The doors were flung open in haste.
Dan and Stella rushed ahead, driven by the urgency of Aisha's warning. Their footsteps echoed through the base's silent corridors, with Fenra and Aisha close behind, more restrained but with the same concern etched on their faces.
As they approached, everyone began to feel something in the air. A dense, yet serene, spiritual energy filled the environment, as if a storm had just passed—and in its place, only the cold wind of renewal remained.
But it wasn't the same energy as before.
It was Tekio, yes. But also... it wasn't.
Dan was the first through the door, Stella a step behind. The room was lit only by the soft glow of spiritual crystals. In the center of the bed, Tekio was sitting up, his torso upright, body trembling, hands resting on the crumpled sheets.
His eyes... were weeping.
But not as if something had hurt him in that moment. They were silent tears, falling like rivers carrying centuries of pain—a pain none present could comprehend. An ancient pain, coming from somewhere far deeper than any recent battle or loss.
Stella ran to him and hugged him tightly, without a second thought.
— Tekio! Thank the heavens… You're back… — she whispered, relieved, her own eyes filling with water.
He didn't respond immediately. He just closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the embrace. His heart tight with emotions he didn't yet know how to name.
Dan approached right after and wrapped both of them in a tight hug, uniting the three in a silent, powerful bond.
— You gave us a scare, brother… — he murmured, trying to hide the tremor in his voice.
Tekio let out a weak laugh, almost choked by tears.
— Sorry. I… I needed that time. But I'm back. For real.
Tears kept flowing. But now, mixed with gratitude.
Behind them, Aisha stopped beside Fenra, observing the scene.
— His energy… has changed, — Aisha murmured, frowning. — It's not just stronger. It's different. Refined. As if it were… molded from within.
Fenra nodded with a slight smile.
— It's the kind of aura you only earn with pain, sacrifice... and acceptance. — She crossed her arms. — He's grown. Grown a lot. If it weren't for him, Dan wouldn't be here. And neither would you.
Aisha averted her gaze, serious, but silently acknowledging.
Minutes passed. The room returned to silence.
Tekio took a deep breath, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, still nestled between Dan and Stella.
— How long…?
— Over a week, — Dan replied.
Tekio's eyes widened slightly.
— Really? Wow…
He looked around and smiled genuinely at each face.
— Stella… Fenra… Dan... And you… — His gaze rested on Aisha, who now approached with calm steps. — I know it's you, Aisha. Even different... even with that white hair and new look. I'd recognize your presence in any form.
Aisha stopped, surprised by his sensitivity.
— You really have changed.
Tekio nodded, breathing deeply.
— Yara thought so too. She said she'd never seen anything like what happened to you. That… something rare awakened in you.
The mention of the name sparked immediate reactions.
— Yara? — Stella arched an eyebrow.
— Who's Yara? — Dan asked, confused.
— It's a… long story. — Tekio gave a small smile. — She's a soul… inside me. Literally. She... lived a long time ago. And now, somehow, she's a part of me.
Silence fell like a heavy curtain.
— Like… reincarnation? — Stella murmured.
Tekio nodded.
— Something like that. I saw her life. Felt everything she felt. And I know she's not an enemy. It was thanks to her I managed to defeat Velkros in that fight. That power that appeared out of nowhere… was her lending me her strength.
Dan and Stella exchanged glances, remembering the moment in Russia.
— So that time… in Russia… — Stella began.
— Yes, — Tekio confirmed. — Every time it seemed I was about to die and suddenly exploded with power... it was her.
— And now you know who she is, — Fenra finished, stepping closer.
Tekio looked at her, a new glint in his eyes.
— Yes. And even though she's powerful, not even she could understand what separated Dan from Dante. It was… something else. Something much older. And frightening.
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
— Do you think it's watching you? — Aisha asked.
— I'm sure of it. And we're going to find out what it is. Together.
Dan nodded firmly. Stella did too.
Tekio looked around.
— And Akira?
— He left on a solo mission, — Fenra replied. — Said he needed to find answers about himself. No one could convince him to wait. You know how he is.
— Yes… — Tekio sighed. — I hope he's alright.
— Meanwhile, — Fenra continued, returning to a practical tone, — I'm training Stella and Dan to refine their techniques. Because soon we'll have to return to that city. And those demons… won't wait for us.
She looked directly at Tekio, with a lightly challenging smile.
— And you, thunder boy, better get ready. Your turn will come.
Tekio smiled, feeling a spark of spirit rekindle.
— I'm ready.
Aisha approached Fenra.
— We need to talk. In private.
Fenra nodded. Both left the room, leaving the three alone.
