As Kentaro plunged, the rush of wind tore at his ears, his eyes wide, locked on the roiling dark-blue clouds that rose up to swallow him. For a heartbeat, adrenaline and conviction drove him forward, but then, like a blunt hit to the chest, he remembered one crucial detail.

He had no plan for landing.

The realisation hit him just in time for panic to set in. "Ah-ahh-AHHH!" His scream ripped from his throat, a mix of terror and pure regret. Tenka's voice crackled in his ear, cutting in and out, fragments of her words barely reaching him before the static overtook everything.

Something was wrong.

This wasn't the same Bloom he had entered before, not the one where Serica had first appeared. Back then, the dark clouds were suffocating, oppressive. Now… They were shifting. The deep navy was softening, light bleeding through from somewhere far below, as if a colossal lantern burned at the Bloom's core.

And then, impossibly, his fall began to slow. First a little, then more, until his descent became a gentle drift. The sensation was so strange it almost felt like he was flying.

He glanced around, and nothing resembled Tokyo anymore. When he'd first met Serica, she had been in the plaza, the buildings half-frozen, reality warped but still recognisable. Here, there was nothing. No rooftops. No streets. No trace of the city at all.

Above him, the sky shifted. The dark, starless expanse of the Bloom was giving way to a pale brightness, like time itself was racing forward. The light came faster and faster, chasing away the darkness while he continued to drift downward at a snail's pace.

Then, he saw her.

At the very heart of the Bloom, a figure floated, knees tucked to her chest, head bowed. Her hair, long and dark, swayed slowly in the invisible current. She wore no clothing; instead, her porcelain skin shone with a faint luminescence, radiating like she was carved from the light itself.

"Serica!" Kentaro shouted, the urgency cracking his voice.

No answer. His words died the instant they left his lips, swallowed by the impossible space around him. He tried again. And again. Still nothing.

Frustrated, he forced his body forward, straining to close the distance, but instead of moving closer, he felt himself begin to orbit around her. She was the sun, and he was a helpless planet caught in her pull.

Eventually, his drift brought him to a position in front of her, still far away, but close enough to see her face. Her expression was peaceful, almost… Happy. She looked as though she was lost in a dream, a sharp contrast to everything a Bloom was supposed to mean.

And then it changed.

The light began to swell, brighter, hotter. Serica's body twitched, like she was waking from a deep, distant slumber. Kentaro raised his arm to shield his eyes, but the brilliance was relentless.

Just before it consumed him entirely, he saw her eyes open.

Serica was smiling. Directly at him.

The light overtook everything.

And the light claimed him.

But that one glance, that single, wordless connection, seared itself into him. And it was enough. Enough to burn through doubt, enough to make the vow real.

He would bring Serica back to him.

*

"COMMANDER! We've lost connection to Kentaro!" Riku shouted over the commotion.

"Commander, the drone I sent in with him just went dead, too," Drone added from his station. "What's our next move?"

Tenka gripped the arms of her chair hard enough for her knuckles to pale, biting down on her tongue. "Damn… This isn't a standard Bloom."

Shogo tilted his head, glancing at the display while Haruka and Yura stood beside Tenka's seat, watching the feed.

"What do you mean? It looks no different to me," Shogo said.

Haruka chimed in, her voice calm but curious. "I disagree. This one's darker than the last Bloom Serica produced. That last one was pale, almost frost-blue."

Tenka gave a small nod. "Exactly. And when a Bloom darkens like this, it means one of two things, either it's much worse than the usual kind… Or it's better."

The whole crew turned toward her.

"You remember what Rin told us about the Alberline personalities?" She continued.

They all nodded.

"This is only a theory, but… Based on the intel we've gathered, this Bloom was made by the other Serica. Let's call her Reverse Serica."

Eyes widened all around.

"Does that mean Kentaro's in more danger?!" Yumi asked, her voice cracking with worry.

"Potentially," Tenka said, swallowing hard. "The bad part? He'll be dealing with the Reverse Serica directly. The good part… Is that he'll be inside a dream world? One of her memories."

Gasps spread through the room. Even Yura looked startled.

"Her memories…" Yura murmured.

Haruka adjusted her glasses thoughtfully. "So it's the reverse of a normal Bloom. Usually, you meet the compatible Serica inside her surroundings. Here, he's meeting the incompatible version, and the surroundings are her own memories. Which means, in theory, he could learn about her life before becoming an Alberline."

"Exactly," Tenka said. "But remember, the reverse version isn't just hostile to humans. She's also at full Alberline strength."

Shogo stepped forward, eyes narrowing as he studied the swirling darkness on the monitor. "Commander, you once told me about the Bloom Core, the thing that makes them Alberline."

Tenka nodded.

