Location: Sanuya — End of Training Session
Suspended Atmosphere
The training session has ended.
The Ni flows have calmed, like waves settling after a storm.
The Jōtan slowly retreat to their platforms, silent.
The Taishō remain motionless above—living statues watching every fragment of movement.
Kaen steps forward.
Not abruptly.
But with quiet certainty.
He lifts his gaze toward the Ishara walkway.
Naomi and Dante Veyron observe him.
The other Taishō slowly turn their attention toward him, weighing every breath.
Kaen:
"I want to understand.
Not to fight.
But not to run.
Where do the Goldo come from…
And what do they truly want?"
Silence.
Even the Ni flows seem suspended, as if the world itself is holding its breath.
Naomi's Response — Taishō of Ishara
Naomi does not descend.
She does not raise her voice.
But her resonance rises—clear and steady.
Naomi:
"The Goldo do not come from a place.
They come from a blind forgetting.
They were once celestial humanoid beings… but they were cursed."
Kaen's Shiki pulses softly.
He does not step back.
Kaen:
"Cursed… how?"
Naomi:
"They do not seek conquest.
They seek correction… in their own way.
And their way… is annihilation.
Not peace. Just destruction."
Yamiyashi's Intervention — Taishō of Tsukigawa
Yamiyashi does not look at Kaen.
He gazes at the lake, unmoving, as if reading his own thoughts.
Yamiyashi:
"The Goldo are not direct enemies.
They are answers.
To questions we've never asked…
And that some still refuse to ask.
Well… I'll stop there."
Kaen (thought):
They're not direct enemies… but answers.
Final Word — Taishō Jasper (Full)
Jasper, silent until now, lets his voice vibrate through the calm air:
Jasper:
"You want to know what they want?
They want you to become like them.
Not by force.
By logic.
And if you don't understand their logic…
You'll become their target.
Or their reflection."
Kaen does not step back.
He doesn't understand everything, but he grasps a truth:
The Goldo are not enemies to defeat.
They are truths to confront.
And some truths… want to be heard before they are fought.
Ishikawa's Fracture
Location: Sanuya — High Terrace of Ishara
Flashback — Kaen Reflects
Kaen sits alone on the steps of Ishara.
His head is bowed, lost in the murmur of Ni flows.
The Goldo… the one who appeared in the Quarter.
He didn't want to destroy.
He wanted… to take Ishikawa.
But something stopped him.
Another resonance.
Another Goldo.
The one… inside Ishikawa.
Kaen clenches his fists.
A dull tension runs through his body.
"Something's off.
It wasn't an attack.
It was a retrieval attempt."
To be continued in the next chapter