Some time had passed since the Spiritual Flame had dimmed, and since the Chief's last words had weighed unbearably on their souls.
Everyone seemed lost in tangled thoughts, clinging to some comfort in the depths of the cave, but the shadows of worry had not left them.
And suddenly...
A deep breath sounded, followed by a cold exhalation.
Kaito's body moved slowly. He opened his eyes.
His gaze...
It wasn't the gaze of someone awakened from sleep, but of someone awakened from another death.
He stared at the cave ceiling for a long time, his features impassive, neither surprised nor confused, nor happy... as if something inside him had broken and was no longer the same.
As soon as they noticed his awakening, Hiro-Shin jumped up at him, laughing:
"Hey! There it is! The mysterious boy has come back to life! Were you dreaming of me? Huh? I admit it, I'm handsome even in nightmares!"
But Kaito didn't reply. He simply stared at him blankly, devoid of any emotion, not even mockery or surprise.
Hairu's laughter caught in his throat, then he cleared his throat lightly, stepping back with a reluctant smile:
"Ah... you're still asleep, it seems..."
Taiko, Kaito's father, leaned closer and said loudly, as if to dispel the silence:
"Did you know? This Kaito used to hide in the closet during rainy days because he was afraid of thunder, remember, my boy?"
But Kaito didn't smile.
He merely directed a fleeting glance at his father... devoid of warmth, nor coldness... a look that held nothing.
The three girls—Tsuki, Hana, and Saya—looked at him with surprise and a hint of caution.
There was something disturbing about his posture, his eyes, his harsh stillness.
Before the silence could continue...
Minamoto's voice came from near the entrance:
"Kaito... follow me."
Kaito looked toward his father.
Taiko gave him a small nod, without speaking.
Kaito stood and walked out with Minamoto.
They walked down the stone path, past the cave, into the cool air.
Their steps stopped at a protruding rock overlooking a small precipice.
Minamoto stood with his back to the precipice, then said in a calm, yet sharp voice:
"You're trying to hide from something you can't escape, Kaito.
Deceiving yourself into thinking you're still the same person... will cost everyone their lives."
Kaito didn't respond immediately.
Then he said, in a low, emotionless voice:
"Who cares?"
The sentence came out like a sword.
No anger, no carelessness.
But it contained the complete death of belonging.
Minamoto laughed, a strangely dry laugh.
"Ha… who cares?
You dangerous boy."
At that moment, without warning, Minamoto took out his long black chain.
He swung it, it swelled, ancient symbols glowing along its length, and then aimed it at Kaito.
But…
Kaito dodged the blow effortlessly, as if he could see into the future.
He took a single sideways step, and the chain passed him as if through the void.
Then he turned to Minamoto.
His gaze was merciless.
The ground began to shake slightly beneath their feet.
In the cave, the girls and Hiro-Shin turned toward the source of the voice, preparing to move.
But Taiko held out his hand in front of them:
"No need for anyone to interfere."
He said it confidently, but his eyes remained fixed on the cave's opening.
The danger was no longer outside.
The danger was there, just a few steps away… in Kaito's heart.
Kaito stood still, his silver hair swaying gently in the faint breeze, the ground beneath his feet groaning with the mounting tension.
In front of him stood Minamoto, his body poised, his chain twisting in the air like a steel snake stalking its prey.
Minamoto raised his head slightly, his voice slowly emerging, as if speaking a truth he had long suppressed:
"You're not one of us... aren't you?
You know... you're not just a human."
Kaito didn't reply, but slowly turned his face toward him.
That look... held neither denial nor admission. Just deadly silence.
Then he said, his voice calm and devoid of mercy:
"Then... killing you won't be a problem."
In an instant, Minamoto's chain multiplied into dozens, emerging from the ground and air, condensing into enormous swords, then charging toward him. The first chains flew at lightning speed, and Kaito dodged them swiftly. However, he missed one of the last chains, which pierced his chest hard, tearing off part of his clothing.
His body shuddered for a moment, and he took half a step back.
Blood began to flow slowly... but there was no scream... no pain.
Minamoto returned the chains to attack. They pounced from every direction, as if they were closing in on him from an entire universe.
Kaito began to move, backing left and right, quick leaps, precise movements...
but he no longer had the same precision. Each blow grazed him, but didn't knock him down.
Then, to Minamoto's astonishment, the wounds he had inflicted... began to heal before his eyes.
Minamoto muttered, his eyes widening.
"What human... could do this?!"
And suddenly...
The air around them became heavy, as if something mighty had begun to rise from the darkness.
Kaito calmed down and stood up straight.
Then, before Minamoto's astonished eyes,
his features began to change.
Kaito's eyes were completely black, like two bottomless abysses.
Except at their center... a bright silver pupil glowed like a forgotten light.
Six black slits appeared on his face—three extending down his right cheek, three down his left.
Like traces of an ancient judgment, or an eternal curse.
Silence reigned.
Even the winds died down.
At that moment, Kaito looked at Minamoto.
A look... indescribable.
It wasn't a look of anger, revenge, or even madness.
Rather, it was the look of a being looking at a lower being,
a look that said inaudibly:
"I've seen you... but you haven't seen anything yet."
Minamoto took a step back, clenching his fist tightly.
For the first time in years, he felt a danger he couldn't comprehend.
Deep in the tunnel...
The ground shook again, lightly, as if something ancient was awakening.
Fin chapter