The cold wind bit at Kael's skin as he followed Kyoushiro deeper into the mountain path beyond the Obsidian Hollow. Snow crunched under their feet, but neither spoke. Kael could still feel the weight of Azrael's flame and the tension in Hana's voice when she called after him. But right now, there was something more important—something deeper.
Eventually, they reached a cave concealed beneath an overhang of ice and rock. Kyoushiro entered first, lighting a fire with a flick of his hand. The cave walls were marked with ancient sigils, long forgotten even by most high Wielders.
Kael leaned against the cave wall, arms crossed. "So what now? Why did you bring me here?"
Kyoushiro sat down by the fire and motioned for Kael to do the same.
"You've grown stronger. Strong enough to stop Azrael without tapping fully into the Last Will. But strength without knowledge is as dangerous as the darkness you face."
Kael sat, frowning. "You said before… there were things I didn't understand. Things I needed to learn. I'm listening."
Kyoushiro nodded slowly, the fire reflecting in his eyes.
"Thirty years ago, I fought a man named Kurojin Tsukiro. He was consumed by his Will, twisted by it until he became something... inhuman. I defeated him, but it came at a price. I vanished from the world. Changed my name. Took no disciples—until your mentor, Kaede Mizuno, found me."
Kael's eyes widened slightly. "You trained Kaede…?"
Kyoushiro smirked. "Unknowingly. I never told him who I was. I told him what he needed to hear. Just as I'm telling you now."
He stood up and faced Kael.
"You carry the Last Will, the final ancient force of balance between creation and destruction. It was never meant for one person. But fate chose you—and now, the corrupted seek to twist it, take it, or break you trying."
Kyoushiro's tone hardened.
"That's why I told Kaede what I'm telling you now: If you cannot learn to control it—if you lose yourself to it—then someone will have to end you."
Kael's fists clenched. "...So what, you're saying if I slip, you'll kill me?"
Kyoushiro shook his head. "I won't have to. Because you won't let it come to that."
Kael looked into the fire, the reflection of all the battles he'd endured flashing through his mind. The beast Kurothar. The Void. His friends nearly dying. Hana crying. Tetsu laughing. Ryuu gritting his teeth beside him in every fight.
"I'm not afraid of power," Kael said finally. "I'm afraid of losing myself. Of becoming like him. Like Kurojin."
Kyoushiro nodded solemnly.
"Then you're already stronger than he ever was."
He placed a hand on Kael's shoulder. "But there's more. Your strength isn't just yours. It's rooted in your blood, your past, and a name you've never known."
Kael blinked. "What are you talking about?"
Kyoushiro stared into the fire. "Your full name, Kael... is Kael Kurai."
Kael froze.
Kyoushiro turned his eyes to him.
"You are the grandson of Raizen Kurai—the man the world thought was dead. The man who once defeated Kurojin. The man… who was me."
Kael's breath caught. "What…?"
Kyoushiro stepped back, eyes soft but firm.
"That's why the Last Will chose you. And that's why you must surpass me. Because what's coming… will make Kurojin and the Fracture look like the calm before the storm."