The sound of clanging metal reverberated endlessly through the dark hall, as if mocking any desire for peaceful slumber.
The clanging soon gave way to the rattling of keys, followed by the click of a lock being undone. Then came the slow creak of a wooden door swinging open.
Light from a lantern spilled into the room, dimly illuminating the darkness. It swayed from side to side as though searching for something before finally settling on a figure curled up in the corner.
"Here he is, mistress," a voice called out, loud enough to make the figure flinch.
He slowly raised his head toward the lantern, but the light burned his eyes. He immediately covered them with his wrinkled fingers.
Through the glare, he could make out two hooded figures standing before him.
The smaller one stepped forward, and as they did, he shrank further back, almost as if trying to melt into the stone walls themselves.
"Get away!" he yelled, his voice hoarse and broken.
The hooded figure paid no attention to his outburst. They knelt down in front of him and reached into their cloak. From what little he could see, their hand looked soft and delicate, like that of a woman.
They pulled out a rice ball.
The moment he saw it, his hand instinctively reached out before he even realized what he was doing.
Just as he was about to take it, they pulled it away.
"You must be hungry," they said in a soft, almost charming tone.
He remained silent for a moment before giving a reluctant nod.
"Then why don't you tell me what I want to hear?"
At once, he pulled his hand back.
He looked up at them with those hollow, impoverished eyes and said firmly,
"Never."
"Are you sure?" they asked, their voice still calm and controlled.
"You can do whatever the hell you want to me, but I'd rather die than—"
Before he could finish, the figure shoved the rice ball into his mouth, forcing it down his throat.
He gagged violently.
"You know," they said, irritation slipping into their voice, "you're starting to get on my nerves. Maybe you were just hungry after all."
They pulled their hand back, and he immediately vomited the rice onto the dirty floor.
His eyes dropped toward it—
—and then the figure stepped on it.
"Are you ready to talk now?" they asked, their composed tone already returning.
He gave no response. Instead, he curled back into the corner, clutching the tattered robe that served as his only source of warmth while his body trembled uncontrollably.
The figure clicked their tongue in annoyance before spitting onto the muddy remains of the rice ball.
"This one is just as useless as the last," they said as they turned away.
They began walking back toward the light.
"Let's move on to the next one."
Before disappearing into the darkness beyond the lantern's glow, the figure stopped.
"Oh, and it seems this one is getting a little too comfortable."
The man's body froze.
"Make sure you take extra good care of him tomorrow when you chop off those balls of his."
Their silhouette slowly faded into the darkness.
"Maybe then he'll swallow his pride and talk before he loses even more of himself."
"Of course, mistress," the other figure replied. "I'll see to it myself."
The lantern light swept across the room one final time before vanishing along with the creak of the closing door.
The keys rattled again.
Then came the final sound—
—the lock clicking shut.
For a long moment, he remained motionless in the corner, too afraid to move.
Then suddenly he began scrambling through the darkness, his hands frantically searching across the floor.
It was only when the texture of the dirt changed beneath his fingers that he realized he had found it.
Carefully, delicately, he lifted it into his hands.
Then he took a bite.
And another.
He couldn't stop himself.
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he sobbed uncontrollably.
Somewhere along the way, it started to taste a little salty.
---
He stared into the crystal clear water of the stream in front of him, admiring the small fish swimming inside, before a strand of hair landed on the surface and caused a ripple that distorted his view.
More and more strands followed, and soon the fish all swam away because of the disturbance.
"Hey, do you mind being a bit more subtle, Izumi," he said while still staring down. "You're scaring all the fish away."
"Just be patient, I'm almost done," Izumi replied as he kept snipping away with a small knife.
"Honestly, didn't you ever think to cut your hair before now?" he asked as he continued.
"It wasn't a big deal, so I ignored it," he replied.
"You say that, but all the lice and dandruff in your hair beg to differ," Izumi said as he snipped off an especially large clump of hair. "You wouldn't have heard the end of it if you infected any of the girls. You're lucky we found out before you did."
"If I did, then why wouldn't they just cut their hair too?" he asked.
"That's not how it works," Izumi replied. "The first thing they'd do is chop you down first before they resort to that."
"Is that right?" he asked with a confused look. "As time goes on, I understand them less and less."
Izumi chuckled.
"Trust me, you're not the only one."
He looked back down at the water, and it was now calm enough for him to see his reflection again.
Izumi noticed the sudden silence and turned his head toward the reflection too. He stared down at it with a blank expression before closing his eyes.
Once he opened them again, his jet black eyes had turned into a shade of deep purple with two sector-shaped streaks of black spreading horizontally from his pupils to the edge of his irises.
"So are those the Rebel Eyes that you told us about?" Izumi asked.
"Yes," he replied. "Well, it's the weakest variant, but I guess it still counts."
