The day passed quietly, with no one around to mess with Kyota as he sat alone at the table.
"So this is what it feels like to have siblings," Kyota thought to himself.
"I was an orphan back then... I couldn't even recall what it was like."
He ate his breakfast slowly, savoring the rare peace.
When he finished, he stepped outside, heading toward the distant mountains and open fields.
As he left the house, he noticed an old man approaching, walking calmly toward their home.
Kyota spared him only a passing glance — he couldn't care less right now.
Without rushing, he continued toward his destination, his steps relaxed yet purposeful.
On his way, he saw the villagers.
They looked sad — mourning Ayame's departure.
But when they caught sight of Kyota, they smiled warmly, trying to hide their sorrow.
Some even offered him free items out of kindness.
Kyota, however, politely refused and moved along without accepting anything.
Reaching the mountains, he began his training — relentless and brutal — until his blood turned to sweat.
His old blade had been broken during the battle against their father, and a new one was still being forged.
For now, a sturdy stick had to be his sword.
He trained both his father's stances and his own evolving style.
Yet no matter how many forms he imagined, no matter how many techniques he practiced, he still couldn't surpass Ayame — not even in his mind.
Every imagined duel ended the same way — with her overwhelming victory.
"Why am I training this hard?" Kyota asked himself, as he gasped for breath, sweat dripping from his brow.
But deep down, he knew the answer.
He had to find the truth.
He had to find himself.
He had to find the black figure.
He had to find the next figure.
The questions weighed heavily on him, but for now, he chose to let them be.
Kyota began his walk home — this time taking it slow — allowing himself to drink in the beauty around him:
The chirping birds, the buzzing insects, the tall whispering trees, and the wide, open sky.
Up above, in the clear blue, a pale half-moon hung faintly, even in daylight.
"This isn't Earth," Kyota thought, gazing up. "But it sure feels like home."
A faint, bittersweet smile crept onto his face.
"The only thing I regret... is that you're not here, Rin," he whispered in his mind.
"I couldn't tell you, face to face, how much I love you. How much I dreamed of us, together... a small, peaceful family."
His chest tightened painfully at the thought.
When Kyota returned home, he found his father working intently — forging a magnificent sword that radiated powerful magic.
Even from a distance, Kyota could feel it: the blade pulsed with energy, immense and wild.
It wasn't stronger than Ayame's sword — but it came close.
Standing nearby was the old man Kyota had seen earlier.
Tall, nearly six feet, with flowing white hair and long, white robes — he exuded a mysterious, almost ancient presence.
Kyota narrowed his eyes, trying to recall where he had seen someone like him before.
Before he could figure it out, a small girl, no more than four years old, came running toward them.
She carried a long staff, crowned with a shimmering blue crystal.
At first, Kyota simply stared — but then recognition stirred within him.
"Was it... back when I was fighting monsters in the forest?" he wondered. "I swear I've seen her before..."
Aqua came out of the house, breaking his chain of thought.
With a smile, she said, "That's the wizard who once taught me, my mom, and my grandfather."
Kyota's eyes widened in shock.
Without thinking, he joked, "Hasn't the grave come to you yet?"
Aqua's face darkened instantly.
"That's extremely rude! Apologize right now!" she snapped.
Kyota opened his mouth to apologize — but before he could—
WHAM!
The little girl charged at him and kicked him hard between the legs.
Kyota collapsed like a crumbling tower, his eyes rolling white, comic bubbles popping from his mouth.
He squirmed helplessly on the ground.
The old wizard chuckled and waved his hand lightly, casting a healing spell that immediately removed Kyota's pain.
Kyota jumped up in shock, clutching himself.
"T-thank you! A-and sorry!" he stammered, bowing hurriedly.
The wizard smiled kindly. "Starting today, you will be my student."
Kyota blinked. "Eh? No thanks! I'm planning to attend Northern Magic Academy!"
The wizard laughed heartily.
"You still have three years before you can enroll. Why not spend that time sharpening your mind?"
Aqua stepped in, smiling slyly.
"He's the only mage alive who knows all the elements and all the spirits, Kyota.
If anyone can make you a proud mage, it's him."
Raito's father added seriously, "It's important that you get it right. Don't you think?"
Kyota sighed in defeat.
"Fine, fine... I'll get my things ready," he muttered, scratching his head.
Meanwhile, the small girl glared at him with sharp, judging eyes.
Kyota glared back internally.
"You little brat..."
Suddenly, he heard a voice inside his mind —
"Kyota, that's enough," — it was the wizard, speaking directly through telepathy!
Only Kyota could hear it.
The wizard then spoke aloud, chuckling, "Where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself properly yet."
He placed a hand on his chest and bowed slightly.
"My name is Wizard Vilord First."
He gestured toward the little girl.
"And this here is..."
The girl stubbornly refused to speak.
The wizard coaxed her gently, and after a moment, she lifted her head.
That's when Kyota saw her clearly — and for a moment, he froze.
Her eyes were as blue and clear as the daytime sky,
her hair as silver and soft as clouds drifting across the heavens,
and the orange-red clip at the side of her hair shone brightly, like the sun peeking through the clouds.
She was breathtaking — beautiful and otherworldly.
In a voice so soft it could barely be heard, she whispered:
"...Yu-ki."
Kyota smiled warmly.
"Yuki, huh? Got it!"
He grinned and added,
"Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier — I'm Kyota Yoru. Nice to meet ya!"
Wizard Vilord First gazed at Kyota's innocent face, and a shadow passed across his own.
He recalled the conversation he had with Kyota's parents earlier when Kyota had gone to the fields...
He remembered Aqua's trembling voice describing the black figure that had appeared behind Kyota,
the explosion of elemental crystals,
and the spreading of the cursed marks across his body.
Neither parent had ever seen the black and white orbs orbiting the magic globe before —
Their meanings remained a mystery.
"He is the one," thought Vilord grimly.
"The one who holds darkness in this era."
"Ha... so the Tenth and final Age of Darkness and Light begins at last."
"From the First to the Ninth... I survived them all."
"If I hadn't mastered this spell, I would have long turned to dust..."
Back then, he had calmly reassured Kyoto's parents,
"Perhaps... he is both a summoner and a mage at the same time."
Hearing that, they had smiled, never questioning further.
Now, Vilord watched as Kyota waved a hand in front of his face.
"Hey, old man, you alright?" Kyota asked, half-laughing.
Vilord snapped back to reality and chuckled softly.
"It's fine," he said.
Kyota packed his things — a few clothes, his training stick, and some precious trinkets —
Then turned back to his parents.
With a proud heart, he bowed deeply.
"Farewell for now," he said.
And so, Kyota Yoru stepped onto a new path — a path paved with hidden truths, forgotten magic, and an unknown destiny waiting silently in the future.