Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Let me tell you a tale of a young man who dreamed high, despite his inability to reach his dream.

In a fragmented world, there remain only three known lands: the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Water. The Land of Fire, where we find ourselves now, breathes the ideal of democracy. It is ruled by the Kazurei clan, those who first brought peace among the other lands. A fragile, flickering peace. And yet… there may be more. Lands forgotten. Shadows of what once was. The Land of Water, cold and sharp as a blade drawn beneath still tides, is ruled by the Obanashi. Dictatorship is its creed. It does not ask, it commands. The Land of Earth stands proud, layered in tradition and legacy, ruled by the Tetsukami. A monarchy, ancient and unbending. But before these lands were divided, before ambition fractured harmony, there was only one: The Tsukinoji Empire. Now that you understand the surface of this world… let us descend beneath it.

Long ago, in the Tsukinoji period, all manners of beings, human and otherwise, lived in uneasy peace. The number of clans was few, but they were powerful. Each bore ancient names, tied to forgotten stars. In that age, gods walked quietly among mortals, and names burned brighter than fire. At the empire's peak stood the Tsukinoji Clan, creators of the empire and all its laws. Beneath them thrived others:

The Kurogane Clan, ancestors to the Tetsukami, bearers of earth bound legacy.

The Namiyo Clan, origin of the Obanashi, formed of tides and veiled betrayals.

The Sairen Clan, enigmatic and near extinct, rumored to be closest in blood to the Tsukinoji themselves.

And still others: Hoshigane, Mizokura, Fuyuma, Asuma, and Abetsu, each holding a spark of the empire’s former brilliance.

But peace was not eternal. Near the empire's collapse, a forbidden technique was born in darkness, Veilfire. A distortion technique, elemental energy fused with divine memory, capable of unraveling the world’s mind. Not by destruction, but by erasure. History, culture, bloodlines, forgotten. Veilfire reversed the memory of time. It stripped away every known truth, leaving only what the strongest could anchor in their soul. Only three lands remained in collective memory. The rest dissolved into myth, ruin, and ash. It was a masterstroke of war. An admirable tactic if you wished to outgrow your enemy’s past by severing your own. Then came war.

Earth Land struck first. The reasons remain sealed. Earth called forth beasts the size of mountains. Water responded with elemental mastery and serpentine power. And Fire, desperate and bleeding, summoned gods.
One of them…
was me.

Do not waste this moment. Having a god speak to you is like digging through rot and finding a hidden sun.

Yes, the war ended. Tragic, yes, but beautiful. For I, the God of Destruction, was sealed into a vessel.

A child.

A boy who dares to dream higher than what fate allows.
Kain Rukairo.

Twelve years old. Restless. Marked. Burdened.

His clan? None. No record. No ancestor. No legacy.
He is the first.
And perhaps… the last.

In a world where clan names are identity, protection, and power, his name means nothing.
He lives only to house me, to cage me. That is his purpose.
Or so they claim.

But he is still human. Still a boy. Still mine.

And so your story begins...

Chapter Text

Kain’s voice breaks through like a spark in the dark.

"You'll never catch me!" he shouted, breath ragged, sandals scraping stone as he sprinted through the capital’s lower district.

Behind him came the girl’s voice, sharp and searing.
"You stupid brat, come back here! You can’t just run off with a forbidden object in your hands!"

"And who says I can't?" he barked over his shoulder.

"I do!"
Hinari Kazurei. Fire-blooded. Clever. Furious.

Then,
Impact.
A shadow dropped from above, landing silently before him.

Souta Obanashi. Cold as deep water. His presence stopped Kain in his tracks.

"Give it back, Kain."

That voice. Calm. Icy. Judging.

"Yeah!" Hinari called, panting as she caught up. "Give it back to Souta!"

Kain clenched his fists. His eyes flared.
"Ugh, you guys are so annoying."

"We’re your teammates," Souta said flatly. "We’re assigned to watch you. Always."

"Why?" Kain demanded. "Why can't I ever be at peace?!"

Souta didn’t blink.
"Because you’re a public danger."

"How?" Kain roared. "How can I be dangerous when I haven’t hurt anyone?! TELL ME, SOUTA!"

Hinari cut in, voice high with urgency.
"Are you stupid stupid? You’ve got a whole god inside you! The God of Destruction! The one who invented the damn ideology of annihilation!"

...

They speak of me like I’m going to split this city in two. Aren’t they, Kain?

…Are you ignoring me, vessel?

…You are. You damn are.

Hmph.

Souta stepped closer.
"Kain. Give it back."

Kain’s voice dropped, low and angry.
"No."

Then softer, 
"...No. Never. It belonged to the only tie I have to my family. I can’t… I won’t give it up."

Kain, don’t be a fool. The only ties you have are me… and your surname. Let’s not forget, they’re dead.

"SHUT UP!" Kain screamed. "I know they’re dead, but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep something! It proves I’m still—still human!"

Souta narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you talking to?"

Hinari stiffened.
"He’s losing control, Souta. Now."

"Understood."

These fools… they’ll try to seal you again, Kain. But not this time. I’m starting to like your reason for fighting. And I…

I won’t let them win.

Let me gain control over your body and all worry you have about them sealing you will go away in a blink of an eye.

“NO! Nobody will get this away from me!” Kain opened the book in two, using the forbidden spell inside it, casting it upon Souta and Hinari.

He disappeared quickly after their attention got distracted.

“Where did he go?!” Hinari asked, panicked and frustrated while looking everywhere. Souta quickly answering, coldly and distant, “Where he usually goes, the forest’s heart.”

“Ugh! Souta, we must report him, we can’t go to the forest by ourselves! We are mere students! Not even Casters yet!” Hinari spoke her worries about their success if they go after Kain.

“Why so stressed?” Souta asked calmly, “Kain is more than capable to come back, if I’m thinking about it... No, he will come back by his own will, so don’t mind his little crisis.”

“Souta I am worried greatly for him! He has to fight all these demons inside his spirit, alone, and we are forced to treat him miserably by the Paragon, so he won’t be able to ever activate his possessed form—” Hinari was cut in her concerned and heartwarmingly soft dialogue by their Teacher, Tenma Hoshigane, part of one of the secondary clans of the Tsukinoji period.

Tenma Hoshigane looked like a man carved from stillness. He wasn’t tall, but he stood in a way that made others straighten without knowing why. His hair, dark silver and tied low behind his neck, fell just past his shoulders—frayed at the ends like an old blade still sharp enough to kill. His eyes were a pale gold, calm but unreadable, like quiet stars watching a world they no longer trusted.

His clothes were simple: a faded high-collared coat marked with old burn scars, loose pants tied at the shin, and black gloves that hid both the past and the warnings it left behind. A thick charm hung from his belt—something ancient, broken, and bound shut with copper wire.

He rarely raised his voice. He didn’t have to. When he looked at you, it felt like the silence after thunder.

Some said he used to be a frontline war caster. Others said he vanished for years after touching a forbidden technique and came back wrong, but stronger. Only one thing was certain: when Tenma Hoshigane walked into a room, even ghosts got quiet.

“You two shouldn’t worry about Kain.” He said in a distant rather indifferent tone, no emotion shown, his face stoic as ever, “Despite our obligations by the Paragon to do all of this for security measures... I allow you two to treat him humanly great, and let’s see how different it would really be if he got people for him.”

Souta raised an eyebrow, “What? Tenma... You can’t be serious, can you? You’d risk great punishments from this.”

Tenma laughed at Souta’s words, like he found it funny that he would be punished, “You’re funny, Souta. But don’t worry, I know how these work better than both of you, so don’t warn me about the risks. I’ll never be punished.”

“If you say so...” Souta replied quietly, not prying into why he would never be affected of such things.

Hinari exclaimed, her more soft pitched voice easily being heard, “Tenma, you agree with us that Kain isn’t a monster, right? He deserves love like anyone else, why would he be treated so poorly for some security reasons that till today never happened?”

Tenma was quiet for a second, then answered, his hands inside his pockets, contemplating an answer for the two kiddos, “Well, Hinari, Souta, Kain is a special individual. We all know he has inside him a God, a powerful and menacing. It is indeed sealed and securely put to never be able to take control of him. But our Paragon, the fifth Paragon in history, decided that we can never make a God residing into a child’s body be close to other people, we do not know that much about these Vessels. Even if it has been proven that it isn’t dangerous, he still decided that. And the only reason I can think of...” he held a silence to keep the suspense for both. “The Paragon knows more about Kain’s past and ancestors than anyone else and doesn’t wish such a member of his clan to be active.”

Hinari, worried, unsure of all of this, tried to push her feelings away. She liked Kain, she saw him as her little deceased brother. But fate made it that she will never be able to love him, just like she was never able to love her little beloved brother. “Tenma… Kain deserves love, and if that means me and Souta have to convince the Paragon… Trust us, we will do our best!”

Souta nodded, crossing his arms around his chest, “Indeed. I am ready to confront the Obanashi clan about this situation to convince Paragon.”

Hinari added, excitedly, exclaiming, “Yes! I am ready to go seek my clan’s help too, the Kazurei themselves! As it is the Paragon’s clan as well!”

Tenma watched them discuss ways to convince the Paragon, ways to make Kain be accepted as a human and not a complete monster. He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle under his breath, a smile escaping him ever so slightly. “They are truly caring for each other. Despite the cold facades they put on when Kain’s around, behind his back they actually try to do their best… I'm proud of you.”

Souta suddenly spoke louder than usual, “I, Souta Obanashi, am ready to confront Kazurei Rinhaku herself.” Hinari instantly reached for Souta’s arm, grabbed it and looked at his eyes, “Yes! I'll be alongside you. I’ll try my best to convince him. Rinhaku’s from my clan after all!”

Tenma watched them, memories of his team back when he was a kid flowing to his mind. I wouldn’t be surprised if you two would be able to convince the Paragon, Rinhaku. Hinari, you excel at healing, at kindness and empathy, you’re the most human out of these two companions of yours. Souta, you are the sharpest mind and the ruthless one, as an Obanashi, you are doomed to be like this, it’s like a genetical trait found in every single one of the members of this clan. Kain... He’s such an explosive soul, incredible at close combat and improvising, without the god sealed inside you, you would’ve been a complete menace to everyone, the elemental energy inside you is just atrociously big.

“Then, what are you two waiting for? Go ahead, go find the Paragon in its office and convince him. I’ll know where to find you when you’re done.”

Hinari grew a wide smile, spark in her eyes, “Let’s go Souta!” Souta nodded and followed Hinari.

[...]

Some time later, Kain could be seen coming back to the city days after the incident. Rain was pouring heavily into his drenched clothes, inevitably making him to be completely soaked. He looked at the floor while walking, hands in his pockets, completely demoralized seemingly by the look on his face. His eyes were speaking all of his sentiments. As he walked into the city, the guards that were obviously there for guarding the entrance gate from evil visitors, stopped Kain, and asked him, “Hey, boy, what are you doing here?”

Kain lifted his head ever so slightly to barely look at him, “I’m going home.”

When the guard saw that the boy is Kain himself, he flinched and immediately let him go in.

Kain sighed, knowing that anybody who would recognize him would be afraid for no reason, which made him feel isolated. “When will I have a happy ending?” He thought, holding back tears.

While walking through the main streets, where people were selling stuff at their shops, people buying, a lot of crowds, he bumped into someone. Tenma.

“Kain? Decided finally to come home, huh?” He said lightly with a smile, relieved to see him back home safe.

Kain looked at Tenma, unflinching his sad face. “Yeah, I did.”

Tenma instantly noticed that look from Kain’s eyes, he lifted one of his hands and put it on Kain’s shoulder, “Kain, why don’t we talk about this somewhere more silenced?”

Kain nodded, not giving another word.

“So... What’s wrong?” Tenma asked, after they arrived at a secluded street away from prying eyes.

“I tried to kill myself.” Kain admitted it as if it’s another Sunday morning habit.

Tenma’s eyes widened instantly. His heartbeat skipped, what do you mean kill yourself? He was confused for a second before remembering the pain Kain had been through as a kid. Not wanting to give in and guess something that may be wrong, he asked, “Why? What caused you do that?” a cold tone emanating Tenma’s voice.

Kain looked behind him, and the street they were on had a view of the whole city from a considerable height. He stared at the city, his eyes narrowing in sorrow, “I can’t live on considering the fact I’m a monster in everyone’s eyes. I don’t feel like I belong, I don’t have people to rely on or call family, I am always pointed at as a demon, a devil. Like I am the God that resides inside me, that’s sealed. I am not the God of Destruction, nobody knows what’s going on inside my soul with him, nobody knows what it feels to constantly fight your demons with him. Nobody considers my progress, nobody ever sees me as my value... I can’t—”

Tenma cut his words mid track, “Kain.”, he gave a serious empty stare towards Kain. “Those who don’t see you differently to the beast inside your heart, never learnt to speak to you and appreciate you. As your teacher, I will tell you honestly, you have great potential, you can be a great Wizard one day. And just so you know, Souta and Hinari care about you more than you know, even if they don’t show it as they should.”

Kain took a breath in, then out, “Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but I am not hero, I am no special being with incredible powers, I am a boy with no clan, no identity, no awesome attributes like Souta or Hinari have for example. Hinari is related to Rinhaku, our Paragon! Her clan has existed for so long and has done only good for our city, she is the emblem of Fire Land. Souta is from the Obanashi, he has the most feared clan behind him, his clan is renowned for being so good at battles they get their Paragon titles with a fight. They are admirable. Meanwhile, I’ve got nothing! I live only to ruin other’s day with my incapacity to control myself.”

Tenma couldn’t help but smirk, “But you’re more mature than Souta or Hinari. You have more elemental energy than them both, you have more willpower to achieve your goals than them, you have more potential than them. Your biggest attributes are raw power, forbidden spell techniques, elemental energy flow and destructive power. Kain, don’t underestimate your value because others do that.”

Kain turned to look at Tenma, his eyes softening, a smile on his lips visible again. “Tenma, I appreciate the belief you have in my abilities, but I cannot see the same in me. Maybe if things changed, I would change as well.”

“Hinari and Souta worked hard to convince the Paragon on your regard, Kain. So don’t feel like you don’t have people to confide in.” Tenma added.

Kain, surprised, exclaimed, “What? They did that for me?”

Tenma nodded, chuckling to his surprise, “Yes, they did.”

As Kain tried to talk, at the moment he opened his mouth to form a word, he got jumped behind his back by Hinari and Souta who scared him, it was obviously Hinari’s idea. “Haha! You’re finally back Kain!”

Souta added, “I’ve missed your emotional mouth around.” Smiling. “We’ve worked hard to make you a place here buddy.”

Hinari nodded, “Yes! We’ve convinced Rinhaku to give you peace and equal rights like everyone!”

Kain felt tears rising to his eyes and falling to his cheeks in an instant. “I can’t express my gratitude.”

Souta “No need, Kain. We are your teammates after all.”

Hinari and Souta looked at each other, nodded, like transmitting a visual agreement to something, and proceeded to jump into a tight hug on Kain.

Tenma watched the scene unfolding, amused, clearly relaxed. “They’re a perfect match for each other, Kazurei, Obanashi, and Rukairo. I hope you guys will forever have a tight bond unlike my old teammates.”

He lowered his head, closing his eyes and turned around, walking towards the depths of the forest, leaving the three alone.

Chapter Text

A sunny morning, early four in the morning the sun barely getting out of the darkness to rise, woke up Tenma. A shine of light on his face as he got up from his bed. While opening the windows of the room, he noticed a white pigeon carrying a letter coming towards him. It seemed to be the Paragon’s birds for missions related information.

He took the letter and started reading it,

“Dear Tenma,

As the Paragon of the land of Fire I will assign you to a new mission. You seem to have gotten stronger ever since your comeback to our city. You also seem to be very skilled in teaching your new team of children how to become great wizards. Despite your crimes and goals, you still hold a soft spot within you.

An early sunny morning like this one, you woke up at four with a promise.

You and your team, your students, will go on their first A+ level mission. For more information come to my desk, you and your team.

Rinhaku Kazurei.”

“Ugh. A mission with these little dudes? Will they even be able to think in a real-life fight?” Tenma sighed, like he wasn’t looking forwards at all for this. But he knew in order to see their team spirit and abilities to the real scale he had to risk their lives on a battle field.

He put some clothes on and went towards the Paragon’s office building, he knew Kain, Hinari, Souta were contacted as well just like he was. He saw them appear all together at a pretty nice speed for such an early hour, he was impressed under his sleepy face. “Everyone ready? Be respectful.” Tenma said firmly.

The three agreed, harmonizingly saying “Yes sir!” and followed him inside till the office’s door.

He knocked on the door and saw it be opened by a random assistant, as they got in, they saw the Paragon, Rinhaku Kazurei waiting for them, sitting on a pretty big chair at an equally big desk.

Rinhaku’s voice echoed in the room as he spoke, calmly, expressionless, serious and very professionally, “Kain Rukairo, Souta Obanashi, Hinari Kazurei, and Tenma Hoshigane. All reunited in front of me for your first mission of A+ rank...” Kain, the first time he ever was this close to the Paragon, filled with respect and awe to his majestic traits, couldn’t help but be astonished by his beauty. Long black silky hair, light reddish eyes, a soft delicate skin, symmetrical and harmonized face, made him look younger than he was. Rinhaku added, moving his left hand to his cheek as support, “This rank consists of you four, going to the village where our culprit resides in, Koga Nensho. He can be found in the forgotten mountain’s village of our land, we want him dead if possible.”

Kain exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement any longer, “Don’t worry about it! I will be the one to bring it back!” He had the widest of smiles on his face.

Hinari held Kain’s mouth with her hand as she apologized, “Sorry for Kain’s excitement, he doesn’t mean to be so disrespectful towards you, Paragon.”

Rinhaku laughed, “No need for such formalities with me, I am after all the one who gave Kain his freedom between us, which allows him to be part of our more dangerous missions!” then he stood up, becoming very serious and intimidating with his aura filling the room, “Even if I may be a more generous Paragon, do not forget, Kain, who let you stand equally between humans. Prove yourself endlessly to me and I may be proud of my choice, but if you ever fail your missions, I will restrict your rights once more.”

Tenma replied for Kain, “Do not worry, he is with me. While I’m lasting with them, they’ll be fine, and every mission should succeed as long as they don’t go above the triple S ranked missions.”

Rinhaku added calming the intimidating aura, “Okay! Then you four can go search for our culprit, once he’s dead, or the mission failed or anything that’s worth me knowing, send me a telepathic vibration, Tenma.”

Tenma nodded, “Of course, Paragon.”

The four members of the team made their way to leave the village.

Kain was thrilled about his new mission, he hadn’t had a mission outside the city ever! Hinari and Souta could benefit from this privilege he was envy of, but now he could as well! Just a quick fun fact, there are about six other teams of wizards that have been accepted as students.

But three of them are relatively close to Kain, Hinari and Souta’s team. Such as team A, who’s led by the teacher Tsumoru Inazuki, who’s students are Yuto Hoshigane, Mina Takemura, and Haruki Okabe. Team B is led by Hayate Fuyuma and who’s members are Aiko Senzaki, Ryo Amagishi, and Naoya Ikusawa. Team C is composed of the leader Shizuna Kaoru, and has as members Kazuya Shimori, Yura Hinamoto, and Emiko Narukami. A nice fact, right? Maybe we will meet some of these characters on the way.

As they were at the gate of their city to leave, Kain was ready as ever, but Tenma stopped him before taking a step outside, “I know you three already been to the outside before, but this time we are getting real far away, so far that if we will encounter danger, we will be obligated to face it, or die. Nobody will be fast enough to save us in time.”

Kain scoffed, “Like I didn’t know that already! We signed up to be wizards! Besides, my dream is to be the best Paragon known! If I’m afraid of a small mission, I’ll never be able to be a Paragon!”

Souta chuckled coldly, piercing Kain’s eyes with his dark purpled stare, “You think you’ll live long enough to beat me on this journey? Mark my words, Kain, I won’t let you become Paragon before me.”

Kain looked at Souta, annoyed, “Really? Then let’s see who brings this culprit back dead first!” he lifted his fist towards Souta, a huge grin on his face. Souta reached with his fist to do the same, saying determined, “I have a feeling it will be fun to be your rival, Kain.”

Hinari sighed, looked at Tenma and spoke loud enough only so he could hear., “Who do you think will become Paragon first, Tenma?”

Tenma turned his eyes towards Hinari and replied after seconds of thoughts while looking at the two, “I can bet, that the both of them will be Paragons. At the same time.”

Hinari raised an eyebrow, curious and confused, “Huh? How so at the same time?”

Tenma smirked, “When the time will come, you’ll know what I mean. If it ever will be the case of course.” He didn’t say anything else, he walked ahead of them, leaving them behind, follow or fail.

Hinari, the allegedly smartest one, thought for a second as Kain and Souta followed Tenma immediately, shouting at each other. “What could’ve he mean...? Is it really what I think it is?”

She quickly snapped out of it and strolled until she caught up with them, yelling, “Stop it you two!” slamming their foreheads together.

[...]

The moon rises to the sky and the silence becomes hearable. Tenma stops mid tracks and says, “Kain, search for wood, Souta, go find us some dried leaves and rocks, while you Hinari will be left with unpacking our sleeping bags and tents.”

Each nodded and ran to their respective tasks. Hinari quickly built all four tents, while Tenma looked at her, “She is already capable to become a Caster, when it comes to wizard knowledge, survival skills, efficiency, and adaptability, she is the best in the group at it. Let’s see the other two.”

Souta got the rocks, put them in a circle, put some dried leaves at the bottom while Kain came with a whole stack of wooden sticks that was three times bigger than him, Hinari shouted at the sight, “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Kain put the sticks on top of the dried leaves arranged by Souta, as Souta sighed, “Couldn’t you put only one third of these sticks there?”

Kain pouted, “What am I, your dog? Put the amount that pleases you if you’re so sensitive about it!”

Souta’s nerve got hit and yelled, “And so you think this whole pile of wood will be effective to burn at once?”

Kain yelled back, “Why not? It would evaporate at the same time as if you’d put it slowly with time!”

“Kain brings more than asked, which is a nice act, but shouldn’t be so disobedient at the same time whenever a comrade gives tips. While Souta shouldn’t be so unhappy about what’s been given. Gladly there’s Hinari in this team because otherwise it would’ve been complicated to ask them to arrange some tents at the same speed as hers...” He chuckled under his breath. The two remind him of old times when he too was an innocent soul with his team on their first ‘dangerous’ mission.

When everybody went into their tents to sleep, Souta’s dream was troubling him.

In the dream, Souta was in the Water Land, where his clan resides and comes from allegedly, since their true home is unknown. He was spending time with his older siblings, before their departure on a dangerous mission. Souta comes from an elite clan, closest related to the leader, who’s his uncle.

“Older brother, older sister! When will I be like the two of you? Strong and so will resistant!” Souta exclaimed.

His older brother replied, as he kneeled to his height, a smile on his face. “When you will learn the true powers of our clan, you will be able to reach for a similar power. When you will learn the truth you will achieve our will power.”

Souta suddenly woke up, breathing heavily, sweat drops falling down from his cheeks, “Why did I dream of that particular moment?” He thought, before his eyes widen, “I have to meet them!” He crawled out of his tent, looked around, noticed the fire was still going on, and that the other three were seemingly still asleep. With that he made his way into the forest quietly.

He arrived somewhere where the moon’s light was more effective at. He could notice two silhouettes, he did in fact recognize his two older siblings.

“Kazuki, Shigure.” Souta says while approaching them calmly.

Kazuki spoke up, a cold tone, “Souta, you heard our call then.”

Souta asked raising an eyebrow, “Heard your call? So, you were behind my dream?”

Shigure bluntly replied, “Obviously. Who else?”

Kazuki turning towards Shigure insisted, “Do not speak so insultingly to our little brother, sister.”

Shigure rolled her eyes, scoffing, “Souta’s a little bitch unable to resist our clan’s training, that’s why he is now in this horrible land of Fire.”

Kazuki insisted once more, more menacingly, “Shigure.”

Shigure sighed, “Fine fine. But don’t complain after we leave that he is weak as hell.”

Kazuki looked at Souta and explained, “Little brother, we are here as our father sent us in the name of the Paragon. He gave you a choice, you either decide to join our clan after you become a Caster, either you will be our first exiled member of the Obanashi.”

Souta stern as ever, replied, “If father thinks of me so low that he predicts my betrayal, he should think again. I am everything but no traitor to my kind.”

Shigure surprise was caught rapidly after his words, “Is that so? And here I was thinking you would’ve chosen your little new home and friends above us.”

Kazuki grew a smile, proud, he was so arrogant it could’ve been read on his face, “Then it’s settled, after your Caster exam come to us, your home and family. You’ll be an honorable member of our community.”

Souta smirked, “A snake will forever hiss. Kazuki, Shigure, I will forever serve the snake, I will forever stand proud as an Obanashi.”

Shigure giggled, “With such ambition, father and uncle may declare you next leader in the family. Maybe even next Paragon of our Land.”

Kazuki’s evil laugh resonated, “If only he ever succeeds at beating me! He has a long way to go, sister. He doesn’t even have the capacity to control his elemental energy correctly yet. He doesn’t even know how to control the waters and venoms!”

Shigure agreed, perfectionating her makeup with the help of a bubble of water, “Indeed, brother, Souta is just a baby yet, he is an insignificant prick to us that we can defeat in not even a second.”

Souta scoffed, “One day I will surpass both of you and become Paragon of the Land of water!”

Kazuki was about to add something but quickly stopped as he saw a falling star, “Ah, Souta, unfortunately father needs us back home, me and sister. We will wait for you proudly, and curious about your progress meanwhile. Do not disappoint us, and do not attach yourself too much of the Fire.”

With that, they evaporated as water to thin air, leaving Souta alone in the middle of the forest. As he was contemplating this whole exchange peacefully, he heard footsteps behind him, “Who’s there?” only for Hinari to show up all tired.

She tripped on a branch, but before falling to the ground Souta caught her, “Are you okay? You should be more careful, sleepyhead.”

Hinari chuckled, “I saw your tent open as I was about to reignite the fire, I got worried and followed the footsteps on the mud.”

Souta sighed, holding her close, “You shouldn’t worry like this, I am more than able to take care of myself.”

Hinari scoffed, looking up at him, “What if you bumped into our culprit? We are on a mission you know. We can’t let any of us wander like this.”

Souta took her hand in his and let go of her embrace, walking towards the tents, “I would’ve had killed the culprit, I am not Kain, I am stronger than him. Forever will.”

Hinari giggled, looking at their holding hands, blushing slightly, “You shouldn’t be underestimating Kain, he may one day catch up to you If you’ll let your ego hit your head this much.”

Souta added annoyed a bit at the words, “Kain will never catch up to me for multiple reasons, one of them being, he has no special abilities unlike me or you. Besides that destructive sleeping god inside him, no one gives him any help.”

Hinari looked at him defending Kain, “And that’s why you shouldn’t be so mean to him! He will train harder than you for that exact reason, he will do all he can to surpass you because he has nothing to lose. You two are rivals now, so be careful.”

Souta laughed mockingly, “Kain may have his determination by his side, but I have power, talents and genetic abilities. I swear to you, Hinari, one day, I will openly fight Kain and win against him.”

Hinari sighed, looking away, muttering, “If you say so.” Her gaze was filled with sadness. She always believed Kain to be stronger than Souta, but she couldn’t deny that in a fight, 1v1, where both are trained roughly, she wouldn’t know to say who would come out as a winner. Deep down, despite her warm feelings for Souta, she believed more in Kain.

When they arrived, Souta went back to his tent and Hinari as well, sleeping off the remaining hours till morning.

“Everyone, wake up.” Tenma said loudly outside their tents.

Kain was already up, ready to go and fulfill their mission excitedly.

As Hinari and Souta got out of their tents and packed their stuff back, Tenma whispered to Souta’s ear, “I know you’ve been out to talk to them, Souta.”

He smiled widely at him afterwards, enjoying Souta’s expression of shock, “What? But I didn’t sense your presence at all.”

Tenma chuckled, “Maybe you shouldn’t exactly rely on presences, not when people like me are around.”

Souta scoffed, “Sure. I don’t care, what will you do anyways with this information?”

Tenma replied firmly, “Keep an eye on you. I wouldn’t want to have in my team a certain Water Land spy.”

Souta’s eyes widened and ego’s been touched with these words, “Ha! Like I would ever be discovered by the ones of you if I were to be one.”

Tenma sighed, his sigh a bit exasperated, “You should let go of this confidence of yours, it is your greatest weakness so far, Souta.”

Souta offensively defended himself, “Yeah and?”

He narrowed his eyes just a bit, smile twitching upward with venom. “And what about you, Tenma? You talk a lot about confidence being a weakness... Let me guess, didn’t you once have a teammate who paid the price for yours?”

Tenma’s expression faded, his eyes stern and deadly serious towards Souta.

Souta stepped past him slowly, holding tight on the straps of his backpack. “Maybe you should stop projecting and start healing.”

“Perhaps...you should also worry more about your own failures than mine.”

The cold tension between them could be seen if not heard.

Kain, a few steps away, stopped halfway through rolling up his sleeping mat. His head turned. Just slightly. Listening.

Hinari’s hands paused too, she was folding her cloak, but now they stayed clenched on the fabric.

At first, Tenma said nothing.

Souta looked back, only half-facing him, his voice low. “What, no clever comeback? Or maybe it hit too close this time.”

Hinari’s voice broke in, sharp and flat, “Souta. That was too far.”

“Was it?” He tilted his head her way, something bitter under his grin. “We all have stories. His just comes with a pile of graves.”

Kain didn’t say anything. But his eyes were on Tenma now, and they were different. Focused. Alert. Like someone reading something they weren’t supposed to.

Tenma let the silence stretch.

Then finally, he breathed. Deep. Shoulders still, but his tone quieter than before. “You're not wrong.”

Even Hinari blinked at that.

Tenma’s eyes didn’t leave Souta. “You think I’m hard on you? Good. Someone was too soft on me back then. And someone died because of it.”

He took a step forward, still calm. Still firm.

“So no, I’m not here to be liked. I’m here to keep you alive. And if that means getting under your skin until you stop walking into your own arrogance, so be it.”

Souta’s smirk had faded. His expression was unreadable now. Just quiet.

Tenma turned to walk off surprisingly calmly. Just one last line thrown over his shoulder,

“Confidence is fine. But next time it gets someone killed, you better hope it’s not one of them.”

Hinari didn’t move. She felt her heart clenched at this; she was hurt.

Kain went back to packing without a word, only faster this time. And quieter.

And Souta…
He stood there a few seconds longer, staring at the dirt. Then scoffed.

“…Still annoying.”

But his voice lacked heat this time under his breath.

The team travels for three days to a ruined Fire Land village to hunt Koga Nensho, a powerful water element wizard.

Tenma kneeled on the dirt, took out some sparkly grains of a small container, put them on his hands and dropped them on the floor, whistling as some birds started eating them, “We are looking for Koga Nensho, the water element wizard. Find his traces and come immediately to report anything about your findings to me.”

Hinari looked very interested in all of this, asking after the birds flew away, “How does this work, Tenma? What do the grains do?”

Tenma smiled softly as he stood up, looking at her, “The grains are inflicted with one of the hunters specialized spells, it attracts the birds and make them obedient to your demand.”

Hinari’s eyes went full of sparkles, a wide smile on her face as she excitedly added, “But how come Tenma you know how to use hunter specialized spells if you are a teacher? Isn’t it something reserved only for those who are naturally given to that domain in particular?”

Tenma chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he felt a bit caught off guard, “Heh, you could say I’ve had my dear friends who taught me a trick or two of their domains.”

Hinari looked at Souta and Kain, “Then I hope we will share tricks when we’ll be specialized as well!”

Tenma looked at them with a smile, while the two looked at each other, Kain spoke up, curious, “What do you think I’ll be specialized in, Tenma?”

Souta mockingly replied, “You’d be great at whining and throwing rocks. Even for that I have a doubt.”

Kain scoffed, annoyed, pissed off, “Shut up. The only one where throwing rocks is you.”

Tenma chuckling at their interaction, lifted his hands implying them to stop, “Now, now. Kain, in my opinion...” he thought for a second before answering, “You’d be great at the Offensive specialization, meaning you’d be fit for all that’s about fighting on the front line and serving the Paragon.”

Souta smirked, “Heh, like he’d ever survive that long to achieve that.”

Hinari slapped Souta’s head, “Don’t you dare be disrespectful like this again towards Kain!”

Tenma laughed, “Souta, on your side, you’d be great at the same thing as Kain, both of you have a talent at fights, even if I’d see you also specialized at strategies and being at the back line to analyze and control the battlefield.”

Hinari happily admitted, “That’s so cool! I’d really see Souta fit for a more of a strategy specialization instead of the being on the front line attacking like Kain would be fit for!”

Tenma nodded, “Yes, and as for you Hinari, you’d be fit for Healing specialization. You have a kind heart and great empathy, you’d be the best out of the three for this, even if I’d also recommend you study the illusion specialization as well, both can be a great compatibility.”

Hinari sparkled up again, “Really? Healing and illusions sound so fitting!”

Souta smiled at Hinari’s contentment, “Indeed, you’re a Kazurei, you could try to mix up the flames with the illusions and healing, a pretty inflammatorily great combination.”

Hinari chuckled, “Inflammatorily great? Here you go you and your jokes.”

Kain sighed, not finding the joke funny at all, “You’re the kind of joke that explains itself halfway through and still isn’t funny.”

Souta’s eyes darkened, his fury rising, “Look who’s talking, the dog who doesn’t even know how to bark! Learn not to bite your owner, you self-worthless prick.”

Kain spit on Souta’ collar, both gripping each other’s shirts, “Take that tip for yourself, you snake weirdo.”

Souta barked, his grip tightening on Kain’s collar, “Maybe if you weren’t so damn scared of your own power, you’d actually be worth something.”

Kain didn’t flinch. His eyes narrowed, sharp as flint, voice low and cold, “Says the coward who has to kiss his family’s boot to feel like a man.”

Tenma appeared between them like a flicked of wind, a hand on each of their chests, eyes burning with warning, “Enough, both of you.”

The boys held their glare for a second longer, breathing heavily, chest to chest, then slowly let go, reluctantly. Souta scoffed under his breath, brushing dust off his shirt like it was Kain’s words.

Hinari crossed her arms, stepping slightly away, voice dry, “You two have the emotional range of a broken kettle.”

Kain muttered, looking off to the side, “At least broken kettles don’t pretend to be cute.”

Souta heard Kain’s words and felt an enormous inflicting rage in his blood pump to his nerves.

Tenma sighed, rubbing his temple, “I’m going to need you all to hold off murdering each other until after the mission. Deal with your inferiority complexes later.”

Souta’s response was a sharp click to his tongue. Kain didn’t speak. Just kept walking, hands in pockets, like he hadn’t just tried to start a war.

Hinari glanced at Tenma, voice softer now, “They’ll grow out of it, right?”

Tenma’s smile was tired, but his tone playful, “Hopefully before they kill each other. Or me.”

Hinari chuckled, “Yeah.”

Kain was already far off ahead of them, they caught up with him slowly, he seemed really destabilized from the exchange earlier. Hinari and Souta were left behind as they were enjoying each other’s company, full of soft laughter and heartwarming stares. Meanwhile, Kain was far ahead of these two lovebirds, Tenma was a step behind him, looking at him on the way to the village.

Kain didn’t look at him. “If you’re here to lecture me too, don’t.”

Tenma’s voice was low, almost casual. “Wouldn’t waste my breath. You already know you messed up.”

Kain scoffed, but didn’t argue.

A few more steps.

Tenma glanced at the boy’s clenched fists. “You are always this angry when people care about you?”

Kain stopped. His jaw twitched. “They don’t care. They pity. That’s worse.” Then walked off again.

Tenma studied him, eyes narrowed like he was looking past the words, into the marrow.

“Pity doesn’t make people chase after you. It doesn’t make them laugh like that behind you.” He nodded back toward the two, now distant dots in the road. “You think I can’t tell the difference?”

Kain’s silence cracked a little. His grip loosened.

Tenma didn’t push further. He just stepped forward.

“Get your head straight before we arrive. You don’t want your enemy to see the same broken look you give your friends.”

He left Kain behind, walking slowly, but fast for Kain.

The wind passed through Kain’s hair like a whisper he didn’t know how to answer. Souta and Hinari walked past Kain who now was standing still, looking at the dirt, a sorrowful looks on his face.

Everything became blurry and couldn’t help but remember all the moments Souta and Hinari were closer than he ever was to somebody in this “team”.

Souta threw him a glance, just one, but sharp enough to cut, noticing how Kain had stopped. He didn’t say anything. Just walked past like he didn’t see it, like it wasn’t worth a pause.

Hinari slowed, her smile dimming slightly as she caught Kain in the corner of her eye. “Kain?”

He didn’t look up. Just muttered under his breath, “Keep walking.”

She hesitated. But then Souta called her ahead, and she followed, glancing one last time.

Kain stayed still. Everything muffled. Even the gravel under his sandals felt distant. He saw their backs moving on, closer together, laughing again like nothing happened. Like he wasn’t there. Like he never really was.

He gritted his teeth.

“They always walk ahead, huh?” he whispered to himself. “Maybe that’s where they belong, without me.”

His fists clenched again, tighter this time. Nails dug into his palms so deep it caused some bleeding to appear.

“...But I’ll show them.”

“What it means to leave me behind.”

“I’ll catch up faster than anyone!”

And just like that, he walked forward with light, unherdable steps.

Tenma had noticed the sudden change in Kain’s pace. No words were exchanged, but something shifted in the air, quieter, sharper, like he was more focused on his stealth unconsciously.

The path turned narrow, tree roots curving above the soil like bony fingers reaching for ankles, a nice illusion. Hinari stumbled once but caught herself, before taking in the sight of the roots that inspired her for a new spell she could’ve made with a little training on the illusions part. Souta was too busy looking up at the clouds with his arms crossed, pretending not to care that Kain was gone again. But his gaze flicked forward every now and then, like a nervous tick.

They walked for hours. Silence came in waves, broken only by birdsongs and the low rustling of leaves. No one talked about the fight. Not aloud. It hung there, still burning in the seams of their shoulders. They really hate proper communication.

By midday, the trees started thinning. The sky opened up. What was once a forest turned into cracked fields, parched from weeks of sun, wild grass barely hanging on. The hills beyond were dry and low, and in the distance: smoke. Not black enough for fire. Not thick enough for danger. Village smoke.

Tenma raised a hand. The team halted like gears snapping into place.

“There,” he said. “Hibashi village.”

Kain stared ahead, jaw tight. Hinari tilted her head. “Looks... quiet.”

“Too quiet,” Souta muttered, then caught himself. “That’s a stupid cliché. I didn’t say that.”

“You literally did,” Kain shot back, not even looking at him.

Souta smirked, already encouraged by the pushback. “Oh, so now you talk?”

“Shut up.”

“Gladly.”

Tenma sighed. “Enough, both of you. We’re walking in calm and clean. No spells, no noise. You see anything strange, you give me a signal, no hero moves, understood?”

They all nodded, albeit at different speeds.

The road into Hibashi was dry and narrow. The fences were broken, some missing posts. A cart lay sideways, one wheel spinning faintly in the breeze. No chickens. No barking dogs. Just wind.

Hinari shivered a little. “Where is everyone?”

Tenma’s tone flattened, “Inside, if they know what’s good for them.”

Doors were shut. Curtains half-pulled. One old woman stared from a high window; her face wrinkled like rotting parchment. The moment she saw Tenma’s insignia on the jacket he wore; she vanished behind the curtain.

“I’m guessing they know who we’re here for,” Souta said, eyes scanning rooftops.

