The dark clouds overhead reflected the tension in the air. It was January 10th—the day of the invasion.
The courtyard of the military staging zone buzzed with preparation. Combat helicopters lined the field, engines humming low. Giant transport planes idled nearby. Soldiers, warriors, and Essence users hurried into formation, checking gear and reviewing strategies. This wasn't a simulation. It was real.
Riku Hayashi stood near the front, his eyes fixed ahead, calm but sharp. His uniform bore no official team insignia. While the others had been sorted into groups based on their Essence types and skill sets, Riku stood alone.
Too versatile. Too unpredictable. Too powerful.
Behind him, teams were being finalized by commanders barking out names. Beside the elevated platform at the center, a man in white-and-gold armor approached—Kensei Gojuro, the towering general and living legend. His presence alone silenced the area.
Four other high-ranking officials stood behind him. Among them was a young woman with sleek black hair tied in a low ponytail, dressed in an elegant, combat-grade uniform with no rank displayed. Her eyes—violet with a silver ring around the iris—locked onto Riku.
Without hesitation, she walked toward him, her boots clicking on the steel floor with each step.
"You must be Riku Hayashi," she said, her voice calm yet slightly nervous.
Riku turned to face her. "Yes. And you are?"
She hesitated for half a second, then extended her hand. "My name's Rei Tsukihana. I… I'm one of the advisors on this mission. I'm twenty-one."
The AI in Riku's earpiece whispered quietly: "Confirmed: Tsukihana Rei. Age: 21. Advisor. No military rank. Clearance Level: Black."
Rei's cheeks turned slightly pink as Riku took her hand. Her touch lingered just a second too long, her eyes never leaving his.
"I just wanted to say… if anything happens, you know, just in case of an emergency… maybe you could give me your contact number?" she said quickly, her voice a little too casual to hide the blush deepening on her face.
Riku raised an eyebrow but didn't pull back his hand. "Emergency contact, huh?"
She smiled nervously, then laughed—trying to play it off. "Yeah… exactly."
They shook hands. Rei's expression softened. As their hands parted, her entire face lit up like a sunrise. She nodded politely, then turned and walked back toward the other officials with a radiant grin that didn't fade even as she disappeared behind the armored line.
Riku exhaled slowly.
Without a word, he slipped away from the group into a narrow alley behind a row of storage crates. With a brief pulse of Essence, he pressed his hand against the ground.
A shimmer in the air—two figures emerged. A perfect clone of Riku and a tall, knightly warrior in black armor—the guardian he'd summoned before.
"Your orders," the clone asked quietly, mimicking his voice exactly.
Riku's eyes turned cold and focused. "Protect them. Don't engage unless you have to. Blend in, watch from a distance. If anything happens, move without hesitation."
The knight bowed. "Understood."
Riku reached into his jacket and pulled out two photos: Sayuri Hayashi, his kind, tired mother… and Yuki Hayashi, his energetic little sister who still believed the world was a game.
He handed the pictures to the knight. "No matter what happens… make sure they're safe."
The clone nodded. "We won't fail."
With a final nod, both figures vanished into the shadows, heading toward the city—toward home.
Riku turned back toward the staging zone, eyes hardening with quiet resolve. As he emerged from the shadows, the call went out:
"All units: begin boarding. Repeat, begin boarding!"
The groups filed into their assigned helicopters and transport planes. Riku, still alone, stepped into one of the high-priority crafts reserved for elite units. As the engines roared and the vehicles began to lift off, the ground beneath them trembled—not from the machines…
But from the storm coming.
The invasion had begun.