Masaru had searched nearly the entire city before he found him.
Aeon was curled on the bench in the abandoned park, half-shadowed by the overgrown trees, head tilted like he'd only stopped to meditate and fallen asleep by accident.
Masaru exhaled hard, a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and strode over.
"Aeon!"
The boy's eyes opened slowly, the same calm orange glow as always — as if Masaru hadn't just been tearing the city apart looking for him.
"You're… okay," Masaru said, voice lower, relieved but trying not to show it.
Aeon sat up gently. "Of course. I just… drifted."
Masaru frowned. "Drifted? You vanished mid-sentence and looked like you'd seen a ghost."
Aeon tilted his head, studying him with quiet patience. "Maybe I did."
Masaru stared at him, jaw tightening. This was exactly the Aeon everyone else saw — serene, unshaken, impossible to read. And that, somehow, was worse.
"So are you gonna tell me what the hell that was?" Masaru asked.
"I don't think that its really worth discussing..." Aeon replied, but a little more dryly than usual.
Masaru's eyes narrowed. "Not worth discussing? You vanish like smoke, I find you asleep in a ghost town, and now you're just… sipping tea in your head again?"
Aeon's gaze drifted toward the overgrown garden patch near the fence, as if Masaru's words were just leaves blowing past. "Some things… are heavy enough to break when spoken aloud. It's better I carry them quietly."
Masaru stepped closer, his voice dropping. "That's the problem. You keep carrying everything quietly, and I now can't tell if you're fine or if you're two seconds from disappearing again."
Aeon's lips curved faintly — like a apologetic smile this time. "Then you should assume both are true."
Masaru grumbled to himself quietly, before saying "Just don't do that again." before leaving Aeon alone.
...
The arena was already humming by the time Sereth and Torvak arrived, slipping into their usual seats as the next bout's fighters squared off below.
Torvak scanned the crowd, frowning. "Huh. No sign of the kid or the samurai."
Sereth leaned back, folding his arms. "They'll turn up. Masaru's probably off brooding somewhere. Aeon's… probably at that park again."
Torvak grunted. "Still weird to see them both miss a fight. Especially after… that last one."
Sereth's eyes flicked toward the still-patched section of the arena where Thalen's barrier had been. "Yeah. Can't say I blame them, though."
Suddenly, A voice spoke just behind him, light and teasing. "You look like you could use some company."
Sereth turned slightly to see a young woman standing there—her tan skin glowing softly under the arena lights, striking purple hair cascading like a shadow's veil, and golden eyes sharp yet playful. She moved with a fluid grace, as if part of the lingering twilight itself.
Torvak grunted, eyeing her. "And who might you be?"
The woman smiled, a mischievous glint in her gaze. "Name's Yoru Kagemi. I'm here to see how the tournament shapes up. You're Sereth, right?"
Sereth looked at her curiously. "Yeah. I am. Need something?" He said, slightly annoyed.
Yoru tilted her head, purple hair catching the light. "Nah, not really. Just figured you might need a break from all the weirdness after that last fight. Thought I'd say hi."
Sereth smirked a little, rubbing the back of his neck. "Appreciate the offer. But I'm usually better off alone."
Yoru grinned, a little sparkle in her eyes. "Is that so? Well, consider me a friendly headache then. I tend to stick around."
Sereth rubbed his eyes. "God... How many people am I gonna have to bond with? Masaru, Aeon and this giant was plenty."
"Hey!" Torvak and Yoru exclaimed in unison.
Yoru chuckled, stepping closer. "Come on, Sereth. A little company never hurt anyone. Especially with all this weirdness floating around."
At this particular moment, a few thoughts went through Sereth's mind.
1. "Why does this chick wanna talk to me?"
2."Should I trust her?"
3."She's pretty hot though..."
He shook his head, trying to focus. "Alright, Yoru. What's your deal?" he asked, voice still carrying a hint of skepticism — but maybe just a little curiosity.
"Well..." Yoru replied, grinning, "I just couldn't help myself after seeing both of your fights! I had to put a personality to the fighting style!"
Sereth eyes widened slightly, now completely distracted from the fight happening in the arena, (But that's okay because it was pretty lame anyway).
"I see." Sereth replied in the most serious tone he could muster, given the circumstances.
He turned back to look at Yoru. "So, what about you? What's your style?"
Yoru's golden eyes sparkled as she shifted slightly, a shadow flickering around her fingertips. "I like to keep things in the dark. Literally. Shadows are my playground."
Sereth raised an eyebrow. "Shadows, huh? Sounds like you like to keep your opponents guessing."
"Exactly." She smiled, then added with a teasing wink, "And I promise, I'm not as mysterious as I look."
The two continued to talk, and Torvak, sensing that his presence was no longer required, attempted to sneak off quietly, but failed horribly considering how massive he was.
Yoru giggled softly. "No subtlety needed with that size."
Sereth shook his head, smiling despite himself. "Guess we're stuck with each other for now."
Yoru's eyes gleamed, and she gave a playful bow, before seating herself next to him. "Good. I was hoping you'd say that."
...
Meanwhile, not far from the arena, Aeon and Masaru walked side by side along the cracked pavement, the distant roar of the crowd growing louder with every step. Neither spoke much — the silence between them heavy but familiar — as they made their slow way back toward the chaos and noise they'd momentarily left behind.
Aeon spoke up, breaking the silence, "Sorry about me."
"Its alright" Masaru replied quietly.
The two said nothing after that.