The courtyard was silent after the chaos. The faint scent of smoke and dust hung in the air, the ground still cracked where the Kuzuremono had emerged. The students had all been evacuated, leaving only three figures standing amidst the ruins.
Kaito's breathing was uneven. His hand still glowed faintly, golden marks burning against his skin. Sayaka stood beside him, her Spirit Core flickering softly like a candle in the wind. Akihiro joined them, panting as he clutched his side.
"What were those things?" Akihiro asked, his usually calm voice trembling.
"Kuzuremono," Sayaka answered quietly. "Spirits of imbalance… born from corrupted Eien Ryoku."
"How do you even know that?" Akihiro frowned.
Sayaka hesitated, then looked at Kaito. "Because… I've seen them before. In dreams. In a place that feels too real to be just a dream."
Kaito met her gaze, recognizing the same haunting familiarity that had plagued his own nights. "The mountain. The chanting. The seal."
She nodded slowly. "Yes. It's like we were there once… together."
Akihiro's expression shifted from confusion to disbelief. "Wait, wait. Are you saying we're— what, reincarnations or something?"
Before Kaito could answer, a voice cut through the air — low, calm, almost amused.
"Not reincarnations," the voice said. "Remnants of those who defied balance."
They turned sharply. The boy with dark hair stood at the edge of the courtyard, hands in his pockets, violet eyes glowing faintly under the fading sunlight. The reincarnation of Kage no Michi — though no one yet spoke his name.
Kaito instinctively stepped forward, energy flaring from his palm. "Who are you?"
The boy tilted his head slightly. "You don't remember me yet, do you? But I remember you, Tenkei."
Kaito's breath caught. That name — one he had never spoken, but felt etched into his soul.
Sayaka gasped softly. "Tenkei?"
The boy smiled faintly, his tone dark and calm. "Yes. Descendants of the Four… you carry their light. I can feel it in every breath you take. The same cursed purity that once sealed me away."
Akihiro clenched his fists. "You're insane."
But the boy ignored him, his gaze fixed on Kaito. "I thought the bloodline had faded. That the world had moved on without its shadows. Yet here you stand — light reborn, still clinging to the lie of balance."
He turned to leave, his figure fading into the mist that began to gather around the courtyard's edges.
Kaito called out, "Wait! Who are you?"
The boy's voice echoed softly.
"Someone who was once your brother… and your greatest mistake."
And then, he was gone.
Later That Night
The three met at the shrine again — drawn there by something unseen, a pull deep within their souls. The city was quiet; even the cicadas had gone still.
Kaito sat by the stone steps, his head tilted back toward the stars. "He knew who I was. He called me Tenkei."
Sayaka sat beside him, her expression calm but her voice gentle. "Then it's true. The memories… they're not just dreams."
Akihiro leaned against the railing, his eyes narrowed in thought. "If that's the case, then we're connected — all of us. Our bloodlines, our powers. Maybe this isn't coincidence."
Kaito nodded slowly. "The Eien Ryoku isn't just power. It's something alive — it remembers."
For a while, silence. The soft wind brushed through the trees, carrying the faint sound of a distant bell.
Sayaka broke the silence. "Then we have to understand it. If those things — the Kuzuremono — are coming back, then someone has to stop them."
Kaito looked at her. "You're talking about fighting them?"
She met his gaze, determination in her eyes. "If this is what our ancestors left us, then we don't run from it."
Akihiro smiled faintly. "Guess I don't have much choice. I've already seen enough to know normal life's over."
Kaito chuckled softly, though his voice was heavy with thought. "The Tsukimori… that's what they called the warriors who protected balance, right? Maybe it's time we become them again."
The three exchanged glances — uncertain, but united. For the first time, they weren't just classmates. They were bound by something older than life itself.
The moonlight fell over them like a silent blessing, the same silver glow that had watched their ancestors centuries ago.
Somewhere far away, in the darkened streets of the city, the boy with violet eyes stood on a rooftop, watching the shrine from afar.
Kage no Michi smirked faintly. "So, they've awakened. The descendants of the seal… the Tsukimori reborn."
He closed his eyes, feeling the pulse of ancient energy stirring once again in the air.
"The game begins anew."
Kage stood beneath the pale moon, the city's lights shimmering far below like stars scattered on the earth. The wind carried faint echoes — laughter, life, peace. A peace he had once dreamed of... before they betrayed him.
"They sealed me because they feared what they didn't understand," he murmured, lifting his hand. The air around him shimmered with black particles — fragments of corrupted Eien Ryoku. "But this world… it's full of the same hypocrisy. Light pretending to be pure, when all light casts shadows."
He clenched his fist. The particles twisted together, forming the shape of a writhing creature — a newborn Kuzuremono, trembling under his control.
"You remember me, don't you?" he whispered to it. "Your master has returned."
The creature hissed softly, sinking back into the shadows that clung to his feet.
Kage's violet eyes glowed. "Let the descendants of the Tsukimori play their little game. Let them remember the warmth of hope... before I take it from them again."
At the shrine, the night deepened. Kaito, Sayaka, and Akihiro remained seated long after their conversation faded.
Sayaka broke the silence again, softer this time. "Kaito… do you ever wonder if our ancestors regretted what they did?"
He looked up at the sky, expression unreadable. "I think they didn't have time to regret it. They did what they had to — even if it meant losing someone they cared about."
Akihiro sighed, glancing at his hand as faint blue energy pulsed through it. "Then maybe it's our turn to fix their mistakes."
Kaito smiled faintly, a light of resolve in his golden eyes. "Then from today… we walk the path of Tsukimori."
Above them, the wind shifted — gentle, almost approving.
But beyond that calm breeze, something else stirred.
The darkness was listening.