"What can it do?" Izumi asked as he trimmed off the last of the long strands and started shaving more carefully.
"It mostly helps with our ability to manipulate Vora, but it does come with its own uses," he replied as he caught a falling leaf on the back of his left hand. "It boosts one's reaction time and perception to a whole new level. And that also applies to our higher senses."
"So you're saying that even though we've both ascended, your senses are better than mine?" Izumi asked.
"I guess you could say that, but it isn't so much about being better overall, just more precise when it comes to details," he replied.
Then he stared at the leaf for a second. Its shadow stretched slightly beneath it before the leaf slowly began sinking into his hand.
"It also lets us manipulate shadows and access the shadow realm like this."
"Woah," Izumi said as he watched it vanish completely along with its shadow, only for him to open his fist and reveal it resting in his palm.
"I'm not very good at it though, and I can barely maintain the Rebel Eyes for more than three minutes at a time," he added before a gust of wind lifted the leaf off his palm.
"So what is it like?" Izumi asked. "Inside there, I mean."
He sat silent for a moment, and Izumi immediately regretted asking the question.
"It's quiet," he said after a long silence. "And dark and lonely."
Another leaf landed on his reflection, distorting it again.
"But most of all, I'd say it's peaceful," he continued.
"To those who don't have the Rebel Eyes, it's like an empty paradise. You don't feel any pain or hunger no matter how long you stay in there."
"How do they stay alive then if there is no access to any food?" Izumi asked.
"The body gets its sustenance from the source energy emitted by the soul," he replied, "but the lack of proper nutrients still shortens one's lifespan."
"Mhh, then what about the people who do have it?" Izumi asked as he continued cutting. "What about them?"
"Since they can manipulate the shadows, they can move around freely in there and come in and out whenever they want," he replied. "As long as they don't overexert themselves, that is. If they do get stuck in there, then they can just condition their bodies into entering the same state as those without it."
"That seems complicated to do," Izumi said.
"I haven't tried it yet, so I wouldn't know."
Izumi let out a sigh and stretched his hands before saying,
"I'm done."
"Already?" he asked.
"What do you mean already? I've been doing this for ten whole minutes," Izumi shot back.
"You act like that's as long as a lifetime."
"It is when you're the one doing the work and not just sitting on a rock watching fish," he said before rolling down his sleeves. "So how does it look?"
He brushed his hands over his now neck-length hair as he looked down at his reflection.
"Are you sure this is right?" he asked as he checked the sides.
"It's fine, trust me," Izumi replied. "How dare you doubt the work of a master barber like me."
"Don't get so full of yourself, master barber," he said as he wiped off some leftover hairs from his bare back and shoulders. "Let's wait and see how the others react to it first."
"Where are they by the way?" he asked as he looked around.
"They're doing some laundry up the stream," Izumi replied as he helped wipe off the stray hairs. "Did you think they just took off with your shirt for no reason?"
"I gave it to you before I washed my hair. I didn't have any idea that you gave it to them," he replied. "If they washed it, what am I supposed to wear now?"
"Don't worry, it's not like they're going to hang it out to dry. They'll just heat it and have it back here in no time," Izumi replied. "They might even sew it up for you too."
The sound of rustling leaves cut into their conversation, and they both turned their heads to see where the commotion was coming from.
Then, from past the bushes, Yuriko walked through wearing a dull orange robe.
She stared at the two of them silently for a moment before pointing at him and saying,
"Who the hell are you?"
He pointed at himself in confusion.
"You're kidding, right? It's me, Lloyd."
"Oh," she said with an awkward smile. "It's you. You look so different without your long hair that I didn't notice you at first."
She analyzed him for a second, looking over his face and his lean but defined build.
"Are you okay?" he asked, cutting into her observation with a blank expression.
"It's nothing," she said while still staring. "It's just... you really are quite the looker, aren't you?"
He scratched his head with a confused smile.
"Thanks, I guess."
She turned to Izumi and said,
"Take some notes and maybe you can finally get yourself a girlfriend."
"Why am I catching strays for no reason?" he shot back.
"Come on, stop, you're flattering me too much," Lloyd said, still wearing that awkward smile, though Izumi sensed a change in the reason behind it and just shrugged.
"Just great," he thought. "Now he'll start getting full of himself over one meaningless compliment."
"Anyway," Yuriko said, grabbing Lloyd's attention again, "from what you told us about yourself, I didn't think you'd get this well built in just two years."
"What brought that up?" Lloyd asked.
"I don't know. Maybe it was just the way you described yourself that painted the image of a twig with skin in my mind," she replied.
"Right," he said, his smile fading. "Who knows, I might actually have been that way. But two years is a long time. All that time fighting against those beasts in the glades outside of Magnia must have forced my body to adapt quickly."
