Ekki's sword sliced through the empty air, the sound sharp and steady with each swing. Training was the one place where his mind found focus. The rhythm of the blade felt almost alive, humming in his hands.
That was when Taki arrived. He stepped into the clearing, his usual white shirt and pants making him look almost ghostlike against the dirt of the training ground. Taki was not a brave boy. He had always feared monsters, feared battles, feared anything that carried danger. And, like most of the villagers, he carried a quiet dislike for Ekki. In his eyes, Ekki was nothing but a sinner.
Ekki's eyes flicked up. He wore his own familiar clothes: a white shirt, black pants, and the sword that rarely left his side.
"Where did you get that sword?" Taki asked, suspicion dripping from his voice. "I think you stole it."
Ekki tightened his grip on the hilt. He opened his mouth, ready to explain that the weapon was his father's, but before he could speak, a figure staggered into the yard.
It was Sero. He crashed into Ekki with such force that both of them nearly fell. Blood was spreading fast across Sero's stomach.
"What happened to you?" Ekki and Taki asked at the same time, panic flaring in their voices.
Sero drew in a shaky breath. "I was on my way to my room," he began, forcing each word past the pain, "when I felt something. A presence. Someone was watching me, following me. I used my wind power to sense the breaths of living things nearby, and that's when I realized—it was close. Something unknown. Something dangerous."
He coughed, his body trembling, but continued. "It appeared before me. A creature… huge. Four arms, two legs, and only one eye. Its whole body was soaked in poison. I fought it. Thirty minutes I kept it off me, dodging every strike, but then its body turned red. It grew faster. Stronger. It caught me off guard and slashed my stomach."
His hand pressed against the wound as his voice faltered. "Then I heard a sound—this place. It left me and ran here. I followed, hoping to protect you… but I was poisoned."
Both Ekki and Taki stared at him, stunned. The weight of his words pressed the air flat.
Taki's fear got the better of him. His face twisted with terror, and he turned to run toward the safety of the village. But before he could reach the path, the monster appeared. Its massive hand shot out, seizing him with ease.
Sero forced himself forward despite his wound, trying again to fight the creature. But his strength was fading fast.
Ekki felt something boil inside him at the sight. His friend was poisoned, his classmate in danger. He surged forward, sword raised, but the creature lashed out and kicked him hard across the ground.
The monster turned back to Sero. Its jaw opened, fangs glistening. Then it bit into him, and the last of Sero's strength drained away. He crumpled to the ground, poisoned completely.
Sero had been the one who encouraged Ekki, the one voice of support in a world that doubted him. Watching him fall broke something deep within.
Ekki's vision swam red. His hands shook as he gripped his sword tighter, fury climbing until it felt larger than his body. His eyes burned crimson.
"Leave my friends!" he roared.
At that cry, flames burst from his blade, blazing bright red. The air shifted instantly—the wind howled around him, and the temperature surged, heat pressing down on the battlefield like a storm.
The creature responded with a strange technique of its own. Flames erupted from the ground, leaping onto the nearby trees until the whole training field glowed with fire.
But Ekki did not stop. He launched forward, faster than the eye could follow. His blade flashed once, clean and sharp. In a heartbeat, the monster's arm was severed.
The creature froze, staring at him with sudden terror. To it, Ekki no longer looked like a boy. He looked like something darker—something evil. With a howl, the beast turned and fled into the forest.
Taki stared in disbelief. In that instant, his view of Ekki shifted. The "sinner" he had despised was not what people said. He was powerful, fierce, and willing to fight for others. For the first time, Taki began to see him as a friend.
As the creature vanished, a mark on its body caught Ekki's eye. A symbol. The emblem of the Azero members.
There was no time to waste. Ekki and Taki hauled Sero between them, racing through the streets until they reached the hospital. "An unknown creature poisoned him!" they cried.
The doctor worked quickly, channeling his healing technique. At last, the poison was drawn out, and Sero's breathing steadied.
Relief hit them like water after fire. Together, the three hurried to Sensei Ria's home. They explained everything in a rush—the fight, the creature, the poison, the mark.
Ria's eyes sharpened. Without hesitation, she used her vision technique, tracked the beast, and captured it in a cage. Then she rang the great Keikoku Bell at the center of Club Kingdom.
The deep sound rolled across the land, pulling the entire kingdom to attention. Soldiers and villagers alike stirred.
Ria reported directly to the legend. His face grew dark as he heard of the creature and the Azero mark. He sought the Azero members at once, but they tried to flee beyond the kingdom's walls.
His voice thundered across the land: "From this moment, there shall be no more experiments on people or on magic!"
The Azero members were seized and locked in the dungeons.
For Ekki, it was the first time he had ever laid eyes on the legend. The sight thrilled him, filling him with awe.
Beside him, Sero said quietly, "Ekki. The Azero members are gone. You can tell the truth now."
So Ekki did. He told everything—how he had truly received his sword, the secret he had kept.
The legend listened, astonished. Then he praised Ekki for his courage and for saving Sero's life.
But the village did not see it that way. To them, it was Taki who had saved Ekki and Sero.
And so the truth remained hidden, known only to a few.