Darkside Destroyer

The sparks within.

A wave of anxious energy swept through Tetsu. This was the first tangible step toward realizing his own potential.

He approached the machine and touched the cool handpad with his right palm.

A series of lights pulsed around the rim as the cylinder hummed to life. Intricate readings and graphs were displayed on a flickering digital display.

The machine beeped softly after a few tense seconds, and the screen finally displayed the outcome.

Reiji leaned in to read the screen and said, "Well, well, well."

His face lit up with surprise.

"Look at yourself, novice. Level 1 was skipped by you."

"You are being clocked in by the machine at Level 2, which is a 'C' class. Not too bad."

Tetsu gazed at the screen, a mixture of disbelief and a flicker of pride washing over him.

Level 2.

"And the power type?" he inquired in an eager tone.

Reiji grinned more broadly.

"You seem to be playing with lightning, newbie.

"Electrokinesis. Electricity manipulation is your power."

Electrokinesis.

There was a thrilling, perilous energy in the word.

He was reminded of a time when he had spent time with Haruto and Mio. Their laughter reverberated in the late afternoon air as they made their way back from an especially boisterous gaming session.

The light had just changed to green for pedestrians as they came to a busy intersection. Ever impatient, Haruto had already leaped onto the crosswalk, with Mio trailing closely behind with her customary tactful elegance.

Tetsu had lagged behind, engrossed in a lighthearted dispute with himself.

His hands scraped the rough asphalt as he sprawled forward after his foot caught on a loose piece of pavement.

He was about to get on the road when he looked up, momentarily dazed. With their backs to him and in the middle of a sentence in their own dialogue, Haruto and Mio were already halfway across.

"What are you doing?"

Haruto asked, attempting to contain his laughter.

The pleasant companionship of the afternoon was abruptly cut short when a tire screech tore through the atmosphere. Abruptly, from the left, came the glaringly bright headlights of a car speeding through the intersection against the red light, its driver apparently careless or unaware.

"Haruto! Mio!"

Tetsu went into a panic.

As he watched, frozen in horror, the car sped toward his unwitting friends, making his blood run cold. When Haruto and Mio heard the scream, they both turned their heads at once, their expressions showing surprise and growing fear.

He remembered the scene: the engine's thunderous roar, the glint of the approaching metal, and their wide, terrified eyes.

Time seemed to bend and distort in that moment.

Tetsu felt a rush of pure, unadulterated adrenaline running through his veins, his instinct to defend his friends taking precedence over all other considerations.

However, something else, something... came with the adrenaline. He had never felt anything like it before, a tingling that began in the pit of his stomach and spread like an electric current through his limbs.

The world around him seemed to slow down as his senses became more acute.

He was driven forward without conscious thought by an unexplainable force. There was more to it than the panicked rush of fear; there was something that felt... strong.

The distinction between thought and action was blurred as he moved at an unfathomable speed, his legs pumping with an unnatural strength.

In what seemed like one desperate heartbeat, he traveled the distance to his friends.

The car was only a few feet away when he arrived, its horn blaring a desperate warning that was too late. With a strength he was unaware he possessed, he grabbed Haruto's arm and pulled him backward, causing him to stumble.

At the same time, he grabbed Mio and dragged her to him, his other arm encircling her waist and dragging her away from the speeding car.

Missing them by inches, the car roared past, a blur of metal and color.

All three of them fell onto the sidewalk in a tangled heap of limbs and gasping breaths due to the force of his movements.

They lay there for a long time, stunned and shook, the air heavy with the pungent stench of burnt rubber.

Tetsu's body buzzed with an odd, lingering energy as his heart pounded against his ribs. He glanced at Haruto and Mio, who were unharmed but had shocked faces.

They were saved by him.

The initial relief had been followed by confusion. He recalled their puzzled expressions and their halting inquiries about how he had moved so quickly. He had been equally perplexed, blaming it on an adrenaline rush in a life-or-death scenario.

