The old woman's hut—
A quiet night, snow draped over the aged wooden roof, and the wind humming a gentle tune that sounded like whispers from an old memory.
Shimoro lies on his back, staring at the slanted ceiling. In his hand he turns a small shard of ice, thin threads of cold blue light pulsing softly from within it.
"My power is growing… but my heart… still feels lost between who I am and who I'm supposed to be."
Kaina approaches, standing quietly beside his bed.
"Some nights, silence becomes louder…"
Shimoro looks up at her.
"Have you ever felt like you wanted to run away from everything?"
A warm smile appears on Kaina's face.
"I once wanted to face things… and instead, I ran. But I learned that true running is when you stop being yourself."
She steps out of the room, leaving behind a deep, calming stillness. Shimoro closes his eyes, drifting into sleep on his soft cotton pillow.
Morning comes. Shimoro wakes and goes through the familiar motions of everyday life—like having breakfast with Grandma Kaina.
"Today… I'll leave. Just like I promised you."
Kaina looks at him as if she's about to lose something dear to her heart.
"I'll be waiting for you, boy."
She hugs him tightly, and a tear falls from both their eyes to the floor.
***
One hour later
A pale white morning. Snow sweeps sideways through the forest.
Shimoro, wearing a black coat lined with white fur around the collar, walks silently among the frozen trees.
Suddenly—a strange sound tears through the frozen air.
"WHOOOOOOSH!"
A violent burst of wind passes beside him, fast enough to crack the ice beneath his feet as the air spirals into a vortex.
"…?! What is that power?!"
Atop a snow-covered tree stands a lean young man. His black hair is tied back into a high ponytail, his loose black clothes flutter wildly in the wind.
His gray eyes shine with arrogance—his voice playful, yet carrying an echo of madness or conceit.
"I was looking for something to kill my boredom… and look at you—a walking ice cube!"
Shimoro stiffens, alert.
"Who are you? And why did you attack me?"
The stranger jumps lightly from the tree, landing in front of him.
"Attack you? Haha! Don't be dramatic. I just wanted to find someone strong.
And my name is Ryo, kid."
Shimoro narrows his eyes.
"Find someone else to test. I'm not interested."
Ryo tilts his head, that teasing smile returning.
"But I am interested in you. Especially if you're the opponent worthy of carrying my name."
---
Ryo moves—
fast—appearing behind Shimoro in an instant.
Wind coils around his arm as he throws a punch straight at Shimoro's back.
Shimoro reacts swiftly, raising a hand and forming a thick ice barrier.
The punch shatters part of it like broken glass.
Ryo whistles in fake admiration.
"Not bad! You're not entirely slow. This makes things… more fun."
"You're fast… but wind alone can't melt my ice."
Ryo smirks, eyes flashing.
"I'm not trying to melt it… I'm trying to cut it."
He vanishes again—moving even faster. Appearing left, then right, then above…
Shimoro strains to track him, unleashing a circular burst of ice. The shockwave trembles the air, but Ryo leaps upward laughing.
---
Ryo forms a compressed strike of wind—like a spear—and hurls it.
It pierces Shimoro's shoulder, pushing him back, scattering snow and cracking the earth beneath him.
Standing atop a rock, Ryo calls out:
"You know, you're more entertaining than I thought.
But you still think like a child wearing a hero's cape."
Shimoro rises, breathing heavily.
"And you talk like a child who thinks he is a storm."
Ryo's tone sharpens, his eyes narrowing.
"I am not a storm…
—I AM the wind itself."
Wind coils violently around him, shaping a miniature tornado.
Trees shake—some roots ripping from the earth.
Shimoro plants his hand on the ground, drawing energy from the snow, forming a thick, layered ice shield.
They clash again—
Ice cracking.
Wind screaming.
Sounds exploding through the forest.
Every strike from Ryo disappears into thin air and reappears from another angle.
Every defense from Shimoro sends a freezing shock that chills the battlefield.
Ryo laughs amidst the chaos.
"Do you know why I love fighting?"
Shimoro answers through strained breaths.
"To feed your massive ego?"
A strange smile crosses Ryo's face.
"No.
It's because I'm the only one in this world… who knows how to silence the silence."
He strikes with tremendous force—
Shimoro stumbles back, blood trickling from his lips.
Yet his eyes… grow colder.
---
Both step back, panting.
The wind calms for a heartbeat.
The ice spreads across the entire forest floor.
A silent stare passes between them.
Ryo looks at him with the first real hint of interest since the fight began.
"…Maybe you're not just some ice kid after all."
Shimoro wipes the blood from his mouth, replying sharply:
"And you… are more than just some arrogant fool."
Shimoro and Ryo stand in the middle of a devastated clearing, trees sliced apart, ice cracked, wind still circling cautiously around them.
To be continued.