For a moment, the silence inside seemed sacred.
Stella sat beside Tekio. Dan on the other side.
— I missed this, — Tekio murmured. — Just… talking. Being with you. Like before.
— Even with the world falling apart, it's good to have this moment, — Stella said, smiling.
Dan looked at him, serious—and then spoke with a sincerity that made his voice falter:
— Thank you. For not giving up on me. For bringing me back. I... don't even know how to repay that.
Tekio just smiled, his eyes welling up again.
— You don't have to repay anything. I'll be with you until the end. Always.
Stella looked at the two of them, moved.
— Me too. I'd do anything for you guys. Anything.
The three smiled together. For the first time in a long while, feeling safe. Even if just for an instant.
Because, outside, the war still waited.
But inside that room… there was peace.
(...)
Elsewhere
Echoes in the Snow
The trail between the snowy mountains was old and forgotten, a scar on the ground that only those who had tread it a thousand times would recognize. Akira stepped with precision, even as winds howled around him like the screams of ancient spirits. The cold was biting, but he barely felt it. He had been accustomed to pain since before he knew his full name.
The Shinobi Academy of the Eda Clan was hidden among peaks obscured by clouds, wrapped in layers of dead forest and black stones untouched by time. It was like a mausoleum for monsters. And Akira was one of them.
In the distance, the silhouette of the structure rose: gray stone walls, slanted roofs covered in rusted iron plates, flags bearing the clan symbol—still intact. Nothing had changed on the outside. Inside… everything had rotted.
He paused for a moment before the cracked gate and took a deep breath. The scent of the past was still there.
Memories came like knives:
The twelve-year-old boy tied to a stake while instructors tested different poisons in his blood—trying to find the exact point where he would scream before passing out.
The daily ritual beatings, said to be part of "developing mental and spiritual resistance."
The early mornings he woke to his own crying, silenced with a hand over his mouth to avoid punishment for weakness.
He swallowed dryly.
— Home, sweet home… — he murmured with a dry bitterness in his voice.
He walked along the outer corridors covered in thin snow. The stones crunched under his feet. The air seemed charged with a dense mist, too warm and heavy for such a high altitude.
That's when he felt it.
Demonic energy.
He crouched slightly, instinctively falling into a combat stance, and looked around. It wasn't just any trace—it was a continuous trail, as if it had been absorbed by the walls, the roofs, the ground.
— So it's true… — he whispered. — The Eda family bowed again. Allied with the Reapers. Of course… always on the winning side.
He almost smiled. Almost.
Two steps forward, the silence broke.
— Akira of the Eda Clan, — said a voice muffled by a mask, — you shouldn't have returned.
Three figures dropped from the roof, like shadows with blades. Their presences were lethal.
They were patrol shinobi. Old comrades. Different paths, but the same origin. Now, opposites.
Akira took a deep breath and pivoted on his heels as the first one approached.
A vertical slash. He dodged. An elbow to the chin. Spun, kicked the second in the leg, breaking it against a pillar. The third was faster—landed a punch to Akira's stomach.
He staggered.
Another kick to the rib.
They had trained together. They knew his movements. They knew where it hurt.
But Akira knew theirs too.
He grabbed the third attacker's fist, pulled him brutally, and slammed him against the frozen wall. The impact cracked the stone. The first one returned, throwing shurikens with millimeter precision.
Akira ducked, rolled, and in a near-invisible motion, drove his hand into the enemy's throat.
Not with power. With technique.
The third, still standing, retreated. His eyes burned with hatred.
— You shouldn't have returned, traitor.
— And you shouldn't have knelt.
Akira ran, leaped, and drove his knee into the opponent's chest. They fell together. The final blow was clean. Silence.
His body trembled slightly. Not from exhaustion. But from contained rage. He looked around, breathing deeply.
— I'm getting really close…
Snow fell on the bodies. He lifted his eyes to the Academy's main tower. Inside, there would be answers—or more pain.
Dante's words echoed in his mind like poison:
"You have potential… more than you realize. Something ancient runs in your blood, Akira."
Akira clenched his fists.
Dante had tortured him. Wounded him. Forced him to watch Tenklyn die before his eyes. Twisted him. Corrupted him. Like a cruel joke.
— I will find the answers, — he said, to the void. — I will get stronger. For me… for Tenklyn… for everyone you destroyed.
He walked a few more steps. The aura around him vibrated as if the place recognized him.
— And when that day comes…
He stopped before the elders' door. Cold eyes, firm voice.
— ...I will cut Dante's head off with my own hands.
And then, he pushed the door open.
To be continued…