After Hirata Alex's examining his powers; testing the switch on/off of his branch of power, and Haruto Okabe's training and sparr session with Amaru, both go back to their homes and rest. Haruto has not told Hirata about the sparr session with Amaru as his first actual training, since Haruto has yet to meet Hirata again, they did not contact via their phones due to both of them being exhausted.
The next day commences;
August 20th, 2025.
8 in the morning (AM)
Hirata wakes up, he begins preparing to start his day. He rises from his bed and proceeds to the bathroom, where he washes his face and brushes his teeth. For some reason, this morning felt unusually quiet for Hirata, not in a literal sense, but rather in a way that suggest something is off. Hirata experiences a sense of unease, though he attempts to disregard it, or rather pretending as if it does not exist. The sound of the running faucet, combined with the chirping of the morning birds, instills in him a vague premonition of impending danger, though neither its nature nor its source is clear.
After Hirata gets ready to begin his day, he grabs his backpack then he leaves the house for a walk to refresh his mind. He walks to a coffee shop, where he purchases a large cup of coffee to 'actually' commence his day.
Hirata continues walking while drinking his coffee. He talks to himself as he is walking slowly "Strange, Haruto did not contact me yesterday and has yet to do so... seems like he is busy with something..."
Hirata adds "Well, I should not bother him either way, I guess I will contact him tomorrow if he will be free."
Hirata continues walking in the city "Why am I feeling uneasy? I have been having this feeling since morning– this cannot be normal."
An hour passed, Hirata keeps walking, literally just walking aimlessly, doing nothing, while still drinking his coffee which has long since gone cold. Hirata becomes so absorbed in his walk that he simply without concern finds himself in a part of the city that is somewhat secluded, not entirely remote, but certainly far less lively than most areas in Beirut.
He continues to walk, yet his sense of unease intensifies, even as he maintains a composed walk. Then suddenly Hirata looks behind him and says "what is this feeling? This is not normal." Hirata senses traces of Linguistic and Ritual energy.
After Hirata senses a peculiar form of energy, Hirata reacts instantly and says" what is this feeling? Linguistic Energy? Ritual Energy? It resembles that from before..." Hirata recalls the sensation he experienced when he sensed Amaru battling the man sent by The Silent Abyss.
The sky gradually shifts to a yellowish hue, after which a powerful streak of yellow lightning erupts from the ground and ascends toward the sky– in other words upside down lightning. Hirata talks to himself with panic "Is this The Silent Abyss? It appears to be an ambush, I must find cover quickly!" Hirata then runs toward a nearby abandoned building in the remote area of Beirut where he is located, hides inside the building, and takes cover.
The scene shifts to Haruto, who is home and reading some books. He senses a foreign energy and says "This energy... it's like from back then..." Haruto remembers when he went out with Hirata and Vanessa, he reminiscences the clashing energies of Amaru and his enemy. Haruto rushes to the window and looks outside. He shouts "CRAP! HIRATA, HE IS BEING TARGETED! I NEED TO HURRY UP AND LEND HIM A HAND!"
The scene shifts to Vanessa, who is also at home. Sensing the energy, she runs toward the window and shouts "This is bad! Hirata– I can sense his presence and energy there!" Immediately thereafter, she retrieves her phone and places a call.
The locals of Beirut notice that the sky appears unusual, none of them aware of what is truly unfolding. One person says "It seems a sandstorm is approaching." While another adds "I suppose the weather will be stormy tomorrow." And another random individual takes photos of the sky and posts them online with the caption "It is not like a zombie apocalypse is imminent, LOL."
The scene shifts back to Hirata, who conceals himself within the abandoned building, he removes his backpack and says "I never accounted for this– has it not occurred a bit too early? This is bad! I have no weapons with which to fight, and worst of all, I do not know how to contact Amaru Sensei."
Hirata opens his backpack and searches for anything that might aid him in confronting whoever is pursuing him. He mutters "My wallet– absolutely not. My ID– of course not, obviously. A disposable textbook... there is no conceivable way I could fight with such impractical items, I am at a massive disadvantage."
Hirata slings his backpack over his shoulders once more after a futile search. The moment he secures it, an immensely surge and hit of yellow electricity strikes the wall in front of Hirata, obliterating the wall entirely and leaving Hirata fully exposed. Hirata says "Crap! I will be dead if I do not do anything, this is getting really bad!"
As the moments pass, the rubble and dust of the shattered wall begin to reveal the attacker's silhouette. The pursuer slowly walks toward Hirata and says to Hirata "Hirata Alex, you concealed yourself admirably all this time– it was all thanks to that foolish teacher of yours. You may have managed to flee before, but now, you can no longer hide from us."
Hirata rises to his feet and brushes the dust from his clothes. He then addresses the pursuer "who are you? Who sent you? And what possible connection do I have with all of you? This is crazy!"
The pursuer continues to advance toward Hirata; as his silhouette gradually fades, his form becomes increasingly distinct and fully defined. He talks to Hirata "I apologize for not introducing myself. Your teacher must have told you about us, Hirata Alex. We are the Silent Abyss. My name is Zairen, though I have no family name– we call the Abyss as our last name. So Zairen of the Abyss.'
Zairen adds "And I am here to take you– either peacefully or by force. I strongly advise you to make matters easier for both of us, resistance will only worsen your situation."
Zairen's body is now fully visible. He halts once he is both completely revealed from the dust and smoke and sufficiently close to Hirata, gripping the very sword he wielded when he fought Amaru, though it is sheathed. Hirata addresses Zairen, saying "So that is your true appearance huh? You can continue dreaming of taking me wherever you intend. Why do you want me, anyway? I am merely a boring university student."
The scene shifts to Haruto, who is running toward the site of upside down yellow lightning strike. He murmurs to himself "Hang in there, Hirata! I am on my way. Whoever that is, he is undoubtedly dangerous. From what I can sense, he is the same individual who fought Amaru Sensei in the classroom, and thus he possesses two Branches of power."
The scene shifts back to Hirata. Hirata asks Zairen "Why do you want to take me, Or rather kidnap? I have heard that you are targeting any possesor of the branches of ritual and language. Why, exactly? What are your true motives?"
Zairen assumes a combat-ready stance, stepping one leg back while keeping the other forward. He grips his sword and unsheathes it, then raises the blade into a tilted, upward position while keeping the sheath lowered. Once he is prepared, he answers Hirata "Hirata Alex, the reason is, because I am going to silence you, or rather turn you into Silence itself..."