’t just thugs. They were trained.

Even so, Touka was already thinking one step ahead. They were at the back of the train. He could afford to create some chaos without harming civilians. Carefully, he raised his right hand, slow and subtle, embedding a wind-element spell near the engine.

With perfect timing, the rear carriage exploded.

The blast rocked the train, knocking several of the attackers off their feet—some even thrown out entirely. But the strongest one, the one who looked like their leader, stood back up. Bloodied, yes—but still dangerous. He didn’t care about his fallen team. His only focus was to kill Touka.

Amid the smoke and debris, Aoba remained unseen, untouched. Her presence, still refracted, was ready to strike again.

As Touka fell from the train, he quickly used a wind-elemental spell to float midair, keeping his distance and launching elemental projectiles to push his enemy back. He finally landed atop a residential building—a crowded apartment complex below.

Without hesitation, Touka amped up the power of his spell. Each strike grew stronger, and the force released from his body began to shake the area. The rooftop cracked beneath him, tremors running through the building. But he didn’t stop—he didn’t even seem to care that people were still inside the building below. His focus was absolute.

“Blizzard.”

He whispered the name calmly, almost too casually. A thin layer of frost began forming under his opponent, hidden beneath the chaos of his other attacks. The enemy didn’t even notice. He was too busy dealing with the constant barrage of elemental strikes. Then—at the perfect moment—the ice struck.

It wasn’t enough to freeze him completely, but it was enough.

The enemy moved to counterattack—and that’s when the spell landed. A direct hit.

It was clever. Too clever for someone untrained to see it coming.

Touka smirked. “Big body, easier target,” he muttered. “You're not trained enough to beat a wizard.”

Then he leapt forward, switching elements mid-air.

“Flame Pillar!”

He slammed into his enemy with a flaming punch—unleashing the fire spell from point-blank range. A pillar of fire burst outward from his fist, the explosion echoing like thunder. The whole rooftop shook. People down below felt the impact through the concrete.

But even after that—the enemy still stood.

“I see…” Touka whispered, eyes narrowing.

The enemy brushed off the flame, barely injured. “This spell won’t work on me, kid.”

“Cih…”

The ice Touka had formed earlier shattered under the man’s feet—he used it as a launch point and shot forward. Touka, mid-air, couldn’t dodge in time.

But he was ready.

He swung his right hand to the side, forming a wind-elemental circle. His left hand activated the spell instantly.

“Got you!!”

A powerful air blast exploded between them, sending both of them flying in opposite directions. The enemy was thrown far, crashing into the distance—out of the fight, at least for now. Touka slammed into the ground with a harsh impact, but he wasn’t seriously hurt. Just a scratch.

“You okay?”

A voice behind him. He turned—Aoba.

She didn’t look the slightest bit tired. For someone who had held back dozens of attackers on the train alone, she was remarkably calm.

“How are you still in shape after that?” Touka asked.

Aoba gave a small, almost teasing smile. “They were easy to beat. What happened to your guy?”

“He’s blown away... but I don’t think he’s dead.”

Definitely not. He’d be a problem again soon.

Now on a cracked basketball court beside the apartment building, Touka suddenly felt something. Someone watching him.

A quiet voice echoed from nearby.

“Kids these days... they’re pretty brave.” Touka tilted his head slightly. “Am I one of them?”

“Who knows... not everyone has the ability to pull that off.”

As they stood there, Aoba’s expression changed—she remembered.

Rin and Hideki. They were still fighting, and it had been Rin handling most of it alone.

She hesitated, then asked softly, “Touka-san… what do you think of Nii-san’s return like this?”

Touka looked away for a moment, unsure. “Well... I guess it’s time. No way he’s gonna stay locked up forever, right?”

“I think he planned to.”

Touka nodded slowly. “I see. Yeah... I get it.”

But something still bugged him—Hideki’s words earlier. “I had a dream.”

He turned to Aoba. “I heard your brother had some kind of vision, a dream or something. You know anything about that?”

“This morning, yeah. He dozed off on the couch while I was in the kitchen. He looked like he was dreaming.”

“So, he wasn’t lying…”

The only thing on Touka’s mind now was: What did he dream about?

“But if it’s something good, I’m okay with it,” he said.

“Me too,” Aoba replied quietly.

Touka slowly stood, brushing dust and bits of broken stone off himself. Then it hit him—he still had a job to do. He hadn’t even helped Rin and Hideki yet.

“Alright. Time for extra work. I’ll go help them. If you want to help too, let’s go.”

Aoba looked down, her eyes slightly sad but also warm. “It’s okay... just go.”

Touka paused, but then he understood. She needed a moment to herself. Any more, and she’d probably cry.

He nodded, then activated a movement speed spell and dashed off, searching for Rin and Hideki.

Aoba watched him disappear, a faint smile on her lips. Finally... she thought. What should’ve happened a long time ago... it’s finally happening.

Even though the world hadn’t welcomed his return kindly—this moment was a good start. A necessary one.

“I have my job too, Nii-san,” Aoba said softly. “As an Outer, I should’ve done this earlier. I’m sure Koji Nii-san and Koushi Nee-san would agree.”

Smiling with renewed resolve, Aoba turned and leapt away. Her next destination—the train. She needed to check the damage... and Rin.

At this point, Rin was having a hard time. She wasn’t hurt—not in the slightest. Her regeneration was fast enough to instantly heal any wounds she received. But despite that, she was slowly being overwhelmed. Blood stained her uniform and katana, proof of those she had already cut down. But some of her enemies were stronger—clever enough to counter her, boxing her in as they stood between her and me.

