The woods were never silent, not truly.
Even after blood had been spilled and fires had faded, the forest whispered. Leaves rustled with secrets. The wind shifted like breath through unseen teeth.
Kaito felt them all now.
Every sound.
Every heartbeat that wasn't his.
Since awakening from the fever, his senses had sharpened. The world felt louder. Hungrier. The air vibrated against his skin like a tuning string pulled too tight.
Ren walked ahead without speaking. His steps were precise, measured. Each one avoided the dry branches or loose stones. The mark of a hunter who'd once been prey.
Kaito did his best to mimic him, but every now and then, a snapped twig betrayed him.
Ren didn't scold he didn't even turn.
But once, after Kaito stumbled on a root, Ren paused and said, "You're breathing like you're being chased. Stop."
Kaito flushed. "I am being chased."
"No. You're being watched."
Kaito stiffened.
Ren gestured with a nod. "Two behind. Close enough to see your sweat."
Kaito's throat went dry. "Raijin-ke?"
Ren's hand hovered over the hilt of his blade. "Likely. They're curious. Testing our rhythm."
A tension filled the air. Thick as fog. Heavy as guilt.
Kaito reached for the ember inside him. It pulsed, low and eager.
"I can use it," he whispered.
Ren turned sharply.
"You will not use it unless you control it."
"But—"
"You're not a lantern, boy," Ren growled. "You don't just shine. You burn. And the ones who burn too early?"
He leaned close.
"They don't leave corpses behind. Only charcoal."
Kaito flinched. His breath caught. But something inside him agreed.
Still, the heat clawed at his ribs.
Ren looked away, scanning the treeline.
"They're moving in. Slowly. Testing our backs."
He sighed.
"Fine. Lesson one begins now."
The clearing opened like a wound in the woods.
Kaito barely had time to register the shift in terrain when shadows leapt from the trees—figures cloaked in grey armor, plates etched with lightning strokes.
Raijin-ke.
Three of them. One already charging. The other two flanking.
Ren unsheathed his blade.
Kaito blinked—then winced.
He hadn't even seen it move.
A silver arc. A wet crunch. One of the scouts crumpled mid-step.
The next came in from the side—blade humming with crackling energy.
Ren sidestepped smoothly, blade flashing up, down, then—
Clang!
Sparks exploded.
Ren's face remained still as stone.
The third soldier broke for Kaito.
Panic surged.
Kaito stumbled back. His body reacted before his mind.
The heat surged. It was welcomed. As if called.
Steam hissed from his pores, billowing in sudden waves. The soldier skidded to a halt, confused.
Kaito screamed and flung out his hand.
A burst of raw steam erupted from his skin. It was boiling and sharp.
The man cried out, clutching his face as red welts formed instantly.
Kaito didn't stop to watch.
He ran.
He barely made it five steps before collapsing to one knee.
His chest burned.
Too much.
The steam had felt good. Powerful.
But it came at a cost.
He coughed hard—then felt a hand on his back.
Ren was there, crouching beside him.
"Good instinct. Bad execution."
Kaito gritted his teeth. "I was trying to help."
"You almost killed yourself. Again."
"I saved us."
"You delayed them." Ren's eyes narrowed. "Had I not been here, you'd be a boiling corpse."
Kaito looked down, shame creeping in.
Ren sighed.
"But…"
He stood and offered his hand again.
"…You showed restraint. You pulled it back before it devoured you. That's worth something."
Kaito hesitated, then took the hand.
They found shelter that night in a hollow tree, half-dead and curled like a sleeping beast.
Ren built a fire, it was just small enough to keep the chill at bay.
Kaito sat cross-legged across from him, shivering despite the heat in his veins.
Ren tossed a small piece of cloth to him.
"Wrap your hands. You're leaking."
Kaito glanced at his palms. Small trails of steam whispered up from his skin.
"Will this ever stop?"
Ren's eyes studied the fire. "No. But you'll learn to breathe with it."
Kaito clenched the cloth. "What is it?"
Ren looked at him.
"Organic Soulstone. The last time one was bonded, the Great Clans nearly destroyed each other trying to recreate the process."
Kaito swallowed.
"I didn't know."
"You weren't supposed to."
A silence stretched between them.
Ren leaned back.
"They thought it was a myth. That the stone could only bond through ancient rituals. Years of training. But you…"
He shook his head.
"…You ate it."
Kaito winced. "I was starving. I thought it was… food."
"Only a fool eats fire to chase away hunger."
"…Guess I'm that fool."
Ren laughed though it was short and sounded bitter.
"Maybe, but fools tend to burn brightest."
The next day, the training began.
Not swordsmanship. Not yet.
Breath. Balance. Restraint.
Ren taught Kaito to sit still for hours. To breathe through his core. To hold the ember like a cup of boiling tea, if it was too fast, it spills.
The first time he failed, the ground scalded under his legs. His clothes steamed. His hair curled with heat.
But the second time, the mist didn't choke him.
The third time—he made the mist move.
Not far. Not fast. But it moved.
Ren nodded once.
"You're not dead. That's a start."
Later that evening, Kaito looked up as Ren packed their meager supplies.
"Where are we going?"
"Tsukikage," Ren said.
Kaito blinked.
"The hidden city?"
Ren nodded.
"Neutral ground. No clans hold sway there. If you want to survive… if you want to learn how to master this gift…"
His eyes met Kaito's.
"…we need allies. Ones who don't want to cut you open."
Kaito looked down.
"What if no one wants me there?"
Ren paused.
"They won't."
He slung his pack over his shoulder.
"But you'll go anyway