As the first rays of sunlight filtered through the cracks in the window, I slowly opened my eyes, feeling the softness of the sheets and the steady breathing of someone nearby. For a moment, I wasn't sure where I was, my mind still caught between turbulent dreams and recent memories of struggles, goodbyes, and difficult decisions.
Turning my head to the side, I saw Arturia sitting on the edge of the bed, her golden hair partially tied back and her eyes focused on the window. The light touched her face gently, revealing traces of serenity... and concern.
I took a deep breath and stood up with a small groan of pain in my muscles. I still felt the remnants of the wear and tear from the last battle, even as I recovered alongside Arturia.
"...Is she okay?" she asked, her voice hoarse but firm. "Illya... How is she?"
Arturia turned her gaze for me, a gentle gleam in her eyes. She nodded slowly. "She's resting. Rin is taking care of her now. She's still a little shaken by everything that happened, but... she seems more at peace."
I lowered my eyes, looking at my hands resting on my legs. The memory of Illya's face crying in my arms was still vivid. I still felt torn between the weight of guilt and the relief of having saved her.
"I don't know if I deserve this relief..." I murmured.
Arturia moved closer, kneeling before me and holding my hands firmly, like someone anchoring a soul about to be lost. "You didn't abandon her, Yuji. You came back for her. You saved not only her body... but what was left of her heart."
I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the warmth of her hands. Arturia's voice, calm and strong, always seemed to cut through the confusion inside me.
"...Thank you for not letting me fall too..." I murmured. "If you weren't with me... I wouldn't have the strength to carry on."
Arturia smiled slightly, and with a gentleness that contrasted with the strength she always displayed in battle, she rested her forehead against mine. "You are stronger than you think. But even the strong need to be reminded of who they are."
For a moment, the world fell silent around me.
But in that silent morning, between the faint warmth of daylight and each other's presence, I knew I could still walk. There were still battles... and there was still something to protect.
As I left the room, feeling the lighter air of that house that seemed to have breathed again, I was surprised by a delicious smell coming from the kitchen. The rhythmic sound of knives chopping ingredients and the soft clink of pots being stirred filled the space with a welcoming familiarity.
Sakura was wearing an apron, her hair tied in a simple bun, concentrating as she stirred a pot. Little Hana, sitting on a high chair, helped in her own way, handing over the vegetables Sakura requested, though occasionally she got distracted by a raw carrot.
"You're cutting it wrong, Hana-chan…" Sakura said with a slight smile on her face, clearly feigning anger.
"I'm not! It's art!" Hana replied, displaying a clumsily but proudly carved piece of carrot.
Choso, with his sleeves rolled up, was helping wash some vegetables in the sink, a somewhat unusual sight for someone with his normally somber appearance and aura. He glanced at me sideways and gave a slight nod, as if saying "good morning" without needing words.
Taiga, sitting on the floor in the nearby living room, was fiddling with her cell phone, but quickly looked up and smiled when she saw me.
"Good morning, sleepyhead!" she said, half-mocking. "We've been up for a while, you know?"
I rubbed the back of my neck, a little embarrassed. "Yeah... I needed to get some rest. But... it seems like the house is full today."
"Little brother Shirou went to Tachie's today, right? I didn't see him today." Sakura replied, still stirring the pot. "Well... everyone here needs a good meal."
I walked to the table and sat down next to Taiga. Hana, without ceremony, got down from the high chair and ran to me to hug me around the waist.
"Good morning, Nii-san!"
I smiled, finally allowing myself to feel that moment of peace. For the first time in a long time, the house felt alive. Familiar.
But deep down... I knew this was just a little respite before the next storm. And maybe, precisely because of that, I wanted to treasure this moment. As a memory that could protect it when everything started to fall apart again.
As she spooned some rice onto Hana's plate, Sakura glanced at me, her expression a little curious. There was something unspoken there, and she'd sensed it ever since she'd seen Illya sleeping in one of the house's bedrooms.
"Yuji-Sensei…" she began casually. "That girl… the one with the white hair. Who is she, exactly?"
Silence fell for a second. Choso continued washing the vegetables, but he slowed his movements, listening. Taiga also turned her gaze to me, mildly interested. Even Hana, though not fully understanding the subject, looked up.
I sighed softly, resting my arms on the table.