“He’s been feeding off their silence,” Tenma replied. “They’re afraid. Don’t blame them.”

They walked deeper. An old shrine sat crooked in the square, roof slanted, with prayer tags fluttering weakly. Ash stained the stones. Burn marks.

Hinari’s eyes caught it. “Was this recent?”

Kain ran a thumb across a charred bench. “Recent enough.”

Suddenly, one of the birds from before dove down, fast, sharp, and landed on Tenma’s arm like it had done it a hundred times.

He tilted his head to it, listened.

Then, to the team, voice dropping low:

“He’s not far.”

Souta’s fingers instinctively hovered near his canister of water, already tense. Kain cracked his neck.

Tenma pointed east. “Abandoned mill. He’s holed up there. Crows spotted strange elemental runoff around it.”

Hinari whispered, “What’s the plan?”

Tenma looked at each of them. Measured. Cool and clean.

“No full charge. We feel him out. He’s a water-type specialist, but don’t underestimate what that means. If he’s survived this long, he’s evolved past textbook.”

Souta raised a brow. “We’re a team of three rookies.”

“And one teacher,” Tenma answered simply. “That’s enough. Let’s move.”

They walked. The wind picked up.

Kain was the first to move, steps silent. Souta beside him, grip on his flask. Hinari just behind, her hands glowing faintly from an elemental-ready warmth. Tenma took rear.

And somewhere ahead, Koga Nensho already knew they were coming.

He sat crouched inside the old mill, light slipping in through the broken roof like knives across his skin. His hair was wet, sticking to his neck. He wasn't hiding. He was waiting.

Beside him, Cho shifted nervously, peeking through the cracks. “They’re close.”

Koga didn’t answer right away. Just stared at his own hands. The fingers were twitching again, small spasms, like ripples in dirty water. He clenched them.

“I thought they’d send stronger ones,” he said finally, voice calm but coldly amused. “The ones they sent last time weren’t enough.”

Cho looked at him, unsure. “Koga… they’re just kids.”

Koga smiled. Not kind. Not cruel either. Something else.

“So was I, when they threw me away.”

Outside the mill, Tenma gave the signal. A small wave. No words. The team split like they’d practiced, Kain sweeping left, Souta and Hinari circling to the right. Tenma stayed back, eyes locked on the building.

Kain didn’t hesitate. He crouched low by a broken barrel, glancing toward the door.

“They’re inside,” he muttered.

“No shit,” Souta hissed from the opposite side.

Hinari swallowed, voice soft. “Are we... ready for this?”

Kain didn’t answer. He was already walking forward. Not rushing. Just walking, like the fight wasn’t even a question anymore.

Souta hissed, “This idiot’s going to get us all killed.”

Hinari gave him a nervous glance. “So… we’re going in?”

Souta sighed, pulling water from his flask with a sharp twist of his wrist. “Guess we are.”

Inside, Koga stood tall as the door creaked open. Kain stepped in first, his eyes flicking across the dark space. Dust in the air. Broken crates. The faint smell of mildew and something burnt.

Koga was already watching him. “You’re the loud one, aren’t you?”

Kain’s steps slowed. “I’m the one who’ll shut you up.”

Koga chuckled. “You don’t fight like someone trying to win. You fight like someone trying to lose slower.”

Kain’s voice didn’t waver. “So, I’ve been told.”

Then the door burst open again, Souta and Hinari slipping in, quiet, focused.

Koga tilted his head, eyes landing on Souta. “You... you’re Obanashi.”

Souta froze for just a second. Koga’s tone shifted, like he knew something.

“Your clan sent killers once, long ago. Took everything from me. I didn’t think they still trained their snakes this young.” Koga spit his words.

Souta gritted his teeth. “Say one more word, and I’ll show you how sharp we bite.”

Koga’s eyes burned. “Then bite.”

Water exploded from under his feet, the whole floor flooding in seconds. Fast, twisting streams wrapped around crates and pillars like living things. Hinari yelped, jumping back just in time.

Tenma stormed in from behind, hands already glowing. “Stay close, read his rhythm!”

Souta moved first, spinning his arms and calling the serpent streams forward. Two snakes of water shot toward Koga, fast, sharp.

Koga didn’t dodge.

He raised one hand, and the snakes shattered into harmless mist.

Kain cursed, “What the hell—?”

“He’s redirecting our flow,” Souta realized, already forming another hand sign.

Hinari backed up, coughing. “The air’s heavy. It’s like... he’s choking the moisture.”

Koga lifted his other hand.

Suddenly, from behind the broken wall — a whip of water lashed out, cutting through Kain’s sleeve and scraping his arm. Kain flinched, blood rising quickly.

Souta screamed, “Kain!”

“I’m fine!” Kain growled, stepping forward again, his body glowing with a dull red light. “He bleeds, I swear I’ll make him.” The god of destruction spoke.

Koga raised an eyebrow. “Anger. Good. Use it. See where it gets you.”

Hinari launched a flame-wrapped illusion toward the back wall, her signature trick. For a moment, the whole room glowed, flickered, warped.

Koga paused.

That pause was all they needed.

Tenma moved like lightning, slamming his palm into the ground. The wooden floor exploded upward into shards, throwing Koga off balance.

Kain dashed forward.

And the first real clash began.

Kain's steps didn’t falter. His arm was still bleeding, but his eyes didn’t even blink toward the cut. The God inside was quiet for once, and that silence felt more dangerous than words.

Koga spun back to his feet fast, body low, arms loose like a brawler used to fighting dirty. His feet slid through the thin water now coating the ground, barely making a sound.

“You came fast,” he muttered, dodging Kain’s punch by an inch. “That’s good.”

Kain didn’t reply, just kept swinging. Sharp, short strikes, no wasted movement.

Koga parried one, twisted around Kain’s arm and elbowed him in the ribs, hard.

Kain staggered back, breath stuck in his throat. But before he could reset, Koga was already gone, sliding back like water itself, vanishing behind a half-broken pillar.

Tenma’s voice echoed, sharp, “Don’t chase blindly!”

But it was too late, Souta had already followed.

“Come out, coward,” Souta spat, hands moving in a blur. Water twisted midair, forming tight spears around his arms.

Then from the shadows, a blur.

Cho came crashing in from the side wall with a hiss of steam and smoke, hand covered in blue runes, eyes glowing faintly.

Hinari gasped, “Who—?”

Tenma’s eyes widened, “Secondary target! That’s Cho!”

Cho didn’t wait. He kicked off the wall mid-jump and slammed a blast of boiling water straight toward Souta’s chest.

Souta threw his arms up, a water shield cracking just in time, the hit pushed him back across the room, skidding.

“I’ve got this one!” Tenma shouted, stepping in between Cho and the others.

“Focus on Koga!”

Hinari and Kain both nodded, eyes snapping toward the far end of the mill, where Koga was already forming something with his hands. The air around him swirled like steam in reverse, pulling cold into itself.

“You’re late,” he said quietly, not even looking at them. “You should’ve come earlier.”

Kain moved again, blood trailing behind him as he sprinted. “Too bad,” he growled. “We’re here now.”

The next hit was heavier. Kain slammed into Koga full-force, a burst of distortion around his fist, just like before, just like “Ash Reversal,” only more raw, half-formed.

Koga staggered, but didn’t fall.

His hand rose. Grabbed Kain by the throat.

“You think pain scares me?”

He lifted him off the ground, his fingers cold, soaked in elemental pressure.

Hinari shouted something, but the words drowned in steam.

Then suddenly, fire. Not real fire. Her fire.

An illusion sparked, warping the space near Koga’s head. Screaming voices. A memory.

Koga’s eyes flinched.

Kain dropped, coughing, eyes wide. “...thanks.”

Hinari didn’t answer. She was already forming another hand sign.

Souta recovered fast. Water twisted again into a jagged blade across his forearm, this one sharper, leaner.

He charged from the side.

“Go for the legs!” Tenma ordered, pushing Cho back with another palm strike. “Destabilize him!”

But Koga stepped forward into the strike instead.

Souta’s blade hit, it landed, but it was wrong.

Koga didn’t react.

His blood hit the floor like ink, but he didn’t blink.

“You want to know why I did it?” Koga said, voice low, like it was just now he felt like explaining. “You think it was madness. That I lost it.”

Hinari’s flame stuttered.

He looked at them.

“I didn’t. I never did. I knew exactly what I was doing.”

Kain stepped in again, arm trembling.

Koga turned, caught his wrist.

“Because when you’re the leftover, the mistake, the one they pretend they didn’t make—”

He twisted Kain’s arm, slammed him into the ground, hard.

“No one comes to save you.”

Cho called out, “Koga, don’t—!”

“Shut up!” Koga barked, sounding angry for the first time. “They’re not here to understand. They’re here to silence me.”

Souta’s eyes burned. “You silenced a village, Koga. You drowned them. You think that’s reason?”

“I think,” Koga replied, eyes distant, “they were already drowning. I just made them drown faster.”

Kain tried to rise again. He couldn’t.

Hinari screamed, “Tenma!”

And that’s when Tenma moved. Fully.

He landed between them like a wall, hands pressed to the ground, runes spiraling.

The air cracked.

And the whole floor of the mill lifted into smoke and force.

They were scattered again.

Koga rolled back. Cho dashed to his side.

“Koga, stop. They’re too many—”

“I’m not done.”

Blood dripped from his hands. His shoulder looked dislocated. His legs were trembling.

But his eyes were steady.

“I won’t run. Not now. Not when I’ve finally got an audience.”

Souta stepped forward.

“No one’s clapping for you.”

Koga just smiled, teeth red.

“Then I’ll play ‘til the end.”

Kain fell unconscious. He could hear a voice.

“Kain.”

“KAIN!” the voice yelled like a distorted beast.

Kain looked where the voice came from, and saw the God of Destruction, chained up a giant wall, the God himself was big as the wall.

The god spoke up alerted, “Let me possess you, let me help you. You won’t be able to fight without me. Your friends will die.”

Kain shouted, “No they won’t! I won’t let you possess me. I will save them myself, with my own will! If someone here must die, it’s Koga, nobody else!”

He snapped back to reality as he felt a huge splash of water on him.

Souta fought with Koga intensively, trying to keep up with his own water elemental power techniques. Constantly being on the defensive, Koga had much more experience, his chill and ease to be 1v3 showed it.

Tenma was fighting pretty well against Cho. He didn’t have to worry about him after all.

Kain stood up, his right arm too wounded to be used to his use. He spit blood on the floor and roared loud enough to stan Kago midair, giving Hinari the possibility to use her fire techniques to burn his heart from behind.

“It... Can’t...be...” Kago spoke between coughs of blood from the attack, slowly feeling his body failing him.

Tenma finished his job with Cho a long time ago, he was now admiring his student’s teamwork.

“Curse you the Obanashi! Curse YOU KAIN!” Kago yelled, mid coughs, his voice became raspy and deep. His face dipped water, transforming his body into a flake of water.

All seemed to be over, for now.

They got the watered body of Kago and Cho. They made their way home safely to show their success to the Paragon, Rinhaku.

Chapter Text

Rinhaku calmly applauded, a wide smile on his face, “Good job! Very good!”

No one answered.

Kain stood tense near the door, arms stiff at his sides, eyes sharp but tired. Souta sat cross-armed in the corner, gaze pointed anywhere but forward. Hinari was still catching her breath, her fingers twisted in her lap. Tenma stood near the wall, hands behind his back. Eyes forward. Posture straight.

Like he was still a student.

Rinhaku’s voice cut again, soft, not warm. “You faced Koga Nensho and came back alive. That means something.”

Tenma didn’t blink. “That wasn’t a mission.”

Souta muttered under his breath, “Felt more like bait.”

Rinhaku turned his head slightly, his smile not moving. “You’re not wrong.”

That made Kain shift. “So, you sent us knowing?”

“I sent you to see.”

“To see what?” Hinari asked. Her voice cracked halfway through, but she didn’t look away.

Rinhaku finally stood. Not fast. Not loud. Just stood, and that was enough. The whole room quieted.

“To see what you’d do,” he said, stepping forward. “When faced with someone who doesn’t care what rules bind us. When faced with someone broken enough to fight without hesitation, and smart enough to make you bleed.”

He looked at Tenma. “You guided them well.”

Tenma’s jaw flexed. “They shouldn’t have needed guiding. Not against someone like that.”

Rinhaku smiled wider. “And yet they did.”

Kain’s voice came low. Cold. “He wasn’t just a rogue.”

“No,” Rinhaku agreed. “He was a message.”

Souta leaned forward. “From whom?”

Rinhaku didn’t answer right away. Just studied them. One by one. Like he was counting something in their eyes.

Finally, he said, “We’ll talk more. But not here. Not yet.”

He turned toward the door, his robe trailing like smoke. “Rest. You’ll need it.”

And just like that, he was gone.

The silence left behind wasn’t peaceful.

Kain kicked the edge of the bench hard enough it cracked. “So, we’re pawns now.”

Tenma didn’t stop him. “We’ve always been.”

Hinari leaned forward, voice soft. “What was that out there? With Koga. The way he… fought. The way he spoke.”

Souta crossed his arms again. “He knew who I was.”

“You weren’t the only one,” Kain muttered.

Hinari looked at him. “Kain—”

He waved her off, stepping away from them. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Tenma’s eyes followed him for a second, then turned back toward the window. “Then listen instead. Because whatever we thought this was... it’s not anymore.”

Kain sighed, “You guys can overthink this, I’ll go home and eat, I’m starving.”

Hinari nodded, smiling widely, waving him goodbye, “Okay then, see you next time, Kain, take care!”

Souta smirked, coldly answering, “Farewell.”

Tenma smiled before replying as well, “Take care.”

Kain felt his heart swell in warm feelings, he felt accepted, respected almost. “What? They’re actually smiling heart warmly at me? Knowing I was so mean during the mission?”

He was surprised, but didn’t let it be seen, so he loudly replied while walking away, waving back, “See y’all soon guys!”

The wind separated them, he went home. He held his right arm with his left hand delicately; it was now bandaged and healed with the help of Hinari. He wanted to feel her touch more often, her warming smile around him, her comforting words, her soft eyes staring into his. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of it. Though...

He knew Souta had her heart, that he too fell for her just as bad perhaps. He couldn’t judge him, he couldn’t be mad at him, she was a true witch, she made them fall into an illusion almost. The feelings and warmth she emanated felt that way at least, even if everybody knew she wasn’t capable of such spells yet.

“She’s perfect,” he mumbled under his breath while walking through a park, “Her hair, eyes... All of it. She feels nice.” He couldn’t help but imagine her soft lavender hair unleashed, strands slipping free around her cheeks. Her eyes of deep amber, sharp when she’s thinking, warm when she’s not. Her flame-colored robe with subtle illusions runes stitched along the sleeves. Similar to the Chinese traditional dresses.

As he was thinking, he bumped into someone, causing them both to fall.

Emiko Narukami. The one student mastering wind-based magic from Team D.

"...Ow," she muttered, brushing her hair back. "Seriously?"

Kain blinked, took a breath, then stood. "Didn’t see you."

Emiko sat up, eyes sharp. "You didn’t look. Big difference."

Kazuo was already stepping over, arms crossed. “Should’ve expected it. You always walk like you’re alone in the world.”

Kain’s gaze slid sideways. “Didn’t ask you.”

Yura jogged up last, a half-eaten bun in his hand. “Whoa, that was a hit. You okay, Emiko?”

“I’m fine,” she said, brushing dust from her robe. Her eyes didn’t leave Kain. “Your arm is still bandaged. You just out of a mission?”

Kain glanced at it, gave a short nod.

Kazuo let out a breath, subtle but sharp. “You looked half-dead two days ago. Thought they’d keep you in bed, not let you stomp around like a threat.”

“I heal fast.”

"Or you don't rest," Emiko said, standing fully. She stepped past him but paused at his shoulder. "Either way, watch where you're going next time. You're not a god."

Kain didn’t reply. Just stared forward, then turned.

Yura tilted his head. “You sure you’re not mad, Emiko?”

“No. He just thinks silence is a personality.”

Kain let a low breath escape his nose. Not quite a laugh. Not quite a sigh.

Kazuo’s eyes lingered. “Come on. We’re going to be late.”

They walked off. Yura waved half-heartedly. “See you around, scary guy.”

Kain watched them go, one hand still resting on his wrapped arm.

“…Emiko,” he repeated to himself under his breath.

Then, walked the other way.

But...

He stopped, suddenly, his face narrowing as he gazed behind him at them. She didn’t look back, nor did the other two. But he did.

Kain’s hand was still over his arm. “She didn’t look back.” He muttered under his breath, a faint smile on his face, despite his narrow expression in sorrow.

“She talks like she knows where she stands... Must feel nice.”

...

Kazuo looked at Yura and said, a bit taken aback by this exchange, “I told you he’s weird.”

Yura replied, relaxed, and not totally agreeing with the use of the word ‘weird’, “He’s messed up, not weird.”

Emiko was silent, she continued to walk. Until she mumbled, “Still, that look in his eyes...”

[...]

As Kain walked away from the street where Team D had vanished, his mind buzzed with fragments of the encounter, Emiko’s glare, Yura’s snickering, Kazuo’s unreadable stare. He kept his pace steady, hands deep in his pockets, eyes lowered just enough to ignore the rest of the village around him.

He didn’t notice the old man until he heard the crunch.

A loud bite, followed by a slow, satisfied chew. There was a bench under one of the sparse cherry trees, half its leaves shed for the season. An old man sat there, one leg folded over the other, munching on a rice cracker like he had nothing else in the world to do. His robes were old, patched, mismatched, the left sleeve missing entirely, and his long gray hair was pulled back into a messy tie that looked like it’d survived a few explosions, it had some shades of his natural color though, dark purple strands here and there. A straw hat hung behind his shoulders, swinging slightly.

“You flinched,” the old man said, still chewing. “When you fell. Should’ve twisted your hips. Roll the impact through the back, not the elbow. You’ll bruise less.”

Kain stopped walking. Looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

“I don’t remember asking,” he muttered.

The man made a noise, half a laugh, half a grunt. He dusted his lap off lazily, then held out another rice cracker like an offering.

“Not asking. Offering. Want one?”

“No.”

“Suit yourself.”

Kain turned his head fully now, frowning. “You were watching me?”

“Not really. Just happened to be sitting where the sky’s got a breeze and the drama walks by.” He crunched down on the cracker. “You’ve got a real ‘main character’ walk, y’know that? Head down, shoulders tense, thinking too loud.”

Kain narrowed his eyes. “Who the hell are you?”

“Just a tired old man. Name’s Shuyo. You?”

“Kain.”

Shuyo raised a brow. “Kain. Huh. Not a soft name.”

He leaned back on the bench, arms stretching wide across the top rail like he owned the entire street. For a few moments, neither of them spoke. Then Shuyo glanced sideways again, smiling faintly.

“You’ve got a real storm in you, kid. Don’t worry, I’m not one of those weirdos who’s gonna say fate this, destiny that. Just saying, it’s loud, whatever you’re carrying.”

Kain didn’t answer. His instinct told him to walk away, but for some reason, he stayed rooted there. Maybe it was the tone. The casualness. Or the fact that this old man didn’t flinch, didn’t lower his voice, didn’t act like Kain was some bomb about to go off.

“You always talk this much?” Kain asked.

“Only when I like the silence,” Shuyo replied.

Kain blinked. He didn’t smile, but something in his shoulders loosened a bit.

Shuyo tossed a piece of cracker to a passing crow. “You ever skip stones?”

“No.”

“You should. Useless as hell. Good for the soul, though.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “When I was your age, I was worse. I didn’t talk to anyone unless they beat me in a fight. Dumb way to make friends. But it worked sometimes.”

“I’m not looking for friends.”

“That’s what they all say. Until they realize solitude’s just loneliness with better PR.”

Kain didn’t respond.

Shuyo tilted his head. “You’re not as scary as they think, by the way.”

Kain finally looked at him, his eyes colder. “And what do they think?”

“That you’re a walking curse,” Shuyo said without hesitation. “That you’re dangerous. Tainted. Something that’s gonna explode eventually.”

Kain’s fists clenched.

“But I don’t see that,” Shuyo added, casually. “I see a kid who knows exactly how to hold it in. Which is way harder than just letting it all burn. I admire your inner force.”

Kain didn’t know why, but the words didn’t piss him off. Not like they should’ve. Maybe it was the way he said it, calm, like he was talking about the weather. Or maybe it was the fact that this old man didn’t feel like a threat at all.

Just strange.

“Anyway,” Shuyo said, standing with a loud groan. “I’ve talked too much. You’ll figure out who I am soon enough. Or not. Either way, you’re interesting.”

He stretched his arms overhead and started walking off like he’d just remembered an appointment.

“Take care of those elbows, Kain.”

Then he was gone, leaving behind a half-crushed rice cracker and a few fallen leaves swirling at Kain’s feet.

“What just happened? Why... Why is he pleasant to be around? And who is he? Why should I find out?” Kain thought to himself, looking at the space next to him, where Shuyo sat.

Kain remembered those weeks, the ones before Team A even existed. The council hadn't finished matching everyone yet, and his placement was still up in the air. So, they dropped him into the earliest formed squad. Team D. A temporary fit. Nothing more.

They met early, before the sun really settled in. Quiet field, still wet from dew. The fog hadn't cleared. He stood alone across from Yura, who was rolling around his neck, already stretching like it was a real fight.

“Don’t hold back,” Yura said, eyes bright, half smiling, half serious. “You’re not gonna break me.”

Kain stayed still. “We’ll see.”

The wind shifted, and in an instant, Yura was gone from view. He came in fast, low, foot slicing toward Kain’s legs. Kain twisted to the side, redirected with his palm, but Yura’s second strike came from above.

Shizuna’s voice cut in from the sideline, calm and clear. “Too aggressive. Yura, don’t chase before you read.”

Yura dropped back, exhaled hard. “I wasn’t chasing. I was testing him.”

Kain turned to her. “He overcommitted.”

Shizuna didn’t smile, but her eyes said she noticed. “Correct.”

Behind her, Kazuo leaned against a tree, arms crossed, watching without blinking.

“You’re calm for someone tossed into our squad without notice,” Kazuo said. “That a front, or do you really not care?”

Kain glanced at him. “I care about efficiency. That’s all.”

Kazuo didn’t answer, but his eyes lingered. Measuring. Kain couldn’t read him, not completely, but the tension in his jaw gave away more than he thought.

Then Emiko stepped closer, a few feet from the sparring circle. She looked at him over like she was reading an opened book.

“He doesn’t waste movements,” she said, almost to herself. Then to Kain, “Where’d you learn to counter like that?”

Kain shrugged. “Studied. Practiced.”

Emiko tilted her head. “You're not like the others who talk big before showing nothing.”

“I don’t talk.”

Yura laughed under his breath. “Yeah, no kidding.”

Shizuna stepped in then, slow and silent, eyes moving across the group. “That’s enough sparring. We’ve seen what we need to. Kazuo, switch with Emiko. Kain, stay in.”

Kain and Emiko squared off a moment later. She didn't rush, didn't shift weight carelessly. Her magic came in clean waves of wind, low pressure pulses, not meant to harm, just control. Kain matched her with simple counter-steps, redirected energy, redirected again.

It went like that for a while. Quiet rhythm. Their breathing the only sound between shifts.

Later, as they broke for rest, Kain sat near the edge of the field, elbows on his knees. Yura flopped down beside him, biting into something roasted and wrapped in leaves.

“You’re not bad, Kain,” he said through a mouthful. “Little cold though.”

Kain glanced at him. “I don’t do small talk.”

“That’s alright,” Yura said. “I talk enough for two.” Then looked at Kain, “I like you, despite your distance with us. Don’t waste your coolness!” He gave Kain a thumbs up while taking a big bite of his food.

Kain looked at him exasperated of this big energy talk, but quickly switched his expression to something else, warmer and softer. Gratitude. A smile on his face forming, which caught Yura off guard, almost chocking, as he pointed at Kain stuttering, “Hey! You’re smiling! Dude?”

Yura was confused, while Kain let out a small chuckle, and answered, while Kaoru, Emiko and Shizuna looked at him, surprised as well. “I appreciate it, Yura.”

Yura felt his head dizzy, he almost hallucinated birds encircling his head. “Am I dreaming or did he just...”

Shizuna smiled as well, adding, “I’m happy we could bring you comfort to our team, Kain. You seem to get really well along with Yura as well.”

[...]

“I miss those times. When people didn’t see me as a worth of nothing.”

The afternoon wind rolled across the edge of the grass, warm but dry. Kain sat at the top of the hill near the outer field, hands folded behind his head, legs stretched out. Quiet. Still.

Then a shadow fell across his legs. Kain didn’t move.

"Here," Tenma said, sitting beside him. He handed Kain one of the two drinks he had in hands, "You look like the kind of guy who forgets to drink water."

Kain took it, didn't say thanks. Just opened it and drank.

A beat of silence passed between them.

"You always pick spots with the most bugs," Tenma muttered, swatting at something invisible. "It's like you’re allergic to comfort."

Kain didn’t glance over. “Didn’t invite you to come.”

"Didn’t say I cared," Tenma said, leaning back and resting his arms behind him. "You don’t talk to many people. Thought I’d remind you you're technically on a team."

"...I talk."

"Sure. Grunting at Hinari when she hands you food really counts as social engagement."

Kain smirked faintly. Just for a second.

Tenma didn’t push it. “You know,” he said, watching a bird flap across the distant trees, “people assume you're just angry all the time. Or broken. But I don’t think that’s it.”

Kain didn’t answer.

"I think you’re bored."

“…You think too much.”

"And you don’t think at all, that’s it?"

"No. I just know better than to say it out loud."

Tenma grinned a little. Then silence again. Comfortable, surprisingly.

“You could’ve ended up on Team D,” Tenma said finally. “Shizuna probably would've liked you. Emiko too. But instead, you’re stuck with us.”

Kain glanced at him now. “...You don’t like our team?”

Tenma shrugged. “Didn’t say that. Just saying… every team’s got its own rhythm. Ours is still tuning.”

Kain went quiet again. Then, almost like a thought that snuck out without permission:

“I don’t hate this rhythm.”

Tenma gave a short nod. Didn’t smile, didn’t comment. Just leaning back and watching the clouds with him.

“You seemed to like Team D as well. I remember the times I saw you train with them.”

Kain’s eyes darted to the training grounds afar, “Yeah. I enjoyed the way they made me feel at home on the first day in. Yura was the best out of them too.”

Tenma added, looking at Kain neutrally, “Yura is a nice pick for a duo partner for you. He’s a loud young man, I’m sure he was talking for you both.”

Kain couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, “You’re right, he was.”

They stood there for a moment in quiet. The city below buzzed in the far-off distance, but it didn’t reach this high up. Just the sound of the breeze and their breathing.

Kain spoke low, almost to himself, “You ever think about how fast things move? Like, one minute you're just surviving, and the next you're trying to make sense of... all this.”

Tenma didn't move. “You mean the city? Or something else?”

“Both,” Kain said, eyes fixed on the horizon. “I’ve been here ten months. Some days it feels like a lifetime, other days it’s like I just got off the damn train.”

Tenma glanced at him but didn’t interrupt.

Kain rubbed the back of his neck. “Back when I joined, I didn’t think I’d care about people. Not in that way. Felt too... broken for that kind of thing.”

He hesitated, then added, “But Hinari was kind. Steady. I thought maybe, eventually, it could mean something.”

Tenma's voice was even. “It still could.”

Kain gave a dry breath of a laugh. “Nah. Not really. She's got history with Souta. And the way they move around each other, it’s easy. I used to catch myself watching too long when they laughed or when she looked at him like he mattered.”

“You were jealous.”

Kain didn’t respond at first, then muttered, “Yeah. Guess so. Didn’t want to be. Still don’t. But it’s not like I could stop it.”

There was a pause. The breeze tugged softly at their hair and cloaks.

“I tried not to show it,” Kain went on. “Didn’t want to be that guy. All bitter and cold for no reason. But sometimes it leaked out. I’d talk less, walk ahead, skip a meal. Petty stuff.”

Tenma nodded slightly. “You kept it to yourself.”

“I always do.”

Another pause.

Kain looked down at the lower roofs and training courts far below. “Then Emiko showed up again a while back. And it was just... different.”

Tenma’s eyes flicked toward him.

“Not like with Hinari,” Kain added quickly. “She doesn’t make me feel warm or safe. She makes me sharp. Aware. She’s calm, but she doesn't treat me like I’m breakable. When I mess up, she calls it out. When I shut down, she keeps going. She doesn’t wait around for me to speak, but she doesn’t ignore me either.”

“And that matters,” Tenma said quietly.

Kain didn’t look at him. “I don’t know what it is yet. I just know she doesn’t look at me like I’m a curse walking. That’s rare.”

“She sees something,” Tenma said.

Kain’s voice dropped. “Maybe. Or maybe she’s just good at pretending.”

Tenma didn't push. He folded his arms and leaned back a little. “You still think about Hinari.”

“I do,” Kain admitted. “I’m not over it. I don’t think it ever started properly, so how could I be?”

“But you’re thinking about other people now,” Tenma said simply.

Kain didn’t reply to that. He just stared at the sky for a while.

Tenma didn’t press further. He just stood next to him, quiet, like he always did.

After a moment, he said, “Emiko’s not the type who waits for people to catch up. If you ever do figure it out, don’t waste her time.”

Kain didn’t say anything. But his eyes narrowed just slightly, like he heard more than Tenma had said.

They stayed there, watching the light start to shift as the sun dipped lower. The silence between them wasn’t heavy.

And somehow, that made it easier to breathe.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The sky above shifted color, the pale gold of early evening stretching across the rooftops below. Kain thought the moment had settled into silence, but then Tenma’s voice cut through the stillness, low and even.

“You know, I’ve seen that kind of triangle before.”

Kain glanced over. “What kind?”

Tenma’s eyes were on the city. “Two boys, one girl. Same team. Close enough to be family.”

Kain didn’t say anything.

“The other guy was my best friend. Loud, reckless, always running into danger like he had something to prove. He was the one people noticed first. Thought she would too. And maybe she did, at the start.” Tenma’s tone didn’t shift much, just a quiet honesty, measured and slow. “But later... I noticed. The way she started watching me when she thought I wasn’t looking. The way she laughed quieter when it was just the two of us.”

Kain studied him for a second. “What happened?”

Tenma gave a faint smile, but it didn’t reach all the way to his eyes. “He figured it out before I did. Started pulling away. At first it was just missed training sessions. Then one day, he stopped talking to me altogether. Got himself transferred to another squad.”

“That simple?”

“Not really.” Tenma exhaled, like he’d been holding something in for years. “We never spoke again. And she... she never said a word about any of it. I think she thought keeping quiet was the kindest thing she could do.”

Kain looked down at his hands, resting on his knees. “You regret it?”

“No,” Tenma said, “but I learned something from it. People feel things, even when they don’t understand them. Especially then. And trying to bury that... doesn’t make it go away. It just makes it twist into something else.”

Kain let that settle for a moment. The wind moved lightly between them.

“So,” Tenma added, voice lighter now, almost teasing, “if you ever start noticing you’re more talkative around someone, or less... if someone’s silence feels heavier than usual... pay attention to that.”

“I don’t think I’m talkative around anyone.”

“You laugh more when you’re around Emiko,” Tenma said, casual, like it wasn’t a loaded observation.

Kain didn’t reply right away. “She’s easy to talk to. Doesn’t expect anything.”

“That’s a start.”

“I still like Hinari.”

Tenma nodded. “I know. But feelings don’t always stick to one person. Sometimes they shift. Sometimes they surprise you.”

Kain tilted his head. “You think I’ll end up liking Emiko?”

“I think you already do,” Tenma said, voice calm, not pushing. “Just not in the way you expect yet. And that’s fine.”

Kain added. “There was this guy I ran into earlier,” he said, arms folded, eyes on the clouds. “Didn’t recognize him at first. Long coat, kind of lazy posture, older. Had these weird streaks of purple in his hair.”

Tenma’s brow twitched. “Older guy? Didn’t recognize him?”

“He was sitting on one of the benches near the upper level, chewing on something like he’d been waiting for someone, but not really sure who. The first thing he said was, ‘You look like someone who thinks too loud.’” Kain paused, then huffed a tired breath. “Didn’t even ask my name.”

Tenma shifted. “What else did he say?”

Kain glanced at him. “He didn’t stop talking. Just... kept going. Talked like I was an old friend, like we’d met years ago. Told me that quiet people are usually the loudest ones to themselves. Then he said something about how most of us aren’t really broken, just lonely with better PR.”

Tenma stiffened a little.

Kain didn’t notice right away. “He had this way of talking like everything was a joke, but like, you felt like he actually meant all of it underneath.”

“You’re talking about Shuyo, aren’t you?”

Kain looked at him, a bit behind. “Yeah. That’s his name.”

Tenma exhaled through his nose. “Of course.”

“What?”

“I just didn’t expect him to show up now.”

“You know him?”

Tenma looked off into the distance, quiet for a moment. “Yeah. I’ve met him a few times. He shows up when he wants. Usually when no one asks him to.”

“He some kind of teacher?”

“Kind of,” Tenma replied carefully. “He’s... complicated. He’s not part of the regular structure. He’s on his own level.”

Kain’s eyes narrowed slightly. “He said he only sticks around when things are ‘about to get interesting.’”

“That sounds like him,” Tenma muttered.

Kain noticed the change in Tenma’s tone. “You don’t like him?”

Tenma shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s just... he has a way of saying things that can tear open stuff you’re not ready to deal with. He doesn’t care how it lands, not really. He thinks truth is a kindness even when it cuts.”

Kain leaned forward a little. “You think he’d say something that would mess me up?”

“I think he might say something that’s true before you’re ready to hear it,” Tenma said plainly. “And I know you’re carrying enough without someone like him stirring the water.”

Kain looked back toward the edge of the city. The air had a sharper edge to it now.

“He didn’t say anything about me, exactly,” Kain said. “Just stuff that made me... think. Like he’d seen something already.”

“That’s the problem with him,” Tenma said, tone flat. “He sees too much and doesn’t shut up about it.”

Kain let the quiet hang there for a bit before speaking again. “I didn’t hate it, though.”

Tenma raised an eyebrow. “No?”

Kain shook his head. “Felt like someone wasn’t afraid to talk to me. Even if it was weird. Even if I didn’t get half of what he was saying.”

Tenma looked at him with a mix of concern and reluctant amusement. “You better be careful around him. He’s not dangerous, not in the usual sense... but if he starts taking interest in you, you should expect things to change.”

Kain shifted his weight against the railing, eyes narrowing slightly. “You knew who I was talking about pretty fast. The moment I said he had strands of purplish hair.”

Tenma gave a half shrug. “Not many people with that kind of hair around here.”

“Who is he really?”

Tenma didn’t answer immediately. He glanced out toward the city like he was buying time or maybe weighing something.

“I mean,” Kain went on, “he shows up out of nowhere, talks like he already knows everything about me, drops a bunch of riddles, and then just leaves. Everyone else avoids saying anything about him or acts like they’ve only heard stories.”

“Sounds like him,” Tenma said lightly.

“That’s not an answer.”

Tenma offered a faint smile. “I don’t really have one. Not one that would make much sense.”

“But you’ve met him before.”

Tenma nodded. “Once. Briefly. He talks the way he fights, unpredictable, fast, and like he knows how things end before they begin.”

Kain looked at him sharply. “So, he’s dangerous.”

Tenma didn’t agree or disagree. “He’s not someone you can box into one word. I think people try, but that’s what makes them underestimate him.”

“What is he to the city?”

“To the city?” Tenma echoed, then let out a short breath through his nose. “That depends on who you ask. Some think he’s a relic, some think he’s a problem that never fully went away.”

“And you?”

“I think he shows up when people least expect it. Or when they need to hear something no one else is willing to say.”

Kain’s brow furrowed. “That’s convenient.”

“Or inconvenient,” Tenma muttered.

Kain tilted his head. “You’re dodging.”

“I’m being careful.”

“Same thing.”

Tenma looked over at him, calm but unreadable. “Let me put it this way. Shuyo is... complicated. The more people talk about him, the harder it is to keep things clean.”

“Clean how?”

Tenma didn’t answer.

Kain narrowed his eyes. “So, there’s stuff you’re not telling me.”

“There’s stuff I don’t have the full picture on,” Tenma replied evenly. “And some of it, I wouldn’t repeat even if I did.”

That didn’t help Kain’s curiosity. It only made it worse. “So, what am I supposed to do? Just wait around for him to show up again?”

“Maybe. Or maybe you’ll find answers somewhere else first.”

Kain scoffed under his breath. “You talk like him sometimes, you know.”

Tenma raised an eyebrow. “I’ll take that as a warning.”

Kain sighed, “Is there anyhow, a way for me to find him?”

Tenma curiously asked as he looked at Kain fully, eyes piercing through him, “Finding him won’t be easy exactly, it would take you way too much work for not much of a result. Why?”

Kain replied shortly, “Just because.”

The hours passed, the clouds moved, birds flew, and the day evaporated into thin air.

Tenma suddenly received a white bird on his shoulder, with a letter to its foot being attached. He took it and read it to himself.

He suddenly stood up and looked at Kain, a small smile on his lips, “I have to go, Kain.”

Kain turned to look at him, eyebrows furrowing, “Where?”

Tenma replied with his same cool air, “To my new assigned mission. I’ll be probably back in a week. Find yourself activities till then.”

Kain’s eyes widened, “A week? You’ve never been gone for so long!”

Tenma chuckled, rubbing his cheek with a finger, “Well maybe because it’s a top-secret mission I can’t divulge to anyone and have to be particularly discreet about it.” He then looked away to the sky, “You’ll find some great things to do, so great you’ll regret my return. Trust me.”

Kain let out a long sigh, “Is that so? Well, see you in a week then.”

Tenma nodded, in a blink of an eye fading into thin air.

“What could I possibly do for one week besides training...?” Kain muttered to himself before hearing from behind a too familiar voice. Yura.

“You look like someone just took your last dumpling,” Yura said from behind, voice playful with that usual scratch of amusement he never quite hid.

Kain turned his head, already half-expecting the smirk. “What do you want?”

Yura was crouched on a railing like some alley cat, one foot dangling lazily. “Nothing. Just saw you sitting all gloomy and broody. Figured I’d poke at you till you bit.”

Kain didn’t answer at first, just looked back at the clouds. “Tenma left. Week-long mission.”

Yura whistled low, hopping down in front of him. “A whole week? Damn. That’s half a season for guys like him.”

“Apparently it’s top secret,” Kain muttered.

Yura gave him a look, head tilted, eyes narrowed like he was trying to smell something off. “So, you’re gonna sulk here till he gets back? C’mon, man. Boring.”

“I’m not sulking.”

“You kind of are.”

“I’m not.”

“Oh, by the way,” Yura started, folding his arms behind his head, eyes on the sky like he had all the time in the world. “You’re not the only one being left behind, you know. Shizuna-sensei got summoned too. Something off-book. No word on where or why. Same bird, same seal, same damn look on her face before she vanished.”

Kain’s gaze narrowed. “Shizuna too?”

“Yeah. And not just her. Hayate, the commander of Team C? Gone since this morning. Same kind of mission. You think that’s a coincidence?”

“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Kain muttered.

Yura snorted. “Neither do I. Half the upper ranks are gone, and the ones still here are walking like they’ve got glass in their boots. Something’s happening, and they’re not telling us.”

Kain kept quiet for a second, eyes drifting toward where Tenma had vanished earlier. The breeze hadn’t changed, but the silence around the village suddenly felt louder.

Yura glanced sideways at him, sharp as ever. “And don’t act like you’re not wondering if Tenma’s gonna be okay. I saw your face. You don’t hide concern well, y’know.”

