The air was cool, the crunch of leaves beneath their boots the only sound breaking the silence. Klaus's eyes stayed forward, but his mind kept turning.
Finally, he glanced sideways at Ryouma.
"Is there anything else I need to know?"
Klaus asked.
Ryouma smirked faintly. "There actually is. According to the information I was given… there are trials to beat."
Klaus's gaze sharpened instantly.Information you were given? The words echoed in his head.
Ryouma noticed Klaus staring at him and let out a short laugh, waving it off. "Don't look at me like that, man. You'll make me blush."
"It's nothing," Klaus replied evenly. "Just taking precautions with the information you're giving me."
"Ohh, I like that," Ryouma said, grinning as if Klaus had just passed some kind of test.
Klaus didn't return the smile. "So… how many trials are we talking about here?"
Ryouma tilted his head in thought. "Well, there are only two that I know of. But I'm not entirely sure there could be more."
Klaus's tone remained level. "And what are these two?"
Ryouma began, "Once we reach the first part of Mount Yorei, there will be a guardian."
"Guardian?" Klaus repeated.
Ryouma nodded. "In the old tales, there was a village called…" He paused, as if recalling the name from memory, "…Oyasaki. And there was once a monk there who possessed divine powers. He healed the sick, brought joy to the people basically their own living god. That's what the tales say.
"But after some time… villagers began dying. The monk couldn't heal them. And in return… the monk himself became corrupted."
Klaus frowned. "How does a monk get corrupted?"
Ryouma's gaze grew serious. "It's likely to do with the dragon. The monk now guards that village whether out of duty or curse, no one knows."
Klaus nodded slowly. "Alright… and the next trial?"
Ryouma's grin returned. "Oh, the next one is fairly easy."
"Yeah?" Klaus asked.
"We need to kill a white serpent."
Klaus blinked. "White serpent? I thought you said they left once the dragon came."
Ryouma shrugged. "I don't know much. This is just what I've been told."He continued, "After those two trials… we can hopefully meet the Divine Dragon."
The three of them kept walking in silence after that, the weight of Ryouma's words lingering in the air. Eventually, Ryouma's eyes lit up he had spotted something ahead.
"The first shortcut," he said with a smirk, motioning for them to follow.
They weaved through the dense foliage, following the winding trail until the trees thinned.The air grew cooler, the scent of wet wood and lakewater wafting toward them.
Before long, the ground began to slope upward, revealing the distant silhouette of Mount Yorei against a backdrop of dark clouds.
When they finally stepped out of the shortcut path, Sofie exhaled dramatically."Damn… we've got a lot of calories to burn," she groaned.
Ryouma burst into laughter at her comment. "That's the spirit!"
While the two bantered, Klaus remained silent, eyes narrowed in thought. Every step, every route, every risk he was calculating.
Ryouma, ever the casual one, reached out and placed a hand on Klaus's shoulder.
Before he could speak, Klaus subtly stepped aside, making the touch miss entirely.
"I prefer you keep your hands to yourself," Klaus said evenly.
Ryouma raised both hands in mock surrender, still chuckling. "Alright, alright. No touching, got it."
The climb continued. The wind grew sharper, biting at their faces. Sofie's steps became slower until she finally asked, "How much longer…?"
Klaus glanced back and noticed the fatigue in her face. Without a word, he crouched slightly."Get on."
Her eyes lit up instantly. "Really?"
She climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around him tightly. As they walked, she rested her head against his shoulder, occasionally kissing his cheek. Klaus didn't respond as his gaze was locked firmly ahead, on Ryouma's back.
After what felt like hours, the treeline broke, revealing an eerie scene ahead. Weather-worn docks and half-sunken buildings stretched out over murky water. A lone torii gate jutted from the lake, its reflection broken by ripples.
Ryouma spread his arms. "Welcome to Oyasaki Village."
Klaus let Sofie down gently. She hopped off, gave a playful salute, and grinned. "Aye aye, captain."
They stepped into the abandoned village, their footsteps echoing on the warped wooden planks. The air was still too still.
"Anytime now…" Ryouma murmured, eyes scanning the mist.
Sofie frowned. "Guys… isn't it getting a bit too foggy around here?"
