XCEL

The Warden was no psyche user, but a reject. Unlike the others, this reject had purpose. It was Defined, its specialty was directly tied to its Mindscape. Once inside, its mere presence would start to drain you of your will and psychic energy. With no strength left, a psyche user would slip into the recesses of their Further Plane. There they’d remain indefinitely, held captive by the monsters created by their own subconscious.

Tegata struggled in the Warden’s grasp, his arms locked by his sides. The armoured giant unearthed a mechanical groan, bathing him in a dim yellow glow that came from beyond the vertical slits in its helmet. The Warden’s ability was starting to take hold of him now. Shadows danced in his periphery, stabbing at him with invisible knives. The closer he was to this gaunt titan, the weaker he felt. Soon, he’d be left the same as the rest of these prisoners.

A mighty crash shook the room, as a block of concrete—thrown by Rin—hit the Warden on the head. It released Tegata, who fell to the floor. Kinuka made haste, constructing another net to break his fall. Rin stood several floors up, holding another cube of concrete.

“Think fast, tincan!” He shouted, and hurled it at the Warden. He snapped his fingers, the block resized, and another collision shook the room. Yet, when the dust cleared, the Warden emerged unscathed.

Seriously? Rin was astounded. Not even a scratch!

“Rin!” Tegata called up. “That won’t work! The Warden’s armour isn’t physical—”

—but made of psychic energy, and Rin was going to put a knife through it like butter. A maniacal grin on his face, he took a swan dive off of the eighth floor, soaring through the air like a bird in a nosedive, a cleaving frame in one hand.

Tegata protested to no avail.

“Severance—” Rin shouted, before the Warden grabbed him out of the air and drove him into the ground. A quake shook the prison foundations. The blow from the giant left a crater in the floor.

“Rin!” Kinuka cried, but Tegata held her back.

“It’s too strong. We can’t defeat it as-is. We simply don’t have enough destructive power to pierce through its armour.”

“We’ve got to get Rin,” she protested. “Before he gets crushed!”

Tegata nodded. “I’ll distract it. Go!”

Kinuka sprinted towards the crater. Tegata put his hands together, forming two distinct prongs.

Bull (雄牛 Osūshi)

The shadows in front of Tegata warped and twisted into the rampaging beast. The bull reared its head and threw itself into the Warden’s midsection. A resounding clang, and the giant stumbled, knocked back some distance. Dismissing the bull, Tegata summoned his crane and took to the skies, pelting the Warden with barrages of birds from his Flock.

Rin had only just picked himself out of the ground when he found Kinuka practically on top of him.

“Are you alright?”

Rin had to prise her hands off him as she desperately checked for vital wounds. He rolled to the side and winced. One of his ribs was definitely broken. His back ached. He grabbed onto Kinuka’s shoulder and stood. They retreated towards the exit, but not before Rin threw another wide cleaving plane at the Warden’s leg. If he could cripple it like he did to the rejects back in the corridor, he thought, maybe they could have a chance at defeating it. The frame passed right through the Warden and shattered on the opposite wall, as though it had found nothing to interact with. Rin cursed and kept running.

“Rin, problem!” Kinuka was hammering at the space that was once the door. There was no door in sight. Rin swore and moved her aside. He tried to cut out a doorway with a cuboid frame, but the outline failed to cut through anything. There was a psychic barrier here too.

“It’s a Mindscape!” Kinuka said. “Tegata said so! That’ll be why we can’t escape the same way we came in!”

“Why the hell am I always the last to find out?” Rin cursed. He whipped around and looked for him. A few metres above, the Spire Crane was losing altitude, growing weary. Tegata released his hold on its leg, and the shadow bird melted away. He landed roughly ahead of them, his breathing laboured, psychic signature waning.

The Warden, only temporarily distracted, advanced once again, a quake through the ground with every step. The three of them were backed into the wall.

“The only way to break free from a Mindscape is with another one," Tegata admitted.

“You’re telling us this now?!” Rin felt like tearing his hair out. “Neither of us know how to do that! Did you even slightly think this plan through?”

"The plans I come up with never work. After a while, I stopped trying."

"Remind me why we put our lives in your hands again!"

“You’ve got to try! One of you!” Tegata grit his teeth and unleashed another flock. The shadow birds burst from between his splayed hands and wreaked havoc against the Warden, pushing it back if only just. “The other, help me keep it back!”

