The pale golden sunlight filtered through the trees and fell across the ground, making the green leaves appear darker, almost black. There were no sounds of wild animals or birds anywhere nearby. Only a short while ago, the forest had been filled with the sounds of battle, but now an eerie, heavy silence had settled over everything.
Raijin and the mysterious girl stood several feet apart, facing each other. Raijin's sword was lowered, but his grip remained firm. On the other side, the girl held both of her daggers casually. Her posture appeared relaxed, but her eyes were constantly studying Raijin's feet, shoulders, and grip on the sword.
Raijin narrowed his eyes. This girl wasn't simply fast. She was trying to understand every small movement he made, as if she could predict his next move even before the battle had begun.
"Tell me," Raijin said calmly. "Why were you following me?"
A faint smile appeared on the girl's lips.
"If you want an answer, come and ask me yourself. If you survive, I'll tell you."
The next moment, she lunged forward. Both of her daggers flashed like lightning. The first attack came from above, and Raijin raised his sword to block it.
Clank!
At the same instant, her second dagger came toward his ribs. Raijin pulled his body backward, and the dagger grazed his clothes. A strip of fabric flew through the air.
Raijin immediately counterattacked. The girl lowered her head, and the sword passed through her hair. Instead of retreating, she twisted her body and attacked again from another angle.
Raijin blocked the second strike.
Then the third.
Every time, the girl moved only a few inches away from his attacks. Sometimes she ducked, sometimes she spun, and sometimes she twisted her body in ways that made it seem as though her bones had no limits.
The distance between them kept changing. One moment the girl was directly in front of him, and the next she was beside him.
Raijin's eyes narrowed further.
This isn't just speed…
She's reading my attacks at the same time.
Raijin pulled one foot back and pushed hard against the ground. The dry soil compressed beneath his feet. The next moment, his body shot forward, sending dry leaves flying behind him.
His sword swung toward the girl with full force.
For the first time, the smile disappeared from her face.
She crossed both daggers to block the attack.
Clank!
The impact echoed throughout the forest. The girl's feet slid several inches backward across the dirt.
For the first time, she looked at Raijin without smiling.
A faint glimmer appeared in Raijin's eyes.
"So you have to use your full strength to stop mine too."
But the very next moment, the girl smiled again.
Raijin stared at her.
"Tell me. Why were you following me?"
"You really want to know that badly?"
"Yes."
The girl spun one of her daggers in her hand.
"Then defeat me first."
Raijin raised his sword.
The next moment, the two clashed again.
---
For a while, the only sounds echoing through the forest were the clashes of metal.
Raijin blocked one attack, pushed the girl backward, and immediately kicked her hard in the stomach. She flew backward, but before hitting the ground, she twisted her body and landed on her feet.
She laughed.
"Not bad. At least you've learned how to use that borrowed power a little."
Raijin's steps stopped.
"Borrowed?"
His heartbeat suddenly quickened.
For the first time, a hint of anger and uneasiness appeared on his face.
How did she know that this power wasn't truly his?
For a few moments, the sounds around him seemed to fade. The forest, the wind, and the rustling leaves seemed to drift far away.
Several faces flashed through his mind.
Sora.
That road.
That day.
And then—
The emptiness.
Raijin's fingers tightened around the sword's hilt. Even he didn't know what angered him more—the girl's words, his lost memories, or the truth he himself didn't want to accept.
There was anger in his eyes, but beneath that anger was an old wound.
The girl watched his eyes and smiled.
"That's what you're thinking, isn't it? How did I know?"
Her voice was colder than before.
"This power isn't yours. There are many things you still don't know. Take your time and find out. You still have plenty of time. Although…"
Her smile faded slightly.
"…that time is running out."
Raijin's eyes turned red with anger. Then a painful smile appeared on his face.
"Borrowed…" he repeated quietly. "You called it borrowed power, didn't you?"
He raised his sword.
"You're wrong."
The girl's smile faded slightly.
"I didn't receive it as a gift. I lost a lot in exchange for it… or perhaps those people simply walked away from me themselves."
Bitterness entered his voice.
"But still… call it borrowed if you want. What I lost, and who walked away from me…"
His eyes hardened.
"I'm the only one who knows."
For a few moments, the girl simply stared at him.
Raijin pointed his sword toward her.
"My name is Raijin Chrono. Don't you think you should tell me your name now?"
The girl suddenly burst into laughter.
"Oh? So you're finally ready to fight for real?"
She tilted her head and pretended to think.
"Fine. My name is…"
She paused for a moment.
"My name is… What was my name again?"
She laughed again.
"Sorry. I have so many names. I can't remember which one I should tell you."
Raijin narrowed his eyes.
"You…"
Before he could finish, the girl disappeared.
No.
She hadn't disappeared.
She had simply moved so fast that Raijin's eyes couldn't keep up with her.
For the first time, a cold warning rose inside him.
Danger.
His body reacted before his mind could.
The girl was suddenly in front of him.
Her dagger came straight toward Raijin's chest.
Raijin barely managed to twist his body, but the dagger pierced his chest.
The pain came a few moments later.
At first, he felt only heat.
Then it felt as though someone had filled his chest with fire.
Raijin staggered backward. His breath caught. He pressed a hand against the wound and saw warm blood spreading between his fingers. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.
The girl pulled the dagger free.
Raijin swung his sword at her, but she casually stepped backward.
Her tight leather pants, light armor, and simple sandals made from tree bark made her speed seem almost impossible.
The girl looked at the blood on her dagger and touched it with her finger.
Then she lightly tasted the blood.
"Don't die so quickly. The game has only just begun."
She glanced toward Sofia, Ishan, and Kade.
"You still have to watch them suffer. And if you die…"
Her smile deepened.
"…I'll take my anger out on your friends."
