Reason for Being

Several Years Ago

“Tell me what you see.”

For as long as Rei could remember, he was already exalted.

Growing up in the bright countryside where the air was sweet, trees were abundant, and few people lived, Rei always thought aether wasn’t anything special. Since he lived far from the ascension circle, his power barely manifested and its capabilities were nothing more than a warm embrace in winter or the extra push he needed to carry groceries from the store.

Until one day his father disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Before then they lived a happy, quiet life. Full of smiles despite their meager possessions. And then, nothing.

The neighbors thought his father had an accident, got involved with the wrong crowd, or simply got fed up and left.

But no. Rei was sure of what he saw and felt that day. It started with a heartbeat. The subtle, jolting sensation of aether prickling his skin. It made him curious. It made him look.

Kousuke Tsukihara vanished like the old, mythical moon.

Several days later they found his body washed up far to the north, on a riverbed, dead of unknown causes.

“Do I have a mother?” Rei asked long ago. “Why is it always the two of us?”

Father smiled gently and said, “when things settle down, I’d make sure you meet them. I promise.”

Rei didn’t have any other family he knew of, so the kind old lady at the store took him in. She was the closest to a friend father ever had.

But Rei knew one day he needed to go to Tokyo Sky. If he was exalted, then at some point in his childhood, he must’ve lived in the ascendant city. And though he wasn’t certain, he might have relatives there too.

Seven years later, at fifteen, he finally decided to go.

And what a marvel it was.

Like a fountain of earth, the city rose from the ground like a wave of mountains pushing on each other, racing to see who would first make it to the sun. It had skyscrapers, buildings, traditional temples, bathhouses, billboards and neon lights. Every district and every ward connected by a skyway system of roads and rail lines.

But technology and ingenuity didn’t happen overnight. At this point in time, the ascension had gradually progressed for thirty-eight years. And the city adapted to every second of it.

It was the largest city in the world, even before the ascension.

To a young Rei Tsukihara standing from a distance, it was like watching a dream. A different reality separate from the truth. But that starry-eyed view was soon dashed when he entered the city and learned of the established hierarchy. Those without wealth, family or power stayed at the bottom. Exalted though he was, he never knew how to properly use his abilities. He wasn’t listed in any of the city’s records.

And then came Kazuo Ninomiya. He was a scruffy old detective who worked at a run-down agency. He was boisterous, whimsical, and a pain in the ass, but somehow the police trusted him.

“What do I see?” Rei asked.

“That’s what I said, kid,” Ninomiya affirmed. “Tell me what you see. You have aether gathering in your eyes.”

“Huh. I couldn’t tell that you were exalted too.”

“I’m not. But living in this city teaches you a lot. Makes you… aware of them. So how about it?”

After a series of unfortunate events, Kazuo Ninomiya saved his life. Rei owed him everything.

“I think… I think I can see a person’s entire life. I’m not sure.”

“Life?”

“Like I can peek into a person’s memories or something. Probably more than that.”

“Well… damn. That sounds like the perfect ability for my line of work.”

Sometime after the Stargaze Hotel incident

December 2nd, 2050

Asakusa Boundary

Rei Tsukihara woke up from a dream he couldn’t remember. He smiled, knowing the end of it comforted him. A feeling of kindness and gratitude and—

White ceiling. Twin bed. Single table.

His eyes snapped wide open. What was this place? Where was he? The confusion made his heart palpitate. He forcibly sat up, but his back cried in protest.

“Oww, oww… ugh, dammit…”

Rei looked down at the white gown he was wearing. It smelled fresh. His right arm was bandaged. Was he hurt?

The memories came flooding back. The deal, the con, the fake drug. Shinozuka became exalted for a short time, but his body couldn’t handle the aether. He… exploded. That was real, right? If it was, then this was big. The police should—

Rei looked around the room. Everything looked clean. Was this a hospital?

Oh, that’s right!

Rei was on the floor of that ballroom. He was badly hurt. The red-dressed woman told Rei she was specifically looking for him, and then she received a phone call. On the other line was…

“I’m sorry, kid. I messed up.”

The woman held the phone in front of Rei.

“Chief? What the hell happened? The product, it was… it was real…”

“Is that right? Ah, dammit… I was betrayed. The intel Miya-chan passed me was a trap. I should’ve taken your place.”

Miya-chan? From the police’s first division?

“Listen, kid, I’m the one who botched the operation, I—” the sounds of struggling echoed from the other side. “Rei! I don’t know who got you, but don’t listen to—” more struggling. A loud crash. “You’re smart, kid! Figure out how to get out of this! Trust only yourself! Use everything—” The chief hurled, then more struggling. “Use everything I taught you!”

