The distant explosion had painted the sky with crimson ash, and now the wind carried the stench of burning concrete and fear. Kazuki stood at the edge of a crumbling rooftop near the south sector, his eyes fixed on the smoke spiraling into the heavens like a warning from the gods themselves.
Beside him, Aoi adjusted her gloves. Her breath was steady, but her eyes betrayed tension. "It's worse than we thought. The blast radius spans at least six blocks. "
Haruki crouched beside a shattered drone husk, poking at it with the edge of his blade. "This wasn't just a bomb. It melted the air. Like it was… screaming. "
Kazuki narrowed his gaze. "Entity Class: Nightmare. That's what the alert said. It's a level we haven't seen before. "
"Or lived through, " Haruki added grimly.
As the trio advanced through the debris-strewn avenue, cries echoed from the collapsed buildings. Blood smeared the windows. Fires crackled in places where there were no gas lines. And then the sky darkened further — not from nightfall, but from something far more sinister.
A shape unfurled between the high-rises — serpentine and skeletal, its body made of swirling shadows and luminous veins of red energy. Its face was a blur, as though reality rejected the idea of capturing its form. The air bent around it, warping glass and steel alike.
Kazuki's runed arm ignited. Black energy surged along his veins, crawling up his shoulder and face. His right eye turned crimson.
"That's it, " he whispered. "That's a Nightmare. "
The creature didn't roar. It whispered. Thousands of voices, overlapping — male, female, child, ancient. All in agony.
Kazuki…
You bear his mark…
The god who betrayed us…
Aoi clutched her ears. "Kazuki—! It's speaking inside my head! "
"It knows me, " Kazuki muttered. "Or it knows the one inside me. "
Haruki pointed his blade. "Then let's make it forget. "
Before Kazuki could warn him, Haruki lunged — only to be batted away by an invisible force. His body slammed into a concrete wall with a sickening crunch.
"Haruki! " Aoi shouted, rushing to him.
Kazuki's mind raced. He couldn't just rush in — not this time. This creature was beyond brute force. It was sentient, ancient… angry.
He stepped forward, the shadows licking around his limbs like armor.
"I'm not the god who failed you, " he said aloud, voice cold. "But I'm the one standing in your way now. "
The Nightmare twisted its mass in the air, recoiling, and then lunged — not at him, but at the civilians trapped beneath the rubble nearby.
Kazuki reacted without thinking. Darkness exploded from his palm like a living spear, slicing through debris, forming a shield between the creature and the victims. The monster hissed and pulled back, smoke trailing from where the runic energy had burned it.
Aoi pulled Haruki away from the wreckage as he groaned in pain. "Don't move, " she told him. "We're not finished yet. "
Kazuki gritted his teeth. The creature hadn't come here to kill them — it had come to test them. It knew who he was. Or at least, who he carried within.
Come find me.
Below.
And then — in a moment that warped space itself — the creature vanished into the sewers beneath the sector, leaving behind its destruction… and a challenge.
Kazuki stood alone in the silence. His hands trembled, his heart racing.
Aoi came to his side, her voice low. "We can't let it escape. If that thing is loose down there…"
Kazuki nodded. "Then we go after it. "
He looked back toward the burning skyline, then at Aoi and the battered Haruki.
This was no longer about survival. This was war.
The ruins of the south sector reeked of scorched metal and something worse—burnt ozone and blood. Streetlamps flickered weakly, casting long, trembling shadows that danced over shattered glass and twisted steel. The explosion had left a deep crater where a subway entrance once stood, and now only jagged concrete and scorched stairwells remained.
Kazuki stood at the edge of the impact zone, the wind tugging at his jacket as he stared into the abyss. Haruki, his arm tightly bound with Aoi's makeshift bandage, leaned beside him, pale but defiant.
"This is where the anomaly vanished, " Haruki muttered, checking the scanner. "Whatever it was… it didn't leave. It went deeper. "
Aoi looked down the crumbling stairwell. "It's pulling something. Energy. I can feel it. "
Kazuki nodded grimly. His body still buzzed with the aftershock of the transformation earlier—his right side faintly tingled, the remnants of the black armor now dormant under his skin. He could feel the rune pulsing within him like a heartbeat, calling him forward.
"I'll go first, " Kazuki said.
Haruki grunted. "You mean we go first. "
Kazuki turned to him. "You're still bleeding. "
"And I'm still breathing, " Haruki shot back with a tired smirk.
Aoi stepped between them, a quiet force in the growing tension. "We go together. Like we agreed. "
They descended.
Each step into the dark was a surrender—of safety, of normalcy, of youth. The temperature dropped as they entered the forgotten belly of Tokyo, the deeper levels of the old subway system. Water dripped steadily from pipes overhead. The tunnels pulsed faintly with flickering emergency lights and distant groans of shifting earth.
"Do you hear that? " Aoi whispered.
Kazuki froze. A low rumbling echoed from ahead—like claws scraping against cement, slow and deliberate.
And then… a voice.
Not a voice of a human. Nor a monster's growl.
A voice inside Kazuki's mind.
"Come closer, little vessel… Show me what the god left behind…"
Kazuki stumbled. The others looked at him.
"What is it? " Aoi asked quickly, reaching for his arm.
Kazuki clenched his teeth. "Something's speaking to me. From inside the tunnels. "
Haruki raised his weapon. "That's new. "
Kazuki's eyes narrowed. "It knows what I am. "
A sudden rush of wind blew through the tunnel. A stench followed—rotted flesh and sulfur. The emergency lights blinked once. Twice.