Rin ran forward and constructed a barrier. It was the same improved design he’d utilised earlier. The interlocking frames expanded into place, forming a giant segmented wall. It didn’t last long. Rin cursed as the metal terror hammered against the construct, breaking large cracks in the transparent barrier with every strike.

What happened next was a miracle.

Mindscape (虚廟 Koyashiro)

Kinuka thrust both hands forward for the third time, weaving her fingers between each other in a pattern. Her third eye glowed, and the sudden clacking of knitting needles filled the air, followed by the tearing of fabric. A small translucent barrier flickered into existence around her, distorting the bright light from overhead into a myriad spectra. Kinuka cried out. From where her barrier overlapped with the prison, a small circular hole began to tear its way through the previously impenetrable wall as though it were a piece of cloth.

“How the hell did you do that?!” Rin stared behind him in awe. A splintering crash stole his attention; the Warden’s next strike completely shattered his barrier.

“Keep it going, Kinuka!” Tegata cried. The continuous Flock was only going to stall for so long. He strained and strained, expending more psychic energy, but he was tiring. The birds flew slower now, and were fewer. He couldn’t keep this up for much longer. His head hurt, he felt exhausted, but Tegata knew he had to keep going. He yelled through the pain, summoning another wave of birds as a last burst of psychic energy rippled through his nerves like a wave. He was bordering on the verge of collapse, when suddenly—

“Bang!”

Gunshot rang around the prison, and for a moment everything was quiet. The Warden, blasted back by some invisible force, then hit the floor. Only then, the flow of birds from Tegata’s Flock ceased. He sank down to one knee, panting.

Rin watched as the girl from the cell stepped gracefully past them both, her right hand bent into a finger-gun, left hand cupped underneath.

The Warden had soon recovered from the stun. It unleashed a bellow that shook all three to the core. The girl didn’t look remotely fazed. Blowing smoke from the tip of her finger, she turned to Tegata and smiled.

“You really did come back. Thank you.” A tear leaked from the corner of one eye, and she smiled wider still. She cast a glance at the other two. “You all saved me. It’s my turn now.”

“Keep up your barrier, Amibari!”

Kinuka cried from the exertion, but kept her arms stretched out. Her feeble mindscape flickered in and out of existence, but the hole in the wall grew steadily larger.

The Warden charged the group in a rage, but the girl with the finger gun wasn’t having any of it.

“Bang!”

Another gunshot. The bullet blasted a hole through the Warden’s chest plate and sent it reeling.

“Bang!”

The bullet took out one of the Warden’s legs, and the metal giant fell to one knee.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Fired in quick succession, the two bullets tore two new holes through the Warden’s chest, before the final one pierced straight through the titan’s helmet, sending it crashing to the floor.

“I can’t hold it!” Kinuka cried. Her legs looked about to give out. Her Mindscape had now torn a hole in the barrier six feet wide. “Hurry!”

Rin hoisted Tegata to his feet, and the four of them bolted for the hole in the prison door. An almighty crash came from behind them—the Warden’s one last desperate attempt to stop them—before the gust of wind forced them through the opening and out onto the other side.

* * *

Exhaustion.

The air that hung in the prison’s antechamber was stale and uncomfortable, made worse by the seizing up of the lungs and windpipe after a period of intense exertion.

Compared to the colossal cavern beyond, this room felt so tiny. Where both double doors had once stood, a large hole had been torn out of the wall, frayed edges of the metal still crackling with residual psychic energy. There three of the four escapees lay in some recovery position or another, desperately trying to catch either their breath or composure. Tegata Kage had sunk onto all fours. Kinuka had rolled onto her back, and was busy staring into the next dimension. Rin, however, simply lay face down.

“Are you three okay?”

The fourth, the new girl, crouched down on her ankles and peered at them with innocent curiosity, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

Rinkaku Harigane groaned and rose to his feet. “That was an experience.” Clutching at the back of his head, Rin winced. He was still slightly seeing double from when the Warden had slammed into the floor. A concussion was the least of his worries. “You still alive, Amibari?”

Kinuka blinked a few times, which Rin took as a positive sign. Kneeling down, he lifted her off the ground.

