Club Room
The room was deathly still.
Not the silence of peace, but the kind of quiet that came before a storm—the type that pressed down on your lungs and whispered, "Something's wrong."
Seraphina stood with arms crossed, crimson eyes burning with restrained fury. "She's still alive," she said finally. Her voice was flat as if it took all her will to keep the worry out. "But she's not here anymore. She's been taken."
Eiji's stomach dropped. "Where?"
"A holy dimension," she replied. "Artificial. Created to imprison devils, corrupted spirits, and beings with dark affinities."
Across the room, Aika Lucross leaned against the wall, her eyes shadowed. Her voice was cold, clinical, and final. "If she remains there too long, her soul will fragment. She'll become a Hollow Shell."
The words sucked the breath out of the room.
"A Hollow Shell…" Eiji echoed, low, disbelieving. "What does that even mean?"
Aika's arms crossed, the gleam of her crimson hair catching the low light. "It means she'll be gone. Her body may remain. Her voice, her smile… but the Amane you knew? She'll be nothing more than an echo—an empty shell of fading memories."
"No."
His voice cut through the tension like a sword, sharp and clear.
"No," he repeated, louder this time. "We're going to save her. Now."
Seraphina stepped forward, her gaze steady. "You're serious?"
Eiji's eyes didn't waver. "When have I not been?" Seraphine smirked and said, "Then what are we waiting for?" She turned to Kirika Barbatos, who'd been silent until now, observing with that dangerous calm that only she could pull off.
Kirika's violet eyes narrowed. Her presence was like the eye of a hurricane—beautiful, poised, and quietly terrifying. "You think this is some shounen fantasy arc, Kuroryuu? Entering a holy dimension without a stabilizer is suicide. Worse—it's a breach of divine territory. The Holy Council won't stand for it."
"We're not going there to declare war," Ayaka said, stepping forward. Her tone was calm and composed, yet she carried the weight of someone used to making hard decisions. "We're going to pull our friend out of a trap."
Kirika sighed like someone forced to watch fools rush into the fire. "And that trap is layered in divine seals, temporal distortion, and mind-shattering purity. That dimension wasn't meant for rescue missions—it was built to purify evil. It will eat you alive."
From her perch on the edge of the alchemy desk, Miya finally spoke. "I've handled dimensional tears before," she said with a shrug. "This isn't my first supernatural suicide trip."
She dropped down, rummaging through her satchel and producing a worn, ancient-looking compass with veins of red light pulsing through it. "Compass of Binding Veins. It tracks soul resonance."
Eiji raised an eyebrow. "Soul resonance?"
Before Miya could answer, Seraphina spoke softer than usual. "It means if Amane's still holding onto the servant contract with me… this compass might find her. Might lead her back."
Miya gave a cheeky wink. "Assuming we're not incinerated by a giant holy light cannon first."
Kirika muttered under her breath, "You're all mad."
Seraphina's voice sharpened like a dagger. "If you are not helping, then stay out of our way. She's our responsibility, Family. Mine. And everyone in the Research Club Room."
Aika stepped forward. "You'll still need an anchor. That realm feeds on doubt, fear, and regret. It doesn't just burn your body—it melts your identity. Without something to tie you to who you are… you'll get lost. You'll become one of them."
Eiji smirked faintly, his right arm glowing faintly as dragon-scale patterns pulsed beneath his skin. "I've been lost before."
Silence followed.
Then, Kirika stepped forward. She reached into her coat and pulled out a pale blue crystal, pulsing softly like a living heart. She pressed it into Eiji's palm.
"This is a soul anchor," she said. "It's attuned to you. If it shatters, so does your sense of self. If that happens, Kuroryuu… you're dead. Truly."
Eiji's voice lowered. "Thank you."
Kirika looked at him coldly. "Don't thank me. I'm not here to help. I'm here to ensure your stupidity doesn't ripple into disaster."
Flashback
In the shadows of the room, time blurred.
Eiji remembered it. The day she smiled.
Amane, hands shaking, eyes wide with fear and hope, holding that contract paper like it was her only thread to life.
"You're the first one to ask me what I wanted," she had whispered. "Not what I could give."
The memory stung. He clenched his fist. The glow pulsing from his veins flared brighter.
"I won't lose another person. Not again."
The Holy Dimension
Golden light spilled into the air as Aika conjured a floating projection, lines, and sigils spinning like a divine mandala.
"That dimension… was created by the First Holy King to amplify belief," Aika said. "But over time, faith turned into fanaticism. That realm mutated."
She pointed at a spiraling core within the projection. "It's a sea of divine power. Constant, unfiltered, suffocating. It doesn't kill—it purifies. Or… it unravels. It turns memory into guilt. Turns pain into weapons. And the worst part?"
"Time distortion," Ayaka added. "One hour here is six inside."
"The longer she's in there, the closer she gets to… fading."
Into the Rift
The hallway outside the clubroom was cold and quiet. The mirror-like portal shimmered in the air, warping the world like heat off the pavement.
Miya adjusted the compass, its red threads tightening toward the portal.
"It's open," she said.
Seraphina pulled her gloves tighter. "Here we go in, we find her, we get out. Nothing else matters."
Ayaka touched a charm at her neck, murmuring a silent prayer. "Let's hope the realm listens."
Kirika leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Try not to die, Kuroryuu. I'd hate to hold auditions for a new troublemaker."
Eiji looked back at her with a tired smirk. "You'll miss me."
"No. I'll miss watching you trip over your pride."
One by one, they stepped forward. Miya. Ayaka. Seraphina.Riku
Eiji stood before the portal, the glow in his veins synchronizing with the hum of the light.
Amane...
He took a breath.
"Just hold on."
And then, he stepped into the light.
To be Continue