As the ship eased toward the grand harbor, the entire group stood along the edge of the deck, eyes wide with awe.
Japonica had emerged like a dream out of the clouds.
Massive red-lantern towers flanked the entrance to the port, casting a warm glow that danced across the misty sea.
Between them, a sprawling city unfolded,layered rooftops in shimmering blues and whites stacked upward like waves toward the heart of the land a monumental fortress-temple resting on a mountainside, its peaks piercing the sky like divine spears. The structure pulsed with ancient energy.
Sofie whistled, her mouth full of food.
"This country… it's beautiful."
Klaus nodded slowly. "Yeah…"
He didn't say anything else. But something about this land made his chest feel lighter
like his body remembered peace even if his mind didn't.
Suddenly
"Yo! Klaus!"
Rowan came sprinting up, waving wildly. His mother and little sister followed, dressed in elegant but humble robes.
Klaus raised an eyebrow. "You live here?"
Rowan grinned. "Born and raised!"
His mother stepped forward. "You're always welcome at our home. You too, Sofie."
They handed Klaus a small paper with an address scribbled in delicate brushstrokes.
He accepted it with a rare smile. "Thanks."
Later, beneath drifting petals…
Sofie walked beside Klaus, devouring a skewer of sizzling meat.
"So," Klaus asked, "that thing you did yesterday… with your eyes. What the hell was that?"
She blinked mid-bite. "Huh?"
"That stare. You froze that guy like his soul cracked."
"Oh!" She perked up. "It's called Enno-shin. Hypnotic technique. Pretty obscure stuff—I found it in the estate's old archive."
Klaus grunted. "You're full of surprises."
She smirked. "You're one to talk."
Klaus glanced at the old letter from Kaen. One location was circled in thick red ink.
Ashina Castle.
When they arrived…
It towered above the city like a god forged in stone and gold.
Pagoda spires pierced the sky. Wind chimes jingled from dragon-shaped roofs. Massive statues of forgotten warriors lined the stairs. A thick mist hung over the hilltop — like the mountain itself held its breath.
Klaus narrowed his eyes. "So this is it..."
Just then
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Hundreds—no, thousands—of armored soldiers stormed the plaza in perfect formation. Every step was like thunder on the earth. Their obsidian-black armor shimmered with faint crimson veins, each soldier marked with the insignia of the Arashi dynasty.
One man stepped forward.
Tall. Scarred. One arm metallic, hissing with steam. Three blades hung from his belt.
His voice rumbled like stone.
"You stand on sacred ground. State your name and purpose."
Klaus didn't flinch. "Klaus Aetherion. I was summoned… by Kurozane Arashi."
A tense silence.
Then
Laughter.
Mocking. Cold.
The general's hand slid toward his blade.
Sofie froze.
Shit. Not good…
But before anything else could happen
Wind split the air.
A shadow fell.
And then the pressure.
Every soldier dropped to their knees in an instant. Even the general. Their faces were pale.
Sofie gasped, clutching her chest. "What… is this…?"
She collapsed under the weight of that presence.
Only Klaus remained standing—barely. Blood dripped from his nose. His legs trembled.
Who… the hell…?
And then, she landed.
A woman clad in dark silks embroidered with gold. Her back bore a massive blade. Her eyes—sharp, calculating—burned with the storm of a thousand battles.
Her presence drowned the world.
The air itself bowed to her.
She stepped behind Klaus and gently rested her hand across his shoulder.
"Hm," she said, grinning. "Still standing? That's impressive."
The general was pale. "L-Lady Tatsuki…"
Her smile vanished.
"You were about to draw steel on my student?"
The soldiers didn't dare breathe.
Klaus's heart thundered in his chest.
Student...?
Lady Tatsuki narrowed her eyes at the general and gave a casual wave of her hand.
"Back to your post. Make way."
The general didn't hesitate. "You heard her! Move!!"
The sea of soldiers parted like water before a blade, stepping back in synchronized formation.
Tatsuki turned back toward Klaus, eyeing the girl unconscious in his arms."Oooh," she smirked. "Got yourself a girlfriend, huh?"
Klaus didn't even blink. "Yeah. She is."
SMACK!
The sound echoed like a thunderclap.
Klaus's head jerked sideways from Tatsuki's enthusiastic slap across the back.
"That's my boy!!" she roared, grinning wildly. "Already making me proud, and you haven't even picked up a katana yet!"
But then—Klaus stopped walking. His jaw clenched.
"…Stop."
Tatsuki raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"Stop with the pressure," Klaus said coldly, his arms tightening around Sofie. "Your aura is suffocating her."
The amusement in Tatsuki's face didn't vanish—but it did twist.Into something far more dangerous.
"Oh?" she purred, darkly. "Is that a threat… my dear disciple?"
Her smile sharpened into ice.
