Let me tell you how Ryujin's plan worked. It wasn't just reckless improvisation—it relied on a natural phenomenon. Fires, especially large and hot ones, rapidly heat the surrounding air, causing it to rise.
As that hot air ascends, it creates a low-pressure zone at the base, pulling in colder air from around it to fill the void. That incoming wind—clashing with the updraft—can spiral into a firenado or Flame Vortex.
Ryujin used that to his advantage. By setting the perimeter alight and waiting for the wind to respond, he created the perfect storm. And when that fire-whipped wind surged through, it overwhelmed the earth-type Seeles.
The elements turned against them.
Then, with a timed wave of salt water, Ryujin killed the flame and scattered the remnants.
The silence afterward was almost surreal.
The three of them stood outside the café, catching their breath.
"We seriously need a wind user, Ryujin."
Ayro suggested.
Ryujin exhaled.
"Yeah... but South America's a bit too far. And it's not like we're cleared to go near there. So... pray for luck."
Far in the woods, the same silhouette from before observed them through binoculars. A faint smirk played on his lips.
"Not bad... though ultimately futile."
Suddenly, rustling from the underbrush pulled his attention downward.
"Ah... some more practice."
Back at the café, Ayro stood quietly, still staring toward the woods.
The seawater Ryujin had summoned slowly retreated back into the ocean, leaving behind slick patches on the broken road. Ayro swept away a few remaining Seeles with the faintest gust he could muster using his shadow powers, mimicking wind just enough to get the job done.
As it all settled, Itoshi asked.
"Hey... if they come back, what do we do? We've burned everything we had."
As he scratched the bottom of his chin.
To which Ryujin replied,
"We pray."
Itoshi blinked, before he jolted back in confusion as Ryujin retreated toward the relative safety of the café interior.
"What?! You're joking, right?"
"Nope. He's serious,"
Ayro replied, his voice flat.
Itoshi nearly panicked, his eyes darting between the dark treeline and the retreating back of his leader.
"Relax. After what we did, they'll be cautious. They'll think we can take them all out again,"
Ryujin said, leaning against the doorframe.
"Which we definitely can't. Not again. Not like that,"
Ayro added, ever the realist.
"So we just... sit around and wait?"
Itoshi asked, his hands still twitching from the adrenaline of the firestorm.
Ryujin sat down by the door frame, his eyes never leaving the perimeter.
"We stay alert. That's all we can do."
He paused, glancing up toward the second floor.
"By the way, how's your sister still sleeping through all of this?"
Itoshi looked away, his gaze wandering across the cold, shadowed walls of the café as if searching for an answer there.
"Things happened."
They stood in silence at the entrance for a few minutes, letting the heavy tension settle into a dull ache. Ryujin's expression shifted; a thought crossed his mind, sharp and nagging. It was something he should have asked before they ever set foot in Hedo Cape.
He pulled out his comms and dialed a familiar frequency.
"Hello? Hachi-san?"
"Yo! Ryujin,"
Hachi's voice came through, sounding infuriatingly casual.
"How long are we supposed to stay in Hedo Cape?"
"Until every Seele in the area's been flushed out,"
Hachi replied.
"Are they all earth-types?"
Ryujin pressed.
"Most likely."
Ryujin suddenly jolted up, the frustration boiling over as he processed the answer.
"You didn't think to mention that earlier?! We don't even have a wind user!"
Hachi's reply was dripping with sarcasm.
"You didn't ask."
Ryujin gritted his teeth, his jaw tight with annoyance. He took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure.
"Unbelievable..."
"Oh, and we've picked up traces of unusual wind patterns there. Records go back to 2157," Hachi added.
Click.
The line went dead before Ryujin could respond.
"Hachi-san?! Damn it..."
Ayro walked over, seeing the visible vein popping in Ryujin's forehead.
"What happened?"
Ryujin face-palmed, his brows furrowed and eyes tightly shut.
"He's messing with us again."
Ayro looked down and shook his head.
"Figured."
