Where the Water Stirs

Morning mist hung thick over the tranquil waters of Lake Chuzenji, curling like ghostly fingers across the surface and twisting between the pine forests as if the world itself were exhaling secrets. The mountains loomed silent, their silhouettes swallowed by fog. A thin waterfall on the far left cascaded over cliffs, its veil shimmering like broken glass as the wind carried its sound. The lake responded with slow, rhythmic ripples—gentle, yet uneasy, as if something stirred beneath.

At the edge of a narrow wooden pier, Mizuki stood motionless. Her long, wavy blue-black hair clung to her cheeks in the cold breeze. Gray-blue eyes unfocused, drifting with the mist. She had always sensed emotions—too many, too strong—but this… this was different. The feelings around her didn’t just swirl. They crashed, violent currents twisting through her chest like invisible waves.

Something is coming…

The thought sent a chill down her spine.

Then the water beneath her feet trembled.

At first, she thought it was wind—but it wasn’t. Shadows writhed beneath the lake’s calm surface, small whirlpools forming like blinking eyes awakening. Mizuki stumbled back.

“What… what is that…?”

The fog thickened sharply, as if reacting to her fear. Then, without warning, the mist tore open—light slicing through it.

Rei emerged first, wings unfurling in dim, smoke-silver hues that shimmered only when the light dared touch them, followed by Tsubasa, Hikari, and Eren. Their arrival sent ripples across the lake, clearing a path straight toward Mizuki.

And then the demons came.

Screamers exploded from the water, wailing, forms flickering like torn shadows. Wraithbound drifted above—translucent, faces lost, mouths stretched in silent hunger for memory. Corruptors crawled from the lake, dripping tar-like sludge that hissed on contact with the wooden planks.

Mizuki gasped, frozen. The demons surged.

“MOVE!” Rei’s voice cut through the rising cacophony.

But her body refused. Everything inside her screamed—and then something snapped.

The lake answered her panic.

Water erupted upward in a violent column, twisting like a cyclone, smashing into approaching demons with a sound like breaking stone. Mist swirled around her feet, spinning through the fog like blades.

“I—I’m not doing this!” she cried.

“But your power is!” Rei countered, deflecting a Screamer mid-flight with a lash of light. “Stay with it—you’re guiding it even if you don’t realize it!”

“I don’t know how!” she sobbed.

Her fear spiked—and the lake detonated.

A massive wave surged upward, nearly capsizing the pier. Rei shouted orders, wings slicing through spray.

“Tsubasa, guard her right side! Hikari—stabilize the currents! Eren, reinforce the air barrier!”

Tsubasa spun midair, blades of light carving through demonic forms. Hikari planted his staff, sending ripples of stabilizing light into the water. Eren’s wings flared, bending air pressure to prevent the lake from capsizing the dock.

Mizuki’s heart hammered. Stop stop stop stop—

But her fear only called forth more.

Water lashed like living serpents, striking demons and swallowing them. Mist condensed, luminous and sharp, and the pier groaned under the force. One Corruptor lunged at her—she screamed. A tidal pulse blasted outward, staggering even the angels. The Corruptor disintegrated, reduced to curling smoke.

Mizuki’s knees buckled.

“I can’t… I can’t control it…!”

Rei flew toward her, dodging water whips and slicing Wraithbound forms. “Listen to me!” he shouted over the storm. “Your power follows emotion. Right now it only knows fear. Breathe—slowly. Let it follow your heartbeat!”

“How?!” she cried, tears spilling as another wave rose, threatening to swallow the pier.

Rei’s wings burst open. He pushed through the chaotic wind, reaching her as the wave peaked.

Then—he wrapped his arms around her, wings folding over them both like a cocoon of warm, steady light.

The lake shuddered. Mist stilled. Water collapsed gently, as if exhaling.

Exhaustion overwhelmed Mizuki. Vision blurred—Rei’s face dimming, the world dissolving into shapes of light and water.

Stay with me… I’ll protect you…

His voice echoed softly. Then everything went dark.

Later – The Awakening at A-Academy

Warmth. Softness. A faint scent of lilies.

Mizuki opened her eyes. She lay in a room she didn’t recognize, wrapped in a blanket, head resting on a cool pillow. Pale light streamed through a window, revealing gardens bathed in morning glow.

Rei sat beside her, wings folded, gaze steady.

“You’re awake,” he said softly.

“What… happened…?” she whispered.

“You had a surge,” Rei explained. “Your instinct took over. You shielded us, repelled the demons. It was overwhelming—but you survived. More than that… you protected us.”

“I almost destroyed everything,” she said.

“No.” Rei shook his head. “You lost control—but your heart protected us. That’s a Guardian’s nature.”

Mizuki froze. “A… Guardian?”

“Yes,” Rei said. “One of the five. Your power—water—has awakened.”

“Am I… one of you? An angel?”

“No,” Rei said softly. “Your origins aren’t clear yet. But your destiny is.”

She looked at her trembling hands. Guardian… me…?

“You will make mistakes. Everyone does. But you’ll learn. You’ll grow. And you don’t have to do it alone,” Rei said.

“What’s your name?” he asked gently.

“M-Mizuki,” she replied hesitantly.

“I’m Rei,” he offered a reassuring smile. “An angelic Guardian—for now, your guide.”

Her chest ached with old loneliness. “No one’s ever understood me…”

“Then start here,” Rei said. “With me. Train. Learn. Find your place.”

Her eyes lifted—hopeful, frightened, uncertain.

“Will I… really fit in?”

“You already do,” he said. “You just don’t see it yet.”

She hesitated, then touched his hand. A quiet warmth settled inside her, fragile but real.

“…Alright,” she whispered.

Rei smiled. “One step at a time. We’ll handle the rest together.”

Far above Tokyo, Akihiro received Rei’s message:

One Guardian found—Mizuki. Four remain. Earth. Fire. Air. And the fifth—the one who binds them all.

He scanned the horizon, shadows shifting beneath the city lights. We must reach them before the demons do.

Her awakening wouldn’t just restore balance—it could rewrite the fate of both worlds.

The hunt had begun. And the darkness was already listening.