The turn of events are only gonna get worse than this, be prepared.


The soles of his hands felt strangely cold, even though it was sweating profusely. He gathered every bit of courage he had and pulled on the door handle, pushing it open and stepping inside.

The hallway is already dim, the only lighting coming in is from the hallway. Good, he thought. He closed the door while making sure he made the least amount of noise possible.

With just so much as a click, the dark room is lit up from every corner. His breath stuck in his lungs, unable to find it in him to let it out. He felt tense, there were no movements made.

"Hirano?" Aiho calls out. He closed his eyes, accepting his fate. It wasn't vocalized, but he knew to turn around when she stepped closer.

The woman was in her usual clothings that she wore during the day. Her hair looks very messy, and her eyes have dark rings under them. She was worried sick.

"Where have you been?" The woman asks sternly, running her hands over his slightly tainted clothes. She was frowning. "Do you realize how worried I am? I thought you ran away after…*

He darkens, murmuring an apology and unable to meet her gaze. The boy seems to be holding up tears. Aiho softens, ruffling his hair. "Just… don't do that again. Please." He nodded.

She grabbed his wrist and led him into the living room. His shoes were still on, but why would that matter? He was missing for hours. She settled him on the couch, taking his bag off and putting it away.

She came back, sitting right next to him, hands on his shoulder to ease the boy up. "What happened?" The tone she spoke in was softer than it was from earlier.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't find his voice. The image of those hands, those faces. He kept hearing the screams. He's done for, he knew that much. It wouldn't be long before Anti-Skills swarmed the house. All of this would be gone again, not even she could save it.

The woman, noticing his distress pulled the boy into a warm embrace, shushing him into a silence, rubbing his back smoothly. The gesture wasn't lost on him. The warmth from her arms enveloped him, setting him at ease.

For the next several minutes, the boy stayed inside his own mind, straining to recall the details of it all. He wanted to forget, to not think of it again, and yet he couldn't help but picture it.

"Will they be okay?" He couldn't help but ask. "I could pay for their hospital bills if they want. I have money." The damage he inflicted was severe. He's known several others who have passed away from wounds that aren't as bad.

Aiho nodded. "I got a call just this noon. They're fine. Nothing too serious." That was a blatant lie. They've been robbed of their limbs, making them a handicap. But there is no way in hell she'll say that. Not to him, not now, not ever.

"What's gonna happen to me?" He asked again. He visibly shook when he spoke of it. Her heart quenched harder when she heard him choke. "Will they take me away?"

Her arms around him tighten. "I won't lie to you. They're probably investigating it right now." His sniffling got a little louder at that. Several damn spots are spreading on her shoulder. "But I'll make sure they never get you. I promise."

There was no response for a while, but she felt him nodding in her arms. "Thank you." Was all he said after.

Aiho, feeling her maternal instincts at the situation, cleared her throat. "You should sleep. I'm sure you'll get better tomorrow." She gently pulled him up and led the way to his bedroom.

He was tucked in like a little boy, lying there, both eyes closed. He wanted to say a thousand apologies, but his throat was closed up, his heart aching. It was like the world was ending.

She sat by the side, watching him forcing himself into the much needed deep slumber, his chest rising and falling in rhythm to his breaths.

Emotions are hitting her like waves. It was affecting her just as much as it had affected him. Yomikawa Hirano, who was the most calm and collected person she's ever known, was reduced to this shell.

When his breathing evened out, Aiho stood up. She turned to leave, taking one last glance before closing the door.

The following days are gonna be a hectic one, she ponders.


A certain albino groggily stretched. He felt like something was missing. His red eyes blinked open, taking a moment to adjust to the dim morning light filtering through the curtains. As consciousness fully returned, a sense of familiarity settled in—a sensation he had come to know all too well.

His feets touched the wooden flooring, letting his energy return bit by bit before heading for the door. He can't smell anything, he thinks to himself. 'Weird.'

The door opened and he was met with the sound of the live television. He rubbed his eyes as he looked around. Aiho was by the couch. And there was no food on the table. His eyes wandered out towards the clock.

It's 9:28.

"Oh, God damn it." He curses. Aiho heard it and turned for him, head tilted. "I think my alarm is broken and now I'm late for school." He rushed for the bathroom. "Why didn't you wake me up?" He exclaimed, busy trying to put paste on his brush.

"And aren't you also late for work?" He added later on.

After all that was done, he comes out feeling refreshed. His hairs sticking on his forehead, and his mouth feeling cold from the mint.