Klaus's expression sharpened immediately. "Stay beside me."
Her eyes darted around nervously. "Where's Ryouma?"
Klaus didn't look at her. "I don't know. But I do know… it's here."
A shadow moved in the mist, and the air grew heavy and oppressive.From within the fog, a figure slowly emerged.
The corrupted monk had arrived.
Klaus's voice was calm, but his tone left no room for hesitation."Sofie… get ready."
She clenched her fists, heat radiating from her palms as embers flickered into life. A small, wicked grin curled at the corner of her lips."Anything in our way… I'll burn it to ash."
Klaus exhaled slowly, raising his hand. Threads of wind swirled around his fingers, carrying faint arcs of lightning that cracked in the mist.
The fog thickened until the village felt like a cage of white. The silence pressed in from all sides, broken only by the soft hum of Sofie's flames and the whispering hiss of Klaus's gathered storm.
Then he saw them.
Two eyes, glowing like embers deep in the mist. They didn't blink. They didn't waver. They just stared directly into Klaus's own.
The figure emerged slowly, each step deliberate, the sound of wooden sandals echoing over the damp boards.
The outline sharpened, revealing tattered monk's robes stained in shades of gold and crimson, a massive beaded necklace hanging loosely over its frame.
Long black tendrils of hair, or something worse that snaked from beneath its hood, swaying unnaturally with each movement.
A pale, skeletal hand clutched the hilt of a curved blade, the steel glistening faintly in the fog's filtered light.
Its face… was not a face. A mask of serene divinity covered it, cracked and weathered, yet smiling in a way that felt wrong too still, too empty.
Sofie's flames flared brighter.
Klaus shifted his stance.
The air itself felt heavier, as if the village was holding its breath.
And then… it moved.
The corrupted monk glided forward, his movements almost weightless despite the heavy beads swaying against his chest. The crimson glow in his eyes sharpened like a predator locking onto prey.
"Stay with me," Klaus said without taking his eyes off the monk.
Sofie nodded, her hands already wreathed in roaring flame.
The monk struck first.
A blur of steel carved through the fog, the sheer force of the slash splitting the mist apart in its path.
Klaus twisted to the side, wind exploding around him to deflect the blow, lightning snapping from his fingertips in retaliation. The strike caught the monk on the shoulder, forcing him back half a step.
Sofie didn't wait. She thrust both palms forward, a wave of fire erupting toward their enemy. The monk raised his blade in a swift, upward motion cutting through the flames as though cleaving reality itself.
"Fast…" Klaus muttered, sparks dancing along his arms.
The monk lunged, targeting Sofie. Klaus intercepted, wind coiling around his leg as he kicked, sending a gust so sharp it rattled the abandoned houses. The monk slid across the boards but recovered instantly, his mask still smiling.
"Sofie heat it up !" Klaus barked.
Sofie smirked and spun, her flames condensing into a concentrated sphere before bursting into a whip of fire. She lashed at the monk, wrapping the burning tendril around his arm. The stench of scorched cloth filled the air.
The monk didn't scream. He pulled hard yanking Sofie toward him with terrifying strength.
In that heartbeat, Klaus moved. Lightning surged through his body as he dashed in, his blade wreathed in wind and thunder. He slashed, aiming for the mask but just then the monk blocked with one hand.
The impact cracked the air, sending both Klaus and Sofie stumbling back. The corrupted monk straightened, tilting his head slightly, as if amused.
"Together," Klaus said lowly.
Sofie's flames flared again, Klaus's storm roared to life, and the fog around Oyasaki began to glow with firelight and lightning.
The corrupted monk steadied himself, his crimson gaze never wavering. The beads at his neck rattled with each slow, deliberate step forward.
Klaus's grip on his blade tightened.
"Enough of this."
He slammed the tip of his sword into the wet planks beneath them.
Lightning exploded outward in a jagged web, crawling across the ground like living serpents.
The air snapped and burned with ozone.
The monk froze mid-step.
Electric arcs climbed up his legs, wrapping his body in chains of crackling blue light. His sword arm twitched, but Klaus's current kept it locked in place.
"Now, Sofie!" Klaus shouted.