The council members broke the silence, their minds still echoing with the horror that had just unfolded.
Daigo stretched slightly, crossing his arms.
— The kid's calmed down.
Noa fixed her icy gaze on Akira in the battlefield.
— What should we do with him?
Daigo shrugged indifferently.
— I think he's fit to be a soldier.
Noa frowned sharply.
— Are you kidding? He went through the exam hall. He can't even control his own will!
Arisawa took a deep breath, his gaze mysteriously lowering to the ground.
— I think we shouldn't act for now, since we don't know what will happen.
Akabane leaned forward, a mocking smile on his lips.
— Not acting because we don't know what will happen is nonsense.
Hoshigaki spoke in a firm, commanding tone.
— If he loses control again in the middle of the city, that'll be bad.
Makise spoke coolly and calmly.
— Let's put him in a cage for now. We'll decide what to do later.
Noa nodded.
— A reasonable decision.
Arisawa suddenly lifted his head, his eyes shining with determination.
— Nonsense! We were the ones who let him do this in the first place!
Noa responded sharply.
— Calm down. Let's make a decision as a council.
A vote was held. The result: 8 to 4.
Akabane spoke with a mocking smirk.
— Vote 8 to 4. The decision is clear. Are you going to oppose it, Arisawa?
After a brief pause, Arisawa lowered his head.
— I respect the council's decision. But I ask that I be the one to take him and bring him.
Noa responded coldly but approvingly.
— Agreed.
Arisawa bowed slightly.
— Thank you.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped and looked at Makise.
— I'll talk to you alone later.
Makise raised an eyebrow.
— Fine.
Daigo immediately reacted, chuckling.
— Oooh, so it's a date.
Makise's expression remained cold.
— It's not.
Akabane laughed derisively.
— You have terrible taste, Arisawa.
Without a word, Arisawa disappeared from sight.
Akira and Yui, still holding hands tightly on the blood-soaked battlefield, suddenly saw a shadow appear in the air. In an instant, Arisawa's silhouette emerged directly in front of them.
Akira and Yui stepped back in surprise.
Yui shouted angrily:
— Who are you?!
Akira stayed silent for a few seconds, then something in his memory stirred.
— Are you a member of the council?
Arisawa smiled faintly.
— Yes. Try to show a little respect.
Yui's eyes flashed with anger.
— You didn't stop the fight. So why are you here now?
Arisawa's expression grew serious.
— As a council, we thought the fight should continue. But now… the council has made a decision for you, kid.
Akira leapt forward in surprise.
— The council… made a decision about me?!
Arisawa spoke without averting his gaze.
— This may upset you… but I'm taking you to the palace cage.
Akira's eyes widened.
— What?!
Yui immediately protested.
— Nonsense! You were the ones who made this decision! Are you blaming him now?!
Arisawa shook his head slowly.
— Not blaming… we just don't want to make any sudden decisions right now. That's why we're taking Akira.
Akira muttered angrily.
— If I'm going into a cage anyway, I'll at least try to escape!
Arisawa stepped forward, his gaze sharp.
— No need. You know you can't escape me.
Akira gritted his teeth.
— I know… but if you say that, I won't go willingly!
Arisawa fixed his eyes on Akira, lowering his voice.
— Akira… do you want to know more about your sister?
For a moment, Akira's eyes went blank. A mixture of shock and fear spread across his face.
— M… my sister?..
A moment of silence passed. Then Akira exhaled deeply, speaking as if defeated.
— Fine… I'll go with you. I can't escape anyway.
Yui stepped forward in anger.
— But Akira!
Akira turned to her, giving a soft smile.
— Don't worry… I'll be back soon.
Arisawa approached Akira with heavy steps, fastening black chain cuffs around his wrists. Then he prepared to take him along.
With one last glance at Yui, Akira was led toward the palace.
⸻
After a day-long journey, as Arisawa and Akira neared the capital, the sunset's light falling on the cobblestone road made them both appear weary. The slow sway of the horse carriage had Arisawa almost dozing off.
Akira, restless as ever, scanned his surroundings, unable to endure the silence any longer.
— Hey, are you asleep? Why are your eyes closed?
Arisawa slowly opened his eyes, his voice tinged with sleepiness.
— I'm not asleep.
Akira pouted.
— You were clearly sleeping just now.
Arisawa asked curiously.
— Then why are you calling out to someone who's asleep?
Akira murmured in a low voice.
— That's true, but…
Then suddenly, his tone changed to one of excitement.
— What's your name?
— Arisawa.
— How do you know my sister?
Arisawa's gaze turned serious.
— She was an old friend. I was truly saddened by her death.
A spark of hope lit up in Akira's eyes.
— Then will you tell me about her? You said you know something.
