"Where am I…? I can't remember…"
"Right… the tower collapsed…"
Kaito's thoughts were wrapped in a thick fog, confused and distant.
As time passed, the haze slowly began to clear.
"Back here again…"
Before Kaito's eyes, an image started to take shape.
A large stone gate stood before him, leading to a wooden house resembling a small monastery.
"Do I have to meet her again…?" he thought, remembering the dream in which he had seen Reika.
Kaito walked through the garden, guided by instinct. He stopped near a small pond, beside a large tree.
"The sakura flowers were really beautiful…" he murmured, watching them detach and drift away on a gentle breeze.
A sound made him flinch.
The sliding door behind him slowly opened.
"Is that you, Reika…?"
When he turned around, he was left speechless.
"R-Rin…?" he whispered hesitantly.
A young woman stood in the doorway. She wore a snow-white kimono; her short black hair framed her face, and her bright, almost amber-colored eyes caught the light. Her eyelids were touched with light makeup, as were her lips.
"Kaito, what are you doing out here?" she asked with a soft, gentle voice.
"You'll catch a cold. Come inside."
She turned gracefully and walked toward a small table.
"I…"
Kaito tried to answer, but the words died in his throat.
In the blink of an eye, he found himself sitting on his knees, with a steaming cup of green tea before him.
Rin brought the cup to her lips and took a small sip.
—Even in that, she was so delicate…— Kaito thought, watching his reflection tremble on the surface of the tea.
"Don't you like it?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
"What?! No… that's not it."
He stopped, unable to find the right words.
"I know very well that you… are no longer here."
His hands clenched, as if trying to hold on to something.
"I saw Reika too… some time ago."
"Are you here to remind me of a promise I couldn't keep?" he raised his gaze, fixing her with clouded eyes.
Rin gently shook her head.
"Don't say such foolish things, Kaito."
A faint smile softened her face.
"I'm just worried about you. You fought until you were completely exhausted."
She placed her hands around the cup, as if to warm them.
"What would Ren say, if he saw you like this?"
Kaito was caught off guard by those words. Something inside him broke.
"Then… then I'll take this chance to tell you."
He clenched his teeth as something began to soak the table in front of him.
"I'm sorry… I'm really sorry… That day… I left…"
His voice was torn apart by sobs.
"When I came back… you… were…"
A warm hand slowly rested on his palm, stopping him.
"Kaito… none of us hates you for leaving."
Those words struck him like a bolt from clear sky.
—She… isn't my mother, but…—
"Rin…"
"Go on." She gave him another gentle smile.
"I never told you this, but… even though we aren't related by blood…"
He took a deep breath, almost struggling.
"I always thought that this… was what maternal love felt like."
Rin's spirit froze for a moment.
Her hands trembled slightly.
"Thank you, Kaito…" she whispered with tears in her eyes.
"Thank you for letting me be your mother."
Everything around them began to dissolve, like sand carried away by the wind.
"Now go…" she said as the world lost its color.
"You must take back your friend, Yume. You remember, don't you?"
Kaito stood up and walked toward the exit.
He stopped at the threshold, looking at her one last time.
"Don't worry… I won't forget."
Rin did not answer.
And for the second time, the boy crossed the monastery's threshold.
The light grew stronger and stronger.
Slowly, he was returning to consciousness.
Kaito opened his eyes.
The morning light disoriented him.
He covered his face with his palm until his vision adjusted.
"Can someone tell me where the hell I am?"
He was lying on a bed, his body wrapped in bandages and plasters.
With effort, he raised his torso and leaned against the wall behind him.
"Someone must have found me…"
He tried to remember something, but his mind was still foggy.
He slowly observed his surroundings.
He was in a small wooden house.
The bed was placed against a wall; in front of it, a couch faced a stone fireplace, above which stood an old television.
To his left, an oval table with several chairs arranged around it.
"Judging by the size, one… maybe two people live here at most."
He slowly turned and placed his feet on the floor.
He stood up, though unsteadily.
—I'm really in bad shape…— he thought, looking more closely at his body, reduced to a pitiful state.
With slow steps, he headed toward the entrance.
He grabbed the doorknob and turned it.
"This…" His eyes widened.
"This is definitely not Shinkase…"
Before him stretched a forest as far as the eye could see, some trees recently cut down.
He took a few more steps, leaving the small porch.
"Looks like the special wanted man is awake."
A voice startled him.
"And who are you supposed to be?"
He turned sharply, reaching for the hilts of his blades.
They were both empty.
—He took my weapon!—
"Don't worry. I placed your Weapon on the bedside table. You probably didn't notice it."
The man approached.
He was clearly elderly, but his solid physique suggested he was still very strong.
He had a thick white beard and wore a brown checkered bandana over his hair.
His eyes, surprisingly, were a bright yellow.
"Already on your feet… the perks of being young, I suppose."
The man chuckled softly.
"You didn't answer me! Who are you?! Why am I here?! And where are we?!"
Kaito stepped forward, beginning to feel a strange sensation coming from the old man.
"So many questions…" The elder narrowed his eyes.
"And if I told you who I am, I doubt you'd take it well."
"Try me."
Kaito's voice was tense, ready to react.
"Hahaha… you really are something, kid."
With a slow motion, the man removed a strange object from his hand:
an axe fused with a metal gauntlet.
He placed it on the ground with a dull thud.
—I've never seen a weapon like that… which means we're not too far from Shinkase…— Kaito thought, narrowing his eyes.
The old man took a deep breath, then spoke with absolute calm:
"My name…"
A pause.
"…is Fuyumi Genzō."