My group was searching for Hayato on the northwestern side.
Tobe shook the snow from his shoulders. "Why are we even looking for Hayato? If he froze to death, that saves us the trouble."
Ushi paused.
"Right, brother. Cold bastard barely spoke to us anyway."
Tobe snorted.
"Leaders are all the same. Remember Takumi? Thought he could order us around too."
Ushi barked out a laugh.
"The coward hid behind Kai and Rei when we told him to catch his own damn fish."
Tobe sighed.
"Cowards stay cowards. Takumi got Rei, Kai, and Watari killed."
Ushi spat into the snow.
"Loyal blood. Neither Takumi nor Hayato were real men. Renji picked wrong. I want to punch him."
Tobe rolled his shoulders.
"I understand being angry over Watari. But abandoning conquered land because Hayato got emotional? That was wrong. Kai and Rei paid for Takumi. That was wrong too."
Those two idiots were starting to piss me off again.
"You two. Shut your mouths. You're slowing down. Tired already?"
Ushi whipped his head toward me.
"Hah?! We don't even know what tired means."
Tobe flexed his shoulders.
"My body wasn't made only for Rin. It was made for these mountains too."
Ushi snorted. "Your body? Compared to mine, you look like a twig. Even without Flame, I'm tougher than you with it."
Tobe clicked his tongue.
"You're only big because of that blacksmith-blood patch in you. Iron isn't strong. It's just heavy."
Ushi grinned. "Then prove it. Let's run until one of us drops."
Tobe said. "Try to keep up with my dust."
"Oi!"
I snapped.
"You two idiots, behave. You'll draw attention for nothing."
Tobe groaned. "Boring. If this were still our territory, we could move freely. We abandoned a perfectly good region because of Hayato. Minato's lands were ours."
Ushi spat to the side. "Could've had local scrubs doing this kind of dirty work."
"Honestly?" Tobe muttered. "We should go back."
Rin finally spoke. Wind brushed loose strands of hair across her face. Even standing still, she carried herself like a warrior.
"Renji and two red-haired archers would hunt you down."
Ushi's face brightened. "There it is. Finally heard your pretty voice, Rin-brother. What are the twins even angry about? They can join our team. We'll lie to Renji."
My expression hardened. "Shut your mouth. I'll be angry too. Try it, and I'll break your jaw before Renji even hears about it."
Tobe and Ushi exchanged glances. Then grinned.
"There he is," Tobe said. "Our brother."
Ushi laughed through his teeth. "Knew you still had it, short bastard."
I pointed toward the slope ahead.
"Enough talking. We're making camp on that mountainside. Rin, set up camp. Tobe, hunt something. Ushi, cut down a tree and bring it back. I'll scout the surrounding area. I want everything ready before dark."
Rin frowned. "It's always the same job. I can cut trees too."
Ushi immediately puffed out his chest. "You hear that, Tobe? Rin chose me."
He offered his hand to Rin. "Marry me, brother."
Tobe looked disgusted. "I'd rather eat mud than watch her marry you. Rin's marrying me."
Ushi smirked. "A strong woman belongs to the strongest man in camp."
Tobe drew himself up. "Then let's wrestle. Winner gets Rin."
Tobe and Ushi crashed into the snow, already wrestling.
Rin did not even spare them a glance. They called her brother. Fought over her like fools. And somehow— Rin never seemed bothered by it.
I never understood how they could look at her and not see a woman. Sure she was stronger than most men in camp. Faster too. But strength did not make her any less beautiful.
I left their arguing behind me.
Snow crunched beneath my boots as I climbed higher along the ridge, eyes tracing the slope below.
The tracks... Faint. Half-covered. Old in some places. Fresh in others.
Hayato's trail had long since become a ghost.
Naoki and Aoi were somewhere deeper in the northwest with their own teams.
Renji hunted alone.
As always.
Even from this distance, I could still hear Tobe and Ushi shouting over who Rin would marry first.
Idiots.
The wind swallowed their voices soon enough. But the mountain had gone quiet.
Too quiet.
A voice came from my left.
"Well now. Looks like a pup wandered off alone."
They stepped from behind the rocks. From the trees. From the snow-covered ridge above.
One. Three. No— More kept appearing.
By the time I finished counting—
Twenty.
Too many.
Too many for a Third Flame warrior.
Steel glinted through snowfall.
Bandits. Armed. Veterans by the look of them.
Most were weak.
First Flame at best.
It did not matter.
Twenty weak men could still drag down one strong one.
"Young enough to fetch coin alive. He could join us too," one of them said.
"No. Look at him. Too wild. We don't have time to tame that. Kill him," another said.
So this is how it ends.
Not in battle beside my brothers.
Not in glory.
What a shitty way to die.
The first man lunged. Steel flashed toward my throat.
I ignited my Flame— The familiar heat flooded my veins.
Third Flame.
The world slowed.
Snow hung motionless in the air.
The bandit's face twisted in panic when he saw my eyes, yet his body moved like it was trapped in mud.
My heartbeat thundered once.
Then again.
Heat erupted through my veins.
Something burned behind my eyes.
Too strong.
Already a side effect?
No. Something was wrong.
Then... the edge of the world turned painfully clear.
It felt like molten stone had shattered behind my eyes.
And in the reflection of the bandit's blade—
I saw it.
Flame spilled beyond the edge of my irises.
Branching veins of the Flame.
My hand shot out and clamped over his face.
I twisted.
SNAP.
His corpse had not even hit the snow before the others understood something was wrong.
"Oh shit—!"
"No—"
"His eyes—!"
"Fourth Flame?!"