The One Who Carries Love
The wind howled across the ruined outpost as the woman vanished into the night. Only ashes were left behind — warm, soft, glowing faintly with unnatural energy.
Tsukihana helped Renjiro sit up. Blood stained his coat, and one of his ribs was definitely cracked. He winced with every breath.
"Who was she?" Tsukihana asked, heart pounding. "She said I wasn't the only one Akarui left something inside. What did that mean?"
Renjiro shook his head. "She wasn't lying. If you carry his pain, and the clone carries his memories… then she must be the third fragment."
"The one who carries love," Tsukihana whispered.
Elsewhere – A Hidden Sanctuary Beneath the Flame Province
A girl sat cross-legged in the center of a massive circular chamber. Warm light streamed from the ceiling, cast by a golden crystal floating above her head. Her hands rested on her knees, glowing veins pulsing gently beneath the skin.
Her eyes were shut, but she spoke aloud to no one.
"I felt him today."
The room echoed softly.
"He's awake now. But his pain has changed."
She opened her eyes. They were gentle. Kind. Yet filled with deep sorrow.
"Someone else is holding it now."
She looked up at the crystal, and for a moment, the reflection wasn't hers.
It was Tsukihana's.
The girl touched her own chest.
"So… she's alive."
Back in the North – At the Outpost
Tsukihana stared into the fire, shaking.
"I felt something when she came into the room," she said slowly. "Like I knew her. Like I missed her. But I've never seen her before in my life."
Renjiro looked troubled.
"There's something you should know," he said after a pause. "Something even I didn't believe until now."
He reached into his pack and pulled out an old letter — edges burned, folded many times, the seal cracked long ago.
He handed it to her.
Tsukihana opened it.
The writing was shaky but strong. It read:
"If you're reading this, then the fragments have survived.
The pain will burn her. The memories will trick him.
But the love… the love will find them.
And when they all meet — the Hollow will rise again.
Unless…
Unless she chooses to break the chain."
Signed at the bottom:
— Akarui
Tsukihana felt her pulse stop.
Renjiro said, "This letter was hidden in Master Daien's grave. I found it years ago, before I even knew who you were. But I didn't understand it back then."
Her hands trembled. "What does it mean… 'break the chain'?"
"I don't know," Renjiro said. "But I think Akarui left a piece of his will in each of you. He planned this. Somehow, he knew the Hollow Vein couldn't be killed — only scattered."
The Journey South Begins
"We have to find her," Tsukihana said.
Renjiro raised a brow. "You think she'll just talk to us?"
"She looked at me like she already knew me."
"That could be a trick."
Tsukihana stood up. "It's not. I don't know how I know, but… she isn't our enemy."
Renjiro hesitated. Then gave a small nod. "Fine. But we move carefully. If she's the third fragment, the Reignborn will be hunting her too."
Tsukihana stared at the ashes left behind where the woman had stood.
"She's heading south," she said. "Toward the old Vein Temple in the Flame Province."
Three Days Later – Near the Border of the Flame Province
The snow had vanished.
Heat rose from the ground in waves now, and the air smelled of smoke and old stone.
They moved through winding cliffs, dry brush crackling underfoot.
Tsukihana's Hollow Vein had grown quiet… too quiet. It worried her.
Renjiro noticed. "Your mark hasn't pulsed since we left the North."
"I know."
"That's not good."
"I know."
They reached a plateau at dusk.
And there — rising from the red rocks — stood the remains of the Vein Temple of Heartsoul.
It was once a place where old monks trained to divide their spirits from their emotions — a forgotten art, now buried by war and time.
But someone had been here recently.
Fresh footprints.
Lit candles.
And on the far wall, drawn in glowing red Veinlines, was a single name:
Tsukihana.
Inside the Temple
They moved silently, blades ready.
The halls echoed softly with footsteps.
A voice called from the end of the corridor:
"You came."
Tsukihana stepped into the main chamber.
The girl stood alone in the middle — not scared, not surprised. Her robes were red and white, hair tied back, a small shard of crystal hanging around her neck.
"You really are her," the girl said gently.
"Who are you?" Tsukihana asked.
"I don't know my real name," she said. "But he used to call me Kira."
Tsukihana's voice shook. "You're the one who carries his love."
Kira smiled sadly. "Yes. And I've been waiting a long time for you to find me."
Renjiro kept his distance, eyeing her with suspicion.
"We don't know your intentions."
Kira turned to him. "I have no fight with you. But the time for hiding is over."
She held up her crystal.
And suddenly, Tsukihana's Hollow Vein responded.
It flared purple across her chest and arms.
Kira gasped and stumbled back. "You're carrying more than just his pain."
"What do you mean?" Tsukihana asked.
"That's not just a shard of Akarui."
Kira looked up, eyes wide.
"You're carrying the Hollow King's brand."
At That Exact Moment – In the Reignborn Facility
The silver-eyed clone stood before a great mirror.
Behind it, the robed scientists spoke softly.
"She's made contact with the third."
A different voice responded — this one unfamiliar, cold, and commanding.
"Good. Now it begins."
The clone blinked.
And in the reflection…
Akarui's true face appeared — not the clone. The real one.
But his eyes were hollow.
His voice was soft.
"Let them come. All of them."