Mizumi felt the impact before her mind could understand what had happened. A sudden, crushing force slammed into her side with enough violence to tear the breath from her lungs and send her stumbling across the wooden boards of the engawa, her sandals scraping desperately against the polished surface as her hands reached out instinctively for something she could use to steady herself. For a brief moment, there was no pain, only the overwhelming sensation of being struck and the strange weightlessness that followed as her body struggled to comprehend what had just happened.
Then the pain arrived.
White-hot agony erupted through her ribs and spread across her entire side in waves so intense that her vision immediately blurred. Her chest tightened as she attempted to inhale, but her lungs seemed incapable of drawing in enough air, leaving her with nothing but a silent, strangled gasp as she staggered forward. Her fingers trembled as she tried to remain standing, and when she finally looked down at herself, her eyes widened at the sight of blood rapidly spreading across the fabric of her sleeve.
It wasn't a small stain that could be ignored, nor was it something that would disappear if she simply wiped it away. The dark red liquid was already soaking through the cloth and running down her arm, gathering at her fingertips before falling onto the wooden floor beneath her in slow, steady drops.
Her mind finally caught up with what her body had already discovered.
Gunfire.
"Mizumi?"
Shoto's frightened voice came from behind her, trembling so badly that his name for her barely sounded like a word. Mizumi's heart tightened when she heard him, and although every instinct inside her screamed at her to collapse, she forced herself to turn toward him.
Another gunshot tore through the courtyard before she could say anything.
The sound was deafening in the enclosed space, echoing against the walls of the estate and sending a violent shudder through the air. Mizumi didn't have time to think about where the shot had come from or who had fired it, because the moment she realized Shoto was still standing behind her, her body moved on instinct.
She twisted around and threw herself backward, wrapping both arms around Shoto and pulling him beneath her as they crashed onto the wooden floor together. Her shoulder struck the boards with enough force to send another burst of pain through her body, while her ribs screamed in protest beneath the pressure of her own movement, yet she refused to release the child she had pulled into her arms.
She couldn't let go.
No matter how badly she was hurt, she couldn't allow herself to move away from him.
Beyond the courtyard wall, heavy footsteps began approaching through the estate grounds, and what frightened Mizumi most was the fact that they weren't hurried or disorganized. Whoever was coming wasn't running blindly toward the source of the gunfire, nor were they shouting in panic as they searched for their target; instead, their movements were measured and deliberate, as though every person approaching already knew exactly what they were supposed to do.
Shadows slowly stretched across the stone pathway as several figures emerged from the trees surrounding the estate.
There were five of them.
Mizumi's eyes narrowed as she studied the strangers, all of whom were dressed in dark coats that seemed strangely out of place for the season. Their faces were concealed behind masks decorated with unfamiliar angular symbols, and each of them carried a firearm that looked far too modern and sophisticated to belong anywhere near the estate.
One of the masked men stopped several meters away and examined the courtyard before calmly raising his weapon.
"Target confirmed."
Mizumi's expression hardened.
Despite the burning pain spreading through her body, she pushed herself upright and placed herself directly between the strangers and Shoto. Her legs trembled beneath her, and she nearly lost her balance when she stood, but she forced herself to remain upright while blood continued dripping from the wound in her side and falling onto the wooden boards.
Behind her, Shoto grabbed the back of her shirt with both hands.
"M-Mizumi…"
His voice cracked as he tried to hold back his sobs.
Mizumi swallowed against the pain and kept her eyes fixed on the masked intruders.
"Shoto, don't look at them, and whatever you do, don't move until I tell you to."
"I-I'm scared."
Mizumi's heart ached when she heard him say it, but she refused to allow the fear she felt inside herself to reach her voice. She knew Shoto was already terrified, and if she allowed him to hear even the slightest uncertainty from her, he would completely lose whatever courage remained.
"I know you're scared," she whispered, keeping her voice as gentle as she could. "That's why you have to listen to me, because I need you to trust me right now. Whatever happens, you stay behind me, and when I tell you to run, you run as fast as you can without looking back."
Shoto's hands tightened around her shirt as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"But what about you?"
Mizumi hesitated for only a moment before answering.
"I'll be right behind you."
The lie came naturally, because she knew she couldn't promise him that she would actually be able to follow.
Behind her, the unmistakable metallic sound of weapons being raised filled the courtyard, and Mizumi's fingers slowly curled into fists as five barrels were leveled directly at her.