"The glades?" she asked with a confused look.
"It's a massive stretch of land with no people that spans hundreds of miles," he replied. "It's full of forests, deserts, snowy mountains, and worst of all, those humongous beasts."
A chill ran up his spine.
"Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl."
"Sorry for bringing it up then," she said. "I just came to check if you guys were done before Miyuki and Takae get here."
"We're finished here," Izumi replied before they heard that same rustling again.
This time it was the two of them together, both wearing casual robes like Yuriko's while carrying a bunch of folded clothes in their arms.
"Why did you run off on us, Yuriko?" Miyuki asked before catching a glimpse of Lloyd still sitting by the rock.
"Woah, who is that?"
"You're kidding, right?" Lloyd thought. "Did I really change that much from just a haircut?"
"Can't you tell that's Lloyd?" Takae said once she saw him. "I mean, who else could it be?"
"Finally, someone normal," he thought with a sigh before standing up.
"What's up?" she asked while lowering the clothes she was carrying.
"Nothing much," he replied. "Izumi said you guys took my long shirt. Do you have it?"
"Yeah," Miyuki said before handing it to him. "We washed it for you, but there wasn't much we could do about the tears since we aren't familiar with the fabric."
Takae handed him a black robe.
"Here, this belongs to Izumi. You can wear it until we get to the town, then maybe we can find someone to patch your shirt up properly."
"Sure," he said as he took it. "I'm okay with it if he's fine with it."
They turned to see Izumi raising a thumb in agreement.
Lloyd put the robe on and tied the band around his waist before Izumi asked,
"So how does it feel?"
"It feels strange but soft," he replied.
"Must be the fabric that you're not used to," Miyuki noted.
He tugged lightly at the sleeve.
"Honestly, I'm just glad I can finally wear something comfortable again, so thanks."
"It's no problem," Izumi replied. "Just make sure to return it with interest."
"Okay, now let's pack up and get going," Miyuki said as she handed them brown hooded cloaks. "Oh, and I've got all of our weapons hidden away in a seal, so don't worry about them."
"Why did you do that?" Yuriko asked. "Shouldn't we have them in case something happens?"
"We'll be walking into town today, so it's best that we don't attract too much attention," Miyuki replied.
"We're already that close?" Izumi asked.
"Yeah. I told Lloyd and Takae about it while the two of you were sleeping in, so let's get moving quick if we want to arrive before sunset."
They all put on the brown cloaks, and before long they were off into the forest once more.
As they walked, the number of bamboo trees around them was steadily increasing until Yuriko finally pointed it out.
"There sure are a lot of bamboo trees around here," she said. "Not like back where we're from."
"Have you ever seen them before, Lloyd?" Takae asked.
"No, this is my first time seeing them," he replied. "What are they used for?"
"They're used for a lot of things, like building houses and making fabrics," she replied. "That makes them pretty valuable as far as trade goods go."
"Is that right?" he said while nodding.
Then they heard something rustling in a bush beneath one of the bamboo trees. Yuriko crouched down and shoved her hand inside, trying to find whatever was making the noise.
"What are you doing, Yuriko?" Izumi asked. "You don't know what could be in there. Don't just go sticking your hand into random bushes."
"It's fine," she replied, waving away his concern.
Then the rustling suddenly stopped, and she stood back up.
"What did you find?" Miyuki asked.
Yuriko slowly turned around, revealing a snake dangling from her hand by its neck.
Takae immediately took a step back while Izumi just shrugged.
"Just look at it," Yuriko said while bringing it closer to her face. "Isn't it the cutest thing ever?"
"Define cute," Lloyd said with a confused look.
"Don't put it so close to your face, it could bite you," Takae warned, but Yuriko brushed her off.
"Don't worry. There's no way this little cutie would ever do something like that," she said before turning to it. "Isn't that right?"
Despite what she said, the snake immediately lunged toward her face, trying to bite her.
She instinctively tightened her grip—
—and a loud crack echoed out.
"Oh no," Yuriko said, looking disappointed.
"What happened?" Izumi asked.
"I broke its neck by accident," she replied sadly. "It's dead."
"Now I'm confused about who was actually in danger," Lloyd said as she gently placed the snake back into the bush before putting her hands together.
"Rest in peace, you beautiful child," she said, almost tearing up. "This world is just too cruel."
"Now she's mourning it after she's the one who killed it," Miyuki thought.
But before anyone could say anything else, the sound of a loud crash echoed through the forest along with what sounded like a horse neighing in panic.
A brief silence followed as they all looked at each other.
Then, without another word, they quietly began moving toward the source of the noise.
The sounds of crumbling rocks echoed through the silence as they crept closer.
Once they were close enough, they all took a short breath before charging past the trees toward the disturbance.