"Ash Phantom: The Legend Reborn"

The sun set behind the imposing city skyline of Ryuki City, coloring the sky in swashes of orange and violet. Neon lights crept to life over the urban landscape, as the heartbeat of the city pulsed with tradition and newness.

High above Ryuki Dojo, beyond the crowded training rooms and quiet meditation chambers, two men sat under a wooden awning scattered with incense and the smell of old wood. A half-full bottle of sake sat between them, the steam from their cups drifting into the evening cool.

Hoshin Maru, the dojo master and the religious pillar of Ryuki City, filled his old friend's cup again.

"Did you hear?" Hoshin asked, lifting his cup. "Raka, Yuzen City's old big boss, died. Disease took him, they say."

Ryden Ryuki, wearing his guardian armor but with his hair loose and his eyes drawn in an abnormally tired look, nodded slowly. "Yes. Rumors spread quickly in cities like ours. But that's not what's bothering me."

Hoshin raised his head, interested.

Ryden let out a sharp breath. "What's concerning me is who is going to replace Raka. That vacuum of power in Yuzen City. It's unstable."

The dojo groaned faintly as a gust of air rushed through it, as though the walls themselves were hearing. "You're remembering the war," Hoshin whispered.

Ryden's expression darkened. "Twenty-plus years ago, Yuzen's old boss was a madman who drew our people into a senseless war. There were thousands of deaths. It wasn't only soldiers—it was civilians, children. Whole streets reduced to ashes."

He gazed down into his cup, hoping the reflection would reveal to him those ethereal memories.

"I hope," Ryden went on, "that the new ruler is a wise one. A person who knows balance, not blood."

Hoshin drank in silence, his eyes furrowed in consideration. "If they appoint someone quickly, I will go to Yuzen myself. I wish to welcome them personally. Form a positive relationship."

Ryden's cup hung suspended in mid-air. "You don't have to do that," he said, saintly. "It's risky, Hoshin."

"Risky?" Hoshin smiled weakly. "What, are you worried something will happen to me?"

"Yes!" Ryden exclaimed. "You're too valuable to us. You're not just a master of our dojo. You're the basis of peace for this city. If something happens to you, Ryuki City may descend into anarchy. We both know that there are plenty of people in this country—some of whom are even on our walls—waiting to seize power. If the pillar trembles, the wolves will run."

Hoshin let out a deep breath, setting his cup on the floor with care. "True. I don't want to be the catalyst for another civil war. But if something is going to happen with me, Ryden… I want you to take over as boss of Ryuki."

Ryden's eyes went wide. "What?"

"You heard me. You're Ryuki blood. You're faithful, powerful, wise—and the people look up to you. Who else can defend this city if I'm not around?"

Ryden set his drink aside, his hand shaking slightly—he felt heavy not because of position, but because of the weight of that confession.

"No," he said softly. "That's not what Ryuki is named after."

Hoshin back his head. "What do you mean?"

"This city…" Ryden gazed out below, seeing the city from the top, as if searching for someone in the throng. "Ryuki City is not so named because of a family. It's not about bloodlines or me. It was named after him, the legendary warrior Ryuki. The poor child who rose when the world turned its back. He wasn't powerful. He wasn't born noble. But he was a symbol."

Hoshin's expression relaxed, listening carefully.

Ryuki stood between the clans that fought and said, 'This land is sacred. I will not let it burn.' He brought peace when no one could. We are just descendants—keepers of his legacy. The name Ryuki belongs to everyone in this city who believes in peace." He said it with pride and confidence, reflecting it }

The silence that followed was not empty—it was sacred.

After a moment, Hoshin chuckled. "You've become a wiser man these years, Ryden. Perhaps too wise." But thank you for remembering the history, we will never forget out great Ryuki, he made this system of peace... Anyway, you are a good father.. you became way mature in the past 20years..

A shadow passed over his face. He thought of his sons—Veon, powerful and talented in magic, already earning respect from high-order city mages. And then… Auren. The quiet one. The one who lacked power.

The one he couldn't remember was even present.

Hoshin caught the change in his friend's face. "Is something troubling you?"

Ryden glanced away. "Nothing that can't be managed. Let's just hope Yuzen's destiny doesn't pull us all down into the shadows."

As the city thrummed beneath them and the stars pierced the canopy of night, the two men sipped in silence. But in the gusts that swept the rooftop, it seemed as though something approached—something that neither of them could halt.

High over the chaotic streets of Ryuki City, on a rust-covered watchtower overlooking the southern quarter, sat two men bathed in moonlight.

One was huge—a wall of muscle covered in loose robes and bedecked with elaborate tattoos of a cat, monkey, and snake, each of which had been inked with entrancing detail. The tattoos seemed on the verge of coming to life, writhing with every breath he drew. His hair was long, silver, blowing in the wind, and a scar mapped the left side of his jaw like one left by fate.

He sipped from an antique gourd of sake, the liquor not quite potent enough for a man such as him. He was known as Okabaru Vincent, a man muttered about in corner streets as a specter, a legend… or a living tool.

Alongside him sat a considerably smaller man, young and awestruck-looking, with slicked black hair and hilariously oversized goggles that kept sliding down his nose. In one hand, he held a notebook; in the other, a cup of steaming tea. Appearances notwithstanding, Toji was not a fool—Okabaru's disciple, technician, and friend.

Toji observed his master in silence for a moment before speaking, his tone light but inquiring."Okabaru-sensei… why are you gazing at the city like this? You seem to be attempting to see something that isn't there."

Okabaru didn't answer initially. The wind ruffled his robe, showing more of the tattoos underneath—tales of wars and animals no textbook could possibly document.

At last, he found his voice, deep and grizzled as though it had been soaked in smoke and flame."Because I was born here."

Toji blinked in astonishment. "Really? You never said that to me before."

Okabaru laughed, a low, scraping noise. "There are a lot of things I've never said to you, Toji. Just because we share a roof doesn't mean you know my history."

Toji chuckled nervously and rubbed his head. "You're so enigmatic, Sensei. Sometimes I think you're a manga character."

"I'm worse," Okabaru grinned. "At least manga characters have a happy ending."

They sat quietly for a moment, observing the neon signs flash across the city like tiny spirits confined in glass. Airbikes hummed through the evening, and the raucous, far-away voices of youths called from alleys and ramen stands.

Toji drank his tea contemplatively. "So… are you waiting for someone?"

Okabaru said nothing. He squinted instead, his eyes looking towards the center of the city, to the Ryuki Dojo.

"That boy," he said at last. "The second Ryuki son."

"Auren?" Toji asked, with arched eyebrows.

"The one who has no magic?" Toji repeated.

Okabaru nodded. "I listened to the wind speak of him today. Beaten by children. Ignored by his father. Destined. Yet still not broken."

Toji scowled. "But what do you have to do with him? He's just—"

Okabaru held up a finger, and Toji stopped talking at once.

"No one is just anything," Okabaru replied. "You know what I see when I look at him?"

Toji shook his head.

"A spark," Okabaru said. "The kind that ignites a forest fire."