Raijin staggered but did not fall.
He spat out blood.
"Don't worry," he said through heavy breaths. "I'm not going to die that easily."
He raised his sword again despite his broken breathing.
"I still have a lot of things to do."
---
The two clashed again.
This time, Raijin was fighting with everything he had.
The ground cracked beneath his feet, and dry leaves flew through the air. The sword and daggers collided so quickly that Sofia, Ishan, and Kade could barely follow their movements.
Raijin attacked, and the girl redirected his strike.
She counterattacked, and Raijin barely avoided it.
With every clash, new wounds appeared across Raijin's body.
He had already realized that defeating this girl through strength alone would not be easy.
Her speed was abnormal.
And her ability to predict his movements was even more dangerous.
Then suddenly—
Ping!
A powerful strike landed.
Raijin's sword broke in the middle.
The front half spun through the air before crashing onto the ground.
Raijin dropped to his knees. His body was covered in countless wounds. If a normal human had suffered injuries like these, they would have died long ago.
But Raijin was still conscious.
He was still tightly gripping the broken half of his sword.
The girl stopped in front of him.
"What were you saying earlier?"
She laughed softly.
"What was your name? That was a rather foolish question."
She slowly leaned closer.
"I know that your friend betrayed you."
Raijin's expression suddenly became still.
"The person you trusted the most. The person you spent your entire childhood with."
Her words struck something deep inside him like a blow against an old wound.
Suddenly, the same dream flashed through Raijin's mind.
Sora.
That same face.
That same voice—
Why did you do it?
Raijin shook his head.
No…
I didn't betray him.
But the question continued echoing inside him.
The girl grabbed his hair and began lifting his face.
"Tell me… what does it feel like to be betrayed?"
A horrifying smile spread across her face.
"Because I've never been betrayed."
She remained silent for a few moments.
Then she laughed.
"Because everyone who was ever with me…"
Her smile widened.
"…I killed with my own hands."
She tilted her head.
"You could say I was the one who betrayed them."
She burst into loud laughter.
Raijin gave no reaction for several moments.
Her laughter echoed through the forest.
Then—
Raijin began to laugh softly while blood dripped from his mouth.
The girl's laughter stopped.
She stared at him in surprise.
"What?"
Raijin spoke weakly.
"You're wondering why I'm laughing, aren't you?"
Despite the pain on his face, there was a faint smile on his lips.
"I think you already know the answer."
Irritation became obvious in the girl's eyes.
Raijin looked at her.
"You think only someone who has been betrayed can understand betrayal."
His voice was weak, but his words were clear.
"That's strange…"
The girl's expression hardened.
"Bastard…"
She picked up her dagger from the ground.
"This is the end for you."
---
The dagger's edge was barely a hair's breadth from Raijin's neck.
She pulled her hand back.
Raijin's breathing slowed.
For the first time, he felt that perhaps his body would not be able to carry him any further.
His fingers tightened around the broken sword.
He couldn't stand.
He couldn't run.
He couldn't defend himself.
Yet he did not close his eyes.
Looking into the girl's eyes, he thought one last time—
Not yet.
I can't die yet.
Then—
"Let him go."
The voice echoed throughout the forest.
It wasn't particularly loud.
Yet the moment it was heard, everything became silent.
The wind stopped.
The leaves became still.
Even the birds in the distance stopped making sounds.
The girl's hand froze in midair.
The smile disappeared from her face.
She slowly looked around.
"Who is that?"
There was no answer.
She tried to bring the dagger toward Raijin's neck again.
But the attack never came.
Her hand simply stopped in place.
The girl tried again.
This time, her entire body stiffened.
She looked at her own hand.
For the first time, a faint trace of fear appeared on her face.
"This…"
Her lips moved.
But before she could finish the word, a strange tremor ran through her body.
Slowly, her skin began peeling away like melting wax. Red flesh and white bone became visible underneath. Within moments, her entire body had almost turned into a skeleton, with only a few pieces of flesh still clinging to it.
Her final laugh dissolved into the air.
The next moment—
Even the skeleton disappeared.
Sofia held her breath.
Her eyes remained fixed on the spot where the girl had been standing only moments ago.
"What… was that?"
Ishan had no answer.
Kade tried to say something, but no sound came from his lips.
The three of them looked at each other.
Then their eyes turned toward Raijin.
He was still lying on the ground.
And only then did they realize—
He was still alive.
---
Raijin's consciousness had already become hazy.
He could no longer see the figure standing in front of him clearly. There was only a blurred silhouette.
The figure slowly approached him.
"Your condition is quite bad."
The voice was calm.
Raijin tried to open his eyes.
For a moment, he felt as though he had sensed this presence before.
But before he could complete the thought, darkness covered his consciousness.
The next moment, all the wounds on his body began to heal.
The deep wound in his chest closed.
The cuts disappeared.
His torn skin fused back together.
Then the figure turned toward Sofia, Ishan, and Kade.
Their wounds began healing in the same way.
All three stared at their bodies in disbelief.
Within moments, the pain had almost completely disappeared.
The figure looked toward Raijin.
"He'll remain unconscious for now."
After saying that, the figure slowly dissolved into the air.
Within a few moments, nothing remained.
---
For a long time, no one spoke.
Sofia slowly approached Raijin and sat beside him.
She slowly brought a trembling finger beneath his nose.
He was still breathing.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Idiot…"
she whispered.
"You didn't have to help us…"
Her voice broke.
"And yet… you did."
Ishan silently stared at Raijin.
Kade leaned his head back, groaning in pain.
After a few moments, he spoke quietly.
"Looks like… we thought the wrong person owed us a debt."
Sofia's eyes remained fixed on Raijin's peaceful face.
She slowly shook her head.
"Maybe… we're the ones who owe him."