"This will be your first lesson. My little idiot brother Kurozane says you're worth teaching the Arashi Katana Arts. So let's see how true that is."
Her voice dropped to a low growl.
"The last person I trained died from my aura alone."The warm lantern glow around them seemed to dim under her presence.
"You can walk away right now, tail between your legs…"
She leaned in."…or stand there like a man and take it."
Klaus sighed… then set Sofie down gently.
The air around him changed.
A deep hum vibrated in the space. Klaus released his Negation Aura.
In an instant, Tatsuki's suffocating pressure peeled away from Sofie, absorbed and neutralized by the invisible field Klaus now emitted.
Tatsuki's eyes widened, just for a second.
"Oh-ho~" she whispered. "Interesting."
Then
BOOM.
She released her full aura.
The castle trembled.
Soldiers collapsed, frothing at the mouth.
Workers fainted in the hallways.Even the birds above the roof dropped mid-flight.
Klaus staggered, blood dripping from his temple as he fought to hold the aura back.
Tatsuki's voice rang out, sharp and clear through the storm:
"This is your first trial. Ten days.You survive ten days of my aura without fainting,and I'll teach you how to wield a katana.Each day, I increase the intensity.Most don't make it past Day Two."
She turned and started walking.
"Follow me. I'll show you your quarters."
---
Their Room – Ashina Castle Guest Wing
It was breathtaking.
A traditional Japonican suite—elegant and spacious.Shoji screens let golden light pour in.Tatami mats covered the floor like soft earth.Low tables, silk cushions, and paper lamps glowed with amber warmth.
Cherry blossoms bloomed just beyond the open sliding doors to the veranda.
Sofie was already laid out gently on the futon.
Tatsuki lingered in the doorway. "She'll be fine. The girl's tougher than she looks."
Then she left.
Silence.
Klaus walked onto the balcony, resting both hands on the carved railing.The view was majestic. Towers. Bridges. Wind-blown sakura trees in the distance.
For a moment… even under the crushing pressure… he felt peace.
Then—
"Mmmh… Klaus?"
He turned. Sofie was waking.
He stepped over, kneeling beside her.
"Easy," he said, brushing her hair back."You're okay."
She blinked. "You carried me again, didn't you?"
"You fainted. Not my fault."
He took off her shoes and tucked her in properly, pulling the blanket up to her shoulders.
Just as he stood
"Wait," Sofie mumbled sleepily. "Don't go…"
He paused, then sat beside her, one arm behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
Sofie nestled closer, already drifting again.
Klaus sighed and muttered to himself with a dry smirk
"Ten days of hell and I'm the one getting bedtime duty."
And for the first time in what felt like forever he fell asleep.
The room was quiet… until—
Knock. Knock.
Klaus blinked awake.
A familiar voice came from the other side of the shoji door.
"Get dressed and come down for dinner, brat," Tatsuki's voice called. "Try not to embarrass me."
Klaus sighed, standing up slowly and rubbing his face."Understood, Lady Tatsuki."
He looked down at Sofie and knelt beside her, brushing her cheek gently.
"Hey," he whispered. "Dinner. Time to get up."
"Mmm… five more minutes…" she mumbled, tugging the blanket.
"We've been summoned by the crazy sword demon," Klaus said dryly.
"…Ugh." She sat up groggily, hair a sleepy mess. "Fine."
A moment later, two attendants arrived, bowing deeply and presenting folded yukatas—traditional robes of flowing silk, tailored for both of them.
Klaus squinted at the intricate knots and layers. "How the hell do you even wear this thing?"
"You don't," Sofie muttered, turning her own robe sideways by accident.
The attendants chuckled softly, stepping in to help. After several minutes of meticulous wrapping, tying, folding, and adjusting—
Klaus stood, fully dressed in an obsidian-and-silver yukata with swirling cloud patterns and a crisp black sash. He looked effortlessly regal, his sharp features and silver eyes only adding to the quiet, noble weight he carried.
He was waiting by the door when—
"...Klaus?" Sofie's voice drifted in.
He turned.
And froze.
Sofie stepped into view, dressed in a stunning black-and-gold floral yukata, decorated with shimmering blossoms that caught the soft candlelight. Her hair was swept up in an elegant bun, adorned with sakura ornaments and silk ribbons. Her eyes were wide, uncertain… but she looked like something out of a dream.
Klaus said nothing.
Sofie blinked. "Klaus?"
He didn't respond.
"…Earth to Klaus—"
THWACK.
She smacked the back of his head.
"Wha—!?"
"You were staring like a statue."
Klaus rubbed his head, eyes narrowed. "You… you look too damn beautiful."
Sofie flushed bright red, looking down.
"And you look too damn handsome, sweety…"
Klaus tilted his head. "What was that?"
"N-Nothing! Let's go!" she stammered, pushing past him.
Klaus chuckled softly, falling into step behind her.