Reika and Takumi appeared in the middle of the doorway, crammed together like sardines in a can, each pulling in their own direction. Both were carrying shopping bags, probably from some local market, and were arguing as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"Hey, Takumi, move inside, man! You're holding me up!" Reika complained, nudging his shoulder with her elbow.
"Me? You're the one acting like you own the hallway, going first!" Takumi retorted, trying to hold onto two enormous bags without dropping anything.
"For God's sake, you two look like kids at the school gate." Renjiro muttered, standing up and crossing his arms, but unable to hide his laughter.
Reika finally managed to go in first, shaking her reddish-brown hair that fell over her shoulders. The light, sheer dress she was wearing, with thin straps, swayed with the movement, typical of summer clothes. Takumi arrived wearing a loose white shirt, blue knee-length shorts, and simple sandals.
"Seriously, Reika, I told you to only buy the essentials, but you stood there at that fruit stand like it was paradise." Takumi huffed, placing the bags on the living room table.
Reika tossed her hair back defiantly.
"And someone has to feed this house, right? Or do you think you can live on air and wind?"
Before Takumi could answer, Kagura's impatient voice echoed like thunder inside Reika's mind, audible also to the others who were connected to their masks.
"BUT WHO WAKES UP SOON TO CARRY GROCERY BAGS?! I WASN'T MADE FOR THIS!"
Reika sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, shut up, Kagura, I've already noticed you have no patience. Worse than carrying bags is having to listen to you whining every five minutes."
Takumi couldn't help but laugh.
"Is it just me, or is Kagura grumbling more than you, Reika?"
"Don't add fuel to the fire, Takumi." Renjiro grumbled, though the corner of his mouth betrayed a smile.
Kagura, even more irritated, retorted in her shrill voice:
"Don't compare me to that ungrateful girl! I have dignity! I am a divine being, not a maid to carry tomatoes and apples in cloth bags!"
Reika grabbed one of the bags and took out an apple, biting into it with exaggerated calm.
"Divine being or not, you'll have to put up with me. If I eat, you eat. If I carry bags, you carry them too, even if it's just politely... THIS IS HUMILIATING!" Kagura shouted, almost making Renjiro and Takumi cover their ears.
Renjiro shook his head, sitting back down on the sofa.
"You guys are impossible. I barely woke up, and I already feel like I'm living in a madhouse."
Takumi slumped onto the sofa next to him, still laughing.
"Welcome to our life, Renjiro. And get ready, because Kagura will always find a reason to complain. I bet she'll even be grumbling at the sun for being too bright soon."
"IF YOU KEEP TALKING, I MUST GRUMBLE!" the masked voice retorted, inflamed.
Reika crossed her arms, trying to hide a smirk.
"She's even funny, I admit… but only when she's not yelling in my ear."
Renjiro sighed, but this time let out a short laugh.
"Damn, what a crazy trio..."
Renjiro looked the two up and down, finally noticing the details: Takumi in beach shorts and a light sweater, Reika in a breezy dress and sandals. He raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"Wait... you two are already dressed for the beach?"
Takumi grinned mischievously, leaning back on the sofa as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Of course. The weather is perfect today, not too hot, not too cold. Clear skies, a cool breeze. It's the ideal day."
Tenax, with his voice deep but serene, added:
"That's right. They've been planning this outing since yesterday, Renjiro. You just didn't understand."
"Planned?" Renjiro repeated, frowning. "And nobody told me anything?"
Reika, without ceremony, placed the shopping bag on the table and took out a smaller bag, made of dark blue fabric, which she threw towards Renjiro.
"Yeah, because we knew you'd wake up all disheveled and lost. Here. We brought this for you."
Renjiro caught the bag just in time to stop it from falling. He opened it slowly, and inside were carefully folded summer clothes: a light beige, loose-fitting t-shirt with small, almost invisible geometric details in the fabric; simple but stylish gray knee-length shorts; and minimalist dark leather sandals with a side zipper.
"You… bought this for me?" Renjiro asked, slightly blushing and confused.
Reika smiled proudly.
"No, it was the summer fairy's magic bag that appeared at the market." she replied sarcastically, taking a bite of the apple she was still holding. "Of course it was us, silly. Did you think we were going to let you come with that 'I'm dead but I'm fine' style of yours?"
Takumi laughed loudly, patting his shoulder.