Silence fell over the trio, thick and heavy. Yet the confusion lingering in Itoshi's eyes refused to disappear. He looked from the veteran squad leader to the shadow-user, totally lost.
"Okay... but seriously, what's going on?"
[3:30am]
Itoshi had dozed off by the front door, sitting with his back against the frame. His head hung low, his breaths soft and steady. The quiet night wrapped around the café like a blanket, save for the distant crash of waves against Hedo's jagged rocks.
Ayro remained awake, eyes half-lidded as he focused on the subtle shifts in the air—on movement only he could sense.
"Hey. Ryujin,"
He whispered.
Beside him, Ryujin had his head down, trying to rest—but he quickly raised it to reply.
"Yeah?"
"There's a large cluster of Seele... southwest from here. All packed into one area."
Ryujin raised a brow, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten.
"That's not normal."
"Exactly. And here's the weird part... I feel someone in the middle of it."
"Someone?"
Ryujin asked.
"Yeah. A person. Their aura—it moves like wind,"
Ayro noted. He then chuckled softly.
"Guess one of us really said a powerful prayer."
Ryujin scoffed, looking out into the dark.
"Gods don't exist."
"Mmhm. Keep preaching,"
Ayro replied. He paused for a moment.
"Wanna meet our mysterious wind user?"
Ayro expected Ryujin to quickly agree, but to his surprise, Ryujin did not.
"Nah. If he's smart enough to mess with Seele like that, he doesn't need us hovering around."
Ayro shrugged it off, accepting the call.
"Fair enough." He took a slow breath. "I'm gonna nap a bit."
"Go ahead,"
Ryujin said, sitting back down as he watched Ayro.
Ayro leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, and let sleep take him. His breathing soon joined Itoshi's in the soft rhythm of temporary peace.
Outside, the full moon cast silver light over Hedo Cape, reflecting off the sea's surface. The tide had risen, and waves slammed against the rocks with fierce persistence.
The wind that whispered through the trees was cool and constant—like it carried a secret.
Ryujin sat alone by the edge of the old parking lot, staring out toward the horizon. The salty air brushed his face as he listened to the distant roar of the ocean and the faint rustle of leaves.
"Tell me... what's next?"
He whispered softly to the air.
[4:03am]
Ryujin stood up and walked toward the back of the café. The scorched remains of the bushes crackled beneath his feet, still warm from the earlier blaze.
"The fire did more damage than I expected... I'll need a backup plan. Something—final,"
He quietly muttered to himself.
A sudden "Psst" echoed from the nearby shadows.
"Who's there?"
Ryujin asked, his voice sharp and low.
"Someone trying to kill you wouldn't tell you who he is,"
The unknown voice replied.
"So I assume you're not trying to kill me... since you're still talking,"
Ryujin dryly countered.
A sudden gust of wind brushed past him. Instinct took over—Ryujin whipped a small blade from his pocket and spun, sensing the incoming strike just in time. Metal shrieked against metal.
"What do you want?"
Ryujin barked, blocking the stranger's attack just inches before it could slice his throat.
The stranger scoffed, offering a small, begrudging compliment.
"Nice reflexes."
Ryujin retaliated with a quick, forceful push, driving the stranger back a few paces.
"Nice katana."
The stranger raised his blade, seemingly admiring its beauty in the moonlight. "Thanks. It was my grandpa's."
With no further warning, the hooded wind user lunged again. Steel met steel as the two clashed, the force of their duel throwing gusts of wind and water droplets into the air.
"He's fast. Ayro might've sensed him earlier..."
Ryujin thought as he parried a lightning-quick strike.
"Wind, huh?"
The stranger pressed forward, swinging with clinical precision. Ryujin blocked each strike, his brows furrowed in concentration.
"That's right. Got more questions?"
The battle paused for a brief heartbeat, both men locked in a stalemate.
"Why are you here? What do you want?" Ryujin demanded.
"Shouldn't I be asking that? This is my playground,"
The stranger replied, increasing the pressure of his blade.
