Kaito was alone; he hauled himself up with effort and sat on the edge of the bed.

His body still felt numb, and the arm that had been bandaged when he passed out was tingling.

His head throbbed painfully, but he managed to stand.

—My whole body hurts…—

He moved slowly through the room, feet unsure. He reached for the door and opened it cautiously.

—He’s not here…— he noticed, searching for Hauromi with his eyes. The corridor was dark.

He descended the stairs, keeping a hand on the banister, and entered the lounge. The room lay in half-light: the curtains were drawn and the only illumination came from a dim lamp on the table. There, with an open bottle of whisky in front of him, sat Mr. Hauromi. The glass, already filled, trembled between his fingers.

Kaito approached.

«Don’t you think drinking that whole bottle by yourself will do you harm?»

The bartender didn’t turn.

«Maybe… but I need it right now,» he murmured.

Silence fell between them. After a moment, Hauromi sighed and spoke again.

«Listen, kid, want some advice from an old man? Leave this place and forget everything that happened.»

The boy didn’t answer at once. He sat down at the table, directly across from him.

«Where are my blades?» he asked, his tone serious.

Hauromi glanced at him briefly, took a swallow, and answered in a weary voice, «Your blades? I don’t know… maybe they’re still near the warehouse. Why?» His gaze was fixed on the bottom of the glass.

Kaito rose slowly.

«I’ll be out a moment.»

The bartender looked at him incredulously.

«Have you gone mad? You can barely stand! You can find blades anywhere.»

Kaito stood in the tavern doorway and, without turning fully, tilted his head slightly.

«Those blades… they’re the only tie I have to my past. They’re irreplaceable.»

He added nothing more. He opened the door and stepped outside.

Hauromi remained motionless, eyes lost in the void. Then he sighed and poured himself another glass of whisky.

«Kid… can someone tell me what happened to you?» he asked, his voice laden with concern.

Kaito retraced the path he and Yume had taken to the ruined warehouse. The pain in his whole body showed no sign of easing, but he didn’t care.

Arriving at the site, he paused for a moment, letting his mind replay the fight with Shirogane. His eyes fell on the large chasm that had opened in the ground the moment they collided.

He moved closer.

His blades lay inside.

With trembling hands he knelt and gathered them. The metal reflected his face.

«There they are… I’m glad,» he breathed, relieved.

At that moment, a memory surfaced in his mind.

He saw a young man, no more than twenty, with long gray hair, wearing a kimono and deep red eyes.

«Kaito, stop. Don’t you understand you can’t act like that?» the young man said.

Coming back to himself, Kaito smiled at the fragment of his past.

—What would you do… right now?— he thought.

His expression turned melancholic. Another image formed in his mind: Yume.

He tightened his grip on the blade in his hand, then turned and walked back toward the tavern.

Hauromi was still sitting at the table. The bottle was almost empty. He clutched the glass, his stare fixed on nothing.

«Yume… there’s nothing I can do for her…!» he exploded. «Damn it, damn it, damn it!»

With an abrupt motion he hurled the glass at the counter. The glass shattered into a thousand fragments, scattering across the floor. The bartender breathed heavily, fists clenched. Memories of the days he’d spent with the girl he had come to think of as a daughter flooded his mind.

«Old man.»

Hauromi spun around and saw Kaito in the doorway.

The boy watched him.

«Kaito…» he murmured.

The young man stepped forward, walking with determined strides.

«He told me to forget everything and leave, right?» Kaito said, his voice steady.

The bartender fell silent.

«But I won’t.»

Kaito turned his back.

«Before Shirogane left, he said they’d be heading to Shinkase in two days.»

Hauromi’s eyes widened.

«The fastest way to get to Shinkase is by train,» Kaito continued.

The bartender understood immediately what he was implying.

«You want to go and get Yume back? Have you lost your mind? Look at yourself! How do you expect to manage in this condition?»

He jumped to his feet; the chair slammed to the floor.

«Don’t worry. I’ve already fought him—I know what to expect. And if I can find Yume on the train and she heals me… I could fight at full strength again.»

Hauromi bowed his head. Tears slid silently down his face; when he spoke, his voice was broken, almost unrecognizable.

He tried to hold back the plea he was about to make, but he couldn’t.

«Kaito… I know it’s selfish of me to ask this…» he hesitated, clenching his fists. «But please… save Yume!»

Kaito didn’t reply. He didn’t need to.

The battle wasn’t over.

---

Two days later

In an old, rundown house on the outskirts, its windows broken, walls pockmarked and covered in mold, Shirogane prepared to leave.

«Yume, wake up.»

The boy sat in a worn armchair, the padding exposed. In front of him was a small table and a fireplace that no longer worked. To his right, Yume lay on a lumpy sofa.

The girl woke instantly at his voice.

«Is it time already?» she asked slowly, rising.

«The train arrives in thirty minutes, so don’t waste time,» he said and stood up quickly.

Yume got up as well.

They kept silence for the whole trip to the station.

«We’re here…» he said, looking at the platform.

«It feels redundant to say this, but I won’t let you run away again,» he added coldly.

The girl watched him.

«I know,» she replied, as if she were used to it.

Soon after, they took their seats on the vehicle.

The train was an old model, divided into several similar compartments.

Their compartment had pairs of bench seats facing each other. Between each pair was a small table; the floor was wooden and a sweet scent lingered in the air.

«Let’s sit here,» the boy ordered. Yume sat opposite him.

«Shirogane… what do you want to do in Shinkase?» she asked, reluctant.

«Didn't you get it? Tsk… Shinkase is a very advanced city, but it also has a dark side…» He looked out the window.

«What do you mean?»

The boy smiled with satisfaction.

«You’ll find out.»

The train left shortly after.

The first few minutes of the journey passed without incident, until the alarm began to blare.

«What’s happening!?» some passengers cried.

Shirogane looked out the window. Yume did the same.

The boy’s eyes widened.

«I don’t believe it…» he gritted his teeth.

On the tracks stood a figure holding two blades.

Kaito had arrived.