Even so, a tiny, persistent voice in the recesses of his consciousness had hinted that it was more than adrenaline.

It had felt… electric.

Katsuragi's words now reverberated with a terrifying clarity. The "spark." Kinesis in a latent state. It had been more than just fear, that unfathomable speed, that energy surge. It had been the emergence of a remarkable force within him that he had not yet fully comprehended.

A terrifying and thrilling truth dawned on him as a result of the tingling sensation in the car crash and the incredible speed at which Haruto and Mio were saved.

He was more than just the high school orphan Ishizawa Tetsu.

He was more than that.

Something... distinct. And now, that distinction might be the only thing that can help him discover the truth about the murder of his friends.

Reiji gave Tetsu another pat on the back and said, "All right, hotshot Level 2." "Are you prepared to apply for a promotion?"

He pointed to a sizable, fortified cage at the training room's far end.

"Promotion?"

With a furrowed brow, Tetsu asked.

"I thought this was not about moving up a corporate ladder, but about learning what happened to Haruto and Mio."

Reiji's lighthearted manner changed, and his dark eyes took on a serious, nearly piercing expression. He seemed to have foreseen Tetsu's opposition in some way.

"Consider it, novice. More critical tasks and sensitive information are accessible to higher level destroyers. tasks that could entail learning more about institutions such as the EERF. Your chances of finding the truth you seek increase with your level of clearance. Here, kid, rank is more than just the ability to brag. It has to do with access."

"Influence is key."

Reiji's words, a deliberate appeal to Tetsu's motivational drive, lingered in the air.

The possibility of finding the truth about his friends' murders, the promise of answers... It was a strong lure.

With a mixture of fear and grim resolve, he gazed at the menacing cage at the other end of the room.

Tetsu struggled inside for a moment before slowly nodding.

"All right," he said in a firm yet low voice. "I want a promotion."

This time, the amusement gave way to a hint of respect as Reiji's lips curled into a sincere smile.

"That's the spirit."

Tetsu was left alone in the large room as he turned and made his way to a tiny observation booth that overlooked the training arena, the menacing cage standing in front of him like a silent challenge.

The heavy bars of the cage door started to slide open, exposing the invisible anomaly inside, and a low mechanical whirring sound reverberated throughout the room.

Anticipation filled the air, and the only sounds to break the stillness were Tetsu's heartbeat and the hum of the facility. He was prepared for whatever horrors the shadows might bring, his newly discovered electrokinetic potential tingling beneath his skin.

The enormous cage's hefty bars moaned and trembled as they withdrew, exposing the hideous occupant.

It was an enormous toad, easily the size of a small car, with slick, unnervingly blue skin covered in pulsating green textures that appeared to writhe beneath its surface. It looked like something that had been torn from the pages of a fevered nightmare. A faint internal luminescence was emitted by bulbous, glowing red bumps scattered across its back, creating an unsettling, pulsating light in the training arena.

From its cavernous maw, a long, thick tongue the color of stagnant swamp water snaked out, dripping green, viscous saliva that hissed and popped as it hit the reinforced metal floor.

As a silent reminder of the fluid's sneaky corrosive qualities, wisps of acrid vapor rose from the points of contact like ghostly exhalations. In sharp contrast to the bluster he had attempted to display moments earlier, Tetsu felt a primal shock of terror at the beast's immense size and alien nature.

Mizuki's voice, boosted by the arena's sound system, broke the tense silence from the high-altitude spectator booth.

"The creature in front of you is E-044, a Level 2 Entity-Type Anomaly, Ishizawa. Veridian Croaker" is the codename."

Although her tone was professional and free of obvious emotion, there was a faint undertone of worry.

"Its tongue fluid has a level of corrosiveness that is similar to concentrated acid. Be advised also that its tongue is as powerful and swift as an iron whip in addition to being extraordinarily long and having a startling reach. It can jump very far, it can move well in water, and its skin can be poisonous if exposed to its secretions for an extended period of time."