Tegata, too, had soon recovered. He sat back on his ankles, looking at the dark-haired girl the same way he had back in the cell. “Juusei…”

“I’m okay.” She beamed.

An easy smile spreading across his worn face. “Thank goodness.”

Without warning, Juusei squealed and threw herself at Tegata in a tight hug, barrelling him over completely and sending the two back down to the floor. “You kept your word!” She buried her face in his chest. “I knew you would! I knew you would!”

“Hey, easy,” Tegata winced, returning the hug twofold. “Good to see you too.”

“Mind filling us in?” Rin asked. He’d since helped Kinuka to her feet, one arm wrapped around his shoulders. With the way her head began to droop, the girl looked much the worse for wear.

“Yeah, this is—”

The girl beat him to it. “Juusei Kanon!” She was already back on her feet. “Nice t’meetcha! What are your names? Thanks for saving me, and everything—” She spoke at a million miles an hour. The energy she exuded was comparable to looking directly at a fluorescent bulb.

Rin groaned. “Of course you’re one of those.”

Despite her fatigue, Kinuka evidently found enough in herself to slap him. “Don’t mind him.” She smiled at Juusei with as much grace as she could muster. “Nice to meet you too. I’m Kinuka, and this is Rin.”

“—didja have to do that for, you psycho…” Rin grumbled, giving Kinuka the stink eye and massaging the side of his face. “What she said.” He gave a halfhearted wave with his free hand.

Juusei looked them both up and down. “Wow!” A nervous giggle. “Kinuka, you’re really pretty. Are you two dating? I wouldn’t if I were you. This Rin guy doesn’t look like he showers.”

Kinuka burst out laughing.

“You little brat—” A vein clenched in Rin’s temple. He looked like he wanted to strangle her. “Tegata, how old is this kid?”

Tegata didn’t respond, vaguely amused by it all.

“Fifteen!” Juusei made a V with her fingers. “Ten-five, got it?” She narrowed her eyes. “You’d better not try anything funny, mister.”

Rin blinked. “What—”

Kinuka didn’t stop giggling until Rin put an elbow in her side.

“But, wow!” Juusei continued studying the both of them, as though having completely forgotten the last interaction already. “You guys look really beat-up!” She chirped.

“No, really?”

Juusei chose not to hear him. “You must’ve really busted your asses in there to try and get me out, ‘specially against the Warden.” She bowed again. “I really appreciate it.”

“Tegata’s insistence, not ours.”

“Really?” She gave him a sour look. “You idiot! Why’d you come back here?! You could’ve hurt yourself!”

“A bit too late for that now.” He chuckled.

Juusei failed to find the humour in that, and slugged him in the arm.

“Hey, gentle!” Tegata yelped. “Who knows when this old body might break.”

She pouted. “You’re only four years older than me!”

“Look, you two—” Rin shifting Kinuka’s arm a little on his shoulder. His back was starting to ache. “This is all really touching, but can we get moving already?”

A sigh from Kinuka. “Just a vat of emotional quicksand, aren’t you?”

“I’ll drop you.”

Tegata nodded. “We’ll need to be quick. I’ve had a bad feeling ever since I arrived outside the prison.”

“Did you sense someone?”

“Let’s just get going.”

“Can you stand?” Rin asked. Kinuka nodded. It took a moment before she found her balance, but soon the four burst out of the antechamber at a run.

* * *

Weaving their way through the warren of twisting tunnels, it wasn't long before they had made it back to the open courtyard. A crushing pressure descended from above; almighty weight from the heavens. Tegata’s premonition may have been prophecy all along. All four froze, eyes wide, paralysed. Already fatigued, Kinuka was the first to fall to her knees. Her eyes bulged with terror. The menacing intent of the psychic energy that filled the air seeped into every pore of the skin.

“What the hell is this?” Rin heaved for breath. His skin prickled horribly, as he felt his knees tremble. A bead of chilling sweat arced down the side of his face, followed by several more. He looked to his right. Tegata had sunk to one knee, Juusei too. They both stared at the ground, head bowed in compromised reverence to the tyrant standing in their way.

A gnarled voice rang in their ears like a rusty church bell. “When you’re invited to someone’s home, common courtesy dictates you greet the man of the house before taking your leave. I thought Katsuro had raised you properly. How disappointing.” Gus Ishimatsu, the source of all this gravity, stood with arms clasped neatly behind his back.

