The morning light was weak that day
The kind of light that makes everything look colder than it should.Majiku sat in class, staring out the window, barely hearing the teacher's voice. His notebook was open, but the page was blank.He wasn't thinking about math. He wasn't thinking about school at all.He was thinking about Eien.
About Kael.
About the words his father had said the night before.
"I'm trying, Majiku. I really am. For you. For our family."
Majiku had wanted to believe him — wanted to see his father as the gentle person he met in Eien, the one who smiled and called him "son" without fear.But when he looked at Kael in the real world — the tired, trembling person trying to reason with a mother who screamed at him for even breathing — all Majiku saw was failure.
All he felt was anger.
And so, when he went home, he didn't even look at his father. He simply locked himself in his room, pressed the power button on his headset, and disappeared.
Signing Up
In Eien, the world was alive again — glowing, breathing, soft with the morning mist that rippled through the forested fields of the Silverlow Plains.
Kael and the others waited by the guild registration board in the main plaza of the floating city Valmirion.
Ryn waved when Majiku approached. "You're late again."
Majiku shrugged. "Maybe I was busy."
Mira frowned, sensing the coldness in his tone. Kael, however, didn't respond. He simply smiled — the same gentle smile Majiku used to love, now somehow hollow.
"I'm glad you came," Kael said. "It's time you officially joined us. No more fighting on borrowed strength. We want you as a full member."
Majiku blinked. "You mean… join your guild?"
Mira nodded. "You've been fighting beside us since day one, but you've never actually joined. It's only right."
Ryn grinned. "We even came up with a title for you. Mistborn. You like it?"
Majiku gave a small nod, hiding the faint tremble in his heart.He wanted to smile, to feel like he belonged. But even here — in this world that felt safer than his home — something about Kael's approving look stung.
Still, he pressed his hand against the glowing sigil on the registration board.The mist around them shimmered.
[Guild: The Misty Four — New Member: Majiku Tatiru, Title: Mistborn.]
Kael placed a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome to the family."
Those words should've warmed him.
But they didn't.
Because the word family still hurt too much.
Missions of Failure
The first few days as a guild member were supposed to be exciting.They weren't.
Majiku failed every mission he was given.
He tried collecting rare herbs in the Whispering Woods — but was ambushed by monsters before finishing.He tried helping repair the barrier crystals around Valmirion — but dropped one and caused a small explosion.He even tried simple scouting missions — but got lost, returning hours late with nothing to show.
Each failure hit harder than the last.
Ryn tried to laugh it off. "Don't worry, kid. We all mess up at first."
Mira was kinder. "You're still learning, Majiku. You just need time."
But Kael's silence was the worst. He didn't yell or scold — just watched with that look in his eyes. That quiet, pitying look that made Majiku's stomach tighten.
"Don't look at me like that," Majiku muttered one night, glaring at him through the campfire's glow.
Kael blinked. "Like what?"
"Like I'm a broken toy."
Kael flinched. "Majiku—"
"Just… stop trying to fix me," Majiku whispered. "You couldn't do it in the real world. Don't try here."
The fire crackled between them. Neither spoke again.
The Real World Cracks
That night, Majiku's real-world home was chaos again.
His mother was screaming — not words, just noise. His father stood by the kitchen doorway, trying to stay calm. Trying to be the father to Majiku from Eien.
"Please, Akuni," Kael said softly. "Majiku's asleep. Let's talk quietly."
"You always defend him!" she snapped. "That little brat doesn't need you — he needs discipline!"
Majiku lay in bed, eyes open, clutching his blanket so tightly it hurt. He could hear his father's trembling voice — a tone that tried to stay strong but cracked under guilt.
"I'm trying to be better," Kael said. "For him. For us."
Majiku bit his lip until it bled.Now he wanted to be better. Now that everything was already broken.
He didn't want a "better" father.He just wanted the one he met in Eien now.
The one who didn't look away when he cried.
The Photograph
The next morning, Majiku found something strange.
He was cleaning the shelf by his bed — mostly to avoid hearing his parents argue again — when an old photograph slipped from between some books.
It showed his mother, Kael… and someone else.A Child.
Older than Majiku by a few years, with the same black hair and amber eyes. He was holding a small violin, smiling shyly.
Majiku frowned. "Who…?"
Before he could think, he ran downstairs and shoved the photo towards his father face. "Who is this?"
Kael froze. His face went pale.
"Where did you—"
"Who is he?" Majiku shouted.
Kael hesitated. "That's… your brother."
Majiku blinked. "What?"
"His name was Mizuno," Kael said quietly. "Mizuno Tatiru. You never met him because…" He looked down. "Because he died before you were born."
Majiku's heart twisted. "You... N, Never T, T, T, T, Told me."
"We didn't want to hurt you."
Majiku's voice broke. "You lied to me."
Kael reached out, but Majiku pulled away. "All this time — all this pain — and you couldn't even tell me I had a brother?"
Tears welled in Kael's eyes. "Majiku, please—"
"No," Majiku whispered. "You don't get to say my name anymore. So called "father"."
He turned, storming to his room.He didn't cry until the door shut behind him.
The Rising Mist
That night, when he logged into Eien, something was different.
The air felt colder. The sky was darker.Valmirion's floating islands were half-shrouded in fog — but not the soft silver mist he loved. This was black, oily, and wrong.
