The room was quiet… until a sudden scream shattered the silence.
"MOM!!!"
Ryker bolted upright on the hospital bed, his eyes wide and drenched with tears. His breath came in heavy, broken gasps as if he had just escaped drowning.
Aisa rushed to his side, gripping his arm.
"Ryker… You're awake!"
He stared at her, his body trembling, lips quivering in disbelief. The memories still danced before his eyes—blood, chains, ice, and a home burning in his mind.
Before he could speak—
SLAM.
The hospital door burst open.
"Brother!!"
A small figure dashed forward. It was Hinata, Ryker's younger sister. She ran into his arms and hugged him tightly.
Behind her stood Sol and Celica, their expressions heavy with concern.
"Brother, please… tell me," Hinata whispered, looking up at him. "Tell me about Mom…"
Ryker's eyes trembled. His hands gripped the sheets.
"Sorry, Hina… I'm not ready," he whispered.
But the moment was broken.
Knock. Knock.
The door creaked open again.
This time, it wasn't a friend.
It was two officers in uniform and a hero in official guild armor, flanked by a few stern-looking agents.
"Ryker Tensai," one officer said coldly, "you are under arrest for breaking protocol, engaging in unauthorized combat, and endangering your fellow agents."
Hinata gasped and gripped his hand tighter.
Aisa stood up. "No! He was—"
The guild hero raised a hand. "This isn't up for debate. We have our orders. If you resist, we will use force."
Ryker stared at them, still weak, still pale… but he didn't resist.
He lowered his head.
"I understand."
"No!! My brother is no criminal!! STOPPPPPP!!"
Hinata's voice cracked as she screamed, tears pouring down her cheeks. She threw herself in front of Ryker, her arms spread wide like a fragile shield.
The officers froze momentarily, surprised by the girl's desperate courage.
Ryker looked at her, his eyes wide.
"Hina…"
Celica stepped forward, placing a hand gently on Hinata's shoulder.
"Hinata… calm down—"
"Don't tell me to calm down! He's my brother!" she cried. "He protected us! He protected all of you!"
Aisa stood beside her, her voice steady but emotional.
"She's right. He didn't go rogue. That fight… it triggered something. He saw them. The people who destroyed his life. What would you have done?"
The air grew heavy.
Sol clenched his fists. His voice was low and firm.
"If Ryker is a criminal, then punish me too. Because I failed to stop him. I didn't understand the pain he was carrying…"
The hero commander looked at them all—at Ryker, at the weeping Hinata, at the determined Aisa, and the composed Celica.
The silence hung like a sword. Until—
"Enough."
A tall man entered the room. Black coat, piercing eyes, and a voice of command. It was Shidou Shiranui.
"You will not touch Ryker Tensai," he said calmly.
"But Shidou-sama—" one officer objected.
"I said enough. He will be judged, but not here. Not like this. He's one of us, and he deserves a chance to explain."
The room fell into silence again.
Hinata looked up, hope flickering in her eyes.
"Thank you…"
Ryker lowered his head, whispering just loud enough for those around him to hear:
"I didn't want you to see me like this…"
Aisa sat beside him and held his hand.
"We've always seen the real you. And we're not leaving."
Suddenly—
BAM!
Ryker's fist collided with the officer's jaw, sending the man stumbling backward. Without a pause, Ryker spun, landing a swift kick to another officer's gut.
"Ryker!! What the hell are you doing?!" Shidou shouted, stunned.
The room erupted in chaos.
"Hey! You'll pay for this!!" one of the officers growled, recovering from the punch and drawing out his baton.
Hinata screamed, "BROTHER!!"
She tried to run forward, but Celica held her back.
Ryker didn't resist as more officers came and forced him to the ground. Blood trickled from his lips, but his face showed no regret. He looked calm. Resigned.
"Take him!" the senior officer barked. "Ryker Tensai—you're under arrest for assault and obstruction."
Cuffs clicked, chains rattled.
They dragged him away.
"BROTHER!!"
