Somewhere in another universe, in the outskirts of earth.
Kaijin woke up with a pounding headache. As his eyes fluttered open, he was met with the sight of a stark white ceiling. He tried to sit up but couldn't; his body felt unusually heavy. Beeping sounds echoed faintly in the room, and when he tilted his head to the right, he saw an EKG monitor tracking his heartbeat.
He tried moving his hand, but no sensation came. Panic flickered in his chest as he fumbled to remove the heart monitor on his chest and, with great effort, slowly sat upright in the hospital bed.
"When… and how did I end up here?" he thought, confusion clouding his mind.
Before he could process further, the door swung open, and a nurse rushed in. She froze mid-step, her eyes wide with disbelief at the sight of him sitting up. Her voice trembled as she stammered, "H-how are you alive?"
Kaijin stared at her, equally confused. The fog in his mind grew thicker. He asked in a hoarse voice, "Who are you…? How did I get here?"
The nurse, still shaken, tried to explain but faltered, her words sticking in her throat. Finally, she managed to say, "You… you were in a coma. We didn't think you'd survive."
Kaijin's eyes widened. His gaze darted around the sterile room, looking for something, anything, that felt familiar. A tremor ran through his lips as he whispered, "What?" The weight of her words sank in like a leaden anchor.
He looked down at his hands—and froze. His wrists were blown off. His chest tightened as fragmented, blurry images flashed in his mind. Try as he might, he couldn't piece them together.
The nurse stepped closer and asked gently, "How are you feeling?"
Kaijin, still staring at his hands, replied, "I… I don't feel anything, except for this really heavy headache."
The nurse turned toward a drawer near the door, retrieved a bottle of medicine, and poured water into a cup. When she turned back, her eyes caught something startling: his hands were regenerating. Flesh and bone knitted together as if time itself were reversing.
Her voice quivered, "When—and how—did you do that?"
Kaijin shook his head, equally shocked. "I… I don't know. It just happened," he muttered.
The nurse noticed something else—his celestial aura, faint but terrifying, had changed drastically since he was unconscious. She instinctively placed her hands near him, using her healing abilities to jumpstart his aura.
It worked. Too well.
An overwhelming surge of celestial energy erupted from him, the room growing colder with every passing second. She backed away, trembling as she felt the immense, otherworldly force. "Turn it off!" she shouted.
"I don't know how!" Kaijin replied, panic rising in his voice.
As the aura grew more unstable, a mysterious figure appeared in the doorway. Without hesitation, he stepped in and extended a hand toward Kaijin's celestial aura core. With a single spell, the chaos stopped.
Sweat dripped down the nurse's face as she exhaled a shaky breath. "Thank you, Mr. Sero. This is all my fault."
Sero gave her a reassuring nod. "Don't worry about it; it's no big deal."
She looked at him curiously. "Why are you here, Mr. Sero?"
Sero smirked. "The principal sent me to fetch the kid."
The nurse frowned. "I'm not sure he's ready to move yet."
Sero turned to Kaijin. "Yo, kid."
Kaijin blinked at him, confused.
"What's your name?" Sero asked.
"Kaijin… Kaijin Vu~aru."
Sero grinned. "Alright, Kaijin. Can you stand?"
Kaijin hesitated, then swung one leg over the side of the bed. His muscles protested after being dormant for eighteen months, and his balance wavered. He managed to plant his feet on the cold tiled floor, but dizziness struck him.
Sero noticed and barked to the nurse, "Quick, get this guy something to eat!"
The nurse rushed out and returned moments later with food and medicine. Meanwhile, Kaijin had shuffled to the bathroom to freshen up.
When Kaijin reappeared, the nurse handed him his meal. Once he'd eaten, Sero pulled out a spatial key, a special tool that allowed travel to the school.
Kaijin frowned. "But I don't have my key."
Sero smirked. "Doesn't matter. As long as the school has a record of your aura, mine will work for both of us."
Sero opened a portal through the door, and the two of them stepped through, emerging in the principal's office.
Kaijin froze as his eyes fell on three unfamiliar faces standing in front of the principal's desk. Then, a soft, familiar voice broke the silence.
"Welcome back, Kaijin."
He turned, shocked to see a familiar face sitting in the principal's chair. "Furi? What are you doing here?"
Furi smiled warmly. "I'm the new principal. But let's get down to business."
One of the strangers turned to Kaijin and introduced herself. "Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm Jennie."
Kaijin replied politely, "Pleasure to meet you."
Furi gestured to the others. "These are your new classmates and teammates. That is, if you don't want to drop out."
Kaijin bristled but stayed silent. The principal explained further, revealing that his previous teammates had died—a revelation that hit him like a thunderclap. His hands trembled slightly, but he clenched them to steady himself.
The introductions continued.
"Yo, I'm Alec," one of them said, his outfit strikingly unconventional—a black tank top, white joggers, and sneakers under a cloak.
Kaijin eyed him skeptically, earning a chuckle from Alec. "In case you're wondering, I'm a young wizard."
Kaijin forced a polite nod. "Nice to meet you."
The final teammate, Sutefu, introduced herself with a curt nod. Kaijin offered his hand for a handshake, but she ignored him entirely, leaving him awkwardly hanging.
Furi explained that a leadership tournament was coming up, and any of them could compete to be team leader. Afterward, the others were dismissed, leaving Kaijin alone with the principal.
Furi leaned forward. "We need to talk."
Kaijin nodded hesitantly. "I've been trying to remember how I got to the hospital. All I see are blurry images."
Furi studied him closely. "Do you want to remember? Because… you died, Kaijin. For a few minutes, you were gone."
Kaijin's breath hitched. "I… I died?"
Furi nodded. "You were in a coma for a year and a half."
The room felt as if it were spinning. Finally, Kaijin steadied himself and said, "They're my memories. I need to know."
Furi extended her hand. "Give me your hand."
Kaijin hesitated, then placed his hand in hers.
The moment their palms touched, a torrent of images flooded his mind. Pain and grief consumed him as fragmented memories of the meteor shower burned themselves into his consciousness. His breathing grew ragged as he whispered,
"There's… no way…
(Flash backs )