She was struggling—not because she was weak, but because she couldn’t fight freely with me behind her.

“This is bad. If I don’t finish them quickly… he won’t survive.”

That was the thought flashing in her mind. I could see it in her eyes, the way her breath grew more ragged, the way her gaze flickered with worry. It only made my chest tighten. My body froze. I wasn’t panicking—I was terrified that it was all repeating itself… only worse.

We were cornered. The back of the building pressed behind us, and right beyond that, the railroad tracks I’d fallen onto. There were only three options:

1. Escape backward.

2. Force our way through and bust out.

3. Take them all down—an option that seemed impossible under the circumstances.

“Hey, Rin… let’s get out of here.”

“How? There's too many of them, and you're still thinking of escape? Don’t be stupid. The way they fight—it’s planned. Strategic. We're not dealing with amateurs.”

She didn’t even look back when she said it. I knew she was right. I was the one holding her back. Rin had never been the kind of fighter who could go all out while protecting someone else.

“Your friend is right. There is no escape.” A voice called out from the rear—someone who clearly wasn’t a frontliner.

“However, you’ve been a nuisance since the begi—”

He never finished his sentence.

Rin moved in a blur and, without warning, slashed his throat clean. He never expected her to cover that much ground that fast.

“Where were you looking?” She spat the words coldly, then darted toward another opponent to his left.

“You better shut your mouth, shithead…”

Shock rippled through the remaining enemies. One of them—a huge man—hurried to strike her with a punch, but Rin was already ahead of him. She slashed her own wrist and let her blood spill onto the ground.

“Keep talking.” Her voice was low. Furious.

“The hell?! How is she so fast?!” The brute panicked.

“Don’t try to hit her!” His comrade shouted, too late.

Rin touched the ground, and the blood she spilled responded to her will. Spikes erupted from the earth, impaling the man from the front. As she rushed him, clenching her fist, even more blood thorns burst outward from inside his body.

“Aaaaggghhh…!”

The technique was called Blood Thorn: Chain Reaction. He died instantly.

Rin didn’t stop.

She pushed forward, using the momentum to attack the next closest enemy. Another man screamed in horror and backed away. He wasn’t a melee fighter either—just another pawn sent to die.

But something felt wrong. The blood from Rin’s self-inflicted wound was still pouring out as she moved. Even though she could regenerate fast, I didn’t know how it worked with blood loss. And for some reason, she hadn’t stopped the bleeding.

“RIN!!!” I screamed as I saw it happen.

A jagged icicle spell pierced her back from behind, pinning her down just as she was about to land a killing blow.

“Tch.”

It was a clean strike, fast and precise. She was impaled and pinned to the ground. The caster revealed himself, stepping out from the crowd.

“Sorry, but that’s as far as you go.”

Rin’s eyes narrowed. Her rage was boiling now.

He wasn’t wearing a hood. Just a brown cloak draped over a dark suit. He looked calm. Too calm. He didn't even flinch at the corpses around him.

“So, you’re the boss?” Rin asked coldly.

“Not really. I’m just following orders.” He looked around at his fallen comrades. “What did you do to them? They look... broken.”

Rin chuckled darkly.

“Now you care?” Her body trembled slightly, still bleeding, still pinned—but she stood.

She shouldn't have been able to move.

But Rin didn’t care.

“What the hell…?” Even I could tell this man was different. He gave off an aura unlike the rest. Dangerous. Inhuman.

“There’s no way you’re one of The Great Commanders, right?”

“Do I look like one?” He raised both hands. Two black spheres formed in his palms, surrounded by glowing magic circles on his wrists.

No. He wasn’t a Great Commander. If he was, I’d be dead already. But he was still deadly.

Rin readied her stance, trying to shatter the ice holding her in place.

The black projectile fired faster than lightning—and sliced off Rin’s hand.

She couldn't react.

“So fast… I didn’t even see it.”

Before she could recover, another enemy she’d spared returned, charging at her with a blade.

“Rin! Right side!!” I yelled.

“Gahh!!”

The sword hit, but she blocked it with her remaining arm. Barely.

The cloaked man raised his hand again, chanting.

“Wait a moment. Let me help you.” His voice was too calm.

“Soul Implementation.”

Dark energy surged into the swordsman's body, consuming him. He stood still for a moment—then lost control. Veins of pitch-black energy spread across his skin.

He roared.

And attacked.

Stronger than before. Wilder.

Rin managed to block, but she was getting overwhelmed. Worse—the cloaked man turned to me.

He raised his hand.

The fallen enemies Rin had killed earlier twitched… and rose.

Necromancy.

“Hideki, run!!!!” Rin screamed.

The cloaked man fired the same deadly projectile straight at me. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

“Shi—”

The blast was just inches away when—

“Barrier!”

A glowing shield intercepted it.

“Touka?!” I gasped, stunned.

“Damn. That was close.”

She landed in front of me, her presence grounding the chaos like lightning grounding a storm.

“Touka?! How are you here?!” Rin looked shocked—but also relieved beyond words.

The cloaked man simply smiled.

He wasn’t surprised. If anything, he looked thrilled.

“Well, well, well. This just got interesting.”

Rin broke free of the ice, rushing to regroup with us. She didn’t waste time. She knew this was no longer a fight she could win alone.

But now—with Touka at her side—there was a chance.

A spark of hope.