Hinata collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Aisa covered her mouth, shocked and heartbroken.
Celica stood still, frozen in disbelief.
In the hallway, Aria-sensei stood by the window, arms folded.
Shidou stormed in beside him.
"You saw that?! What the hell was that, Aria?!"
Aria didn't look at him. His eyes remained fixed on the courtyard where the police van was driving away.
"He was playing something," Aria said calmly.
Shidou frowned. "What do you mean?"
Aria finally turned. His voice was lower now, serious.
"Ryker wanted to be arrested."
"Why would he—?"
"Because there's something inside that prison," Aria said. "Something he wants. Or maybe… someone."
Shidou's eyes widened.
PRISON - ROOM
CLANG.
The iron gate slammed shut behind him.
"Get in, you bastard. Let's see you try to escape this place," the officer spat as he shoved Ryker forward.
Ryker stumbled slightly but regained balance quickly, not even looking back. His breathing had steadied since the hospital. He was calm now—dangerously calm.
As the officer walked away, heavy footsteps echoed in the narrow concrete corridor. All around him were men in blue uniforms, each marked with a bold prison number stamped across the back.
1770.
0890.
9991.
1006.
Murderers. War criminals. Rogue heroes.
The worst of society thrown into one place.
And now, Ryker Tensai—once a hero candidate, now an inmate—walked among them.
He sat quietly in the corner of the common room, eyes half-closed, as if meditating.
Some inmates turned to look.
"Hey, who's the new kid?" one muttered.
"Ain't no place for weaklings," another whispered.
A heavy-built man with the number 0021 stood from a bench and cracked his knuckles.
"Kid," he growled, approaching Ryker slowly. "You got a death wish coming in here all quiet like that?"
Ryker didn't move.
0021 leaned closer, his tone sharper now.
"Rule one in here: you earn your place. Rule two… you don't sit in my spot."
Ryker slowly stood up. His eyes met 0021's.
Cold. Unshaken.
"…So what's rule three?" Ryker asked, his voice low.
0021 grinned and threw a punch—
But in a blink—
CRACK!
Ryker dodged and elbowed him hard in the ribs. 0021 gasped. Before anyone could react, Ryker flipped him onto the ground with a clean, practiced motion.
The room went silent.
"Rule three," Ryker whispered, looking around.
"Don't underestimate me."
One inmate murmured, "Who the hell is this guy…?"
Another replied, "I think… he's the one they call Ryker Tensai…"
Everyone stared.
Ryker sat back in the corner, unbothered.
This prison was just another step.
He wasn't here to be locked away.
He was here to find someone.
In hero guild
In the grand chamber of the Hero Guild, a heavy silence hung in the air. The lights were dim, shadows stretched across the polished floor. All the key members sat around the long, oval table—tension rippling between them.
Sol Yoshida leaned forward, fists clenched on the table.
"Why, Ryker…" he muttered, voice low. "What the hell are you doing…?"
Shin Kazuto sighed, staring down at his hands.
"No matter how close we were… I don't think we ever truly understood him."
Celica Sora remained quiet, her eyes fixed on the table's center, lips pressed tightly.
In the corner of the room, Aisa Nakamura sat alone, her face pale, eyes heavy with sorrow.
She finally spoke.
"He… told me his power was a curse."
Everyone looked at her.
"…A curse?" Amelia echoed softly.
Aisa nodded, voice trembling. "He said… 'People fear what they don't understand. Power doesn't make you a hero. It makes you a monster in their eyes…'"
Sol stood up sharply, pushing his chair back. "No. Ryker's not a monster. He saved lives. He protected Hinata. He—"
"But he broke," Aisa interrupted, tears threatening to fall. "He carried everything inside. All the pain. All the memories. That night… the blood, the fear… it never left him."
Shin added quietly, "Maybe we were too late. Maybe the world broke him before we could save him."
A silence followed.
Arata finally spoke from the back. "So what now? He's in prison. The world sees him as a criminal. But we all know… this isn't the end."
Sol clenched his fists tighter.
"No. It's just the beginning."