"Mister Haru, please explain what happened in that cave. What caused all this?"
As Captain Haru prepared to speak, Yume suddenly interrupted.
"That wasn't Ren. It was… something else. The shadow inside me trembled when he touched me. When he restored me, even the power within me froze."
Ichiro, the assistant of the organization, furrowed his brows.
"Isn't that boy ranked F? The one in the surgery room? What exactly did he do?"
Captain Haru's expression hardened.
"The gate didn't respond to us… but it opened for Ren. It called to him."
"The gate opened for a low rank…?" Ichiro muttered in disbelief, his face pale.
"We don't know why," Haru continued. "But when he came out… he wiped out every single monster."
Kuro stepped forward, his tone uneasy.
"Something was wrong. When he returned… the monsters trembled. They were afraid."
"Yes," Captain Haru admitted, his voice heavy.
Ichiro pressed on. "What did he say?"
Haru's eyes darkened.
"With fear in my heart, I remember his words clearly. He said… 'Wait for your turn to die.' Hearing Ren say that… it terrified me."
The room fell silent until a doctor rushed in.
"Are you the ones with Ren Akatsuki?"
"Yes," Captain Haru replied immediately.
"We've found something unusual inside his body. Look at this."
Haru frowned. "What is it? Don't all humans have hearts?"
"No… you don't understand," the doctor said gravely. "This is a second heart. On the right side of his chest. Ren Akatsuki has two hearts."
The revelation left everyone stunned.
Yume broke the silence.
"I think I know someone who can explain what's happening to Ren. Let me call them."
Ichiro nodded reluctantly. "If you're certain… then call that person."
The doctor added, "And there's more. While he was in the surgery room, his wounds began healing on their own. And the blood that spilled… carried shadow mana with it. It wasn't normal blood—it was as if the shadows themselves bled from him."
"A highly ranked Shadow-Bound…" the doctor whispered.
"That's Ren for you," Haru muttered bitterly. "Always hiding his true self."
"When can we meet him?" Haru asked.
The doctor shook his head. "He won't wake up anytime soon."
Yume, already on the phone, was speaking urgently to someone, asking for help.
That night, everyone returned home, exhausted from the day's losses.
"We'll take a break," Haru announced. "We've lost too much already."
Yume's voice was firm.
"I'll stay. Ren only has me right now. He's been through so much, and I wasn't there for him before. I won't leave him again."
Ichiro sighed. "You're exhausted too. Shouldn't you rest?"
Yume shook her head. "No. Ren restored my body in that cave. I'm fine."
"…Very well," Haru said after a pause. "Someone must stay, and since Miss Yume has chosen, I'll trust her. She's like family to Ren, after all."
"I agree," Ichiro added. "If anything happens, call us immediately."
"Understood," Yume replied.
When everyone finally left, Yume sat quietly by Ren's side in the hospital room. She held his hand tightly, her eyes filling with tears as memories of their childhood flooded back.
"Oh, Ren… what happened to you?" she whispered, tears slipping down her cheeks.
Suddenly, Ren's fingers twitched.
Yume's eyes widened. She gripped his hand tighter.
"Ren…? Are you awake?"
She quickly called for the doctor.
The medical team rushed in.
"Impossible! His heart isn't stable. How can he move?" one of them shouted.
Then it happened—blue light erupted from Ren's right side, where his second heart pulsed. The glow surrounded him, stabilizing his condition and restoring his body.
The doctors froze, unable to believe what they were seeing.
"This shouldn't be possible… yet his body is perfectly normal now…"
Ren's eyelids fluttered open. His eyes scanned the room before settling on Yume and the doctors.
"Yume… what happened? The last thing I remember… we were in the cave. I was covered in blood. Where are Captain Haru and the others?"
Yume broke into tears of relief.
"You're awake! Ren, you've been unconscious for nearly eighteen hours."
Ren blinked in confusion.
"It's been that long? What happened in the cave…?"
Yume looked at him in shock.
"You… you don't remember anything?"
Ren shook his head.
"No. Just blood. The ground… my body… then nothing."
"Ren!" Yume's voice cracked. "Do you know how much you worried us?!"
She punched him lightly on the forehead, knocking him back onto the bed.
"Miss Yume!" the doctor shouted. "He just woke up! He's still injured!"
