The sun dipped below the trees as the group came to a stop in a quiet forest clearing. Master Ozaki turned and said:
"We'll camp here tonight."
Everyone dropped their bags with relief.
Lumei flopped down onto the grass and groaned.
"My legs feel like they've aged fifty years."
Sora got to work lighting a fire while Chella added wood. Soon, the small flame grew into a warm campfire. Yamato sat beside Lumei, gazing up at the stars in silence.
Once dinner was over and the fire was crackling steadily, Master Ozaki broke the calm.
"You've all trained hard. But why do you train? What are your goals?"
There was a moment of silence. Then Yamato sat up.
"I want to be strong so I can get jobs and provide for my mom," he said.
He looked down, clenching a fist in his lap.
"She raised me alone… I owe her everything."
Lumei smiled gently.
"That's a good reason. Mine's different, though. I want to learn everything I can about the gods. Their stories, their types—everything."
Sora leaned back with a grin.
"I want to be the best at everything I do. Doesn't matter what it is, I want to win."
Chella crossed her arms, her expression firm.
"I want to be the strongest person in the country. I never want to feel powerless again."
Then everyone turned to Ichiha, who had been silent the whole time. He sat a little away from the group, staring into the flames.
"I want to defeat my uncle," he said quietly.
The fire popped. The others blinked in surprise.
"Defeat your uncle?" Yamato asked. "Why?"
Ichiha didn't lift his head.
"Because he killed my family," he said flatly. "All of them. Right in front of me."
The group went still.
"After that… he took me in. But not out of kindness. He trained me like I wasn't human. I nearly died from the things he put me through. And he didn't care."
Chella's eyes narrowed. Sora's mouth hung open. Lumei looked down at the ground, quiet.
Ichiha raised his head now. His voice was calm, but his face was tight with pain.
"He forced a god into me. I wasn't qualified to be a vessel. But he did it anyway. That's why…"
He touched his cheek.
"…I cry when I use the god's power. It hurts. It's a drawback to not be fit for a god and It reminds me of everything. Of what he made me."
Everyone was quiet. For the first time, they understood how much Ichiha carried.
Ichiha then turned to Yamato.
"By the way… during our fight, your healing didn't work, right?"
Yamato nodded, frowning.
"Yeah. I noticed that. It was weird."
Ichiha looked him in the eye.
"It's because of the damage you had already taken."
Yamato paused, surprised by the answer—but didn't press further.
The fire kept burning. And in that moment, the group grew closer—not just as students, but as people who understood each other.