The Man Who Wasn't Buried
The snow turned red.
Tsukihana didn't move for a long time. Her hands trembled as they pressed down on Kaien's wound, but the blood wouldn't stop. The dagger was still in him, its blade black and curved like a serpent's fang. She didn't dare pull it out.
"Stay with me," she whispered. "Please, Master. Stay."
Kaien's blindfold had slipped halfway off. For the first time, she saw his eyes — pale, clouded, and empty… but somehow still aware.
"I… told you," he rasped, "I wouldn't… leave you in a ditch."
"Don't say that. You're not dying."
He gave a weak laugh, then winced. "I've been dying… since the day I found you. This was always the end… for me. But not for you."
Tsukihana wiped her eyes. "Why now? Why didn't you tell me what I really am?"
Kaien coughed, and blood splattered his lips. "Because I didn't know… not fully. Mirror Veins were just a myth. A rumor whispered during the Hollow War. No one believed it was real."
"But it is," she said bitterly. "And I'm proof."
He didn't reply.
The scroll he had given her still pulsed faintly beside them, its seal glowing violet. She picked it up with one hand, holding it close. The warmth inside it wasn't ordinary. It felt… alive.
"What's in it?" she asked.
Kaien shook his head slowly. "I never opened it. It was meant for you. Passed down through one of the last Whisper Monks. Said to be written by… him."
Her voice caught in her throat. "Akarui?"
Kaien nodded. "Or someone who knew him. But if he's truly alive… he might be the only one who understands what's inside you."
Tsukihana stared down at the scroll, her chest tightening. The idea that the hero from the old stories — the boy who sealed the Hollow Vein — could still be out there… it didn't feel real.
But neither did any of this.
Kaien's breath grew slower. His voice was barely a whisper now. "Tsuki… listen… you must not trust everyone… in the Sky Province… They know more… than they say."
She leaned closer. "What do you mean?"
"There's a name… I couldn't speak until now… The one behind the Mirror Veins…"
She hold her breath.
"His name is—"
But the words never came.
Kaien's body went still.
Tsukihana froze.
Her hands tightened into fists, blood on her palms. She knelt there for what felt like hours as snow kept falling over them.
Then, she stood.
She wiped her face, strapped the scroll under her belt, and picked up her broken sword. Kaien's staff lay in the snow beside him. She took it.
"I'll bury you later," she whispered. "I swear. But first… I have to find him."
She turned toward the east, where the mountains marked the edge of the Sky Province.
And she walked.
⸻
Two Days Later — Border of the Sky Province
The wind was colder here. The air thinner. Snow turned to ice, and stone roads cracked from frost. She had crossed rivers and hidden from patrols. Her strength was fading, but her will wasn't.
The scroll had stopped pulsing.
Until now.
As she stepped onto the old bridge hanging over the ravine, the scroll burned hot against her hip.
She paused.
Something was watching her.
She turned.
A figure stood at the far side of the bridge — cloaked in black, face hidden beneath a deep hood.
He didn't move.
Tsukihana reached for her sword. "Who are you?"
The figure spoke softly, but his voice echoed across the canyon. "You don't need to fear me. Not yet."
She narrowed her eyes. "That's not an answer."
He took a step forward. "You've come for Akarui, haven't you?"
Her heart skipped. "Do you know him?"
"I knew him. A long time ago."
"Where is he?"
The figure tilted his head. "He's not the same anymore."
"What does that mean?"
The wind howled louder.
"He gave his life to seal the Hollow Vein," the man said. "But part of it… sealed him back."
Tsukihana gripped the scroll. "He's still alive, isn't he?"
"Alive?" The man chuckled. "That depends on what you mean by alive."
Before she could speak again, a sharp sound sliced the air.
Something shot past her — an arrow — and hit the bridge ropes behind her.
She spun around.
A group of soldiers was crossing the ridge. Five of them. Armorless. Quick. Their eyes glowed faintly with silver veins — like hers.
"Reignborn," she muttered.
The figure behind her spoke again. "They're here for the scroll. And for you."
She turned back to him. "Then help me fight."
But the man shook his head. "This is your trial. If you survive… come find me."
"Wait—!"
But he stepped backward — and vanished into the mist like smoke.
Tsukihana didn't have time to scream.
The Reignborn attacked.
One leaped onto the bridge, blades in both hands. Another launched a stream of blue fire from his palm, setting the wooden planks ablaze behind her.
She dodged left, using the staff to block one strike, then twisted and slammed the end into the attacker's chest. He staggered — but didn't fall.
Another came from above — spinning mid-air with spears.
She reached for her Vein energy.
Nothing.
The Mirror Veins didn't activate.
Her eyes widened. Why wasn't it working?
One of the enemies grinned. "She's not stable yet. She can't copy all at once."
The flames crept closer.
Tsukihana ducked low, rolled under a swing, and slashed with her broken sword — just enough to push two of them back.
The bridge shook violently.
Crack.
The main rope snapped.
She lost her balance — and began to fall.
"NO—!"
She grabbed the edge of the bridge with one hand, her sword dropping into the ravine below.
The Reignborn laughed from above.
She looked down. The canyon was endless.
Then the scroll at her waist pulsed.
And burned.
The seal broke — and the parchment inside unraveled in mid-air, forming a circle of glowing runes around her hand.
A voice — deep, ancient, familiar — echoed in her mind.
"Your blood is not your own. Not anymore."
Her eyes glowed purple.
The sky turned black.
And from the edge of the ravine, a massive pulse of Hollow energy burst upward — throwing the Reignborn back.
Tsukihana's body rose with it — floating above the broken bridge, wrapped in light and shadow.
The scroll turned to dust.
And in the final whisper of wind, she heard his voice.
"If you want answers… find the tomb where no one was buried."