"Tree-Shaped Birthmark."
Hibiki, still… attached to the core-like structure, white and blue lights swirling around him.
Meili and Kai were suspended in thought after hearing Hibiki's story. The chamber was quiet except for the pulse of the core.
CLANG.
Kai's sword slipped from his hand and hit the ground. The sound echoed, sharp and final.
Meili glanced at him. A single tear cut down Kai's cheek.
He didn't look at her. He stared at Hibiki, suspended in light.
"You knew my mom," he said.
Meili could see how much the truth was wrecking Kai. And she was scared of what he'd do with it.
Kai's voice cracked, but his eyes didn't.
"You kept this from me all this time. Why?"
Hibiki's head lowered, still tethered to the core, light pulsing around him.
"I'm sorry, Kai. I told myself it was the only way you could have a normal life. I've carried the guilt of your mother's death for years. I thought about ending it more than once. But some part of me kept believing you or her might still be out there. And then I found you. I've never been that happy in my life.
"But I made the wrong call. I buried the truth about who you are because I was terrified you'd chase revenge the second you heard it."
Kai stepped forward.
"Did you even try to find her, you bastard?"
Meili caught the edge in his voice. The air got heavier.
Hibiki didn't flinch.
"I did. So many times, Kai. And it's not an excuse. I deserve all of your anger. But even if I died right now, it wouldn't fix what I took from your childhood."
The core's light dimmed a fraction, like it was holding its breath with them.
A long silence stretched through the chamber.
Then Kai exhaled.
"Moi, huh. Well, that might explain why I keep seeing the same crazy lady in my dreams. Always trying to get my attention. Or… is that even her?"
Meili and Hibiki both blinked, confused.
"Crazy lady?" Meili asked. "Did she ever say she was your mother?"
"Not once," Kai said. "But she was persistent. Annoying as hell."
He turned back to Hibiki, voice dropping.
"Back to the topic, Si-Fu. Your stupidity is one reason she's gone."
Hibiki raised his head. Meili glanced between them, tense.
"But from your story," Kai continued, "you're not the one who killed her. And she might still be missing, for all I care. I don't even know what she looks like. I never had parents. That truth? It's just weakness to me now. In my records, they were never part of my life. So your tale… it's useless.
"Sorry, Si-Fu. We need to end this war. And you know what has to be done."
"Kai!" Meili snapped. "Is that all you have to say? That's cruel. Even to your own parents."
Kai's gaze didn't waver.
"I'd rather have been born to dogs. Jake gave me more than any human in this village ever did."
"I understand, Kai," Hibiki said quietly. "And I'm willing to stop this war by any means necessary. Meili, I need you to understand too. Rank doesn't matter here. We're warriors of this village. Our duty, from the moment we started this, was to protect it and everyone in it. I get how you feel about this Meili, but we do what we must. We leave sentiment out of it. I can't stop you. I have to do what I must."
Meili's thoughts were racing. She couldn't make sense of either of them.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?" she shouted, anger cracking through her voice. "Hibiki, you don't get to say that. You're the one who drilled it into us. Never leave a comrade behind. Protect each other. Protect the village. No life comes second when it comes to saving people. So why are you trying to carry this alone now?"
Hibiki looked up at her, eyes full of worry.
Kai bent down, picked up his sword in silence, and settled into his stance.
"Oh, Meili. Sorry to say it, but you still don't get what it means to be a warrior. With that kind of resolve, it's a miracle you've made it this far with us."
His voice was flat. Hard.
"A warrior's life is always secondary. Hibiki didn't have to spell that out. You learn it after a few times on the battlefield. It's kill or be killed. One goal. Village safety. We're just the pillars. If we fall, the whole building falls with us."
Meili's fists clenched. Heat rose in her chest.
Her mind started flashing back. Isabella. Her childhood friend. The moment she lost her. The sick, helpless feeling of being too weak to protect someone again.
Then a voice cut through her head. Wraithbane.
"Haa… haa. I love this kid. He's right, you know. You're just too blind to see it. You lot are nothing but livestock to the village. There's the kind they raise and consume. And then there's you… their shield."
