The corridor was still buzzing with the aftershock of Zarion Kael's echo, but the world refused to slow down for any of them.
The Citadel didn't care that destinies had just been rewritten.
It cared about control.
And that was the problem.
Before Tojo, Ozaru, Nina, or Ken could even breathe normally again—
"CAPTAIN ALKHAZ. VICE CAPTAIN KEN KURUZAMA.
HIGH COUNCIL CHAMBER. NOW."
A dozen armored officers rushed in, forming a wall between the Council and the boys.
Tojo took a step forward instinctively.
A hand grabbed his shoulder.
Not Ozaru's.
Ken's.
"Stay behind me," Ken said, calm but commanding.
Tojo forgot sometimes—
Ken Kuruzama wasn't just "their friend with Azure."
He was a Vice Captain of the CDC, trained beside Alkhaz, respected as one of the sharpest tactical minds the Corps ever produced.
And right now everyone in the hallway could feel it.
Even the officers saluted him out of reflex.
Ken ignored it.
His eyes were flat.
Focused.
Dangerous in the exact way someone becomes when they've held command for years.
Alkhaz glanced back once.
"Kids. Stay close to Nina."
Then he walked into the chamber with Ken beside him—the two old partners walking into a room full of political knives.
The doors slammed shut.
The silence that followed wasn't peaceful.
It was suffocating.
---
2 — MARKED
Background staff watching them began whispering—careful, but not careful enough.
"That red fractal… that means Destruction is Marked."
"And the blue spiral on Ozaru—Creation's heir?"
"And Ken… Azure Mark? That's impossible—Azure doesn't mark wielders…"
"It marked HIM."
"And Alkhaz—Equilibrium got a mark. Do you understand what that means?"
Tojo finally snapped. "Yo—HEY—what does 'Marked' even mean!?"
A young medic flinched and answered before an officer could silence him:
"Marked wielders aren't chosen by the Corps," he whispered.
"They're chosen by… the timeline itself."
Ozaru froze.
Tojo frowned. "Explain."
"Any wielder marked by Zarion Kael is tied to the Rewrite War. It means their existence influences cosmic balance. You can't remove their Stones. You can't replace them. You can't cage them.
Marked wielders… attract events."
Tojo blinked twice.
"What kinda Goku-level destiny crap—"
The medic swallowed.
"It also means the Corps can't control you. That's why the Council is terrified."
Tojo quietly shut up.
For the first time in his life.
While,
The chamber doors burst open.
Alkhaz walked out first.
Calm smile.
Unbothered eyes.
Ken followed.
Expressionless.
But Nina saw it
His jaw was tight.
Old scars of responsibility resurfacing.
Tojo stepped forward. "What happened?"
Alkhaz ruffled his hair again.
"Nothing important. Just Council things."
Ken didn't say a word, but his gaze told a different story:
A storm was coming.
Before Tojo could question further—
A hologram lit up across the hall.
"Attention:
Tojo akatsuki
Ozaru kuruzama (kael)
You are hereby summoned to the Genesis Corps Entry Trials."
Tojo's stomach dropped.
"BRO WE JUST FOUGHT A WHITESPAWN—"
But the hologram wasn't done.
"…and Vice Captain Ken Kuruzama will join as supervisory candidate due to Azure irregularities."
Tojo and Ozaru spoke together:
"SUPERVISORY WHAT!?"
Ken just exhaled.
Nina stepped between them.
"Look, it's protocol. Once you hold Stones that powerful, Trials are mandatory."
Tojo: "Mandatory my ass—"
Ozaru nudged him. "Bro not in front of literally every soldier here."
Nina motioned them forward.
"Come on. The orientation hall is this way."
The doors slid open—
And Tojo froze.
Hundreds of candidates stood inside.
Rows and rows of future wielders:
some nervous
some arrogant
some dead silent
some whispering about Tojo & Ozaru
some staring at Ken like he was a celebrity because of riftfall incident.
some glaring at Nina with jealousy
some already forming cliques and rival groups
some with weapons strapped to their backs
And some with glowing Genesis cores pulsing beneath their uniforms
This was no joke.
This was a battlefield disguised as a Cosmic Defense hallway.
And the boys just walked straight into it.
From the back, a tall guy stepped forward.
Hair black with a metallic tint.
Eyes sharp, cold.
Ryu Kurogane.
Genesis: Iron Gale.
He didn't introduce himself.
He just looked at Tojo…
and nodded once, Because everyone heared that news of these boy's on Riftfall with Ken and alkhaz.
Respect.
Approval.
Rivalry.
All in one silent gesture.
Another voice cut through the hall:
"Heeey!!!!! pretty boys!"
A girl hopped off a railing—
Short hair.
Electric Genesis crackling off her fingertips.
Confident grin.
Lira Vance.
Genesis: Volt Burst.
She pointed at Tojo.
"You're the Whitespawn-scaring dude, right?
Cool. I wanna fight you."
Ozaru laughed.
"Oh, she's definitely trouble."
Nina pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Yes. She is."
Then—to everyone's surprise—another figure approached Ken.
A quiet boy with grey eyes and almost no detectable aura.
Orin Hale.
Genesis: Hollow Edge.
He bowed slightly.
"Vice Captain Kuruzama… welcome back."
Ken's eyes softened.
"You grew stronger."
Orin smiled faintly.
"And you came back… different."
Tojo stared. "Bro. Why do YOU have fans?"
Ken shrugged.
"I was a captain-candidate before the Echo And RIFTFALL incident. People talk."
Tojo and Ozaru both yelled:
"BRO WHAT!?"
Nina nearly laughed.
The hall was loud—voices mixing, candidates whispering, officers watching.
But underneath all of that…
Something darker moved.
A senior instructor marched to the stage.
Broad shoulders.
Sharp jawline.
Cold eyes.
He didn't smile.
"Candidates," he said, voice booming, "the Selection Process begins NOW."
Tojo tensed.
Ozaru straightened his posture.
Ken folded his arms.
Nina stood behind them like a silent guardian.
The instructor scanned the hundreds of cadets…
…but his eyes lingered longest on Tojo, Ozaru, and Ken.
"You three," he muttered, "your Marks… they will either save this Corps or destroy it."
Tojo blinked.
"wait what—"
"Quiet."
The instructor pointed at the giant steel doors at the back.
"The Written Aptitude Exam begins in five minutes.
Fail this—
and your Genesis Stones will be reassigned."
Tojo whispered to Ozaru:
"Reassigned means—?"
Ozaru:
"They take them away."
Tojo:
"Oh hell no. How do you even know this much stuff ozaru!!!"
Ken placed a steady hand on both their shoulders.
"You're not failing," he said.
"I'm here."
Not scared.
Not glitching.
Not overwhelmed.
Vice Captain Ken Kuruzama.
Their equal.
Their shield.
Their brother.
Ken left for personal work for short time.
Where as they both approached the exam hall, an officer blocked them.
"Unmarked cadets enter first."
Tojo groaned. "Bro we're STILL doing this-"
Alkhaz appeared behind the officer without a sound.
Just stood there.
Equilibrium Genesis humming in the air, subtle, quiet—
yet everyone's lungs tightened at once.
The officer stepped aside instantly.
"Y-you may proceed."
Tojo whispered, "Bro teaches intimidation as a hobby."
Nina smirked.
"That was him being polite."
They reached the exam door.
It opened.
A blast of cold air hit them.
Desks.
Screens.
Silence.
The first battlefield.
Tojo glanced at Ozaru.
Ozaru nodded.
Ken stepped in behind them.
The doors closed.
Locked.
Sealed.
No turning back.
The Selection had begun...