Her body petrified from the sound of a distant bang, her heart racing once more, and her mind filled with fear. "Move!" she says to herself, but her body refuses, frozen in place on the streets. She struggles inwardly, much like Akane, who hears nothing but a constant ringing and the thunderous pounding of her heart.

Akane slowly opens her eyes to see a metallic pellet suspended midair, encased in what looks like a rectangular glass like barrier. Gasping for air, her legs give out, and she collapses to the ground. Without a second thought, the stranger redirects his aim toward Shuzuka. Realizing the imminent danger, Shuzuka dismisses the barrier, shattering into fragments as it vanishes. Before he can conjure another shield, a gunshot rings out.

"SHI—!" Shuzuka's voice cuts off as his head jerks back, life fading from his eyes.

Akane's eyes widen. She screams and shuts them tightly, her voice breaking into sobs. "SHUZUKAAAA!"

Touma, hearing the anguished cries of his older sister, reacts instinctively. Ice magic erupts from his feet in a blinding flash, encasing both Akane and Red in protective formations. His face fills with rage as a massive glacier of ice bursts forth, destroying the front of the house.

The stranger barely leaps away in time. Frost clings to his clothing, and his breath forms clouds in the frigid air. He chuckles, and through the shadows of his hood, a smirk creaks out. "Basic magic.. pathetic." Straightening his hunched posture, he scans the surroundings.

"Now... where are you?"

His eyes widen when he spots Konnie's purple hair in the distance. "Found you," he mutters.

Aiming his gun at Konnie, he pulls the trigger. She ducks and closes her eyes, bracing for the gunshot. But all she hears is a series of clicks. Confused, the stranger looks down at his weapon and notices a small chunk of crystal ice lodged in it.

"DAMN IT!" he growls, smashing the crystal with a conjured bullet. As he raises the gun again, a needle shoots from the smoky debris, piercing his wrist.

Red's voice rings out. "TOUMA, AKANE, GET DOWN!"

The threaded needle yanks back, redirecting the stranger's aim. More needles follow, embedding into the wound and creating a strong rope. He struggles to aim back at Konnie but can't.

Konnie's fear, her heavy body, and her racing heart begin to fade. Watching Red protect everyone with an unbreaking determination ignites something within her. A faint, transparent purple aura glows around Konnie as she takes a step forward.

The stranger's hood slips back, revealing a face twisted with wrath. "IF YOU WANT IT SO BAD, THEN HERE YOU GO!" he snarls, aiming directly at Red.

The gun fires. The haunting bang echoes through the air. Red's rage turns into fear as she hears it. Her eyes shut tightly, bracing herself for death.

Instead, there's a sharp whistling sound.

Red's eyes snap open to find herself encased in an ice barrier. Looking back, she sees Touma standing firm, his eyes wide and brows furrowed—not with rage but with fierce determination.

But then a second bang follows. The barrier shatters, and Red gasps as the bullet slams into her shoulder. Pain sears through her body, forcing her to stagger back. She clutches the wound, her fingers seeping out blood. Collapsing to one knee, a scream tears from her throat.

The threads begin to unravel and go limp as Red's magic fades. The stranger shifts his attention to Konnie, frozen in fear. He raises his gun and aims straight at her head. As the gun fires, Jade bolts forward in a desperate attempt to protect Konnie—but the bullet finds its mark, piercing Konnie's forehead.

The stranger smirks. "Got you."

Jade skids to a halt, her face pale and her hands trembling. "N-No..." she whispers, eyes wide with horror.

But instead of collapsing, Konnie's form flickers, cracks, and shatters into shards of light. The stranger's triumphant expression twists into disbelief. He fires again, scanning the surroundings.

"Damn you! Mocking me with little party tricks? Illusion magic... what a waste!" he growls.

Jade's fear shifts to determination as she notices faint puffs of dust materializing beside the stranger. Gripping her staff tightly, she steadies herself.

"You must think I'm stupid if you think you can easily sneak up on me," the stranger snarls, his face contorted in manic rage. He whips around and fires at the ground, just as Konnie's invisibility fades. Her expression is frozen in surprise.

He shoots her point-blank in the head—but it's another illusion.

Konnie springs up from beneath him, seizing his gun with both hands. They struggle for control, but the stranger headbutts her, knocking her backward.

Jade raises her staff and summons thick roots that travel across the ground. The stranger notices them mid struggle and dodges, aiming his gun at Konnie again. He fires—this time striking her hip.

Konnie lets out a cry as the gun goes flying. A wall of roots erupts between them, blocking his line of sight.

The stranger vanishes, reappearing behind Konnie with a dagger in hand. Jade attempts to summon another barrier, but collapses, her glowing necklace flickering rapidly.

"No! Not now!" she yells in frustration.

"SAY GOODBYE!" the stranger roars, slashing downward—only for his knife to get stuck in something solid.

Confused, he looks up to find it isn't a wall.

It's a man radiating a murderous aura.

Jade squints through the smoke, her breath catching as the figure steps forward. His jacket is torn, hair wild, and his expression... twisted, unfamiliar.

It's Shuzuka.

His glowing eyes and clenched fists radiate raw power, veins bulging with every hiss of breath.

"H-How are you ali-" the stranger begins.

Before he can finish, Shuzuka grips his arm, lifting him effortlessly. A deafening bang echoes as Shuzuka's fist slams into the stranger's stomach. The man doubles over, coughing up blood.

On his knees, the stranger looks up in time to see Shuzuka's leg descending like a hammer.

The axe kick connects with brutal force, smashing his face into the stone pathway and shattering it.

