"In this world, strength is not a gift… it's the price you pay to stay alive."
"Kara is the vital energy flowing through all things. Some shape it to create, others to destroy… but all depend on it to survive."
"When the breath of Kara fades, the heart stops beating, and the soul vanishes into eternal shadow."
The Tempio Zenith.
From the outside, it was nothing more than a majestic temple floating in a dimension beyond time—a sanctuary of polished stone and ancient wood, bathed in eternal light.
But inside… its secrets were endless.
A massive door, carved with constellations, opened slowly in one of the temple's silent corridors, pushed by Takashi Aomi.
He gestured for Raizen to enter.
What Raizen discovered on the other side took his breath away.
It wasn't a room.
It was a world.
A soft, starry sky stretched overhead, illuminating a small, lush forest. The grass was gentle underfoot, and the air smelled of moss and damp earth. At the center of this miniature paradise, a grand waterfall cascaded from an unseen height, its crystalline water crashing against smooth rocks before vanishing into a basin that never overflowed. The sound of the water was the only music in this timeless place.
Raizen, who had expected a training hall or a strict dojo, stood speechless.
Raizen Vithar (almost shouting):
— This... this is incredible! Where the hell are we?!
BAM.
A sharp smack on the back of his head brought him back to reality.
Takashi Aomi (flatly):
— Calm down. We're in a library. Don't shout.
Raizen turned to him, utterly confused.
Raizen Vithar:
— A library? Are you kidding me? This is a forest, with a waterfall!
Takashi let out a long, weary sigh, the kind you make when you have to explain something obvious to a child.
Takashi Aomi:
— Follow me.
He led him across the soft grass to the edge of the basin, right beneath the waterfall. The sound of rushing water filled the air, but Raizen's confusion only deepened. Takashi sat down on a flat rock, while Raizen, still standing, turned to face him.
Takashi Aomi:
— So, you can't see it.
Raizen Vithar:
— See what? Books growing on trees?
Takashi ignored the sarcasm. Slowly, he extended his hand toward the empty air beside him. His fingers sank into the void, as if through an invisible surface. When he pulled his hand back, he was holding an old scroll, rolled tight and sealed shut.
Takashi Aomi:
— This.
He handed the scroll to Raizen. The young man took it, his eyes darting between the object and the empty air it had come from.
Raizen Vithar:
— What the hell…?
Takashi Aomi (calmly):
— There are thousands of books floating all around us. Entire shelves of archives.
Raizen looked around, the trees, the leaves, nothing but nature.
Raizen Vithar:
— Then how am I supposed to see them? No, wait...why can't I see them?
Takashi Aomi:
— That's perfectly normal. It's a defense mechanism.
All of these archives are hidden by Kara—it's designed that way, to protect our history and knowledge.
The only way to see and touch them is to guide your Kara through your eyes. Without that, they're invisible—and untouchable.
Raizen clenched his fist, a flicker of understanding lighting up his eyes.
Raizen Vithar:
— Alright, I think I get it… and I've got an idea.
He closed his eyes, shutting out the visible world to focus on the one within.
("I'm sure it's the same as with the door. I can't force it. I just have to make the Kara that hides all this accept mine as harmless.")
He took a deep breath, letting his energy flow freely, not into his hands this time, but into his eyes.
He didn't try to see, he tried to perceive.
A subtle vibration ran through the air, the same resonance as the door. He tuned his own Kara to that frequency, like a musician tuning an instrument.
Then, he opened his eyes.
The world had changed.
Raizen Vithar:
— Wow…
The forest was still there...but intertwined with thousands of glowing points of light. Invisible shelves held rows of books and scrolls, floating gently through the air, each radiating a soft blue glow. It was like standing inside a galaxy of knowledge.
Takashi watched him silently.
("He understood it immediately… This kid's mind keeps surprising me.")
Takashi Aomi:
— Well done. You did it on your first try. Impressive.
Alright, now take off your shirt and stand by the waterfall. Your second training begins.
Still mesmerized, Raizen obeyed. He removed his jacket and shirt, revealing a torso marked by scars and muscle. Then he stepped toward the water, the icy spray of the waterfall stinging the air.
Takashi Aomi:
— Good. The exercise is simple. You'll have to cut this waterfall with your blades. But...
Raizen Vithar (grinning):
— What, that's it? Sounds simple enough.
Before Takashi could finish, Raizen activated his power.
Raizen Vithar:
— Celestial Kara: Twin Blades!
Two blades of pure energy burst from his forearms. With a battle cry, he lunged at the waterfall, his blades slicing through the air.
The instant they touched the falling water, an immense invisible force slammed into him. He was thrown back like a rag doll, crashing through the small forest before slamming into a tree.
Raizen Vithar (gritting his teeth):
— Argh… that hurts like hell…
Takashi rose from his rock, his expression the very picture of "I told you so."
Takashi Aomi:
— …but not simple. Come back here. And this time, listen to the end.
Raizen staggered up, clutching his ribs, and walked back, all traces of arrogance gone. The second lesson had begun.
Takashi waited, arms crossed.
Takashi Aomi:
— As I was saying...you must cut this waterfall. To do that, you'll need absolute control over your Kara.
This waterfall is infused with Celestial Kara. It's alive.
If you strike it with brute force, it will repel you.
