The forest had grown quieter than usual, the kind of silence that made Mori's skin crawl. After yesterday's minor victory, he felt a fragile confidence, but something in the air whispered warnings he couldn't ignore.
Kaida Ren led the group along a narrow path winding between jagged rocks. The fog clung to their legs, and shadows stretched like grasping fingers across the mossy ground.
"Stay alert," Kaida muttered. "Something feels… off."
Mori adjusted his dagger, eyes darting nervously. The faint ache from the previous day reminded him of his mortality, of how fragile life was in the Shadow World.
"Kaien," Takuro's voice cut quietly through the tension. "Keep your eyes open. These woods have stories older than us."
Mori's gaze flicked to the wrist chain glinting against Takuro's sleeve. That small fragment, innocuous to anyone else, felt "weighted with unspoken history" to him now.
Renji, ever the skeptic, smirked. "Stories, huh? I'm more concerned about getting eaten."
Haruka adjusted her glasses. "Pay attention, Mori. He's not joking. The Shadow World holds remnants of history, and some of it… dangerous. You might see things you're not ready for."
Mori shivered, gripping his dagger tighter.
---
The path opened into a clearing dominated by a massive stone monolith. Strange symbols were etched along its surface, glowing faintly in the mist.
"What… is this?" Mori whispered.
Kaida stepped closer, tracing the symbols. "I've seen ruins like this before. They're ancient markers—traces of power left by legendary figures of the Shadow World. People say only those connected to them can sense their energy."
Mori's stomach twisted. A strange, almost magnetic pull drew him toward the monolith. As he stepped closer, faint visions flitted across his mind—flashes of "a man standing amid swirling shadows, commanding creatures with impossible strength". His chest tightened. He knew instinctively: these were "his father's echoes".
Takuro stepped beside him silently. "Don't get too close," he murmured, though his tone lacked the usual sharpness. "You're not ready."
Mori glanced at him, noticing a faint tension in Takuro's expression. "Why… why does it feel like this is… mine?"
Kaida's voice was steady but tinged with awe. "Because, in a sense, it is. Not literally, but connected… bloodline, power, legacy. You might be feeling the residue of a man the Shadow World feared."
Mori's heart raced. "My father…" he whispered.
Takuro's gaze darkened subtly, the wrist chain catching a glint of light. "Focus, Mori. There's more at stake than curiosity."
---
As they examined the monolith, the ground trembled slightly. From the fog emerged shadow creatures, not small this time—"larger, faster, and coordinated". Mori froze.
"This is your test," Takuro said quietly. "See if you can act with the blood of your father flowing through you—or die trying."
Mori's hands shook. E-Rank was not enough. He glanced at Kaida, who gave a firm nod. "We fight together. Remember your lessons."
The battle was immediate. Mori's movements felt sluggish, but instinct took over. He dodged, slashed, and struck as best he could, guided by Kaida and Renji. Takuro, as always, moved like a shadow, precise yet holding back.
Through the chaos, Mori glimpsed faint, glowing symbols on the monolith reacting to his presence. His body felt… lighter. Stronger. He struck a creature that lunged at him, and this time, the wound he inflicted burned brighter than expected.
Kaida's eyes widened. "Mori… did you just…?"
Mori's heart raced. "I… I don't know! It felt… like something inside me woke!"
Takuro's gaze lingered on him, unreadable. "Interesting," he murmured. "Interesting indeed…"
---
After the fight, the group regrouped, breathless. The monolith pulsed faintly as if acknowledging Mori.
Haruka adjusted her glasses. "You're awakening… something. But what, exactly, is unclear."
Renji smirked weakly. "Doesn't matter. As long as you don't get yourself killed."
Mori's thoughts returned to Takuro. The wrist chain glimmered faintly in the dim light, almost as if it were "linked to the pulsing monolith and to Mori himself". He didn't understand how, but the connection felt deep, personal, and significant.
"Takuro…" Mori began, hesitating. "Why do you wear that chain? Is it… important?"
Takuro's eyes flicked downward at the chain, then back at Mori. "It's a reminder," he said flatly. "Of someone I lost. You wouldn't understand."
Mori frowned. There was an honesty in Takuro's tone, but the way he avoided the truth "felt deliberate", a lie layered under truth.
Kaida clapped his shoulder. "Enough talk. Let's head back. We've seen enough for one day, and there's a lot to process."
Mori's mind, however, lingered on the monolith, on the fleeting visions, and on the "shadow of his father's power" awakening within him.
---