Hideyori Hakana and Meguru Yoha flanked him on either side, sullen and silent.

Gus strolled calmly towards the paralysed party. His suit was clean and pressed. The Egyptian tattoos around his throat framed a face that could weather a thousand storms. Psychic energy crackled in the space around him like lightning, lashing out at anyone who dared raise their head.

The only one who dared was Rin.

“Impressive.” A grin electrified Gus’ face. His third eye pulsed once more with a renewed wave of psychic energy like gravity, and everyone winced. “There aren’t many who can afford to withstand the pressure of my psychic energy.” Crossing one arm over his front, Gus bowed his head. “It’s good to meet you at last, Rinkaku Harigane.”

The gravity tried to break Rin’s spirit, but the searing rage that scorched his veins only resisted the pressure. He glared back up at Gus, a crazed grin opposing every single odd stacked on top of his shoulders. He didn’t even need an introduction to join the dots together. Slowly, he stood upright. “It’s you, isn’t it?”

The man folded his arms. “Say my name.”

Rin forced a laugh. “The only time I’ll be doing that is when they inscribe it onto your fucking tombstone!”

“Such confidence. Excellent.” The man’s eyebrow raised. “Tell me, is it the threat of annihilation that pushes you to make such desperate threats?”

“No.” Rin was stalling and he knew it, but there was precious little he could do besides. “You’re the one responsible for all of this. I’m going to tear you apart for what you’ve done: to me, to everyone!”

“Oh, would you look at that.” Gus started to clap. He was the only one. “Looks like we have ourselves a hero of justice.”

“Not justice.” Rin shook his head. “Just a vengeful demon who's going to build a utopia over your own fucking grave!”

“Our goals aren’t so different, you and I.” Gus continued, impervious to Rin’s hotblooded threats. “We both desire a better world, and we both have the grit to seize our own futures. You sought power to make your once-impossible dream a reality, as did I. We are truly not so different.”

Rin narrowed his eyes. “Bullshit.”

“I think you’re lying, Rinkaku Harigane.” Gus didn’t relent. “See, just now, I felt your soul resonate with my words. Strength recognises strength, and I see that strength in you. Look,” he gestured around. “You are the only one to stand as my equal. The rest of your comrades kneel in fealty. You may reject me on the surface, but in your heart you know that you agree.”

“Fuck you. Don’t put words in my mouth.”

“Sentimentality aside, human society is poisoned, rotten to its core with the thralls of cowardice, of weakness. You know that as I do. Surely there must be a better solution? You cannot allow yourself to be blinded from the truth by rage.”

“A bit too late for that now, isn’t it?!”

“Ever since your awakening, you have only lived by my hand.” Gus clenched a fist, and psychic energy crackled into a spectral gauntlet. “Your tribulations up until this point have all been to push you to the brink of death, fuel your glorious desire to live to develop your innate wellspring of power!”

Rin didn’t like this at all. “What’s your point?”

“I want you to join me, Rinkaku Harigane.” Gus grinned. “Your Framework has the power to reshape reality to your whim! You could create the world you have always desired, create something truly beautiful. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted? I can help you. We will take down everything and everyone to stand in our way.”

Rin opened his mouth, but a voice in his head stopped him cold.

“Before you say anything, boy, listen to my counsel.”

The Architect. The man did not appear, but Rin felt the booming tones echo from the depths of his subconscious. “Allow me to handle negotiations. I can deliver you from this predicament, if you allow me to take over your body.”

“I can handle this, Arch.” Rin grit his teeth.

“Do not let yourself be blinded by rage. I implore you, listen to his words. Indeed, they resonate true. The power this man possesses, I sense the soul of my brother within.”

“Your brother?” Rin couldn’t believe it. “Hang on—you’re not actually suggesting I go along with this, are you?”

The Architect’s incorporeal grin shot a chill down his spine. “Would accepting his offer not fulfil your dream? I suggest you remember the terms of our contract.”

Gus frowned. “What is your answer, Rinkaku Harigane?”

Rin stared at Gus, wide-eyed, until he felt a hand close tight around his ankle.

“Get out of here, Rin!” Tegata strained against all the weight on his hands and knees. “You need to run, now!”

