The memory wasn’t clear—memories never were—but it lingered, fuzzy and warped at the edges, like watching sunlight ripple on water. Shigure stood in it, not the man he was now, but the boy he used to be, thin and awkward and defiant in a way only children could be. His hand clutched a stick—no, a sword. It was a sword in his mind, and that made it real enough.
The boy raised it high, his arm trembling against the weight of a sun that felt too big for his world. His shadow stretched long across the dry grass, a warrior’s shadow, or so he told himself. He planted his feet like the heroes in his books, chest out, eyes filled with determination. He could do it. He had to.
“I’ll kill them all,” the boy said. He stared at something invisible in the distance, something only he could see—a monster, a hundred monsters, all waiting to be slain.
“You don’t have to worry, Mama. I’ll protect you. I’ll protect everyone.”
The stick quivered in his grip as he slashed the air, a little too fast, a little too wild. In his head, it was perfect. Each strike split the sky, each swing brought an enemy to their knees. But from the outside, it was a boy flailing at nothing, shouting words no one was there to hear.
The memory shifted, twisting itself inside out. The light bent, brighter now, blinding. He saw her—his mother, her back turned to him, her head tilted as if she was listening but didn’t want to look. He couldn’t see her face, not anymore, not even in memories. Just the shape of her shoulders, tense and tired, framed by the sinking sun.
“You don’t have to worry,” the boy said again, louder this time. “I’ll be like them. The heroes. I’ll make it so they can’t hurt you. Ever.”
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Shigure’s eyelids flickered—just once, like the false start of a dying lightbulb. Rinne barely caught it, her breath hitching as she leaned closer. His eyes opened slowly, pupils dragging themselves to focus, and for a moment, he saw nothing but her.
Everything else—the rubble-strewn street, the faint drizzle mixing with the tang of smoke—was a meaningless blur. But Rinne was there, sharp and vivid, her hair clinging to her face in damp, unruly strands. Her cheeks were smeared with grime, a smudge of dried blood curving just above her temple, and her eyes... Her eyes carried an edge that cut deeper than any blade. Worry and anger wrestled there, neither willing to yield.
A weak smile tugged at Shigure’s lips, crooked and unsure, like it had forgotten how to form. “Beautiful…” he whispered, the word barely more than air escaping his lungs.
Rinne’s breath hitched again, though she didn’t hear him. Relief swelled in her chest and spilled out as a shaky exhale she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. For a second, her expression softened—but it didn’t last. Her brows knit together, and she shoved his shoulder with enough force to jostle him but not enough to hurt.
“Idiot,” she muttered, her voice wobbling like a tightrope walker one misstep from falling. Her lips flattened into a pale, bloodless line, but the dam broke anyway. “What were you thinking, huh? Making me worry like that?” The words tumbled out, faster and sharper with each one, like stones kicked downhill. “Do you ever stop being such a pain, Shigure?”
Her hands betrayed her tone. They hovered at her sides, twitching faintly, like they couldn’t decide whether to slap him or hold onto him and never let go.
Shigure’s body shifted as he tried to push himself upright, but the effort barely lasted a second before pain wracked him, sharp and sudden. His muscles gave out, and he sank back with a grunt, his breaths ragged. “What… happened?” he rasped. His gaze wavered, unfocused, before settling on Rinne.
She didn’t answer right away. Her hand went to her knee, brushing at a patch of dirt as if it were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. Her lips tightened, and when she finally spoke, her words were clipped. “Your mind got taken over,” she said, her tone edging on detached, like she was recounting a weather report. “By that bastard’s sorcery.”
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Her fingers curled into her thigh, a faint tremor betraying the calm façade. “I might’ve had to… knock some sense into you.” She risked a glance at him, a flicker of unease softening her expression. “Not that you didn’t deserve it,” she added quickly, but the insult landed hollow, the edges dulled by the awkward tilt of her mouth—a half-smile she couldn’t quite commit to.
