Introspection

Nine Years Ago

Unfamiliar voices spoke all around him.

Rei opened his eyes feeling very disoriented and confused. But a warm essence passed over him, tearing away at his anxiety.

“I think he’s waking up.”

Rei turned slightly to the right and saw the face of a man with ginormous spectacles, plump cheeks and the toothiest grin. He was glowing with aether and his eyes… they had the faintest shade of gold fading away.

“Wha… what happened?” Rei said as he tried to get up. But his back felt stiff, like his muscles were cramped.

“Careful,” the man said. “I only just finished healing you.”

“Healing..?”

Rei remembered. He was at a business deal between Earthwall and this group of renegades. Somebody started glowing. Gunfire, and—

Rei jolted upwards and inevitably bumping heads with the guy looking down on him. The shock made him see stars.

“Haruto!” another voice said in worry. “You bastard! How dare you treat—”

“It’s fine, it’s fine!” the man said. “Ahaha… that kinda hurt… are you okay, sir?”

“Sir?” Rei said, clutching his forehead. “What happened? Where am I?”

“You’re in Hikari Park,” the other voice said. When Rei looked up, he saw that it was an older man in a black suit. Grey hair, thick beard, eyes that squinted in suspicion. “In Nakameguro. You don’t even know how you got here, don’t you?”

“You were all beat up,” the younger man said. “Your left leg was twisted and swollen. I healed it up completely!”

Rei looked around him and saw cherry blossom trees to his left, the main road to his right. Soaring up in the distance atop a hill was the famous Tokyo Tower, elevated by the land for all to see. Cable cars went up and down to it, glinting against crimson dusk. The chromatic clouds were just about to form.

Right. I’m still in Tokyo Sky…

“What happened to the others?” Rei said, darting left and right. “Shiz and Roku… where did everyone go?”

“You’re the only one here,” the older man said. “The park is still under construction, so not many cars pass by. You’re lucky we decided to take a shortcut and found you collapsed on the side of the road.”

“So… I decided to heal you!” The younger man beamed. “Now I’m even later for my appointment with the minister of finance, but ugh, who cares about the party he’s throwing me. I can’t just leave someone hurt on the side of the road like that!”

“Heal me?” Rei looked down at his body. His hoodie and jeans were all dirty, and his muscles were stiff like he slept for an entire day, but otherwise… he felt fine. “You’re an exalt? You saved my life…”

The guy threw a thumbs up.

“Who are you?” Rei asked.

“Sure you don’t you recognize his face?” the older man said with an eyebrow up. He turned and gestured with his head towards a large billboard in the distance. It showed the same goofy guy in spectacles with the caption: ‘Healing Prodigy ascends in Tokyo’ and ‘Exalt for the Masses’. “That sign made it look like he’s running for office or something, but it wasn’t our idea. This is Haruto Fukuyama. He’s the healer exalt that’s been saving lives all over Shinjuku.”

Rei couldn’t believe it. An actual exalt who was out there helping people. It was just like the stories people tell about this city.

It was a brief encounter, but it was one Rei would never forget. It reaffirmed his view of Tokyo Sky and his intent to learn more about himself and his powers.

When Rei returned to the lower ward sometime later, he learned that his ‘friends’ abandoned him when they fled, hoping that he’d get picked up and arrested. They wanted to blame the failed business deal on Rei, but Kakohime had other eyes and ears in Tokyo Sky. She was testing Rei after all. She knew what really happened.

The others were ‘punished’, he would never see them again, while Rei was back to doing simple jobs for the next year.

After that, however, Rei would get another chance to work directly in the ascended city… and an opportunity to change his life forever would come knocking at his door.

Some time after the attack on the Tennojima Mansion

December 10th, 2025

Shibuya Peak

Rei woke up from a pleasant dream.

It felt like a lifetime since the day he met the healing exalt. The warmth of aether passing over his body was probably what triggered the memory. He looked to his side and saw Ruby Tennojima staring at her phone.

Ruby’s eye flicked towards his direction. If Rei didn’t know any better, he’d think she actually looked relieved. But that easily turned into a scowl.

“I remember when you liked to smile menacingly at me,” Rei said. His muscles stiff, he slowly rolled to his side, then got up in a sitting position, slightly lightheaded. “I don’t think I was hurt too badly, but… did I get healed with aether?”

“Yes,” Ruby answered. And that was that. “I heard you had quite the time fighting off the culprit.”

“I had her on the ropes.” Rei rubbed his eyes, then turned to face Ruby and realized he was sitting on a cushioned seat… inside a moving car. A limousine. He looked at the direction of the driver’s seat and saw Masa’s face in the rearview mirror. “Where are we going?”

“Waiting,” Ruby said. “We’re currently driving around Shibuya. A lot of things happened while you were passed out.”

Rei remembered. He used his ability at the last second to look into Ayane Kujo’s life.