And then everything went black.
A roar exploded from the darkness, loud enough to make the concrete tremble. A massive shape lunged from the shadows, its limbs spindly and long, ending in talons that screeched against the wall. Its face was a writhing mass of eyes and screaming mouths—impossibly human and impossibly wrong.
Classification: Class Nightmare
Designation: Soul-Gorge Wraith
Height: 3. 5m
Threat Level: Extreme
Behavioral Pattern: Psionic Corruption / Fear Inducement / Soul Draining
Kazuki's body moved before his thoughts could catch up. His right arm flared black, runic markings spreading across his shoulder and down to his palm. A flame of violet light flickered at his fingertips.
"Get back! " he shouted.
Aoi dragged Haruki behind a rusted pillar. The creature screamed, its cry echoing through the tunnels like a thousand tortured souls.
Kazuki struck.
The flame burst forward in a spiraling lance of shadow and fire. It struck the creature's midsection, tearing through a layer of writhing flesh—but it didn't slow. It lunged again, talons slashing.
Kazuki rolled to the side, barely dodging. He landed hard on the concrete, gasping.
He could feel it now—not just its power. Its hunger.
"You are not the god, " it whispered into his mind. "You are only the skin. "
He forced himself up. "I'm more than that. "
The runes on his body glowed brighter. The pain that followed was intense—like his veins were boiling—but he accepted it. Embraced it. Behind him, Aoi and Haruki shouted something, but the roar of the beast drowned it out.
Kazuki leapt into the air, calling forth a second burst of dark flame, this time shaped like a blade. A half-formed sword of energy appeared in his hand, unstable and flickering—but deadly.
He brought it down.
The strike cleaved across the creature's chest, severing two limbs. The beast screeched, staggering backward—but not falling.
Then it vanished into the wall.
Literally.
It slipped into the shadows like water down a drain, leaving only silence in its wake.
Kazuki panted, blade dissolving in his hand.
Haruki emerged, limping toward him. "What the hell was that? "
Kazuki stared at the scorched ground. "That wasn't just a monster. That was something that remembers. "
Aoi stepped beside him, her voice low. "It knew your name, didn't it? "
Kazuki didn't answer.
Not yet.
But in his mind, he could still hear the thing's whisper.
"Tell Kaer… I remember the war. "
The silence after the creature's disappearance wasn't comforting—it was suffocating. It left behind a pulse in the air, like the tunnel itself had inhaled and forgotten how to exhale.
Kazuki's fingers trembled as he touched the wall where the monster had vanished. The concrete was ice-cold, but there was something else—a vibration beneath the surface, like a faint heartbeat echoing through the underground.
Aoi stood a few feet behind him, hugging herself as her eyes scanned the darkness. "That… wasn't like the others. "
"No, " Kazuki whispered. "It wasn't. "
Haruki sat on a broken bench, his breath shallow. Blood had seeped through his bandage again. "I hate to ruin the creepy moment, but I think I'm bleeding into my socks. "
Kazuki forced himself to focus. "We need to get you out of here. "
"No, " Haruki said, shaking his head. "You need to keep going. I'll slow you down. "
Kazuki turned sharply. "That's not how this works. "
Aoi knelt beside Haruki, checking his pulse. "His vitals are dropping. He needs help. Fast. "
Kazuki clenched his fists. The runes on his arm had faded again, but the sensation remained—like something deep inside him was restless, pushing against his skin. The encounter with the Soul-Gorge Wraith had stirred something old. Ancient. Hungry.
He looked down the tunnel. The shadows shifted slightly, as if inviting him deeper.
"Do you feel it? " he asked.
Aoi nodded slowly. "It's calling again. "
Kazuki helped Haruki to his feet. "We'll get you topside first. "
But as they turned to leave, the tunnel behind them collapsed.
With a thunderous roar, a segment of the ceiling gave way, sending rubble crashing to the floor and sealing the way they'd come. A cloud of dust engulfed them. Aoi coughed, waving it away.
"No, " she said, eyes wide. "We're trapped. "
Kazuki stared at the rubble. "No. There's always another way. "
He scanned the wall. There—behind a rusted utility panel—was a maintenance hatch.
"Help me, " he said.
The two of them pulled it open, revealing a narrow crawlspace barely wide enough for one person.
"This leads into the under-access grid, " Kazuki said. "We can circle back above the collapse. "
Aoi hesitated. "You've been here before? "
Kazuki shook his head. "I've memorized the city's schematics. "
Haruki smirked weakly. "Of course you have. "
They moved through the crawlspace in silence, Haruki between them, groaning with every jolt. The steel walls groaned as they passed, echoing every breath and heartbeat. It felt like walking through the ribcage of a sleeping beast.
After several agonizing minutes, they emerged into a maintenance substation.
The room was filled with decaying terminals, long-dead monitors, and power relays sparking intermittently. The walls were smeared with old graffiti and warning signs in faded Japanese.
But it wasn't the room that made Kazuki stop.
It was the symbol.
Drawn on the floor in dried black fluid—a symbol he'd seen once before.
The same runic spiral that had appeared on his chest the night he touched the fallen stone.
Aoi noticed it too. "That… that's your mark. "
Kazuki approached it slowly, every part of him tightening. "No. It's his. "
"Kaer, " Aoi whispered.
Suddenly, the air thickened. The lights above sparked violently, and a shrill hum filled the room.