"Step aside," one of the masked men ordered. "The child comes with us."
Mizumi stared at him for several seconds before slowly shaking her head.
"No."
The masked man tilted his head as though her answer had genuinely surprised him.
"This doesn't concern you."
A weak laugh escaped Mizumi's lips, although the movement immediately caused another sharp burst of pain to travel through her ribs.
"He's my little brother," she replied, her voice becoming quieter as she stared directly at the man. "So whether you like it or not, this concerns me."
"Move."
"No."
The word left her mouth with surprising firmness despite the weakness spreading through her body.
The masked men raised their weapons.
Shoto began crying harder behind her, and Mizumi could feel his trembling hands clutching desperately at her clothes as he realized what was about to happen.
"Mizumi, please…"
She heard the fear in his voice and finally turned her head.
The moment she looked at him, the hardened expression disappeared from her face, replaced by the warm and familiar smile he had seen countless times before. For a brief moment, she looked exactly like the older sister he knew, as though there weren't five armed strangers standing in front of them and as though she wasn't bleeding from multiple wounds.
"Hey," she whispered softly. "Do you remember what I told you?"
Shoto nodded frantically through his tears.
Mizumi reached back and gently placed a trembling hand against his head.
"I'll protect you."
The first gunshot struck her shoulder.
The impact snapped her body backward as a cry tore from her throat, and her knees nearly buckled beneath her weight. She stumbled, but somehow managed to remain standing, her body instinctively shifting back into position between Shoto and the attackers.
"Mizumi!"
Shoto's scream echoed through the courtyard.
Before she could respond, another shot struck her thigh.
Her leg suddenly gave out beneath her, and she dropped to one knee as an unbearable wave of pain tore through her body. Her hand slammed against the wooden floor to keep herself from collapsing completely, and her breathing became ragged as she fought against the darkness beginning to creep into her vision.
The masked men continued firing.
Their shots weren't random, because every movement seemed calculated to weaken her and force her away from Shoto while maintaining control of the situation. Mizumi understood what they were doing, and despite the terror beginning to spread through her mind, she refused to move aside.
She couldn't.
Shoto was behind her.
That was enough.
Another shot struck her.
Then another.
Her body jerked violently with each impact, but she continued trying to remain upright, refusing to give the men the satisfaction of seeing her abandon the person she had sworn to protect.
Eventually, another gunshot echoed through the courtyard.
This time, Mizumi didn't react immediately.
Her body simply became still.
For a moment, she remained kneeling there as her eyes stared blankly toward the masked figures, and then she slowly looked over her shoulder toward Shoto.
Their eyes met.
Shoto was crying uncontrollably now, his face twisted with terror as he stared at the person who had always made him feel safe.
"Mizumi…"
She could barely hear him anymore.
The world was becoming distant, and the sounds surrounding her seemed to fade beneath a deep, unnatural silence. Her body swayed as she struggled to remain conscious, but she knew she was losing the battle.
Even then, she smiled.
It was a weak smile, exhausted and filled with pain, but there was no regret behind it.
She had protected him.
That was all that mattered.
Her strength finally disappeared, and Mizumi slowly fell forward, her body striking the wooden floor with a hollow thud as blood began spreading beneath her.
Shoto stared at her without moving.
He didn't scream, and he didn't cry.
At least, not yet.
His mind seemed incapable of processing what his eyes were showing him, because the world around him had suddenly become something completely unfamiliar. The courtyard, the trees, the estate, and even the five strangers standing before him seemed to dissolve into a distorted haze as static filled his vision.
His breathing became shallow.
His hands trembled at his sides.
Something inside his chest felt as though it were being crushed by an invisible force, and beneath that crushing pressure was something far more dangerous than fear.
Rage.
Pure, uncontrollable rage.
The masked men began approaching him cautiously.
"The asset is in shock," one of them said.
"Secure him before he reacts."
The words barely reached Shoto's ears.
He was staring at Mizumi.
He was staring at the blood beneath her.
He was staring at the person who had promised she would protect him.
Then something inside him broke.
Shoto moved before he even realized he was moving.
He launched himself toward the nearest masked man with frightening speed, his small hand immediately reaching for the dagger attached to the man's belt. The attacker barely had time to react before Shoto ripped the weapon free and drove the blade into him repeatedly, his movements completely devoid of hesitation.
The man staggered backward as Shoto continued attacking until his body finally collapsed onto the ground.
The remaining attackers froze.
"What the hell—?"