“He’ll be fine,” Kain said simply.

Yura smirked, “You always say things like that when you mean the opposite.”

Kain scoffed, holding his hands together as he sat back down on a small wall. “Whatever you say.”

Yura sighed, a bit exhausted of this coldness of Kain, “Perhaps some company would do you good. Why is it you’re so distant with everybody?”

Kain looked at him for a second before looking away, “That’s how I am.”

Yura spoke up right after he finished his sentence, “Don’t lie to me, I’ve known you for a year almost. You weren’t like this back then.”

“People change.”

“So fast? Heh. I may be dumb, to some extent, Kain. But I’m not blind. I know all the critics you receive, everything that is going on around you and... Your god inside you.”

Kain’s stare darkened as he narrowed his eyes while looking at the floor, letting out a small “tch” under his breath at Yura’s words. “Yeah. What did you expect? All these things happening influence my mood, I’m not so soulless as many describe me. I’m human too.”

Yura laughed, sitting next to Kain, arms behind him as he leaned on his back, “Of course you aren’t soulless. Unlike many, I understand as much. But maybe you could try to change, Kain...” Yura turned serious almost instantly, like giving up on his carefree comedian side, “For example, we can start with basic things in order to make you be more comfortable and see how it feels to open up to people.”

After Kain nodded and parted slightly his lips, Yura instantly asked, “What’s your wish to achieve in life as a wizard?”

“I wish to be the Paragon of the Land of Fire.”

Yura's eyes glittered, a smile on his lips visible as his tone shifted to excitement.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about. Big talk. The Paragon of the Land of Fire. You are aiming for the top, huh?”

Kain didn’t react much. His voice was steady. “I’m not aiming. I’m moving.”

Yura blinked at that, a smile fading into something more thoughtful. “You sound like you’ve already started climbing. Even if no one sees it.”

“I don’t need them to see it,” Kain muttered. “I just need them not to be in my way.”

Yura whistled low. “Damn. Cold again. But fair, I guess. Still, it’s gonna be a long road, you know. The Paragon isn’t just the strongest. They got to carry the whole land on their back. Fire, politics, tradition, everything. You think you can handle that kind of weight?”

Kain tilted his head slightly, eyes sharp. “You think I can’t?”

“No, no,” Yura raised his hands lightly, “I think you can. I’ve seen what you can do when you’re serious. But what about the rest of it? The people stuff. The speeches. The alliances. Leading folks who already hate your guts.”

There was a short silence between them, wind stirring Yura’s hair a little.

“I don’t care if they hate me,” Kain said, low and focused. “I’ll burn a path anyway.”

Yura let out a small chuckle. “Alright. I like that fire in you. Just don’t burn everything before you even reach the top.”

Kain glanced over at him. “You done judging me yet?”

Yura smirked, leaning back again. “Not judging. Just poking. You’re interesting when you stop pretending, you’re not.”

Kain didn’t respond. But he didn’t look away either.

Yura tilted his head toward the sky, squinting. “You know… I think you’d be a good Paragon. Because you don’t want it for show. You want it because you’ve had to claw your way up since day one. People like that don’t forget where they came from.”

Kain’s expression didn’t change, but the silence that followed wasn’t heavy. It felt… easier.

“Besides,” Yura added with a sly grin, “if you do get the seat, I’ll be right there in your court. Loudest voice, worst behavior. You’ll hate it.”

“I already do,” Kain muttered.

“See? We’re halfway there.” Yura laughed.

Yura shifted, glancing sideways. “You got any idea why they’re all gone? Like… really gone?”

Kain didn’t answer right away. His fingers tapped once against the stone edge he sat on. “No one says anything. They just disappeared. One by one.”

“First Shizuna, then Hayate, then Tomoru,” Yura counted off with a finger for each name. “And now Tenma. That’s four top-ranked instructors. Gone in two weeks.”

“They called them missions.”

“Yeah. Top secret ones. All at once. Sounds real believable.”

Kain looked straight ahead. “Even if I knew something, I couldn’t prove it.”

Yura leaned back again, letting out a slow breath. “I don’t like it. Doesn’t feel right.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“You think Tenma knew something before he left?”

Kain’s jaw moved slightly, then settled. “He always knows more than he says.”

Yura nodded, chewing the inside of his cheek. “You think they’re connected? Like, all of them. Same reason.”

“I do.”

Yura went quiet for a second, then spoke again, voice lower. “Shizuna trained us in detection, counter intel, all that spy stuff. She wouldn’t get caught or killed easy. She’s too careful.”

“She didn’t get caught,” Kain said. “None of them did.”

Yura tilted his head. “So, they left willingly?”

Kain gave the smallest shrug. “Maybe not willingly. Maybe... deliberately.”

“Sounds like the same thing.”

“It’s not.”

Yura stared at him. “And what’s the difference?”

“If someone gives you an order and you follow it even though you hate it, that’s not willing. That’s deliberate.”

Yura blinked a few times, nodding slowly. “That’s a scary way to put it.”

Kain didn’t say anything more.

Yura picked up a small stone and tossed it lightly between his hands. “You think they’ll come back?”

“I think that depends on what they find.”

“Or what finds them.”

Kain’s eyes narrowed.

Yura tossed the stone over his shoulder. “This whole place is off-balance lately. Like something big’s moving under the surface.”

“It is.”

Yura laughed once, dry and uneasy. “Man. You say that like you already read the last page of the book.”

“I didn’t. But I’ve seen the corner of it.”

Yura added, inhaling and exhaling deeply, “Maybe if we’d talk with people from the other teams, we’d get answers.”

Kain replied calmly, with a nod of pure agreement, “Let’s start with the nearby hospital, we could find Hinari and Mina there.”

Yura jumped from his seat up to standing, “What are we waiting for? Let’s go decipher this mystery!”

          The walk from the training district to the hospital wasn’t long, but it stretched with a kind of quiet comfort, like the city itself was breathing around them. Kain and Yura moved at an easy pace through familiar streets, the kind that bent gently between low rooftops and lantern poles, each turn opening into small pockets of life. Vendors were packing up for the day, sweeping the dust from wooden stalls and chatting softly with neighbors. Children ran barefoot near the stone gutters, their laughter echoing faintly off the walls, while the older folk sat on shaded porches, sipping tea and watching the sky change.

There was no sense of urgency. Just the late-day hum of a city that took care of its own.

The Capital of Fire had its flaws. Everyone knew that. But in moments like these, they felt far away. Here, the streets didn’t wear the weight of military control or fear. People greeted one another with nods or waves, shared small meals on street corners, and helped each other without thinking twice. There was a quiet pride woven into the fabric of this place. Not flashy. Not perfect. Just lived-in. Honest.

Yura talked here and there, pointing out someone he knew, laughing at a joke that didn’t quite land. Kain mostly listened, hands in his pockets, gaze drifting to the passing faces. He didn’t say much, but he didn’t look like he hated being there either.

As they neared the hospital, the tall white structure rose steadily from the center of the neighborhood. They passed a group of healers finishing a delivery run, their arms full of herb bundles and bandages. The scent of lavender and smoke root lingered in the air. A few med-wizards glanced their way, recognizing them, offering nods without words. Familiar. Routine.

The hospital sat nestled at the edge of the inner sector, surrounded by quiet gardens and shaded benches. Not just a place of healing, but a reminder that here, people mattered.

The moment they walked through the gates, Yura spoke up “I would never switch my lifestyle here with anybody else.”

Kain quietly admitted, “I wouldn’t either.”

Moments later they found themselves inside the hospital, where people were waiting to get hospitalized. Hinari could be seen to boss around, at twelve, she was titled as “Order Secretary”.

Yura exclaimed, “Hinari---!”

A second later he felt his cheek being slapped by nobody else but Mina out of nowhere. “You shouldn’t yell in a hospital, idiot!” her soft, low and shy tone being a bit more forcefully loud to show authority, failing at feeling intimidating.

Yura put his hand over the place she particularly slapped a moment ago, “Ouch! Mina... Couldn’t you avoid slapping me this hard?”

Mina shook her head, while holding an angry furrowed expression, “No! You are disrespecting the indoors rules of this place, who learnt you your manners?”

Kain didn’t speak, he admired the scene, he admired Mina for such courage since he knew very well, she is an extremely timid colleague, shy and introverted. But he also knew just like everybody else but Yura that she could be pretty violent whenever the sake of the hospital was disrespected.

Yura sighed, shaking his head brutally to feel the pain cool down, then looked at Kain and gasped, “Oh yes! Mina, we are here to ask you and Hinari about something.”

Hinari walked towards them from behind Mina, curious as she suddenly heard her name. “Oh, hi boys!” she caught a glimpse of Kain being with Yura, which stirred some joy inside her that he found company. “Didn’t expect to see out of everybody you two together here. What are you up to ask us?”

Yura chuckled, “So...” he then trailed off as he calmed his excitement down, “About the teacher’s disappearance lately. Y’know, Tomoru, Tenma, Hayate, Shizuna... Do you guys know why?”

Hinari first replied as she calmly worded, “Well... You couldn’t exactly call this a ‘know’, I just remarked that for example, our teacher Kain: Tenma. Last week was out meeting with some high-ranking officials late at night and became weirdly avoidant of me whenever I saluted him like the usual.”

Mina added with her now natural shy low quiet voice, putting her hand on her chin thoughtfully as she crossed her arms. “Well... Tomoru’s last lesson with my team, felt weirdly off. Like it was a goodbye. He isn’t the type to be sentimental; you guys know it. He is very silent, calculating and sharp as a blade you could say. He barely praises us and is very strict and harsh on our training about perfection. And... Last time we trained, he praised us, he felt less harsh on us. Like he was a different being altogether.”

Yura nodded, a bit dramatically surprised, “Tomoru praising? That is new. I know he is not the dude that would show his vulnerable emotions like gratitude or anything of the sort... But this is holy weird. Don’t you agree Kain?”

Kain snapped off his thoughts as he heard his name, “He knows how to make me talk doesn’t he?” He thought a bit pissed but still composed. “Yeah. Tomoru is not an easy teacher with his students. I could comprehend how you’ve felt about your last training, like it was a ‘goodbye’.”

Mina nodded continuing, “Besides... As Hinari, I wouldn’t be in the capacity to exactly tell what happened. But I can imagine that our Land is either at risk of something big or our Paragon.”

Yura surprised of this out-of-pocket conclusion of a theory, pulled out his hands defensively, shaking his head, “Hey! If it was the case, wouldn’t they get to the higher ranked? The teachers may be strong, but it would be too weird for our Paragon to not tell us anything about it if the danger was real even in the slightest!”

Hinari explained gently, “If the Paragon would tell us about the disasters outside, it could create a dangerous crisis of panic. In order to protect us or have us safe, he has to keep it hidden till the attack rises.”

Yura realized the truth behind Hinari’s words an instant later, clapping his hands together with a wide smile, “You’re right! There would be no rush into telling us about all of this before the urgency rises!”

Kain sighed, “You’re quite slow at understanding certain things, I’ll admit that about you.”

Yura blinked, lips twitching into a half-smile, but he didn’t laugh this time.

"Okay. Yeah. That’s fair, I’ll take that."

Hinari stepped forward a little, brushing some hair off her shoulder.

"But seriously, Kain. If you’re saying there’s something more to this than just the Paragon keeping things quiet, then what is it? What do you think is going on?"

Kain didn't answer right away. He looked around. White walls, clean hallways, nurses passing in hushed tones. The hospital was quiet, but it didn’t feel peaceful.

"I think they’re not just hiding the threat. I think they’re moving against it already."

Mina tilted her head slightly, brows drawing in.

"You mean like... planning something? Without telling anyone?"

"They wouldn’t risk panic," Kain muttered. "But they also wouldn’t wait for the danger to knock. The teachers disappearing? That’s not random. They're out there, somewhere, doing something serious."

Hinari frowned. Her voice dropped.

"You think they’re fighting already?"

"I think they’re scouting. Or intercepting. Or maybe some of them aren’t coming back."

Yura’s expression dropped. His shoulders slumped a little.

"But why wouldn’t they even tell the other teachers? Or us? We’re supposed to be learning from them. What’s the point of all the training if we don’t even get to know what’s happening?"

Mina’s voice became soft but clear.

"Maybe it’s not for us to fight yet. Maybe they’re trying to buy us more time."

Hinari turned slightly to face her.

"Or maybe they’re being watched. Maybe if they tell us, it puts us in danger too."

Kain shook his head, “I think the other teachers don’t know about the reasons specifically or haven’t been called because they aren’t in the special forces of the Paragon like Tenma, Tomoru, Hayate and Shizuna.”

Hinari nodded her lips forming a soft small smile, “Indeed. Unfortunately, Kain, till Tenma won’t be back I’ll work on my healing spells and work my full time at the hospital alongside Mina. If you ever wish to find one of us, you know where to go. We’ll have to leave you here; patients wait for us.” When she finished her words, she walked away towards the patients waiting to talk to them.

Mina followed Hina shortly after, waving kindly at Kain and Yura.

Yura sighed, “Oh man, this is getting harder than I thought, honestly. Nobody seems to lead us on a good clue.”

Kain moved towards the exit, his expression showing his concentration growing as he thought of what to do next.

They walked out of the hospital, walking around the streets for a bit, before Yura grew impatient again and talked once more, stopping mid walk to look at Kain, “What should we do now? I mean, who could we ask to find information?”

Kain thought as he stopped mid tracks when he noticed Yura stopping. “...Yuto Hoshigane.”

Yura raised his eyebrow, “Who?”

Kain exasperated sighed, “Yuto. Hoshigane. His uncle is Tenma, so he may know something.”

Yura’s mind sparked up with an answer, exclaiming, “Ooh! The quiet prodigy! That weirdo who’s the copy of Tenma. Got you. Where could we find him though?”

Kain looked around, “I’m sure he’d find us first, he has a way just like Tenma to find everything that turns around him or things he cares about.”

Yura nodded, smiling widely, “Yeah! I once went on a mission with him, but he was a bit intimidating, they say you’re a monster, but he is the real one, I think. He’s cold, precise, often lost in thought, has pretty good skills in close combat, and tactical illusions. Like a shadow blending in and striking unseen!”

Kain chuckled at Yura’s mention of Yuto being the real monster, “I see why you’d say that. I’ve talked to him only once and that was because he had to talk to Tenma about some clan business. And even with Tenma he’s... weirdly bluntly cold.”

Yura laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah, bros got no volume dial. Just straight up silence or a surgical strike of words. No in-between.”

They turned a corner, the noise of the district thinning out into the hum of evening chatter and far off forge bells.

“I remember,” Yura said, “I tried cracking a joke during training with him once. Just trying to lighten the mood. He didn’t even look at me. Just went, ‘Focus or leave.’ Like, man. No fun in that skull.”

Kain gave a quiet nod.

“He’s like Tenma if he would’ve never become compassionate at heart. There’s nothing emotional in him. Only patterns, structure. That’s how he sees everything. And it worries me if I’m thinking about it... how will he turn out, so strict and always calculating, following blindly rules?”

Yura hummed, then glanced at Kain.

“You think he’ll tell us anything? Even if he knows something?”

“If Tenma told him not to,” Kain said, “he might not. But we must break him with some emotional vulnerability, he’s still human after all. He just built walls that are too high to reach around his heart.”

They moved down the street toward the older quarters, where some of the teacher housing and clan homes were scattered among the upper blocks.

“Alright,” Yura said, stuffing his hands in his pockets, “so we walk till he magically appears, or what?”

Kain slowed his steps. His eyes flicked to the rooftops, then down a narrow alley that cut behind one of the old noodle shops.

“He’s not the type to walk into a conversation. He is surely watching us. Finds people before they notice he’s around. He got a pretty nice elemental energy flow control; he makes himself unseen and undetectable. So, if he hasn’t found us yet… then he’s either busy. Or avoiding us.”

Yura let that hang for a second, then scratched his head.

“Okay. So, what now? You sniff out his scent too or somethin’?”

Kain ignored that. His gaze lingered near a side street where a small sake bar was closing, lanterns being pulled down. Something clicked in his head, but it didn’t feel like a full thought yet.

“Come on,” he said, turning abruptly, “we’ll try another lead.”

Yura blinked, trailing behind him.

“Wait, what lead?”                  

“He’s not the only one with ties to this mess.”

They weaved through quieter streets, toward the outer edge of the training quarters. A rusted gate marked the edge of one of the oldest houses in that block. A worn wind-chime swayed gently in the breeze, even though no one had passed through the door in a while.

Yura looked up, surprised.

“My house? What are we doing here?”

Kain didn’t answer. He just walked up to the gate and pushed it open.

Inside, a short man with tired shoulders sat on a crate by the fire pit, skin leathery from years of missions, wrapped in a frayed jacket and chewing something sharp smelling from a paper pouch.

“Yura,” he said, not lifting his eyes, “finally decided to stop by when you’re not begging for coins or meals?”

Yura grinned.

“Nah, this time I’m begging for information.”

Kain stepped forward.

“Nice to see you once more M.Hinamoto. Do you know where we could find Yuto Hoshigane?”

The man let out a low grunt and spat to the side.

“That shadow kid? Strange one. Doesn’t like people much. But…” he finally looked up at Kain, eyes color was almost white, blindness, “he’s been nosing around the northern towers lately. Close to the watch line. Not usual for kids like you unless something’s off.”

Yura blinked.

“Wait, you’ve seen him there? What’s he even doing around that zone?”

“Listening,” his father said flatly. “Same thing I do. That zone picks up messages. Couriers. Rumors. Movements between our land and the Water border. You stand still there long enough, someone always slips. But he got the genes.”

Kain stiffened.

“Did he speak to anyone?”

“One person,” the man said, voice low now. “He met with an older wizard who masked his face. I didn’t recognize the voice. But they didn’t argue. They knew each other. Might’ve been a handoff. Might’ve been orders.”

Kain’s jaw tensed slightly.

“That’s not a coincidence.”

Yura’s smile faded.

“Looks like we’ve got more than just one person to find now.”

His father smirked faintly.

“Welcome to grown-up problems. But why are you searching for Yuto?”

Kain explained calmly, “Tenma, Tomoru, Hayate, Shizuna, all disappeared from our teams in similar manners, weird behaviors, like it was a goodbye, and their lack of explanations...” Before Kain could even finish, the old and laughed loud enough to echo in the room.

“You really worry, don’t you kid? If they got called it’s most likely because someone at the same title of the Paragon, made their appearance again.”

Yura confusedly asked, “What do you mean, father?” titling his head to the side with his arms crossed to his chest.

M.Hinamoto continued, “You kids don’t know? Then let me tell you an old story...”

        A long time back, there was a team in the special forces of four. All around the age of sixteen.

These four members were Tenma, Tomoru, Hayate, and Shizuna. All were serving our precedent Paragon, Kurozome Genji. Genji was a sage with a fractured past, known for resilience and cryptic wisdom. A bridge between old traditions and new realities that were about to form after the Paragon war.

His ruling was perfect; he had the least stats of death out of all our Paragons. He was the embodiment of hope and peace. Though, after the Paragon War, right after a powerful enhancement of a vessel’s interior roommate spell “Child Sealing Order” was used... The very same seal that Kain’s fate stems from, he disappeared.

I did my own research as an old ally of his, I’ve known three Paragons of our Land, call me old if you may, but despite that, I stand capable of fighting and think better than most children nowadays. The wars, the roughness, built me into a great veteran. One thing I will never regret to be forged as.

Now going back to our four little teenagers and their adventures that are tied to this...

They were all four summoned, in Kaede’s Asahina’s office. He is the one ruling the special wizard forces.

"You four have been summoned to my office with a very serious task," Kaede said, his voice low and rough, more thunder than man.
His hand rested on the shaft of his spear, crackling softly at the tip from built-up static. The only light in the room came from a slit window high above, throwing pale lines across the floor where the four teenagers stood.

Tomoru was the first to speak, arms folded behind his back like always. "You say that every time, sir."

Kaede didn’t blink. "This time I mean it."

Tenma shifted beside him. He was quieter then, still formal, still too composed for someone his age. "Is it a kill order?"

"No." Kaede’s eyes scanned them each in turn. "It’s a protection order."

Hayate frowned, clearly thrown off. "Protect who?"

Shizuna hadn’t said a word. She leaned against the wall, half in shadow, watching Kaede’s movements with still, tired eyes. She only tilted her head now. No questions.

Kaede walked to the desk, pulled out a scroll, and set it on the table without opening it. "The Paragon received an anonymous tip. Something is being moved beneath the northern archives. Not by officials. Not by clans. Something older than either."

"Contraband?" Hayate asked, doubtful.

"No. Something sealed. Forgotten. Someone's trying to awaken it." He finally opened the scroll. On it was a hand-drawn sigil, a mark none of them recognized. "You four are the only ones who’ll be stationed there. Quiet. No uniforms. No emblems. The council won’t even be told."

Tomoru stepped closer. "That’s not protocol."

Kaede's voice grew sharper. "You’ve trained under me for three years. You know I don't care for protocol. I care for balance. And this..." he tapped the sigil once, hard "if left unchecked, will bring a decade of war to our doorstep."

Tenma stepped forward. "So we’re guarding a secret."

"You’re guarding the thing that could make the Paragon fall." Kaede let the words settle. "If Genji’s rule is to survive, this doesn’t reach the public. Not the clans. Not even the other sages."

Shizuna spoke for the first time. "Why us?"

Kaede looked at her directly. "Because I know how you fight. More than that, I know how you trust."

There was a silence after that. The kind that only came when something heavy had been passed between people.

"I picked you four because you cover each other's flaws." He gestured toward each of them. "Tomoru’s judgment. Tenma’s control. Hayate’s instinct. Shizuna’s insight. Together, you’re faster than any unit I’ve ever built."

"And if we fail?" Hayate asked.

"You won’t," Kaede said flatly. Then added, almost like a warning, "Because failure means unleashing something that doesn't care what side you're on. Only that you breathe."

Hinamoto’s voice faded slightly as he looked into the firelight across the room, present-day again, though the heat of the memory hadn’t left his expression.

"You see now? That team, that bond... it wasn't made by chance. It was forged in the dark, far from glory. Before you ever heard their names. So if they’ve vanished, all four... it means the dark’s moving again."

He poured more tea without looking up.

"And the ones who faced it last time aren’t about to let someone else face it alone."

Yura took a deep breath in, “Yeah... I guess you’re right. But that still doesn’t explain us what is going on exactly.”

Kain stepped towards Hinamoto slowly, his eyes locking on him, “You know it, don’t you? You’re hiding it away from us for some reason.”

M.Hinamoto looked up at Kain with a sly smirk, not moving his head at all. “You’re right. I do know. But what fun would it be to tell you outrightly? It would be more beneficial for you to train your deduction skills yourselves.”

“Be it.” Kain declared ambitiously. He turned to meet Yura’s eyes, “Yura, let’s bring down every information we know so far.”

M.Hinamoto looked at them with keen interest, he knew his son, Yura, wouldn’t be much of some help for Kain in this pursuit of finding out what is going on, but despite his son’s flaws in this category, he knew he had the best memory out there. Which could help to dig out information out his head.

Yura nodded, looking at Kain determined, “Sure. I hear you, Kain. But what could we start with? What would tie them into this? What key element would bring us to the biggest hint?”

Kain thought, his hand resting on his chin, his gaze going down on the floor, his eyebrows furrowing.

Moments passed in silence as they thought thoroughly, until Kain’s eyes widened in realization.

“I know!” Kain shouted almost too shocked, “It’s about Souta! It’s about what happened on our first mission a while ago!”

Yura flinched at Kain’s sudden shout, taken aback by this sudden information, “Dude why would Souta be the cause of this?”

“Because Souta is from the Obanashi clan! And that night Tenma reached out to him exchanging something like...”

“What? But I didn’t sense your presence at all.”

Tenma chuckled, “Maybe you shouldn’t exactly rely on presences, not when people like me are around.”

Souta scoffed, “Sure. I don’t care, what will you do anyways with this information?”

Tenma replied firmly, “Keep an eye on you. I wouldn’t want to have in my team a certain Water Land spy.”

Souta’s eyes widened and ego’s been touched with these words, “Ha! Like I would ever be discovered by the ones of you if I were to be one.”

Tenma sighed, his sigh a bit exasperated, “You should let go of this confidence of yours, it is your greatest weakness so far, Souta.”

Souta offensively defended himself, “Yeah and?”

He narrowed his eyes just a bit, smile twitching upward with venom. “And what about you, Tenma? You talk a lot about confidence being a weakness... Let me guess, didn’t you once have a teammate who paid the price for yours?”

Tenma’s expression faded, his eyes stern and deadly serious towards Souta.

Souta stepped past him slowly, holding tight on the straps of his backpack. “Maybe you should stop projecting and start healing.”

“Perhaps...you should also worry more about your own failures than mine.”

The cold tension between them could be seen if not heard.

Hinari’s hands paused too, she was folding her cloak, but now they stayed clenched on the fabric.

At first, Tenma said nothing.

Souta looked back, only half-facing him, his voice low. “What, no clever comeback? Or maybe it hit too close this time.”

Yura nodded, now his expression too the same as Kain’s, “Now that you’ve explained what happened... It sure is a possibility, I mean, looking back at what Tenma said specifically... ‘Keep an eye on you. I wouldn’t want to have in my team a certain Water Land spy’  It surely directs that something has happened.”

Kain let out a short nod with his face now going serious, “Yeah, I couldn’t get exactly the beginning of Tenma’s words since he whispered them to Souta’s ear, but I can swear it is about him. I swear something happened that night during my sleep that I couldn’t see.”

Yura felt Kain’s hurt in his words, the way something troubled him, his fists were clenched till his knuckles turned white. “I understand how you feel, dude. But you shouldn’t feel this bad because of it. At least we know now that it is about Souta, the Obanashi, and Tenma’s remark on Souta about the night before his confrontation.”

M.Hinamoto’s smile widened, almost proud to hear what he was hearing. He coughed; a raspy cough sick people make. “You’re right, young man. It is indeed about the young Souta, and the night before Tenma’s confrontation.”

Kain’s eyes closed as he gritted his teeth tightly, “Why? What has he done to be considered a traitor? What happened that night I am not aware of?”

M.Hinamoto stood up, looking directly at Kain, his eyes piercing through him. “The rumors say he met up with his two siblings, Shigure and Kazuki Obanashi. Kazuki being Souta’s older brother, around his mid-twenties, and an elite member of the Obanashi clan. I’ll tell you details in case you meet them one day... Kazuki is a tall, lean, with sharp features clear on his face. He has black hair tied back neatly, cold dark eyes pairing with it. He wears the traditional clan robes with subtle water themed patterns. As far as I know, from my past encounters with him... He is a proud, stoic and commanding man. He carries the weight of the clan’s expectations like armor. He’s ruthless in battle but values discipline and order above all. Kazuki is also a quiet but sharp man. He rarely wastes words and prefers actions to speak for him, unless it’s one of his siblings or close relatives. When Souta first was sent to our land by the Obanashi as they exiled him temporarily, Kazuki viewed it as a weakness with a mix of disappointment and faint approval. A reluctant respect for the younger brother’s stubborn streak.

          Now for Shigure, she is also his older sister and one of the elite Obanashi’s clans members. She’s in her early-twenties. Shigure is slender but athletic, has sharp eyes, long black hair often worn loose or in a high ponytail. Her gaze is penetrating and often cruel. Wears darker, more tactical clothing suited for stealth and assassination clothes. Unlike Kazuki, she is more like Souta. She’s harsh, biting and openly cruel especially towards Souta. Shigure’s disdain in sharp and merciless, almost sadistic. She enjoys reminding Souta of his failures and exile. She’s fiercely loyal to the clan and driven by ambition, seeing Souta’s weakness as a threat to their family’s honor. Unlike Kazuki’s silent control, Shigure uses words like weapons, mocking and provoking Souta relentlessly. Yet beneath her cruelty lies a complicated fear, losing their family legacy if Souta doesn’t prove himself.”

Yura took a deep breath in after hearing this whole description of Souta’s siblings by his father, then proceeded to ask, “How do you know most of these, father?”

M.Hinamoto answered sternly, “I was always present back then to the meetings. When Souta was exiled ‘temporarily’, I was present, where I could meet both Kazuki and Shigure alongside their parents and Paragon of the Water Land, their uncle. They usually came back, only them two, Kazuki and Shigure, to either inform us of new conditions of treatment for Souta, new messages for him, personal visits, and so on. I was always present, since I am one of the members of the Council.”

Kain scoffed, “Their only interest is to make Souta come back to their stupid land and use his powers since he’s got more potential than anyone their clan. I will not let that happen.” His anger was clear as water through the way Kain spoke his words, he spit the words, he was radiating an elemental energy darker than his usual one, displaying the god of destruction’s energy radiating through him in such moments of vulnerability.

M.Hinamoto could see that elemental energy, dark, suffocating, poisonous to one’s pores and cells. He knew that Kain had restrictions before, stricter than those of criminals, just because he was a vessel for this god of destruction. But with Souta’s and Hinari’s help to convince Rinhaku, the Paragon, Kain felt his freedom for the first time. A smile was present on his dry lips, he scratched at the coarse hair on his chin. “What is affecting you so much, Kain? What is the reason behind this ambition to keep Souta to our land?”

He opened his eyes suddenly, emanating from them a dim light the pupils small and white as his eye color went pitch black, one of the traits he has when he loses control over his body slowly. “I too felt the stress of expectations, of being restricted, left with no choice but to follow. Souta right now is living to please his clan, who seek nothing but to use him for their own beneficial gain egoistically. Souta may be my teammate I so much dislike, but never in hell will I let anybody touch him. Because he helped me to gain my freedom. Which I too will fight for in his cause!”

Yura listened to Kain attentively, smiling widely, “Hell yeah! You’re his friend after all from the moment he helped you for your own good!”

M.Hinamoto let out a short laugh, “Truly remarkable. Who thought you’d get yourself in such rage and anger just for a young man who insults you on a daily?”

Kain spit out bluntly, “Even so, I am no less innocent than him on that matter. I am worser than he is. I will forever be. If he insults me, it’s for a good cause. It’s because I pushed him to!”

M.Hinamoto turned to look at a picture that was framed on the chimney. “I understand your feelings very well. Kain. But before trying to stop Tenma, Hayate, Shizuna, and Tomoru from this... You should get stronger, don’t you think?” He asked that purposefully to see his answer, and based on that, he would help him differently. “If Kain chooses to confront them with a fight, I will have to push his wishes down instantly, because he will never be able to face the four special wizards. But if he chooses to talk with them, I will help him find key points and ways to get under their skin.”

“...I will seek Souta first.”

A flicker of surprise could be seen on M. Hinamoto’s face, “Huh? Souta? But convincing Souta will have no results.”

Kain shook his head, his voice getting louder. “Then what are you demanding me of doing? Stay still and not move an inch?”

Suddenly, a door cracking sound could be heard, one of the doors on the nearby hallway opened, and the elemental energy emerging from it didn’t seem so happy.

M.Hinamoto took a deep breath, looking at Yura, “She woke up.” He let out a nervous laugh alongside his son.

...

“WHAT BASTARD DARED TO WAKE ME UP?!” The voice yelled behind Kain, slapping him instantly.

It was Yura’s mother, Hinamoto’s loving wife.

Yura tried to defend Kain, “Calm down mother, we are talking of serious matters, no need to be so aggressive!”

She quickly calmed down as she saw her husband nod in agreement to Yura’s words. Her voice softened as she gave some pats to Kain’s head, noticing his eyes and dark elemental energy emanating from him overall. “I apologize then, Kain.”

As soon as Kain’s eyes landed on her face, he felt a fill of emotions surging to surface he long forgotten alongside lost memories.

Back when Kain was barely the age of four.

The hand was warm.

Gentle.

It patted the top of his head slowly, brushing down once, then again, fingers threading lightly through his red, uncombed hair. Kain blinked, confused for a second, startled by the tenderness. He didn’t flinch, just stared ahead with the hollow expression he wore like skin now. But something inside him cracked, just a little, under that familiar softness.

“You’re too quiet today,” the woman murmured.

Her voice carried a smile. Tired, but always kind. Sayaka Yorinome leaned forward from where she sat cross-legged on the porch, pulling him gently to sit beside her. She wore her old robes again, navy and plum, tattered at the hems, sleeves far too long for a formal keeper of forbidden knowledge. But Kain liked those robes. She looked softer in them. More like… her.

His hands curled in his lap. He didn’t answer.

Sayaka ruffled his hair again, tilting her head toward him. “You planning on giving me the silent treatment forever? Or are you gonna let me guess what’s eating your tiny little heart today?”

Kain finally looked up at her.

He always did.

His voice was small, cracked, but clear. “Why does everyone hate me?”

Sayaka’s hand froze mid-pat.

“...What?”

He shook his head, eyes darting away. “They don’t say it. But they do. Even the Paragon. Especially him. He looks at me like I broke something.”

A gust of early evening wind passed between them, rustling the paper charms that hung from her porch beams. Sayaka turned toward him slowly, expression unreadable. But not unkind.

Kain swallowed. His hands were trembling now. “I don’t know where I come from. I don’t know who I am. And… and every time someone’s nice to me, they leave. Or disappear. Or die.”

Sayaka stayed silent.

Kain gritted his teeth, little fists clenching. “I don’t want you to leave too.”

That did it. Sayaka reached out and pulled him closer, letting his forehead press lightly against her shoulder. Her palm cupped the back of his head again, soft, grounding, real.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said gently.

“You will,” Kain muttered. “You all do.”

Sayaka gave a small, sad laugh. “You think I’m that easy to get rid of? Little storm like you? I’ve dealt with worse.”

Kain stayed pressed to her shoulder, trying not to cry.

Sayaka looked out across the garden, eyes distant now, thinking about the path she’d chosen, the rules she’d broken to protect him, the danger she was pretending didn’t exist.

“You know,” she began softly, “when I was your age, people hated me too. I was a vessel. Just like you. But I didn’t have anyone to pat me on the head and tell me I’d be okay. I had to find that comfort myself. Took years.”

Kain sniffed. “...Did it work?”

Her fingers paused in his hair. Then resumed. “For a while. But that’s not the point.”

“What is, then?”

Sayaka turned back to him, smiling through the heaviness in her eyes. “That even if the world doesn’t see you the way you want… that doesn’t mean you don’t have value. You’re not cursed, Kain. You’re unaccepted. And there’s a difference.”

He frowned, confused, still too young to understand.

Sayaka reached down, touching his chest lightly with her finger. “Right here. There’s something strong in you. It’s not your curse. Not your god. It’s you. That’s what scares them. Not power, they can deal with that. What they can’t deal with is that you might grow into someone they can’t control.”

Kain sat quiet, his face unreadable again.

Sayaka smiled again. This time, teasing. “Also, you’re way too serious for a four-year-old. You should be throwing frogs at windows or something. I’m worried about you.”

“I don’t like frogs,” Kain mumbled.

Sayaka laughed. “Of course not.”

“Kain?” Yura repeated concerned, shaking Kain who seemingly was too lost in thought during the memory resurging. “Kain come back to your senses!”

“Huh...?” Kain blinked twice before seeing only Yura in front of him, both M. Hinamoto and his wife now out of sight. “What happened?”

Yuta let out a long-relieved exhale, he was more than content, and his face showed it. “Fuck you, man... I thought something seriously happened to you.”

Kain’s eyes were back to normal, and so his elemental energy didn’t give off the same scary feelings as before. His breath came out shortly, like he held it in, “I had a flashback of my past, your mother reminds me of someone.” He left no openness to discuss this any further.

Yura felt Kain didn’t want to speak about it, so he didn’t push it, instead he said, “It’s fine, why not we continue where we left off without father?”

Kain looked around, and lifted an eyebrow, “Where’s your father and mother at?”

Yura explained shortly, “They were called at the Council.”

The chimney fire kept going, Kain looking straight at it. “I see...” His eyes narrowing, his sadness showing up to his face. That memory hit him like a brick to the face.

Yura kept quiet, his hands falling to his sides from the hold he had on Kain’s shoulders earlier to wake his senses back to reality. His face also showed sadness at the view of Kain’s expression. “This dude has a way to make people feel bad whenever he gets expressive like that...”

“Ahem...” He tried to get Kain’s attention to something else, “Why don’t we continue...? Souta won’t get himself out of this pit of problems by himself.”

Kain’s eyes sparkled at the mention of Souta, instantly going back to his stoic expression. “You’re right... Then, Yura... Do you think it’s best we go directly to the Paragon and confront him alongside the other special wizards, Tenma, Shizuna, Hayate, Tomoru...?”

Yura gave Kain a sharp look. “You're serious?”

Kain didn’t answer right away. Just stared forward, the firelight catching faint gold in his eyes.

“You’re actually gonna go talk to the Paragon.” Yura leaned back, jaw tight. “About Souta. About the Obanashi.”

“Not talk,” Kain said. “Confront.”

Yura blew out a breath. “You better pray Tenma’s in the right state of mind. Or that Shizuna-sensei decides not to hang us out to dry.”

Kain finally turned. “She’s already covering for us. She’s been covering since before this even started.”

Yura didn’t have a comeback for that.

“You know what happens if we screw this up.”
Yura’s voice was softer now. Lower. No posturing.
“They’ll exile you. Or worse. You get that, right?”

“I do.” Kain’s tone didn’t change. “But if I don’t go… they’ll break him. Just like they tried with me.”

He paused. Barely a breath.

“Souta won’t survive it.”

Yura looked at him for a long time.

Then he muttered, “I still think we should’ve just punched Kazuki in the throat.”

Kain gave a faint smirk. “That’s what they want. A reason to make us the enemy.”

Yura shrugged. “Then I’ll give them one later. Neatly packaged.”

Kain’s smirk faded. “This isn’t about revenge.”

“No,” Yura said, cracking his knuckles. “It’s about making sure they don’t erase him.”

Kain stood up. Brushed dirt from his hands.

“I’m going. With or without you.”

Yura stood too. “Don’t be stupid. Of course I’m coming.”

Kain looked at him sideways. “You sure?”

Yura scoffed. “You’ll say the wrong thing and get yourself sealed in a box.”

Kain raised a brow. “Again?”

“Don’t play dumb. You were born sealed.”

Kain didn’t argue.

He just turned and started walking, quiet, steady, already gone in his mind. Toward the city’s heart. Toward the Paragon.

Yura fell into a step beside him, not needing to ask what came next.

The broken vessel and the hunter’s son.

Marching toward the council chambers carved into the mountainside, where power watched with calm eyes and clean hands.

Where Souta’s fate was being passed around like something useful.

Where monsters wore clan robes.

And where Tenma…
…might already be waiting.

Chapter Text

They entered one by one.

Tenma first, always early, always poised, always watching. Then Shizuna, quiet as she thought. Hayate came third, unbothered by the silence, scratching the back of his neck like this was just another room, another meeting, another war waiting to be briefed. Tomoru was the last of them, arms behind his back, the only one whose eyes scanned the corners like they meant something.

No words yet. Just stillness.

Then came Kaede.

Not rushed at all.

He stepped in slowly, leaning on a polished walking stick, simple, elegant, dark wood carved from old lightning-struck cypress. It didn’t make him look weak. It made him look heavy and serious. Like time had decided to walk with him now, not chase him like it would look like for most. His body hasn’t changed much, shoulders still straight, back still high, but there were lines under the eyes, something soft at the edges of his face that wasn’t there before. A man who had stopped outrunning his age, not because he couldn’t, but because he no longer had to.

He took one look at them and paused.

Shizuna lowered her eyes first. Tenma followed. Hayate blinked a little more than usual, like something cracked open behind his stare. Tomoru said nothing, but the silence tightened around his shoulders.

Kaede exhaled.

“You all know this,” he said, voice lower than the air around him, “but I’ll say it again anyway.”

