Morning sunlight spilled gently through the clouds, painting the shrine courtyard in soft gold. For the first time since the attack, the air felt still — like the world itself was holding its breath.
Kaito stood at the steps, eyes closed, trying to focus. The mark on his hand still pulsed faintly, a rhythm he could no longer ignore. It's alive, he thought. It's a part of me.
Sayaka's voice broke the silence. "It hasn't faded?"
He shook his head. "No. If anything, it's stronger."
She nodded quietly. "Mine too." Her Spirit Core symbol shimmered under her sleeve — gentle yet radiant, the aura of compassion itself.
Akihiro stood a few feet away, cross-legged, a faint blue shimmer outlining his body. "Every time I close my eyes, I see things that aren't here," he muttered. "Lines, threads, like the air itself has form."
Sayaka tilted her head. "That's your perception," she said softly. "Your Eien Ryoku's telling you how the world breathes."
He smirked lightly. "Guess that's one way to put it."
Before Kaito could respond, the air shifted — a faint hum, like the world exhaling after centuries of silence. The shrine lanterns flickered, and the ground shimmered with faint light.
From the shadows of the torii gate, an elderly man emerged, dressed in black ceremonial robes embroidered with silver moons. His eyes were sharp, his presence commanding.
"I see the new Tsukimori have finally awakened," he said.
The three tensed instinctively. Kaito stepped forward. "Who are you?"
The man smiled faintly. "My name is Satori Genma. I was the last living Tsukimori before the bloodlines fell dormant. I've been waiting... for you three."
Sayaka blinked. "You knew about us?"
"I knew you'd come," Genma said, walking closer, his cane tapping softly against the stones. "The seal's breaking again. The Kuzuremono have already started to stir — which means the world will need guardians once more."
He stopped before Kaito, studying his glowing palm. "The mark of Tenkei… I never thought I'd see it again."
Kaito frowned. "You know about Tenkei?"
Genma chuckled softly. "Know him? My ancestors served him. The Tenkei were one of the four pillars — and you, boy, carry the light he left behind."
He turned to Sayaka. "And you, Reishin's blood — Spirit Core still sings in you. Compassion and power intertwined. And as for you," he faced Akihiro, "the Miwahara line still holds Seigen's sight. Faded, but not gone."
Akihiro rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "So what now? Are you gonna tell us we're chosen or something?"
Genma smiled. "Chosen? No. Bound. By the same fate that tied your ancestors centuries ago."
He raised his cane and struck the ground once. The entire shrine shimmered — the old wood and stone dissolving into light. The world twisted, and suddenly the three stood within a vast, circular hall made of white stone and starlight. Floating sigils danced above, and rivers of energy pulsed beneath transparent floors.
Sayaka gasped. "Where are we?"
"The Inner Sanctum of the Tsukimori," Genma said. "A place between worlds — where Eien Ryoku takes form."
The sigils above them glowed brighter, each forming symbols that mirrored their marks. Genma gestured to the air. "Now… reach out. Let your Ryoku answer."
The three hesitated, but instinct guided them.
Sayaka extended her hand, and from her mark burst streams of soft light — ribbons of memory and emotion that coiled together into a crystalline staff. Its center pulsed like a heartbeat.
"This…" she whispered, awed.
"Your Eiryu Tool," Genma explained. "Born from your spirit. It reflects who you are."
Akihiro's eyes glowed as he raised his hand. The air rippled, bending around him, and a metallic gauntlet materialized, covered in sigils that shifted like constellations.
He flexed his fingers, feeling the pulse of energy through the metal. "It feels alive," he murmured.
"It is," Genma said. "The Seigen blood channels perception through form. That tool will allow you to touch what cannot be seen — distort space, bend reflection."
Finally, Kaito lifted his hand. His mark flared, light surging upward like a pillar. From it emerged a long, sleek blade — silver and white, the guard shaped like a pair of angelic wings. At its center glowed a faint black core of energy, flickering softly.
Genma's expression hardened slightly. "A dual-natured Eiryu Tool… rare, and dangerous."
Kaito stared at it. "Why?"
"Because it channels both light and shadow — the very balance that once tore the world apart."
Kaito tightened his grip. "Then maybe it's time someone learned to master both."
For a moment, silence. Then Genma nodded approvingly. "Spoken like Tenkei himself."
The three stood together — their Eiryu Tools glowing faintly, harmonizing as their energies aligned.
Genma raised his staff, pressing its tip to the air. Three golden sigils appeared in front of them, forming the ancient crest of the Tsukimori.
"With the awakening of your Eien Ryoku and the manifestation of your Eiryu Tools, I hereby recognize you as Stellar Grade Tsukimori — defenders of the balance between light and shadow."
The hall pulsed, their crests glowing brighter. Light enveloped them, marking the birth of a new generation.
Sayaka smiled softly. "Stellar Grade… sounds fancy."
Akihiro chuckled. "Fancy or not, we've got a lot to live up to."
Kaito gazed at the blade in his hand. Its glow reflected in his eyes — the same golden fire his ancestor once carried. "Then we start here," he said quietly. "We train, we learn, and we stop what's coming."
Genma turned away, his tone suddenly grim. "And you'll need to. Because darkness has already begun to move. Kage no Michi walks this world again — in flesh and memory."
The words sent a chill through the air.
Sayaka's grip tightened around her staff. "Kage…" she whispered. "The man who fell to the dark."
Kaito's expression hardened. "Then that's who we're fighting."
Genma met his eyes. "No. You're not just fighting him. You're fighting what remains of him within yourselves. The bond between light and darkness is not easily severed."
Kaito lowered his gaze, silent. The blade hummed faintly, as if it understood.
Then, the hall's light dimmed. The sigils faded, returning them to the quiet shrine. Only the faint glow from their Eiryu Tools remained — proof that what they'd seen was real.
Sayaka exhaled slowly. "It's… a lot."
Akihiro smiled, the usual teasing glint in his eyes returning. "Yeah, but at least we've got cool weapons now."
Kaito chuckled. "Yeah… we'll need them."
The wind stirred through the trees, carrying with it faint whispers — echoes of the ancestors who once stood where they now stood.
For the first time in centuries, the Tsukimori had returned.
And as Kaito lifted his blade to the sky, a single star pulsed above the city — brighter than the rest.
The era of peace was over.
The era of Eien Ryoku had begun anew.