If your intent isn't pure, it will break you.
You must cut without hurting. Focus.
Raizen clenched his jaw. "Cut without hurting"—it made no sense. But he nodded.
Then hell began.
First attempt. He focused, felt the resonance, and swung...BAM! Thrown back.
Fifth attempt. He tried softer movements—BAM! Thrown even farther.
Tenth attempt. Frustration consumed him. He roared, putting everything into one blow. The impact was so violent that he spat blood as he crashed into a rock.
The cycle repeated again and again. His body was covered in bruises and cuts. The ground around him was scarred from the impacts.
He was exhausted, his muscles screaming—but every time, he stood back up. Slower. Harder. But he stood.
Takashi watched silently from his rock. He said nothing...offered no guidance. He let Raizen collide with the impossible.
After what felt like eternity, when Raizen's body was little more than pain, Takashi stood.
Takashi Aomi:
— That's enough for today. Stop.
Raizen, on his knees and gasping, shook his head. Blood dripped from the corner of his lips.
Raizen Vithar (hoarse):
— No… one… more time.
Takashi looked at him...and for the first time, a flicker of concern and admiration crossed his eyes.
("I should've expected this. This training is brutal even for the purest Zeniths. Of all of them, only Duck managed it on the first try. Even I failed that day. This kid… he's destroying himself.")
But he said nothing. He let it happen.
Raizen pushed himself to his feet, barely standing. His body trembled on the edge of collapse. He closed his eyes. He no longer thought of force—or gentleness. He no longer thought of the waterfall.
He thought only of one thing: his blade.
He remembered the glint of metal he once threw—a pure intention. A straight path.
His Kara began to pulse—not exploding, but beating. Thump. Thump. Like a living heart.
His blue aura grew denser, wrapping around his arms—not like armor, but as an extension of his very skin.
He opened his eyes. They shone with a frozen light.
In the quiet storm of his heart, a voice echoed—calm, steady, unforgettable.
The voice of Kuro, the master of the Zenith Stellars.
"Kara is the primordial vibration dwelling in every living being. It is neither good nor evil—it mirrors the intent of the one who wields it."
"If your heart is pure, Kara will be radiant and ordered. If your mind is troubled, it will be dense and destructive. And if you fail to harmonize the two… your body and spirit will pay the price."
He took one step.
Then another.
He walked toward the waterfall — slowly, deliberately.
He raised his arm.
A single blade of Kara formed.
It was thinner, denser, purer than any he had ever created before.
It didn't shine — it absorbed the light.
He stopped in front of the wall of water.
And with a simple, fluid, almost lazy motion... he slashed.
The world seemed to stop.
The sound of the waterfall vanished.
The curtain of water, which had fallen for eternity, split in two — a perfect, clean, silent cut.
For a single heartbeat, one could see through it — the empty space between two suspended walls of water.
Then, with a thunderous roar, the water crashed down, exploding into mist and foam.
Raizen stood there, arm extended, as his blade slowly dissolved.
Then his knees gave out, and he collapsed forward, half-immersed in the freezing water.
Takashi was frozen.
His usually impassive face was now painted with utter disbelief.
A silence.
Then another.
And suddenly, laughter broke the stillness ...loud, raw, filled with pure joy.
He rushed to Raizen, pulled him out of the water, and for the first time ever, placed a hand on the young man's drenched head, ruffling his hair with almost fatherly affection.
Then he looked up toward the sky of the library... as if speaking to someone miles away, and shouted, his voice echoing through the entire forest:
Takashi Aomi:
— HEY, DUCK! YOU'RE NOT ALONE ANYMORE! SO YOU BETTER GET READY!
Takashi's shout... full of pride and challenge, faded beneath the returning roar of the waterfall.
Raizen, still half in the water, looked up at his mentor with a tired but genuine smile.
For the first time, he didn't feel like just an apprentice…
He felt like a true partner.
Abrupt Transition
The Burning Lair.
The air was hot, dry, saturated with the scent of sulfur and Kara Noir.
Johan Traken stood at the center of the training arena, his freshly repaired mask hiding every trace of emotion.
He was still — motionless, like a statue of obsidian, his gaze lost in the void.
Suddenly, a sharp whistle tore through the air.
A silhouette plunged from the cavern's ceiling with terrifying speed and power.
The impact was so violent it sent a shockwave through the ground, kicking up a storm of ash and dust.
The wind from the descent rippled across the rivers of lava below.
The figure rose slowly from the crater it had created.
Tall. Calm.
A neutral face — almost bored.
It was Feynord Raki, leader of the ten elite Sang Brûlé.
He brushed the dust from his shoulder with casual indifference, as if he had just made an ordinary jump.
He didn't look at Johan immediately.
When he did, his eyes... a deep, incandescent black, held neither warmth nor hostility.
Only the cold authority of a superior addressing a subordinate.
Feynord Raki (flat, emotionless tone):
— Master Shiro assigns you a new mission. Do not disappoint him.
He didn't wait for an answer.
There was no need to.
Johan, still unmoving, stayed silent for a long moment.
Then, slowly, a smile formed beneath his mask — one that never reached his eyes.
A predator's smile.
A smile that promised the hunt, the pain, and the kill.
The game was about to begin again.
END OF CHAPTER 13