"Be very careful. Put your safety first and give up if you ever feel like your life is in immediate danger."

Tetsu swallowed forcefully while staring at the hideous amphibian.

Level 2.

The Veridian Croaker was only a step above the already, it radiated an air of far more peril.

The unsettlingly intelligent gleam in its red, reptilian eyes, the deliberate, almost predatory way it surveyed him, sent a fresh wave of apprehension washing over him.

He automatically assumed a loose fighting stance, balancing his weight and raising his fists.

Electrokinesis.

The machine had registered its presence within him, a latent power waiting to be unleashed.

However, the gap between control and potential seemed unfathomably wide.

He concentrated as hard as he could, attempting to re-create the energy rush he had experienced during the car accident and the more recent near-tragic event.

Tiny, erratic yellow sparks flickered around his clenched fists, like static clinging to wool, offering no tangible threat to the colossal toad.

The Veridian Croaker, its red eyes like burning coals locking onto Tetsu's nervous form, let out a deep, guttural croak that reverberated through the arena, the sound vibrating in Tetsu's chest.

It suddenly propelled its enormous, blue body forward in an incredibly quick leap, causing the reinforced metal floor to tremble with a loud boom.

Purely out of instinct, Tetsu jumped to the side as the creature's bulk struck the spot where he had been standing, sending a shockwave through his hair.

Just inches from Tetsu's face, the toad's thick, green tongue swung out with lightning speed, a blur of movement that cracked against the ground.

A plume of corrosive vapor that stung Tetsu's nostrils and caused his eyes to water was followed by the metallic clang of the impact that reverberated throughout the arena.

He scrambled backward, his heart hammering against his ribs, realizing with a jolt of terror just how accurate Mizuki's description of a "iron whip" had been.

He made another attempt to call forth his Kinesis, hoping that the feeble, dispersed sparks would unite into a concentrated assault. He imagined the almost electric urgency, the raw power he had experienced in those times of crisis.

However, he was unable to focus due to the adrenaline and fear that were rushing through him and the monster toad's overwhelming presence. Like mocking fireflies, the sparks danced around his hands, stubbornly inconsequential.

The Veridian Croaker lumbered toward him, its blue skin slippery with a glistening, foul-smelling secretion, its movements surprisingly quick and well-coordinated for its size.

Although Tetsu avoided another awkward lunge, the creature's movements were unpredictable and surprisingly agile. A sharp pain shot through him as its huge, warty leg clipped his side. For a critical moment, he lost his footing and stumbled.

"Ishizawa!"

"Recall your evasive techniques! Keep your distance from it!"

Even though Mizuki's voice was still in control, it had a more worried edge.

"Disengage if you're feeling overburdened! The top priority is keeping yourself safe!"

With every failed attempt to control his power, Tetsu's frustration and sense of desperation increased, and he gritted his teeth.

He was depending entirely on his reflexes and agility, which felt dreadfully insufficient against this giant.

He avoided another quick flick of the toad's tongue, the acrid vapor burning his throat and the green saliva barely escaping his leg. Where the creature's leg had joined, he experienced a burning pain, a concerning indication of its toxic secretions.

Tetsu was engulfed by the toad's enormous shadow as it coiled its strong legs and made another high leap, its red eyes never leaving him.

The creature landed with a thumping thud as he rolled desperately to the side, its bulk temporarily obstructing his path of escape.

The long, green tongue snaked out again, aiming lower, before he could get away.

With unexpected force, it encircled his ankle, the viscous substance scorching his flesh.

Tetsu's nostrils were filled with the acrid smell of decay as the Veridian Croaker pulled him toward its wide-open maw with a strong yank.

Desperately, he fumbled at the slippery tongue, but his fingers were unsuccessful. The predatory hunger gleamed in the creature's red eyes.

"Ishizawa! This is critical! Give up now!"

There was now a noticeable alarm in Mizuki's voice.

Tetsu experienced a sharp pain in his ankle where the tongue had wrapped around him, just as the monster's enormous jaws widened to reveal rows of sharp, uncanny human-like teeth.

