The Kisaragi twins, along with Master Daichi, trudged through the dense forest. The air smelled of moss and damp leaves, and the canopy overhead swallowed most of the sunlight.
Ayato paced in circles, muttering to himself as Minato and Daichi exchanged unimpressed looks.
"You said you remembered the way," Daichi finally said, arms crossed.
"Yes, I do!" Ayato snapped back, still spinning in a small circle. "But the forest is too wide. Every tree looks the same. I don't know which path we took, and I—"
Minato sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "Our little sister would be dead already by now. How are we supposed to face Father now? I can already hear Mother looking down at us, calling us failures."
"I know right?" Ayato muttered, scratching his head. "It's not my fault this forest is like a giant maze. This way… or was it that way? Ugh!" He spun again, pointing in random directions like a broken compass.
"Shhhh." Daichi suddenly lifted a hand. His sharp eyes scanned the trees.
"What do you hear sir?" Minato asked.
"Voices," Daichi whispered, lowering his tone. "There are people nearby." He tilted his head, listening carefully. "Female voices… just ahead."
Ayato froze mid-step, his cluelessness instantly replaced with alertness. Minato raised a brow, his earlier frustration fading.
Daichi moved swiftly through the undergrowth, his steps light but purposeful. The twins exchanged a glance, then followed close behind, curiosity and unease pulling them forward into the unknown.
"Hey, Sayuri—why won't you just show us the place already?" Mai snapped, frustration in her voice. "The Ice Queen left us behind because you walk slower than a tortoise."
Sayuri pouted, her frozen hands clutched against her chest. "Well excuse me. I'm used to teleporting, not walking. If you'd just unfreeze my hands, I could teleport all of us there in seconds."
Mai glared. "If you hadn't tried to kill Cousin Rin in the first place, your hands wouldn't be frozen. And don't act innocent—you're a trickster. The moment your hands are free, we all know what you'll try next."
"Ice Dragon!" Akari suddenly shouted, scanning the skies. "Show us the way! Where's the queen's nest?" The ice dragon was nowhere in sight, its body invisible against the clouds.
"Cousin Akari!" Minato cried in relief as she appeared from the clearing.
"Huh? Cousin Minato? Cousin Ayato?" Akari blinked, then her eyes shifted to the third figure. "...Master Daichi?"
Daichi inclined his head, his expression calm but unreadable. "Hello, maidens. I assume you're all here for the same purpose."
"Yes, Master. We're here for Cousin Rin," Akari said firmly.
At that, Sayuri immediately ducked behind Mai, trying to hide from the twins' glare.
"You!" Minato shouted, his fists clenching.
"You spoiled, crazy brat!" Ayato snarled, lunging at her—only to be stopped by Mai's arm.
"Don't make a scene here," Mai said sharply. "She'll be punished for her actions soon enough."
"That brat is the cause of everything!" Ayato snapped. "My sister could be dead because of her!"
"Enough, both of you," Daichi's voice cut through the tension like ice. With a flick of his fan, he forced Ayato back, then turned his gaze on Sayuri. "Why did you do this, girl? Do you realize the clan lord will punish you severely?"
Sayuri dropped to her knees, head bowed low, trembling. "I'm sorry. I swear I am. I was only… doing my daily job."
"Daily job?" everyone repeated in disbelief.
Daichi's eyes narrowed. "Explain yourself."
Sayuri swallowed hard. "The golden ant… she's the queen of this entire place. I was captured by the worker ants two weeks ago. I begged for my life, and in exchange, I promised to bring them food. As long as I did, I wouldn't be eaten."
Akari's face went pale. "Two weeks…?"
Mai's voice was sharp. "And how many people have you given them?"
Sayuri's shoulders shook as she whispered, "Twenty-five. Including the Kisaragi siblings, the count would have reached twenty-five."
"Twenty-five?!" The group's voices rang out in unison.
"You're a monster!" Ayato spat, his eyes blazing.
"Mind your words, boy," Daichi said coldly, silencing him.
Ayato gritted his teeth, then muttered, "...Sorry, Master."
Akari clenched her fists. "Missing complaints have been piling up in the villages. And it was you? You really thought no one would notice if you fed Cousin Rin to the ants?"
Sayuri bit her lip, her voice breaking. "I… I only took the homeless. The beggars. The ones no one would miss…"
Akari's eyes narrowed, sharp and cold. "So you believed no one would care? That Rin could just disappear like the others, and it wouldn't matter?" Her voice trembled with fury as she stepped forward. "You'll be punished for this, Sayuri. Now tell me—where is the ant nest?"
"By the way, Master Daichi," Akari said as they followed Sayuri's lead, "how did you even find out about this?"
Daichi gestured at the twins. "They came running toward our eastern gate. Luckily, Rei and I were on patrol and saw them before the swarm of ants caught up."
Akari stopped dead. "Wait—what did you just say? Rei? Where is she?" Her tone shifted to sudden hope.
Daichi gave a helpless sigh. "My daughter ran off the moment she realized Rin was missing. She went to find your cousin… without even thinking twice."
Akari froze. "You mean to tell me Rei is somewhere in this massive forest?"
"Yes. And…" Ayato pointed ahead. "This is it. The nest. I recognize that cave."
Akari's gaze hardened. "Then how do we get Rin out of there?"
Minato's voice cracked. "How are you so sure she hasn't already been eaten by those monsters?"
Before Akari could reply, the ground shook violently beneath their feet. The earth split and rumbled like a living beast.
"W-what's happening?!" Mai cried out, clutching her sleeves.
"Is this an earthquake? Is the world ending?!" Minato shouted, trembling.
"I haven't even told Father about Sister Rin yet!" Ayato groaned.
Then—out of nowhere—a blur of fire tore past them. A figure completely engulfed in flames sprinted right across their path, with a swarm of ants chasing hot on her heels.
"Rei!" Akari shouted.
"Woooah!" Minato and Ayato gaped in unison, jaws dropping.
Daichi just crossed his arms proudly. "That's my daughter, by the way."
Rei then doubled back, still aflame, and began running in frantic circles around the group. Everyone's heads turned side-to-side in unison, following her path like spectators at a bizarre match.
"Somebody stop them! Make them stop following me!" Rei wailed, still circling.
"Why don't you burn them?!" Daichi shouted back.
"No, Papa! Rin wants them alive!" Rei cried.
At that, Minato and Ayato gasped. "Sister Rin… she's alive?!"
"Yes!" Rei shouted. "She's alive… and different! But seriously, find a way to stop these things before I burn them!"
Suddenly, the swarm froze mid-charge. Rei skidded to a halt, panting. "Oh, that works."
Everyone turned upward as the sky darkened. A massive shadow loomed overhead—Dragon Ice revealed himself at last, wings glittering with frost.
Akari's eyes softened. "So… you finally decided to show yourself, big guy."
"He's sooo cool…" Minato whispered, starry-eyed.
"Thanks, Ice!" Rei called, waving at the dragon like an old friend. Then she darted over to hug Akari. "Hey, Akari!"
"Papa's here too, you know," Daichi added dryly.
"Well, the ants are frozen… so, what now?" Mai asked nervously.
Sayuri smirked. "The queen is still inside."
Rei's flames flickered brighter. "Then I'll burn down the trees and smoke her out."
Akari's jaw dropped. "Burn WHAT now?!"