"Enough," Meili spat, voice shaking with rage. "Enough with that bullshit."
She looked straight at Kai.
"We came here to save Si-Fu and Lian. Nothing on this earth is going to stop me from doing that."
Hibiki started to speak. "Hey, Kai—"
Screeeech.
Kai dragged his sword across the floor, sparks flying. He lifted it, tip aimed straight at Meili.
"Well, Meili," he said. "If you're going to break the rules of the village you swore to protect, then I have no choice. I'll have to treat you as a rogue."
"Kai, stop!" Hibiki shouted. "Don't do this!"
Kai's eyes went cold. He charged, sword leading.
Meili snapped into a guard, ready to block—
But Kai pivoted. He wasn't aiming at her. He drove straight for Hibiki, who couldn't move.
Meili realized too late. She lunged.
CLANG!
Steel met steel as her blade slammed into his, knocking his strike off course inches from Hibiki. Kai recovered in a breath, twisted, and blocked her follow-up with sharp, precise control.
TAK. TING.
They locked up, faces inches apart.
Meili's chest heaved. Her hands trembled on the hilt.
"I'm… I'm really fighting Kai?" Her thoughts spiraled. "How did it end up like this?
They traded blows, pace for pace.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
Meili struggled to keep up. Her arms burned with every impact.
Kai's face stayed empty. No anger. No hesitation. Nothing.
Meili gritted her teeth. "He's just trying to tire me out. He's not even taking me seriously."
Kai picked up speed. His swings came faster, heavier.
SWISH. THUD. CLANG.
Meili saw an opening and surged forward, planting her feet.
"Iron Sword Style!"
Her blade flipped in her grip. No edge, just weight. She brought it down like a hammer.
BOOM!
The strike crashed into the ground.The shockwave kicked up dust. If that had landed clean, it would've shattered armor, broken bone.
To her shock, Kai didn't meet it. He slipped sideways at the last second, untouched, still expressionless.
Before she could reset, he was already moving again.
"Whoa, he's fast!" Meili thought, heart jumping. She snapped back into her stance.
Kai caught the shift in her posture. His eyes narrowed.
Air shimmered around him.
"Bujutsu: Suspension."
Time stuttered.
Meili's falling blade froze midair, hovering inches from the ground. Dust hung still. Even her breath seemed caught.
At basic suspension, Kai could only hold one or two things at once, and only for a few seconds. But a few seconds was all he needed.
THUD.
Kai's strike connected. Meili flew back and crashed into the ground, skidding to a stop.
Hibiki couldn't bear to watch. His students, tearing each other apart.
"It's over, Meili," Kai said, sword lowered. "You don't have to make this worse than it already is."
No answer. Just silence.
Kai turned then, eyes locking on Si-Fu Hibiki. He started walking.
"Kai..." Hibiki breathed.
His voice shook, but he didn't look away.
"I always thought I didn't have what it takes to be a mentor. And I proved it. I messed everything up. For everyone. Especially you, Kai. I couldn't stand the idea of showing you what being a warrior really means. Because honestly? It makes no sense to me either. We're more than livestock to the Village, to the Grandmaster, to anyone.
"But I had a role. And I failed it. I failed you. I failed your mother. I failed to change anything in this pathetic world. All the pain, all the training, all the sacrifices… for nothing.
"But I want to make it right, even now. Kai, I know nothing I say can give you back those lost years. So stop this war. Do what you must. At least then, maybe I can—"
"Enough." Kai's voice cut through him, cold and final. "I don't care what comes out of your mouth anymore. I'm ending this stupid war and going back to bed. It's been a long day."
Hibiki stared at him for a second. Then he smiled, tired and sad.
"Always so corny."
Kai's sword tip hovered at Hibiki's throat. His hand trembled just enough for him to notice.
'I hope this works,' he thought.
Hibiki's eyes flickered. He kept slipping in and out of consciousness, breath shallow, body worn down.
Kai muttered under his breath, eyes never leaving his master.
"Sorry, Meili. But what I have to do next doesn't need your sword."
