Kanji did not wake for hours.
Night fell again, draping the temple in cold silence. The mountain winds howled like distant spirits, rattling the wooden panels as though warning the monks inside.
Ryou sat beside Kanji's bed, eyes sharp despite his exhaustion.
Rin and Seiji stood guard outside the sanctum, forming seals repeatedly to keep the barrier steady. Every so often, the symbols flickered—reacting to Kanji's chaotic aura even in sleep.
Ryou placed a hand on Kanji's forehead.
"You are fighting something inside… aren't you?"
Kanji's breath hitched.
Then… he whispered.
But the voice that came out of his mouth was not his own.
"Father…"
Ryou froze.
Kanji's eyes remained shut, but his face twisted in pain. His body arched slightly, fingers digging into the sheets. The air around him grew heavy, swirling as though pulled by a vortex.
Kanji's dream became visible—projected faintly in the air like a ghostly mirage.
The monks stumbled backward.
A massive throne of bone.
Demons kneeling.
A black sky torn by lightning.
A giant sword floating in chains.
And a shadowed figure seated on the throne—towering, monstrous, crowned in flame.
The voice echoed from Kanji's lips again.
"Why did you abandon me… Father…?"
Then the air cracked.
A low, rumbling laugh seeped through the dream, resonating in the sanctum.
Ryou's blood turned cold.
"That voice… Ravnos."
Kanji's body trembled violently as the dream deepened.
---
In Kanji's mind — The Dream Realm
Kanji floated in a vast, crimson space filled with ash and burning winds. He clutched his arms tightly, trying to breathe.
From the darkness, the colossal black sword appeared—taller than any mountain he had ever seen. Its tip dragged across an endless plain of bones. Chains wrapped around its blade pulsed like living veins.
A figure stepped out of the shadows behind it.
A demon… but not just any demon.
Impossible height.
Four horns.
Eyes burning with the same molten gold as Kanji's.
And the same mark on his chest.
Kanji stumbled backward. "W-what are you?!"
The demon knelt, lowering its face toward him.
"Your father."
Kanji's heart dropped.
"No… my father died. The monks told me—"
"The monks told you what they understood."
The demon's voice shook the ground.
"But I… am bound, not dead."
Kanji looked at the chains wrapped around the colossal sword behind him.
"You're sealed inside the sword…"
His father nodded.
"Your uncle betrayed me. He sealed my power—but not my will."
Kanji stepped back, fear spreading across his face.
"Why are you calling me? Why now?"
A long pause.
Then—
"Because your awakening has begun."
The crimson sky cracked.
Lightning surged.
Something roared in the distance.
Kanji fell to his knees, gripping his head as pain stabbed through his skull.
"I don't want this power! I don't want to hurt anyone!"
His father's voice softened—just slightly.
"You cannot choose your blood…"
The demon extended a massive claw toward him.
"…but you can choose what you do with it."
Kanji stared up at him, eyes trembling.
"Am I… a monster?"
His father's gaze darkened.
"You are my heir."
"The Realms will fear you… or bow to you."
Kanji shook his head violently.
"No! I don't want a throne! I don't want to hurt the monks!"
The demon's expression shifted—not anger, but a grim mixture of pride and sorrow.
"You are strong because you care."
"That is why the prophecy terrifies the realms."
Kanji's breath caught.
"Prophecy…?"
The demon leaned down until their eyes met.
"You are the Child of Destruction."
"The one who will shatter the balance."
"Light and darkness war within you."
Chains rattled around the sword.
Something was trying to pull the demon back.
Kanji reached forward without thinking.
"Wait—don't go!"
His father's eyes softened for the first time.
"The monks love you, Kanji. But they cannot protect you forever."
The dream began to collapse.
The demon's final words echoed like thunder:
"When the second chain breaks—
I will come for you."
---
Back in the sanctum
Kanji's eyes snapped open—glowing gold again.
Ryou stepped back as wind burst outward from the boy's body, shaking the entire room.
Kanji gasped, tears streaming down his face.
"Master… my father… he's alive!"
Ryou froze.
Every lantern in the temple flickered violently.
Outside, horns sounded in the forest.
Rin ran into the room, pale with terror.
"Master! The shadow—the one from earlier—it's closer! It's at the outer gate!"
Seiji burst in behind him.
"Demons—hundreds of them—they're surrounding the mountain!"
Kanji's eyes widened as he felt a pulse within his chest—responding.
Calling.
Ryou grabbed his staff.
"Everyone to your positions. Protect the boy."
Kanji trembled, pulling the blankets around himself.
"No… they're not here for the temple…"
He looked toward the door.
Toward the night.
Toward the demon realm.
"They're here for me."
--