Consciousness returned slowly, as if Raizen were emerging from a deep, silent ocean.
First came the sound — a rhythmic, constant beep. Then, the sharp smell of disinfectant. When he tried to open his eyes, a throbbing pain shot through his head, forcing a low groan from his lips.
— …hn…
— He's waking up.
The voice was firm, adult. Raizen blinked a few times until he managed to focus his vision. The white ceiling above him was unfamiliar. Fluorescent lights irritated his eyes. When he turned his head, he saw a large room, far too clean to be an ordinary hospital.
— Where…? — he tried to speak, but his throat was dry.
A hand approached his mouth, offering water through a straw.
— Take it slow — said the same voice.
Raizen drank with difficulty. When the pain eased a little, he finally managed to look at who was there.
Three people.
All of them wore long black cloaks with silver symbols embroidered on their chests — a blade piercing an incomplete circle. He recognized that emblem immediately. He had seen it in reports, emergency broadcasts, and censored videos.
— Kiba Bearers… — he murmured.
The man in front gave a half-smile.
— I see you know who we are. That makes things easier.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, with gray hair tied back in a low ponytail. A deep scar ran across his face from forehead to chin. His eyes, however, were not harsh. They were attentive. Evaluating.
— My name is Shirogane Kenzou — he said — I am a captain of the Kiba Order.
Beside him stood a young woman, perhaps in her late twenties, arms crossed, expression closed off. Her short dark-blue hair contrasted with her cold gaze.
— Maki — she said curtly — No need to thank me. I'm still deciding whether you're a problem or a catastrophe.
Raizen swallowed hard.
The third was a boy… no, a little older than him. Maybe seventeen. He had messy red hair and a posture far too relaxed for someone in such a serious environment. He looked at Raizen with almost childlike curiosity.
— Yo — he said, smiling — You're famous now.
— Famous…? — Raizen tried to sit up, but his body protested.
— Easy — Shirogane restrained him — Your body went through a forced awakening. Moving now will only make things worse.
Raizen took a deep breath.
The memories came rushing back all at once: the Mugen, the girl, the pain, the light… the blade.
— The girl… — his eyes widened — Is she okay?!
Maki answered before anyone else:
— Alive. No serious injuries. Thanks to you.
Raizen's chest visibly relaxed. An invisible weight seemed to dissipate.
— Thank goodness…
The red-haired boy whistled softly.
— See? He really feels for others. You can almost sense it in the air.
Raizen frowned.
— In the air…?
Shirogane nodded slowly.
— Raizen Akatsuki… you awakened an extremely rare Kiba. Something many of us will never see in our lifetime.
The room fell silent.
— I… I don't understand — Raizen said — I just… felt like I had to do something.
Maki let out a humorless laugh.
— That's exactly how the worst awakenings happen.
Raizen felt a chill.
— Listen carefully — Shirogane continued — Normally, a Kiba awakens after years of emotional training or a specific, concentrated trauma. In your case…
He paused.
— You reacted to the emotions of everyone around you.
The red-haired boy leaned forward.
— That's not normal — he said — Most of us can barely handle our own feelings.
Raizen lowered his gaze.
— I've always been like this… — he confessed — I've always felt too much. I've never been able to turn it off.
Maki stared at him intensely.
— And that almost killed you.
Raizen looked up.
— Almost?
— Your body wasn't ready — she said — If that fight had lasted ten more seconds, your mind would have collapsed. Excessive empathy leads to the dissolution of the self.
— In simple terms — the boy added — You would have lost yourself in other people's feelings.
Raizen felt a cold knot in his stomach.
— So… I shouldn't have awakened?
Shirogane answered firmly:
— No. You should not have survived.
Silence again.
Raizen clenched the sheets.
— Then why am I here?
Shirogane exchanged a quick glance with Maki before answering.
— Because now you are the responsibility of the Kiba Order.
— What…?
— From the moment you awakened a Kiba, you stopped being an ordinary civilian — Shirogane explained — Especially a Kiba like yours.
The red-haired boy smirked.
— Welcome to the hidden side of the world.
Raizen felt his heart race.
— I… can't I just go back home?
Maki was blunt:
— No.
— There are Mugens born from pain — Shirogane continued — But there are also those that hunt empaths. To them, you are like a beacon.
Raizen swallowed hard.
— So… if I go back…
— You would put everyone around you at risk — Maki finished.
Raizen closed his eyes.
He had always been afraid of this. Since he was little. Afraid that his existence would hurt others.
— I don't want to be a danger… — his voice trembled.
Shirogane stepped closer to the bed.
— Then you will have to learn to control what you feel.
Raizen opened his eyes.
— How?
The captain smiled faintly.
— By training. By suffering. By making mistakes. By growing.
The red-haired boy raised a hand.
— And by getting beaten up a lot at first.
— Ren — Maki shot him a deadly glare.
— What? It's true.
Raizen let out a nervous laugh, the first since he had awakened.
— I… don't know if I'm strong enough.
Shirogane placed a hand on his shoulder.
— Strength is not the absence of pain, Raizen. — It is deciding what to do despite it.
Raizen took a deep breath.
He could feel their fear. Their caution. Their curiosity. But above all… a silent expectation.
— If I accept… — he said — If I train with you…
Maki answered without hesitation:
— Your life will never be normal again.
Ren smiled.
— But it will never be empty again.
Raizen closed his eyes for a moment.
He remembered the girl's scream. The silence after the battle. The feeling of release.
When he opened his eyes again, there was resolve in them.
— Then… teach me.
Shirogane nodded.
— From today onward, Raizen Akatsuki… — You will walk the blade between feeling too much… and disappearing.
Outside the building, far away from there, a shadow moved.
And smiled.