There they stood—two sides, two fates, caught in the tension of a moment that threatened to ignite the entire room. Silence hung between them like a drawn blade. On one side stood Temoshí, cloaked in the aftermath of his blazing arrival. On the other, Rhaziel emerged from the fractured wall—stone shattered like brittle wood, smoke curling in the air.
Kaemor watched closely, unsure what to expect. But what he saw shook even his certainty.
Rhaziel stepped through the debris as if nothing had touched him. Not a stagger, not a tremble. The kick that should've broken bone and caved flesh—swift and brutal like a meteor striking the earth—had left no sign of damage. He adjusted his collar with deliberate calm, cracked his neck with a faint pop, and finally, let his voice fill the room.
"Bravo," he began, tone unshaken, his gaze sharp as ever. "You managed to catch me off guard. I'll give you that. Impressive."
He took another step forward, his presence alone dimming the room's firelit energy.
"And since you've entered our sanctuary with such... flare, let me return the favor with a proper welcome—"
He raised his hand, gesturing around the room like it were a stage.
"—to the place where souls are undone. Where purpose ends, and Severance begins."
His voice, steady and composed, echoed like a funeral bell.
Temoshí slowly straightened, lowering his gloved arm with a quiet tension. His expression barely shifted, but his words cut through the air like a blade drawn in protest.
"What the hell do you think you're doing to her?" he asked, voice calm but edged with steel. "You really think there's any honor in this? Severing souls—what is that even supposed to mean? You're not helping anyone. You're just tearing them apart. Ripping away their will to live, like it's something disposable."
Though his tone stayed measured, something simmered just beneath the surface—frustration cloaked in control. His words weren't shouted, but the weight behind them was impossible to miss. It was the sound of someone who still believed in people… and couldn't stomach watching them be turned into nothing.
Kaemor made a subtle motion, shifting as if ready to strike, but before he could act, Rhaziel's arm swept across his chest in a slow, commanding gesture—wordless, but firm. It was enough to stop him in place. A silent order. One that didn't need to be questioned.
"You speak as if you understand," Rhaziel began, his tone calm and composed, yet colder than ever. "But you don't truly grasp what it means to sever a soul."
He took a step forward, slow and deliberate, his eyes fixed on Temoshí with a piercing calm.
"This power... it's not chaos. It's not cruelty. It's liberation. When I remove someone's soul, I strip away the noise—the rage, the rebellion, the pain they carry and inflict. The thoughts that drive them to burn the world around them. I quiet it all. I make it clean."
His voice carried the weight of twisted conviction, like a preacher convinced of his own salvation.
"These people we sever... they aren't innocents. They've turned their backs on the law, on peace. The government has marked them for a reason. You may see a person. I see a potential wildfire—something that will consume everything if left unchecked."
Another step forward.
"By removing the soul, I'm removing the disease before it spreads. What I do is not vengeance. It's prevention. It's order. You speak of respect for life... but sometimes, the kindest thing you can do to a broken creature—is silence it."
He raised his hand again, letting the faint, shimmering aura of red and white hum around his palm like a patient executioner's blade.
"You think this is evil? No. Evil is allowing chaos to breathe. I offer control. And with control... comes peace."
Then, in a final glance toward Chiaki's unconscious form, his voice fell just slightly.
"She was never meant to carry the burdens she does. So I'll take them from her—permanently."
"Oppose the government…? That's rich coming from you," Temoshí shot back, his eyes narrowing. "You, of all people—aren't you branded a sea pirate yourself? Yet here you are, licking the government's boots like a loyal hound."
He stepped forward, fists clenched, voice rising with heat. "You talk about keeping order, but people like her? They oppose the government because they've lived through its corruption. Through its lies. Or have you already forgotten that most of her kind were slaughtered a decade ago—executed like animals just for existing?"
Temoshí's chest heaved as he took a breath, his voice steadying, but his rage simmered underneath every word. "She's already been through hell. You think this is new for her? No. This is just another cage. Another chain. The same nightmare, all over again. First the Forbidden Chain… now this? All she ever wanted was a chance to breathe, to live."
His gaze drifted briefly to Chiaki's broken form on the ground, then back to Rhaziel with fiery resolve. "I was there last time. I tried to stop it—even if I almost lost everything. But this time? I've gotten stronger. I'm not letting it happen again. Not to her."
He raised his arm, the blue flames around him flaring to life.
"Whether she wants me to or not... I'm breaking the chains this time."
Rhaziel stood perfectly still, his boots firm against the floor as he clasped his hands neatly behind his back. His expression didn't waver—calm, composed, and infuriatingly unreadable.
"So this is your angle," he said coolly. "You came here itching for a fight. Thinking you're the first to stand in my way." His gaze shifted slightly, barely acknowledging Temoshí, yet the weight of his words pressed down like gravity. "Let me enlighten you."
"I've severed exactly four souls," he continued, matter-of-factly, like reciting a list. "The first—our former leader. A man so obsessed with reviving the Soul Severance clan, he forgot what purpose meant. Then came Morvain. My trusted second-in-command… until he proved unworthy of the role. Couldn't handle what this path demanded."
His tone tightened ever so slightly as he went on. "After that, one of the sibling twins. Bold enough to call me a threat while begging to understand the very power they feared. I offered them clarity. In return, they rejected reason and chose defiance."
He paused, stepping forward until his shadow neared Chiaki's lifeless form. "And now, the fourth. Still breathing, for now. But her judgment nears its end. Your precious friend."
He turned his head just slightly, offering Temoshí a look both cold and final.
"They all made their choices. Just like you're making yours."
Blue electricity crackled faintly across Temoshí's fingertips, flickering like restless sparks desperate to escape. His anger simmered beneath the surface, rising with every word Rhaziel uttered. He could feel it building, pushing against the walls of his self-control like a storm begging to be unleashed.
He remembered what happened the last time he gave in—at the Forbidden Chain. That reckless fury had nearly cost him everything. And though he'd grown since then, honed his strength, his emotions still walked the fine line between power and downfall.
But then her voice echoed gently through his mind, soft as embers in the dark.
"Stay calm. Don't let emotions get to you."
Cinder. The presence that lived within him like a second flame—his guiding force, his anchor.
Temoshí exhaled slowly, letting the static die down just a bit. He didn't need rage to win this. He needed clarity. Focus. And above all, trust in the fire that burned inside him—refined, not wild.
"And understand this—your defiance against me, and against the government, marks you for the same fate as the others I've erased. I'll sever your soul. And you'd best remember that... because I'm making a promise. I might not look like the kind of man who keeps them, but I do." Rhaziel's voice was calm—too calm. Cold, certain. His final words settled like a death sentence in the air. And yet, Temoshí had no idea what truly lay ahead.
Temoshí narrowed his eyes, fire simmering just behind them.
"Now it makes sense. No wonder you're tied to Desmond… You're just another cog in the government's machine. I won't waste an ounce of pity on you."
To be continued...