The night stretched quietly around Hijiri. For a long hour nothing really stirs just the cold night breeze and the gentle howl of wolves…
Slowly the atmosphere began cooling unnaturally, the gentle moonlit surrounding began filling with thick white fog. Hijiri clicked his tongue in quite annoyance "Tch, Perfect. Just when things were finally starting to clear up, the fog decided to make itself useful." the words hung in the air, there was no one to entertain the humour right now or there was but not clear.
"A spy huh? Hadn't had those in a while" a deep almost amused voice echoed from the fog. "Didn't knew the Hoshika's had those too?" the voice said again. Hijiri stood up slowly and calmly gently pushing his spectacle in front of his eyes. Behind those lenses, his eyes carefully scanned the shifting veil of white surrounding him.
"So," Hijiri finally said. His voice was calm, almost unnervingly so. "You knew I was here."
The forest fell silent.
Even the wolves had stopped howling. Hijiri's fingers slowly curled at his side. "Then you must also know something else." A faint pressure began gathering around him. The air itself seemed to grow heavier. "I didn't come all this way merely to have a conversation with the fog."
His gaze hardened. "So, stop hiding." For several long moments, there was nothing but silence. Then Hijiri spoke again, his voice quieter this time.
And far more dangerous. "Show yourself."
for a long moment nothing happened just the gentle sound of wind then someone emerged from the fog dressed in black completely like the night sky, their gaze travelled lazily over Hijiri's white robes before settling upon his face. A brief silence followed. Then the stranger sighed.
"So, you're the Hoshika spy."
Their voice carried no surprise. No alarm. If anything, they sounded mildly disappointed. "I must admit," they continued, glancing at Hijiri's immaculate white clothing, "I expected someone a little less… noticeable." Their eyes drifted toward the vast contrast between them.
The stranger, swallowed by black. Hijiri, almost glowing against the darkness in white. "We look rather ridiculous standing together, don't we?" They tilted their head slightly. "One of us looks like the night itself."
Their gaze returned to Hijiri. "And the other looks as though the moon misplaced its priest." A faint smile touched their lips. "Tell me, was blending into the shadows never part of your training?"
Hijiri's expression did not change. He simply regarded the stranger through the faint reflection of moonlight upon his spectacles. "I'm not here to blend into the shadows." His voice was quiet, but firm. "I'm here to find someone." His gaze shifted briefly over the stranger's black attire before returning to their eyes. "And if wearing white makes me easier to see…"
A faint pause.
"Then perhaps you should ask yourself why you were kind enough to step out of the shadows and make yourself visible." The amusement in the stranger's expression faded slightly. Hijiri straightened. "I didn't come here to exchange jokes about clothing." His eyes narrowed. "I followed a trail of magic that led me here." A beat of silence passed.
"So, I'll ask you once." His voice dropped, calm and unmistakably serious. "Who are you?"
The stranger stared at him for a moment. Then their lips curved into an unbearably amused smile.
"Who am I?" They looked genuinely thoughtful. "That is a rather serious question for someone dressed like a walking ray of moonlight." Hijiri's eyebrow twitched. The stranger continued before he could respond. "But I suppose introductions are important." They gave a small, exaggerated bow. "You may call me someone who prefers the dark side."
A pause.
"Quite literally." Hijiri stared at them. The stranger glanced down at their black robes. "Though between the two of us, I think it's obvious which one of us has better taste."
Hijiri's expression remained perfectly blank. "Are you finished?"
"Not remotely." The stranger's smile widened. "You followed a mysterious magical trail through the forest, found yourself surrounded by unnatural fog, discovered a suspiciously well-dressed stranger, and your first question is who are you?"
They shook their head. "No curiosity about why the fog is here? No concern that you may have walked into a trap?"
A beat.
"No appreciation for the dramatic entrance?"
Hijiri slowly inhaled. The stranger pointed toward him. "Besides, you really should reconsider the white." His voice grew even more amusing
"Why?" Hijiri ask suspiciously
"It's terribly inconvenient." The stranger answered instantly with a smile hidden behind his mask
"For what?" Hijiri asked again with growing suspicion
"Spying." They gestured casually toward the surrounding darkness. "You're practically glowing." Hijiri's eye twitched again.
