As usual, large markets had been set up in Eldravon, and people bustled through the crowded streets. Akira hadn't seen Eldravon for two full months. During that time, the city had changed significantly; more restaurants, weapon shops, and houses had been built.
Riding his horse through the city center, he finally arrived at the entrance of the 12 Palaces. He pulled the emblem from his pocket and fastened it to his clothing. Since his thin armor, given to him as a soldier, had been torn, he wore the black shirt that the elderly Morvan had given him.
At the gate, he was met by two familiar soldiers: Reina and Sato.
Reina turned her face upon seeing Akira, muttering:
— Why did you even come here?
Sato and Akira smiled at each other and shook hands. Sato scrutinized Akira from head to toe.
— Akira, looks like you've been beaten again. And where's your armor?
Akira laughed.
— Yeah… got beaten again. This time it was really bad! And my armor got torn. The old man exaggerated the training too much.
Sato laughed heartily.
Reina turned to Akira and looked at the sword at his waist.
— Where's Setsuna?
Akira pointed to the sword on his back.
— I already have a sword at my waist, so I didn't want to carry extra weight on my back.
Reina spoke with a mocking tone.
— Well then, take the one at your waist off. Why are you even carrying two swords?
Akira smiled as he answered.
— I still can't fully balance Setsuna's power. Also, this is a special gift given to me.
Reina muttered coldly and disdainfully:
— Do whatever you want.
After convincing Reina to stay at the gate, Sato walked with Akira toward Arisawa's palace. The garden hadn't changed much; Arisawa's simple style was still evident. Only the training area had been slightly expanded and repaired.
When they reached the grand palace doors, the two knocked. A servant opened the door, sizing them up. When he noticed Akira's emblem, he politely invited them in.
Akira climbed the stairs and headed toward his friends' rooms. Yui's and Raiga's rooms were side by side, while Akira's was a bit further. Excitedly, he knocked on Yui's door.
Yui got up from her bed, opening the door with tired eyes, muttering:
— Who could it be this time?
Akira smiled.
— Hi, Yui!
Upon hearing Akira's voice, Yui immediately brightened.
— Akira!!
She quickly dressed and stepped outside. The two began walking through the palace. Meanwhile, Sato had returned to his duties.
Curious, Yui asked:
— How was the past two months with the old man?
Akira thought for a moment, then replied:
— I can use Setsuna much better now. The old man taught me a lot.
Yui looked over Akira's clothes.
— What happened to your clothes? Don't tell me…
Akira's mood dropped.
— Yes… the old man tore all of them apart under the pretext of training.
Yui laughed.
After chatting for a while, they went out into the garden. There, they saw Raiga training. Akira waved:
— Raiga! Look over here!
Raiga turned to Akira, first surprised, then muttering:
— So you came, idiot!
Akira ran up to him.
— Training alone? Where's Master Arisawa?
Raiga grunted while continuing to swing his sword:
— I don't need that idiot to train!
Akira looked at him in surprise.
Yui chuckled.
— Raiga had an argument with Arisawa this morning.
Akira laughed.
— Same as always.
Raiga got angry, shouting:
— What are you laughing at!
Akira and Yui continued laughing. Raiga's patience was running thin. Just as he was about to shout, Akira turned and started walking.
— Hey, idiot! Where are you going?!
Akira answered calmly:
— I'm going to see Master Arisawa. Will you come?
Raiga snapped back:
— Of course not!
Yui nodded:
— I'll train a bit more myself.
She thought: That guy is dangerous… the farther I stay, the better.
Ignoring them, Akira entered the palace. As he walked slowly toward Arisawa's room, he noticed small changes: new chandeliers, a few decorative items…
He knocked on the door and waited. Hearing no response, he knocked again. Still no answer, so he slowly opened the door. The door wasn't locked. What he saw made him smile: Arisawa had fallen asleep at his desk.
Akira approached and nudged his master.
— Master! Arisawa! I'm here, wake up!
Arisawa opened one eye and looked at Akira. Then, suddenly startled, he jumped up:
— Mira!!
Akira was surprised.
— Master Arisawa, I'm not Mira. I'm Akira.
Arisawa paused briefly, then closed the open drawer and smiled.
— Welcome, Akira. Are you new here?
Akira immediately replied:
— Yes. And you're sleeping as usual.
Arisawa sighed.
— You could show a little respect.
Akira thought.
— I don't think I'm being disrespectful.
Arisawa sat in his chair, his face serious.
