Chapter 4 : Echoes of a Lost Day

March 18, 2010
It was a beautiful day. The sky was clear as a lake washed clean after a night’s rain, unmarred by a single drifting cloud. Soft golden sunlight filtered through the green leaves, dappling the ground. A gentle breeze whispered through the treetops, humming a soothing melody that stirred the heart.
On a quiet little street, a young girl was wandering, searching for her parents.
Today was her seventh birthday, a day she had eagerly awaited for weeks. Her parents had promised to take her out to play, eat ice cream, and take lots of photos. For the small girl, the joy wasn’t in the outings or the ice cream but in the rare chance to spend an entire day with her parents—a luxury she seldom enjoyed.
But then she got lost. In a fleeting moment, for reasons she couldn’t fathom, she was separated from her parents in a crowded throng, straying from the park to a completely unfamiliar place.
The street was eerily silent, the wind no longer singing, the trees standing still as if holding their breath.
She stepped onto the road, her eyes red and teary, but she fought back the tears. She was afraid that if her parents found her with swollen, crying eyes, they would be sad and blame themselves, and she didn’t want that.
But from a distance, a truck barreled toward her at breakneck speed as she crossed the street. It came fast—too fast. The driver didn’t see the little girl, didn’t brake, didn’t honk, only a massive iron beast charging to seal her fate.
She turned her head, eyes wide with panic. There was no time to scream. She couldn’t react, and no one was there to pull her away. All that remained was a blinding white light, and then…
“Hah… Hah… Hah…”
Annie jolted awake, gasping for breath after escaping her nightmare. Cold sweat poured from her forehead, trickling down her face and temples, soaking into the blanket draped over her. Her hands gripped the crisp white bedsheet tightly, her heart pounding as if it would burst from her chest to flee whatever was chasing her in her dream.
Her eyes stared wide at the blank white ceiling, the harsh fluorescent light stinging her pupils. The sharp smell of antiseptic, familiar from countless times before, filled the air. It took her a full minute to calm herself and realize she was lying in a hospital bed, not on that blood-soaked street from years ago.
“Here we go again…”
The whisper slipped out, trembling and hoarse, as if from someone else’s throat—a silent confirmation to Annie that she could never fully escape it.
“Nightmare, huh?”
A lazy, familiar male voice came from the bed beside her.
Annie flinched and turned. On the neighboring hospital bed lay Rin, propped on his side, facing her. His head was wrapped in bandages, his arm bearing faint scars under the light, a far cry from his appearance that day.
“Oh… yeah, just… a little nightmare…”
Annie replied softly, her voice faint and fleeting like dust in the morning light. Her face was pale, lips dry, eyes dazed, still not fully free from the nightmare’s grip. She forced a smile, a brittle, artificial one, meant to hide the fear and the scars etched deep in her mind.
“Hmm… Well, anyway… thanks, Kamiyama.”
Rin blinked, his blank expression showing he was utterly clueless.
“Huh? Thanks for what?”
“For saving me from that wolf’s claws.”
Her words hung in the air, pulling memories like a cold torrent crashing down. In her mind, Annie slowly recalled what had happened in that moment.
Her heart had pounded wildly, as if it would explode, crushed by the fear of death, the prospect of becoming a snack for the massive wolf, and… regret.
Her body had frozen, every muscle bound by panic. Though her mind screamed to run, her legs wouldn’t budge.
And then, as the wolf’s razor-sharp jaws opened wide to swallow her, a sphere of water shot out with incredible speed and force, knocking the wolf back nearly fifty meters.
Immediately after, chains of water appeared, binding the beast tighter than steel. That brief window gave Annie the chance to seize and control its mind.
As the recollection faded, a fleeting silence settled over the room. Annie exhaled, as if shedding a heavy burden, unaware that her hand had been clutching the thin blanket’s corner.
“I thought I was minced meat back there. Lucky you saved me.”
“So, thanks, Kamiyama!”
Annie said, flashing a gentle, radiant smile, warm enough to thaw a winter’s day—a truly beautiful smile.
Rin, embarrassed, turned his face away, scratching his cheek awkwardly, clearly unused to being thanked like this.
“Uh, yeah… No big deal…”
He mumbled, then, to mask his discomfort, added, “You owe me some sweets for that…”
Annie giggled at Rin’s reaction, her laugh light as a breeze on a peaceful morning.
The room fell into a gentle silence—not tense, not hostile, just a quiet moment where neither had a topic to pursue.
