Steel flashed down. At the last instant, a pulse of black energy split the ground. The hunter's blade skidded off-course, sparks hissing. Rei gasped, barely alive. Shira stood above him, eyes glowing faintly, her blade pressed against the scarred man's throat.
"Enough," she said coldly.
The hunters froze. Tension thickened like fog. Then, as if commanded, they withdrew into the mist, vanishing one by one. The scarred man's gaze lingered on Rei. "He won't last. Not with that curse inside him." Then he too disappeared.
Rei collapsed, shaking. "What… what did they mean? Curse?!"
Shira didn't answer. She only sheathed her blade and hauled him to his feet. "You almost got yourself killed. Again."
Rei shoved her arm away, rage burning through exhaustion. "Stop dodging me! First you tell me Hurukoya's gone, then you throw this stone at me like it's nothing, and now they're calling me cursed—WHAT AM I?!"
Shira's eyes flickered. For a long moment, silence. Then she knelt, pulling the cracked black stone from his hands. Her thumb brushed the fracture line.
"This isn't just a relic," she said softly. "It's a seal. What's left of the barrier that once protected Hurukoya."
Rei's breath caught. "A barrier… then why did it fail?"
Her voice hardened. "Because someone wanted it gone."
The fire between them crackled. Rei's fists trembled. "You're saying my people… they didn't just vanish. They were erased."
Shira met his eyes. "Yes. And if you don't learn control, you'll be next."
Rei staggered back, chest tight. The black stone glowed faintly, like it was listening. His rage boiled, but beneath it… a spark of something else. Resolve.
"…Then teach me," he said, voice raw. "Teach me everything. Until I can face whoever did this."
Shira studied him, expression unreadable. Finally, she tossed the stone back into his hands.
"Then don't waste my time."