The line was cut and the woman took her phone back. “Well now,” she said, looming over Rei. “Quite the inspirational speech.”

“What…” Rei struggled to get up. “What are you going to do to him!”

“Nothing,” the woman replied coyly. “We’re simply… what was it you said earlier… we’re going to give him a ‘stern talking to’, that’s all. But if you want to see the old man again, then I’m afraid you’re gonna have to cooperate with us.”

“Cooperate… with what…”

Rei fell back on the floor. After that… he probably lost consiciouness.

“Dammit!” Rei shouted, his voice reverberating around the small white room he now found himself in. This was a hospital, right? Who took him here?

The woman said Rei was her objective. Why? Was it something he did? An old grudge from a previous case? His old affiliation in the lower wards? Or could it have something to do with his special ability? His eyes. Only the chief and his daughter Airi knew about it. But why would they tell anybody?

No, no, that couldn’t be it. Rei was probably blackmail material for the chief. He’s likely the one they really wanted.

Rei groaned his frustration and stared at the ceiling. Was this small room his prison now? He could feel his aether rumble deep within his chest, but what was he to do about it? Punch his way out? If only—

What’s that smell?

Rei looked at the door. He could hear footsteps. Was that coffee?

A knock came, followed by the door opening. Rei tensed beneath his blanket.

The person who came in was a young woman in casual streetwear—orange hoodie, grey pants and a pair of loafers. She had medium-length brown hair tied up in a tail, droopy eyes and upturned lips used to smiling. She was startled when she saw Rei, but she wasn’t surprised either. She pushed a small cart with some bread and a kettle of what smelled like coffee.

“You really are awake,” the woman said. “The bread is a bit cold, but the coffee should be good. The boss said to set food aside in case you—”

“Who are you?” Rei interjected.

The woman blinked, then smiled awkwardly. “Where are my manners?” she said. “Name’s Yukari. What about you?”

“Why am I here? What do you want from me?”

“That’s an odd name.”

“Shut up. Why did you bring me here?”

“Do you like ham and egg? That’s all we got.” Yukari took out a cup from beneath the cart. “If you don’t drink the coffee, it’ll get cold.”

“Answer. My. Questions.”

Rei coated his entire body with aether.

“I didn’t bring you here,” Yukari said while she poured coffee, steam rising. “The boss did. As for why, the heck do I know? All they told me is you’re here to help us.”

Help?

“What did you do to the chief?”

“I don’t know who that is.”

“Kazuo Ninomiya of the Ninomiya Investigation Agency! Where is he?”

Yukari put the kettle down, looked at Rei, eyed the coffee she poured… then drank it herself. “Good enough,” she said. “And I don’t know who that is. Look, I don’t know what you think this is, but I’m just here to watch over you before the boss comes back. You gonna eat this food or not?”

“What boss? Is it that red-dressed woman?”

“I suppose she’s fond of that color…”

“Eyepatch. She wears an eyepatch.”

“That’s the boss. Ruby. Like the gem.”

This wasn’t going anywhere. Rei slowly got out of bed and felt the cold, hard floor beneath his feet. He summoned aether into his right hand and formed his blade. He pointed it at the woman.

Yukari raised her free hand to surrender. Then continued to sip coffee with her other hand.

“I’m getting out of here,” Rei said. “Turn around.”

“Turn—why—ah!”

Rei forcibly turned Yukari the other way and patted her down for any weapon she might be hiding. She hurriedly put the coffee cup down, spilling some of it on the floor.

“I’m unarmed,” Yukari said, “and I don’t have powers like you. Just a plain old human, sir.”

Rei couldn’t sense aether so that was probably true. Still, he was thorough in searching the woman for anything.

“Can I sue you for harassment?” Yukari said. “You can’t just—hey!”

“I’m the one who’s gonna have you all arrested,” Rei replied. He checked as much as he could, but all he found was the woman’s bright-green phone. Not even a wallet. He pocketed the device.

“The boss did say you were a detective,” Yukari noted.

Assistant detective. But she didn’t need to know that.

“Okay, move.” Rei commanded. “Do anything funny and you know what happens.” He pushed his aether blade on the woman’s back. It might as well be a pencil, but she didn’t need to know that either. “I’m leaving out of this place. Now walk.”

“Do you even know what this place is, Mister Detective?”

Rei pushed the woman out the door.

There was a long hallway outside the door. Same white walls, clean floors, lots of rooms with card slots for names.

“Are we actually in a hospital?” Rei asked.

“Private hospital,” Yukari said. “All for one patient.”

“I’m that special, huh?” Rei snorted.

“Okay, make that two patients,” Yukari corrected. “But you don’t really count, err, detective, so really just one. You were just a teensy bit hurt, so we put you in one of the rooms to rest.”