He spotted Aiho's face, who was looking down for some reason. He asked what was on her mind. "There was a call yesterday evening." She sounded guilty, not knowing how to deliver the message. "You've…"

There was a pregnant pause. "I was gonna tell you last night, but I don't want to stress you any more than you already are and… It's just…" She sighed. "There really is no easy way to say this, but you've been expelled."

The boy stopped on his tracks. He wasn't entirely hurt by the revelation, he understands why the decision was made. But it still hurts not to be able to see some familiar faces anymore. Well, maybe just not as much, but still.

He put down his red bag on the side of the couch, before sitting down, letting out a deep exhale. He was silent for several more minutes. "What now?"

She shrugged. "We'll see."

It feels strange to be at home at 10pm and not being at school, especially during the weekdays. He was already accustomed to being out during this time. Now that his chain of cycle was broken, he has no idea what to make out of it.

Every once in a while, he would think of the others and what they could be doing right now. His mind would also wander onto the two victims of his power. He would frown and wished them speedy recovery before pushing the thought entirely.

With nothing to do, he sat by the couch and waited for Aiho to finish cooking, just watching whatever program was being broadcasted in the television. Mostly news, because the others are just boring shits like a cooking show.

But even now, the news doesn't have anything new except for this thing happening in the Land of the Freedom. About a large-scale terrorist attack on the twin towers. A national tragedy.

His guardian emerged from the kitchen. She stood for a few seconds before commenting. "Well that's unfortunate. Anyways," She turned towards him. "Can you buy some onions? We ran out."

He was handed the money and he immediately walked out. The hallway is empty. The elevator is empty, and so is the lobby. Even the outside isn't as packed as they usually are during the weekdays.

He can't remember the last time he saw the streets this vacant. There were several older citizens, but they're not clad in any school uniforms, nor are they an Anti-Skill. They seemed to be getting scolded by people from said occupations though.

Strangely, even with the silent streets, he could feel trained gazes on him. What had him worried was not how intense he felt it. But how many of them were, from multiple directions. He felt very uneasy.

It wasn't long before he reached the convenience store. The automatic door opened and he was met with a chilly breeze. The cashier gave him the usual greetings, he nodded his head and went straight for the grocery sections.

He grabbed a bag full. Out the corner of his peripherals he saw black. He snapped his head over and saw nothing else.

"That'll be-" he didn't hear it, just handing them his money. There was sweat on his forehead. Snatching the bag, not giving a damn about the changes, he went out with foreboding tension.

His mind is completely on. Feeling even the tiniest bit of air. His guard is up, and he is very alert.

Out the door, he turned to the directions he came from. Not even 5 steps away, his eyes widened. He heard footsteps coming in close. Many of them. He wasn't given time to react, acting out of pure instinct. His heart was pounding, so much so that they might as well be out of his ribcage.

There were three people. Lunging with the intention to tackle. They reached him, and he was back to his nightmare, reliving it in an image worse than before.

It wasn't just their arms this time. One of them has their whole torso ruptured. Their arms spilled blood far too much to be natural, calling it lethal wouldn't even do justice to it.

He lost his footing, stumbling to the ground, landing hard on his back. There was only one person left. He stood, face getting paler by the seconds. The screams of his peers, burning into the very core of his head.

"M-monster!" He shouted bloody murder. He reached for the inside of his black coat, a loaded handgun. There was no hesitation, the guy wanted to kill him.

The loaded chamber expelled a hot, searing bullet at his face, exploding with a white light. Nothing but a twang, and the barrel of the gun shatters into millions of pieces.

His hands were nothing but a chunk of messy flesh, he let out a scream of his own, dropping to his knees.

Hirano was still frozen from the sight of the gun. But the sight was far worse than anything that left him scrambling on his feet. He ran as fast as he could, nothing would ever make him look on his back.

Even with the state of disarray he was in, he has realized something grave.

Those people aren't just normal people. They're adults, and they had a purpose. And it was to get him, if what they wore is of any indicator.

He gulped the lump building in his throat. He was being hunted.


Aiho heard the gunshot. Concerned, she went out of her way to investigate it. Just as the elevator reached the bottom floor, she was immediately met with a panicked Hirano, who was visibly trembling.

Her heart sank. Something is up.

She rushed over to his front, kneeling and checking every inch of the boy's body for signs of a wound. He was pale, more so than he already is. He was also sweating, something that has rarely ever happened.

She found nothing, not even a graze on his delicate skin. But his eyes told a different story. He was completely shaken. Hands on his shoulder, she squeezed him hard.

"What happened?" She questioned sternly.

He came out with a shudder. "They're out to get me." His voice was barely a whisper. "They're trying to kill me."

