The fire crackled softly as silence hung between them. Kael's eyes were wide, processing the words that had just shattered his understanding of who he was.
"Kael... Kurai?" he finally repeated, voice low. "You're saying you're my grandfather?"
Kyoushiro—no, Raizen Kurai—nodded, his expression a blend of sorrow and steel. He looked older now, the flames casting long shadows across the lines of regret etched into his face.
"I never wanted you to find out like this," Raizen said, sitting back down. "But time doesn't care about the perfect moment. It's long overdue."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Why didn't you ever show yourself? To me? To my mother?"
Raizen's eyes softened. "Because I was afraid. Afraid that my enemies—Kurojin, the corrupted, even the world itself—would come for her. For you. If they knew the Kurai bloodline still lived, they would've wiped it out without hesitation."
Kael sat still. Raizen continued, his voice quiet.
"Your mother… her name was Sayori. Sayori Kurai. She was my light during those dark years after the Fracture. A bright child, strong-willed, always chasing after my blade with a wooden stick of her own, saying she wanted to be a hero."
Kael's eyes flickered.
"I loved her more than anything. But I knew what was coming. I'd already made too many enemies—beasts, corrupted Wielders, and even the Council itself. So I left her. I disappeared. Faked my death. I made sure Sayori and her mother were hidden in a safe region far from the frontlines. I never looked back."
Raizen's fists clenched.
"Not a day goes by I don't regret it."
Kael stared into the fire, his thoughts racing. "She never spoke of you. Not once."
"She didn't know," Raizen said. "When I left… she was too young to remember. Her mother and I agreed never to speak of me again. That way, no one could trace your lineage."
Kael's voice cracked. "So she lived her life thinking her father abandoned her. She raised me in a world full of danger. Alone."
"I watched from a distance," Raizen said softly. "And when I saw what you became… when I saw you awaken the Last Will… I knew the time had come."
Kael stood slowly, emotions swirling in his chest like a storm—rage, confusion, pain, and something deeper: resolve.
"I don't know if I can forgive you," he said honestly.
Raizen nodded. "I don't expect you to."
"But," Kael continued, his voice firming, "I'll use everything you've told me. Everything I am. I'll become strong enough to protect everyone. Hana. Tetsu. Ryuu. Even people I haven't met yet."
His eyes glowed faintly, the power of the Last Will stirring inside him.
"I'll finish what you started. Not for you. Not for Sayori. For the world."
Raizen smiled faintly, proud and solemn. "Then you truly are my grandson."
As the fire dimmed, Kael turned away, cloak billowing behind him.
"Let's go," he said. "If Kurojin's still alive, then we've got work to do."