Chapter 13

Kuro—

It was a blur, like plunging my head into a fire pit. Flames were all I could see, consuming the space as if the room itself had been set ablaze.

The heat was suffocating. My throat burned with each breath of the scorching air.

"Fu...ko," I rasped, coughing uncontrollably. My lungs felt like they were on fire, struggling to keep pace with the chaos around me.

After what felt like an eternity, the blaze began to subside. The choking smoke and relentless flames dissipated, leaving behind a haunting stillness.

I opened my eyes, blinking against the stinging tears that welled up. It was painful, but I forced myself to look. Thank god I did.

"Mr. Kitty, what happened?"

Aiko's voice was shaky, barely audible over the pounding in my ears.

"DON'T LOOK, AIKO!"

I quickly covered her eyes with my paws, shielding her from the gruesome sight. Turning back, my chest tightened as I saw Fuko lying on the ground. His head slumped forward against his chest, his body reduced to a charred skeleton.

"Fuko..." My voice faltered as I noticed something else—the black substance that had once foamed along his arms was gone, completely vanished.

"Was that it? Was that the Black Sword Saint?"

The voice came from a childlike figure, hovering around Aiko and me, his movements curious and detached. Like a child examining an insect, they leaned closer, inspecting the burned remains.

"I was hoping for more," the child muttered, crossing their arms and pouting. "But I guess I got my hopes up for nothing."

"Do not... judge a book... by its cover," rasped a man standing nearby. His eyes and mouth were eerily sewn shut, his voice strained as though each word carried great weight.

The child scoffed, pointing to the remains. "What do you mean, 'don’t judge him'? There’s nothing to judge!"

"This man, known as the Black Sword Saint, beareth the flames and blade engraved with the sun and moon—relics that once belonged to the Hellfire Stain” Her tone was matter-of-fact, yet reverent.

"Correctly," the man spoke once.

The child huffed, their curiosity not yet satisfied. "I doubt the show would have bestowed such relics on someone so unworthy. Perchance he stole them? Is that not so, Iris?"

The girl, Iris, said nothing. She simply stared down at the charred remains of Fuko and smiled—a cold, unsettling smile.

"Enough of this sideshow," a voice interrupted.

It was the one who had stayed silent until now.

I looked up—straight up—and my chest tightened as I saw him still hovering above us. The next moment, the attention was on us, i could fell thousand of eyes staring down on aiko and i. It was unnatural. 

“"A new follower has fulfilled the condition. The rite of passage will now begin," he declared with a voice that carried weight, his tone as steady as stone. He floated down, his movements unnervingly graceful, until he landed lightly atop the inverted gate.

Standing there, poised as if on a dais, he resembled a judge ready to preside over a trial. The unnatural placement of the gate, its twisted orientation defying logic, only added to the sense of dread that hung in the air.

“The rite of passage?” I spat the words, my voice sharp, venomous. “What the hell are you talking about?” My glare burned into him—or at least, I assumed it did. Beneath his obscured visage, the piercing gaze of their supposed leader.

Aiko—

as if it was like a dream, as I told myself. However, each time reality would find a way to slap me awake. This wasn’t a dream. This was real. 

In such a short span, I had witnessed things I once believed existed only in stories. That man, with a single gesture, summoned flames that burned fiercely, their colors stripped straight from a rainbow. And the girl—she raised her hand in a fluid motion and commented on the flames, like ordering a nautical disaster to go somewhere else. 

In this short moment, I was stunted. No words could describe what I am witnessing right now. 

“Aiko Yamada”

My name—not just my first name but my last name, too. The way they said it sent a chill down my spine.

“Wh...who are you? How do you know me?” I stammered, my voice unsteady as I fixed my gaze on the gate—and the man standing atop it.

He raised his hand deliberately, his finger pointing straight at me with an authority that felt absolute.

My stomach dropped. 

“Aiko Yamada, you have fulfilled the condition.”

”speak only one phrase, join us”