NOVEL NEXT Chapter 62: She's Here...
Tenka pressed a series of commands on the tablet mounted to her console. Beside her, Haruka adjusted her glasses, glancing at Kentaro with a rare hint of warmth.
"Yes… Ren," Haruka said softly, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "You look good. Handsome boy."
Kentaro's cheeks flushed slightly at the unexpected compliment. "Handsome, huh…" He murmured under his breath.
Yura gave him a quick elbow nudge. "Kentaro… Focus," she whispered. "Look, it's them."
Kentaro snapped his attention to the main display. The screen flickered, then lit up with drone footage from the Aria incident. Spire operatives were shown unloading live rounds into Aria just moments after causing a devastating explosion that levelled part of the district.
Kentaro's jaw clenched, his fists tightening at his sides. "Damn them… Injuring innocent people like that…"
Tenka, sipping coffee calmly from her steel cup, nodded grimly. "Spire doesn't care who gets hurt. Their only goal is control." She lowered her cup with a soft clink. "We need to reach Aria before they do."
Shogo, leaning lazily against the wall, let out a low whistle. "So, Operation Kidnap Rockstar, huh?"
Tenka's mouth quirked into a smirk. "You could say that."
Haruka stepped forward, tablet in hand, and displayed a live map to Kentaro. Bright red dots pulsed across a neon Tokyo grid. "Spire agents are actively pursuing her. These marks are her last known positions. Because she's triggered her sublimation, her Fracture Waves are much stronger, which makes her easier to track. If we intercept here…" She tapped a highlighted intersection. "…We can cut her off, secure her, and extract her either back to the ship or the stealth van."
Kentaro nodded slowly. "Sublimation… I thought that was just armour?"
Tenka shook her head. "No, that's the Sublimation Frame. The Sublimation itself is an Alberline's weapon. In Aria's case… Her voice and that guitar."
Haruka added, "From limited observation, she can control minds through either singing or guitar resonance. Voice is likely better suited for one-on-one fights. The guitar… Wide-scale manipulation. Entire crowds."
Shogo tapped the screen with a knuckle, grinning. "Drone's footage from our last encounter shows it clear as day. She strummed a few notes, and we were all laughing like lunatics. Also, it seems she can form barriers with the guitar, in the same way Serica and Yura can with their powers."
Kentaro leaned in, watching the replay closely. "Yeah… And her dress. It's… Darker now. Doesn't look like full armour though."
Tenka squinted at the footage. "Could be a partial transformation. I've never seen an Alberline do that." She glanced at the two Alberlines standing quietly nearby. "Serica, Yura… can either of you partially regain your armour?"
The two girls exchanged uncertain looks.
Yura shrugged lightly. "Never thought to try. Why would anyone want half armour? But… If my Domain works, I'll give it a shot."
Serica's voice came out soft, hesitant. "I… Um… Truth be told, Ken… I've never used my armour before." She looked down, shoulders tense.
Kentaro almost mentioned seeing it once, but stopped himself. Her memories of those moments were fractured and painful. Best not to rip them open now.
Instead, he smiled softly, brushing his hand gently against her hair. "Want to try now?"
Serica's lips curved into a shy but bright smile. She nodded quickly. "Sure… Anything for you, Ken!"
Kentaro grinned and looked toward Tenka and Haruka. "Then let's run a quick test."
Both Alberlines stepped away from the group, closing their eyes. They took slow, steady breaths, reaching for the connection that bound them to Kentaro, the invisible resonance that had saved them both before.
Tiny motes of light began dancing along their skin. Their casual clothes dissolved into flickering fragments, replaced piece by piece by shimmering Sublimation Frames. It wasn't a full transformation: Serica's dress shifted partially, the lower hem still civilian fabric, while Yura's armour only formed across her upper body.
The two opened their eyes and glanced at each other before turning back to Kentaro, smiles lighting their faces.
Tenka nodded approvingly. "Good. As expected. Now, can you feel your power? Easier to control?"
The girls responded instantly. "Yes," Yura said, a faint energy pulsing around her. "Feels… Like myself again. Close to Before I was sealed."
Serica twirled slightly, her bluish-white dress sparkling under the command room lights. It was her first time truly seeing her armour; awe and wonder reflected in her eyes.
Kentaro's chest warmed. "Good… Looks like we've got more firepower now." He looked at Tenka. "So, we're sticking to your plan?"
A sly grin crossed Tenka's face. "Hell yeah. Yumi's already sweeping Tokyo in the van. She'll find Aria soon… But it's faster to drop you in directly."
Kentaro clenched his fist with renewed determination. "Right!"
