Josuke's eyes fluttered open, his head throbbing with pain. His arms and legs were bound tightly to the cold, hard bed. Thick metal cuffs held him in place, and the dim light of the prison cell cast eerie shadows across the walls. As his vision adjusted, he noticed a figure sitting on a chair, turned backward, with arms resting on the backrest.
"Yo, sleepyhead. How are you feeling?" The voice was playful and casual, as if addressing an old friend.
Josuke struggled to clear his thoughts, confused by the situation. "Who… who are you? Where am I?" he groaned, lifting his hand to his aching head. Flashes of the chaos he barely remembered flooded his mind.
The man grinned, pushing up his glasses, his emerald green eyes glinting. "I'm Kyle Morningstar, commander of this town's Ranger Unit—Unit Zero, to be specific. I don't actually live here, though. I'm from the capital. And you… you must be Josuke Akari, right?"
Josuke furrowed his brow. "How do you know my name?" he asked, still trying to make sense of everything. "And what do you want?"
Kyle laughed lightly, leaning back in his chair. "I've got my ways. Besides, you made quite the entrance last night. Had to come and see what all the fuss was about." He stood up, stretching, his playful demeanor shifting ever so slightly. "But more importantly, I think you know what Rangers do, right?"
Josuke hesitated, thinking. "You exterminate monsters and devils, right?"
Kyle's smile widened as he walked over, his eyes sparkling mischievously behind his glasses. "Exactly! But here's the thing, Josy boy… what do you think you are?"
Before Josuke could respond, Kyle casually formed a sphere of concentrated gravity mana in his palm, its power radiating heat. With a flick of his wrist, he blasted it at Josuke, narrowly missing him. Josuke flinched, panic rising in his chest.
"Are you crazy?! You almost killed me!" Josuke shouted, his heart racing.
Kyle only shrugged, laughing nonchalantly. "Oops! A little misfire, that's all."
Suddenly, his tone shifted, the air growing heavier. Kyle's smile faded as he looked at Josuke seriously. "But seriously, kid… just what are you?"
"What do you mean?" Josuke asked, his voice unsteady.
Without a word, Kyle pulled out a sleek tablet, tapping it a few times. He turned it toward Josuke, revealing footage from the previous night—of Josuke rampaging, his monstrous transformation taking over, his claws, sharp teeth, the black marks crawling up his body, and the devastating power he unleashed. The sight left Josuke frozen, unable to believe his eyes.
"That's… that's me?" he whispered, his voice shaking in disbelief.
Kyle leaned forward, his face mere inches from Josuke's. "Oh, it's you alright. So now the question is—what are we going to do about it?"
Josuke could only stare, trapped between confusion, fear, and the unshakable reality of the truth Kyle had just shown him.
Josuke remained frozen, his eyes glued to the now-blank tablet screen. His body trembled with the aftershocks of disbelief. His mind was racing, trying to process the truth about his transformation, the terrifying power that had overtaken him. He looked down at his hands—ordinary now, but moments ago, they had been monstrous.
Kyle let out a long sigh, closing the tablet with a sharp click. He leaned back in his chair, his tone shifting from playful to serious. "Listen, kid. Usually, someone in my position would've exorcised you by now. And honestly, most commanders would have done it without a second thought."
Josuke's heart skipped a beat at the word "exorcised." His mind filled with questions, but before he could voice any, Kyle continued.
"Here's the thing, Josuke. Do you actually know what happened to your parents? Why they left you at the orphanage?"
Josuke hesitated, swallowing the lump in his throat. "No," he muttered. "They abandoned me… to travel the world, I guess. That's what I've been told."
Kyle glanced briefly at a file he had pulled up on his tablet. The name "Aiko Akari" stared back at him, marked as "deceased." For a moment, Kyle's eyes softened. He closed the file without showing it to Josuke. He had the information, but he didn't feel it was his right to tell the kid. Not yet.
"Sad, really. But here's the thing…" Kyle said, standing up, his expression turning thoughtful as he pocketed the tablet. "You've got potential. Big potential. Most people with that much raw power? They're either destroyed or become a danger to everyone around them."
Josuke's gaze dropped to the floor, feeling the weight of Kyle's words.
"But," Kyle continued, "I'm not going to take you out. Not unless you make me. So, here's the deal, kid. You've got two options: You can join me, become a Ranger, and travel back with us to the capital in two days. Or…" He paused, his voice darkening slightly. "I'll exterminate you here and now."
The room fell into silence. Josuke's mind raced. He felt trapped between two impossible choices. Die, or become something else entirely—a Ranger, like Kyle. He didn't want to die. But more than that, the idea of learning to control the power inside him intrigued him. If he became a Ranger, maybe he could finally figure out who—or what—he really was.
Looking up at Kyle, Josuke nodded slowly. "I'll join. I'll become a Ranger."
A grin spread across Kyle's face as he reached into his jacket pocket. "Good choice, Josy boy," he said, tossing something in Josuke's direction. It landed on the bed next to him with a soft clink—a badge with the symbol of Unit Zero engraved on it.
Josuke picked it up, staring at it in his hand as Kyle gave him a mock salute. "Welcome to the team."