“Do not interfere!” Gus roared. The pressure from above abruptly mounted. Kinuka collapsed completely onto her front. Juusei screamed from the exertion, using every last inch of strength to keep his head off the ground. Behind Gus, Meguru Yoha stood rigid, sweating profusely. Hideyori Hakana had his hat tilted low, knees nearly buckling. Even the man’s henchman struggled to stay upright now.

Tegata winced and panted. Forced into a reverent bow, both knees hit the concrete, his arms buckling under the strain.

The only one free to move amid this gravity, Gus approached the boy and loomed over him. “Hello, Tegata. It’s good to see you again.”

All Tegata could do was heave with every breath, staring at the floor.

“Stand up when I’m talking to you!” Gus roared, seizing him by the throat. Tegata choked in the man’s iron grip, but his arms fell limp by his sides. “Did you enjoy your little rescue mission, Tegata?” Gus asked. “Did you get what you came for?”

“Let him go!” In an immense burst of effort, Juusei lifted both hands and trained her fingers on Gus’ face. The man took no notice. The crack of gunshot echoed across the courtyard. The bullet ricocheted off the man’s cheek, leaving only a graze.

“Is that all?” Gus wiped away a smear of blood, and smudged it between his fingers. He didn’t even bother to look at Juusei. “Goodness me, you’re pathetic.” He tossed Tegata to the ground. “Besides, it seems you forgot someone.” He held his hand out beside him to Hideyori. The man deposited an orb, which Gus crushed in his palm. Tsushin Techukara hung limp, awake and unseeing from Gus’ vice grip. “Didn't you come to save her?” He leered. “Didn’t you promise?” He gave Tsushin a pitying glance. “It seems your dear Tegata has forgotten about you, replaced you even. How sad.”

Tegata shook, every muscle taut with rage.

“Let her go!” Kinuka cried. She had been watching: every single suspicion she had about Tsushin was confirmed from Tegata’s single reaction. “How can you be so cruel?”

The girl’s interruption dropped Gus’ face into shadow. Handing Tsushin back, Gus clasped both hands behind his back, and took purposeful step after purposeful step forward until he towered over her. Gravity forced Kinuka to grovel at his feet.

“You.” An etching of loathing was carved into every word. “I have no interest in you. Stand up.”

The pressure on Kinuka abruptly vanished. With such a huge weight removed, the girl rose to her feet automatically, floating. Reduced to little more than a doll, Kinuka stood stock still and simply stared, unseeing.

“Why are you here?” Gus stared down at her, distaste etched into every line on his face. “What purpose do you serve?”

Kinuka quivered on the spot, a lamb encased in ice before this titan. Rin cried out for her, but his legs refused to move.

“Do you have an answer for me?” Gus glared. “You could have everything you’ve ever dreamed of if you lend me your power. The world you wish to build is in your grasp. Everyone: your father, the girl, your friends, I will let them go. All you need to do is give me your half of the blade, and we can ascend together!”

“Don’t do it!”

“Silence!” Gus roared, and the pressure redoubled; Kinuka screamed and crumbled to her knees, clutching her head with both hands. Silence reigned before he spoke again. “Until I receive a satisfactory answer, I will systematically eliminate every single person here without exception, starting with this lost little girl.”

A shiver ran the length of Rin’s spine. His jaw was as frozen as his legs. He couldn’t respond if he wanted to.

“Do you want to call my bluff?” Gus challenged. “It will only cost the life of your friend.”

Rin swallowed thickly. There was nothing he could say; he knew no words anymore.

Behind Gus, both henchmen started to step back. Neither of them were immune to the primal fear. The skies overhead darkened. Psychic energy crackled around Gus, coalescing in a mighty torrent. Gus wound back his right hand, that gauntlet forming once more around his fist.

The same instant he threw his punch, a large blur flashed past Rin’s peripheral vision.

A blinding flash of light exploded from the point of impact. The shockwave knocked everyone off their feet. When the dust had cleared, Kinuka Amibari was still alive. Gus’ fist had made contact with something else, something that refused to give.

The large boy with light blue hair—Rin’s first encounter in the prison—had caught Gus’ punch in one hand. Psychic energy powered against the resistance with the roar of a thousand engines, but the boy was locked in place. He stared back up at Gus in defiance, distaste glaring from within deep, dark eyes.

No-one else moved a muscle, until Tegata’s desperate cry broke everyone from their trance.

“Run!”