He didn't like swords.
That cold blade, designed specifically for stabbing and cutting down opponents.
It wasn't just swords he disliked.
Eugene felt a strong aversion to weapons in general—anything made to harm others.
Whenever he held a weapon, an inexplicable fear gripped his heart.
The unsettling feeling that the blade in his hand was aimed at his own neck.
Eugene truly hated that sensation.
Yet he had never gone a single day without a sword.
A sword was always in his grasp.
Whether it rained or snowed.
Whether the weather was clear or cloudy.
Whether he was feeling well or unwell.
Without fail, Eugene swung his sword.
From the day his body was cloaked in crimson flames, he hadn't missed a single day.
Every supernatural is like that.
From the moment they awaken their powers, they take on the immense responsibility of protecting humanity.
But if someone asked if it was solely out of duty, Eugene wouldn't have an answer.
Five years ago.
The day monsters rained down from the sky.
An unparalleled tragedy, a catastrophe that should never be forgotten.
Even years later, the horrors of that day remain deeply etched in people's minds.
Amid that earthly hell was Eugene.
A young boy, only twelve years old.
Without any supernatural abilities. Eugene was just an ordinary child back then, and the only reason he survived—
"Run, big brother! Don't look back! You can't stop!"
—was because his little sister was a supernatural.
His sister Yui, two years younger than him, was born with abilities.
She could freely manipulate crimson flames with her pyrokinesis.
Her talents were recognized even at such a young age, and seen as a promising supernatural.
"Run! Don't make eye contact with it, big brother! It's okay… it's okay! I'm here! I'll protect you, big brother!"
Barely able to breathe through the mental strain the monsters caused, Eugene ran.
Unable to protect his sister, he was the one being protected as he fled.
Yui was strong. She quickly cut down the massive monsters.
But in the end, she was only a ten-year-old girl, without formal training.
Her limits came quickly.
Yui, drenched in sweat from overusing her powers, was panting heavily.
Eugene, too, was sobbing, his shoulders shaking in terror.
He couldn't form words. His tongue felt numb, and his thoughts kept breaking off.
Eugene didn't know then that these were the early symptoms of mental corruption.
But instinctively, he understood. If he kept going like this, he would definitely die.
He didn't want to die. Not like this.
He didn't want to be eaten, to be torn by teeth.
In that place littered with corpses, Eugene clung desperately to Yui.
Even though she must have been scared, she comforted her trembling brother.
"It's okay, big brother. See? I'm really, really strong!"
She forced a smile through her shaking.
Patting her much taller brother on the back, she cheered him up.
"You're not going to die, because I'm here. Come on, let's go. We're almost there."
Just as his sister said.
In the end, Eugene didn't die.
Because Yui was there, he survived.
"Big… brother…"
Because of her, Eugene could avoid death.
He remembers the moment the monster's knife-like teeth pierced Yui's chest.
Yui reached out her hand, her face pale with pain and fear. She had finally reached her mental limit and was now just a frightened girl, as one her age might be.
Eugene reached out in turn, his vision blurring. Using every bit of strength left in his trembling legs, he ran forward to grasp Yui's hand.
Thud.
He remembers nothing after that.
When Eugene regained consciousness, all that remained of Yui was the right hand he had been holding.
In that place, where black ashes floated through the air, Eugene stood alone.
Only the crimson flames still flickered gently.
It wasn't Yui's fire, but his own.
How long did it take him to realize he had awakened his supernatural ability?
He kept convincing, deceiving, pleading with himself—that Yui was still alive, that this fire was hers, that she was the one keeping it burning.
But in the end, he accepted it.
No matter how much he tried to look away, the truth wouldn't change.
If only he had awakened his ability a little earlier…
Could he have saved Yui?
If only he had been a bit braver…
Would Yui still be alive?
There is no "if" in reality.
What has happened can't be undone; the past can't be rewound.
