Chapter 3: The Chains Beneath the Mask
"So, you brought him in?"
Ayaka Ryuzen's voice was calm, yet carried a razor-thin edge beneath its silk. She stood at
the window of an abandoned music room, the moonlight catching in her lengthy, indigo-violet
hair like woven threads of night.
Behind her, Seraphina leaned casually against the teacher's desk, arms crossed, the faint
glow of the seal on her collarbone flickering beneath her uniform's loosened collar.
"I know what you're thinking,"
Seraphina said, eyes narrowing slightly.
That it was stupid. That I saved him out of pity.
"That it was impulsive.
Ayaka didn't answer, but her silence echoed louder than any retort.
I saw him dying—his chest completely pierced, his blood pooling out, his body already cold.
But even then...
" Seraphina's crimson eyes flickered.
"He was still clinging to life. No fear. No
panic. Just this raw, primal desire to live.
"
She turned away from Ayaka, her voice dropping to a near whisper.
"And yesterday, when I explained what he is now—what we are, what he's bound to—he
didn't flinch. Not once. Tell me, does that sound like an ordinary human to you?"
Ayaka exhaled slowly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear."
...No. It doesn't.
There was a pause, pregnant with implication.
"I don't know why,
" Seraphina murmured, the future."
"but I feel like he'll become my greatest asset in the future."
[ Club Room – After School ]
The History Research Club. At least, that's what the rest of the school believed.
In truth? It was a front—an operating cell for those who walked the boundary between
realms, who hunted beings the world preferred to ignore.
Eiji stood awkwardly in the room, hands stuffed in his pockets, surrounded by faces that
practically screamed '
Don't mess with me .
'
He tried not to make eye contact with the guy in the corner who radiated
"murder-by-boredom" energy.
Trying to lighten the mood, Eiji edged toward the windowsill where a girl was nibbling on
melon bread.
"So... you're always this intense, or is that just for me?" he asked.
Miya Tsukinari, perched like a feline predator, rolled her pale eyes.
"I hate perverts."
"Wow,
" Eiji muttered.
"And here I thought we were bonding."
"Touch me, and I break your fingers."
"Duly noted, ice princess."
On the far wall, Riku Shinseira leaned with his arms crossed, golden eyes half-lidded. His
silence was loud enough to fill the room.
Seraphina stepped forward and clapped once, drawing everyone's attention.
"Enough flirting, Eiji."
"That was flirting?" Eiji asked.
"Man, I'm so out of practice."
Ayaka smirked faintly.
"This one's got a mouth on him."
"And that mouth is gonna get me killed one day,"
Eiji chirped.
"Sooner than you think",
Miya deadpanned, tearing another bite from her bread.
The door creaked open.
Everyone turned.
A girl stepped inside, clutching her bag close to her chest. Her aura was gentle, almost too
soft for a room filled with hunters and half-blood killers.
"Eiji, this is Amane Shirayuki,
" Seraphina said.
"She's a first-year and our... designated Healer."
Eiji blinked. She looked like she'd stepped out of some celestial dream—
silver-white hair
with a faint blue tint , aquamarine eyes glowing like calm lakes under moonlight, and an
aura that smoothed even the chaotic buzz of his unstable mana.
"Hi,
" she said softly, bowing.
"It's nice to meet you.
"
Eiji opened his mouth to reply, then froze.
Something tugged at his chest—gentle, invisible, and warm. Not pain. Something else.
Her gaze drifted to the glowing seal on his hand.
"You're the one Seraphina saved, aren't you?"
"Guilty,
" Eiji said, scratching his cheek.
"Well, technically I was unconscious, bleeding out,
and possibly hallucinating her into a sexy demon savior, but yeah.
"
Amane gave a small, sweet smile.
"I think you're stronger than you think.
"
Something about her words struck a chord, unsettling yet comforting at the same time.
What the hell was that feeling just now?
[ The Truth Behind the Club ]
Seraphina's tone shifted. The air in the room grew heavier.
"To the school, we're just a history club. But our real work?"
She gestured toward the seal on Eiji's hand, now faintly pulsing under the skin.
"We track and eliminate dangerous entities—rogue devils, angels, fallen seraphs. And we
stop lesser demons who threaten the balance between realms.
"
"Neat,
" Eiji replied.
"And here I thought I was just here to buff your cool factor."
"You will be useful,
" she said dryly.
"Eventually."
"Aww, you do believe in me."
"I believe you'll either become an asset… or a liability we'll have to erase."
"Okay. That's... significantly less heartwarming."
[ Rooftop – Nightfall ]
The wind howled lightly across the school rooftop, moonlight spilling silver over the group.
They stood in a circle.
Seraphina raised her hand.
The air shimmered.
Then, with a sound like glass cracking underwater, a ripple tore through the sky.
Eiji flinched."...Seriously? No warning this time?"
"Nope," Seraphina said.
"Learn to adapt."
One by one, they stepped into the tear.
Eiji sighed, then followed. As he passed through the veil, the world spun violently.
Darkness.
Then light.
They stood in front of a ruined building, deep in the outskirts of Tokyo. The stars above were
hidden—the wind bit with winter's breath.
Eiji looked around, rubbing his arms.
"I feel like this is where horror games begin."
"Only if you're stupid enough to go in alone,"
Miya said, cracking her knuckles.
"I feel attacked."
"Good."
[ Eiji's Thoughts – Mask & Chains ]
As the others moved ahead, Eiji stayed behind, his boots crunching on gravel.
His seal pulsed.
The Eye stirred again—sealed, yet alive. Waiting.
No one else knows. Not Seraphina. Not Riku. Not even Amane, who seems to
sense everything.
He placed his hand over the faint outline of the mark etched above his heart.
"I'm not your puppet."
He looked up, eyes sharp beneath the glow of moonlight.
"I'll wear the mask. Learn the rules. Smile when I'm supposed to."
His silver eyes shimmered faintly, reflecting something ancient and profound.
He smirked.
"But when the time comes…"
He stepped toward the darkness.
"You'll all see what I am."
End of Chapter 3