The stranger chuckled. "Don't look so cloudy, Hoshika. I'm only trying to lighten the atmosphere."
Silence.
Hijiri stared at them.
The stranger looked around at the thick fog. "Although, technically, the atmosphere is already quite light."
Hijiri closed his eyes for a moment.
The stranger continued. "You know, I was beginning to wonder whether the Hoshika trained their spies to be intimidating."
"They do." Hijri answered with quite annoyance
"Ah." The stranger nodded thoughtfully. "Then perhaps you received the wrong training manual."
Hijiri's patience was visibly beginning to fray. "Who are you?"
"Still on that question?" the stranger smirked
"Yes." Hijiri replied coldly
"How persistent." The stranger smiled. "I'm starting to think you're fog-etful."
Hijiri's face went completely still.
The stranger waited…. Nothing. "...Nothing?" Still nothing. "Not even a little smile?"
"No." Hijri's voice was most unamused
"Pity." The stranger sighed dramatically. "I'll have to work harder."
Hijiri looked toward the sky as though silently asking the heavens for patience.
The stranger leaned slightly closer. "Besides, you haven't answered the important question."
Hijiri frowned. "What question?"
The stranger's gaze travelled deliberately from Hijiri's white robes to their own black ones.
"If you're the light…" A mischievous glint appeared in their eyes. "…does that make me your dark counterpart?" Hijiri stared at them… for several seconds, he said nothing. The fog drifted silently between them. Then Hijiri slowly removed his spectacles. He folded them with deliberate care and slipped them into the inner fold of his robes.
The stranger's smile faltered. "...Why did you take those off?"
Hijiri looked up… There was no irritation left on his face… No amusement... No patience... Nothing.
"I have spent nearly two weeks following traces of your people.", His voice was unnervingly calm. "I have walked through forests at night, followed magical trails, questioned villagers, searched abandoned paths, and spent more hours staring into darkness than I care to remember."
He took one slow step forward. "And after finally finding one of the persons responsible…"
Another step. "…I discover that apparently the greatest obstacle between me and the truth is not your magic."
His eyes narrowed. "It's your mouth."
The stranger blinked.
Hijiri's expression remained perfectly straight. "So, I'm going to ask you one final time."
The air around him seemed to tighten. "Who. Are. You?"
Silence.
For the first time since emerging from the fog, the stranger said nothing.
Then—a quiet laugh escaped them. Not mocking this time… Genuinely amused.
"All right."
They raised both hands in surrender. "You win, Hoshika." The stranger straightened, their expression becoming slightly more serious. "My name is Kageyama."
A pause. "And before you ask, no, I am not a Crimson Vow." Hijiri's eyes sharpened. "But," Kageyama continued, "I know where you can find them." The fog stirred around their feet.
Hijiri's entire demeanour changed. "Where?" Kageyama smiled faintly.
"Now that's a question worth answering." They turned toward the mountains. "Because you've been looking for the Crimson Vows in all the wrong places." Hijiri followed their gaze.
"Then where are they?" Kageyama glanced back over their shoulder. "Underneath the place you thought you were searching." Hijiri's brow furrowed. "What does that mean?"
Kageyama's smile returned. "Oh, don't worry." They stepped deeper into the fog. "I'll explain." A beat. "But this time…"
Their voice drifted back through the mist. "…try not to wear such a serious face." Hijiri closed his eyes. For perhaps the first time in his life, he genuinely considered throwing someone into a mountain.
For almost a long while Hijri followed Kageyama through the thick fog but no conclusion came of it, as though Hijiri was moving in complete circle. Finally Hijiri spoke again "…you've spent the last several minutes telling me absolutely nothing."
Kageyama placed a hand over his chest. "That's not true."
Hijiri's brow twitched. "I've told you my name."
"You told me your name after making twenty unnecessary remarks about my clothing." The words were almost like a accusation
"Twenty?" Kageyama looked genuinely impressed. "You were counting?"
Hijiri inhaled slowly. "Kageyama."
"Yes?" Kageyama turned with almost an innocent smile.