Panting heavily, Shuzuka turns his attention to Konnie, murderous intent blazing in his eyes.

Jade gasps and shields her face as Shuzuka raises his fist, ready to strike. Konnie closes her eyes, bracing herself.

But the blow never comes. Shuzuka's fist stops just in front of her.

"I AM SO SO SORRY, ah... hope he didn't cause TOO much trouble, heh..." Konnie hears a high pitched voice, soft and comforting—oddly similar to Jade's. She slowly opens her eyes to see... Shuzuka? His eyes are a deep blue, and he's covering his mouth with the back of his hand, eyes wide with embarrassment.

"This is REALLY awkward. I'm so sorry! Didn't mean to introduce myself like this. Name's Naoki Watanabe." His posture is hunched, and his expression is genuinely apologetic. It's clear this isn't Shuzuka.

Jade drops her staff in awe, her mouth hanging open, eyes squinting. "Huh..?" she mutters, speechless at the bizarre turn of events. Red, wearing a more distorted expression, mouths, "What... the...?"

Konnie quietly raises an eyebrow at Naoki. "Uh... well, I don't blame you. This might seem a bit strange to you. Are you hurt, though? I hope he didn't hurt you. He's... not exactly the nicest guy out there. Kind of hot-tempered..."

Still confused, Konnie tilts her head and notices the stranger behind Naoki slowly getting up. "How the he—"

"Not yet~" Naoki cuts him off, flicking his pointed hand downward. The stranger smashes into the ground, knocked out once again.

"Anywayss~ tell me about yourself! I've been dying to know you ever since you saw us—" His eyes flicker from deep blue to red. "Oh! Time's up. Well... let's catch up soon, okay? Remember~" His lips curl into a creepy grin. "We're always watching~"

Naoki's grin fades as Shuzuka gasps, blinking rapidly. He stumbles, pressing a hand to his forehead. "Woah... what just happened?" he mutters, disoriented.

Recovering, he notices Konnie's injuries and quickly kneels beside her. "Here, let me..." He places a hand over her wounded hip and bruised head, concentrating as a new wound appears on his own hip.

"Did well for someone who got shot and—oh..." He stumbles. "And got struck in the head.. "

He stands up and walks toward Red, who's still clutching her wound, breathing heavily. "Let me see it."

Reluctantly, Red removes her hand, revealing a frozen wound. Shuzuka glances at Touma and smiles. "Not bad kid.. Good job." He pats Touma's head, only for Touma to glare at him and freeze his entire hand.

Shuzuka looks at it nonchalantly. "Ah, noted..." As the ice slowly melts, he starts healing Red, causing another wound to form on himself.

Red watches him curiously. "What was that?"

Shuzuka flinches. "Oh? Ah... that's... that's a long story."

Red shakes her head and chuckles weakly. "Hah... alright then, thanks by the way."

As Shuzuka finishes healing Red, and slowly gets up, only for Akane to tackle him in a tearful hug. "WAHHH! SHUZUKAA! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONE!"

"HEY! GET OFF ME!" Shuzuka struggles, trying to shake her off. "RED! TOUMA! HELP ME GET HER OFF!"

Red whistles, looking away, while Touma gives him a thumbs up.

"HEY! DON'T IGNORE ME!"

Eventually, Shuzuka gives up and lets her cry on his chest. "Damn it..."

Jade approaches, towering over him. "Mind telling ME what happened over there?"

Shuzuka glares at her and flips her off. "Not a chance."

Jade pouts and walks away. "Fine, then stay like that."

She notices Konnie still sitting on the ground, staring at the unconscious man. Jade sits beside her. Konnie doesn't react, seemingly lost in her thoughts.

Jade sighs, pressing her lips before bumping into Konnie. "You never told me you could go invisible."

The nudge pulls Konnie back to reality. She awkwardly laughs. "Yeah... I wanted to surprise you with that."

Jade whispers something under her breath "ʸᵒᵘ ᵈᵉᶠᶦⁿᶦᵗᵉˡʸ ᵈᶦᵈ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʳᶦᵍʰᵗ.."

"What?" Konnie asks, raising an eyebrow.

Jade leans back with a nervous laugh. "Nothing, nothing~!"

Konnie's gaze drifts back to the stranger. She rests her mouth on her arms, her nose pressed against them. "Do you know who they are?"

Jade's playful demeanor vanishes, her expression turning serious. "Yeah... the Black Rose. They hunt dark magic users. Sometimes they execute them. Or worse.. try to extract the magic from you."

"Why..."

"Because fate is a one way road. Dark magic users tend to stray away from that path. They believe it's foolish. 'Why stray away from your purpose?' they say.." Jade's voice trails off as she remembers the first time she encountered them.

A single tear slipped down her cheek as the voice of a man echoed in her ears. He braced himself on one knee, gently taking young Jade's trembling hands in his.

"Jade, listen to me. I'll be fine. No matter what happens, no matter what you hear or see—keep running. Head straight into the woods and don't stop. I'll buy you some time."

His voice was steady despite the chaos around them. Pressing his palm to the ground, a surge of energy erupted as multiple ritual circles ignited, each pulsing with different effects—blinding flashes, scorching flames, and twisted roots rising to restrain the advancing enforcers.

Jade's heart pounded as she obeyed, sprinting toward the dense trees of the Lost Woods. Just before she disappeared into the shadows, she glanced back. Her breath hitched at the sight of his soft, reassuring smile—right before vines coiled around him, pulling him to the ground as he collapsed.

"Jade?"