Ren left at dusk on the sixth day.
He told no one—not Li Feng, not the courier app dispatcher who still expected him for tomorrow's shift. He simply packed a small black backpack: water bottle, energy bars, spare hoodie, the burner phone, a cheap folding knife, and the last of his cash rolled tight with a rubber band. No weapons that would scream "Pagan." Nothing that would make airport security—or worse, a random Miracle patrol—look twice.
The suppression seal hummed steadily against his neck, a constant low-grade headache. He could still access about 40% of his normal draw for the next eighteen hours before the daily reset kicked in again. Enough for short Shadow Steps, a weak Veil, maybe one Void Chain if things got really bad. Not enough to fight a high-grade rift guardian. Definitely not enough to fight Mei if she decided to follow.
But the Soul Anchor was real. Aoi had risked everything to slip him that archive fragment. He wasn't waiting two more weeks while the seal slowly choked him and the world kept turning.
He took the Chūō Line to Tachikawa, then switched to the local train that wound deeper into the mountains. By the time he reached Mitake Station the sky had gone indigo. Streetlights were sparse. The air smelled of cedar and damp earth instead of exhaust and fried food.
A single bus idled at the stop—last run of the day toward Mount Mitake cable car base. Ren boarded, paid in cash, sat in the back row. Only three other passengers: an old man with a hiking stick, a couple of university students giggling over their phones, and a salaryman asleep against the window.
Ren stared out at the darkening forest. The Resonance Echo was faint—barely a whisper now that he was so far from Tokyo—but Aoi's heartbeat still reached him. Slow. Worried. She must have felt him moving away from the city grid.
He pulled out the burner phone and typed one message.
Heading to Mitake. Don't worry. Back before they notice I'm gone.
He hit send, then powered the phone off completely. No tracking pings. No goodbyes.
The bus jolted to a stop at the cable car terminal. Ren was the only one who got off.
The cable car had already stopped running for the night. A chain-link gate blocked the path up the mountain. A faded sign warned:
DANGER – UNSTABLE TERRAIN AHEAD
NO ENTRY AFTER 17:00
RIFT ACTIVITY REPORTED – PURIFICATION ORDER JURISDICTION
Ren slipped through a gap in the fence where the chain had rusted loose.
The trail was steep, stone steps worn smooth by centuries of pilgrims. Lanterns—solar-powered replicas of old paper ones—flickered along the path, but many were broken or dark. Mist rolled down from higher elevations, carrying the faint metallic tang of open essence.
He walked for almost two hours.
The suppression made every step heavier. His legs burned. Breathing came harder. But the quiet was almost peaceful—no sirens, no neon, no one trying to kill him for once.
Until the first rift tremor.
The ground shivered. A low hum rose from somewhere ahead. Violet light leaked between the trees like spilled ink.
Ren froze.
A class-4. Small, but active.
He crouched behind a boulder and waited.
Three minutes later, shapes moved through the mist.
Not human. Not shades.
Wolves—six of them—made of shifting shadow and bone. Eyes like dying coals. They padded silently along the trail, noses low, hunting.
Ren's heart kicked hard.
He could Shadow Step past them. Risky with the seal, but possible.
Or he could wait them out.
The wolves paused. One lifted its head—sniffed the air—then turned directly toward his hiding spot.
Shit.
Ren exhaled slowly.
Then he moved.
Shadow Step—short, controlled. He blinked twenty meters up the trail, landing lightly on a fallen log.
The wolves snarled and gave chase.
He ran.
Not full sprint—conserving power—but fast enough to stay ahead. The trail narrowed, switchbacked sharply. Mist thickened. The violet glow grew brighter.
He rounded a final bend and skidded to a stop.
The shrine ruins lay ahead.
What remained of the old torii gate stood cracked in half. Beyond it: a sunken stone courtyard overgrown with black vines. In the center, half-buried in moss and cracked flagstones, sat a small stone plinth. On top of it rested a fist-sized orb of pale, almost translucent jade.
The Soul Anchor.
It pulsed once—soft blue light—like it recognized him.
The wolves burst into the courtyard behind him.
Ren didn't hesitate.
He sprinted straight for the plinth.
The lead wolf leaped—jaws wide.
Ren dropped, rolled under it, came up running.
He reached the Anchor.
Fingers closed around cool jade.
Power slammed into him—not Kurogami's hungry void, but something cleaner. Steadier.
The suppression seal flared hot against his neck—warning, resisting—but the Anchor's light pushed back.
Soul Anchor resonance detected.
Human will reinforcement: initiating.
Suppression seal interference: 68% neutralized (temporary).
Ren felt it—Kurogami's voice suddenly clearer, less muffled, but… calmer.
Ah. The old trick. Clever girl, your angel.
The wolves circled, growling.
Ren turned slowly, Anchor clutched in his right hand.
Blue light bled from between his fingers, wrapping up his arm like gentle chains.
He didn't need to speak.
The wolves hesitated.
Then one lunged anyway.
Ren raised his left hand.
A single Void Chain—stronger than anything he'd managed since the seal—snapped out and wrapped the wolf mid-air. It yelped once, then dissolved into harmless smoke.
The rest backed off—then fled into the mist.
Silence returned.
Ren sank to his knees, breathing ragged.
The Anchor's light dimmed slightly, settling into a steady glow against his palm.
He felt… balanced. Not stronger exactly. Just more himself. The seal still limited raw output, but the feedback loop—the constant hungry pull from Kurogami—was quieter. Contained.
He pressed the Anchor to his chest.
It sank partway into his skin—not disappearing, but anchoring. A faint blue rune appeared over his heart, mirroring the one on the seal.
Soul Anchor bound.
Will reinforcement: permanent (unless forcibly removed).
Daily draw cap increased: 40% → 65%.
Surge resistance +45%.
Ren laughed—short, exhausted, triumphant.
Then he felt it.
A spike through the Echo.
Aoi.
Relief so strong it almost hurt.
Followed immediately by sharp fear.
She'd felt the fight. Felt the Anchor bond.
And somewhere in Tokyo, alarms were probably going off in the Purification Hall.
He pulled out the burner phone—powered it on.
One new message waiting.
You idiot. You went without me.
Get back here. Now.
They're mobilizing a retrieval team. Tanaka-senpai is leading it.
They know where you are.
Ren stared at the screen.
Then typed back.
On my way.
Tell them I found a way to stay me.
Tell them I'm coming home.
He stood.
Looked up at the stars visible through the canopy.
Then Shadow Stepped—longer range now, smoother—down the mountain trail.
The wolves were gone.
The mist was lifting.
And for the first time since the seal was placed, Ren felt like he might actually win this.
Essence Level: locked at 7.1 (reinforced)
Soul Anchor active
Time to return to Tokyo: approximately 3 hours
Time until Purification retrieval team arrives at Mitake: approximately 2 hours
End of Chapter 10