Shuu, Caelis, and Rin stepped out of the Survivor Guild’s headquarters without looking back.

The heavy doors shut behind them with a dull thud, and the moment they crossed the threshold, the atmosphere outside felt noticeably off. The air felt dense, almost suffocating, as if something unseen was pressing down on the entire area.

The street itself was not empty. A few people were still walking around, some talking in hushed voices, others staring at the sky or their system windows with uneasy expressions. Shuu had barely taken a few steps forward when the space in front of him distorted.

It started as a faint ripple, like heat rising from asphalt, but within seconds it intensified. The air warped violently, spreading outward in jagged lines that resembled cracks forming across a fragile surface. It felt less like a visual glitch and more like reality itself was being forced out of alignment.

Then the system window appeared again.

[Warning: System recalibration in progress.]

[Calculating end-state of current world.]

[All users are advised to surrender to the system’s will if survival is desired.]

The message flickered unnaturally as it hovered in front of them. The text shifted for a fraction of a second, distorting as if something else was trying to overwrite it, before snapping back into place.

Shuu stopped walking immediately.

"...That’s not normal."

His voice came out quieter than he intended, but the unease behind it was clear.

Rin reacted instantly. He stepped closer to Shuu, his body turning slightly to shield him as his eyes scanned their surroundings with sharp vigilance.

"Is that a malfunction?"

Rin said, his tone firm and edged with suspicion.

Caelis remained silent for a moment, his attention fixed entirely on the system window. His gaze had sharpened in a way that Shuu recognized.

"...Something’s wrong."

Caelis finally said.

Shuu glanced at him.

"What do you mean?"

Instead of answering immediately, Caelis stepped forward and raised his hand toward the floating interface.

"I’ll check."

The moment his fingers made contact—

A violent force surged back.

It was not visible, but the reaction was immediate. Caelis’s hand jerked back as if he had touched something scorching hot. His entire arm tensed, and for a brief second, his expression twisted in shock.

"...!"

Rin turned to him at once.

"What happened?"

Caelis did not answer right away.

He stared at his hand, his brows drawn together tightly, as if trying to process what he had just felt. Slowly, he clenched his fingers into a fist.

"I was blocked."

He said, his voice lower than before.

That alone was enough to set off alarm bells.

But Caelis did not stop there.

"...It’s not just the system anymore."

Shuu’s gaze sharpened immediately.

"Then what is it?"

Caelis hesitated.

For a brief moment, it looked like he was debating whether or not to say anything. But Shuu was already watching him too closely to let it go.

"I cannot tell what it was. It was too fast for me to keep track of."

Caelis admitted at last, his tone tight.

Shuu did not react outwardly at first, but something in his expression hardened in a way that was impossible to miss.

"...Goddess Astoria."

Rin’s posture stiffened slightly.

"She’s interfering again."

Caelis clicked his tongue under his breath, frustration evident as he looked away.

"I didn’t want to say it yet."

But there was no point in hiding it now.

Shuu exhaled slowly, his gaze lifting toward the sky above them.

"...She’s crossing a line."

There was no anger in his voice, but the calmness made it far more dangerous.

"I’m not going to forgive this."

Rin immediately stepped in front of him, his expression turning serious.

"Don’t make a decision you’ll regret."

Shuu remained silent for a moment. His eyes stayed fixed on the sky, as if he was already imagining what was coming next.

Then he closed his eyes briefly and let out a quiet breath.

"...We should go back."

That was the most logical option.

Standing out in the open while the system was behaving like this was reckless.

Caelis nodded without hesitation.

"Yeah. We need to regroup with Kaiden."

They turned to head back—

And the world broke.

A deafening crack tore through the air, so loud and sudden that it felt like the ground itself had split beneath them.

All three of them froze.

Shuu’s head snapped upward instinctively.

The sky—

It was breaking.

Jagged fractures spread across the blue expanse above, tearing through it like cracks in glass. Light poured through those fractures, harsh and unnatural, as if something on the other side was forcing its way into this world.

