Forsaken Duty

Kaze Jūryoku stepped into the warehouse, feeling the intense heat of the flames and the sting of swirling ash against his skin. The scent of burning wood and metal filled his lungs, making it hard to breathe. His heart sank as he took in the sight of his fallen B-rank recruits, scattered and lifeless. These were the people he was responsible for, and now they lay as stark reminders of his failure. The crackling fire and distant sounds of the building collapsing only deepened his sense of loss. He clenched his jaw and sighed in frustration, "Tch."

The fire anomaly stood atop a heap of twisted metal, spewing flames that caused destruction everywhere. "You Enforcers are fools if you think you can stop me!" He shouted.

Kaze stared at the lunch box in his hand, a wave of regret washing over him as he let it fall to the ground. He took a deep breath and adjusted his tactical jacket, feeling the weight of the moment settle on his shoulders.

As Kaze moved closer to the center of the warehouse, a battered B-rank recruit crawled across the floor, leaving a trail of blood. "Why... why did you abandon us?" He rasped, his voice filled with desperation. Kaze looked down impassively, feeling the recruit's trembling hands clutching at his boots, but his expression remained cold.

 "How could five of you fall against one B-rank threat?!" He said. 

The recruit's eyes widened in fear. "I don't know what happened, but this guy... he... he must have been an A-rank or maybe even S-rank. His powers..." His voice trailed off as he coughed up blood.

Kaze glared at him, frustration evident in his eyes as the fire raged inside the warehouse. The building groaned and creaked, metal beams crashing to the floor with deafening thuds. The recruit jumped, fear evident in his eyes. "Kaze, what do we do? This place is coming down!"

Kaze shook his head in annoyance. With a wave of his hand, he used his gravity powers to lift the bodies of the fallen recruits, placing them gently against the walls. "Take them and get out," he said, his voice steady despite the chaos. "I'll handle this."

 "Let me help you!" the recruit implored, struggling to rise. 

 Kaze's response was sharp, "leave now!" 

The recruit shrank back, then stumbled away with the bodies. But curiosity got the better of him. He had to see the power of an S-rank Enforcer from the Eclipse Agency. 

The Pyro Anomaly turned around stunned, "Kaze Jūryoku?! You really think you can take me on?" Flames swirled around him, "Fine. I'll reduce you to ashes!" 

 Kaze smiled without humor, "You took out my recruits, huh? Guess I'll have to pay you back double for that little stunt," He began to advance, his boots cracking the charred concrete. 

The Anomaly blasted a massive fireball, collapsing what remained of the roof. "Say goodbye, Enforcer!" As the flames roared toward Kaze, his hand shot out. With a whisper kaze said "Vortex", the fireball twisted into a black hole and vanished. 

 The recruit watched in shock. "Amazing!'

 Kaze sighed, as if bored. "Let us finish this charade." 

 Kaze's eyes narrowed, "you have ten seconds to flee for your life. This next attack will not miss," he began to count down from ten dispassionately. The Anomaly, with its intricate mechanical legs designed for rapid propulsion, took to the air in a desperate attempt to escape. Kaze finished counting.

"Zero."

He thrust out both hands, gravity rippling at his command. "Graviton Surge!" 

The massive wave of energy hurtled forth, swatting the Anomaly from the sky like an insect. His body smashed to the earth with terrible finality. 

 None who witnessed it would ever forget the power of an S-rank Enforcer. 

___

Kaze Jūryoku returned to The Eclipse Agency after capturing another anomaly. As he walked through the halls, the other enforcers parted around him warily, whispering his name in awe and fear. 

Rin Asakura's approach was eager, her arms reaching out for Kaze, but her advance was suddenly halted by an unseen force. Kaze, with a stoic expression, had manipulated gravity to keep her at bay.

"Why...?" Rin's frustration was palpable, her voice tinged with desperation.

"why don't you stop," Kaze's reply was curt, his voice cold.

"But I love you, Kazu! Don't you understand that?" Rin's tone escalated, her words tinged with a manic intensity.

"Tch", Kaze merely clicked his tongue, his composure unaltered.

Rin's laughter was unsettling, "If I can't have you, no one will!" Her declaration was a twisted confession of love as she prepared to unleash her fury.

Rin moved towards Kaze, lightning danced wildly around her. She launched a lightning bolt at Kaze, but before it could hit, Daichi Fujimoto intervened. He quickly summoned a portal, rerouting Rin's lightning bolt away from Kaze, thwarting her attack.

"Control yourself, Rin," Daichi admonished calmly. Kaze remained stoic and unmoved. 

Hidden in the shadows, two female agents of lower ranks, C and D, watched the events with barely suppressed giggles. "Look at her, thinking she's got what it takes to catch Kaze's eye," whispered the C rank, a smirk evident in her tone.

"Right? Even as an S rank enforcer, she's definitely the most deluded," the D rank agreed with a chuckle, both shaking their heads in amusement at Rin's audacious attempt to garner Kaze's attention.

Rin's sharp ears picked up the whispered insults, and her gaze turned icy, her presence suddenly imposing. "You two think you can make fun of me?" she uttered coldly, her tone dripping with threat. In an instant, she conjured a tempest of lightning that crackled menacingly around her, stepping towards the mocking agents with an aura of untamed power.

The air around Rin vibrated with the force of her power as lightning arced from her, turning the C and D rank agents' smugness into sheer panic. "We were just joking, Rin! Forgive us!" they stammered, their earlier mockery fading into frantic pleas for leniency.