"Tell me where they are." Hijiri's voice was less patient this time
Kageyama smiled. "Of course."
Hijiri waited.
Kageyama pointed toward the mountains. "They're there."
Hijiri's eyes followed his finger. "Where?"
"In the mountains." Kageyama said drawing his Hand down again. "Somewhere within it."
Hijiri stared at him.
Kageyama smiled innocently. "You, see? We're making progress." A pause "Some progress."
"Kageyama… Stop." Hijiri claimed suddenly halting in his steps
Kageyama chuckled. "All right, all right. I'll give you something useful."
Hijiri waited.
Kageyama leaned slightly closer. "The Crimson Vows are closer than you think."
Hijiri's expression sharpened. "Where?"
Kageyama tapped his own chest. "Here."
Hijiri's eyes narrowed. "Your heart?"
"My heart." Kageyama beamed
Hijiri paused.
Kageyama grinned. "See? That was almost an answer."
Hijiri's stare became colder.
Kageyama finally laughed. "Fine. I'll be honest."
He turned away and began walking slowly through the fog.
"They are beneath you." Hijiri immediately looked toward the ground. "Beneath me?"
"Yes." Kageyama became more amused
"An underground settlement?... A cave?... A hidden passage?" Hijiri asked more carefully
"Perhaps." Kageyama replied more casually like he always does
Hijiri looked back at him. "You're doing it again… Giving me possibilities instead of answers."
Kageyama stopped. For a moment, he said nothing. Then he glanced over his shoulder. "Perhaps you're finally catching on."
Hijiri went still. The words settled into his mind. "You're finally catching on." His eyes slowly narrowed. The strange fog… The magical trail… Kageyama's sudden appearance… The endless jokes… Every question Hijiri had asked had been met with another question, another joke, another deliberately vague statement… And yet Kageyama had never once lied. He had simply never answered.
Hijiri's expression changed. "You…"
Kageyama's smile widened.
"You haven't been trying to tell me where the Crimson Vows are." Hijiri's voice sharpened
"No." Kageyama seemed more interested now
"You've been trying to make me reveal what I already know." Hijiri's words came out in caution
Kageyama gave a small nod. "Much better."
Hijiri's gaze hardened. "The questions about whether I was alone…"
"Yes." A cold amused reply from Kageyama
"Whether the Hoshika knew I was here…" Hijiri said again
"Yes." Kageyama replied instantly
"How long I'd been following the trail…" Hijiri Almost said this to himself
"Yes." Kageyama once again with cold amusement turning fully toward him.
"And whether I believed the magic belonged to the Crimson Vows." Hijiri's jaw tightened. "You were testing me."
"Precisely." The amusement in Kageyama's eyes remained, but something sharper now lay beneath it.
"You came here hunting for us." He gestured casually toward Hijiri. "But you walked into the fog without knowing whether you were the hunter…" A pause. "…or the one being hunted."
Hijiri said nothing. For the first time that night, he understood why the magical trail had been so easy to follow. It had not been a trail leading him toward the Crimson Vows. It had been a trail leading him somewhere.
Kageyama watched the realization settle across his face. Then he smiled. "Welcome to the fog, Hoshika."
Hijiri slowly reached for his spectacles again. His patience was gone. But so was his uncertainty. Now he knew one thing for certain. Kageyama had wanted him here.
The Battle Beyond the Veil
Kageyama's smile lingered for one final moment.
Then—
he vanished… Neither with a flash nor with a sound. One heartbeat, he stood before Hijiri. The next, there was nothing.
Only fog.
Hijiri's eyes narrowed. "...So that's how you want to play it." He reached beneath his robes and retrieved his spectacles, settling them calmly against the bridge of his nose.
The fog thickened… Something moved.
Hijiri turned smoothly against the forest floor but there was nothing.
Another movement came from behind, he spun around… Again, nothing. His expression hardened. "Kageyama!!"
His voice carried through the forest but he found no answer… Hijiri slowly raised one hand, a faint glow gathered around his fingers… The air trembled… A pulse of Hoshika magic erupted from his palm, tearing through the surrounding fog, the white veil scattered violently between the trees.
