As the setting sun's glowing light illuminated the harvest festival far off, five menacing, cloaked figures appeared seemingly out of thin air within the dark shadow of the forest.
"Split up and find the brat," one of them instructed, his voice deep and heavy, carrying an air of authority. "Let's finish this up quickly."
The other four obliged without a word, quickly dashing away in opposite directions.
The one who had issued the order remained still, a single thought lingering in his mind," Is the brat really so important that we have to face him just to get her?"
He sighed quietly. "I just hope it doesn't come to that."
"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing?" a voice demanded.
For a moment, the captor stood still before turning around to face the threat, a tied-up Takae squirming in his arms.
"I don't have time for you damn brats!" he snapped. "If you want to keep living, then I suggest you stay where you are. Take one step forward and you're dead."
An entaged Yuriko ignored the threat and took a step forward, her fists clenched in fury.
"You must not have heard me," the captor said, his voice cold and empty.
He took a step forward.
Suddenly, the air felt heavier as a red aura enveloped the man.
His presence forced the two to remain frozen in place—not by choice, but by an overwhelming sensation screaming at them to stay where they were. Sweat rolled down their cheeks as they watched the man turn away.
Then, with Takae still in his grasp, he leapt into the air, soaring away at an insane speed.
Once he was gone, Yuriko collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath. Izumi, equally out of breath, wiped the sweat from his brow, denching the sleeve of his robe as a result.
"What was that?" Yuriko asked, her voice trembling as her body shook. "It felt like my insides were about to tear themselves apart."
"That's not important," Izumi replied, now calm despite his heavy breathing. "What matters is that whoever that guy was just disappeared with Takae. What do we do?"
Yuriko stood up abruptly. "There's no time to waste. Let's run after him. I think I saw him heading toward the forest. We can catch up if we hurry."
"Shouldn't we go tell Dad first?" Izumi asked.
"There's no time! Come on, let's move."
With that, Yuriko took off running out of the alley, and Izumi followed close behind. They tore through the buzzing festival crowd and headed out of the village toward the forest at its edge.
As the festival lights faded into the distance, they soon found themselves running in near-complete darkness, guided only by faint moonlight filtering through the dense canopy above.
After a while, they began hearing rustling from multiple directions. Whatever was causing the sounds moved far too quickly to be any forest creature. The noises grew louder, drawing closer with every passing second.
Still, the two kept running, their focus locked solely on the silhouette barely visible in the distance, determined to reach it at any cost.
After a long chase beneath the forest canopy, they finally burst into a vast open field, surrounded by nothing but tall grass and a tall cliff toward its end.
At last, the captor was fully in their sights.
Instead of continuing to flee, the man abruptly stopped and turned to face them.
Seeing the two, Takae began struggling harder to break free. The captor responded by tightening his grip on her, causing her to scream—though the sound of her pain was muffled by the cloth tied over her mouth.
"Takae!" Yuriko yelled as they ran toward him. "Let her go, you bastard!"
"I thought I was clear," the man replied, his voice eerily calm. "Now you leave me with no choice."
As he spoke, the four other cloaked figures emerged from the shadows, surrounding the two and stopping them dead in their tracks.
They looked around, seeing no possible way to escape.
"You know, I really hoped that this wouldn't happen," the captor said, grabbing their attention. "I hate doing things I don't need to, but you've forced my hand."
He then pulled off his hood, revealing a head of silky, long black hair much like Takae's, and atop his head, two large wolf-like ears, blending seamlessly with the hair. His yellow, carnivorous eyes gleamed, and small but visible fangs peeked from his mouth. The others followed suit, removing their hoods to reveal similar traits.
The sight baffled the two. Izumi stammered, his voice shaking, "J-just… what the hell are you?"
The man chuckled. "You don't need to worry about that, because you won't need an answer where you're going."
He raised his hand, opening his palm. Droplets of blood oozed from his skin, gathering above his hand as they began to pulse with energy.
Once large enough, he positioned the ball of red energy slightly in front of his palm and, with a flick of his middle finger, sent it hurtling toward them at an insane speed.
They had no time to react, only to brace themselves instinctively for the attack.
An explosion erupted, followed by a dust cloud that momentarily blinded the kidnappers and the two teenagers.
As the dust settled, Izumi and Yuriko—and the kidnappers—were met with an unexpected sight.
In front of them, unsheathing a sword, stood Tsushiro.
He wore a black kimono with a green robe draped over it. At his waist, held by a white belt, was a black sheath.
Seeing him, the captor stepped back, which only fueled the twins' confusion.
"I didn't think you could catch up to us this quickly," the leader said, a nervous smile playing across his face.
Tsushiro met his gaze. "You talk as if you know who I am."
"Oh, we know all about you, Tsushiro Yamada," the enemy replied. "You've managed to make yourself quite the reputation among your enemies."
"If I'm not mistaken, they call you the Flaming Frost," he continued. "No offense, but in my opinion, that seems a bit exaggerated."
"You're quick to judge," Tsushiro replied, stepping forward.
"I'm sure you know this, but things like that are always exaggerated," the captor said, steadying himself.
"Is that so?" Tsushiro asked sarcastically. "Then I'm sure the rumors surrounding you are false as well."
"As if you could know who I am," the man scoffed.
"I wouldn't get ahead of myself if I were you, Asahi Shiga of the Phantom Wolf troupe," Tsushiro said, a grin spreading across his face.
The captor, stunned, remained silent for a moment before finally asking, "How could you possibly know who I am?"
"Did you think you were the only ones with information about your enemies?" Tsushiro replied. "If so, then I'm sorry to burst your bubble."
The enemy assumed a defensive stance, holding Takae tightly. "You bastard… don't make any sudden moves. You're surrounded."
Tsushiro's eyes scanned the others preparing to attack.
He mirrored their stance, pointing his now-steaming sword at the leader. A smirk played on his lips as he said, "Alright then… let's see just how fast you are."