Morning in Hanyu Village felt as usual. Roosters crowed back and forth, thin smoke rose from the villagers' kitchen chimneys, and the farmers had already begun walking towards the rice fields with leisurely steps. The sun rose from behind the hills, greeting the leaves still wet with dew.
But on the edge of the village, right under the towering old banyan tree, two figures stood calmly.
They looked like ordinary travelers—one dressed as a priest with blond hair and green eyes, the other dressed as a nun with golden-blond hair and blue eyes. But if anyone could see auras, they would know that these two were not ordinary humans.
Dulio Gesualdo leaned his back against the tree trunk, his eyes closed, but his mind fully alert. Around him, the wind spun slowly, not ordinary wind but wind that carried sound, carrying conversations from every corner of the village to his ears.
Zenith Tempest. His Sacred Gear, one of the renowned Longinus. Today he used it not to fight, but to listen.
Beside him, Griselda Quarta stood straight with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her clear blue eyes scanned the village carefully, searching for signs of their target—Tobio Ikuse, the owner of Telos Karma whose data had made even Michael himself worried.
A few minutes passed in silence.
"I can't find him, Big Sister Griselda." Dulio opened his eyes, a faint smile on his lips. "Only talk about harvest, about rice prices, about the mischievous children yesterday. Nothing suspicious."
Griselda frowned. "Strange. We should be able to detect his Sacred Gear from this distance."
"Maybe he's sleeping," Dulio shrugged. "Or maybe... he's deliberately hiding it."
"A child that age wouldn't know how to hide a Sacred Gear's aura."
"If it were an ordinary child, yes." Dulio pushed himself off the tree, straightening his priest's robes. "But from Michael-sama's report, this child is no ordinary child."
Griselda didn't argue. She turned towards the village that was beginning to stir.
"Perhaps we should ask the villagers directly. But don't be conspicuous."
Dulio nodded, and they walked into the village.
---
At the Tojou household, Sae was finishing her breakfast. Yuna sat across from her, occasionally putting rice in her mouth while reading a worn local newspaper.
"Sae," Yuna put down her spoon. "This is for Tobio's breakfast." She pushed a small basket containing wrapped rice, rolled omelet, and miso soup in a thermos to the center of the table.
"I hope he eats it and is alright."
Sae took the basket carefully. "I'll take it to him, Mom."
She walked out of the house, her feet moving quickly along the path leading to Tobio's house. This morning the village felt as usual—Watanabe was cleaning his porch, Yuka had already opened her shop, a few children were running with backpacks on.
But in Sae's mind, there was a worry she couldn't shake since three days ago. Since she found Tobio unconscious on the floor with blood on his face. Since Tobio's eyes changed into something no doctor could explain.
'Please, let him be alright this morning.'
The old house appeared at the end of the road. Sae climbed the wooden stairs with careful steps, then knocked on the door.
Knock Knock Knock.
"I'm here, Tobio. Good morning."
Silence.
Sae's heart beat faster. She knocked again, harder.
Knock Knock Knock.
"Tobio?"
No answer. Her hand began to tremble as she reached for the doorknob. Slowly, she opened it.
The living room was empty. The dining table was as it had been yesterday, no sign of any food having been touched. The air was cold and stuffy, like a room long uninhabited.
Sae placed the food basket on the table, then walked towards Tobio's room. Her steps felt heavy, as if her feet were sinking in mud. Every creak of the wooden floor beneath her felt like a warning scream.
She reached for the bedroom doorknob. Her hand trembled. She took a deep breath, then opened the door.
"To—"
Her voice caught in her throat.
Tobio lay on the floor.
He was lying on his side, right hand stretched out to the side, left hand on his stomach. His face was pale, and around his eyes—on his cheeks, on his temples, at the corners of his lips—there were traces of dried blood.
Not a little. A lot. Like red tears that had flowed heavily then stopped midway.
"TOBIO!!"
The food basket fell from her hands. She knelt beside her friend, gripping Tobio's cold hand. Tears fell one by one, soaking the sleeve of Tobio's wrinkled shirt.
"Why...?" Her voice choked. "You pushed yourself again? What happened?"
Tobio didn't move. His breathing was steady, as usual. His heartbeat was normal.
Sae shook his shoulder. No response. She shook harder. Still nothing.
'No. No. No.'
She ran out of the room, her foot hitting the doorframe but she didn't feel the pain. She jumped down from the stairs without using the steps, and ran as fast as she could towards the village road.