Still, he couldn't help but think about it. It lingered in his mind, unshakable.
If only.
If he had been a bit earlier.
If he had been brave.
If he had been stronger.
The boy picked up a sword.
As if fleeing from the past, convincing himself.
This flame… surely was the last gift Yui had left for her hopeless brother.
Even if it wasn't, Eugene vowed he would make it so.
With Yui's flame.
With her crimson flames, he would protect people.
He would ensure that no one else would suffer at the hands of monsters.
He would become the strongest hero there ever was and protect everyone.
In bitter pain and final tears, Eugene made his vow.
A vow that would never be broken.
◈
"Now, students. It's your field training. If there's a monster right in front of you, what should you do?"
And Eugene learned something.
Nothing is truly unbreakable.
No matter how firm his vow is, no matter how genuine his intent—greater than his own life—reality could overwhelm even the sincerest of vows.
"What are you doing? I asked you, what should you do when a monster is right in front of you? No answers?"
All his senses froze.
Eugene couldn't even make a sound.
The girl with the red fox mask.
A monster who effortlessly subdued the instructors, laughing as if nothing unusual had happened.
His instincts screamed at him.
His survival instinct, clinging to life, roared within him.
Run.
His hand was on his sword's hilt, but he didn't dare draw it.
If that girl pressed her parasol against him, he'd die instantly. His head would burst, his body torn to shreds.
Fear.
Overwhelming fear locked his legs in place.
It wrapped around his heart, pulling him back to the terrified child he had once been.
"Huh? You're really not going to answer? Really? And here I am asking so nicely."
With trembling hands, he gripped his sword's hilt.
He had to draw it. If he didn't, they would all die. He had to fight. He had to stand up.
But his hands wouldn't obey. He would die. He didn't want to die.
No. The girl in the mask was changing her posture. She was growing bored. She was preparing to strike.
He had to draw it. Draw the sword. Fight. He couldn't run. Why had he worked so hard until now?
Yui's flame existed for moments like this.
Click.
But despite all his efforts, he didn't draw the sword. No, that wasn't it. He hadn't even tried to.
With bloodshot eyes, Eugene looked at the girl in the mask. She tilted her head, raising her parasol.
Realizing what her action meant, Eugene gritted his teeth.
Please. Please. Draw it! Draw it!
Fight! You have to protect everyone in Class A!
I… I have to protect them… with Yui's power…
…
The sword slipped from his sweat-soaked hand.
Holding back a scream that had risen to the tip of his throat, Eugene stood helplessly, watching as the parasol aimed at someone.
That was all he could do.
Blood would soon flow.
Everyone would die. He knew it, yet Eugene…
"…I'll fight."
At that moment, someone spoke up.
Rising from her seat, she stepped in front of the girl in the mask.
"A hero protects people from monsters. So… we have to fight."
A girl with gleaming blonde hair.
Her voice was shaking, but there was no hesitation.
Even as she faced the girl in the mask, she stood with her shoulders squarely back.
A familiar, excruciating pain surged within him.
His heart was set aflame.
He understood instantly that this was hatred.
Hatred directed at himself.
The girl was beheaded.
But, as if she had anticipated it, she seized the moment to push the masked girl out of the bus.
Screaming internally, she threw herself at the masked girl.
She was struck down in a single blow, but the pain inside her was far worse than anything outside, an incomparable agony.
What have I even been doing up until now?
Acting like I'm the tragic hero, burdened by everything.
But when it actually mattered, I tucked my tail and ran.
A cold hatred and fiery contempt burned his chest at once.
Luckily, the girl hadn't died. She—Lucia—was a regenerator.
When she reattached her head, he was genuinely relieved. He wanted to tell her how glad he was that she had survived, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
When his eyes drifted away briefly, distracted by the aftershocks of the masked girl's battle with Angelica, Lucia vanished.
By the time he spotted her again, she was far in the distance, her figure shrinking away.
