The cold night air struck his face, but Renji barely felt it. His steps hurried through the empty streets, each heartbeat heavy with the weight of what he had just heard. Kaizen's story echoed in his mind like a relentless refrain that refused to fade.
Kaizen's words still burned inside his head. Selena's loss, the battle with the demon, the forest consumed by fire right after Kaizen's fight with it. But what haunted him most was a single detail: —"the demon had a necklace, just like mine."
Renji slipped his hand into his pocket. He felt the cold, alien, heavy metal. Not around his neck, not in plain sight, he kept it hidden, like a secret that was never meant to be shared. And yet, he felt as though that object knew him better than anyone else.
—"If Kaizen had seen my necklace… would he have thought I was connected to the demon? Would he have raised his sword against me?" The thought made him flinch. He shook his head quickly, as if to cast away his fear. No, Kaizen wasn't the kind of man who would judge him like that. And yet… deep in his naïve mind, the question sprouted: maybe this isn't coincidence… maybe there's a bridge between me and the demon that I can't see yet.
He pressed the necklace into his palm, its edges digging faintly into his skin. —"I have to know. You have to speak to me. If the demon had one like you… then you must know something, don't you?"
In his stomach, a knot of fear twisted, but alongside it burned a searing, almost childlike curiosity. Renji couldn't tell the difference between a warning and a calling. For him, every shadow concealed a secret worth discovering.
The cold bit harder and harder, but Renji barely noticed. All that mattered now was the necklace in his pocket, friend or foe, he didn't know. He only knew that once he reached home, he would ask it. He would force it to answer.
And if those answers were to change his life forever… he had no idea how unprepared he truly was.
When he reached his house, Renji stopped at the gate, his chest tightening. The door was ajar, and inside, darkness reigned. In that instant, his thoughts leapt only to Miya and Airi.
A chill ran down his spine. Had they forgotten to close the door? Or… was it something else? He didn't want his mind to drift toward the worst possibility. All that mattered was to get to them quickly.
He rushed inside, his steps quick, his breath heavy. The house felt unnaturally silent, each shadowed corner unfamiliar and hostile. Only their faces filled his mind, along with the desperate hope of finding them safe.
He didn't care if someone was inside. He didn't care why the lights were out. His entire unease coiled into one single blazing wish: that Airi and Miya were fine, untouched.
Renji entered with a heavy heart, his voice breaking the silence.
—"Airi… Miya…"
Nothing. Only the echo of his footsteps.
He called again, louder, but the silence remained suffocating. His unease thickened into fear. He couldn't accept not hearing them, not sensing a trace of them anywhere.
He pushed himself into every room, opening doors, stirring the stale air. Empty. Silent. Each barren room tightened his chest further.
—"Where are you? Please… answer me…" His thoughts raced as his steps grew quicker, more frantic, almost chaotic.
At last, a grim premonition drove him out the back door. The cold air struck him, but it did nothing to wake him from his dread.
He froze.
On the ground, only steps away, a red streak lay before him. Thin, but clear. A trail of blood, disappearing into the darkness.
His heart leapt into his throat, heavy and choking, but his legs betrayed him, moving on their own. He followed the dark trail, each step deepening both hope and terror. He repeated to himself that it might be fine, just a trick of the light, yet the blood continued, unbroken.
And then he saw her.
Miyu, lying on the ground. Her frail body pierced by a sword, lodged deep in her chest. Her skin was pale, her eyes open yet staring blankly into nothing.
Renji felt the world collapse onto him. His breath caught, his legs locked in place. All hope of finding them safe shattered in a single instant.
He heard nothing anymore. Only the blood rushing in his ears, and that image, an image he knew he would never escape.
His breath fractured as he knelt before Miyu's lifeless body, but instinct screamed that he couldn't stop there. He spun and dashed back into the house, his footsteps pounding in panic. He lunged toward the corner where he kept his sword, hands trembling as he seized it. Beside it, he snatched a lantern, lighting it in frantic haste.
The flickering fire cast jagged shadows across the walls. Every second lost could mean Airi's end as well.
With his heart hammering, Renji whirled back to the yard. But then, he froze.
