As the college day ended, for Kira, hers was only just beginning.

Why?

Because training was over, and now she was about to meet her.

Akio.

Cradle's Supreme Commander.

The strongest of the strong.

The woman who stood at the very peak of the organisation, in both power and authority.

Kira sat on the bench in the changing room, staring blankly at the dull grey locker in front of her. Her teammates had already left. Even Milly, usually the last one out, had rushed ahead to finish last-minute preparations for the meeting.

But Kira lingered. Her hands rested loosely on her knees, her mind spinning circles.

Honoured? Yes. She'd be lying if she said otherwise. To stand before and get to talk to Akio was something few recruits ever experienced.

But excitement was only half the truth. The other half was fear.

Because what if Akio knew?

Kira's chest tightened. The relationship she had with Kentaro wasn't just some harmless crush. If Akio had discovered even a fraction of the truth, then tonight could end with an order she couldn't stomach. An order to sever ties. To betray him. To put a blade through him if it came to that.

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

She thought back to Tokyo, to the haze of that mission. She remembered falling unconscious, blacking out completely. When she woke, fragments of whispers reached her: that Akio had seen something. That she had discovered a secret about Kentaro's "ability."

Even Kira didn't fully understand it. But if Akio believed Kentaro had the power to control Alberlines, then sooner or later Cradle would do more than just watch him from a distance.

And once Cradle fixed its gaze on someone, there was no escape.

The only thing buying time was the sheer weight of it all. You couldn't just erase a college student without consequence. If the truth ever leaked, that Cradle had eliminated a boy like Kentaro, the fallout would be catastrophic. They couldn't even lie and call him a terrorist or anything of the sort; he had people around him who would destroy that narrative before it even formed.

Still… Sooner or later, preparations would be made.

And when that time came, Kira's loyalty would be torn in two.

She shook her head. Stop. Not now.

She stood abruptly, the silence of the locker room suffocating her. Not even the distant chatter of recruits in the hallways. It was as if the entire branch had gone still, every breath in Oshawa held, waiting.

One last glance at her locker. Then she turned, walking toward the meeting room.

*

The train slid to a stop with a hiss.

From the open doors, a woman stepped out.

Her long black hair swayed with each step, strands of dark pink streaking through the dark like lines of fire. The sight was enough to make heads turn instantly, as it always did. Her beauty was undeniable, the kind of effortless allure that commanded attention the moment she entered a space.

But Akio despised it.

She didn't want to be seen for her face. She didn't want whispers about her figure, her eyes, her flawless presence. She wanted recognition only for her strength, her work, her resolve.

And she had made sure people saw that.

Her violet eyes lifted, scanning the small Oshawa station. The place was far different from Tokyo. Here, the air was clean. The landscape stretched with rural calm, trees lining the horizon, birdsong mixing with the rustle of the wind.

"Oshawa…" She muttered under her breath, tasting the word like a foreign thing.

Behind her, guards moved in tight formation. She didn't need them. Every single man here was weaker than her by an unfathomable gap. She could level this entire station if she wished.

But she couldn't.

Not without exposing it.

That cursed power. The one she had sworn would never see daylight again.

Her hand brushed against her thigh as if the memory clung there. She remembered the day she had taken it, the day she had been powerless. The day she had stood over him, helpless to save him.

The only man she had ever loved.

She had taken the power offered to her, desperate to change fate. And even then… Even then, it hadn't been enough.

The memory clawed at her chest.

"Commander?" One of her guards asked, pulling her back. "The Oshawa branch has sent a limo. Shall we?"

Her eyes refocused, her expression smoothing into the blank control of a soldier. "Yes," she said evenly. "Of course. Let's go."

She slid into the armoured car without another word, though inside her chest, the past still gnawed at her like rusted chains.

The limo rolled to a stop outside Oshawa's Cradle branch.

Akio stepped out, and immediately the atmosphere shifted.

Two lines of officers stood stiffly, forming a path down the middle. Their uniforms were immaculate, boots polished, salutes raised high. None of them dared to make eye contact. Their gazes fixed forward, as if even looking at her was forbidden.

Akio's lips twitched into the faintest smile. She returned their salute, her movements sharp and flawless, and without hesitation began down the corridor they'd carved for her.

The respect wasn't for her beauty. It wasn't even for her title.

It was for the sheer presence she carried, the weight of a woman who had fought and bled on the frontlines, who had clawed her way above everyone else.

