"It's morning already?"
A girl slowly opened her eyes and pushed herself out of bed. Standing in front of a mirror, she stared at her own reflection.
White hair fell around a soft, youthful face, contrasting with the determination in her eyes.
"Shit... I forgot to eat."
She quickly changed into fresh clothes and made her way downstairs. The first floor was still dark and cold, so she lit the forge before pouring herself a cup of water.
"In ten minutes, I need to open this place..." she muttered to herself while eating a slice of bread.
There was hardly ever enough time in the morning.
As she prepared the forge for another day of work, a horrible scream suddenly echoed from the direction of Hinosca's city gate.
She stopped.
"What the hell was that?"
Leaving everything behind, she rushed toward the entrance of the city.
And when she arrived, she found someone standing beside one of the armors she had personally forged.
Destroyed.
That alone was enough to ruin her morning.
The girl writing those memories into a diary was Eto Yaruzu.
Beside the open journal rested a half-finished blueprint for a new weapon, covered in measurements, notes and scratched-out designs.
Elsewhere in Hinosca, another morning had already begun.
"Good morning, Ms. Lucy."
Hikari approached the Guild reception desk.
Lucy looked up from the documents scattered across her counter.
"Morning, Hikari."
"I want a mission."
He had quickly learned something about Hinosca: money here was far more valuable than in the smaller towns he had traveled through.
Fortunately, Guild missions also paid considerably more.
Before Lucy could show him the available requests, however, the Guild doors suddenly flew open.
Several soldiers marched inside.
Their entrance immediately drew the attention of the adventurers around them.
"We are here to register an official search request for Sir Talis Velmont, Baron of Hinosca."
Hikari's expression barely changed.
Talis.
The man he had killed in the snow.
Lucy began writing down the soldiers' request while Hikari quietly studied them.
So he really was important.
His eyes eventually settled on one soldier in particular.
He was noticeably smaller than the others and carried himself nothing like them. His posture lacked confidence, and his hands constantly moved toward his face as though he never knew where to place them.
Even wearing armor and carrying a sword, he looked more afraid of being confronted than prepared to confront anyone himself.
His voice was low and hesitant.
But that wasn't what caught Hikari's attention.
Long blond hair.
Penetrating red eyes.
Far too familiar.
Hikari walked toward him.
"How important was Talis to Hinosca?"
The soldier stiffened.
"M-Me?"
"Yes. You."
The boy glanced at the other soldiers, but none of them were paying much attention.
Hikari noticed the anxiety immediately.
And took advantage of it.
The soldier looked at Hikari's black hair, the sword at his side and the intimidating calm in his expression.
From his perspective, refusing him did not seem like a particularly intelligent idea.
"He was... extremely influential," the soldier answered. "Lord Talis was the head of House Velmont."
Hikari remained silent, forcing him to continue.
"After he left on an expedition and disappeared in the snow, our family began losing influence. Our relationship with the Kyoya Clan has become unstable as well."
"The Kyoya Clan?"
"The most influential clan in Hinosca."
The soldier swallowed.
"Behind the scenes, everything is becoming chaotic. The Kyoya Clan supports four major noble houses. House Velmont is one of them. If our family collapses, the remaining three houses will gain more influence under Kyoya protection."
So Talis's disappearance had created more than a simple missing-person investigation.
It had created a political vacuum.
Hikari stared at the nervous soldier for another moment.
"What's your name?"
The question caught him completely off guard.
"Arthur... Arthur Velmont."
Hikari's eyes narrowed slightly.
That explained the resemblance.
Arthur was Talis's son.
With the Velmont family approaching collapse, Arthur had joined Hinosca's soldiers in an attempt to find his father before he was forced to inherit whatever remained of their house.
For years, the Velmonts had been losing power.
And now the person carrying most of the family's influence had vanished.
Their foundation was crumbling.
The remaining soldiers eventually finished their business and left the Guild.
Arthur remained behind for a moment, still visibly troubled.
Then another voice interrupted them.
"Hikari!"
Eto entered the Guild holding a piece of paper in her hand.
His bounty poster.
"Why the hell is someone hunting you?"
Hikari glanced at her.
Then looked back at Arthur.
Eto's eye twitched.
"I'm talking to you."
Hikari ignored her again.
She became visibly angrier.
He leaned slightly toward Arthur.
"If you bring me to your father's room, I'll tell you who killed him."
Arthur froze.
"Killed...?"
His face lost what little color it had.
Until that moment, Arthur had still been searching for a missing father.
Hikari's words destroyed that hope in a single sentence.
"You know who killed him?"
