Morning arrived quietly.
Soft golden light slipped through the thin curtains of Kaito's room, painting pale lines across the wooden floor and the edge of his bed. Outside, birds chirped in the distance, and the wind moved gently through the trees of the estate.
But Kaito was already awake.
He lay on his back staring at the ceiling, his eyes dull with exhaustion despite the full night that had passed.
Sleep had come.
Rest had not.
The events of yesterday replayed in his mind again and again like echoes that refused to fade.
His great-grandfather's powerful presence.
The strange subconscious realm.
The overwhelming force that had rejected him.
Freedom.
Even thinking of that name made his chest tighten.
Kaito slowly sat up, letting his feet touch the cold floor.
"…Freedom…" he murmured softly.
The word still felt unreal.
A Guardian.
A being born from the fundamental principles of existence itself.
And somehow…
It had chosen him.
Or perhaps worse.
Rejected him.
Kaito rubbed his face with both hands.
"So that wasn't a dream…"
Another thought surfaced, one that bothered him just as much.
Ren.
His best friend.
A Guardian as well.
Kaito clenched his jaw slightly.
"Why didn't you tell me…?"
He wasn't angry.
Not really.
But the feeling sitting in his chest was strange.
A mixture of confusion.
Disappointment.
And a small sting of betrayal.
They had always told each other everything.
Or at least… Kaito had thought they did.
Knock knock.
The gentle sound of knocking broke the quiet.
"Kaito sama?"
It was Kaede.
Kaito didn't answer immediately.
Kaede waited patiently outside the door.
"Breakfast is ready," she said softly.
Kaito stared down at the floor.
"…I'll come later."
His voice was quieter than usual.
Kaede paused.
Even through the door she could hear something was wrong.
Normally Kaito would respond with energy or teasing.
But today…
There was none of that.
"…Understood," she replied gently.
Her footsteps slowly faded down the hallway.
Kaito sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
He knew he couldn't avoid everyone forever.
After a few minutes, he finally stood up and got dressed.
The dining room was warm and bright.
Sunlight poured through the large windows overlooking the gardens, illuminating the long wooden table where Hana and Toru were already seated.
Kaede stood nearby, calmly pouring tea.
Kaito stepped inside.
"Morning," he said.
Hana looked up first.
Her expression softened immediately.
"Kaito," she said gently.
Toru glanced at him as well.
Even without words, they could both see it.
Something was weighing heavily on their son's mind.
Kaito sat down quietly.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Only the soft clink of utensils and the sound of tea being poured filled the air.
Finally, Kaito broke the silence.
"…Father."
Toru raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
Kaito hesitated.
Then he asked the question that had been stuck in his mind since yesterday.
"…How strong are Guardians?"
The room became still.
Hana and Toru exchanged a brief glance.
Toru leaned back slightly in his chair.
"That's a difficult question," he said calmly.
"Why?"
"Because strength isn't the right way to measure them."
Kaito frowned slightly.
"Then what is?"
Toru folded his hands together.
"Authority."
Kaito blinked.
"Authority?"
Hana spoke next.
"Each Guardian embodies a fundamental concept of existence," she explained gently.
"They are not powerful because they train or grow stronger."
"They are powerful because the concept they represent is essential to reality itself."
Kaito thought about that.
Freedom.
Judgment.
War.
Peace.
Time.
"…So they can't be defeated?" he asked quietly.
Toru smiled faintly.
"Everything can be resisted," he said.
"But defeating a concept… is another matter entirely."
Kaito stared down at his breakfast.
"…Then how am I supposed to face Freedom?"
His voice carried frustration.
Hana reached over and gently placed her hand over his.
"You don't have to face it today."
Kaito looked up.
"You're still only at the beginning," she said softly.
Toru nodded.
"Your great-grandfather told us something important yesterday."
Kaito frowned.
"What?"
"He said the fact that Freedom rejected you is not necessarily a bad sign."
"…What?"
