Kaijin finished explaining everything to Principal Furi, his memories now fully restored. The incident from his point of view had been tragic, leaving Furi in awe of the tale.
"I'm truly sorry the higher-ups failed to create a more secure environment for you," she said, her voice tinged with regret. "What you did… even though it was reckless… it was heroic. You'll be rewarded for that." She placed a worn bingo book on the table, sliding it toward him.
Kaijin stared at the book for a moment. "What is this for?" he asked, flipping it open.
"That's the teachers' records," Furi replied.
As Kaijin skimmed through the book, he noticed many teachers' names crossed out. His brow furrowed in concern. "Furi, why are all these teachers marked off?"
Furi's tone dropped. "Ninety percent of the crossed-out teachers are dead," she said.
"No way!" Kaijin gasped in disbelief, his heart racing.
Furi nodded solemnly. "The remaining ten percent? They're missing—including my mother, the former principal."
Kaijin, struggling to process this, asked, "But how? It's only been 18 months. How have we lost so many teachers?"
Furi's expression darkened, a cloud of sorrow passing over her face. "They all died at once. The meteor shower took them—along with a lot of students."
Kaijin's shock deepened as the realization hit him. "That's why you're pushing the ranking system, isn't it? To get students to B-rank by the end of the year?"
"Yes," Furi replied, her voice steady but serious. "The seal between our world and Tera Firma is weakening."
Kaijin froze. His blood ran cold. "So… we're no longer dealing with thieves or serial killers. We're hunting monsters. If we aren't strong enough… we'll be their prey."
He took a deep breath, shaking off his anxiety, and looked back at Furi. "So, no more imprisoning them? We just… eliminate them?"
Furi nodded gravely. "Yes. Wipe them out of existence."
Kaijin stared at the bingo book again, scanning the remaining teachers. "Why did you show me this?" he asked.
"You'll need to choose a teacher to train under after your seven days of rest."
Kaijin turned the pages, searching carefully. Eventually, his gaze landed on a portrait that intrigued him—the head teacher. "How come I've never seen him around the school?" he muttered to himself. He flipped the page to look at the rank, but all it said was: "???"
"He wouldn't be a head teacher if he was weak, right?" Kaijin thought. He made his decision and looked up at Furi. "I'll go with him," he said, pointing to the portrait.
"Ah, Mr. Damon," Furi said with a slight smirk.
Kaijin raised an eyebrow. "What about him?"
"Nothing," she said, smiling mysteriously. "You've made an excellent choice. Training starts in seven days. But for now, you need to head to the hospital for a check-up."
Kaijin stood up, preparing to leave. "Alright. Can't wait to start."
"Wait!" Furi called, reaching into her desk. She pulled out a small, familiar object and stretched her arm toward him. "Where do you think you're going without your spatial key?"
Kaijin chuckled, taking it from her hand. "My bad."
As he walked toward the door, he infused the key with his celestial aura, preparing to open a path from the principal's office to his hospital room. But just before leaving, he turned to Furi. "You're not being too hard on yourself, are you?"
She gave him a strained smile. "I'm doing great."
Kaijin saw through the fake smile but knew there was nothing he could do at the moment. He placed the key against the door, opening a shimmering portal to his hospital room.
"Oh, one more thing," he said, pausing mid-step. "Where's your mom's right-hand assistant? Is she missing too?"
Furi shook her head. "No, she's giving the new students a tour of the school. Why do you ask?"
"No reason. Just tell her I said hi," Kaijin replied, stepping through the door into his hospital room.
Just outside the principal's office, on the school premises
"He survived?" one student whispered to another while waiting for the meeting with Kaijin to end.
"Yeah, after 18 months," the second student replied. "I can't believe he's still not going to quit after everything that happened."
As the door to the office opened, the two students, Mira and Chucks, walked in. Principal Furi greeted them. "Good morning, Mira. Chucks."
"Good morning, Principal Furi," they replied in unison, taking their seats.