"Yes."
Arthur stared at him for several seconds.
Then his fear slowly gave way to determination.
"Come with me."
Naturally, Eto followed them.
Mostly because she was still angry about being ignored.
The Velmont estate stood within one of Hinosca's wealthier districts. After passing through its gates, Arthur explained to the servants that Hikari and Eto were his personal guests and were to be treated with respect.
Arthur kept his face partially turned away as they walked.
It was completely red.
Eto noticed.
She said nothing.
Eventually, the three reached Talis Velmont's room.
Arthur hesitated before opening the door.
"I... I don't know why you wanted to see my father's room, but please... respect his belongings."
His gaze remained fixed on the floor.
Hikari and Eto entered.
Unlike Arthur, they immediately began examining everything.
Documents.
Shelves.
Furniture.
Boxes.
Hikari's attention eventually shifted toward a large family portrait hanging from the wall.
A woman stood beside Talis in the painting.
"Who is she?"
Arthur looked toward the portrait.
"My mother."
His voice became quieter.
"She died twelve years ago."
For once, Eto said nothing sarcastic.
She looked at Arthur differently.
He had grown up without his mother.
Now his father had disappeared during a mysterious expedition, leaving him to carry a dying noble house by himself.
While examining the wall, Eto accidentally pressed something beneath the frame.
Click.
The three froze.
The portrait shifted.
Then slowly flipped away from the wall.
A hidden passage stood behind it.
"What the hell...?" Eto whispered.
Hikari entered first.
Inside were files, records and documents hidden from the rest of the household.
They began reading.
One word repeatedly appeared throughout them.
Onism.
Arthur's eyes widened.
"My father...?"
The deeper they searched, the worse it became.
Talis had not merely known about Onism.
He had been directly connected to the religious organization.
Hikari was the least surprised among them.
He already knew that much.
But this was an opportunity to learn something far more valuable.
Who controlled Onism?
What did they actually want?
And why were they operating around Hinosca?
Then Hikari found something that made even him stop.
It was incomplete, but the meaning was unmistakable.
An order.
A death sentence for the entire Velmont family if Onism's hidden leader was dissatisfied with the outcome of recent events.
Arthur stared at the document without speaking.
Hikari continued searching.
Another file caught his attention.
His own name was written across it.
Hikari Yukihana
First son of the current head of the Yukihana Clan.
Mysteriously disappeared ten years ago at five years old.
Owner of Onoko.
Bearer of the Mark of Light.
For the following ten years, he traveled between shelters, small villages and towns across Asuka.
Despite his disappearance, he never made a serious attempt to conceal his true identity.
Hikari stared at the document.
Onism knew far too much about him.
Not everything.
But enough.
By the end of the day, Arthur and Hikari sat together on a bench overlooking the Velmont family garden.
For some time, neither spoke.
A gentle wind moved through the trees.
Arthur kept his eyes forward.
Hikari finally broke the silence.
"Arthur."
Arthur looked toward him.
"You're a good person."
Hikari's expression remained completely serious.
"But the one who killed your father... was me."
Arthur froze.
For several seconds, there was no reaction at all.
Not anger.
Not sadness.
Nothing.
Then his hands began trembling.
"My father..."
Hikari did not look away.
"I killed Talis."
Arthur lowered his head.
His mother was gone.
His father was dead.
His family was collapsing.
And the person responsible for his father's death was sitting beside him.
A strong breeze passed through the garden.
"My entire family... House Velmont... is reaching its end."
Arthur slowly turned toward Hikari.
"And it's all your fault, Hikari Yukihana."
Hatred filled his stare.
But nothing followed.
Arthur knew it.
Hikari knew it.
He was too weak to do anything.
Hikari eventually stood and left the estate.
Eto followed him.
Night had already fallen over Hinosca.
The cold air felt different after everything they had discovered.
After several minutes of walking, Hikari finally spoke.
"You heard everything, right?"
Eto nodded.
"So you also noticed it. The major clans are controlling everything surrounding this investigation."
Hikari looked toward the moonlit sky.
"And now we're involved."
Eto remained silent for a moment.
"I found something else."
Hikari looked at her.
"The Ibuki Clan wants to declare war again."
That got his attention.
Eto continued walking toward the Guild.
Instead of returning home, she walked straight toward the mission board.
Hikari raised an eyebrow.
"What are you doing?"
"I need to hit something."
She pulled a monster-elimination request from the board.
Then looked at him.
"Coming?"
Hikari stared at her for a second.
"Sure."
The two left Hinosca shortly afterward.
