"Open my gate…?"
Yuri stared at Ravi as if the words had punched straight through him.The phrase echoed in his skull—sharp, disorienting, impossible to pin down.
His pulse kicked. His hands trembled. His jaw tightened.
"What does that even mean?" Yuri demanded, voice cracking between panic and anger. He tried swallowing the knot climbing up his throat, but it only grew heavier. "Seriously—what exactly does that mean?!"
Ravi rose from the wooden stool without hurry, circling the counter with an unreadable calm. His footsteps were soft… but the weight behind them wasn't.
He stopped in front of Yuri.
"The way you are now," Ravi said, voice level, "there is no chance you're ready to learn about the Hidden Province."
He leaned forward—eyes narrowing, expression cutting like winter steel.
"Your mind is weak. Still too human."His tone sharpened."And your reaction just proved it."
Yuri froze… then exploded.
"Understand WHAT!?" he shouted. "Why can't you just tell me? Why do you keep talking in these stupid, cryptic—"
"YURI!"
Mayori grabbed him by the wrist.
He turned—her eyes locking onto his with a force that stopped everything.No anger.No fear.Just… steady, grounding conviction.
A silent message passed between them.
BREATHE.
His rage cracked instantly, falling apart like glass.His shoulders slumped.He lowered his gaze, shame creeping into every inch of him.
"I… I'm…" Yuri swallowed hard, voice shrinking. "I'm sorry."
The moment hung heavy—awkward, raw, painfully human.
He didn't wait for a response.
Yuri pushed past them and walked out of the shop, shoulders tight, leaving the door to creak shut behind him.
Silence spilled into the room like cold water.
Mayori finally exhaled, turning on Ravi with an exhausted frown."Was that really necessary?" she said, shaking her head.
Ravi scratched the back of his neck, guilt tugging faintly at his features.A long breath escaped him.
"Nothing about that boy makes sense…" he muttered. "I've seen people like him before. They never end up on the right path."
He hesitated.
His gaze drifted toward the door Yuri disappeared through… then slowly shifted to Mayori.
Something unspoken tightened in his throat.
"S-speaking of," he continued, voice suddenly awkward, "I didn't mention it earlier but… the blade that boy was holding. You felt it, right?"
Mayori blinked.
"Blade? He wasn't holding anything."
Time stopped.
Ravi's pupils constricted—his eyes flashing a sharp spiral of gold.
"Oh—he wasn't?" he said too quickly. "Yeah. Must've been my imagination. Excuse me."
He slipped toward the back room in a stiff, uneasy shuffle.
The door shut behind him.
Mayori stood alone in the center of the shop—still, quiet, unmoving.
Her hands rested gently together at her waist.Her lips curved into that soft, practiced smile she always wore…
But her eyes—
Her eyes sank into shadow.
Something deep. Something ancient. Something hungry.
A slow ember ignited within them—colored not gold, not brown, but something far colder… far darker.
And as the light dimmed around her,her smile remained perfect—beautiful, hollow, and utterly wrong.
Her eyes glowed.
And the room seemed to hold its breath