Two silhouettes moved slowly through the shadows, approaching Miyu's body. The lantern's flame trembled, slicing light across their stretched outlines. Renji's stomach twisted painfully as the earth seemed torn from beneath him when he recognized one of the faces: Airi.
And then he saw the other.
A brutal shock paralyzed his thoughts. It was Kaede. His gaze emptied, his chest seized. He couldn't process what he was seeing. Kaede… there… hand raised, ready to strike. The world felt deranged.
But then he noticed.
Kaede's eyes were no longer human. Crimson, glowing in the dark, the same eyes Renji had once seen deep within the demon's cavern. The memory struck him like a fist to the chest.
And not only his eyes. Thick, black veins coursed down his arms like poisoned roots, pulsing with dark energy. His right hand… no longer even looked human. A grotesque mutation twisted his fingers, his skin cracked and torn, as though something inside were trying to claw its way out.
Renji's whole being revolted. Anger, fear, and care for Airi all fused into one explosive drive to act.
Before him no longer stood Kaede. This was something foreign, corrupted, a shadow of what he once had been.
And Renji knew he couldn't allow Airi to be next.
Clutching lantern and sword, his voice shook with fury:
—"Who did this?! Who killed Miyu, and why are you threatening Airi with your sword?!"
Kaede's crimson eyes met his, devoid of remorse. His skin looked colder than the night, the black veins throbbing like dark roots.
—"What happened to you, Kaede? What are you now?!" Renji shouted, torn between terror and confusion.
Kaede sighed, as though weary of the question. His reply was calm, yet each word fell like a sentence:
—"I was tired of training only to become an Imperial… tired of losing to you again and again. I wanted to be something greater, something that didn't rely on daily training and rules. I needed something special… to escape my limits. And it seems I got what I wanted a few months ago."
Renji's blood boiled. Rage, disgust, helplessness, all fused into one visceral reaction:
—"No! You can't! Miyu… Airi… how can you be so cruel?!"
At that moment, Airi, trembling and silent until then, broke. Her voice cracked between sobs and tears:
—"Renji… Renji… Kaede… Kaede did this…! Kaede isn't human anymore… I tried to run… but he caught me… Miyu… Miyu died screaming your name!"
Renji felt every fiber of his body shatter. Fury, horror, and guilt crashed over him like a storm. His grip tightened on his sword, trembling not from cold, but from the blazing despair within.
—"KAAEDEEEEEE!"
Without another thought, he hurled the lantern forward and lunged at Kaede, senses locked on him.
But before Renji could reach him, Kaede moved with chilling swiftness. His sword drove into Airi's stomach. Her scream froze Renji in place as Kaede flung her brutally to the ground, writhing in pain and terror.
Renji's world collapsed. His eyes flooded with raw hatred and despair. All his fury, his grief, his helplessness merged into one primal urge: to destroy Kaede, no matter the cost.
With sword raised, eyes blazing, Renji charged. But Kaede blocked him effortlessly, halting the strike.
Before Renji could recover, Kaede slammed a brutal punch into his stomach. The force tore him off his feet and hurled him against the house wall. Air ripped from his lungs, pain lancing through every nerve.
Yet the pain didn't stop him; his eyes stayed fixed on Kaede. The rage to save Airi, to avenge Miyu, forced him upright again, sword trembling in his grip.
With both hands clenched on the hilt, he screamed, voice burning with defiance:
—"Why…? Why did you become like this?! I tried to be your friend, Kaede… but you… you're no longer human… you're a monster!"
His cry rang across the dark field, propelling him forward. He struck with all his fury and despair.
Kaede countered swiftly, parrying each strike with precision. Renji's blade screeched under Kaede's blows, every attempt to wound him easily deflected.
In a flurry of movements, Kaede forced him back, dominating completely. Each of Renji's attacks either blocked or diverted, his strength draining, his fury and grief twisting into maddening helplessness.
Renji realized his power wasn't enough. His eyes locked on Kaede, but the disparity crushed him.
Kaede stared back, silence heavy, before speaking with an eerie voice:
—"I never planned for this, Renji… it wasn't my intention to hurt anyone. I was merely nearby, and then… a desire grew in me. I don't even know why… but I still feel it. I can't control it."