And when he realized where she was headed.
Eugene was already running.
He didn't know why. His body just moved.
Scenes flashed through his mind. The severed head. Rolling on the ground…
He ran and ran, chasing the faint traces of Lucia's path, following the signs of battle in search of her.
He thought he understood, at least a little, why she was headed to such a dangerous place. She must have been trying to help Ms. Angelica.
Even knowing she wouldn't be of much help, knowing it was dangerous, she simply couldn't stay back. Just as she had on the bus.
At some point, the sounds of the battle went silent.
A creeping sense of unease slithered up inside him. Why had the noise stopped? Was the fight over? Was Ms. Angelica okay? Was Lucia?
Would they both be okay?
"Urgh, cough, huff, huff… aaaaahhhhh!"
A scream echoed.
It was Lucia's scream—a horrifying cry, full of agony. Just hearing it made his skin crawl.
Eugene's legs stopped on reflex. But he quickly bit his lip and smacked his thigh.
Move. Don't be afraid.
Fight. You can't run away.
There was no time to hesitate. The screams hadn't ceased.
Thanks to them, Eugene found those he was looking for.
And what he saw…
"You really do have impressive regenerative abilities. I'll give you that. Normally, whether it's a human or a monster, they die just the same if you poke a hole through their brain. Hmm, you could be useful. Your physical strength is a bit lacking, but… well, that can be fixed by fusing you with something appropriate…"
"…Stop. Please… stop now."
"Heh? Is that how someone asking for a favor speaks?"
"Please… I beg you… stop now… please, just… give it to me instead…"
A blood-soaked jersey jacket.
Angelica, lying on the ground, was pleading in a voice that sounded nothing like her usual self.
Seeing her vulnerable for the first time, Eugene was momentarily speechless.
For the past month, she'd always been someone strong and resilient. A person he could rely on…
Screams. Heart-wrenching cries.
Lucia twisted her body, writhing in unimaginable agony.
It was as if all the world's suffering had been poured into that small frame.
The mask… could it be because of that mask?
The girl in the mask was laughing.
Laughing as if this situation was amusing. As if she was enjoying it.
Now that he thought about it, the girl had been laughing from the moment they first encountered her on the bus.
What's so funny?
I'm about to go mad… everyone is suffering… so why are you laughing?
Grinding.
The distant sound of his own teeth gritting reached him.
Fear was swallowed by anger.
But he suppressed his fury.
Now wasn't the time to be consumed by emotions.
"Enough."
He shattered the mask. It was hard to control his strength; it looked like part of Lucia's face was slightly scorched as well.
Lucia's screams ceased.
"What's so funny? Why are you laughing? Does this situation amuse you? People aren't your toys. They aren't things you can trample on and mock as you please. Just what is so enjoyable to you? Is it the pain? The screams of others… does that entertain you?"
He genuinely wanted to know.
What was it that she wanted? Was it simply to torment people and derive enjoyment from watching them suffer? Was that really all?
Why would someone with that kind of power use it like this?
Ms. Angelica, Lucia…
They're all good people.
Why should they suffer?
"Ru… Run…"
The first thing Lucia said, now that she was free, wasn't to ask for help but to urge him to run.
Grasping the hem of his pants with trembling hands that wouldn't fully obey her, she spoke.
"Te… Teacher… Take her… away… Please…"
Even in this situation.
Even after enduring that terrible torture, she still put others before herself.
Of course—she'd done the same on the bus. She had been the only one to move in that situation.
How… can she be so strong?
Up until a moment ago, I thought I was strong.
It's only now that I realize that was arrogance, a delusion.
"I won't run."
Eugene raised his sword.
A crimson heat imbued the blade.
He steadied his heart, which had wavered once.
"Running away once was enough."
If I turn my back again here, I'll never be able to forgive myself.
So I'll fight. Just like you said.
I've come to understand that a promise only has meaning when it's kept.
This time, I won't run.