Inside the building, the sound of her footsteps echoed like gunfire against the polished floor. Down the long corridor she went, until finally the doors to the meeting room loomed.

Inside, they were waiting.

Kira stood with the rest of the team. Milly at her side, Takashi on the other, Ino a step back. Even Isak stood ramrod straight.

No one spoke. No one dared.

Kira's eyes flicked sideways. Milly's shoulders were trembling ever so slightly, though she forced her arms into perfect posture. The girl's face was pale, her lips pressed into a thin line as if she might faint at any second.

Takashi, on the other hand, stood like a statue, yet Kira noticed his jaw tightening, the faint twitch in his throat as he swallowed hard. Even he wasn't immune to nerves.

Ino's sharp eyes narrowed on the door. Always the observer, her expression betrayed nothing. But Kira knew her well enough to sense the tension in her body, the way she leaned slightly forward like a predator gauging threat levels.

We're all nervous, Kira thought, a lump forming in her throat.

The silence thickened.

Then.

Creek.

The double doors opened. Light poured in from the corridor, silhouettes framed in the doorway.

"WELCOME TO THE OSHAWA BRANCH, SIR!" The recruits shouted in unison, their voices snapping the air.

Akio entered.

And the room seemed smaller for it.

Her gaze swept across them like a blade. Cold, sharp, cutting into every soul present. Each step she took was measured, confident, deliberate. She didn't need to raise her voice or flare her aura; her presence alone crushed the air flat.

"Before we begin," she said, her tone steady, commanding. "I want to thank the Tokyo team. Your mission may not have eliminated any Alberlines, but your work was not wasted. Lives were saved."

"THANK YOU, SIR!"

The words echoed like a thunderclap.

Akio sat at the head of the table, folding her fingers together. Her violet eyes sharpened. "Now… To the matter at hand."

Her gaze locked the room in place.

"A College Student, or rather, a boy. Kentaro Takamiya. He has a power."

Kira's heart stopped.

Beside her, Milly flinched ever so slightly. Isak's head turned just enough to glance at her, his eyes sharp with unspoken accusation.

"A power to control Alberlines."

The silence was unbearable.

Not a single person dared breathe.

Akio leaned forward, elbows on the table. "How long he has held this ability, I cannot say. But thanks to Director Reiden Vale of Spire, we learned the truth." She sounded disgusted in saying those words as she continued. "Since then, we have observed him. And the evidence is undeniable. He has been seen alongside Ice Breaker. Alongside Dominance. The theory is proven."

The words sliced through the room like steel.

Kira forced herself to stand still, though her stomach knotted so tightly it hurt.

Akio's speech continued. The failed Tokyo mission. The dangers of delay. Strategy, protocol, preparation. Every word was weighted, every pause deliberate.

And then, her conclusion.

"My orders: keep a close eye on the boy. And the girls surrounding him. Report their actions. Observe. Record. The longer we delay, the greater the risk."

Kira's lungs felt frozen.

But Akio wasn't finished.

"A new Alberline has emerged."

Gasps rippled through the room.

Kira's eyes widened. "Another one?" She whispered.

Akio smiled faintly, an edge of amusement in her gaze. "Yes. Spotted fleeing a scene. Resembling one of our own Commanders. Alberline readings confirmed. There is one among Oshawa's people, it seems it can change its face or something close to cloning."

The tension deepened like a noose tightening.

Akio's confidence never wavered. "This branch will find it. Eliminate it. And if it proves too strong… Reinforcements will come."

Then, casually, she stretched her arms, her smile shifting.

Her eyes landed on Kira. On Milly. On the youngest recruits in the room.

"I must admit," she said softly, almost like a predator purring. "I'm curious. I want to see how the new generation fights."

Her gaze snapped to Isak.

"Commander. Do you mind if I spar with your rookies?"

Isak's eyes widened, his composure cracking. "O-of course, ma'am. The training facility is prepared."

Milly's breath hitched audibly. Takashi stiffened. Ino's eyes narrowed slightly. Arthur muttered under his breath, "Holy crap, we're gonna fight Akio."

Akio smirked, turning as if the outcome was already decided. "It's been a long time since I've fought rookies. Let me see what your generation is made of."

"Yes, ma'am!" the recruits shouted in unison, instinct overriding fear.

Under Isak's guidance, they filed out toward the training facility.

Each step is heavier than the last.

They were about to spar with the Supreme Commander of Cradle.

The strongest fighter alive.

And Kira knew, this wasn't just a test.

It was a warning.

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