For an instant, the forest became visible and empty… Hijiri's eyes sharpened.
Then—
CRACK!
A force struck him from the side… Hijiri barely raised his arm in time. The impact sent him skidding across the damp earth, his sandals carving a shallow trail through the moss.
He steadied himself… A figure emerged from the fog… Kageyama… Hijiri immediately countered.
A concentrated wave of magic surged from his hand… Kageyama twisted aside… The blast tore through a tree behind him, splintering its trunk.
"Still standing?" Kageyama remarked.
Hijiri disappeared this time, Kageyama's smile vanished… A blur of white crossed the fog… Hijiri appeared directly in front of him… His fist came forward.
Kageyama blocked, the impact echoed through the forest.
Then another strike and another. The battle rapidly abandoned the distance between them. Magic became movement and movement became steel.
Kageyama ducked beneath Hijiri's strike and swept his leg forward.
Hijiri leapt over it, twisting in midair before landing several steps away.
Neither spoke.
They simply watched one another.
Then Kageyama smiled. "Not bad, Mr holy priest. Wonder who gave you such powers"
Hijiri adjusted his spectacles. "I'm beginning to understand why you talk so much."
"Really?" Kageyama smirked
"Yes." Hijiri's gaze sharpened. "You compensate for your fighting."
Kageyama's smile widened. "Oh, that one hurt."
The ground beneath Hijiri suddenly shifted. His eyes widened. The forest disappeared. For one brief instant, he was no longer standing beneath the moon. He stood inside the Hoshika camp… His comrades surrounded him.
Their faces were familiar. Their voices were clear. "Hijiri!" He froze. One of them reached toward him. "Help us!" Hijiri's expression tightened. Something was wrong. The voice, the face was all correct. Even the surrounding camp was perfect. But the shadows were moved wrong.
Hijiri's eyes narrowed.
"An illusion."
The entire scene shattered. Glass-like fragments of light exploded around him. Hijiri covered his eyes as the passed through him. The forest returned Hijiri slowly opened his eyes, but Kageyama was gone.
Hijiri turned slowly. The fog had changed. It was no longer merely surrounding him. It was everywhere… Above him, below him, behind him. There was no longer any clear distinction between forest and illusion.
Then Kageyama's voice whispered from somewhere within the white veil. "Now…" A pause. "Let's see how well a Hoshika fights when he can't trust his own eyes."
Hijiri's hand tightened around his staff. His expression became utterly still. "If you think an illusion is enough to defeat me…" His magic began gathering around him once more. "…then you have no idea who you're dealing with."
The fog moved. A hundred shadows appeared between the trees. All of them looked like Kageyama. Hijiri stared at them. For the first time that night— he smiled. "Good." His eyes glinted behind his spectacles. "Now this feels like a proper investigation."
The hundred shadows surrounding Hijiri suddenly vanished. The fog became still. Then came a soft laugh. "You know…" Kageyama's voice drifted from somewhere behind him. "For someone who spends so much time pretending to be disciplined, you're surprisingly good at finding secluded places in the forest."
Hijiri's expression stiffened. He did not turn around.
Kageyama continued. "Though I suppose the forest has its advantages." A pause. "Plenty of privacy."
Hijiri's fingers tightened around his weapon. "Kageyama." Hijiri's voice went deep
"Hmm?" Kageyama seemed amused
"Don't." Hijiri's voice stayed deeper as usual
"Don't what?" the amusement rose Kageyama had clearly hit a nail, though his voice sounded almost innocent.
"Mention things you know nothing about." Hijri was barely raising his voice
"Oh, I know enough." Kageyama stayed obliviously innocent. The fog curled around Hijiri's feet. "I know there are certain nights when your patrols lasted considerably longer than usual." Hijiri went silent. "And certain nights," Kageyama added, "when you returned looking rather less interested in conversation."
Hijiri's ears warmed slightly. He stared straight ahead. "I was investigating."
"Of course." Kageyama's amusement was unmistakable. "Very thorough investigation."
Hijiri closed his eyes. "I'm not discussing this."
"Who said anything about discussing it?" Kageyama moved. The fog suddenly shimmered. A figure emerged from it.