Renji's veins burned with fury and confusion. He lunged again, but Kaede's sword met his with overwhelming force.
With a sharp crack, Renji's sword snapped in two, leaving only a broken piece in his grip. In the same instant, Kaede's blade grazed his shoulder, carving a deep, bleeding wound.
The pain jolted him, but his eyes never left Kaede. Rage, fear, despair swirled into an unbearable storm, but with his weapon broken and his body wounded, helplessness dug deeper.
Kaede stood motionless, his crimson eyes glowing faintly in the weak night light, his expression cold, detached.
Renji trembled, clutching the shattered blade, when a colossal presence materialized behind Kaede.
A massive demon, horns curved skyward, violet eyes blazing with menace. Its aura suffocated the air, the very wind trembling in its presence.
The demon looked at Kaede with an ironic smile, amused by it all:
—"Ha… I can't believe it… you actually did what I asked?" Its deep, threatening voice vibrated like echoes from every direction.
Kaede remained still. The demon continued:
—"I must go now. No time to intervene… but don't forget what I gave you. Who knows what you'll be able to do with it…"
It raised a hand suddenly. The air around it shuddered. A dark-violet portal spiraled open, pulsing ominously.
—"Enter!" the demon ordered, amused. Kaede stepped inside without hesitation. In an instant, he vanished, leaving Renji frozen in shock.
Renji stood, heart racing wildly, breath ragged. The image of Kaede, side by side with the demon, consumed by that portal, it felt as if his entire world had fallen apart.
Kaede… made a pact with a demon…? That explains everything, the red eyes, the black veins… all of it. But why…? Why Airi and Miyu?
The portal closed. The demon's presence faded, leaving only the crushing silence of night.
Wounded and drained, Renji dragged himself to Miyu and Airi's bodies. Blood seeped down his arm and shoulder, each breath burning his chest. When he saw them, his voice tore through the air, broken and raw:
—"Miyu! Airi! No… not like this…"
Tears streamed down his face, mingling with dirt and blood. His cries dissolved into a mix of agony, rage, and helplessness. Every movement showed how broken he was.
Then, a familiar sound.
Renji's sensei appeared, his steps firm but cautious, shadowed by deep concern. He had felt it… a disturbance in the air, and had come to check.
But when he reached the backyard, he froze. His eyes widened, lips parted. Miyu and Airi's bodies on the dark field, blood staining the ground, while Renji wept and screamed in despair.
The sensei halted, stunned, torn by shock, fear, and sorrow.
Renji, voice cracked by sobs, lifted his gaze to him:
—"No… it wasn't me! Not me…"
He knelt over the girls' bodies, trembling, heart breaking.
—"I left the tavern just a while ago… and when I came here… the door was open… Miyu was already dead when I found her. Everything… everything happened before I could do anything."
His fists clenched, shaking with fury and despair.
—"And then… Kaede… Kaede was here… standing over Miyu's body… he stabbed Airi in front of me…"
His eyes brimmed with tears, his voice shattered beneath the weight of truth:
—"Sensei… Kaede is no longer human. I tried to stop him… but I wasn't strong enough… he's… too strong…"
Renji's body trembled, wounded and weakened, fury and helplessness blazing in his eyes. His sensei stood paralyzed for moments, absorbing the horror, grasping the gravity.
At last, he approached Renji, laying a firm hand on his shoulder, a thread of support in the chaos.
—"Renji… you must leave the city at once," he said, voice grave. "Everything that happened… everyone will believe you did this. There's no time to explain."
Renji blinked, shaken, trying to process his words.
—"You must head to the neighboring kingdom, Tarhal, to the Lioren City. There you'll be safe… at least for now."
Renji's throat tightened, fury and grief still raw, but he knew he had no choice.
The sensei's tone softened, though urgency remained:
—"And… there you must seek a seer. Her name is Eris. She will help you. Tell her who sent you and what happened. But beware… the Imperials will hunt you, as will bounty seekers. Don't waste time."
Renji clenched his fists, fear and responsibility swelling inside. Despite his pain, he knew he had to obey: if he didn't leave now, no chance would remain, for him, or for anyone close to him.