Kazuki turned just in time to see something rise from the symbol.
It wasn't a creature.
It was a memory.
A projection—of a battlefield not of this world.
Flashes of burning skies. Cracked earth. A thousand corpses piled in endless rows.
A massive figure stood at the center—armor like obsidian fire, eyes glowing like twin suns. Behind him, a blade as wide as a man's body, dragging sparks through ash.
Kaer.
The God of War.
And then—he fell.
A spear of light pierced his chest. Time seemed to slow. As he dropped, a fragment of his being broke free—a glowing shard, tumbling through dimensions… falling… waiting.
Kazuki gasped.
And the vision vanished.
He fell to his knees.
Aoi ran to him, grabbing his shoulders. "Kazuki! Are you—? "
He looked at her, eyes wide.
"I saw it. Everything. His death. His power. Why the rune chose me. "
She swallowed. "What does it mean? "
"It means… I'm not the first. "
A moment of silence.
Haruki, leaning against the wall, muttered, "If you two are done with the divine epiphany, I think I'm seeing my ancestors. Might be a sign of blood loss. "
Kazuki stood, offering him a hand. "Let's move. "
They opened the far hatch, only to find a staircase spiraling downward—deeper into the earth.
Aoi stared into the depths.
"This wasn't on any map. "
Kazuki's voice was low.
"That's because it's not part of the city. "
The mouth of the tunnel yawned wide beneath the city, like a forgotten wound carved into the concrete underbelly of Tokyo. Water dripped from rusted pipes above, the sound echoing like a ticking clock counting down to something unspeakable. Kazuki stood at the threshold, his breath shallow, his senses on high alert. Behind him, Aoi and Haruki moved cautiously, their footsteps muffled on the damp stone. The air was thick with the scent of mold, iron, and something else — something old and angry.
It wasn't just a sewer.
It was a gate to something far deeper.
"Stay close, " Kazuki whispered, his voice steady despite the electric tension humming through him. "This place… it's not what it looks like. "
Aoi nodded, her hand tightening around the small blade she carried. The blue shimmer in her eyes was more than fear — it was trust. In him. In the unseen power she now knew he carried. Haruki limped slightly but forced a grin, his usual bravado muted by the oppressive weight pressing down on them from the walls themselves.
As they descended deeper into the tunnel, the temperature dropped. The light from Kazuki's palm — a faint flicker of his awakened energy — barely cut through the creeping darkness. Shadows clung to every corner, twitching at the edge of their vision. The silence became heavier, a stillness so absolute it felt alive.
"This place is… wrong, " Aoi said quietly.
"It's a Feeding Hollow, " Kazuki replied. "A place where Nightmare-class creatures nest. They draw from trauma… fear… memory. "
Aoi's breath hitched.
Haruki's eyes flicked toward him. "You've been in one of these before? "
Kazuki hesitated.
"No, " he said. "But Kaer has. "
The name reverberated strangely in the air, like it didn't belong in this plane. Even Kazuki could feel the way the runes on his body warmed in response, like Kaer — the god of war whose essence now lived inside him — was stirring at the memory.
He remembers this place. Not this exact Hollow… but one just like it.
Kazuki's steps slowed. The tunnel widened into a circular chamber with multiple branching paths — a radial maze carved into the bones of the city. Graffiti had faded into strange runic scrawls. On the far wall, a sigil — not human — pulsed faintly with crimson energy.
"Don't touch that, " Kazuki warned, pulling Aoi gently away from it. "It's… feeding. "
"On what? " Haruki asked.
Kazuki's voice dropped. "On us. "
Without warning, the shadows around the sigil convulsed, forming into something almost human. But not. A dripping, eyeless head extended from the wall, mouth yawning open in silent hunger. Tentacles of smoke and darkness writhed from its core. The creature didn't roar — it didn't need to. Its presence was enough to set every nerve in Kazuki's body on fire.
"Nightmare-class, " he growled, stepping forward, body already flickering with black light. "It's awake. "
The thing lunged.
Kazuki moved.
In an instant, the battle exploded. The creature's body didn't seem bound by space — it stretched and twisted, merging with walls and floor, reemerging from impossible angles. A whip of darkness slashed toward Aoi, and Kazuki dove, pushing her clear. The force of impact sent him rolling across the stone.
Haruki tried to strike with a blast of kinetic energy, but the air resisted him — like the Hollow itself was choking his ability. The creature retaliated, knocking him off his feet and into a column, cracking it with a sickening thud.
Kazuki stood, panting, the right side of his face now veined with shadow. His eye burned crimson. The runes on his arm pulsed.
"Kaer, " he whispered. "Give me control. "
The voice came from within, not in words but in raw intention.
You are the blade. Cut.
Kazuki's fingers closed, and the energy surged. A spiral of darkness spun around him, and with a shout, he launched forward. His fist collided with the creature's center — or what passed for a center — and black light exploded outward, tearing through the Hollow. The scream that followed wasn't sound. It was memory.
Flashes erupted in Kazuki's mind.
A battlefield.
Gods falling.
Kaer kneeling in ash.
A woman — the same face as his mentor — crying above him.
The shock dropped him to one knee. Blood trickled from his nose.
"Kazuki! " Aoi screamed, racing to his side.
"I'm fine, " he rasped. "It's… connected to him. "
Haruki stood shakily. "This thing isn't just a monster. It's history. "
Kazuki looked up at the still-writhing shadow. "No. It's a curse. "
With a final push, Kazuki rose. The runes on his back ignited, forming a shifting sigil — Kaer's original mark. He felt his ribs crack as more of the divine essence surged through him, armoring his skin in patches of obsidian scale. He stepped forward, slow but unwavering.
