Kai's eyes fluttered open. His body felt sore, his head heavy, but something immediately felt... off.
The room was filled with women.
Each one looked identical, dressed in nurse uniforms. Some were carefully tending to his wounds, wrapping bandages around his arms and chest. But then-his gaze dropped.
One of them was tugging at his trousers.
His heart skipped a beat.
"W-Wait-what are you-?!"
He let out a sharp scream.
Every single nurse froze.
Then, in perfect sync, they all turned to him at once. Their wide eyes reflected pure shock, as if they had never heard a man scream before.
A tense silence filled the room.
Then, one of the nurses cleared her throat. "Please remain calm."
Another stepped forward, her voice gentle. "You passed out. We're just dressing your wounds."
Kai's breath slowed, his brain catching up to the situation. Right. He had collapsed. His body was still aching from whatever hell he had gone through.
Just as he was about to relax-
BOOM.
The windows rattled from the explosion outside.
Kai's head snapped toward the window. Ignoring the nurses' protests, he stood up, limping over to get a better look.
Outside, on the academy grounds, two students were locked in battle.
One of them was mid-air, flames swirling around his body.
The other stood below, wearing a suit almost identical to the one from The Flash-only it looked more advanced.
The fallen student groaned, his own suit smoking from the impact. Whatever had happened, the fight wasn't over.
Kai clenched his fists. His own flames stirred within him.
"What the hell is going on?"
Kai's eyes narrowed as he watched the scene unfold outside. Flames and smoke. Sparks of energy.
Hazards... using their powers in the open?
That didn't make sense. Weren't they supposed to stay hidden? Stay low?
Did the rules change while he was out?
The flaming student hovered mid-air, his body radiating heat, while the fallen one groaned, his high-tech suit still smoking from the last hit.
Kai's heart pounded. If they were fighting openly, it meant one of two things:
1. Things had gotten real bad.
2. No one cared about hiding anymore.
Either way, he needed answers.
He turned to the nurses, his voice tense. "Where the hell am I?"
"You're weak," the flaming student scoffed as he landed effortlessly, flames flickering around his feet.
The other student, still on the ground, let out a low chuckle as he slowly pushed himself up. He dusted off his smoldering suit, rolling his shoulders like the last hit barely fazed him.
Then-his body shifted.
With a sickening crack, two extra arms burst from his sides, muscles bulging. His frame thickened, veins pulsing with newfound power.
Before the flame user could react, the transformed student vanished.
A blur.
In a split second, he closed the distance.
BAM!
A devastating punch slammed into the flame student's gut, sending shockwaves through the air. Then another. And another.
Fists rained down like a storm, too fast to block, too strong to ignore.
The flaming student's confidence shattered as his body was launched backward, crashing into the academy courtyard.
The ground cracked beneath the impact.
The fight had just begun.
A sudden presence silenced the battlefield.
A man with long black hair stood at the edge of the courtyard, holding a girl with glowing rainbow eyes in his arms. His voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable weight.
"Enough."
The command wasn't loud. It didn't need to be.
Both fighters froze instantly.
Kai, still watching from the window, felt his breath hitch. His eyes locked onto the girl in the man's grasp.
Those eyes...
His mind raced as a name surfaced. "Rin? From history class?" he muttered under his breath, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Meanwhile, the long-haired man turned his gaze to the four-armed student, his expression unreadable.
"Glitch, good job. But don't always depend on strength."
Glitch exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders as his extra arms retracted, his body shrinking back to normal.
The fight was over.
But Kai had the feeling that this was just the beginning.
Kai didn't feel like this was just the beginning.
He was confused as hell.
Hazards using their powers in the open? No consequences? No secrecy? What changed?
And then there was Rin. The quiet girl from history class, now standing beside some long-haired guy who could shut down a fight with just a word.
Kai's mind raced. How the hell was she involved in all this?
His grip tightened on the window frame as he watched Glitch nod at the man's words, his arms shrinking back to normal like nothing had happened.
None of this made sense.
And the more he watched, the more he realized-he had no idea what kind of world he had woken up to.
A gentle tug on Kai's arm snapped him out of his thoughts.
One of the nurses leaned in close and whispered, "This isn't the outside. You're in the Sanctum a safe place for Hazards."
Kai blinked. Sanctum?
"Well... mostly for children," she continued. "There are teachers here who help them understand their powers. Like Father Ben."
Kai's eyes drifted back outside. The battle, the long-haired man, Rin... What was this place?
Meanwhile...
Glitch ran a hand through his messy gray hair, still processing everything. He glanced at the long-haired man and asked, "who's the girl?"
The man's expression didn't change. "Her name is Rin."
Glitch raised an eyebrow as Father Ben continued, "I found her in my church. She crashed through the glass ceiling."
Glitch nodded but couldn't shake a strange feeling. He noticed that Father Ben never mentioned her powers.
But he let it slide. "Nice to meet you," he said, extending his hand toward Rin.
She hesitated before shaking it.
Rin's POV
Her mind was still spinning.
Father Ben had explained the Sanctum to her, how it was a place for Hazards, how it functioned, how she would be safe here.
He even gave her new clothes.
But none of that answered the one question burning in her mind-
How did I get these powers?
She stared at her hands, flexing her fingers. The memories were foggy, but one thing was certain.
She wasn't normal anymore.
...................
"She's still human, according to my examinations."
Father Ben's words barely had time to settle before Glitch reacted.
"Oh."
