Rain fell over Shanghai in heavy sheets, casting neon lights into the wet streets as if the city itself wept in glowing colors. On the rooftop of a derelict opera house, lightning cracked the sky, not from nature's fury, but from a boy in motion.
Li Shen moved like a storm personified. Every twist of his hips, every palm thrust, summoned streaks of electric light. His form flowed between tai chi grace and chaotic street dance, each step generating pulses that cracked the rooftop tiles.
"There," Sera said, pointing from the adjacent tower. Her silver pendant pulsed hot against her chest. "The next Crestella Holder."
Akira shielded his eyes from the lightning. "He doesn't seem... friendly."
"Or stable," Kurumi added, her hair already frizzing from the static in the air.
Ayaka stood at the edge of the rooftop beside them, arms folded under her coat. "Remember, not all Crestella Holders are allies. Some don't want saving."
Sera looked down, conflicted. "We still have to try."
They landed on the rooftop just as Li Shen finished a spinning kick, his heel cracking the concrete and sending arcs of lightning skittering outward. He stopped mid-movement, eyes flicking toward them. His frame was slim but wiry, clothed in a modified wushu uniform with glowing trim. His dark hair stuck to his forehead, and his gaze was pure challenge.
"I don't remember inviting backup dancers," he said in perfect English, accent feathered with Shanghai lilt.
Sera stepped forward, hands raised. "We're not here to fight. You're using a Crestella Stone. So are we."
Li Shen rolled his shoulder, lightning sparking from his joints. "So what? Looking to form a fan club?"
Akira opened his mouth to explain, but the moment his hand moved toward the glowing stone on his chest, Li Shen reacted.
He blurred.
Lightning bolted across the roof. In half a second, Li was in front of Akira, palm aimed at his chest. Akira barely raised a shield of energy, their Crests flaring on impact.
The shockwave sent them flying apart.
Kurumi slid in front of Akira as he caught his breath. "What the hell is your problem?!"
"The Crest is a curse," Li spat, his body pulsing with unstable arcs. "And anyone else who has one is either an enemy... or already dead inside."
Sera's voice softened. "You're cracking, aren't you?"
Li's eyes narrowed. "What do you know?"
She stepped forward slowly. Her pendant glowed again, casting silvery light across the roof. "Your Crestella is unstable. I can see the fracture lines. It's synthetic. Someone implanted it in you."
Li hesitated. His hand trembled.
Akira wiped blood from his lip, stepping up beside Sera. "Let us help you. There's a group trying to twist Crestella power. You might be one of their victims."
Li let out a hollow laugh. "Victim? No. I volunteered."
The group went silent.
Kurumi's voice dropped. "Why?"
Lightning danced across his skin as he turned his back to them. "Because the real one... the one I was born with... they stole it. The Null Astra. They took it when I was twelve. Cut it from me like meat. Left me a shell."
Ayaka finally stepped forward. "Null Astra. We suspected they were creating synthetic Crestella bearers. But to rip one from a living host..."
Li's fists clenched. "This one?" He pounded his chest. "It burns. It breaks. It whispers things. But I trained until I could move with it. Until it became rhythm. And still it eats me."
Sera looked shaken. "You weren't supposed to live."
"I didn't," he said quietly. "Not really."
Suddenly, his aura flared, wild and fractured. The sky opened again, clouds drawn to the unstable energy like moths to flame.
"It's happening again!" Ayaka shouted. "He's going into Fusion Overdrive! His Crest and spirit are out of sync!"
Akira looked to Sera. "Can we anchor him?"
She nodded, eyes already glowing. "Only if we link."
Kurumi groaned. "Oh god, another magic kiss situation?"
Sera smirked slightly. "No. Not this time. Akira and I can sync through the Core Spiral. It might stabilize the field."
Akira stepped forward, Crestella glowing from his chest. He raised both arms and drew in Li's storm.
Energy danced between them.
For a moment—they touched.
And the world shifted.
Akira felt it first. A wave of alien rhythm, like music he couldn't hear but could move to. Li's Crestella was broken, yes, but it still sang. The fusion began.
A spiral of energy formed around them. Li and Akira merged into one shimmering form—a dual aura of gold and blue lightning.
Sera covered her mouth. "They're syncing... he's channeling Li's lightning through the Queen's glyphs. That's impossible."
The form hovered above the rooftop, electricity crackling in divine spirals. Then it shattered, like glass under pressure.
Both boys fell, smoking and gasping.
Kurumi caught Akira.
Ayaka caught Li.
Li coughed. His eyes slowly cleared. "You... saw it."
Akira nodded, dazed. "Your rhythm. Your pain. Everything."
Li smiled weakly. "Maybe I wasn't dancing alone."
Sera knelt beside them. "Null Astra stole your Crest. We're going to get it back."
Li laughed, half-choked. "You guys are... lunatics."
Kurumi cracked a grin. "You'll fit right in."
From a distant tower, a masked figure watched through a shimmer screen.
A voice behind the mask whispered:
"The Spiral has begun. Prepare the next host."
To be continued...