SAI SHINU
The forest was different that day. Every step seemed louder, every shadow stretched too far. We walked mostly in silence, broken only by the crunch of dirt and leaves beneath our boots.
Naemi led beside me, her movements careful, deliberate. Every so often she would stop, close her eyes, and breathe in deep—like she was tuning herself to a frequency the rest of us couldn't hear.
Watching her, I couldn't shake the thought: she wasn't born for battle. She had no core, no elements to bend, no training like the rest of us. And yet… the godglyphs had chosen her as their navigator. Maybe power wasn't what they sought. Maybe it was something else entirely.
Naemi whispered, almost to herself, "It's stronger now. Like it's… calling. Just ahead."
Her words struck something in me. A calling. I knew that feeling too well—the pull of the glyphs I already carried, the marks burning faintly on my chest whenever they neared. Was she beginning to feel the same curse?
The sun dipped lower as we climbed the last ridge. My chest tightened when Naemi pointed forward, her hand trembling. "There. Down there."
And then we saw it.
Nestled in the folds of the earth lay an old ruin. Roots strangled its cracked walls, and silence clung heavy around it, as though the world itself held its breath. At its center, the air shimmered and wavered, bending light like heat rising off stone.
A gate. Another godglyph waiting for us.
The ruins stood silent before us, the air shimmering faintly at its heart where the gate pulsed. No one spoke at first. We simply stared, each of us waiting for someone else to break the silence.
Taro finally did. His voice was steady, though I could sense the same unease I carried. "We need to decide who goes in. This isn't a door we open lightly. If one of us enters, all who enter carry the risk."
Yosuke crossed his arms, glancing at the distortion. "Then let's not waste time. Sai already has two godglyphs, so if he enters, he can adapt. Taro, you've led us before. You should lead again."
I turned to him, raising a brow. "And you?"
He gave a small, sharp grin. "I'll be the right hand. I won't let you or Taro carry this alone."
Taro nodded once, as though the decision was already solidifying. "Then Sai to my left, Yosuke to my right. That leaves the rest."
My gaze shifted to Naemi. She looked nervous, arms folded tightly, eyes flickering between us and the gate. I spoke before anyone else could. "She doesn't go in. She's the navigator—we need her out here to guide us when we return. More than that… she doesn't have a core. If anything happens inside, she won't be able to defend herself."
Jiro stepped forward then, his jaw set but his tone calm. "Then I stay with her. My strength won't fit well inside a gate like this anyway. Someone has to guard her, and I'll be that shield."
Naemi looked at him, almost relieved. "Thank you, Jiro."
That left only one. Our eyes fell to Namae.
She sighed, shaking her head slightly. "My illusions… they work only on humans. If the enemies inside the gate aren't human, that ability is useless." She raised her hand, and a small flame flickered to life in her palm. Then she clenched her fist and the flame twisted into a sharp shard of ice before dissolving into mist. "But I can still bend the four elements. Fire, water, earth, wind. That will have to be enough. I'm going with you."
I studied her expression. She wasn't reckless—she knew exactly what she was offering. I gave her a nod. "Then you're with us."
Taro stepped forward, his presence grounding the group. "It's decided. I lead. Sai at my left, Yosuke at my right, Namae behind. Jiro and Naemi will guard the outside."
The gate pulsed brighter, as though it had heard us. I felt the marks on my chest stir again, faint warmth spreading beneath my shirt. Whatever waited inside, it already knew we were coming.