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The morning came quietly, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Kaelthar stood at the edge of the courtyard, cloak drawn over his shoulders. The shrine gate loomed behind him, old wood etched with prayers and time. Dew clung to the stone path, glimmering in the soft light.
Behind him, the girls moved with different rhythms of preparation. Rias stood near the steps, her crimson hair brushed neatly, posture already stiff with nervousness. Akeno, by contrast, hummed as she conjured small orbs of light to pack away the essentials, her movements graceful but playful. Koneko simply sat on the steps with her small bag beside her, expression unreadable, though her ears twitched occasionally as she listened.
"Do we really need all this?" Koneko finally asked, eyes flicking toward the growing pile of supplies. "We're not climbing a mountain."
Akeno smirked without looking up. "Ara~ but you never know. What if Rias's parents invite us to a banquet? I'd rather not be caught unprepared."
Rias groaned softly. "Akeno, you're not meeting royalty. You're meeting my parents. And you're not supposed to tease them."
"I would never," Akeno replied sweetly, though her eyes sparkled with mischief.
Kaelthar glanced back at them, the faintest shadow of amusement on his face. "If your parents cannot handle Akeno's teasing, then they are not worth fearing."
Rias turned sharply to him, cheeks pink. "They're my parents, not enemies you can just… dismiss!"
"Everything is a test of strength, one way or another," Kaelthar said calmly.
Akeno laughed softly. "Oh, this will be fun. Imagine the look on Lord Gremory's face when Kaelthar talks to him like that."
Rias covered her face with both hands. "I regret everything."
Koneko tilted her head slightly, voice deadpan as ever. "You'll survive."
Their banter continued in ripples, light enough to keep the air warm. But Kaelthar only half-listened. His senses reached outward, brushing against the threads of creation itself. The scar remained. The void where Vorath's servants had been. Their erasure was too clean—beyond destruction, beyond even death. Something had plucked them from the framework of reality like weeds torn from soil. Not Vorath. Not the Old Ones.
Something else. Something precise. Even my knowledge cannot name you. That, above all, unsettles me.
"Kaelthar?"
The voice pulled him back. Yasaka approached with Kunou at her side. Both were dressed simply—mother in flowing robes of gold and white, daughter in a pale yukata with fox patterns stitched along the hem. Kunou's small hands clutched the fabric tightly.
"You're leaving today," Yasaka said softly. Not a question—an acceptance.
Kaelthar inclined his head. "The underworld awaits."
Kunou stepped forward, tugging at his sleeve. "So… that's it? You're just going?"
Her voice was small, carrying more weight than her years.
He crouched slightly to meet her gaze. "Not 'just going.' This path must be walked. But it's not farewell."
Kunou frowned, golden eyes wet. "But you won't be here. And Mama says she has to stay too."
Yasaka placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, steady as ever. "It's true. My duty binds me to Osaka. My people need me, and Kunou needs a home rooted here. We can't follow where Kaelthar must go."
"But—" Kunou began, ears drooping.
Yasaka bent down and hugged her close. "Shh. You'll see him again. You already know where."
Kunou blinked, then her ears twitched upright again as realization dawned. "His world…"
Yasaka nodded. "Yes. His personal world. When the time comes, we'll meet him there. Until then, we wait."
Kunou sniffled, then looked at Kaelthar with fierce determination. "Then you'd better not forget. Promise?"
Kaelthar met her stare without flinching. Then, slowly, he extended a hand. "I do not make promises lightly. But this one… I will keep."
Her small hand pressed into his. "Good. Because next time, I'll be stronger. Strong enough to beat you."
For the first time that morning, Kaelthar chuckled quietly. "I look forward to it."
Behind them, Akeno sighed dramatically. "How sweet. Almost makes me jealous."
Rias shot her a look. "Don't ruin the moment."
Koneko added, "She already did."
Akeno only giggled in response.
Yasaka rose again, her eyes meeting Kaelthar's. There was warmth there, but also something sharper—an understanding. She could not see what he saw, but she sensed the weight in his silence. "Take care of them," she said simply.
"I will," Kaelthar replied. Then, after a pause, he added, "And you, take care of Osaka. It will need your strength more than ever."
Her gaze sharpened slightly, as if she caught a hint of what he was not saying. But she didn't press. She only bowed her head faintly.
The air shimmered as Kaelthar raised his hand. A rift tore open, fire and shadow twisting into a gateway. The path to the underworld pulsed, waiting.
The girls gathered close, each reacting in their own way—Rias steadying her breath, Akeno smiling with anticipation, Koneko stepping wordlessly to Kaelthar's side.
Kunou clutched her mother's robes again but forced a small, brave smile. "See you in your world, Kaelthar."
He nodded once. "Until then."
Yasaka's voice followed, steady as stone. "Go. The underworld awaits."
Without another word, Kaelthar stepped forward, the others following. The fire swallowed them whole.
And as Osaka faded behind, Kaelthar's thoughts lingered on the scar in creation, the erasure that defied all knowledge.
Not Vorath. Not his servants. Not the Old Ones. Something else moved last night. A hand beyond even my sight. And that intrigues me more than it should.
The rift closed, and the courtyard fell silent once more.
---
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