Now that the atmosphere was beginning to calm down, Akari finally raised her voice, serious and serene:
"Very well. Enough of the eccentricities. It's time you all knew why you were brought here."
Akari had just taken a deep breath, about to begin her speech, when a female voice burst into the air with sarcasm and brilliance:
"My dear pompous advisors… the only reason they're here… is me!"
The sound seemed to echo off all the walls, soft but full of confidence, as if I had just laughed and bowed at the same time.
Izanai turned his face slowly, slightly confused.
"…who… said that?"
Takumi, Reika, and Renjiro already recognized that unmistakable timbre.
Reika sighed.
"Oh no… it's already started."
Suddenly, a bright pink flame rippled at the base of Reika's mask, which hung from the side of her belt. The energy took shape in the air as an almost visible silhouette, a shimmering, fluttering shape like floating paper, bodiless but with a striking presence.
"Ame-no-Kagura, at your service~!"
The voice sounded like a mischievous melody, with the tone of someone enjoying breaking rules.
Yuto raised an eyebrow.
"That's… a masked entity manifesting inside the Tower?"
Asuka frowned, but didn't seem exactly surprised.
Akari became serious, but maintained a calm tone:
"Izanai… did you perhaps authorize uninvited manifestations?"
Izanai, still with his hands behind his back, let out a slight sigh.
"Me? Never. But it seems she didn't need my permission…"
At that moment, a second voice emerged. Deep and measured, like an old thunderclap rolling in the distance.
"She rarely asks permission. But sometimes, she acts with reason."
This time, it was Takumi's mask that shone.
A yellowish veil rose into the air, taking the form of slowly moving geometric lines, like a living tapestry.
Tenax manifested.
"I am Tenax. The voice that guides the Watanabe[1] bearer. And as my duty, I am here so that your decisions are not based solely on institutional pride."
The room fell silent for a while.
Ryo murmured, his eyes still half-open:
"…two masked spirits speaking at the same time… rare…"
Reika looked around, already a little irritated.
"Please… don't tell me there's a third one missing…"
Takumi, as if foreseeing the inevitable, took a step back. Renjiro, for his part, could feel the weight of the mask warming in his hands.
And then... a final voice whispered.
Low.
But full of magnetism.
Like a hand caressing the mind.
"If you didn't want to listen to me, you shouldn't have brought me here..."
Nyxalith.
A black and violet veil rose from the cracked mask Renjiro held, the air around seemed to darken for an instant, as if the sounds themselves receded. There was no form, only an ethereal, maternal, and yet terrifying presence.
"I am Nyxalith… and this curious boy here… he belongs to me. But rest assured. I only bite when you ignore me."
Shiori, who until then had been quiet in a corner of the room, almost let slip a comment, but bit her lip.
Akari, for the first time, seemed to lose a little of his composure. But he quickly recovered.
"…three entities. Simultaneously. In a sacred place."
Yuto crossed his arms, staring at the figures in the air.
"You three know what you're doing, right? This isn't just any arena."
Kagura replied with a cheeky giggle:
"Oh, we know. But your new charges need more than silence and mystery. They need… answers. And choices."
Tenax finished firmly:
"And they need to know what comes next. What it truly means to carry an awakened mask."
Nyxalith, almost in a whisper, concluded:
"And that time… is running out."
The echo of Nyxalith's words still lingered in the air as Akari straightened in her chair, her intense eyes focused on the three floating masks.
She took a deep breath.
"…wait."
Her tone changed. It was no longer that of a warrior or a commander, but that of someone who had just seen an ancient ghost.
Akari looked intently at the energies surrounding each of the three young people, the remnants of spiritual manifestation that still danced in the air, tracing invisible lines between the bearers and their entities.
She turned slowly to the other advisors. Yuto was no longer smiling. Asuka had crossed her arms, her eyes half-closed. Ryo, even lying down, had one eye fully open now.
"You're seeing the same thing I am, right?"
The silence that followed was incredibly dense.
The council members exchanged quick glances, but said nothing. Instead, they nodded slightly, like someone receiving nonverbal confirmation… and that gives you the creeps.
Reika, already uncomfortable with so much formality since entering, raised her voice:
"What? Excuse me, but does anyone want to explain to me what the hell is going on? What did you see?"
Renjiro and Takumi were also tense, their eyes darting between the council members' closed faces and the still somewhat present spiritual shadows of their masks.
The atmosphere had become strange.
Almost suffocating.
Reika stepped forward, facing Akari directly:
"You're acting like we have a contagious disease! What is it? What's so strange about us?!"
Before Akari could open her mouth… a voice cut through the air.
"Enough."
Shiori.
Her voice was low, but firm as steel. She advanced with slow steps, her dress swaying gently with her movements. Her silhouette stood out against the brightness of the room, and her presence imposed itself like a real shadow in the full light.
"For now… you don't need to know."
Reika turned, indignant.
"We don't need to know?! After everything we've been through-"
"Exactly." Shiori interrupted, staring directly at her. "You've been through too much. In too little time. If we spill everything now… we risk burning you from the inside. And I'm not just talking emotionally."
Takumi, who had been quiet until then, swallowed hard.
"…is this to calm us down?"
Renjiro, with clenched fists, looked at the masks in front of him, which now rested in silence again.
"So… you want us to trust you… without knowing why we're here, or what we are, or what we saw in that… whole mess…"
Shiori replied without hesitation:
"No. I want you to trust… yourselves. You are not like the others. Not even like the bearers who came before."
She stepped forward, and her intense gaze fell upon the three.
"You were chosen by the entities… before the entities knew why. That changes everything. And that's why… we need time."
The room fell into a tense calm. The weight of Shiori's words still vibrated in the air.
