The night air in the ruins was cold, damp with mist that clung to every stone. A fire flickered low in the circle of broken walls the group had chosen as their resting place. Everyone was quiet, each lost in thought after the harrowing battle with the Shadowfang.
Mori sat near the fire, hugging his knees. His body still trembled from the memory of the fight. The whispers in his head—those glowing lines on the beast's body—haunted him even now.
But beneath the fear, there was also… something else. A strange, fragile sense of pride. For the first time, he hadn't been completely useless.
He glanced around the group. Ren was sharpening his blade with steady focus. Haruka sat close by, her staff across her lap, eyes half-closed but alert. Renji was stringing new arrows, humming softly to himself. Kenta had already dozed off against the wall, snoring loudly.
And then there was Takuro.
Leaning casually against the stone, arms crossed, his expression unreadable in the shifting firelight. He hadn't broken a sweat in the battle. Not once. That thought unsettled Mori more than he cared to admit.
---
**Mori (hesitant):** "…Takuro?"
**Takuro (glancing up, smirking faintly):** "Hm? What is it, little survivor?"
**Mori:** "Back there… when the Shadowfang almost killed me. Why didn't you—"
**Takuro (interrupting smoothly):** "Step in? Save you?" *\[He chuckles lightly.]* "You misunderstand. If I had interfered, you would have learned nothing. You had to either break… or rise. And you rose."
Mori lowered his gaze, his chest tightening. Was that supposed to be encouragement? Or mockery? He couldn't tell.
**Mori:** "…I only survived because of everyone else."
**Takuro (tilting his head):** "And yet, you struck the decisive blow. Don't diminish it."
Mori swallowed, a strange warmth flickering in his chest. No one else had said that. Not directly.
Ren suddenly cut in, voice firm. **"Don't let him twist your head, Mori. That was teamwork. Don't forget it."**
Takuro smiled thinly, saying nothing. His eyes gleamed in the firelight, unreadable.
---
The night deepened. One by one, the others drifted into sleep. Ren took first watch at the perimeter.
But Mori couldn't sleep. He kept replaying the fight in his mind. The lines. The voice. The strike.
Finally, he stood, stretching, and found Takuro still awake, sitting apart from the others, staring at the ruins with an expression Mori couldn't decipher.
Cautiously, Mori approached.
**Mori:** "Can't sleep either?"
Takuro didn't answer right away. His eyes remained on the mist. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter than usual.
**Takuro:** "Sleep is for those who trust the night to keep them safe. I don't."
Mori frowned. "What do you mean?"
Takuro turned to him, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
**Takuro:** "You're too trusting, Mori. You believe because people fight beside you, they'll never turn against you. But you'll learn. Everyone has secrets. Everyone has a price."
Mori hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. "You… sound like you've been betrayed before."
Takuro's eyes darkened, shadows flickering across his face. For a moment, Mori thought he saw genuine pain flash in them—then it was gone, replaced by the same smooth expression.
**Takuro (softly):** "Perhaps."
---
They sat in silence for a while. The fire crackled faintly in the distance.
Finally, Mori spoke again. "Back when I struck the Shadowfang… I saw something. Weak spots. I don't know how. It was like someone was whispering in my head, telling me to strike."
Takuro's eyes sharpened, interest clear though his expression remained calm.
**Takuro:** "Oh? How fascinating. Hidden potential, perhaps. Or… something else."
**Mori (nervous):** "Do you… think it's dangerous?"
Takuro leaned closer, his voice low, almost conspiratorial.
**Takuro:** "Dangerous? All power is dangerous, Mori. What matters is whether you learn to control it—or whether it consumes you. If you want my advice… don't tell the others. Not yet. They wouldn't understand."
Mori blinked, startled. "But… Ren—he'd want to help—"
**Takuro (cutting him off sharply):** "Ren would want to control. Haruka would want to analyze. Even Kaida, your sweet little friend, would worry and smother you. But you? You need freedom to grow."
Mori's throat tightened. "And you? What do you want?"
Takuro smiled faintly. **"I want to see what you become."**
---
The words lingered in Mori's mind long after Takuro fell silent. Something about them was both comforting and unsettling.
He didn't notice the way Takuro's gaze lingered on him when he turned away, dark and unreadable.
---
The next morning, the group moved deeper into the ruins, searching for safe passage back to the guild outpost. The mist was heavier here, clinging to their skin.
Kenta grumbled, stretching. "Ugh, I hate mornings. Can't we just sleep a little longer?"
Ren shot him a glare. "Stay sharp. The ruins are more dangerous at dawn."
Haruka adjusted her staff. "I sense residual energy… something passed through here recently."
Mori glanced nervously around. His nerves were still raw, but Takuro's words echoed in his head. *Don't tell them. They wouldn't understand.*
He found himself walking closer to Takuro without realizing it.
Takuro, of course, noticed. He always noticed.
**Takuro (casual, low voice):** "So… have you thought more about what I said?"
Mori hesitated. "…About not telling them?"
**Takuro (smirking):** "About trusting yourself more than others."
Mori didn't answer. But Takuro's words dug deep.
---
Later, when the group camped again, Takuro and Mori ended up together once more. This time, Takuro asked the questions.
**Takuro:** "Tell me, Mori. Before all this… what kind of life did you live?"
Mori blinked at him, caught off guard. "Me? Nothing special. Just… ordinary. School, part-time jobs, gaming sometimes. I wasn't… anyone."
Takuro chuckled softly. "Is that so? Then why do you think you survived the summoning, when so many others perished? Ordinary people don't survive fate's cruelty, Mori. You're lying to yourself."
Mori's chest tightened. He wanted to argue—but deep down, something in him wondered if Takuro was right.
Takuro leaned closer, voice dropping to a whisper.
**Takuro:** "There's a shadow in you. I see it. You can try to hide it, bury it under that fragile kindness of yours, but it will surface. When it does… I'll be there. To watch."
Mori shivered, not entirely from the cold.
---
That night, he dreamed of shadows. Whispers calling his name. And a figure watching from the darkness, eyes gleaming violet.
When he woke, Takuro was staring at him across the fire, a faint smile curling his lips.
---