Part One: The Archives
The morning after the Tower Studies lecture, Kazuma could not stop thinking about Kodoku.
A scholar. A dreamer. A man who tried to master nightmares and became one himself.
"He is like us," Kage had whispered. "But he failed."
Kazuma needed to know more. He asked Kagura for permission to visit the tower's archives.
"The archives are open to all members," she said. "But some records are restricted. If you find something you should not see, stop reading. And tell me."
Kazuma nodded. He found the archives on the tower's lowest level, a circular chamber lined with crystal shelves. Each shelf held scrolls, books, and glowing crystal records.
He searched for hours. Most of the records were about dream magic, tower history, famous witches. Then he found a section labeled Restricted: Gin Tou Incident.
He hesitated. Kagura had warned him. But his curiosity was stronger.
He opened the first scroll.
Part Two: The Gin Tou Incident
The scroll was written by a scholar named Kodama. The same name Mori had mentioned.
"Nightmares are not waste. They are failed guardians. Dreams that tried to protect but lost their way. If we could understand their failure, we could prevent it. We could create perfect guardians. Dreams that never become nightmares."
Kazuma read on. Kodama's writing was passionate, almost obsessive. He described experiments on captured nightmares. Dissections. Attempts to isolate the "corruption" and reverse it.
"The Shin Tou has banned my research. They say I am dangerous. They do not understand. I am trying to save us. One day, they will thank me."
The next scroll was written by a different hand. A warning.
"Kodama has gone too far. He is no longer studying nightmares. He is breeding them. Creating new ones in his laboratory. We must stop him before it is too late."
The final scroll was a report. Dated. Official.
"Kodama has fled the Gin Tou. His laboratory was destroyed. His research was confiscated. He is now considered a rogue witch. Approach with caution. Do not engage. Report his location to the Shin Tou immediately."
Kazuma set down the scroll. His hands were trembling.
"He was trying to create something," Kage said. "Something new. And he failed."
"He was trying to control nightmares. To weaponize them."
"Like we are trying to control me."
Kazuma was silent.
"We are not him," Kage said. "We are different."
"Are we?"
"We have you. He had no one."
Kazuma closed the scroll and put it back on the shelf.
Part Three: The Visitor
That afternoon, a visitor arrived at Hikari Tou.
Kazuma was in the courtyard, practicing his sword forms, when he heard the commotion. Students gathered at the main gate. Whispers spread.
He walked over to see.
A woman stood at the gate. She wore the black and silver uniform of the Shin Tou. Her hair was white, cut short. Her eyes were sharp, cold.
Behind her stood two guards. Armed. Serious.
"I am here to see Kagura Himeguri," the woman said. "My name is Suzuki. I am an investigator from the Shin Tou."
Kagura appeared from the tower. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were wary.
"Investigator Suzuki. What brings you to my tower?"
"Kodoku." Suzuki's voice was flat. "We have reason to believe he is planning something. Something big. We need your cooperation."
Kagura gestured toward the tower. "Let us talk inside."
As Suzuki passed Kazuma, she stopped. Her eyes dropped to his shadow.
"You are the Mumei sha," she said.
"Yes."
"Your shadow carries a fragment of Kodoku's power."
Kazuma's blood went cold. "What?"
"We have sensors. They detected a resonance. Your shadow is connected to him." Suzuki's expression did not change. "You are a liability. Or an asset. We have not decided which."
She walked into the tower.
Kazuma stood frozen.
"She knows," Kage whispered.
"She knows."
"What do we do?"
Kazuma's hands curled into fists. "We listen. We learn. And we prepare."
Part Four: The Meeting
Kagura allowed Kazuma to sit in on the meeting. He sat in the corner, silent, watching.
Suzuki spread a map across Kagura's desk. It showed the Dream World, marked with red pins.
"Kodoku has been active. More active than usual." She pointed to a cluster of pins near the border. "He is gathering nightmares. Building something."
"What is he building?" Kagura asked.
"We do not know. But our scouts have reported strange structures. Towers made of shadow. They appear overnight, then vanish." Suzuki looked at Kagura. "He is preparing for something. An attack. A ritual. We are not sure."
"And you want Hikari Tou's help?"
"We want your sensory specialist." Suzuki glanced at Kazuma. "The Mumei sha. His shadow can detect Kodoku's presence. We want him to accompany a scouting mission."
Kagura's jaw tightened. "He is a student. Not a soldier."
"He is the only one who can track Kodoku without being detected." Suzuki's voice was firm. "This is not a request. The Shin Tou is ordering it."
Kagura was silent for a long moment.
"When?"
"Tomorrow. A team will arrive at dawn." Suzuki stood. "Do not be late."
She left.
Kagura turned to Kazuma. "You do not have to do this."
"Yes, I do."
"Kazuma"
"Kodoku is connected to my shadow. If he is planning something, I need to know what. For myself. For all of us." He looked at her. "I am not the same boy who arrived here. I can handle this."
Kagura studied him. Then she nodded.
"Be careful. And come back alive."
Part Five: The Night Before
That night, Kazuma sat by his window. The aurora sky was dark, the colors muted.
"You are afraid," Kage said.
"Yes."
"Good. Fear keeps us alive."
"Kodoku is part of you. Your origin."
"A fragment. A memory. He is not me."
"But he is connected to us. He can sense us."
"And we can sense him." The shadow pulsed. "That is our advantage."
Kazuma looked at his hands. They were steady.
"Tomorrow, we hunt a nightmare experimenter."
"Tomorrow, we learn the truth about what we are."
Kazuma lay down on his bed. He did not sleep. He stared at the ceiling, waiting for dawn.
The ceiling had no cracks.
He was not the same boy who had stared at a white ceiling in a grey room.
He was something else now. Something new.
And tomorrow, he would find out what that meant.
END OF CHAPTER 8