"Concepts like Freedom don't accept weak minds."
Kaito blinked.
Toru's eyes sharpened slightly.
"It may simply mean you're not ready yet."
Silence fell again.
Then Kaito slowly exhaled.
"…So I just need to get stronger."
Toru smiled.
"That's always a good starting point."
For the first time that morning, a small smile appeared on Kaito's face.
"…Yeah."
The training field behind the estate was quiet.
The grass still held droplets of morning dew, and the air smelled fresh and cool.
Kaito stretched his arms before starting.
"Alright…"
He cracked his neck slightly.
"Let's do something productive."
He began with push-ups.
One.
Two.
Three.
By fifty his arms were already trembling.
"…This is way harder today."
Still, he kept going.
After push-ups came pull-ups.
Then sword swings.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The wooden training sword sliced through the air repeatedly.
SWISH
SWISH
SWISH
Sweat rolled down his forehead.
His breathing became heavier.
After nearly an hour, Kaito collapsed backward onto the grass.
"Ugh…"
He stared up at the bright blue sky.
"…This is so exhausting."
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
"Why couldn't my Guardian be something like… Guardian of Naps?"
He sighed dramatically.
"That would be way more useful."
The wind moved through the trees.
"…I wish I could just go into my mind and beat Freedom already."
He imagined punching that mysterious presence.
Then groaned.
"…Actually I'd probably just get thrown out again."
He laughed quietly to himself.
But the laughter faded quickly.
Ren's face appeared in his thoughts.
Kaito sat up slowly.
"…Ren."
His expression turned serious.
"If he's a Guardian too…"
Then Ren must have already spoken with his own.
Maybe Ren was already far ahead.
Maybe Ren already understood everything.
Kaito closed his eyes.
"…Then I can't just lie around."
He took a slow breath.
And began to meditate.
Silence surrounded him.
The world grew still.
Then—
SPLASH
Cold water hit his face.
Kaito's eyes snapped open instantly.
"WHAT—?!"
He jumped slightly and wiped his face, water dripping down his chin.
A familiar laugh echoed across the training field.
A few meters away stood Ren.
Grinning.
Small droplets of water floated lazily around him, gently orbiting his body like playful spirits.
"Yo, Kaito."
Kaito stared at him in disbelief.
"…Did you just throw water at me?"
Ren tilted his head slightly, pretending to think.
"…Technically the water threw itself."
Kaito blinked.
"…Ren."
"Yes?"
"You're unbelievably annoying."
Ren laughed and walked over casually before dropping down onto the grass beside him.
"I couldn't help it," he said, stretching his arms behind his head and leaning back. "You looked like some old monk trying to discover the meaning of life."
Kaito wiped the last bit of water from his face.
"I was meditating."
Ren slowly turned his head toward him.
"…You?"
Kaito glared.
"Yes, me."
Ren stared for a second.
Then burst out laughing.
"HAHA— wait, wait— you're serious?!"
"HEY!"
Kaito grabbed a small clump of grass and threw it at him.
"I can meditate!"
Ren wiped a tear from his eye.
"Sure you can."
Kaito crossed his arms and looked away with an annoyed huff.
For a moment, the two simply sat there in the sunlight.
The breeze moved through the trees.
It felt normal.
Like old times.
Ren glanced over at him again.
"…You've been training hard."
Kaito shrugged slightly.
"Trying to."
Ren looked around the training field.
Broken patches of grass.
Sword marks in the dirt.
Deep footprints from repeated drills.
"…Looks like more than trying."
Kaito leaned back on his hands.
"I have to."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Kaito didn't answer immediately.
His expression slowly became more serious.
"…A lot of things changed yesterday."
Ren watched him quietly.
The playful atmosphere slowly faded.
"…Ren," Kaito said after a moment.
"Yeah?"
"…Can I ask you something?"
Ren sat up a little straighter.
The shift in Kaito's tone didn't escape him.
"…Sure."
Kaito hesitated.
For a few seconds he just looked down at the grass.