A beat passed. His eyes met theirs, one by one.

“You’re my children. In my eyes. My precious pearls.”

It dropped in the middle of them like a memory too sharp to be nostalgia. They didn’t speak. They didn’t need to. Twenty years of shared breath doesn't leave quietly. The cold camps. The first missions. The scars they saw each other cry over. Tomoru’s boy. Shizuna’s partner. Hayate’s ring. The days where every lesson burned. The days when every win felt too big for a sixteen-year-old to hold.

Kaede stood a little straighter then. Grip firm on the walking stick. The softness vanished from his voice like a candle put out by wind.

“But that’s not why you’re here.”

And just like that, the old master returned.

“You tell me why you asked me to come here.”

Each of them was around the table.

Hayate looked at Kaede, serious and firm. His arms crossed around his chest. “We all here were called by a letter in the name of the Chief of the Council, M. Hinamoto himself.”

Tomoru’s word’s clear as water and sharp as blades showed his conviction about all of this, “Kaede... For short, we were called by Hinamoto to get something clear after Tenma’s report of something weird happening with Souta Obanashi. The youngest of the three children of the brother’s Paragon of the Land of Water. The next clearance about Tenma’s report and content of it is his to explain.”

Tenma nodded, standing straight and imposing, his expression deliberately very serious for someone as composed as him, “Indeed. I’ve had a first mission with my team, Team A, a few days ago. Three to be exact. It is composed of Kain Rukairo, the Vessel of the god of destruction, of Souta Obanashi, and Hinari Kazurei who’s a close relative to our Paragon, Rinhaku, and a pure-blooded member of the Kazurei. During the night we should’ve been resting, I was keeping an eye on them for security inside my tent, faking my sleep. Then I heard a sudden sound in Souta’s tent, like he woke up suddenly from a bad dream probably. Soon after, I heard his quiet steps walk into the muddy ground towards a deeper part of the forest, so I decided to use an illusory technique to clone myself and send it to watch over him while I stayed in my tent. Then I saw something that I would’ve hoped not to see... A conversation between Souta, and his two older siblings, Shigure and Kazuki Obanashi. Which I’ll ask for the hologram over here to kindly show us the scene my clone saw so you will all understand it properly.”

Tenma touched the hologram on the table, using his elemental energy to open it and make the visual of what he asked. And there it was, the scene of that night, when Souta met up with Shigure and Kazuki.

“Kazuki, Shigure.” Souta says while approaching them calmly.

Kazuki spoke up, a cold tone, “Souta, you heard our call then.”

Souta asked raising an eyebrow, “Heard your call? So, you were behind my dream?”

Shigure bluntly replied, “Obviously. Who else?”

Kazuki turning towards Shigure insisted, “Do not speak so insultingly to our little brother, sister.”

Shigure rolled her eyes, scoffing, “Souta’s a little bitch unable to resist our clan’s training, that’s why he is now in this horrible land of Fire.”

Kazuki insisted once more, more menacingly, “Shigure.”

Shigure sighed, “Fine fine. But don’t complain after we leave that he is weak as hell.”

Kazuki looked at Souta and explained, “Little brother, we are here as our father sent us in the name of the Paragon. He gave you a choice, you either decide to join our clan after you become a Caster, either you will be our first exiled member of the Obanashi.”

Souta stern as ever, replied, “If father thinks of me so low that he predicts my betrayal, he should think again. I am everything but no traitor to my kind.”

Shigure surprise was caught rapidly after his words, “Is that so? And here I was thinking you would’ve chosen your little new home and friends above us.”

Kazuki grew a smile, proud, he was so arrogant it could’ve been read on his face, “Then it’s settled, after your Caster exam come to us, your home and family. You’ll be an honorable member of our community.”

Souta smirked, “A snake will forever hiss. Kazuki, Shigure, I will forever serve the snake, I will forever stand proud as an Obanashi.”

Shigure giggled, “With such ambition, father and uncle may declare you next leader in the family. Maybe even next Paragon of our Land.”

Kazuki’s evil laugh resonated, “If only he ever succeeds at beating me! He has a long way to go, sister. He doesn’t even have the capacity to control his elemental energy correctly yet. He doesn’t even know how to control the waters and venoms!”

Shigure agreed, perfectionating her makeup with the help of a bubble of water, “Indeed, brother, Souta is just a baby yet, he is an insignificant prick to us that we can defeat in not even a second.”

Souta scoffed, “One day I will surpass both of you and become Paragon of the Land of water!”

Kazuki was about to add something but quickly stopped as he saw a falling star, “Ah, Souta, unfortunately father needs us back home, me and sister. We will wait for you proudly, and curious about your progress meanwhile. Do not disappoint us, and do not attach yourself too much of the Fire.”

With that, they evaporated as water to thin air, leaving Souta alone in the middle of the forest.

“This is everything I witnessed before eliminating my clone as I sensed Hinari waking up and going to check on Souta.” Tenma added after the scene ended.

Shizuna kept quiet, a hand over her chin, thinking in her own bubble of mind about it.

Kaede tightened his grip on the wooden walking stick, his gaze further darkening, unhappy about the scene that just happened holographically. “I see... So you Tenma have the responsibility of Kain Rukairo, Souta Obanashi and Hinari Kazurei... You truly have a gift at being handed the hardest of tasks... But going back at the true issue at hand... Kazuki and Shigure are awaiting the Caster’s aftermath to get Souta back to their land or exile him permanently. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t think they have any right to get him back without a proper official document implying their justification to get him back after they exiled him temporarily to our Land, which means he is under our responsibility now.”

Tomoru turned to face Kaede, “Indeed. This is a pure act of crime. We cannot let these two get to Souta, and if they will by any chance get to him, we will have to declare war against the Land of Water for this filthy crime.”

Hayate replied with a nervous chuckle, “Hey hey... Come on Tomoru, we shouldn’t get so far as declaring wars, we are still affected of the last one that happened almost two decades ago. We cannot start wars for things like these---” He was quickly interrupted by Tomoru’s short temper which resonated in the room, “The Obanashi are a clan full of trickery and mischief, their actions are never to do good, and we saw it many times already. They sent one of their own, Souta, to our land, for us to babysit him since we have the obligation of the peace treatment to care for our neighbors’ issues with a signed accord. Our Paragon signed it out of respect for the treatment and to tighten the ties with our neighbor land. And look where it got us to! Two Obanashi trying to reach out to Souta behind our back so they can do whatever plans they’ve got for him.”

Hayate sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re right, Tomoru, I cannot lie. Nobody here can. Obanashi are in fact creatures known for pure evilness and misdoings, trickeries and all sorts of horrible doings. They became the head of their Land with violence, dethroning the old Paragon. Everybody knows these tales, but we must see them with our eyes before the Casters exams end. So, we can know correctly what the issue at hand with them and their plans is truly.”

“Calm down, all of you.” Kaede’s voice clear and echoing in the room made both look at him, now mouths shut. “You should consider that I am the chief here. I am the chief of the special forces and your mentor. A little bit of respect, will we?”

They all fell their eyes onto the table, looking at the hologram, the dim light of the room being only that of the blue hologram.

Kaede continued, tapping his wooden walking stick to the ground twice to make their heads lift. “I decided something. Tenma, you will remain in the city to prepare the special forces units while I will meet with the Three Sages. Meanwhile, Hayate will stay at the frontier of our Land, and Shizuna and Tomoru will infiltrate the Land of Water to seek information about the Obanashi, their plans, and whatever you find to be interesting enough for us to know.”

Shizuna spoke up, quietly, “But Kaede... We must get back up in case something happens.” Her worries clear as water, she was not afraid to die in her infiltration, but to be lost for her team’s guidance.

Kaede laughed, “You have too many worries in your head, Shizuna. Focus on your mission. When did we ever fail in one of our missions?”

Shizuna smiled gently, “Never.”

“Exactly. Now, I’ll ask you all to...”

Before he could even finish his sentence, a huge explosion could be heard from one of the floors above, some dust falling down the ceiling. Before they even had time to react, here they were... Kain and Yura at the door entrance, panting.

“We finally got to you!” Yura exclaimed, a smirk on his lips full of pride.

Kain closed the door behind them and walked close to them, but keeping yet a distance. “I thought you all were already gone.”

Tenma’s eyes widened in surprise, he thought to himself “Kain and Yura... What a destructive duo. Who would’ve thought?” Before he could even blink, his eyes noticed something instantly... Kain’s right arm was completely black up to the elbow, he used the gods of destruction powers for the explosion earlier!

Before anyone could’ve said anything, Kaede turned around, and laughed. “Well, well... Here we are, Kain Rukairo and Yura Hinamoto, the Chief of the Council’s son and the Vessel. What brings you two here?”

Kaede was unbothered to ask why the explosion occurred just a moment ago or how they got in, he already figured it out just like Tenma.

Yura stood up tall and proud, pointing with his thumb at himself, “We are here to talk about Souta of course!”

Kaede rises an eyebrow, a smirk on his lips visible, “Is that so? I suppose you accompanied your Vessel friend over here for this.”

Tenma put his hand on Kaede’s shoulder, looking into his eyes while shaking his head, whispering to his ears, “Don’t call him like that. He has a name. Kaede.”

Kaede’s smirk widened, amusement clear on his face. He looked back at Kain, who was about to reply to his affirmation earlier. “Yes, I am here to assure myself none of you or from the Obanashi will hurt Souta in any way.”

Silence.

Nobody spoke besides Kaede and Kain, the tension between Kaede’s sudden seriousness and straight posture, both hands on his cane, while also holding his head up high looking down at Kain showed pure intimidation. “Is that so? How do you think we will hurt your dear Souta friend, boy?”

Kain’s gaze locked into Kaede’s gaze almost immediately. His clenching his fists. “You have power, social status, and political power above all. Your words are great value. I am here to ensure that you won’t use that value to restrict his rights or anything for what you guys call safety.”

Kaede’s eyes locked as well on Kain’s. He thought, “Kain Rukairo, the vessel of the god of destruction who once lived in the worst of conditions, now is defending Souta who is at risk of a similar outcome? I didn’t think I’d live long enough to see such a scene.”

“What makes you so attached to Souta, Kain?”

The question perked on Tenma’s ears especially. He knew best their bond and how they are together.

Kain gritted his teeth, “So in your eyes, I need a great bond with him in order to save him from a horrible fate like the one of no freedom?”

“You misunderstand, Kain.” Kaede’s eyes close for a second, “I am not insinuating you should be rather close to someone in order to save them from a fate you think of being horrible. I am simply curious.”

Kain looked down at the floor, his tone turning sourpuss, with a hint of vulnerability as he spoke about Souta. “Souta alongside Hinari helped me to gain my freedom back, to be free, and to live amongst everyone else. They confronted the Paragon, gave all their arguments for my freedom and to erase this rule of ‘security’ that had no logic to be still standing upon me. And now, Souta is faced with a similar fate, he is asked by his siblings to join his land, turn his back on us, for who knows what motives. Souta is loyal to his clan, I know that he endlessly made me understand that in the past, which is respectable and honorable by all means. But I cannot let him be secluded for stupid reasons like security, knowing that he is more capable than me of standing up for himself, he holds himself confidently against any battle or provocation, he has greater emotional control than I have, he isn’t a vessel unlike me. So why should HE be met at such a risk, if he isn’t the source of the problem at all?”

Yura looked at Kain with a calmer expression, less prideful and more neutral. He heard his display of vulnerability about Souta when they were talking to his father, M. Hinamoto. Who was the one who raised the doubts of such a thing happening to Souta in the first place.

Kaede opened his eyes, his eyebrows furrowed tightly on his face, “I see. So, you’ve spoken with Hinamoto I suppose? Only he knew about this alongside me.”

Yura replied behind Kain, “Yes, we did. He also knew we would be coming for you all to avoid this from happening.”

Kaede looked back at Shizuna, who was quiet ever since she got here, “Come on, will you not say anything about your student’s bad behavior?”

Shizuna looked up at Kaede, her voice quiet, “I have nothing to say, as his mentor I do hold a place in his education and manners, but Hinamoto is his father, I hold no place in judging his father’s action to let him get in here by exploding one of the floors as distraction.”

Tomoru suddenly approached Kain and Yura coldly, his steps heavy on the floor, his muscular frame playing a major role in his intimidating look. He stopped a step away from Kain, he stared at him deadly, like he was about to slap him back to reality. His voice loud and deep, “You prick dare to do anything you please just because you’ve got that god inside you?” He grabbed the back of the head with his left hand, pulling his head backwards to meet his eyes properly.

Kain’s eyes were slowly turning black once more, the pupil going white, one of the first steps in his transformation. He spit his words at the same volume as Tomoru’s, but his voice held an undertone to it like the god was also talking, “You cling to your titles. Paragons. Mentors. Strategists. But none of you saw it. None of you see it even now.”
“The one you fear,” His darkened hand lifted slightly, trembling with restraint. “Is the only one who has never betrayed him. Not with silence. Not with doubt. Not with shame.”

Kaede stepped forward sharply, voice firm.

“Enough.”

The air around Kain twisted, the elemental energy reacting like a magnetic storm. But Kaede didn’t flinch raised one palm, drawing a thin barrier of sealing energy in a single, smooth motion.

“You’ve spoken. Now get out of him.”

Shizuna joined him, forming a second layer behind the first, hands forming rapid signs with mechanical precision. Her voice remained quiet, but sharper now.

“You don’t belong in this room. You don’t belong in this body.”

Tenma moved next, forming an anchor seal in front of Kain’s feet.

“Kain isn’t gone yet. We’re not letting him lose ground.”

But the god kept speaking. Still inside Kain. Still watching them all.

“You treat him like a ticking bomb. You don’t understand why he bleeds for someone like Souta. Why he watches that boy like a dying flame. But I do.”
“Because I see what he is.”

A beat of silence. The black of the transformation of the god within Kain’s body spreading now to Kain’s jawline. His teeth were clenched. He looked almost hollow. “You think they’re just close. You think it’s a chance. Kindness. Some childish bond.”
The god's voice was growing colder. “But it is pain that recognizes pain. Origin that calls to origin. And power that remembers itself.”

Hayate stepped in behind Kaede, now reinforcing the elemental energy field with elemental compression, wind pressure folding in like a pressurizing seal.

“Whatever he is, he’s still Kain.”
His eyes locked on the vessel.
“And we’ll bring him back before you ruin him.”

The god laughed, not loud, but low and ancient.

“You’ll try.”

His voice was layered now, dragging in tones from deeper places, far older than any language still taught. The black spread further, darkening both Kain’s arms like smoke clinging to his bones.

“You all act as though you’re here to save him. You dress your concern in the robes of nobility. But where were you when he bled?”
“You think he fears me?”
“No.” The voice coiled. “He accepts me.”

Tomoru tensed, but Kaede raised his hand slightly to stop him.

“He does not resist me because I gave him what none of you did, power. Power when he was hunted, beaten, marked, and thrown aside like rotting parchment. Not mercy. Not warmth. Power.”

Shizuna's hands twitched, ready to seal again, but Kaede’s voice cut in low, level, and calm.

“We’re not enemies, you and I.”

The room quieted.

Kaede stepped forward, slowly, until the heat of the corrupted elemental energy brushed against his sleeves.

“You speak with rage, but I hear pain beneath it. His pain. And perhaps yours too. I won’t deny that Kain suffered. Nor will I deny that those in power let it happen.”

The god went still. Kain’s shoulders rose and fell with shallow, uneven breaths.

Kaede didn’t avert his gaze.

“But power without direction is just another form of destruction. And destruction without balance only buries the broken deeper. You gave him strength, but what else? Did you ever ask what he wanted to be with that strength?”

The god’s voice returned, quieter, but still soaked in disdain.

“He doesn’t want salvation. He wants justice. Not mercy. Not pity. Justice for what they did to him. And not just the ones who hurt him. The ones who watched.”

The air grew heavier.

“You stand in your towers. Your temples. You speak of peace yet build your peace on the backs of children like him. And then you wonder why they grow teeth.”

Kaede tilted his head slightly.

“That’s why he’s angry.”

The god didn’t respond.

Kaede stepped one pace closer.

“But it isn’t you he hates. Not entirely. It’s the thrones above. The ones who signed the orders, who permitted the silence, who let the cursed children rot so the city could keep shining.”

For a moment, Kain’s fingers twitched as if waking.

Kaede’s voice softened further.

“So, understand this, old god: I don’t fear you. I don’t even blame you. But if you push him over the edge, if you drive him so far, he forgets his own face, then I will seal you. Not out of hate. But because I won’t let Kain lose himself to become your weapon.”

The god chuckled again, darker now, amused, like someone watching ants proclaim their courage.

“You think you’ll have the chance.”

Kaede’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“I know I will.”

A breath slipped from Kain's lips, but it no longer belonged to him. The god held his posture upright, tilting Kain's head back just enough to hang the boy like a half-loosened puppet. His limbs were darkening inch by inch, black spreading across skin like ink dropped in water.

"You always seem to know," the god replied, voice deep and fractured like something speaking from within a canyon. "Because you've sealed us before. Me. My kin. The ones who bled their truths into the roots of this world before your names ever reached a temple."

Kaede said nothing.

"You look at this boy and see danger. But when I looked through his eyes, I saw something else, years back. I saw her."

Kaede’s gaze sharpened, just slightly.

"Sayaka Yorinome."

The name shifted the room. Shizuna stiffened. Tenma’s eyes flickered with guilt at the mention of Sayaka. They all knew the role she played in Kain’s life.

"You remember her it seems," the god continued. "She read to him in secret, when others whispered about killing him in his sleep. She wept when they marked him a vessel. You warned her to stay away from forbidden knowledge, but she disobeyed. Because unlike you, she remembered what we were."

Kaede’s jaw tightened.

"You saw Sayaka through him."

"I watched her fall," the god murmured. "I watched her beg the High Circle to spare him. I watched her rip pages from your sacred vault to find one seal that could dull my voice when he cried at night. She burned her own name for him. And in the end, you still exiled her."

"She broke the law."

"No," the god said with a flicker of sharpness, "she broke your illusion of control. She believed that one of us could live inside one of you without turning the world into ashes. She was the only one who asked if I wanted to destroy anything."

The room held silence for a moment too long.

"You want another truth for your little reports?" the god asked. "Ask him. Ask your council what they did to separate us when he was six. When they tied him down and starved him to see if hunger would force me out. Or when they dropped him into the Well of Silence, blindfolded, for seven days. They wanted to know if isolation would mute his dreams. Dreams where I could speak."

Shizuna looked down. Hayate’s hands curled.

"You thought Sayaka was protecting him from me?" the god asked. "She was protecting him from you."

Kaede stepped forward, tone cool.

"You speak of pain. And of care. But you forget what you did before the cities, before the seals, before you were chained."

The god stood still.

"I remember the old days too," Kaede said. "The age when gods ruled together. I remember when you were one of the Twelve Thrones. Before you turn your fury inward. Before you murdered Yume-no-Sagi, goddess of sleep. Before you scorched the Garden of Hours."

The god smiled through Kain’s face.

"And I remember when you stopped being a warrior and became a politician."

Kaede didn’t move.

"You wear restraint like armor," the god continued. "I wear wrath like fire. But we both stood in that final chamber when the heavens cracked open and your council decided to bury the divine."

He stepped forward.

"You think I want to rule this boy’s body? You think I want to conquer this place?"

Kaede held his gaze.

"I only gave him strength when no one else would. When you left him with nothing. When your people turned their backs. And when the time comes, Kaede Asahina, he won't destroy this world because of me. He’ll do it because of you."

Kaede inhaled once, slowly. His voice came quietly.

"You're wrong."

But for the first time, something flickered in his expression. Not fear. Not even guilt. Something more dangerous.

Doubt that he may be right.

The god tilted Kain’s chin higher, as if appraising Kaede like an old painting, worn, fading, but still familiar.

"Am I?" His voice rippled low. "You were never this unsure when you struck the divine accords. When you stood before the Great Mirror and said, 'We must silence them, or they will return us to chaos.'"

Kaede’s brow lowered. "That was before you proved us right."

"You still speak in riddles to justify your fear."

"And you still hide behind tragedy to excuse your violence."

The god's smile faded. His voice lost its sharpness, falling into something deeper, weightier.

"I gave him power when he was nothing. When your city buried his name under whispers of failure. I came to him not in conquest, but in agony, his. I showed him how to channel the pain into strength. You left him to rot, Kaede. I turned rot into iron."

Kaede turned his head slightly, watching the black that now bloomed past Kain’s neck, crawling over his shoulder like ink made of will.

"Sayaka once said the same," Kaede said, almost absent. "That pain could be tempered. That it didn’t have to define the vessel."

The god’s voice lowered to a whisper, ancient and raw.

"She died believing that. But even she knew it wasn’t true."

He looked around, slow and disdainful, at Tenma, at Shizuna, at the room full of cautious breaths and silence.

"You all think this boy is broken because I live inside him. But I live inside him because you broke him first."

A pause. The god turned back to Kaede.

"And still… he never asked for revenge. Not once. He never called on me in hatred. He only ever asked for enough strength to keep his friends from being taken, the way Sayaka taught him to do it."

Kaede finally looked at Kain, truly looked. Not as a commander would assess a dangerous anomaly. Not as a guardian of order. But as a man seeing the cost of every choice, he once believed in.

"You think I fear him because of you," Kaede said. "But I fear what we made him into long before you ever spoke his name."

For a moment, the god didn’t answer.

And then, the black creeping over Kain's chest began to retreat slowly. Like ink receding from parchment. His limbs twitched, unsteady. The god’s voice echoed only faintly now, fading.

"You’ve forgotten what the gods were meant to be," he said, a final time. "Not rulers. Not curses. Not sealed away stories. We were bridges. Between what is broken… and what could still be made whole."

Silence.

Then the god let go.

Kain dropped to his knees. Breath shallow. Eyes flickering back to gray as he stared emotionlessly at the floor.

And Kaede stood motionless.

As if the god’s final words still echoed in a place too deep to silence. For a long moment, no one moved. The weight of the god’s final words still pressed into the room like a second gravity.

Yura’s voice broke through first, soft, like he wasn’t sure he was allowed to speak. "...He wasn’t lying, was he?" His eyes moved from Kaede to Shizuna, then back to Kain crouched on the floor. "About Kain… about what he’s been carrying this whole time."

Shizuna said nothing. Her gaze was fixed on Kain, not with fear, but with the kind of quiet that only a shadow-walker like her could hold. Her fingers had never strayed far from the seals inside her sleeve, but she hadn’t drawn a single one.

Tenma stepped forward slowly. Not toward Kain, but beside Yura, his voice measured.

"We’ve all felt that power once. Back when the flood season came. We just didn’t know where it started."

"You did," Yura said, not accusatory, just realizing it aloud. "You all did."

Kaede finally moved. He exhaled through his nose, sharp but controlled. “Not everything,” he said, “but enough to know what he is.”

Hayate folded his arms from the corner, his tone more blunt. “And enough to hide it, apparently.”

Kaede looked over at him. “If we had revealed what we suspected, the city would’ve buried him alive before the god inside ever surfaced.”

“And now we’re the ones catching our breath,” Tomoru muttered, stepping back from Kain, rubbing his hand as if the contact had burned. “We waited too long to face this.”

Shizuna finally spoke. “It’s not the god we’re failing to face,” she said quietly. “It’s the boy underneath it.”

Kain didn’t move.

He was breathing again, but only just. Not as if the wind had been knocked out of him, but as if he didn’t want to let the air in. As if he feared what might come back to it.

Yura crouched beside him carefully, not touching, just lowering himself to eye level. “You didn’t scare me,” he said, barely above a whisper. “I’ve seen you scarier when you’re hungry.”

No reaction.

“…But I get it now,” Yura continued. “Why you get like that. Why you push people away like you’re trying to save them from something.”

Still nothing.

Kaede walked slowly toward them both. He knelt deliberately, one knee down, not towering, not above.

“You heard him,” Kaede said. “He said you never asked for revenge. That you only wanted the power to protect.”

He waited, watched.

“And whether or not you believe me, Kain… we heard that too.”

Kain’s fingers curled slightly against the stone floor.

But his voice didn’t come.

Kaede didn’t push.

He simply stood again and looked toward the others.

“We give him space,” he said. “And we start answering questions we’ve avoided for too long.”

The silence that followed wasn’t empty. It was filled with something just beginning to shift.

Moments passed before Kain looked at Yura still beside him, his eyes were drained out of life, like tears were about to come up but never successfully made their way to fall. His voice vulnerable, barely audible, but enough for Yura’s great hearing to catch. “I appreciate it. Yura. That you never judged me or insulted me for who I was, despite being a bit weirded out at the beginning.”

Yura chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head, “Yeah, I did call you a weirdo several times, but it was never an insult from the heart, I felt just outrightly worried why you were like this. But now I understand,” his eyes softened, his arms wrapping Kain into a hug. A nice big sweet warm hug. A hug Kain missed ever since Sayaka departure.

Kain’s eyes flushed wide right away, freezing on the spot, as he felt the warmth of the embrace flow through him. He finally let a tear drop down his cheek. The others, especially Tenma, were looking at him, all living different pains inside them. Tenma mostly. He felt his heart clenched and stabbed, like a knife twisting inside his heart. Though his expression never showed that. Kaede felt it, he gave him a smile of reassurance, before whispering to his ear, “He’ll be fine. He needed a friend like Naizen was to you.”

Tenma’s eyes widened just slightly, his heart clenching even more at the mention of his old friend that died in his youth. Naizen Rukairo. “Yeah. In a way they’re similar, Yura and him.”

Kaede laughed, “Two strong souls standing tall and sharp for their teammates. Yura and Kain seem to be the closest I’ve ever seen them to be. Who knows what got them to be so close?”

Tenma returned the laugh, despite his internal pain, “Yeah. Kain loves people who are warming, loving and comforting, easy going too.”

Hayate joined their conversation by pulling up from behind and resting his arms around their shoulders, “Then I guess Kain would’ve loved me better than you as his mentor.” He teased Tenma.

Tenma turned to look away, his smile still visible, “In your dreams, Hayate. I think...” He drifted off, letting silence fill for a second between them before continuing loud enough for Shizuna and Tomoru to hear his words as well. “Shuyo Kurogane to be the best fit as his mentor and parental figure out of everyone in the Land of Fire.”

Kaede’s eyes widened at the mention of his old friend and teammate in his youth years, “

Kaede’s eyes had widened at the name, not out of fear, but memory—sharp and vivid, a thousand stories waking behind them.

“That old bastard’s still wandering?” he muttered, a faint smile curling his lip.

Tenma nodded slowly, his voice unusually soft. “Before I came here, Kain told me… he met him.”

Shizuna turned her head just slightly. Her silence was always watching.

“What did he say?” Kaede asked.

“That Shuyo didn’t flinch,” Tenma replied. “Didn’t stare. Didn’t step back. Just sat on a bench like the world didn’t scare him. Talked about bruises. About skipping stones. Called Kain interesting, not cursed. Not even dangerous. And that somehow... made Kain stay.”

There was something reverent in Tenma’s tone, as if he hadn’t fully understood the weight of the moment until now. He paused, then added, “And the way Kain said it, it was like… like it mattered. Like someone finally said the right words.”

Kaede looked down at his hands, folded loosely in front of him. “That’s just like him. No one’s better at disarming a weapon than Shuyo. Not because he’s powerful. But because he’s funny. And kind. Even when he’s infuriating.”

Hayate chuckled, arms still resting around their shoulders. “Infuriating’s an understatement. He once tricked an entire council into thinking he’d died just to avoid a meeting.”

Tenma cracked a smile despite himself. “Kain met him once. And already I could see it changed something. His guard wasn’t gone, but… shifted. He’s thinking differently now. That old man says three sentences and rewires your whole foundation.”

Kaede’s silence said enough. But he finally spoke again, slow and certain.

“If anyone can look the God of Destruction in the eye and make him kneel, it’s Shuyo Kurogane.”

That line settled over them like prophecy.

Shizuna closed her eyes briefly. “Then Kain’s not as alone as he thinks.”

“No,” Kaede said, his voice firmer now. “And he never was. Not with that man watching.”

Hayate raised an eyebrow. “You really think he’s watching him on purpose?”

“I know he is,” Kaede said. “Shuyo doesn’t stumble onto anything. If he’s crossed paths with Kain, it’s because he meant to. And if he’s taken even a breath of interest in the boy…”

He trailed off.

“What?” Tenma asked.

Kaede looked at them all, then said plainly, “Then the winds are shifting. Because Shuyo Kurogane doesn’t invest in anyone or anything unless he sees something worth it.”

No one argued with that. Because they all knew:

When Shuyo laughed, you listened.
When Shuyo fought, you ran.
But when Shuyo chose you...

The world would have to go through him to reach you.

Hayate shifted his weight, arms still slung loosely around Kaede’s and Tenma’s shoulders, a thoughtful smile half-cocked on his face.

“So, you think he’s already chosen Kain?” he asked.

Kaede looked ahead, wind tugging lightly at the ends of his coat. “No,” he said simply. “I think he will.”

Shizuna blinked. “Why?”

Kaede’s tone was calm. “Because that boy looks exactly like Shuyo as a kid.”

Tenma turned slightly, curious.

Kaede went on. “Sayaka told me something before she left. She said Kain used to be bright. Energetic. Bubbly, even. Always talking, asking, bouncing around like his legs couldn’t sit still. The kind of kid who found magic in everything, not just spells.”

Kaede’s gaze lowered a little.

“She said the world crushed that out of him. Or he hid it so deep he forgot it was ever real.”

Hayate’s expression softened.

“And you think Shuyo can bring that out again,” Shizuna said.

“I think he may relate to his way to cope,” Kaede replied. “We know Shuyo and his tactics, he will most certainly hide a truth behind jokes or sarcasm.”

Tenma nodded once. “I’ve seen glimpses.”

Kaede looked at him.

Tenma straightened, his voice steady. “When we trained together, I saw it. Kains jokes. Real ones. Quiet, sharp, sometimes just a flicker of humor before he locks it away again like it slipped out by accident.”

Hayate leaned his head toward Tenma, eyes slightly wide. “I thought I was the only one who caught that.”

“You weren’t,” Tenma replied.

Shizuna’s eyes narrowed faintly. “It’s strange. Kain has the makings of a leader, but not the desire.”

Kaede responded without looking at her. “That’s exactly why Shuyo will step in. He only ever moves when someone or something has the value for it.”

A long moment passed. Then a new voice entered that was long quiet for a while now.

“You’re all too focused on Shuyo.” Tomoru finally spoke. Everyone turned.

He stood a short distance away, arms folded, back against the post like he had been listening to the whole time.

“He’s not the variable,” he said plainly.

Kaede raised an eyebrow. “Then what is?” Tomoru’s eyes didn’t waver. “Kain.”

They waited. He laid it out, stripped out of any kind of emotion.

“He doesn’t react like the others. Doesn’t seek alignment. He mirrors just enough to be let in, but never deep enough to be shaped. That’s not apathy. That’s self-preservation.”

Tenma’s brow twitched.

Tomoru continued. “When he listens, he listens to everything. When he speaks, he already knows the outcome. The boy is a strategist pretending to be a wallflower.”

Shizuna’s gaze sharpened slightly.

“He doesn’t need connection. He measures it. Calculates the risk. The gain. That’s not normal. That’s conditioning.”

Kaede’s voice was low. “So, what are you saying?”

Tomoru finally looked at him. “Shuyo will have a first challenge in centuries of living.” Tomoru then stepped forward, not unkind, just unwavering.

“Kain doesn’t need saving. And if Shuyo’s the one to reach in and find whatever Sayaka saw in him.” His eyes sharpened, then continued, “It’ll be fire.”

Kaede studied him for a moment... Then, faintly, he smiled. “Didn’t expect that from you.”

Tomoru didn’t blink. “I analyze outcomes. This one’s worth watching.”

Hayate let out a short breath. “Alright, now I’m nervous.”

Tenma spoke up, “If they become teacher and student,” he said quietly, “no one will be able to stop what comes next.”

No one disagreed.

Chapter Text

The breeze of the wind passed through Souta’s hair swiftly and smoothly. His body stood still in the middle of one of the city’s streets, looking at the clear blue sky with no clouds but the shiniest of the suns. “How annoying this warm weather can be, irritating.” His thought lingered for a while, before being hit by another layer of wind. His brows furrowed and his head turned slightly in the direction the wind was coming from. “This is utterly disturbing. Wind and a tiresome heat. How can I enjoy a peaceful day if nature insists on punishing me?” He sighed under his breath, his expression showing every inch of his features being disappointed.

He moved his right foot ahead, then the left, and silently headed towards a secluded place near the city used for training. “If I cannot be left alone in my own bubble today, then I’ll do something productive.”

While he walked, Souta’s head was downwards, his hair covering his eyes slightly but enough for him not to see anyone passing by. His hands inside his sweater pants, fidgeting with his fingers as if he was stressed. People chatter, birds flying, pets wandering, children’s happy noises, adults’ routines... It all angered him at the depth of his heart core to an extent only those with his pain could understand. The feeling of not belonging somewhere properly.

          A lady bumped into him after a few minutes of walking; she bumped into him so hard she fell to the ground. Souta was wakened back to reality, “Are you alright, lady?” He asked gently. He saw her, her hand over her forehead from the impact of the bump lingering probably on her skin, her expression a bit troubled at what just happened. “Shit, how didn’t I sense her footsteps if she was strolling so fast?”

He offered her his hand to stand up, she looked at it then at Souta, her cheeks turning a bit pink, perhaps from embarrassment, she did seem the shy type. After a few hesitations, she reached out to it and spoke softly with a warmth in her voice Souta missed to hear, “Thank you... I’m alright.”

Souta looked dazed, as if struck by confusion, he wasn’t in the best of moods, which was understandable, but her... whole being was familiar. “You may be?”

The girl kept her hands close to her chest, looking away awkwardly, “Aiko Senzaki.”

Souta’s face went blank.

“Aiko Senzaki? The one from Team C?”

He quickly caught himself, composing his emotional instability. “Nice to meet you finally in person, Aiko. I am Souta Obanashi, from Team A.”

Aiko’s eyes glazed towards his eyes, “So he is the famous exiled from the Land of water? He... is more majestic than I thought!”

Souta titled his head confused, one of his eyebrows rising, “Is it all okay, Aiko?”

She became quickly flustered, “Y-yeah. I suppose you could say I am just not used to meeting people as spoken about as yourself.”

His interest was piqued, “Spoken about, huh? And what do these people say about me exactly?”

Aiko’s eyes drifted all over his frame. Taking in all his features; pale skin, narrow eyes that held the same color as the deep moss, his long black hair that fell loosely past his shoulders, his tall, lean build... Her eyes gave everything away about how she felt.

“Well, the casual stuff... Such as your origins, your temporary exile here, your strength, your relationship with your teammates, everything is discussed. It’s something to be expected, you’re an Obanashi after all.”

Souta grew a smirk on his lips made of full pride, “Interesting, who would’ve thought after all. Anyways I have some matters to attend to if you may excuse—”

Aiko stepped forwards interrupting him and closing the distance between them, her cheeks becoming even more pink, and her voice forced to be loud enough to get his attention, “Wait! Bring me with you, I know you’re about to go training, I was about to as well, but on the south terrains...”

Souta blinked twice as now Aiko’s face was like two fingers afar from his, a hint of surprise in his eyes. “You’re saying you wish to come train with me, Aiko Senzaki?”

She nodded, her face growing red as a tomato, her hands covering her face as she felt the embarrassment rushing through at her bold move.

He couldn’t help but find this amusing, “She’s weird, I like weird people.”

“Be it, you’ll train with me. But don’t expect me to go easy on you, you’ll either keep up the pace or fuck away. Understood?” He spoke clearly, now serious, like his vulnerability of emotions earlier slipped back into the hiding spot.

She nodded once again, her hands still on her face.

He didn’t understand why he cared, but something about her softness made him pause.

Then... She felt her hands pulled away from her face by Souta’s icy hands. His voice echoing in her mind, “You should gain more confidence over yourself, and you’ll be better than many girls trying to be witches.”

She gasped, her face even redder.

Souta noticed the effect he had on her, he sighed, seeing how sensitive she was. “Well, if you’ve got nothing else to add. Let’s move on.”

He immediately walked steadily towards the secluded place he had in mind. Aiko rushed to follow him by his side quietly.

Moments passed by, and they were now at their destination. Around the city was a huge forest, and somewhere in the depths of it could be found a circled terrain with no trees, just grass, made for the wizards to train.

While Aiko stayed behind, slowing her footsteps gradually as she took in the nice smell of fresh air, Souta walked forwards towards the center of the terrain. He looked around, as if suspicious of something. He turned to look at Aiko, “Aiko. You’re great at sensing others elemental energies and presences, right?”

She got a bit flattered that he knew some of her strengths from chatters around the city maybe, “Uh... yeah. I am. Why?”

“Tell me if someone else is around. Use your special ability.” His words came out as an order rather than an invitation.

She nodded silently, drawing a breath as her fingertips pressed together. “Eclipse sense, Shingaka.” After her words were said, her ability activated.

          A faint pulse rippled through her body. Her eyes flashed wide open, now drained of color, irises turned silver-white, catching the light like glass under moonlight. Barely visible crescent-shaped markings bloomed just beneath her eyes, ink-dark and glowing faintly with energy.

The air was still.

Her stance shifted subtly, no longer soft and hesitant, but trained, centered as though instinct took control. She scanned the trees without moving her head, her gaze anchoring into the woods.

“There’s someone”, she whispered. “Behind the third row of trees. Masked... But watching us.”

She didn’t flinch, but her voice dropped lower. “Their presence is layered, refined. Like they want to be sensed. But... their elemental energy is undeniably extensive and frightening.”

Souta’s eyes narrowed.

The one hiding in the shadows of the trees smiled faintly, “They’re improving.” They murmured. “Especially her. Maybe I should come out.”

Aiko said alerted slightly, “They’re moving towards us.”

Souta turned around, his gaze not leaving the direction Aiko said they were.

“Impressive, Senzaki. But your eyes won’t always catch me.” The voice said from behind them. It was a woman. It caused both Aiko and Souta to flinch and turn around immediately.

Souta suspicious asked, “Who are you?”

“Ryushin Obanashi.”

Aiko’s eyes widened instantly, “That’s why... Her elemental energy is so widely extended, and scary. She’s the serpent sage!”

Souta’s suspicion was replaced with a look of respect, as an Obanashi himself, he knew very well that any other member of the clan should be treated with honor. “I meant no disrespect, Ryushin. It’s an honor, I suppose.” He bowed politely. Which confirmed Ryushin’s doubts, “You’re the exiled member, Souta Obanashi...”

Souta straightened his position, now standing tall and proud once more, “Yes. That is indeed me.”

Aiko’s timidity returned to her tone quickly, her Eclipse sense, Shingaka, slowly retreating. “The serpent sage herself... I cannot express how admirable you are Miss!”

Ryushin laughed, “You’re a sweet child. I appreciate your opinion on myself. But I’ll go straight to the point of why I showed up.”

          “As one of the Three Sages of this land, I am the only one yet who hasn’t chosen her disciples.”

Souta asked confused, “Disciples? Only one? What does this mean?”

Ryushin rested her hands on her hips, explaining this time serious, “Kaede Asahina, the Thunderclad Ronin, one of my old teammates, had already taught the Special Wizard team as his disciples. Shuyo Kurogane, for example, The Wandering Sage, had many disciples throughout the years. While I never had any.” She chuckled embarrassingly.

Aiko said quietly, “Y-you mean... You want us as your disciples?”

Ryushin nodded, a wide smile on her face now visible, “Exactly! You two are already perfect for my teachings, a member of my own kin, my descendant by blood, and one who’s from the Senzaki clan, a truly remarkable one if you’d ask me. Already able to use the Eclipse sense, Shingaka. But to truly form a team, we’d need another one...” She sighed.