Daichi's brow creased in disapproval. "Enough, Rin. This way," he stated, clasping her arm securely. As he pulled her along, Rin didn't stop; she kept hurling threats back at the two enforcers.

Kaze observed this all impassively, though some of the other enforcers in the hallway looked upon the scene with awe. The B and C rank recruits admired the raw power of the elite S Rank enforcers, though they gave Kaze a wider berth than Daichi Fujimoto or Rin Asakura. His strength inspired respect tinged with fear.

After Rin's outburst subsided, Daichi returned to Kaze's side. "We have another assignment for you. Report to briefing room 12 in one hour," he informed Kaze brusquely before sweeping away down the hall.

Kaze returned to his sparse quarters alone, pondering the Agency's goals and methods. He gazed down at the inhibitor bracelet that suppressed his abilities. The bracelet had been bestowed upon him by a scientist named Kaito Shinsei at this facility ages ago, when his abilities initially emerged. 

He remembered that night...the full moon, losing control, his parents' screams. After that trauma, the agency took him in and trained him to be a weapon. So many experiments, injections, torture sessions...all to turn him into their obedient attack dog. 

Kaze sighed and scratched his head, frustration bubbling over. Was he even on the right side? The agency claimed their mission was necessary, but their methods were cruel. He thought back to the pyrokinetic anomaly he'd captured today, and the death that the anomaly caused to his recruits.

"How the hell did I let a lowlife B Rank threat overpower five B Rank Enforcers? It doesn't make any sense!" Kaze growled to himself, his face contorting in anger. "This Pyro anomaly shouldn't have even been able to injure a single one of my recruits, let alone kill them." He got up, fists clenched, the memory of the scorched training ground and the lifeless bodies haunting him.

"These deaths have been happening too frequently," he muttered, his voice low and dangerous. "Almost all the B Rank enforcers under the agency have pretty much been wiped out. I need to investigate Hiroto's files. He's the one classifying the threats, but I need to not cause a scene. I'll find out eventually." A burning rage fueled his thoughts, knowing he had to make a decision soon, one that could change everything.

A knock at the door shook him from his thoughts. Time for his next mission, it seemed. He would obey for now, but a seed of doubt had been planted. Change was coming...he could feel it.

Kaze walked into the dimly lit briefing room, his footsteps echoing off the cold metal walls. A high-ranking official stood waiting, the holographic display behind him showing a swirling tornado tearing across the landscape. 

"The anomaly has been labeled as a natural disaster," the official explained with concern. "he has the ability to influence the weather , but unfortunately, lacks control over it." He indicated towards the display, continuing, "Given the unpredictability and potential risks involved, we've classified it as an S Rank threat."

Kaze's expression remained impassive as he studied the hologram. Just a blur of destructive power, no visible target. 

"Bring it in. Use any means necessary," the official commanded before dismissing Kaze. 

Alone once more, Kaze headed for the transport hub, his mind turning over the sparse details of this new assignment. The lack of visuals on the target was unusual, but the priority was clear: stop the threat by any means. He had his orders. 

The transport pod deposited Kaze on the outskirts of a small town, already evacuated due to the encroaching tornado. Debris whipped through the air as he strode towards the swirling vortex, coat flaring behind him. This was no ordinary storm. 

Stopping within sight of the tornado, Kaze planted his feet and lifted his arms. His coat sleeves slipped back, revealing the bracelets that helped focus his abilities. With a pulse of energy, he activated his power. 

The air warped and shimmered as he exerted his will, bending the gravity around the tornado. The winds slowed, the vortex coming apart in mid-air as Kaze negated the forces that held it together. 

Guided by the gentle caress of the wind, a small figure landed softly on the ground, eased down by the last lingering whispers of air. Kaze approached cautiously, surprised to see a young boy of perhaps ten years old with with brown hair and brown eyes, donned in a brown jacket. The child was curled in on himself, shaking with sobs. This was the S-rank threat? 

Kaze knelt down, speaking gently. "It's alright kid. You're safe now." 

The boy's wide, frightened eyes lifted to meet his. Kaze felt an unexpected pang in his chest. What tragic circumstances had led this child here? 

Heavy footsteps interrupted the moment. A squad of C-rank Enforcers stormed onto the scene, weapons raised. "Stand down!" their leader barked at Kaze. "We'll take this natural disaster from you Kaze Jūryoku as per orders from higher ups." 

The boy let out a strangled cry and clutched at Kaze's arm. "Don't let them take me!" he pleaded desperately. 

Kaze gave the squad a chilling stare. "You heard the kid. The child stays with me." 

The leader bristled. "You dare defy the Eclipse Agency? This is treason!" 

Kaze rose to his full height, the air around him growing heavy. "So be it," he said calmly. 

With a definitive, wide motion of his limbs, Kaze exclaims, "Event Horizon." When the words depart his mouth, a circular zone materializes, quickly expanding to surround the group of enforcers closing in on him. The squad leader's cautionary shout is interrupted as they discover themselves entangled within Kaze's gravitational territory. 

Inside the circular zone. Their actions become sluggishly slow. Kaze observes with an intent stare as time within the ring appears to expand, each moment dragging longer than the previous. 

But more Enforcers were surely coming. Scooping up the boy, Kaze turned and strode away without looking back. He had made his choice. 

The child clung to him as he moved swiftly from the area. "Thank you," said the boy.

Kaze glanced down at the untidy head tucked against his shoulder. "You're welcome...uh" He paused, realizing he didn't know the boy's name. 

"Usagi," He said. "My name is Usagi Sagai."