Tenka rose from her chair, her commanding presence filling the room. "Alright, team! Mission parameters: we track down Aria, intercept, and secure her safely. No unnecessary force, but if it's needed, we won't hesitate. She's confused, scared… So our very own Playboy Ken will take the lead."
"YES, COMMANDER!" The crew shouted, voices echoing throughout the ship.
Tenka pointed at Shogo. "Kentaro, Yura, Serica, Shogo, you're deploying first. If things get too heated, I'll drop down myself. You'll have Yumi, Drone, and the rest of our support team ready on comms."
Shogo straightened his posture, for once sounding like a proper soldier as he saluted. "Understood, Commander."
One by one, Shogo and Serica stepped onto the teleport pad, followed by Yura and Kentaro. Blue light began swirling upward, humming louder as energy built.
This time, there was no hesitation.
The second attempt to save Siren had begun.
*
After her first unsettling encounter with Rin, Aria found herself running again, lungs burning, boots pounding against slick Tokyo pavement.
The relentless Spire unit was still on her trail. She weaved through traffic, dodging pedestrians, cutting sharp corners, but no matter where she turned, they were there.
"How are they this fast?!" She thought, panic tightening her chest.
Out of desperation, she strummed her guitar mid-run, her voice cracking as she released a wave of sublimation power. Civilians nearby stumbled into a trance, unconsciously forming a human barrier between her and the agents.
But Spire didn't slow.
They barrelled through crowds like machines, shouldering people aside, blasting through obstacles. Unlike them, Aria couldn't stomach hurting innocent bystanders, not again. She wasn't that kind of girl.
She darted past a ramen shop, ducking into a narrow side street cloaked in darkness. Heart hammering, she caught a glimpse of herself in a broken shop mirror: pieces of her Sublimation Frame were forming instinctively, steel shoulder pads tightening around her arms, her once-red dress glowing a darker pink, and her twin pigtails now twisted into rigid twin buns. She looked… Less like a girl and more like a cornered weapon.
Her boots splashed through puddles as she sprinted deeper into the alley, but the voices behind her didn't fade.
They grew louder.
Closer.
"She's here!"
"Cut her off!"
Aria skidded to a halt at a dead end.
"Shoot," she muttered, breath ragged. "I need to go back…"
She spun around, but froze.
The Spire agents were already there, rifles raised, glowing sights locked on her heart.
"Listen up, monster," one agent barked coldly. "You're coming with us quietly. You've caused enough trouble."
Aria's back pressed against the wall, her chest heaving. She gripped her guitar tightly. She couldn't let them take her, not yet. There was still one thing she had to know.
Why… Why did that boy risk everything to save me?
The thought burned inside her. She didn't understand it, but she needed answers.
"Echo Drive!" she shouted, strumming violently. A pulse of blinding resonance erupted, forcing the agents to shield their eyes.
It was all the opening she needed.
Aria leapt high, body glowing as faint energy surrounded her. Alberlines could fly, but not for long, and never at full strength without fully activating their Sublimation Frame. She was running on fumes, every second in the air draining her fast.
Her shoes slammed against a metal rooftop. Relief was fleeting.
Because waiting there… Was Cradle.
A squad of armoured soldiers spun toward her, rifles snapping up in unison. Their commander, a short, black-haired woman named Romani, blinked in surprise for only a moment before protocol kicked in.
"TROOPS, READY!" Romani shouted, voice sharp as gunmetal.
Aria's breath caught. She glanced left, no escape. Right, another wall. Behind her, Spire agents were swarming up ladders.
No time. No options.
Her mouth tasted coppery; she spat blood into the wind. She'd pushed her powers too far, shielding innocents, flying, defending herself. Now, she was barely standing.
She clutched her guitar, desperate, whispering to no one:
"No… please… I… I need to see him… I want to know w-"
The rifles clicked.
Muzzle flashes erupted.
Everything slowed to a blur of noise and light. She saw the bullets coming, saw her own helpless hands failing to rise in time.
This is it, she thought dimly. I'm really going to die out here…
And then-
"My, my, my…"
The voice slithered into her ears, smooth and chillingly familiar.
"For a girl so determined not to give me her power… You're certainly not using it properly."
From the darkness behind a rooftop antenna, something ethereal shifted, and moonlight spilt like quicksilver over strands of hair impossibly bright. Rin stepped into view, silver hair radiating with a ghostly glow, her eyes glinting with sly intelligence as if she had materialised from the very night itself. For a moment, the entire city faded away, leaving only her haunting, otherworldly presence on the rooftop, every shadow conspiring to make her sudden arrival unforgettable...