“What patient then?” Rei asked. “Who is it?”

Could it be someone who absorbed the drug? Someone who was turned exalted?

“I probably shouldn't tell you that…” Yukari said. “Look, if you want to leave, we go left. That’s—”

Rei pushed the woman to the right.

Maybe the chief was in one of these rooms? There were too many to check. Would they put the chief in the same place as Rei though?

They reached the end of the hallway and found a split going left and right. There was a window in front of them, but it faced another building. Probably a different ward of the hospital.

Still, he could see the sky and the sun was up. The window was probably facing northeast.

Rei stepped forward and looked at the edges of the window. There were trees around the compound of the hospital, but no other buildings nearby. No slope either leading to higher elevation. They were probably at the edge of the city. Kita Senju? Asakusa?

Rei looked to the left of the hallway and found an elevator. He looked to the right and—

“What the hell?” a man in a navy-blue suit shouted. He looked like he just came out one of the rooms.

Mid thirties, muscular, glasses, and buzz cut. He had a face like a hawk. Keen eyes that immediately realized what was happening.

Rei put his back on the window, then pulled Yukari and used her as a shield. He raised his aether blade for the man to see.

“You’ve gotta be kidding—” The man pulled a gun from his jacket and pointed it towards them. “—damn you, let go of her!”

“Everything’s cool, Issei-san,” Yukari said, hands raised. “Our guest is just really agitated after he woke up. Where’s Kiyotaka? He’s the one who told me to bring our guest food.”

“That idiot!” the man, Issei, hissed under his breath. “Did I not tell all of you to call me first?”

“Did you?” Yukari said. "Kiyotaka should’ve contacted you too, then. He’s the one watching everybody with his peeping cameras.”

“Too late for that.” Issei gestured with his gun towards Rei. “Release the girl. We’re not here to harm you. We just—”

Rei gestured with his weapon. He made sure to make the aether glow a bit brighter for all to see. “You’re the one who needs to lower your gun. I’m going to leave this damn place… or this lady gets it.”

“Okay, okay,” Issei said. “Easy now.” He raised both his weapon and his other hand. “You want to leave, sure. The boss will contact you some other way, and we can all talk then. Just… be careful with Yukari there.”

Rei eyed the man suspiciously. He relented pretty quickly, didn’t he? What was he… Issei’s eyes darted from Rei to a bit on his left.

Dammit.

Rei summoned aether into his legs, pulled Yukari tight, then quickly faced the other hallway.

Another man in a suit, a younger one with bleached blonde hair and piercings, had crept from behind them, ready to tackle. Rei’s speed allowed him to dodge in time, and with aether still coursing through his right hand, he hit the man hard in the face with a strong backhand.

The blonde reeled and fell on his back, his cheek red and his nose bleeding. “Arrgghhh! Damn! My beautiful nose!”

Issei was quick to point his gun back at Rei. “We really don’t mean you any harm! We just need you to remain calm and cooperate with—”

“Enough with the theatrics!” Rei shouted.

“I told you to go right earlier,” Yukari said, her voice unfazed. “The main elevator is over there…”

“Dammit, it won’t stop bleeding,” the blonde cried.

“If all you want is leave, then—”

“You damned exalt! What if its permanently bent?”

“The staircase is also that way, in case you’re wondering…”

“—this place is surrounded. There’s no way you can—”

“You’ll pay for this!”

Everyone, shut up!

If it came to it, Rei could just break the window and jump from this height. What was it, third or fourth floor? He had enough aether for that.

“Where the hell is Kiyotaka anyway?”

“The longer you wait, the more people will come!”

“Hey, are you listening, punk?”

Rei should just do it. There was no other way. He—

“Piiiippiiiii… dadada… piipiipii…”

“The ocean sky, o ocean skies!”

Silence.

“Piiiipiiiii… dadada…”

“Miracle star, o ocean skies!”

Silence except for that funny song. Rei’s gown pocket was vibrating.

“Oh, that’s my phone,” Yukari said. “Wait, did you take it? You might want to answer that.”

Rei looked left and right. The hallway where he came from was clear, but he couldn’t outrun bullets. His aether shield was too weak for that. The blonde didn’t seem to have any weapon so he could quickly dash for the Issei guy and knock him out.

“Might be important, you know,” Yukari added. “You might even get answers.”

Rei clicked his tongue. He switched his aether blade from his right hand to his left hand holding Yukari. He slowly reached for his pocket and answered the call.

“…stand down, Rei Tsukihara.”

That voice. It was the red woman.

“You do realize we still have your beloved chief. Stand down if you know what’s best for both of you.”

“What the hell do you want with us?” Rei demanded.

“Just wait for me and I’ll tell you what we need you for. I’ll be there soon.”