The exhaustion finally caught up to Yeng.
He lay flat on the ground, staring up at the darkening sky as the cool evening breeze brushed against his face. Every muscle in his body screamed in pain. Blood stained parts of his clothes, and several cuts decorated his arms and chest. Even breathing felt like a chore.
A few feet away, Toji stood frozen.
The boy's eyes were wide with confusion.
He looked at his trembling hands, then at the destruction around them. Pieces of broken stone were scattered across the area, and deep cracks stretched through the earth.
"What... what just happened?" Toji muttered.
Yeng forced himself to smile.
It wasn't his usual carefree smile. This one carried worry.
"It's going to be a long month..."
Toji finally snapped out of his daze and rushed toward him.
"Yeng!"
The moment he got close enough, he noticed the blood.
His face immediately turned pale.
"N-No..."
He dropped to his knees beside him.
"What did I do?"
His voice cracked.
Toji's eyes filled with tears.
"What did I do?" he repeated.
Yeng sighed.
Even in pain, he reached out and lightly tapped the boy's forehead.
"Don't blame yourself, kid."
Toji lowered his head.
"But—"
"Don't."
Yeng's tone became serious.
"It's not your fault."
Toji clenched his fists.
"If I wasn't here—"
"If you start drowning yourself in negative thoughts," Yeng interrupted, "we'll have to go through all of this again."
Toji immediately stopped talking.
The memory of what had happened moments ago sent chills through his spine.
Silence filled the air.
Finally, Toji nodded.
"O-Okay."
"Good."
Yeng slowly sat up.
Pain shot through his body.
"Now help me up before I become part of the scenery."
Toji laughed despite himself.
He carefully helped Yeng stand.
The old man leaned against him.
"Let's go home."
---
The bookstore was unusually quiet that evening.
The familiar smell of old books filled the building.
After cleaning himself up and treating some of his wounds, Yeng called Toji into the study room.
The room was dimly lit.
Ancient scrolls and books covered nearly every shelf.
Toji sat across from him.
"You wanted to see me?"
Yeng opened a small wooden box resting on the desk.
Inside sat a strange bead.
It was dark red and covered in tiny golden markings.
The moment Toji saw it, he felt something strange.
A faint pressure.
As though the bead was staring back at him.
"What is this?"
Yeng carefully picked it up.
"This is an ancestral sealing bead."
Toji tilted his head.
"A sealing bead?"
Yeng nodded.
"Long ago, when the Nine-Tailed Fox clans were being detained, beads like these were used to suppress their spiritual powers."
Toji blinked.
"So it seals powers?"
"Exactly."
Yeng handed it to him.
The bead felt surprisingly warm.
"It makes powerful spirits vulnerable. Almost human."
Toji examined it closely.
"It looks ancient."
"It is ancient."
The old man smirked.
"But don't let appearances fool you."
He pointed at the bead.
"It still does exactly what it was made to do."
Toji swallowed.
The seriousness in Yeng's voice made him nervous.
"Listen carefully."
His expression became stern.
"This is not a suggestion."
Toji immediately straightened up.
"You are not to remove that bead under any circumstances."
The room suddenly felt colder.
"If you take it off..."
Yeng paused.
"...you and everyone around you could be in danger."
Toji's smile disappeared.
"That serious?"
"More serious than you realize."
The old man leaned back.
"We still don't know what spirit is inside you."
Toji unconsciously touched his chest.
The spirit.
The thing that had nearly killed Yeng.
"The fusion ritual can't begin until we identify it."
"Fusion ritual?"
Yeng nodded.
"It will permanently merge your spirit and your human soul together."
Toji's eyes widened.
"Permanently?"
"Yep."
"And until then?"
Yeng pointed at the bead.
"That stays on."
Toji slowly nodded.
"Alright. I understand."
"Good."
Yeng stood up.
He grabbed his coat and headed toward the door.
"I'll be gone for a while."
"Where?"
"Stuff."
"That's not an answer."
"It is if you're me."
Toji rolled his eyes.
Yeng laughed.
"Watch the bookstore while I'm gone."
"Sure."
"And don't do anything stupid."
"I won't."
Yeng stared at him.
Toji stared back.
The old man sighed.
"You're definitely going to do something stupid."
---
Half an hour later.
The bookstore remained empty.
Toji sat behind the front desk.
Bored.
Very bored.
Painfully bored.
His fingers drummed against the counter.
Then a certain memory resurfaced.
The basement.
More specifically...
That door.
The mysterious door he had never managed to open.
