CHAPTER: A CRACK IN THE SKY
April 18, 2059
Sector 24, Tokyo B
In a small community garden behind the grumpy apartment complex owned by Nunuki-san, two girls sat on the old wooden bench, surrounded by cherry blossoms barely hanging to their branches. The sun had barely risen. The pink light softened the edges of the city, hiding its brokenness under a painted illusion.
Rin Katsuhara brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. Her police academy uniform still smelled like gunpowder and disinfectant. Her boots, mud-caked from last night's patrol. She was tired, but she didn't show it.
Beside her sat Eri, her best friend. Her long sleeves covered her arms completely, even though the morning was already warm. Her smile, once frequent and real, had become something rare and glassy. Something broken.
"You haven't said anything all morning," Rin finally muttered.
Eri didn't respond at first. She was staring at her own shoes, tapping one foot on the gravel. "Do you ever feel like... like your body doesn't belong to you anymore?" she whispered.
Rin's breath hitched. "Eri…"
"I didn't tell anyone," Eri cut her off quickly. "Don't say anything. Please."
Rin clenched her fists. "It was that bastard, wasn't it? That teacher—Hayama?"
Eri closed her eyes, nodding once. The wind blew a few petals from the trees, brushing past her face like silent condolences.
"I was in the room. I saw what he did. I should have stopped him. I just—I froze, Eri. I'm sorry."
"You were scared too," Eri said. "I don't blame you, Rin. I blame myself. I let it happen."
"No," Rin said sharply. "You didn't let anything. He did it. He's the criminal, not you."
Silence again. Eri exhaled slowly, but there was no peace in it.
Then, as if summoned by that dark memory, a voice echoed from behind the bushes.
"You shouldn't carry that kind of pain alone."
Rin turned sharply. A boy, maybe a few years older than them, stepped out from between the trees. He was dressed simply—white shirt, jeans, a strange crow perched on his shoulder like it belonged there.
"You're the new tenant," Rin said. Her hand instinctively went to her side where her pistol used to be. It wasn't there. Off duty.
"Lin Shoafeng," he said with a polite nod. "But that's not important."
"How long were you listening?" she demanded.
"Long enough to understand someone's suffering," he said calmly. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop. But... there are people who would use that pain to turn you into something else."
Eri stood up abruptly. "And what would you know about pain?"
Lin's expression didn't change. The crow on his shoulder shifted. "More than most."
Eri's hands trembled. She was about to speak again when she suddenly collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "I hate myself. I hate that I did nothing. I hate that I still see his face. I hate that I wake up every night with the smell of him in my nose!"
The sky darkened slightly. A sudden breeze picked up. Something... strange filled the air.
Lin stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "You're changing."
"What...?" Rin asked.
"She's been marked," the crow said, its voice strangely human. "An asseter's power is leaking into her. That's not normal."
Eri clutched her stomach. A faint glow began to rise from her chest, like veins of stardust snaking through her skin. Her irises shifted, reflecting strange symbols.
"Someone has awakened her," Lin muttered. "This wasn't natural. This was… gifted."
Suddenly, a shadow leapt from behind a nearby tree. A man, face hidden under a hood, landed in front of Eri. His presence sucked the warmth from the air. His voice, low and quiet, cut through the garden like a razor.
"You're doing well, Eri. Keep feeding your rage."
"Hirukushi," Lin growled.
The man smiled. "Ah, the Syndicate's dog. You're early. I expected more time to groom her."
Rin stood in front of Eri, shielding her. "You did this to her? You gave her this... this power?!"
"She asked for it," Hirukushi replied. "She cried for it. I merely answered."
"I never asked you to make me a monster!" Eri screamed, her voice distorting as more energy leaked from her body.
"You didn't have to," Hirukushi said, vanishing into a cloud of dark mist. "But now... let's see what kind of monster you'll become."
Eri let out a shriek that shattered glass from the nearby windows. A violent force erupted from her body, flinging Rin backward. The garden tore apart in seconds. Trees snapped, flowers withered. Light twisted around her form.
"ERI!" Rin cried out.
Lin dashed forward, holding his arms out. "Stop! You'll burn your soul if you keep going!"
But Eri couldn't hear. Her pain had unlocked something vast and cruel inside her. She hovered above the garden, eyes glowing white, hair lifting like fire.
Then—
A hand gripped her ankle.
Rin. Bleeding from her forehead, eyes locked on her friend.
"Eri... please. Don't let him win. Don't let him define you."
Something cracked in the sky above.
Eri gasped. Her glow dimmed.
Then she fell. Rin caught her.
Lin rushed over. "She'll need containment. If we don't neutralize the energy soon, she could rip a hole in this Sector."
"I'm taking her to my father," Rin said. "He works with the SSRC. He'll know what to do."
Lin nodded. "We'll go together. Hirukushi's still out there."
As the sirens began to echo in the distance, the three of them vanished into the alleyways, carrying with them the first signs of the war that would come—when grief becomes power, and pain becomes prophecy.