It emerged from the darkness slowly, almost unnaturally. At first glance, it didn't even seem like a cursed spirit
just a distorted figure, unnervingly tall and thin. Its limbs dragged as it moved, and its skin looked off, pulled too tight in some spots and sagging in others, like someone had tried to shape a human but gave up halfway through. Then it tilted its head.
And Koujin knew. This wasn't something meant to be fought.
The air thickened with each step it took. Someone behind him gasped. Another took a shaky step back.
"What… what is that?" a voice stammered.
No one answered.
Koujin stayed frozen, fingers tightening around his wooden sword as he controlled his breathing In and Out. The spirit turned toward them—and smiled. Then vanished. One second it was meters away. The next, it stood right in front of them.
A scream tore through the silence. Koujin reacted before the sound faded. His body moved on instinct—forward, sword rising—
But he was too slow. The spirit's arm shot out. He twisted just enough to avoid a direct hit, but pain still ripped across his cheek and down his neck. Intense. Cutting. Blood followed instantly. Koujin staggered back, vision blurring from the impact, but he didn't collapse. The world kept moving. And so did the spirit.
"Run!" someone yelled.
No one ran. They were paralyzed. Pain burned across his face, but his breath remained steady. In. Out. Everything narrowed—the noise, the fear, the chaos—until only the spirit remained. It lunged at the closest student. Koujin stepped forward. Not away. Forward. His stance dropped. His grip adjusted without thought. Moon Breathing. First Form. Dark Moon, Evening Palace.
He moved cleanly, even with blood streaming down his face. The motion was pure muscle memory—hundreds of hours of practice burned into instinct. His blade sliced through the air. A pale arc followed. The strike landed. Not fatal. But enough to break the spirit's momentum. It wavered slightly. That was all he needed.
"Move," Koujin snapped.
This time, they listened. The others scrambled back, tripping over their own feet. Koujin didn't look away from the spirit. It smiled wider.
Curious now. Blood dripped from his chin, soaking into his collar. The wound throbbed with every heartbeat. Still his breathing didn't change.
In
Out
The spirit attacked again—faster this time. Koujin shifted aside. Too slow. The blow clipped him, sending him skidding across the dirt.
Pain flared in his side.
His grip nearly slipped.
But not quite,he rose immediately.
The world steadied.
Distance closed.
Koujin stepped forward.
With one cut the pale crescent flashed sharper now. His blade connected.The spirit staggered back just a little.
Enough.
Then
The air pressed down.
The instructor arrived.
Everything changed in an instant. The spirit twisted and disappeared. Destroyed before Koujin could fully register it. Silence fell over the yard. Koujin stood still as his breathing slowed and the tension drained from his body.
Only then did the full weight of the pain hit. The gash on his face pulsed. Warm blood continued to run down his neck. His fingers brushed against it. Deep. Not a surface wound.
"…Tch."
The instructor glanced at him, then the others. "You're alive," he said, tone flat. "That's sufficient." Koujin stared at the blood on his fingers for a moment before letting out a quiet breath. His breathing stayed calm. Even now. That was what set him apart.
...
Maki noticed the blood before she even saw Koujin.
Too dark.
Too much.
It trailed down his face, along his jaw, and soaked into his collar like it had been there for hours. She moved without thinking.
"Koujin."
She didn't raise her voice. She didn't have to. The others were still rattled—talking too fast or not at all—but Maki ignored them. Her eyes stayed fixed on him as she crossed the yard. Koujin stood there like nothing had happened. Which annoyed her instantly.
"Don't just stand there."
She grabbed his chin before he could react. Not gently. His head tilted up. Up close, the wound looked worse—cutting beneath his eye, jagged, still oozing. Maki's jaw tightened. Her grip adjusted slightly.
"…Idiot," she muttered.
Koujin blinked once. "I'm fine."
"You're bleeding."
"I noticed."
"Then stop acting like it's nothing."
Her grip tightened slightly before she let go, irritation flashing across her face. She reached up again, this time wiping some of the blood away with her sleeve so she could see the wound more clearly.
It didn't stop.
That made her frown deepen."You didn't dodge," she said.It wasn't a question.
Koujin didn't answer immediately.
He could have.
But there wasn't a clean answer that wouldn't lead to more questions.So he just said, "It was fast."
"Tch. Obviously." Maki clicked her tongue.Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at him again, this time not just at the injury.
At how he was standing.
At how he was breathing.
Steady.
Too steady.
Most of the others were still shaken. Their shoulders were tense, their eyes unfocused, breaths uneven after what just happened.
Koujin wasn't.He looked… normal.Like he'd just finished training.That bothered her more than the blood.
"…You're weird," she said flatly.
Koujin shrugged slightly. "You already knew that."
She didn't smile.Instead, she reached out again and pressed her thumb lightly near the edge of the wound.
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to test.
Koujin didn't flinch.Maki paused.Her eyes flickered, just for a second."…Does it hurt?" she asked.
Koujin answered honestly.
"Yeah."
"Then react like it."He didn't.That annoyed her again.
Maki exhaled sharply through her nose and stepped back, crossing her arms.
"You're lucky," she said. "If that hit any deeper—"
She stopped.Didn't finish the sentence.She didn't need to.They both knew.
Silence sat between them for a moment.Then Maki looked away, just slightly."…You moved first," she said.
Koujin tilted his head a little. "What?"
"When it attacked," she continued, voice quieter now, more controlled. "You stepped in."
Not away.
Forward.
She had seen it.Even from a distance.Koujin didn't answer.Maki clicked her tongue again, but softer this time."…Don't do that," she said.
It came out sharper than she probably meant.Koujin raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"
"Act like that's normal."
Her gaze snapped back to him, more intense now."You're not supposed to step in front of something like that. You're supposed to survive."There was frustration in her voice.
But underneath it—
Something else.
Koujin noticed.
He just didn't say anything about it."…We survived," he said instead.Maki went quiet.
Her jaw tightened slightly."That's not the point."
It was, a little.
But not to her.
She turned away from him fully this time, arms still crossed."…Next time," she muttered, "don't get hit."
Koujin looked at her for a second.
Then down at the blood still on his hand.
"…I'll try."
Maki scoffed.
"Try harder."
But she didn't leave.
Even after she said it, she stayed there, just a step to his side instead of in front of him now.
Close enough.
Watching without looking like she was.
And when one of the other trainees started whispering too loudly about the fight—
Maki's glare snapped toward them instantly.They shut up,Koujin noticed that too.He didn't say anything.
But for a brief second, something in his expression softened.
Then his breathing settled again.