Souta examined her, before suggesting someone, “I think someone will be able to join us, such as Naoya Ikusawa. He’s in your team, Aiko, you’ll know to say if he’s suited or not.”

Aiko cheeks turned pink as Souta looked at her, waiting for her opinion and arguments, “Ummm...” she thought as she felt her heart quicken its heartbeat, “Naoya... he’s the brain of our team. Always behind us, analyzing, strategizing. He trained under Hayate Fuyuma specializing in long-rage magic. He might not fight up front, but he’s... sharp.”

Ryushin thought then clapped her hands together, “Then, it’s settled, we will go and search for this Naoya Ikusawa. If my old friend’s disciple, Hayate, decided to teach this young man long-rage techniques, then it’s fit! We will have an equilibrium in our team perfectly aligned.”

Souta titled his head, taking in her words. Not saying anything more.

Aiko nodded, “I know where we could find him! He is at the Ikusawa mansion, surely lazily doing nothing...”

Ryushin started walking towards the mansion’s direction, “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.”

The three of them made their way through the dense forest, feet brushing against the tall grass as light filtered softly through the canopy. Aiko kept glancing sideways at Ryushin, clearly still flustered by the presence of a living legend. Souta walked ahead, hands in his pockets, focused and quiet. The journey was short but thick with unspoken thoughts.

Soon, they emerged from the tree line. Before them stood a large but worn traditional estate, high wooden gates framed by tall hedges, and behind them, the Ikusawa Mansion, home of the eccentric strategist himself.

Ryushin raised a brow, “So this is it?”

Aiko nodded quickly. “Yes! Naoya should be home. He rarely goes out. Or… ever, actually.”

Souta stepped forward and knocked firmly on the gate.

Silence.

Then a groan echoed faintly from within.

A few seconds later, the front doors creaked open, and a lanky boy in oversized robes stepped into view. His black hair was tousled, one eye barely open, the other squinting at the sun like it had personally insulted him.

Naoya Ikusawa.

He stared at the group blankly for a beat, then let out a dramatic sigh as if their very existence had exhausted him.

“Oh great. More people. That’s exactly what I needed today,” he muttered, dragging his feet forward. “It’s not like I was in the middle of a very important nap or anything.”

Ryushin blinked at him, unsure how to respond. Souta stood taller, expectant.

Naoya yawned, then tilted his head lazily. “Let me guess. You need me again. Probably for something that involves walking, or gods forbid, standing.”

Aiko stepped forward timidly, “Naoya, this is Ryushin Obanashi. She’s here to—”

“Ryushin Obanashi?” he repeated flatly. His tone didn’t change, but his eye twitched slightly. He blinked once, processing, then looked Ryushin up and down. “Ah. So, we’re doing the whole ‘Chosen by a legendary sage’ storyline now. Wonderful. Let me go grab my sandals.”

Ryushin chuckled, folding her arms. “You don’t seem surprised.”

Naoya gave a lazy shrug. “Not really. With how much I carry this team’s strategies, I figured it was only a matter of time before a big shot noticed.”

Aiko blushed faintly, “W-we said you’re good… just not out loud.”

“Exactly,” Naoya grumbled. “You people always wait until some legendary person shows up to validate my genius. Typical.”

Souta took a breath, just on the edge of irritation. “She wants you as her third disciple. Alongside us.”

Naoya froze.

Then, slowly, one brow raised. “A sage. Me. Disciple.”

Another pause. Then, flatly:

“…Does this come with a chair?”

Ryushin laughed again. “We’ll make sure you have somewhere to sit when it’s earned.”

Naoya stared a moment longer. His posture straightened just slightly, subtle, but noticeable. His eye sharpened, the usual cloud of laziness lifting.

“I’ll do it,” he said simply, voice suddenly clear. “If I’m the brain, and you two are the arms and legs… we might actually get somewhere.”

Aiko blinked. “That’s a, yes?”

“That’s a yes.” Naoya turned around and walked back inside. “Give me five minutes.”

Naoya disappeared inside, the door closing softly behind him. Ryushin crossed her arms, watching the gate with a faint smile. Souta and Aiko exchanged quiet looks, the weight of anticipation settling over them.

Naoya emerged from the doorway, now in a much cleaner, loosely tied robe and with his dark hair slightly brushed back, though not enough to suggest real effort. He yawned as he shut the door behind him.

“All right, I’m ready,” he muttered. “Emotionally, at least. Physically? Well. Let’s just say I’m already regretting this.”

Ryushin smirked. “We haven’t even started walking yet.”

Naoya gave her a tired glance. “Yes, and somehow, that’s the worst part.”

Aiko chuckled nervously and fell into step beside Souta as the four of them began making their way back through the forest path. The trees rustled gently overhead, and distant birds echoed through the branches. Despite the calm surroundings, a quiet energy began to build between them, anticipation settling into their bones.

Souta glanced toward Naoya. “So, no questions? No dramatic monologue before accepting?”

Naoya shrugged. “I already gave my dramatic monologue. You all ignored it. Besides… if this woman’s serious, then it’s better I join before you two get yourselves cursed or eaten.”

Ryushin laughed softly at that, walking ahead with hands behind her back.

“You’re sharp. And lazy. A dangerous combination if molded right,” she said over her shoulder.

Naoya rubbed one eye, mumbling, “I’m choosing to take that as praise.”

When they finally emerged into the clearing, the one where Ryushin had first made her appearance, the golden light of the late afternoon lit the training field in amber hues. The trees cast long shadows. The breeze had quietened.

Ryushin stepped to the center of the field. Her entire demeanor changed.

No more teasing. No more smirks.

Her expression became unreadable, composed and heavy, like a coiled serpent watching from the reeds. “I want you three to listen to me now,” she said.

Aiko immediately straightened. Souta silently locked his eyes on her. Even Naoya seemed to stand a little taller.

“You are not just children to me now. You are not students I’m watching from afar. You are mine. My first disciples. The first ones I’ve ever taken.”

She looked at each of them in turn.

“I waited decades,” she said slowly, “while my old comrades took students. Kaede, the Thunderclad Ronin, he’s already raised warriors. Shuyo Kurogane, the Wandering Sage, he’s trained too many to count. I didn’t. I watched from the shadows. I studied the generations that came and went.”

Ryushin’s gaze sharpened.

“Because I didn’t want students I could teach. I wanted disciples who could survive me.”

A beat.

“You three, Souta Obanashi, Aiko Senzaki, Naoya Ikusawa, you are it. The gambling. The beginning. And now you will be trained like no others before you.”

She held up two fingers.

“In two days, the caster exam begins. And from now until the very last second of that exam, you will not go home. You will not rest properly. You will not have time to doubt or debate. You will train.”

Aiko stiffened in place. Souta simply nodded. Naoya exhaled long and slow, as if mourning his own freedom.

“We will use every hour of every day. You will eat beside me. You will sleep when I allow it. You will wake before the sun and collapse long after it sets. No exceptions.”

Her tone grew darker.

“You will learn advanced elemental resistance, team synergy, mental inversion tactics, and pressure adaptation. We will run drills that simulate Paragon-level engagements. You will scream. You will fail. And then, you will try again.”

She turned away, letting her voice echo behind her.

“This will not be fair. It will not be kind. But it will make you ready.”

Naoya opened his mouth. “Do we at least get, like, five minutes to—”

“No.”

He blinked. “Right. Thought I’d ask.”

Ryushin smiled faintly. “From this moment on, you are no longer children of your clans. You are disciples of the Serpent Sage. That title means something. You will carry it whether you like it or not.”

Souta raised his head proudly. “We will.”

Aiko nodded quickly beside him. “We’ll give everything.”

Ryushin’s eyes settled last on Naoya.

He rolled his shoulders, and with an exaggerated sigh, muttered, “I guess there’s worse ways to die of exhaustion.”

Then his voice sharpened, just slightly.

“…Don’t waste my effort.”

Ryushin’s expression softened, but only slightly.

“Good.”

She turned her back fully on them.

“Then we begin now.”

She raised one hand, and the wind whipped around the field, scattering leaves into a spiral as her elemental aura flared outward.

“First test, sustain your stance under pressure for five minutes. Anyone who drops to their knees starts over. Let’s see what you’re made of.”

The wind howled.

And the training began.

Chapter Text

The day had come. The long-awaited Caster Exam was about to begin.

All teams A, B, C, D and more stood in silence before the looming structure: a massive building of dark brick and cold iron veins, as if carved from the memory of ancient walls. The morning mist hadn’t lifted. Its presence gave the air a weight, as if the future itself was watching.

The students entered through the arched doors, where they were promptly aligned into rows beneath a grand balcony overlooking the inner atrium.

Above them stood Paragon Kazurei Rinhaku, his robes glowing faintly with sun-threaded sigils. Flanking him on either side were the gathered powers of the realm: the teachers of the teams, the Three Sages, the Council Representative Tenro Nanshou and chief M. Hinamoto, also several seated officials whose faces were veiled in ceremonial masks.

Rinhaku stepped forward, his voice ringing out, not through echo, but through sheer presence.

“Welcome, children burning with the fire of ambition.”

His arms stretched wide, robes fluttering like drawn wings.

“Today is a decisive passage. One of the fears to confront and truths to uncover. Today, you are tested, not only in skill but in resolve. For those who rise, the title of Caster awaits you… and with it, the path to the Academy.”

A long silence followed, both reverent and measured.

Then Rinhaku continued, his expression softening.

“Throughout these trials, I and the gathered sages and teachers shall observe your efforts, from afar. We are here not only as judges, but as your shield, your watchtower. Your safety will not be ignored… though understand, no test worth its name is without risk.”

His gaze swept across the four teams below.

To his right, Tenro Nanshou took a quiet step forward. His priest-like robes flowed with silver embroidery, and his hands were clasped before him like one offering prayer. When he spoke, it was a whisper that carried unnaturally well through the chamber.

“Do not fear the shadows you’ll encounter.”

He smiled.

“They are not your enemy. They are your reflection. May this day show you who you truly are.”

Several students shifted uneasily.

Behind Tenro, Kaede Asahina crossed his arms with a bemused glance at Shuyo. Ryushin Obanashi remained still, his eyes fixed on Souta. And Shuyo Kurogane, leaning on his staff, barely moved, yet his presence pressed into the room like a storm waiting to break.

From the side galleries, the teachers watched in silence. Shizuna Kaoru’s eyes narrowed. Tenma subtly watched Kain, and Tomoru stiffened as if resisting the urge to correct something already happening.

The moment was held. Then the Paragon raised his hand.

“Begin the First Phase.”

The gates of the inner corridor creaked open with a mechanical groan.

Beyond them lay the Walk of Silence.

No words now, no second thoughts, just breath, and motion. And what awaited in the dark.

As they all made their way slowly towards the first test of this exam, Rinhaku spoke up once more, his voice this time echoing, “Teams will be made, and led to a different door inside that hall.”

The students looked at him and waited patiently to hear what teams they’d be on.

“Team one, Aiko Senzaki, Naoya Ikusawa, and Souta Obanashi, walk through the first door on the right.”

“Team two, Emiko Narukami, Kain Rukairo, and Yura Hinamoto, go through the third door on the left.”

“Team three, Kazuo Yashimori, Mina Takemura, and Ryo Amagishi, go through the first door on the left.”

“Team four, Haruki Okabe, Hinari Kazurei, and Yuto Hoshigane, go through the second door on the right.”

Each team entered their respective assigned doors.

Kain’s team made their way to the third door on the left. And with that, the door behind them closed, and they lost sight of each other despite being seconds ago stuck to each other. Kain didn’t mind that, he had heard rumors in the city before the Caster exam could begin, “I’ve heard it’s the hardest exam yet... This generation of wizards and witches will be phenomenal or a huge failure!”

All sort of words made to scare, but Kain didn’t fear the danger, his path to reach his goal as a Paragon was one, he wasn’t about to step down even in the face of death, and he was full of himself that he would succeed these tests.

“This place is weird.” He thought to himself,  now what seemed to be a tight barely lighted hallway was endlessly long with no end, backwards and forwards.

He slowly started walking forward. Then suddenly Rinhaku’s voice could be heard from nowhere, like he was everywhere at the same time, right inside his head almost. “Everyone, this test is called the Walk of Silence. As you can imagine, it is all about not making a single sound! By that I mean, no vocal sound. You can hit the walls and explode anything you want, but no talking. No turning back. The first to turn backwards and move towards the way they came in, they are eliminated. Same goes for those who talk. Have a nice test.”

Kain sighed, “No talking? Won’t be hard for me... But Yuta?”

He shook his head as he continued his walk, “I cannot get worried for other people while this exam is for my own mental capacity.”

Not even a minute passed by that he got physically stopped by an invisible presence that suffocated him, making him gasp out for air quickly as panic started to rise in his chest.

“What the hell is suffocating me?”

But before he could even think once again, he saw it. The god of destruction.

Alongside Sayaka Yorinome.

“Sayaka...? And...” His eyes quickly widened in sorrow, his muscles trying to stop every tear threatening to go down his cheeks.

“Kain, I didn’t think I’d see you again. Not when you’ve grown so much.” What seemed to be Sayaka approached him, touching his cheeks with both her delicate hands, the same warmth and softness he remembered.

“No... She’s gone; she isn’t with us anymore. This is all a psychological test filled with illusions to break us!” He closed his eyes in response, trying to stop himself from seeing her face and smile he so much missed, the laughs she held each time to lighten his heart from any burden he carried, her outfits as strange as her personality, her ocean blue eyes filled with love that no vessel should carry...

“NO! She isn’t real...” He tried to convince his heart to stop him from being paralyzed during this heart aching pain.

The God behind Sayaka spoke up, his voice deep but weirdly enough, he was in his human form. “You realize we are illusions made based on your memories of us? Our souls are attached within your memories, so to some extent, our sub consciousness is aware we’ve been summoned.”

“He’s messing with my mind. This cannot be possibly real...”

“Kain, dear, before you, I was the vessel of this God behind me, trust me, he may be depicted as a monster, a warrior, an enemy, but deep down he is a divine being who once was living alongside us humans, long, long ago, before losing his peace to the war against humanity. He may be many things, though he is all but not a liar.” Sayaka’s fingertips traced Kain’s features, like a caring mother for her long-lost child would. “It is true to some extent though, to be clearer, in exact terms and not with a toddler explanation... Our souls all have spiritual energies; these energies convert themselves into fragments to form memories with the energies of others. It is a horrendous process to explain, but to get to the point, everything that is summoned within an illusion is always connected to our souls. Not just your mind.”

“Can’t they just shut up... I can’t take it... Hearing her, him! It doesn’t even matter, I cannot handle this. I have to push them away.”

Kain pushed Sayaka in one movement, forcing his muscles to disobey this paralyzing energy holding him still. He fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath.

Sayaka’s face grew to one of concern, but a smile quickly replaced it, “I’m proud of what you came to be, Kain.”

Kain looked up, and met her gaze before she looked back at the God, “You take good care of him, will you?”

The God let out a sigh of exasperation, he was so tired of being told that by Sayaka it seemed. “Yeah, yeah. Sure. He grew up just fine without my help too much anyways.”

Sayaka chuckled, “Is that so? He seems to be shaped by your words though; I don’t remember him being so strong willed.”

“What is going on...”

The God pointed at Kain, “Hey, buddy. In case you didn’t know we can hear your thoughts.”

Sayaka turned to look at Kain again, “You can talk to us with your mind.”

“I’ve got no privacy, have I?”

The God burst out in laughter, “Ha! Like you ever had any privacy with me inside your body all along; I receive all your senses, your thoughts, and feelings.”

Sayaka kneeled at Kain’s level, “Kain, I fear we don’t have much time left in this illusion. Go on, we tested you enough as it is. You’re able to hold on pretty well to the emotions flooding within you.” She rested her hand on his shoulder and gave him the widest of smiles, “Oh and, grow to build a friendship with him. It will help you control him better than now... If you could call it control.”

The God nodded, “Control? My ass! Kain’s safe as he is because I respect your wishes Sayaka, to give him a life of peace and no issues. Nothing more.”

Sayaka chuckled, her image slowly fading away into thin air alongside the God, “As you say, God. Well then, farewell, Kain.”

“Farewell... I guess the illusion won’t last long, but the effects are quick, so it’s understandable.”

Kain stood up and saw that the hallway came back to normal, but still no sign of his two comrades. “I wonder how they are doing, or what they are seeing...”

[...]

“Woooaah! This hallway became twice as big! No... Endlessly long!” Yura thought to himself while he saw the illusion take hold of him. “I wonder what kind of test will be... Rinhaku said not to talk, so I suppose it’s an illusory test.”

He looked behind, noticing the door disappearing to a long hallway endless as well. “That is indeed problematic. He said not to walk back to where we came from, so I won’t make a single fiber of my hair move towards where that door was.”

Before he could even look back in front of him, he heard it. His father’s voice.

“Yura… You’ve always been chasing wind you don’t understand.”

Yura froze mid-step. His ears twitched. His stomach twisted. He didn’t want to turn around. And yet, he did.

There he was, Masanari Hinamoto, his father, the head of the Council... Standing still in the middle of the endless corridor behind him. The man wasn’t shouting, wasn’t scolding. Just staring. That cold stare. The one Yura could never win against.

“You act like a beast because you’re too afraid to be a man.”

Yura’s fists were clenched. “Hey now,” he thought since he couldn’t speak, “You’re not real. I’m smarter than I look. This is all just smoke and mirrors…”

His father took a step forward. The floor didn’t creak. Shadows didn’t stretch. Just silence and presence.

“You disappointed the clan. You’re not a hunter. You’re a wild dog pretending to wear the name Hinamoto.”

Yura’s lips curled. “Tch. Say that again, old man. I dare you.”

He blinked, and suddenly he was seven again, living once again that same memory, bleeding, knees in the dirt, face bruised from another of his father’s “disciplinary” lessons. The memory of it slammed into him like a wall.

Yura’s breathing quickened. He wiped his face like something was crawling on it. His pulse racing.

Then, softly, another voice entered, his mother’s.

“He’s not wrong, Yura. You need to learn discipline.”

“No! You’re not her!” he shouted inside his mind, his inner voice cracking. “My mom would never say that! You’re not her, you’re not—!”

The shadows along the corridor warped, forming outlines of people from his childhood, rivals who outdid him, teachers who doubted him, cousins who sneered when he failed the family rites.

All of them walking forward. All silent, ignoring him, leaving him behind.

Yura stepped back once, then remembered Rinhaku’s words, “Do not turn around.”

He dropped low, nearly feral now, hands brushing the floor like claws. “Alright… You wanna drag me back? You wanna bury me in old bones? Come on, then!”

He bolted forward, not from fear, but out of pure will to fight. His own inner scream swallowed in the silence of his sould, his heart pounding like war drums. The ghosts didn’t follow.

They only watched.

And as he sprinted forward, teeth grit, wind rising behind his heels, Yura didn’t even notice...

The corridor shrank back to its real size. The illusion cracked.

But he didn’t stop running.

[...]

“So, this is the famous Walk of Silence, huh? What a joke.” Emiko thought, her arms crossed over her chest as she stepped into the corridor, her tone dry in her own head. The door behind her faded without ceremony, sealing her in. She stood still, her posture relaxed, unshaken, unbothered. Almost defiant.

The air hung heavily. The corridor stretched in both directions, its end unseen. Emiko rolled her shoulders back.

“I already know what it’ll show me. There aren’t many things in life that unsettle me; besides, I’ve trained myself for these situations.” she murmured internally. Her breath remained calm. Her heartbeat is steady. Just like her mother had taught her, to face the spirit of wind, not to run from it.

Then the stillness broke. Not with sound, but with pressure. Like the air thickened in her lungs. The corridor pulsed. And then...wind.

It came not from the corridor itself, but from some unseen depth. A breeze at first, brushing against her cheek. Familiar, almost comforting.

Then it grew colder. Louder. Churning. A whisper in the gale. “I wouldn’t have guessed less from my daughter.”

The wind began forming shapes, sand drawn into silhouettes. They whirled, shifted, and coalesced into a woman’s figure. Hair whipped like storm ribbons. Cloak fluttering like wings.

Emiko’s breath caught for a second, the recognition of this voice still hitting deep. Her mother.

Not her real mother, of course. A memory, an echo. But cruel in how precise it was. The way she stood. The look in her eyes, half-judgment, half-warning.

“Always proud. Always pretending to feel nothing. But where was that pride when I died, Emiko?”

The corridor’s wind pushed harder. A younger Emiko was dragged into view, a version of her barely nine years old, knees scraped, eyes wide from training she didn’t understand.

“You never listened. That’s why you couldn’t protect me. That’s why you’ll never master the wind properly. You’ll forever be seen by the desert citizens as my shadow.”

The words carved into her like razors, but Emiko remained still. Her hands were clenched only slightly.

This wasn’t new. It was just louder now. The image of her mother stepped forward, and for a moment, her voice softened, “You want to surpass me? You’re not even you anymore. You mimic my techniques. My words. You copy even my silence.”

Emiko blinked. Then it clicked. Silence. She remembered Rinhaku’s words at the start of the exam, “One who talks shall be disqualified.”

Everyone had taken it at face value. A rule. A restriction. But Emiko now felt otherwise. That wasn’t the point. It wasn’t about silence; it was about control.

She smiled faintly. “That’s what you meant, Paragon,” she whispered under her breath. “Not ‘don’t speak’, but ‘don’t lose yourself.’”

And for the first time, she let her voice rise, not in panic, not in defiance, but in truth.

“I never was a copy of yourself, Mother. I was simply your daughter who grew to admire your strength and master of the winds and sands.” Emiko’s gaze held straight at the illusion’s ‘soul’.

“You will never understand how far I’ve went, changed, and acquired skills you never had.”

The corridor pushed back with a blast of illusory wind, but Emiko stood still. Her aura bristled, the air was curling around her, responding to her spirit, not fear.

Her mother’s voice replied, “I never doubted you to be a weak warrior, Emiko. Your discipline, determination and ambitions are traits I never had.” An exhaled breath escaped her mother’s lips before softening as the illusion seemed to fade, since Emiko wasn’t affected.

“You’re my beloved daughter, the only one I ever had compared to the many brothers you have.” Before she could disappear forever, she added one last phrase, “Trust your heart, as it holds the power and sharp intuition of every wind master.”

And with that in mind, Emiko made her way towards the door that appeared in front of her, going out of this Walk of Silence, as a winner. Leaving to remain, three other teams.

[...]

As Team Three entered their corresponding door, Kazuo was the first to fall into the illusion, almost directly, without warning.

“Hm. What an eerie hallway,” he muttered in thought, his voice barely a breath in his head. The space ahead seemed almost mundane at first, bare walls, dim lighting, a straight path.

But the temperature shifted. Not cold or hot... Just wrong. He blinked once, then again.

The hallway flickered shadows gathering unnaturally at the edges, crawling toward him like strands of smoke. With each step he took, the corridor narrowed. The walls began to press in. Not physically, just visually. Distorting. Moving. But Kazuo kept walking... Until he heard it.

“Kazuo.”

A voice. Low. Familiar. Not one he’d heard in years.

He turned without turning, he just felt the presence. Behind him. No, inside him.

Then, a door appeared. Old. Splintered. A paper door half-burned and half-forgotten. The kind used in the older district houses before the war. Before the purge. Before the betrayal. He didn’t remember opening it. But he was inside. A room. Small. Cold. A fire on the floor. Shadows of paper lanterns thrown across cracked walls. A child’s hands. A torn scroll. Blood on the ink. And then the voice again.

“You survived. But you didn’t live.”

Kazuo’s jaw tensed. His breath slowed to stillness.

“You took my name. My face. You learned the shadows, but not the truth.”

Out from the wall came a mirror image of himself, wearing the black mantle of the Yashimori clan, untouched by the fire. Untouched by guilt.

“I am what you would’ve become… had you not failed.”

Kazuo didn’t flinch, not immediately. He simply narrowed his gaze, observing the illusion with cold clarity. This wasn’t a hallucination, it was a weapon. A reflection made to crush him where he stood. He stepped forward. Calmly.

“I will admit that I failed miserably.” He looked at the floor, his eyes flooding in guilt. “But what would you expect from a child who barely knew when his birthday was?”

The reflection of himself smirked, crossing his arms around his chest, “You’re right. No child should live such horrors and training, but it is something often seen in clans nowadays. An old tradition kept alive because of its benefits.”

Kazuo sighed, almost offended of what his reflection was like, “Never break trust, never forgive treachery.” He then continued, his eyes piercing through the mirror, hatred against his own self, “You are all I ever hated. You betrayed the code I stood for so long even as a kid, now look at you, telling me child torture for strength is justified!”

The reflection glitched, his eyes becoming inhumanly wide, like about to be pulled out of the orbits, blood flowing down its eyes, “You’re a foolish man, Kazuo. Your foolishness will catch up with you one day. Your brooding will be your fall. Your inability to let go of your past.”

Kazuo felt his heart clench, “Brooding, huh? I guess I am.” He thought before speaking up, “I won’t allow a fragment of what could’ve been me to change who I am. I am proud of myself at the time, and even if I may be a brooding young man full of sadness and regrets even at my young age, I won’t let an unreal, illusionary person change my personal code.”

He took a step forward, which caused the whole room to fade like dust into thin air, the hallway he was in moments ago coming back, the length of it back to normal and both doors back present.

“How Is Mina or Ryo holding up?”  He thought to himself a bit worried, he knew what kind of pasts both had.

[...]

Team Three stepped deeper into the corridor, and as Kazuo vanished silently into the dark, Mina stood still, her hands lightly pressed together in front of her.

“We are allowed to talk, just not between us as a team I suppose...” Her voice quiet as she thoughtfully talked to herself.

The illusion started its effect, slowly, the whole hallway this time didn’t stretch, but became a whole hospital room.

Beds aligned could be seen in front of her, all occupied by her siblings in different pains she witnessed before.

In the first bed, her little sister, Nagi, when she was three years old, after her first failure...

“Oh no...” Mina felt her stomach get filled with an immense amount of void, inexplicably disastrous.

“Mina...” Nagi looked at her, completely defeated, bruised, beaten, her elemental energy being present only in her vital organs to keep her alive. “Why is father so violent?”

Her heart clenched before shattering into million pieces. Her soft heart couldn’t take the toll of seeing her sister like this again. “Nagi... I...” Her words couldn’t come out of her mouth, her throat was stopping them from going out, her eyes watery in seconds.

The Takemura clan was always known as violent physically against the children who make even the smallest errors in their training, their training starting at the age of three.

“I would’ve liked to see father finally appreciative of my efforts.”

...

Mina replied, between sobs, holding Nagi’s hand in hers, “Nagi, please promise me... You’ll never hold father accountable for what he is doing to you. This sickness of a mess... Is something I can bet he as well doesn’t like doing.”

Nagi smiled weakly, her pulse fading away alongside the illusion, “I know. He was after all crying each time he laid his hand on me.”

Mina felt Nagi’s hand fade under her grip, tears never stopping falling down her cheeks. “This illusion knows exactly what is hurting me most.”

She went over to the next bed, where Shio was present, he wasn’t beaten up by a training failure, no... He was fighting the corruption of his terminal illness that came alongside the fact he was the direct descendant of the second oldest son of Yume-no-Sagi, Goddess of sleep. A curse laid upon any descendant of her children. One that ate each of their lives away slowly, differently, but certainly.

“Mina, as the Princess of the Takemura, will you handle to take over my responsibilities the day I won’t be here anymore?” Shio said with a smile, blood falling at the corner of it.

Mina wiped the blood away with her thumb gently, “I won’t let you die, no matter what, Shio, we need your cells to be let to the next generations.”

Shio laughed, “It’s true, your medical techniques and skills are above any specialist, and you’re barely twelve... Your body seems to have inherited one of Yume-no-Sagi’s children’s skills as well. You won’t let me die, nor Nagi or Takeshi. Will you?” He faded away like dust into thin air, the last bed being the one of Takeshi, the oldest of them four.

Before Mina could even approach Takeshi’s bed, he spoke up, his tone cold and distant, “Don’t come near me.”

Mina’s tears kept falling down her cheeks, her lips now dry and eye corners red. “Takeshi... Allow me to save you from this darkness that threatens to take you away.”

“Your help is useless for my wounds currently, Mina. And you’ll have to understand that...”

“You can’t always save everybody.”

...

Mina’s right hand went to hold her own clothes where her heart is located, Takeshi continuing, his eyes empty, draining every ounce of life out of him each word he spoke, “You cannot wield your medical spells correctly yet. As outcome of your mishandling, you hurt them instead of healing them.”

Mina spoke up quietly, her voice breaking, “Father said it’s part of my abilities...”

Takeshi smiled gently, “Maybe that’s it. Maybe you were born with healing made for the dying. Only the nearly broken can be saved by your touch. Anyone else... You must hurt just to help.”

Mina went completely quiet. Only sobs filling this heavy silence.

“We all are descendants, heirs of Yume-no-Sagi’s powers and own children. The Takemura clan is related to her majestic elegance, her ethereal beauty, and unthought strength resonating like sun’s rays.”

“Yet you, Mina, you inherited her flaws perfectly. Just like her last born was.”

Mina was still quiet, listening to his words.

“I am twenty years old, I’ve lived through a war at barely eight, I’ve fought clan wars endlessly after I got into the Academy, I’ve mastered the Eclipse Sense perfectly, I’ve seen all sorts of folks. Yet... none was as tortured emotionally like you are, Mina.”

“Do you remember those nights?”

          Mina remembered, clearly, no details missed.

The nights where she stood next to Shio, Takeshi, and even Nagi. That night, Mina turned seven. But no birthday party as it is forbidden within the clan to make ceremony’s outside the political interest such as weddings, contracts, agreements, debates... The Takemura were used to it, none of them four had a birthday party, even if the commoners of the clan were having parties.

          Nagi was three years old, she reached the age a few months prior required to participate in the training. Shio was twelve, he was already very strong and capable, his cells working fluidly and perfectly with his power channeling. Takeshi was fifteen years old, already mastering the arts of the clan to an intermediate level, the Eclipse Sense being his main magic trait he’d use frequently in battles or missions.

Their father Masanori stood in front of their alignment, tall and proud with his arms around his chest, short black hair with the uniform of the Takemura’s leader symbol hanging on his muscular frame. Besides him his wife and their mother, Kagura. Her long silky black hair with shades of purple shining through it as it was laying over her shoulders reaching her knees with ease reflecting on her elegance.

“As my children you four have to prove yourself useful till the end of your days. No failure will be taken lightly without punishment on the right path to success.”

Masanori continued all while his voice was stern, cold, not showing a flicker of compassion. “We are descendants of the Goddess of Sleep, Yume-no-Sagi. Her blood runs through us, through you especially. The four of you awakened at the youngest age known the Eclipse Sense.”

“The first one to fail will know what it is like to fail on the battlefield.”

After countless sparrings, Mina was training alongside Nagi the martial art technique known as “Go’un do”, also “Way of the Hard Cloud.” Nagi was barely three years old, she didn’t awaken the Eclipse Sense yet and she was decent at martial arts fighting, hand to hand combat and proved herself of high capacity of adaptability in any close distance combat. Her failure was to be expected as Mina threw a kick to Nagi’s ribs, pushing her far behind leaving quite some impact on Nagi. Masanori and Kagura witnessed the scene unfold, also Shio and Takeshi who stood silently besides their father, knowing what was about to come next for Nagi unfortunately.

“Is that how I learnt you defend yourself Nagi?” Masanori spit his words violently in visible anger, “I won’t have my youngest child be this unbelievably weak.” He approached where Nagi was laying on the floor, barely able to breathe as Mina’s kick damaged her ribs greatly alongside her lungs, “You aren’t able to use any of our eye techniques, any of our weaponry techniques, any of our medical techniques, any of our long range techniques. What are you capable to do outside fist fighting?” He grabbed Nagi’s hair tightly, Nagi’s breathless cries barely audible. “Don’t get me started by how poorly you are at balancing your elemental energy consummation on these spells. You are miserably weak and pathetic.” He pulled her up to her feet with his grip on her hair, then with his free hand he started hitting her small body, ignoring her inability to breathe properly. He yelled after each hit that bruised, opened wounds on her skin, “Why can’t you be like Mina, Shio or Takeshi?”

Kagura looked at the three, Shio, Takeshi and Mina. Her voice despite her expression being softly guided, “I expect you Mina to heal your sister. No failures accepted.”

Takeshi sighed, “Mother, Is it really necessary to push Mina to heal Nagi?”

Kagura glared at Takeshi, “Are you somewhat claiming that our ways are dangerous and unacceptable in your point of view?”

“...That’s why I’ll never exhaust myself enough to explain to you people what a normal parent should act like.” Takeshi’s words hit like a heavy weight in the room.

But before Kagura could react, Masanori shouted at Mina, “Get your limbs right here and heal her!” an order coming from the depth of his heart.

“Yes father!” Mina ran determined to heal Nagi, she always healed her before.

After quick elemental techniques to transfer her energy to Nagi’s, she rested her hands on the bloody chest of her sister. “Her ribs are broken, her lungs are damaged enough to be a disaster, her right eye has... popped. Her nose is filled with blood and so is her mouth. Her heart is... weakening.”

Mina’s eyes widened in the biggest of shocks as she realized. Her body began to tremble as the terror caught the best of her. Tears falling like waterfalls. Breath trembling like earthquakes. Her heartrate quickened while her hands began to be filled with Nagi’s blood. “Father...” She tried to compose her breath but she couldn’t, Masanori witnessed Mina’s failure as well on healing Nagi with a cold stare. “You’re incapable of healing your sister back to life?”

Kagura shouted at Masanori, as she realized too where this was going to, “Masanori! Heal Nagi, why are you letting her suffer to death?”

Masanori replied with a blunt anger, “Breaking a rule of the Takemura’s clan training is heavily forbidden. As the Head of this clan, even if It ruins me to witness my own child fade under my eyes, I cannot betray what I stand to represent.”

Kagura’s eyes were desperate, clinging for a solution, but Takeshi held her arm as she was about to rush to Nagi’s side, to heal her daughter herself. He said in a quiet, unnerving tone, “Face the consequences alongside all of us of this clan’s cursed fate.”

Kagura yelled, “Let me go, Takeshi!” his grip was uncomfortably tight, not even as she tried to pull away she couldn’t break from his raw strength. “Can’t you hear me? Let me go and save her! She’s your sister as well, why would you let her fall in front of you because of you?!”

“Because of me?” He asked casually. Before his eyes darkening, “Father is the one who beats us to death after each failure. ‘What failure on the battlefield truly is’... Have you forgotten his own words? He expected this one day to happen. Mother, you are a unforgivable woman for even trying to save your children after you took part of the torture as well in your own way.”

Shio who was barely twelve, he was stuck between two sides, either save Nagi and be the victim of the clan’s unresolved hatred and punishment, or stay and watch.

Masanori took a deep breath, talking quietly enough only for Mina to hear, his eyes softening, “Mina. Nagi was condemned to die today. Don’t guilt yourself that you were unable to save her.”

Mina’s body was frozen from the moment she realized Nagi was dying under her help, Mina accentuated the elemental energy onto her hands, to save her, to linger the glimpse of Nagi’s living eyes before letting her go. She struggled to speak as her breath was short and trembling, tears filled her eyes and fell down on her hands, “Father... Why? Why?”

Masanori kneeled besides her, a hand resting on her shoulder, “I was told to kill Nagi by a superior of mine. Her inability to be as potentially strong and pleasing to this superior’s eyes caused this to happen. I’m sorry, Mina.”

Mina cried out all her bottled-up pain, Nagi’s final breath reaching to her eyes, “NO! I WON’T HAVE THIS HAPPEN! WHY IS EVERYBODY DYING ON ME?!”

...

...

...

          ...After this tragic memory, Mina found herself back to the room made by an illusion, but no sign of Takeshi on his bed. A window was opened now, making the sheets for the three beds, fly outside, Mina’s tears reflecting the whole room. “Farewell, Nagi.” She quietly told to the necklace she held. “See you soon, if there will ever be one, Shio and Takeshi. I miss all of you three. I hope your missions will go well in my absence.”

The room turned back to the hall, a smile on her lips as she walked forward, telling herself “I will break this cursed cycle of the Takemura clan, my kids will never have to face such mindless torture because of superiors and public opinions!”

[...]

          The silence thickened like fog as Ryo stepped forward.

It was warm, weirdly warm, like summer after rain. His shoulders twitched. The corridor was narrow, walls almost breathing. Ryo rubbed the back of his neck and let out a short breath.

“Alright, Walk of Silence,” he mumbled, squinting ahead. “Do your worst, I guess.”

The floor dipped slightly, just enough to make him feel taller than usual. He smiled at that, then stopped. His arms suddenly felt heavier. His chest tighter as well. It wasn’t scary, not yet. Just… off.

Then came the scent. Laundry soap and old tatami mats.

“Wait,” he muttered. “That’s home.”

The light in the corridor dimmed to a golden hue, and with it came the sound of a wooden ladle tapping against ceramic.

A voice, familiar, soft, full of life.

“Ryo, come sit.” He turned. There she was. His mother.

Sitting at the edge of their porch, lit by a late afternoon sun. Ryo stood there, nine years old again, barefoot, with a scraped elbow and a half-eaten rice ball in one hand. He didn’t move toward her. Not yet. Because he remembered this moment. He remembered every word she said that day. And deep inside, he wasn’t ready to hear them again.

Not now. Not like this.

Ryo stood still, frozen in that strange space between memory and illusion. His fingers tightened slightly around the imagined rice ball. He didn’t feel nine. He didn’t feel twelve either. Just… like someone who already knew what was coming. His mom patted the wooden porch beside her. “You’ve been practicing those punches again, haven’t you? Arms all shaky.”

Ryo looked down. Sure enough, his knuckles were red, wrists trembling faintly. He hadn’t noticed it before. Or maybe the illusion wanted him to.

He sat beside her, slowly. The warmth of the porch was exact, too exact. The detail made his throat tighten.

“You’re strong,” his mother said, smiling gently. “But strength’s never been the problem.”

He stayed quiet. This was the part he’d been trying to forget for three years.

“You’ve heard the stories,” she said softly. “About your uncle. Your grandfather. All Amagishi. All strong. And all… taken early.”

Ryo’s shoulders hunched slightly. He kept his eyes on the floorboards.

“We don’t talk about it in front of you because we wanted you to grow up smiling,” she continued. “And you did. But this year, your hands started trembling after sparring. You’ve noticed it.”

He nodded.

“It’s starting.”

He didn’t answer. His voice felt buried under weight. Not fear. Not shock. Just… the heavy kind of knowing that sits deep in your belly.

“I know it’s not fair. You’ve got friends. Dreams. You want to protect people. You hit harder than anyone your age,” she said, brushing his hair back. “But this thing, it doesn’t care.”

His jaw clenched.

“I won’t let it stop me,” he whispered. “I’m not gonna stay behind. I’m not gonna be the one who disappears.”

“I believe you,” she said, smiling again, soft and a little sad. “That’s why I’m telling you. So, when it gets hard, you remember this isn’t your fault.”

The sunlight faded slightly. The porch creaked. She began to dissolve like smoke pulled by wind.

“Mom—!”

“You’re not a burden, Ryo,” her voice echoed, fading. “And even if one day you can’t stand beside them, they’ll still love you.”

He reached for her, but she was already gone.

And the corridor returned, darker now, heavy again. His arms trembled more. His legs ached. He looked down at his hands, who were still shaking uncontrollably. “So, I’m already ill of this terminal disease. How... Sad.”