"Her name is Illyasviel. Or just Illya." I said, my voice calm, but with a hidden weight.
Sakura frowned slightly. "She looks... so young. She looks about Hana's age..."
I smiled at the corner of my eye, but her eyes were melancholy. "She may look like a child... but Illya is much older. She's... an old friend. I met her in Germany, years ago."
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Old friend?"
"Yes," I replied firmly. "Back then... I was still involved in certain things... Things I don't really like to remember. But Illya... that's when I met her."
There was a moment of silence. Sakura didn't ask any more questions. She just nodded slowly, returning to stirring the pot with a more thoughtful expression than before.
"Well..." she said, breaking the mood. "If she's important to you, then she's welcome here too."
I nodded, feeling a wave of relief. "Thank you."
Choso muttered, somewhat distractedly, "If she's anything like Taiga, we'll need to make food for two armies."
Taiga made an indignant sound of protest as everyone laughed lightly.
But deep inside me, the words still echoed. Illya... an old friend. And now, a part of my past that was intertwining, once again, with the present.
I silently approached Arturia, who was sipping tea near the porch. The morning sun filtered through the leaves, casting soft shadows across the wooden floor.
I bent down slightly and whispered, "Did you see where Uraume was?"
Arturia looked away from the landscape and looked at me serenely, shaking her head slightly.
"No... But she left something."
She held out a letter, sealed with a snowflake drawn with icy precision. I took it carefully, feeling the cold energy still lingering in the paper. I opened it and read silently.
> To Yuji,
I will be away for a while. I faced Yorozu and won. There was no body to save.
The last reincarnated is near. A man named Hajime Kashimo. He uses electricity as a curse. It's dangerous. But not impossible.
Before I leave, I leave you one more of Sukuna's fingers. You'll know what to do.
—Uraume.
I felt the weight of the small fragments wrapped in a black cloth, carefully wrapped and left in the bag next to the letter.
"She killed Yorozu… from what I remember, she had possessed Megumi's sister's body in my previous world… but it's not possible here." I said quietly, as if I still wasn't entirely sure how to feel. "And Kashimo... he's the last, right?... With that, the Angel and Uraume herself will be missing as Reincarnated..."
"We'll have to find her later..." Arturia maintained her firm posture, but there was a tense air around her. "Are you ready to face him?"
I held her finger, feeling the dark, familiar heat pulsing through them. I still carried the curse of Angra Manyu, and each of Sukuna's fingers brought me closer to the edge. And yet... "Ready, I don't know... But determined, yes."
Arturia nodded with a gleam in her eyes. "Then let's go together, until the end."
I squeezed Uraume's letter one last time before putting it away. The sky seemed clearer at that moment, but I knew the storm was coming. And it had a name: Hajime Kashimo, I remember him from my world.
I finished storing Sukuna's new finger in its hiding place, carefully sealed with cursed bindings. I now had nine fingers in total.
"Still eleven to go..." I thought, looking at my hand. It was almost as if I could feel the spiritual weight of the fragments trying to sink it a little deeper each day.
As I walked to the kitchen, the television was on low. Taiga was half-asleep on the couch, a blanket draped over her shoulders. As soon as I approached, she commented: "They're saying a power plant went out of control. Sounds like a witch doctor, doesn't it?"
I frowned, focusing on the screen. The reporter spoke tensely:
"...There's still no explanation for the collapse in the Fujikawa Hydroelectric Power Plant system. Technicians report that several of the gates opened on their own, and there are unconfirmed reports of electrical anomalies at the site. Local authorities have cordoned off the area."
Images showed helicopters circling the dam. Lightning streaked the sky even though the weather seemed clear.
"It's him…" I murmured. "Kashimo…"
Arturia appeared behind me, her hair still half-wet from her shower, staring intently at the TV. "So the last reincarnated has revealed himself."
I clenched my fists. "This energy… it can only be him. A power as unstable as a storm. And he's drawing the attention of the entire world. He wants me gone."
Arturia nodded. Even without words, I knew this was the last step before the end. An enemy who was Sukuna's equal in life. And now, with his reincarnated body and cursed energy distorted by electricity, Kashimo was the last obstacle before I could gather my remaining fingers.
"Let's get ready." she said, her hand on the hilt of Excalibur. "This will be unlike anything we've faced before."
