As the two men sat down at a small café, one looking slightly nervous, the other as casual as ever, Miyoyu broke the silence with a grin, licking his ice cream.
Miyoyu
"So, what do you know about those who can bend and break reality? Do you know yourself?"
He chuckled, clearly amused by his own words. "Wow, that sounds deep, huh?"
Len
Len looked at Miyoyu skeptically, pushing his glasses up his nose before responding. "Okay, first of all, can you tell me who you really are? It feels like you know a lot more about me than you should. And frankly, it's eerie."
Miyoyu
"Lol, chillax, dude! Name's Matsushima Miyoyu, 21 years old, studied the human psyche." He paused for dramatic effect. "Oh, and I'm also the Incarnate of Omn—"
Before Miyoyu could finish, an explosion rocked the building next door. The sound of shattered glass and screams filled the air. People rushed to the streets in panic, shouting for help. Someone screamed about a Rogue Harbinger taking a hostage.
Miyoyu
"Huh, that sounds fun. Let's check it out." He jumped up, more out of curiosity than concern, his ice cream already forgotten.
Len
More cautious, Len followed behind, scanning the scene. When they got outside, Len flagged down a middle-aged woman standing in shock, clutching her gardening apron like a lifeline.
Len
"Ma'am, I'm a licensed Herald. Can you tell me what's happening?"
Middle-Aged Woman
"Oh, thank heavens! That man over there," she pointed with trembling hands, "he's holding a young girl hostage in that apartment. It's terrifying! I wish someone could do something... I saw his legs change into frog legs—he jumped so fast!"
Len
"Thank you, ma'am." Len gave her a quick nod, but he realized his phone was still broken. Shaiz... He muttered under his breath. Turning to Miyoyu, he asked, "You got a phone?"
Miyoyu
"Nah, left it at the hotel. Why? You're just gonna call for backup?" He gave Len a teasing look. "Aren't you supposed to be a professional Herald?"
Len
"I am, but my role is more in intelligence gathering. I'm not trained for fighting."
Miyoyu
"Not suited for fighting?" Miyoyu laughed, shaking his head. "Well, too bad." He clapped his hands together. "Lihok."
Before Len could protest, a magical force hurled him toward the building's seventh floor, the exact spot where the hostage situation was happening. He landed gracefully, as if years of training had prepared him for this. The Rogue Harbinger looked up in shock, tightening his grip on the hostage.
Len
"I'm a licensed Herald. Let the woman go. We have a healer, and even if you wound her, we can revive her. But if you harm her, your actions will have severe consequences." Len's voice was steady, though internally he was uncertain about Miyoyu actually showing up to help.
Rogue Harbinger
"W-What? No!" the man shouted, clearly panicked. "Okay, okay, we can talk about this."
Len
"Good. Now, release the woman." Len stepped forward, maintaining eye contact, projecting as much confidence as he could muster.
Rogue Harbinger
"Alright, but with one condition." He hesitated, glancing around. "You let me go, no hassle, no fights. I've got a family, man, and I can't let them find out I've... gone rogue."
Len
"Hmm..." Len pretended to consider it. "Fine. I'll walk you out the back. No fuss. But the woman leaves out the front door first, understood?"
The Rogue Herald, visibly relieved, nodded and slowly lowered his weapon, releasing the woman. She dashed behind Len and down the stairs as fast as she could. But before the Rogue could say another word, the air was shattered by a loud crash.
Through the dust and debris, a girl emerged—5'7" with pink hair and brown eyes, wearing streetwear and a smug expression. She was casually eating a meat bun, as if she hadn't just crashed through a wall.
Kairi
"Yo, Len!" she greeted, waving with the hand that wasn't holding her snack. "Sorry I'm late! Been looking for you everywhere—thought you were dead or something! Funeral and everything! But then, bam! There's that light of yours from the roof. Dead giveaway."
Rogue Harbinger
"You... you tricked me!" His voice trembled as the situation spiraled out of his control.
Len
"Why would the police ever let a criminal escape? You're quite naïve." His tone was calm, but his words hit hard.
Kairi
"Haha! Stern as ever, Len! And wow, your first real job! Nice work, actually being on the scene for once." She laughed, clearly enjoying herself.
Len
"Yeah, yeah. Just cuff him already."
The Rogue Harbinger, not willing to give up, roared in fury. His legs transformed into muscular, frog-like appendages, his eyes bulging, and his tongue elongating grotesquely. He leapt toward Kairi, his frog-like agility giving him frightening speed. But before he could even touch her, she delivered a punch that sent him crashing into the walls like a ragdoll, knocking him out cold.
Kairi
"Seriously? Frogs?" She dusted her hands off, completely unfazed. "These weaklings are getting more annoying by the day."
Len
"That's human arrogance for you. A little power, and they think they can conquer the world."
