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Chapter 27 — Shadows Within the Body
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Scene 1 – Inside the Hospital
The morning was unusually quiet…
Light slipped through the room's window like a golden thread, breaking over the white sheets, making the room seem as if it were floating between wakefulness and drowsiness.
The monitoring devices emitted soft pulses, wavering as if they were the room's own breaths.
Rinion sat beside the bed, worry clearly visible on her face, her gaze fixed on Kiyora, who still bore the marks of his heavy wounds.
She raised her head toward him and asked in a low, trembling voice:
Rinion:
"What happened to you during the fight? Why did you… change like that back then?"
Kiyora turned his face toward the ceiling, as if searching for words within the cracks of his memories.
Kiyora:
"When I saw you injured… anger took hold of me. I couldn't feel anything after that… and I completely lost control over my body.
Then… I appeared in a void… I was trapped inside a cage, and I saw something… and after some time, I returned to normal when I calmed down."
Rinion leaned a little closer, her voice now more serious:
Rinion:
"What did you see? And how did you lose control of your body?"
Kiyora closed his eyes, his voice growing deeper:
Kiyora:
"I saw… all my memories. As if my life was being displayed before me from my birth up to the moment of the fight.
As for losing control… perhaps it was because something completely took over my body after my rage.
It's a possibility… but I believe that an entity lives inside me."
Rinion's eyes widened in concern:
Rinion:
"We have to do something… otherwise it will continue to control you."
Kiyora nodded, clenching his fist over the blanket:
Kiyora:
"You're right… and if it takes over, a catastrophe might happen. I felt its thirst for blood… for killing.
I wouldn't rule out that it could do something terrible…"
Rinion lowered her head:
Rinion:
"We must be careful."
Kiyora took a deep breath, then said:
Kiyora:
"I'll try to keep it under control… and I'll rely on my own strength. But I need a trainer… someone to guide me."
Rinion raised her head and nodded:
Rinion:
"We'll look for one."
And suddenly…
Zokimoshi collapsed onto the floor like a child struck by disappointment and began crying in a strange, irritating way.
Zokimoshi:
"I missed a golden opportunity…"
Kiyora raised an eyebrow:
Kiyora:
"What do you mean?"
Zokimoshi wiped his tears with his sleeve:
Zokimoshi:
"I couldn't fight that person… and when I arrived, I found you both lying on the ground… with a strange man next to you."
Kiyora sat up despite his exhaustion:
Kiyora:
"Who was he?"
Zokimoshi shook his head:
Zokimoshi:
"I don't know… but he was strong."
Kiyora intervened, asking:
Kiyora:
"Rinion… the nurse said you received treatment three days ago. What did she mean?"
Rinion sighed:
Rinion:
"You were asleep for three full days… as for me, I only lost consciousness for a few hours, and when I woke up… I found myself here."
Kiyora looked toward Zokimoshi:
Kiyora:
"Can you tell me what happened when you found that person next to us?"
Zokimoshi took a breath, then began narrating… and the scene sank into a flashback.
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Scene 2 – Flashback: The Forest (Three Days Earlier)
The forest was engulfed in the fog of battle, water splashing beneath Zokimoshi's steps as he ran quickly, searching with tense eyes for the bear.
Suddenly, he stopped.
There… on the ground… lay Kiyora and Rinion, overshadowed by the silhouette of a man wearing a brown cloak that concealed his features.
Zokimoshi immediately drew his twin swords and charged:
Zokimoshi:
"What did you do to them?! Leave my friends alone!"
The man quickly raised his hand:
The Man:
"Stop! I'm not your enemy. When I arrived, I found them like this…
Come and help me carry them to a doctor!"
Zokimoshi fell silent for a moment… then slowly lowered his swords:
Zokimoshi:
"Alright…"
The scene returns to the present.
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(Back to the Hospital)
Zokimoshi squatted down, a strange smile on his face:
Zokimoshi:
"His tone was nice…"
Kiyora nearly fell off the bed:
Kiyora:
"You said he was strong… but you didn't even fight him!"
Zokimoshi replied with exaggerated confidence:
Zokimoshi:
"His tone… his aura… his presence… and his appearance… all indicate a strong person.
Besides, my intuition never fails."
Kiyora slowly stood up, placing his hand over the bandage on his chest:
Kiyora:
"Let's leave the hospital. I want to meet a trainer."
Rinion rushed toward him:
Rinion:
"But your condition hasn't stabilized yet!"
Kiyora looked at her with a determination she hadn't seen in days.
(Text outside the chapter,
Rinion:
Of course I haven't seen it for days, because he was unconscious. Use your brains. Alright, I'll leave you with the chapter.)
Kiyora:
"I'll leave tomorrow.
I'm afraid I'll face a strong person… and won't be able to protect any of you like what happened in the fight."
Rinion lowered her head, biting her lip:
Rinion:
"Don't dwell on that…"
But Kiyora shook his head firmly:
Kiyora:
"I can't ignore it. You were about to lose your life… and if I hadn't been just a little stronger, this wouldn't have happened."
Zokimoshi jumped excitedly, as if he had forgotten everything that happened:
Zokimoshi:
"Let's go to a trainer!
By the way, what is a trainer?"
To be continued…
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