The moonlight shone down on a quiet clearing somewhere deep in the wilds of Hanyuun, the pale light turning the tall grass to silver. Two figures moved in the darkness, their blades a blur of motion.

  Clang.

  Sparks flew as steel met steel.

  Clang.

  Another parry, this one a little too slow, a little too desperate.

  Clang.

  A final, decisive strike.

  Yukari grunted, stumbling back, her hand flying to her stomach where the flat of her opponent's blade had struck, a painful, bruising blow. She was clad in the all-black uniform of Takayama's 'phantom killer', her half-mask doing little to hide the exhaustion and despair in her silver eyes.

  "The 'Phantom Killer' is not as dangerous as the rumors say," the man across from her said, his voice a low, confident growl. He was a seasoned veteran, his movements economical and precise, the banner of a fox surrounded by waves—the mark of the Imagawa clan—stitched proudly on his shoulder. He pointed the tip of his katana at her, a cruel, triumphant smile on his face. "You are practically already dead."

  Yukari's breath came in shallow, ragged gasps. The pain in her body, she could manage. She had endured worse. But the pain in her heart... that was a different kind of storm, and it was breaking her down from the inside out.

  Why did I lie? she thought, her mind a chaotic mess as she dodged another, slower strike. Why couldn't I tell him? Why wouldn't I believe in him?

  The captain's movements were a blur of motion she could barely follow. He was a master of his craft, his every step a calculated dance of death. But Yukari... Yukari was a mess. Her usual grace was gone, replaced by a reckless, careless abandon. She overextended on a swing, leaving her side completely open. The captain, seeing the obvious flaw, didn't even bother to counter, instead just sidestepping with an almost bored expression.

  Why was I so scared? Why did I push him away? Didn't I love him?

  "Don't ever come back."

  The words, the last words she had ever heard from him, echoed in her mind, a constant, torturous loop. Her body was engaged in a furious, life-or-death battle, but her mind, her heart, her very soul... they were not there. They were back in that small, quiet village, with a boy who had looked at her with so much pain and betrayal in his eyes that it had shattered her world.

  She lunged forward, her movements sloppy, her dagger held in a clumsy grip. The captain just sighed, a sound of pure, unadulterated disappointment, and with a simple, almost lazy flick of his wrist, he disarmed her, sending her dagger flying into the darkness. He then delivered a swift, powerful kick to her chest, sending her sprawling to the ground.

  He stood over her, his katana now pressed gently against her throat. "Is this it?" he asked, his voice a mixture of confusion and contempt. "This is the ghost that has been haunting our camps? A girl who can't even hold her own blade?"

  Yukari just stared up at him, her silver eyes empty, her will to fight completely gone. The storm inside her had finally broken her.

  "Kill me," she pleaded, her voice a raw, broken whisper. Without Raito, her motivation to live, to fight, to even breathe, had just disappeared.

  The captain's expression hardened, his contempt turning to a quiet, simmering rage. "Is this the best Takayama can offer me?" he growled, his voice a low, dangerous thing. "A crying girl? Pathetic. Insulting."

  "You know who sent me?" Yukari asked, her voice devoid of all emotion.

  "Not at first," he admitted. "However, it is clear now. Most of your targets are either from the Izumi or Imagawa clans. That only leaves one possibility. That Takayama Godai... he is too conceited, too drunk on his own delusional ambition, thinking a single girl can change the tide of this war." The captain let out a short, humorless laugh. "Insulting, I tell you. I don’t even know how my comrade fell by your blade; they certainly need more training."

  He sheathed his sword, the sound a sharp, final note in the quiet of the night.

  "Tell your employer," he said, his voice now a low, commanding growl, "if he truly wants to kill me, Ao the Indomitable of the Imagawa clan, he should bring at least ten thousand soldiers."

  And with that, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the darkness of the forest, leaving Yukari alone in the clearing. She was still alive, defeated, but she might as well be dead. She had nothing anymore. No home, no love, no purpose. Just the cold, hard ground beneath her and the silent, unforgiving moon above.

  Some time later, in Takayama Castle, the door of Takayama Godai's private chamber swung open. Min Eun walked in, her steps silent on the tatami mats.

  "You called, my lord?" she asked, her voice a low purr as she knelt before him.

  Splat.

  An inkwell flew past her, missing her head by inches and shattering against the far wall, leaving a black, spiderweb-like stain.

  "You don't know?" Takayama Godai's voice was a low, dangerous thing, full of a rage that seemed to make the very air in the room tremble. "The doll. Our puppet. She failed. Ao... he still lives. One of the most dangerous captains from our opposition, a man who has been a thorn in my side for years... he still lives."

  "I'm sorry, my lord," Min Eun said, her head still bowed. "I will see to it. However... it is Ao. We have planned to eliminate him for years, and all have failed."

