The sound of the sliding door tore through the silence of the moment.
Yuriko stepped in, already irritated that Izumi had slept in again—but what she saw was unexpected.
For some reason, he was lying on the floor, awake, his hand stretched upward. He was breathing in slow, deep breaths, his face covered in sweat.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" she said. "Are you seriously sleeping in again?"
He said nothing. Instead, he forced himself to sit up, and as he did, he seemed to suddenly calm down, regaining his composure.
"Are you okay?" she asked, concern hinting on her face.
"Yeah," he replied half-heartedly. "I'm okay."
"You seem off today," she commented.
Looking at the palm of his left hand, he said, "It's nothing. I just had this strange dream."
"Really? What was it about?" she asked.
"I—I…" he hesitated. "I can't remember."
"Really?" Yuriko said, helping him to his feet. "Then how do you know it was strange?"
"I don't know," he replied, "but I can't get over the feeling it gave me."
He paused.
"It was like I was trapped somewhere… like I couldn't escape."
"Is that right?" Yuriko said. "Well, it must not have been anything important if you forgot it so easily. For now, focus on what's at hand."
"What are you talking about?"
She sighed. "Honestly, miss a little sleep and you're no better than a drunk. How could you forget? We have sparring drills today."
She then started to walk away as she added, "It's going to be a long day, so try not to be late."
"Sure," he replied, still slightly disoriented, as he closed the door behind him.
He tapped his shoes at the entrance before stepping outside, where Miyuki was already waiting for him.
Like him, she carried a sword at her side and seemed to be heading in the same direction.
"You seem very excited," he noted as he caught up to her.
"Why wouldn't I be?" she replied.
"I still don't get how you can be this energetic," Izumi said, finally matching her pace. "It's already been three months since you joined us, but you still treat every day like it's your first."
"Staying motivated is important in everything a person does. If it isn't, then we'd burn out before we ever achieve what we want," she replied. "At least, that's what I think."
She glanced at him.
"So what about you? You seem more tired than usual."
"It's nothing," he said. "I just didn't sleep well."
His eyes drifted to her left hand.
"So, how's your progress with the mark?"
At that, Miyuki raised her hand and looked at its bare surface.
"It's going well," she said.
"I'm just relieved it wasn't a permanent mark like I first thought. Keeping those bandages on was a real pain."
"It's pretty shocking, if you ask me," Izumi said. "But when I think about it, everything we've seen and learned these past few months has been crazy."
He paused.
"Even so… I can't help but think back to when life was simpler."
"Being stuck in the past," Miyuki replied, "will only become a burden."
"So instead, try looking forward."
"Sure," he replied, though only half-heartedly.
Past the thin shade of the trees, the two made their way into the open field at the foot of the waterfall, a place they had trained at many times before.
This time, however, the stream below was filled with tall bamboo posts, each spaced evenly apart.
"You're here," Ichiro noted as they approached the shade of the large solitary tree. "Now we can finally get started."
With the four standing before him, he continued, "For today, only Yuriko and Izumi will be doing sparring drills. Miyuki and Takae, I want the two of you to focus on Vahir."
"Hey, that's not fair," Yuriko complained. "Why do we always get stuck with the sparring drills?"
"Everyone has something they're good at and something they struggle with," Ichiro replied. "In your case, if you haven't noticed already, you're terrible at Vahir."
"And instead of wasting time developing something you have no talent for," he continued, "we'll focus on strengthening your physical capabilities."
Izumi let out a quiet snort.
"What are you laughing at?!" Yuriko snapped, glaring at him. "You're in the same boat as me!"
"Well, at least I don't complain about everything," he shot back.
"Just you wait," Yuriko said, a vein popping on her forehead. "You've got a whole day's worth of beatings coming your way."
"Bring it on."
Ichiro turned to Miyuki and Takae.
"For today, I want you two to alternate between offensive and defensive spells while facing each other," he instructed. "Treat it like sparring—but don't go overboard."
They both nodded.
"Now," he said, turning back to Izumi and Yuriko, "as for you two—let's begin. You'll be balancing on these bamboo posts while sparring."
"Also," he added as they moved toward the water, "if you fall in more than ten times, you don't get dinner."
"You're kidding, right?" Yuriko said. "Those things are insane. How are we even supposed to balance on them? That's impossible."
Ichiro said nothing. Instead, he calmly leapt into the air and landed effortlessly atop one of the posts.
"I would have thought by now," he said, looking down at them, perfectly balanced, "your understanding of that word would have changed."
"Now stop wasting my time and get up here."
Izumi looked up and sighed, already feeling the weight of another long day ahead.
And yet…
Even then, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him.
That same morning, a plume of smoke rose elsewhere.
The screams that had filled the air the night before had faded, leaving only the occasional groan of someone barely alive beneath the rubble.
Three cloaked figures stood at the heart of the devastation, seated atop the remains of burned houses.
"Hey, Ryuji," one of them said, stretching. "What do we do now? We tore through this entire village and found nothing. Are you sure the brat was supposed to be here?"
"And to make it worse," the larger of the three added, "Takeru let some of the villagers escape."
"Hey, it wasn't my fault, Kenji," he shot back. "Did you really expect me to catch every single one of them?"
"That was your job, idiot," Kenji replied.
"That's enough, you two," the oldest among them said firmly. "This isn't the time to argue over such things."
"Well, what do you suggest then, Ryuji?" Kenji asked. "Do we report back and say we found no trace of her?"
Ryuji fell silent for a moment before answering.
"That isn't an option. They couldn't have gone far—especially if they're just inexperienced kids. They're likely taking refuge in one of the nearby villages."
"You're right," Takeru said. "There's no way they'd travel far, especially if it's their first time out."
"So what you're saying," Kenji muttered, "is that we should tear through every village in the area until we find them."
"Unless you have a better plan," Ryuji replied, "that's exactly what we'll do."
Silence followed.
"Don't worry," Ryuji said calmly—though the veins tightening in his clenched fists betrayed him. "We'll act like nothing's happened… for now."
"Once this mission is over," he continued, "we'll find the Flaming Frost… and avenge our brothers."
A gust of wind pulled back his hood, revealing silky black hair and long, pointed ears.
His predatory yellow eyes glistened in the morning light.
With quiet conviction, he spoke—
"That's a promise."