The sword does not remember the hand that forged it, only the purpose for which it was drawn. So too must the warrior forget fear, if only for the space between one breath and the next.
The Sunstone Blade was lighter than Kaito expected.
It rested in his grip, the blade a seamless transition from the hilt wrapped in white ray-skin. The metal, which had blazed like a sunrise in the dying light of Mount Fujikasane, had settled into a soft, burnished copper hue, as if the fire within it was sleeping. But Kaito could feel it—a warmth, a presence, a blade that had been forged to do one thing and one thing only: sever the necks of the Hollowed.
He stood at the base of the mountain, the other survivors of the Gauntlet of Thorns gathered around him. There were only four of them out of the original thirteen. A girl named Miki, her face gaunt and haunted, clutching her own new blade like a lifeline. A hulking young man called Gorou, his knuckles raw and bloody, who had apparently strangled a Hollowed to death with his bare hands before finding a discarded iron sword. A quiet, watchful boy named Jin, who had survived by climbing a tree and not coming down for six days.
And Kaito.
The stern-faced woman—her name, he had learned, was Commander Sae—gave them each a small, iron token etched with the symbol of the Vanguard: a crescent moon pierced by a vertical blade.
"These are your identification seals," she said, her voice carrying the same flat authority as before. "They grant you access to Vanguard safe houses and allow you to draw supplies. You will be assigned missions based on your demonstrated abilities. Report to the regional headquarters in the city of Aobara within three days. Do not be late. Do not fail."
She turned and walked away without another word, disappearing into the wisteria-shrouded path. The four new swordsmen stood in awkward silence, the weight of what they had just survived settling over them like a shroud.
Kaito was the first to move. He bowed to the others—a formal, respectful gesture—and began the long walk back to Genzo's cabin.
He found the old man sitting on his stump, whittling a piece of cedar with a small, curved knife. The box containing Yuki sat beside him, unlatched. Inside, he could see her small form curled up, her breathing slow and even in her daytime sleep.
Genzo looked up as Kaito approached, his eyes lingering on the Sunstone Blade at Kaito's hip. He said nothing for a long moment, then grunted.
"You're thinner. And you smell like a corpse."
Kaito managed a weak smile. "The Hollowed on the mountain weren't picky about their surroundings."
"No. They never are." Genzo set down his whittling and rose with a stiffness that spoke of old wounds and older bones. He walked to Kaito, stopping before him. His clouded eyes met Kaito's, and for a moment, the mask of the gruff old hermit slipped. Kaito saw something else beneath it—pride, perhaps, or something heavier.
"Let me see it," Genzo said.
Kaito drew the Sunstone Blade. The copper hue deepened in the afternoon light, the blade seeming to drink the sun's rays. Genzo studied it with the eye of a man who had once wielded such a weapon himself. He touched the flat of the blade with a calloused finger, tracing the subtle ripple pattern that ran along its length—a different pattern from Renjiro's water-like blade. This one was like the grain of ancient wood, or the slow, patient flow of cooled lava.
"It chose you," Genzo said quietly. "This blade will not break easily. Do not dishonor it."
"I won't."
Genzo nodded, then reached into his sleeve and withdrew a folded piece of paper. He pressed it into Kaito's hand. "Your first assignment. Commander Sae sent word ahead. There is a city to the east—Aobara. Hollowed have been preying on the night markets. You will be partnered with another new swordsman. A student of the Fractured Lightning Style."
Kaito unfolded the paper. The handwriting was precise, impersonal, listing a location, a description of the suspected Hollowed's attacks, and a name.
Partner: Ren Shirogane.
"I don't know that style," Kaito admitted.
"You'll learn it well enough," Genzo said, a strange, almost pitying look crossing his weathered face. "You'll have no choice. The boy who wields it is a coward, a liar, and a fraud. He was taken in by a master who saw something in him that no one else could. He passed the Gauntlet of Thorns by falling into a ravine and hiding in a cave for the full seven days."
Kaito blinked. "Then why is he being made a swordsman?"
Genzo's expression didn't change. "Because when he swings his sword, the Hollowed die. He does not remember doing it. But the bodies do not lie."
That night, Kaito sat with Yuki under the stars. She was awake, her brown eyes clear, her small hands wrapped around a cup of animal blood that Genzo provided—the only thing that could satisfy her hunger without pushing her toward the consumption of human flesh. She drank it slowly, her nose wrinkling at the taste, and Kaito felt a familiar ache in his chest.
"You're leaving," she said. It wasn't a question.
"Just for a little while," he said. "Genzo will take care of you. I'll come back as soon as I can."
She was quiet for a long time, her gaze fixed on the moon hanging low over the peaks. When she spoke again, her voice was small, but steady. "I had a dream. About the man who did this. The First Hollow."
Kaito's blood ran cold. "What did you see?"
"He was in a dark place, like a palace made of shadows. There were others with him—Hollowed, but different. Stronger. He was speaking to them, telling them to find something. A flower. A blue flower that blooms only in the sun." She looked at him, her eyes wide. "He wants to conquer the sun, Kaito. He wants to make it so his kind can walk in the daylight."
Kaito pulled her close, his mind racing. A blue flower that blooms in the sun. He had never heard of such a thing. But if it was true—if Umbriel was searching for a way to overcome the Hollowed's only true weakness—
"We'll find it first," he said, his voice fierce. "We'll find the flower, and we'll use it to cure you. I promise."
Yuki leaned into him, her small body relaxing. "I know," she whispered. "I believe you."
In the morning, Kaito strapped Yuki's box to his back, said goodbye to Genzo with a deep bow, and set out for the city of Aobara, the copper-hued Sunstone Blade at his hip and the weight of a new world on his shoulders.