"Now... Itoshi! You're young and free! What are you gonna do? Are you gonna allow this man to take away the bright future ahead of you?"
Itoshi's eyes, once clear with quiet resolve, now shimmered with a shadow not his own. Darkness clung to his gaze like a stormcloud refusing to pass, and in that stillness, Ayro saw the quiet triumph of Roger's manipulation.
Ayro tried to speak to him softly, perhaps desperately—but his words were met with a wall, cold and unyielding.
Itoshi shot Ayro down, Sharp and cold.
"Shut up, Ayro-san."
It was then Ayro knew: the mind he once called a brother's was no longer within reach. What lingered behind those eyes was a soul drifting further from the shore, lost in a tide not of its own making.
"What are you hesitating for, Itoshi? Ryujin is exhausted.. this is your chance! Your freedom from that beast is within reach!"
Roger pushed.
Itoshi sat on the wet, paved road, legs crossed and arms folded as he sank deep into thought. After a moment, he muttered,
"Shut up... all this thinking's a pain in the ass."
Scratching the back of his head with a tired sigh.
"White-Haired Woman?.. What should I do?"
Itoshi thought to himself.
He continued muttering quietly,
"Hmm... one calls the other crazy. But I think the one who says the other is crazy is the real crazy one... So, which do I choose?"
"Hmm, I don't know!"
He shouted.
He rose to his feet, the rain slick on his clothes, and threw both arms into the air as he shouted in raw frustration, his voice echoing through the empty street.
Roger laughed, watching with satisfaction as Itoshi wrestled with the seeds of doubt he'd planted. Meanwhile, Ryujin's eyes burned with fury, locked onto Roger with unspoken rage.
~~~Shioizaki Park, North Side~~~
"Damn! There's too many!"
Kirashi gritted his teeth, his blade slicing through the downpour as Seele lunged from all sides.
"We're here to help! Sir!"
The first field man shouted as a small unit rushed in, their rifles flaring in the rain.
"Ok! That's good!"
Kirashi yelled back, briefly relieved.
"Sir! We're ordered that you stand off first, saving your elemental powers for the end!"
Another field man spoke firmly, though his tone carried unease.
"Eh... What? I can fight with you guys!"
Kirashi barked, turning sharply toward him.
"We got this order from Hachi-san... Sir."
The second field man hesitated under Kirashi's stare.
"Hachi?! Who the hell is that!"
Kirashi snapped, eyes flashing with confusion and irritation.
"He's your... Squad trochanter... Sir."
The man stammered, his voice trembling slightly.
"Trochanter?!"
Kirashi repeated, dumbfounded and irritated.
The field man grew nervous under the weight of Kirashi's glare. His eyes darted left and right, words faltering.
"Y-Yes sir..."
He barely managed to respond, his voice cracking.
Their tense exchange broke apart as hurried footsteps splashed through the mud. Kara came running toward them, her breath ragged, eyes wide with urgency.
"Kirashi-san!"
She called out, voice cutting through the storm.
"Kara-chan!!"
Kirashi's tone instantly softened, and his hardened expression melted into something unexpectedly warm. His eyes almost shone with affection at the sight of her.
Kara skidded to a stop before him, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
"I came here for help..."
She managed, brushing strands of wet blue hair from her face.
"Umm..."
One of the field men hesitated, glancing nervously at Kirashi.
"WHAT IS IT?!"
Kirashi roared, his patience gone.
"Kara-chan! This man is spouting bullshit!"
He added, pointing accusingly at the trembling soldier.
The field man motioned Kara closer, voice dropping to a whisper as he relayed the message meant for her. The rain drowned out most of it—but what little she heard was enough to make her eyes widen.
"Okay! Got it! I'll make sure he understands!"
Kara straightened, her voice firm despite the storm.
She turned back to Kirashi, explaining everything quickly. Her calm voice carried over the pounding rain, and slowly, it managed to soothe his restless spirit.
Together, they allowed the field men to clear out the weaker Earth-type Seele, the soldiers pushing forward with renewed focus. Meanwhile, Kirashi gently urged Kara to find shelter from the storm before she caught a cold.
"You should take cover from that home as they fight. You might catch a horrible cold. You know?"
Kirashi said with concern.
"No! I am fine! As a member of this squad... I must be strong too!"
Kara's reply was firm, her conviction unshaken even as rain traced down her cheeks.
Kirashi's heart softened, warmed by the gentle innocence in her words. It was a reminder of the quiet strength found in conviction, even amid chaos.
"Ok!"
Kirashi nodded, smiling faintly.
A chilling cry from a field man echoed through the park, snapping Kirashi and Kara to attention. Kirashi turned to her, voice steady but commanding.
"Stay here. I'll go check it out."
She nodded without hesitation as he sprinted toward the source of the desperate call, determination etched into every step. The rain blurred his vision, but his resolve never wavered.
Kirashi raced through the storm and arrived just in time to see a field man struggling in the grasp of a Seele. The beast's dark tendrils coiled tightly, dragging the man toward a horrifying fate. Without hesitation, Kirashi unleashed a fierce gust of wind that tore through the creature's form, vaporizing it into nothingness.
But as he stepped closer to the rescued field man, his breath caught—the sight froze the blood in his veins. Beneath the broken mask was a half-melted face, flesh sloughing in uneven patches. The man's eyes were rolled back, staring blankly, while his brain spilled out in gruesome streams.
Horrified, Kirashi stumbled toward the lake, nausea crashing over him. He bent over and heaved, the bitter taste burning his throat as the image replayed in his mind.
"He's... Dead..."
A nearby field man said quietly, eyes downcast.
"I'll note it down."
Another replied, his tone hollow.
A soldier approached Kirashi, placing a steady hand on his shoulder.
"You okay, son?"
He asked gently.
Kirashi wiped his mouth, his voice shaking.
"Y-Yeah..."
"Ah..."
Another field man muttered under his breath.
"What the hell?.. You call this man a member of this squad?.. He can't even handle the simplest sight of war.. What the hell is the great Ryujin thinking?"
The man thought to himself, disgust slipping into his gaze.
More cries erupted across the park as one by one, the field men fell into the clutches of the Seele. Kirashi stood frozen, heart pounding, as the rain painted the earth with the color of loss.
Brains were split open, guts melted away, limbs shattered — all in a terrifyingly brief span of time. The park became a graveyard of chaos, each second swallowing another victim.
"Has it been... always this way?..."
Kirashi thought, trembling.
"This is what... a true war looks like, son."
A field man's grim voice answered behind him.
~~~To be Continued~~~