"This kid!"
One of them lunged toward Shoto, but the boy twisted out of the attack and launched himself upward with unnatural force. His body spun through the air before he brought the dagger down against the man's head, and when the attacker stumbled backward, Shoto continued his assault until the man's mask cracked and his body collapsed.
The courtyard erupted into shouting.
"Shoot him!"
"Put him down!"
"He's just a child!"
But Shoto couldn't hear them anymore.
The world had become nothing but static.
One of the remaining attackers raised his firearm and opened fire.
Shoto lifted the dagger.
The bullets struck the blade.
Instead of penetrating the metal, they ricocheted away at impossible angles, screaming through the air as though they had been redirected by some invisible force. The attackers barely had time to react before the projectiles tore into them, sending two more bodies crashing to the ground.
The final masked man stared at Shoto in disbelief.
For the first time since arriving at the estate, the stranger seemed genuinely afraid.
"What are you?"
Shoto didn't answer.
The man turned and ran.
Shoto's eyes followed him as he fled toward the trees, and then his gaze shifted toward one of the firearms lying beside the fallen attackers.
He walked toward it.
His movements were strangely calm now, almost mechanical, as though the person controlling his body wasn't actually aware of what he was doing.
He picked up the weapon.
The final attacker continued running.
Shoto raised the firearm.
The single shot echoed across the estate.
The fleeing figure collapsed in the distance.
Afterward, silence returned to the courtyard.
Shoto remained standing among the fallen attackers, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he stared at the destruction surrounding him. The dagger slowly slipped from his fingers and struck the wooden floor, followed shortly afterward by the firearm, which fell from his other hand.
Yet Shoto didn't look at either weapon.
His eyes remained fixed on Mizumi.
The rage that had consumed him was beginning to disappear, leaving behind something far more terrifying.
Emptiness.
Ayato felt the silence before he understood its meaning.
He had been walking through one of the estate's corridors when he suddenly stopped, his expression changing as the normally familiar atmosphere around him seemed to disappear. The estate was still standing, the rain was still falling outside, and the lamps were still burning along the walls, yet something about the air felt fundamentally wrong.
It wasn't the peaceful quiet that usually settled over the estate at night.
This silence felt empty.
It felt as though something vital had suddenly been ripped from the world.
Ayato's chest tightened as the runes carved into the walls began flickering, their usual glow weakening until they were barely visible.
His eyes widened.
"…No."
The word escaped his lips quietly, almost as though he were afraid that saying it any louder would make whatever had happened real.
Rui stopped beside him.
She immediately placed a hand against her chest as her eyes widened, her expression becoming pale.
"Did you feel that?"
Ayato didn't respond.
He was already moving.
Whatever had just happened, his instincts were screaming at him that something was wrong, and with every step he took down the corridor, the feeling in his chest became heavier.
Rui followed closely behind him as Ayato suddenly broke into a run.
Their footsteps thundered through the corridor while the dimmed runes continued flickering along the walls, casting distorted shadows across the floor.
Ayato didn't know what awaited him at the end of the corridor.
He didn't know what had happened to the estate.
They ran through the estate without stopping, their footsteps striking against the polished wooden floors with enough force to echo through the long corridors. Outside, the rain had intensified into a violent downpour, hammering against the tiled rooftops and wooden walkways while powerful gusts of wind swept through the grounds, causing the paper doors to tremble within their frames. Every flash of lightning briefly illuminated the corridors in stark white, followed by the deep rumble of thunder that seemed to shake the entire estate.
Ayato moved faster than Rui had ever seen him move.
His usual composure, the calm and calculated demeanor he maintained even when faced with danger, had begun to fracture with every step that brought him closer to the courtyard. His breathing had become heavier, and his eyes remained fixed ahead as though he could somehow see through the walls separating him from whatever had caused that sudden, terrifying disturbance.
Rui struggled to keep pace with him, her expression filled with growing dread as she followed closely behind.
"Ayato, wait!"
He didn't answer.
He shoved another paper door aside so violently that it slammed against the wall, sending a sharp crack through the corridor before he continued forward. Rui followed him through the opening, nearly slipping on the damp wooden floor as wind pushed rain through the partially opened doors.
"Ayato!"
Still, he didn't stop.
There was something in his expression that frightened her.
It wasn't simply fear.
It was recognition.
As though some part of him already knew what they were about to find.
They finally reached the final set of doors leading into the courtyard, and Ayato threw them open with both hands.
