Kaizen stood in the center of the ruined temple, his crimson eyes gleaming in the flickering firelight. Around him, the bodies of the Capital's hunters lay scattered—fallen by Itsuro's hand. The monk had shown strength, ferocity, a rawness Kaizen hadn't expected. He watched him, intrigued, as Itsuro breathed heavily, his body still trembling from the battle.
Itsuro was no longer the man Kaizen had found days ago, weak and desperate. Something had changed within him, something Kaizen had hoped would happen. But as he observed the monk's transformation, a deeper unease began to gnaw at the edges of his mind.
"It's working," Kaizen muttered to himself, though his words were far from comforting.
The demon's blood had taken hold—he could feel it. But as Kaizen stood there, watching Itsuro with an intensity that bordered on obsession, he felt something shift, something in the air that he couldn't quite place.
The fire flickered, casting long shadows across the room, and Kaizen's attention snapped to the darkness in the corner. For a brief moment, he thought he saw something move—something serpentine, something wrong. But when he blinked, it was gone.
Kaizen frowned, his fingers twitching at his side, where the hilt of his blade usually rested. His instincts told him to stay sharp, but his mind was clouded, distracted by the transformation of the monk. Itsuro was no longer just a tool. He was evolving into something… something far more dangerous. The demon's blood had done its work, and now Itsuro was a force that Kaizen couldn't entirely predict.
The Subtle Whisper
Itsuro moved slowly toward the fire, his hand reaching out to warm his body. He seemed unaware of the subtle changes in his own essence. The blood had taken root, but Itsuro's mind was still clouded with confusion. Every part of him ached, and he couldn't shake the sensation of something dark shifting inside him. Yet he remained silent, his expression unreadable.
Kaizen watched him intently, unsure of what was to come. He hadn't expected Itsuro to awaken so quickly, and now the monk was standing on the precipice of something far greater. It was as though Kaizen had sparked a fire, but he was unsure if it would burn out of control—or if it would forge something truly spectacular.
But the serpent had other plans.
It had been there, all along.
Whispering in the dark corners of Kaizen's mind, patiently waiting for its time to strike. When Kaizen had first encountered Itsuro, the demon had merely been a passing curiosity. He had thought of him as a pawn, a tool to be used in his own personal game. But now, something else was stirring. The serpent's power had seeped into his very being, wrapping around his soul, its tendrils slowly tightening.
The Puppet Master
Kaizen had thought he was the master of his own fate.
But now, with every passing moment, the serpent's presence grew stronger. Kaizen's actions had been guided, directed—not by his own desires—but by the will of something far older, far more dangerous than any of them could imagine.
The serpent had been patient, waiting for the right moment to take control. It had known that the shards of eternity were the key to its true rebirth, not for Sayuri, as Kaizen had believed. The woman was merely a means to an end. The true power lay within the shards themselves, and they were scattered, fragments of a forgotten world that would allow the serpent to step into the living world in its true form.
Kaizen had been playing into its hands from the beginning, oblivious to the dark truth that had always been present. His need for power had made him an easy target. His desperation to unearth the truth about Sayuri had blinded him to the serpent's true intentions. It had used his quest to gather the shards as a cover, and now, the serpent was waiting for the perfect moment to emerge.
A False Ally
Kaizen felt a sudden pressure in his chest, a coldness that pierced his heart. The serpent's power was growing stronger with every passing second, gnawing at the edges of his control. The voice in his mind was no longer subtle—it was forceful, demanding.
"It is time," the serpent whispered. "You have done well, Kaizen. But now, you will do as I command."
Kaizen's hand twitched at his side, his breath hitching. The serpent was pushing him, urging him to act. But part of him resisted. Part of him wanted to break free of its grip. He had spent so many years wielding power—his own power—but now he was beginning to realize that he wasn't the one in control.
He glanced over at Itsuro, still standing by the fire. His gaze was distant, lost in his own thoughts. The monk was unaware of the true danger that surrounded him. To Itsuro, Kaizen was still the ally, the one who had helped him escape. He had no idea that the very man standing beside him was not the person he thought he was.
Kaizen's eyes narrowed as he watched Itsuro, the growing darkness within him.
Could the monk sense it? Could he feel the same pull, the same presence that Kaizen had only just begun to realize was not his own?
Kaizen took a step back, his mind racing. He had to act. The serpent was biding its time, but it wouldn't wait forever. Itsuro had become too powerful, too dangerous to let roam free. But Kaizen couldn't bring himself to kill him—not yet. Not until he knew for sure.
The serpent's voice cut through his thoughts again. "You must not hesitate, Kaizen. If you do, it will be too late. He will be lost, consumed."
Kaizen clenched his fists, trying to push the voice away. But he knew deep down that the serpent was right. The blood was already inside Itsuro. And if he didn't act soon, there would be no turning back.
The Calm Before the Storm
For now, Itsuro remained unaware.
He was still recovering, still weak in his own way. But as Kaizen watched him, something unsettling stirred within him. The power surging through Itsuro's body was growing—becoming something far greater than either of them could handle.
Kaizen stepped toward him, trying to push aside the growing sense of dread that tightened around his chest. He needed to speak to him, to figure out what was happening. But the moment he opened his mouth, the words caught in his throat. He wasn't sure what to say anymore. Was he trying to protect Itsuro? Or was he trying to stop him?
"What are you waiting for?" the serpent whispered, its cold breath seeping into his mind. "Finish this. End it now."
Kaizen clenched his teeth. He would do what was necessary. He had always done what was necessary.
But something inside him… something that he couldn't quite understand, told him to wait. Wait for just a little longer.