He wasn't alone.
Kaer walked with him.
His voice echoed through Kazuki's mind.
End it.
With a roar that split both the air and something far deeper, Kazuki plunged his hand into the heart of the creature. The Hollow imploded.
Silence returned.
Kazuki collapsed.
The last thing he saw before darkness took him was Aoi's face — not in fear, but in something else.
Understanding.
And perhaps… something even more terrifying.
Acceptance.
The tunnel was quiet now, as if the roar of the Hollow had sucked the sound out of the air and left behind an eerie stillness. Dust hung like ghostly mist, disturbed only by the flickering movements of shattered torchlight and the uneven breath of the living.
Aoi knelt beside Kazuki, her hands trembling as she hovered them over his chest, too afraid to touch. His body was still, the darkness that had once surged across his arm now faintly pulsing like dying embers beneath his skin. His face was pale, his lips parted slightly, as if caught between the inhale of a scream and the peace of unconsciousness.
"He's breathing, " Haruki murmured, crouching on the other side, though the tension in his voice betrayed no comfort. "Barely. "
Aoi wiped a smear of blood from Kazuki's cheek with her sleeve, her eyes wide and shimmering. "He saved us, " she whispered. "He stopped that thing… alone. "
Haruki didn't respond immediately. His gaze remained locked on Kazuki's right arm — the skin there shimmered with an unnatural sheen, veins glowing faintly red, as if fire still licked beneath his flesh. "What the hell is he? " Haruki muttered under his breath.
Aoi looked at him, her expression torn between fear and fierce protectiveness. "He's Kazuki. That's all that matters. "
But even as she said it, her heart pounded with unease. The way he had moved during the battle, the aura that had surged around him, the inhuman cry of rage he'd released when the Hollow lunged toward them — it hadn't been just Kazuki. Something else had emerged within him. Something ancient. Something… divine.
"I felt it, " she added after a beat, voice softer now. "That… thing inside him. It's not just power. It's a presence. "
Haruki nodded grimly. "It felt like… war itself. "
A moment passed, stretching too long. Behind them, the others were beginning to move, clearing the wreckage, dragging away what remained of the Hollow's scorched body. The air still smelled of burning sulfur and charred flesh.
Then Kazuki stirred.
It was a small movement — the twitch of a finger, the faint hitch of his breath — but it made Aoi's breath catch. She leaned closer.
"Kazuki? " Her voice cracked.
His eyelids fluttered open, revealing one normal eye and the other, crimson like burning coal. The glow faded rapidly, but the moment it met Aoi's gaze, something passed between them — an echo of that otherworldly force, a flicker of recognition. She didn't flinch. She didn't recoil.
Instead, she smiled — just slightly — and whispered, "You're back. "
Kazuki blinked, disoriented. "Aoi…? "
"I'm here, " she said quickly, pressing his hand between both of hers. "You're okay. "
He winced as he tried to sit up. Pain shot through his ribs, his head throbbed, and a wave of nausea surged, but he forced himself upright. "What… happened? "
Haruki let out a breath. "You saved our asses, man. That Hollow was gonna tear us apart, and then you—" He stopped himself. "You exploded. "
Kazuki's eyes narrowed. "I… I don't remember everything. There was fire. Screaming. And… him. "
"Who? " Aoi asked.
Kazuki looked at her, then at his arm — the faint glow had vanished now, but he could still feel the heat, the presence just beneath the surface. "The voice. The one inside me. "
There was silence. Heavy. Haruki glanced at Aoi, unsure whether to speak.
It was Kazuki who broke it. "He called himself… Kaer. "
Aoi inhaled sharply. That name—she had heard it once before, in a whispered myth shared during her grandmother's stories, the name of an ancient god who had burned entire kingdoms to stop a war that could end the world. A god of vengeance. Of flame.
"Kaer, " she repeated slowly. "The God of War. "
Kazuki didn't confirm. He didn't have to.
Haruki sat back, running a hand through his dusty hair. "Well. That's just fantastic. Our teammate is a walking apocalypse. "
Kazuki lowered his head, guilt tightening around his throat. "I didn't choose this. "
"No one said you did, " Aoi said quickly, her voice soft again. "And I don't care what's inside you. You're still you. "
Haruki raised a brow. "Even if 'you' just blew up a Hollow that was three stories tall and melted half the ceiling? "
"I saw your eyes when you protected us, " Aoi said, ignoring him. "I saw fear. Not hunger. Not cruelty. That matters. "
Kazuki swallowed hard. The weight of her words settled deep into his chest. It was the first time someone had seen through the fear — the first time someone hadn't turned away from the monster inside him.
But the fear lingered. Not of Kaer. Not of the Hollow.
Of himself.
"What if I can't control him? " he asked, barely above a whisper.
"Then we help you learn, " Aoi replied.
Haruki sighed. "Or we all burn together. But hey, at least we'll look cool doing it. "
A faint, tired chuckle escaped Kazuki's lips despite himself.
Then a voice echoed from the shadows.
"You won't have to do it alone. "
They turned sharply. From the far end of the tunnel, a silhouette emerged, calm and regal even in the aftermath of destruction. Her silver-white hair flowed behind her like mist, and her eyes — golden and ancient — radiated something far beyond human understanding.