The two of them stepped outside.
Then they stopped.
The courtyard was wrong.
Everything about it should have been familiar, yet the moment Rui looked across the grounds, she immediately understood that something terrible had happened. The cherry tree still stood in the center of the courtyard, its branches swaying gently beneath the weight of the rain, while pale petals continued drifting from its branches as though the tree itself had remained completely unaware of the violence that had taken place beneath it.
The contrast was horrifying.
The cherry blossoms were beautiful.
The courtyard was peaceful.
Yet the ground beneath the tree was stained red.
Bodies were scattered across the stone pathway, their dark coats soaked through by the rain as blood diluted beneath them and flowed between the cracks in the stone. Several of the strange masks had been shattered during the fight, while others had been torn away completely, revealing faces that Rui didn't recognize.
One weapon lay abandoned near the edge of the courtyard.
Another rested several meters away beside a motionless body.
The rain continued falling over everything, washing blood from the stone without erasing the evidence of what had happened.
Rui's eyes moved frantically across the courtyard until they finally stopped.
Near the engawa was Mizumi.
"Mizumi…"
The name escaped Rui's mouth as little more than a broken whisper.
Her daughter lay crumpled against the wooden floor, completely motionless beneath the rain. Blood had pooled beneath her body and mixed with the water running across the courtyard, creating dark streams that disappeared between the stones. Her hair was scattered across her face, partially covering her eyes, which remained half-lidded and empty.
Her expression, however, was strangely peaceful.
There was no fear left on her face.
No pain.
Only the faint impression of the gentle smile she had worn moments before.
Rui's breath caught.
For several seconds, she couldn't move.
Her body refused to accept what her eyes were showing her, because some part of her mind continued insisting that Mizumi would suddenly open her eyes and complain about everyone making such a fuss.
Then Rui screamed.
"MIZUMI!"
She rushed across the courtyard and dropped to her knees beside her daughter, nearly slipping as she reached for her. Her hands immediately began searching for signs of life, pressing against Mizumi's shoulders and neck as her fingers trembled so violently that she could barely feel anything.
"No… no, no, no…"
Her voice cracked as she pulled Mizumi into her arms.
"Please wake up."
Rui pressed her cheek against Mizumi's hair, desperately searching for warmth that was no longer there.
"Please, Mizumi, wake up."
Her hands moved frantically across her daughter's back as though she could somehow force life back into her body through sheer desperation.
"You can't do this to me."
Her voice became increasingly broken.
"Please…"
Nothing answered her.
Mizumi remained completely still.
The realization finally reached Rui, slowly at first and then all at once, crashing over her with such force that her entire body began shaking.
Her daughter was gone.
The girl she had raised, protected, argued with, laughed with, and watched grow older was lying lifeless in her arms.
Rui lowered her head against Mizumi's shoulder and sobbed.
A few steps behind her, Ayato remained completely motionless.
He didn't approach Mizumi.
He didn't kneel beside her.
He didn't speak.
His eyes had moved beyond her body.
They were fixed on someone else.
Shoto.
The boy stood among the bodies of the strangers, his small frame covered in blood that did not belong to him. His clothes were torn and stained, his hands trembled slightly at his sides, and his eyes stared forward without truly seeing anything.
There was no expression on his face.
No tears.
No visible anger.
He simply stood there as though his mind had disconnected from the world around him.
Yet Ayato noticed something else.
Something beneath the surface.
A strange pressure seemed to surround Shoto, unstable and barely contained, almost as though something enormous was struggling to emerge from within the child. The air around him felt different, and Ayato could sense the faint fluctuations of energy moving beneath Shoto's skin.
Ayato's breathing gradually slowed.
His hands stopped trembling.
The fear that had consumed him during the journey toward the courtyard disappeared, replaced by something else entirely.
Interest.
His eyes narrowed as he studied Shoto.
"…So," he murmured.
Rui looked up immediately.
Her face was soaked with tears and rain, and her expression was filled with desperation.
"Ayato, do something!"
Her voice cracked as she gestured toward Mizumi.
"Please, she's—she's—"
Ayato's eyes remained fixed on Shoto.
"She's dead."
The words were delivered with such calmness that Rui stared at him as though she had misheard.
"…What?"
Ayato finally looked toward her.
"She's dead."
Rui's face twisted with disbelief.
"How can you say that?"
Ayato's gaze returned to Shoto.
"But look at him."
Rui followed his gaze.