The edges of his vision darkened as it swam.

The toad's hideous face was the last thing he saw before he passed out.

Reiji's normally calm demeanor was replaced by a somber expectation of having to step in as his hand tensed over the big, red emergency stop button in the spectator booth. Things were getting out of hand.

Tetsu was pulled into the murky depths of unconsciousness by the crushing weight of the Veridian Croaker's approaching jaws, the burning pain in his trapped ankle, and the suffocating stench of its breath.

A terrifyingly familiar darkness took the place of the real world.

He was standing in a barren area, a void where shadows squirmed and gathered into shapes that were only dimly familiar. Around him resounded a chilly, murmuring voice that was at once strange and very much his own.

"So, this is how it ends."

The shadow began, its shape solidifying into a warped mirror image of Tetsu himself, its eyes blazing with a cold, accusing light.

"Defeated, pathetic As before."

The shadow's words struck Tetsu like a physical blow, causing him to recoil.

Voices?

"What do you mean, exactly?," he answered.

The shadow's voice was a grating whisper that seemed to itch against his very soul as it hissed, "Don't play the fool."

"Remember? Recall the pledge you and your closest friends made on the train yesterday. And you—you couldn't stop it, couldn't keep your word.

Tetsu responded, "It was an accident," but his words were brittle and thin.

"Back then, I was just an ordinary person. I was powerless to help."

The shadow, its form flickering with disdain, spat, "Excuses."

"Excuses all the time."

"And now?"

"Mio and Haruto. The giggling ceased."

"They are no longer warm."

"Where were you, too? Too sluggish. Too feeble. As before."

The accusation echoed the silent recriminations he had already made against himself, and the shadow's words further twisted the fresh wounds of his grief.

"That is unfair! I tried."

"Tried?"

The shadow's lips curled into a callous imitation of a smile as it mocked

"Isn't trying enough? Aren't they dead? because you lacked the strength to keep them safe."

"As if you weren't strong enough back then."

Mio's silent cry of terror was followed by a flashback to Haruto's startled, then frightened face as the speeding car sped toward him during their near-miss eight months prior.

Then he had saved them. However, the words of the shadow gnawed their way into his fears, clinging to the unadulterated sorrow of their ultimate, irrevocable loss.

"But...

With a hint of desperation in his voice, Tetsu argued.

"I did save them that time. I was quick enough."

The shadow sneered, "A fluke."

"A brief spike in adrenaline. And see where it ultimately led you. Captured by an ugly toad, ready to be eaten."

"Now, where is your speed? Where is your strength? Still buried, still worthless."

With the crushing weight of Tetsu's despair, the shadow gestured around the empty space.

"Tetsu, this is your reality. Weakness. Decrease. helplessness. If you stay this way, you will never find the answers you are looking for. Seeing people you care about disappear will make you a victim forever."

He had a flashing vision of the Veridian Croaker's wide mouth, its foul breath scorching his face. His ankle's searing pain was a sharp reminder of his current situation.

"But what can I do?"

With a voice full of desperate helplessness, Tetsu begged.

"This power is beyond my control. The sparks are nothing."

"Then perish," the shadow's voice was cold and final.

"Embrace the weakness. Let the beast consume you. And with you, goes any chance of understanding why they died. You will become another forgotten victim, a footnote in the endless cycle of loss."

With a dark, seductive energy, the shadow's form crackled and it held out a hand.

"Give in."

"This is simpler. No more suffering. No more failing."

For a brief instant, Tetsu felt a horrible fatigue. The grief was overwhelming, and the fight seemed futile.

There was a morbid allure to the shadow's promise of oblivion.

But then, in the shadow of his hopelessness, he remembered Haruto's contagious laughter, Mio's silent strength.

"Hey"

"Let's make a promise.

"That no matter what happens."

"No matter how much things change—we'll always have nights like this."

That's right.

And the vow they had made beneath the dusk sky.

I promised that we will be together.

