Gaia : The Weight of My Responsibility.

Jōgan’s breath came out in gasps as he asked quickly, making sure Riko and Rika were still safe in his arms. His lungs struggled to draw breath through the hot air left by the Gamma pressure and the hard impact against his back.

Nginggg..! 

“Arghh..! W-What is that?”The pain in his head suddenly struck again. Jōgan slowly lifted his face and froze. A gigantic monster stood before his father.

Grhhh ~ Sringg!

Urqell’s breath was heavy and steaming. The creature swung its axe to the side, the blade glinting under the remaining light of the lamp. Those blood-red eyes stared at Hugo, accompanied by a horrifying grin.

“Very unpleasant to see such a miserable face at night,” Hugo said casually. “You’ve ruined what was already a rather chaotic family dinner… ugly,” he continued, mocking without the slightest hint of fear.

"Ghrrr…"

Urqell’s grin widened even further. In an instant, the creature charged straight toward Hugo and swung its axe with brutal force, striking directly toward his head.

“Slow.” Hugo vanished from the path of the attack. With effortless speed, he condensed blue energy at the tip of his finger. The space around it trembled and compressed, forming a small point of gravity.

BRUAKKKK!

Vvuummm!! 

“Spectral Shift Lv.20.” With a calm voice, the tip of Hugo’s finger touched Urqell’s forehead.

QREKKKK!

“Grhhhhhh…!” It was not the sound of flesh being crushed, but the shriek of metal forced to bend. Cracks spread across Urqell’s single horn, crawling downward toward the hollow of its eye as the Level-20 pressure shattered its biological defenses.

Without pause, Hugo stepped forward and delivered a focused strike to Urqell’s chest.  “Supernova Shockwave Impact - Lv21.”

KRA ~ BOOMMM!!

BRUAGHH ~ PLASH!!

Urqell’s body was hurled far backward, crashing through several walls of the house at once.

Ngiinggg!

Jōgan’s ears rang Violently. The pressure from the Supernova Shockwave was far too great for his body.

“Huh…” Hugo exhaled cigarette smoke toward the cracked ceiling. “Jōgan, you need to start getting used to cosmic sounds.” With relaxed steps, Hugo walked toward the direction where Urqell’s body had been thrown.

Jōgan stared at his father’s back as it slowly moved farther away. For the first time, he realized the distance between them was not merely a matter of training.

“E… Kaito, Zulo… wake up!” Jōgan urged, grabbing Kaito by the collar. Jōgan’s grip tightened, forcing Kaito’s body into a sitting position.

“E… Jōgan, why are there birds flying around my head…” Kaito muttered, his head swaying from the Gamma explosion.

“I-it’s because our bodies were thrown back, idiot,” Zulo replied, trying to stand with a grimace.

“Here… I’m entrusting Rika and Riko to you.” Jōgan quickly handed the still-unconscious Rika and Riko into their arms. “You two wait here.”

Without another word, Jōgan ran after his father.

***

Terk ~ terk ~ terk!

The sound of Hugo’s Geta echoed calmly, in sharp contrast to the destruction around him. “Eh~ you look even more miserable,” Hugo said casually, leaning his body against a cracked wall, a faint smile on his lips.

Srhhh~kkk…

A rough scraping sound echoed as Urqell’s body struggled to rise. Its groans and breathing were heavy, dense, and filled with menace.

Gerhhh ~ Sringg…

Urqell finally stood upright, gripping its axe tightly once more.

Hugo stepped toward a sofa in the middle of the neighbor’s house that had already been destroyed. He sat down calmly, then crossed his legs.

Brukk… brukk… “Graahhhhh~!!”

Urqell attacked again. The swing of its axe was now wrapped in a blazing red light. The weapon came crashing straight down from above Hugo’s head.

“Barrier Vesel.” Hugo said quietly, forming a half-triangle symbol with his right hand.

Tringg~!

A sharp ringing sound echoed as the axe struck the blue layer surrounding his body, not moving it in the slightest.

“You’re still attacking with emotion.” Hugo said, with a playful faint smile.

Tap… tap… tap…

The sound of Jōgan’s running footsteps approached, then stopped at the edge of the ruined room. His eyes fixed on the interaction between his father and the creature.

Gerhhh ~ grokkkk…!

Urqell’s frustrated growl rumbled as it channeled an even greater amount of Gamma energy into its axe.

Zzzzzzt ~ vummm!

The metal of the axe began to vibrate, saturated with energy. The Gamma energy emitted by Urqell created a static electromagnetic field. Pebbles and fragments of the wall around it slowly began to float.

KRINGGGGG~HHHH!

With a powerful swing, the axe struck the Barrier once again. Hugo remained calm in his position, only wearing a faint smile. The collision between Urqell’s axe and the Barrier repelled each other, deafening the air.

Tit… tit… tit…

The faint sound of Hugo’s wristwatch alarm rang amid the cosmic blasts. “Ha…!” Hugo jolted slightly, glancing at his watch. “It’s already the children’s bedtime,” he continued casually, as if he were not standing in the middle of a battle.

Jōgan remained silent at the edge of the room, his face frozen, unable to believe what he was witnessing.

“Alright… playtime is over.” Hugo’s expression turned slightly serious. He extended his left hand, forming a symbol with two fingers pressed together, pointing straight at Urqell’s chest.

