The wind howled like a dying god.
Renji stood at the edge of the rooftop, the glowing mark on his palm pulsating softly — golden veins slowly crawling up his forearm like fire trapped under skin.
Yua called out behind him.
"Renji! That mark… it's spreading!"
But he didn't turn.
He could feel something beneath the mark — like thunder trapped in silence.
He whispered, "Let it come."
---
Flash Activation: "Ancestral Pulse"
> [Hybrid Vessel Status: Initiated]
[Ability: Ancestral Pulse – Unlocked]
Type: Bloodline Signature Technique
Effect: Echo the will of the Original. Duration: 60 seconds]
The moment it activated—
The wind stopped.
No sound.
No birds. No rain.
Not even Yua's voice.
Just pure, absolute silence.
And then — the world cracked.
---
Meanwhile: On the Other Side of the City
Far away, a cloaked figure opened one eye.
Red lightning sparked from his fingertip.
He spoke slowly:
"He's awake. So… the Clone survived."
> Codename: Gin Shisui
Class: Ancient Curse Hunter
Status: Assigned to Neutralize Renji
---
Back to Renji
Yua stepped back, terrified.
"Renji… your shadow. It's moving on its own."
He looked down.
His shadow had taken shape — like a beast crouching, snarling… protecting him.
From the silence came a single word, whispered in a voice he didn't recognize:
"Mugen…"
"What?" Yua asked.
Renji shook his head. "I… don't know. But that word… it calmed the mark."
The silence lifted.
Rain fell again.
The world returned — but something had changed.
Renji wasn't just cursed now.
He was connected — to something ancient, something hidden, something that shouldn't exist anymore.
---
Final Scene: A Red Blade
On a distant mountaintop, Gin Shisui stared at the sky.
He unsheathed a long, red blade that hissed with every raindrop.
"Renji Shido," he said, "the child of silence…
Let's see how loud your screams can be."
He vanished in a flash of blood-red light.
Renji's powers are waking up… but so are his enemies.
Comment "Mugen awakens" if you felt the silence shake your heart.
Next chapter — Renji vs the Red Blade begins!