The Spark Before The Storm

  Cherry blossom petals burned to ash in the wind as we stood over the smoldering field.

  The night was too loud.

  Screams, wind, shattering ice—my thoughts drowned in all of it. I could barely hear Haruto’s voice over the comms, or the crackle of Takeshi’s fire beside me. The air stung with ozone. My body wanted to fall. But I couldn’t—not when they needed me.

  We were surrounded.

  A corrupted patrolman launched at Yuki from the left, eyes glowing violet with Akujin venom. She turned without even looking, ice spiraling from her fingers in jagged patterns that caught the moonlight as she froze his legs to the ground.

  "Left side clear," she said calmly, her expression unreadable.

  Takeshi cursed as another shadow burst from the treetops. "We’re not getting out of here if you keep monologuing!"

  He leapt, fire trailing behind him like the tail of a raccoon, slamming the enemy into the ground with a flaming axe-kick.

  I didn’t have time to thank him. Another corrupted civilian came at me, this one with claws formed from warped metal. I ducked under the swing, thrust my palm forward, and felt the lightning pulse through me—bright, hot, angry. My bolt connected, the impact blasting him backward into a tree.

  Three down. How many more?

  “Renji,” Aika’s voice said, calm but tense. “Six more inbound. West quadrant.”

  “Got it,” I said, shifting my stance.

  Behind me, Haruto stepped forward, his movements like water—graceful, seamless. He raised his hand, and a wave surged from the ground, swallowing another Akujin in a sphere of pressure so tight it knocked the man unconscious.

  It had only been a few months since we became an official unit in the Villain Fighters Operations, or VFO. And already, we’d seen more heartbreak than most soldiers did in a lifetime.

  Because these weren’t just monsters.

  They were our classmates.

  Our teachers.

  Our families.

  Corrupted by the enemy—the Akujin—twisted by grief, jealousy, or pain into living weapons. Controlled like puppets. And it was up to us to stop them. Even if they wore faces we once loved.

  Even if we had to be the ones to hurt them.

  This world isn't kind.

  People think heroes wear capes and save the day. But here, heroes cry in hospital beds. They wake up with scars on their hearts, not just their skin. And no matter how fast you run or how hard you hit—sometimes, it’s not enough.

  But we fight anyway.

  Because we have each other.

  Because we made a promise.

  Because…

  I love her.

  And one day, if I can keep fighting—maybe I’ll be worthy of Mina.

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  Roots of Corruption

  We gathered in Room 3-B long after the last bell had rung.

  Most students went home, chatting about tests or gossip or snacks. But for us—the six of us—school didn’t end in classrooms.

  “Sit up straight,” came the commanding voice of Ms. Natsume, our homeroom teacher by day and our VFO Commander by night. She stood in front of the blackboard, arms crossed, wearing a crimson coat over her usual uniform. “This one is personal.”

  The atmosphere dropped like a lead weight.

  I exchanged glances with Aika, whose usual sunshine-bright demeanor dimmed slightly. Haruto noticed too. His fingers curled in quiet tension.

  “The Akujin confirmed in Sector 9 is—” Ms. Natsume paused. “— Souta Hinamori.”

  I felt Aika flinch beside me.

  Her brother turned into a Akujin.

  Aika swallowed, her voice steadier than I expected. “When do we deploy?”

  “Now.”

  Sector 9 used to be a greenhouse. The soil was rich, the trees old and wide, the air filled with birdsong. Now it reeked of smoke and decay. Earth ruptured in jagged veins. Trees twisted unnaturally like hands clawing the sky.

  “He’s reshaping the land,” Haruto murmured beside her. “He must be using Earth corruption.”

  “Souta always loved gardening,” Aika whispered. “He said the ground spoke to him…”

  Haruto looked at her, not saying anything. But the way his hand hovered near hers before pulling back—that said enough.

  The first wave knocked us off our feet.

  Chunks of land rose from the earth, forming jagged plants. A shadow leapt out—an Akujin-possessed villager, eyes violet and wild. Yuki flicked her wrist, sending a spear of ice into their path. Takeshi roared past her, fire blazing from both arms, tackling a second attacker mid-air.

  “Back-to-back!” I shouted, lightning charging in my palms. “They’re swarming!”

  From the trees came more corrupted ones—at least six of them. Aika slammed her palms into the ground, summoning a dome of stone to block incoming rocks.

  Haruto crouched beside her, creating a mist barrier as cover. “You okay?”

  “I have to be,” she said, her lips tight. “He’s still in there. I know it.”

  He placed a hand over hers. “Then let’s bring him back.”

  We fought like the earth itself was trying to tear us apart.

  Yuki spun gracefully, frost trailing her fingertips like silver ribbons. She froze an enemy’s leg and kicked him square in the jaw, muttering, “I hate getting dirty.”

  Takeshi, laughing like a madman, melted falling boulders midair. “Come on, Princess! I’m doing all the work!”

  “I’d thank the enemy for shutting you up,” Yuki snapped, though her face turned faintly pink.

  I dodged a swipe and launched a bolt straight into the chest of an incoming threat. One down.” Another one down” I said in rage. Suddenly, Mina’s voice rang in my earpiece, soft like a melody, her music calming my pulse. "Centre your focus, Renji."

  God, even just her voice made my heart beat steadier.

  Then he came.

  Souta.

  Aika’s brother stepped from the twisted soil, his body covered in cracked armor made of earth and crystals. His eyes were not his own.

  “You should’ve left me alone,” he growled. “ YOU LEFT ME TO DIE!”

  “Now! I finally hear the earth’s true voice.”

  Aika stepped forward, her whole body shaking.

  “No,” she said. “You’re just hearing your pain. Let me help you!”

  He slammed his hand down. Thorns erupted around us. I shielded with lightning. Haruto blocked with a water wall. Yuki iced a path for Aika to dash forward.

  “Aika, wait!” I yelled.

  But she was already at the center of the chaos.

  She threw up a shield to protect herself and Souta from the rest of us.

  "Don't follow me," she said through comms. "I need to try.“ We could only watch from the outside. Inside, Aika dropped her defense. Walked toward him, slowly.

  “I used to follow you everywhere,” she whispered. “Even when I was scared. I believed in you.”

  Souta’s fists trembled. “I didn’t protect you. I let them take everything from us—”

  “You’re my oniisan. I don’t care what you’ve done. You’re still my brother.”

  A massive stone spike shot toward her.

  Haruto broke through the dome with a shout, water exploding outward in a spiral. He pulled Aika back just in time, taking a slash to the arm.

  “Haruto!” she cried. He winced, holding her close. “I’m not losing you too.”

  Aika stood and slammed her palms to the ground—not to fight, but to feel. To reach out.

  The earth around them pulsed. Quieted.

  And Souta collapsed, sobbing. The corruption faded, the light in his eyes returning.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “ Don’t trust the Choir.”

  Ms. Natsume stood over him as medics arrived. “We’ll get him treatment. He’s lucky.”

  Aika wept quietly beside Haruto, who never left her side. She leaned into him—just a little. He didn’t let go.

  Meanwhile, Takeshi nudged Yuki. “You worried about me in there?”

  She snorted. “Please. I was hoping they’d knock some sense into you.”

  I glanced at Mina, who had appeared just as we returned. She accidentally bumped into me

  (knowing that she is blind) and was unseen by the others. Soft and warm.

  No words needed.

  Just a hug.