The group advanced up the narrow path.
Gravel crunched underfoot. The wind moved low, dragging across the grass in long, whispering strokes. Just beyond the ridge, rooftops began to rise—crooked silhouettes of the village, close enough to reach within minutes.
Too quiet.
No chatter. No footsteps. No life.
Only the distant flap of bird wings cutting through the silence.
Then—
She stepped out.
From the shadow of the village gate, a woman emerged.
Nent.
Her build was compact, chiseled—muscles defined like carved stone, the kind earned through years of relentless strain. Not for show. For survival.
Her eyes were sunken, wrapped in heavy black rings. Sleepless. Endless. Yet her body stood firm—healthy, unbroken.
That contrast alone felt wrong.
The air shifted.
A cold, eerie breeze rolled outward from her position.
Then it intensified.
Dark red energy began to pulse from her body—slow at first… then violently.
The ground trembled beneath her feet.
Her aura bled into the world.
It wasn't just power.
It felt like grief.
Like rage.
Like the silent scream of a thousand dead warriors compressed into one presence.
Ozaki's smile held.
Nent's lips curled.
"Welcome, Ozaki…"
Her voice cracked through the valley like splitting earth.
Her eyes flicked across the group.
"You've brought children… to do what—make the battle equal?"
A faint distortion passed between them.
Not wind.
Movement.
Lumei stepped forward instantly, planting himself in front of Chella—shoulders squared, body angled to intercept anything.
Sora's feet moved before her thoughts did.
One step.
Two.
She slipped behind Ozaki, breath tightening.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The distortion blurred again—
Ozaki's head turned.
Yamato's left arm twitched.
She was already there.
In a single blink—
Ichiha was gone.
No sound.
No struggle.
Just absence.
Sora spun around.
And saw her.
Nent stood behind them, Ichiha slung over her shoulder like weightless cargo.
"What—?!" Sora gasped, her voice breaking.
Lumei's hand snapped to Ozaki's blade.
Steel flashed—
—but the motion meant nothing.
Ichiha's body folded inward—
And vanished.
Swallowed into shadow like dust caught in a storm.
Gone.
Silence collapsed in after him.
Ozaki's smile disappeared.
Not slowly.
Instantly.
A crack formed beneath his composure.
Why didn't Yamato move?
His eyes shifted.
He reacts to things far beyond this… so why—
He looked at Yamato—
—and froze.
Yamato stood still.
Head tilted slightly toward the sky.
Arms spread loosely at his sides.
A grin stretched across his face.
Too wide.
Too empty.
Too wrong.
It wasn't excitement.
It wasn't confidence.
It was hunger.
Raw. Violent. Unfiltered.
Ozaki's gaze snapped away, tracking the faint residue of Nent's aura dissolving into the air.
Then—
He saw it.
Yamato's left arm.
Black liquid dripped from his fingers.
Thick.
Like ink.
It slid slowly down his skin, falling in heavy drops onto the ground.
He touched her.
Even in that instant—
He touched her.
Yamato lowered his gaze.
First to the ink.
Then to Sora.
Then to Lumei.
His grin didn't fade.
"Time to see… Recovery Rank Yamato in action."
His voice was steady.
Too steady.
Ozaki's eyes narrowed.
Recovery Rank…? What exactly did he unlock?
Behind them—
Chella's body refused to obey her.
Her fingers twitched violently at her sides.
Her breathing staggered.
Her pupils trembled.
She wasn't seeing Yamato.
Not really.
She was seeing him.
The past.
A man.
A shadow burned into her memory.
The same posture.
The same smile.
The same suffocating presence.
Her knees weakened.
Her voice never came.
---
Deep within the village
Darkness swallowed the narrow tunnel.
Faint light leaked through cracks above, slicing thin lines across damp stone walls.
The stench was unbearable.
Rotting plants. Spoiled waste. Thick, suffocating decay.
Water dripped somewhere in the distance.
Echoing.
Slow.
Uneven.
Ichiha's body hung limp over Nent's shoulder, unmoving.
Dead weight.
She stopped.
Her head tilted slightly.
Then—
She spoke.
But the voice that came out—
Was not hers.
"You'll get your time, Ichiha."
It was deeper.
Heavier.
Each word carried pressure.
Kaku.
The sound crawled through the tunnel like thunder trapped underground.
Even unconscious—
Ichiha's fingers twitched faintly.
---
Far away — Cloak High
A quiet office.
Neat. Ordered. Controlled.
Six students stood in formation.
Facing him.
Headmaster Regns sat behind his desk, relaxed—yet something in his posture felt deliberate.
Measured.
"I appreciate you six… for getting here on time."
A small smile formed.
"It means you understand business."
Mira didn't return the energy.
Her expression stayed flat.
Cold.
Regns noticed immediately.
"Try and smile," he said casually. "It won't hurt."
A pause.
Mira forced one.
Barely.
Kiro let out a small laugh.
Leah covered her mouth, giggling.
Even Daigo smirked.
Regns exhaled slowly.
Then—
His tone shifted.
"If I were to enter a life-threatening battle…"
The room tightened.
Renji's posture straightened.
Daigo's smile vanished.
"…whether I win… or lose…"
A beat.
"I will die."
Silence.
It didn't land like a statement.
It sank.
Heavy.
Permanent.
Seouk's shoulders jerked slightly.
A chill visibly ran through him.
Kiro frowned.
"…Why would you die if you win, sir?"
Regns didn't answer immediately.
His gaze drifted.
Focused.
Tight.
Mira leaned forward slightly.
"…Is it bad?"
Regns blinked once.
"Bad how?"
A pause.
Then he waved it off.
"Never mind. It's a curse."
Leah's face drained.
Seouk's lips parted, but no sound came.
Renji and Daigo stayed completely still now—fully locked in.
Leah spoke, quieter this time.
"…What could curse you like that?"
Regns smiled.
Not proudly.
Not happily.
Just… distantly.
"It was a long time ago."
A pause.
"We were around your age."
HISSSSS—
Steam burst from Daigo's body in a sharp release.
His fists clenched.
The temperature in the room spiked for a split second.
Regns continued.
"We defeated it."
His voice lowered.
"…But it was too late."
Mira's eyes locked onto him.
Sharp.
Unblinking.
Regns felt it.
Turned.
"What do you want to ask?"
She didn't hesitate.
"What rank were you?"
Regns chuckled under his breath.
"…Rank."
A slight shake of his head.
"I was S-Rank."
A beat.
"The highest."
His gaze softened slightly.
"Ozaki was there too."
Another pause.
"We were… beyond S-Rank, if you want the truth."
Subtle shifts ran through the room.
Respect.
Tension.
Doubt.
All mixed.
"We also had a B-Rank."
His eyes dimmed slightly.
"The smartest among us."
A faint smile.
"Extremely smart… to a frightening level."
He leaned back.
"Even so… intelligence alone doesn't win battles."
His gaze moved.
Landed on Seouk.
"We had one A-Rank."
A pause.
"Her power type was apex."
The word lingered.
"But her raw magic… wasn't S-Rank level."
His fingers tapped lightly on the desk.
Once.
Twice.
"She was our heavy hitter."
A longer pause.
His eyes lifted—
Fixing on a small triangular gold iron object resting on his desk.
Still.
Silent.
Unmoving.
"...But life had other plans."
The room didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
No one laughed.
No one spoke.
Even Daigo's flames stayed quiet.
Regns' reflection faintly stared back at him from the polished surface of the object—
Older.
Heavier.
Carrying something none of them could yet understand.
And for the first time—
The distance between teacher and student felt immeasurable.