"It tried to break free."
A heavy pause settled between them, sharp as the silence before a storm.
"That's why I began searching," he continued, stepping forward, his eyes shadowed with calculation and something colder beneath. "From the moment I discovered that vessels could be replaced… I've been looking. All I need is one—born on the same day, at the same time. Someone whose inner core mirrors yours exactly."
Akira's face darkened.
"You won't find them," he said, quietly. "You already killed one."
The Emperor didn't flinch. "Still… there should be another." He looked past Akira then, as if seeing something only he could. "In every century, there are always three—marked by the three Supreme Gods." He turned his eyes back to Akira.
"You are the bearer. One is dead. And the last… is yet to be found. I will find them. But—" He narrowed his eyes slightly. "What I need to know is… what weakened the seal this time?"
Akira remained still, breath slowing. He turned away, thinking, then replied cautiously, "I don't know. I'll… think about it."
The Emperor nodded once, solemn but firm.
"Then think well. Search every memory. Every moment," the Emperor said, his voice dropping to a low, commanding murmur. "Until I find the third… this must not happen again." He didn't wait for a response. The words lingered like smoke as he turned and walked out, the door closing with a muted thud behind him.
Silence pressed against the walls.
Akira stood still for a moment, then quietly walked over to the window.
He unlatched it and pushed it open—the cool night air spilling in, brushing against his skin. The sky above was veiled in clouds, but the moon broke through faintly, silver and watchful. His fingers curled on the sill as his eyes traced the horizon.
"When I turned eighteen…" he murmured. The thought pulled at something deep.
"That day… the seal weakened?" He leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing at the moonlight, brows furrowing.
"But that was also… the day I realized my..." A pause lingered in the air.
"Could that be the reason?" he blinked, then shook his head slightly as if trying to discard the thought. His voice steadied, but there was a tremor beneath it. "Still… what weakened the seal this time?" He began to pace again, slow and deliberate.
"I always believed it was inside her," Akira murmured, pacing slowly, thoughts unraveling with each step. "This time, I thought if we stirred her memories… fractured her mind just enough… the seal would weaken. We'd draw it out—then transfer it into me, so she wouldn't have to carry it anymore. So she'd stop being hunted." He paused. "…But it was already in me. Since the beginning."
A soft exhale.
"That makes me the current vessel," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "All along." But his brow furrowed. The pieces didn't fit. "Then why…" he whispered again, pacing slower now, "why does she lose control?"
"She wasn't the one chosen to contain it. But it still binds to her."
His hand rose, pressing lightly over his chest. A faint pulse of light flickered there. Dim. Tainted. His eyes darkened with doubt.
"Did something go wrong?"
His gaze flicked to the door, shadows trailing under his eyes.
"I need to meet him soon," he murmured. "There are too many questions… and I need answers."
Beneath the broad shade of an old tree, the group sat scattered across the roots, their breaths faintly visible in the chilly air. Suddenly Seirou sneezed loud and sudden. He sniffled, rubbing his nose. "Someone must be thinking about me."
Seiya groaned, rubbing his arms. "Tch. It's too cold here! If someone hadn't taken forever packing her things, we would've reached the gates long ago."
Astra, mid-sip from her waterskin, froze. She lowered it and pointed at her bandaged foot with clear irritation. "It's not my fault we fell at the worst possible moment! Was it my fault that Seirou tripped on me and I twisted my ankle? I'm barely able to walk. What do you expect me to do—run?"
Seiya scoffed and turned sharply toward Seirou. "Then it's your fault."
"What?!" Seirou blinked and pointed up. "Shion was the one who yelled and distracted me!"
From a thick branch overhead, Shion stretched lazily. "Don't drag me into this. He's lying."
That was enough to set them all off grumbling, snapping, jabbing fingers in every direction. The noise built like a rising wave.
"Enough," Kaen's voice cut through, calm but sharp. He stood, brushing dust from his gloves. "We haven't even reached halfway yet. If we keep going like this, someone's going to end up sick. The cold air's getting harsher… and if Astra catches a fever on top of that leg, it'll be much harder to deal with."
The others quieted.
Kaen looked toward the trees. "Looks like there's a town not too far from here. Let's head there. We can find shelter for the night."
Everyone murmured in agreement and began packing up. Blankets, flasks, leftover dried fruit, they moved with rhythm. Astra pushed herself up, teeth gritted, but as soon as she put weight on her foot, she yelped and stumbled backward.
Strong arms caught her mid-fall.
"I can't… walk," she breathed.
Ryoma didn't say a word. He simply stepped forward and turned around, crouching slightly. Without asking, he slid her gently onto his back, careful not to jar her injured foot.
"H-Hey—what are you doing?" Astra's eyes widened. "Put me down!"
"Shhh," Ryoma said, steady. "Don't move. I'm just helping you."
"I said put me down!"
Thud.
Shion dropped from the tree, landing beside them with a grin. "Yeah, put her down, Ryoma. She's not light like before. She's gotten heavy."
"What?!" Astra's eyes flared. "Who are you calling heavy?! I'm light as a feather!"
Seiya snorted. "A very… dense feather."
Astra looked like she might throw her waterskin at someone's face. But Ryoma just gave a small smile, adjusting his grip and ignoring them all. "She's fine, I can carry her."
Kaen exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose before bending down to pick up Xue, who was still curled up in a blanket.
"Let's go… before they all freeze—or end up strangling each other."
He adjusted Xue gently in his arms, and the little boy murmured something incoherent, half-asleep, clutching his sleeve like it was a lifeline. Kaen's gaze softened for a fleeting moment.
They started walking.
The path ahead dipped slightly, winding through a field of pale wintergrass, brittle and silver under the night sky. Their footsteps crunched softly, the only sound for a while, aside from the occasional bickering from the rear.
"I still say it's her fault," Seiya muttered.
Astra, still on Ryoma's back, narrowed her eyes. "I heard that."
"Oh good," he replied, unrepentant. "Means your ears still work. Shame about the foot."
Before she could snap back, Ryoma tilted his head slightly, his voice flat but edged. "Do you want me to drop you?"
Astra went very quiet for a moment. "…Touché."
Shion walked a few paces ahead, arms swinging loosely as he kicked a pebble down the path. "If we keep moving at this pace, we'll reach the town just in time for it to close its gates on our faces."
Seirou, eyes half-lidded, sighed. "If that happens, I'm blaming Astra."
"What?!" Astra squawked from Ryoma's back. "I'm injured, not cursed!"
Seiya shrugged. "Feels like the same thing sometimes."
Kaen didn't even turn around. "If any of you say one more useless thing, I will personally make you carry each other."
That shut them up.