"Your father's name…"Toko's voice softened, her eyes lowering for a moment."…is Raiten."
Kori's eyes snapped wide open.
"R–Raiten?" he repeated, leaning forward. "Tell me more. Please. Everything."
Toko inhaled deeply, as if bracing herself against the past.
"Before I met your father," she began, "I was just a young knight of the Kingdom of Light. I lived for training. Fighting. Becoming stronger."Her gaze drifted somewhere far away."Then one day… the King summoned us."
"The order was simple," Toko continued. "Prepare for battle below the Heavens."
She clenched her fist.
"We stood in formation, hundreds of knights, when Hono, the Guardian of the Heavens, descended before us."She let out a quiet breath. "Even now… his size still terrifies me."
Hono's voice echoed in her memory, heavy and final, as he gave them their mission. Then—
"We were sent down."
Her voice sharpened.
"We crashed into the land below and immediately faced an army. Soldiers as far as the eye could see."Toko smiled bitterly. "They charged. And so did we."
Steel clashed. Ice and light tore through the battlefield.
"We defeated half their forces," she said. "Victory felt close."
Then—
"A chilling aura swept across the battlefield."
Kori felt his chest tighten.
"A voice echoed," Toko whispered.
'I will slaughter every one of you… in a second.'
She let out a hollow laugh. "My squad laughed. We thought it was a joke."
Her smile vanished.
"In the blink of an eye—"
She slammed her hand on the armrest.
"They were gone."
Blood. Ice. Silence.
"He tore my entire team apart like they were nothing."Her voice trembled. "Then… he looked at me."
Toko's eyes darkened.
"It felt like staring at the devil himself."
She swallowed.
"And then… everything went black."
"I thought I'd wake up in chains," she said. "But instead… I woke up in a bedroom."
Kori blinked.
"A palace," Toko said. "I didn't understand it. A maid came in, gave me new clothes… a dress. She told me to come downstairs."
Toko chuckled softly.
"I didn't want to. But I did."
Her eyes lifted.
"And there he was. The man who slaughtered my comrades… sitting calmly at a dinner table."
Silence filled the room.
"He introduced himself," she said.
'My name is Raiten. Please… tell me yours.'
Toko met his gaze.
'Toko.'
She clenched her jaw.
"I was furious. Angry. Ready to die if I had to."
Raiten's voice echoed in her memory.
'I know you're angry. But your King threatened to erase my entire kingdom. Every man, woman, and child. They are my family.'
Toko's eyes widened back then—and now.
"They never told us that," she whispered. "They never told us anything."
Raiten had smiled sadly.
'Of course they didn't. Kings only tell the truth to Royal Knights… or Guards.'
Kori's fists trembled.
"I asked him why he let me live," Toko said.
Raiten's answer was simple.
'Because you are different.'
She exhaled slowly.
'That's why… I want you to be my wife.'
Kori's mouth fell open.
"I was shocked," Toko admitted. "I wanted to refuse."
Her voice softened.
"But the devil I feared… was nothing like I imagined. He was kind. Gentle. Strong—but never cruel."
She smiled faintly.
"Days turned into months. Months into years," Toko continued."Then… you were born."
Kori froze.
"My son."
Her smile broke.
"Then the attack came."
Her voice dropped.
"Not from the Kingdom of Light."
A chill ran through the room.
"But something far worse."
She shook her head.
"They had numbers tattooed on their bodies. Monsters cloaked as humans."
Kori's breath hitched.
"They destroyed everything."
Toko's hands shook.
"Raiten stayed behind to protect us."
Her eyes burned.
"Then… he appeared."
She spat the name.
"Ransei."
The room seemed darker.
"He fought your father," she said. "Thunder against darkness. Lightning splitting the sky. The ground shattered with every strike!"
Her voice rose, frantic.
"Raiten refused to fall! He roared! Lightning tore through the heavens! He struck Ransei again and again!"
Toko slammed her fist down.
"But… he lost."
Kori felt something break inside his chest.
"Ransei didn't kill him," Toko whispered."He smiled."
'You'll be useful… in war.'
"And then he took him."
Gone.
Toko's voice cracked.
"I was left with nothing… but you."
"I knew I couldn't protect you," she said, tears forming."I stayed with you as long as I could."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"When you turned eight… I left you."
Kori's body shook.
"In the rain," she continued. "I screamed at the sky. I begged Hono to take me back."
Her eyes hardened.
"When he didn't answer… I awakened."
Ice spread for miles. Clouds froze. The land screamed.
"Hono came crashing down."
She looked away.
"And I returned to the Heavens."
Her voice steadied.
"I trained. Fought. Rose through the ranks.""I became Royal Guard No.2 — The Guardian of Ice."
Silence followed.
"And so… I accepted."
Kori stood up, trembling.
"How could you leave me?!" he screamed."I was alone! I was scared! I was lonely!"
Tears streamed down his face.
Kaosu stepped forward without hesitation, lifting Kori onto his back.
"We're leaving," Kaosu said coldly.
As they walked out of the Ice Castle, Kaosu spoke without turning back.
"The ones who took Raiten," he said,"are La Orden Oscura."
Elsewhere…
In the shadows—
A man stood before Ransei.
A tattoo marked his neck.
No.3
"Why did you send Kurayami?" he asked.
Ransei smiled.
"Patience," he said calmly."You'll have your turn soon…"
His eyes gleamed.
"…Raiten."
End of Chapt