I simply responded with a determined look, the look of someone who had already lost so much... but wasn't willing to lose anyone else.
I glanced at Sakura as she put on her coat. She fiddled with the kitchen utensils more vigorously than usual. Her gestures were precise, but carried a certain tension... as if she were trying to hide something.
"Sakura..." I began carefully, but didn't finish.
She turned her head, forcing a smile.
"Are you going out?"
"Yes..." I replied, looking away. "Arturia and I need to... resolve something important."
There was a brief pause. The silence between us felt heavier than usual.
"Important how?" she asked, her tone firmer, even though she tried to sound casual.
I hesitated. I couldn't tell her I was going after one of the most dangerous reincarnated sorcerers. Kashimo was in a power plant where the electricity seemed to have gone crazy. I knew that if I told the truth, Sakura would try to stop her. And maybe… she was right. But there was no choice.
"Just… trust me, okay?" I said, trying to smile, one of those tired smiles I used to give when things were about to fall apart.
Sakura stared at me for a few seconds. Her purple eyes seemed to pierce my words, as if searching for something I wasn't saying. Finally, she just nodded.
"Come back alive, then..." she said, returning to the stove.
Arturia appeared behind me, already prepared. She noticed the awkward atmosphere, but didn't comment. She just held my hand firmly.
And so we walked out the door, and for a brief moment, I glanced back, seeing Sakura motionless, her back still turned.
"Something's wrong…" I thought...
But now I can't hesitate.
Choso was leaning against the door, his arms crossed and his expression softer than usual. Arturia and I were ready to leave, and the air of farewell seemed thicker than the cloud-laden sky outside.
"Take care of them for me, okay?" he said, looking directly into Choso's eyes. "Sakura, Taiga, Illya, and Hana."
Choso nodded slowly, his gaze serious but with a hint of sincere warmth.
"You know I will…" he replied, direct as always. "No matter what happens, I'll protect them. And Shirou?"
I smiled a little more calmly, before turning to Arturia. "He's fine, I feel his soul, it's intact! We'll have him soon…"
Before the two of them could leave, Taiga appeared in the hallway, yawning and with her hair tied up messily, as if she'd just gotten out of the shower. She looked at Choso with a mischievous glint in her eyes, and before he could react, she leaned in and gave him a sudden kiss on the lips.
"Good night, you idiot." she said with a wink, turning to go upstairs. "I know it's still morning, but I'm going to sleep. Don't wake me if you blow something up."
Choso stood still for a moment, as if the gesture had been a paralyzing jutsu. Then, unhurriedly, he let out a soft sigh and whispered, "She really is unpredictable..."
Changing perspective...
The evening breeze began to blow through the streets of Fuyuki, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and the tension that hung in the air. Shirou and Tachie walked side by side, their hurried footsteps echoing across the empty pavement. The streetlights flickered from time to time, as if something were interfering with the city's energy.
Shirou looked around, alert, and noticed the strange behavior of the few people still on the streets. Men and women staggered, some leaning against the walls as if drunk or drugged. A girl fell to her knees near a newsstand, breathing heavily.
"Do you see this, Tachie?" he asked, his hand already close to the blade hidden under his overcoat.
Tachie simply nodded, her expression growing more closed. Her red eyes glowed faintly in the dim light, analyzing everything intently.
"Are they... asleep?" she murmured, stopping beside a middle-aged man who was muttering something incomprehensible before passing out.
Shirou bent down and touched the man's forehead: he was sweating coldly, but still alive.
"This isn't natural... or even ordinary magic." he murmured, sensing the energy around him. "Something's acting on their bodies. Like a collective spell... or a curse."
Tachie gripped the hilt of the shield he carried on his back.
"It's the same feeling as that night," he said, not needing to say which night. The one he'd almost lost control of.
Shirou stared at the sky, where dark clouds were beginning to gather. A subtle humming sound seemed to come from somewhere far away, as if the air itself were being distorted.
"Let's look for the source." he said determinedly. "If someone is pulling people to sleep... there could be something much worse coming with the dreams."
Tachie followed closely behind him, and together they disappeared into the empty streets, while Fuyuki slowly sank into a forced and uneasy sleep.