"Exactly. You look like someone who would show up at the beach in black pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Nobody deserves that."
"Look, I could." murmured Renjiro, slowly closing the bag.
Nyxalith chuckled softly inside her mask, her voice laden with sweet irony:
"Be grateful, my sunshine. I, at least, love imagining you on the beach all in black, like a lost crow."
Renjiro blushed even more, squeezing the bag tightly.
"Shut up, Nyxalith."
Reika, not understanding the internal dialogue, stretched out on the sofa.
"So, what do you say? Shall we go? We're all set."
Renjiro sighed, looking at the two who seemed to glow with enthusiasm. He shrugged.
"If you were already planning this… then let's go. But be warned: don't count on me to run on the sand or play ball. I'm not one of those."
Takumi smiled even wider.
"Don't worry, Renjiro. The plan is simple: relax. Today is our first free day in Yumehara. We deserve it."
Renjiro sighed, grabbed the bag with his clothes, and without thinking much, began to undress right there in the middle of the room. First he took off his crumpled shirt, then the shorts he was wearing, and in the blink of an eye he was completely naked.
Reika's eyes widened and she quickly looked away, turning red to her ears.
"You're so clueless, man! Here?!"
Ame-no-Kagura's voice exploded from the mask, full of indignation:
"REIKA, HOW CAN YOU STAND THIS?! HE UNDRESSED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM! HOW SHAMEFUL!"
Takumi fell back on the sofa, laughing.
"Hahaha! Relax, Kagura. Believe me, we're used to these scenes. We're childhood friends, we've seen everything."
Reika huffed, still hiding her face with the pillow.
"That doesn't mean he has to show off like he's in a gym locker room!"
Nyxalith, on the other hand, let out a provocative whistle inside Renjiro's mind.
"Look at you, sunshine… even I'm feeling hot now."
Renjiro blushed, but pretended not to hear, quickly pulling his new t-shirt over his head.
"You guys complicate everything… it's just a matter of changing clothes. What's the problem?"
Tenax, always quiet and pragmatic, replied dryly:
"No problem. But I admit it was… unexpected."
Takumi was still laughing, wiping tears from his eyes.
"That's right, unexpected! But go on, hurry up, the beach isn't going anywhere."
Reika pushed the pillow away from her face and glanced sideways at Renjiro, already dressed.
"Next time, at least let us know… or, I don't know, go to your room, idiot."
Renjiro shrugged, pulling his new shorts up and adjusting them at his waist.
"I didn't do anything special. That's it, that's it."
He placed the mask on the table for a moment and sighed, ready to leave.
Renjiro adjusted the mask in his hand and, before leaving, muttered softly:
"And stop calling me 'flower of the day,' okay? Enough..."
Nyxalith gave a melodious little laugh in his mind, as if amused by his irritation.
"Alright, alright... I won't insist. But don't think you'll escape some other affectionate name."
Renjiro sighed and shook his head, without answering.
The three finally left the dormitories, ready for the light, the heat, and the sand. But as soon as the door closed behind them, a gust of cold wind cut their skin. The sky, which moments before had been open and clear, darkened in the blink of an eye. Thick raindrops began to fall, and shortly after, thunder rumbled so loudly that it made the nearby buildings tremble.
"Are you kidding me…" Takumi raised his arms, already soaked in seconds.
Reika, with the towel over her shoulder, threw it against the soaked ground and huffed:
"WHAT KIND OF WEATHER IS THIS?! Yesterday it was sweltering, today it's rain and thunder?! Yumehara should be ashamed, this isn't even weather, it's psychological torture!"
A lightning bolt illuminated the rooftops and soon after another thunderclap echoed. The wind ruffled Reika's hair and made icy drops trickle down the exposed skin of her summer clothes.
Tenax spoke in his firm, thoughtful voice:
"It doesn't seem like this is going to improve anytime soon. The air pressure and the instability of the Æther are out of sync. It's… predictable."
Takumi raised his eyebrows, still holding his beach bag.
"Predictable?! You should have warned us before, oh druid of time!"
Reika kicked the already soaked towel against a wall, still grumbling.
"This has to be a joke... we all dragged ourselves along excitedly and now we can't even put our feet in the sand."
Renjiro sighed, running a hand through his hair, which was already stuck to his forehead from the rain.