Her expression slowly changed as she realized what Ayato was looking at.
Shoto was still standing.
He had survived.
Rui's blood ran cold.
"You…"
Her voice trembled.
"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking."
Ayato's expression remained disturbingly calm.
"I am."
He took a slow step forward.
"For the first time, I truly am."
Rui's grief suddenly turned into fury.
She scrambled to her feet and moved directly between Ayato and Shoto, spreading her arms protectively as though she could physically prevent him from getting anywhere near their son.
"This is your fault!"
Her scream echoed across the courtyard.
"Your research, your experiments, your runes, your obsession with understanding forces that you were never meant to touch!"
Rain streamed down her face as she glared at him.
"This is where it brought us!"
Ayato finally looked at her.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Ayato smiled.
It wasn't the warm smile Rui had once known.
It wasn't the gentle expression he used when speaking to his family.
It was thin and fractured, a smile that seemed to exist only because something inside him had finally broken.
"You're wrong."
Rui's eyes widened.
Ayato's gaze shifted toward the bodies surrounding them.
"This isn't failure."
He looked toward Shoto again.
"This is proof."
Rui stared at him in horror.
"That is our daughter!"
"And that," Ayato replied, pointing toward Shoto, "is our son."
Rui's breathing became heavier.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Mizumi's body was still lying only a few meters away, and Ayato was already looking beyond her death toward what he believed could be learned from it.
"You're disgusting."
Ayato's expression barely changed.
Rui stepped closer.
"You watched her die."
"I didn't watch her die."
"You knew something like this could happen!"
Ayato's jaw tightened.
"You think I wanted this?"
His voice finally rose, the calmness beginning to fracture.
"You think I didn't understand the risks?"
He gestured toward Mizumi's body.
"She was never supposed to be involved."
Rui's eyes filled with tears again.
"Then why did it happen?"
Ayato stared at her.
"Because the world forced its hand."
"You did this."
The accusation came quietly this time.
"You did."
Ayato's eyes darkened.
For the first time, genuine anger appeared on his face.
"And now I know what's inside him."
Rui froze.
Before she could answer, movement came from behind her.
Shoto staggered.
His knees buckled as the weight of everything that had happened finally began crashing down upon him. His breathing became erratic, and his hands trembled violently as he looked toward Mizumi's body.
The numbness that had protected him from the reality of her death began disappearing.
His lips parted.
"M-Mom…?"
Rui immediately turned.
The anger disappeared from her expression the instant she saw him.
"Shoto!"
She rushed toward him and pulled him into her arms.
Shoto collapsed against her chest, his entire body shaking violently as the first broken sob escaped his throat.
Rui wrapped both arms around him and held him tightly despite the blood covering his clothes.
"It's okay."
Her own voice trembled as she tried to reassure him.
"You're safe now."
Shoto clung desperately to her.
"I've got you," Rui whispered, pressing his head against her shoulder. "I'm here. You're not alone."
Shoto's fingers tightened around her clothing as his sobs grew louder.
"I-I couldn't…"
Rui closed her eyes.
"You don't have to explain anything."
"I couldn't save her…"
Rui's heart shattered at those words.
She held him tighter.
"This isn't your fault."
Behind them, Ayato watched silently.
He watched Rui comfort Shoto.
He watched the boy tremble in her arms.
He watched the strange energy beneath Shoto's skin slowly settle.
And somewhere deep inside Ayato, the last remaining trace of hesitation finally disappeared.
Whatever doubts he had once possessed, whatever part of him had still been capable of seeing Shoto as nothing more than his frightened little son, had been buried beneath the discovery he had just witnessed.
"Take him inside," Ayato said quietly.
Rui slowly looked over her shoulder.
Her eyes were red from crying, but there was a sharpness within them now that hadn't been there before.
"You don't get to give me orders anymore."
Ayato didn't argue.
He didn't even look back at her.
Instead, he simply turned away and began walking toward the estate.
Rain poured over him as he crossed the courtyard, soaking through his clothes and running down his face, but he seemed completely unaware of it.
His mind was already somewhere else.
Back in his office.
Back among his research.
Back among the runes, records, experiments, and unanswered questions that had consumed so much of his life.
Behind him, Rui remained kneeling in the rain with Shoto held tightly against her chest, her tears continuing to fall as she looked toward Mizumi's body.
The cherry blossoms continued drifting through the storm, their pale petals landing upon the bloodstained courtyard as though the world itself had failed to understand that everything had changed.