Akira stirred, consciousness slowly returning. His head throbbed. As he blinked away the haze, he took in his unfamiliar surroundings with a confused frown.
"Where… where am I?" he muttered, trying to sit up—only to be hit by a wave of dizziness.
A man nearby watched him silently, his posture relaxed but his gaze sharp.
"So, you're finally awake," the man said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Name's Mikage Magata."
Akira's instincts kicked in. Heart pounding, he scrambled backward toward the wall, eyes scanning the room for an exit.
"Help! Someone help me! I've been kidnapped!" he shouted.
Mikage crouched down to eye level, unfazed. "No one can hear you. So save your breath," he said calmly. "Relax… and think. Why do you think you're here?"
Akira scowled. "Why should I care?"
Without missing a beat, Mikage tapped his own forehead. "Think, Akira. What's the last thing you remember?"
Memories started flooding back—
"I… I was shot," Akira murmured.
Mikage nodded slowly. "Correct. Shot. And not just wounded—you were killed. Dead on impact."
Akira's throat went dry.
"And yet," Mikage continued, leaning in, "here you are. Alive. A week later. Breathing, talking, perfectly fine."
He let the silence hang.
"You know who else came back from the dead? Jesus. Lazarus," Mikage added with a slight smirk. "I doubt you're either. And you outran a bullet. Humans don't do that."
Akira's breath hitched.
"So that leaves two possibilities," Mikage said, voice dropping. "Either you're a human who somehow tapped into magic—a miracle in itself—or…"
Akira stared at him, tense.
"…or you're an imposter. Maybe the real Akira died that day. And you… you're something else entirely."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Akira had no answers. He barely understood what was happening to him.
Mikage smirked. "Shocking, right? Even the council lost their minds when they heard a human came back from the dead. That's why I'm here."
He stood suddenly.
"Now," Mikage said, eyes narrowing, "defend yourself."
Before Akira could react, Mikage lunged forward, fists flying. Blow after blow rained down. Akira raised his arms to shield himself, but Mikage's attacks were relentless.
"Use magic, Akira!" he barked. "Come on—show me what you've got!"
The door burst open.
A tall older man entered, calmly adjusting his gloves. His presence immediately silenced the room.
"Mikage," he said sharply, "that's enough. You're overdoing it."
Akira gasped, slumping in relief. "Thank God…"
The man turned to him with a gentle smile.
"My name is Hakuren," he said. "Come. I want to show you something."
Hakuren led Akira down a long corridor and up into a room with wide glass windows overlooking the city.
"Do you know where we are?" Hakuren asked.
"A skyscraper?" Akira guessed, unsure.
Hakuren didn't answer. Instead, he gestured to the window. Frost began to crawl across the glass in elegant, crystalline patterns.
Then, his expression hardened.
"Tell me, Akira—how strong is your will to live?"
Akira blinked. "Uh… strong, I guess?"
"Good."
Without warning, Hakuren seized him by the collar—and hurled him through the window.
Shattering glass.
A scream.
Wind roared in Akira's ears as he plummeted toward the earth below.
Inside, Mikage raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't that a bit much?"
Hakuren shrugged. "Sometimes a push is all it takes. Creatures show their true nature when staring death in the face."
Mikage frowned. "And if he dies?"
Hakuren smirked. "Then he wasn't what we hoped."
Outside, Akira's mind raced. Think. Think. Think!
As panic surged, something deep inside snapped awake.
His pupils flickered—a dark, purple glow erupting in his eyes.
Shadow coiled instinctively around his limbs. He twisted midair, extending his arms—and grabbed at the glass wall. Shadows burst from his fingertips, dragging him across the skyscraper's surface, slowing his descent just enough.
He crashed onto the pavement—bruised, scratched, panting.
But alive.
Above, Mikage watched, stunned.
"...Amazing."
Hakuren gave a knowing grin. "Told you."
Akira, realizing he'd somehow survived, staggered to his feet and took off running.
But in a flash, Mikage dropped from the sky, landing directly in his path.
Akira stumbled back. "You… you jumped?"
"With training," Mikage said with a smirk.
Hakuren landed beside them like a falling snowflake and met Akira's eyes.
"You're coming with us."
Akira clenched his fists. "And if I don't want to?"
Hakuren's expression turned icy. His pupils gleamed with a glacial blue glow.
"I wasn't asking."
Akira's breath caught. He paused… then slowly nodded.
Mikage clapped. "Great! The plane leaves in an hour."