Then Annie shifted slightly, as if recalling something, and spoke up. “Oh, right, do you know who brought us here?”
“I don’t kn—”
*Click.*
The door swung open with an ordinary sound, interrupting their thoughts. A warm, slightly teasing voice followed.
“Talking about me, are you?”
A young man, about Rin’s age, stepped in. He had perky pig-like ears adorned with pure gold earrings, long cherry-colored hair tied back elegantly, and wide blue eyes. He wore a gray hoodie and black jeans, holding a basket of fresh fruit. It was none other than Alexander V (the “V” for the Roman numeral five, or “Fifth” for flair).
To be fair, this beastman was genuinely handsome—high nose, soft facial features, beautiful eyes, and a gentle smile. It wasn’t an exaggeration to call him near-perfect. Wealth, power, looks, status—who wouldn’t be smitten?
“A-Alexander!!”
Annie exclaimed, eyes wide, stunned to meet someone like him here.
“Well, hello, my lady,” he said softly, bowing slightly like an old-fashioned gentleman.
Annie fumbled, her eyes sparkling like a fan meeting her idol. “H-Hi! Um… what are you doing here?”
Alexander didn’t answer right away. He strolled over to Rin, placing the fruit basket on the bedside table. His calloused hand gently ruffled Rin’s hair, the stubborn underclassman two years his junior.
Rin grimaced, swatting Alexander’s hand away. “Hey, pig-face, I’m not a dog for you to pet!”
Alexander sighed, chuckling helplessly, then turned to Annie. “I’m here for a routine checkup, just dropping by to see you two survivors.”
“Oh… you two know each other?” Annie asked, eyes wide, looking at Alexander.
“He’s the nightmare of my school days…” Rin muttered, shuddering as he recalled training under Alexander, nearly dying in the sweltering summer heat.
“Haha, come on, Rin, it wasn’t *that* bad…” Alexander said with a sheepish laugh.
“No! It was *exactly* that bad!” Rin snapped, as if reliving those torturous days.
Annie, on her bed, could only manage an awkward smile, unable to join their banter.
*Ring-ring-ring!*
The shrill ring of a phone cut through the odd yet light atmosphere. Alexander gave a wry smile, pulling the phone from his pocket. “Sorry, I’ve got to go. This is all the time I have for today.”
He glanced at Rin and Annie, then hurried out, pressing the phone to his ear.
“What!? The body’s been stolen, and everyone in the convoy is dead!?”
Alexander’s voice was nearly a shout as he stood in a quiet corner of the hospital bathroom. He couldn’t believe an S-rank squad could be wiped out and discovered in less than two days. Worse, the Arcanus body he’d beheaded had been stolen.
“Who did this?”
He quickly lowered his voice, glancing around to ensure no one was listening, and pressed the person on the other end for answers.
“Still investigating, huh…”
The uncertainty in the voice on the line added to Alexander’s tension. After a rushed exchange, he hung up, sweat beading on his forehead.
Elsewhere in the world, in a damp, decrepit bunker where dim yellow light couldn’t dispel the stench of blood seeping from the walls, two figures—one tall, one short—walked down a narrow corridor. The short one skipped playfully, the tall one silent as stone. They were none other than Jinnie and Drake.
Jinnie hummed a tuneless melody, his hands swaying to the rhythm, his feet kicking a round object—or rather, Xival’s severed head. Drake carried the headless body over his shoulder like a heavy sack.
*Knock, knock, knock!*
The mismatched duo stopped before a door. Jinnie tapped the iron door, mimicking the sound like a child.
Drake, less patient, didn’t wait for a response. He shoved the door open, the rusted hinges screeching.
*Thud!*
A heavy sound echoed as Drake dropped the headless body onto the floor, its weight—likely over 300 kilograms—making a resounding impact.
“There’s your delivery, Yoshino,” Drake said, his voice as dry as a drought-stricken plain, his eyes shifting to the woman crouched in the corner, gnawing on the raw liver of a young Arcanus. It was Hyori, her lips stained with blood.
She finished her last bite, swallowed, and looked up, her dark eyes gleaming like a child with a new toy.
“It’s here. Study whatever you want. I’m done,” Drake said coldly, turning to leave without sparing a glance at the woman in the white lab coat.
Jinnie followed, gently placing the head beside the body, patting it twice as if petting a beloved animal. “Sleep well, big head!”
With that, he skipped after Drake, his footsteps echoing in the empty tunnel, leaving the scientist with her new specimen.