The air was still, but that silence was broken by the sound of metallic screeching in the shadows. Their heads lifted… and out of the dust emerged a strange monster. Two deformed wings, two scythe-like arms, and a scorpion's tail brandishing poison. Its voice cut through the air like a broken device emitting interlocking vibrations.
Hairu Shin cried out, laughing:
"Woah! That looks like an insect on an overdose!"
But suddenly, without warning, Kaito's father pushed his son forward, toward the monster.
He said, laughing:
"Go, son! Show us what you've learned in boxing training!"
Kaito froze. Then he began moving haphazardly among the rocks, dodging attacks with his thin body, running and stumbling, like a mouse fleeing from a crazed cat.
Hiro Shin shouted encouragingly, laughing as he slammed the ground.
"I'm gambling on you, you damn bastard! Aren't you, Tsuki?!"
Tsuki, who had been watching silently and anxiously, gasped in embarrassment. Kaito's father turned to her, grinning wickedly:
"So... you're Tsuki-chan?! Kaito's been talking about you a lot! Every night!"
Tsuki's face turned red as a pepper, and she slapped her face in embarrassment.
But without realizing what was happening... Kaito's father grabbed her by the shoulders, laughing, and said:
"Time for romance under pressure!"
And threw her towards Kaito and the monster!!
Tsuki screamed:
"Ooooooo!!!!!"
Kaito screamed back:
"Daddy!!!!"
In the middle of the ashes, Tsuki is in the air, screaming as she charges toward the monster...
Kaito isn't thinking, isn't screaming... his eyes just widen.
And suddenly...
A dark aura emanated from his body, as if the shadows themselves had awakened from their slumber.
His muscles suddenly tensed, his clothes loosened, as if he had grown in an instant.
Hairu Shin's eyes turned black, a dim light gleaming inside them, glowing like embers in the darkness.
Hairu Shin screamed:
"Whaaaat... What is this?!! Am I dreaming?!"
Tsuki was falling, her eyes widening in terror...
But before she could touch the monster, Kaito appeared before her, as if the air itself had torn him apart, causing him to leap.
His voice wasn't ordinary; it was low and calm... as if he knew what he was doing:
"You're attacking her?... Your big mistake."
With one strike. A punch. No screaming, no warning.
The air shook.
The monster wasn't just struck...
It exploded backward, half its body vanishing in an instant. Its scream echoed in the rubble.
But it didn't die...
It tried to crawl, its trembling face staring at Kaito in astonishment and horror.
With a cracked, shaky voice, the monster whispered:
"It can't be... it's... it's back..."
Then it took off like a tail of fire in a storm, dragging its shattered wing behind it.
There was a moment of silence.
Then Kaito's father said, laughing:
"Ooooh! That's my son! I knew you were hiding something!"
Hairu Shin, running up:
"Kaito!!! I officially change sides! You're the frontrunner for the strongest person on the team!!"
Tsuki was still on the ground, looking at Kaito. Her face flushed, her hand on her heart, as she said in a low voice, "He... protected me..."
The dust of battle scattered, and a heavy silence fell, as if the earth itself had held its breath.
Amidst the rubble stood Kaito, his body heavy, his hands still trembling from the blow that had torn the monster apart. But all eyes weren't on the wreckage... but on Kaito himself.
His eyes had changed. Not the calm silver they knew, but a deep black that shone with an eerie gleam, as if a shadow within him had finally awakened.
Hairu Shin stepped forward cautiously, his hands on his hips. "Hey! I knew there was something fishy about you... but this? This is crazy!"
He laughed, despite the tension rising around him, then turned to Tsuki. "Didn't I tell you my bet was right? I won the round, didn't I?"
But Kaito didn't move. He stood there, looking over his shoulder at everyone, then, in a deep, low voice, words that didn't sound like him came out:
"Why are scumbags here?"
Everyone froze.
Tsuki's eyes widened, while Hana felt a cold chill creep up her spine. Even Minamoto, the stern instructor, raised his eyebrows in rare surprise.
Suddenly, Kaito collapsed to his knees, then fell motionless, unconscious.
"Kaito!" Tsuki cried.
She ran over, followed by Hiro-shin and Hana, while Kaito's father stood in the background, just watching silently. His face showed no surprise or concern... only a subtle glint in his eyes, as if what had happened had been expected.
"Man... you were awesome, but also scary! Is he okay?" Hiro-shin said, kneeling next to him.
Tsuki answered, placing Kaito's head in her lap. "I don't know... but his aura was different... he wasn't quite him."
Minamoto slowly approached, looking at Kaito with eyes observant of every detail.
He said quietly to himself, "The other side woke up... faster than I expected."
Kaito's father looked at him for a moment, then said with a wry smile, "I told them he was still a child... but he didn't listen."
There was silence again.
Then Minamoto said, "We can't stay here. We need to take him somewhere safe."
Tsuki nodded, taking a deep breath. "There's a cave nearby. We passed it on the way in. We'll rest there for a while, then we'll continue on."
Kaito's father shrugged. "Well, a small cave is fine after all this drama."
Hiro Shin laughed as he carried Kaito on his back, saying, "You look pretty light for someone with that kind of power! Maybe I should feed him more."
And so, they left the battlefield, walking toward the nearby cave, their hearts still filled with unanswered questions...
Who really was Kaito?
And what was that shadow lurking behind his eyes?
But the night wasn't over yet, and the path to the Dead Surface was only just beginning.
Fin chapter