Nyxalith, in a distant whisper, let slip:
"For now… let them breathe. Soon, they will see. Everything."
The silence still reigned, tense and thick, when a chair creaked on top of the round table.
Asuka stood up.
With her horns visible and her gaze sharp as a freshly polished blade, she crossed her arms and walked slowly to the center of the room, the heels of her boots echoing firmly on the polished stone floor. Her stylized coat swayed with military elegance, and every jewel or accessory on his outfit seemed placed to intimidate, not to embellish.
Renjiro followed her with his eyes, attentive. She stopped right in front of him, as if evaluating a recruit.
"You have so many questions, so much confusion... and believe me, you're not the first."
She turned, now facing the three of them.
"But enough stalling. It's time to tell you... who we are."
The light in the room changed tone, becoming slightly dimmer. Behind her, the windows closed automatically, as if the space itself recognized the gravity of the moment.
"The Tamashi Zetsumetsu are the last line of defense between the worlds. Between the Velum... and everything that threatens to break the Veil."
She paced back and forth as she spoke, in a confident, almost theatrical tone.
"We are bearers, like you. But not just simple warriors, we are the ones who clean up what others leave behind. The Fractures, the Corrupted Entities, the crazed bearers… all of that falls upon us. Because when the rest of the world turns its face away… we act."
Takumi swallowed hard.
Reika pressed her arms against her chest.
Renjiro, however, still had his arms crossed, his expression closed off.
Asuka noticed. She smiled.
"And you. The boy who was going to throw the mask against the wall… what a brave face now."
Renjiro clenched his teeth.
"Are you kidding me?"
"A little bit." she admitted, with a wry smile. "But only because I like to see if the new ones break."
She took another step closer, entering Renjiro's personal space, her eyes fixed on his.
"You're stubborn. Shamelessly reckless. But…"
Her tone softened slightly, almost imperceptibly.
"…you're the kind of person who, when you lose everything, still refuses to give up. And those are the ones… that the masks choose."
Renjiro was silent for a few seconds.
His throat moved as if he wanted to respond, but nothing came out.
Nyxalith murmured, almost as if whispering directly to his heart:
"She sees you, little cracked mirror…"
Asuka turned her back and returned to the table.
"Your arrival was no accident. And the complete manifestation of the three entities here, in this room… that hasn't happened in decades."
She placed her hands on the surface of the table.
"Whether you like it or not, your life as you knew it… is over. You are Tamashi Zetsumetsu now. And you will train, survive, and protect the Veil. Or you will die. Simple."
Yuto chuckled nervously in the background:
"Always so warm, Asuka."
Ryo mumbled something incomprehensible, half asleep.
Akari finally spoke calmly:
"There's time for you to learn. But now, you must rest. Tomorrow, your true initiation begins."
The atmosphere had cooled, not from the cold, but from the emotional charge that still vibrated in the air. The three young people stood there, quiet, with expressions that oscillated between exhaustion, shock, and a slight fear of what was to come.
Then a gentle presence approached from behind.
"Hey... don't be like that."
The voice was sweet, gentle, and filled with an almost magical tranquility.
Shiori approached slowly, with a serene smile, her hands clasped behind her back. Her long hair swayed like a white-golden veil, and her eyes held genuine empathy.
"I know… that was a lot. It was violent. Fast. Unfair, even. But…" she stopped in front of the three of them, "…it was necessary."
Renjiro kept his gaze on the ground. Takumi sighed, his arms hanging down. Reika just murmured a "hm" and nodded slowly.
Shiori continued:
"You left behind your world, your routine… your people. And all of that… in the blink of an eye. I understand. But… there are things that can't be avoided. And if it's any consolation…" she leaned slightly, with a small smile, "…you're still alive. And you're not alone."
Reika looked up. That maternal look from Shiori warmed her heart.
Then, behind them, a firm voice, but softer than usual, joined the conversation:
"And Yumehara… will be your home. Temporarily, at least."
Asuka crossed her arms, but her tone was different. There was no more sarcasm, no more arrogance, just… humanity.
"Here, you will train. You will understand your masks, your limits… and your own selves. Physically, mentally, and spiritually, we will help you grow. This is not a prison. It's an opportunity. And we…" she looked into their eyes "…will do everything possible to make that happen."
A brief silence fell over the room. But this time, it was light.
Takumi smiled, somewhat tired, and turned to the side.
"Faith in the crazy ones…"
Renjiro, unable to contain his laughter, nodded:
"Yeah… faith in the crazy ones indeed."
Asuka stopped. Her right eye twitched slightly.
"…what did you just say?"
Takumi stiffened.
— "Huh? Me? N-Nothing, it was just… an expression!"
In an instant, Asuka grabbed Takumi and Renjiro by the collars of their shirts, pulling them up as if they were lightweight training bags.
"Crazy...? CRAZY?! But who spent the last few minutes patiently explaining everything to you, huh?! Are you kidding me?!?!"
Renjiro tried to speak, but the collar tightened around his neck.
"It wasn't on purpose, I swear!"
Takumi shouted:
"That's abuse of power, ma'am!"
Reika was already doubled over laughing.
Yuto had to lean back in his chair, laughing hysterically.
Akari tried to contain herself, but even her lips curved into a discreet smile.
Ryo, for the first time, let out an almost imperceptible, but noticeable "heh."
Shiori, with her hands on her hips, shook her head smiling:
"Well… if they already have the energy for jokes, then it seems they'll really survive here."
Asuka, still huffing, let go of the two with a little shove:
"Idiots."
But deep down, her gaze softened, and it was the first time they saw a slight blush on her face.
[1] Takumi's family name