He looked in front of him where the exit was, “But I won’t let it eat me away. I’ll fight it away, I will! So, I can spend my days with my friends, Aiko, Naoya, and Hayate!”

[...]

The moment Haruki, alongside his exam team, team four, stepped through the door, the air shifted. Like walking into a cave too deep for sunlight, the corridor swallowed sound and warmth both. His brow furrowed, already uneasy.

“Alright,” he muttered under his breath, flexing his shoulders. “Nothing I haven’t run through before.”

But the corridor didn’t echo back. No footsteps. No breeze. No pulse to the place at all. Then came the whispers.

Faint at first, like wind scratching over stone. Then clearer. Familiar. Too familiar.

“Haruki… where were you?”

“Please… I didn’t want to be alone…”

“You promised you’d protect me…”

His chest tightened. He stopped moving.

These weren’t voices of strangers. These were the voices of ones he’d failed. Missions gone wrong. Accidents. Sparring partners who took the hit meant for him. The ones who didn’t walk away. He knew their names. Their faces.

“No—” he shook his head, forcing his boots to stay planted. “They knew the risks. We all do. I didn’t leave them. I didn’t—!”

But the corridor kept pressing. Like it wanted to crush him from the inside. Every word struck like weight to the ribs. Not bruises, guilt. Invisible, and worse for it.

“Can you carry them all?”

He gritted his teeth, breathing hard through his nose. His hands clenched into trembling fists.

“I can carry a lot,” he muttered.

“Can you carry them forever?”

That was the test.

He stood tall again, though his body screamed to kneel. His lungs ached like he’d sprinted a hundred miles, and something old and deep inside him told him to stop.

But Haruki Okabe didn’t stop. He pushed forward.

Every step Haruki took forward made the whispers grow quieter, but heavier. As if silence weighed more than noise ever could. His heartbeat thudded against the back of his throat. Not from fear. From effort. The illusion wasn’t trying to frighten him; it was trying to exhaust him.

The walls shifted, showing glimpses. Flickers. Like light catching broken glass.

His old training partner, Daigo, collapsed beneath falling rubble.

A wounded comrade left behind during a rescue mission, a mistake the elders made wasn’t his fault.

And worst of all, a younger students, maybe ten, maybe even younger. Standing alone. Crying.

“You said you’d come back.”

Haruki paused. That one wasn’t real. Couldn’t be. He’d never seen that face before. He didn’t even know that kid.

But the guilt surged anyway.

Because it wasn’t just about the people he’d failed.

It was about the people he might fail.

The people who followed him because of his strength.

The ones who smiled because they thought he’d never fall.

What if one day he did?

He reached for his chest, not out of fear, but to feel the place where the pressure was worst. Like someone had tied a weight inside his ribs.

“I’m not strong enough for everyone,” he muttered, staring at the flickering image of the child. “But I’ll still walk.”

His body trembled.

His legs screamed to stop.

But he walked.

Because Haruki wasn’t made to be perfect.

He was made to keep going.

Even when no one else could.

That was his personal code he lived up to.

[...]

          The silence came with the warmth of a lie.

Hinari Kazurei stepped forward, chin high, eyes steady. The golden light of the corridor stretched long and still around her, every flicker of torchlight too precise. Too still. It didn’t sway. It didn’t breathe. She noticed that first. Then the heat followed.

Not discomfort but familiarity. A comforting warmth, like a hearth she remembered from her childhood. Like home.

But she was too well-trained to be comforted by illusion. The Kazurei were taught to master fire and deception. She knew what false safety felt like.

“So, this is the test,” Hinari whispered to herself, gaze narrowing.

The door behind her vanished. Her sandals made no sound against the floor.

She remembered Rinhaku’s words: “One who speaks shall be disqualified.”

Her first instinct had been to stay silent, obedient to the rule. But now, as the illusion curled around her in slow, golden spirals, she felt it: the rule wasn’t about talking. It was a misdirection. A spell layered in suggestion.

“It’s not the words that disqualify,” she murmured now, knowingly. “It’s forgetting who you are while you speak them.”

The corridor cracked.

Not literally, emotionally. The warmth twisted, became too warm. Suffocating, like her clan’s expectations wrapping around her chest. Like her father’s voice telling her, “You must never waver, Hinari. You are a Kazurei. You are the future of the Firelands.”

She closed her eyes.

Thought of her teammates. Of Kain’s silence. Of the way he never asked for sympathy, only space. The way he stood was too far from others. The way she used to fear him. The way she no longer did.

“Strength isn’t silence,” she thought. “It’s understanding.”

She stood there in the illusion’s golden stillness, her fingers curling slightly as the air pressed in around her, not heavy, not light, just watchful. Her heartbeat kept steady. Her breaths followed a rhythm she had learned not from teachers, but from experience.

From the long nights spent with Souta in recovery, watching his wounds close in ways they shouldn’t have, his body reshaping itself with every moonrise. From the way Tenma spoke only when needed, yet never failed to step between danger and the people he cared about. From the way Kain held his pain behind careful words, behind sharp glances that dared you to ask, but never begged for help.

They weren’t just her teammates. They were the measure of who she was becoming.

She brought a hand to her chest, feeling the low warmth of healing magic humming faintly in her veins. The changes to her cells, subtle, irreversible, were a constant reminder of what she’d offered to keep them safe. The Kazurei legacy ran through her blood, but so did the burden she chose to bear: to fight and to care. To heal and to harm if she must.

The corridor seemed to bend slightly, as if listening.

She kept walking.

“I’ll lead,” she whispered, not as a command but as a promise. “Even if it costs me everything.”

The corridor shimmered, its form warping like heat waves off scorched stone, but Hinari’s steps remained sure. The silence deepened, twisted inward, trying to settle into her lungs like ash.

She exhaled.

“You forget who I am.”

The thought pulsed through her body like fire through paper. Not rage. Not arrogance. Just the truth.

The curse bent its threads, reaching for her nerves, her memories, her fears, and burned away.

A golden flicker passed through her eyes. She stopped walking and she raised her voice, not to herself, but to the walls, to the spell, to the ones watching behind it.

“Kazurei Rinhaku,” she said aloud, voice ringing clear in the still air. “This illusion was meant to test weakness. But what if I’ve already faced mine?”

Her words echoed unnaturally, bouncing not off stone, but off minds.

“To the council watching, Tenma-sensei, the other instructors, and whoever’s hiding behind the old rites, let me be direct. I know this magic. I was raised with it in my blood. This wasn’t made to teach. It was made to fracture.”

A pause. Even the air seemed to hold its breath.

“I won’t let you decide who breaks and who becomes strong. Not through silence. Not through fear. You want to see who I am?” She took one more step forward. “Then open your eyes.”

The illusion didn’t dissolve. It cracked.

A fine line down the corridor, splitting like glass under pressure. And from somewhere above, in the high chamber that was now visible through the crack to Rinhaku, the superiors and Hinari, where the test was being observed, eyes widened. A whisper passed among them:

“She broke it… willingly.”

Hinari stood, hands relaxed at her sides, waiting for the silence to speak back.

“Your will of fire is admirable for a Kazurei. I’ll admit.” Rinhaku spoke with a gentle smile. “Your ability to break through MY own illusion, is a defeat I’ll hold you honored for. Nobody has tricked me so effortlessly before.” He laughed. “I’ll let you pass. Your efforts for the clan, people, and all... Won’t be forgotten by this city.”

“He ignored the key point of my speech, but I won’t say anything more, he will inevitably turn it against me. He played this game more than I ever did.”

[...]

          Rinhaku looked at the teachers aligned next to him in the meeting chamber, alongside the Council members, Tenro Nanshou, and the Three Sages.

“Where is Yuto Hoshigane?” Rinhaku firmly asked, his eyes going straight at Tenma.

Tenma felt the eyes go on him, he cleared his throat and spoke up, “Yuto’s absence isn’t something I was aware of, neither did I was warned about.”

Shuyo’s gaze was at the ceiling all along, distant from reality. His arms crossed around his chest and leaned back into the chair comfortably. “The quiet prodigy is absent, huh? Is that really a surprise?”

Everybody turned to look at Shuyo, “Yuto Hoshigane, relative and descendant of one of Tenma’s siblings, Tenma being his uncle... The Hoshigane originating from the land of Earth... I am not surprised. No, no, not at all.” He laughed, amused.

Kaede sighed, asking a bit annoyed, “What is so funny to you?”

Shuyo replied, “I met Yuto a few times, never directly reaching to him. He is a silent, cold and precise killing machine. He is often lost in thought, huge skills in close-combat and tactical illusions... Like a shadow striking unseen.”

Kaede’s annoyance clear as water as his voice became cold as ice and striking like a lightning, “That we all know, Yuto is a young man similar to his uncle’s behavior in the past. But not as dangerous.” A quick look at Tenma before continuing, “Speak if it matters, Shuyo. Don’t be childish and mess with us, especially during the first test of this exam that deserves keen concentration from everyone to ensure that everything goes accordingly.”

Shuyo turned to face Kaede, resting his elbow on the table, his hand over his own cheek. A wry grin stretched across his face, but his tone lost its usual playfulness.  

“You think this is me playing?” he asked, eyes sharpening. “If I’m speaking, it’s because something isn’t going accordingly. I trust Rinhaku’s illusion more than most, but don’t mistake silence for safety.”  

Rinhaku didn’t flinch, though his gaze narrowed.  

Shuyo continued, his voice low but resonant. “Yuto Hoshigane didn’t skip this exam out of fear. He vanished without disruption. Not even your illusion caught a trace, Rinhaku. That alone should trouble all of you. What slips through the cracks of this test… might be learning how to tear it open from the other side.”  

A heavy silence followed, deeper than before.  

Tenro Nanshou, seated at the far end, finally leaned forward, interlocking his fingers. His tone was grave. “Yuto’s family bloodline was once tethered to the Earth land’s forbidden gates, sealed after the Senzai Conflict. His abilities may be a rebirth of that legacy… or a mutation.”  

One of the council members frowned. “You’re saying he’s a threat?”  

“I’m saying,” Tenro said, “that none of us were paying attention. Not even Tenma.”  

Tenma’s fists clenched slightly under the table, but he didn’t protest.

Kaede folded his arms. “Even if Yuto went rogue for whatever reason, it does not explain how he bypassed the safeguards. The Walk of Silence is sealed from the inside and out.”

Rinhaku exhaled slowly, eyes half-closed, as if reading something just beyond the veil. “Unless… someone with power let him leave.”  

All heads turned.

Shuyo chuckled again, not amused this time “I’m glad you found out what I meant, Rinhaku.”

For the first time, a flicker of concern passed across Kaede’s face.  

“We’ll continue monitoring the Walk,” Rinhaku said, his tone final. “But the boy must be found. We must know what is happening currently with all these children being involved in betrayals, outside activities that are highly dangerous, or act behind our back.”

“And if he’s outside, betraying just like Souta?” asked Tenro. 

“Then,” Rinhaku replied, “this exam is no longer just a test. It’s a warning to the new dangers to come to all of us if we don’t find out exactly what is going on.”

Ryushin who was listening all along spoke up, calmly, her eyes piercing through Tenro’s like a serpent, her irises being exactly like one. “Be careful, Tenro Nanshou. Souta is my student and descendant. I won’t have anybody speak of him that way.”

Rinhaku smiled widely, a smile that held no pure intentions but pure malice and tension, “And I won’t have nobody defend a spy from outside, especially someone who is also suspected for not being particularly loyal.”

Tenma changed the topic to Yuto. “I know Yuto indistinguishably well. He has my brother’s blood flow through his veins as well as mine. He inherited my misguided thoughts as a teenager and acts similarly to what I’ve done before. Chasing him will be meaningless. He is most probably back in the land of Earth.”

An angry council member complained, “It is unthinkable! First we’ve had that Yorinome woman who took under her care Kain Rukairo, the vessel of the same god she once tamed, who ran away from our land betraying us! Then, the exile of Souta Obanashi to our land, which about nobody was happy to hear about, nobody agreed, we followed blindly the rules that constitute our land. Now, Souta Obanashi is a child we doubt of being a traitor, a spy, a weapon sent by the Obanashi from the Land of Water to know our weaknesses, our everything, in order to begin another war! Then, we learnt that Kain and the God of Destruction, have created a bond. A bond! Is that even possible? The very god that embodies the word Destruction, who created it, and lives to destroy, bonded with that vessel whose birth was only for holding that God captive and safely away from our Land physically! I won’t even start by enumerating how many children have suffered in their past because of their clans traditions, as we saw with Mina Takemura, who now are slowly but surely turning their back on us, superiors, for past leaders mistakes!”

Everyone listened, nobody intervened till the end.

Shuyo now serious, eyes right at that council member’s soul, “Sayaka Yorinome was a great woman who served us greatly. Many don’t know her useful position behind the scenes, and how much she influenced this Land to do good. I witnessed both her birth and runaway. I see nothing to design a betrayal. And Kain...” He trailed off, “Kain is a young man with special abilities from the Rukairo clan that await him to awaken.”

Tenma added, as serious as Shuyo at the mention of Sayaka and Kain. “Sayaka was a colleague of mine from another team. I grew up seeing her become an extraordinary woman. She may have been a secret caretaker of Kain, who now Is considered a mere exiled vessel from our land, but at one point... she was the one who was handling every forbidden spells, special abilities, techniques, thoroughly. She made sure nobody was ever coming close to steal our forbidden knowledge, and she, over the years, learnt every single of these forbidden scripts. If she was truly a traitor, with evil thoughts, she would’ve attacked our land long ago. She made Kain be the patient young man who tries to mold his way between everybody. I saw his suffering alongside the other members of the Special Wizard team the other day. He was never a danger but a frustrated young boy who lost all that is dear to him from birth.”

Ryushin added as well, “I may not be the best to talk as Rinhaku said earlier I am not totally innocent myself... But out of everybody here, I know the Obanashi and the land of Water best. Yes, there is no reason to doubt; they are trying to attack us. But Souta is not entangled in that mess whatsoever. Souta is a pawn of a game his older siblings master very well. He is yet twelve, unable to comprehend his being fully himself. We will see when his time to take effect on the illusion will happen to witness his fears, maybe it’ll convince you he is not the monster you depicted him to be.”

Kaede nodded, “I agree with the three of them. But there is one thing that bothers me in your sayings, member of the council.” He tapped once with his cane on the floor, “The clan’s tradition are one with them. These traditions are older than us, the Three Sages combined. Mina, as you mentioned... Is from the Takemura clan, she witnessed the death of Nagi Takemura and the decline to madness of both her parents along the years. She also had to witness the brutality and toll it took on both her older brothers. She witnesses death everyday in the hospitals, her determination is unthinkably strong. She’s a quiet anchor of her team. Kids like Kain, Souta, Yuto, Haruki, Yura, Emiko, have all suffered undeniably. Yet none turned out purely shaped by malice. They all have warm hearts, despite their own demons. They all suffer, even those I didn’t mention. But the ones I mentioned saw the most of blood, death, and sadness a child should never face. Kain’s clan who is now unknown about any of their whereabouts ever since his birth, and let’s not forget how the Rukairo clan was once tied to the ancient god sealing techniques. Any other information about them vanished the moment Kain was sent to this world. What kind of pain is that child bearing? Out of all the kids I’ve met, he suffered grandiosely. I can count on the one hand kids I’ve met as pained by life. It has nothing to do with clan traditions; they all love their clans and surnames greatly. They wield them with pride.”

Rinhaku listened, then slammed a fist on the table, silencing the room, “Let’s go on to the last team, hm?”

          Aiko was the first to get into the hallucination from team one. Her footsteps light and steady, “I forgot I suck at illusions.” She let out a sigh and continued to walk to the endless hallway. She looked around, at how everything seemed to mold perfectly into one creepy dimly lit hall. “This atmosphere... It is horrifying. I feel as if I’m in grave danger.” She then saw a white silhouette with the corner of her eye. “Huh?” she turned to face the silhouette.

It was a weird faceless silhouette of someone’s. Approaching her, silently, no words spoken, no nothing.

A shiver went down Aiko’s spine, her eyes roaming around as more silhouettes began to form. “What is happening?”

“Why is this happening? Is it supposed to represent something I---” She then realized.

“Oh.”

“Oh.”

Her shoulders began to lose the tight tense, her eyes looked at the floor, her lips formed downwards, her eyebrows frowning.

The silhouettes began to walk past her, all going ahead, none reaching out to her. She was invisible, forgotten.

“They... Ignore me.” Her voice trailed off to a mix of several feelings.

Until... A shadow forming a silhouette as well appeared next to her. Speaking. “Aiko.”

She turned to look at the silhouette, a bit shaken by a sudden familiar voice speaking to her. But she quickly felt the elemental energy surge from it, and she then understood, it was Naoya. He reached out to her inside this illusion.

“Naoya...” She began softly, almost breaking into tears, “What are you doing here?”

He was silent for a moment, taking in her current emotional state. “To get you out of this hell of an illusion before it eats you away completely.”

“Wouldn’t that eliminate both of us...?”

“Confronting your own personal issues with someone else isn’t forbidden as far as I know.”

Naoya’s shadow caught Aiko’s arm and shook her out of the illusion effortlessly. She found herself quickly back in the hallway, with no silhouettes, including his, and the exit door right in front of her.

                   Rinhaku observed Aiko’s movements alongside Naoya’s quietly. Until Tenro interrupted the silence between everybody, “Aiko is the first to ever get helped in an illusionary test... Naoya Ikusawa knew the risks of doing that. What would be the consequences?”

Shuyo sighed, “Naoya helped knowing he will be eliminated. Heroic, admirable, and above all brave. Aiko’s insecurities take a heavy toll on her, and he helped her by sacrificing his efforts to get into this Caster exam. Is it really condemnable?”

Ryushin was silent, looking and listening to every opinion in the room.

Kaede moved his cane from one hand to another continuously, “Naoya Ikusawa intervened, huh? Not even when I was a kid, I didn’t witness such acts of bravery as Shuyo mentioned. In my humble opinion, he should still be eliminated as the rules say, no intervention in someone’s test is allowed. Heroic act or not. Rules are rules.”

Tenro kept his composure despite everybody disagreeing with each other on what to do, he was maddeningly calm. “Hmm... What is your opinion on this, Rinhaku?”

“Naoya will not be eliminated from the Caster exam.”

Silence. Every soul around the round table they were sitting at looked straight at Rinhaku. Some surprised some displeased, he continued, “Naoya is a courageous Ikusawa. He stands up to the reputation of his clan. Let’s not forget he is still a mere child, like every other participant of this first test and the new participants that will make their way on the second test. All outsiders of our land. Naoya is our smartest candidate so far. He is a genius capable to think further than me.” He smiled, closing his eyes. His hands clasped together on the table.

Tenma nodded, “I too agree that we should make him an exception to the rules and let him stay. He is valuable after all.”

Hayate turned to face Tenma with a smirk, “You’ve finally decided to talk?”

Tenma scoffed, “It is never too late to express my opinions.”

Hayate laughed, “You’re right. You never were one to talk anyways, why am I surprised?”

Shizuna pinched Hayate’s arm under the table, whispering, “You’re not being very professional in front of the Paragon right now, Hayate.”

Tenro sighed, a bit let down by Rinhaku’s answer, “Is that so? So we’ll go against the rules we followed for so long, only because Naoya has proved himself? Many candidates in the past were as valuable or even greater than he is, and we didn’t make exceptions.”

Rinhaku spoke firmly, “I decide whether or not we follow these rules, Tenro. I am the Paragon. I have all powers in order to do such act even without your permission as the representative of the Council and my right hand in each action.”

Tenro smiled, “Then, the next question is... Will Naoya go through the Walk of Silence?”

Rinhaku shook his head, “No. He proved himself capable of seeing above illusions and help his comrade with ease. He passes the first test successfully.”

Tenro grinned, “Alright then. Which means our last candidate is Souta Obanashi, the snake boy.”

Ryushin looked at Tenro dead in the eye, acknowledging how Tenro had an interest in Souta since he was doubted to be a spy. “Souta is my responsibility, so back away Nanshou.”

Tenro chuckled, “Ryushin being protective of the young boy? I never dared to ask for such a day to come. But I understand, he is your descendant after all.”

          Souta expected nothing. “I’m curious to see what this illusion will reflect me as.”

The air changed the moment the gate shut behind him. It thickened, not with pressure, but with expectation. The kind he’d felt in the back of his skull since childhood. The kind that weighed more than any teacher’s words.

The corridor stretched ahead, long and dry.

Then a whisper of water, not a sound, a memory.

Each footstep echoed like it was walking on the surface of a lake. But the floor stayed dry. And the walls? Smooth stone, until they began to reflect.

Not his face.

But versions of it.

One with eyes sharpened like Kazuki’s. Another smiling like Shigure used to before a kill. Another looking back at him with something closer to rage. All his siblings, all not him, and yet somehow, entirely him. Fragments of the Leviathan distorted and wrong.

He didn’t react. He didn’t feel something to react. Yet.

The reflections moved on their own now, even as he stayed still. Some broke away from the wall. Some knelt. Each were doing something entirely different.

The corridor twisted, wet now. The stone ran slick with seawater that didn’t fall, only clung. The sound of waves came from nowhere, but it wasn’t chaotic, it was steady. Ancient. Very Ancient.

Souta’s fingers brushed against the wall as he walked. Cold. Familiar. Like the salt-bathed caverns beneath his homeland, the ones he wasn’t allowed to enter back then.

And then he reached it... A mirror. No distortions this time. No siblings. No ocean. Just him.

Steady, calm and behind his reflection, faint, subtle, a massive shape in the water, coiled like a god in sleep. A huge dragon, looking like the one from ancient stories and tales. Would it be the same Leviathan?

Souta stared at it calmly, not in fear or anything. He recognized that presence he lived with for as long as he can remember. He knew that was the beast inside him he fought so much against.

And for the first time in this place, he spoke, “I’m not what they want me to be. I’m not what you were either.”

The dragon didn’t move while Souta’s reflection transformed into water.

He clenched his jaw.

“But I’m still yours.”

The dragon, Leviathan, replied, “Will you finally accept the truth, Souta boy?”

Souta’s eyes frowned, “The truth?”

“You’re naïve, Souta.” Leviathan sighed, “You’re not a vessel like your friend is.”

“I don’t get where you want to say exactly.” Souta titled his head slightly.

Leviathan laughed, a laugh full of malice and cruelty. After all the Leviathan wasn’t depicted as a saint but a sinner. A devil. Comparable to the devil himself. He then proceeded to tell something completely out of mind.

“You’re my reincarnation.”

“...”

Souta froze in place like a frozen dead body. His eyes wide, a look on his face full of unpleasant shock. He tried to mutter something, but he couldn’t do it. Instead, he forced his body to calm down then shouted, bursting into emotions he worked so hard to hide till now. “Do you think this is some joke to you? Me? Your reincarnation? What the hell are you talking about? How could I ever believe such a lie? You’re a monster that lived within me since my birth; I could not be your reincarnation if you are still alive!”

Leviathan kept his sheepish smirk on his face. “You’re naïve. More than I could’ve thought.” He then swam closer to the mirror that was separating them. “I am dead, Souta. I just happened to be reincarnated in you. You are me and I am you.”

Everything crumbled instantly as the news got to Rinhaku’s ears. He acted so fast nobody saw it coming or saw him cast the spell. Souta was out of the illusion instantly, before he could even blink.

          Rinhaku stood up and summoned his grimoire, ready to seal Souta. Before he could react any more Ryushin pulled her serpent wand out and pointed it at him across the table. “You dare do anything to him and you’ll face the wrath of my people till the last of your days, you and your land.”

Rinhaku, who earlier was relaxed, now was incredibly furious and serious. Everybody at the table was ready to act in this tension. “You dare stand in my way, Ryushin? This boy is as we suspected, Leviathan’s reincarnation! It is a complete disaster to keep him any longer free.”

Ryushin as well shared the safe fury as Rinhaku, her rage obvious, “You’re living in a world of delusions, Rinhaku. I stand in anyone’s path I want to. You will never intimidate me with your weak elemental mastery. I stood for longer than you could ever hope to be alive.”

“You’re making a huge mistake, Ryushin. Put that down and let me protect the students from any lingering threats.” Rinhaku spit his words, clearly losing patience as his hands began to tremble in anger and disbelief of such acts of betrayal.

Ryushin shouted even louder, her pupils turning like the ones of a snake, “You dare say such words without knowing the true meaning of them. You dare say you’re protecting them while all you’re doing is act on a misguided spirit of justice you Kazurei have. Stop acting as if you’re doing something good here.”

Shuyo stood up slowly from his chair, silent, with a serious tone speaking, “You two are fools. Sealing a child who is the reincarnation of the famous Leviathan is not the answer, but neither does he roam free. You have to find a correct balance, so we do not stir any conflict with his siblings and the agreement we made with the Obanashi the day of his exile.”

Rinhaku lost his patience and slammed his palm to the table, causing it to split in half, “My word is final. Souta will be sealed and sent back to his land after the exam completion. Until then, I will ask for the most skilled council members to fill out the paperwork for this and I’ll ask personally for Tenma Hoshigane, and Tomoru Inazuki to keep a constant eye on Souta. Any sudden movement that may show any violence or depiction of Leviathan will allow you to seal him immediately.”

Tenro whistled softly at the scene unfolding, he turned to the council members in the shadows behind him, “You heard the Paragon, go and fulfill your tasks.” He then turned back to face Rinhaku, calmly murmuring only to his ears, “Put that grimoire down, Rinhaku. You shouldn’t use your powers recklessly like this.”

Rinhaku calmed down suddenly as Tenro touched with his fingertips his cloak. Transmitting his calmness to him. “Thank you, Tenro. I appreciate your gift.” He then turned to look at Ryushin, who still had her wand pointed at him, “Put it down, Ryushin. If Souta is as safe and undemanding of being sealed, and proves himself to be inoffensive, he will be fine.”

“But if not, I’m afraid I will have to send him away and treat him as a criminal of our land.”

Ryushin gritted her teeth, “Criminal? Are you deaf to your own words?”

Shuyo put his hand delicately over hers and put the wand down slowly, “Calm down, Ryushin dear.” He gave her a brief small smile, “It’s all on Souta now whether he gets sealed or not. You can sit back down and relax.”

She looked at him and took a deep breath in, “You’re right. I let my feelings cloud my judgement.”

He laughed, “I don’t blame you. Souta’s a boy who has your blood run through him as a distant descendant. I am not surprised to see you so stressed over his safety and wellbeing.”

She chuckled after he laughed, “You’re right. He is a member of my clan. I see him as my family.”

Shuyo lifted his hand, thumbs up, “That’s the spirit! Now let’s see what the second test will be like for them, now that the outsider participants will be introduced.”

Rinhaku sat back down, after every team went out their corresponding halls and illusions, he teleported himself in front of them, hands behind his back, smile on his lips. “I am happy to announce nobody got eliminated this first round. You all proved yourselves excellent at surviving psychological illusions.” He clapped for a second, before letting his hands fall to his sides. “This second round, new participants will join us. Outsiders of our Land, of all types.”

They all looked at each other, whispering about this, seemingly very curious to meet the new participants.

Rinhaku then cleared his throat to get their attention once more, “Follow me, we will go at the site where everything will be explained for this second test of the Caster exam. Where you will also meet the new teams.”

He turned and started walking, everyone behind him following aligned by the team’s order.

          They passed by some huge stone doors, written on them “3 megatons.” That being the weight of the doors to be opened, which Rinhaku had no issue opening them with one hand effortlessly. Suddenly the light seemed to fade, and the noises echoed, they were entering a cave. A massive one. Slowly, a dim light could be seen, and voices chattering. They finally arrived at the scene. An empty place carved into the cave, quite big, where the outsider teams were already settled in their own corners, talking, laughing, angry... They all silenced as Rinhaku walked to the center of the room, leaving the teams behind him settle as well.

“Hello everyone, outsiders and friends. I am Rinhaku Kazurei, the Paragon of the Land of Fire.” He introduced himself before continuing. “I am happy to welcome you all outsiders. A total of four teams. Two from the Land of Water and two from the Land of Earth. I would appreciate you to introduce yourselves to all of us.”

The outsiders looked at each other and someone started to introduce themselves. “I am Meiko Saruishi from the Land of Earth and member of the Red Clay team, known as Stone Weaver.” Meiko Saruishi is a young girl with her hair tied in a bun. She’s wearing hunter clothes from the Land of Earth, a waist band under her chest and custom shorts with feathers to her right hip attached. She has long boots thick for snow adaptation. A bow is attached to her back alongside arrows.

The next one continued, “I am Shiiro Daisan and I as well as from the Red Clay team, I am also the Golem Architect.” Shiiro Daisan is a short young boy who is blindfolded, seems to have a third eye on his forehead that’s closed. He has short black hair and a long robe over his clothes.

Then the next, “I am Toga Shumai and member of the Red Clay team, my friends call me the Volcanic Core Fighter.” He is a tall young man who is fifteen years old. He has medium-long hair and a black hat on his head. He wears a tanked shirt with long very large pants. He has magma energy over his arms that represents the thermic conversion of his body to elemental energy.

The first team of the Land of Earth introduced themselves shortly, no need for too many details after all. The second team members began to introduce themselves.

“I am Doku Motsure, and I am a member of the Shuga team, also known by Fossil Binder.” Doku Motsure wears a short cape around his neck, a jacket and large pants with a melee weapon support on his leg. He has a piece of cloth wrapped around his head.

“I am Hama Kirataki, from the stonemason village in the Land of Earth.” She has white hair and has two short braids that go over her shoulders. She has bronze dark skin, and crystal embedded gauntlets. She wears a simple fit though, a shirt and the traditional long, large pants they all wear. The long, large pants are mostly used in the Land of Earth to avoid any injuries to the legs in the dry territories or toxic environments, plants, dead spiky branches.

“Nice to meet all of you, I am Nuragi Tenko and member of the Shuga team. I am also known as the Dust Mirage Artist!” A wide smile crept on his lips up to his ears. Nuragi Tenko is a wiry, barefoot trickster with goggles on. He wears an ushanka with few hair strands plopping out. He has a satchel over his shoulder to the waist, a normal shirt without sleeves and shorts with big pockets and a belt that has a clock in the middle.

Rinhaku nodded, smiling softly as he took in their appearances, original and flashy. He noticed their different personalities based on their way to introduce themselves. “Alright then, I’m happy to welcome you all to the exam, members of the Land of Earth. Now, inhabitants of the Land of Water, please introduce yourselves.”

A girl started talking, slowly but with elegance, “I am Enji Morioka. The Brine Puppeteer. I am happy to meet you all.” Slender, with sharp ears like elves. She is wrapped in wet silk cords that float around her like kelp. Her hair Is long and wavy like its also made of water. She has a crop top made of bandages, some sort of cloth attached to her waist above her pants.

“I am Rai Touzai the Storm Diver from the team Undercurrent.” A lean swimmer with bandages on his arms. He has eyes like cracked lightning. An oversized tank top with traditional samurai pants in the Land of Water.

A fully covered young man then introduced himself out of the shadows, calmly, quietly, slowly, but deeply reverent. “I am Mokume Arai. The Inkform Caster from the Land of Water.” He is covered head to toe in a traditional robe to always hide his identity properly. It is a technique often used by wizards of the Land of Water to be anonymous. Their names have no value as they wield no name. There are incredibly many rumors about their origins and reasons for this anonymity.

The next team began to introduce themselves, “I am Yukari Obanashi, the Cryo-Binder! And part of the Driftglass team.” Tall and slim with two big orange snakes in her hair, their tails curled in buns and their body hanging down. Wears a traditional crop top of the Land of Water alongside some oversized pants that have attached many satchels.

“I am Jinmaru Eiko, the best of my clan.” He pointed at himself with a wide grin. He has some hair strands that cover his right eye, he has medium long hair that is somewhat spiky at its ends. He wears a shirt without sleeves that is buttoned. He has normal long pants with small feathers attached to them. He also has detached oversized sleeves that let his shoulders be uncovered.

“I am Setsu Namaru, the Mist Phantasmist. Also, member of the Driftglass team. Nice to meet you.” A tall slim young man with a diamond symbol on his forehead. He has long white hair and wears clothes similar to the afro styles. The same cultural designs on his long robe tied around his waist and his hat with cat ears shapes.

Rinhaku then turned to look at the Land of Fire concurrent, the one that endured the Walk of Silence moments ago. “They are the outsiders I have talked about. Please treat them accordingly as guests and with respect for their long walk till here to pass the exam and be in our Academy.”

“Our new participants already know your names; their instructor has already introduced you all to them before coming. I would like Mister Tsukinoji Kagetsu to come out.” Rinhaku turned his head behind him, where a cat came out, a fluffy black cat with blue eyes. It came next to Rinhaku’s leg and sat there.

“I am Kagetsu Tsukinoji, the instructor of the four teams outside the Land of Fire. I will be the one monitoring your second test in all of its phases to ensure the rules are followed.” His voice was still one of a human, a deep echoing voice.

Naoya frowned as he heard “Tsukinoji”. The Tsukinoji clan after all is known for being the clan who established everything known today. They are the founders of the Tsukinoji Empire, and the ones behind the peace between the three lands that lasted for centuries. Even if it was a very fragile one. Also, the first Paragon in history was a Tsukinoji. Kaien Tsukinoji.

Naoya turned to look at Aiko and Souta and spoke, “This guy is a Tsukinoji. Do you two have any idea what this means?”

Aiko looked at him a bit unsure of what he meant, she then turned to look at Souta who began to talk coldly, a spark in his eyes gone. “He is a member of the strongest clan in History. We’ll have to be careful around him then.”

Aiko quietly responded, as she looked at Souta’s eyes with her big bug eyes. “Isn’t that supposed to be awesome? The Tsukinoji built everything today... I find it pretty cool myself that we are lucky enough to meet a rare member of this pure clan.”

Souta turned to face Aiko, his face unmoving, his eyes meeting hers, very slightly closing, “Is that so?” his voice softened a bit, “What makes you admire a Tsukinoji member?”

Aiko blushed faintly at Souta’s gaze upon her and how his voice softened. Her heart began to race in her chest as she was taken by surprise by his sudden softness in his questions. “W-well... Why wouldn’t I admire someone who is the very reason I am in the Senzaki clan? I mean... We are all very distant descendants of the Tsukinoji clan. The Tsukinoji birthed the Abetsu, Asuma, Fuyuma, Kurogane, Mizokura, Namiyo, Sairen, Tetsukami and Hoshigane clans! Some of them are extinct now, but we all are related to the Tsukinoji!” Aiko’s eyes light up as she spoke with interest about this. “It is an honor to meet someone who is from the clan we descend from. I find it amazing.”

Naoya looked at both Aiko and Souta from two steps away. “These two are definitely going to have an affair...” He internally sighed as he looked at Souta intently, noticing his eyes softening as he listened to Aiko’s rumble, “Wasn’t this guy sticking constantly to Hinari? Did he switch really that fast? What a womanizer.”

Naoya stepped away from them, leaving them have their moment, as he went towards Team Three where his old teammate Ryo was alongside Mina and Kazuo. He lifted a hand from his pockets lazily and said, “Hey.”

Ryo grew a wide grin as he saw Naoya, he ran to him and loudly exclaimed, “Hey dude! I missed you! How have you been? How’s your team like? Do they annoy you?”

Naoya smirked, enjoying seeing Ryo as well, he put his hand back in his pocket as he replied while shaking his head.  “I missed you too buddy. I’ve been great. My team’s nicer than I thought, I have Aiko and Souta in it. And no, they don’t annoy me as you’d expect. But chill with the questions, I feel as if I’m being at the police station.” He laughed.

Ryo scratched the back of his head as he returned the laugh nervously, “Yeah sorry. I just am too excited to see you again, y’know? You’re my bro.” He lifted his fist slowly, then pressed it lightly against the other’s chest, right over the heart. Ryo’s smile slowly getting smaller as he got less loud, “I really missed your annoying smart bickering sometimes.”

Naoya was used to Ryo pulling that gentle meaningful gesture, his smirk widened, “Your loudmouth was something to miss as well, ‘bro’.” He then laughed alongside Ryo loudly. Ryo pulled Naoya close by putting his arm around his chest, then ruffled his hair.”

Mina watched the scene quietly alongside Kazuo, she looked at him and with a soft smile said, “Aren’t they adorable?” Kazuo looked at her and sighed, shrugging, “If that’s what you think of being adorable... Then it’s bad.”

Mina giggled, “Don’t play the tough guy, I know you find it cool as well to have a friend like that.”

Kazuo glanced elsewhere a bit embarrassed, “I really don’t find it cool.”

Mina then pulled Kazuo into a tight embrace of a hug. “Well too bad, I’m your cool friend!”

Team two looked at the rest as they interacted.

Emiko had her arms crossed around her chest, she scoffed, “What a waste of time, all these lovely encounters to not even be sure if we’d get out of this alive in the end.”

Kain turned to look at Emiko, he kept silent, but Yura added loudly a bit taken aback by her statement dramatically. “Hey! What the hell do you mean by that? Are you implying we will risk our lives?”

Emiko glanced over where Yura was and spit her words bluntly, “You’re a sick fool if you’d think this Exam is all safe. It has its own risks. We only have been through the first one and it was already tough mentally. Some of us are internally tired after that illusion. Who knows what will happen next. But I have no great gut feeling about it.”

Kain intervened calmly, “No need for rude words, Emiko. Yura is not like you.”

Emiko turned to face Kain, her head dipped forward for a moment. “Yeah. I guess I let my feelings overflow my composure. I apologize Yura.”

Yura smiled, hands on his hips, “No need for apologies, Emiko. As you said it yourself just now, the Walk of Silence took a heavy toll on all of us.” He looked around for a moment before being stunned, “Hey guys... What is going on between the two over there...?” He whispered so only Emiko and Kain could hear, while pointing at the two figures: Souta and Aiko.

Kain looked over where Yura’s finger was pointing, he saw Souta and Aiko laughing together, a side of Souta Kain never saw before. “What is going on?”

Emiko was as well stunned as she whispered back, “Wow. I never expected to see Souta smile so comfortably ever in my life. I guess that’s what love does to someone.”

Kain looked suddenly at Emiko as she mentioned ‘love’. “Souta... In love... With Aiko?” Kain thought to himself, trying to collect the pieces, “I hope Hinari won’t have to see this, poor Hinari... She loves a fool like Souta who can’t keep his heart in one place. Or...” He looked back at Souta. His eyes narrowing in sorrow as he managed to piece it all together, “He never was in love with Hinari to begin with. Which makes it all way worse. Because he let her be close to him in ways a friend wouldn’t be. Or maybe he felt bad...No. What am I thinking? Souta wouldn’t feel bad for such a stupid thing. He was never the type to give a single shit about how someone was feeling. He is a selfish Obanashi.” Kain couldn’t think a word more before being hit with Emiko an inch close to his face, her expression playful as she took in all the features of sadness that overcame him while he was trying to piece the whole story together.

“How are you Kain? A little distracted?” She said mockingly, jokingly.

Kain flinched as he woke back to reality and was met her face this close, he started blushing faintly, stuttering as he was heavily embarrassed, “I... N-no, I was just—”

Emiko laughed pulling away, “You’re all red! I didn’t know the guy who has inside him a God is so easy to play with.”

Kain was still very red, unable to move as he felt blood rise to his head from embarrassment. Yura looked at both of them, loudly complaining, “Come on guys! I got no lady yet, this pure disrespect.”

Emiko pointed at Hinari, “She’s free.” She teased before shaking her head a bit more serious, whispering only to Yura’s ears, “But in all seriousness, I am just trying to distract him from whatever horror he may have seen in that cursed hallway.”

Yura nodded, whispering back, “Yeah, he was very sad and bothered when he exited the hall. But I’ll thank you in his regard for this Emiko. You’re kinder than what we give you credit for.”

