RYUSATSUGA

—Are you ready? —Hanzo asked gravely, arms crossed with a smile in front of the wooden gate.

The dawn bathed the dojo in a soft, almost solemn light.

Kaien adjusted the sheath of Ryusatsuga on his back. Akari closed her grimorio, which floated beside her like a beating heart. Around them, children ran with nervous laughter... but not around them.

—Kumo, don't run away! —Mei shouted, holding a paper hat in her hands.

—I want Kumo to have his knight armor! —insisted Haru, wrapping a rag scarf around him.

—He looks better without anything, he seems like a spy cat! —said Riku, striking dramatic poses.

Kumo, impassive, shook himself with dignity and jumped on Kaien's shoulder, as if fully aware of his importance.

—Are we going to fight monsters and you only care about dressing the cat? —Kaien grumbled.

—Kumo is more useful than you —Mei said seriously.

Akari burst out laughing. Kaien pretended to be offended.

Hanzo cleared his throat subtly.

—The first ingredient is in the Tsunokabe caves, to the west. You shouldn't have too much trouble.

His tone was calm, but his gaze darkened for a moment.

—Although... the bearers attract things that don't belong to this world. Anyway, good luck, I trust you.

As they advanced along a trail that became more arid, Kaien broke the silence.

—Akari… Hanzo said we were looking for ingredients. But I still don't know what we're trying to cure.

She hesitated.

—My mother. —Her voice trembled slightly— She was cursed when I was a child. The grimorio's curse is… eating her from the inside.

—And the potion?

—Hanzo believes an ancient formula can stop the progress. But the ingredients aren't common. Nor safe. It might even help you remember.

—My memories?

—The same brew, with a variation. —She glanced at him— They say it can stabilize the soul's connection.

Kaien quickened his pace.

—Then we're fighting for more than just ourselves. Good.

The fog covered the forest like a gray whisper. Kumo walked alert. His eyes glowed with a barely perceptible red.

—Akari, could you tell me more about the cursed weapons?

Akari broke the silence.

—About the cursed weapons… There are three levels to use them and at each level we can use three new techniques. The first, which we've already reached, is Resonance: our soul and the curse can coexist without rejection… for now. The techniques are natural to us since we are bearers. You yourself used one to finish the Kuzuryū. The weapon and the bearer work together.

—And the second?

—Partial Mastery. Projecting the power without losing consciousness. Our abilities are enhanced to levels humans cannot reach. The weapon's traits and the curse start to show on the bearer, it requires great control and wears down the bearer's soul, it's not something a human should do.

—And the third?

Akari paused.

—Fusion. The curse and you become one. Your soul is no longer entirely yours. There is no turning back. I have never heard of anyone alive who has used it.

Kaien nodded silently.

A crackling sound.

Kumo bristled. The wind stopped moving. The forest… held its breath.

Then it appeared.

A figure emerged from the fog.

Two meters of deformed body: bone plates, burnt skin, and a mask with four glowing eyes. Its spear seemed carved from bone and rust. A rune on its shoulder. (Dispossession).

—What the hell is that...? —murmured Kaien.

—I saw it in my vision —whispered Akari, tense—. It's one of them.

The creature spoke. Its voice was a wet gravel.

—Finally alone. Without Hanzo.

My name is Zanku.

I am not man. I am not beast. I am the result… when too much breaks.

Kaien felt Ryusatsuga vibrate like a war drum.

—What do you want? —he asked.

Zanku spun his spear with almost elegant precision.

—Observe. Study. Discover if the bearers are children… or real threats.

If they are threats… they will be useful.

If not… I will kill them here and take their weapons.

—Who sent you?

—The name doesn't matter. Only the intention. Ready?

There was no time to answer.

Zanku launched himself with impossible speed. The spear struck Ryusatsuga. The clash unleashed a sonic roar that shook the trees. Kaien was thrown, hitting the trunk of a pine.

Akari recited two spells.

—Resonance, [Moon Petal] (Gekkabana) + [Minor Seal] (Fuin Komon).

A fiery circle bloomed from her grimorio and shot fire blades. Zanku deflected them by spinning his spear like a deadly fan.

—Kaien! Get up!

Kaien rose, panting. His sword was pulsing.

—Resonance… [Ascending Fang] (Kiba Noboru)

A diagonal slash broke the fog. Zanku didn't fully dodge. His armor chipped.

—Resonance… [Constricting Thorn] (Shiman-kō) —Akari shouted.

An explosion of compressed fire trapped Zanku. The monster growled, its flesh burning black.

—…Real pain… —Zanku whispered, looking at his wound.

—These weapons… don't just do physical harm, they affect the soul.

Zanku roared. His spear pierced the air and tore Kaien's abdomen. The young man fell, bleeding.

Akari screamed.

—NO!

Zanku approached. It was his time to die.

But Kumo roared.

A blaze burst from his snout. The flames were not normal. They were ancient. Zanku was covered in living fire.

—That cat…? —the enemy growled. He was a yōkai, a nekomata.

—Now! —Akari shouted.

Kaien rose furiously. Both attacked.

—[Ascending Fang] (Kiba Noboru).

—[Constricting Thorn] (Shiman-kō)

The final impact pierced him. Zanku fell to his knees.

—You are… better than I expected.

—[Echo Blade] (Kyojin), Kaien cut the air and moments later two slashes came from other directions that hit Zanku.

Raiko… will be pleased.

—Raiko? —Kaien repeated.

Zanku tore off his left arm, smoking.

—I can't heal these wounds. Not yet.

Kaien and Akari, panting, watched him.

—Why don't you finish this? —Akari asked.

Zanku looked at them with his four eyes.

—The master needs more polished versions of his weapons, when they can be used with their full potential I will return for them…

For now they are… necessary.

He left his spear stuck in the ground and walked away through the fog.

Kaien fell. Akari ran to him. Kumo dragged his burned body to her legs.

—We fought like true bearers… right? —Kaien murmured, and passed out.

Akari hugged him tightly.

—Don't leave me. Not now.

Both lost consciousness.

And high in the trees… someone watched them. Faceless. Nameless. A figure with horns.

Just… waiting.

| Author's Note |

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