Even though it was brief, the injustice of their murder, his intense desire for answers, and the brief sense of power he had experienced were all still present.

If I failed to keep it.

He was unable.

Then at least.

Unable to let it end.

I have to know what shattered our vow, what had took them away.

It can't end... like...

It can't end like this.

He fought back against the approaching darkness with a spark of defiance that ignited within him. Instead of breaking him, the shadow's words strengthened his resolve.

He would not allow their deaths to be in vain. He refused to give in to his weakness.

Tetsu reached out and took the shadow's outstretched hand with a sudden sense of resolve.

However, he channeled all of his sorrow, rage, and fervent desire for justice into that touch rather than embracing its sinister energy.

A wild, uncontrollable outburst of electric yellow energy erupted from within him as his hand closed around the electrified shadow, filling the empty space.

As the pure, unadulterated power of Tetsu's awakened Kinesis swept over it, the shadow flinched and distorted. Its eyes flickered and died with a cold, accusing light.

The darkness dwindled in that moment. He was brought back to reality by the intense pain in his ankle.

His vision cleared as his eyes snapped open.

Above him, the hideous toad loomed, its tongue ready to strike, its jaws still open.

However, a fundamental shift had occurred.

Tetsu felt a surge of raw, humming power that came from him, not just in him.

The Veridian Croaker's disgusting face was illuminated with an unholy glow as a faint, electric yellow aura crackled around his outstretched hand.

Reiji's hand, which was already reaching for the emergency button, froze just inches away in the spectator booth.

His usual cool composure was momentarily broken by the sudden, vibrant display of energy, and his dark eyes widened in disbelief.

Tetsu felt a natural connection to the power, not just a sense of it. The electric yellow aura around his body grew stronger as he pushed himself up, with energy tendrils extending outward like tiny lightning bolts.

He concentrated, an instinctive, desperate command taking shape in his brain, and the electricity complied. His hands slammed into the toad's thick blue skin with bolts of crackling yellow energy.

With a startled bellow, the Veridian Croaker backed away, its red pimples flickering wildly. Its green skin twitched and spasmed as if it were disturbed by the electricity.

So, this is Electrokinesis?

In a blur of motion, it struck out with its tongue once more, but Tetsu, who was now more agile and focused, dodged with a near-effortless grace, leaving a trail of electric yellow energy in his wake.

Recalling Mizuki's earlier warning about the toad's poisonous secretions, he unleashed another volley of electric blasts, this time deliberately aiming for the glowing red bumps on its back.

The creature's movements became less coordinated, its roars changed to pained croaks, and the pimples dimmed and flickered with each blow.

Hurt and furious, the toad sprang forward, its enormous body moving surprisingly quickly.

Tetsu made an effort to avoid it, but his control was still very basic.

He stumbled as the electric aura around him flared, acting almost independently to deflect the full impact. The power was both a weapon and a shield, but he hadn't mastered its defensive applications, he realized as he stumbled and caught himself.

"Ishizawa!"

"Stay away! "Save your energy!" Mizuki's urgent and awe-inspiring voice pierced the arena's speakers.

Tetsu tightened his jaw. He concentrated, visualizing how the electricity enhanced his movements as it flowed through him rather than just from him.

Pushing off the ground, he was carried higher than he had manifested by a glimmer of electricity that enhanced his leap.

He landed lightly behind the toad after arcing over a sweeping lash of its tongue.

He did more than just shoot bolts this time. Trying to direct the energy directly, he slammed his palm onto its throbbing blue skin.

The toad experienced a severe shock that caused it to thrash and convulse violently.

Pulling his hand back, he saw a tiny burnt mark on the creature's skin, indicating that direct contact had been more efficient but also more exhausting.

He started experimenting. He attempted to produce a concentrated, high-intensity shock rather than raw blasts.

With a guttural cry, he released the crackling energy after gathering it into a single point in his palm.

One of the biggest red bumps on the toad's back was struck by the concentrated bolt.

