Jay and Shiro walked beside Yumina through the streets. The place was alive with chatter, merchants calling out their wares, grain, fabrics, and curious glimmering stones said to hold traces of "mana." To the villagers, the three newcomers were easy to spot. Their strange clothes and lost expressions marked them as outsiders.
As they moved through the market, a figure wrapped in a dark green cloak called out to them.
"Travelers from afar… you seek knowledge, don't you?"
Jay turned sharply, ready for trouble, but the stranger's voice was calm, almost inviting. His face was hidden under a hood, but his hands, wrinkled and pale, rested on a table filled with trinkets: old coins, charms, and several strange books written in a language they couldn't read.
Shiro narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
"Someone who knows the signs," the man said. "And I see them on you. The storm that brought you here… the mark of mana still lingers around your bodies."
Jay frowned. "You know about that storm?"
The man chuckled softly. "I know about many storms. Especially the kind that tear through worlds." He leaned forward. "You are what we call transmigrators. And the Empire knows it too."
Yumina's gaze lifted from the trinkets. Her voice was soft. "The Empire?"
"Yes," the man said. "King Charles' Empire. They're the reason you're here. Every few years, they test people from other realms to find who is worthy. Those who prove their value are taken in. Those who fail…vanish."
Shiro's hand clenched into a fist. "So this isn't the first time they have done this."
The merchant nodded. "They are tests to find agents for the King. You three are special," He paused, glancing briefly toward Yumina. "Especially you."
Yumina tilted her head. "Why?"
For a moment, the man didn't answer. Then, quietly, he said, "Because I can't sense anything from you. No mana. No life thread. You are… an absence."
Jay stepped forward. "Enough. What are you trying to pull?"
The stranger chuckled again. "No trick. Only truth. Consider this a warning." He picked up one of the glowing stones and rolled it between his fingers. "The Empire won't tolerate beings they can't understand. They'll either recruit you, or erase you."
He dropped the stone back onto the table and began packing his things. Before leaving, he turned one last time. "You shouldn't exist here," he said to Yumina. Then he vanished into the crowd.
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The following day, Shiro insisted they test their powers somewhere far from the village. They reached a clearing surrounded by old trees.
"Let's start small," Jay said, stretching his arms. "We need to know what we're capable of."
Shiro nodded and crouched, placing his hands on the ground. "Control CV."
The soil shifted, and metallic lines shimmered into existence, four rising panels forming a square cage. "It's like… copying code," Shiro muttered, his eyes following the structure's symmetry. "I can build frameworks, barriers, walls, even basic shapes. I think my ability is tied to how I used to work as a programmer back home. I 'copy' existing structures, then remodel them. Even abilities."
Jay blinked. "You can copy powers, right?"
"Yes. I already replicated Maxton's lightning that day," Shiro said. "But I can't do it perfectly yet. My control depends on memory, and memory is code."
Jay whistled. "That's actually insane."
He then stepped back, clenching his fists. "Alright. My turn."
When he punched the air, a shockwave followed, shaking the branches above. His body felt light, overflowing with strength. He ran across the field, moving faster than he ever could back on Earth. His steps left small cracks in the dirt.
But when he tried to focus, tried to recall the moment he'd dodged lightning, nothing happened. His movements slowed. He panted heavily.
"It's weird," Jay said. "My body's way stronger and faster, but that dodge, it wasn't me thinking. It was like…my body acted on its own."
"Instinct," Shiro said. "Maybe your ability reacts to danger, not intention."
Jay wiped sweat from his brow. "Then I guess I'll have to get in danger more often."
They both laughed lightly. Yumina watched from the edge of the clearing, her expression unreadable.
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That night, the village was quiet. Too quiet.
Shiro lay half-awake on the bed. Jay was already asleep, and Yumina sat at the window again, staring at the darkened streets.
Then...
A scream cut through the silence.
Jay jolted awake, eyes wide. "What the hell was that?!"
Another scream followed, closer this time. Shiro jumped from his bed and ran to the window. Outside, torches flickered as villagers ran in panic. Smoke rose from a burning house near the center of the village.
They rushed downstairs, weapons in hand, Jay with a broken metal pipe, Shiro holding a shard of glass reinforced by one of his metallic panels.
As they stepped into the street, the smell of blood hit them. Something moved through the smoke, something low and fast, crawling on all fours. Its skin looked like ash-covered stone.
A villager tried to run, but the creature lunged, tearing him apart in seconds.
"Shiro!" Jay shouted.
"On it!" Shiro slammed his hands on the ground. "Control CV: Barrier!"
A wall of iron rose between the monster and the crowd, giving people a chance to flee. Jay grabbed a wounded man and dragged him out of the street.
The creature roared, slamming its claws against the wall. Cracks formed instantly. It wasn't huge, barely human-sized, but its strength was monstrous.
"Yumina, stay back!" Jay shouted.
The creature's eyes locked onto her, and it leapt through the flames toward her.
Yumina's lips moved. One word. Soft. Calm.
"Perish."
The creature froze mid-air, then it collapsed into the ground.
Silence returned.
The remaining villagers stared from a distance, fear spreading across their faces as they looked at Yumina. The smoke drifted upward, carrying the scent of death and burnt wood.
Shiro whispered under his breath, "She did it again…"
Jay exhaled shakily. "If they find out what she can do…"
"They will," Shiro said grimly. "We need to be ready to run if the situation calls for it."