Scene 1
Renzaki gripped his hand tightly, sparks still flickering faintly around it. His brows furrowed as he glanced at Einzuro, a mix of confusion, shock, and restrained anger flashing across his face.
"S-Sensei—?" Haruto's voice trembled.
"Sensei, why did you interfere?" Renzaki's tone rose slightly—firm but still respectful. "The fight was about to end. I wasn't going to kill him. I only wanted to test my strength against his."
Einzuro stepped back slightly, giving them some space. "Did I give you permission? Ever since you lost during the weapon test, you've been burning inside—desperate to defeat Haruto and prove your—"
"I didn't want to prove how strong I am!" Renzaki cut him off sharply, his voice edged with anger. "I sensed something different within him—that's why I wanted to fight."
Einzuro let out a bored little sigh. He gestured at the cuts and bruises scattered across their bodies. "Ahh! Look at the two of you, wounding each other like enemies when you're supposed to be friends. Now apologize to each other and promise not to fight again."
Haruto tried to turn, but his body refused to obey. His neck shifted stiffly, jerking in short, uneven movements. A strained voice escaped his throat.
"S-Sensei! Help me… I can't move."
"Renzaki," Einzuro ordered, his tone firm, "remove the venom from his body. And apologize."
Renzaki exhaled slowly. "Forgive me. Honestly, you do have potential. One day, you'll be strong enough to stand against that Demon King. As for the venom, it only lasts for a few seconds before wearing off."
Haruto's body trembled violently as the venom left his system. The bite mark on the back of his neck pulsed strangely before settling back to normal. Sparks crackled, and Einzuro instantly appeared in front of Haruto. He reached into the utility pouch strapped at his waist and pulled out a wild, uncultivated apple.
He held it out. "I was planning to share this with the three of us, but since my katana isn't with me right now, you eat it yourself."
From behind Haruto, Renzaki stepped forward, his movements cold and precise. Haruto struggled, his arm twitching and jerking toward the apple with strained gasps—hnn… hhhk…—but before he could reach it, Renzaki calmly unsheathed his katana.
With three swift, vertical slashes—shing! shing! shing!—the apple split smoothly into three perfect slices. Haruto's eyes widened in surprise as Renzaki picked one slice and began to walk away, raising his hand lazily in a faint wave as if to say goodbye.
Haruto picked up one of the slices. Einzuro casually popped the last into his mouth, chewed, and looked back. "Renzaki, where are you going?" His voice carried an easy, carefree tone.
Renzaki waved without looking back. "I don't have time for pointless things. I need to wake up early for training tomorrow." With that, he disappeared into the night.
Haruto lifted his slice to his lips. The moment he swallowed, his body jerked violently—ghhhk!—before relaxing all at once. He exhaled deeply, a breath full of relief escaping his chest.
"Sensei… weren't you sleeping? How did you end up here?"
Einzuro turned toward him. "I may look careless, but I do worry about all of you. When that Demon entered this area, I noticed immediately. I've been keeping an eye on you from the trees and bushes. As for why I didn't step in… it's because I already saw Renzaki heading your way after finishing his training. I knew he'd arrive in time."
Einzuro's expression turned slightly serious as he fixed Haruto with a steady gaze. "I told you before—you're friends, not enemies. Did you ignore my words?"
Haruto lowered his eyes. "Forgive me, Sensei. I didn't want to fight. I'll try my best not to again…"
Einzuro tilted his head. "Tell me again—which Clan do you belong to? I thought I heard something about SeiKami when I read your lips earlier. Are you really from there?"
"No, Sensei!" Haruto shook his head quickly. "My mother never mentioned anything about SeiKami. She always told me we belonged to the ShinKami Clan."
"Forget this SeiKami, ShinKami, KazeKami nonsense. Enough of that." Einzuro waved it away. "Tell me instead—what do you want for your future? What do you want to do with your life?"
Haruto's eyes lit with determination. "I want to become a Hunter — so I can get the chance to enter the Demon Kingdom and defeat the Devil King, Yamara!"
