The desert stretched endlessly, like a forgotten canvas painted in shades of ash and ember. Each grain of black sand carried with it the memories of a ruined age. As Yukio pushed forward through the dry winds, the sky above twisted into a molten orange, revealing hints of a forgotten war that once burned this world into its current state.
Behind him, the crystalline echo of wind chimes resonated—not from any nearby hut or temple, but from the mysterious pendant around his neck, the one given to him by the masked woman in Chapter 6. It hummed softly, almost… conscious.
Yukio paused. The humming grew louder, not in sound, but in feeling. It was like a presence, gently tugging at the strings of his heart, urging him deeper into the dunes.
He turned to Shigure, his silver-haired companion whose eyes mirrored storms and silence alike.
"Can you hear that?" Yukio asked.
Shigure didn't answer immediately. He knelt down, scooped a handful of black sand into his gloved palm, and let it flow slowly through his fingers.
"...The earth is whispering," Shigure finally said, his voice barely a breath. "Something's buried here. Something ancient."
They moved forward together. The heat was stifling, but Yukio's thoughts were far from the weather. Each step deeper into the desert brought a strange heaviness—like the land itself resented their presence.
---
A Sudden Shift
As night fell, the stars didn't shine. Instead, the sky split with crackling veins of violet lightning, silent and terrifying. The sand around their camp began to shift unnaturally, not from wind, but breath. The dunes breathed.
"Shigure… something's under us," Yukio whispered.
And then it happened.
A surge of black tendrils erupted from beneath the sand, grabbing Yukio and pulling him down with frightening speed. Shigure reached out, his blade flashing, but it was too late—Yukio vanished beneath the surface.
---
The World Below the Desert
Darkness swallowed Yukio whole, but strangely, he didn't suffocate. He landed softly—on stone. As his eyes adjusted, he realized he stood within a forgotten underground temple, its architecture unlike anything he'd seen.
Massive statues of warriors, each missing their eyes, lined the stone walls. A haunting silence choked the space. At the heart of the temple was a mirror, cracked down the center, yet still shimmering with a silvery mist. Inscribed on the pedestal were ancient characters—the same symbols Yukio had seen in his dreams.
He moved toward it.
The pendant began glowing brightly.
And then… he saw himself. But not truly.
In the mirror stood a version of Yukio—his hair longer, eyes colder, body clad in black armor lined with crimson light. This other him raised a hand and mouthed a word.
"Shi no Kōtei..."
(The Emperor of Death.)
Suddenly, the ground trembled. The mirror shattered, releasing a scream so ancient and full of anguish that it felt like the agony of an entire civilization trapped for millennia.
---
An Ancient Memory Unlocked
Images flashed through Yukio's mind. Not his own memories—but those of a long-dead world.
He saw a boy—marked like him—standing atop a city of silver towers. That boy's power grew too vast. Feared by the gods, he was betrayed and sealed beneath the sands by those he once called kin.
His name? Ryouji Kurobane.
The first bearer of the Ironblood Core.
And Yukio... was his reincarnation.
But the message was clear—this power, once awakened, would not only protect but also consume. The Core was not a gift. It was a curse born from betrayal.
---
Rescue from the Abyss
Suddenly, light burst through the ceiling as Shigure's sword sliced through the layers of cursed stone and sand. He dropped down beside Yukio, grabbing him.
"We're not meant to be here," Shigure growled. "This place is sealed for a reason."
"But… I saw something. A memory. A name—Ryouji Kurobane. I think I was him. Or… I will become him," Yukio said, his voice shaking.
Shigure stared at him, expression unreadable. Then slowly, he whispered, "You should not speak that name. Not here."
As they climbed out of the crumbling underground, the pendant around Yukio's neck dimmed—but something within him had changed. A gate had opened, and behind it stood a legacy soaked in blood, betrayal, and unbearable power.
---
A New Threat Watches
Far away, in a darkened realm beyond the mortal eye, a figure sat upon a throne of scorched bone. Cloaked in shadow and crowned with a twisted halo of thorns, he watched the desert through a floating obsidian shard.
"So… the child of ruin awakens," the figure murmured, his voice echoing like shattered glass.
From behind him, a dozen shadowy wraiths knelt.
"Send the Revenant Crows. I want him tested. Let us see… if he's worthy of the fate that once belonged to me."
Lightning split the sky, and the desert trembled once more.