Energy gathered at the tip of his fingers. The air around it screamed.

“Gamma-Ray Flash - 23!” Hugo said with a faint smile.

VREEE~BOOOM!!

A bluish-white light swept across the entire area.

Srhhhkkk ~ trekk…

Urqell’s body swelled… then shattered into subatomic particles, vanishing before a single drop of blood could spill. Fragments of the walls fell away, leaving behind a heavy silence.

***

“D-dad…” Jōgan’s voice came out faint, almost inaudible. He could not understand what had just happened, or what he had just witnessed. For the first time in his life, he felt that he did not know his father at all.

Hugo rose casually from where he had been sitting, then glanced back at Jōgan behind him. “Mm… you don’t need to understand everything right now,” he said lightly, turning his body and stepping closer.

“Come on… it’s already late, let’s go home.” Hugo said briefly as he patted Jōgan’s head. For a moment the touch was light, almost ordinary, before he walked back toward the house. He whistled casually, as if nothing had just happened.

“I… is this my responsibility? Will I be able to…?” he murmured, his chest pounding. Jōgan remained frozen, his eyes fixed on the place where Urqell had last stood, now empty, without a trace. Then slowly his gaze shifted to his father’s back as it moved farther and farther away.

***

December 2nd, 2008, early dawn. Katsushika House - a few moments after the Urqell attack.

Dust still hung faintly in the air. The living room lamp glowed dimly, reflecting the shadows of cracks across the walls.

“Mmhh… So, if I understand this correctly, we’re chosen humans from the universe?” Zulo sat on the dirty sofa, crossing his arms over his chest. His tone sounded overly casual, as if he had been standing on the front line against Urqell himself.

“I-I… want to go home. Z-Zulo… please walk me to my house gate…” Kaito sat curled up, his knees pulled to his chest, his body trembling.

“Huh… You two are staying here tonight.” Hugo sat casually on top of the TV table, exhaling cigarette smoke toward the cracked ceiling. His tone was not an offer. It sounded more like a final decision.

Tap… tap… tap…

Footsteps echoed from outside.

Jōgan entered the living room from the destroyed neighbor’s house. His face was lowered. His shoulders were tense. His breathing had not completely calmed.

“W-what exactly are we…?” Jōgan lifted his face, staring straight at Hugo. “And who… are you really, Dad?!”

Hugo glanced briefly at him. “Huh… I already explained about the Twelve Earths and humans with power.”

BRAK! 

“THAT’S NOT IT!” Jōgan’s fist slammed into the wall beside him as he shouted at Hugo. “That power… those lights that destroy everything! And… that creature, explain everything. Don’t hide anything from me!” His voice trembled. He swallowed hard.

“…Urqell.” Hugo fell silent for a moment as he put out his cigarette. The single word dropped heavily. Hugo lit a new cigarette. “Urqell comes from Raza. They are elite soldiers, servants of power.”

“S-so I have to train, to become strong enough to face the Urqell?” Jōgan stepped forward, his brows furrowing.

“No, not only Urqell. Urqell is merely the lowest layer of what you will face.” Hugo’s answer was quick and cold, his voice low. His gaze hardened as he looked at his son.

The room suddenly felt narrower.

“T-then…” Jōgan’s voice was almost a whisper. “What am I supposed to fight them for? To protect humans all over the world who don’t even care about me or know who I am?” He could no longer hold back his emotions. Jōgan’s voice echoed through the damaged living room.

“Not only that, because you inherited it. A power that is meant to protect all twelve Earths above everything.” Hugo murmured softly, almost like a whisper. For a moment, his gaze softened. There was something heavy there, something he had kept buried for so long, something difficult to truly let leave his mouth.

“The destiny of your birth and your power demands responsibility,” Hugo continued quietly. He gave Jōgan a faint smile, who still stood stiffly in place.

“I… never asked to be born with this power. I don’t know or understand any of this.” Jōgan said, his voice trembling, his emotions restrained.

“Hm… the same is true for everyone else. No human is given the choice of what they will be born as, or how their life will begin.” Hugo’s gaze hardened again as he looked at his son. He stood up, stepped closer to Jōgan, then firmly patted his shoulder. 

“The only choice we truly have… is how we live through it all… and how we bring it to an end, Jōgan.” He continued, his voice low but firm. A faint yet sincere smile appeared on his lips.

Kaito and Zulo exchanged glances, then stepped closer.

“Jo… Jōgan… I don’t know what to say,” Kaito stammered, his voice still trembling. “B-but I’ll try. We’ll get through all of this… together.” He gave a small smile, forcing his courage forward.

“Jōgan,” Zulo followed, patting his back. “I might not inherit power like yours.” He raised his thumb with a wide grin. “But I’ll help however I can. We’ll do this as a team, as friends.”

Jōgan looked around him.

“Y… you guys.” For the first time, he truly realized that whatever fate awaited him, he was not alone. There were people sincere enough to choose to stand by his side.

“You idiots… y-you guys. Haks… heekss… th-thank you…!” Jōgan murmured as he lowered his face, trying to hold back his tears.

In the end, Jōgan’s tears finally broke free, surrounded by people who had chosen, without hesitation to stand beside him.