The sharp wail of an alarm echoed across Koha.
Citizens froze in confusion, panic flashing in their eyes. None had ever heard such a sound before.
At the palace, heavy boots thundered. King Yami Shinzowa strode in with a hundred soldiers at his back, his expression cold as winter steel. Without hesitation, he rushed toward Heena's chamber.
Tap. Tap. His fist slammed the door.
"Open the door. I said OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!"
Silence.
Then—CRASH!
The gates flew from their hinges.
Inside, Heena's eyes widened in terror as she clung to her mother's arms. Tenshi Shinzowa held her daughter tightly, defiance burning in her gaze.
King Yami's voice cut like a blade:
"Tenshi. Move aside."
"I won't!" Tenshi snapped, shielding Heena with her body. "I am her mother. If you must take someone, then take me instead."
Yami exhaled softly, as though burdened by inevitability.
"I knew you wouldn't be easy."
The air itself seemed to freeze. Time stopped—yet it was not time that halted, but the King himself surpassing it. Tenshi's body slumped as Yami struck her neck with precise force, rendering her unconscious.
For a heartbeat, even Yami faltered. His eyes narrowed.
"She saw it. She saw my attack… yet chose not to defend herself, only to protect Heena. Truly… those eyes of hers."
The King's order rang out.
"Take her."
Soldiers seized Heena.
"No! Mother! Mother!" She screamed, her voice cracking as tears spilled.
"Don't drag her," Yami suddenly barked, surprising even himself. His tone faltered. "…D-Don't."
Still, the soldiers hoisted her onto their shoulders and carried her away, locking her in a pitch-black cell.
---
Meanwhile, far from the palace, Akami collapsed onto the training ground, chest heaving. Across from him, his master Kenta Hermit sat with a calm smile.
"You've improved again," Hermit said, his voice firm but warm. "Your command is unique. A bow formed from pure energy, arrows sharper than steel… It's strong. Perhaps too strong. Stronger than even I can measure."
Akami frowned. "Why would you say that?"
"Because," Hermit replied, eyes half-closed, "you never even fight at full power. Ten percent—twenty at most—and it's already enough to obliterate armies. Even a thousand soldiers would mean nothing before you."
"No!" Akami shook his head violently. "Don't say that. I was nothing before your training. I am nothing without it. You didn't just teach me to fight—you taught me to fight with morals. To save, not to kill. To protect, not to destroy. No one else ever taught me that."
Hermit's smile deepened, tinged with sorrow.
"Akami, this will be our last training session."
The boy froze. "What? No! Why would you say that? Did I do something wrong?"
"Not at all," Hermit reassured him. "You are my best student. Always will be. But I am old now. My body has little strength left to teach. What I want now is simple: to spend the rest of my years with my family. My daughter… she's returning from Velvet after ten years of study. I want to see her again. Perhaps even see her married."
His hand reached into his robes.
"But before I go, I must give you something."
He revealed a small, unassuming stone.
Akami blinked. "This? It's… just a stone?"
Hermit shook his head. "Not just a stone. This was carved from the Ech of Doer Mountain. It can store your Code energy—ten, even eighty percent of it. And once stored, you can unleash it all at once, condensed into a single strike. A Great Command… beyond even high-status ones. Use it wisely."
Akami hesitated, his hand trembling. "…Are you sure, Master?"
Hermit's smile was unwavering. "I've never been more certain."
Akami accepted it just as a maid burst into the courtyard, breathless, trembling.
"Master Akami! Forgive me—I'm late—but… they… they took her! They took Lady Heena!"
Akami's blood turned to fire.
"Heena… they took Heena?!"
Without another word, he vanished, moving faster than sound. His voice thundered across the halls as he burst through the royal gates.
"WHERE IS SHE?!"
King Yami turned with measured calm. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb, Father!" Akami roared, his eyes red, fists clenched. "Tell me—where have you locked her?"
"I don't lock away my children," Yami replied coldly.
Rage consumed Akami as he rushed forward, but before his command could activate—CRACK! A sudden blow struck his neck. His vision blurred.
"…Mother?" His eyes widened as he glimpsed Tenshi standing behind him.
Before darkness claimed him, a single word slipped from his lips.
"…Why?"
---
Elsewhere, Kage and Hakari trudged through endless sands.
"I'm roasted, Hakari… roasted alive…" Kage groaned dramatically.
Hakari muttered, sweat dripping down his face. "Yeah, me too. But where the hell is this place? Are we even going the right way?"
Before they could argue further, the unconscious man slung over Kage's shoulder stirred, wriggling violently.
"What the hell?!" Kage staggered. "Stop shaking, you lunatic!"
The man's eyes widened in terror. "Where are you taking me?! Answer me!"
"Oh, relax. My buddy here knocked you out earlier, so we were just helping you—"
"DROP ME!" the man shrieked.
"…Okay." Thud.
"AAAAH! Not like that!" The man writhed in pain.
"Sorry," Kage said sheepishly.
The man glared. "Don't say that word!"
Hakari sighed. "Bro, I've been talking for thirty minutes. You deaf or something?"
"…Oh. My bad." Hakari scratched his head awkwardly. "Sorry."
Eventually, the man calmed down. "Anyway… we were heading for the Cave of Mura."
Kage's jaw dropped. "WHAT?! Then why the hell did you yell at me for bringing you here?!"
The man shrugged. "Because you don't just carry strangers without permission!"
Suddenly, his gaze shifted. "Wait… look over there. Isn't that… a cave?"
All three turned. Looming ahead, massive and ominous, the Cave of Mura swallowed the horizon.
Hakari's skin prickled. "It's huge… like a beast."
"I've heard it devours people alive," Kage muttered grimly.
Before they could step closer, the child Hakari had been carrying suddenly leapt down, perfectly fine.
"Kid?! Kid, where—"
"Look left, Hakari."
The boy stood unharmed, smirking.
"Well, thanks for the ride."
Hakari's jaw dropped. "WHAT?! Didn't you collapse when I hit your father?!"
"Father? What nonsense? I'm Yushi, and this is my partner Weller. I'm twenty."
Hakari's face flushed crimson. "You… you little—!" He began chanting a Hai-Key Command, but Yushi waved frantically.
"Wait wait wait! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! We're just tired, okay?"
Kage muttered darkly, "So are we. Haven't slept for two whole days."
Weller raised his hands. "Peace, peace! We're all tired. And we're already at the cave. Why fight now?"
Hakari exhaled, calming himself. "He's right. My temper got the better of me. Sorry."
Yushi and Weller nodded. "It's alright. We're sorry too."
Together, they turned to face the yawning mouth of the cavern.
Hakari's voice was steady. "The Cave of Mura… Let's uncover the truth."