The night had passed quietly over doers royal city, the stars fading one by one as the first light of dawn brushed across the horizon. Inside the palace, corridors that had echoed with whispers and secrets now filled with the hurried steps of servants preparing for another day. But for Hakari and Kage, the morning did not bring peace. It brought decisions—hard ones.
Hakari's voice broke the silence first, firm but impatient.
"Hey, quick now, Kage. We have to leave. Now."
Kage, crouched over a bundle of meager belongings, sighed heavily. "Alright, I know. I'm packing what's left of our things. What do you want, Hakari? For us to survive on sand?"
Hakari folded his arms, unimpressed. "Our things? May I remind you, dear brother, that our things were destroyed with the cave. Burned, crushed, gone. All that's left is a tooth stick—barely enough for one of us to clean our mouth—and a small pouch with a few Koha silver coins."
Kage groaned, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "Haaaah, I know. But still, do we have to leave so urgently? Can't we—just this once—pause?"
Hakari narrowed his eyes. "Kageeeeee… you know we have other duties. And besides, look at you—you're getting softer by the day. I think you're in love."
Kage froze, nearly dropping the bundle in his hands. "No. No, not at all. Love? What love? What does love even mean, huh? Crazy, me in love? No chance." His words tumbled out, too quickly, too defensive.
Hakari smirked knowingly. "Yeah, sure. You're right, of course. Still, I think something's wrong in the atmosphere of this nation. Feels… strange. Maybe we should leave even sooner."
Kage stiffened. "No, there's nothing wrong in the atmosphere."
"Then?" Hakari pressed, leaning in.
Kage scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah… alright, you got me. I actually do."
Hakari cupped his ear, feigning deafness. "What? I can't hear you."
Kage scowled. "I do. I actually do."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oooh, quit this dumb act!" Kage snapped, his voice cracking. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
Hakari laughed and sat beside him, his hand landing firmly on Kage's shoulder. His expression softened into something almost brotherly and sad all at once.
"You know what, Kage? I think you should stay here. Stay with her. I know you love Princess Alena."
Kage's face went red—not from shyness but from a flash of rage. "What? Are you crazy? I almost lost you once, Hakari. I'll not gamble with it again. Fuck my love, and my life, if you're not safe!"
Hakari's hand slipped from his shoulder. His own anger flared. "You think I'm a child, Kage? Since I was small, I've been training—breaking bones not ten, not a hundred, but thousands of times. Promoted to B-grade command user even without a code. And all this, just to survive on my own. I don't need you—or anyone! I can handle myself."
Kage leaned forward, eyes sharp. "Yeah, sure. I saw what you could handle in the cave. Almost died."
Hakari gritted his teeth. "Don't bring that up. That was different."
"No. That's exactly the point," Kage shot back. "You need someone. And that someone is me."
"I don't—" Hakari began, his voice raw with anger and pride.
"Yes, you do," Kage interrupted, his tone unyielding. Then, softer, almost breaking, he added, "And besides, I… I only have one sister, and two brothers. I don't want to lose them. Not ever."
Hakari froze. The words disarmed him.
"And what about your heart?" he whispered at last. "What about Princess Alena? You love us, sure. But I've seen the way you look at her."
"Eyes lie sometimes," Kage muttered, though his voice faltered. "And what love is built in just two or three days?"
The air between them grew thick with unspoken truths.
But before the argument could twist further, the door creaked open.
Princess Alena stepped inside.
Both brothers stiffened.
"Princess, you—" Kage stammered, leaping to his feet.
Hakari jumped into action, scrambling to tidy the room. "Ah—chairs, bed—one moment, Princess!"
"Don't worry about that," Alena interrupted gently, her presence cutting through their chaos. She walked with measured grace, though her cheeks betrayed a nervous flush. "I only came to say farewell. To both of you."
"Ooh… w-well… thanks," Kage mumbled, something unsettled pounding in his chest.
Alena hesitated, then lifted her eyes to meet his. "But before you leave, Kage… there's something I must say."
His heartbeat thundered in his ears. "What?"
She took a breath, then let the words spill out. "I love you."
Hakari choked, the water he'd just sipped spraying out across the floor. His eyes bulged in disbelief.