Then he finally spoke.
"…Are you a Guardian?"
Silence.
The wind stopped feeling playful.
Ren froze.
The relaxed smile that had been on his face slowly disappeared.
"…So you found out."
Kaito clenched his fist slightly.
"You were going to tell me… right?"
Ren scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"…Yeah."
Kaito narrowed his eyes slightly.
"When?"
Ren sighed.
"…I found out about two months ago."
Kaito's head snapped toward him.
"Two months?!"
Ren raised both hands defensively.
"Hey, listen—"
"You knew for two months and didn't say anything?!"
"I was trying to understand it first!" Ren protested.
"You know how crazy this Guardian stuff is!"
Kaito didn't respond immediately.
Ren continued more quietly.
"And then things got busy… and I thought I'd tell you when things settled down."
Kaito looked at him for a long moment.
"…So you forgot to tell your best friend?"
Ren winced.
"…When you say it like that, I sound like a terrible person."
Kaito stared at him.
Then slowly sighed.
"…I'm not angry."
Ren blinked.
"…You're not?"
Kaito shook his head.
"I just wish you trusted me enough to tell me."
Ren's expression softened.
"…Yeah."
He looked down for a second before extending his hand.
"Sorry, man."
Kaito looked at his hand.
Then grabbed it firmly.
"…Just don't do it again."
Ren grinned.
"Deal."
They released hands.
The tension dissolved.
After a moment, Kaito asked another question.
"So… which Guardian chose you?"
Ren leaned back again with a proud expression.
"Judgment."
Kaito blinked.
"…The embodiment of Judgment?"
Ren nodded.
"Yep."
Kaito whistled quietly.
"…That sounds terrifying."
Ren smirked.
"That's exactly what I thought."
Kaito leaned back beside him, staring up at the sky.
"Have you met it yet?"
Ren shook his head.
"Nope."
Kaito turned toward him.
"What?"
Ren shrugged.
"Apparently I'm 'not ready' yet."
Kaito laughed.
"So even the Guardian of Judgment is judging you."
Ren groaned.
"That joke was terrible."
"It was accurate."
They both laughed.
For several minutes they just talked.
About Guardians.
About how strange everything had suddenly become.
About how ridiculous it felt that two normal children now carried concepts of existence inside them.
Eventually—
The air behind them rippled.
Two figures formed silently from flowing water.
Kaito recognized them immediately.
Ren's bodyguards.
The moment they appeared, Ren's posture changed.
The relaxed boy vanished.
In his place was someone calmer.
More composed.
One of the water figures stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Ren-sama."
Ren glanced back.
"…Already?"
"Yes."
"It is time."
Kaito frowned.
"You're leaving?"
Ren stood up slowly.
"…Yeah."
Kaito stood as well.
"So soon?"
Ren looked slightly apologetic.
"I won't be able to visit for a while."
Kaito's shoulders dropped slightly.
"…Why?"
Ren looked toward the horizon.
"There are things I need to do."
His voice had become more serious than Kaito had ever heard before.
"Training."
"Responsibilities."
"Figuring out this whole Guardian thing."
Kaito understood immediately.
Still, the disappointment was visible on his face.
"…I see."
Ren smiled slightly.
"But hey."
He turned back to Kaito.
"You should train hard too."
Kaito raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Ren smirked.
"Because next time I visit…"
"I want you to actually be a challenge."
Kaito's competitive spirit instantly sparked.
"Oh, you're on."
Ren laughed.
"Good."
The water around his bodyguards began to swirl gently.
Kaito crossed his arms confidently.
"Next time we fight, don't cry when you lose."
Ren grinned.
"We'll see about that."
The water surged.
And in the blink of an eye—
They were gone.
The field became quiet again.
Only the wind remained.
Kaito stood there alone.
After a moment, he slowly clenched his fist.
"…I'll train harder."
His eyes filled with determination.
"Next time you come back…"
"I won't be the one trying to catch up."