The wind had gone still.
The aftermath of the battle marked both exhausted bodies—blood dripping from their brows, their breaths hitting the cold air like omens of a war that refused to end.
Ryo stepped slowly across the ground, now carpeted with scattered shards of ice. His body was drained, yet his eyes still carried that unbreakable gleam.
Shimoro stood with difficulty, pressing a hand against his injured leg, frost still gathering along his fingertips as if it refused to leave him. He wanted to attack again, to prove himself—
but Ryo suddenly lifted a hand, a tired smile tugging at his lips.
"Enough…"
His voice was steady, echoing through the freezing air.
"One more strike and you might not stand up again."
Shimoro, barely managing to remain upright, looked at him through half-closed eyes—pained, conflicted.
"Wasn't this… a fight to the death?"
Ryo chuckled quietly, a faint laugh carrying a hint of bitterness.
"Yes. But I was searching for a strong opponent who could help me."
Silence settled between them.
Snow fell softly from the sky, gentle and soundless—as if the land itself calmed after a storm of madness.
"But you're not just an enemy," Ryo continued as he sat on a broken stone.
He pulled out a small flask filled with glowing green liquid. After taking a sip, he tossed it to Shimoro.
"Drink. It helps with recovery. Primitive, but effective."
Shimoro caught it hesitantly, examining the flask.
"Why… are you helping me?"
Ryo stared toward the dark horizon, his voice turning more serious.
"Because I saw something I haven't seen in years. Your growth—it's fast and reckless… or at least that's how it feels.
And I like people like that, you idiot."
Shimoro stayed silent, but finally twisted the cap and drank it all in one go.
The moment the liquid touched his throat, a strange heat spread through his chest—like a flood of light and shadow rushing into him at the same time.
His heart pounded violently, as if something inside him was breaking… or being rebuilt.
For a moment, his breath faltered, his hands turned icy cold though he didn't lose sensation.
Then a sharp sting shot up the back of his head—like forgotten memories being dragged out by force.
Flashes.
A beautiful woman with long blue hair falling into the snow.
A warm body carrying him…
A strange man vanishing into a blizzard.
And the sound of a child crying somewhere far away—he didn't know who, yet something inside him reacted.
Shimoro opened his eyes with difficulty, breathing slowly, his chest trembling from the aftershock.
He sat on the ground, hand pressed against his heart.
"What was that? What did I just drink?!"
Ryo smirked, watching him with interest.
"Just a simple tonic… speeds up healing, restores the flow of energy. But more importantly, what you felt—
Tell me, didn't something unusual surge through you?"
"Yes… like my body was collapsing from the inside… then forming itself again. Heat… then cold. Then… nothing."
Ryo laughed softly.
"Well, it seems your body has begun responding to EIU."
"the… what?"
Ryo flicked a stone into the air and spoke in a quieter tone:
"EIU—the fundamental energy of this world. No one knows its true origin. Everyone who calls it by that name doesn't actually understand it.
All we know is:
Those who survive major shocks in their lives… their bodies begin reacting to it.
Some are born with it.
Some awaken suddenly.
And some inherit it."
He leaned forward slightly.
"What happened to you today means your energy mixed with something new for the first time.
We call that Internal EIU Fusion."
Shimoro lowered his gaze to his hands—as if they were no longer his.
"And what does it mean… to possess this energy?"
"It means you can use the element you inherited from your bloodline."
Ryo stood up abruptly as his white aura gathered around him.
He snapped his fingers—five razor-sharp wind spears formed and circled him.
"Get ready. One last test… and this time, failure is not an option."
He raised his hand and launched all five spears at Shimoro at a speed faster than anything he'd seen before.
At the last second, Shimoro shouted:
"Frozen Lotus!"
Shards of ice exploded around him instantly, blooming like deadly crystalline petals rising from the earth.
They clashed with the spears, shattering them one by one.
Only a single spear broke through and cut into his left shoulder—he cried out and staggered back.
"Ghh—damn it…!"
Ryo smiled and said with amused approval:
"Not bad. That was a great step forward, even if it hurt. I like that ice flower of yours."
Then he extended his hand toward him.
"What do you say… accompany me?"
Shimoro looked at Ryo for several long seconds.
This wasn't the first time he'd faced danger—
but it was the first time someone extended a hand not to pull him from the edge… but to rise together.
He took the hand and answered slowly:
"If you're leading me toward answers… then I'll follow,
even if the path is nothing but hardship."
Ryo let out a light laugh.
"Answers? Don't expect much. I'm looking for them just like you."
---
To be continued