Suddenly, faint voices echoed down the hall, heading in my direction. My pulse quickened. I darted out of the office, shut the door behind me, and hurried back to stand in front of the cage. By the time they entered, I was already leaning against the bars, twirling the nail in my hand as if I'd been waiting forever.
"You sure took your time," I said coolly.
The trench coat man returned, this time with a pair of escorts who were meant to take me back to the group.
We walked through the streets of Haru and soon stopped outside the town hall. Inside, my group was already gathered, speaking with the divisions of Haru's administration. Their voices carried the tone of warning, scolding us for making trouble.
When I walked into the chamber, the room fell silent. Dozens of eyes burned into me.
"So there's troublemaker number one," one of the division members sneered, a sharp distrust in her gaze.
I met her stare with one of my own, filled with disgust. "Your laws are foolish."
Eqihr stepped in quickly, bowing his head slightly. "Forgive him. He doesn't know your ways."
The woman waved it off, though her eyes remained cold. "No problem. Outsiders can't be expected to understand our laws anyway."
I surged forward, but Eqihr blocked me with his shoulder. I swerved around him, jaw tight. "I don't care about your laws. I'm going to kill those scaled swords."
Gasps filled the chamber.
"You're mad," the woman snapped. "They're nearly unbeatable."
Eqihr's face was grim. "She's right. Think carefully, Goshi."
I threw my hands wide. "Do any of you even know who I am? I'm the Yang spirit!"
"Yet you still lack skill," Mai interjected softly, her tone cutting deeper than I expected. Her father and even the others nodded in agreement.
"Honestly, kid," a man from the division said, his voice dripping with condescension, "do you really think you can take them down?"
"I don't care what you think," I snapped. "I said I'll do it."
I spun toward the door, grabbed the knob, and yanked it open. But before I could take a step, the trench coat man appeared, filling the doorway. His eyes locked onto mine with piercing intensity.
"Did you… Forget something?" he said, his voice sharp.
He pulled out my ring and held it up. My heart stopped.
He tossed it to me, and I slipped it back onto my finger, but his expression made my stomach churn. He knew. Somehow, he knew I'd snooped. He gave a single nod to one of the division members, then vanished into thin air.
My body was still trembling when Eqihr spoke. "Stay here, Goshi. Manny wouldn't want you to die chasing after him."
I bit my lip. He was right—but it didn't make the knot in my gut loosen.
Mai's father tried to smooth things over, offering to pay off the damages I'd caused. But the division woman shot to her feet, fury in her eyes.
"You are forbidden from involving yourselves in our affairs!" she shouted.
"Don't yell at us!" I roared back, fire in my chest.
Her pink aura exploded outward, swirling around her like a storm. She pointed a finger skyward, voice dripping with menace. "Don't get cocky just because you bear the Yang spirit."
The room thickened with tension as our eyes locked. A staredown. Neither of us flinched.
"Perhaps we should calm down," Eqihr said suddenly, breaking the tension.
I turned my head aside and muttered, "I'll win this war. No matter the cost."
Her aura subsided as she slowly lowered herself back into her seat. "Good. Then understand this—war spreads like fire. Every second, the enemy grows closer."
She went on, monologuing about our choices. We could remain hidden in Haru, playing it safe under their protection—or we could venture out and fight this war on our own.
I didn't answer. But the others did. Mai's father, Eqihr, and even Sammi, Qui, and Kalen—all the elders of our group—chose to stay here and lay low.
We were escorted shortly afterward to a new residence, one right beside the very building where I had awoken earlier. The home was worn down, beaten by time, but it would serve as shelter.
Later, while everyone busied themselves with their own tasks, Eqihr pulled me into the living room.
"What is wrong with you?!" he shouted, his voice cutting deep.
I clenched my fists. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with this place! I hate it here! It's no different from home, Eqihr. Rules, restrictions, silence… Manny and I lived under this same suffocating weight our whole lives. And you expect me to sit here quietly now?"
His face softened. He didn't know how to reply.
I exhaled sharply. "I saw something today. The dragon-scaled sword—it's here. In the same building, I was caged in."
Eqihr stiffened, eyes narrowing. "Are you sure?"
"I saw it with my own eyes. Blue and gold holster. Dragon handle."
He went pale, the weight of my words dragging him into silence. He finally nodded. "If that's true…"
He walked away, deep in thought, leaving me with my own.
I wasn't going to wait.
Alone in a small room, I opened a portal linked to the place I'd seen. The air shimmered, and I stepped through, finding myself back in front of the sword.
The portal snapped shut behind me. My hand reached out, trembling as it neared the weapon.
"So it was you."
The voice froze me in place.
Footsteps echoed behind me. I spun, pressing myself against the wall.
Two men stood in the room—the trench coat man… and the shadow figure of black smoke.
"Oh," the shadow said, his tone amused. "That's what you meant when you said something white and hairy."
I flicked a glance toward the window, searching for an escape, but the trench coat man shoved me hard against the wall, his palm pressing into my chest.
"Don't think about it," he hissed. "I need to protect my home. You and your friends need to turn yourselves in."
"Calm down, Jin," the shadow murmured, stepping closer. "We need him alive. The extraction won't work otherwise." His voice turned mocking. "And kid, don't take it personally—but your brother's already been captured."
My blood went cold. Rage roared through me, power bursting at my fingertips.
The shadow smirked. "Just kidding. I only just learned he left."
My aura flared, then sputtered as the anger dulled. "You better be," I growled.
He stared down at me with utter disdain. "You're in no position to make demands."
I shoved Jin off me. "If Nazo gets both me and Manny, he'll be able to destroy landmasses. Do you understand that?"
"Silence," Jin snapped.
The shadow reached out, pressing his hand to my chest. "We're leaving."
Panic surged through me. I slapped his hand away and bolted for the wall. If I could phase through chains, maybe…
I ran full speed and pushed. My body warped, slipping through the stone, and suddenly I was outside, standing in the open air of the town.
I flung a portal open, desperate to escape. But before I could enter, the shadow's dark power wrapped around me like chains, yanking me back.
I slammed into the rooftop of a home, the air ripped from my lungs.
The shadow floated upward, his body shifting with inky smoke. His voice was a growl.
"I'm not like Bara," he said, power crackling around him. "I will bring you down."