Scene 1
The cold morning air drifted across the quiet outskirts as a horse-drawn police wagon rolled to a halt before a small, isolated house standing far from any nearby village. The wooden wheels creaked, and the horses snorted softly, dust puffing from their nostrils.
Two policemen sat on the front seat. One of them climbed down, his boots crunching against the loose gravel. He walked to the back and unlatched the iron-barred door.
"Hey, old man! Step out."
From the dim, cramped cage, Yui's grandfather slowly emerged. His frail hands trembled as he gripped the edge, his body shaking slightly from exhaustion. When his foot touched the ground, he swayed for a moment before catching his balance.
The officer handed him a katana in its saya. "Here's your katana," he said firmly. "If you're caught committing another crime, the consequences will be severe."
The old man nodded weakly.
"You may go," the officer added, stepping aside.
The old man accepted the blade with both hands, using it as a walking stick while dragging his tired steps toward his rough stone house.
The driver, still seated on the wagon, turned and said, "Hey, I think the horses are thirsty. Let's water them before heading back."
"Alright," the other officer replied, glancing toward the house. "I'll get some from that old man's house."
He walked to the gate and knocked.
Knock, knock.
No response.
He knocked again.
Knock, knock.
Still nothing.
Then—
A low screech echoed from inside.
A monstrous, distorted roar.
The officer froze. "Hey! What's going on in there? Is someone inside?" he shouted.
The driver immediately jumped off the wagon and rushed over. The first officer glanced through the window—then vaulted inside in one swift motion.
The moment he landed, his eyes widened.
The old man lay face-down on the floor, blood pooling beneath his head.
And by the far wall, a demon crouched awkwardly, pressed against the boards, trembling as faint rays of sunlight slipped through the cracks nearby. It was a grotesque mix between insect and human—its skin rough, its limbs thin like a beetle's, twitching in fear of the light around it. The way it flinched and pressed itself tighter showed its dull, beastlike mind.
The officer instantly crouched low, thrusting his hands forward as he chanted, "Stone Element: Earth Spike!"
The stone floor cracked—
CRACK—THRUST!
A jagged stone spike burst upward, impaling the demon straight through its skull. The creature shrieked, clutching the spike with its four thin, insect-like arms. Behind its hunched back, translucent wings fluttered frantically—
Bzzz—Bzzz—Bzzz!
—but the effort failed. Its red-gray skin quivered as it struggled, pinned in place.
The officer grimaced, his face twisting in disgust at the grotesque thing writhing before him.
The demon's body went limp, its arms falling slack. The officer slowly lowered his hands, and the stone spike sank back into the ground, leaving behind a dark blood stain.
The body dropped, rolling into a beam of sunlight filtering through a small hole in the wall.
The moment the light touched it, the flesh began to tighten and shrink, the red-gray skin turning black—burning from the inside out.
Within seconds, the demon stopped moving.
The driver jumped through the same window, kneeling beside the old man. Together, they carefully lifted him; his breathing was weak but steady.
The driver placed both hands over the wound, and a soft light began to glow between his palms.
The bleeding slowed, the injury sealing as faint warmth filled the air.
The officer frowned. "Who told him to live out here alone? These demons—every quiet corner becomes their hiding spot."
The driver shook his head. "Yeah… if we hadn't shown up, he'd be dead."
They wrapped a bandage around the old man's head, laid him gently on his bed, then carried the demon's shriveled body outside and loaded it into the wagon. Before leaving, they wiped the blood off the floor and wall as best they could, though its metallic scent still lingered.
After a while, the old man lay asleep—breathing faintly, but alive.
Outside, the two officers stood near the wagon. The driver scoffed, his tone sharp.
"It's shameful to call people like that 'Hunters.' They're supposed to protect this land, yet they can't even handle a single B-Rank demon—and in daylight too. All they care about is showing off."
The other officer sighed as they climbed aboard. The wagon rattled away, leaving behind a thin trail of dust.
And soon, the news of this attack spread everywhere like wildfire.
Scene 2
As always, Haruto sat quietly at his desk inside the academy.
But unlike the usual cheerful noise, today the classroom buzzed with serious murmurs. Students huddled together, whispering anxiously—some shocked, some frightened.
One of them said, "Seriously, the number of demons showing up keeps rising. Even our own Land isn't safe anymore."
Haruto listened silently, his hand resting under his chin.
Daigo leaned back in his chair with a scoff. "So that old man was her grandfather, huh?" A crooked grin crossed his face. "And that girl tried to stop me once? Hah!"
Haruto turned toward Tetsuya, who sat beside him. "Hey, what are they talking about?"
Tetsuya smiled, resting his elbow on the desk. "Oh, it's about that news from this morning."
Haruto frowned. "What news?"
"Well," Tetsuya said, spinning his pencil between his fingers, "your friend Yui's grandfather got attacked by a demon. Some people are worried, and some are happy because of that old man. But it's bad news either way. For years, demon sightings had stayed low after the last conflict, but now they're slowly appearing again—coming out of the Demon Land little by little."
Haruto's gaze dropped. "These demons… Why do they even exist anymore? Their King's dead."
Tetsuya tilted his head, still smiling faintly. "I don't know much, but maybe someone else is controlling them now. If that's true, then our Land might be in danger."
Just then, the sliding door opened.
