Természetesen! Íme az angol fordítás az általad küldött 1. fejezetből, "A Köd Peremén":
Chapter 1: On the Edge of the Mist
The sun was already setting, casting the city in orange-red light. Inside the walls of Shinkou, peace was only apparent — Haruki's heart pounded as he stepped closer to Rei by the city gate.
"Rei..." he spoke quietly. "I want you to stay here."
Rei narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms.
"Why do you say this again? Haruki, I won't just stay idle while you go off with your own head to death!"
"That's not what I mean," Haruki shook his head. "It's just that I don't want you to get hurt. This city... it can at least give some safety. And if anything happens to you..."
"It already happened," Rei cut him off harshly. "Someone you loved has already died, I know. But I won't run away. I'm not a child."
"You're not..." Haruki sighed. "But you also know what it means to lose someone. I can't bear it again. If something happened to you while you were with me... that would be my fault too."
Rei stepped closer, her eyes softer now.
"And if I stayed here and something still happened? Then it would be your fault for not letting me come with you. Do you trust me?"
Haruki bit his lip. The pain churned inside him, but the answer was clear.
"Yes. I trust you."
When only the wind whispered along the base of the walls, Haruki closed his eyes, and Kurotaka's voice echoed in his mind:
"You're afraid."
"Yes," he whispered. "More than ever."
"That's not weakness. It means you care."
"And what if I can't protect her?"
"Then she will protect you. Haruki... remember, you are not alone. And neither is she."
Haruki nodded, tears burning in his eyes, but he did not let them fall.
Then the sky thundered — from the east, where Aokiri once stood, a swirling, dark red light appeared in the sky.
Kurotaka's voice was no longer calm.
"This... this can't be. Either the seals are cracking... or Akumaru has broken free."
Haruki's lips trembled. The decision was made inside him.
"Then there's no more time. We leave."
The mist grew thicker as if it wanted to swallow the very existence of the world. Haruki and Rei stood at the city gate, trying to see through the haze in the faint light, but nothing was clear. The bells tolled faintly but continuously, as if marking a defensive boundary around the city, yet the hooded figures kept attacking fiercely.
Haruki nervously watched the mist. He remembered Kurotaka's words still buzzing in his mind: "As long as the bells ring, the hooded ones won't easily get in... but if an insider helps them..."
"We won't be able to move if this keeps up," Rei said, watching the thickening fog. "The hooded ones are nearby. And if I'm not mistaken, they've already tried to get in."
"Yes," Haruki replied. "Even if the bells keep them away, the hooded ones are coming closer. I can feel it. I know they're trying to get in somehow... but we can't let them enter through insiders."
"What about insiders?" Rei asked. "Someone among the hooded ones might be helped from inside, and they've already killed eleven people. It won't be easy for them."
Haruki thought for a moment. The hooded ones attacking from inside not only wanted to conquer the city but also uncover its secrets. If they succeeded with the help of an insider, everything would be lost.
"I know the city's leadership isn't blind. They watch every step. Kurotaka also said that the power of the mist might distract them for a while, but we can't rest. This can't be a coincidence."
In the first week, the attacks of the hooded ones grew harsher. They had eleven dead, all hidden in different parts of the city. The hooded warriors, trying to exploit the help of an insider, were no longer only focused on reaching their goal, but increasingly searching for their own people. The investigation went quickly but yielded only one result: if someone was weak, they died. If someone tried to warn immediately that something was wrong, they were already dead.
Rei smiled briefly as she looked at Haruki, surprised. Haruki had never shown this strength before.
"How are we going to stop them?" Rei asked. "They lurk on every corner in the city. More and more hooded ones."
"They're already watching us," Haruki said quietly, surveying their surroundings. "But if they think we're weak... they're wrong. This isn't just about fighting. We have to find out who they are before... it's too late."
Kurotaka, watching the situation from the background, joined the conversation.
"Haruki is right. The bell protects us for now, but the hooded ones are fast, and more and more are inside the city. We have to decide how to respond to the next attack."
Haruki took a deep breath, holding his weapon tighter.
"First, we have to find out who is helping them. Hooded ones never act alone. Someone inside the city is definitely helping them. The one who betrays us can't stay any longer."
Rei nodded, and they began patrolling different parts of the city to observe the hooded ones' next moves, but at every step, they felt more surrounded.
The sentries guarding the city already knew that the hooded warriors were coming closer to the walls, and it wouldn't be easy to stop them, but the team could not give up. Kurotaka and Haruki knew the bells would ring without fail, but if they waited too long, the hooded ones would completely take over Shinkou.
The mist lay like a thick blanket over the walls of Shinkou, as if trying to suffocate the city's breath. The bell tolled dully, but now it sounded somehow different — like a warning that even the wind couldn't blow away. Haruki and Rei's footsteps echoed on the stone wall as they climbed to the highest level. Both were tense — something was approaching. Something familiar and terrifying.
