The forest felt different.
Not visibly.
Not in a way that could be easily explained.
But something had shifted.
Snow still blanketed the ground.
The trees still stood tall and skeletal, their branches reaching upward like frozen claws.
The wind still whispered through them.
But beneath all of that—
There was something else.
Stillness.
Not calm.
Not peace.
Absence.
Haruki felt it the moment they stepped deeper into the forest.
"…It's quiet," he muttered.
Karin walked beside him, her chains swaying lightly with each step.
"It's always quiet," she replied.
Haruki shook his head slightly.
"No… not like this."
Raizen, walking a few steps ahead, didn't stop—but his grip on his spear tightened slightly.
"I feel it too," he said.
That was enough confirmation.
Haruki's chest tightened just a little.
The faint pressure from before—
It was stronger now.
Not overwhelming.
Not yet.
But present.
Watching.
They continued moving.
Carefully.
Every step deliberate.
Every sound sharper in the silence.
Haruki's hand rested lightly on the hilt of his katana.
Not gripping it.
Not yet.
Just ready.
But something was off.
Not outside.
Inside.
His mind felt… quieter.
Too quiet.
No flashes.
No fragments.
No overlapping futures clawing at his thoughts.
Nothing.
Haruki frowned slightly.
"…That's weird," he murmured.
Karin glanced at him.
"What is?"
He hesitated.
"…They're gone."
Raizen stopped walking.
Slowly, he turned.
"…Gone?" he repeated.
Haruki nodded.
"I don't see anything," he said. "No visions. No flashes. Nothing."
Karin's expression tightened slightly.
"That's not normal," she said.
"No," Raizen agreed.
Haruki let out a small breath.
"…Isn't that a good thing?"
Neither of them answered immediately.
That was answer enough.
They moved again.
But now—
More cautiously.
Haruki tried to focus on the silence in his mind.
No noise.
No pressure.
No overwhelming flood of futures.
For the first time since his Eyes awakened—
He felt normal.
And that scared him more than anything.
Minutes passed.
Then—
A sound.
Soft.
Barely noticeable.
A crunch.
Haruki's head snapped slightly to the side.
"…Did you hear that?"
Karin nodded once.
Raizen's stance shifted instantly.
"Stay alert," he said.
The air tightened.
Another sound.
Closer this time.
A low, dragging noise against the snow.
Haruki's grip tightened around his katana.
"…Something's here."
Raizen didn't respond.
He already knew.
The trees ahead shifted slightly.
Not from the wind.
Something moved between them.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Then—
It stepped into view.
The Rift-Beast.
But not like the others.
Its form was… wrong.
Distorted.
Its body seemed unstable—like it couldn't fully decide its shape.
Limbs stretched and retracted unnaturally.
Its surface flickered between solid and fragmented, like broken reflections layered over each other.
And its eyes—
Too many.
All staring.
All aware.
Haruki's breath caught slightly.
"…That's new."
Karin's chains shifted, tightening slightly around her wrists.
"Stay focused," she said.
Raizen stepped forward, spear lowering into position.
"This one is different," he said.
The Beast tilted its head slightly.
As if listening.
Then—
It moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Haruki's eyes widened—
And nothing came.
No vision.
No warning.
No flash.
Just instinct.
"Move—!"
Raizen's voice cut through the air.
Haruki barely reacted in time, throwing himself to the side as the Beast's limb slammed into the ground where he had been standing.
Snow exploded outward.
Haruki rolled, scrambling back to his feet—
"…What—?!"
His heart raced.
There was nothing.
No foresight.
No prediction.
Just—
Now.
Karin lunged forward, chains snapping outward in a sharp arc.
They wrapped around one of the Beast's limbs—
"Got it—!"
The Beast twisted.
Violently.
The chains strained—
Then snapped free.
Karin's eyes widened slightly.
"—What?!"
Raizen moved instantly, spear thrusting forward—
The Beast shifted mid-motion—
Dodging.
Adapting.
Too quickly.
"…It's reading us," Raizen muttered.
Haruki's grip tightened.
No.
It wasn't just reading them.
It was reacting faster than they could think.
And without his visions—
He couldn't keep up.
The Beast lunged again.
This time—toward Karin.
"—Karin!"
Haruki moved.
Too late.
The Beast's limb curved sharply—
A strike aimed directly at her blind spot.
Haruki's body froze.
Nothing.
No vision.
No warning.
No way to know—
"Move!"
Karin reacted on instinct, barely shifting out of the way as the attack grazed her side, sending her skidding across the snow.
"—Tch!"
Haruki's chest tightened.
Too close.
Way too close.
Raizen stepped in, intercepting the Beast's next movement with a sharp strike from his spear.
"Focus!" he called.
Haruki clenched his teeth.
"I am!"
"No," Raizen said sharply.
"You're waiting."
Haruki froze.
Waiting.
That's what he had been doing.
Waiting for something that wasn't coming.
The Beast moved again.
Haruki didn't hesitate this time.
He charged.
Katana slicing forward in a clean arc—
The Beast twisted—
Too fast—
Haruki adjusted—
Too slow—
The blade barely grazed its surface.
Not enough.
The Beast countered instantly.
A strike—
Haruki raised his blade—
Clang!
The impact sent him staggering back.
His arms shook from the force.
"…Damn it…"
This wasn't working.
Without his visions—
He was just… normal.
And normal wasn't enough.
The Beast lunged again.
Faster.
More aggressive.
Haruki's breathing grew heavier.
His mind raced—
Trying to predict.
Trying to anticipate.
Trying to force something—
Anything—
Nothing came.
"Haruki!"
Karin's voice cut through the chaos.
"Stop thinking!"
He blinked.
"What—?!"
"Just move!" she shouted.
The Beast attacked again—
Haruki reacted.
Not because he saw it—
But because he felt it.
His body shifted—
Barely avoiding the strike.
Something clicked.
Not fully.
Not clearly.
But enough.
He moved again.
This time—
Without waiting.
Without thinking.
Just moving.
The katana cut forward—
Missed—
Adjusted—
Struck again—
Closer.
Better.
The Beast reacted—
But so did Haruki.
For the first time—
He wasn't trying to see the future.
He was fighting in the present.
Raizen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Good," he muttered.
But it didn't last.
The Beast's movements grew sharper.
Faster.
More precise.
Haruki's reactions began to lag.
Without his visions—
He couldn't maintain it.
The Beast struck again—
Haruki moved—
Too slow—
The attack slipped through his guard—
"—Haruki!"
Impact.
He was thrown back, crashing into the snow with a sharp gasp.
His vision blurred.
His body refused to move.
"…I…"
His breathing faltered.
"…I can't…"
The silence returned.
Not outside.
Inside.
That same empty stillness.
No visions.
No guidance.
No answers.
And in that moment—
Haruki understood.
This wasn't relief.
This wasn't control.
This was loss.
"I… need it…"
The words slipped out without thought.
Raizen heard them.
Karin did too.
Haruki's hand tightened weakly against the snow.
"…I need to see…"
Because without it—
He was nothing.
The realization hit harder than any blow.
And for the first time—
Haruki was truly afraid.
The Beast moved again.
Closing in.
Karin stepped forward.
Chains igniting with faint heat—
"I've got him—!"
Raizen moved as well—
Intercepting.
But Haruki—
Lay still.
Not because he couldn't move.
But because—
He didn't know how to.
Without the visions—
Without the future—
Without something telling him what came next—
He was lost.
And deep down—
That terrified him more than anything he had faced so far.