As they continued walking through the nearly deserted streets, Shirou kept a watchful eye on his surroundings. His thoughts began to drift back to recent memories, especially the attack on the school, where several students were found unconscious, plunged into a deep, artificial sleep.
He clenched his fists. "Tachie... that spell... it wasn't Shinji's. That time at school, I thought it was his doing, but... the pattern is the same. This forced sleep, this oppressive feeling in the air..."
Tachie stopped walking. Her gaze sharpened.
"It's the same smell." she said softly. "The same odor I smelled that night at Ryūdōji Temple... when I fought that Assassin."
The memory stabbed at his mind like a cold blade. The figure shrouded in shadows, the barely perceptible movements, the air of death surrounding her opponent... She had faced him alone, days ago, at the beginning of the war, but had been unable to defeat him. She had been forced to retreat, bearing wounds and frustration.
"I didn't defeat him," she continued. "But I also didn't feel him die. He simply disappeared into the mist of the temple... as if waiting for something."
Shirou frowned, his eyes narrowing. "Then he must be there. Using the temple as a base. And now that the city is like this, sleepy... perhaps he's preparing for a new ritual."
The wind blew stronger, stirring dry leaves in their path.
"Ryūdōji Temple has been used for summoning rituals before," Shirou said. "What if this slumber is the beginning of something bigger? Some summoning, or... a mass sacrifice?"
Tachie nodded silently, her expression determined. "This time... I'll finish him off."
Shirou stared at her for a moment, and even without saying anything, he felt the same resolve in his chest. The past was beginning to repeat itself, and if they didn't act now, it might be too late.
"Let's go to the temple." he said, turning toward the ancient staircase that led to the top of Ryūdōji Hill. "This time, he won't escape."
And together, the two disappeared into the silent night, climbing toward the place where war awaited them again.
Changing perspective...
The silence was comfortable, but heavy with thoughts. Choso sat on the porch, watching the trees sway in the night breeze. His half-closed eyes revealed restlessness; even far from the battlefield, his mind was never at peace.
He sighed, resting his elbows on his knees and intertwining his fingers.
He was reflecting on everything that had happened in the last few days: the fights, the reincarnated, Yuji taking risks, Arturia nearly losing control, and Tachie... more unstable than ever.
But, above all, something about Sakura bothered him.
She was different. Too still. Not enough smiles.
Choso, even as a cursed being, had learned to observe human emotions. And Sakura, always so gentle, now seemed to be carrying something very heavy on her shoulders.
It was at that moment that he heard a small noise. A plate hitting the kitchen sink. kitchen.
Choso stood up immediately.
"Sakura?"
As he entered, he saw the girl leaning against the counter, her eyes unfocused, her face pale. Hana, who was drawing in the living room, didn't notice what was happening.
"Sakura!" He quickly approached, catching her body before she fell to the floor.
She nearly fainted, her body limp in Choso's arms. Reflexively, he carried her carefully to the sofa and laid her there. His fingers touched her forehead. She was cold.
"You're not okay..." he murmured, his tone firm but concerned.
Sakura was breathing heavily, but her eyes finally returned to focus. She forced a weak smile.
"S-Sorry... I just... lost my balance. It's just tiredness."
But Choso knew better.
He held her hand. "You don't have to pretend with us. With me."
Sakura looked away for a moment, as if on the verge of saying something... but didn't. Instead, she just closed her eyes. "Thank you... for holding me."
Choso settled down beside her, still holding her hand tightly.
If something were to happen to Sakura, he would protect her.
Yuji trusted him. And so did Taiga.
No matter how much an invisible war raged inside the house, at least for now, he was the guardian.
And that was a promise he wouldn't break.
Choso was silent for a long time, sitting beside the sofa where Sakura now rested. He kept his eyes on her, even though she was already asleep, or at least pretending to sleep so she wouldn't have to explain what was going on in her mind.
And that was when the memories began to come, like a warm, melancholy wind blowing through his mind.
He remembered the first time he'd heard of Sakura, a quiet girl with downcast eyes who always seemed on the verge of breaking down. To anyone else, she was just shy… fragile… scared.
But Choso saw beyond that.
He remembered the way she looked at others.
How she trembled slightly at any presence too strong.
How she hesitated before entering any room.
How she whispered words of apology even when she'd done nothing wrong.
And yet…
Even so, she survived that damned mansion.
The Matou house.
