RYUSATSUGA

Darkness.

Pain.

The scent of damp earth and blood hung in the air.

Kaien opened his eyes with difficulty. His vision was blurry. Light flickered through thick leaves, and the buzzing of insects drilled into his ears. The first thing he saw was... a horned figure.

—A-am I dead...? —he murmured.

The figure blinked.

—What?

—Are you a demon?! Am I in hell?!

The boy pushed him with his forehead.

—I'm a kid, idiot!

Kaien sat up with a groan. The boy had coal-black hair, small horns on his forehead, pointed ears, and amber eyes that shone like a wolf's.

—Who... are you?

—My name is Shiro. And if it weren't for me, you'd already be decorating the ground. I dragged you out of the forest. You, the girl, the cat... and those things that seemed like they wanted to kill me when I got close.

Kaien turned with difficulty. Akari and Kumo were nearby, bandaged. She was sleeping deeply, covered in herbal ointments. Kumo, lying beside her, had a bandage on his back. Even unconscious, a small flame escaped his snout with every snore.

—I used medicinal plants I found. They taught me how to use them... I think.

—You think?

—Yeah. Sometimes I know things without knowing how. Like smelling blood from miles away. Or knowing when it's going to rain. My body knows. I don't.

Kaien swallowed hard.

—What... are you?

Shiro looked at him calmly.

—I'm human. Strange question.

Kaien opened his mouth... then decided not to argue.

Hours later, they were all standing, though moving with difficulty.

—Thanks for saving us, Shiro —said Akari weakly—. If it weren't for you...

—Pff, you were all smashed. Like a deer hit by a dragon. But you still smelled alive, so I brought you here.

—Where are we? —asked Kaien.

—An abandoned village near the Whispering Valley. No one lives here since the monsters began to appear. But I know the corners. And where there was life... good things still grow.

Akari closed her eyes, breathing deeply. The wind carried distant ash, a sad fragrance.

—We can't waste more time —she said firmly—. We have to find the Crimson Blueflower.

—The what? —asked Shiro, tilting his head.

—A flower that only grows where someone died from a curse —explained Kaien—. It's one of the ingredients for a special potion. It can cure Akari's mother's curse... and help me recover my memories.

Shiro was silent for a moment, as he also didn't remember parts of his past. Then, he sniffed the air like a hound.

—Hmm... smells like recent death and rich soil. The flower you're looking for must be close. Follow me.

He started to walk, then suddenly stopped.

Right in front of him, a goat stared at him intently.

—You again, damn it? —he growled.

—You know it? —asked Kaien.

Shiro lowered his head. The goat did the same.

—We met a week ago. She stole a fruit from me and then ate it right in front of me. I don't forget. I don't forgive.

Without warning, they began butting each other violently with their heads.

Akari held her side to keep from laughing.

—Is this our guide?

—Yeah... and apparently he has personal enemies among animals too.

They walked for hours through brush and cracks. Shiro moved with precise steps, sniffing as if he could read the wind.

—Your senses... —commented Akari, surprised by his ability to avoid natural traps and detect hidden predators.

—Don't ask me how. I just... feel it. Like heat before fire. Like knowing someone's watching you from afar.

They arrived at a cave with walls covered in glowing mushrooms and golden crystals. In the center, like a flower born from the abyss, stood a plant with red petals.

—Crimson Blueflower —whispered Akari—. It's... beautiful.

—Don't let your guard down —added Kaien—. If it only grows where the curse has marked, something else is surely guarding it.

He was right.

Giant beetles began to emerge from the ground, but not ordinary insects: their shells shone with an almost metallic light, as if covered in dark, sharp crystals. Their legs looked like blades.

As they advanced, they left behind a trail of black dust that seemed to absorb light, darkening the cave.

—Time to fight! —shouted Kaien, drawing his katana.

Akari slowed down the insects with containment spells: [Minor Seal] (Fuin Komon), while Kaien finished them off with precise strikes. Shiro, agile and fierce, moved like a living shadow. His slashes were so fast the insects couldn't defend themselves. He fought like a wild wolf, without patterns... without fear.

—We have to finish quickly, or this curse will consume us all —panted Kaien.

[Ascending Fang] – (Kiba Noboru)

One beetle got close to Akari, but Kumo, still bandaged, spat a burst of fire from the ground, disintegrating the enemy.

—They're trapped souls! We have to free them! —shouted Akari.

[Minor Seal] (Fuin Komon)

Kumo, still wounded, stood up. He spat sacred fire —whiter than red— that lit the cave. Several beetles retreated, screeching, their faces melting into steaming tears.

Finally, after an intense fight, the last creature fell. Heavy silence settled. The cave no longer seemed a trap... but a mausoleum.

Akari fell to her knees before the Crimson Blueflower. Its petals glowed with a sad light.

—Thank you —she whispered, not knowing to whom.

Kaien wiped his sword, exhausted. Shiro collapsed onto a stone.

—I never want to see an insect again in my life —he grumbled.

—I love this cat —said Shiro, covered in mud.

Finally, the Crimson Blueflower was gathered. Silence returned.

That night, they rested on a hill. Kumo slept curled up by the fire, still with his bandage on his back. Akari held the flower with both hands.

—It's just the first one —she murmured—. And we almost died. Again.

—We have to save your mother, right? —asked Kaien.

Akari nodded.

—And you too. To recover your memories... we'll need the other two ingredients. Not to mention we have to worry about Zanku now.

Kaien smiled, even though his body ached.

—At least now we have our guide, even if he fights with goats...

—I heard that! —shouted Shiro from a tree—. And I'm smarter than you, amnesiac swordsman!

Kaien laughed.

From the shadows, a tall figure watched them.

Dark bandages, torn robe.

Zanku.

In front of him, visible only to cursed eyes, a figure wrapped in electric smoke.

Raiko.

Zanku knelt.

—They're not ready yet... but they're changing. If they keep this up... they might become a real obstacle.

Raiko said nothing.

But the wind seemed to answer for him.

The world held its breath.

The real test had only just begun.

| Author's Note |

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