With a sickening pop, it bursts, releasing a puff of vile vapor and the creature's agonized shriek.

With each move teaching a lesson, the fight turned into a torturous dance of electric strikes and desperate lunges.

Tetsu was learning at an incredible pace, despite his occasional awkwardness. His strikes were now powerful, and the enormous amphibian was clearly weakened by each electrical shock.

Ozone crackled in the air, its metallic tang piercing his nostrils.

Despite his weariness, a grim resolve blazed in his chest. This was about demonstrating that he was no longer helpless, not just about surviving.

Tetsu's thoughts wavered as the Veridian Croaker roared, bringing the distance closer for another lunge.

He heard Haruto's thunderous laugh filling the karaoke room and saw his wild, untidy hair. As she sang, Mio's voice was a quiet beauty, and he noticed her knowing smile.

He recalled the easy, priceless times: strolls home in the waning light, jokes told, and the cozy quiet of their companionship.

Then the pictures became distorted. The teacher's strained voice broke the unthinkable news: "Matsuda Haruto and Takeda Mio were found dead."

The classroom was eerily quiet.

The solid ground had vanished, and the world had broken apart.

The police officers' grim expressions and their words, "Matsuda Haruto and Takeda Mio were murdered," struck him like a fresh wound.

The senseless violence that had robbed them of their future, the sheer brutality of it.

No.

Not again.

Tetsu felt a rush of intense rage, sorrow, and an unwavering determination.

I refuse to use the same pitiful excuses.

I won't be too weak or slow. I cannot allow anyone else to ever experience the things that had happened to them.

I'll make use of this power.

Electricity flows through his veins.

I will shatter the falsehoods, reveal the reality, and light up the darkness. I promise. To myself. To them. I'm only now starting to comprehend this world.

Tetsu released all of his flaming determination in a guttural scream that tore from his chest.

Around him, the electric aura flared, brighter and more intense than before. With both hands thrusting forward, he released a single, blinding bolt of unbridled, pure electricity.

It wasn't just energy; it was focused will, a concentrated surge of grief-fueled vengeance.

With a loud crack, the bolt struck the Veridian Croaker's chest, sending a shockwave through the arena.

The creature's blue skin darkened as it erupted violently. The bright red of its remaining red bumps soon faded to a dead blue as they exploded in a shower of foul green fluid.

Before its enormous body fell to the metal floor with a final, loud thud, it gave one last, ear-splitting shriek, a sound of pain and defeat.

The only sound in the arena was Tetsu's labored breathing.

His body ached from the blows and the sheer strain of managing his developing Kinesis as he stood there, swaying a little. He felt exposed and cold as the electric yellow aura surrounding him gradually subsided.

He had succeeded.

The Level 2 Anomaly had been vanquished by him.

With a hiss, the arena door opened, and Reiji strode in, his expression changing from one of impressed disbelief to a broad, sincere smile.

With genuine camaraderie in his touch, he clapped Tetsu on the shoulder and said, "Well, newbie."

"You don't seem to be so zero-point-zero after all."

He laughed, then gestured to the toad that had fallen.

"Think of yourself as a Level 3 Destroyer. 'B' class. Impressive for your first day. Not bad at all."

However, the rush of adrenaline that had propelled him through the battle eventually subsided, leaving a wave of debilitating fatigue in its wake.

All of it came at him at once: the toad's tackle pain, the leaking ache in his ankle from the corrosive tongue burning him, and the mental strain of controlling his Kinesis for the first time.

The floor tilted beneath his feet like a ship on a stormy sea, and his vision swam. Before darkness seized him entirely, the last thing he saw was Reiji's startled, worried face.

With a contemplative look on his face, Reiji lowered himself next to the unconscious Tetsu.

With surprisingly little effort, he lifted Tetsu into his arms and carried him.

"You've worked hard," he whispered softly as he went.

Tetsu had not only survived the brutal battle, which had been a near-fatal trial by fire, but he had also won.

The descent into the darkness had really started.