Hijiri turned. And stopped. The figure standing before him was no longer Kageyama. The illusion had transformed him into an enchanting woman, dressed in flowing dark garments that seemed to blend seamlessly with the fog. Her expression carried the same unmistakable amusement as Kageyama's.
She slowly tilted her head. "Well?" Hijiri stared a silence followed… The woman smiled. "Nothing?"
Hijiri looked away. "No."
"Not even a little?" The woman's smirk deepened
"No." Hijiri answered almost without a hitch
"How disappointing." She stepped closer. "Perhaps I'm not your type?"
Hijiri adjusted his spectacles. "You are an illusion."
"Technically." The woman nodded almost casually
"And you're still Kageyama." Hijiri said with almost calm tone now
"Also, technically." The woman smiled with surprised sweetness
Hijiri sighed. "Then this conversation is pointless."
The woman placed a hand thoughtfully against her chin. "Interesting…"
"What?" Hijiri tilted his head
"You didn't deny finding me attractive." The woman said with surprised amusement.
Hijiri's head turned sharply. "I for once didn't say that."
"You didn't say you didn't." The woman smiled turned playful.
"I di… didn't say anything." Hijiri's voice shuttered.
"Exactly." The woman's smile grew
Hijiri's eye twitched. The woman laughed softly. "You're awfully quiet all of a sudden."
"I am choosing not to encourage you." Hijiri said trying to gain back his composure
"Wise." She leaned slightly closer. "Though you seem rather uncomfortable."
Hijiri stepped backward. "I am not uncomfortable."
"Then look at me." The woman covered her smile with her hands
He didn't. The woman's smile widened. "Ah."
Hijiri's expression darkened. "Stop."
"Stop what?" The woman's smile flattered a bit
"Whatever game you're playing." Hijri's words grew deep again.
The illusion flickered. For the briefest moment, the enchanting woman disappeared, and Kageyama's actual silhouette appeared behind her. His voice came from both figures at once. "I'm simply curious, Hoshika." The woman smiled. "Does the great, disciplined Hijiri prefer the light…" The illusion shifted. Her black robes became pale. "…or the dark?"
Hijiri stared at her. Then slowly raised his weapon. "I'm finished entertaining this."
The illusion smiled. "There he is."
Hijiri's magic surged around him. The fog exploded outward. The enchanting figure dissolved into fragments of pale light. And from somewhere behind him came Kageyama's laughter. "Finally."
Hijiri spun around. His expression had returned to its usual cold composure. "Enough games."
Kageyama emerged from the fog once more, his grin intact. "Agreed."
Hijiri lowered his stance.
The air around him trembled with magic. "This time…" His eyes locked onto Kageyama. "…fight."
Kageyama's smile sharpened. "With pleasure."
The moment the illusion vanished, the forest erupted into violence. Kageyama's form returned to its true shape, the familiar black-clad figure emerging from the dissipating fragments of magic.
Hijiri attacked first. A brilliant surge of Hoshika magic tore through the fog. Kageyama twisted aside, but not quickly enough. The blast grazed his shoulder, ripping through the fabric and leaving a glowing wound beneath it. "Tch." He glanced at the blood staining his fingers. "That actually hurt."
Hijiri gave him no time to recover. He was already there. wood met steel. The clash rang through the forest.
Kageyama blocked one strike, then another, before countering with a burst of dark magic. Hijiri was thrown backward.
His body struck a tree with enough force to shake loose a shower of leaves. For a moment, he remained motionless. Then he pushed himself upright.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Kageyama stared. "Still?"
Hijiri wiped the blood away with his thumb. "Still."
He vanished. Kageyama barely sensed him. A strike caught him across the ribs. He staggered sideways. Another followed. Then another. The battle became a blur of movement.
Magic ripped through trees. Branches shattered. The earth cracked beneath their feet. The fog itself seemed to recoil from the force of their attacks. Kageyama managed to land a powerful blow against Hijiri's side.
Hijiri stumbled. Kageyama followed with another attack. Hijiri raised his arm. The impact sent both of them several steps apart. They stood facing one another. Both were breathing heavily now. Both were bleeding. Neither had surrendered.