The woman was struck by the nature of such a statement. Who would do such a thing? Especially to child? Her thoughts immediately turned to the underground projects. Although information is still scarce, they know for a fact that they dispose of... used subjects, once their experiments have borne to fruition. They didn't release them in fear of exposing the projects out into the public.

Now the very same people are now after him, knowing that he used to be a captive. A valuable one at that.

Aiho pursed her lips, standing up whilst keeping him close to her legs. She thought of multiple solutions, but only one really made any sense. "You need to hide."

He merely nodded, still too shocked to even make any decisions for himself. "Where?"

"My office." It is said that the Anti-skill are a separate entity to the Board of Directors, functioning on their own from them as a balance of power within the city. It is one of the safest options they have. The other being out of the city itself. An impossibility for the albino and for practically any Esper.

"There's a lot of people there that we can trust." She stated. "We'll get my keys first, then we'll head there immediately." She would prefer to have him waiting by the parking lot, but after what she had just been told, she isn't very comfortable with the thought of him being alone.

They didn't have any time for him to pack any clothes, because the sooner they got there, the better. They spared not even a glance at the sizzling pan or whatever content is on it, turning the stove off and dumping it into the trash can.

Aiho never felt so cold because of the air conditioner in the car. Nor did Hirano ever feel so tense in his whole life. The tapping of her fingers while her occasional glancing between the road and waiting for the green light above unnerved even the boy.

The radio is off, and the road is vacant. The only noise they're hearing is the sound of the engine's omnipresent blaring. It was eerily silent.

"Whoever it is that was after you, we'll get them, I promise." The woman starts. He looked at her. She was smiling, even if it's nowhere near as profound as they usually are. But she tried anyway.

He nodded, in response to her statement.

A few seconds passed before she suddenly sighed in an exasperating manner. "Y'know, this is probably the longest red light in the world. You reckon that something might be wrong with the damn thing?" She comments, taking a lighter tone.

He doesn't know how to respond to that. There was another silence, before it was once more broken by her chuckling. "Since the road is empty, what do you think of breaking the law for once?"

He raised an eyebrow at that. "... What?"

She smirked. "You know what I mean." She began revving up the car's engine, throwing him a grin. "It's not like anyone's going to see. Even if they do, they'll probably just fine me at the office . It's not too expensive, so..."

"That's stupid." Hirano started with an incredulous tone. "And wasn't it you who told me to be a good, obedient boy?"

She humphed, pouting and looking back at the road. "You're no fun."

A minute of silence passed. "Tch, this isn't normal." The woman scowls. The boy can only stare at her. 'That look doesn't fit her' he thought.

He exhales as the woman resumes her finger tapping. The boy leaned his head on the window, staring out in boredom.

Out of the corner of his vision, he noticed something peculiar with the rearview mirror. There was something, it didn't look like a vehicle, its shape wasn't anything of the norm, but it's moving.

It wasn't just one. But a lot. On the back of them, there was even more trailing. Suddenly, he feels very anxious. "Hey…" he called out. She gave him a side eye. "What's that behind us?"

She looked over to her side of the mirror. Her whole body went limp, as even her fingers that were grasping the steering wheel went down. She made a choking sound, colours slowly drained from her face. "T-that's…"

She's breathing very hard. In turn, his cool began to seep away. "O-oi, what is it? Tell me." He takes another look at the mirror. With this distance, he still couldn't identify what the thing was.

"Get out." She suddenly said, unbuckling her own seatbelt. He was given no chance to speak, as immediately she began to shout. "GET OUT."

The sheer terror in her voice terrifies him. He punched through the belt, slamming the door open. He jumped out. The woman was practically springing, rushing over and picking him up.

She's not dragging him, or is she pulling him. She literally took him up onto her shoulder and ran like her life was on the line.

He didn't try to protest, but did let out a yelp. She didn't say anything, merely sprinting straight for the alleyway. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough. A loud explosion and an impact. His ears ring as his vision is clouded with dust and debris.

There was the sound of things crashing down, glasses shattering and little pellets to rocks raining down on them. It was loud.

From being hoisted on his guardian's shoulder, and then suddenly dropped onto a bunch of fragmented concrete. He curses for whatever it is that caused all this.

He could hear Aiho coughing. The dust was thick, and he couldn't breath. He feels waves and their sense of directions. He guided them with the numbers he was presented with, lifting the veils out and dispersing them.

And oh, what a horrible sight that they were met with. The sound of machinery, rolling with the weight of thousands of tons of steel. A terrible noise of clanking, and engine. An instrument of war, machine of death.

Hordes of tanks are getting closer, and she's still on her knees.


New Shit Next Week!