The woman grew up in a research laboratory of sorts. Her father was an exalt like her. He trained her to be exactly like him. From small sparks at the palm of her hands to lightning bolts that ran entire buildings. She was beaten for making mistakes and she couldn’t make things vanish like her father. Appearing and reappearing repeatedly, however, was something only she could do.

It was funny how clear that part of the vision was. Probably because it took place in one location over many years; a large, white room in a laboratory somewhere. Anything after that was a blurry mess.

Ayane was sent on what she called ‘missions’. Sometimes with her father, sometimes on her own. A rich politician. A foreign researcher. A group of mobsters. None of them saw her coming.

This was the closest Rei had ever gotten to the truth.

“Stick with me long enough, kid, and one day I’ll help you find what you’re looking for.” Chief Ninomiya’s words echoed in his head. “Learn my tricks and you may even get to the answers yourself. This, I promise you.”

It was roundabout as all hell, but the chief’s reckless behavior eventually got him here. He finally found a connection to his father’s disappearance.

“You’re smiling,” Ruby said. “Lucia told us you passed out after fighting that Kujo woman. Did you use your eyes on her?”

“Lucia did?” Rei asked in surprise.

“She’s the one who saved your life,” Ruby said. “But we can save that for later. Answer the question.”

Rei slumped on his seat and sighed. “I did. I thought I was done for, but I wanted some answers.”

“And?” Ruby’s eye bore into Rei. “What did you see?”

Rei met the woman’s sharp gaze. “She ascended young and devoted her entire life training her exalted abilities. Honestly, most times I use my eyes I could barely piece things together, but that woman’s life consisted of the same damn thing. Your grandfather worked a lot but at least he had variety.”

“You know who she worked for?” Ruby followed.

“Not directly,” Rei replied, stretching his neck. “I think it was her father who worked for the institute. For Daiki Tennojima.”

Ruby’s entire demeanor darkened, as if a large shadow passed over her. Outside the car, the people of Shibuya walked by innocently, laughing with each other, unburdened by secrets or truths.

“I know Kujo as grandfather’s ‘work associate’,” Ruby said. “His colleague from some other company. Can you cross-reference anything from his memories?”

Rei shook his head. “I remember seeing Ayane’s father. But nothing concrete.”

“What work did the Kujos do for my grandfather?”

Rei scratched his head.

“Answer the question.”

“I’m thinking,” Rei said. “You know, Ayane did tell me to never trust the Tennojimas or the institute. Considering my current circumstances, I don’t think she’s that far off the mark.”

Ruby did not look pleased.

“And yet,” Rei continued, “me being your pawn is not purely coincidental, is it?”

“Not purely,” Ruby confirmed. “And?”

“It happened later in Ayane’s life,” Rei said, “so that part’s blurry for me, but I’m pretty sure she… eliminated people. I saw her do it at least a couple of times.”

From what little Rei could tell in his vision, Ayane didn’t seem to like her job very much. She simply did what her father instructed.

Who was he, anyway?

“Dammit!” Ruby hissed through gritted teeth. “I dreaded to learn this when you scoured grandfather’s memories, but you didn’t. I hoped… I hoped I had it wrong after all.”

“You had suspicions?”

“I had reasons.”

Ayane did call Ruby naïve. Perhaps this woman really didn’t know anything. But it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

“About her father,” Rei inquired. “Who was he? If Ayane came to the will reading in his place, then is it safe to say he’s dead?”

“I don’t know,” Ruby said. “His name is Nobuyoshi Kujo. He’s the person grandfather talked to whenever he found himself in trouble. I asked once, but…”

Interesting, Rei thought. A hitman for hire. Maybe more. I don’t think it’s a coincidence he’s an exalt.

“There it is again,” Ruby said.

Rei looked up, confused. “What?”

“You’re smiling.”

Was he?

“About this not being coincidental,” Rei said. “The day we made a deal. You said you knew what I was looking for. Here I am seeing what I’m looking for.”

Ruby’s face revealed nothing.

“You know, I infiltrated the Tennojima Research Institute once,” Rei continued. “Well, more than once, digging for information. This was before I was with the agency. Lacking any sort of skill or resource, I didn’t find anything.”

“Most people don’t,” Ruby said quietly.

“You’re the granddaughter of the founder and you’re having trouble finding anything,” Rei added with a shrug. “I didn’t stand a chance.”

“Say what you want to say.”

“You know about my abilities. About my father. Kousuke Tsukihara vanished in front of my eyes when I was eight. I’ve been looking for the exalt who did him in. Am I connecting this right?”

“You tell me,” Ruby said. “I’m only learning of the Kujos now. From you. I’m sure you’ve pieced this already, but our interests… align.”

“How did you learn about me?”

“Alter Eyes Project,” Ruby said, almost with finality. “I don’t know what it is, only that it’s one of the many secrets the research institute has in their closet. And I connected it to you after…”

“After?”

“I can’t say. I made a promise.”

“To who?”

