The prison cell was damp and cold.
The smell of wet earth mixed with rusted iron clung to the air, making each breath feel heavy. Torches flickered weakly in the outer corridor, their lazy light casting long, trembling shadows across the cracked stone walls.
Akira sat with his back against the wall, head lowered. His hands were bound behind him, yet he no longer felt the ache in his wrists.
Yuna sat beside him, knees drawn up, her forehead nearly touching her tied hands. Hyuga stood with his back to the iron bars, shoulders rigid. Their nine men were scattered across the corners of the cell. No one truly looked at one another.
Only heavy breathing and guilt hung in the air.
"I… should've done something," Daichi muttered at last, his voice hoarse. "At least created a distraction. Or anything."
"We all think that," Hyuga replied without turning around. "But the reality is we were chained and surrounded by spears."
"That's not an excuse," Daichi answered quietly.
Akira remained silent.
Inside his mind, the image replayed without end, the rope tightening, the platform splitting, Ryuma's body hanging in Kyoto's square.
Uncle…
The man who pulled him from the ruins of the Kageyori massacre. The man who forced him to stand when he wanted to die. The man who stood before him when arrows rained down mercilessly.
And now,
Akira clenched his fists until his knuckles whitened.
"They've taken everything," he finally said, his voice low but clear.
Yuna lifted her head. "Akira…"
"My family. My clan." He slowly raised his face. His eyes were no longer empty, there was restrained fire in them. "And now my teacher."
Hyuga turned and stared sharply at him. "If you lose control now, then his sacrifice truly becomes meaningless."
Akira met his gaze. "Exactly."
"Exactly what?"
"That I won't stop." His voice was calm. Too calm. "Until the Kamakura shogunate collapses."
Silence swallowed the cell.
Daichi swallowed hard. "You're talking about overthrowing the government."
"I'm talking about destroying something rotten to its roots," Akira answered.
Yuna studied him carefully. "And you're certain you still have a chance?"
Akira lowered his eyes to the stone floor. "As long as I'm still breathing… I have a chance."
Footsteps echoed faintly in the corridor.
Then...
BOOOOM!
The entire chamber shook violently. Dust rained from the ceiling. One of the men stumbled sideways.
"What was that?!" someone shouted.
DUUUM!
The second impact was stronger. A massive stone slammed into the fortress wall. The vibration rattled their bones.
Hyuga rushed to the bars and pressed his ear against them. "That's not an earthquake."
Alarms began ringing furiously above. Shouts mixed with the clash of steel.
A third explosion snuffed out the torch in the corridor. The cell was now lit only by dim, distant light.
Yuna pressed closer to Akira. "Is it war?"
"Who's mad enough to attack a fortress at dusk?" Daichi muttered.
---
In the main hall of Kyoto Fortress, Emperor Emperor Go-Horikawa rose abruptly from his seat.
"What is happening?!" he demanded.
An officer dropped to his knees in haste. "Your Majesty! Large stones are striking the northern and western walls!"
"From where?!"
"We cannot yet confirm! Giant catapults… hidden behind the forest!"
The fortress trembled again.
"How could you not know?!" the Emperor's voice rose sharply.
"We are attempting to locate their position, but the trees are too dense,"
"Return fire!" the Emperor cut him off coldly. "Rain arrows upon them!"
Kyoto's soldiers unleashed volleys toward the forest.
For several seconds, silence.
Then the dark sky filled with thousands of arrows from beyond the trees.
A rain of iron.
Screams erupted atop the walls. Some soldiers fell before they could even raise their shields.
Yet not a single attacker could be seen.
The forest was like a living creature, striking, then falling silent.
---
Back in the cell, the tremors grew more frequent.
Akira slowly rose to his feet. "This isn't an ordinary attack."
Hyuga looked at him. "Who do you think it is?"
Before Akira could answer, hurried footsteps approached.
Keys clattered against iron bars.
Click.
The cell door opened.
Everyone tensed at once.
A man stepped inside. He wore Kyoto soldier's armor, but his movements were too careful.
"Don't shout," he said quickly.
Hyuga narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
The man immediately knelt before Akira and cut his bindings with a small blade. "I'm from Nara."
Akira stood slowly, his wrists free. "Nara?"
"I am an envoy of Daimyo Morizawa." He swiftly moved to free Yuna and Hyuga. "When he learned of your capture, he ordered a rescue mission."
Daichi stared in shock. "This attack…?"
"A diversion."
Akira fixed him with a sharp gaze. "Why does he care about me?"
The man paused briefly, then met his eyes. "Because he knows who you truly are."
Silence fell for a heartbeat.
"We don't have much time," the envoy continued. "Follow me."
They moved quickly through a rear corridor. Guards rushed toward the walls, ignoring the shadows slipping the opposite direction.
As they passed a small armory, Akira halted.
On the wall hung his sword.
Ryuma's sword.
He approached slowly, as if afraid the image would vanish. His fingers touched the hilt.
Warm. Real.
He pulled it down.
"Uncle…" he murmured softly. "I'm not finished."
Yuna reclaimed her naginata. Hyuga grabbed his katana. The others armed themselves swiftly.
"Move," urged the envoy.
A narrow hidden passage led them to the western side of the fortress. A concealed wooden door opened outward.
Night air greeted them.
"Head west," the man said. "Toward Shiga."
Hyuga frowned. "Why Shiga?"
"The Daimyo requests that you meet someone named Tsurui."
"Tsurui who?" Yuna asked.
"He'll know you're coming."
Akira looked at the man. "And you?"
"I return inside. Someone must ensure your trail disappears."
The fortress still roared behind them, shouts and clashing steel echoing into the night.
Akira nodded. "Give my thanks to Daimyo Morizawa."
The man offered a faint smile. "Stay alive, Akira Kageyori."
Without looking back, Akira and the others ran into the darkness.
---
Not long after, the assault stopped abruptly.
Silence.
The Emperor stood atop the wall, his expression tight. "Advance all troops! Sweep the forest!"
Thousands of soldiers spread out.
But the forest was empty.
No catapults. No mass footprints. As if the attack had been nothing more than an illusion.
An officer returned, pale-faced. "Your Majesty… there is nothing."
"Impossible!" the Emperor roared.
The officer hesitated. "There is… another report."
"What now?!"
"The prisoners… Akira Odawara, Yuna Hazuno, Hyuga, and the nine others… have escaped."
Silence froze the air.
The Emperor's face flushed red.
"How?!" His voice nearly broke with fury.
"We are still investigating,"
Before he could finish, the Emperor's sword flashed free. One swift strike.
The officer's body collapsed onto the stone.
"Useless!" he snarled.
The other soldiers bowed low, trembling.
"Find out who attacked!" he thundered. "Which clan?! Which enemy?!"
No answer came.
"Send word to Kamakura!" he ordered. "I want a full investigation! And report the escaped prisoners!"
A scribe knelt shakily, ink nearly spilling from his brush.
The Emperor stared toward the dark forest in the distance.
His fists clenched.
His fury echoed across the fortress walls.
"They have made a mockery of me!"