The siblings who sent the terrors to Zen—Kangetsu's brothers—stand in the town square, sounding a call so loud it reaches the heavens. Villagers pour in, their chatter sharp with fear. Unrest already simmers after the death of their previous deity and his successor taking their Ore. The gradual death of Class Fours in the nation compounds their anxiety.
Moto and the others follow the noise. As they leave, Asher notices Sheu sitting behind the house.
"Hey, let's go," Asher says.
Sheu and Moto's eyes lock for a moment. Moto is not oblivious to the tension; he knows she's hurt. But the words fail him. He's always brave enough to roll up his sleeves to fight anyone, yet too afraid to wear his fragile heart on them to console a friend. He hopes time will do the healing.
Asher offers a gentle smile. "C'mon, let's go."
Sheu gets up, and they head to the square.
Boots crunch gravel, tension knotting tighter with each step. Asher walks ahead, his jaw locking as they approach the crowd.
"Let's stay back here," he says.
At the heart of the square, five men wait.
The Crimson Creed.
Kangetsu stands up, cracking his neck. "Let's just kill them already."
Seven, now wearing a different face—younger, with pale red hair and tattoos from head to toe—retorts, "Says the dude who didn't kill anyone as an actual assassin."
Kangetsu shrugs. "Yeah, my boss was too PG with it, so let a man go crazy a little."
Liam, calm and sharp-eyed, puts a hand on his shoulder. "That's not why Simba let us come here."
"He's not even here," Kangetsu gripes.
"You know better than to question him," Liam warns.
Seven, smirking, his bracelet glistening in the sun, adds, "Poetic, Kangetsu. We want something more... poetic."
"Poetic, my ass," Kangetsu growls.
Flint, vibrating with pent-up energy, snaps, "Enough, both of you. Shupi—sound the alarm again."
Shupi, laying lazily on his back, the horn in his hand, groans, "Not again, man. I thought Kangetsu was supposed to do it in the first place."
Flint grabs it from his hand. Shupi steps forward, a faint green mist curling from his lips. He rings the bell. The sound echoes like poison.
The people of Pasi gather fast, whispers rising. Some squint in disbelief. Others gasp.
"Are those... the septuplets?"
"They've come home?..."
The crowd parts, revealing the pale, trembling parents of the boys. Liam spreads his arms wide, his voice smooth as silk, carrying through the square. "Brothers. Sisters. People of Pasi. Simba is well. Even Asahd lives, though weak as ever."
Relief ripples through the crowd. Rumor had it that the seven, only seen at the temple during weekend devotions, had broken out of their loving home and took the train to Gehen.
"But we didn't come back to stay." Liam's smile fades. His finger points at the couple. "We came because of them."
Gasps break the air. One villager whispers, "They've returned to their family!"
The brothers walk straight to the couple. They hug stiffly, the embrace more dagger than comfort.
Kangetsu's fist clenches, but Flint restrains him. "Wait."
Liam inhales, his voice deepening, pulling every eye. "This is a world of deception. Smoke and mirrors. And it is always the ones closest to you who hide the truth. The ones you love most who chain you to lies!" He draws a small knife, slicing a shallow cut across his own wrist. Blood, dark and thick, wells up.
The crowd gasps and looks away. "This is nothing," Liam declares, his voice cutting, "compared to the pain we suffered. But let me show you."
His brothers step forward, catching the drips of blood in their hands. As the raw, metallic scent fills the air and the siblings spread the crimson around, a shared vision assaults the minds of the Pasi villagers. They see the boys and their sister, young and innocent, returning home after a temple meeting. Their parents demand they shed their sacred temple garments, forcing them back into a dank, cold basement while lavishing attention only on the girl, leaving the boys unfed, uncared for. The vision fast-forwards, showing years of neglect and mistreatment: the beatings, the starvation, the chilling indifference.
The parents stand before the crowd, faces mottled with shame, not for the horrors inflicted, but for the judgment now cast upon them by their neighbors. The villagers glare, no longer seeing revered elders, but the cruel hypocrites from the vision.
Liam's voice thunders, pulling everyone back to reality. "This world is full of deception. Smoke and mirrors. And it is always the ones closest to you who hide the truth. The ones you love most who chain you to lies!"
Sheu stiffens, her nails biting her palms. Her father's death, Moto's hidden past—every memory claws back to the surface, resonating with Liam's words.
"To all who feel abandoned, betrayed, unwanted—come with us! To Gehen! The only land untouched by hypocrisy! The only land still free!"
The crowd, now completely spellbound, surges with cheers and tears, convinced by the visceral truth of the vision.
Then—a shrill, playful voice cuts through the air.
"Now, now. Is that any way to talk about family?"
From above, a girl drops gracefully, her crimson cloak and flowing hair giving the illusion of fire-like wings as she descends. She lands with a wink, her outfit daring, her grin wicked.
"Didn't Mom and Dad teach you manners? Oh, wait... they didn't." She cackles.
Men in the crowd flush red, nosebleeds breaking out.
"Page!?" Liam snarls.
Kangetsu lunges, but Page sidesteps easily, laughing. "Still so angry, huh?"
The Creed prepares for a full assault, their fury palpable.