Something happened. That much is obvious.

I'm used to getting a few looks at school, but we're talking about more than just a few looks here. Almost everyone is looking and whispering behind me. They're not even trying to be discret about it.

But it's not me that they're talking about, I think.

"Do you think he knows ?"

"Talk about a big reveal."

"I always felt like her smile looked fishy."

"Disgusting."

This is beginning to get really annoying. And worrying, too. I feel like I have an idea as to who they're gossiping about, but I hope I'm wrong.

That's the mood that sticks with me as I make my way towards an empty classroom. Earlier that day, just before I went to school, Tanaka and Suzuki called me there for an 'urgent chat'.

As soon as I make my way in, I catch their face and I immediately stiffen. We exchange some pleasanteries, but they're completely half-hearted. The mood is so heavy, I can't even smile.

"OK, let's just cut to the chase already. What happened ? And what does it have to do with me ?" My question clearly took them by surprise, but not for what I thought.

"Didn't you watch the news ?" Tanaka asked incredulously.

"Um, no. I was...busy." Can't exactly tell them I almost missed breakfast because I was thinking about my recent findings.

Suzuki fiddles with his phone before showing me the screen. My eyes stay frozen, stumped by the article I'm reading.

'Raiden Ryoma, the head of the notorious M.E Corp, suspected of economic fraud.'

In an instant, I recall the talk I heard on that rainy day. Everything makes sense now. An Herrscher awakening due to psychological trauma is what that mysterious person they were working for is after.

"Insane." My anger-filled voice makes both of my friends jump. They want to provoke an Impact. Not only that, but one that would birth a Herrscher : the damage would go beyond just this town. Mass murdering maniac.

"Ki ?" Suzuki's voice bring me back to my senses.

"...Sorry, I zoned out. So, that's what's happening. The one they're all talking about is... "

"Yeah, it's Raiden-san."

Suzuki's comfirmation makes me fell jittery. I can't stand here doing nothing.

"Then why did you call me here now ? We've got no time to waste right now !" I turned around before finishing. Dilidayling around was not an option : I needed to go find her.

"Wait !" Tanaka grabs my hand. "We've called you here about that."

I turn my head to him. After a few moments, he opens his mouth and hazardly spells those definitive words.

"We think we should stay away from her from now on."

The classroom falls into a deafening silence. The reality of the situation is just as loud. My mouth feels like it's been filled with lead.

"You did not just speak those words." Contrary to my head, my voice is utterly devoid of emotion. The nagging fear I got from walking in here manifests right in front of me.

Those two are telling to give up on her, just as they did.

I yank my hand free and stare at those two.

"Right now, you should get how staying by her side would be...problematic. So we spoke and-."

"Decided to just abandon her."

They flinched at that, which makes my indignation flare up even more. How dare they do that, act like the ones hurt even though they are guilty as well. Bystanders share the guilt, too.

"We went at the arcade with her. We laughed and had fun together, and you would just throw that away."

They stayed silent.

"I thought you were my friends. Not for long, but I believed we would be together in this."

Still nothing. I loathed the hint of pleading that had appeared inside my voice. I was so disappointed. So much for friendship. I wanted to vomit my anger and indignation at them, but I had much better uses for my energy. They weren't worth it.

I opened my mouth again, but decided against it in the end. Insults would have probably followed and...I just had enough of this.

I got out of the classroom and headed for the entrance. They didn't try to stop me. I wouldn't have bothered to, anyway.

...

A crowd formed at the entrance, just as I feared. She was always one to arrive leisurely at school, though I suspected it was this time because she was hesitant to come today.

I strove through the crowd, unceremoniously pushing everyone aside. I had no ears, nor any concern for these pieces of crap.

She was there, curled up on herself. They didn't go as far as to hurt her physically, but they had done plenty of damage already. I couldn't believe how shameless they were.

"She was living on stolen money !"

"Your smile always looked so creepy and false."

"To think your father was so happily lying to everyone with a straight face. It's as they say, you can't fight your own blood."

"I hope he'll be behind bars soon."

"My father is not a criminal ! This is some kind of mistake ! It has to be !"

"More lies. Aren't you tired of them ?"

Mei cast her head down, crushed by the weight of their malice. Trembling, she gritted her teeth.

"Mei !" "Mei-senpai !"

Kiana and I went by her side, taking her hand.

"You're not alone. Come on, let's go."

