The car kept moving for hours.
Kaito stopped trying to guess where they were going a long time ago.
At first there were cities.
Then towns.
Then nothing but dark roads and trees.
Now even the trees were getting thinner.
Mountains rose in the distance, black shapes against the night sky.
Kaito leaned his head against the window.
"…Are we there yet?"
Tanaka didn't look back.
"Almost."
"You said that an hour ago."
"And it was true then too."
"That's not how 'almost' works."
His mother chuckled quietly.
Kaito groaned.
"You two are enjoying this."
"No," Tanaka said.
"You're just impatient."
"I almost got kidnapped by weird coat guys," Kaito said.
"I think I'm allowed to be impatient."
Tanaka didn't argue with that.
The car turned off the main road and onto a smaller one.
Gravel crunched under the tires.
Kaito sat up straight.
"…This looks like the middle of nowhere."
"It is," Tanaka said.
"That's not reassuring."
The road went uphill, winding between rocks and tall trees.
No lights.
No houses.
No signs.
Just darkness.
Kaito's chest tightened slightly.
Not the vibration.
Just that same feeling.
Like something was waiting ahead.
"…Sensei."
"Yes."
"…You said this is where people like me train."
"Yes."
"…How many people?"
"You'll see."
Kaito frowned.
"I don't like that answer."
The car turned one last corner.
Then stopped.
The engine went quiet.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Kaito looked out the window.
At first, he didn't understand what he was seeing.
Then his eyes widened.
"…No way."
In front of them, hidden between the mountains, was a huge gate.
Tall stone walls stretched across the valley.
Lights burned along the top.
Not electric lights.
Torches.
Behind the walls, he could see rooftops.
Dozens of them.
Maybe hundreds.
It looked like a town.
No.
Bigger.
"…What is that…" Kaito whispered.
Tanaka opened the door.
"We're here."
Kaito jumped out of the car.
Cold air hit his face.
He stared up at the gate.
It had symbols carved into the stone.
Old.
Sharp.
Strange.
"This… this is real?" he said.
His mother stepped beside him.
"Yes."
"…This isn't a dojo."
"No."
"…This is a city."
Tanaka walked past them toward the gate.
"It's a training ground."
Kaito blinked.
"…For how many people?"
Tanaka stopped in front of the gate.
He looked back once.
"…For anyone strong enough to survive it."
Cold air ran down Kaito's spine.
"…That doesn't sound safe."
"It isn't."
The gate started to move.
Slowly.
Heavy stone grinding against stone.
Kaito jumped slightly.
"…It opened by itself."
"No," Tanaka said.
"They're watching."
The gate opened just enough for them to walk through.
Inside, the place looked even bigger.
Buildings made of stone and wood.
Training fields.
Tall towers.
People walking everywhere.
Some in uniforms.
Some in armor.
Some carrying weapons.
Kaito froze.
"…You're kidding."
Nobody looked surprised to see them.
Nobody looked normal either.
The air felt different here.
Heavy.
Like the whole place was filled with that same energy he felt in his chest.
His heart started beating faster.
"…Sensei…"
"Yes."
"…How many fighters are here?"
Tanaka started walking again.
"…Enough to change your life."
Kaito swallowed.
"…I don't like how that sounds."
His mother smiled slightly.
"You will."
They walked deeper into the town.
People glanced at them as they passed.
Some stopped.
Some whispered.
Kaito frowned.
"…Why are they staring?"
Tanaka didn't slow down.
"…Because they can feel you."
Kaito froze.
"…Feel what?"
Tanaka stopped walking.
He looked straight ahead.
"…That."
Kaito felt it too.
The vibration.
Sudden.
Strong.
Closer than ever.
He turned slowly.
At the end of the street, someone was standing there.
Tall.
Wearing a dark uniform.
Arms crossed.
Watching him.
The pressure in the air grew heavier.
Kaito swallowed.
"…Sensei…"
Tanaka's voice was quiet.
"…Don't move."
The man at the end of the street smiled slightly.
"…So this is the one."
Kaito's chest burned.
The vibration roared.
Stronger than ever before.
And for the first time since they arrived...
Everyone around them stopped walking.
Stopped talking.
Stopped moving.
All eyes turned toward Kaito.
Tanaka exhaled slowly.
"…Great."
Kaito blinked.
"…What?"
Tanaka's eyes stayed on the man ahead.
"…You just made an entrance."