— You've been gone for two months. How was the training?
Akira spoke excitedly:
— I've learned so much! I want to test it with you!
Arisawa's face suddenly hardened.
— Unfortunately, you need to test it against Kaos, not me.
Akira's eyes widened.
— Kaos? Has the kingdom decided to take action now?
Arisawa shook his head.
— Not yet. But I want to bring it up in the council meeting today. Most likely, we'll go with a two-person team to find out their objectives.
Akira asked curiously:
— A two-person team… does that mean someone else is after Kaos too?
Arisawa paused briefly, then answered:
— Noa Yukishiro. It's been three months since Daigo died. Since that day, he hasn't said a word in the council or left the palace. But I think he wants to avenge Daigo.
Akira thought.
— That makes sense… but how will we defeat them with only two people?
Arisawa smiled.
— We're not planning to fight them. Our goal is purely to gather information. My instincts say the Karathos Kingdom is behind this.
Akira nodded.
— I've been thinking the same thing for the past three months.
Arisawa reclined at his desk again.
— I'll convene the council in the evening. For now, you should rest.
Akira nodded and left the room, heading toward the shared dining hall of the 12 Palaces.
As he approached, the aroma of food excited him. He quickly entered, glanced at the meat on the table, and ran to the large table, devouring the food. For him, this moment was very important; he had eaten almost only rice for the past two months. After finishing his plate and the ones beside him, he realized there was no food left on the table—but he couldn't even lift himself from the seat.
At that moment, Renzo and his team entered the dining hall. Seeing Akira, they excitedly sat beside him. Seraphina spoke in a shy but happy voice:
— W-welcome, Akira.
Renzo and Gareth echoed with the same excitement:
— Welcome!
Akira smiled as he replied:
— Thanks. But I was only gone for two months; no need to exaggerate.
Renzo spoke, as if protesting:
— Don't say that. When you're not around, the palace has no fun.
Gareth, seeing that Akira had finished all the food on the table, was surprised:
— Looks like you were really hungry.
Akira placed his hand on his stomach:
— Yeah, I was starving.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Renzo's head:
— If you're still hungry, we can buy you a meal.
At first, Akira hesitated, but then he agreed—he was still hungry.
— Alright then, I'll get ready.
Gareth turned to Seraphina:
— Are you coming, Sera?
Sera replied without hesitation:
— No.
Akira quietly went to Arisawa's room and opened the wardrobe. It was full of suits. He took one, quickly went downstairs, and joined Renzo and Gareth, who were waiting at the palace gate.
Together, they left the palace and walked toward Eldravon. The sun was setting; Eldravon looked as magnificent as ever. After wandering for a while, they stopped in front of a huge restaurant. Akira felt uneasy—he didn't want to be a financial burden on his friends.
— T-this is the city's most famous restaurant… maybe we should go somewhere else.
Renzo and Gareth laughed in unison:
— Akira, this is our family restaurant.
Akira was shocked and shouted:
— What! Your restaurant? Really!?
Renzo shrugged casually:
— Yeah, it's ours. We're actually chefs.
Curious, Akira asked:
— Then why did you become soldiers?
Gareth answered as he walked in:
— We'll talk about that inside.
They went inside; the place was huge—big chandeliers, expensive decor, a luxurious atmosphere. Akira was impressed. Renzo found an empty table and sat down; Akira and Gareth followed. Renzo leaned back and took a deep breath:
— It's as comfortable as always here.
Gareth agreed:
— We couldn't come for a long time because of palace duties.
Akira looked at the menu, and froze when he saw the prices:
— W-what kind of prices are these?
Renzo laughed:
— It's a luxury restaurant, these prices are normal.
Just as Gareth was about to speak, a 1.80-meter-tall man in a suit, looking angry, entered and addressed Renzo and Gareth:
— Renzo! Gareth! What are you doing here!?
Renzo closed his eyes and took a deep breath when he saw the man:
— We came to eat, father.
Gareth looked at the menu and said:
— Bring us a nice steak, you choose.
Akira, confused, asked:
— What's going on here? Who are you?
The man turned to Akira, his voice sharp:
— I am the owner of this family restaurant.
Akira was shocked:
— Then why are you mad at Renzo and Gareth?
The man replied with the same anger:
— They are supposed to inherit this restaurant! But they haven't even come in four months. Instead of being chefs, they became soldiers. What a disappointment!
Renzo and Gareth's morale dropped. Akira defended them:
— They're just following their dreams.