"We've completed our investigation into the meteor shower incident," Chucks began, his tone serious.
Furi leaned forward, placing both palms on her desk. "What did you find? I've been waiting over a year to hear this."
Chucks scratched his head. "You're going to want to sit down for this one."
Mira spoke next. "The meteor shower didn't occur naturally."
Furi blinked in confusion. "What do you mean by that? What are you saying?"
"Calm down, Principal," Chucks interjected, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "The barrier protecting our world was deactivated. That's why the meteors got through."
Furi's heart pounded in her chest. "Are you saying the barrier failed?"
Mira shook her head. "Not failed. It was turned off. Someone did it on purpose."
Furi stood up, agitated. "That's impossible! The barrier has existed since the creation of our world! It was crafted by a higher power. No one is strong enough to break it!"
"The barrier wasn't broken," Chucks explained. "It was deactivated for a short time. And there's more."
"More?" Furi asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"The meteor wasn't just random debris," Mira continued. "It was sent by someone. The meteors were embedded with celestial aura, but not the kind we're familiar with. It was cold, strange, like something that doesn't exist… yet it does."
The room fell silent. The weight of their discovery hung heavy in the air.
Furi's eyes widened in sudden realization. "The Tera Firma seal…"
Mira nodded. "Exactly. Whoever did this, they did it to weaken the seal. The meteors were part of their plan."
"But why?" Furi asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Chucks looked grim. "We're not sure yet, but it's clear whoever orchestrated this is powerful—perhaps from an ancient or extinct clan."
Furi clenched her fists, frustration boiling over. "Damn it."
"Don't worry, Principal," Mira said. "We'll continue our investigation and let you know as soon as we uncover more."
Furi sighed. "Thank you, both of you. Classes are about to start. You're dismissed."
Mira and Chucks stood up, shaking hands with her before leaving the office.
Three hours later, in Kaijin's hospital room
Kaijin lay in bed, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. The nurse attending to him interrupted his reverie. "You seem distracted."
Kaijin sighed. "I can't stop thinking about everything. Dying… coming back to life… even my hands regenerating… It all feels so surreal."
The nurse gave him a sympathetic look. "Well, it seems like you've gained a new kind of power."
Kaijin blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"
The nurse pointed to his hands. "Your original pillars were Terrakinesis and Pyrokinesis, right? But neither of those abilities has anything to do with regeneration. It seems you've acquired a third pillar."
"A third pillar?" Kaijin sat up, intrigued. "How is that possible? I was in a coma for 18 months."
The nurse shrugged. "It's rare, but not unheard of. Usually, people gain additional pillars through intensive training. You… well, your case is different."
Kaijin's curiosity deepened. "Could this new power come from one of my parents? My first pillar is from my mom, and my second from my dad."
"Possibly," the nurse replied. "But we won't know for sure until you start training again. For now, just rest."
She pulled out a syringe, preparing to take a blood sample. "Give me your arm."
Kaijin extended his arm, but as the needle pierced his skin, he felt… nothing.
The nurse frowned, tapping his hand with a small medical hammer. "You don't feel anything?"
Kaijin shook his head. "No. Not a thing."
The nurse looked puzzled, gently tossing his hand from one of her palms to the other. "Your hands haven't fully regenerated."
Kaijin froze. "What do you mean?"
The nurse explained, "Externally, your hands have healed. But your internal nerve fibers haven't reconnected yet. It'll take time for them to return to normal."
Kaijin nodded, relieved. "I'm fine with that. I'll let my body heal naturally."
The nurse smiled, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Good. I'll check on you tomorrow. Rest for now, okay?"
Kaijin nodded as she left, but once alone, he could no longer hold back his emotions. He wept quietly in his hospital bed.
Kaijin's hospital room – later that evening
Kaijin was lost in thought, still trying to make sense of everything that had happened, when he heard the door creak open again. A chill ran down his spine as a figure stepped into the room, cloaked in a dark shadow.
