The air grew colder as EJ stepped further into the room, his boots crunching softly on the faint layer of ash that coated the floor. He exchanged a grim look with Taki, who was already moving toward the cages.
Behind them, a low growl echoed.
Outside, the owner's scream split the air, but it warped into something inhuman as black tendrils of shadow burst from her body, twisting around her arms and legs. Her eyes turned pitch black as her body convulsed, then straightened, now controlled by a malevolent spirit.
Yuma's head snapped toward her, his expression flattening. "Ah… of course," he muttered, rolling his shoulders.
The possessed owner lunged at him with supernatural speed, claws forming at the tips of her fingers. Yuma intercepted her easily, blocking her strike with the flat of his arm, though the impact sent him sliding back.
He could have ended it there. But one glance at K, whose eyes narrowed ever so slightly, his own fingers twitching as if resisting the urge to strike back too fiercely, reminded him they were walking a thin line.
Yuma smirked faintly, almost playfully. "Well, well. Don't die on me yet, lady. Let's dance a little longer."
And so he met her attack with measured blows, using just enough force to keep her busy without revealing his full power.
K, for his part, joined in, stepping into her blind spot and sweeping his foot to knock her back. His movements were precise but restrained, his expression unreadable though there was a faint tightness in his jaw.
They circled her like predators testing each other, neither willing to let their true strength show.
Meanwhile, EJ and Taki worked in tandem.
Taki's blade flashed in the dim light as he slashed the lock off one cage, pulling it open with a screech of metal. "Go!" he urged the cowering women.
But no sooner had he freed the first than one of the spirits shrieked from the shadows and lunged at them. EJ was already moving, his celestial sword igniting with pale light as he cut through it in a clean arc. The creature dissolved instantly into nothing but smoke and ash.
Another spirit hurtled toward the women, but Taki intercepted it, spinning his blade through its form, slicing it in half before it could reach them.
"Stay close to the wall!" EJ ordered the women, his voice low but firm. "We'll get you out."
One by one, the remaining cages were unlocked, and each spirit that dared to resist met the edge of their swords. The room filled with the faint scent of ozone and the hiss of dying shadows.
On the other hand, Yuma ducked under the owner's claws, his grin still plastered on his face even as sweat beaded his brow. "You're persistent," he muttered to her, though it was clear the same could be said of him, holding back his full strength for the sake of their disguise.
K's movements became sharper, his strikes landing harder as the woman lashed out wildly. For the briefest moment, his own shadow coiled up around his arm as if it longed to strike, but he forced it down with visible effort, keeping himself in check.
By the time the last spirit had been slain and the women herded toward the exit, the owner finally stumbled backward, her body shaking violently as the darkness began to dissipate from her form.
EJ sheathed his sword, glancing toward Yuma and K. "We're done here," he said coolly.
Yuma released the owner's collar with a flourish, letting her slump unconscious to the ground. "Took you long enough," he quipped, though his breathing was heavier than he'd admit.
K stepped back wordlessly, dusting off his hands, though his eyes flicked briefly to EJ, and for just a moment, something like grudging respect passed between them.
EJ glanced sideways at K and Yuma as they walked the women outside into the pale glow of the streetlamps. Neither of them spoke, but their silence said enough.
He knew it, the slight hesitation in K's strikes, the deliberate restraint in Yuma's movements. Both of them had been holding back, testing each other without daring to reveal what lay beneath the surface. Neither willing to let their true nature slip, both too wary of the consequences.
Well… good.
Because as much as K was a Shadower and technically an enemy, EJ couldn't bring himself to see him as wholly bad. Not yet. A full fight between him and Yuma here would've been a disaster for everyone.
Better this way.
By the time the women had been seated in the quiet corner of a small tea shop down the street, their trembling had lessened. The youngest among them clutched her shawl tightly as she sipped from a warm cup, eyes red from crying.
EJ knelt in front of her, his voice soft but steady. "What happened? Why were you in that place?"
The woman's hands shook slightly, but she met his gaze. "I… don't remember much," she admitted. "I just… woke up there."
Another woman, older and calmer, leaned forward. "She doesn't remember, but I do. That woman, the owner, told me she could… help me forget. Help me forget him."
Her voice cracked on the word.
Yuma's brow arched faintly. "Him?"