Ruby regained her menacing smile and raised an eyebrow. “That would make me break my promise. You wouldn’t want that, do you?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because I made a similar promise to you. I told you I’d give you every information I have at the end of this. Do you want me to be somebody who keeps their promise?”

Rei blinked at that, then started to laugh. He wasn’t fully convinced, but Ruby might not be the worst person after all. Abduction and blackmail notwithstanding.

“You got me there,” Rei said. “But Alter Eyes Project, huh? Sounds like it has something to do with my power, but…”

“Grandfather chose to hone aether into his eyes after he became exalted,” Ruby finished. “That was new information to me, so I’ll have to consider it more when I have time.”

Rei nodded and left it there. Antagonizing Ruby now would only jeopardize his chances. Besides, if it came to it, he could still use his ability on her. That, and the second challenge was coming up soon.

Ruby looked down for a while, thinking. “So… you think Ayane’s father is your culprit?” she asked. “Or perhaps your father had the same ability to vanish?”

“I’m pretty sure my father’s not an exalt,” Rei said. “I’ve been exalted for as long as I remember so I would’ve sensed it. Ayane’s father, though… I think he had the ability to make other things vanish.”

“A troubling ability...”

“It is. Where is Ayane Kujo anyway?”

“Locked up. We confiscated two gold medallions from her. She should have four in total, but our guess is she didn’t have need for the silver ones.”

“Huh. And Carlos?”

“Dead.”

The word hung heavy in the air.

“He was already wounded before he even escaped,” Ruby continued. “Masa tried to do what he could, but it was too late.”

Rei’s eyes looked at the rearview mirror. If Masa was distraught over what happened, he didn’t show it.

“So, we have three dead apprentices, one assassin locked up, and an armed group threatening to have my head,” Ruby recounted. “All exalts heads for that matter. It hasn’t even been a day since the will reading.”

Rei perked up. “All exalts?”

“We haven’t confirmed it, but the bastards weren’t even hiding their disdain,” Ruby said. “It’s the Anti-Exalt Faction that was put down all those years ago.”

“They’re back?”

“More like they never left.” Ruby narrowed her eyes. “You seem particularly distressed over this.”

“I, uh, had a run in with them long ago,” Rei said. “Not the best memory… but the timing of their return is too perfect. Daiki Tennojima dies and they’re ready to pounce?”

“Agreed.” Ruby recrossed her legs, then checked her phone. “For now, we have three gold medallions. One is with me, the second is with Kiyotaka, the third with Issei, along with your silver. I have them move around the city until we rendezvous at the second location.”

“So, the two golds for each of us.”

“And I promised the third to Lucia.”

“My savior.”

“Correct. For now, I think we can trust her. At least until we compete for the final prize. That, and she’s exalted. I doubt she’d side with the Humanist Consortium.”

“Makes sense.” Rei chuckled. “I’m surprised you got Kiyotaka to go outside.”

Ruby sighed exhaustively. “He does leave every now and then. In fact, he’s probably the hardest to track if he puts his mind to it, what with his fascination with surveillance. If I didn’t want to split the gold medallions apart, I’d have him take it all for safe keep—”

Beep. Beep.

Beeeeep.

The screen of Ruby’s phone lit up, illuminating her shapely face. It must be noon.

Rei looked around the limousine and found his jacket bungled up behind the driver’s seat. The damned thing was all beat up, but the phone should be… found it. He turned the screen on and saw what he was looking for.

‘The second challenge will be held at Kanda Summit. The exact address will be listed below.

All gold medallion holders will be required to attend. If any gold medallion holder decides to withdraw, please bring your gold medallion to the second location before doing so. Otherwise, trackers will be activated so the event organizer can retrieve them from you.

Silver medallion holders are welcome to watch the rest of the challenge, but exchanges for a silver medallion’s monetary value will be held after the entire event is concluded.

If any gold medallion holder chooses to withdraw, or a box from a non-participant contains a gold medallion, that medallion can be allocated to a silver medallion holder via a random choosing, depending on the event organizer’s assessment of the situation. Silver medallion holders are therefore encouraged to come to the second location if they want a chance in continuing the challenge.

We hope to see you soon.’

The map included showed a park with a shrine nearby. Interesting.

“So they’re giving away gold medallions from the extra boxes,” Ruby said. “They really want seven people.”

“Need, perhaps,” Rei said. He turned off his phone. “What are the police planning to do about this?”

“They’re investigating the Shinjuku Palisades as we speak,” Ruby replied. “And looking into the Anti-Exalt Faction. But they understand the importance of grandfather’s research. They don’t want it falling to the wrong hands. So, for the time being, they’re letting us proceed with the challenge while keeping a watchful eye.”

The government probably weighed in on the situation. Daiki Tennojima’s research was probably the most valuable thing to Tokyo Sky.

“For now, I suppose we have half a day to kill time,” Ruby said. “All while avoiding the faction’s eyes. Any suggestions?”

“Well… I am famished,” Rei said. Then he raised his ruined jacket. “And a proper change of clothes would be nice. I know a place we could get both.”