It was her.
The goddess.
Kazuki froze. His chest tightened. His memories spun — glimpses of dreams, of voices in flame, of whispers in his blood.
"You…" he murmured.
She nodded once, stepping into the torchlight. "It's time. "
Kazuki struggled to rise again, but Aoi held him back. "He's not ready—"
"He must be, " the goddess said, voice firm but not unkind. "Kaer's power is awakening, and the Hollow was only the beginning. Others will come. "
Haruki stood, placing himself slightly in front of Aoi and Kazuki. "And who the hell are you supposed to be? "
She looked at him, her gaze both amused and sorrowful. "I am the one who once loved the flame. "
Kazuki's eyes widened. The voice in his dreams — the one who had wept when he awoke in the dark. "You're… his…"
"Yes, " she said. "And now I'm yours. "
The world was silent. Too silent.
Ash rained gently from the fractured ceiling of the Hollow, drifting like slow snowflakes through the dim, dust-laced air. In that eerie quiet, Kazuki stood motionless, his chest still rising and falling from the battle's intensity, his skin still tingling with the remnants of divine fire. The echo of Kaer's voice still reverberated through his mind — not like a whisper, but like the fading aftershock of a god's roar.
He had collapsed to one knee moments earlier, overwhelmed not by pain, but by something more profound: awareness. He was no longer just a vessel for power. He was power — and yet, he was also terrified.
Footsteps approached.
Aoi's trembling voice cut through the silence. "Kazuki…? "
He looked up slowly. Her eyes were wide with fear, but not of him — of what had happened, what she had seen, and what she might now understand. Yet even with her hands shaking, she stepped closer. Haruki followed behind her, less composed, his jaw tight, his fists clenched.
"I'm fine, " Kazuki muttered, rising slowly.
"You don't look fine, " Haruki replied, not with sarcasm this time, but concern laced with frustration. "You just exploded like a damn star. "
Kazuki exhaled. "It wasn't me. Not exactly. "
Aoi's gaze flicked to the charred remains of the Nightmare creature in the background. The Hollow trembled slightly, still unstable from the divine outburst.
"You were glowing, " she said. "Not like before. This was… different. Divine. "
He couldn't meet her eyes.
"I don't know what's happening to me, " he admitted. "But something inside me… someone… is waking up. "
Haruki raised an eyebrow. "Someone? "
Kazuki nodded slowly. "A god. "
There was silence. No one laughed.
Before they could respond, the air shifted.
A soft warmth began to spread from the far end of the chamber — a subtle ripple, like a heartbeat resonating through stone and time. From the crumbling tunnel behind the scorched battlefield, a presence emerged.
Barefoot and silent, she walked forward with ethereal grace — a woman in flowing silver and crimson robes that shimmered as if woven from stardust and moonlight. Her eyes were ageless, carved from cosmic fire, and her voice, when she finally spoke, was a caress against the soul.
"Finally, " she said. "You heard his name. "
Kazuki's breath caught. The vision from before — the dream, the garden of fire — it wasn't a dream at all. The same presence now stood before him, alive, watching him with something between sorrow and certainty.
"You're real, " he whispered.
She tilted her head, the corner of her lips curling. "I have always been real, Kazuki. Just as he has always been within you. "
Haruki instinctively stepped between her and Aoi, but the goddess merely raised a hand. A soft pulse of energy surrounded them — not hostile, but protective, like a gentle wind warding away fear.
"I am not your enemy, " she said calmly. "Though I understand your caution. "
Kazuki took a step forward. "You're the one who's been in my dreams. You're… his memory. "
She turned her gaze to him — and for a moment, her expression softened. There was something ancient in her stare, but also something deeply personal.
"My name is Ayame, " she said, her voice lowering like a fading melody. "I was once his equal. And his love. "
Kazuki flinched. Her words echoed with such certainty that even Kaer's voice stirred faintly within him.
"You mean… Kaer? "
She nodded. "The god of war, the flame that once burned brightest in the heavens. He gave everything to end the last age of destruction. His final breath became the runestone that called you. And now, that power has chosen you. "
Kazuki swallowed, his voice cracking. "Why me? "
Ayame looked at him long and hard, then answered with devastating honesty.
"Because he believed you were strong enough to bear the burden he could not. "
Aoi stepped closer, finally breaking her silence. "And what happens now? "
Ayame's eyes met hers. "Now, he must learn control — or be consumed by the same divine fire that destroyed the world once before. "
Kazuki felt the weight of her words settle on his shoulders like chains. But then Ayame turned and walked to him, placing a hand gently against his chest.
"You are not him, Kazuki, " she whispered. "But his power is yours now. And so is his destiny. If you wish to survive it, you must train — not just in battle, but in purpose. "
He nodded slowly. "Then teach me. "
Her smile was faint, but genuine. "I have waited centuries to hear those words. "
Kazuki turned back to Aoi and Haruki. "I need to go. There's more to this than just monsters. And if I stay… I might hurt you both. "
Aoi's lips trembled. "You saved me. Twice. "
"And next time, " he said gently, "I want to do it knowing I won't lose control. "
Haruki stared at him, a strange mix of respect and irritation in his gaze. "Don't die. I still need to punch you someday. "
Kazuki actually smiled.
Aoi walked to him, then paused — hesitant, unsure — before leaning forward and resting her forehead against his. "Come back. "
"I will. "
He turned to Ayame.
And together, they walked into the shadows beyond the Hollow — into a path unknown, where gods waited to awaken, and a boy would forge himself into a flame.