Shigure blinked slowly, processing, but before he could say anything, the sound of slow, mocking applause rippled through the air.
Rinne's head snapped up, her body tensing, and Shigure turned his head with effort.
The silver-haired stranger—the one responsible for all of this—was striding toward them. A smirk twisted his otherwise handsome features, turning them cruel.
“Well, well,” the stranger drawled, his clapping coming to a stop, “I must say, that was quite the performance. I had the time of my life watching you two try to tear each other apart.” His eyes glittered with dark delight.
Rinne's fists clenched at her sides, anger burning in her eyes. She tried to rise, her legs trembling beneath her, but her strength had abandoned her. She collapsed back to her knees, her teeth gritted against the frustration and helplessness that threatened to overwhelm her.
“You... I haven’t forgotten about you,” she spat. “I’ll wipe that smug look off your face... right now.” But even as the words left her lips, she felt the emptiness within—the hollow ache where her mana should have been.
The stranger shook his head and laughed, the sound cold and mocking. He looked down at her, eyes glinting with amusement. "Well, well. The Nightguard's gotten a bit stronger, huh?"
He reached into his coat, pulling out that beat-up old book she'd seen before. Flipping it open, he tore out a page and held it up, pinched between his fingers. "Good thing the rain stopped," he said, voice dropping low. The edges of the page started smoking, then burst into flame, crumbling to ash in seconds.
The stranger's grin stretched wide, like a wolf baring its teeth. "Too bad," he drawled, eyes flicking from Rinne to Shigure and back again. "Looks like this is the end of the line for you two."
The portal ripped open, crackling and spitting darkness. Out of it came a snake, scales white as bleached bone, too bright and slick to be natural. It moved like a whip crack, streaking over busted ground and scattered wreckage, zeroing in on Rinne and Shigeru.
Quick as a heartbeat, it was on them. The monstrous head reared back, jaws yawning open to flash teeth like swords. It struck, a blur of white fury.
WHAM.
Something dropped on the serpent like a hammer, crushing its skull against the ground. The impact rang out like a gunshot. Bits of splintered bone poked through reptilian skin. The thing shuddered once, then started crumbling, dissolving into smoke that seeped away on the wind.
“Captain!” Rinne’s voice rang out, breaking the silence, relief bright in her tone. She staggered to her feet, her eyes widening in grateful recognition.
Their captain stood before them, his back turned to Rinne as he faced the silver-haired stranger. The faint glow of a streetlamp outlined his figure, his posture calm but unyielding. He lifted a hand, giving her a thumbs-up over his shoulder as he glanced back, a reassuring flicker of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
“I figured something was off when I didn’t get a report from you.”
But his attention quickly returned to the stranger, his stance shifting to one of tension. “You sure took good care of my subordinates,” he added with a mocking lilt.
The silver-haired man raised his arms in mock surrender, his grin sly and far from sincere. “As expected from a Nightguard captain. You managed to down my snake in a single strike~~”
He reached into his cloak, pulling out another page from his tattered book. He held it aloft, the paper igniting, flames licking at its edges. Smoke began to rise around him, thickening into a haze that began to obscure his form.
He gave a dismissive wave, his voice taunting, casual. “As much as I’d love to stay and play, I really have no interest in a prolonged fight right now. I think I’ll take my leave.” His form faded into the smoke, his smirk the last thing to disappear as he vanished, leaving the night empty and quiet once more.
The captain clicked his tongue, his expression tightening in frustration. “Tsk. So he got away,” he muttered, shaking his head.
Turning back to Rinne and Shigeru, he took in their battered forms with a careful gaze. “You two all right?”
Rinne managed a weary smile, though her voice was faint. “I’m fine… but you should really worry about Shigure.”
The captain nodded, glancing down at Shigure’s beaten form, his face softening slightly. “Right. Stay put. I’ll have the medical team here in no time.”