The sun barely crested the jagged peaks, spilling pale light over the mist-choked valleys. Raizen's boots crunched against the damp earth, his hand tight on the hilt of his sword. Each breath hung heavy in the cold mountain air. Behind him, Kaito jabbed at overhanging branches, whistling a tune that was half bravado, half nervous tension.
Haruka walked just to his side, eyes sweeping every shadow with measured vigilance. Her grip on her polearm was steady, her stance that of someone who expected a fight at any moment. Raizen could feel the silent assurance in her movements—a predator, calm and lethal. He swallowed the strange flutter that always rose in his chest when she was near, forcing it down. Survival came first.
Senji melted into the underbrush ahead, his figure barely visible in the pale dawn. The scout's eyes flicked back occasionally, signaling danger or opportunity. They were entering a stretch of forest that rose sharply along a cliff, a path so narrow that one wrong step could mean a fatal fall.
Raizen slowed the group. "Watch your footing. The Tsuchigumo aren't just waiting to strike—they're drawing us in."
Kaito snorted. "You mean they're smart, like clever little spiders? Sounds poetic. You worry too much."
Haruka shot him a look sharp enough to cut steel. "Worrying keeps you alive. Bravado gets you killed."
Raizen allowed a small, almost imperceptible smile at her words, but it quickly vanished as a rustle ahead made the hair on his neck rise. Senji froze, crouching behind a moss-covered boulder. A faint hiss, almost drowned by the wind, whispered through the trees.
"Ambush," Raizen murmured.
Before anyone could react further, a shadow burst from the treeline. Two figures leaped in unison, blades glinting, their movements unnervingly precise. Raizen barely had time to raise his sword, blocking the first strike. The impact reverberated up his arm, pain flaring as he twisted to absorb the blow. The attacker didn't hesitate, swinging again with brutal force. Raizen parried and countered, his blade slicing through the enemy's tunic, drawing a shallow gash across his torso.
Kaito charged recklessly, screaming, and slashed through one of the attackers' arms. The man shrieked, the sound raw and ragged, and collapsed, clutching the bloody stump where his limb had been severed. Kaito grinned wildly despite the gore. "One down!"
Haruka spun like a whirlwind, her polearm catching another attacker across the chest. The sound of cracking bone echoed as the man's ribs shattered beneath her strike. Blood sprayed across the trees, painting the bark in vivid streaks. She pulled her weapon free and backhanded him into a shallow ravine, leaving him writhing in agony.
Raizen gritted his teeth, lunging at the remaining attacker. This one moved differently—calculated, patient, almost anticipating Raizen's strikes. The swords clashed violently, sparks flying as metal met metal. Pain lanced Raizen's shoulder as the attacker's blade grazed it, tearing through cloth and flesh. He countered with a feint, striking the man in the thigh. A sickening crunch followed as the femur snapped beneath the force, and the attacker fell, screaming, clutching the broken leg.
Senji appeared from the shadows behind them, slicing a tendril of rope from a tree trap that threatened to ensnare Raizen. "They've planned this well," the scout hissed. "Main force is waiting ahead. These were just scouts."
Raizen took a ragged breath, wiping blood from his sword. The forest was quiet again, save for the ragged breathing of his companions and the cries of the wounded attackers. He glanced at Haruka. Her eyes were fierce, alert, and… glowing with something else—a mixture of triumph and relief.
"You fought well," he said quietly, stepping closer. His voice carried an odd warmth.
Haruka's eyes flicked up at him, narrow and assessing, before she looked away, cleaning her weapon. "You held your own. I almost expected you to falter."
Raizen felt the warmth in his chest deepen, a flicker he quickly tried to suppress. Now was not the time. Not here. But the moment lingered, hanging between them like the mist over the mountains.
Kaito, wiping blood from his sword on the ground, grinned despite his own minor cuts. "You two are adorable. If you're staring at each other in the middle of the forest while we're surrounded by killers, we're all dead."
Raizen's jaw tightened. "Focus, Kaito. This isn't over."
Even as he spoke, the forest around them seemed to shift. Broken branches, faint scratches on trees, and the scent of iron and decay told him the enemy was intelligent, patient, and waiting for them. The Tsuchigumo weren't just hunters—they were planners. Strategists. And the main force had yet to reveal itself.
Senji moved ahead, crouching low and signaling the others. He pointed to a tree marked with strange, web-like carvings. Raizen knelt, examining the symbols. "They're warning us," he murmured. "They know we're coming."
Haruka's hand brushed his arm as she leaned down beside him. The proximity made Raizen's pulse quicken, but he ignored it, focusing on the markings. "Warning or bait?" she asked softly.
"Both, most likely," Raizen replied. He stood, eyes scanning the misty ridges. "We need to move carefully. Every step from here could be deadly. They'll be testing us, seeing how far we'll go."
The four of them pressed on, every sense alert. The narrow path wound sharply upward, cliffs on one side and sheer drops on the other. A single misstep could be fatal. Raizen's mind raced through possibilities, imagining what awaited them: larger ambushes, traps, perhaps even something… unnatural.
Despite the fear, there was an undeniable thrill. He felt alive in a way he had never experienced in the quiet training grounds of the capital. This was real. Blood, danger, death—and the chance to prove himself.
Haruka's presence beside him was grounding. When their hands brushed against one another briefly while adjusting their gear, Raizen caught himself staring at her, heart hammering. She met his gaze for a heartbeat, and he quickly looked away. There would be time for this later—if either of them survived.
The fog thickened as they approached a bend in the trail. From within it, a faint shimmer of movement caught Raizen's eye. Shadows darker than the mist itself shifted among the trees. Figures, watching, waiting.
Raizen's hand tightened on his sword. "The real Tsuchigumo are ahead," he whispered. "And they've been expecting us."
The forest seemed to close in around them, every rustle a warning, every shadow a predator. Raizen Takahiro, with his companions at his side, was walking deeper into the heart of danger. The hunt had only just begun.
And in the shadows, the Tsuchigumo waited—calculating, patient, hungry.