He exhaled slowly.
"I can see them. Thousands of microscopic chi-thread roots wrapped around Hibiki. Snap them all at once and he dies instantly. Worse, the monster could destabilize. Detonate from all that raw chi.
"Hibiki isn't the one generating this energy. He's just regulating it. That's the only reason this thing is stable right now. But…"
'Why him?' Kai wondered.
"You're spot on, kid."
Kai froze. His head snapped up.
"Where did that come from?"
"Stay calm, kid. If you want to save your master, you'll listen."
Kai stared at Hibiki's unconscious form. "Who are you?"
"I'm a Wraith. Inside your Si-Fu. Call me Sanguine."
"A Wraith? What is that?"
"We exist on the edge of the world. We're drawn to strong emotion. To spiritual resonance. The 'Siren's Song.' It's a beacon for us." Sanguine's voice was smooth, amused. "I've been with your master a long time. But we can save the history lesson.
"Right now, you need to merge with me. It's the only way you save him. The only way you save your world."
Kai went quiet. His grip on the sword tightened.
"Merge with you? You think I'm stupid enough to take that deal?"
"Watch your mouth, boy," Sanguine snapped. "I'm offering you humans a favor. No other Wraith in existence would even consider it."
"What do you mean?" Kai said. "I don't have proof. For all I know, everything you've said is a lie."
"The nerve." Sanguine's voice curled with irritation. "You humans have a gift for getting under my skin. You remind me of Hibiki when I first met him. He got lucky and walked away from my wrath. I can't promise you'll be that fortunate if I ever get out of these binds."
"Skip the threats," Kai said, voice flat. "Start making sense."
"Fine." Sanguine exhaled, like someone explaining something obvious to a child. "You're wondering why Hibiki is the one bound here, regulating all that chi. It's because of me. Because an entity like me is inside him."
She went on.
"Veyruun needs a stabilizing consciousness. And I'm not some ordinary Wraith. I'm ancient. A parasitic entity born from the 'blood consciousness' left behind when your village hero, Wu Long, sealed Veyruun.
"When Veyruun was sealed centuries ago, its body couldn't fully die. Veyruun isn't just flesh and bone. The seal crushed its body, but not its pulse.
"That pulse shattered. Over generations, it fractured into spiritual parasites.
"One of those fragments evolved. Became me.
"Sanguine."
"Hmm." Kai frowned.
"Anything else, human?" Sanguine snapped. "We don't have much time."
"What's the catch? What happens to me?" Kai asked.
"After we merge, even if it's brief, I can't say what happens to you. But you have to free Hibiki from those threads right now, or he dies. Cutting him loose will reduce the chi burst. You grab your people and run the second it starts consuming itself. It'll burn out and vanish. Then you get out."
Kai thought for a second. "What about you? You won't be with Hibiki anymore?"
"I'll be conscious for a while," Sanguine said. "Then I won't exist. Rarely, another Wraith replaces me."
Kai opened his mouth. "What do—"
"Sorry, Kai. We don't have time."
"Wait," Kai said, stepping back. "How are you even talking to me?"
"When you cut Hibiki and your sword touched the threads, it created a link. That's how I reached your thoughts. That's how we merge too. You need to cut the threads."
Kai blinked. "But you know—"
"Yes," Sanguine cut him off. "You don't have to cut all of them. I'll guide you. Do it in sequence. Carefully. That's how we set me free."
Kai nodded. Sanguine flooded his mind with instructions. He moved.
"Here we go," he muttered.
SHING. SHING. SHINK.
Blade after blade, he followed her directions, severing thread after thread.
He paused, breathing hard. "Hey, did I do it right?"
No answer.
"Hey. Are you there?"
Still nothing. Then the ground trembled.
RUMBLE. CRACK.
Veyruun shuddered. The air went wrong. Kai felt it in his bones. He lunged toward Hibiki to finish releasing him. But—
SNIKT.
A blade drove through Hibiki's chest.
Kai's eyes went wide. A cold aura hit him like ice. Blood dripping...
Meili. Her sword was buried in Hibiki.