Einzuro chuckled softly, his usual carefree grin tugging at his lips. "Hahaha… And who told you about Yamara? He isn't alive anymore. He's sealed away, nothing more than a corpse lying in one place. Don't waste your thoughts on him."
"No!" Haruto's voice hardened, his hands clenching into fists. "He's the reason Demons still exist, the reason innocent lives are lost. He's the one who took my mother away. I'll take revenge for her death… but to do that, I have to become a Hunter first—and I will!"
Einzuro's smile softened. He placed a hand on Haruto's shoulder. "If you keep that spirit alive, you'll definitely avenge your mother one day."
He stepped back, hands dropping to his sides. "To be honest, you're already a Hunter. You don't even need the academy. Whoever trained you must've been strong themselves. You can fight, that's clear. What you lack is knowledge of the world, and that's what the academy can give you. Just for a while."
"My Sensei… and my mother trained me," Haruto said quietly. "They taught me so much. But I still regret that day… I couldn't save her. I ran away like a coward."
Einzuro extended his hand. "There's nothing wrong with that. No one is strong from the start—it takes time. You still have a few days before your academy admission. Recover first, then move forward. Come on, let's head back and rest.
Haruto took his hand, and together they walked back under the glow of the full moon, returning to where they had been resting.
Scene 2
Haruto and Einzuro stumbled back half-asleep to their mats. Reina shifted under her blanket, her voice edged with faint irritation.
"So your fight finally ended? Where did you two even go?"
Sayuri pushed aside her blanket, sat up, and stretched with a loud yawn—"Fuaahhh~!"—arms stretching overhead. "Lord Einzuro, you're back! After you left, I sensed a Demon's presence. I woke up, but when I saw you were already gone, I went back to sleep to keep watch over Reina and Naoki."
"Was there really a Demon?" she asked eagerly, her tone full of energy.
Einzuro flopped onto his mat, speaking openly as always. "Ah, that Demon? Our two warriors, Haruto and Renzaki, handled it themselves. I was just watching while they had a little… disagreement."
Reina threw off her blanket and sat up quickly, her eyes narrowing. "Sensei, where's Renzaki? Was he still training?"
Before anyone could answer, Haruto suddenly swayed, clutching the sides of his forehead. "Ugh… This pain—" He collapsed onto the mat as the magical bandage on his head vanished. Thin streams of blood trickled from five points across his forehead and temples before he went limp, unconscious.
Einzuro crouched beside him, gently brushing his hand through Haruto's hair. His voice grew calm, almost sad. "The poor kid… he's already endured so much at such a young age." Reina lowered her gaze, lips pressed tightly, while Sayuri's eyes softened, sorrow glimmering in them.
As he spoke, the Flow Element Mark on Haruto's neck began to fade, its vibrant colors slowly draining away. The outline shimmered weakly before breaking apart into tiny glowing particles, drifting into the night air. Einzuro froze, his hand pausing on Haruto's head, his expression flickering with faint surprise. He rose to his feet and said quietly, "Come on. Heal him."
Sayuri spread her hands, palms glowing as golden particles formed. They fluttered upward, gathering into shapes like tiny fireflies. The glowing insects drifted down, settling softly across Haruto's body, their gentle light mending his wounds until the bleeding slowed and stopped.
Einzuro pulled a blanket over Haruto's unconscious form. Soft, shallow breaths escaped the boy, calm and steady, like a child lost in peaceful sleep.
Stretching with a tight yawn, Einzuro dropped onto his own mat. "It's already midnight. I'm sleeping now." With a spark, he disappeared into his spot and instantly began snoring.
"Hmph—" Reina exhaled sharply, throwing her blanket back over herself. "I'm going too."
Sayuri smiled faintly, lying down beside Reina. A few of the glowing fireflies continued to drift gently above Haruto, watching over him as he slept.
This was only the beginning for Haruto—his true journey was just about to begin.