The forest trembled. A pulse of energy still lingered in the air from Gigel's brief appearance — and his haunting retreat. The silence afterward was not peace, but pressure.
Mai stood still, her breath sharp, her mind spinning. Tiffany leaned against a tree, arm clutched to her side.
"He didn't come to fight," Mai muttered. "He came to remind us... that he's always watching."
Tiffany didn't answer. Her eyes were fixated on the place where Gigel vanished.
Then a voice — soft, yet loaded.
"He was there the night your mother died."
Mai turned around slowly. Duncan stood a few steps behind, expression unreadable. Her heart clenched. She already suspected it. But now, to hear it from him...
"What did you say?"
He looked her in the eyes. "I saw him. I was there."
Time cracked.
Mai's lips tightened. "You watched my mother die?"
"I tried to stop him," Duncan said quietly. "But I failed. I was a coward."
Her hand trembled. Blood aura began to flicker at her fingertips.
Tiffany stepped forward, "Mai... wait. You need to hear him out."
Mai didn't move. Her body was stiff, her eyes locked on Duncan. Memories crashed over her — the scream, the fire, the blood... and now, the man who could have made a difference...
"You let her die."
"I was weak," Duncan admitted. "And I've hated myself ever since."
Mai's fist clenched. "Then hate won't be enough."
She lunged. Blood tendrils lashed out, striking toward Duncan. He dodged the first, absorbed the second with his violet shield. He didn't fight back.
"Fight me!" she screamed.
"No," he whispered. "If this is what you need... then strike."
The forest turned crimson with her fury. She launched at him, punch after punch, energy pulsing wild and unchecked. Duncan took the hits, each one heavier, each one more personal.
Finally, as she raised her hand for a final blow, she stopped.
Tears fell. Her arms dropped. She collapsed to her knees.
"I miss her... so much," she whispered.
Duncan knelt beside her. "She was brave. So are you."
Tiffany watched from a distance, pain in her chest.
From the shadows, Duncan's violet aura dimmed faintly — as if her forgiveness had flickered something deep inside him. But he didn't speak. He just stayed beside her.
Suddenly, the sky trembled. A ripple of energy, then a sharp flash in the trees. The three snapped to alert.
It wasn't Gigel.
It was Ran Fuji.
Alive. Scarred. Different.
His white ninja armor was cracked, his left eye gone. But his presence was far more dangerous.
"I found another fragment," he growled. "And I'm not alone this time."
Behind him — shadows. Multiple.
Tiffany stepped forward. "We're not ready."
Mai wiped her tears. Stood. The blood shimmered back into her hands.
"Then we'll fight anyway."
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