"Thats life for you."
The voice was unmistakable—Alec.
Kaijin whipped around, startled. He hadn't even sensed Alec's presence, which was unlike him. "You…" Kaijin muttered, eyes narrowing. "Alec, what are you doing here?"
Alec stepped further into the room, his face partially obscured by the low lighting. "I could ask you the same thing," he replied casually, though his tone was serious. "You've been holding it in, huh?"
Kaijin clenched his jaw, not in the mood to be lectured. "What do you want?"
Alec shrugged, leaning against the wall. "Just checking up on you. Saw you having a breakdown back there—thought I'd stop by."
Kaijin's fists tightened under the sheets. "So what? You're here to rub it in?"
Alec smirked but quickly dropped the playful act, his expression turning thoughtful. "You're a mess, man. And I get it. Losing people… it breaks you."
Kaijin looked down, the weight of his emotions still heavy. "I'm just trying to make sense of it all. Everyone's gone… and I wasn't even there."
"Look," Alec said, stepping closer, "we've all lost people. You can't blame yourself for what happened. You were out of commission—there's nothing you could have done."
Kaijin didn't respond immediately. The words felt hollow, even though he knew Alec was right. "And what about now? What do I do? Just… move on?"
Alec's face softened for a moment, showing an emotion Kaijin rarely saw in him. "That's the hard part, isn't it? You don't move on. You carry it with you. But you keep fighting because you know that's what they would've wanted."
Kaijin remained silent, staring at his hands. Alec walked up to him, tossing something into his lap. Kaijin looked down—it was a communicator.
"Get ready," Alec said, his voice sharp again. "We've got a mission."
Kaijin's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Already?"
"Village under attack. Hostages taken. We've been assigned to handle it."
Kaijin swung his legs over the side of the bed, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "Alright, I'm in."
But Alec held up a hand, stopping him. "No. You're not."
Kaijin frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"
"You're sitting this one out," Alec said firmly. "Principal's orders."
"What?!" Kaijin's voice rose in frustration. "That's ridiculous! I'm fine—"
"You're not fine," Alec interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You've barely had time to recover. The principal wants you rested, not dead. We've got a substitute for this one."
Kaijin sat back down, feeling deflated. "Damn it…"
Alec smirked again, though this time it was more reassuring. "Look, you'll catch up. Just get some rest, heal up, and when you're back, we'll need you at full strength."
Kaijin watched as Alec turned to leave, already focused on the mission. "Alec…"
Alec paused at the door but didn't turn around. "Yeah?"
"Be careful."
Alec glanced back, his expression softening again. "Always."
With that, Alec slipped out of the room, leaving Kaijin alone with his thoughts once more. He stared at the communicator in his hand, feeling both frustrated and relieved. He wanted to be out there with his team, but he knew Alec was right. He wasn't ready—not yet.
Back in the principal's office
Alec strode into the principal's office, his usual confidence in every step. Principal Furi was waiting, standing behind her desk with her arms crossed.
"You've briefed him?" she asked without looking up.
Alec nodded. "Yeah. He's pissed, but he'll stay put."
Furi sighed, rubbing her temples. "I didn't want to bench him, but he's not ready. Not after everything he's been through."
"I know," Alec replied. "But he'll be back soon enough."
Furi finally looked up, her gaze meeting Alec's. "And you? Are you ready for this mission?"
Alec's expression hardened. "Always."
"Good," she said, handing him a file. "Get moving, then. The village is under siege, and we don't have much time."
Alec took the file and tucked it into his cloak. Without another word, he turned and left the office, heading toward the rendezvous point for the mission.
Kaijin's hospital room – midnight
Kaijin lay in his hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. The weight of everything that had happened was still pressing down on him, and now, knowing that his team was out there on a mission without him—it was unbearable.
For now, all he could do was wait. Wait and heal.
And when the time came, he would be ready.