The sight was wrong in every possible way.

People around them noticed almost instantly.

"What is that?!"

"The sky—why is it breaking?!"

"Is this some kind of dungeon event?!"

Voices rose in panic, confusion spreading rapidly as more people looked up and realized what was happening.

Shuu stood still, his chest tightening as he stared at the collapsing sky. His heartbeat began to quicken, each thump echoing louder in his ears.

A suffocating pressure settled in his lungs.

And then—

’This is your fault.’

Shuu’s breath hitched.

His fingers curled at his sides, tension building in his shoulders as that realization took hold.

He knew exactly why this was happening.

Goddess Astoria was trying to get to him.

A chill ran down Shuu’s spine as the cracks in the sky widened further.

And then something fell through.

Monsters.

Not one or two.

Dozens.

Then more.

Hundreds of twisted forms poured through the broken sky, their bodies writhing unnaturally as they fell into the city below.

The moment they hit the ground, chaos erupted.

Screams filled the air as people scattered in every direction, trying desperately to escape. The creatures did not hesitate. They lunged at anything within reach, their movements erratic and violent.

Shuu stood still for a moment too long.

His mind struggled to process the scale of what was happening.

"Shuu."

Rin’s voice cut through the noise, sharp and immediate.

Shuu turned slightly, only to see Rin and Caelis already moving into position.

"We’re handling this."

Caelis said, his tone firm and decisive.

"You stay back."

Rin added without hesitation.

Before Shuu could respond, Caelis had already stepped forward, his body tensing as his power surged around him.

"We’ll protect everyone here."

"...Wait—"

Shuu started, but the words came too late.

They were already gone.

Both of them moved with speed and precision, intercepting the first wave of monsters before they could reach the fleeing civilians..

People began to notice.

"They’re fighting back!"

"Stay behind them!"

"Don’t go that way!"

Panic slowly shifted into fragile hope.

Shuu remained where he was, watching them fight.

They were protecting everyone.

Holding the line.

Risking themselves—

While he stood there doing nothing.

His hands trembled slightly.

"...I can’t just stand here."

Even if he could not fight like them, he still had a role.

Shuu stepped forward and focused, reaching for his ability.

Guiding.

He could help the others out if he guided the espers.

A faint glow spread from his body as he extended his senses toward Caelis and Rin, carefully weaving his energy around them. The connection formed smoothly, strengthening their movements and stabilizing their output.

He could feel the difference immediately.

Shuu exhaled slowly, maintaining the connection as he focused on supporting them.

But then—

One of the monsters abruptly stopped mid-motion. Its head twisted unnaturally, locking onto Shuu.

Then another did the same.

And another.

Shuu’s breath caught as he noticed the shift spreading.

"...Why are they looking at me...?"

The answer came too quickly.

They moved toward him.

Several monsters broke away from the fight, their movements becoming more aggressive as they rushed in Shuu’s direction with terrifying speed.

"They’re targeting me...?"

Shuu’s voice came out strained as realization set in.

It did not make sense at first glance. He was not attacking them. He was not even close enough to pose a threat.

But his guiding—

The energy he was releasing— 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

It was acting like a beacon.

"Shuu!"

Rin noticed immediately, his expression shifting as he saw the monsters bypassing him entirely.

"...Damn it!"

Caelis reacted just as quickly, moving to intercept, but the number of creatures breaking through was too large.

They slipped past.

Straight toward Shuu.

Shuu tried to step back, but his body hesitated just enough to cost him. The monster managed to graze his arm enough to make it bleed. But it was not done yet. The monster quickly pulled another attack.

Shuu held his bleeding arm, but he was not ready to take another attack so quickly.

Rin managed to kill the monster right in time before it could hurt Shuu, but the mental danage had still been dealt.

Shuu grasped for breath as he looked in front of him. He felt shaken but he needed to get himself under control and check on the kids.

"Are you both alright?"

Rin asked as he walked over to them and they nodded.

"We are fine...for now."