Ryujin clenched his jaw, sparks bursting from the grinding blades and showering their faces.
"We're here to wipe out the Seele."
"WESCU?"
The stranger asked as their blades glinted under the moon.
"U.W.D.S."
The hooded stranger clicked his tongue, his tone turning instantly frustrated.
"Tch. Screw you."
Ryujin abruptly stepped back, pausing the fight.
"Problem with that?"
"Plenty."
They lunged at each other once more.
Meanwhile, inside the café, Itoshi stirred. Rubbing his eyes, he peeked out the window and saw the high-speed blur of the battle.
"What the—who's he fighting?!"
He frantically shook Ayro awake.
"Ayro! Look!"
Ayro opened one eye, glanced outside, and watched the duel with a terrifying level of calm.
"I can't even see them properly... Can you?"
Itoshi asked in awe.
Ayro peeked out with him, a sly grin pulling at his lips.
"Ryujin's holding back."
Itoshi turned to him, baffled.
"What?! How can you tell?"
Ayro sat back down and crossed his arms.
"Just watch. Oh—and Seele incoming."
"What?! Shouldn't you tell them?!"
"I'm curious how this ends,"
Ayro grinned.
As Ayro spoke, the duel outside slowed. Both fighters were panting, their blades lowered slightly.
"You're wasting your strength and skill with that worthless organization,"
The stranger argued.
"I got a goal to achieve!"
Ryujin asked, wiping sweat from his brow.
Inside, Itoshi pressed his ear against the cold wall, straining to hear.
"What are they talking about?"
"Beats me. Can't hear clearly either,"
Ayro said deadpan.
Suddenly, the stranger turned his head sharply toward the forest.
"Playtime's over. You three—leave."
Ryujin gripped his dagger and smiled.
"Make me."
The stranger pointed his blade toward the approaching swarm.
"These are earth-type Seele. You can't do anything to stop them."
"And how exactly do you know that?"
Ryujin shot back.
The stranger clenched his jaw.
"I've lived here for nine years."
"Nine years... But in Hachi's notes was 2157... twelve years ago,"
Ryujin thought. He then laughed, mocking the man.
"Nine years all alone out here? Talking about wasting 'my strength and skill' and you're out here?"
The man's grip tightened on his hilt as he stalked toward Ryujin.
"Watch your mouth, wet boy."
The stranger suddenly grabbed Ryujin by the neck, pressing his katana firmly against his throat.
"Go ahead. Do it,"
Ryujin challenged, unblinking.
After a tense pause, the stranger let go and turned away. Without another word, he sprinted toward the oncoming Seele.
Ryujin adjusted his tie and followed. They stopped at a hill overlooking the approaching swarm.
"I was going to prove a point... but maybe there's nothing to prove,"
The stranger muttered.
"You hate U.W.D.S. that much?"
Ryujin wondered, a small smile forming.
From behind, Ayro and Itoshi crept closer, careful to stay out of sight. The stranger scanned the horizon.
"You've got a flame user?"
Ayro and Itoshi flinched but stayed hidden. Ryujin stood beside the man.
"We do. And if you don't join us, this place is done."
The stranger shrugged.
"I don't think your guy can handle it alone."
"He's not alone. He's got me,"
Ryujin countered.
Itoshi whispered to Ayro, his face inches away.
"What is happening?"
"Looks like Ryujin's recruiting him,"
Ayro whispered back.
"Alright. Prove it,"
The stranger said.
"Take out what's coming—and maybe I'll help you reach that dream of yours."
Ayro looked at Itoshi.
"Looks like the spotlight's yours."
Itoshi jolted.
"Wait, what?!"
"Judging by how they're talking, we're about to get hit by wind-type Seele,"
Ayro said calmly.
"Oh. That's manageable,"
Itoshi sighed, relieved.
Ayro turned back to him.
"Matter of fact... there's about 160."
Itoshi's heart dropped.
"...I'm going to die."
"Yup,"
Ayro agreed.
~~~To be Continued~~~