The sound of leaves crunching beneath Takashi's shoes broke the silence of the mountain path. Dawn filtered through the trees, casting a golden veil over the mossy stones and winding trail. He walked toward the shrine with a strange mix of purpose and uncertainty. Every step brought back sensations he couldn't explain—smells too sharp, sounds too far, colors too vivid.
He felt... more alive. More awake.
And it terrified him.
Waiting at the top of the stairs, Hikari stood with her arms folded. She looked like she'd been expecting him.
"You look like you barely slept," she said, her voice soft, yet firm.
"I didn't," he admitted. "The fire came back. Worse this time. It... spoke to me."
She blinked, surprised. "It's never spoken before?"
"Only feelings. Rage, hunger, maybe even grief. But this time it said I was its vessel."
"That's not good," she murmured. "You need training. Control."
"I figured," he said. "That's why I'm here."
"Follow me."
She led him behind the shrine, down a hidden trail that wound into the forest. The air changed there. It was denser, heavier, filled with spiritual pressure he could barely describe. He stumbled once as his knees buckled under the weight of it.
"This place is sacred," she said without turning. "Only those tied to the spiritual realm can enter. Humans feel it as unease. You'll feel it as home."
They came upon a small clearing encircled by ancient stones. A fox statue with only one glowing eye sat in the center.
"Sit," she said.
He obeyed.
"Close your eyes. Breathe. Let go of your thoughts. Feel your soul."
Takashi did as told. The forest quieted around him. In the darkness of his mind, something pulsed. A flicker. A heartbeat that wasn't his own.
"Good," she said after a while. "Now speak its name."
He hesitated. "Infernal Requiem."
The clearing darkened. Black flames curled around the stones. Not hot, but searing in sensation. The statue's remaining eye gleamed, and from the ground rose a faint outline of a fox-like spirit, coiled in flame.
Hikari stood firm. Takashi flinched.
"Do not reject it," she said. "Let it show you what it is."
The spirit lunged at him. He braced, but it passed through. Inside his chest, he felt it spiral, searching.
Visions surged—another life. A battlefield torn in half. A boy with fire in his eyes screaming into the heavens. A girl dying in his arms. The same black flame devouring both friend and foe.
Then silence.
He opened his eyes with a gasp.
Hikari knelt beside him. "You saw a memory."
"It was mine. From a life before this."
She looked solemn. "Then it's true. You're not just part kitsune. You're a reincarnated soul."
He nodded. "I don't remember the whole thing. Just pieces."
"Then we'll train your spirit to remember."
---
Over the next few days, Takashi returned to the clearing. Hikari became his guide, his anchor, and sometimes his adversary. She taught him to channel energy, to meditate, and to focus his senses.
He learned the difference between spiritual energy and yokai essence. Between instinct and intent.
Each day, the fire responded more. Sometimes in flashes, other times in whispers. It wasn't always obedient, but it wasn't wild anymore.
By the end of the week, he could summon a small flame at will and make it hover. Hikari clapped once when he managed to burn a leaf without igniting the whole branch.
Progress.
But peace never lasted.
---
One afternoon, on the way home from the shrine, Takashi passed through a narrow street lined with old shops. It was crowded, noisy—ordinary. He tried to act normal, ignoring the warmth building in his chest.
Then he heard it.
A scream.
His head snapped around. A woman stood frozen in fear near a fruit stall. Beside her, a strange distortion shimmered in the air—a ripple in space like heat rising from pavement.
Then it stepped out.
A yokai. Not just any yokai—an Akugami, a spirit of wrath. It was tall and thin, with a body made of writhing shadows and a mouth too wide to be natural. Its eyes locked onto the woman.
Nobody else seemed to see it.
Takashi felt his blood boil. The fire inside surged.
"No," he muttered, backing up.
But it was too late. The Akugami lunged.
Without thinking, Takashi stepped forward, palm raised.
"Infernal Requiem!"
Black fire erupted from his hand, colliding with the shadow beast. It shrieked and recoiled, but not before swiping at Takashi with a claw of darkness. He ducked, barely avoiding it.
The crowd screamed—now they saw. The illusion had broken.
"Run!" he shouted.
People scattered. The yokai turned its attention to him. Takashi braced, hands aflame.
They clashed.
He dodged, rolled, fired again. Black fire met shadow and split the street in heatless explosions. Windows shattered. The Akugami screeched and lunged, but Takashi caught it mid-air and slammed it into the ground with a surge of burning energy.
"Infernal Requiem—Second Gate!" he cried, not knowing how he even knew those words.
A chain of flame coiled around the yokai, dragging it to the ground. Then came the final blow—one he didn't remember summoning.
A giant burning fox, roaring with ancient fury, crashed into the yokai and incinerated it.
Silence.
Ash drifted to the ground.
Takashi collapsed.
---
When he woke, he was in a small room with paper windows and a faint smell of incense. Hikari sat by his side.
"You nearly burned down half the block," she said.
"I didn't mean to."
"You saved lives. But you weren't ready."
"I know."
She handed him a talisman. "This will help you suppress the Gear when it gets out of control. Wear it. Train harder."
He closed his fingers around it. "Thanks."
Hikari hesitated. "Takashi... you need to decide. Are you going to be a boy with power, or a vessel for destruction?"
He looked out the window. Kyoto's skyline glimmered in the dusk.
"I'll find a third path," he said. "I'll be the fire that protects."
Hikari smiled, just faintly. "Then we'll walk that path together."
And for the first time in days, Takashi didn't feel alone.