"So, when you say 'Reverse Serica,' you mean her Nightfract, right?"

"Yes. Her Nightfract, the true version of the Alberline, before it was altered into the Bloom Core."

Shogo rubbed his chin. "So… That time on the island, when Spire did that to her, that's what she'd look like in Nightfract form?"

"Pretty much, though I'm sure t-" Tenka froze mid-sentence.

Something was moving on the screen, something metallic, darting along the Bloom's edge.

"Drone," she said sharply, "that's not one of ours."

"It's a drone, and it's definitely not Cradle's!" Drone barked.

"Spire…" Tenka muttered.

Before Drone could pursue it with the redeployed drone, his controls locked up. The Halcyon's drone froze mid-air.

"What the…?" Drone tapped furiously at his console.

"Connection issue?" Tenka asked.

"I don't think so, Commander. The controls just… Aren't responding."

On-screen, Spire's drone zipped straight into the Bloom.

"Damn it got away!" Riku shouted.

Before Drone could reply, their own drone began to move, on its own.

A voice came through the speakers, smooth and feminine. "Pleased to meet you."

Tenka snapped to the comm station. "Mic on. WHO are you?!"

No answer. No visual. The mystery pilot simply grabbed the Halcyon's drone and hurled it into the Bloom. The feed went static, then cut out completely.

"Damn!" Drone slammed the console.

"I… Think electronics don't work in that Bloom," Emi whispered.

"Just who the hell was that?" Tenka muttered, biting her lip.

Haruka was already tapping furiously at her tablet, Shogo leaning in to help. But the footage showed nothing, no glimpse of the intruder.

"Hurry. Send another drone. We wait for Kentaro to emerge. It looks like the Bloom isn't letting anyone else in," Tenka ordered.

"Yes, sir!" The crew replied.

But before the replacement could launch, a new signal flashed on the blank feed, a call request. No name. No number. Just an Incoming Call.

Yumi squinted at it. "Wait… All this time, I could have called home on the big screen?"

"Yeah, I could've talked to my wife," Riku said. "Might've even gotten a little personal when no one was-"

"Oh, imagine all the videos I could watch of the commander thrashing me across the" Shogo started.

"SHADDUP!" Tenka barked.

Haruka gave her a knowing look. Both women recognised this wasn't a joke.

"Answer it," Tenka said coldly.

The screen filled with a dark silhouette. No sound. No movement.

"Who is this…" Tenka said flatly.

A female voice answered, deliberate and steady. "Hmm… Seems another one like Reiden exists. Tell me, who are you?"

The voice sounded unmistakably feminine yet edged with danger, radiating a hostility the entire crew instantly sensed.

"It's rude to demand a name before giving your own," Tenka replied as she felt sweat dripping down her forehead.

A forced chuckle. "Very well. My name is Akio. And I think you know where I stand. We have ships above, and we've tapped into a comm line from a vessel near the Bloom. Are you with Vale?"

The room went still. You could hear a drop of water hit the floor.

"A-Akio…" Tenka murmured. Even Shogo and Haruka looked shaken.

But Tenka didn't answer the question. Revealing Halcyon's identity to Akio of all people? Out of the question.

"I see. Silent treatment," Akio said, her voice twisting with anger. "If you're part of his group, expect to be hunted. I will find you."

The line went dead.

The crew exhaled, only now realising they'd been holding their breath.

"Shit," Tenka muttered. "If Akio comes here… How do we support Kentaro and rescue Aria?"

Haruka adjusted her glasses. "Frankly, unless we pull Kentaro out early, we'll have to fight Cradle. They're weak right now, so the smart move is to hide until he's back. Then send Yumi and Shogo in with Emi suits, and don't use ship weapons."

"That was my idea too," Tenka said. "But what if Kentaro needs help?"

"Don't worry, Commander," Shogo said, voice firm. "Yumi and I will get Kentaro, Serica, and Aria out. You have my word."

"Hell yeah," Yumi added. "Worst-case scenario, we have to use Door crossing."

Tenka sighed, looking down at her desk before raising her head with renewed determination. "Very well. But remember, we can't back you up. If Cradle spots us, we're in deep trouble."

They all nodded.

Another drone reached the Bloom just as three Cradle ships appeared on the horizon.

"Set air mines before they get close," Tenka ordered. "We've got another obstacle, but we will win!"

"YEAH!" the crew shouted.

*

Kentaro's eyes opened slowly. The darkness was gone. He was lying in a small, unfamiliar home, not his, not Tenka's. The air smelled faintly of wood and dust.

He pushed himself upright and spotted a framed photo on the table.

A young girl stood between a smiling man and a woman.

Kentaro froze. His throat tightened.

"S… Serica…" He whispered.

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