Chapter 11: Where it all began
The memory dissolved, but its scars remained—etched deep in Kazuki's mind, fueling the storm that now guided his every step.
Finally he reached his destination, the very place he was exiled from, a place that held all of his good memories, but all of his bad memories as well.
The Holy Capital of Sentinels
The moon hung high over the Holy Capital, its pale glow casting silver streaks across the marble towers and cobbled streets. The city was quiet, save for the distant clinks of armor and murmured patrol orders from the Sentinels.
A faint shimmer rippled near a shaded alley—unseen by the world—as Kazuki moved through the shadows, cloaked in the invisible veil he had crafted himself. The Veil of Silent Ember, a product of months of forbidden experimentation, concealed not only his form but masked his presence from even the most trained Sentinel senses.
He pressed his back against the cold stone wall of a tall prison spire, the wind whispering around him. A soft breath escaped his lips. I shouldn't be here... but if there's even a sliver of truth to the rumors... I have to know.
He slid through a narrow maintenance grate he'd scoped out weeks ago, his body moving with silent precision. Inside, the walls were dim, torches flickering low. Each step forward was calculated, each breath controlled.
Voices echoed from down the corridor—two guards, lazily patrolling.
Kazuki crouched behind a corner, ears sharp.
"…Yeah, they're sayin' it's gonna happen by the end of the week. Poor thing. That girl didn't even fight back when they dragged her in."
"Didn't fight back?" the second scoffed.
"She's cursed, ain't she? Bitten by a demon. Doesn't matter what she does. Orders are orders."
Kazuki's breath caught in his throat.
Sistine… she's here?
"But you sure it's her?" the first muttered.
"Could be another victim. Lots of folks vanish near the realm gates."
"Could be, could not. Either way, someone's gettin' executed," the second guard said with a shrug. "Ain't our business."
They walked off, their footsteps fading into the distance.
Kazuki remained frozen in place, his heart pounding. They didn't say her name… but the timing... the place... It has to be her.
His fists clenched beneath his cloak.
If it's true… I don't have much time.
So he went—to the place he never thought he'd return to. The Judgement of Blades.
An ancient hall hidden deep within the Holy Capital, where the fates of Sentinels were sealed and punishments were passed. To Kazuki, it was a place carved into memory with fire and ash—where hope had once crumbled at his feet.
The heavy stone doors groaned as he carefully nudged one open, slipping inside unnoticed under the cover of his cloak. The grand chamber lay empty, dust motes floating in pale moonlight that spilled through the stained glass high above. Rows of pews stretched out before a towering obsidian podium, where the verdicts of high command once thundered.
Each step Kazuki took echoed faintly, yet it felt deafening in the silence. His eyes scanned the room—not for its grandeur, but for the sealed archive chamber nestled behind the judging podium.
He moved quickly.
The archive door was still protected by an enchantment, but he knew how to bypass it. A flick of his fingers, a whispered code etched in old magic—"Let the seal of divine be released, and may the unbroken shackle be destroyed." The sigil faded, and the door opened.
Inside, shelves stood like soldiers—tightly packed with scrolls, case files, punishment records sealed with wax, bearing the crest of the High Blades.
He sifted through them, fingers trembling with each document he passed.
Then—he found it.
His breath caught.
Name: [REDACTED]
Status: Cursed by Infernal Contamination
Verdict: Execution
Location: Field of Final Scaffold
Date: Approaching cycle-end (within ten days)
Though her name had been struck through in protocol, the description, the date—it aligned too closely. There was no mistaking it.
Kazuki gritted his teeth, the parchment trembling in his grasp. He shut his eyes, remembering the moment she smiled at him beneath the cherry blossom trees… how he'd sworn to protect her no matter what.
And yet, here they were again. The cycle repeating.
Kazuki flipped through more records with precise, frantic fingers, each scroll revealing another layer of grim bureaucracy. Then—his hand froze.
One parchment, more recent than the rest, caught his eye.
It was the execution order.
At first, he felt a strange numbness. The name was redacted, but the details matched. The signs of demonization. The rare case. The sealed cell. The location: Field of Final Scaffold.
Then he saw it—etched cleanly at the top of the parchment, a small date mark.
Signed
His eyes widened. "Wha—this was signed… Seven days ago?"
He scanned the lower section.
Scheduled Execution: Ten days after approval.
Kazuki's breath hitched. "That means…"
His heart pounded as he did the math. Seven days had already passed.
They only had two days left.
His stomach twisted. Why so fast? It felt rushed. Unnatural. Almost like someone wanted her gone immediately.
The shock washed over him in a wave, and then came the dread-fueled resolve.
No time.
He shoved the parchment back into the record and turned, nearly knocking over a scroll stack. He tightened the cloak around him, vanishing from sight just as footsteps echoed faintly down the hall.
Damn—someone's coming!
He bolted silently toward the exit, weaving between marble columns and leaping over a fallen torch holder. The Judgement Hall's doors were already half shut again—he had to squeeze through them before they closed entirely.
Just as he reached the exit, a guard turned the corner.
"Did you hear something?" one asked.
Kazuki paused—one breath, two. Then he slipped through the crack and vanished.
He landed hard on the rooftops, then ran.
Every step struck stone, every heartbeat thundered louder. The cold air bit into his lungs, but he didn't slow.
Only two days. Just two.
His mind spun with calculations. How? Why so soon? Who signed off on this?
It didn't make sense—unless someone in power wanted it done quickly and quietly. No room for appeal. No chance for rescue.
His fists clenched as he raced across rooftops, cape billowing invisibly behind him.
I have to warn them. I have to tell Kael and Ryo.
He cut through alleys, soared over rooftops, every shadow a threat, every sound a possible betrayal.
The hideout wast far but. He just had to make it in time.
And still—his mind wouldn't stop racing.
Rushed... this execution isn't just punishment. It's erasure.
He grit his teeth, determination burning in his eyes.
Not on my watch.