"My lover," she whispered, eyes glassy. "He… abandoned me. Said he'd marry me, and then one day just… left. No goodbye, no explanation. I… I wanted the pain to stop, so I went here. The owner promised it would stop. But instead… it was like something crawled inside me. I couldn't control myself after that."
The others nodded faintly, their eyes distant, haunted.
EJ's jaw tightened as he rose, exchanging a look with Taki.
So that was it. These women had been preyed upon, their grief and despair twisted into a foothold for the evil spirits.
"What a tragedy," Taki murmured under his breath.
Even K, leaning against the wall, folded his arms with a quiet, unreadable expression.
EJ let out a slow breath, then turned back to the women. "You're safe now," he said firmly. "We'll make sure this doesn't happen again. Rest here for now, someone will come to take care of you."
Behind him, Yuma muttered dryly, though his tone lacked its usual bite. "People can be so cruel to each other… makes it easy for the darkness to take root."
EJ didn't reply. He just stood there a moment longer, his hands curling loosely at his sides, thinking of how easily tragedy could turn even the most innocent into vessels of shadow.
Now that the mystery had been solved, the tension in the air began to ease. Taki and Yuma busied themselves helping the local investigators tend to the rescued women, while EJ remained where he was, standing just outside the shop.
Beside him, K leaned casually against the wall, arms folded, eyes fixed on the scene before them.
"The ash," EJ murmured, breaking the quiet, his gaze still on the street. "It was the result of Ash Transformation, wasn't it?"
K exhaled a long breath, his lips curling into something between a smirk and a grimace. "You're sharper than most Legacies I've met," he said at last. "Yes. Ash Transformation. Which means…" He trailed off and shook his head faintly. "Arthur was only the beginning. Nicholas came to the same conclusion. Whoever's orchestrating this… they're still out there."
At the mention of that name, EJ finally turned his head slightly, glancing at him. "How is he?"
K caught the question, and his smirk deepened, though there was no mockery in it. "Your old friend is just as stubborn as you. He's digging into this mess on his side. And honestly…" He let out a low chuckle. "I was just thinking how alike the two of you are. You even wear the same damn expression when you're chasing evil."
EJ cleared his throat, shifting his weight uncomfortably, but said nothing.
After a beat of silence, K straightened, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeve. "Well," he said, his voice smooth but edged with finality, "time for me to return. It's been… enlightening, Legacy. But for everyone's sake, let's hope we don't meet again."
With that, the faint glow of the streetlamps caught the edges of his form for just a moment and then he dissolved into the shadows, vanishing without a sound.
A few moments later, Yuma and Taki returned, both looking worn but satisfied.
"Where's that shady guy?" Yuma asked, glancing around.
"Gone," EJ replied simply, his expression unreadable.
Yuma groaned. "Tch. Figures."
Taki let out a small sigh, his arms crossing. "Does that mean we're done here?"
EJ nodded faintly, his gaze drifting once more toward the quiet street where K had stood. "Yeah," he said quietly. "It's time to go back."
Yuma groaned again, and Taki pouted faintly, but neither of them voiced any real complaint. With weary steps, the three of them walked off into the night and by the time the first rays of dawn kissed the streets, they had already crossed back into the Celestial Realm.
—-
In a place swallowed by darkness, unknown, cold, and heavy with an eerie stillness, faint whispers curled like smoke around the edges of the room.
A figure stood in the shadows, his presence sharp and oppressive despite the gloom.
"Damn it," he snarled, his voice echoing faintly against unseen walls. "They actually caught that? What the hell are these Legacies playing at?"
Before him knelt another man, shrouded in a dark cloak and wearing a featureless mask, his head bowed in deference.
"We… underestimated them," the kneeling figure admitted, his tone low and cautious. "We chose a remote city, a subtle method, something no one would think to notice. Yet somehow…" He hesitated, then continued, "they found it."
"The king has already made his move," he said, his eyes glinting faintly beneath the hood. "They've begun surveying the entire Underworld. Every corner. Every gate. The Legacies are tightening the noose."
The man in the shadows let out a sharp, derisive laugh that curdled into a hiss of frustration.
"Tsk. What a nuisance," he growled, his fists clenching at his sides. The darkness around him seemed to shiver, as though the air itself was recoiling.
He stepped forward, his silhouette looming over the kneeling subordinate, whose breath hitched beneath the weight of his presence.
"Very well," the man finally murmured, his voice low and venomous, carrying a quiet promise of malice. "If the Legacies want to play… then we'll give them something worth chasing."