Kageyama slowly raised his hand.
A mysterious energy gathered around his fingers. "Let's finish this." He released it. The energy surged forward like a living wave. Hijiri did not move. Instead, something within him changed. The air around him became unnaturally still. The Hoshika aura Kageyama had seen before suddenly seemed to deepen. Darkness appeared beneath the light. Not ordinary darkness. Something older. Something Kageyama could not name. The approaching attack slowed. Then— it dissolved.
Kageyama's eyes widened. "What...?"
Hijiri's magic continued to gather. For the first time that night, Kageyama stopped smiling. He could feel it now. The power surrounding Hijiri wasn't merely Hoshika magic. There was something else woven through it. Something buried beneath the surface. Something that did not feel entirely divine. Nor entirely mortal. He had only once ever learned about corrupted gods in legends and this felt closely same.
Kageyama took an instinctive step backward. "That's not Hoshika magic."
Hijiri said nothing.
Kageyama stared at him. "What are you?"
Hijiri's eyes remained fixed upon him. "I don't know what you're talking about."
That answer unsettled Kageyama even more. Because Hijiri wasn't lying. He genuinely didn't know.
Kageyama's instincts screamed at him. (I can't beat him.) Not here. Not alone. Whatever slept within Hijiri's power was beyond anything Kageyama had prepared for.
His hand slowly moved behind him. Hijiri noticed. Kageyama formed a tiny sphere of dark energy between his fingers. A magical signal… A warning. He flicked it toward the sky. The sphere shot upward.
Hijiri's eyes immediately followed it. "So that's what you were doing." Kageyama's expression changed. Hijiri raised his hand. A thin thread of light shot upward and struck the magical signal before it could escape.
CRACK!
The warning shattered into fragments of light.
Kageyama's eyes widened. "You—"
"You weren't attacking." Hijiri lowered his hand. "You were sending a message."
Kageyama's jaw tightened.
Hijiri stepped forward. "To your clan."
Silence.
Kageyama stared at the scattered remnants of his failed signal. Then he looked back at Hijiri. "You noticed that?"
"I notice things." Hijiri's voice stayed unchanged.
Kageyama gave a quiet, humourless laugh. "Of course you do." He looked toward the dark mountains beyond the forest. His expression had finally lost its playful edge. "You really don't understand what you're carrying inside you, do you?"
Hijiri's expression hardened. "What does that mean?"
Kageyama didn't answer. Instead, he slowly tightened his grip. Whatever this Hoshika was becoming... his clan needed to know. And Kageyama had just lost his chance to warn them.
The fog thickened around them once more. But this time, neither man mistook it for an ordinary veil. Something far more dangerous had awakened beneath the surface.
And Kageyama was beginning to wonder whether Hijiri had been hunting the Crimson Vows... or whether something else had been waiting for Hijiri to find them.
The forest had fallen silent.
Not peacefully.
It was the silence that came after something had already been broken.
Kageyama stood several paces away, blood slowly running from the corner of his mouth. His black robes were torn in several places, and one hand hung slightly lower than the other.
Across from him, Hijiri remained standing. Injured, breathing heavily, but standing. Kageyama stared at him for several seconds. Then he smiled. Not his usual teasing smile. This one was smaller. Almost resigned. "That's troublesome."
Hijiri narrowed his eyes. "What is?"
Kageyama wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. "You."
Hijiri's expression did not change.
Kageyama sighed. "I've tried distracting you, confusing you, lying, even telling you the truth in ways that sounded like lies."
Hijiri took one slow step forward. "And?"
Kageyama's smile disappeared. "You still figured it out."
Hijiri's eyes sharpened. The strange power surrounding him stirred again. It was not the clean, radiant energy Kageyama had expected from a Hoshika. There was something beneath it. Something darker that seemed to move independently of Hijiri's will.
Kageyama felt it brush against his mind. His pupils contracted. (No). The sensation returned. A pressure behind his eyes. Then his thoughts began to unravel. Images, memories, names, places, faces. Kageyama's breath caught. Hijiri had entered his mind.
"You…" His voice came out quieter than intended.
