Storm Above Tokyo

Tokyo shimmered under a heavy midday haze, as if twilight had arrived too soon. The air was still, heavy, almost oppressive for noon. Grey clouds gathered above the skyline, thick and restless, slowly swallowing the sun.

Far above the streets, Aihana sat at the edge of a skyscraper. Her hands trembled slightly as she stared down over the sprawling city. Heights always churned her stomach. Maybe that fear grounded her more than anything else right now.

She pulled her knees to her chest, the wind biting sharply at her exposed skin.

“I just… need to think,” she whispered to the blank sky. “I need two minutes without all of this crushing me.”

Somewhere else in the city, Ayame drifted through a narrow street. It was close to lunch hour, but everything felt dim, as though the clouds had stolen the light from the ground. Her expression was hollow, her eyes red from tears long dried.

She didn’t notice the shadows shifting behind her, the flicker of movement just past the corner of her vision. The air around her hummed, warping ever so slightly — like thunder grumbling deep underground.

From the alleys, demons crawled out — drawn by the raw swirl of her emotions. Anger, sorrow, betrayal. They tasted it like blood in water.

Then he arrived.

Ravukaru’s form coalesced like smoke turning flesh — tall, sharp-eyed, a presence that seemed to suck the warmth from the air. His smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“This one… an angelic Captain,” he observed. “How… perfect.”

He raised his hand, dark energy curling like something alive around his fingers. The demons shrank back, clearing space like frightened dogs.

“If I can’t break Aihana yet… I’ll start with what she loves.”

The black energy struck Ayame square in the chest. She gasped — stepping back — eyes widening.

Then the light went out in them.

“That’s it…” Ravukaru breathed, smiling. “Let your pain feed me.”

Ayame’s breathing slowed, her posture shifting as shadows crawled beneath her skin. The streetlights flickered out one by one.

At the Academy, Rei burst into the Control Hall, panting.

“Akihiro!” he said sharply. “Aihana’s gone!”

Akihiro spun mid-instruction, eyes sharpening like a drawn sword. “What?”

Mizuki stepped forward, holding up Aihana’s wrist communicator. “We found this on her bed. She slipped past the guards and told them you authorized it.”

A stillness fell like a dropped blade.

“I didn’t authorize anything,” Akihiro muttered, his voice low and jagged.

Before anyone could move, Daichi stormed in. “General—Ayame is gone. Last seen passing the gates alone. No clearance.”

Akihiro’s breath hardened. “Daichi. Take Kaito. Find Ayame. Now.”

Rei kept his eyes on the holograms.

“What about you?” he called after Akihiro.

Akihiro didn’t pause. “I’m going after Aihana. If the demons move on the city — you know what to do.”

Rei swallowed. “Understood.”

The doors slid shut behind him. For a long moment, the Control Hall was silent except for the hum of the monitors.

Rei stared at the glowing data on the screen and whispered,
“Please… find them.”

In the city

Up on the rooftop, the wind had gone cold.

Aihana sat near the edge, hugging herself to stay warm. The clouds had swallowed the sun completely, and thunderheads rolled in, bruised and heavy.

Akihiro descended silently, wings folding back as his boots touched the ground a few meters behind her. She sensed him the instant his presence touched the ground.

Slowly, Aihana rose. Her gaze stayed on the city below, shoulders trembling slightly.

Akihiro took a cautious step forward, voice low and steady. “You shouldn’t be here. Demons could track you easily.”

She finally looked up — but not at him. Just forward, voice dull. “What if I’m fine with that?”

She paused, then softly, like a knife slipping between ribs: “Your Majesty.”

The title hit him harder than any blade could. Akihiro froze mid-step. Her words — distant, bitter, broken — cut through his chest. His breath faltered, eyes narrowing in quiet pain.

“Don’t call me that,” he said, voice sharper than he intended.

Aihana lifted her gaze, eyes glimmering with hurt. “Why not? If it’s true — if you’re a prince — and you’ve been hiding it all this time…” Her voice cracked, tangled with anger and grief. “I want to go home. I want it all gone. The memories, the Academy, this curse of being a Guardian — everything.”