Ryn frowned. "What the hell happened here?"
Mira whispered, "It's the shadows again…"
Kael checked his interface. "Impossible. The Core was destroyed."
Majiku stared at the horizon. "Maybe not."
As they explored, the fog thickened. Whispering voices followed them — fragmented, distorted, almost human.Some said his name. Others cried.
When they reached the old ruins where the Cult once fell, the ground trembled.A faint blue glow appeared — not code, but eyes.
From the fog stepped a figure.
A young stranger — older than Majiku, but with the same features. The same hair. The same eyes.
His armor was cracked and shadowed, as though carved from despair itself. His expression was calm, but his presence bled sorrow.
"Majiku Tatiru," the stranger said. His voice was steady, but his tone echoed with something ancient — something familial.
Majiku took a step back. "Who… are you?"
The stranger smiled faintly. "You already know."
Kael's breath caught. "Mizuno…"
Mira gasped. "That's impossible. He's—"
"Dead?" Mizuno finished. "In your world, yes. But in Eien… the dead remember."
The shadows swirled around him like wings.
Mizuno's Truth
Majiku's heart pounded. "You're lying."
Mizuno shook his head. "No. I was here before you. Before Eien became a game. I was the first trapped soul."
Kael stepped forward. "Mizuno, if that's really you—"
"Don't," Mizuno interrupted sharply. "You don't get to speak to me. You let me die. You moved on. You replaced me."
Kael's face crumpled. "I never—"
"You did," Mizuno said. "You had another son. And when you couldn't face your guilt, you hid in this world, pretending to be the being you should've been."
Majiku shook his head violently. "Stop it!"
But Mizuno looked at him with gentle sadness. "You feel it too, don't you? The loneliness. The anger. The wish to escape."
Majiku's lips trembled. "No…"
"You think Eien is your escape," Mizuno whispered, voice trembling with both fury and affection. "But it's our grave. Every broken soul your despair touched became a part of me—the Cult, the shadows, all of it. I'm now your enemy, Majiku. I'm what's left of what this family buried. And I'm what will erase everyone here… and in the real world—everyone except you, dear brother."
He smiled faintly, tears flickering like dying stars in his sharp eyes."Because I love you, little brother. Even through the hate. Even through what they turned us into."
His voice broke, shifting from sorrow to something feverish."So in the end, I'll combine both worlds—and then I'll watch them crumble. Not just for revenge, but for balance. For the thrill of tearing down what trapped us both. This false paradise—this mockery of happiness built on the despair of others—will fall with the real world that fed it. Both deserve the same fate."
He stepped closer, shadows twisting around him."They made me suffer in silence. They left me alone in this empty, digital void. I wanted to live, Majiku. I wanted to do something. But they took that from me—and I'll make sure it ends here. My revenge isn't just for the family who stole my life… it's for the worlds that turned my death into an echo. Especially The VR Headset World that turned my life into a living hell after taking my life from me after I wanted to try it out for the first time."
His whisper deepened into a growl."When it's over, only you and I will remain—so I can make you see what they did, make you feel it, until you finally understand. Even if all that's left is a white void of nothingness, at least I'll be free. Free from this torment. Free from them. Free from everything."
He tilted his head, smiling again."You hear me, dear brother? That's right."
The mist pulsed.
Kael stepped in front of Majiku. "You don't have to do this, Mizuno."
Mizuno's glowing eyes fixed on his father. "You still don't understand. This isn't about him. It's about you and mother."
The shadows exploded outward, engulfing the ruins of the now restored battle grounds of the battlefield that used to be left behind by the team that defeated the misty cult.
Consumed
Majiku tried to run, but the mist pulled at his limbs like water. He could hear Ryn and Mira shouting, their voices fading into static.Kael grabbed him, holding tight — his hands trembling with fear and guilt.
"Majiku, listen to me," Kael said. "No matter what happens — I will not lose you too."
Majiku's tears mixed with the digital rain. "Why now, Dad? Why start caring now?"
Kael's voice broke. "Because I was too afraid before. Afraid to fail again."
The mist surged higher. Mizuno's voice echoed all around them, cold and sorrowful.
"You can't save what's already broken."
Kael held Majiku tighter. "Then I'll rebuild it!"
The mist swallowed them whole.
The Eyes in the Dark
When Majiku opened his eyes again, he was alone.
The world of Eien was gone — only black fog remained.The sound of static rain filled the silence.In the distance, a faint blue glow flickered — a pair of eyes watching him.
"Mizuno…" Majiku whispered.
The figure stepped closer, his voice calm and haunting. "Welcome to the truth, little brother."
The mist rippled as if breathing, whispering the same words over and over — brother, brother, brother.
Majiku backed away, trembling. "Why are you doing this?"
Mizuno smiled softly. "Because I don't want you to suffer like I did. If I consume Eien and The Real World, you'll never have to wake up again. No more pain. No more yelling. No more tears."
Majiku shook his head. "That's not peace — that's death."
"Death is peace," Mizuno said simply.
Then, his eyes glowed brighter — two burning suns in the void.
The screen flickered.
The connection began to fail.
Majiku screamed his brother's name — but the only answer was the cold hum of the void, and those glowing eyes staring back through the darkness.
End of Episode 6 — "The Shadow in His Blood."