The world above had been left behind. There was only sky now—endless, open sky stretching above jagged cliffs, wind-carved stone, and ancient ruins that slumbered in silence atop the world.
Kazuki followed Ayame in silence, his feet heavy, not from the journey, but from the weight of what lay ahead. The wind howled around them as they stood before a towering gate carved into the face of a cliff. The stone was marked by runes that shimmered faintly in the air, pulsing with an energy older than time.
"This is where it begins, " Ayame said, her voice carried effortlessly over the wind. "The Temple of Kaera. "
Kazuki looked up. The entrance resembled a maw of some long-dead beast, wide and dark, hungry for sacrifice. His breath caught in his throat.
"You brought me to a place like this… to train me? "
Ayame gave a small smile. "Not just to train you. To unmake you, Kazuki. And to rebuild you in the image of the god you carry inside. "
The inside of the temple was colder than the air outside. Runes pulsed softly on the walls, casting dim violet light. The space was enormous, seemingly stretching beyond the boundaries of logic. Corridors led into darkness, stairs spiraled both upwards and downwards, and the air hummed with forgotten power.
"This place is above the clouds, " Kazuki whispered, looking out from one broken window. "Are we even still on Earth? "
Ayame turned, her violet eyes glowing faintly. "No. We are in the hollow space between worlds—where the divine left their last breath. This temple stands at the edge of realms, held here by the last memory of Kaera. "
Kazuki felt the energy tighten around him, like a rope around his lungs. The runes in the temple reacted to his presence—flaring with light as he stepped forward. His right arm, still tainted with the mark of the runa, tingled.
Ayame stepped into the center of the massive chamber. "Strip, " she said.
Kazuki blinked. "What? "
"You heard me. You will wear only this. " She threw him a set of light training robes. "Here, you are not a student, nor a child. You are a vessel of divine fire. The more you resist, the more it will burn you from the inside. "
He caught the robes with one hand, glaring at her. "You could've just asked nicely. "
"If I wanted nice, I wouldn't be training the heir of Kaera. "
As Kazuki changed, he noticed something else—inscriptions on the walls moving. They shimmered, reconfiguring themselves, whispering in a language he didn't understand. But somehow… he felt it in his bones. As if the temple recognized him.
Training began immediately.
Ayame stood at the edge of a circular platform at the heart of the temple. The floor was etched with golden glyphs, and at each cardinal point stood statues—each depicting Kaera in different forms: warrior, king, monster, and martyr.
"Enter the ring, " she commanded.
Kazuki stepped in. The glyphs lit up beneath his feet. Heat surged through the floor, up his legs, into his core.
Ayame lifted a hand, and fire erupted from the ground. "Dodge. "
Kazuki barely reacted before a burst of flame lunged at him. He rolled aside, hitting the stone floor hard.
"Again. "
Flame surged. Kazuki jumped, spun, and landed with a grunt. Sweat was already forming on his brow.
"You think this is pain? " Ayame shouted. "This is a whisper. Kaera's true fire will tear your soul apart if you don't learn to shape it. "
She wasn't just training him. She was testing his mind, his will. The training wasn't physical—it was spiritual.
Ayame unleashed shadows next, pulled from the temple's walls. They took the form of beasts—snarling, eyeless things with gaping mouths. Kazuki raised his arms instinctively, but they struck at his thoughts. He staggered backward, his mind filled with screams, memories, guilt.
"Aoi…" he whispered, seeing her face flash in his vision.
"Good, " Ayame said from above, unmoved. "Use it. "
He grit his teeth. "Use what? "
"Your fear. Your anger. Your longing. Kaera's flame feeds on emotion. Control it—or become ash. "
Hours passed. Or maybe days. The sun never rose or set here. Time folded.
Kazuki collapsed to the floor, coughing. His body ached, but worse was the fatigue in his soul—like his very being had been cracked open and bled dry.
Ayame knelt beside him.
"You've lasted longer than I thought, " she murmured. "But this was only the beginning. "
He looked up at her, eyes bloodshot. "Why… do you care so much? "
Ayame paused. Her hand brushed a lock of sweat-soaked hair from his forehead. For a moment, her stern face softened.
"Because I knew Kaera, " she said quietly. "I loved him. Once. Before he became a god. Before he chose war over peace. Before he left me. "
Kazuki's breath caught.
"You…"
She rose again, the moment passing.
"Rest now, Kazuki. Tomorrow, the real trials begin. "
As Kazuki drifted into uneasy sleep on the cold stone floor of the temple, one final whisper echoed through his thoughts—not Ayame's voice, but something deeper, older.
"You are not ready. "
But Kazuki clenched his fists, the mark of the runa burning faintly on his chest.
I will be.
The stone courtyard trembled beneath Kazuki's feet as Ayame raised her hand toward the cloudy sky. The wind halted. Even the rustling trees beyond the temple walls stilled, like they too were waiting. A sharp heat prickled the air, invisible but heavy, as though the heavens themselves were about to exhale fire.
"Your trial begins now, " Ayame said, her voice softer than before—yet filled with finality.
Kazuki nodded. Sweat clung to his brow, not from fear but the pressure that seemed to wrap around him like chains. He stood at the temple's center, surrounded by pillars etched with divine runes—some glowing faintly as though reacting to the dormant power within him.
Ayame took a step back, barefoot on the cracked tiles. "Close your eyes, " she commanded. "And don't move, no matter what you feel. "
Kazuki obeyed.