That lair steeped in darkness, full of secrets and vermin, of sordid spells and silent cruelties.
Sakura didn't just come out alive. She came out more human than anyone who'd been there.
"Scared," I thought.
But she faced a daily hell, and didn't ask for help. She carried a trauma that would crush any adult and continued to smile.
She was by far the bravest of them all.
Not for fighting with swords.
But for existing. For still existing.
Choso clenched his fingers, closing his eyes. The memory tightened his chest in a way even he couldn't quite explain.
Sakura was stronger than anyone could imagine.
"You don't have to endure this alone again." he thought, still looking at her.
She was a flower that grew in cursed soil, and yet... she bloomed.
Choso knew: if she were weak now, it was because something was very wrong.
And he wouldn't let that go.
Not this time.
Choso felt a chill run down his spine, not a simple shiver, but a strange heaviness, as if the very air around him had become denser, more viscous. He turned slowly, instinctively shielding Sakura's sleeping body with a slight movement of his arm.
And then he saw her.
An elegant woman, her robes billowing like mist, emerged from the shadows of the room as if she'd always been there. Her eyes were a hypnotic violet, deep and treacherous like a silent swamp. Her long, pale hair seemed to dance with a breeze that didn't exist. She approached without stepping, gliding.
"Ah, what a beautiful scene..." she murmured, her voice whispered close to Choso's ear, as if the words were flowing directly into his mind. "The lovely family you've built, brother of the damned. How warm, how human. It almost moves me."
Choso remained still for a second. He recognized the voice.
The timbre.
The soft scent of herbs mixed with magic.
It was her.
"You..." he murmured through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowed. "You're Caster. The one from Ryūdōji Temple. I should have known it was you."
She smiled, a hint of false regret on her lips.
"Ah... don't say that. Surviving is such an... ugly word. Let's just say I waited. I watched. I enjoyed myself. And now..." she leaned in slightly, her eyes meeting Choso's with a disturbing familiarity, "...now I'm curious."
Choso was on guard, but didn't move. Sakura was still asleep behind him. One wrong move and he could ruin everything.
"What do you want?" he growled, his voice now deep, containing the blood that was beginning to churn in his veins.
Caster laughed softly, as if enchanted by his fury.
"I just wanted to see you up close... you, the one who dared to face me in the temple and came out alive." She played with her words. "I wanted to understand what kind of creature could protect this... corrupted girl and still not let herself be consumed."
She walked slowly around the room, twirling the tip of a small scepter in her hands, enchanted with each step.
"You reek of the curse, but you walk like a man."
"You bleed like a monster, but you love like a brother."
"And that…" she stopped, now face to face with him, "… irritates me."
Choso gritted his teeth. "If you touch her, I'll kill you. Now."
Caster smiled, a glint of amusement in his eyes.
"Calm down. I'm not here for her. Not yet."
"I just wanted to know…" she leaned in one last time, whispering close to his ear, "…when she wakes, will you be able to protect her from herself?"
And then, in a flash, she was gone, like smoke dissipated by a cold wind.
Choso lay still, feeling the heat rush to his head.
Sakura was still sleeping peacefully.
But now, the silence of the house no longer felt safe. And Choso knew: Sakura's past, or perhaps her present, was returning. And it was shrouded in ancient magic, whispers, and spells he barely understood.
And now… he needed to be ready.
Choso's heart seemed to stop for a second.
Caster's words returned to him, like poison slowly activating:
"Will you be able to protect her from herself?"
"Didn't you think it was strange that your little girlfriend slept so much?"
She was referring to Taiga. He slowly turned his face to Sakura, still asleep on the couch, and felt a deadly chill run down his spine.
The memory of Taiga sleeping soundly for long hours, as if numb. Hana, the little one, constantly exhausted, even without exerting herself. And that day at school… where all the students, including Taiga, had passed out as if victims of a collective sleeping spell.
Choso's face darkened, his eyes wide.
"No…" he murmured to himself, his hands trembling.
The blood within him bubbled as if responding to the invisible threat. He wasn't a magic expert like the Tower's mages, but he understood life energy, he understood the body, he understood… mana.
He remembered how Caster watched him, how she spoke of his family. She wasn't just interested in confrontation. She was feeding on them.
"You son of a... She's draining everyone's mana while they sleep."