Arisawa fell silent, took a deep breath, and replied to the question.
— What do you want to know?
— How she died.
This time, Arisawa's voice was darker, heavier.
— The soldiers investigated this case. But because of the way the sword stopped and the absence of anyone else nearby, they concluded it was suicide.
Akira's face twisted, fists clenching.
— I don't believe that!
"Calm down," Arisawa said.
— I don't believe it either.
For a moment, Akira froze, his eyes flickering between anger and sorrow.
— Then who… did it…
Arisawa turned his head slightly, a shadow passing over his face.
— Your sister was a good person with no enemies. I don't know anyone who could have done this to her. But in her final days… she wasn't herself.
— What do you mean?
— She stopped coming to the palace and the laboratory. She distanced herself from me.
Akira muttered thoughtfully.
— Maybe she was just tired of her work.
Arisawa shook his head.
— Impossible. Mira was very dedicated to her research.
— Then why did she distance herself?
— She had a secret research project she didn't even tell me about. We investigated her laboratory room, but found nothing.
Akira spoke hesitantly.
— The other day I went to her room. I opened a cabinet with the necklace she gave me.
Arisawa's face changed instantly. He froze in shock, then leaned forward with excitement.
— And? What was inside?!
Akira looked at Arisawa, surprised by his reaction.
— Just a thin file. And it said 'Ares' on it. Have you ever heard of it?
Arisawa's excitement immediately turned to disappointment.
— No. She never told me anything about it.
He thought for a moment, then added in a low voice:
— …Actually, there's a legend about Ares.
Akira's eyes lit up.
— Can you tell me?
— Not now. We've arrived at the palace. I'll tell you the legend later.
Suddenly, Akira's attention shifted. He looked up at the magnificent palace rising before him and spoke in awe.
— Wow! What a huge palace. Do all the council members live here?
— Yes. Even though it looks united, there are actually twelve separate palaces here.
— Do you have your own palace too, Mr. Arisawa?
— Yes.
Akira's excitement grew.
— Then which one will I stay in!? This place is amazing!
Arisawa chuckled faintly.
— Haha… sorry, Akira. But you won't be staying in the rooms.
Akira found himself far away from the palace's grand corridors, in a basement cage. Dark, damp, and untouched for years. A tiny window above let in only a thin thread of light through dusty bars.
— Arisawa! — Akira shouted, pounding the bars with his fists.
Arisawa, walking away down the stairs, looked back briefly and said only:
— Sorry. Manage for a while. I'm leaving.
— But you were going to tell me the legend!?
— I have to meet a girl.
Akira yelled in anger.
— While I'm rotting here, you're meeting girls!?
— That's not it.
— You tricked me, Arisawa!!!
Arisawa quietly disappeared into the distance.
Akira turned back into the cage and looked around. Amid the rotting stones and rusted iron, there was only a single pillow.
— They didn't even give me a bed… what a terrible place.
He sighed.
— I wouldn't even put my enemy in a place like this.
He placed the pillow under his head and lay down. In the silent darkness, a rough voice suddenly came from the neighboring cage.
— Hey, idiot! Look over here!
Akira scowled.
— How am I supposed to look? There's a wall, you idiot!
The voice suddenly softened.
— You're right… sorry about that.
Akira sat up in surprise.
— What's this… why are you changing your voice like that?
— Can't you see? This is… where the council members imprison spirits inside human bodies.
— What!? So you're a spirit!?
— No! That hurts.
— Then why are you here?
— Then why are you here?
Akira shrugged.
— I'm only here for a few minutes. The council needed to make a decision about me.
— Fine, but why did you come here?
— Well… honestly, I'm not exactly sure myself.
— Then why are you here, idiot!
— Arisawa said he'd give me some information, so I came.
— So you didn't even know this was a spirit prison!?
— Of course not! I thought I'd be locked up in a nice palace room.
— Haha… then why call it a 'cage'?
— Could've been like house arrest or something.
Akira leaned against the cold stone floor of the cage, arms crossed over his chest. The neighboring cage was still murmuring. Listening closely, he noticed the voice shifting between deep and high tones.
— Hey… — Akira said with a teasing tone.
— You're really not a spirit, right?
The boy in the other cage paused, then laughed.
— If I were a spirit, would I waste time talking to a newbie like you?
Akira pursed his lips.
— So you're an idiot.
— Hey! Watch your tone, kid. I'm one of the country's most skilled soldiers.
Akira rolled his eyes.
— A soldier… sure, sure. I'm also the king's son.
— Anyway… stick your face through the bars. Let me see you.
Akira tilted his head skeptically.
— Why?
— Talking to someone whose face I haven't seen feels like you're just talking to yourself.
Akira shrugged slightly.
