Morning came without warmth.
A pale, lifeless light filtered through the dense canopy of snow-laden trees, barely illuminating the forest floor. The cold had deepened overnight, sinking into bone and breath alike.
Haruki woke to the sound of crunching snow.
For a moment, he didn't move.
The fire from the night before had long since died out, leaving behind faint wisps of smoke and a circle of blackened ash. The cold bit harder without it.
"…You're awake."
Raizen stood a short distance away, his back turned, gaze fixed deeper into the forest. He hadn't slept. Haruki could tell.
Karin stirred beside him, groaning softly as she pulled her coat tighter. "Already morning…?"
"It doesn't matter what time it is," Raizen said calmly. "Out here, survival doesn't wait for comfort."
Karin sat up, clearly unimpressed. "You really don't do 'good morning,' do you?"
Raizen ignored the remark.
Instead, he turned—and for the first time since they'd met, there was something sharper in his gaze.
"Today, you begin your first trial."
Haruki's body tensed slightly.
"A trial?" Karin asked, standing now, brushing snow from her sleeves. "Already?"
"You asked to grow stronger," Raizen replied. "This is where it starts."
Haruki pushed himself to his feet, his muscles stiff from the cold.
"…What do we have to do?"
Raizen didn't answer immediately.
He simply stepped aside.
And gestured forward.
The forest ahead seemed… wrong.
The trees were denser, darker, their branches twisted unnaturally. The snow beneath them wasn't pristine white anymore—it was disturbed, marked by deep grooves and scattered indentations.
Tracks.
Large ones.
A low, distant growl echoed faintly through the woods.
Karin's expression shifted. "You've got to be kidding."
"This forest," Raizen said, "is infested with Rift-Beasts."
Haruki's chest tightened.
"You will enter," Raizen continued, "and survive until sunset."
Karin stared at him. "Survive? That's it?"
"If you can't manage that," he said, "you have no business walking the path you chose."
Silence fell.
The weight of his words settled heavily between them.
Haruki swallowed.
"…What about you?" he asked.
Raizen met his gaze.
"I'll be watching."
That was all.
No help.
No safety net.
Just observation.
Haruki exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
This was it.
His first real step forward.
Karin cracked her knuckles lightly, small embers flickering at her fingertips. "Well," she said, forcing a grin, "guess we're not turning back now."
Haruki nodded.
"Yeah."
Together, they stepped forward—
And into the forest.
The moment they crossed the invisible threshold, the air changed.
It felt heavier.
Quieter.
Like the forest itself was holding its breath.
Haruki's senses sharpened instinctively, his eyes scanning every shadow, every movement of snow and branch. His heart beat steadily—but faster than before.
Too many places for something to hide.
Too many unknowns.
"…Stay close," Karin murmured.
Haruki nodded.
They moved carefully, each step deliberate, boots pressing softly into the snow. The silence stretched, broken only by the faint creak of branches overhead.
Then—
A sound.
To their left.
Haruki turned just as something lunged from the trees.
A Rift-Beast.
Its body was twisted, elongated limbs propelling it forward with unnatural speed, claws slicing through the air as it aimed straight for Karin.
"Karin!"
She reacted instantly.
Flames burst from her hands, a sharp flash of orange cutting through the white landscape as she met the creature head-on.
The impact sent snow flying.
The Beast recoiled slightly, its form crackling where the fire touched it—but it didn't fall.
It growled.
Low.
Hungry.
Haruki froze.
His body refused to move.
His mind raced—
Too fast.
Too loud.
Then—
A flicker.
The world shifted.
For a split second—
He saw it.
The Beast's next movement.
A swipe—
From the right.
"Move!" Haruki shouted.
Karin didn't hesitate.
She ducked just as the claw tore through the space where her head had been.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"How did you—?"
"Just—move!" Haruki snapped, his voice tighter than he intended.
The Beast lunged again.
This time, Karin struck first.
A burst of fire exploded from her palm, slamming into the creature's chest and sending it crashing back into the snow.
It twitched—
Then dissolved.
Silence returned.
Haruki's breathing was uneven.
"…That was one," Karin muttered, glancing around. "How many more do you think are out here?"
As if answering her—
A low growl echoed from deeper within the forest.
Then another.
And another.
Haruki's stomach dropped.
"We're not alone," he said quietly.
Time passed slowly.
Too slowly.
Every step forward brought another encounter.
Another fight.
Another test.
Haruki lost count of how many times he nearly died.
His body ached, his movements slower now, heavier. His breaths came shorter, sharper.
But he was still standing.
Still moving.
Still enduring.
Each time a Beast attacked, his Eyes flickered—brief glimpses of what would come next. Not clear. Not controlled.
But enough.
Enough to survive.
Karin fought beside him without hesitation, her flames growing stronger, more controlled with each battle.
They were learning.
Adapting.
Together.
And yet—
It wasn't enough.
Not yet.
By midday, Haruki stumbled.
His foot caught on uneven ground, and he dropped to one knee, breath shaking.
"I'm… fine," he muttered, though he clearly wasn't.
Karin stepped closer, concern etched across her face. "We should take a break."
"We don't have time," Haruki replied, forcing himself back up.
"You'll collapse at this rate."
"Then I'll get back up."
Karin stared at him.
There was no hesitation in his voice.
No doubt.
Just quiet, stubborn resolve.
"…You're impossible," she said softly.
Haruki gave a faint, tired smile.
"Maybe."
A distant movement caught his eye.
He turned—
And froze.
A larger shape stood between the trees.
Not like the others.
Bigger.
Heavier.
Its presence alone made the air feel colder.
"…Karin," he whispered.
She followed his gaze—
And her expression tightened.
"…That's new."
The creature stepped forward slowly, its glowing eyes locking onto them.
The ground beneath it cracked slightly with each step.
Haruki's chest tightened.
His body screamed at him to run.
But his feet didn't move.
Instead—
His eyes burned.
Stronger than before.
The world flickered.
Fragments of movement.
Possibilities.
Paths.
All converging.
"…I can see it," he whispered.
Karin glanced at him. "What?"
Haruki stepped forward.
Unsteady.
But certain.
"I can see how it moves."
The Beast roared—
And charged.
Far above, unseen—
Raizen watched.
Silent.
Unmoving.
"…Good," he murmured.