Scene Shift
The dim glow of a lone lantern flickered against the walls of a small, enclosed room. Raizen stirred, his eyes slowly opening. Every part of his body ached, but strangely — he was alive.
As his blurred vision cleared, the first thing he saw was a figure seated calmly in front of him.
Kazuki.
Raizen's heart skipped a beat. The memory of their battle rushed back, the storm of metal, the collapse of the school, and the suffocating sensation of his life slipping away. And yet, here he was.
Alive.
Kazuki's expression was unreadable as he leaned slightly forward.
"Now, I'll ask you a few questions," Kazuki said, his voice cold and steady. "And you're going to answer all of them truthfully."
Raizen gritted his teeth, his pride flaring despite his weakened state.
"Why the hell would I agree to that?" he spat, glaring at Kazuki.
Kazuki didn't flinch. Instead, a faint smirk curved his lips.
"Because," he replied smoothly, "you have to."
Before Raizen could respond, Kazuki's eyes began to glow a deep, unnatural yellow. The eerie light illuminated the dark room, casting sharp shadows against the stone walls.
And then — to Raizen's horror — his own eyes started to glow as well.
"W-What… what the hell is this…?" Raizen muttered, feeling his consciousness slipping, his thoughts becoming clouded, yet somehow disturbingly clear.
Kazuki leaned back slightly, his gaze sharp and amused. It wasn't just Spiritual Force manipulation — it was something far deeper, far older.
Raizen's pupils constricted as a sudden realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.
"Wait… no… it can't be…" he whispered, dread sinking into his chest. "It just can't be…"
The power Kazuki was using — Raizen recognized it. Not from stories, but from a forbidden name buried in ancient records. A force that should've been lost to time.
Kazuki's smirk widened, pleased with the reaction.
"Hah. So my doubts were right," Kazuki said, a gleam in his eyes. "And I didn't even need to fully activate it yet. Good to know."
Raizen's head spun. The name he feared, the entity tied to this power, the one he thought could never resurface.
"We lost…" Raizen admitted under his breath, his voice hollow as the weight of inevitable defeat crushed him.
His glowing yellow eyes met Kazuki's as control fully settled over him.
And in that moment, Raizen knew — it was no longer about victory or defeat.
Something far worse was awakening.