"That's right, we'll always be here ! We're not like these assholes !"

"Kiana-chan, Ki-kun..." Her voice pained my heart. It felt like I was hearing shattered glass speaking.

"Hey, what are you doing with her ? " The displeased voice came from the crowd, preceding the person that emerged from it. A fresh burst of anger colored my face. Akia Uli, another person I mistook for a friend.

"Shut up ! Mind your own business, turncoat."

"You sure about that ? Both of you are scholarship students, right ? With him out of the picture, can you be certain that you will be allowed to stay here ?"

The students around us began to smirk. Their leering faces were telling us they had got us. At least, they think so.

" So what ? "

" Big deal. "

Their faces morphed into shock. That stemmed curiously unexpected.

" Being forced to leave a school full of trash like you guys isn't going to make me cry. Get real : did you really think this would work ?"

Now we were the ones smirking. For them, this school was an irreplaceable place to be in. For us, it was far less worthy a place, especially right now.

"If we get kicked out, then that's that." That was not bravado, but my true thoughts. Despite having only known Kiana for mere days, I knew she shared my emotions. I didn't look back at Mei but I could feel her grip.

Not only that, schools and the like : a normal life would become quickly a thing of the past with me. Even with an uncertain future, I knew that, which made it all the more worthy to stay true to myself here.

I turned on my heels in turn with Kiana, and we brought Mei away from there. We would miss school, but we all knew none of us could have gotten any work done that day.

...

Raiden Mei had always been aware of herself. As an heiress and a person. Due to her status, a lot was expected of her, and she did feel somewhat pressured about how to respond to those expectations, her father had always supported her and taught her about life. He had been a strict and steady support, mentor and father through her life, despite the fact that her mother died when she was 2 years old from cancer.

Raiden Mei was aware of herself. At least, that's what she thought. Only now did she realize how naive and ignorant she was. While she had known that the goodwill directed towards her emerged from the desire to get close to the Raiden heiress, she had stupidly convinced herself it wasn't all. Satisfying herself with that parody of friendship, she played the part of the chirping bird that everyone liked, not aware that she was but a crow holding a piece of meat. Her now empty beck only garnered derision and malice, which crushed her pride and swallowed her self-esteem.

When she was surrounded by all of those liars and hypocrites, it made something inside of her squirm in rage. How dare they.

But even there, two lights had been there to take her hand and lead her to a brighter place. Her two true friends, people that looked at her as Mei.

Ah, how blessed she was. Crying in their arms had been a relief like none other.

...

...

...

"It's time for me to take the center stage !" proclaimed Kiana as she proudly got up from her position on the couch.

Okay, let's back it up. After that morning, we went straight at Kiana's appartment in order to give her some calm and quiet. We could have chosen my house, but bringing 2 beautiful girls home just felt like too high a hurdle for me. And Mei's home wasn't really an option, so yeah. She really needed it, judging by the amount of tears she shed. Everything had come all at once on her, after all.

It was after the waterworks that Kiana decided to, well, be herself. I was getting a good grasp on who she was as a person, which mysteriously didn't help me feel like putting any trust in her on that front. I'm talking about the kitchen, of course.

Her reasoning went like this : "When you're feeling down, you gotta eat something tasty to cheer you up !"

Mine was this : "That only works on a glutton like you."

And Mei was in the middle, wondering what she should say. That dilemma must be pretty novel for her, and her bewilderment made for a funny sight.

I snapped a pic when she wasn't looking for later. Couldn't resist.

And now, Kiana was in the kitchen leaving the two of us in the living room, in comfortable silence. But eventually, Mei broke it.

"Ki-kun... I don't know if I can ever pay you back enough for this. And I'm sorry, you might become a target too now... " she trailed off, her face morphing into a guilty frown. Now that she calmed down, she must be imagining what we'll face for this.

But she was wrong.

"Mei, I'll accept the thanks but not the apology. I refuse to stand by and watch this happen. It's not just about you : I wouldn't be myself if I did that. And... I also have selfish reasons for acting the way I did."

"Selfish reasons ? Like what ?"

"Hmm... Let's do it this way. I'll tell you one day, so keep doing your best, okay?"

"No way...You play it up and then you leave me hanging like this ? That's mean." she pouted.

I grinned at that, relieved. She was already looking a lot more alive than when we brought her in. As long as we kept things that way, maybe we could end this whole affair in a better way.

