Aoritsu Village – Edge of the Northwood Expanse
The village of Aoritsu lay cradled between rolling hills and glass-still lakes, wrapped in the soft sighs of wind-chimes and the rustle of peach blossom trees. It was the kind of place untouched by war, untouched by gods—untouched by time.
Akuzai had been here for seven months now.
Seven months since the war. Since Rivan's sacrifice. Since the Fifth Blade vanished into the void.
Since he laid the Eternis Edge beneath the Chrono Bloom and told himself: This is peace.
And now?
He wasn't sure if he was resting… or running.
"You're staring again," Yukiko said gently, brushing back strands of her hair as she sat beside him on the edge of the lake. Her voice was soft, but it always brought him back. "Bad dream?"
He nodded. "No swords this time. Just… silence. But the wrong kind."
She rested her head on his shoulder. "You're allowed to feel unsettled. Even in peace."
Akuzai watched the reflection of the clouds shifting in the lake. For a while, neither of them said anything. The villagers passed in the distance—carrying harvests, children playing with wooden carvings, laughter echoing gently.
Yukiko stood and offered her hand. "Come on. Let's walk the river path. You've been brooding since dawn."
He smiled faintly and took it.
They wandered the winding trail past the weeping willows and small shrines of Aoritsu. The locals nodded respectfully to Akuzai—some had heard whispers of who he once was, but no one asked questions. That's what he liked about Aoritsu. It didn't demand answers.
As they passed the ancient stone well near the edge of the woods, Akuzai paused. A strange chill brushed the back of his neck. He turned.
A child stood there—eyes wide. Motionless.
"Are you okay?" Akuzai asked.
The child blinked, then vanished into the woods.
"…That was weird," Yukiko muttered.
Akuzai stared into the trees, heart pounding for a reason he couldn't name. Something about that presence—it didn't belong. Not in this timeline. Not in this reality.
"Let's go," he said quickly, pulling Yukiko away.
They returned to their small home at the edge of the village as dusk approached. Fireflies lit up the pond. Yukiko made tea. But Akuzai couldn't let it go.
Later that night, unable to sleep, he stood on the rooftop, eyes fixed on the Chrono Bloom—now growing just beyond the lake.
It shimmered once. Then pulsed.
And for the first time since Rivan vanished...
Akuzai heard a whisper that didn't come from this world.
"He will rise when the echoes fall…"
He looked to the stars, heart tightening.
Peace, it seemed, had an expiration.
And something—someone—was waking.