Amara had just finished her work as a nurse, helping an elderly man recover, and rushed to the room where Amina was. The smell of blood still lingered in the hospital air, even though the wounds had already been cleaned. When she arrived, her mother and Miyu were sitting beside her unconscious sister.
"So?" Amara drew Lina and Miyu's attention as she approached her sister's bed. "Is it true she awakened the Lumen?"
"Yes!" Miyu answered quickly. "I saw it with my own eyes—I know that was Lumen!"
Amara was stunned by the confirmation. The Lumen was a vital force that ran through the veins of the humans of Yami. It had emerged during the time of Genshiro Aotsuki and, as far as she could remember, was the result of human evolution after eras of enslavement by the Nefaris.
In every country, Lumen is explained during mandatory military training. Only the strong manage to awaken it during training; others, however, awaken Lumen only in traumatic situations or in face-to-face battles with a Nefari.Amara remembered there were different types and colors indicating one's Lumen, but she could no longer recall the specific names.
"So she fought a Sombro? Here?"
"Most likely, yes, dear…" Dona Lina held Amina's hand tightly, her eyes brimming with tears.
"That means there are Sombros infiltrated here…" Miyu said with urgency in her voice. "And judging by the rifle Amina brought, it had to be a Sombro impersonating a guard!"
"Oh God, this is not good…" Amara scratched her scalp anxiously. "Wait… What about Dad? Where is he?"A deep fear gripped her racing heart as she remembered Mr. Hisakawa.
"Calm down, dear…" her mother replied, wiping her tears with a handkerchief. "I already called him. He said he's locked in the dormitory. Amina took him there after she realized—by the smell—that the mayor and his entourage were Sombros. She came back to get us and must have run into the Sombro on the way."
Amara was stunned by so much information. She began pacing the room, her nurse's coat swaying with each step. Then she stopped abruptly, alarmed.
"Do the Cobalt Flames know? Wasn't the mayor supposed to talk with them?"
"Yes, the mayor and that whole group went to meet with them, but we don't know if the Cobalt Flames found out they're impostors," Miyu said, rubbing her hands, visibly nervous about the situation.
"Then we need to warn them now!"
"I already tried…" A voice from behind startled Amara. A doctor had entered the room. "But Mr. Tsukishiro isn't answering my calls. No one from the group is, actually."
"That's not good…" Amara's anxiety was growing by the second.
"It's probably because they're in a meeting and not answering phones. Still, it's possible they already know the Sombros' true identities—after all, they're high-ranking warriors."The young doctor, tall and wearing glasses, maintained an impressively calm posture amid the crisis.
"That makes no sense!" Miyu nearly shouted from where she sat. "If they know, why haven't they done anything? Why aren't they out in the halls hunting the infiltrated Sombros? If a guard attacked Amina, that means there are more Sombros out there.And speaking of which, isn't the Hinoken army camped outside? Why haven't they come in to help?"
"That I don't know…" said the doctor, whose name tag read "Aoi Okamoto.""I'm more worried about this young lady." He approached Amina to check her vitals. "Her Lumen was white, you said?"
"Yes, yes." Miyu nodded frantically. "Her veins turned white and glowed."
"Hmm…" Dr. Okamoto murmured.
"Why, Doctor? What does that mean?" Dona Lina asked, worried.
"It means your daughter awakened a rare kind of Lumen. It's called Multiple Lumen."
"Oh, I remember that!" Amara said. "It's when someone can control more than one type of Lumen, right?"
"Exactly," the doctor replied. "Very few people in history have had this Lumen. They say the legendary Aotsuki was the first to manifest it."
"My God…" Dona Lina gasped in surprise.
"And from what I can see, she's already recovering. She should wake up soon."
"Really?" Amara moved closer. "But didn't they say she was severely wounded?"
"She was. But as soon as she arrived, I noticed the wounds were already healing on their own. That's one of the effects of the Lumen. Soon, she'll be completely fine and we can remove the bandages."
Amara, Dona Lina, and Miyu were too stunned to say anything. They watched the doctor smile kindly at Amina and leave the room without another word. It was clear he had treated them all well because of Amina's rare Lumen. Amara couldn't complain—if that Lumen protected Amina and earned her better treatment among the pure Aoikane, then it was a blessing for the Hisakawa family.
"Miyu, we need to tell someone what's going on. If the Cobalt Flames aren't answering, let's try going to the surveillance room and warn the staff. They can broadcast a warning over the loudspeakers."
"Let's go!" Miyu stood up at once.
"Hold it, you two!" Dona Lina scolded. "You're not going anywhere. It's dangerous out there—you could run into more Sombros!"
"Don't worry, Aunt Lina…" Miyu picked up the rifle Amina had brought, which had been resting against the wall. "If they show up, we'll defend ourselves. I won't let anyone else get hurt."
And so Amara and Miyu rushed out of the hospital, leaving Dona Lina protesting behind them.
________ 🌙 ________
In the mayor's vast meeting room, the Cobalt Flames were doing an excellent job pretending to be oblivious to the disguised Sombros. The mayor had given a long speech, thanking them for helping the city, then said they could now leave for Fuyugami Island with their army, as there was no longer any threat.
The lights in the room flickered slightly, as if the electricity itself sensed the unease of those present.
The five warriors had already activated their Lumen, ready for an imminent attack. However, it remained invisible beneath their uniforms—specially designed so that Nefaris couldn't detect or identify their type of Lumen.
Ryu smirked after hearing the Sombros' attempt to lure them out of the shelter to begin the assault.
"Interesting, Mr. Tachibana, because earlier today I received this."Ryu pulled a threatening letter from one of his pockets and slid it across the table toward the fake mayor. "A message delivered by one of Xingguo's trained crows, warning of more attacks on Aokai. All courtesy of a resistance group called 'Vengeful Lotus.' I'd even bet they were the ones who opened the barrier to let the Sombros in. Don't you think?"
The room fell silent. Seated at the round mahogany table were the warriors, the mayor, and his deputy. The rest of the entourage stood against the walls, as if monitoring the Cobalt Flames' every move. Guards remained outside.
Tachibana read the letter with a neutral expression and passed it to his deputy, who couldn't hide his distress.
Daiki, Shiro, and Ryu, all of whom possessed the Sensory Lumen, were able to hear the whispers clearly around them.
"Wasn't the crow supposed to send the message only once they reached the island?" the secretary whispered to another staff member.
"Looks like we're behind schedule. We should've come yesterday!" the employee muttered.
The mayor laughed awkwardly and finally spoke:
"You really believe that nonsense? I've never heard of this 'Vengeful Lotus'… Have you, Sakai?"
The vice-mayor shook his head in alarm and tried to back him up:
"This group doesn't exist. They just want to scare the public. Trained crows don't only exist in Xingguo."
Ryu crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.
"Oh yeah?" he asked sarcastically. "Because we have proof the letter is real."
"What proof?" Sakai asked, trembling.
"This rotten smell in the air…" Ryu gestured around the entire room. "It's been with you since you arrived… Didn't you notice it?"
Tachibana and Sakai seemed to be sweating bullets. They said nothing—too petrified to speak.
"Oh, right… I almost forgot…" Ryu went on sarcastically. "Sombros can't smell themselves, can they?"
The tension in the room was sharper than any blade.And at last, the monsters had been unmasked.