Before any more reunion could be properly made in the quick pause, Rinhaku clapped his hand, getting the attention of everyone. “Please do not let yourselves distracted. The Exam is yet not over.” Rinhaku felt two presences hidden somewhere in the cave, Tenma and Tomoru. Following his earlier orders by keeping an eye on Souta. They were so skilled at hiding that he couldn’t even tell where they were exactly, their presences were very faintly felt. “No wonder I chose you, Tenma and Tomoru.”

The cat, Kagetsu, spoke up, “The second test will not be taking place here. It will be far away from the city. The second test will take place at the Hollow Grounds. It lies at the bottom of a collapsed caldera in a remote mountain range between the Land of Fire and the outer reaches of the Land of Earth. No known city close to it, and the location has been sealed off for centuries by the Council due to its unstable magical terrain.” He was silent for a moment before adding, “You will all follow me towards the hot aired balloon so we can go there.”

And without adding anything more he left towards the hot aired balloon.

          They got in the hot air balloon and left towards the destination without Rinhaku. He stayed at the bottom of the balloon ensuring the security of everybody as it started flying. They were all talking to each other, especially the outsiders. They approached the rest with ease.

Nuragi approached Kain, adjusting his goggles, “You should be Kain Rukairo! I’m Nuragi Tenko, the Dust Mirage Artist from the Shuga team and Land of Earth!” He gave Kain a huge grin.

Kain looked at Nuragi, his expression indicating his reluctance to speak to any of the outsiders. “Nice to meet you Nuragi. Yes, I am Kain.”

Nuragi inspected Kain’s appearance head to toe, “Short red hair, yellow sharp eyes, serious face, soft young features yet about to manly refine...” He put his head on Kain’s forehead, their elemental energies colliding which created a small impact like electroshocking themselves slightly. “Ow!” Nuragi looked at his hand with quite the dramatic expression, “The God’s energy is reacting to mine negatively!”

Kain felt the slight shock in his forehead, he instinctively reached out to touch his skin, “Ouch, that hurt.” His words came out a bit more offensive than intended.

“I’m sorry! I don’t know what caused this, really!” Nuragi apologetically answered as he looked at Kain, guilty for this incident.

Kain shook his head, letting his hand fall to his side as his words remained as plain as before, “No, no. It’s fine. I didn’t intend it to come out so vulgarly of my part. I’m sorry.”

Doku watched the scene behind Nuragi, and intervened quietly, startling Nuragi, “What just happened?”

Nuragi turned to look at Doku, shifting his demeanor as if he didn’t want him to find out. He scratched the back of his head nervously, “Haha, nothing! Nothing at all.”

Doku narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze piercing through his goggles into his soul directly, “You’re lying.” His quiet low spoken words were direct. Too direct.

Kain thought to himself, “He reminds me of Yuto. I’m wondering what he is doing.”

“I’m not lying! Tell him Kain!”

Kain glanced at Nuragi, nodding, “Nothing happened. What could have happened?” He then turned to face Doku who was already staring right into his being like a murderer, which made Kain to be a bit afraid of him at first impressions. “Have I done something offensive?”

Doku’s eyes are still piercing through his without blinking. “Kain Rukairo. The vessel. I see.” He then turned around and moved towards Hama.

Nuragi whispered, “Don’t worry, he’s like that all the time.”

Kain replied to a bit more relaxed tone now, “What a scary dude. What is his problem?”

Nuragi chuckled, “Don’t worry though, as scary as he looks, he’s pretty soft hearted. He has a hard time expressing himself.”

“I understand. What’s the deal with my name being at everyone’s mouth though?”

“Hmmm... I suppose you’re quite a celebrity, especially after you won your freedom a while ago barely. Everybody talks about you because they’re most likely afraid of what’s inside you.”

Kain sighed, “I am not a criminal. Nor a killer.” His words came out blunt.

Nuragi shook his head, his smile softening, “Don’t worry. I don’t see you that way!” His hand formed a thumbs up, “Who are we to judge you in your own land, right?”

Kain faintly smiled, before turning back to neutral, “Thank you—” before he could even finish Yura came in after he seemingly talked to the rest of the Land of Fire teams. “Hi there Kain! You’ve already replaced me, huh?” he laughed while playfully teasing him. “Who’s this guy?”

Kain instantly grew a smile on his lips as he saw Yura approach, returning to his usual energy around him. “He’s Nuragi Tenko, from the Land of Earth. And no, I didn’t replace you with him,” he giggled before adding, “I could never replace you, Yura.”

Yura wrapped his arm around Kain’s shoulders, “That’s the spirit! Nobody can replace me after all.” He then turned to look at Nuragi who was so obviously taken aback by Kain’s sudden change in energy, “Your first time, huh? You’ll get used to it.” He laughed.

Nuragi laughed in return as well, “Yeah, I’ll get used to it one day.”

Yura nudged him with his other hand, “You’re cool, I like you. I’m Yura Hinamoto.” He proudly introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you Yura. I bet we will be great buddies during this exam.”

Yura nodded, agreeing, “Hell yeah!”

A small orb appeared in the middle of the hot aired balloon, everyone instinctively leaving place for the orb to appear confused. A voice emanated from it, “Soon you will arrive to the destination. I will ask Kagetsu to start the next test explanations.”

Kagetsu moved his paws slowly to where the orb was making it disappear. He then sighed and sat down on the floor, moving his tail from side to side. “The second test will have three stages. The first one is the Entrance Zone. The ground there constantly rearranges massive stone slabs and shift position randomly, like an endless living puzzle. Elemental spires rise and fall at unpredictable intervals. This zone tests balance, coordination, and spatial awareness. Falling into the cracks doesn’t kill, but it throws the candidate back to the start and with less elemental energy left than before, making it difficult to finish if you fail too many times.”

“A friendly tip, don’t let the lava rise too high while you’re getting on the other side, trying to get over the stone slabs.” He yawned.

Hinari asked, “Basically we must walk over some stone slabs while they’re constantly moving around, that much is simple to understand. But won’t we be hurt by falling into that lava too many times?”

Kagetsu turned his head towards Hinari, and looked up at her, “The lava is throwing you away quite quickly away from it. If you fall once, you won’t be hurt too badly besides one or two very light burns. But if you fall once repeatedly you may suffer of heavy burns.”

Hinari frowned her face, “That means these tests don’t ensure our security at all! We can die at all times!”

Everybody turned to look at her, Souta first.

“You’re right. We do not ensure our candidates security.” Kagetsu stated, “Because this is the hardest Caster exam yet. The Hollow grounds are not a joke; it’s a place of disaster left behind after years of history. We opened it for the first time to the public eye now, at this exam.” His voice was serious and deep.

Hinari clenched her fists at her sides, “So we can die, and they’re fine with it!” She thought to herself while gritting her teeth. Before she could even form another word, Souta’s hand went to grab her shoulder lightly, as he spoke, “Calm down, Hinari.”

Kagetsu looked over Souta “He’s the threat Rinhaku fears so much?”

Souta looked over at Kagetsu, “I don’t find it neither too cool to know I could die at a Caster exam.”

Naoya spoke from behind Souta, arms crossed and a visible frown on his face as well, “Me neither. An exam is not made to kill but to prepare us, especially if it’s the hardest as you claim it to be. It’s a killing machine hid by the title of ‘Caster exam’.”

Ryo shouted as well, “Yeah! You just want to kill us at this point if we risk our lives so greatly! This is no battlefield!”

Toga Shumai intervened as well, his shouting from behind being heard, “Exactly! I didn’t come all the way over here from the Land of Earth to fucking acknowledge the fact I’ll possibly let my life here!”

Meiko sighed quietly, adding her own opinion, “I find horrifying to risk children lives so foolishly.”

Mokume took a step ahead the crowd, “Foolish?” He turned around to look at everybody behind him, his eyes the only thing visible in that head to toe clothing. “We are future wizards; we were trained for this exam. The risks of death are everywhere. We should acknowledge the possibility of death engulfing us at any time, be it an exam or our daily life. Death is everywhere and cannot be prevented.”

Kagetsu laughed, “Mokume Arai, I appreciate your willingness to explain the truth. You may have met the truth more times than them which made you understand the situation at hand... But they haven’t.”

A snake hissed in the crowd, then another. The crowd of candidates moved slightly away from the sound, Yukari Obanashi standing there in the circle, her snakes hissing. She simpered, “My snakes are hungry...” She stared at Kagetsu’s cat form as her snakes in her hair looked at him hungry.

Kagetsu was disquieted for a moment at the sight of the two snakes hungrily ready to jump at him. He laughed, “You’re lucky I am not in my human form no more, Obanashi girl.”

Souta’s ears twitched at the name Obanashi mentioned. He didn’t listen to the earlier introductions, so he learnt just now that there was another Obanashi here. One he knew.

He turned to look at Yukari and his eyes widened for a second, taking in her appearance, sharp eyes like a feline, her irises like a snake, her eyeliner at both ends of the eye sharp lined refining the snake traits she owned, her nose skinny and pointy, her eyebrows thin. “You...” He said loud enough for her to hear.

Yukari turned and looked at Souta, one of her snakes lifted its head and looked at him with familiarity in its eyes, the hisses calming down. “Who do we have here... Souta Obanashi my dear cousin!”

“Fuck. Why is this witch here? For fuck’s sake I’m never left alone.”

Souta sighed, “Yeah. It’s me.”

Yukari greeted Souta with a tight hug, ruffling his hair. “You’ve grown a lot! You also got colder.” She grinned.

Souta pulled away his head so she wouldn’t touch his hair any longer, he scoffed, clearly unhappy of her physical closeness, “What did you expect? I wouldn’t have stayed a child forever.”

Kain pulled Yukari violently away from Souta, “Get away from him.”

Yukari’s snakes hissed at Kain’s face, but he didn’t move, “Oh? I didn’t know you have a boyfriend, Souta.” She smirked.

Souta clenched his teeth, “What are you doing?” He whispered only for Kain’s ears.

Kain turned his face sideways to look at Souta behind him, stared at him for a second before turning back at looking at Yukari, “I am not his boyfriend. You’re pathetic.” He spit his words like venom.

Yura made his way through the crowd with Nuragi, but he stopped as he saw Kain’s visible displeasure in Yukari’s acts and words, he knew better than to intervene. He breathed at Nuragi’s ear, “Don’t say a word, okay?”

Nuragi nodded as he gulped heavily, cleaning his goggles’ glasses quickly with his shirt for better visibility.

Kain’s eyes grew furious, “You should be careful, Kain.” Kain’s thoughts were now filled with the intervention of the God of Destruction. “Shut up! This is not the time.”

Yukari teased, “The cat got your tongue? Kain Rukairo?” She slowed down at his name.

Souta grabbed Kain’s arm from behind and told him seriously, “Don’t do it Kain. Don’t let yourself be fooled by this witch.”

Kain’s eyes were lost within hers, he didn’t blink in quite a while, his eyes becoming slightly red with the dryness. He felt the air hardly passing in his lungs, a compression within his chest he tried to fight. “This isn’t the time to turmoil me, God.” The God chuckled within his thoughts, “I am simply awakening your spirit, Kain. You’re standing up for your dear friend. I was triggered by his inner energies.” “What do you mean… Inner energies?” Kain’s heart dropped, his expression blank, his eyes emptying of the fury, “Don’t tell me he…” “You caught up pretty fast on it. Huh? Well, yes. Souta is as well tormented inside by something. But not in the same way as you. That is up to you to find out, Kain.”

Kain felt the God go back to slumber, but he felt his head light, he was about to faint, his muscles weren’t acting on time to get himself before falling. Yura realized the signs first before anyone, pushing everybody and going to Kain’s side worried, “Kain, are you okay? Kain answer me!” He pushed even Souta away, but Kain was long unconscious in Yura’s arms.

Kagetsu watched the scene unfazed. He knew he should be ready for anything with Kain in the candidates group. “It is just as you said it would be, Shuyo.”

        A while prior to the Exam.

Shuyo walked casually through the underground hallways, lost in thought, whistling something to fill the exterior silence. He felt a sudden presence, which caused him to know at once it was Kagetsu. He stopped in tracks and looked over where the presence seemed to be coming from directed at him.

Kagetsu did in fact come out of a room and made his way in the same direction as where Shuyo was. But didn’t have any straight business with him. He meowed once.

Shuyo looked down at the fluffy cat and took him in his hands, “You did something very wrong to get yourself such an adorable appearance, Kagetsu.”

Kagetsu looked at Shuyo, his body hissing instinctively but he caught himself just in time. “Shuyo let me down. I have some matters to deal with about the candidates of the Caster exam urgently.”

Shuyo was silent for a second, titling his head to the side, “Hm. What exactly is so urgent?” He already knew. Shuyo knows everything he wishes to know. He feels he answers through people’s energies.

“About that vessel kid. The one Sayaka Yorinome was taking care of.”

Shuyo looked at the ceiling, still holding the cat in his hands. “Is that so? How is he so urgently important?”

Kagetsu calmly sighed, “You always take the worst of matters lightly. Shuyo, mind I remind you he is harboring the God of Destruction within him? One of the worst God’s ever met in human time?”

Shuyo laughed, “Don’t take me for a fool for asking, Kagetsu. I am well aware of the seriousness of this matter. But why now? What is about the Exam?”

“After several reports of Tenma and Kaede, Rinhaku ordered me to find ways to capture Kain anytime if he got unstable during the exam for any reason possible.”

Shuyo’s eyes darkened severely, “Is that so?” He dropped Kagetsu from the very height he was holding him, causing the cat to scream for a moment in surprise before it landed on its four paws. “I have met Kain before briefly. He is not the danger you describe him to be.”

Kagetsu scoffed, “You’re defending a boy who could inhale all of us whenever mind you! The God’s powers are only about destruction, that God’s values are only based of the pleasure of destroying.”

“Then who is the true danger here, Kain or the God?” Shuyo’s question echoed through Kagetsu’s mind.

“…In my humble opinion, both.” Kagetsu admitted quietly, looking at the floor. “Both Kain and the God are dangerous in my eyes at the current moment.”

Shuyo’s eyes never left his, “How so?” His curiosity was piqued, that was for sure.

“Kain’s suffering alongside the God’s hatred for humans is a dangerous bond that could be our biggest enemy if unchecked at the right time, Shuyo.”

Shuyo turned and started walking away from Kagetsu, his footsteps echoing faintly in the quiet room.

“If you fear what pain might awaken, then offer him something stronger than pain.” He stopped at the doorway, his voice low but unwavering.

“Because if all you see is a threat… then that’s all he’ll ever become.”

          Kagetsu watched Yura hold Kain tightly in his arms on the floor, checking for his breath and pulse. “That kid is really worried for Kain. What a surprise.” Kagetsu turned to look at Souta, who was astonished, he was frozen in place as he couldn’t understand anything that had happened so quickly, nor could the rest. Besides Hinari, Emiko and Mina who rushed to his side alongside Ryo, Naoya, Aiko, and Nuragi. Hinari with Emiko were calming down Yura’s rising panic, while Mina checked Kain’s health with her elemental energy. Ryo and Naoya were concerned visibly, Aiko spoke to Souta, while Nuragi looked at everyone, unsure what to do.

Souta muttered under his breath, “Why does he put himself in such pain for me?” He looked at his right hand.

Aiko approached him slowly, “Souta… Are you alright?” She asked gently, unsure of how Souta was doing.

“Do I look okay to you?” He aggressively replied to her, “Do I? Tell me Aiko!” He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her.

Kagetsu watched the scene unfold, he sighed before shouting louder than any noise now, “SILENCE!”

They all went silent. “Kain will be fine. Everyone will be fine. Please distance yourselves if you’re not helping. And keep quiet.” Kagetsu’s voice was low and deep, intimidating.

Hinari looked at Yura and said quietly, “Yura, are you alright? You seem shaken.”

“I…” He looked at Kain with a worried frown on his face, “I hate seeing him like this. Because I know better than anyone how much it hurts him inside.”

Hinari sighed, softly nodding, “I agree with you, Yura. I am his teammate as well. But I never imagined he could escalate this quickly despite the God being sealed inside him. He is his vessel after all… He shouldn’t be this instable.”

Yura barked, “You don’t know the depths of it! I’ve seen it before, in worser cases. The seal is there to assure the God won’t escape the vessel’s body, but it’s the God of Destruction were talking about! He can get out anytime he wants.”

Emiko’s voice was cold, “Kain is a fool to risk his skin this way for Souta.” She turned to look at Souta, “Because I am not exactly so sure he would risk the same as he is the other way around.”

Souta gritted his teeth in annoyance, “Dare you speak about what I’d do for his safety! You know nothing about---” Hinari interrupted him, “I must agree Souta… You will never risk yourself as much as he is for you, the other way around.”

“Excuse me?” He was shocked to hear this from Hinari, Hinari of all people! He felt his heart ache, his voice trembled slightly, “How… How can you say that?”

“Besides fighting for his freedom, you never really have done anything. You should be by his side helping him as a friend, yet you never go ask him how he is or how’s he going so far.” Her soft-spoken words hitting ever deeper in Souta’s heart. Because he knew she was honest.

She added, “Yura is his only true friend, and it shows. Because he is the only one out of us all to do something about it!”

Emiko put a hand on her shoulder, “Hinari, that’s enough.” Her voice softened slightly, still sharp underneath. “I think he got the message perfectly.” She glanced over where Souta was. His eyes wide in shock and… something else she couldn’t put her finger on exactly.

          Two figures were sitting on the hot aired balloon’s balloon above. “Seems like your team is not going so well so far, Tenma.” Tomoru remarked sharp like a blade.

Tenma was unfazed, yet his eyes were looking far away into the scenery, “I expected this day to come, where they will not get along as well anymore.” He sighed, “I expected them to do better.”

Tomoru was silent for a moment, as he stared into Tenma’s eyes, “You didn’t want them to end up like you and your team. Huh?”

He nodded, “Yeah. Unfortunately, they were always doomed to disaster.”

“Why are you saying that?” Tomoru’s curious question perked.

“They come from rival or enemy clans, Kain is a vessel, Souta is a doubted spy and Leviathan’s reincarnation, Hinari is a close relative of Rinhaku’s. Do you really think they would ever get along at this point?”

Tomoru looked away, leaning into the balloon on his back, “You’re right that they are particularly troubled from the start to ever work out well together. As far as things are going, I expect Souta to be exiled or go back with his siblings in his Land. Hinari… I would see her fit to work as a medic, and Kain… I expect him to be dead sooner or later because of the God.”

Tenma’s eyes flickered, turned to look at Tomoru, his voice serious, “Dead? Kain will not die. Sayaka will never let him die.”

Tomoru laughed, “Are you serious?” He turned to look at Tenma with cold eyes, “Sayaka is long gone. We don’t even know if she’s alive. And you expect her to be there to protect him if anything ever happens?”

Tenma nodded, “Yes. Sayaka’s devotion and love for Kain is unmatched. You will be surprised to know how much she ever loved that kid.”

Tomoru sighed, “I’ve heard rumors about it. Though I’ll never understand why she loved him so much like her own son.”

“Because she too was a vessel for the God of Destruction before Kain. I thought you knew?” Tenma asked a bit confused.

“Well, I did know that I also know she got the God ripped away from her body in a vile way because of the urgency to trap it again into a new vessel, but it doesn’t explain much for me.” Tomoru shook his head.

Tenma looked down, “Sayaka… Was my teammate. I know her like the back of my hand. She had the purest of souls.” His eyes softened, as well as his words came out gentle, “She was a true warrior. She tamed the God; she got along with it. It was a surprise for all of us. She showed us vessels are not offensive; she showed us the God of Destruction can be friendly if approached accordingly.” He trailed off for a moment, “Sayaka was an angel in my eyes.”

Tomoru’s eyes widened, “Well, well… I never thought I’d hear you say such soft words about a woman in my life, Tenma.”

“Do not mistake it with interest. I simply care about her deeply. She has been after all by my side for many years before she ran away from the city.”

          Time passed in the blink of an eye. The hot aired balloon got to its destination, and Kain awakened several minutes after his collapse.

 They all go down of the hot aired balloon, and line in front of their first test in this second phase.

Kagetsu spoke up calmly, “Here we are at our first test in this second phase!”

The Hollow Grounds are colossal in scale. It’s a broken battlefield the size of a small city carved deep into the land, shaped like a crescent moon surrounding a central chasm.

Team 1: Aiko Senzaki, Naoya Ikusawa, Souta Obanashi

In front of them stretched the vast shifting field: slabs of rock, some thin as planks and others wide as platforms, glided and clashed like tectonic plates given life. Spires of earth and flickers of elemental energy surged and vanished like a heartbeat, with no rhythm to follow.

Souta stepped forward first, instinctively. His eyes followed the movement of the field like reading water currents, silent and alert. His feet hovered at the edge of the first shifting platform.

“This zone doesn’t follow logic,” Naoya muttered, more to himself than anyone else. His eyes glowed faintly with pre-calculated anticipation. “It’s not random. It’s reactive. Our movement shifts its pattern.”

“Then let’s not be reckless,” Aiko said softly, arms crossed. Her gaze was fixed on the center of the field, already mapping a path. “If we hesitate, we lose more than progress.”

Souta inhaled quietly and leapt, landing on the first moving slab with grace. The ground reacted; a spire burst two platforms ahead of him. The entire row began shifting toward the left.

“Watch your rhythm!” Souta called back, already in motion again.

Naoya followed next, fast but low. His footing was smooth, but the slabs under him started narrowing. The field was trying to split them up.

Aiko noticed it instantly. “They want to divide us. Souta, go right. Naoya, left. I’ll cut through the middle and draw the spires.”

Aiko’s movements weren’t as graceful as you’d expect from a Senzaki, they were efficient. Her balance was flawless, each step landing exactly at the right moment. Where Souta moved like water, adapting to each improbability quickly, and Naoya like a shadow that wasn’t present on the field physically, Aiko moved like a sharp piercing blade.

A rising spire caught Naoya mid-air, barely grazing his foot as he stumbled forward, almost falling into a widening crack.

“Naoya!” Souta called, landing nearby and extended his palm outward. A blast of condensed water surged under Naoya’s feet, redirecting him just enough to land cleanly.

Naoya didn’t thank him, just nodded once at Souta to express his gratitude silently.

Aiko arrived just ahead of them, leaping onto a pillar that rose almost a full level above the rest. She looked down at her teammates. “We’re halfway through. Let’s regroup on this line before it resets again.”

They moved as one, Souta, his movements traditional to the Obanashi trainings he endured for many years. Naoya, darting with deliberate, quiet yet efficient footwork. Aiko, cutting through the pulses of the earth with instinctive mastery. She was more at ease with the things happening around her because of her past trainings as a Senzaki for her Shingaka.

They reached the end of the zone just as the entire field behind them rearranged again. It was almost as if it was alive.

Souta touched the carved pillar that marked the test’s exit point. “We made it.”

Naoya glanced behind them, voice low. “Kagetsu’s watching. Every reaction.”

Aiko nodded once. “Not too shocking for a supervisor.”

They then left the zone, leaving it free for the next team.

Team 2: Emiko Narukami, Kain Rukairo, Yura Hinamoto

The stone platform beneath their feet shifted with a harsh, griding sound.

Yura’s eyes lit up. “Now this is more like it!”

He dashed forward before anyone said a word, launching himself over the first gap with reckless ease, landing with a loud thud. The slab dipped slightly under his weight.

“Yura—!” Emiko’s warning came a breath too late.

The ground cracked, and spires of rocks erupted on either side of him, trapping him between them.

Yura ducked, twisted his body, and kicked off the wall with a howl of laughter. “Hey! It’s like it likes me!”

Kain stood still, arms behind his back. His gaze wasn’t on the field; it was past it. He was quiet, unreadable.

Emiko shot him a look. “Kain, I’ll cover from above. You go second. We need to reach Yura before he—”

A sudden explosion of movement, Yura had triggered a wider shifting pattern. The slabs beneath him began to spiral outward.

Kain moved. One smooth step, then a leap, impossibly calculated. He landed on a rotating stone, glided across two narrowing beams, and caught Yura by the wrist just as the boy was about to launch himself into a collapsing chasm.

“Eh? Kain? Thought you’d let me fly a little!” Yura said with a grin.

“You’d lose half your elemental energy if you fall again,” Kain murmured, voice almost too quiet to hear.

“I got plenty!”

Emiko joined them a moment later, landing with the ease of wind catching itself. Her cloak fluttered as she stabilized on a rising platform. “The terrain adapts to recklessness. We can’t afford another mistake.”

Kain’s eyes flicked to hers, listening.

The spires around them shifted again, growing more chaotic the closer they got to the midpoint.

“We’re not being tested for power here,” Emiko said under her breath. “They’re testing our control. Coordination.”

Yura cracked his neck. “Then I guess we’re failing that part.”

Kain turned slightly. “Not yet.”

Then, he raised his hand, fingers subtly curved, and motioned upward. Emiko caught the signal instantly, launching herself with a burst of wind-enhanced speed.

Kain moved next, this time guiding Yura’s movements with firm instructions. “Step where I step. Don’t look down.”

Yura blinked. “Wait, what do you mean don’t—”

“Now.”

The three of them cleared the final zone in perfect succession, Emiko darting across flickering spires with wind magic cushioning her movements, Kain and Yura behind her, barely a beat apart.

They landed at the finish line, Emiko first, then Kain. Yura landed with a half-roll and stood up, brushing his shoulder. “Woo! That was great! Can we do that again?”

“No,” Emiko and Kain answered in unison.

Yura looked between them and laughed. “You guys should lighten up. We didn’t even almost die.”

“You did almost die,” Emiko snapped.

“And I pulled you back from it,” Kain added flatly.

Yura gave a sheepish grin. “Guess that means we passed, huh?”

No one answered, but all three stepped forward into the corridor ahead the test complete.

Team 3: Kazuo Yashimori, Mina Takemura, Ryo Amagishi

The stone floor breathed beneath them. That’s how Ryo described it, a slow, groaning exhale of pressure and purpose as the slabs adjusted again, forcing them to shift their footing.

He looked down at his boots. “This isn’t terrain,” he muttered. “It’s a creature.”

“Focus,” Mina said simply, crouched near the edge of the first gap. She was already scanning the rhythm, the rise and fall of the stone spires like a heartbeat trying to speed up.

Kazuo stood a few paces behind them, arms crossed, silent. His eyes were sharp and calculating, tracking each pulse, each reaction in the terrain like he was memorizing a language no one else could read.

“Ryo,” Mina said, “take point after me. Don’t improvise. Just follow the marks I leave.”

Ryo offered a dry smirk. “You really think I can’t handle this without—?”

She was already gone.

Her movement was surgical, precise. A step, a roll, a sidestep around a shifting column. She didn’t use any flashy elemental techniques just instinct and raw reflex. Her boots found holds in narrow creases between the slabs, and her hands marked quick chalk symbols onto the stone for Ryo to follow.

Ryo sighed. “And I thought this was going to be a fight.”

He followed. Less graceful, more weight to his landing, but he kept up…Somewhat. “You know, you could wait for the rest of us.”

“No time,” Mina snapped.

A spike shot up beside her, nearly clipping her shoulder. She ducked low, flipped backward, then caught the edge of the next slab with one hand.

Kazuo was still on the starting edge.

“Move!” Ryo shouted. “We’re almost halfway and the pattern’s shifting again!”

He walked. With the quiet of a shadow and the confidence of someone who’d seen the outcome already. His steps barely made a sound. The stone didn’t react at all.

Mina saw it too. Her eyes flicked toward him as he caught up in near silence.

“You’re ghosting the terrain,” she said under her breath.

Kazuo didn’t answer.

Ryo, panting slightly, climbed onto the next ledge. “What does that even mean?!”

“He’s moving like he’s not even here,” Mina muttered. “He’s matching the tempo of the field.”

Kazuo stopped beside them at the final stretch. “If you follow the rhythm, the terrain doesn’t notice you. It’s built to test resistance. Not obedience.”

“Speak human,” Ryo grumbled.

Kazuo exhaled through his nose, something like a sigh, something like a dismissal. “Just move.”

Together, they crossed the last series of floating steps. Ryo nearly fell once, caught himself with an earth burst under his feet. Mina didn’t falter again. Kazuo never did. And so, with flawless moves, they reached the finish.

Mina adjusted her gloves. Ryo looked behind them, panting. “I still say we should’ve been allowed to punch our way through.”

Kazuo looked at him sideways. “That’s what you do when you run out of brain.”

Ryo barked a laugh. “You’re lucky I like you, Yashimori.”

Kazuo looked forward, again. “Unfortunate.”

The three of them walked off, silent and intact. The ground shifted again behind them, ready for the next team.

Team 4: Haruki Okabe, Hinari Kazurei

The starting platform hissed under their feet, the slab reacting to their presence like a living lung, expanding and compressing without mercy.

Hinari adjusted her grip on her staff. “Only two of us. That puts us at a disadvantage.” Her voice was calm, but focused.

Haruki tilted his head lazily. “Or maybe it makes things easier.” His dark braid shifted as he turned toward her with a cocky half-smile. “No one to slow us down.”

Hinari ignored the bait, stepping ahead toward the flickering stone paths. The shifting slabs pulsed forward and back, retreating into cracks before new ones slammed upward like irregular puzzle pieces in constant change.

“There,” she said, pointing. “Those five move in a repeated sequence. We start there. Every sixth shift, the rhythm breaks.”

“Sounds like your kind of game,” Haruki muttered, already crouching down. He pressed his palm flat to the ground. A shimmer of ice ran from his hand like breath fogging over glass, allowing him to trace the inner tremors of the terrain.

His eyes narrowed. “The slabs are reacting to intent. Move too aggressively and they spike faster.”

Hinari took a breath. “Then we don’t give them anything to react to.”

Without another word, she hopped forward.

Her movements were deliberate, clean and minimal. She wasn’t spectacular, every shift of her weight was calculated to land at the low point of a slab’s rotation. She glided more than jumped.

Haruki followed, but unlike her, he made it look fun.

Sliding across the surfaces with skater’s ease, pivoting when a spike nearly caught his hip, then vaulting into a half-spin before landing on the next platform with the lightest pat of boots. It wasn’t reckless, just effortless. The field was reading intent, and Haruki’s intent was to enjoy himself.

Hinari landed next to him as another spire hissed upward and forced them to pause. “You’re playing, seriously?”

He shrugged, brushing frost from his fingers. “Isn’t that what this is? A very angry board game?”

Hinari stepped forward again, leading them through a trio of angled slabs that rose like teeth. “I guess so. It’s up to you to find out.”

“Life advice, huh?” Haruki teased.

“Just logical.”

The final stretch approached, a straight but narrow line of fast-rotating platforms with gaps too wide for casual jumps. Haruki paused. “That’s not standard terrain anymore. That’s a straight gauntlet.”

Hinari narrowed her eyes. “Boost me.”

He didn’t argue. A flash of mist burst under her boots as he channeled frost upward, giving her a platform of compressed vapor to vault from.

He followed half a second later, kicking off a crystallized arc of ice that shattered in midair behind him.

Together, they made it. The finish line wasn’t marked, but the stable stone they landed on, unmoving and still, was the clearest signal.

Hinari adjusted her stance. “We passed!”

Haruki dusted his coat. “Without the third. Not bad for a half-team.”

She looked toward the entrance zone’s shifting chaos behind them. “Let’s hope the others had it easier.”

Haruki gave a short whistle. “Nah. Let’s hope they didn’t. Makes us look better.”

Team Red Clay: Meiko Saruishi, Shiiro Daisan, Toga Shumai

Outsiders from the Land of Earth.

The moment the platform crashed beneath them; Meiko spat to the side and cracked her knuckles. “Tch. This terrain’s got no manners.”

Shiiro Daisan adjusted his gloves calmly, scanning the vast shifting field ahead, slabs rising, spires trembling, paths forming and then dissolving like a trap breathing in reverse.

Toga bounced slightly on his heels, eyes wide with twitchy interest. “Oooh, look at it! It’s like the ground’s alive! What do you think happens if you fall in?” His voice was light, too excited for comfort.

“You lose elemental energy and get spat back out,” Meiko snapped. “Keep up, twitchy.”

Shiiro raised a brow, then murmured, “We move as one. I’ll read the pattern. Meiko, forward guard. Toga… don’t get distracted.”

Toga saluted with a grin. “Aye aye, bossman.”

Meiko led the charge, feet heavy but deliberate, her weight forcing some of the unstable slabs to lock in place under sheer force. The ground grumbled beneath each of her landings, but she didn’t stop. Her job wasn’t to be agile. It was to keep the chaos still through brute presence.

Shiiro followed close behind. Every shift in the slabs was met with a precise redirect, he never wasted movement, never landed where the terrain was uncertain. He knew the terrain’s breath before it exhaled.

Toga, at the back, moved like he didn’t care about falling. He darted sideways, forward, sometimes nearly backward, dodging with laughter when spires erupted too close. “You see that? Almost got a new haircut!”

“Focus,” Shiiro warned without turning.

“I am focused,” Toga said, leaping a narrow gap sideways. “I’m just having fun while being focused.”

The three passed a complex section where slabs flipped mid-air, Meiko crushed through it, taking a bruising spike to the thigh and barely blinking.

At the final segment, the path narrowed to only two lines, one stable, one fast-moving and erratic.

Shiiro pointed to the erratic line. “Meiko, take the hit. Stabilize the sequence. I’ll finish the map from there.”

Meiko didn’t hesitate. She leapt into the chaos, took a hit straight to the ribs from a rising slab, and forced her elemental energy into the stone beneath. A ripple of earth magic burst from her boots, locking the final four platforms into a usable rhythm.

Shiiro and Toga made it across, landing at the still zone beyond. Meiko limped in behind them.

“Not bad,” she grunted, checking the bruise already forming across her side.

Toga flopped onto the stable slab like it was a couch. “Woo! Entrance Zone? More like amusement park!”

Shiiro knelt and placed one hand to the ground. “This terrain… wasn’t made for fairness. It adapts to what we fear most.”

He stood.

“I wonder what the next zone will think of us.”

Team Shuga: Doku Motsure, Hama Kirataki, Nuragi Tenko. Ready?

The living ground rumbled beneath them.

Doku Motsure stood at the very edge of the shifting platform with his arms calmly folded, cape hem fluttering slightly.

“Well,” Hama said, stretching her neck, arms loose and fingers flicking sparks of sandstone magic, “this looks like a nightmare for anyone who hesitates.”

Nuragi grinned ear to ear. “Luckily, I’m basically a mirage, so I don’t count as a person who hesitates.”

“Don’t get cocky,” Doku said. His voice was low, flat. Almost bored. “It could eat you alive if you do the slightest of errors.”

Nuragi cracked his knuckles, stepping beside him. “That’s the trick, though. It doesn’t need a rhythm. I am the rhythm!” He chuckled.

He stepped forward…and vanished.

A slab beneath him slid away instantly, swallowing him in a vertical drop. From below, a faint crash echoed up.

“…Nuragi!” Hama shouted, dashing forward to peer down.

From the base of the platform, Nuragi called out, “I’m good! It only half-killed me!”

Hama groaned. “Idiot.”

Doku didn’t flinch. “He’ll be back in thirty seconds. With lower elemental reserves. Let’s go.”

The air shimmered faintly around him as he stepped forward, his body oddly fluid, folding with the motion of the stone. He wasn’t reacting to the terrain, he was anticipating it. Each step came half a second before the platform beneath shifted.

Hama followed, riding small bursts of sand under her feet like cushions. She didn’t sprint, her footing was cautious, but constant. Controlled.

Then Nuragi reappeared at the starting point, rubbing his shoulder. “Owww… okay. Round two.”

This time he didn’t leap. His elemental energy stretched behind him like trailing smoke. Every time a slab shifted, he was already mid-air. His illusions tricked even the ground, one moment he flickered left, the next he was perched on a spike that hadn’t existed seconds before. The field didn’t catch him this time.

Doku reached the midpoint first. Then Hama, with a sharp hop as her final jump snapped cleanly to a halt.

Nuragi landed behind them with an overly theatrical pant. “And you all doubted me.”

“You fell on the first step,” Hama reminded him, straight-faced.

“Hero’s journey,” he replied.

Doku simply stared ahead at the final sequence. The slabs here weren’t just shifting, they were rotating, flipping, folding in on themselves like puzzle locks.

“This next section won’t respond to brute force,” he said.

“I wasn’t planning to brute force it,” Nuragi replied, smirking. “I was going to seduce it.”

Doku blinked once, then he stepped forward again, utterly unamused.

They moved, not perfectly, not gracefully, but with tension between them like a balancing wire. Hama yelled once when a spire scraped too close to her knee. Nuragi stumbled once. Doku saved neither of them.

When they finally reached the final platform, each touched the stabilizing stone at the same time.

A quiet click echoed. The path behind them sealed.

Team Shuga had passed the Entrance Zone.

Team Driftglass, from the Land of Water.

The terrain groaned ahead, slabs rising like the spines of a slumbering beast. Where other teams hesitated, Jinmaru Eiko stepped forward first, shoulders loose, breathing faintly in the air. His movements were unhurried, yet each step landed with water-born precision. The air around him shimmered faintly with moisture, the platform slicking underfoot in a way that should’ve spelled disaster.

“I’ll lead,” Jinmaru muttered, barely loud enough to hear, though Setsu Namaru was already behind him.

“Obviously,” Setsu said, voice flat, his eyes fixed not on the terrain, but the rhythm of it. The way the stones twitched before they shifted. The brief hiss before a spire erupted.

Yukari Obanashi drifted behind them, her gaze distant as always. Her steps were feather-light, yet deliberate, and she never once looked down. Nothing about her gave away tension, no clenched fists, no held breath.

A platform shot upward. Jinmaru’s foot hit the edge just in time, rolling with the tilt. A spiral of water curved from his palm and crashed downward, not to strike anything, but to pull him forward with the burst.

Setsu followed without delay. His steps landed sharp, his center of gravity unmoving even as the slabs twisted underfoot. When a pillar erupted ahead, he didn’t dodge, he slid beneath it, shoulder brushing the stone. A strand of hair caught and tore, but he never slowed.

Behind them, Yukari seemed indifferent by the chaos. One slab tilted wildly beneath her. She simply walked across its edge like it was a still bridge, not even blinking.

Jinmaru reached a narrow channel next. Three platforms rotated in sequence, faster than the others.

“Momentum trick,” Jinmaru muttered. “Catch the rotation or you’re dropped.”

Setsu nodded once, and together they moved. Jinmaru stepped, then jumped, letting a jet of compressed mist boost his landing. Setsu used raw speed and split-second judgment. But Yukari?

She simply wasn’t there one second, then was already standing on the far slab.

“I hate when she does that,” Setsu grumbled.

“She’s Obanashi,” Jinmaru replied with a sigh, landing beside him. “She doesn’t care what we hate.”

The final section opened before them. Stone arches twisting in and out, like hands folding and unfolding.

Setsu led this time. He ducked, rolled, vaulted off a breaking edge. Jinmaru slipped through cracks, surfing on moisture like the terrain itself was helping him. Yukari stepped lightly across the thin ribs of stone.

Then, without warning, the arches stopped. Team Driftglass stood in perfect position. The gate ahead rumbled open. Not a word passed between them. Jinmaru simply exhaled, and the mist around his shoulders faded.

They passed.

Team Undercurrent.

The shifting stones beneath their feet were chaos made physical, a relentless puzzle of moving slabs and rising spires. It demanded reflexes, balance, and instinct.

Enji Morioka smiled sharply, her eyes bright with excitement. “This is exactly the kind of challenge I live for.”

Silent beside her, Mokume Arai moved with measured precision, his every step careful and deliberate. His senses stretched outward, reading the subtle tremors beneath the stone, predicting the terrain’s next move.