Kairi
"Haha, well said! But seriously, where the hell have you been? You disappear for weeks, no word, and suddenly you're back on the job like nothing happened. You owe me an explanation."
Len sighed, ready to answer, but before he could, Miyoyu appeared behind him, seemingly out of thin air, and wrapped his arms around Len's waist with a cheeky grin.
Miyoyu
"You're such a coward~ bringing backup instead of fighting fair and square." He pouted, clearly disappointed that Len hadn't taken on the Rogue Herald himself.
Len
"Hey! Let go of me!" Len swatted him away, embarrassed.
Kairi
"Well, hey there! Random guy hugging Len sensually out of nowhere! I'm Kairi Abigail Adams, nice to meet ya!"
Miyoyu
"Miyoyu," he responded with a grin. "And what's a fun girl like you doing with a stick-in-the-mud like Len?"
Kairi
"Oh, he's fun to mess with!" she laughed. "Wait, hold up. Could he beeee..." Kairi's eyes sparkled with teasing mischief, clearly misunderstanding the situation between Len and Miyoyu.
Len
"No! Absolutely not. It's not like that!" he barked, smacking her arm lightly.
Miyoyu
"Like what?"
Len
"Never mind." He cleared his throat and turned to Kairi. "Anyway, this is Miyoyu. He's a Herald too, but not licensed, so he couldn't help with the fight."
Kairi
"Well, nice to meet ya, Yoyu!" She shot Miyoyu a friendly wink.
Miyoyu
"Love that nickname. That's what my sister calls me!" he said, grinning widely.
The trio made their way out of the building as the police arrived to clean up the scene, taking the Rogue Herald into custody. As they walked, Miyoyu chimed in, sounding almost bored.
Miyoyu
"So, is talking over fainted bad guys the norm for you two?"
Kairi
"For me? Sure!" She shrugged. "Len, though? Nah, first time for everything!"
Miyoyu
"Kewl."
Kairi
"So, Yoyu, what do you do for a living?"
Miyoyu
"Oh, I'm a model."
Len
"You are?"
Miyoyu
"Surprised?" He flashed a sly grin.
Len
"No... actually, it makes sense." He muttered under his breath.
Kairi
"A model, huh? You do look like one of those K-pop idols!" She eyed him curiously. "You Korean or something?"
Miyoyu
"Something like that." He winked but kept it vague. Then he turned to Len. "Anyway, I'm taking Len back with me. We were on a date before all this chaos started." He tossed Len's now-melted ice cream back at him. "Your ice cream's ruined, by the way."
Kairi
"Aww, that's cute! Alright, you two lovebirds have fun!" She waved them off with a knowing smirk.
Once they were out of earshot, Miyoyu sighed dramatically.
Miyoyu
"Well, that was fun while it lasted. I didn't expect we'd run into a Rogue Herald on a casual day out. Anyway, where were we? Oh right, your whole 'mystery-man' routine. You didn't really answer my question earlier."
Len looked at him, still a bit irritated but grateful for the distraction. "You mean about who I am? I told you already, didn't I?"
Miyoyu
"Nah, not really. All you did was give me the basic info. I want the real story. The part about the Path and what it means. You can't just be some random smart guy with no connection to all this. Especially with that light thing you do."
Len paused, contemplating whether to tell him more. The truth was, he didn't fully understand it himself. He had always been different, always able to manipulate light in ways that others couldn't. But the significance of that power, and the mysterious "Path" he kept hearing about? It was still a puzzle.
Len
"I don't know. I'm still figuring things out."
Miyoyu
Miyoyu leaned in closer, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Well, I like mysteries. Guess that means I'm sticking around until we solve yours."
Len couldn't help but crack a small smile. Despite Miyoyu's eccentric nature, there was something reassuring about having him around. He glanced over at his strange new companion, wondering if there was more to him than met the eye.
As the two continued walking, a strange silence settled between them, broken only by the occasional chatter of the bustling streets. Len's mind drifted back to Kairi's earlier teasing, her assumption about him and Miyoyu. He shook his head slightly, trying to push the thought away. There were far more important things to worry about.
Len
"Let's focus on the task at hand. We need to find out more about that Rogue Herald. Maybe he has ties to something bigger. The fact that a random guy in the middle of the city just lost control like that... it's not normal."
Miyoyu
"Yeah, it's weird, right? But don't worry. With me around, nothing's ever really normal." He gave Len a playful wink, his earlier mischievous grin returning full force. "And I bet I'll get to see a lot more of that light of yours soon."
As they headed back toward the hotel, Len couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of something far bigger than a single rogue attack. Miyoyu's presence in his life had already stirred up more questions than answers, and the unsettling encounter only deepened the mystery surrounding his own abilities.
Whatever was coming next, Len knew one thing for sure: nothing about his life was going to stay quiet for long.