The earth quaked.
Smoke rose like black ink spreading in water. Kyota stood alone in a clearing scorched by battle. His breath came slow and heavy, misting in the early winter air. The cursed energy around him pulsed like a heartbeat, unstable and burning cold. Yuki and the wizard stood several paces behind, wary yet ready.
From the ruined center of the battlefield, the roots writhed.
Out came a figure dressed in white—robes that floated unnaturally above the ground, untouched by dirt or fire. His hair was black, long and smooth like silk, and his eyes gleamed with unnatural hunger. But it was his tongue that caused Kyota to narrow his eyes—forked and slick, it slid out between his lips like a snake testing the air.
"You've hurt my children," the man hissed, voice too smooth to be human. "Burned my soil, broken my roots. You've grown thorns, Kyota."
Kyota's aura surged, blue flames trailing from his hands like streamers of frostfire. "So you're the one hiding in the shadows."
The wizard's voice dropped. "That's the Tongue of the Root. A Black Root war priest. They used to command entire demon trees with curses."
"And now?" Kyota asked.
"Now… he's desperate," the wizard said, eyes fixed on the man. "But that makes him even more dangerous."
The war priest grinned, stepping forward. "You carry Zenshiki Enjin. Ancient mana… older than this kingdom. No child should wield such a thing."
"Funny," Kyota said, cracking his neck. "No corpse should talk so much."
The ground exploded.
Roots, thorns, black vines—all burst upward. The forest twisted like a beast awakened. Yuki leapt back, drawing her blade. The wizard whispered a barrier into being. Kyota vanished in a flash, wind rippling behind him.
He reappeared above the war priest, fist charged with lightning.
CRACK!
The first punch landed like a cannonball, sending the priest flying into a hill. The earth split. But the vines followed, pulling the priest up like puppet strings.
"I am the breath of the soil!" the priest shrieked, raising a clawed hand. Cursed roots launched at Kyota. He dodged, but they followed—intelligent, writhing, twisting.
He sliced with wind, then froze the next wave with a water burst. But more came. A hundred black snakes of cursed bark. Kyota raised both hands.
"Zenshiki Enjin—Unseal."
A ring of mana burst behind him again, pulsing with the five elements. He stomped the ground. A volcano of flame erupted, incinerating half the roots. He spun, calling the wind. Razor gales cut down the rest.
Still, the priest stood unharmed. His skin split, revealing bark underneath. "You cannot kill what already lives in death."
Kyota appeared behind him. "Then I'll burn you past death."
He summoned lightning into his arm and punched. The priest caught it.
Then he licked Kyota's hand.
Kyota recoiled, disgusted. "What the hell?!"
The priest grinned. "Your cursed blood is delicious."
Kyota growled and punched him across the face. The blow cracked his jaw—but the priest only laughed. "Yes… rage. Destruction. That's how the Black Root grows."
Kyota spun and summoned a massive storm of earth and wind, forming it into a spiral. He hurled it like a dragon—striking the priest full force. The land shook. Trees fell.
Smoke. Silence.
Yuki held her breath. "Did he…"
But the priest's voice echoed again.
"You fight like a god, child," he said, stepping from the smoke, mouth torn open, jaw dangling unnaturally. His skin peeled away, and something black and massive rose from beneath.
A tree. No, a demon tree—its trunk shaped like a man's torso, but with roots for ribs and a snake-like tongue slithering between its branches. The man's white robe melted into the bark as his body fused with the monster.
The ground trembled.
"You will feed the Root!" the creature bellowed.
The wizard's eyes widened. "Kyota. Now's your moment. Unleash the core of your Zenshiki!"
Kyota clenched his fists. "No holding back."
He closed his eyes. In the stillness, he saw everything—wind in the trees, heat in the stones, moisture in the air, lightning in the sky, and the steady beating of the earth.
His eyes opened. Blue flames ignited.
The five-element ring behind him flared brighter than ever. His body rose slightly above the ground. Time seemed to slow.
Then he struck.
Fire engulfed the demon tree, but it healed. Water sliced into its roots, but they grew back. Wind howled, lightning danced, earth shook.
But nothing ended it.
Until Kyota whispered, "This is not for me. This is for her."
He thought of Yuki's crying face. Of her past. Her pain. Her resilience.
He poured all his mana into one final attack.
"Zenshiki Enjin: Final Bloom."
The aura collapsed into his hand. A small blue flower bloomed in his palm—simple, glowing, beautiful.
He pushed it forward.
The flower floated to the tree. Touched its bark.
Then everything went white.
Silence.
When the light faded, the tree was gone.
Ash floated in the air. The priest's face was frozen in terror, half melted into a stump. His forked tongue burned to dust.
Kyota fell to one knee.
Behind him, the wizard caught him. "You did it."
Kyota looked up. "It's over?"
"For now," the wizard said, eyes hard. "The Black Root… this was just a sprout. But you've killed its strongest branch."
Yuki ran forward. "Kyota!"
His eyes were pale. The blue glow was gone. He collapsed, barely conscious.
---
A Day Later
Kyota awoke on a wooden bed. Light streamed through an old window. His body ached everywhere. He turned.
Yuki sat beside him, gently pressing a cool cloth to his forehead.
"You're awake," she said, trying to stay calm—but relief sparkled in her eyes.
Kyota groaned. "You always show up when I'm dying."
She pouted. "Maybe don't die so often."
He smiled. "No promises."
Yuki looked at his hand. "Your flames… they're gone."
"I know. I used it all. My mana... it's fading."
The wizard entered, arms behind his back. "Zenshiki Enjin is not infinite, Kyota. You forced it beyond its limits."
Kyota sat up. "Then train me again."
The wizard gave a deep nod. "I was willing to make you stronger… but now it's my responsibility."
Kyota nodded. "I'll become more than this. Stronger than today."
"You will," the wizard said. "Because the world will need you again. The Black Root will rise. But not today."
He stepped out, leaving the two alone.
Kyota sighed. "It's snowing outside."
Yuki blinked. "Really?"
She walked to the window. Snowflakes drifted down. She looked back.
Kyota stood beside her now. He brushed her white hair aside and gently patted her head.
She turned pink. "W-What?"
"Snow," he said.
"What about it?"
"You know what your name means?"
She blinked. "No."
"Yuki," he said. "It means snow."
Her eyes widened. "Really?! How do you know?"
He grinned. "I won't tell you."
She puffed her cheeks. "Kyota!"
He laughed softly.
And outside, the snow kept falling.
---