Ryu Tatzuki was, without a doubt, the loser of the class. Not because he was rude or problematic, but for the exact opposite reasons: he was kind, cheerful, peaceful, and even a bit of a joker when the mood allowed. Yet his classmates avoided him—some ignored him entirely, others whispered behind his back, and the cruelest pushed him around or hid his things for no reason.
Still, Ryu wasn't alone. He had four friends who always stayed by his side: Ryota, the strong one; Haruto, the smooth talker with the girls; Ren, the smart one; and Daiki, his best friend and the most charismatic. They accepted Ryu as he was, defended him when they could, and shared the few peaceful moments school had to offer.
That day started like any other. Boring classes, laughter in the hallways with his friends, and the occasional passing insult. Ryu was walking back from the library when the air grew strangely heavy. The lights flickered, and a chill ran down everyone's spines. The sky, which had been clear, darkened as if a sudden storm loomed.
A scream tore through the silence. Then another. Panic erupted in seconds.
A dark rift opened in the ceiling of the gymnasium, and from it descended a creature born of nightmares. It stood over three meters tall, with broken, scaly wings, several mouths whispering blasphemies from its chest, and eyes like burning coal that seemed to consume everything they gazed upon. Its mere presence made the windows shake.
Teachers fled. Students screamed, fell, ran. And in the middle of the chaos, the demon reached toward Daiki.
"No!" Ryu shouted, without thinking.
He ran toward his friend. Time seemed to freeze. Daiki was paralyzed, and the claw descended swiftly. Ryu jumped in the way without hesitation.
The blow sent him flying several meters. His body hit the ground with a dull crack. He heard guttural laughter and saw the mouths on the demon's chest moving. He was bleeding. He couldn't move. But he didn't regret it.
"Run, Daiki!" he managed to say, with a trembling smile.
Then, the sky opened.
A blinding light engulfed the gym. A sacred silence drowned out the roar of hell. And from within that light, descending with radiant white wings, came a figure clad in shining silver armor. Her sword was silver, with a golden hilt, and her eyes—one blue, one green—seemed to see beyond the visible.
With a single motion, the figure sliced the demon in two. There was no blood. Only a stifled scream and the echo of an ancient curse before the monster vanished into black smoke.
Ryu, half-conscious, looked up. She was staring at him. Not with hatred, nor with fear. With doubt. As if she saw something impossible within him.
And then, without a word, she spread her wings and vanished into the light.
Silence returned. The sky cleared. And Ryu closed his eyes, understanding nothing.
But something inside him had begun to awaken.