Hijiri said nothing. The corrupted power spread through Kageyama's consciousness like black roots beneath frozen soil. Kageyama immediately tried to erect the mental barriers his clan had taught him.
One.
Two.
Three.
Each collapsed. He tried to bury the memories. The power found them.
He tried to distort them. It followed them.
He tried to sever the connection.
It simply reached deeper. Kageyama clenched his teeth. (The northern mountains) The thought surfaced. Hijiri saw it. (The hidden route.) Another memory. Hijiri saw that too. (The Crimson Vow's sanctuary.)
Kageyama's eyes widened. "No."
Hijiri's expression remained unreadable. Kageyama immediately attempted to force the information back down. But the corrupted power was already inside.
Searching.
Reading.
Taking.
And then Kageyama understood. Hijiri wasn't interrogating him anymore. He didn't need to. Every thought was becoming an answer. Every memory was becoming evidence. Every secret Kageyama had spent years protecting was slowly being dragged into the light.
His breathing became steadier. Strangely enough, his fear disappeared. There was nothing left to fear. Because there was only one option remaining. Kageyama lowered his head.
Hijiri watched him carefully. "What are you doing?"
Kageyama chuckled softly. "Thinking."
"About what?" Hijiri asked in sceptical
Kageyama looked up. For the first time that night, there was no humour in his eyes. "Whether you would understand what I'm about to do."
Hijiri's brow tightened. The corrupted power continued pressing into Kageyama's mind. And then Hijiri noticed something. Kageyama's magical energy had changed. It was no longer spreading outward. It was collapsing inward.
"Stop." Hijiri clenched his fist to jolt back
Kageyama smiled. "Too late."
Hijiri immediately moved. But Kageyama's clan training had already taken over. A technique forbidden except under one circumstance. When capture becomes more dangerous than death. Kageyama placed two fingers against his chest. His breathing slowed. His heartbeat became strangely calm.
The magical energy within his body compressed.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
The air around him began to distort.
Hijiri's eyes widened. "You're going to destroy yourself."
Kageyama gave him a faint smile. "Congratulations."
The pressure intensified. "I was beginning to wonder how long it would take you to notice."
"Cancel it."
"Can't."
"You can."
"No."
Kageyama's voice softened.
"Not anymore."
Hijiri stepped forward.
The corrupted power surged violently through Kageyama's mind, desperately attempting to extract whatever remained.
Kageyama felt it.
The memories being touched.
The secrets being exposed.
The faces of his clan.
The paths through the mountains.
The hidden passages.
Everything.
So he made his final choice.
His fingers pressed harder against his chest.
"There's something you should know, Hoshika."
Hijiri stopped.
Kageyama looked directly into his eyes.
"My clan taught us that some secrets are worth dying for."
A pulse of energy erupted from his body.
Hijiri's eyes widened.
"And apparently…"
Kageyama's familiar crooked smile returned.
"…I'm very well educated."
The world went white.
The explosion tore through the forest.
Trees splintered.
Stone shattered.
The ground beneath them ruptured as a violent wave of compressed magic erupted outward.
Hijiri threw up his arms.
The corrupted power surrounding him instinctively formed a barrier, but the force still drove him backward.
For several seconds, there was nothing but light.
Then silence.
The fog returned first.
Slowly.
Carefully.
It crawled across the ruined forest floor, swallowing the remnants of the battlefield.
Hijiri lowered his arm.
His robes were torn.
Blood trickled down his cheek.
His eyes searched through the smoke.
"Kageyama."
Nothing.
Only shattered trees.
Broken earth.
And drifting ash.
Hijiri stepped forward.
His expression hardened.
The mind-reading connection was gone.
Completely.
Kageyama had succeeded.
There was nothing left to read.
No memories.
No thoughts.
No secrets.
Nothing.
Hijiri stared at the place where Kageyama had stood.
For the first time that night, uncertainty entered his eyes.
Then something moved beneath the rubble.
A faint pulse.
Once.
Twice.
Hijiri turned sharply.
The corrupted power inside him reacted.
Not to the remains.
To something deeper.
Something hidden.
Something that did not belong to Kageyama's magic.
TO BE CONTINUED....