By the time they reached the forest surrounding the designated hunting zone, almost every trace of civilization had disappeared.
Moonlight barely penetrated the branches above them.
The dirt path ahead was swallowed by darkness.
For several minutes, the only sounds were their footsteps and the movement of leaves in the wind.
Then something growled from somewhere between the trees.
Hikari's hand moved toward Onoko.
Eto smiled.
The first creature rushed from the darkness.
Hikari prepared to draw his sword—
—but Eto moved first.
Her Forge Blacksmith Mark activated.
Metal responded to her command, gathering and reshaping itself in front of her hands.
Piece after piece locked together.
A long handle formed.
Then an enormous axe head.
Within seconds, Eto was holding a massive battle axe almost absurdly large compared to her body.
Hikari stared.
"You're seriously using that?"
Eto tightened her grip.
"Why not?"
The monster charged.
Eto swung.
The impact echoed through the forest.
The beast was thrown aside, crashing through the undergrowth.
Eto's smile widened.
Hikari stared at her.
"You're insane."
"Says you."
Another growl came from behind them.
Then another.
And another.
Shapes began appearing between the trees.
The noise of their first fight had attracted more monsters.
Hikari slowly drew Onoko.
Moonlight reflected along its edge.
"Fine."
The first beast lunged toward him.
A brief flash crossed the darkness.
Hikari appeared behind it.
The creature collapsed a moment later.
Eto looked toward him.
"Show-off."
"You made an axe bigger than yourself."
"Exactly. Mine is cooler."
More creatures rushed them.
The forest erupted into chaos.
Hikari fought with precision.
Every movement had purpose.
He avoided unnecessary strikes, waiting until an enemy entered his range before letting Onoko cut through it with terrifying efficiency.
Eto fought completely differently.
There was nothing restrained about her.
Every swing of her axe carried enough force to shake branches and tear through the earth beneath her feet.
She smashed one monster aside, rotated the weapon around her body and immediately brought the blade down onto another.
She was enjoying herself far too much.
Hikari noticed the grin on her face grow wider with every opponent.
"You know this was supposed to be a mission, right?"
Eto swung again.
"I'm working."
"That is not what work looks like."
Another beast charged Hikari from the side.
He ducked beneath its attack and cut upward.
It fell behind him.
"Looks exactly like work to me."
The creatures kept coming.
At first they arrived alone.
Then in groups.
The two were eventually forced away from the dirt path as the battle spread deeper into the trees.
Minutes became hours.
The moon slowly traveled across the sky.
Neither of them suggested stopping.
Perhaps neither really wanted to.
After everything inside the Velmont estate, fighting was simpler.
There were no noble houses.
No hidden religious leaders.
No dead fathers.
No political games.
Only enemies standing directly in front of them.
At one point, three creatures surrounded Eto.
Hikari moved to intervene.
"I've got it!"
Her Mark flashed.
The metal of her battle axe shifted under her control, reinforcing the weapon before she spun with the full weight of it.
One monster was sent crashing into another.
The third leapt at her.
A streak of light crossed Eto's vision.
The creature fell before reaching her.
Hikari stood several meters away, Onoko already returning to its sheath.
Eto frowned.
"I said I had it."
"You were taking too long."
"I hate you."
"You'll survive."
She smiled again.
The hunt continued.
Near dawn, exhaustion finally began catching up with them.
Eto rested the massive axe over her shoulder, breathing heavily.
Hikari's clothes were covered in dirt and traces of the night's battle.
The forest around them had finally become quiet.
Too quiet.
Eto looked around.
"How many?"
Hikari glanced at the battlefield.
"A lot."
"That's not a number."
"Do you want to count them?"
She stared at the scattered monsters.
"No."
By the time their eliminations had been accounted for, nearly one hundred monsters had died during the hunt.
When they finally returned to the Guild, Lucy stared at the report in disbelief.
Then at Hikari.
Then at Eto.
Then back at the report.
"This is insane."
Eto leaned against the reception desk.
"Is that a compliment?"
"No."
Lucy began calculating their reward.
After several moments, even she appeared surprised by the result.
"Two hundred and forty-two Golden Crowns."
Hikari blinked.
Eto immediately stood straighter.
Lucy continued.
"One hundred and twenty-one for each of you."
Eto's exhaustion seemed to disappear instantly.
Hikari took his share and began walking away.
Unlike Eto, who remained near the desk admiring her earnings, he had reached his limit.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Hikari wanted nothing more than to reach his room, close the door and sleep properly.
[...]
Eto Yaruzu's Diary — Day XX
Onism is dangerous to Hinosca.
And "we" are next.
[...]