A Few Weeks Earlier

A new day came to rise, sunlight creeping through the wooden slats of the humble dwelling, casting long streaks of gold upon the floor. Cloud stirred, his body stiff and aching from spending the night on the hard wooden planks. He groaned as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and stretched his sore limbs. The faint scent of damp wood and fresh morning air filled his lungs as he finally pulled himself up to his feet.

Outside, Takahiro sat on the porch, his posture relaxed, eyes closed as he took in the warmth of the morning sun. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of nearby trees, carrying the chirps of birds and the distant rustling of the forest. Cloud stepped out hesitantly, his movements sluggish but deliberate.

“A beautiful day… Did you sleep well?” Takahiro asked, his voice calm, as he opened one eye to glance at Cloud.

“As best one could on the floor,” Cloud replied, rolling his shoulders to ease the stiffness.

Takahiro chuckled. “Yeah, well, there’s nothing we can do about that. There’s some bread and milk in the other room. Eat up, and we’ll train.”

Cloud eyed him with suspicion, his brows slightly furrowed. “I still don’t understand why you’re helping me. You healed me, and now you want to train me. I’m just a weak orphan you barely know.”

Takahiro’s expression turned thoughtful as he rested his arms on his knees. “I have a dream too, and I need help just as much as you do. I’m not offering you free help—you’re going to help me too. But first, you need to get stronger. Trust me, you’ll be going through hell soon enough just to become a Lucent.”

Cloud nodded slightly, his gaze dropping for a moment. He had heard about the power rankings before—how Lucents made up most of the guards and soldiers, while Ascendants, the stage above, were those of noble blood, their power leagues above the common warriors. But noble blood wasn’t a necessary condition to become an Ascendant, but it did mean the chances were much better compared to any random Auranthian.

“I know. The caretakers talked about it all the time… that, and the Yokai Realm,” he murmured.

A sudden gust of wind passed through, rustling Takahiro’s hat as he reached up to hold it in place. “The Yokai Realm is a dangerous place,” he said, his tone firm. “But it’s going to be pivotal for your strength. I’m guessing you already know that you’ll have to visit there and defeat a yokai to complete your awakening and become a Lucent.”

Cloud exhaled slowly. “I know. So how are you going to train me before I go there?”

Takahiro sighed, waving a hand dismissively. “Just go inside and eat first. You’ll need your strength.”

Cloud simply nodded and turned back inside.

**

Present Time

“Right, a visitor like us… I remember Sensei Takahiro saying something about that… he said that I’d have to ‘visit’ the Yokai Realm to become stronger…”

Kai slid his body down and lied on his back. “Well, that’s how most people refer to it.. Visiting.. and us… the visitors. I’m going to sleep for a while now, I suggest you do the same.”

Cloud rolled in place and faced Kai, shaking slightly as a small breeze passed by. “What if phantoms come by?”

“Don’t worry. I can sense them if they are nearby, even if I’m asleep.”

“Really?”

Cloud couldn’t believe it… Sensing phantoms awake was nothing out of the ordinary for people like Kai but to do it asleep was a feat Cloud had never thought possible.

Kai huffed slightly as he got comfortable on the ground. “Yes, so don’t worry. I’ll wake up before anything can even happen.”

**

A Few Weeks Earlier

Cloud sat on the floor eating the simple meal of bread and milk, Takahiro moved around the room, eventually setting a neatly folded robe beside him. It was dark blue, clean, and well-maintained.

“Change into that once you’re done and meet me outside,” Takahiro instructed before stepping out.

A few minutes later, Cloud emerged from the house wearing the fitted dark-blue robe. It was lightweight yet sturdy, paired with straw sandals and white split-toe socks—attire typical of Auranthian men, with the only distinction being the color variations across different regions. He adjusted the fabric slightly, unused to wearing something so formal.

“Hmm, it looks good on you,” Takahiro remarked, nodding approvingly.

Cloud scoffed, stepping off the porch and onto the firm earth. “I suppose. But let’s get to the point—the training.”

Takahiro sighed, tapping his lips with his fingers as he began pacing. His brow furrowed in thought, and Cloud, noticing his hesitation, raised an eyebrow.

“You have thought about how you’re going to train me… haven’t you?” Cloud asked, a bit wary.

Takahiro stopped pacing and looked him dead in the eye, his expression serious. “Of course. But you’re a special case. The more I think about it, the more I realize we can’t train normally. Most people can build up their physical strength before entering the Yokai Realm, but foxfire plays a big part in overall power—and you have almost none.”

Cloud’s jaw clenched, his fists tightening instinctively. “So what are you saying? That this was all just false hope?”

The air grew tense. For the first time in a long time, Cloud had felt a glimmer of hope. Now, it threatened to slip through his fingers before it even began.

‘I knew it, hope wasn’t made for people like me, it’s just a lie.’

“Not necessarily,” Takahiro replied calmly, turning away as he resumed pacing. “To leave the Yokai Realm, you need to exorcise a yokai. But with your current strength, you can’t do that alone.”

Cloud let out a slow breath, his fingers loosening as he clung to that small flicker of possibility. “Alone? So, you’re coming with me?”

A soft chuckle escaped Takahiro.

Cloud blinked, confused at first, but realization struck him seconds later. “Oh. Right.”

The Yokai Realm was a vast, ever-shifting plane. The only way to enter was through a menrie—an oni mask that linked one’s soul to the realm. Once worn, the mask would transport the wearer to a random location in the Yokai realm, making it almost impossible for two people to arrive at the same place.

Cloud sighed, shaking his head at his own momentary lapse in thought. “How am I supposed to defeat a yokai if we can’t go together?”

He frowned, his frustration evident. Takahiro could see it—the desperation in his eyes, the desire to break free from weakness, to become something more.

Takahiro scratched the back of his neck, still deep in thought. “Well… I was thinking you could end a battle without having to start it.”

Cloud narrowed his eyes. “End a battle without starting it? What do you mean?”

Silence. Takahiro didn’t respond immediately, his mind working through strategies.

Then, a small grin tugged at his lips, and he snapped out of his musings. “I’ll tell you that later. Anyway, for now, let’s start your training. I want you to run down the mountain and climb back up again.”

Cloud’s eyes widened in alarm. His heart began to race at the mere thought of it. “I… I can’t do that.”

His voice wavered slightly, disappointment sinking in. He cast his gaze downward, ashamed of his own limits. He was hit with flashbacks from his past, of how he would run around for a few minutes and collapse not long after.

“Yes, you can,” Takahiro said firmly. “Stamina is something you can’t afford to be weak in. Trust me, in the Yokai Realm, you’ll be running for your life more often than you’ll be fighting. This mountain is the perfect training ground—the higher you climb, the thinner the air gets. It’ll strengthen your lungs and body. Now, go. Be back by sunset.”

He turned and walked up the stairs, sliding open the wooden door. Just before stepping inside, he added, “You’ll have to hunt down your own dinner too. There are rabbits around here. It’ll be good agility training.”

With that, the door shut behind him.

‘I can’t limit myself by expecting to fail, that’s how weak people think, and I don’t want to be like that anymore.’

Cloud exhaled sharply, turning towards the steep path ahead. Doubt flickered in his mind, but so did determination. He clenched his fists, then took off running, his expression a mix of fear and resolve.