Chapter 33 Idolizing fire

Chapter 33 Idolizing fire
Jasmia, however, went pale.

Not fear.

Not relief.

Something heavier—something like recognition wrapped in grief—as if she had just seen something she never thought she would see again.

Ferguson’s eyes swept over the scene. “What do we have here?”

The officer quickly explained the device’s malfunction. Ferguson listened, slow and deliberate, his gaze eventually locking onto Tsukia.

“I see,” he muttered.

Before he could move further, Nightshade and Lori arrived, cutting through the tension like a blade.

The police immediately shifted, weapons and stances adjusting, but the newcomers moved just as fast, placing themselves between Tsukia, Jasmia, and the police.

Ferguson let out a short, humorless laugh. “A little squad of Potential users, is it?”

Before anything escalated, his phone rang.

He answered, said very little, and simply listened. Then, just as abruptly...He ended the call.

“Stand down,” he ordered.

The police hesitated, then began to withdraw.

But before leaving, Ferguson pointed directly at Tsukia.

“The girl in black… with those strange violet eyes. Don’t get comfortable. We’re still watching you.”

Then he turned and left.

And even after they were gone, Tsukia didn’t move right away—because the air they left behind still felt heavier than when they arrived.

“Tsukia, are you okay?” Lori’s expression shifted the moment his eyes met hers. He stepped closer almost immediately, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder, not forceful but grounding, like he was trying to pull her back before her thoughts could drift too far away.

A cold shiver still lingered through Tsukia’s veins, echoing from the moment the lieutenant had spoken directly to her, his voice calm in a way that felt wrong, as if it carried weight she couldn’t see but definitely felt pressing against her skin.

It left behind something she couldn’t properly name—an empty, hollow sensation tangled with a strange, unsettled neutrality, where fear and anger blurred together until even she couldn’t tell which one was louder.

“I’m okay,” Tsukia managed to answer, though it came out quieter than intended.

But as she turned away, her attention snapped sharply toward Jasmia instead.

Something was wrong.

Jasmia stood trembling, not just from fear but from something deeper, more violent, like her own thoughts were attacking her from the inside and she was struggling just to keep herself together. It wasn’t simple shock—it looked like something had split her open from within.

Tsukia moved quickly to her side, her voice barely above a whisper as she tried to reach her through it.

“Jasmia?”

“I… I just saw my sister. The one I thought was dead,” Jasmia sobbed, the words breaking as they left her, and for a brief moment the entire space seemed to freeze around them.

Lori reacted first, stepping in immediately on her other side, as if instinct alone pushed him to steady her before she fell further into it.

“Jesmyah? The one you used to talk about when we were kids?” he asked carefully.

Jasmia gave a slow, fragile nod.

“Where?” Lori pressed gently, cupping her face as if trying to anchor her attention back to reality, forcing her to stay present.

“Next to the lieutenant…” she murmured, her voice shaking.

“I don’t even know if she recognized me, but she was wearing them—the silver azure petal earrings I gave her. That’s how I knew. It was her.”

Lori pulled her into an embrace without hesitation, holding her firmly while patting her shoulder in slow, grounding motions, as Tsukia stood watching them.

And in that moment, something heavy settled in Tsukia’s chest.

Guilt.

She hadn’t known. Not even once had she considered that Jasmia carried something like that—a sister she thought she had lost, suddenly appearing again only for them to stand on opposite sides of something far too dangerous.

“This place isn’t safe anymore,” Nightshade cut in, his voice slicing through the thick silence like a clean break.

“We need to move out for a few days, until things cool down and Tsukia is no longer under suspicion,” he added, already thinking ahead as if the decision had been made long before he said it aloud.

“Easy to say for you. Do you perhaps know a place?” Lori replied, glancing toward him while still keeping one hand near Jasmia as if afraid she might collapse again.

“I know a place,” Nightshade answered with a faint smirk, that familiar confidence returning for a brief moment. “I bet you’ll be dying to see it.”

After packing their things, they left without delay.

The road eventually brought Velospire City back into view, its familiar structures rising under the late afternoon light.

Ahead stood the apartment building they would be staying in, looking almost deceptively peaceful from a distance, like nothing heavier than ordinary life ever happened inside.

But that illusion didn’t last long.

As they approached the entrance, a figure stepped out from the building and walked straight toward them.

He was tall, with messy light orange hair and a simple long-sleeved white shirt, but there was something about him that immediately pulled attention.

Something grounded yet commanding, like he naturally took up space without trying. As he came closer, a strong masculine scent followed him, sharp and clean, like expensive cologne layered over natural confidence.

He stopped directly in front of them, casually blocking their path.

“How are you, man?” the stranger asked, offering a handshake to Nightshade with an easy, familiar smile, his eyes briefly scanning the group without any tension.

Nightshade accepted it without hesitation.

“Thank you for having us, Denra,” he said smoothly.

The name Denra sparked something in Tsukia and Jasmia at the same time. It was familiar, lodged somewhere in memory, though neither of them could immediately place where they had heard it before.

Then Lori muttered under his breath, almost disbelieving.

“Ain’t no way…”

His voice came out thin, almost shaken.

“Denra Shinuu…”

Nightshade glanced back at him, then shifted slightly toward Denra with a faint grin. “Oh right. This guy right here has been dying to meet you.”

Before Lori could react, he was gently pulled forward.

Denra chuckled, offering his hand again, and this time Lori took it without thinking.

“Nice to meet you,” Denra said simply, a small smile resting on his lips.