"There... look!" Rei whispered, pointing ahead.
In the mist, as if darkness itself was shaping a figure, a long, thin shadow moved back and forth through the milky veil. Behind the cloak, eyes glowed like burning red dots — Gakurō. He paced the edge of the mist as if measuring the city like a hunter eyeing his prey.
Haruki's eyes narrowed, his fist trembling. His heartbeat quickened. He knew what he saw — not just a demon. But the one who started it all.
"Gakurō..." Haruki breathed. "It's really him."
Kurotaka's voice sounded instantly in his mind, calm but tense:
"Haruki, stop. You can't go there."
"Why not?" Haruki snapped quietly. "You see him! There he is! I could kill him... I have to try..."
"You're not ready yet. And he's not alone. Look more carefully..."
As Haruki and Rei focused, the mist trembled for a moment, like something breaking the surface. Black, twisted shadows rose from the milky haze. Demons. Many of them. Dozens, perhaps hundreds. Some in human form, others skeletal and slender, with blades instead of fingers. Each moved almost silently, but their presence screamed through the world.
"Is Akumaru among them?" Rei asked in horror.
Kurotaka spoke again, now firmly:
"Akumaru has broken free. I'm sure of it. He can't be stopped anymore. The bell harms him too... but it doesn't take his power away. It only slows him."
"Then why hasn't he come?" Haruki asked angrily.
"Because the time hasn't come yet. He sends his army ahead. And Gakurō is their leader." A pause followed, then Kurotaka's voice trembled, which was rare. "He has already turned people. He's corrupting from within. And as time passes, there will be more."
Haruki clenched his fists. Rei looked sideways at him, seeing the anger in his eyes.
"Haruki... I know how you feel. But if you go now, you'll die. And then all our fight so far will be meaningless."
Haruki closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I can't watch him stand there. Standing there, smiling... like he knows everything about us... like he's provoking us on purpose."
"He is provoking," Kurotaka said. "He knows it hurts you. And that's exactly what he wants. To tempt you. Under Akumaru's power, Gakurō isn't just a warrior... he's a temptation. And if you go down now... you won't come back."
– So what should we do? – Haruki asked angrily. – Wait until they destroy everything?
– No. We grow stronger. We have to prepare. We need to find the remaining dragon swords… and also figure out how to seal Akumaru again. That is our path now, not revenge.
Haruki nodded heavily. Rei also sighed in relief.
Standing on the wall, they watched as Gakurō, leading the demons, slowly withdrew into the fog. But none of them indulged in the illusion that the attack was over. This was only the beginning.
– How long can we wait? – Haruki burst out as he stepped down from the wall, following Rei. – Either we kill the demons, or we search for the swords, but we have to do something! We can't stay here forever.
Rei stopped but said nothing. She saw Haruki tensing up, on the verge of exploding. They had seen too much in the past days, held back too many things inside.
Kurotaka's voice echoed again in Haruki's mind, quieter this time but weighted:
– You're right. We should move. But as long as this fog is this thick, and the hooded ones try to break in every night, you'd only put the others in more danger. The city is a fortress now. Outside… after a short pause — Akumaru's domain spreads.
– But we don't know what's happening in the other provinces! – Haruki spoke louder, glancing at a few guards nearby. – According to the scrolls, the closest sword is in the south! If Akumaru's forces are already there, we'll lose the chance to get it! Then what's the point of being alive?
– Then live prepared — Kurotaka answered. – A sword is useless without someone to wield it. And you're not ready yet.
– When do you think I'll be ready?! – Haruki hissed angrily. – When everyone around me is dead? Daiki… now Jinzou stays here too… even Rei only came because she was stubborn… and I'm just… just standing still!
Rei stepped slowly closer, her voice low but firm:
– You're not standing still. You're holding this whole thing together. And if you want to release your anger, do it in a way that doesn't hurt others. I feel time running out too… but if we rush blindly, they'll use that against us. Gakurō is just waiting for that.
Haruki said nothing, just lowered his gaze. His anger slowly turned into sorrow and helplessness.
– Haruki — Kurotaka spoke softer — I know what this path means to you. I know you want revenge. But now it's not revenge that guides us, but restoring balance. The swords, the knowledge, the demon prisons… all of it is more important than a single battle. Even if it hurts.
Haruki nodded but didn't calm down.
Haruki didn't sleep all night. Outside, the fog rolled, and although the bells rang every hour, the unrest inside him did not ease. By morning, he was already pacing on the walls, watching how the hooded ones moved, how the fog darkened, and how Gakurō appeared more and more often at its edges.
Finally, he went down to the inner courtyard, where Kuroda was examining his sword.
– We have to go — Haruki said quietly but determinedly. – Or at least act.
Kuroda looked up at him, then back at the blade. – Looks like you couldn't sleep after all.
– No — Haruki replied. – And I won't. I can't wait until Akumaru fully plants his foot here. You saw it, Gakurō appears more and more often alone… as if something is holding him back.