"I have to call Mom. I have to ask for help—"
She ran past the crossroads, and in front of Watanabe's house, she saw two strangers talking with her neighbor.
A blond-haired priest and a golden-haired nun. They seemed friendly, talking to Watanabe as if asking for directions. But there was something bothering Sae—something she couldn't explain.
She stopped in front of them, breathless, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
Dulio turned. His green eyes caught Sae's panicked face, and his friendly smile faded slightly.
"What's wrong? Is something making you cry?"
Sae tried to calm her breathing. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Who are you? Why are you in this village?"
Dulio was slightly surprised by the little girl's tone, but he kept smiling. "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Dulio Gesualdo." He pointed to his side. "This is Griselda Quarta. We're looking for a child named Tobio."
Sae was shocked. Her eyes widened. "How do you know his name?"
Griselda, who had been silent until now, suddenly moved. Her blue eyes sharpened, reading the situation quickly. A girl crying, running from the direction of their target's house. A bad condition. Possibly an emergency.
She didn't wait any longer. In an instant, her body was already running towards Tobio's house, leaving Sae and Dulio behind.
Sae was startled by the nun's speed. "You're... not bad people, are you?"
Dulio chuckled softly. "No. Don't worry." He extended his hand. "Come, let's catch up with her."
He turned to Watanabe, who was still standing bewildered. "We'll go now. There's something we need to do."
Watanabe nodded, his face concerned. "See you. Make sure Tobio-chan is alright."
Dulio nodded, then walked with Sae towards the stilt house at the end of the road.
---
Griselda entered Tobio's house without knocking. Her instinct told her—something was wrong. She walked quickly through the living room, down the hallway, and opened the half-closed bedroom door.
And she saw it.
Tobio lay on the wooden floor, his body stiff in an unnatural position. Dried blood formed red crusts on his face, on his cheeks, around his tightly closed eyes.
On the floor around him, there were older red stains—traces of previous bleeding.
Griselda didn't panic. Her trained hands immediately moved, lifting the boy's light body carefully, placing him on the bed. Her fingers touched Tobio's neck—a pulse existed, but weak. Too weak.
She placed her palm on Tobio's chest. Holy magic began to flow—warm white light enveloping the boy's body, cleaning the dried blood, stabilizing the chaotic energy flow. This wasn't total healing. But enough to ensure Tobio didn't sink deeper.
Her eyes scanned Tobio's body, searching for the source of bleeding. And she found it.
Eyes.
All the blood traces came from the eyes.
"He forced his vision," Griselda murmured softly. Her hand cleaned the remaining blood from Tobio's face with gentle movements.
As the final cloth touched his closed eyelids, she could feel something strange—the energy behind those lids was not ordinary human energy.
She examined deeper. Tobio's soul.
And she was startled.
There were cracks. Not one, but several. Fine cracks spreading across the surface of the child's soul, like glass nearly shattered but still intact.
And in several places, there was strange black energy—not evil, but foreign—holding those cracks from widening.
'This energy...' Griselda frowned. Was this the backlash effect of Telos Karma? A price too heavy for a child his age to pay.
Behind her, the door opened. Dulio entered with Sae beside him.
Sae immediately ran to the bedside, her eyes glassy. "Is he alright?"
Griselda was silent for a few seconds. She looked at Tobio's pale face, then at Sae's frightened expression.
"Yes. For now, he is resting."
Dulio approached, his green eyes staring at Tobio's face seriously. "What really happened?" he asked Sae.
Sae gripped Tobio's hand tightly. Her voice trembled.
"My name is Sae Tojou. I'm his friend." She took a breath. "At first there was nothing strange. Even though he was often quiet. But since his grandmother died... he insisted on staying at home alone."
She paused, remembering those suffocating days.
"For three days I didn't see him come out. I got worried. When I entered his room..." Her voice broke.
"He was unconscious on the floor, just like earlier. Though not with this much blood."
Dulio and Griselda exchanged glances.
"His eyes changed," Sae continued, wiping her tears with her sleeve. "Like a small galaxy. And he... couldn't see normally anymore. He could only see souls. Even the doctor who examined him found it strange."
Silence filled the room.
Griselda looked at Tobio longer. This child pushed himself to this point. Not because of an attack, not because of an enemy. But because he himself drove his abilities beyond their limits.
"We'll take care of him for a while," Dulio said, his voice gentler than usual. "So he can recover. He might wake up in a few days."
Sae could only nod, her hand still gripping Tobio's cold fingers tightly.
'How many secrets are you keeping, Tobio? And why won't you share them with me?'