Kage didn't stand at all—his knees buckled, and he fell to the ground. "What? I… I think I'm dreaming. This has to be a dream. Am I dreaming?"
Alena's face burned scarlet. She fumbled with her words, shy yet stubborn. "I just… I just wanted to say that. And… you?"
Kage's mind spun into chaos. "Me? I… well, I…" His throat locked.
"Well? What?" Her voice trembled.
"I do," he blurted.
"What?"
"I love you too."
The room froze.
Alena gasped, her face glowing even brighter. And then, before either could react further, she spun on her heel and rushed from the room, her cloak fluttering behind her.
Silence fell.
Hakari sat dumbstruck, water still dripping from his chin. "Kage… what just… what just happened?"
But the door opened again. Alena returned, breathless. "Oh! One more thing."
She hurried to Kage, who still knelt on the floor in stunned disbelief. His eyes widened. Hakari's jaw dropped again.
Before Kage could move, Alena leaned forward and pressed her lips gently against his cheek. Her voice was soft as a whisper in his ear.
"Remember… to come back. For me."
And then she was gone again, the door left hanging wide open.
Kage's hand rose slowly to his cheek, his expression blank with shock. Hakari stared, still reeling. "Hey, Kage… I think we should leave before this gets any crazier."
"…Yes," Kage muttered, still touching his cheek. "Yes, we should."
---
Elsewhere in the palace, Weller stirred groggily in his bed, his bones creaking. Yushi was still curled up on the floor, snoring.
Then Weller jolted awake, remembering. "What? They're leaving?!"
He kicked Yushi hard in the side.
"GAH!" Yushi yelped, tumbling onto the floor. "What the hell, man?!"
"Kage and Hakari are leaving!" Weller barked.
Yushi scrambled upright, hair wild. "What? Why so soon? What could be so urgent?"
"Whatever it is, we're leaving too."
"What? Why us?"
"Because Hakari realized the cave isn't destroyed. Only temporarily collapsed. It can restore itself."
Yushi blinked, jaw dropping. "Restore itself?!"
"Yes," Weller said grimly. "I know because… I placed a Wang artifact on Hakari's clothes."
Yushi froze. "The Wang artifact? The one that lets you see and hear everything from someone's view?"
"Yes."
"But—"
"I know. It wasn't right. But I had to know what he spoke of with the king,with my father."
"And?" Yushi pressed.
"And…" Weller's voice dropped. "His full name is Hakari Shinzowa."
The blood drained from Yushi's face. He stumbled back. "Sh-Shinzowa? You mean… the same Shinzowa who defeated the three great nations? Who destroyed Noer? Whose king, Yami Shinzowa, was called the Balance from God?"
"Yes. That Shinzowa."
Yushi's knees trembled. Sweat beaded down his face. "Do you understand? If the Shinzowa declare war—even if the North, South, and West joined together—we'd be annihilated,and we just insulted his son,in the cave. Yami Shinzowa was only eleven when he earned the name 'King of Wars.' Eleven!"
"Calm yourself," Weller urged, though his own hands shook. "Hakari isn't his father. And he's our guest. He won't harm us."
Yushi swallowed hard. "Y-You're right. I just… panicked."
Panicked? Weller thought bitterly. I've been trembling since last night.
---
Later, the gates of the palace loomed open. Hakari and Kage stood together, watching the city behind them. They breathed deeply, as though memorizing it before stepping into uncertainty.
But before the gates could close, Yushi and Weller came rushing forward.
"You two?" Hakari blinked. "Why are you here? And why so rushed?"
"We're coming too," Weller said firmly.
"What?" Kage asked, startled.
Yushi puffed out his chest, though his voice cracked. "Yes! We've made up our minds. If you don't want us, we'll leave on our own—separately. But we're coming either way."
Hakari and Kage exchanged a look, then sighed together.
"…Alright. You can come."
"Yes!" Yushi cheered, then suddenly gasped. "Wait—I forgot my clothes!" He spun around.
Weller grabbed his collar. "Forget them. We'll buy new ones once we reach Akuma."
Hakari shook his head, exhaling a long sigh. "Alright then. Here we go."
The gates rumbled shut behind them. Four figures now walked together, each carrying secrets, fears, and hopes. Their journey had only just begun—but ahead lay storms, truths, and calamities yet unseen.
The road stretched before them, endless and waiting.