“You know that’s impossible,” he murmured finally. His throat tightened as he watched her step back, as if distance could dull the ache between them. Every instinct screamed to reach her, to pull her close, to tell her she was the only thing keeping him steady. But duty clamped around his heart like iron.

He stared at her, silent. Lightning stitched across the sky between them, striking the shimmer of tears she refused to shed. The clouds grumbled overhead. The first drops of rain fell.

In Front Of The A-Academy

Ayame approached the great gates. Her face was calm, almost serene — too calm. The guards greeted her without suspicion, unaware of the dark pulse faintly flickering behind her eyes. Ravukaru’s influence moved like poison through her veins, unseen but absolute.

Her footsteps echoed through the corridor, soft yet steady. Too steady. Shadows clung to her heels like ghosts of doubt, yet her face betrayed nothing. She pushed open the Control Hall doors, buzzing with soft magic and glowing holographic wards.

Rei turned immediately. “Ayame? You are here.”

She smiled.

Rei felt a chill run down his spine — something was very wrong.

Before he could respond, she raised her hand.

A pulse of shadow rippled through the room. The ward console flared, then dimmed as the shield seals inverted. Ravukaru’s whisper, threading through her veins like venom, surged:

Do it.

Rei’s eyes widened. “Ayame — stop!”

Too late.

The protective barrier flickered, then shattered — golden symbols dissolving into dust.

One controller lunged, but Ayame moved first. A blast of dark energy sent them staggering back.

“No!” Rei gasped, reaching, but she was already running. Cloak flaring behind her.

She sprinted to the tall window at the hall’s edge. In a heartbeat, she leaped — glass shattered as her wings tore free from concealment, dark and radiant with corrupted light. She vanished into the storm-darkened sky.

Outside, unearthly screeches answered the breach.

Demons poured through the clouds — fire and shadow trailing in their wake.

Rei slammed the alarm panel with a force born of panic and purpose.

“Defensive formation! All units to battle!”

The Academy’s lights turned blood-red. The stormy sky above erupted, holy and infernal light colliding in the heavens.

Ayame stood at the heart of chaos, sword in hand, eyes glowing crimson. Ravukaru’s voice whispered: Find the Guardians.

As battle ignited across the Academy grounds, Ayame faced the shocked girls — Sora, Kaori, Mizuki, Hikari — expression cold and unfamiliar.

“Stay back,” Sora warned, energy swirling.

Her voice came flat, distant, hollow. “You are here.”

On the rooftop

Akihiro’s communicator buzzed urgently. Rei’s voice cut through the tension:
“Akihiro! The Academy’s shield is down — Ravukaru is attacking, and Ayame is under his control!”

Aihana’s head snapped up, eyes wide. Her heart raced.

Akihiro’s jaw tightened. He couldn’t waste another second. With a swift motion, he turned, ready to fly into chaos.

But a soft hand on his arm froze him.

Aihana’s hand was firm. Her gaze met his, full of determination.

“I’m coming with you,” she said. “The girls… they need me.”

For a moment, tension crackled between them — uneasy, electric. Instincts took over. He stepped closer, pulled her into his arms, feeling her small frame press against him.

“Then we go together,” he murmured, arms tightening protectively around her.

And with that, they soared into the storm-lashed sky.

The Academy loomed ahead, once a place of calm, now engulfed in chaos. Shadows of demons twisted through crumbling defenses, the air buzzed with violent energy.

Aihana took a steady breath, letting her power awaken. A faint glow surrounded her as she transformed into her guardian form, light armor fitting snugly, aura sparking like fire ready to burst.

Akihiro’s eyes softened. Concern and pride mingled in his gaze. “Take care of yourself,” he said low but firm.

“I will,” Aihana replied, determination shining through. “You be careful too.”

He nodded, fingers tightening on the hilt of his radiant blade. With a flash of light, he shot into the stormy sky, sword trailing like a comet.

Aihana’s heart hammered as she sprinted into the maelstrom, each step carrying her toward the heart of battle. The Academy burned, the demons relentless, but she would stand her ground — nothing would stop her.