*BEEP, BEEP, BEEP*

Wait, what ? The fire alarm !? Why ?!

Startled, both of us looked up and saw smoke...coming from the kitchen ?

I got a bad feeling about this. We rushed inside and found...

"Oh, hum, sorry the curry will be a bit late."

...an ankwardly grinning Kiana and a plate filled with... charcoal ? Hold on, is that thing moving ?!

Needless to say, we got rid of her monstrosity and I took over the kitchen. Fortunately, she didn't ruin anything so I managed to cook some decent curry.

"I didn't know you could cook, Ki-senpai."

"When I was little, the family was struggling a bit with money, you see. That led my parents to take more shifts and I ended up learning to cook for myself. "

"Weren't you lonely at home alone ? Or scared ?"

"I mean, I was, but I couldn't ask much more of them. I know they were doing their best. " A forlorn smile came over me as I recalled those faraway memories. Having set the table, I began serving us

"I would have liked to meet you at that time. " said Mei with a smile as she took her plate.

"I wonder about that. I was a pretty weird kid, you know."

"Evewy kid is wi'd, wu know."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Kiana."

...

...

...

After that, we kept watching the films until we all fell asleep. Call it instinct or reading the mood, but I understood none of us wanted to be alone tonight. So we all slept beside each other.

'Come to think of it, Kiana's... got quite the collection. Guess her... travels... helped.'

Sleep took me easily. I half expected to have a nightmare, but something entirely different took place.

I suddenly found myself in a black void, floating. I could see myself pretty clearly, and my mind was awake, but there was nothing here and I could barely move too. On second thought, this would probably qualify as a nightmare for some people.

'Anyway, I'm getting bored. This is pretty dull after today.'

Are you now ? I guess I made you wait. Sorry about that.

If I could move properly, I would have jolted. Someone was here. Behind me ! No wait, I'm sure I heard that voice somewhere before.

To think I would meet you here. You sure did grow. Oh, would you look at that ? Seems like you've been busy.

Warm hands spread on my chest. A chill went through my body. Without her needing to tell me, I knew what she was talking about. My mark, the Stigmata. The proof that I was becoming a Herrscher, as well as the source of my new abilities. The void colored itself with my memories related to it on the spot. Somehow, I was certain that was by her will as well.

You are aware of what you'll be. Good. But you seem scared of it. Why ? You clearly enjoyed your powers, didn't you ?

No ! I... It was only to save everyone. I didn't enjoy this...

You did. Pushing past your human limits felt exhilarating. You were disappointed when they regressed. But don't worry. Even that frustration will soon vanish forever. You can sense it too, right ? The tension brimming, ready to burst in this town.

You mean...?

Her hands moved up to my neck. She got so close I could feel the burning heat of her body.

An Impact is coming.

I'll stop it. I have to.

Really ? Why ? Is there really something worth saving here anymore ?

What ?

Are you talking about your parents who lied to you about so much and kept as much from you, their son ? The ones who helped put you under surveillance ? Are you talking about those liars and hypocrits you called friends that turned their backs on you ? Or is it about the citizens of this town that talk behind your back, mocking you and giving you the cold shoulder ?

Her words were spot on, everything she said was something I had done my best to try to forget. But these murky feelings came back stronger than ever. Her hands moved to my cheeks, going towards my eyes. My mind grew hazy, thinking was getting hard but my feelings were unaffected.

I...

My heart's armor was peeled off. Laid bare, I felt fragile and small. Terrified of me and her, I wanted to escape. Yet, I could also feel an odd sense of familiarity. It was blurry, but I could recall myself surrounded by those arms and protected when I was feeling weak, fragile and in danger a long time ago.

That contradiction was as confusing as hell. An embrace that felt both suffocating and reassuring shouldn't exist. Her hands covered my eyes, and I blacked out.

But it's fine for now. Your queen will wait. Sleep, Ki.

The burning amber eyes were the last thing I saw.

Author's note :

And the Part 1 of the end of the Nagazora Arc begins ! Just to be clear, it'll be a few chapters before I actually begin the true fighting scenes along with the impact itself. So for now, I will lay the groundwork for the Impact while continuing to reveal some of Ki's past. I will also deepen the relationship and background story of other characters.
That's all for now. If you liked the chapter, leave a comment, follow the story for more and I'll see you later !