In an instant, his hand morphed into a sharp, gleaming blade-and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
Before Rin could even process what was happening, a cold grip closed around her throat.
She gasped. Glitch was suddenly inches away, holding her up by the neck.
His knife-like hand hovered just below her chin, sharp enough to pierce with the slightest movement. His grip was strong-too strong for her to break free.
His silver eyes didn't even look at her. Instead, he stared directly at Father Ben.
Testing him.
Challenging him.
Waiting for a reaction.
But Father Ben didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't even blink.
The air was silent except for Rin's choked breaths.
"Are you crazy? Letting humans in just to kill us?" Glitch snarled, his grip tightening-then, with a flick of his arm, he flung Rin aside like she weighed nothing.
She crashed onto the cold floor, her body skidding before coming to a stop. Pain exploded through her ribs.
Rin gasped, her chest tightening as she coughed up saliva, struggling to breathe. Her vision blurred.
Father Ben sighed. Calm. Unshaken.
"I would never do that..." His voice was soft yet firm as he walked toward Rin, kneeling beside her. Gently, he placed a hand under her arm and helped her sit up.
"...She is human. But I'd say she's a very important one."
He smiled at Glitch, his expression unreadable, then slowly stepped back, leaving Rin to stand on her own.
ROOM 13 AT FATHER BEN'S LAB (A building a couple acres away from health center)
Rin sat in a sterile white room, her arms and temples strapped with EEG scanners, the wires leading to a machine that monitored her brain activity.
Beyond the glass wall, separated by a door, Father Ben and Glitch watched.
Father Ben pressed a button, activating the intercom. "Rin, I want you to try something. Imagine moving... without actually moving."
Rin furrowed her brows. "That sounds weird."
"Just try."
She sighed, closing her eyes, focusing.
At first, nothing happened.
Then-a faint chiming sound rang in her ears.
Before she could even process it-
She warped.
Her body blinked out of existence and reappeared three feet away.
Glitch crossed his arms, unimpressed. "Okay, she's a Hazard. What's the big idea?"
Father Ben only smirked. "Watch closer."
Turning back to Rin, he let out a small sigh. "Forgive me for this."
Before Rin could react, a mechanical arm unfolded from the wall-a sleek, robotic turret, no bigger than a forearm.
It locked onto her.
Bang!
A shot rang out.
Pain exploded in Rin's arm as she screamed, collapsing to the ground.
Blood splattered onto the pristine white floor. Her fingers trembled.
Then-it stopped.
Right before Glitch's eyes, her wound closed instantly. The bullet wound vanished, skin stitching itself back together like it had never been there.
Glitch took a step forward, eyes wide. "Wait a minute..."
"Did a Hazard just use two powers?!"
His voice was sharp, almost disbelieving. "Is that even possible?"
Father Ben let out a low, amused laugh. "I believe she can do more."
Rin, still shaken from the sudden gunshot wound and instant healing, stared at both of them, completely fed up.
"Are you two done?" she muttered, rubbing her arm. "I get it. I'm not normal."
But deep down, she already knew-she didn't have a choice.
Anti-Hazard soldiers were out there. Ready to kill her the moment she stepped outside the Sanctum.
"So... you're gonna train me?" she asked.
"Yeah." Father Ben nodded.
"...But for what?"
Father Ben's smirk remained. "You'll see."
Rin exhaled sharply before pushing herself up to her feet. Her body still ached, but she ignored it.
Glitch, however, was still puzzled. He studied her carefully, his mind racing.
Two abilities. That shouldn't be possible.
Meanwhile, across the Sanctum, Kai was finally starting to understand where he was.
The nurses had explained everything-the Sanctum, the teachers, the purpose of this place.
A refuge for Hazards.
But something still didn't sit right with him. Why did it feel like this was all leading to something bigger?
Before the nurses could tease Kai any further, the door slid open.
Father Ben stepped in, followed by Glitch and Rin.
His calm gaze swept over the scene. "What seems to be the problem?"
Kai froze.
Rin blinked.
Their eyes locked.
A beat of silence.
Then, at the exact same time-
"YOU?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
They both pointed at each other, equally shocked.
MEANWHILE AT HALLEYS HOUSE (HALLEY'S ROOM)
Despite the air conditioning, she was drenched in sweat.
Her body trembled.
In the depths of her nightmare, a figure wreathed in flame stepped toward her.
Each step sent a wave of unbearable heat crawling up her skin.
Her breath hitched. Terror gripped her.
"Sakurgi... no, please... you don't have to do this!"
Her voice cracked, desperate.
"Please! We can talk-just talk!"
Tears rolled down her face.
The fire grew brighter. Closer. Hotter.
Then-
She screamed.
Her body jerked awake, eyes wide with terror.
The door burst open.
"Halley!"
Her green-haired friend, Takuya, rushed inside, his face full of worry. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her.
"It's okay..." he whispered, patting her hair gently. "It was just a dream... I'm here."
Halley's breathing was ragged, uneven.
She gripped Takuya's sleeve, trying to ground herself in reality.
Meanwhile, down the hall-a tired, half-asleep Kota wandered toward her room, still in his pajamas, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
He stopped in the doorway, blinking at the scene.
His gaze landed on Halley-her face pale, shaken, vulnerable.
For once, the usual sharpness in his expression softened.
"...Halley?" he murmured, voice laced with quiet concern.
echo still had his sniper in his hand that fell to the floor as he immediately runs to Halley
TO BE CONTINUED ...
DID you know
1. kota's full name is Kota Echo