Tamura lunged.
Fast.
Reckless.
His body shot forward, closing the distance in an instant—
And then—
He stopped.
Midair.
Something tightened around his neck.
Another force pulled his arms back.
His legs jerked downward, locked in place.
Tamura's body froze, suspended just short of his target.
Shadows.
They stretched unnaturally from the corners of the room, thin strands of darkness wrapping around him like restraints.
One around his throat.
Two binding his arms.
Another coiling tightly around his legs.
Tamura struggled immediately, his body twisting against the hold.
The shadows didn't budge.
Mugen laughed.
"Wow," he said, shaking his head as he stepped closer. "You're serious too."
Tamura's crimson eyes burned into him, his teeth clenched as he tried to force himself forward.
It didn't matter.
He couldn't move.
Mugen stopped just in front of him, tilting his head slightly as he looked him over.
"You're already beat up," he said casually. "And you still jumped at me like that."
He let out a short chuckle.
"Unrefined."
With a small motion of his hand, the shadows shifted.
Tamura's body was pulled sideways—
And thrown.
But not hard.
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough.
He hit the ground on the other side of the room, sliding slightly before coming to a stop.
The shadows released him.
Tamura pushed himself up immediately, breathing heavier now, his body still tense.
Mugen didn't move.
He just watched.
"Relax," he said. "If I wanted to hurt you, you'd still be in the air."
Tamura said nothing.
Still staring.
Still ready.
Mugen sighed.
"…You really don't get it, do you?"
He leaned back slightly, hands in his pockets.
"Everyone in this place has something," he said. "Some kind of gift."
He gestured lazily toward Tamura.
"You've seen it already."
Tamura didn't respond.
But he listened.
"The big guy from before? Tasheen?" Mugen continued. "He's got Earth. Makes him strong. Hard to break. Simple."
He lifted a hand slightly.
A thin strand of shadow curled around his fingers.
"Me? Darkness."
The shadow moved like it was alive, then faded back into the floor.
"I can control it. Shape it. Hold people down like I just did to you."
Tamura's eyes flickered slightly.
Mugen noticed.
"And then there's others," he went on. "Some people use it outside their body. Some use it to make themselves stronger."
He shrugged.
"Depends on what you're born with."
A brief pause.
Mugen's gaze sharpened just a little.
"But you…"
He studied Tamura more closely now.
"…You're weird."
Tamura's grip tightened slightly against the floor.
"That thing you did yesterday," Mugen continued. "Burning metal? Melting chains?"
He shook his head.
"That's not normal."
Tamura's expression didn't change.
But something in him shifted.
Mugen clicked his tongue.
"You don't even know what you are, do you?"
Silence.
Tamura slowly pushed himself fully upright.
"…Verdance," he said quietly.
The word felt unfamiliar in his mouth.
Mugen blinked once.
Then smirked.
"Yeah," he said. "That's what they call it."
He stepped a little closer, just enough to test him.
"This world runs on it," Mugen added. "Everything does."
Tamura's eyes didn't leave him.
"…Then what am I?" he asked.
The question was quiet.
But real.
Mugen paused.
For just a second.
Then—
He grinned.
"Don't know," he said simply. "But it's not normal."
Another pause.
Then he shrugged.
"Guess that makes you interesting."
Tamura didn't respond.
The room fell quiet again.
The tension hadn't disappeared.
It had just changed.
Mugen cracked his neck slightly, rolling his shoulders.
"So," he said, stepping back into position.
"You still wanna fight?"
A grin spread across his face.
"Or are you gonna think this time?"
Tamura didn't hesitate.
He moved again.
Tamura moved again.
Faster this time.
Not as reckless.
His steps were sharper, more deliberate as he closed the distance.
Mugen didn't move.
Didn't need to.
The shadows reacted before he did.
They surged forward from the walls and floor, snapping toward Tamura like living chains. One wrapped around his arm, another around his leg, tightening instantly to halt his advance.
Tamura's body jerked—
Then stopped.
Again.
Mugen exhaled through his nose.
"…Still not thinking."
He lifted his hand slightly, tightening the shadows.
Tamura's arm twisted at an unnatural angle.
There was a sharp pop.
His shoulder dislocated.
Mugen blinked.
Tamura didn't scream.
Didn't even flinch.
His body trembled—
Then forced itself forward.
The shadows strained.
For a moment—
They held.
Then Tamura moved again.
Mugen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You're kidding."
Another shadow wrapped around Tamura's leg, pulling it sideways.
Another crack.
His knee bent wrong.
Still—
He moved.
Dragging himself forward, forcing his body through the restraints inch by inch.
His breathing was heavy now.
Uneven.
But his eyes—
Locked forward.
Unwavering.
Mugen's expression shifted.
Not amused anymore.
Interested.
"…You're actually insane."
Tamura's free hand slammed against the floor—
And pushed.
Hard.
The shadows stretched thin as his body surged forward just enough—
Enough to reach.
His fingers brushed Mugen's sleeve.
Mugen stepped back instantly, the shadows snapping tighter and throwing Tamura backward across the room.
This time—
It was harder.
Tamura hit the ground and rolled, his body finally slowing as the shadows released him.
Silence filled the room.
For a second.
Then Tamura moved again.
Slow.
Unsteady.
His arm hung loose at his side.
His leg dragged slightly.
But he stood.
Mugen stared at him now.
Really stared.
"…You're getting stronger," he said quietly.
Not impressed.
Not threatened.
But aware.
Tamura said nothing.
His breathing steadied.
His stance shifted again—
Still rough.
Still incomplete.
But better.
Mugen let out a small laugh.
"…You're learning mid-fight."
He rolled his shoulders, stepping forward this time.
"Alright."
His grin returned.
"Let's see how far you can—"
"Enough."
The word cut through the room like a blade.
Cold.
Sharp.
Everything stopped.
The temperature dropped instantly.
A faint frost crept along the edges of the floor.
Mugen clicked his tongue, stepping back.
"…You always show up at the worst time."
Tamura turned slightly.
A girl stood in the doorway.
Quiet.
Still.
Her pale breath visible in the air around her.
Freya.
Her eyes moved slowly between the two of them—the damage to the room, the cracks in the floor, the faint burn marks along the walls.
Her expression didn't change.
But something about her presence—
Pressed down on the room.
"Mugen," she said calmly.
"You've made a mess."
Mugen raised his hands slightly.
"Relax. It's not that bad."
Freya's gaze shifted back to him.
The air grew colder.
"…You'll be fixing it."
Mugen sighed.
"Yeah, yeah."
Freya stepped further into the room, her eyes finally settling on Tamura.
She didn't speak.
Didn't ask questions.
She just looked at him.
At his dislocated arm.
His unsteady stance.
The way he still hadn't backed down.
Something flickered behind her eyes.
Brief.
Unreadable.
Then—
She turned away.
"Dinner will be ready soon," she said quietly. "Try not to destroy anything else before then."
Mugen let out a small laugh.
"No promises."
Freya ignored him.
She walked past them both, her steps light, her presence fading as the cold slowly left with her.
The room grew quiet again.
Mugen glanced back at Tamura.
Then smirked.
"…You're interesting."
Tamura said nothing.
But this time—
He didn't move to attack.