  "You dare talk back to me, Min Eun?" Takayama stood up, his shadow looming over her. "You think I don't know who Ao is? He is a nuisance that has been halting my destiny. Not only has she failed, but she lived. Her mission was to injure Ao as best she could, even if it cost her her life. This failure will also fall on you as her superior. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, my lord," Min Eun whispered, her own voice losing some of its usual confidence.

  "Not only that," he continued, his voice a low, furious growl, "but those filthy Izumi and Imagawa clans are starting to catch on that she belongs to me. How can this situation get any worse? She has lost her tether. She is supposed to be our most efficient killer, yet she gets worse. Tell me the reason, Min Eun."

  "I'm not sure, my lord," she admitted, her voice a quiet murmur. "But I promise, I will fix this. I have a plan."

  "Then see to it," he commanded, his voice a low, dangerous thing. "I will not tolerate any more failures."

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "Yes, my lord," Min Eun said, and with a final, deep bow, she left, closing the door softly behind her, leaving Takayama alone in his rage.

  As Min Eun left the opulent chambers, her usual confident purr was gone, replaced by a silent, simmering fury. Her pace was fast, her steps sharp on the wooden floors. Not only had Yukari's actions angered her lord, but Min Eun now had to shoulder the weight of her failure.

  She quickly arrived at a small, bare room built for the lower-ranking soldiers. This was where Yukari had been living since she had left Raito. Inside, Yukari was slumped against the wall, her eyes empty, lifeless, staring at nothing, motionless.

  Min Eun approached her, a predator stalking its wounded prey. In a blur of motion, she grabbed Yukari by the throat and choke-slammed her against the wall, her grip tightening.

  "Do you know what you have done?" Min Eun growled, her face inches from Yukari's. "You turned our lord's anger to me. This great Min Eun."

  Yukari just scoffed, a dry, humorless sound. "Then just kill me," she whispered, her voice a raw, broken thing. "I failed, right? I'm useless."

  "Oh, you don't know how much I want to do that right now," Min Eun hissed. "But it seems our lord is willing to give you one last chance. To redeem yourself. As long as you still have use... I will fix you. He will see my brilliance, and he will adore me again."

  "He is not my lord," Yukari rasped. "And how would you fix me? Raito hates me. I don't even know why I'm doing this in the first place."

  "Oh, don't worry, darling," Min Eun purred, a cruel, manipulative light in her eyes. "I will fix you. I will even fix your relationship for you." She offered a deal, a single string of hope in a sea of despair. "One last mission. As long as you do that, I'll even let you go back and try to find that boy of yours again."

  "You wouldn't," Yukari whispered, a flicker of something, a desperate, foolish hope, igniting in her empty eyes.

  "Oh, I would, darling," Min Eun purred, her voice a venomous honey. "I can promise you. You will be free to meet that boy again. As you are now, you have no use. But once you are fixed, we will keep protecting that boy. I'll even throw in a good word and have some vacation time arranged for you."

  She finally let go of her grip, and Yukari slumped to the floor, gasping for air. Is she lying? Yukari thought, her mind a storm of doubt and desperation. But at this point, her psyche was too broken to even consider it. A glimmer of hope, no matter how false, was the only thing she had left. If this was true, she could apologize. She could meet him again.

  "What's the mission?" Yukari asked, her voice a raw whisper.

  "Eliminate a rebel captain," Min Eun said, her voice a triumphant purr. "One last one, and then... a long vacation. Will you accept, darling?"

  Yukari exhaled, a long, slow sound of defeat and a desperate, clinging hope. "Yes," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "I accept. As long as you keep your word."

  "I will, darling," Min Eun purred, a sinister smirk spreading across her face. "I will."

  Meanwhile, in a quiet farmhouse surrounded by the pale, ethereal glow of blue bamboo, a young man sat with his head slumped on a table. His cup of warm jasmine tea was untouched, its heat slowly bleeding into the cool night air.

  "Ey... ey..." a voice, full of a perky, if slightly annoying, energy, poked Raito with a stick. It was Isao.

  Sun Yoon, sitting across from them, let out a long, slow sigh. "Leave him be, young Isao. It appears that young Raito needs some time."

  Sun Yoon looked at the boy, a deep, familiar pain in his own eyes. Perhaps this is another one of my failures, he thought. He could see the young boy's potential, his vigor, all of it vanished, all because he had lost his heart.

  "Don't ever come back."

  The words Raito had uttered, the ones he didn't even know why he had said at the time, now echoed back at him. This was the first time he had ever felt so betrayed in his life. Even being sent away from the orphanage by Miss Yinzi couldn't compare to how he felt right now. He wanted her back, but he still couldn't forgive her for lying to him.

  "Grandpa," Raito's voice, a low, pained murmur, cut through the quiet. "Am I really that weak? Am I so useless that she would rather lie to me than tell me the truth?" He looked up at Sun Yoon, his eyes full of a desperate, pleading need for an answer.

