Wake up.
The room went quiet. After a few seconds, Quinn's eyes shot open.
"I said I would join, what the fuck did you d—" His words stopped cold. The ringing. It was gone. A sharp silence pressed in where the noise had been, and his eyes darted in confusion.
"What… what did you do?" he asked, turning to Rin, desperate for an answer.
Rin had given him an answer.
"Our abilities… they're called Resonance. To awaken one, you must die under the right conditions. First, you must be worthy. As you saw at the station, that man had a resonance inside him, but he wasn't fit to wield it. It devoured him from the inside out. A resonance without control is nothing but a monster."
"The second condition… you must die, but not by your own hand. That's why I had to kill you—to force your resonance awake. Now, listen carefully. There are four main types."
"First, Impact. These resonate through the body, enhancing strength, speed, or unleashing raw destructive energy. Mine falls under this."
"Second, Echo. These twist the five senses—subtle or terrifying. Rikuya's power is an Echo."
"Third, Aether. Support-based. They bolster allies, weaken enemies, and are far rarer. Coveted in our line of work."
"And finally… Null. The uncategorized. Resonances that defy classification—unstable, unpredictable, and the most dangerous of all. Only one in a hundred thousand is born with a Null. Most don't live long enough to master it."
"So… any questions?"
Quinn—confused—replied. "How does the Republic work?"
Rin leaned back with a faint smile.
"Good question. Well—we do a lot. From fighting other resonance users, to containing those who've lost to their resonance, to assassinations, infiltration, you name it. Our system runs on ranks: from Rank E all the way up to Rank S. I'm Rank B. Starting out, you'd be Rank E.
Currently, in the entire organization we have only six Rank S members, thirteen Rank A, one hundred and four Rank B, seven hundred and seventy-six Rank C, three thousand and fourteen Rank D, and over fifteen thousand Rank E. Our operations are worldwide, but here in Japan, only a few hundred members are active.
Rank E members—like you'll be—take on lower-level missions: deliveries, errands, exterminating weaker Remnants. Remnants are the souls of those who lost to their resonance. When that happens, they twist into monsters. They're dangerous, and we categorize them from Rank 5 to Rank 0—five being the weakest, zero being the most catastrophic.
Rin's eyes narrowed, voice turning sharp. "Now—let's get started. Can you draw out your resonance for me, Quinn?"
A confused expression crossed Quinn's face. "Draw out my resonance? How?"
Rin answered calmly, "All you need to do is control your soul. Think deep about what you want to do. Focus on your heart. Even if your resonance holds immense destructive power, starting out it will be weak. So don't hold back—use every drop of willpower to draw it out."
"Okay…" Quinn muttered.
He closed his eyes. Silence filled the room as he reached inward. He tried to feel for something—anything. His soul churned, heavy with questions: Why was I born like this? What am I supposed to become?
Then—light. A faint glow rose behind him, quickly intensifying until a flash swallowed the entire room.
Quinn staggered, eyes snapping open. "What's happening?"
Rin's brow furrowed, unease flickering across her face. "…I don't know."
The light twisted, condensed. Two pale arms unfurled, wrapping gently under Quinn's neck. A shape leaned close—a head forming above his shoulder. At first it was hazy, impossible to make out. Then, slowly, it sharpened.
Standing behind Quinn, clinging to him as though she had always been there—was a girl.
Rin—a composed look appeared on her face. "I've heard rumors, but I didn't know it could be possible. Your resonance, is a person. Just basing off what I can see, I would say your resonance falls under the null catego—"
Before Rin could finish her sentence, the girl behind Quinn had vanished.
Quinn froze, the faint echo of her footsteps lingering in the air. "What… just happened?" he whispered, his voice barely carrying.
Rin's eyes narrowed, scanning the empty space. "Null category… or something far stranger," she murmured, her tone tight with unease. "I've never witnessed anything of the sort before, I don't exactly know what to say."
Rikuya finally spoke, "Interesting. Hey Rin, I want him in my squad. You can make that happen for me, right?"
"Are you sure?" Rin tried to convince Rikuya it was a bad idea, but he wouldn't change his mind. Reluctantly, Rin assigned Quinn to his squad. Immediately after, Rikuya left the room; Rin assumed he had somewhere to be.
Rin then said, "Well, anyway, this location—Tokyo—is one of our two locations in Japan. The other is Kyoto. This is considered our headquarters, as most of our business is conducted here. There are three Rank S members in Japan: two are in Kyoto, and one resides here. You may see him one day—if you're lucky.
Now, you live quite far away, don't you? We have dorms within our facility. You're free to use them, though you'll share a room with one other person. We use a squad system: each squad has eight enforcers and a leader—nine members in total. Each member has a partner, so there are four groups of two within the eight enforcers.
Rikuya is a Rank A, and most of his members are Rank B or C. While Rikuya may be a higher rank than me, I hold higher authority over him. I'll pair you with one of his Rank B members: Shinra Aokami. He rose to Rank B in less than a month, is considered a prodigy, and is highly respected—despite being only sixteen. I hope you two will get along.
Your dorm number is 112. I can take you there if needed."
Quinn replied, "It's fine. I'll find it."
Rin nodded. "Very well. Dorm 112, then. Just remember, while the dorms are yours to use freely, certain areas of the facility are restricted—you'll be briefed on those later. For now, just focus on settling in and getting to know your partner."
Quinn gave a slight nod. "Understood."
Rin's eyes lingered on him for a moment, her usual composure softened by a hint of concern. "Shinra is… a capable partner, but he has his own methods. Don't be surprised if he challenges you—he's used to people following his lead."
Quinn tilted his head. "Challenge me? Should I… be worried?"
"Not in a dangerous sense," Rin said, a small, almost imperceptible smile forming. "But he'll push you. He sees potential, and he doesn't waste time with anyone he thinks won't keep up. Consider it… an opportunity to grow."
Quinn processed that quietly, then turned and began walking toward the dorms. The corridors of the Tokyo facility felt simultaneously welcoming and intimidating, every polished surface reflecting his own uncertainty back at him. He didn't know what awaited him with Shinra, or what his place in Rikuya's squad would truly demand—but for the first time, he felt the weight of something real, something that could change everything.