Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains.
Ren woke slowly, the events of the night before rushing back into his mind — the facility, the monster, the crystal… and the dream.
From the living room, Kai's voice echoed.
"Hey, sleeping beauty. You alive?"
Ren groaned and sat up.
"Barely."
Kai leaned against the doorway, already dressed.
"Good. Because we still have school."
Ren blinked.
"…After everything that happened?"
Kai shrugged.
"What, you think we get a day off for fighting lizards?"
Ren sighed.
"…Fair point."
The school day passed strangely normal.
Classes, notes, teachers talking — the usual routine felt almost unreal after the night before.
By afternoon, the sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm orange glow across the schoolyard.
Students slowly poured out of the building, laughing and stretching after the long day.
Ren and Kai walked together toward the gate.
Kai lowered his voice.
"…Did you have that dream again?"
Ren glanced at him.
"…Yeah."
Kai frowned.
"That voice?"
Ren nodded.
Before Kai could say anything else, their teacher approached from behind them.
He gave them his usual tired smile.
"You two look like you're plotting something again."
Kai scratched his head awkwardly.
"Just… a little research project."
The teacher chuckled.
"Well, don't blow up the classroom."
Ren and Kai laughed softly.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
The sunset painted the sky in warm colors.
Then—
The air vibrated.
A faint buzzing sound filled the space, like static building inside the atmosphere.
Ren froze.
"…Kai?"
The ground beneath their feet rippled.
A dark circle slowly spread across the pavement — like black ink spilling across the earth.
Kai's eyes widened.
"…That's not good."
Students nearby started murmuring in confusion.
Then the circle expanded.
A portal.
Gravity twisted.
The sky warped.
Everything collapsed downward.
Ren barely had time to look down.
"Kai! What is—"
Their teacher shouted suddenly.
"Everyone, grab onto—!"
But it was too late.
The world flipped.
And they fell.
Ren slammed onto cold metal flooring.
Pain shot through his back as he struggled to breathe.
The portal above them snapped shut with a violent ripple.
Darkness.
Only dim red emergency lights flickered along the metallic walls.
Ren pushed himself up slowly.
Around him, other students groaned in pain.
Kai was nearby, helping someone up.
The teacher stood in front of them, scanning the room cautiously.
"…Where are we?"
Footsteps echoed through the chamber.
Heavy.
Calm.
From the shadows, several masked figures stepped forward.
Black uniforms.
Cold eyes behind their visors.
One of them smirked as he looked at the frightened group.
"We caught more than expected."
Another agent activated a scanning device.
A red beam swept across the students.
Then the scanner beeped sharply.
The agent looked directly at Ren.
"…One of them has the light."
The agents began moving toward the students.
Ren felt the necklace around his neck grow warm.
The teacher suddenly stepped forward, blocking their path.
"You're not touching my students."
The lead agent tilted his head slightly.
"Move."
The teacher didn't.
"Not happening."
One of the agents rushed him.
The teacher fought back instantly — pushing the attacker aside and striking another.
Chaos erupted.
Students screamed and scattered.
But the agents were stronger.
A weapon flashed.
The teacher collapsed to one knee, injured but still trying to stand.
Ren felt the necklace suddenly burn against his chest.
Light burst outward.
A violent flash filled the chamber.
The floor shook.
A shockwave blasted through the room.
Agents staggered back.
"What—?!"
"The resonance!"
"Pull back!"
The chamber trembled as alarms began screaming.
Kai grabbed Ren before he could collapse.
"Ren! Stay with me!"
Half-conscious, Ren barely saw Kai dragging him toward a half-open emergency door in the wall.
Behind them, the injured teacher forced himself up and pushed the door open wider.
"Go!"
Kai hesitated.
"But—"
The teacher's voice was weak but firm.
"Run."
"Keep them safe."
Kai clenched his teeth.
Then he dragged Ren through the doorway.
The door slammed shut behind them with a heavy metallic seal.
The alarms faded.
Silence followed.
Ren woke slowly.
He was back in his room.
Morning light filtered through the window again.
For a moment, he wondered if everything had been a dream.
But then he felt it.
A faint pulse in his chest.
The fragment.
Still there.
Ren sat up slowly.
"…Sensei…"
He wanted to believe the teacher survived.
Elsewhere in the city, another boy stared down at his phone screen.
News footage showed smoke rising from a damaged district.
"A mysterious explosion earlier this evening…"