Without answering, the man turned and walked away:
— If you want to eat here, you'll pay for your meal. If you don't have money, you'll work to pay.
Akira checked his wallet—there was no money. Renzo and Gareth did the same. Akira stood and smiled:
— Never mind, next time we'll go somewhere more affordable.
But Renzo and Gareth didn't want Akira to feel indebted. Renzo stood and tapped Akira on the shoulder:
— Akira, you sit. We'll bring your food soon.
Akira was surprised:
— B-but…
Gareth nodded:
— We promised you. Don't worry, it'll be quick.
Persuaded by his friends, Akira agreed and waited. Renzo went to the kitchen, Gareth acted as the waiter. Akira waited for about fifteen minutes.
A dark aura filled the restaurant; a hooded man in black entered and sat at a reserved table. Akira felt uneasy about the atmosphere. Gareth immediately went to him politely:
— Hello, welcome. Let's move you to a different table; this one is reserved.
The man ignored him, extending the menu to Gareth:
— Bring me the best menu you have here.
As Gareth reacted, the man lifted his head and glanced at him with one eye from the side. Even that look was terrifying. Akira stood up and shouted quietly:
— Hey! Speak properly—
Gareth interrupted him:
— It's fine, Akira.
Then he came to Akira and whispered:
— Men like this sometimes come here. Don't worry, there's special security at the entrance; it'll be fine.
— Got it…
Gareth slowly returned to the kitchen and handed the menu to Renzo. Five minutes later, he returned and brought the menu to the man. The man grumbled coldly:
— The menu came late.
Gareth lowered his head and apologized:
— Sorry, sir, please forgive us.
The man started eating, and throughout the meal, he stared coldly at Akira. Even though his face was hidden in shadows, Akira felt his gaze on him and became uneasy. After finishing, the man stood. Akira glanced toward the kitchen; when he looked again, the man had disappeared, leaving him worried.
Seeing no trace of the man at the table, Gareth came to Akira and asked:
— That man didn't pay. Do you know where he went?
— No, I didn't see him.
Gareth nodded and informed their father in the kitchen. After Renzo and Gareth finished a little more work, they were done. Gareth took a plate of meat and brought it to Akira. Akira's eyes lit up when he saw it:
— Th-this looks amazing.
Renzo placed the plate on the table:
— Yes, we made it especially for you. We'll clean the kitchen for two minutes; don't eat before we come back.
Akira laughed:
— Okay, I'll wait.
Gareth returned to the kitchen; he washed dishes, collected trash, and threw it into the bin by the back door. At that moment, he noticed the man who hadn't paid the bill standing there. The room was silent and dark; the man's presence was noticeable. Gareth shouted:
— Hey! You thief who didn't pay, look here!
The man turned, his face in shadow:
— The bill?
Renzo stepped out of the kitchen:
— You need to pay the bill. What you did is theft.
The man muttered in a low, cold voice:
— I guess you're right… I should pay.
Then he took off his hood; white hair emerged from the darkness.
At that moment, Akira, bored, stood and headed to the kitchen. He called out to the owners:
— Hello, where are Renzo and Gareth?
The father answered sharply:
— Their work time is over. I asked them last to take out the trash.
Akira immediately asked:
— Then where's the trash?
The father pointed to the back door. Akira went there; he looked for Renzo and Gareth among the staff, but they weren't there. When he reached the back door, he noticed it was open and stepped outside excitedly:
— I was wondering where you two were—
Renzo lay on the ground near the garbage dump, his eyes closed, covered in blood; his body looked as if it had been torn apart by a monster. Gareth's body was there too; his body was torn apart, everything but his face scattered. Akira was stunned at the sight.
He rushed to Renzo's side, shaking him, and shouting:
— Renzo! Wake up! What's going on!?
When Renzo didn't respond, he checked his pulse, but it wasn't beating. Akira's hands began to tremble; he turned around, searched for Gareth, and realized there was another corpse there. He quickly looked around. A man with white hair appeared from the darkness. The man was staring at Akira. Akira knew at first glance: it was the spirit who had killed Daigo. He cried out in anger:
— Y-you are Kael Volgrath… I will kill you!!!
The man spoke coldly, turned around, and began to walk away:
— I won't kill you now. If I kill you here, Makise will come right away.
Akira pulled Setsuna and ran towards Kael. Red energy enveloped his body. But the mist spread, and Kael vanished in an instant.
Akira shouted angrily:
— I will kill you!!! It may not happen today, but one day, I will definitely kill you!!!