Trailing them, Rai Touzai muttered under his breath, “This is a death trap. I’m going to break something important, probably my ribs.”

“You say that every time,” Enji teased, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “But you’re still standing.”

“Regrettably.”

The first leap suddenly massive slab fell away, but Enji launched herself forward with wild energy, her elemental bursts propelling her onto the next stone. She moved like a tempest, unrestrained and fierce.

Mokume took a different approach, his control over pressure allowing him to steady the spires. When a jagged pillar shot up beneath his feet, he pressed a palm against it, murmured an incantation, and the spire froze. With the obstacle halted, he stepped across as though walking on solid ground.

Rai relied on cautious observation, tracking the pattern with cold calculation. “That one’s falling… now.” He dove forward as the slab gave way, landing hard but safe. “I hate being right.”

A giant rotating slab forced a vertical climb.

Enji bound it up with ease, laughing. “Come on, Rai! Pretend this is just another mountain to conquer.”

Rai cursed, but Mokume grabbed his collar mid-jump, hauling him forward.

“Thanks,” Rai muttered.

“You already did,” Mokume replied quietly.

At the final test, a horizontal ring of stone ribs spun wildly, crushing anything that mistimed the steps.

Mokume watched Enji and Rai navigate first, letting their timing set the rhythm.

When it was his turn, he moved steadily, syncing his steps perfectly with the spinning slabs, flowing with the puzzle rather than fighting it.

All three burst through the gate as it slammed shut behind them.

Enji raised her arms triumphantly. “Passed.”

Rai collapsed, gasping. “I need a month of sleep.”

Mokume remained still, eyes on the shifting stone behind them, already analyzing what came next.

          Kagetsu made his way towards the crowd of passing students heading to the next phase, his small paws landing softly with each step. “Good work everyone. You all passed the Entrance Zone with no real difficulty as I’ve witnessed.”

They all turned to listen to him. “Now the second phase of this test won’t be as easy.” He pointed with one of his paws at the huge void near them. “If you’ll look down, you’ll see some sort of maze made of broken bridges, ancient, fragile, fractured, barely steady. You’ll also see some lava underneath it. You’ll have to find the right path to the other side so you can reach the third phase of this second test. But meanwhile you search for the right path, the lava will rise before you know it, rocks will be thrown upwards by the lava ready to hit you fatally. You can die during this phase. You can head down, I wish you good luck.”

“Unfortunately, not all of you will survive.” He thought to himself as he let them all walk down the stairs that led to the start of the new phase.

Not many talked, they were all thinking as they had confirmation that this time: they could die.

Naoya scoffed annoyed, hands in his pockets, “This has to be some sort of joke.”

Aiko serenely nodded, “I hear you, Naoya,” her voice subdued, “But such risks should be maintained in exams. To train us for battles as Casters.”

Naoya spoke louder, his frustration clear as water. “Am I truly this lunatic to think it’s demented to let kids die in a test phase? Do you imagine our families, close relatives, friends, how they would feel? No goodbye, no chance to make a different choice… Nobody told me I’d be dying here!”

Souta turned to watch Naoya while he exclaimed his opinion. “You are right to some extent. I agree that taking such risks is irresponsible. But we signed up for this, knowing that one day or another we will still be faced with the risk of death with no goodbyes to share to our families, or loved ones.”

A step behind Naoya was Ryo, who joined the conversation, “Still… When we are faced with such risks it will be during a mission or something of the sort that we will encounter the danger. But even as Casters we will do missions with our teachers to prevent that from happening at all costs. Security measures are taken quite seriously during missions. At the moment, I feel like being left to die at the hands of predators. Unable to prevent anything.”

Souta went silent, listening to Ryo before walking down the stairs quickly.

Naoya heaved a sigh, “What’s wrong with him?”

Ryo replied shortly, “I don’t have a single clue. Maybe you do, Aiko?”

“I… I don’t neither.”

Ryo exasperatedly exhaled, “Then who does?”

Naoya titled his head enough to the side to meet Ryo’s eyes, “Maybe Hinari or Kain know.”

“Be serious Naoya…” Ryo began, “Kain is just as fucked as Souta, didn’t you see earlier? He was about to lose control right there for something that was insignificant! You really think Kain knows anything? I didn’t see them talk in some time; they both distanced these past few days. And Hinari? Poor girl is always working at that hospital. She has other troubles than keeping up with Souta’s mental state.”

Naoya composed himself as he thought, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked at Kain who was some meters away down the stairs, “I’ll never understand why that dude is so protective of Souta.”

Aiko muttered, “Because Souta gave Kain the chance to be here.”

They both looked at Aiko, surprised to hear these words come out of her mouth. Ryo leaned forward to look at her face, “What? What do you mean?”

“Souta told me he and Hinari worked together behind Kain’s back to convince our Paragon to give Kain his deserved freedom. As a gift for Kain’s hard work to be respected like everyone else and allowed like they were to leave the city and be left out of supervision.”

She added, “Kain and Souta know each other for longer than they let it be known. Kain… Inspired Souta to be better many times. He rambled once about how he admires Kain’s strength, his willpower especially. How he was willing to do good things despite people letting him down constantly, yet he spoke to me one of his fears: Kain loosing his willingness to do good.”

Naoya and Ryo were all ears to these new information, Naoya mind went quickly in twenty places at a time to think this thoroughly, “Souta doubts that Kain one day will stop being so patient and willing to change things for himself the right way… But if he does that, everything that people have built for him over the years will go in vain. If Kain ever goes… mad. It’s the God, not Kain’s true will. Kain is a victim of a literal God of Destruction. That God’s only wishes are destruction of any kind, the worst part is, it’s a smart God. History books my father lent me told all sorts of things he has done for Destruction. He always thought about things before acting, so more destruction could be brought in the end. But then… That means he is not taking hold of Kain’s body to ruin everything because he thinks Kain himself will bring more destruction than he could ever do?”

“Naoya, you still with us?” Ryo asked.

“Yeah. Sorry, I was thinking about it.”

Ryo laughed, “You were quite zoned out. That means you thought quite a lot. What did you think of?” Ryo knew Naoya’s look when he was too far into his thoughts like the back of his hand.

“I analyzed Aiko’s words and everything I know so far about them both to conclude my own opinion about Souta’s fear that one day Kain will change.”

Ryo put his hand over Naoya’s shoulder, “Don’t worry man. Kain will be fine, especially if Yura stays by his side. With Emiko and Yura, we have nothing to be afraid of now. In the hot aired balloon, you saw it yourself, Yura acted like a hero out of the comics books! He knew exactly what was going on.”

Naoya shook his head, “He only knew because he saw it happen before probably more times than we could count. He’s very loyal as a person, everybody knows that.”

Right after he spoke his words, they arrived at the starting point, as they all aligned in front of the starting bridge, they felt a wave of boiling hot air hit their bodies, making their muscles hardly performant.

Kagetsu was already in the middle of the bridge waiting for them, while his tail moved side to side mindlessly. “You took your sweet time all of you.”

He felt a spark of elemental energy directed at him, a sensor used to alert someone they’re here. He looked briefly at where he felt that it came from, a dark faraway cave inside the walls of the place they were currently in. Tenma and Tomoru. “So, they followed us to supervise Souta as asked? Hmm…”

“I will summon a clock to show you the time left till the lava will inhale completely all these bridges you can see. You will have fifteen minutes to cross this maze of bridges. Oh and of course,” he laughed, “no incident is our responsibility, if you die, get injured, or mentally disturbed, it is all on you.”

Everyone was stunned. Kagetsu summoned a clock in the blink of an eye. The clock was floating above his head high in the sky. It was a gigantic clock with a timer on it, “15:00”.

“The second phase… Starts NOW!” The second he spelled the word ‘now’, the clock timer turned to “14:59”, each of the teams started running as well on the starting bridge, while Kagetsu sat on it, untouched. “Tenma and Tomoru… Rinhaku really must hold a grudge to keep pairing you two together.”

          Tenma was leaning onto a wall, arms crossed, gaze distant as he watched the teams vanish across the moving bridges. Tomoru, on the other hand, was sitting at the edge of the cave, leaning back with his arms planted on the ground behind him. “Kagetsu felt my signal.”

“I know.” Tenma’s words came out colder than he meant.

Tomoru gave him a brief glance, then returned his gaze to the bridges. “Aren’t you even a bit concerned about Yuto’s absence?”

“Why would I be?” Tenma turned towards him.

Tomoru’s tone sharpened, “I don’t know… Maybe because you’re his fucking uncle?”

Silence.

“And?”

Tomoru felt the blood rush to his head, “Are you fucking serious man? You really don’t care about where Yuto is? He’s your sister’s kid, goddamn it.”

Tenma’s expression darkened at the mention of his sister. His reply hit back like a blade, “And why don’t you care, Tomoru?”

Tomoru narrowed his eyes. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

He gritted his teeth tightly, clenched his fists, “What are you trying to say by that, Tenma?”

Tenma’s voice intensified, “You’re his father, you moron. And you dare question my care? You never cared enough to help his mother. Never cared enough for your own child. It’s easy to point fingers at me, but what about your failure as a father?”

Tomoru stood up abruptly, taking a step closer to Tenma, his voice dangerous and low, “Don’t you dare talk about my deeds as a father. Or as a husband.” He pointed a sharp finger toward Tenma’s face.

Tenma grabbed Tomoru’s hand and pushed it down.

“I have every right to hate you, Tomoru. Don’t act like the victim. The only victims were my sister and her son.”

A rare crack showed in Tenma’s calm. His voice broke with buried grief.

“You left my sister to die!”

Tomoru went quiet. He looked into Tenma’s eyes, the fury in them, never hidden, always boiling. He was familiar with the hatred Tenma held for him.

His own anger faded.

Tenma’s chest tightened.

“Do you know what I went through?” he shouted.

“You complain about something you could have prevented. I couldn’t prevent mine.”

“NOT MY FAULT YOU WENT ROGUE AT NINETEEN!” Tomoru roared, then stopped, breathing hard.

He calmed himself, voice quieter.

“You threw your life away for the forbidden arts. I watched you lose your mind to them. Even if we hated each other back then, I saw it. I saw you fall apart.”

Tenma’s eyes lowered to the floor, closing, “You don’t understand the depth of my devotion for my loved ones, Tomoru. I didn’t go rogue because I was a crazy man. I went rogue because I revived my teammates with the most forbidden of spells. Which as consequence I was banned from this Land.” he continued calmly, “Do you even imagine my pain back then? Hearing out of nowhere as I was not even in the Land of Fire anymore, far away in the Land of Earth, that my teammate from the Special wizard unit, Tomoru Inazuki, got my sister pregnant while she was terminally ill… Leaving her to die at birth, her last words being, ‘I love you, Yuto’?”

Tomoru listened silently to Tenma’s words. “What could I do?” he said at last. “She was dying. Her illness had no cure. The baby wouldn’t even inherit my clan’s name; it was your clan’s blood. And when I heard you were chosen to raise him… I knew it was too late to make amends.”

He opened his eyes slowly, staring into Tomoru’s, “And for that, you will forever be the worst man on earth in my eyes. I’ve tried to hide my hate, my feelings, to make peace with the truth that it is too late to do anything. Yet I cannot bring my heart to peace while you are still alive.”

It hurt.

For both of them. Unbelievably much. Because once, they were the best of friends.

“I hate you, Tomoru.”

When Tenma was nineteen, marked for execution by the Council for delving into the forbidden arts, it was Rinhaku who opposed the sentence. The Paragon had no love for what Tenma had done, but he understood something the others did not: a child had been born, Yuto Hoshigane, and there was no one else left to raise him.

Rinhaku overruled the verdict not out of mercy, but necessity. A nation that allows its newborns to become orphans will never know peace, he had said.

And so, to spare the child, he spared the man.

“Hate me if it helps. I cannot do anything anymore to show my regret.” He sighed and sat back on the edge of the cave. “Yuto is exactly like you, Tenma. He runs away thinking it protects everyone he loves. You molded him into your image.” He was quiet for a moment, before a brief smile tugged at his lips, “But I am glad it was you, out of all people, Tenma. If Yuto had turned out like me… I don’t even want to imagine.”

Tenma was taken aback by Tomoru’s sudden gratitude, but he knew deep down the truth. “Tomoru acts tough, but he’s the biggest softie inside. He hadn’t changed, even in his mid-thirties.” Tenma thought while leaning back onto the wall, “I think he resembles you, though. I’m too immature to hate you for the behavior I know well was influenced by the war. And as much as I would like to defend myself, I wasn’t a hero either.” He sighed deeply, “Yuto has every one of your traits, Tomoru. He’s just as quiet as you were. The same cold, dismissive tone. He’s just as precise and always lost in thought. He’s your student, you saw him grow and evolve as well, he has your combat skills. Even if physically, he got his mother’s soft features, he is you in every sense of the word.”

Tomoru’s shock could be read on his face, his eyes slightly widening, “I am… Truly surprised to hear you say that. He may have my youth’s personality, but he thinks like you do, Tenma. I am his teacher, yes, but he doesn’t know I am his father. So, I taught him his combat skills like a cold teacher with rare comfort. And he reacts exactly like you whenever I was annoying you as kids.” He laughed, “He has many habits you had back then.”

“I won’t hold it against you that you hate me. I would’ve hated you too if I were in your place.”

Tenma smirked, “Then we’re good. I’m glad we have come to an agreement. But let’s watch the kids do this test, we’re here for Souta, not for our past complications.”

Tomoru nodded, “You’re right. We’ve got too much left between us to waste time sorting it out here.”

          Above them, the massive, conjured clock ticked down, 12:04, 12:03, 12:02…

Team 1: Aiko, Naoya, Souta

Aiko was ahead, sprinting across the shattered path like a phantom, her breathing steady. She didn’t look back, but she didn’t need to.

Souta had fallen once already, caught off guard when a plank gave out under his heel, but Naoya had grabbed him, pulled him up without a word.

“Stop spacing out, Souta!” Naoya barked. “You’re not made of mist. You slip once more, you’re dead. So move.”

Souta gave a shaky grin. “Right…” He didn’t look convinced.

They pushed forward. The gaps were getting wider. The heat was climbing.

Team 2: Kain, Emiko, Yura

Yura laughed mid-air as he flipped over a broken beam, landing like a cat.

“Y’know, this is kinda fun if you forget about the lava!”

Emiko didn’t respond, her eyes were focused, the wind around her ankles steadying her as she darted across a crumbling section.

Kain was last. Quiet, composed. His pace was slower, but only because he was watching. Studying the rhythm of the shifting bridges.

“They’re accelerating,” he muttered. “Every minute we lose, the path becomes more chaotic.”

“You’re smiling,” Emiko noted.

“I’m interested,” Kain corrected.

Somewhere behind them, wood groaned and snapped.

None of them looked back.

Team 3: Kazuo, Mina, Ryo

Kazuo moved with lethal precision, never hesitating. His shadow coiled under his feet, holding fragments of old bridges in place.

Ryo was sweating hard, pushing to keep up. Mina was bleeding from a cut on her arm but kept moving, her eyes set forward.

“They’re trying to separate us,” she said. “The bridges, look.”

She was right. New paths were forming to split them apart. Kazuo didn’t respond.

But when the gap between him and the others widened, his shadow lashed out and carved a new path in.

He wouldn’t leave them behind. Not yet.

Team 4: Hinari, Haruki

Hinari lagged, not due to slowness, but because she kept looking around. She was reading the space like a puzzle.

“These platforms aren’t random,” she said suddenly. “They’re timed. Someone’s controlling this.”

Haruki frowned. “You mean Kagetsu?”

“No. Someone else is adjusting it to mess with group formations.”

The gap between them widened.

Team Red Clay: Meiko, Shiiro, Toga

Toga cursed as he stumbled on a cracked stone. “This is rigged!”

Meiko ignored him, blades drawn, slicing support ropes that looked suspiciously frayed.

“Focus, both of you,” she snapped. “We’re not here to complain, we’re here to survive.”

Shiiro wiped blood off his temple. He’d taken a bad fall, and his right arm wasn’t moving properly.

“We need to slow down,” he gasped.

“No,” Meiko said. “We need to speed up.”

Team Shuga: Doku, Hama, Nuragi

Doku was eerily calm, hopping between molten-hot stones with ghost-like rhythm.

Nuragi was laughing, full-throated and wild, leaping over gaps like it was a game.

Hama was not.

She slipped once caught herself, burned her hand.

Doku turned only once.

“Fall again,” he said quietly, “and you won’t get a second warning.”

She nodded. Swallowed her panic.

Nuragi’s laughter echoed in the maze like something unholy.

Team Driftglass: Jinmaru, Setsu, Yukari

The heat was starting to get to Setsu. His breathing was ragged. Yukari was dragging him now, nearly hauling him across a narrow stone ledge.

Jinmaru stayed ahead, not helping.

“We’re too slow,” he called back. “We’ll die here if we keep carrying dead weight.”

Yukari’s jaw tightened.

“He’s not dead weight. He’s my teammate.”

Jinmaru stopped. “Then you’ll die with him.”

Team Undercurrent: Enji, Mokume, Rai

Mokume was already limping, one leg scorched from an earlier misstep.

Enji held him up, grim-faced.

“Rai,” Mokume called out. “Slow down!”

Rai didn’t even look back.

“No,” he muttered. “I’m not dying here.”

He jumped ahead, leaving them behind.

Enji looked up at the clock. 08:59.

Then down at the lava.

The tide had risen.

          Kagetsu looked over all of them in silence. He didn’t move an inch to help or prevent any injury. He witnessed the new generation either rise… or fall. His cat eyes darted over the clock. Now the time was 7:30. Then he looked back at the youngsters. His eyes widened, his paws moving quickly near the horrific scene starting to unfold, he felt it, he was curious to see how it would go though.

Enji Morioka moved fast. Too fast. The unstable bridge beneath her had shifted only slightly, a half-inch tremor in the wood, but it was enough. Her foot struck the edge of a cracked plank, and her balance faltered, but not in the way one falls. No, her body caught itself. Her knee bent inward. Her weight dipped too suddenly forward. Her hands stretched out in instinct, but she didn’t scream. Not yet. Panic overwhelmed her too much to be able to scream yet, the survival instincts were kicking so much in, she had no power in screaming but only to get herself out of the situation. Yet, she knew deep down it would be over. Because the lava was so close now that her body was melting, that is the fate of one the Morioka clan. Their bodies are composed fully of water.

Her feet touched the next plank and stuck. She blinked. It felt wrong. Her boots were fusing to the wood. No…melting into it. When she looked down, she saw her foot was no longer solid. The heat rising from below was no longer just heat, it was blistering with intensity. Her skin began to blister instantly.

A raw sound caught in her throat. The blisters ballooned across her legs, bubbling, bursting, replaced by more, until her calves began to peel in long, wet sheets. Her arms trembled. She reached down reflexively, just to check, to confirm it was real, and her fingers grazed her thigh. They sank in. Her own flesh had turned to slurry.

She didn’t scream. Not until her hands began to deform. Her fingers bonded to her skin, and then her skin began to slide, taking the cloth of her clothes with it. Her fingernails peeled off like soft shells, slipping into the cracks of the bridge planks. She tried to speak, to call out to her teammates, “Mokume? Rai?” But her mouth convulsed, and her lower lip hung too loosely. It was melting too. She tasted metal and salt and something else: her own blood, slick and warm, pouring from her nose and gums. Her tongue swelled. Her teeth began to loosen and drop. Her jaw sagged.

Only then did she scream. A high, gurgling sound, not human, not anymore.

Her knees collapsed inward. Her thighs were raw pulp now, the flesh stringy and red like boiled sinew, her tendons popping free in visible snaps. She tried to crawl forward. Her elbows hit the bridge with a sickening slap, skin sloughing off instantly. Bone gleamed through for an instant before it began to bubble, curling and cracking, vanishing beneath her own collapsing form. Her left eye slipped downward in her socket, vision spinning sideways. She sobbed, tried to force words out, “Help. Please.” But only a frothy, scarlet mess of sounds came out. Her lungs wheezed wetly, filling not with air, but with her own blood.

She didn’t even feel the moment her spine gave out. There was no sharp break. Only pressure, a slow internal folding. Her back curved unnaturally inward, and then she was flat, not lying down, but collapsing inward like wet paper. Her arms had no shape now. Her face was a melted silhouette. Her body was writhed, from the final, involuntary spasms of nerves firing through deteriorating muscle. The bridge creaked beneath her, soaked in a stew of what had once been her.

Her vocal cords failed next. Her scream turned into a wheeze, then a hiss, then nothing.

The last thing that remained was her chest, rising and falling in stutters, one broken breath at a time. A moment later, the remains of her liquefied body slipped forward, a slick, molten heap of bone fragments, viscera, and scorched flesh sliding off the edge of the bridge like a puddle of ruin. She fell in silence. The lava took her.

Nothing remained but the disgusting odor of blood, organs, flesh.

Nobody could look back to help her, the time limit didn’t leave them a chance, but it surely created a horrifying ambience for all of them after witnessing this quick death.

Mokume looked behind him to see the remains of Enji on the ground, dripping between the wood planks of the bridge into the lava, slowly leaving nothing but the blood of her body behind. His voice though held no panic; he was still as composed. “It was to be expected from a Morioka.”

Rai didn’t turn around, he knew he would puke like many others in this exam. The stench gave him the answer: it was bad, and it wasn’t worth seeing. “This is crazy, do you even realize?”

The Driftglass team were unshaken, everybody from the Land of Water knew they were a bunch of crazy folks. Their indifference and focus on the success of this test was to be expected.

Though, Nuragi looked behind and felt his throat tighten, “Holy--!” he was turned around by Kain who was beside him, “Don’t look!” Kain witnessed quickly after Nuragi’s eyes turn wide in terror, he knew that look too well; the look when you loose someone right before your eyes, with no proper goodbyes. They kept strolling before Nuragi fell to his knees, tears going down his cheeks, Kain stopped and helped him stand again, his voice aggressive enough to force him to move forward, “Shh, we have to move if you don’t want us to end up like her.” Nuragi glanced at Kain, “She’s dead…” his voice quiet.

“I know.”

Yura yelled as he realized Kain and Nuragi were way behind, “WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?! MOVE!”

Kain shouted back, “GO AHEAD! ILL CATCH UP!”

Yura was hesitant, while he was looking at Kain and Nuragi, he noticed the body of Enji behind them, he felt sick bent to puke into the lava before running to the finish line with Emiko who waited for him.

Doku caught up with Nuragi and Kain, “Nuragi, come on! We have no time to mourn, not now!” He took Nuragi’s wrist and pulled him into a run, Kain left behind.

He was about to say something, but he took a deep breath in and was about to run to catch up with Yura. Yet before he could even blink, he felt a familiar hand pull him into a run as well. He looked at the person pulling him, Souta. Naoya and Aiko right behind with Mina, Kazuo, Ryo far behind.

“Souta?” He asked confusedly as he let his legs run for him, his eyebrows furrowed.

Souta looked over his shoulder at Kain, a smirk on his face, “Hm? Something wrong?”

Kain thought, “What the hell..? I thought he hated me by now.” He then quietly replied while staring at the floor, “Nothing.”

Souta knew.

“We are friends, Kain. I would never leave you behind.”

It hit Kain like a train.

He looked up, his eyes wide with surprise, his voice being soft and warm, for a moment, just like years ago before Sayaka left. “F-friends?” His tone lingered hope underneath. It was all too obvious.

Souta gave him a wide smile before turning his head to look in front of him, “You’re silly. Of course we are. The outsiders don’t know you like I do, they don’t see you as anything else but the rumors traveling their lands. It’s nice to be kind but reflect on who deserves it next time. Just like…” he trailed off, remembering how Kain intervened between him and Yukari, his own cousin, as if he felt how much hate and troubled history between them was. “Forget what I just said.”

Kain’s eyes lingered on Souta even after he turned his head away. He looked behind him and saw the rest smiling at him when he met their gaze. Though quickly disappearing after he looked away, the death behind them still lingering heavy in the air.

Naoya’s voice was a bit more guarded, “Aren’t you in the slightest disturbed of what just happened to that girl Enji, Kain?” His curiosity was clear as water. “How can he be so indifferent about this? Maybe he didn’t look… Maybe… No.”

“It’s not the first time I witness something like this, Naoya.” His voice was still warm, the hope lingering to it. “I’m a vessel, after all.”

Nobody said anything more. They all ran towards the finish line. But while doing so, they saw many of the outsiders fail. Meiko Saruishi, from Shiiro’s and Toga’s clan failed after injuring herself with one of the thrown rocks by the lava hitting her. Hama Kirataki also failed after she couldn’t stop her body from reacting violently at Enji’s death, the panic and wave of realization of the risks, making her give up and tell Kagetsu she will willingly fail the exam here, if it means going back to safety and not seeing any more horrors. She could’ve been a great Caster, but her emotional vulnerability didn’t let her do so. Then, a friend of Enji and a teammate in this test, Rai Touzai, also failed after trapping his foot between some cracked planks, his leg being molten alive by the lava that was right under the bridge height wise. The clock ticks 3:10. He gave up as well, shouting in pain at Kagetsu he will give up. Now, he was amputated.

The rest made it to the finish line safely.

Though, even when they all stopped to catch up with their breaths, Souta’s hand lingered on Kain’s wrist. Seemingly Souta didn’t realize it before Naoya pointed at it jokingly alongside Ryo, “I didn’t know you were… playing for the other team, Souta.” Naoya teased the two. Kain didn’t pull his hand away, but Souta gently did, his face flustering in a light red, “How can you insinuate such a thing?”

Kain didn’t understand Naoya’s tease, so he was unreactive, but Yura whispered it to his ear, “He just said you two are gay…”

That’s when it hit him, “Naoya!” he shouted instinctively, flustered as well, embarrassed.

Their reactions made Ryo and Naoya high five each other and laugh, Ryo adding, “You two are quite reactive. Are you sure there’s nothing between you two?”

The teasing between teams 1 and 2 were going on until Kagetsu appeared out of thin air on a rock. His voice was very serious now. “There is no point in hiding it, you all saw it.” He left his words hang in the air before continuing, “Enji Morioka, died during this test phase. Three others were eliminated as well by their own will. Hama Kirataki, Meiko Saruishi and Rai Touzai failed the exam. Rai got his leg amputated by the lava, Meiko got hit by some thrown rocks by the lava injured her too badly to let her continue, and Hama was too emotionally beaten to continue.”

They all silenced, Souta gave Kain a quick glance, as if checking if he was okay.

Kain though, was looking at Nuragi, who was on his knees, crying silently. His pain hit him like a sword right into the heart. “I’m so sorry for you, Nuragi. You didn’t deserve to see this… Your empathy for strangers is a gift.”

Kagetsu continued “The next phase, and last of this second test, is the most dangerous one so far. If you plan on giving up, do it now before you regret it. Because you see the tall cliff behind me?” He pointed with his paw at a gigantic, jagged peak that jutted out behind him like the spine of a dragon. The terrain is steep, the air is thin, and the summit is the only point where the final exit gate was, sealed into the mountain’s crown. This segment is known as the Skyclimb of Orochi, named after the ancient Earth-Dragon God whose petrified remains are believed to be buried in the mountain. The mountain radiates raw, unforged elemental magic, making spellcasting unreliable, chaotic, or even reversed. The mountain is approximately 400 meters high, a cracked and shifting cliffside riddled with sharp stone outcrops, floating boulders, and collapsing ledges. 

“You’ll have to climb this up to the peak of it. If you fall, you die, if you find it hard to continue and give up you’ll be eliminated, if you’ll get injured and ask for medical help or find it hard to continue, you’ll be eliminated.” Kagetsu stated.

Setsu lifted his hand, quietly asking for permission to speak. His voice was cold as ice. “A break would help them calm down.” He pointed at Nuragi’s side, where he was crying.

Kagetsu sighed, “I understand all too well the feeling that comes after such a tragedy. I made it clear from the start that you can die. We have no time to mourn; we must move forward. YOU all must prove me your abilities to move forward even in the hardest of circumstances.”

The crowd was silent, the only thing they could do is… stare. Silently.

The molten bridges faded behind them as the lava engulfed all of them.

“Four hundred meters! The summit is the only way out!”

Chunks of rock floated lazily around the cliff, runes, glowing faintly across their surfaces. Some drifted close enough to grab. Others twitched, cracked apart, and exploded without warning.

Teams reached the cliff base almost at the same time.

Team 1: Aiko, Naoya, Souta

Souta scanned the slope. “Outer path. Ledges are wider.”

Naoya frowned. “Also, slower. We’ll lose a lot of time.”

“It’s safer, though.” Souta said simply.

Aiko tested an old anchor in the rock. It snapped off in her hand, falling into the mist below. “These will kill someone if they’re careless.”

Team 2: Kain, Emiko, Yura

Yura jumped for the first ledge before either teammate spoke. “Easy climb!”

A sudden gust nearly ripped him free.

Emiko caught his belt and yanked him back. “Easy? You almost flew.”

Kain moved past them, eyes locked on the floating stones above. “Two shortcuts. Left one holds longer. We wait for the wind.”

Team 3: Kazuo, Mina, Ryo

Mina didn’t wait; she was already climbing.

“She’ll burn out before halfway,” Ryo muttered, following.

Kazuo’s gaze fixed on a runed boulder drifting close. It glowed red. “Move!” he barked.

It exploded, shards whistling through the air. Ryo hissed when one grazed his arm. Mina didn’t even flinch.

Team Red Clay: Shiiro, Toga

“Careful with the anchors,” Shiiro said.

Toga eyed one. “Why?”

“They hum when they’re cursed.”

“Cursed?”

The one under Toga’s foot groaned. Shiiro yanked him away just as the ledge crumbled.

Team Shuga: Nuragi, Doku

Alone, Nuragi climbed slowly and steadily. He waited between gusts, moving like he was counting the wind’s rhythm. His hands were still trembling slightly from the shock he had had earlier.

Doku followed Nuragi from behind with no issue to keep up. Sometimes he was also checking on Nuragi’s moves to assure himself he would be fine.

Team Driftglass: Jinmaru, Setsu, Yukari

“Middle path,” Yukari said. “Faster, but the wind’s worse.”

“We’ll make it,” Setsu replied.

Jinmaru didn’t speak. He stepped onto a passing platform; it sagged under him but carried him several meters higher.

Team Undercurrent: Mokume

She kept her head down, climbing without pause. The cold bit at her fingers but stopping wasn’t an option. Alone, every sound felt too loud.

Ten minutes in, the fog wall drew closer. Broken anchors littered the cliff. The wind cut harder.

“Five minutes to quake!” Kagetsu shouted.

They all were facing the top as they were starting to move quicker, the time limit until the mountain would start to shake increasingly aggressively was a huge threat to their minds, engulfing them whole.

Though this exam was not for the weak, Kagetsu warned them about it, and someone had paid the price of not being attentive earlier.

Kagetsu thought, “They’re doing well so far. I wonder who will fall next?”

When the clock ticked 7:31, the fog underneath them accentuated, blocking all view from the bottom, disorienting them from how high they were from the void underneath them.

Moments later, one of them noticed the fog, and panicked. His heart rate was increasing unhealthily, his hearing vanishing as well as his eyesight started to get worse. His left hand in the end, lost grip from the rock, causing his whole weight to suspend on his right hand violently, which the rock couldn’t support and broke under his grip. Haruki Okabe was falling into the fog, death awaiting him.

Hinari, who was right next to him, heard the rocks breaking and falling, she turned her head to look down, and saw him fall. She was too late to save him. “Oh no!” She felt a tightness to her chest that was indicating the fact that she was about to let go as well, her hands were trembling, her body felt light but compressed.  “I should’ve watched him attentively!” Her stomach knot.

Everyone witnessed the fall, and of all people, Mina was the one to witness the fall from start to finish. She choked instantly as the air got heavy, her lungs almost no longer accepting the oxygen. Ryo gasped at Haruki’s fall, but quickly turned to face her, “Mina!” He tried to get her attention so she would not think of it as thoroughly as her brain was. But Mina was deaf to his ears, her mind flickered images of Nagi, her little sister, dying. Hundreds of deaths she witnessed in the hospital hit her thoughts like thunder. Unable to let go of the pain resurging even more now. “Another death?... This cannot be… real!”

Though, she forced her head to look away, Ryo climbed next to her, and muttered, “You must be strong, Mina. Don’t let your mind fool you!” With a hop, he continued to climb, the clock now 6:48.

They were all shocked, not even one was having a fully stern expression, they were all shaken subtly or visibly.

The outsiders, outside Nuragi, were not feeling bad at all, they had their own companion to mourn at the moment, they didn’t even look at Haruki’s fall. Only letting their ears to feel the vibrations of his screams till silence filled the silence of the wind passing by and rocks falling occasionally.

Not a single moment could pass before another disaster came. The mountain started to shake, enough to make them all fall almost purposely. Yura’s hand slipped away, but his grip was the strongest of all. While Naoya’s weaker physical condition was to be worried about, he kept up just fine. His mind goes precisely for the safest routes. Shiiro was finding it funny, he was unaware of what ‘death’ truly was. His mind was the purest of them all, a true twelve-year-old.

Toga kept up with the same energy alongside Shiiro, both laughing, as if it was everyday they were climbing mountains. After all they were from the Land of Earth, occasionally Toga was casting explosion spells out of his right palm under him to propel him higher in the air.

Doku kept him and Nuragi balanced with the help of his own spells, he summoned skeletons out of the mountain so they could hold on tighter and safer onto something instead of the fragile rocks.

Nuragi was crying even now, he sobbed silently as he climbed upwards, swearing to himself he would never again have any affiliation with the Wizard domain ever in his life. He used his own spells to transform the big boulders falling from on top of the mountain above the others into dust. Protecting them secretly.

Driftglass team though were smooth as butter, a bunch of weirdos with incredible capacities reunited all together was a horrible idea. Jinmaru shouted teasingly with a big smirk as he summoned an elemental barrier around his body so everything that crashes into him breaks, “Can’t hold into some rocks, Yukari? Seriously? You’re the Paragon’s daughter!” He laughed.

Yukari sharply replied, obviously the remark reached her ego, “Want to see some true skill? Then watch and catch!” The serpents inside her hair reached higher into the mountain to pull her higher into the air, almost flying before she caught into the peak. She was the first to finish it effortlessly.

Setsu watched silently, “Quite the jump. But the risk also was big. Irresponsible.”

Jinmaru’s eyes sparked up, “Hell yeah! That was so awesome Yukari!” He suddenly started walking on the mountain, running towards the peak.

“He concentrated his elemental energy into his body to break gravity; that’s a pressure spell. Hmm…” Kagetsu thought while looking at Jinmaru.

Secretly, Mokume was the first to truly get to the peak. Arms crossed around his chest, looking at Yukari’s jump making her reach the peak effortlessly. He glanced at her, “I expected you to be the second to arrive.”

Yukari laughed proudly, “Of course! But you’re a threat to my greatness, Mokume Arai.” Her snakes stared at him hungrily, ready to launch an attack at her words anytime.

Mokume stood unfazed, almost bored. “You’re pathetic. You and your snakes. Instead of trying to fight me off to reach the spotlight, work to get to greatness.”

Yukari smirked, “I do not work to get what I want, Mokume.”

“I know. You’re an Obanashi after all.” His words came out dark, underlying a tension between him and the Obanashi he buried deep within his soul.

Most reached the top, like Kain, Emiko, Yura, right after them came Hinari.

But as the clock ticked 2:01, all waiting for the remaining team 3 to reach the mountain’s peak, someone was about to fail.

Ryo felt his heartbeat hard against his chest, his muscles hurting as if they were shred apart, “No! Not this!” He knew.

The disease was catching up with him. His muscles failed him right before he could reach the peak. Mina succeeded as she reached the top, she looked down at Kazuo as he was slightly under Ryo to the side.

Then it hit Naoya.

“RYO!”

A gut-wrenching scream. Right from the bottom of the heart.

He was about to jump down to catch him before he could fall, but before he could make a step forward, Mokume blocked his way with his arm. “It’s useless.”

Naoya felt all his terror go to straight up despair, he tried to pull Mokume’s arm away, his arm was incredibly strong, unmoving. But he could see Ryo already falling into the fog, shouting, “Live for me, Naoya!” before his voice faded alongside his presence within the fog.

“No… This can’t be… NO!!” He screamed every single ounce of air his lungs held. Mokume turned to look at him, his eyes narrowed in… Pity. He let Naoya scream, trying to reach Ryo desperately. Fortunately, Mokume kept Naoya away from a suicide attempt to ‘save’ Ryo. “Ryo please…” he choked out into his tears and sobs.

Before they realized, Kazuo was as well out of view. He disappeared, which made Naoya break even more. “WHY?”

Mina’s mind wasn’t there anymore. A sharp sour rush flooded her chest; her ears filled with a hollow ringing. She tried to breathe, but every inhale snagged halfway, like her lungs had turned to stone. Her vision swam. Heat rising behind her eyes, and before she could stop it, her body just… gave out.

Headfirst, she was about to fall into the void, Mokume was about to reach out, but Yura jumped from behind and caught her abdomen around his arms. Pulling her away from the edge.

Mokume took a deep breath of relief. But before he could regain his composure properly, Naoya fell to his knees, by instinct Mokume knelt by his side as well. Comforting him with what he deduced Naoya to want, silence, no soft or fed-up delusions.

Aiko rushed to Naoya’s side.

Emiko ran by Yura’s side.

          Yura was having a brutal panic attack as he just lost a friend, a teammate.

Kain stayed behind, unsure how to react at all. But keeping an eye on Nuragi primarily who fell asleep with the help of Mokume’s spell.

Hinari wiped her tears away with her hand, but Souta slowly lowered it as he took her face in his hands, wiping her tears with him thumbs.

Team Driftglass was watching silently. Setsu’s face furrowing, “Poor souls” but he got quickly interrupted by Yukari, “Feeling emotional?”

He nodded. Jinmaru peeked to look at Setsu surprised, “Is that so? Didn’t expect you to be so caring about them.”

Setsu’s lips escaped a sigh, “I don’t necessarily care. I see myself in their own pain.”

“How poetic.” Yukari said, deadpan.

Setsu continued, “We all went through their pain once, we should not be ignorant of their suffering just because nobody was there for us back then.”

Jinmaru nodded, “He’s right, Yukari.”

“Oh, shut up. Like I care. I got other problems than care. Look at Mokume, that guy is stronger than me, mysterious and flawless, yet he helps them out.” The complaint came out of her mouth like her snake’s hiss.

Doku stood nearby, close to Nuragi. He heard Yukari, his voice calm, “The difference between you and him is that you’re an Obanashi!”

Yukari felt her mind filled with rage. “What did you just say you rat?”

Setsu put a hand over her shoulder, a silent word passing through them. He looked at Doku and kindly asked, “What is that makes you all talk about the Obanashi that way?”

Doku took a deep breath, “What isn’t there to say? The Obanashi are rulers of your lands only because they killed the real founders and rulers, exterminated that clan just so they can get to the top faster than anyone. With flawless effort! They’re associated with snakes, the embodiment of the devil! Just look at her!” He pointed at Yukari’s snakes and eyes. “Got the snakes pupils too! You’re pure malice!”

Yukari clenched her fists, “You speak of us as if you know our history.”

“You can’t change your roots, but you can change your ends. That’s what Mokume understands and you Obanashi don’t. Look at your cousin, Souta. I never met him before, but I saw how he acts, talks, and looks at people. He too radiates the pure evilness and cruelty you have, but he has a soft spot for that other guy Kain. That’s what keeps him back from turning psychopathic like a snake.”

Kagetsu appeared out of nowhere on a rock and said briefly, “Unfortunately the Caster exam cannot continue. Direct orders from the council. All survivors who stand in front of me… I hereby declare you Casters officially. Wield this title proudly.”