The moment his lids shut, the world melted away—and another emerged.
A surge of warmth flooded his chest. Then heat. Then searing, blinding agony.
His breath caught as a blaze erupted behind his eyes—not real flames, but something deeper. A flame that didn't burn the skin, but the soul. His knees trembled, yet he remained still. His vision—though eyes closed—filled with swirling red and gold. And then—
Screaming.
He wasn't the one screaming.
Voices echoed—thousands of them, yelling, roaring, praying. He saw nothing, but he felt them—dying soldiers, falling gods, the battlefield of a war that could not be remembered by mortals. In this storm of emotion and fire, one voice rang clearer than all others.
Kaer.
The name wasn't spoken—it was felt. A presence ancient, furious, resolute.
Then came the image: a god with fire in his veins, a sword like shadow, and eyes as red as spilled blood.
Kazuki opened his mouth, but no sound came. His chest felt like it was splitting open.
"Do you want this power? " a voice whispered—Kaer's voice.
Kazuki clenched his fists.
"Do you want to destroy? "
He saw it—himself, clad in dark armor, standing above a field of charred corpses. All alone.
"No…" Kazuki breathed.
"You will. "
The vision shattered like glass.
He dropped to his knees, coughing. The world around him returned—the courtyard, the pillars, the cold gaze of Ayame watching from above.
But something had changed.
His right arm was scorched black—not burned, but marked. The runes pulsed beneath his skin. His eye—his right eye—still glowed faint red, flickering like a dying ember.
"You saw it, didn't you? " Ayame asked, walking closer.
Kazuki didn't speak.
"The truth behind your power. "
He looked up. "Kaer…"
"Yes. " Her voice softened. "The god of war lives within you. But his soul isn't what gives you strength. His rage is. "
Kazuki shivered. "I almost… lost myself. "
"You will lose yourself if you continue blindly. " She knelt beside him. "This trial is only the beginning. "
He exhaled, pain vibrating in every bone. "How many more? "
Ayame smiled, faintly amused. "Enough to kill a mortal. "
He groaned.
"You're lucky you're not entirely mortal anymore. "
He laughed—weak, ironic.
Ayame helped him to his feet. "From now on, you'll fight yourself more than any monster. "
As he stood, the warmth in his chest lingered. But it was quieter now. Not tamed, but contained.
Behind Ayame, the sky had split open—just slightly—revealing stars above the veil of storm. A small tear. A reminder of the divine staring down.
Kazuki clenched his fist. The markings along his arm glowed for a moment—then dimmed.
He wasn't the same.
And this was only the beginning.
The stairs spiraled downward in perfect silence, their ancient stone worn smooth by time. Kazuki followed Ayame, the goddess's footsteps weightless on the ground, her long silver hair glowing faintly in the dim torchlight. The further they descended beneath the temple ruins, the heavier the air became—not just thick with age, but with the pulse of power, like something long asleep had started to breathe again.
At the bottom of the stairs, a narrow corridor opened into a massive, circular chamber carved into the bedrock. The walls were etched with glowing runes, the same kind Kazuki had seen in his dreams—marks of the forgotten divine language, spiraling inward like a vortex.
"This is where it begins, " Ayame said softly, her voice echoing strangely. "The place Kaer once sealed away his final truth. "
Kazuki stepped inside. The moment his foot crossed the threshold, the torches on the walls burst to life with blue flame, casting long shadows that danced like whispers of spirits. He turned slowly, his eyes tracing the etchings, the broken mural on the far wall—half-obscured by collapsed stone—depicting a dark figure wreathed in flames, kneeling over a battlefield of gods.
"I've seen this before, " he murmured.
"In your dreams, " Ayame confirmed. "What you saw were fragments of Kaer's memory. But dreams are only echoes. This… is the source. "
A pedestal stood in the center of the chamber. Upon it rested a blackened stone tablet, cracked but still glowing faintly red. The moment Kazuki approached, his mark burned again—his right hand flaring with crimson light, the veins on his arm pulsing with heat.
"The Flame of Remembrance, " Ayame said. "Place your hand upon it, and see what Kaer left behind. "
Kazuki hesitated. His heart pounded—not with fear, but with something older, something like fate threading through his veins. Slowly, he extended his hand.
The moment his palm touched the stone, the room exploded with light.
His consciousness was pulled violently inward, as if torn from his body. He fell—through fire, through time—into memory not his own.
He landed in a world of red skies and ash.
The battlefield stretched endlessly. Towering beings made of light and steel clashed in the distance—gods, demons, elemental titans. And at the center, a lone figure stood. Dark armor cracked with flame. A great sword buried in the earth. A body riddled with wounds… and eyes like Kazuki's.
"Kaer, " Kazuki whispered.
The god of war stood tall, despite the blood running down his side. His breath came slow. Heavy. Across from him, a figure of burning gold approached—radiating divine fury.
"You should have joined us, " the golden figure said. "We could have rebuilt the world together. "
Kaer raised his sword. "A world built on domination is not a world worth saving. "
The two clashed. The force of their blows tore mountains apart. Rivers turned to steam. Kazuki stood in the heart of this memory, watching it unfold around him, unable to move, unable to scream.
Kaer's sword shattered.
The golden god lunged—
—and Kaer released a final burst of flame so intense, it consumed them both.
When the fire faded, there was only ruin.
And silence.
Kazuki gasped as he returned to himself, stumbling backward from the pedestal. His knees buckled, but Ayame caught him.
