Dawn broke without warmth.
The Hunter Grounds were already active.
Orders being given.
Weapons prepared.
Teams assigned.
The silence from before—
Was gone.
Replaced by urgency.
Preparation
Raizen stood in the training field.
Watching.
Everyone was moving.
Getting ready.
"…They're rushing," he said.
Kagen stood beside him.
"…They don't want to wait."
Tension Rising
Raizen tightened his grip on his blade.
"…The Circle said they would decide."
Kagen looked ahead.
"…And we decided not to wait for that."
New Orders
A messenger approached.
"Kagen. Shadow Rank."
A pause.
"You've been assigned to a forward operation."
Raizen's eyes narrowed.
"…Already?"
Mission Brief
Inside the hall—
A map was laid out.
Marked locations.
Strange patterns.
"These are the areas where shadow anomalies are increasing."
A council member pointed.
"…And here—"
A specific region.
"…is where the activity began."
Target
Raizen stepped closer.
"…So this is the origin."
A pause.
"…Or the closest thing to it."
Assignment Given
"Kagen will lead the operation."
A pause.
"Raizen will accompany."
Before Departure
Outside—
The air felt different.
Not heavy.
Sharp.
Focused.
Raizen adjusted his grip.
"…This feels different."
Kagen nodded.
"…Because it is."
Entering the Zone
They moved quickly.
No stops.
No distractions.
By night—
They reached the location.
A ruined city.
Collapsed buildings.
Broken structures.
No life.
Immediate Danger
Raizen stopped.
"…This is wrong."
Kagen didn't move.
"…Stay alert."
Movement Everywhere
The shadows—
Moved.
Not one.
Not many.
Countless.
Across walls.
Across ground.
Across everything.
Overwhelming Presence
Raizen's eyes widened.
"…This isn't natural."
The Scale Revealed
Every shadow—
Connected.
Moving in sync.
Controlled.
Realization
"…This is their territory."
Sudden Shift
Without warning—
Everything stopped.
All shadows froze.
At once.
Silence
Then—
A voice echoed.
"You came."
Presence Returns
From the center of the ruins—
A figure appeared.
Different from before.
More stable.
More defined.
Recognition
Raizen stepped forward.
"…You're one of them."
The figure didn't deny it.
"Yes."
A pause.
"And this is our first move."
Confrontation Begins
Kagen stepped forward.
"…Then this ends here."
The figure tilted its head.
"…You still think this is something you can end."
Final Scene
The shadows around them began to move again.
Slowly.
Surrounding them.
Closing in.
Raizen raised his blade.
The darkness responded.
Not violently—
But completely.
Ending Line
The moment the enemy makes their first move—
The war has already begun.