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 though the entire world were exhaling secrets. The mountains stood silent, their silhouettes swallowed by the fog. From the far left, a thin waterfall cascaded over the cliffs, its veil of water shimmering like broken glass as the wind carried its sound through the mist. The lake responded with slow, rhythmic ripples—gentle, but uneasy, like something shifting beneath.

At the edge of a narrow wooden pier, Mizuki stood motionless. Her long, slightly wavy blue-black hair swayed in the cold breeze, strands clinging to her cheeks. Her gray-blue eyes were unfocused, drifting with the mist. She’d always sensed emotions—too many, too strong—but this… this was different. The emotions around her didn’t just swirl. They crashed. Violent, chaotic currents twisted through her chest like unseen waves.

Something is coming…

The thought flickered across her mind, sending a chill down her spine.

Then the water beneath her feet trembled.

At first she thought it was wind—but it wasn’t. The lake’s calm surface darkened, shadows writhing beneath like something trying to climb out of the depths. Small whirlpools formed one after another, spiraling open like eyes blinking awake.

Mizuki stumbled back. “What… what is that…?”

The fog thickened sharply, as if reacting to her fear.

Before she could turn, the mist tore open—light slicing through it.

Rei emerged first, wings flaring like shards of morning star-glow, followed by Tsubasa, Hikari, and Eren. Their arrival rippled across the lake with a force that displaced the fog, clearing a path straight toward Mizuki.

And then the demons came.

Screamers exploded from the water with wails that shattered the air, their forms flickering like torn shadows.

Wraithbound drifted above them—translucent, distorted, faces lost, mouths stretched in silent hunger for memory.

Corruptors crawled from the lake, dripping tar-like sludge that hissed as it burned through the wooden planks.

Mizuki gasped, frozen in place.

The demons surged toward her.

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

But she couldn’t. Her body refused. Everything inside her screamed and twisted—and then something snapped.

The lake answered her panic.

Water erupted upward in a violent column, twisting like a cyclone that slammed into approaching demons with a sound like breaking stone. Mist expanded around her feet, swirling so fast it sliced through the fog like spinning blades.

Mizuki cried out, stumbling back as water spiraled protectively around her.

“I—I’m not doing this!” she shouted, voice cracking.

“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, his wings slicing through the spray.

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

Tsubasa spun midair, blades of light carving through demonic forms.

Hikari planted her staff, sending ripples of stabilizing light into the water.

Eren’s wings flared wide as he bent the air pressure, preventing the lake’s uncontrolled rise from collapsing the dock.

Mizuki’s heart hammered. Stop stop stop stop—

But her fear only called forth more.

Water lashed around her like living serpents, striking demons, swallowing their forms. Mist condensed around her, luminous and sharp, and the pier beneath her groaned under the force.

One Corruptor lunged at her—

and she screamed.

A tidal pulse blasted outward so violently that even the angels staggered midair. The Corruptor disintegrated instantly, reduced to smoke that curled away into the mist.

Mizuki’s knees buckled.

“I can’t… I can’t control it…!”

Rei flew toward her, dodging water whips and slicing through Wraithbound forms as he approached.

“Listen to me!” he shouted over the raging storm. “Your power responds to emotion. Right now it only knows fear. You need to breathe—slowly. Let it follow your heartbeat!”

“How?!” she cried, tears spilling. Another wave rose violently behind her, large enough to swallow the pier. The wind howled as if mourning the lake’s fury.

Rei’s wings burst open, and he pushed through the chaotic wind, reaching her just 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.

The mist stilled.

And the water storm gently collapsed back into itself, as though the entire lake exhaled.

Exhaustion overwhelmed Mizuki. Her 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 through her fading consciousness.

And then everything went dark.

Later – The Awakening at A-Academy

Warmth. Softness.

A faint scent of lilies and clean air.

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

Rei sat in a chair beside her, wings folded, gaze steady. He’d clearly been there a while.

“You’re awake,” he said softly.

Mizuki’s voice shook. “What… happened…?”

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

Her breath hitched. “I almost destroyed everything.”

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

She froze. “A… Guardian?”

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

Mizuki swallowed. “Am I… one of you? An angel?”

“No.” His voice softened. “Your origins are… not clear yet. But your destiny is.”

She looked down at her trembling hands.

Guardian… me…?

Rei’s tone gentled even more. “You will make mistakes. Everyone does. But you’ll learn. You’ll grow. And you don't have to do it alone.”

Rei looked at her with a gentle intensity. “What’s your name?”

“M-Mizuki,” she replied hesitantly, still unsure of everything around her.

“I’m Rei,” he said, offering a small, reassuring smile. “I’m an angelic Guardian—and for now, your guide.”

Mizuki’s chest ached. She thought of the foster home where she never belonged—where every day felt like ghosting through someone else’s life.

“No one’s ever understood me…” she whispered.

Rei’s expression softened. “Then start here. With me. Train. Learn. Find your place.”

Her eyes lifted… hopeful, frightened, uncertain.

“Will I… really fit in?”

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

He extended his hand.

For a moment, she hesitated.

Then—

Her fingers touched his.

A quiet warmth settled inside her, fragile but real.

“…Alright,” she whispered.

Rei smiled. A small one. But genuine.

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

Far above Tokyo, Akihiro received Rei’s message:

One Guardian found – Mizuki.

Four remained.

Earth. Fire. Air.

And the fifth… the one whose power binds them all.

Akihiro scanned the horizon, shadows shifting beneath the city lights.

We must reach them before the demons do.

Especially the fifth.

Her awakening wouldn’t just change the balance—

It could rewrite the fate of both worlds.

The hunt had begun.

And the darkness was already listening.