They didn't hesitate after understanding the rule. Silence wasn't safety—it was delay, and delay had already taken something from them. Shizuma stepped forward, eyes scanning once, then spoke in a controlled voice, just enough to carry. "Everyone… gather here." No names, just intent. For a brief moment, nothing answered. Then footsteps approached from different directions. Kaito appeared first, precise as ever, Arai followed with her guard up, and Corajudo rushed in last, slightly stumbling as he reached them.
"What happened?" Corajudo asked quickly, already uneasy. "Why did we regroup? And where is—"
Shizuma moved instantly, grabbing his mouth before the word could form. Corajudo froze, eyes widening in panic. "Don't say names," Shizuma said, his tone low but cutting. Corajudo nodded rapidly, and only then did Shizuma release him.
Kaito understood almost immediately. "…He didn't hear you."
Shizuma didn't reply. He didn't need to. Daigo had been too far. Which meant he hadn't heard the call. Which meant he was alone.
The realization barely settled before the silence broke.
"AGHHHHHH—!!"
The scream ripped through the village, raw and violent, cutting through everything. Corajudo flinched hard. "That's—"
"Move." Shizuma didn't wait. They ran.
Their footsteps pounded hard against the ground as they pushed through narrow paths, turning corners sharply, bodies brushing past unmoving villagers who didn't react in the slightest. The scream had already cut off. That silence after it was worse.
They reached the source and stopped all at once.
Daigo's body was pinned to the ground by a thick wooden stake driven straight through him. The impact had forced him down at a brutal angle. Blood spread beneath him, dark and still. His hand was half-curled as if he had tried to fight back or reach something in his final moment.
Corajudo staggered back, his legs nearly giving out. "…No… no…"
Arai froze, her jaw tightening, forcing herself not to look away.
Kaito said nothing, but his gaze sharpened instantly.
Jenres stepped forward slowly, her eyes locked onto him. Fear broke through her voice before she could stop it. "Daigo… what happened…?"
The moment his name left her mouth, the air snapped.
A sharp tearing sound cut through the ground as another wooden spike burst upward with violent speed, aimed straight at Daigo's body again.
"MOVE!" Shizuma reacted instantly. He stepped in front, his arm smashing into the incoming spike with force. The wood cracked loudly and shattered into fragments that scattered across the ground. The impact echoed for a moment, then everything fell silent again.
Jenres froze, realization hitting her hard. "…The name…" she said under her breath.
Kaito's voice dropped, steady but serious. "That's the trigger. Saying it marks it again."
Arai's grip tightened on her weapon. "So even after… it still reacts?"
Kaito nodded slightly. "Recognition persists."
Corajudo backed away, shaking his head. "So we can't even talk about him? That's messed up… that's seriously messed up…"
Shizuma didn't respond. His attention had already shifted.
Jenres dropped beside Daigo, her hand going straight to his neck. She checked once, then again, pressing harder, as if refusing to accept what she already knew.
Nothing.
Her fingers tightened slightly before she pulled her hand back. "…He's gone."
No one argued.
No one tried to deny it.
The silence held heavier now.
Then they noticed him.
A figure stood a short distance ahead.
Small. Thin. Young. Around sixteen or seventeen. His head was lowered, face hidden in shadow, arms hanging loosely at his sides. He wasn't tense. He wasn't preparing. He simply stood there.
Watching.
The atmosphere tightened instantly.
Shizuma stepped forward, placing himself between the group and the figure. "…You chose him," he said, voice low.
No response came.
The boy remained still.
Then, slowly, he lifted his head.
Light touched his face just enough to reveal it. Young. Calm. Empty. No anger. No satisfaction. Just observation.
That made it worse.
Corajudo whispered, barely holding himself together, "That's him… Kusogami…"
The name hung dangerously in the air, but this time nothing reacted immediately.
Shizuma's hand clenched slightly. His breathing slowed, but his eyes remained locked forward. "…You listen. You mark. You choose."
The ground beneath him shifted with a faint creaking sound. Wood pushed upward, forming another spike with unnatural speed. It shot toward him instantly.
He didn't step back. He struck it aside mid-motion, breaking it into splinters before it could reach him.
Another followed. Then another.
Each one was met the same way, shattered before it could land.
He didn't slow down. Each step forward carried more weight, more intent, the ground responding slightly under his movement. The distance between him and the boy closed rapidly.
Behind him, Arai adjusted her stance, ready to move at any second. Kaito observed everything closely, his mind already calculating patterns. Corajudo remained frozen, caught between fear and disbelief. Jenres rose slowly from beside Daigo, her grip tightening around her blade, her body still strained but her focus locked forward.
Everything narrowed to that space between Shizuma and the boy.
Shizuma moved faster.
The boy stepped back once.
Calm.
Measured.
Like he had expected it.
Another spike rose, then another, both aimed to intercept.
Shizuma broke through them without hesitation, pushing forward through the fragments.
The distance closed completely.
For the first time, Kusogami shifted his stance.
Not defensive.
Not aggressive.
Just enough to acknowledge the attack coming toward him.
And the silence around them became absolute, like the village itself was holding its breath for what would happen next.