A janitor stepped in, holding a mop and bucket. A cap covered his head, and a cloth mask hid the lower half of his face. He gave a short nod before speaking.
"Apologies for the delay. May I clean this room quietly without disturbing anyone?"
A student near the front replied, "Of course, you can."
The janitor nodded politely and began cleaning. Within minutes, the room looked spotless. He turned toward the exit to leave—
—but before he could step out, Haruto accidentally dropped the cap of his water bottle. He bent forward to pick it up, and in the process, tipped the whole bottle.
Clatter!
Splash!
Haruto froze, panic flashing across his face. "Ah—!"
He quickly grabbed the bottle, screwed the cap back on, and reached into his bag for a cleaning cloth.
But before he could pull it out, the janitor spun around, his steps quick and sharp. He walked straight toward Haruto, his voice rising, "What have you done!?"
Haruto flinched and bowed his head. "I-I'm sorry! It was an accident. I'll clean it right now!"
He hurriedly wiped the water with the cloth.
The janitor shook his head. "No. I'm telling your teacher what you did."
He crouched slightly, gesturing to his back. "Come on. You're coming with me."
Haruto blinked, confused. "Eh—sorry! I could've dried it myself—"
Before he could finish, the janitor leaned slightly back, and slipped both arms under Haruto's legs—lifting him effortlessly onto his back.
"Alright, let's go," he said, standing tall and heading for the door.
As they passed between the rows of desks, the janitor's eyes shifted back slightly—checking the spot Haruto had cleaned. His eyes softened, as if he was smiling quietly beneath the mask.
The janitor stepped out into the hallway, still carrying Haruto on his back.
Haruto murmured regretfully. "I'm sorry, really, I won't do it aga—"
Before the last word left his mouth, everything around them changed in less than a second.
The hallway vanished.
The air shifted.
The floor beneath them became grass.
The sound of distant students faded into open wind.
Haruto's eyes widened, his voice caught in his throat. His body stiffened, frozen in disbelief.
He blinked. "...Huh?"
The janitor gently set him down and removed his cap and mask.
It was Einzuro.
Haruto tilted his head slightly, his tone confused but gentle. "S-Sensei!? You?! Why'd you bring me here?"
Einzuro grinned, stretching lazily. "Heard from Reina that you've been bored in the academy. So, is that true?"
Haruto rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, pretty much. I was all fired up to join, but now I just realized how dull it really is."
Einzuro laughed softly. "You're right. The academy system's too slow. Even Renzaki thinks it's boring."
Haruto sighed. "Then what should I do, Sensei? If this keeps up, I'll just keep wasting time."
Einzuro tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… Why not train with Naoki? He's been skipping classes lately—spending all his time training instead."
Haruto's eyes lit up. "Where is he? I'll train with him right now!"
Without a word, Einzuro turned around—and the scenery changed instantly.
Before Haruto could even blink, they were standing in an open field just outside the Kingdom's walls. A short distance ahead, Naoki was already training with his wand, his movements sharp and focused. Haruto turned his head slightly, noticing a faint lightning trail stretching all the way from the distance to where they stood. His eyes widened. So fast...
He thought, Now I understand why people call him Lord Einzuro. From somewhere inside the Kingdom to just outside its walls... in less than a second.
A chill ran through him. Z-Rank... Yamara himself was one too. Even if he's long dead, how could I ever reach that level—when beings like him still exist in this world?
He shook his head quickly, dismissing the thought.
Naoki turned, spotting them. "Sensei? You're here?"
Einzuro grinned. "Hey, my little powerhouse, how're you holding up?"
He placed a hand on Haruto's shoulder, still smiling. "So, will you train with him?"
Naoki groaned playfully. "With him? ...Fine, guess I'll do it."
Einzuro nodded. "Good. Don't just train—learn from each other too."
He turned to leave. "Alright, I'll get go—"
"Wait, Sensei!" Haruto stepped forward, raising his voice. "Where do you even go all the time? You said you mostly stay in this Land, but you're always disappearing somewhere!"
Naoki crossed his arms. "Yeah, and now you're leaving us outside the Kingdom? With demons roaming everywhere?"
Einzuro smiled confidently, his tone calm yet firm.
"Don't worry. I'm still around here, so there's no danger. These demons don't have much sense—otherwise, they'd be hiding like their leaders, trembling at the thought of stepping foot here."
He paused. "Anyway, it's still daytime. You two better return before sunset."
Naoki asked, "Sensei, where do you always go? We barely ever get to see you."
Einzuro chuckled. "Honestly, I get bored, so I just wander around for fun. I rarely get any missions—and even those don't involve fighting."
He turned, waving casually. "Alright, I'll get going. You two start your training."
With that, Einzuro vanished in an instant—leaving behind a streak of lightning that shimmered through the air before slowly fading away. The faint hum of energy lingered for a heartbeat longer than his presence.
For a brief moment, the air stood still. Then Haruto and Naoki exchanged a quick look, nodded once, and stepped into their stances.
Haruto clenched his hands together, locking his fingers, and raised them toward the sky. A sharp light flickered between his fingertips—but before it could shoot out, it vanished.
He frowned slightly, then tried again, pouring all his focus into it.
Meanwhile, Naoki swung his wand, releasing smooth streams of flame toward the Kingdom's stone walls. Each strike left a faint scorch mark, but within moments, the stone healed itself—restoring to its flawless state as if nothing had ever touched it.