Rei flash-stepped back to his small shed. The silence hit him harder than the wind. He grabbed a small travel bag from the corner and began stuffing it with the few things he owned: some old cloth, dried food, and a torn blanket.
Then his eyes fell on the corner.
The Soul Keeper Blade.
It sat there, half-buried in dust, faintly pulsing with that same dark blue glow. Rei stared at it for a long time until he saw it again — the shadow inside. The Void Elder's soul, sitting in a black abyss within the blade, staring back at him with hollow patience.
He reached out and gripped the handle. The room dimmed immediately.
Raga's voice echoed from within him, cold and ancient.
"What shall you do now, boy? Your presence here only leads to doom for all."
Rei clenched his jaw.
"That's why I'm leaving."
"To where?" Raga asked, his tone sharper now.
Rei paused, staring at the ground. "I don't know. But anywhere is better than here."
Outside, faint footsteps shuffled. Trion and Nace had been listening at the door the entire time. When Rei opened it to leave, they stumbled in, eyes wide.
"Where are you going?" Trion asked, blocking his way.
Rei adjusted his bag. "I have to leave. Immediately."
They followed him to the front steps, voices rising in panic. He ignored every question until Trion grabbed his arm.
"You're not leaving until you tell us what's happening," Trion snapped.
"It's none of your concern," Rei said quietly.
Nace's voice cracked through the air. "None of our concern? We just saw our people slaughtered in front of us! You think we can just forget that?"
Rei froze. His back stiffened. He didn't turn around, but his hands trembled slightly.
"You're right," he said softly. "I don't know what that feels like."
It was a lie, and it tore something inside him as he said it.
He did know. He could still see the ashes of Hurukoya burning in his mind, could still hear the screams that faded into silence. But he couldn't say it. Not now. Not to them.
He looked down, voice barely above a whisper.
"That's why I don't want it to happen to you too."
Nace stepped forward, her voice shaking. "You're family to us, Rei. You can't just disappear. You think we'll just stay here like nothing happened?"
She swallowed hard, eyes glassy. "I've been alone with Trion ever since we lost our parents during the Spirit War. They were outside the village that night, helping others evacuate. The shockwave reached them before dawn. They never came back."
Her hands tightened into fists. "Don't make us lose you too."
Rei finally turned toward her. For a second, the calm broke. His expression softened, almost pained.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "But I have to go."
Trion stepped between them. "No. You still owe us an explanation."
Rei sighed. "You wouldn't believe it even if I told you."
Trion grabbed him again, desperate. "I won't let you go!"
The strap of Rei's bag slipped. The Soul Keeper's blade slid halfway out, and Trion's hand brushed against it.
A scream ripped through the air.
His palm ignited. Black and blue flames burst up his arm as he dropped to his knees.
"Trion!" Nace screamed.
Rei's eyes widened. "Let go of it!"
But Trion couldn't. The blade stuck to his hand like it was alive. Rei tried to rush in, but an invisible force pushed him back, a barrier wrapping around the weapon.
"Trion, let go!" Rei shouted again, voice breaking.
The smell of burning flesh filled the air. Trion screamed louder, the flames crawling higher.
Rei had no choice. He summoned his God Enso — gold light roaring from his body, eyes glowing like suns — and slammed the Blade of Resolve into the ground.
The shield shattered. He lunged forward, grabbed the Soul Keeper with both hands, and ripped it away from Trion. Flesh tore with it.
Nace dropped beside her brother, shaking him. "Trion, look at me! Are you okay?"
He didn't answer. Slowly, his head turned. His eyes were pure black.
Rei's breath caught. "He's not."
Before Nace could react, Trion's lips curled into a smile. But it wasn't on his mouth — it was on his forehead. Rows of black teeth opened where no mouth should exist, dark liquid spilling down his face.
And then a voice came out of that grin — slow, haunting, familiar.
"Did you miss me?"
Rei froze. His grip tightened on the Soul Keeper.
From deep inside, Raga's voice whispered — not mocking, not amused. Just grim.
"It seems, boy… not all voids stay sealed."
And for the first time in five years, Rei felt that same chill again. The one that meant peace had finally ended.