  But this time, even the kind, old hermit couldn't offer any advice. Sun Yoon didn't know how to approach it. Yes, Raito is weak, he thought. Easily beaten physically. Anyone with even the smallest amount of training could best him. But can I say that to him right now? The young boy was already at his lowest mentally. Could he even take another criticism?

  But Raito does have his strengths, Sun Yoon continued to think. His heart, his mentality, his maturity despite all his jokes... he is a lot calmer and sharper than he looks.

  And the girl, Yukari... she is the complete opposite. Her body is strong. She has the potential to be one of the strongest in the world. However, her heart and mind... they are lacking. Despite being a half-Sacred, she is sheltered, immature. She always cracks at the slightest problem. That is why their pairing works so well. They cover each other's weaknesses. But now... now they are separated.

  "Hey, man," Isao said, breaking the heavy silence. "If you're gonna be mopey all day, at least come with me."

  Raito perked up, a flicker of his old self returning. "Come with you where?"

  "A party at the village plaza this weekend," Isao said with a grin. "All the single girls of Kumatou will be there. I arranged it. Who knows, maybe you can meet someone new, ya know?"

  Raito just sighed, the flicker of life in his eyes dying out. "Not interested," he said, his voice flat.

  "Well, sucks to be you," Isao said with a shrug. "But if ya change your mind, this weekend. Okay?" He stood up and, with a final, playful salute, left the farmhouse, leaving Raito alone with his thoughts once more.

  "I don't know if he was trying to cheer me up or just trying to annoy me," Raito said, his voice a low, irritated murmur. "Why is he even here?"

  "Now, now, young Raito," Sun Yoon said, his voice a gentle, calming presence in the quiet room. "It must be his way of helping. You know young Isao... he never sits still. Always moving..."

  "Like the breeze," Raito finished, his voice flat. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He reached into his pocket and took out the small, velvet box, setting it on the table between them.

  "Still holding on to that, young Raito?" Sun Yoon asked, his gaze soft.

  "I can't seem to get rid of it," Raito admitted, his voice a quiet, pained whisper. "I tried. One day, after... after the breakup, I tried to throw it into the sea. But I couldn't let go." He looked up at Sun Yoon, his eyes full of a self-loathing confusion. "Something must be seriously wrong with me. Wishing a liar like her would come back."

  "Maybe," Sun Yoon began, his voice a slow, deliberate murmur, "deep inside, you still believe in her. That is called hope, young Raito. Don't you wish you could get a chance to sit down and talk with her again?"

  "I do," Raito admitted, his voice a raw whisper. "But I don't think I'll ever meet her again. Maybe Isao is right. Just move on, find a replacement. I have a business here, a new life. No need to be concerned over the lost one."

  "Now, now, young Raito, don't be hasty," Sun Yoon cautioned, his voice gentle but firm. "There is a reason you are still keeping that box. You are not young Isao. You do not need to immediately move from one to another. You are you. So find it. Your own answer." He leaned forward, his gaze sharp and piercing for the first time. "Maybe... the girl is also screaming for help. Screaming for someone to save her."

  "Heh," Raito scoffed, a bitter, humorless sound. "No way. Someone so prideful like her, someone who was born strong, would never..." His voice trailed off as a series of memories, so vivid they were almost painful, flashed through his mind. Yukari, bowing her head to Mila to train. Yukari, crying, pleading with Bob for help. Yukari, kneeling before Miss Yinzi, her pride completely gone. She has let go of her pride for me, he thought, a wave of dawning, horrified realization washing over him. There must be a reason. Is she scared? Why am I so oblivious?

  "But she's still a liar," he muttered, ruffling his hair in frustration. "Then what can I do, Grandpa? Even if I want to save her, I'm weak. She acknowledged her weakness, yet I'm just standing still. A burden." He looked at Sun Yoon, his eyes now full of a desperate, pleading hope. "But I want to talk with her again. I do miss her. Help me find her, Grandpa."

  "Then perhaps," Sun Yoon began, his voice a low, steady murmur, "you want to consider my offer, young Raito. The basics, for now. Just to gain a simple knowledge of strength. All to be more prepared for your task to find her."

  "I... I don't know," Raito said, his voice a quiet, uncertain thing. "But... if that's what it takes to be somewhat more competent... to not let her burden everything..." He thought of her words, "I'm doing this for us." "I don't know what that 'this' is that she said," he said, his voice growing stronger, a new, awakened fire in his eyes. "But I have to know. From her own mouth."

  "Then we shall start tomorrow, young Raito," Sun Yoon said, a small, knowing smile on his face as the young boy finally accepted the offer from the old hermit.

  On the shores of Biyuu Island, a small, unassuming boat landed. Min Eun and her crew, plus a silent, hollow-eyed Yukari, stepped onto the familiar white sand. Their mission: to eliminate a rebel leader who was now, by some cruel twist of fate, hiding in Kumatou village.