CHAPTER 6

Chapter 6: Awakening

The monster roared as it charged toward the group. Its claws dug into the sand, and its crimson eyes gleamed with fury. Scattered and separated, each of them ran in different directions, trying to escape its deadly blows.

Kazuki shouted,

"We need to find a way to defeat this thing!"

Aya, panting beside a sand dune, spoke with despair,

"There is no way! We don't even know how to fight it!"

Yuma leaped out from behind a rock and yelled,

"We should run!"

But Ryo wasn't listening. He stood still, caught in a strange state. His breaths had slowed, his heartbeat steadying… yet everything around him became clearer.

A moment ago, everything had seemed impossible. But now, he could see every grain of sand shifting, sense the faint changes in the wind's direction.

His power was awakening.

The monster lunged at them once more.

This time, Ryo stepped forward.

---

The First Use of Power

Everyone expected Ryo to step back as usual—or at least try to escape. But he stood his ground.

Kazuki shouted in disbelief,

"Hey! That thing is about to kill you! Run, idiot!"

But Ryo ignored him.

As the monster reached him, time—at least for him—slowed.

Everything seemed to move through thick liquid, dragging sluggishly.

Ryo's eyes flashed. Instinctively, he shifted his stance, stepping back just slightly. And at the last possible moment, right when the monster's claws should have torn him apart, he dodged.

His movement… was flawless.

"How…?"

The others watched, stunned.

Sachiko murmured,

"What did he just do? He… he shouldn't be able to move like that."

But this was only the beginning.

As Ryo stepped forward again, the air itself seemed to bend around him.

He was no longer the weakling they had known.

---

The First Strike

The monster, enraged by Ryo's evasion, let out a furious roar and charged again, even faster this time. But instead of retreating, Ryo ran toward it.

Everyone was in shock.

Yuma screamed,

"Has he lost his mind?!"

But a moment later, all doubts vanished.

Ryo raised his hand. The air around him trembled, and suddenly—almost as if he was just as surprised as the others—an invisible wave of force erupted from him.

The monster, caught at the center of this wave, was blasted backward. The ground beneath it cracked, and sand exploded into the air.

Silence.

Ryo stared at his hands.

"What… what was that?"

But before he could find an answer, a new voice echoed through the air.

"So, you've finally awakened."

Everyone turned.

Standing atop a sand dune, dressed in dark robes, was a man with piercing eyes and a faint smile.

The Minister of the Nation.

End of Chapter 6.