The lightning bolt struck directly in front of me, just as we were about to start the Christmas party. The impact, the dust, the rising smoke, and the collapsing ceiling, there's a single silhouette in the middle of it all.
My mother instinctively moved to protect Hina and me, but before she could, I was snatched up by someone or something.
'At last, it has borne fruit!!'
A voice echoed directly in my head, reverberating as if it were vibrating my very bones, like the sensation of bone-conducting headphones. It wasn't sound exactly, but more like a vibration being driven into my skull. It was a disturbing, sickening feeling.
The next moment, I was slammed into a wall.
"...Guh?!"
I had no idea what was happening. But the figure in front of me was clearly an enemy. A monster!
Just as I was about to extend the "Silveit Threads," the pocket on my chest heated up.
'What?!'