Toji grinned.
"Oh no."
He immediately stood up.
A few moments later he descended into the basement carrying a hammer.
The dim lights flickered overhead.
Dust danced through the air.
The deeper he went, the quieter everything became.
He rested the hammer on his shoulder.
"There's no way I won't get in now."
A confident smirk spread across his face.
The basement staircase seemed endless.
By the time he reached the bottom, he was already annoyed.
"I forgot how ridiculously long these stairs are."
Eventually he reached the first underground floor.
Then he noticed something.
The inscription.
The strange words carved into the wall.
Toji approached.
Dust covered most of it.
He brushed it away.
The message became visible.
Choose Your Fate.
Toji stared at it.
"Huh."
A small smile appeared.
"Choose my fate?"
He cracked his knuckles.
"We'll see about that."
Soon he arrived at the chained door.
The same door.
The same chains.
The same mystery.
But this time...
He had a hammer.
Toji raised it.
BANG!
The impact echoed through the hallway.
Nothing happened.
He swung again.
BANG!
Still nothing.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The chains didn't even move.
Sweat formed on his forehead.
"What are these things made of?"
BANG!
Nothing.
Minutes passed.
Still nothing.
Finally, exhausted and irritated, Toji dropped the hammer.
"Forget this stupid door!"
He punched it.
The moment his fist connected—
The door flashed.
A faint golden light spread across its surface.
Toji froze.
"...What?"
He slowly placed his hand against it.
The light returned.
This time stronger.
The chains suddenly rattled.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
Toji's eyes widened.
One by one the chains began sliding off.
"What?!"
The chains crashed onto the ground.
The heavy handle unlocked itself.
The ancient door slowly creaked open.
Toji couldn't believe it.
He had finally solved the mystery.
"I knew it!"
Excitement filled his chest.
Without hesitation he stepped inside.
Then stopped.
The smile disappeared.
"...Seriously?"
The room was empty.
Completely empty.
"Whaaaaaat?!"
His voice echoed throughout the massive chamber.
"All that effort for an empty room?!"
He walked farther inside.
His footsteps bounced across the stone floor.
The room stretched far beyond what should have been possible beneath a bookstore.
The ceiling was incredibly high.
The walls seemed endless.
"This place is huge."
He looked around.
"It looks more like a training ground than a room."
His disappointment slowly turned into curiosity.
Then he noticed something.
At the far corner stood another structure.
A gigantic steel gate.
Unlike the previous door, this one looked more like a prison.
Massive locks secured it.
Heavy metal plates reinforced every inch.
Toji stared.
"Okay..."
He pointed at it.
"Now that's interesting."
As he approached, strange symbols carved into the floor became visible.
An arena.
A circular arena.
Without thinking, Toji stepped inside.
CLICK.
His body froze.
The entrance behind him slammed shut.
BOOM!
The sound shook the chamber.
Toji spun around.
"What?!"
The exit was sealed.
"No no no no no."
Panic began rising.
"What triggered that?"
Suddenly—
KRRRRRRRRRRR.
A loud metallic groan echoed through the chamber.
The prison gate.
It was opening.
Slowly.
Painfully slowly.
Each movement sounded like thunder.
Dust exploded from the hinges.
The ground trembled.
Toji felt his heart pounding.
"Please tell me that's not what I think it is."
The gate continued opening.
Darkness waited behind it.
Then—
THUD.
A heavy footstep.
The entire arena shook.
Toji froze.
THUD.
Another step.
Closer.
THUD.
Closer.
Each step felt like an earthquake.
Something enormous was approaching.
A giant shadow emerged.
Toji's breathing stopped.
Then it stepped fully into the light.
His eyes widened.
His body refused to move.
A giant ape stood before him.
Its muscles looked like mountains.
Dark fur covered its massive body.
Ancient scars stretched across its chest.
Its golden eyes burned with intelligence and rage.
The creature slowly looked down.
Directly at Toji.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then the ape inhaled.
And roared.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!
The entire underground structure shook violently.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Toji nearly lost his balance.
Fear unlike anything he had ever experienced gripped his soul.
His legs trembled.
His mouth went dry.
For the first time in his life...
He truly understood what it meant to be prey.
The giant ape stared at him.
Toji looked toward the sealed exit.
Then back at the monster.
No escape.
No help.
No Yeng.
Nothing.
The realization hit him like a truck.
It's either kill...
Or be killed.
And judging from the size of that thing...
He didn't have the slightest idea how he was supposed to survive.