Tiatsuri trudged through his own path, muttering curses. "That idiot sensei… wait till I get out of here."
He froze. A scream echoed far away—Kaitara's. His heart jumped. "Kaitara!"
He ran toward the sound, but the forest changed with every step. Shadows thickened. The trees closed around him until the path vanished entirely.
"Where am I?" he whispered.
A deep voice answered, smooth and mocking.
"Don't bother looking for her, Tiatsuri."
He spun around. "Who said that?!"
A faint laugh echoed through the dark. "Who do you think?"
A fist slammed into his gut before he could react. Air exploded from his lungs as he flew backward, hitting the ground hard.
When he looked up, his blood ran cold. Standing above him was—himself.
Same pink hair, same build—but darker. Shadows clung to the copy's skin like smoke, and his Takuda marks glowed black instead of blue.
"No way…" Tiatsuri gasped. "You're me."
The doppelgänger smiled. "I'm what you could be—if you stopped holding back."
"Fine," Tiatsuri growled, electricity sparking along his arms. "Then I'll beat you, me."
They clashed in a blur of light. Fists met fists; lightning collided with lightning. The air trembled with each strike.
The dark Tiatsuri laughed, summoning three massive spirit wolves made of shadow and thunder. They lunged, teeth sinking into Tiatsuri's arms and shoulders. Pain seared through him.
"Pathetic," his double sneered. "You talk big, but you're afraid—afraid of surpassing your limits."
Tiatsuri roared, summoning a surge of electricity that blasted outward. "Storm Technique: Lightning Bolt!"
The wolves disintegrated in a flash of white. Tiatsuri staggered forward, chest heaving. "You're wrong. I'm not afraid of power—I'm afraid of losing who I am."
His copy smirked. "Then lose yourself."
They rushed each other again, attacks faster than thought. Tiatsuri ducked under a spinning kick, countered with a charged punch. His fist connected—and lightning exploded.
The doppelgänger flew backward, smoke rising from his chest.
"Storm Technique: Jolt!" Tiatsuri shouted. A bolt struck from the sky, slamming the copy into the ground.
When the smoke cleared, the dark figure was already standing again, grinning through blood.
"Nice hit," he said, "but can you finish me?"
Tiatsuri clenched his glowing fists. "Yeah. Because you're just my fear."
He vanished, reappearing in front of his doppelgänger. "Dark Technique: Death Palm!"
Energy condensed into his hand; the blow pierced through the shadow's chest. For a heartbeat, the forest froze—then the dark Tiatsuri smiled faintly.
"Guess you're not afraid anymore."
He dissolved into light.
The forest cleared, sunlight spilling through the trees. Tiatsuri fell to one knee, exhausted but smiling. "Guess I passed."
************
Outside the forest, Hashiro sat cross-legged on the grass, eyes closed, enjoying the quiet.
"So much for peace and quiet," Kaitara's voice said sharply as she emerged, covered in dirt and dried blood.
Hashiro opened one eye. "Oh, you're out already."
"You sent us in there just so you could nap?!" she yelled.
"Of course," he said with a cheeky grin.
She clenched her fists. "I swear, Sensei—"
Before she could finish, Hatashi appeared beside them in a flicker of shadow, completely calm, not a scratch on him.