Suddenly, in the middle of the night, strange noises were heard, and bursts of purple light could be seen shooting out. One of these techniques was aimed at Kouta, but he managed to block it with his arms. Not knowing what it was, Kouta decided to approach the place where all the commotion was coming from, observing two people fighting and throwing those strange bursts of light at each other. Fury was evident on both their faces, but neither gave in to the other, until one of them fell. The other man quickly fled the scene, and Kouta, trusting his intuition and disregarding his own protection, approached the injured man and began to heal him.
Kouta: Hey, are you okay? Who was that guy, and why were you fighting?
Man: Ugh... Oh, god... it hurts so much...
Kouta: Calm down, I'll heal you. Just hold on, please...
And, surprisingly, Kouta managed to successfully heal the unknown subject, still unaware of who it was.
Subject: T-Thank you for helping me... and forgive my lack of manners. My name is Haruto Yukimura, I am a guardian of the dimensional barrier. The stranger I was fighting was a demon. Even though the barrier is very strong and tough, they always find a way in.
Kota: Barrier what? Is there anywhere else besides here?
Haruto: Of course. There are actually three worlds: Paradise, where the guardian angels and Adeus himself are; the Phantom World, where we are Now, the place where souls live their second lives; and the Underworld, the worst of the three worlds, ruled by Gares and his subordinates, the demons. I really don't recommend going in there.
Kouta: Wow... And is there a way to access Paradise or the Underworld?
Haruto: Well... yes and no. Those who are here are condemned to live here forever, unless Adeus himself allows you to enter Paradise. You can access Hell... but I really don't recommend it. It's very dangerous there.
Kouta: I-I understand... and, can I ask you a favor?
Haruto: Sure, whatever you'd like.
Kouta: Could you teach me how to launch those bursts of light that came out of your hands?
Haruto: Oh, well, it's certainly something very easy to do. You just have to raise your hands and direct a bit of energy into your palm.
Kouta tries it.
Kouta: Like this?
Haruto: Exactly. Now, to release it, just throw it like you're throwing a rock, or simply pull your hand back and force it forward again.
Kouta tries it the second way.
Kouta: Hmmm... Like this?
Haruto: Yeah, just like that. Wow, you learn fast, kid.
Kouta: Oh, wow! Thanks so much for the explanation and for teaching me how to throw these bursts of light.
Haruto: You can also just call them "blasts." And if you want to learn more, we can meet here again every night. I can teach you more techniques, like flying and creating ghost attacks.
Kouta: Really? Okay. Thanks for everything, Haruto. See you here tomorrow. Take care.
Haruto: Of course, you too. Take care, kid.
And Kouta returned to Yui's house, where she was still asleep and didn't notice anything. He decided not to wake her and instead went to sleep on the same large rock nearby, trying to harden his body.
Hours later, the sun began to peek over the horizon. Fifteen minutes before Yui woke up, Kouta approached her door and waited. Shortly after, she woke up, changed her clothes, and got ready to go out. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Kouta waiting for her.
Akemi: Kouta? What are you doing here so early?
Kouta: I thought we could talk for a while. Besides, I wanted to see if we could go out and explore this world more today.
Akemi: Hmm... sounds good. But first, come in, let's talk a little.
They chatted for a while, catching up on what they'd learned so far. Akemi mentioned her training, while Kouta omitted what had happened with Haruto so as not to worry her. Soon after, she suggested going out to see more of the world, and Kouta agreed. However, before they could leave...
TO BE CONTINUED...