"You saw it, " she said gently.
Kazuki's voice was hoarse. "He… burned himself to stop them. He gave up everything. "
"Yes, " she said. "And now his flame lives within you. But it is not a gift—it is a burden. You carry not only his power, but his choices. His regrets. "
Kazuki looked at his hand. The mark still glowed, but now he understood—it wasn't just a source of power. It was a scar.
"What happens now? " he asked quietly.
Ayame stepped toward the mural. Her fingers brushed the cracked stone, and it shimmered—restoring itself for a moment. In the vision, Kaer stood alone before a throne of flame… and beside him, a woman whose face was hidden.
"The path forward depends on what you choose to do with that burden, " she said. "But first, there is one final trial. "
The ground beneath them rumbled. The runes on the wall brightened. A low, resonating hum filled the air.
The temple was awakening.
Kazuki stepped back, his pulse quickening. "What is this? "
Ayame's eyes flashed gold. "The memory was only a prelude. Now… you must prove that your soul is not only strong enough to carry Kaer's flame—but to command it. "
The pedestal cracked open, revealing a spiral staircase leading deeper underground—lit not by flame, but by blood-red light.
Kazuki clenched his fists. Every part of him burned with uncertainty, fear… and something else. Resolve.
"I'm ready, " he said.
Ayame smiled—not with warmth, but with something fierce. "Then follow me, Shadow of the God. "
And together, they descended.
The descent felt endless.
Kazuki followed Ayame down the spiral of stone, each step echoing in the silence like a heartbeat. The light from above soon vanished, replaced by the deep, glowing crimson that emanated from below—like blood pulsing through veins of the world. The walls here were older, untouched by even time's decay, inscribed with runes that seemed to shimmer as Kazuki passed, recognizing something ancient within him.
"What is this place? " he asked, voice low.
"The Crucible, " Ayame answered, her tone quiet but sharp. "It was carved before language. A forge not of flame, but of will. Kaer entered here alone, when even gods doubted him. And here… he became something more. "
As they reached the final step, the passage opened into an abyssal chamber—vast, hollow, and terrifying in its stillness. At the center was a circle of black stone, surrounded by jagged monoliths, each humming with power. Suspended above it all, a burning sigil hovered—alive, twisting slowly in the air like a flame bound in form.
Kazuki stepped into the circle. The mark on his hand ignited.
In that moment, the chamber responded.
The floor beneath him cracked with searing energy, and fire exploded outward—not of heat, but of spirit. The crimson light consumed everything in its path, swallowing Ayame from view. Kazuki stood alone. The monoliths flashed. His body grew heavy.
And then…
A voice.
Not spoken. Not heard. Felt.
"Do you know my name? "
The words struck him like a blow to the chest. The flame surged through him, and memories not his own slammed into his mind—wars, betrayals, love lost, gods slain. Endless battles and one aching silence.
Kazuki screamed, falling to his knees. His vision blurred. His right arm—already marked—now cracked with light like molten veins under skin.
Again, the voice.
"Say it. Name what you carry. "
He gasped, clutching his chest. "I… I don't know…"
But a whisper echoed from somewhere deeper.
Not from the god. From himself.
Kaer.
Kazuki's eyes widened. The word rippled through him. The fire slowed. Shifted.
"And who are you, who dares to carry Kaer's flame? "
Kazuki's breath trembled. The mark on his chest—the one he never knew was there—now burned through his shirt, revealing a spiral of runes encircling his heart. A seal… breaking.
He stood.
"I am Kazuki, " he said through clenched teeth. "I am not a god. Not a weapon. I am not Kaer reborn. But I am the one who carries him. "
The flame pulsed.
"Then take the name. "
The mark exploded in light. A windless storm surged. Kazuki's body arched back, his right eye turning red, veins like lightning crawling across his face. His right arm became a living darkness, metal-like and alive. And in his hand—a sword materialized.
Not forged. Not summoned. Born.
Long, black, and curved like a fang, inscribed with shifting runes that glowed red in the shadows.
The name of the weapon echoed in his mind:
"Yamir. " — The Godslayer.
His body trembled, but not with pain. With completion. The transformation wasn't finished—his full form would emerge in battle, in survival—but this… this was his first true step.
The flame calmed.
The sigil above the chamber shifted—recognizing him.
The test had ended.
And he remained.
A voice returned, softer now.
"You are not Kaer. But you are his Shadow. Walk forward, not in his footsteps… but beside them. "
The light faded. The stone circle dimmed. Ayame reappeared from the swirling mist, her eyes wide as she looked upon him.
"You passed, " she whispered. "You claimed it. "
Kazuki lowered the blade. His voice was steady, but hollow. "I didn't claim it. It claimed me. "
Ayame stepped closer. Her gaze lingered on his changed eye, his darkened arm, the sword.
"It chose you, " she said. "And now… the world will know. "
Kazuki sheathed the sword behind his back. The black armor around his arm slowly receded, fading under his skin, though the runes still pulsed faintly.
He turned to Ayame.
"What comes next? "
Ayame's smile was somber. "The world is changing. The Hollow was only the beginning. And now… the true enemy will begin to move. "
Kazuki exhaled slowly, eyes drifting up to the ceiling of the Crucible.
"I'll be ready. "
As they climbed the steps back toward the surface, the sigil burned quietly behind them—its light marking the birth of something the world had long forgotten:
The return of Kaer's flame.
And the rise of the one who bore it.