And then the weight of reality sank in.
The attack on the school.
Taiga.
Hana.
Sakura.
All the signs had been there all along. And he, blinded by comfort, by the false calm after battles, hadn't noticed.
Caster was using them as a source of mana, slowly, carefully, like someone collecting nectar from a flower without her noticing.
"Damn..." Choso brought his hand to his forehead, sweating coldly. "I should have realized sooner..."
The pieces fit together perfectly. The attack on the school had been just the rehearsal. The real spell, a subtle absorption field, had probably been active for days. Maybe since the first time she crossed their path at the Ryūdōji temple.
She didn't need to attack violently. She drained it little by little. And when everyone was weakened enough… "She'll collapse everything at once."
Choso stood up suddenly. He went to Taiga, who was sleeping in a neighboring room, and placed his hand on her forehead. Warm, but not feverish, it was the sign of a drained mana flow.
Weak. Fragile.
He felt a burning rage take over. But with it, a decision.
He needed to warn the others. He needed to get Sakura, Hana, and Taiga out of there immediately.
Before Caster returned to reap what she had sown.
But deep down, he knew.
She had already begun to reap.
Just as Choso prepared to attack, his killing intent surging fierce and sharp, a thick silence filled the air.
It was subtle. Almost imperceptible.
But someone was already behind him.
"Too late…" a man murmured in a firm, cold voice.
Before Choso's body could react,
a clean, precise blow struck the back of his neck.
He felt a shock wave run down his spine, and everything around him began to darken.
His muscles locked, his thoughts extinguished like candles in the wind.
Choso fell to the ground, unconscious.
Behind him, his hand still slightly raised after the attack,
stood the man in a neat, dark green suit, his expression as cold as steel, his eyes hidden behind thin glasses.
Caster appeared close behind, a faint smile on her lips, as if she had been waiting for this very moment.
"You're still effective, Souichirou..." she said, approaching Choso's unconscious body.
Kuzuki looked at Caster for only a moment.
There was no judgment in her eyes, no emotion. Just a simple statement: the threat had been neutralized.
Like a machine programmed to eliminate targets.
"He won't die." he replied. "But he won't fight for a while either."
Caster nodded with a satisfied air as she surveyed the surroundings.
"We're almost done with our ritual..." she murmured. "And now, with him out of the picture, we have a chance to harvest more mana... directly from the root."
Kuzuki glanced briefly at Sakura sleeping on the couch.
Her eyes held no mercy.
Only a lethal void.
The night in Fuyuki wasn't over yet. And the most dangerous players had returned to the board.
It was still night. The faint moonlight filtered through the cracks in the windows, illuminating the room with a pale, cold glow.
Choso woke slowly, his head throbbing and his vision blurry.
He was lying on a makeshift mattress on the floor, covered by a light blanket.
"Choso!" a voice called urgently.
He blinked a few times and recognized the faces around him: Rin, frowning, hands clasped tightly on her knees; Illya, her eyes worried but steady; and Hana, sitting beside him, carefully holding a damp towel.
"Are you okay?" Rin asked, trying to hide her panic. "What happened? Why were you unconscious? Where's Sakura?"
Choso sat up with difficulty, propping himself up on his elbows.
His voice was hoarse, but filled with guilt. "I was attacked… from behind. A man… in a dark green suit. Too fast. Before I knew it, I was already on the ground."
Rin narrowed her eyes. "And Sakura?"
Choso lowered his head, his fists clenching in anger. "Caster... was there. She was draining mana from Sakura, Taiga, Hana... everyone in the house. She was the one behind that sleeping spell. And... she took Sakura. I couldn't protect her..."
The silence that followed was crushing.
Illya looked at Hana, who clutched his hand tightly, trying to hold back tears.
Rin stood up quickly, her eyes blazing. "So Caster is moving... and now she has Sakura."
"She won't do anything to her yet..." Choso said, trying to catch his breath. "Sakura... is important. Much more than she knows. Caster won't kill her yet. But if we don't act quickly, she could be used as a vessel, or... something worse."
Illya stepped closer, her eyes shining with determination. "I'll go with you."
Rin nodded, but cast a sideways glance. "What about Hana?"
"I'll protect her. And that other sleepyhead too." Illya said firmly.
Choso took a deep breath and, despite the pain, stood up. "We have to find Caster. And quickly. Before she finishes what she started."
