---
**[Scene - The Next Evening - Royal Academy Grounds]**
The sunlight slanted under the canopy, casting long golden shadows between the trees.
As Kuro crossed a quiet garden on his way to his dorm, he spotted a familiar figure sitting alone on a long bench.
Ryuto sat silently, hands clenched, his demeanor looking confused and irrational.
Kuro paused for a moment, then sat down beside him.
> Kuro: "Hey Ryuto, you look deep in thought. Is something wrong?"
Ryuto didn't meet his eyes.
> Ryuto: "...It's nothing."
Kuro watched him for a moment. The breeze softened.
> Kuro: "Thinking about the past?"
Ryuto gave a slight nod. No words. But Kuro understood.
Two souls in disguise—one hiding, the other searching unknowingly.
Finally, as the sky darkened, Kuro stood up.
> Kuro: "See you tomorrow, Ryuto."
> Ryuto: "...Yeah. Good night, Kuro..."
---
**[Scene - Night – Outskirts of Zarneth City]**
Kuro and Rei, now cloaked and masked, moved as Shujin and his shadow.
They arrived in Zarneth—a city plagued by corruption, the last nest of the crime syndicate.
Chained slaves. Black market magical artifacts. Human nobles working with demons.
Shujin said nothing. He simply watched.
> "Rei… tonight is your task."
Rei nodded without hesitation.
Darkness danced at her fingertips. Her spells were merciless yet clean, precise and strategic—every movement a blade, every incantation a punishment.
Shujin stood on a rooftop under the crescent moon, arms crossed, observing her.
> Shujin (to himself): "She's growing up... My shadow is finally learning to survive on her own."
After eliminating the guild leaders and burning their records, Rei returned to Shujin, her hands slightly stained with blood, her face somber.
> Shujin: "Well done... Rei. Perfect tonight. And it seems you've improved, Rei."
Rei's eyes brightened slightly.
> "Thank you, Shujin-sama…"
---
**[Scene - Minutes Later – Ryuto Arrives]**
Drawn by the familiar pressure of dark magic, Ryuto arrived in Zarneth just as the last flames died out.
The temporary syndicate base smoldered with ghostly dark flames. The streets were slick with blood. The corpses of human nobles and criminals lay scattered—all dead.
Ryuto stood frozen.
> "They were all humans... but they worked with demons…"
Conflicting thoughts swirled in his mind.
> "Shujin... is this your justice...?"
Suddenly, the whisper of the Goddess Elmyria echoed in his mind.
> Elmyria's Voice:
> "Darkness cannot guide the world. He is not a savior... he is a threat, Ryuto."
> "But... I've seen what he's done... Is he wrong?" Ryuto recited aloud.
> Elmyria - "The more he exists, the further this world strays from the gods' balance…"
Then, there was silence. No more voice.
Ryuto clenched his fists and left.
> "Then what is justice... Show me, since I cannot see it..."
No answer came. Only the sounds of some creatures remained.
---
**[Scene - Night - Kuro's Dorm Room]**
Rei sat on Kuro's bed like a cat, receiving gentle pets from her master.
> "Mmm~"
> "You're being really soft tonight," Kuro said dryly.
> "It's because... Kuro-sama was praising me," Rei said, eyes closed, cheeks turning a faint pink.
Kuro gave her one last pat.
> "You should return to your dorm now, Rei."
> "Yes, Kuro-sama~"
She vanished into the shadows.
---
**[Scene - Kuro Alone - Late Night]**
Kuro lay on his bed, one arm under his head.
> "Ryuto... he reminds me of Niyori again..."
He didn't know why. Resemblance... demeanor... or kindness?
> "But Niyori... he..."
His eyelids grew heavy.
---
**[Scene - Dreamscape – A Vision of the Future]**
In the dream, Kuro stood on a cracked battlefield under a blackened sky.
Demons marched in endless waves. Human soldiers screamed and fell. The fields were soaked in blood.
Before his eyes, the flag of a kingdom he had never seen burned.
(That kingdom was The Federation of United Demon-human.)
The Great Demon Lord stood laughing in the distance, towering over the ruined castles.
Human generals knelt, shackled, minds controlled—manipulated from the shadows.
Kuro did nothing in this dream.
He only watched.
> "So this is the future?"
The world went dark.
---
**[Scene - Morning - Kuro Awakens]**
His eyes opened slowly.
No sweat. No panic. Just calm.
He sat up quietly.
> "I see... It wasn't just a dream."
> "Is this the future I will create..."
---
✦ **To be continued...**