"Looks like the beach will have to wait. Either that, or we risk getting electrocuted on the way."
Another thunderclap exploded and Kagura didn't waste any time yelling:
"THAT'S A SIGNAL, YOU IDIOTS! YOU STAY HOME, PERIOD!"
Takumi rolled his eyes, but said nothing. Reika crossed her arms, frustrated, as the rain intensified, turning the street into a torrent.
The three went back into the dormitory, soaked, leaving their bags and towels carelessly on the floor. Reika threw herself onto the sofa with an irritated sigh, while Takumi fell to the side, sprawled out as if the world had ended. Renjiro came right behind, running a hand through his wet hair that insisted on falling into his face.
"Damn it... it's like the weather hates us personally," he muttered, trying to shake the water from the ends of his hair.
Nyxalith laughed inside the mask resting on the small table:
"Ah, but I think you look charming with messy hair, Renjiro."
"No comment..." he sighed, without even having the strength to respond aggressively.
Reika stretched her legs across the sofa and grabbed a cushion, hugging it.
"I swear, I can't understand this damn weather. I almost feel cheated."
Takumi raised a hand in the air as if making an invisible toast.
"I officially declare that our big day off... is ruined."
The three remained silent for a few seconds, only listening to the constant drumming of the rain against the windows. The sound was heavy, almost comforting, but mixed with that feeling of collective frustration.
Renjiro straightened up on the sofa, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Look, we don't need to grumble all day. Since the beach trip went down the drain..." he paused and sighed ironically "Literally, we can take advantage of this time to talk. I don't know… about things."
Reika raised an eyebrow.
"'Things'? You're really terrible at starting conversations, Renjiro."
Tenax, perched with his firm aura on the table, interjected:
"He's not wrong. Talking on days like this strengthens bonds. It's in moments of pause that you reveal who you really are."
Takumi huffed, but let out a slight smile.
"Alright, alright. If it's to save the rest of the day, let's go. Who starts?" Nyxalith spoke softly, provocatively:
"For me, you could start with secrets..."
Renjiro sighed again, but couldn't hide his slight blush.
Renjiro took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the floor, while the others waited for him to steer the conversation in some direction.
"Alright... I guess I'll start." He ran his hand through his wet hair again. "Last night... I dreamed. But it wasn't just any dream. I saw Nyxalith. As... a person. Face to face."
Silence fell over the room like a stone.
Takumi, who had been sprawled out on the sofa, straightened up immediately.
"What?!" His eyes widened, almost popping out of his face.
Reika, for her part, let the pillow fall into her lap and stared at Renjiro seriously.
"You saw your entity? In a dream? That's... that's impossible... isn't it?"
On the other side, Ame-no-Kagura remained silent for a while before her clear voice was heard, almost trembling with surprise.
"Shared dreams with entities... shouldn't be accessible at this stage. Renjiro... you have no idea what this means."
Even Tenax, normally calm and restrained, intervened in a heavier tone:
"Seeing her, in flesh and blood, even if unconsciously... is not something trivial. This only happens in connections... very, very deep."
Renjiro looked away, slightly embarrassed.
"I didn't make anything up. I was in a strange room... it seemed medieval, dark, with a heavy atmosphere... and she was there. Sitting. As if she had been waiting for me."
Nyxalith let out a light, provocative laugh from the mask resting on the table.
"Oh, don't be so dry, flower of forgiveness, Renjiro. You should tell them how it was… so intimate, so warm. It was a pleasant dream, wasn't it?"
Renjiro blushed instantly, turning his face away.
"Shut up…" he murmured, but his voice trembled.
Takumi looked from side to side, as if trying to process it all.
"So… let me see if I understand. I can only hear Tenax's voice. Reika hears Kagura. But you, Renjiro…" she pointed an accusing finger at her, looking almost indignant. "You're already having breakfast with your mask on in luxurious dreams?!"
Reika sighed deeply, but couldn't hide her curious gaze.
"It's not normal… but it doesn't seem bad either. It just… might have a weight. If she can already pull you into the dreams, it means your connection is going at a completely different pace than ours."
Nyxalith couldn't resist adding, in a seductive and ironic tone:
"He can't resist me. And I, of course, don't let him escape."
Renjiro brought his hand to his face and murmured:
"Why... always me?"
