"…MUJUN!!"
Shiki's shout cut through the air, forcing the breath held in her chest to rush out alongside his name. The memory of Mujun's smile from a few seconds ago—a smile far too bright, too unnatural—exploded in her mind, overlapping with the phantom of the violet-eyed man who had haunted her for decades.
For a split second, Shiki was absolutely certain she saw the color of Mujun's eyes shift.
Violet.
The exact same shade.
Yet, when she focused her gaze, the image vanished. All that remained was Mujun with a pale face, eyes wide with shock, and a body trembling slightly, like someone who had just been jolted awake from a nightmare.
"S-Shiki… ah, I mean Boss… what happened?!" he stammered, his voice thick with a confusion that sounded entirely sincere.
Shiki didn't answer immediately. That expression was too raw to be faked. There was no cunning composure, no hidden certainty—only pure shock and the restlessness of someone who knew nothing. However, that strange sensation hadn't fully dissipated. The shift of emotion on Mujun's face earlier had been too swift, too sharp, making it difficult for Shiki to believe it was a mere illusion.
And they were now in the Procession Tower. The very place where she had first encountered that violet-eyed man. The thought surfaced uninvited: What if they are the same person?
Shiki's chest tightened. For the past three years, she had investigated Mujun from every angle—his background, his life history, his habits, even the possibility of hidden connections to other organizations or worlds. Not a single crack led to the violet-eyed man. No trace of abnormal power. No mysterious past. Nothing.
Logically, the suspicion was groundless.
But being in this place again… old memories were like carcasses dragged to the surface, carrying the foul stench of an obsession that had never truly died. Shiki exhaled softly and turned her face away for a moment.
'…I've really become too tethered to that man's shadow,' she thought, nearly scoffing at herself.
She looked back at Mujun—who was now waiting anxiously, hands clenched instinctively, shoulders tense like someone afraid they had made a mistake without knowing what it was.
No. If Mujun were truly hiding something that massive, he wouldn't react like this. And if the violet-eyed man were indeed him, then over the past three years, Shiki should have found at least one slip-up. The fact that she had found nothing at all was answer enough.
This was just her own obsession playing tricks on her. And now was not the time. There were things far more important than the shadows of the past. Shiki took a deep breath, suppressing the remnants of suspicion until they sank, then spoke in a voice that had regained its calm.
"It's nothing. Focus."
The Procession Tower had begun. The City of Beginnings was right before their eyes. She had to move the Four Seasons immediately, secure vital points, and plant her influence before other factions made their move. Whatever she had just felt—she would bury it for now.
"Mujun, we don't have time for this. I'll explain later," Shiki said quickly, then lowered her voice until it was almost a whisper. "Now, listen carefully."
That quiet tone reflexively made Mujun lean in. In the midst of chaos, a small voice captures attention more easily than a shout.
"Gather all the Heads of the Four Seasons and their deputies. The meeting point is at the left foot of the second claw of that great dragon monument. Can you see it?"
Mujun looked up. In the distance, a giant dragon statue loomed, piercing the sky, its shadow swallowing the surrounding buildings.
"Ah—yes! I see it! I see the dragon statue!" he said quickly, his eyes wide.
"Good. Wait for me there," Shiki repeated, short and firm.
"Okay… okay!" Mujun nodded repeatedly. Confusion was still clear on his face, but the pile of questions in his head lost out to one simpler fact: he was given a task, and the task was clear.
Shiki caught that with a single glance—and for some reason, her trust in Mujun actually strengthened. If that strange smile earlier had indeed been an illusion, then his nervous reaction and focus now felt far more real.
With thousands of people flooding the City of Beginnings, gathering the Heads of the Four Seasons and their deputies was certainly no easy feat. Mujun must have realized this. Yet Shiki did not doubt him. She had already mapped out the routes. Each team Head had been given a communication marker, she had predicted their movement patterns, and the meeting point at the dragon monument was the most recognizable location for anyone—even in the chaos.
Mujun knew that. And most importantly, Mujun would not waste time asking questions. He would move immediately.
Shiki gave a small nod to herself. The first step… was in motion.
While Mujun carried out his task, Shiki felt something far more urgent pressing against her chest. She quickened her pace, weaving through the crowd of Nagawira who stood frozen like statues. Some held their heads, some trembled, others simply stared blankly at the sky as if waiting for the world to collapse at any moment.
But Shiki knew—this was just the lull. Soon, the voice would come. And afterward, there would be no more room for pretending to be normal.
BING— BING— BING— BONG—
The tolling echoed through the air, heavy and clean, like a giant bell struck from within the skull of the world. The vibration crawled over skin, pressed against eardrums, and then descended slowly down the spine. Conversations stopped. Cries were choked in throats. Even the wind seemed to cease its blowing.
Nagawira across the city looked up in unison, searching for the source—but there was no direction. The sound came from everywhere… and from inside their own heads.
Then, a woman's voice was heard. Smooth. Clear. Far too cheerful. Like a party host.
[Welcome to the City of Beginnings~!]
The tone was jaunty, as if greeting guests at a theme park, not millions of souls who had just been snatched from their world.
[You are currently inside the Procession Tower, a place specifically designed to welcome the Brides of Destiny!]
Several Nagawira looked at one another. Some gave stiff smiles, thinking this was a bad joke. Others began to breathe faster, their instincts screaming that something was very, very wrong.
[I am your Guide! My main task is to help you become stronger before the great war begins!]
War.
The word fell lightly from those mechanical lips—without weight, without blood, without screams—as if it were merely part of a game.
[To that end, I have prepared three special events for you! Tadaaa~!]