The night, though silent, now carried the weight of urgency.
Sakura was in the hands of one of the most manipulative beings of the war.
Choso stood, gritting his teeth with his fists clenched. Anger boiled in his chest, not only at his failure to protect Sakura, but also at the coldness of the ambush. His presence emanated a suffocating heat, as if his blood were about to boil.
"I should have killed that damned woman when I had the chance..." he murmured, his red eyes flashing with fury.
"I want to go with you!" Hana said, standing up suddenly, his voice firm.
Choso turned quickly. "You're staying here! This isn't a game, Hana!"
But then he stopped.
His body stiffened, his gaze fixed on the girl in front of him.
That wasn't little Hana's usual voice.
It wasn't her usual soft, hesitant voice.
It was thicker. Older. A presence hidden in the sweetness of her childlike form.
And Choso, being who he was, felt it. "...You're not Hana now, are you?"
The girl smiled softly. Her eyes glowed with a faint golden light, and for a brief moment, the air around her seemed to shimmer as if reflecting celestial light.
"Hana is sleeping. I only took her place for a moment. I saw everything. The attack. The man in the suit. Caster. And most of all... her pain."
Illya and Rin exchanged glances, tense.
Choso, his fists still clenched, tried to contain his frustration. "Angel... I don't trust you. Not even a little."
"Nor do I expect you to." replied the Angel within Hana. "But know that if Sakura falls completely into Caster's hands, the breaking of the barrier between this reality and the cursed world will be inevitable. The darkness sealed by the Einzbern will awaken with her as its vessel."
"And you want to stop that?" Rin asked.
The Angel nodded calmly. "I was reincarnated to try to right the wrongs of the past. If Sakura is used for evil... the world will not have another chance."
Silence fell for a few seconds.
Choso looked away, his teeth gritting.
He hated to admit it, but... he needed all the help he could get. And that thing within Hana seemed, at least for now, to be on the same side.
He approached and knelt before her, looking directly into her golden eyes. "If you hurt Hana... I swear I'll make you regret ever being born."
"I'm no longer alive..." the Angel replied. "But I understand the warning. And I accept it."
The aura around the girl ceased. The golden light dissipated, and the eyes returned to Hana's, confused, teary, as if she had just woken up. "Choso...? Did I... say something wrong?"
Choso gently ran a hand through her hair. "No. Just... stay here with Illya, okay? I promise I'll bring Sakura back."
Illya nodded seriously.
Rin, already grabbing her cloak, said, "Let's go. We have little time, and many answers to get out of that witch."
And so, with the night sky as their witness, the trio set off to the rescue, with a sleeping angel behind them, and the shadow of fate looming.
Night still dominated the Fuyuki sky, heavy and starless. Clouds hid the moon as if the world were avoiding facing what was to come. Inside the house, the silence was thick. Illya held Hana in her arms, like a mother welcoming a frightened daughter. Hana slept soundly, as if the Angel within her had returned to silence, at least for now.
Choso finished tying the red sash around his left arm, a symbol of his promise to Yuji and those he swore to protect. But now... his blood boiled for a different reason. He didn't just want to fight, he wanted to crush whoever was behind this.
"No matter who she is..." he murmured, closing his eyes for a moment. "If he brought Sakura into this... She'll pay."
Rin emerged from the hallway with her red jacket and a magic transport stone in her hands. She looked at Choso seriously, seeing his expression more wild than usual. "Are you okay?"
Choso stared at her for a second. "If you ask me that again, Rin, I'll think you want me calm."
"I don't. I want you to go in there and end it all," she replied dryly. "But I want you to come back alive. Sakura will need you later."
He took a deep breath, his gaze softening for a brief second. "I know. Let's get this over with."
They turned, walking down the hallway. As they passed the classroom door, Illya looked at them and said simply, "Go back with her."
Rin nodded. And before leaving, Choso glanced at the sleeping Hana, murmuring almost inaudibly, "Wait for us..."
The front door opened. The early morning wind blew against them, cold and biting. But for Choso, the only heat that mattered now was the heat of the blood about to be spilled.
And so, he and Rin disappeared into the night trees, heading for Ryūdōji Temple where darkness awaited them.
"I'll finish you, Witch!"
End of Chapter 20