Tenax cleared his throat, his voice echoing low through the room, as if he were a teacher giving an important lesson:
"Indeed, it is possible... to summon your entities. Not just as voices in the mind, but as real presences. But this requires something very specific: a high level of Aether, to the point that the body can barely withstand it. Only under these conditions can we take physical form, or at least something very close to it."
Takumi's eyes widened.
"Wait, are you saying that... tomorrow, when we go to train with Asuka... this could happen?"
Tenax paused briefly, as if pondering each word.
"Possibly. Her training field is saturated with unstable, pure Aether. If you are pushed to the limit, there's a chance we might manifest. But…" his voice deepened, almost like a warning "What happened to Renjiro wasn't that. He doesn't currently possess a high enough level of Aether for that. Therefore, it must have been caused by external conditions. Something… or someone… pulled him into that state."
Ame-no-Kagura snorted softly, annoyed.
"External conditions… that's what worries me. If he didn't cause the dream, then it was the world around him. And in Yumehara, nothing happens by chance."
Renjiro frowned, crossing his arms.
"So you're saying it wasn't me… but some force I can't control?"
Nyxalith let out a soft, almost musical laugh, but full of irony.
"Or maybe… it was just you wanting me so much that your heart opened its way to me. Don't dismiss the more romantic chances, darling."
Renjiro blushed violently.
"Stop it!"
Takumi, trying to hold back laughter, leaned forward.
"Look, if my mask came to speak to me in dreams like that… I'd accept it right away. I'd even ask for another dose."
Reika gave him a light tap on the shoulder.
"Idiot. Don't you understand? If there are external conditions interfering with Renjiro, it means he might be… marked. Or his mask is attracting things we don't yet understand."
The atmosphere in the room grew heavy, silent for a few moments, until a thunderclap rang out outside, accompanying the rain against the windows.
Renjiro lowered his eyes, uneasy.
"External conditions… so, whatever it is, it's not just inside me…"
A heavy silence still hung in the room, broken only by the sound of the rain beating hard against the windows. Suddenly, they heard three dry knocks on the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Renjiro stood up immediately, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
"I'll open it."
Reika and Takumi exchanged a brief glance, as if they were somewhat suspicious, but said nothing.
Who was knocking at the other side of the door?
Author's Note:
Hey guys! First of all, I want to sincerely apologize for the long wait. It's been well over a month and a half (maybe a little less) since the previous chapter, and I know many of you (at least the people who have been reading this) have been patiently waiting for the story to continue. Thank you for sticking around despite the silence, it truly means more to me than I can put into words.
The main reason for the delay is that life has been a little busier than usual. Between personal responsibilities and other commitments, finding enough uninterrupted time to write has been more difficult than I expected. I never wanted to rush a chapter just for the sake of releasing one, so I decided it would be better to take my time and make sure the quality stayed where I wanted it to be. However, that wasn't the only reason.
During this break, I also started working on something I've wanted to do for a long time, bringing the world of Vultus to life, visually.
I've been dedicating a surprising amount of time to designing the characters, refining their appearances, exploring different outfit concepts, and making sure every detail matches the image I've always had in my mind, it has been quite a rough time, given the fact that my drawing abilities are quite bad to say the least, but I have been giving my best on it! Beyond the characters themselves, I've also begun planning the environments, important locations, architecture, symbols, weapons, masks, and many other aspects of the world. I want the illustrations to feel like they truly belong to Vultus rather than simply existing alongside it.
Some of these designs have gone through multiple revisions already. I've found myself changing hairstyles, adjusting clothing, redesigning weapons, rethinking color palettes, and even altering HUGE world-building details so everything feels more coherent. While it's a time-consuming process, I genuinely believe it'll make the experience much more immersive in the long run.
My goal is for readers not only to imagine this world, but eventually to see it as vividly as I do. I want each illustration to capture the atmosphere, emotion, and identity of Vultus without compromising the story itself.
Writing will always remain my highest priority, but I also want to build a universe that feels complete, one with memorable characters, recognizable locations, and artwork that enhances the experience instead of replacing your imagination. Needless to say that I'll be giving you guys some updates about all this illustration and drawing stuff. So, don't worry.
Thank you again for your incredible patience and continued support. Every reader, and every person who follows this story motivates me to keep improving. I know the wait has been longer than expected, but I hope what comes next will make it worthwhile.
The journey of Vultus is only just beginning.
See you in the next chapter!