The small sphere rested between Sora's fingers as he walked.
It was no bigger than a marble.
Yet faint cursed energy pulsed steadily from inside it.
Sora rolled it slightly across his palm while observing it under the dim streetlight.
"…Interesting."
The compression had worked better than expected.
The cursed spirit hadn't dissolved.
Its energy hadn't scattered.
Instead, the liquid metal had forced the entire structure of the curse inward until it condensed into a stable object.
A crude cursed object.
Not elegant.
Not refined.
But functional.
Sora flicked the sphere lightly.
It hovered for a second before the liquid metal swallowed it again, storing it inside a thin metallic pocket beneath his sleeve.
"Very convenient."
His gaze drifted down the quiet street again.
The city remained calm.
Streetlights flickered softly in the cold air.
But now Sora's mindset had changed.
Earlier he had been wandering.
Now he had a purpose.
"…Let's see if it works again."
---
Kyoto at night was full of small pockets of negative emotions.
Places where resentment, fear, or loneliness lingered long enough to form something.
Most of the time they were weak.
But for Sora, that was perfect.
He moved through several streets, scanning the area quietly with his senses.
After about fifteen minutes—
He felt another ripple.
Weaker than the first.
Hidden carefully in a corner between two apartment buildings.
"…Found one."
Sora stepped into the narrow gap.
The cursed spirit appeared almost immediately.
A thin creature clinging to the wall like a distorted insect.
Another grade four.
This time Sora didn't sigh.
He simply raised his hand.
Liquid metal slid out.
Two appendages shot forward.
The curse didn't even have time to react.
Bind.
Its limbs were restrained instantly.
"…Sorry."
Sora muttered lazily.
The metal expanded again.
Wrapped.
Compressed.
The creature screeched for less than a minute before its resistance collapsed.
When the metal opened—
Another small sphere floated above Sora's palm.
"…Two."
He stored it the same way.
The process was working perfectly.
For the next hour—
Sora wandered quietly through different streets and alleys.
A few weak cursed spirits revealed themselves.
Most of them were hiding.
Small.
Cowardly.
But Sora didn't mind.
Each encounter ended the same way.
Bind.
Compress.
Sphere.
By the time he finished his small patrol—
He had collected several of them.
"…Not bad."
None of them were strong.
All grade fours.
But that didn't matter.
They were fuel.
Stored energy.
Something he could experiment with later.
Eventually Sora turned toward the quieter residential side of the city.
He was about to head back when—
Something faint brushed against his senses again.
Different location.
Different atmosphere.
Sora paused.
"…Hm?"
He followed the faint presence across two streets and stopped in front of a small building.
A kindergarten.
The colorful playground equipment was barely visible under the thin layer of snow.
Tiny chairs and toys could be seen through the dark windows.
The place was silent.
Empty.
But the cursed energy wasn't.
"…Hiding well."
Sora stepped closer.
The cursed presence came from inside the playground area.
He walked through the gate.
His boots crunched softly against the snow.
Then he saw it.
A small cursed spirit crouched beneath the slide.
Its body looked like a twisted doll with broken limbs and a cracked face.
It trembled faintly.
Clearly formed from the lingering fears and cries of young children.
Sora stared at it quietly.
"…You're subtle."
Most people would never notice it here.
The curse had blended into the negative energy of the place almost perfectly.
But unfortunately—
It had been noticed tonight.
The spirit tried to crawl away the moment it sensed him.
Liquid metal shot forward instantly.
The appendages wrapped around the small creature and lifted it into the air.
The curse shrieked weakly.
"Relax."
Sora muttered.
"This will only take a minute."
The metal spread again.
Covered the creature.
Then slowly compressed it.
The curse resisted for a short while.
But just like the others—
It eventually gave in.
Moments later—
Another sphere formed.
This one glowed slightly stronger than the others.
Sora held it up to the faint moonlight.
"…Still grade four."
He shrugged.
"Good enough."
The metal swallowed the sphere again.
Then he turned around and left the quiet playground behind.
---
The walk back to the orphanage was calm.
Snow continued falling lightly from the sky.
The streets were completely empty now.
Sora slipped back into the building just as quietly as he had left earlier.
He removed his jacket and mask before returning to his room.
The house remained silent.
Everyone was still asleep.
Sora lay down on his bed.
The metal beneath his sleeve shifted slightly as it stored the small spheres safely.
Several of them.
His small collection.
"…Not bad for one night."
He stared at the ceiling again.
But this time—
His thoughts drifted further ahead.
The future.
He was twelve now.
Still too young.
Still too inexperienced.
But things were slowly taking shape.
His technique was good.
His experiments were fruitful.
His strange training sessions with the Zenin twins was also there.
Sora exhaled quietly.
"…Three years."
That was the rough timeline he had in mind.
By the time he turned fifteen—
He wanted to be far stronger.
Experienced.
Prepared.
Strong enough to walk into the world of sorcerers properly.
Not as some wandering child.
But as someone capable of surviving it.
Sora closed his eyes slowly.
"…Plenty of time."
Outside the window—
Snow continued falling quietly across Kyoto.