Yume flinched, realizing what she'd done.
"I-I'm sorry…"
The doctor laid Ren back down carefully.
"You're a lucky guy. With that many wounds, no one should have survived," the doctor muttered.
But Yume's eyes stayed locked on him.
"Ren… tell me. What really happened inside that gate?"
In the cave where the organization had sent a team to investigate, most of the Shadow-Bound were Rank A, with two Rank S among them. As they entered, everyone froze in shock. An aura beyond imagination filled the cave, so overwhelming it almost surpassed even the S-Ranks.
One of the S-Rankers, Kaito Kurogane, shouted, "Everyone, be ready! There might be someone much more powerful than us!"
As they went deeper, their eyes widened. Every single monster inside—monsters strong enough to defeat even S-Ranks—had been killed brutally. Their bodies were torn apart as if a beast had ripped through them. And the gate that was supposed to be there had completely vanished, like it had never existed.
But on the stone walls, words remained. When the hunters read them, the shadows inside their bodies trembled.
"The Ninth Sovereign has been born and will protect this world."
Everyone was confused. None of them understood what it meant or why their shadows were shaking. Without wasting time, they rushed back to the organization to report everything.
Meanwhile, in the hospital, Ren was resting. He hadn't told Yume anything, but he had called for Captain Haru, saying he would explain what happened when the captain arrived.
A few hours later, Captain Haru rushed inside.
"Miss Yume, where is Ren?"
"He's been moved to another room," Yume replied. "He woke up and said he'd tell you what happened when you arrived."
"Then let's hurry!" Haru said, but before they could move, a voice stopped them.
"Wait, Yume… not yet."
Both turned and saw an old man leaning on a stick, slowly walking toward them.
"Grandfather…" Yume whispered.
Captain Haru looked surprised. "Miss Yume, do you know this man?"
"Yes," Yume said softly. "He's my grandfather… and Ren's master."
"So, you are the master Ren spoke about," Haru said, bowing his head slightly. "The one who protected him when the villagers tried to cast him out. As a captain, I thank you for saving him when he needed it most."
The old man nodded.
"Ren is a kind boy. In his early age, he lost his parents, which left him traumatized. And when he became an F-Rank, people even tried to murder him because he was the lowest of the low. His life has been nothing but suffering."
Yume spoke quickly. "Grandfather, the reason I called you is to show you something. You know about the old legends you often discussed with Ren. Something happened during our last mission. High-ranking monsters appeared—I couldn't handle them, and I was about to die. But Ren came from the gate and killed every single one of them… like he was someone else."
Captain Haru nodded firmly. "It's true. Every S-Rank and high-rank bounder stood in front of the gate, but it didn't respond to anyone. Only to Ren. It called him inside, and when he came out… he was different. He killed all the monsters with terrifying power."
Kuro, Yume's grandfather, looked stunned.
Suddenly Ichiro arrived, panting. "Captain Haru! Where is Ren? Quickly!"
"What happened?" Haru asked.
"The reports came from the team that went into the cave," Ichiro explained. "Those monsters could have defeated even S-Ranks. But Ren—an F-Rank—killed them all brutally."
Kuro spoke calmly. "Did the report mention anything unusual about his body?"
"Yes," Ichiro replied. "They found something… a heart on the right side of his chest."
Kuro's eyes widened. "Impossible… so it's true. Ren has been chosen."
"Chosen? What do you mean?" Captain Haru asked.
"You've heard the legend, haven't you?" Kuro said slowly. "That the eight sovereigns would one day choose their successor."
"Yes," Haru said, frowning. "But that's just an old myth. No one really believes it."
"Believe it now," Kuro said firmly. "The legend has chosen. Ren is the Ninth Sovereign."
Everyone fell silent.
"But how? Why only Ren? And how can you prove this?" Haru asked.
"Tell me," Kuro said. "When Ren came out of the gate, did anything strange happen? Were there words left behind? Did the monsters tremble?"
"Yes," Haru admitted.
"Then it all makes sense," Kuro said. "Ren Akatsuki is the Ninth Sovereign… the one destined to defeat the Shadow Demons."
Haru stared at him, stunned. "How do you know all this?"
Kuro ignored the question. His eyes turned toward the room where Ren was resting.
"Come. We should ask Ren himself what happened inside that gate."