— Fine.
He pushed his face through the iron bars. The boy opposite did the same. Their eyes met through the cage.
After a moment of silence, they spoke at the same time:
Both:
— You… you're the kid from the arena!
Surprise flashed across their faces.
Akira scratched his head, speaking sheepishly:
— Your name was… uh… I forgot, sorry.
— Sato.
— I'm Akira. Why are you here?
Sato took a deep breath, a faint sadness on his face.
— Don't ask…
— Okay.
They stared at each other in silence for a moment. The stillness seemed to echo off the cold stone walls.
Sato continued.
— A spirit… entered my body. Because I was weak, they locked me in here. So… if that spirit tries to completely take over my body, it will be sealed along with the prison.
Akira raised an eyebrow.
— And how will you remove the spirit?
— There are people in the palace who can do that.
Akira's eyes widened.
— Really!?
Sato looked at him in surprise.
— Why'd you say that?
Akira answered earnestly.
— A spirit entered me the other day too. I thought it would be good to remove it.
Sato's face froze.
— …Are you kidding? How could a spirit enter a body?
— Why not? Can't it?
— Of course it can! But that's the job of the palace soldiers and council members. They imprison spirits that enter bodies. So in the city, with council members around, no spirits roam freely.
— Wow… council members and palace soldiers… they're really impressive.
— And you… where have you been? Far from the capital?
Just then, heavy boots echoed. Two palace soldiers arrived at the front of the cage.
— Quiet!
— Which one of you is Valen?
Akira broke the silence.
— I am.
The soldiers stopped about a meter away in front of Valen's cage.
Sato shouted in shock:
— Hey, what are you doing!?
Akira smiled and shrugged.
— Nice, two more people to chat with.
— Shut up!
— Sato, stay out of this. This kid's dangerous. If the spirit inside him takes over, the cage and lock won't hold.
Sato's eyes widened.
— The lock won't hold!? That's insane!
The soldiers quietly averted their gaze.
Akira noticed the soldiers' fine uniforms and the crests on their shoulders. His thoughts spilled out loud:
— What a beautiful crest…
Then he shouted:
— When I get out of here, I'll be just like you!
Elsewhere, Arisawa walked briskly toward Makise's palace. He knocked on the door.
Makise opened it.
— The council meeting's in an hour. What are you doing here?
Arisawa spoke coldly.
— I need to talk to you.
— …About him?
Arisawa nodded.
— Yes. May I come in?
Makise immediately replied.
— Come in.
The two sat at a table.
Makise asked:
— So, what do you want to ask?
Arisawa spoke seriously.
— When that boy Raito was about to attack Akira, I stood to protect him. But you stopped me. You said, 'Don't worry, he'll win.' How did you know what would happen? Who… are you?
Makise first let out a mocking laugh. Then, grinning, he said:
— I'm the Makise you know. There's nothing special about me.
Arisawa didn't believe him. They stared at each other for a long moment.
Finally, Makise spoke.
— By the way… why did you want to save that boy? What does he mean to you?
Arisawa thought silently. Then his eyes hardened.
— He… is the brother of the girl I love.
Makise's eyes widened slightly.
— I see… so he's Mira's brother.
Arisawa shouted.
— Answer me! How did you know there was a spirit inside Akira!?
Makise spoke calmly.
— I didn't.
— Don't lie!
Makise laughed.
— I really didn't. But because I trusted you, I'll tell you this: I was certain Akira would win.
Arisawa was surprised.
— But how!?
— Arisawa… how many types of energy do you think exist?
Arisawa frowned.
— What do you mean? Of course two. Positive and negative. Otherwise… another type of energy?
Makise smiled faintly.
— Our conversation is over.
Arisawa angrily stood up. He walked toward the door, then suddenly drew his sword from behind his back and threw it at Makise with incredible speed.
Makise held the sword mid-air effortlessly.
— That was dangerous, Mr. Arisawa.
Arisawa wasn't surprised. Using telekinesis, he pulled his sword back, opened the door, and stepped out. Before leaving, he looked back once:
— I want you to support me in the council in an hour.
Makise, with a small smile:
— Fine.
She closed the door.
Arisawa thought to himself.
— The way she held that sword… indirectly saying there aren't just two energies… There's something about this girl. I'll find it.
In the prison cell, Akira tossed the ball in his hand with frustration.
— Ugh… I'll never forgive that Arisawa guy.
The soldiers suddenly turned toward the door and bowed.
— Lady Akabane!
Sato shouted in shock:
— A professional spirit remover… A council member!?
Akabane walked in slowly. Behind her, a familiar face appeared: Reina.
Akira narrowed his eyes.
— Ha… the girl from the arena?
Sato nodded.
— Yes, this is Reina!