The Originals

Beyond the Originals

As Taka reads through Yeon's notes, Hiro and Yumida study the orb on the coffee table.

"What do you think it does?" Hiro asks, watching it intently.

"Fuck if I know," Yumida responds.

"Any luck with the notes?" Hiro starts, but Taka cuts him off.

"Shut it. I'm focusing." Yumida chuckles quietly, glancing at Taka.

Suddenly, Bang Bang—two violent knocks shatter the silence. All three heads snap to the door.

"I didn't sense anything coming," Taka says, his gaze fixed on the door.

"Neither did I. They must be normal humans," Yumida responds, his tone more cautious as he stands.

"Guess that makes sense..." Hiro murmurs, but tension lingers in the air.

Yumida laughs, brushing off the tension. "Let's see who wants to crash our party." He opens the door, flashing his signature grin as Hiro watches from behind.

Standing outside is a young man, no older than twenty-one, with dark green hair, pale gray eyes, and a scar tracing from forehead to chin. Three more men appear behind him, all in matching black suits and sunglasses.

Yumida grins. "Black suits, matching haircuts? This is a bit cliché, don't you think?"

The young man's jaw tightens, and with a flick of his wrist, a vine erupts from his arm, smacking Yumida and sending him flying through the wall beside Taka. A crackling silence settles over the room.

"I was being polite," the man says, stepping inside as his eyes ignite with green fire.

Yumida groans, pushing debris off himself. "Why didn't you catch me, Taka?"

"Busy," Taka replies, still reading, barely glancing up.

The man's voice drops, filling the room with an eerie calm. "Leave. This house is under my care."

Without a word, Hiro steps forward, his hand thrusting toward the intruder. A flash of purple, blues, and blacks explodes in the air, sending the man back. He's caught mid-air by vines that place him gently on the ground. Hiro stands in the doorway, his aura now blazing six inches from his body, eyes aflame with purple fire.

Yumida murmurs, "Hirito..."

"You dare disrespect the house of the First Original?" Hiro's voice is calm, deadly.

The man brushes himself off, unscathed. Hiro replays the strike, realizing the man shielded himself with vines just before impact.

"Yeon ordered me to protect this place. You are defying his wishes!" The man says, green fire smoldering in his eyes.

"I am not defying Yeon's wishes. You are defying the Originals," Hiro says firmly.

"So are you." His words echo, weighty with a hidden meaning. Hiro's heart skips as the truth dawns. An Original—another? It doesn't seem possible. In that moment Yumida fills the doorway next to Hiro.

"You know exactly what I mean," the man adds, his green aura expanding to match Hiro's and Yumida's.

"Impossible. There were only five Originals," Yumida mutters, disbelief coloring his voice.

"No. There were six from the start. Right, Hirito?" The man's tone is steady, his words a statement, not a question.

Hiro's breath catches, the full realization settling in like a cold weight. "Nature's Original... Jayeon," he whispers, voice trembling. "Yeon protected you, hid you from us...Due to your lack of sight." His confidence wavers, and his aura flickers, shrinking slightly as reality reshapes around him

Jayeon's expression remains stony, his green aura unyielding. "Protected?" He lets out a soft, bitter laugh. "You think Yeon's secrecy was for my benefit?"

Hiro's brows knit together, confusion deepening. "What are you talking about?"

Jayeon straightens, his fingers tracing the outline of a scar on his wrist, a subconscious reminder of old wounds. "Yeon kept me hidden, not out of care, but out of control. He feared me. Feared what I could do if I stepped out of line, feared what Nature's power could really mean in the wrong—or perhaps the right—hands." His sightless eyes almost seem to pierce them, gray and empty, yet filled with unspoken grievances.

Yumida's smirk fades, his red aura flickering with a hint of tension. "That doesn't make sense. Yeon was the Original Lunar. We've seen what he could do. Why would he fear anyone else?" Taka walks up next to the other two.

Jayeon's lips twist into a grim smile. "Do you think his power of light and darkness could stop the natural world itself? He knew better than anyone that his command over energy and shadow was nothing compared to Nature's ability to reclaim everything. And I... I knew that too."

Taka glances at Hiro, his face a mixture of worry and intrigue. "If what you're saying is true, then why reveal yourself now, Jayeon? After all this time, why come out of the shadows?"

"Because," Jayeon replies, his voice steady, "you Originals, you warriors, with your ideals of honor and sacrifice, are blinded by the same notions that drove Yeon to his grave. You think power lies in fighting and conquering. I've come to show you the real truth."

Hiro's fists clench, his purple aura flaring up as he steps forward, locking eyes with Jayeon. "And what truth is that, Jayeon? That hiding in the shadows gives you some kind of enlightenment?"

Jayeon's expression doesn't falter. "That nature will outlast all of you, all of us. Your strengths, your battles, mean nothing to Hertofyrd. I came here not to join you, but to take back what is rightfully mine. This house belongs to me now; your time as Originals has passed."

Yumida scoffs, his aura sparking with fiery intensity. "So that's it? You just show up out of nowhere to claim Yeon's house? You're hiding something, Jayeon. You must be."

Jayeon's aura pulses, filling the yard with a deep, verdant glow that makes the ground itself feel alive. "I don't expect you to understand. Yeon was the only one who could have, and now he's gone. So take your secrets, your past, and go back to whatever lives you've tried to rebuild. You have no place here anymore."

Hiro's jaw tightens, his determination hardening. "If you think we're just going to leave, you're mistaken. Yeon may have hidden you, but he came to me just recently. He warned me, asked for help. And we're not leaving until we know what's going on."

Jayeon's smile fades, replaced by a look of veiled annoyance. "Believe what you want, but don't get in my way. This place, this knowledge... it is beyond you." He turns, walking past them into the house, the green aura trailing behind him like a ghostly mist. "Leave, or you'll force me to show you what true power is."

The air between them thickens, charged with a silent challenge. Yumida shoots a sideways glance at Hiro. "Well, that went well."

Hiro, his gaze still locked on Jayeon, nods slowly. "We're not done here, not by a long shot." He glances at Taka and Yumida. "If Jayeon wants to be cryptic, fine. But we'll find out the truth, with or without his cooperation."

Taka smirks, though a flicker of concern lingers in his eyes. "Looks like we're taking on Nature's wrath then, huh?"

Jayeon pauses, his back to them, voice a calm warning. "Take one step further, Hirito, and you'll be fighting the earth itself. Yeon's protection may have shielded you before, but you're alone now. Remember that."

He leaves the room, the door creaking shut behind him, his presence a looming threat that lingers long after he's gone.

The three stand in tense silence, the challenge lingering in the air.

Yumida shrugs, his usual smirk returning. "Guess it's time we show him what happens when you mess with Originals."