The shadow moved. Kaguchi took a single step forward. And the door behind him… had not closed.
Akira smiled wider.
"Don't stand there, Kaguchi."
Then he added in a lazy tone, as if enjoying himself:
"Is this how old guests are welcomed?"
Silence.
Kaguchi did not move. His eyes were fixed. His voice came out cold… sharp:
"What do you want?"
The smile on Akira's face widened. A light, soundless laugh escaped him.
"You are so harsh, Kaguchi…"
He leaned forward slightly. Slowly, deliberately, he put his hand into his pocket. He pulled something out. A coin, Purple. It gleamed with a strange light that did not reflect the hall. He held it between his fingers.
"And yet…"
He said it while spinning the coin in the air,
"I brought you a gift."
The purple coin fell into Akira's palm. Its sound was not metallic… But as if an echo of something deeper.
Kaguchi did not look at it. His expression did not change. He stood as he was, As if Akira's presence did not merit altering his stance. He spoke in a low voice, Cold, Devoid of any welcome:
"Are you done?"
Akira's smile did not break. Rather… it twisted. He placed his hand on his chest, With a clearly theatrical exaggeration.
"Oh, the harshness of your cold words…"
He sighed, As if truly in pain.
"You have broken my little heart now."
Then, Something changed. The air around him tightened. His smile widened… But its warmth vanished. A monster's smile. Akira's eyes gleamed with an inhuman light. He lifted his head slightly, And spoke with deadly calm:
"I came looking for one person."
He paused. Deliberately. Then he spoke the name:
"Lilithia."
Kaguchi did not change. Not a blink. He responded immediately, In a tone dry as stone:
"This is not my doing."
He stepped half a pace forward. The pressure on the ground beneath his feet increased.
"And if you are looking for her…"
He finally looked at him. A gaze devoid of any emotion.
"Then leave, And find her on your own."
Silence.
The coin in Akira's hand stopped spinning. Then, A laugh. Short, low, Unsettling.
"Ah…"
He said as he returned the purple coin to his pocket. He straightened slowly. His smile returned Soft… Dangerous.
He stopped suddenly. As if some thought Had reached him late. He looked at Kaguchi again. This time… with full focus. He stepped closer. Then another step. The distance between them shrank,
But Kaguchi Did not move.
Akira's voice lowered. The jest vanished.
"It seems you almost forgot…"
He said in a low tone,
"…who you are speaking to… Kaguchi."
He drew closer. Close enough. Then he whispered, And the whisper was heavier than a scream:
"I know what you and Draven did… To my servant."
Silence.
No shock. No anger. Kaguchi did not blink. His breathing did not change. His shadow vanished from the hall. He spoke with cutting coldness:
"Are you done?"
Akira laughed. A short laugh, Then a longer one. A playful laugh… No anger in it.
He raised his hand as if calming a child.
"Don't worry."
He said it with a smile.
"I am not angry."
He tilted his head slightly. His eyes gleamed.
"But I… know."
He stepped half a pace forward. His voice returned soft, Poisonous.
"I know what the School of Sorcerers truly wants."
He paused deliberately. Then he smiled with pure amusement.
"And I know why You intervene where you shouldn't."
Kaguchi turned his face slightly. A single sidelong glance.
"If this is all you came for…"
He said it without interest.
"The door is behind you."
He paused. Then added:
"Do not make the mistake of thinking That your knowledge Means control. Nobles are foolish people."
Akira laughed again. But this time… His laughter did not reach his eyes. He turned before reaching the door. He stopped.
He retraced his steps. With unhurried steps, As if everything Had become a game again. He sat once more on the dark chair. Crossed one leg over the other. Relaxed.
The smile returned, Tilted… Playful. He lifted his gaze to Kaguchi.
"You know?"
He said in a light tone, As if recalling something amusing.
"I truly know What the School of Sorcerers is searching for."
He paused deliberately. Then added, His voice lowered, But its sharpness increased:
"But I… Have found the solution."
Kaguchi did not ask. Did not react.
Akira leaned forward slightly. His elbows on his knees. His smile widened.
"Not a spell."
He said it, laughing lightly.
"Nor any ancient trace."
Then, He said it. Clearly. With delight.
"One demon."
The hall did not change… But the air Grew heavier. Kaguchi slowly lifted his eyes. This time Akira stood. Adjusted his jacket. Took a step. Before disappearing, He turned half around.
"Think about it, Kaguchi."
He said in a light tone, But charged.
"Some doors… Can only be opened From hell."
Then, He vanished. The hall remained. And Kaguchi remained. Standing… Motionless.
_
At the same time… Kai and Skyler had reached the foot of the mountain.
The wind there was not ordinary. Cold, even though the season was not. The fog moved at a low height, As if the ground were breathing slowly.
Kai tightened the metal device on his wrist. He cast a quick glance at the signal Weak… but steady.
"This is the place,"
He said in an ordinary tone, As if they had arrived at a training point, nothing more.
Skyler nodded. His eyes scanned the black rocks, And the sharp cliffs that split the mountain like old scars.
"The system doesn't send alerts of this kind for nothing,"
He said calmly.
"Especially when it mentions… a special-class designation."
Kai took a deep breath.
"One demon,"
He said in a tone closer to joking.
"They always say one… then we find out it's not."
Skyler smiled lightly. Half a smile.
"You're usually the one who makes it worse."
—"Talent,"
Kai replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"Can't give it up."
They continued walking. Their steps were steady, But the silence between them was not empty.
Skyler stopped suddenly. He said nothing. He bent slightly, Looking at the ground.
The soil was compacted… Abnormally. Not a footprint. Nor a claw mark. But, As if something heavy Had passed through here Without truly touching the ground.
Skyler furrowed his brows slightly. He hesitated for a moment— Then straightened.
—"Something?"
Kai asked without turning.
Skyler replied after a second.
"No, Just… an illusion."
They continued forward. The air grew heavier. Even breathing required awareness.
A sound. Not close. But clear.
A scream. They both stopped at the same moment. The sound was not a battle cry. Nor a clear call for help. It was… The sound of fear. It repeated. Closer this time.
Kai immediately raised his head. He looked at Skyler. They exchanged no words. There was nothing to say.
Skyler turned toward the sound. His eyes changed. The calm vanished.
"Who's there."
He said it simply.
Kai clenched his fist. The wind passed between them, Carrying a strange scent Not blood… Nor fire.
They began to move. Their steps quickened, But did not turn into a run.
The slope ahead of them opened like a dark mouth, And the scream… Returned once more. Closer.
Clearer. Then, It stopped.
The sound stopped suddenly, As if someone Had cut the thread. Kai slowed. Skyler raised his hand halfway.
Silence.
The mountain gave no echo. But the feeling… That they were no longer alone, Settled in the air. They took another step forward.
And the chapter… Stopped there.